S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant 2010

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant & The Acqua Panna European Best Restaurant: Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Eckart Witzigmann.
• Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade: Ferran Adrià, Spain
• The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in North America: Alinea, Chicago, USA.
• The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in The Middle East & Africa: La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa.
• The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America: D.O.M., Sao Paolo, Brazil.
• The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia: Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan.
• Chef’s Choice Award: The Fat Duck, Bray, UK.
• The Highest Climber: Daniel, New York, USA.
• Highest New Entry: Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland.
• Restaurant Breakthrough Award: Marque, Sydney, Australia.

Behold, the Top 50...

1. Noma, Denmark (▲2) noma.dk
2. El Bulli, Spain (▼1) elbulli.com
3. The Fat Duck, UK (▼1) thefatduck.co.uk
4. El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (▲1) cellercanroca.com
5. Mugaritz, Spain (▼1) mugaritz.comx
6. Osteria Francescan, Italy (▲7) osteriafrancescana.it
7. Alinea, USA (▲3) alinea-restaurant.com
8. Daniel, USA (▲33) danielnyc.com
9. Arzak, Spain (▼1) arzak.es
10. Per Se, United States (▼4) perseny.com
11. Le Chateaubriand, France (▲29) +33 (0)1 43574595
12. La Colombe, South Africa (▲26) constantia-uitsig.com
13. Pierre Gagnaire, France (▼4) pierre-gagnaire.com
14. Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (▲2) philippe-rochat.ch
15. Le Bernardin, USA (=) le-bernardin.com
16. L’Astrance, France (▼5) lastrance.abemadi.com
17. Hof van Cleve, Belgium (▲9) hofvancleve.com
18. D.O.M., Brazil (▲6) domrestaurante.com.br
19. Oud Sluis, Holland (▲10) oudsluis.nl
20. Le Calandre, Italy (▲29) alajmo.it
21. Steirereck, Austria (▲9) steirereck.at/wien restaurant
22. Vendome, Germany (▲3) schlossbensberg.com
23. Chez Dominique, Finland (▼2) chezdominique.fi
24. Les Créations de Narisawa, Japan (▼4) narisawa-yoshihiro.com
25. Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (▲25) mathiasdahlgren.com
26. Momofuku Ssam Bar, USA (▲5) momofuku.com
27. Quay, Australia (▲19) quay.com.au
28. Iggy’s, Singapore (▲17) iggys.com.sg
29. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (▼11) joel-robuchon.com
30. Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland (New Entry) schauenstein.ch
31. Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (▲6) lequartier.co.za
32. The French Laundry, USA (▼20) frenchlaundry.com
33. Martin Berasategui, Spain (=) martinberasategui.com
34. Aqua, Germany (New Entry) restaurant-aqua.com
35. Combal Zero, Italy (▲7) combal.org
36. Dal Pescatore, Italy (▲12) dalpescatore.com
37. De Librije, Netherlands (New Entry) librije.com
38. Tetsuya’s, Australia (▼21) tetsyuas.com
39. Jaan par Andre, Singapore (New Entry) swissotel.com/singapore-stamford
40. Il Canto, Italy (New Entry) certosadimaggiano.com
41. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France (Re-entry) plaza-athenee-paris.com
42. Oaxen Krog, Sweden (▼10) oaxenkrog.se
43. St John, UK (▼29) stjohnrestaurant.com
44. La Maison Troisgros, France (Re-entry) troisgros.fr
45. wd~50, USA (Re-entry) wd-50.com
46. Biko, Mexico (New Entry) biko.com.m
47. Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (▼24) traube-tonbach.de
48. Nihonryori RyuGin, Japan (New Entry) nihonryori-ryugin.com
49. Hibiscus, UK (New Entry) hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk
50. Eleven Madison Park, USA (New Entry) elevenmadisonpark.com

And the rest on the list (51-100)...

