Spike!

(Thank you everyone for helping get this to FoodBuzz Top 9)

Meet "Spike", my portable pie.

Portable pies, hand held pies, small little pies that fit into the palm of your hand, are so convenient, cute, lunchbox and portion-friendly .... freezer-friendly too! So convenient to just pop one or two into the oven or microwave for that spur of the moment pangs of hunger .... I seem to be getting a lot of that these days. I've almost totally scrapped the word "diet" from my vocabulary. Can someone remind me again what that blinking word means?

I'd made these for the Culinary Smackdown Battle @ Pretend Chef in the Hand Held Meat Pies Category. The gears in my head have been grinding for the last 2 weeks and finally settled on this, combining the Onion Jam recipe that I'd posted earlier with some very basic breakfast ingredients and packed them all into a mini breakfast pie! Breakfast on the go!

INGREDIENTS

Shortcrust pastry (for recipe, click here)

Onion jam (for recipe, click here)

Smoked bacon rashers

Small Eggs / Quails' eggs

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Roll out pastry and cut out to fit base of pie cases. Prick bottom of cases with a fork several times.

Fill with a layer of onion jam.

Fold a bacon rasher into half, lengthwise, and coil it around the inside of pie case, leaving a hole in the center for the egg.

Crack in 1 egg.

Brush sides of pastry with egg white and cover with pastry. Press the edges to seal. Brush top with beaten egg. Make a small hole/slash in the top to prevent cracking.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 mins or until golden.

Best eaten warm.

A Reminder: Virtual Potluck Party

Mandarin Orange Marmalade

Every Chinese New Year, I'm up to my eyeballs in mandarin oranges. And I'm not talking number of fruits but number of boxes and crates of mandarin oranges given as gifts and from exchanging gifts. It's another one of the essential "must-haves" for Chinese New Year. And I have more than my tummy or fridge can contain. Can't leave them out too long ..... the weather here is perfect for if you wanna have a science experiment on fruit fungus.

So, before we overdose ourselves with mandarin oranges, I decided to make marmalade out of them. And you know what? I actually prefer them to the regular orange marmalade! There is a different kind of citrus taste that isn't as sharp and tangy, and the color .....oh my! ... Sunshine in a bottle!

This isn't as gel-like as store-bought jam as I did not use any additional pectin and just relied on the natural fruit carbohydrates in the lemon and oranges.

INGREDIENTS

7 - 8 mandarin oranges (medium sized)

juice of 1 large lemon

3 cups coarse granulated sugar (Ratio of 1:1, pureed pulp to sugar)

2 cups water

METHOD

Peel oranges. Cut peel into fine or coarse julienned strips ... your preference. The amount of peel also depends on whether you'd like more or less of it. I used about 2 cups of cut peel.

Place cut peel into a large pot and add the 2 cups of water. (If you're using more peel, add enough water to cover the contents of the pot)

Boil peel until soft, about 5 - 10 minutes. Measure out the liquid that's left (I had about 1 cup) and replace with the same amount of fresh water. (I do this to lessen the bitterness, You can always omit this step if you like your marmalade more bitter).

While the peel is boiling, pick out as much of the white pith and the stringy stuff ... ok, ok, proper word .... the membranes. And also remove the seeds.

Place fruit and lemon juice in a food processor and puree til an almost smooth consistency. Add this mixture together with peel and water into a large stainless steel pot and bring to a boil.

Add sugar. Stir often until consistency thickens (15 - 20 mins, or longer, depending on how juicy the fruits are) or until a candy thermometer reaches 220˚F (104˚C), that's the gelling stage.

Fill into sterilized jars and seal with their lids and allow the jars to sit in a hot water bath for 10 mins. Remove and let cool at room temperature until you hear the "pop" of the button on the lid or when you notice the button has gone down. That means it's sealed properly and those jars will keep on the shelves unrefrigerated for months. Those that don't seal properly can be kept in the fridge.

Good with loads of butter on bread/toast or as a marinade for a roast chicken. Wish I had some more of those English Muffins.

PS: A small reminder of the Virtual Potluck Party. All are invited!

Brussels Sprouts with Salted Eggs

Whoo ... what a week it's been! Chinese new year has always been busy, busy, busy ... we celebrate it in a very small way compared to a lot of the Chinese folks out there. Things are slowly getting back to normal, people are trickling back from their hometowns after a week long break. Schools are back in session and I'm hoping I can get back to more regular blogging now. Right, let's get started.

Brussels sprouts ..... one of my favorite veges. They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber.

I used to hate them as a kid. I'd rather have my tooth pulled than eat brussels sprouts. But as I grew older wiser, I developed a liking to the slight bitterness of that cute round, cabbage-family, vitamin loaded vegetable. I'd like to think my tastes have matured and become more sophisticated in my wiser years .... double *ahem*.