• Maison Pic, France, pic-valence.com
• Jean Georges, USA, jean-georges.com
• L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, China, joel-robuchon.com
• Wasabi, India, tajhotels.com
• Robuchon A Galera, China, joel-robuchon.com
• Bras, France, michel-bras.com
• De Karmeliet, Belgium, dekarmeliet.be
• Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, UK, the-berkeley.co.uk
• Lung King Heen, China, fourseasons.com
• Rouge, Canada, rougecalgary.com
• Etxebarri, Spain, asadoretxebarri.com
• Tantris, Germany, tantris.de
• Akelarre, Spain, akelarre.net
• GästeHaus Klaus Erfort, Germany, gaestehaus-erfort.de
• Bo Innovation, China, boinnovation.com
• Zuma, London, zumarestaurant.com
• Marque, Australia, marquerestaurant.com.au
• Restaurant Sant Pau, Spain, ruscalleda.com
• Chez Panisse, USA, chezpanisse.com
• Quique Dacosta, Spain, elpoblet.com
• Ristorante Cracco, Italy, ristorantecracco.it
• Pujol, Mex, pujol.com.mx
• Attica, Australia, attica.com.au
• Rust En Vrede, South Africa, rustenvrede.com
• Varvari, Russia, anatolykomm.ru
• La Grenouillère, France, lagrenouillere.fr
• Langdon Hall, Canada, langdonhall.ca
• Les Amis, Singapore, lesamis.com.sg
• Can Fabes, Spain, canfabes.com
• La Gazzetta, France, lagazzetta.fr
• Plavi Podrum, Croatia, gastronaut.hr
• The River Café, UK, rivercafe.co.uk
• Mirazur, France, mirzazur.fr
• Gunther’s, Singapore, gunthers.com.sg
• Doce Uvas, Russia, doceuvas.ru
• Manresa, USA, manresarestaurant.com
• Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy, enotecapinchiorri.com
• Quintessence, Japan, quintessence.jp
• JB Restavracija, Slovenia, jb-slo.com
• Amber, China, mandarinoriental.com
• Masa, USA, masanyc.com
• Le Gavroche, UK, le-gavroche.co.uk
• Café Pushkin, Russia, cafe-pushkin.ru
• Semifreddo, Russia, semifreddo-restaurant.com
• Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, UK, alainducasse-dorchester.com
• Cépage by Les Amis, Hong Kong, lesamis.com.sg
• La Pergola, Italy, romecavalieri.it
• Le Louis XV, France, alain-ducasse.com
• Le Pré Catelan, France, precatelanparis.com
• Amador, Germany, restaurant-amador.de

Singapore: The Culinary Star of SEA

Singapore continues to muscle its way into the world culinary stage with two restaurants on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant 2010 list.

Singapore’s Iggy’s, which debuted on the list last year, has climbed up 17 rung to stand proud at number 28, just inches away from the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia – the 24th seeded Les Creations de Narisawa of Tokyo, Japan.

Jaan Par Andre shares in the glory of being the only other South-East Asian restaurant to be on the top 50 list, thanks to Andre Chiang’s sensational creations of nouvelle French cuisine. The Stamford Swisshotel restaurant in Singapore impresses by taking the 39th position as a new entry on the list.

But after four consecutive years at the top (2005 through to 2009), Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli finds itself in second place this year as Copenhagen’s Noma took the coveted top slot with the most votes from the panel of international food experts and judges; Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck completes the top three line-up.

Organized by the UK’s Restaurant Magazine, the ‘Oscars’ of the global dining scene also acknowledge three chefs for their outstanding achievements: Ferran Adrià for Chef of the Decade, Heston Blumenthal for the Chef’s Choice Award, and Eckart Witzigmann for the Lifetime Achievement accolade.

PS: Andre Chiang will be leaving Jaan at the end of this month.

stir-fried cockle with pineapples

2 tbsp peanut oil

handful curry leaves

2-3 tbsp chilli paste

180g-200g de-shelled cockles, marinated with the juice of one lime right before cooking

150g pineapples pieces

salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1 shot (30ml) rice wine

1 large onion, sliced

handful coriander, chopped

heat the oil in a skillet or wok and fry the curry leaves until fragrant and crunchy. add the chilli paste and saute on high heat until fragrant (be careful, it spatters. if it doesn't, your wok ain't hot enough). now throw in your cockles and pineapples. stir-fry for 2 minutes on high heat, season to taste and deglaze the wok with the wine. cook for a further half minute, stir in the onion and coriander and remove from heat. plate the cockles and sprinkle on some extra coriander for garnish, and flavour of course.

braised vege pasta in tomato curry sauce

serves 2-3

• 1/2 brinjal, cut into large cubes
• oil for deep frying
• 1 tbsps butter
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp curry powder, mixed with a little water to form a paste
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 cups vegetable/ chicken broth
• 1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 chinese napa cabbage, cut into thick slices
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley or basil
• salt and pepper
• parmesan cheese
• 200g pasta, cooked to packet instructions

1. Sprinkle some salt over the brinjal and let sit for about 15 minutes to draw out its moisture, drain.
2. heat some oil in a saucepan. deep fry brinjal for 2-3 minutes; drain on paper towels.
3. remove and leave 1 tbsp of oil in the pan. add the butter and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
4. add the curry paste and fry till fragrant, and mix in the tomato puree and broth; bring to boil.
5. add the capsicum and simmer until it is limp, about 10 minutes.
6. add the napa cabbage and reserved brinjal; simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
7. season to taste with salt and mix in the chopped herb.
8. serve the braised vegetable over cooked pasta, with a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese shavings.

* i find that drawing the moisture out of brinjal/ eggplant/ aubergine and then deep frying them before braising makes the vegetable (er, technically, botanically it's considered a fruit, specifically a berry. seriously, wiki it.) sweeter in taste and it retains its shape better instead of turning totally mushy during cooking.

rambling about riedel

so i'm officially an employee of The Star now. got my confirmation letter on friday, signed and sent it back to HR today so, hmm, yeah, i guess i'm stuck there for a while. lol, commitment phobe.

covered the Riedel glass tasting on wednesday. got a one-on-one interview with mr. georg riedel, a very imposing character. well-spoken and commands a lot of respect, and respect well deserved considering how far he has brought the company.

Riedel (pronounced "reedle," rhymes with needle) is a family owned Austrian crystal wine glass manufacturer, headed by 10th generation glassmaker Mr. Georg Riedel. Claus Riedel, Georg's father, was the first in history "who thought about wine friendly stemware," believing that the shape, size and rim diameter of a wine glass can significantly affect the enjoyment of wines.

after attending the glass tasting at hilton kl, i have to agree that using the right glass for the right wine could significantly enhance the taste and especially the smell of the wines. as for the material of the stemware, that was an area that we did not delve into, although my online research seems to suggest that there is little or no difference between using glass or plastic stemware of the same shape, size and rim diameter, except for the aesthetics.

which brings to mind a very good quote from mr riedel during the tasting: "if you truly want to insult me, call my glass pretty." they are pretty, but they are functionally pretty. riedel emphasises on grape varietal specific stemware, and to date there are 12 riedel collections, beginning with sommeliers by claus riedel, 10 more by georg riedel (including the Vinum XL collection which the tasting highlights), and the O collection by maximilian riedel.

haha, ok, getting a little academic there, sorry. i guess i'm sorta plotting out how i'm going to write the story.

so after the wine tasting, riedel's distributor in malaysia, muihua sdn bhd treated the media to a wine dinner at senses. and i gotta say, chef michael elfwing is a genius when it comes to food (and a very amicable guy).

his signature "smoking allowed..." first course is fantastical and will rock your pants off. "table smoked tasmanian ocean trout & sugar salted salmon, nordic deep sea shrimp with sour cream & chives." yes, table smoked. they brought out a jar with smoke still trapped in it, and out of the jar comes our smoked ocean trout, which is seasoned just right with a good dill flavour and oh-so-tasty. hmm, the shrimp was a tad chewy though. but, the dish still rox. (paired with clifford bay marlborough sauvignon blanc).

then there was the "wild caught itoyuri & alaskan king crab." seriously, king crab souffle? genius. another very satisfying course served with the yalumba eden valley wild ferment chardonnay. next up, a glass of louis jadot gevrey-chambertin served with elfwing's "french quail & butternut tart." the quail was stuffed with foie gras and their homemade wagyu bacon. sounds quite heavenly but i found the foie gras's flavour a tad liver-ish. maybe not fatty enough?