All this time, I've had them cooked in a white sauce or butter sauce, usually as an accompaniment to roast poultry or some kinda meat. I really needed to have a different way to cook this, first, for variety's sake and second, so that my husband will eat them without grimacing.

I'd thought of frying them up like the fried spiced pumpkin dish. Then another thought hit me as I was contemplating this.... another vegetable with a similar bitterness ... the bitter melon / bitter gourd. This, stir fried with salted egg yolks is one of our very favorite dishes. Why not marry this two ideas together? Hmmm .... (Don't ask me why he'll eat bitter gourd and not brussels sprouts .... men are from mars, remember?)

It turned out better than I expected, altho not as creamy as when it's cooked without the whites of the salted eggs ... I thought it's such a waste to chuck the whites. But the flavors went really well together and to give a little ooomph, i added some chilly flakes.

INGREDIENTS

brussels sprouts, quartered ( I had about 1 full cup after quartering them, you can just halve them if they're small)

2 salted eggs, hard boiled and shelled

1 tbs butter

1 tbs grapeseed oil (this is just to prevent the butter from browning too quickly)

1 tbs chopped garlic

pinch of sugar

pinch chilly flakes

a little water / milk

METHOD

Mash 2 salted egg yolks + one egg white together. (Using all 2 egg whites would make it too salty)

Heat butter and grapeseed oil in a pan and stir in chopped garlic. Give it a quick stir without over-browning.

Add mashed salted eggs. Stir fry for a little bit then add in brussels sprouts.

Stir to combine. If it looks a little dry, add in some water or milk and cook until sprouts turn a slight translucent color.... or if you like them crunchy, cook a shorter time.

Add a little sugar to taste and stir in chilly flakes.

Serve hot with fluffy white rice.

PS Just a small reminder about the Potluck Party. All are invited!

A Virtual Potluck Party Invitation & An Award

I shall do things differently this time. But first, I would like to thank Elisabeth for yet another award. You spoil me, Elisabeth :D ..... not complaining, just tickled pink!

And being my non-conformist self, I won't be listing out who I'm passing this on to but rather, I'd like to invite all the ladies out there to my Virtual Potluck Party at the end of this month, the 28th February (btw, this is also the last day for submission of your recipes. And yes, you can bring more than one dish!) Sorry guys, this IS a Sisterhood award after all. If this party works out great, there may be more on the way!

All you have to do is to email me (email address on my profile page) a photo (jpeg, please) of your dish or preferably, use the Linky below, and it will appear on my Virtual Potluck Party post sometime in early March and linked back to you. And all those who have submitted, please grab the award and paste it on your blog. Welcome to the sisterhood! And as Elisabeth has informed me, you don't have to go through any embarrassing rituals to belong.

This will be the first time I'm doing something like this, so please bear with me if you find any glitches and do let me know about it.

Oh, and those who are already in the hood, you're also invited to the partay! The more the merrier!

Oh, and a teeny mention and link on your post would be much appreciated :D

Happy Lunar Year of the Rabbit & A Recipe

" Gong Xi Fa Cai! " to all celebrating Chinese New Year. The start of the lunar year falls on the 2nd of February this year. This is a biggy for most Chinese and there will be many family reunions. There is always lots of eating involved and besides traditions like the giving of 'ang pow' (monetary gifts in red packets symbolizing the wish of good tidings), there is the sharing of goodies, cakes and cookies.... especially pineapple tarts. Given that there's going to be no shortage of CNY cookie posts , I'm going away from the norm and featuring an onion jam recipe instead.

Onions? Yup, onions! I don't believe onions have any significance at all to the Chinese Lunar Year. It's just that this bunch of onions I had, started to sprout faster than I could use them (mistake of putting them by the window) and this particular onion started to cast a shadow resembling a Quasimodo-ish rabbit. As this is the turn of the Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac, it seemed fitting to use it as our greeting for this year..... and with it, a recipe with onions. Some things just seem to decide for themselves. Non traditional.. yup, that's me.

ONION JAM

INGREDIENTS

500 g red onions, sliced

15 g butter

50 ml balsamic vinegar

25 g brown sugar

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 sprig fresh thyme

METHOD

Melt butter in pan. Add onions, salt, pepper and thyme sprig.

Cook on low to medium heat until onions are soft and translucent, not browned.

Add sugar and vinegar and continue cooking on low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed by the onions and mixture is the consistency of jam.

Remove thyme sprig.

Store in clean jars and refrigerate.

Great for hors d'oeuvres or as an accompaniment to hamburgers in place of relish.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

INGREDIENTS

10 oz plain flour

5 oz cold butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg + 1 tbs cold water

METHOD

Mix together flour and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg and water mixture a little at a time until dough holds together. Do not knead. Leave dough to rest for at least 30 mins. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 2 mm thick. Cut out pastry with a round cookie cutter (I used a 4 1/2 cm diameter round cookie cutter) and press into a tartlet tray with holes measuring about 4 cm in diameter. You can of course make it into whatever size you like.