then the "tomahawk steak baked with hay" made quite a strong impression with the diners as elfwing wheeled it out still in the clay shell and cracked it open to reveal the huge slab of steak beautifully cooked to medium rare (or was it rare? er, was kinda tired at that point so my memory's a lil hazy. haha, didnt take that much note at that point since i'm not required to write abt the dinner.) the steak was yummy, and the hay flavour quite subtle. it was paired with don melchor cabernet sauvignon, which works fine with the steak but i made the mistake of taking a sip of it after a bite of the "senses black forrest" and the acidity of the wine hit me like a huge slap on the face. big mistake lol. would have graciously accepted the coffee if it wasn't already 11pm and i have to get up for work the next morn.

all in all, a nice event from a PR perspective. mr riedel had issues with one of the wines that was provided for the tasting but i guess i see his point. after all, his guide for picking wine glasses was this: spend as much on a glass as you would on a bottle of wine. good advice, but might present a problem though. in malaysia, wines dont come cheap and most of the wines that are consumed don't come close to the price tag of a riedel. there is a market for his wares in this country, but it's not that huge. perhaps that would change in time...

yawn. still have to cover the malaysia barista championship finals tmrw. night night.

sesame oil mee sua with hard boiled egg

so we just finished prayers for the jade emperor's (tian gong) birthday. my mom was the one doing the prayers, i just helped her prep some of the food and wave some joss sticks around. and after all the prayers are done -- paper house and paper gold burned, god munched down the spirit of the food offerings -- whatever was placed on the altar can now be packed up, preferably in our stomachs. so, i whipped together the mee sua and red-dyed hard boiled egg into a delightfully satisfying late night snack. (emphasis on snack. u'd want to increase the amount of mee sua if this is gonna be your main meal.)

• 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 fish balls, halved
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp shao xing rice wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp salt to taste
• 2 bundles mee sua
• handful torn lettuce leaves (cos or iceberg)
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced or quartered
• handful coriander leaves
• chopped spring onion
• fried garlic
• pinch ground white pepper

1. heat the oil in a saucepan. saute the garlic on medium low heat until just beginning to brown.
2. add the fish balls and fry on high heat for about 1 minute. season with white pepper, soy sauce and rice wine; cook for another minute.
3. add the chicken stock and bring to boil.
4. season to taste with salt and add the mee sua and lettuce leaves. cook for a minute on medium heat, separating the mee sua with chopsticks.
5. remove from heat. divide the mee sua, fish balls, lettuce and soup between two bowls.
6. top each bowl with an egg each, some coriander leaves, spring onion, fried garlic and white pepper.
7. serve immediately.

note: sadly, my bowl of mee sua didn't actually have spring onions in it, but it still tasted great. it'd be much better with it though.

thanks tseyein for taking the pikchar.

quick update

so as the title suggests, i'll keep this short.

firstly, apologies to my one and only follower on this pathetically miserable blog that doesn't get updated. haha, sorry. u know how i am.

anyway, i got a job as a sub-editor with Flavours magazine (owned by Star Publications), and that's taking up a huge chunk of my life. i've literally worked every damn day since i started work there on dec14, 2009. no kidding. public holidays, saturdays and sundays. the only days i've had off are dec25 for my christmas party, and yesterday and today coz i'm on MC for conjunctivitis. bleh.

so yeah, if u think that getting a job at a food magazine is gonna give me more time to cook, hells no. i get lots of inspiration for food (i spend the whole day reading recipes and articles about food and wine), but i don't get much of a chance to try them. so that sucks. it's kinda like sucking the life out of my passion for food. after a while, every recipe i read feels like a bore.

i'm digressing. my point is, i have a lot more things to say regarding food nowadays, but much less time to do it. i've also accumulated a lot of recipes but no time to publish it. i do sometimes log on to nibbledish to post my recipes coz i have more than one follower on that site. and no, i don't mean just two. i actually have a pretty decent sized following there. pro ranking okay, don't play play. so, check things out over there when things are quiet here.

i will attempt to keep this food blog more updated. (note to self: posts on christmas dinner and all the yummeh yummeh foods that night; high tide; and things-i-don't-like-abt-nibbledish-since-yongfook-sold-it.) till then, happy food hunting.

ps: this sub-ed did not proofread this post coz she needs to go rest her inflammed eyes. gotta work tmrw, good night.

Tuna & Rocket Pasta

the ingredients...

• 1 can (200g) tuna (preferably in brine)
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion (yellow or red works), roughly chopped
• handful of sweet basil
• 50g rocket leaves
• 2 tbsp butter
• 100 ml melted butter or olive oil
• 6-8 pitted black olives, sliced
• 4 servings spaghetti or fettucini
• salt, white pepper and freshly cracked black pepper.

the method...

1. Start cooking the spaghetti/fettucini as per packet instructions.
2. Get a skillet heated and melt the 2 tbsp butter. Fry the garlic and onion on medium heat until fragrant. Don't let it brown.
3. Add the whipping cream and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
4. Place the tuna and basil leaves in a blender or food processor. Pour in the contents of the skillet and process until smooth. With the motor still running, drizzle in the melted butter/olive oil. Season with salt and white pepper.
5. Drain the spaghetti, reserving abt 1/2 cup liquid. Pour in the processed sauce and half the rocket leaves. Mix well.
6. Divvy up the pasta and sauce onto four serving dishes. Garnish with the other half of the rocket leaves and some freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with a slice of garlic bread to soak up the yummy sauce.
7. Bon appetit!

photo courtesy of tsewei...

SoCo Orange Scallops

classes started already, which means i don't have as much time to cook anymore :(
it's sunday, and after a night of drinking at my room party (roomie's bday) yesterday, i guess i can spare some time to make some yummy scallops with, wait for it... a shot of southern comfort. yes, waking up and doing more drinking. it's not my soco though, it's jerez's, but since he left it behind, i decided to steal one shot. just a shot jerez, please don't get mad. me makes u food next time ok?

ingredients:

• 7 sea scallops
• 150ml orange juice
• 1 shot Southern Comfort
• 1 tbsp butter
• sliced mushrooms
• chopped spring onions
• salt
• white pepper
• garlic powder
• chili powder

this is how we party...

1. wash scallops, pat dry with paper towel.
2. season both sides with salt, white pepper, garlic powder and chili powder.
3. heat butter in pan until it's smoking hot.
4. place seasoned scallops (wide side down) in a single layer. no sliding, no moving... no, don't you dare touch those scallops once they're down!
5. gently turn them over with thongs after 1 1/2 minutes, and sear for another minute.
6. plate the scallops.
7. now add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. stir fry on medium heat for 2 minutes, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
8. scoop out the mushrooms and place them over the scallops.
9. turn up the heat to high, add the shot of southern comfort and orange juice to the pan. boil for 5 minutes until the soco orange is reduced to a syrup.
10. pour the SoCo orange reduction over the scallops and mushrooms.
11. garnish with the chopped spring onions and serve.

this is a great appetizer. the scallops are nice and juicy, and eaten with the sauce, there's a symphony of sweetness, salty and tangy feeling, and just a teeny weeny bit spicy.

don't overcook the scallops! it becomes tough and rubbery, and when juices starts oozing out, u know it's too far gone. keep track of the cooking time, and keep an eye on the color of the scallops. as soon as they turn from translucent to opaque, get them off the heat!

Nasi Lemak & Chicken Curry

a truly Malaysian cuisine, made using ingredients that are more readily available in America.

ingredients for making nasi lemak...

• 1 cup white rice (preferably Jasmine)
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (unsweetened, first pressed)
• 4 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp salt

directions for making the nasi lemak...

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Strain and pour into a pot. Add the salt, bay leaves and water and soak for 15 minutes.
2. Place the pot of rice on high heat and bring to a boil with the lid on. Keep a close watch on it so that it won’t leak out when it starts boiling or else you’ll have such a fun time cleaning up the stove.
3. Anyway, once it comes to a boil, add the coconut milk, stir, place the lid back on, turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring once or twice in the last 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

ingredients for making chicken curry...

• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 carrot, diced
• 1 1/2 cup water (potato)
• 4 pieces chicken thigh, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 tsp lemon grass mash
• 3 tsp garlic mash
• 2 tsp ginger mash
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• pepper (preferably white)
• 6 bay leaves
• 4 heap tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup water (curry paste)
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 tbsp rice wine, or any cooking sherry
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cube chicken consomme (15g)
• salt

directions for making the chicken currt...