Prick base of pastry with a fork.

Bake blind about 10 - 12 mins or until the sides turn slightly golden at 180˚C.

Cool before filling.

TO ASSEMBLE TARTS:

Shortcrust pastry cups (recipe above)

Onion jam (recipe above)

Feta cheese / Blue cheese, crumbled

fresh thyme

Fill prepared pastry cups with onion jam. Top with crumbled feta cheese and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

The flavors and textures are awesome!

Review: Food & Wine Pairing @ O'Gourmet

This was a truly enjoyable and enlightening evening. Thanks to Ling Ang of O'Gourmet Food Hall @ Bangsar Shopping Center for the invitation, Sommelier Sebastien and Louis Choong for the free flowing information and wine, Chinoz and Chef Afiz for the food.

I must admit that stuff like "Wine for Dummies" was written with people like my husband and I in mind. While we do enjoy the occasional bottle with friends and sometimes a glass or two with food, this occasion was certainly an eye opener.

Having 5 wine and food pairings in relative quick succession to compare and contrast against, brought into vivid focus the beautiful ballet of flavors possible when wine and food are well matched. Abstract terms like "bouquet" and "finish" now became delightfully real.

The smoked barramundi, for example, was a silky smooth texture, blended with the smokey salty flavors of balsamic and a perfectly proportioned, quick, sharp, tart accent of a tiny sliver of lemon. Just as I was getting used to this particular corner of taste heaven, the paired wine that had nosed as slightly earthy, now finished with a beautifully balanced flourish of fruity sweetness. Mmmmm... magic!

This was the list of wine and food pairings:

1. Tedeschi Capitel Tenda Soave Doc Classico 2009, Pedemonte-Valpolicella, Italy

Paired with: Camembert Cheese

2: Rizzi Barbera D'Alba 2007, Treiso, Italy

Paired with: Pappardelle Pasta and Meatball (yeah, just one meatball)

3: Tedeschi Valpolicello Classico Superiore Doc 2008, Pedemonte-Valpolicella, Italy

Paired with: Pizza (pepperoni/ mushroom & egg ... the crust was awesome!)

4: Shinas Estate Innocent Viognier 2009, Mildura-Victoria, Australia

Paired with: Smoked Barramundi with Balsamic Reduction

(Wish I had more of these ... Yum!)

5: Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache 2009, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Paired with: Moroccan Lamb Merguez

(This wine really intensified the spiciness of the dish. Just when you thought your tongue had calmed down ... *sip*.... Pow! It hits you all over again!)

6: Shinas Estate Verdict Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Mildura-Victoria, Australia

(There was no food pairing for this)

My personal favorites:

White Wine: Tedeschi Capitel Tenda Soave Doc Classico 2009, Pedemonte-Valpolicella, Italy

Red Wine: Rizzi Barbera D'Alba 2007, Treiso, Italy

Dish: Smoked Barramundi with Balsamic Reduction

Pairing: Rizzi Barbera D'Alba 2007, Treiso, Italy with Pappardelle & Meatball

Did I mention we had a great time?

English Muffins

Not to be mistaken for American muffins which have a a more cakey texture. English muffins are closer to bread except they're cooked on a griddle ... not to be mistaken for griddle cakes which are closer to the pancakes we are all so familiar with. Confused? Sorry ...

Think eggs benedict. There you go. Also great on its own, toasted and eaten with a good slab of butter. Yummers!

Makes about 8

INGREDIENTS

3 cups bread flour

3/4 cup plain flour

3 1/2 tsp coarse salt, lightly crushed / ground

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup lukewarm water

2/3 cup lukewarm milk

flour for dusting

cornmeal for dusting

METHOD

Mix the flours and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix yeast and sugar with half (1/2 cup) of the lukewarm water and let stand until foamy, about 15 mins.

Make a well in the flour. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 2/3 cup milk. Mix to get a very soft, slightly sticky dough.

Turn out dough onto floured surface and knead for abut 10 mins until dough is soft, elastic and smooth and no longer sticky. Shape into a ball.

Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp dish towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough and knead again for about 5 mins. Return and rest the dough in the bowl for another 30 mins.

Divide dough into 8 pieces. Place onto baking sheets dusted with flour and cornmeal. Sprinkle the top with more cornmeal or flour. Cover with a damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 mins.

Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan over moderate heat until moderately hot. Place muffins, 2 or 3 at a time, depending on how large your griddle/pan is, and cook 10 - 12 mins until the undersides are golden brown. Turn muffins over and cook for another 10 - 12 mins until golden brown. Wipe out the pan and continue cooking the remaining muffins.

Eat warm, split, toasted and buttered. Freezes well.