1. Marinate the chicken in the lemon grass, garlic and ginger mash with the soy sauce, bay leaves and pepper for about 10 minutes.
2. Fill a pot with 1 ½ cup water seasoned with salt and add the potatoes. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the diced carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Mix the curry powder with ½ cup of water to form a paste.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large pot and fry the diced onion until translucent. Add the chicken fry for about 3 minutes, then the curry paste and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add in the rice wine and empty the potatoes, carrots and its liquids into the pot. Pour the coconut milk in and add the chicken consommé cube. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt to taste.

to assemble this dish...

1. divide the rice between the dishes and pour the chicken curry over the rice.
2. add to each serving a hard boiled egg, 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, some celery or cucumber sticks, and garnish with chopped cilantro and chili.
3. serves 3-4 people.

let's talk about OSF...

what is OSF u say? well, the full name is Open Source Food. this is the website i have been frequenting and updating a lot recently, and in the process of that, neglecting my lemons & oranges food blog. yes, i know, i am... ashamed. but not that much! because OSF is THE best food website i have ever came across. they have tonnes of recipes there and each and every recipe comes equiped with gorgeous pictures that will make u wanna reach out and grab the food right out of the screen. trust me, if u're ever stuck for an idea of what to cook for a party of 5 or just for urself, this is the best place to visit. everytime i get onto that website, i get a surge of creative buzz that makes me wanna make shitload of crazyassed food. yes, it is that insanely good.

what i love most about this website is the OSF community. we get people from all over the world, many of them are like me who have left their home country and transplanted themselves in a foreign place and a different food culture. the result? lots of recipes from every continent, and also a lot of fusion food. this website, unlike most others, is also very south-east-asian centered as the creater of OSF (yongfook) is, according to his website, half Singaporean Chinese. well, he is also half British and is a web producer based in Tokyo and runs OSF as a personal project and probably earning quite a bit of $$$ from the advertising. don't get me wrong, the website is not overloaded with ads, thank goodness, it's just that he has some pretty big names lining up to advertise on OSF (jamie oliver and gordon ramsay, or is it bourdain? cant quite remember, but, u get the picture). anyway, yongfook is also a bloooody good cook.

but, back to the website. yeah, like i said, love the community. u get anything from novice chefs and simple recipes to professional chefs with absolutely delectable treats. heck, one of the chefs i follow on OSF was a private chef to antonio banderas, eddie murphy and also microsoft's paul allen... so yeah, recipes with different skill levels. and if u come across something u don't know, just ask. everyone is very nice, friendly and helpful.

trust me, i'm not the only one who raves about OSF. the website was launched in march 2007 (i believe) and since then OSF has been featured in TIME's 50 Best Websites 2008 and also in Food and Drink magazine. even australian celebrity chef benjamin christie blogged about it.

so, what can u do on OSF? browse recipes! this is the place for all food lovers. if u cook, take some pretty pictures and post up your recipes. if you're like me and doesn't always measure your ingredients when you cook, what the heck, post up your recipes anyway. maybe the noobs wont know how to make it, but the more experienced ones will know how to approximate the stuff on their own. some recipes are featured on the home page and you can also see which recipes have recently been commented on. browse recent recipe additions or browse by which recipes are popular. if you like a particular recipe, vote on it it'll appear on your profile with a list of your fav recipes (by other users), and u can go back to it when u wanna have another look. if you like the recipes by one of the users, u can become a groupie and follow their progress on OSF. say u're looking at a particular pasta recipe, the bottom of the page will showcase other related recipes by other users based on the tags. that's right, tags. they're your best friend when you're trying to search for recipes. too much lemons left in the fridge? no problemo. the search engine will generate a list of recipes that uses lemons and u can start pickling, juicing and cooking those lemons in no time.

being on OSF is just soooo much fun. it's also wayyy easy to navigate. no kidding. download squad and appscout (amongst others) gives this website 2 thumbs up... fuss free interaction on one of the best food communities. a site for foodies by foodies.

if you're here on my blog, you're obviously a food lover too. so, what are u waiting for? go start an account at OSF NOW!!!

enjoy! :)

garlic mash

this garlic mash is useful when u want to infuse a smooth sauce with garlic flavor without compromising the texture. great as rubs on meat and poultry as well.

get a few bulbs of garlic. peel away the outer layers of skin (except the immediate layer of skin surrounding each individual clove) and leave the cloves intact to the bulb. using a knife, cut off the top of the bulbs so that each clove has it's top end removed. place the garlic bulbs on a tray and bake in preheated oven at 350-400F for abt 30 minutes. remove from the oven, let cool, and then squeeze the garlic (each individual clove) out of its jacket into an airtight jar. store in the refrigerator up to 3 months, possibly more.

cheesecake factory

cosy lil restaurant i went to in boston. as the name suggests, they specialise in cheesecakes. kinda like secret recipe back in malaysia, just with much better selection of food. i mean, like, it's a real restaurant and all. lots of different food items in the menu. great seafood selection. good service. nice atmosphere. decent pricing. awesome...

*me and the jojo at cheesecake factory during winter...

i've been there twice, once in december (with jojo, tiffany and yiran) and again a few weeks ago. and both times i ordered fried calamari. yup, like i said, crazy asian's love for seafood. muahaha... so, yeah, the calamari was yum. totally satisfied my cravings for fried calamari which i've been deprived of in oswego. i had fried calamari twice in my recent boston trip. the other time was at pizza uno, like 2 days before my cheesecake factory trip. the pizza uno's fried calamari was not bad. interesting that they had some fried yellow peppers with it and it was served with marinara sauce, but i wasn't quite satisfied coz it was pricier and half the serving size of what cheescake factory gave me. hence, me gobbling down fried calamari again so soon after i've had it.

anyways, i wish i'll have another chance to go there. like i said, i was very impressed by their selection of seafood. and from the looks of the food served to other tables, they are pretty nicely done. cant wait to try out their salmon...

Shrimp Salad

i went down to one of the cafes in the new campus center for lunch on friday with patrick and amazingly, they had boiled shrimps at their salad bar!!! must be my lucky day coz i hardly ever eat at the campus center during summer unless patrick comes and drags me over, but they've never served shrimps at the salad bar everytime i've been there. anyway, i proceeded to make myself a shrimp salad, got myself some new england clam chowder (to which i added more shrimps) and a bottle of orange juice. lunch came up to $7.50 or so. it... was... yummy!!!

...but that wasn't enough. once i was done with lunch, i went back to the salad bar and bought more shrimps! lol, to the amusement of patrick, who sorta understands the crazy asians' love for all things seafood (ok, not ALL seafood, but most seafood. i mean, sea cucumber? yuck...) since he has a chinese girlfriend.

coincidentally i did just buy some mixed greens, my favourite romaine lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. hehe, which means... more shrimp salads to come!!! yay...

so, yeah, i just finished eating my shrimp salad supper. burp. excuse me. here's the recipe... nothing special, but a totally fantabulous salad.

chop up some fresh romaine lettuce, pile it on top of some mixed greens. dump in some cherry/grape tomatoes. add some croutons, then flood it with lotsa small chilled boiled shrimps. sprinkle some black pepper. now top up with some thousand island dressing.

i mixed the thousand island dressing with equal parts mayonnaise and some lemon juice to tone down the sweetness and tangy taste of the thousand island dressing.

voila.

photoshopping

well, got bored, and decided to do a little photoshopping...


i'm gonna go print it out and use it as a bookmark. want one?

blueberry pie (croissant crust)

well, here's a lazy assed way to make pie. if u ever need to get to a potluck but all the ez stuff to make (like potato salad) is already being prepared by someone else, run down the store, and get these ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls
• 1/2 can blueberry pie filling
• 9-inch pie plate
• apricot jam

in half an hour's time, u'll have a beautiful blueberry pie which u can tell people that u (sorta) made it urself.... haha, cheater bug... but who cares? in today's society, no one's really gonna be up ur arse if u didn't make every aspect of that dish from scratch.

so, here's how u do it:

1. unroll the dinner rolls.
2. arrange the 8 triangular rolls on the pie plate into an 8-edged star, with about 3 inches of the narrow end of the tip extending from the rim of the pie plate.
3. trim and patch the dinner rolls so that the base of the pie plate is evenly covered.
4. spoon blueberry pie filling onto the base.
5. bring the tips of the dinner rolls over the filling towards the center of the pie.
6. bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes at 350F.
7. heat some apricot jam with some water and brush it over the pie crust.
8. let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

* pie in picture was left in the oven a lil too long and i also ran out of jam so no glaze. still tastes good though.

tada... now wait for the pat on your back..

turkey bacon burger patties

this recipe combines two of america's favorite meat: turkey & bacon... a great fourth of july burger! place it on a grill while watching the spectacular fireworks... shiok!



Ingredients:

• 0.65lb grounded turkey
  
• 8oz bacon
  
• 1 medium sized large onion
  
• 1/2 bulb garlic
  
• handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
  
• 8 tbsp honey bbq sauce
  
• 2 tbsp brandy
  
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
  
• 1 tbsp chili oil
  
• 1 tbsp vege oil
  
• 3 tbsp bread crumbs
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  
• handy food processor

Directions:

1. peel and cut the ends off the onion and garlic. cut the onion into decent sizes and dump them into the food processor with the garlic and pulverize it. transfer the garlic onion mix to a pan and add the oils (all 3 kinds). turn on the heat to medium high and stir fry it, slowly reducing the heat bit by bit. just cook until fragrant but not browned. remove from heat and let cool.


2. now cut the bacon into more manageble sizes and dump them into the food processor with the cilantro. let the machine to its work.


3. mix together all the ingredients listed (except the food processor of course).
   heat a little glug of oil in a pan and then add a small dollop of the patty mixture to the pan. fry on medium low heat until cooked through. let it cool and give the patty a try. check to make sure that its taste is to your liking and also that the burger patty binds properly.
   once well adjusted, shape the meat mixture into burger sized patties (this recipe makes abt 8 servings of half inch patties) and package them in foil. freeze until ready to cook.

flaming b52 shot

so... i decided to make myself a b52 shot on thursday night, and offered to make one for my friend too. next thing i know, there's ppl knocking on my door and more and more ppl just started popping up and what started as a mini recreational drinking session turned into a full fledged room party all the way up to 5am with ppl leaving my room completely trashed. haha, sweet...

i generally dont do shots but i've come to love this drink a lot. it costs a bomb but i make it pretty often and my friends loves it too...

get a clean shotglass. equip each bottle with a speed pourer. fill 1/3 of the shotglass with kahlua. then another 1/3 with baileys irish cream poured over the back of a spoon or ice-cream stick. top with 1/3 of cointreau also poured over the back of a spoon. light it on fire, enjoy the flame for abt 5-10 seconds. blow it out, and bottoms up!

this drink is layered so that the cointreau (40% alcohol) is on top for flaming purposes and to give the drink a kick. the center layer of baileys helps support the cointreau while the bottom most layer is kahlua so that u'll get a nice aftertaste.

a note to fellow pyromaniacs. try not to watch the flame for too long. i know it's pretty but u'll end up burning ur lips if u let it heat the rim of the shotglass for too long.

sorry for the fuzzy pic, the photographer was a little tipsy... hehe... (._.)

creamy pesto pasta

served with prawns/shrimps sauted with garlic and chili powder, garnished with spring onions.


ingredients
1 pkt Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
8 oz pasta, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sausages/hotdogs, cut diagonally

directions
premix the pesto sauce with milk. heat oil in a pan and stir fry garlic until fragrant, add the sausages and fry for another minute. add the pesto milk mixture and bring it to a boil. turn off the heat, stir in the pasta and serve. makes abt 3 dishes.

microwave potato

yes, i am that lazy.

instead of boiling a pot of water to cook my potato, i've decided to stuff it in the microwave. here's how u can do it too...

scrub clean a potato and remove any sprouts. puncture some holes all over the potato (to let out the steam when cooking so ur spud won't explode) and then place it in a bowl with about 2-3 tbsp water. place it in the microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes, then turn the potato over and add another 1 1/2 minutes of cooking time. poke the potato with a fork and if it goes through easy it should be ready.

this cooking time is for a fist sized potato. larger potatoes takes up to 5-6 minutes each. if you're unsure of the cooking time, just repeat the process of turning the potato over after every minute of cooking time, and keep testing it with a fork until it's cooked.

serve the potato with a chunk of butter, some salt and pepper. simply delicious. an egg salad works too.