Beef Bourguignon (source: gourmandrecipes.com)

Mum has asked for this for Christmas...

Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Adapted and modified from Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
Servings: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
6 oz (170 g) bacon, rind removed and cut into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long)
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
3 lbs (1.5 kg) lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour1 large carrot, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
2 to 3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 dried bay leaf, crumbled
18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock (recipe follows)
1 lb (500 g) quartered fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter (recipe follows)
Fresh parsley sprigs

METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F/160 C.

2. Sauté the bacon with the oil in a 9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove the bacon and set aside.

3. Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Toss it in the flour.

4. Reheat the oil and bacon fat until it is almost smoking. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

4. In the same fat, brown the sliced carrot and onion. Pour out the fat.

5. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and season with the salt and pepper.

6. Stir in the red wine, and enough beef stock so that the meat is barely covered.

7. Add the tomato paste, garlic and thyme and bay leaf.

8. Bring it back to a simmer. Then cover the casserole and let it cook in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

9. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms (recipes follow). Set them aside until needed.

10. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef, bacon and carrot to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

11. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons beef stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

12. For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

13. For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce

Brown Braised Onions Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
18-24 small peeled white onions
1/2 cup beef stock
Salt and pepper
Bouquet garni (4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme tied in cheesecloth)

METHOD:
1. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan until bubbling.
2. Add the onions and sautéed over medium heat, stir frequently, until brown all over, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the stock, bouquet garni and season with salt & pepper. Simmer over low heat for 40-50 minutes, or until the onions are tender.

Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 lb (500 g) fresh mushrooms, quartered

METHOD:
1. Heat butter and oil in a frying pan over high heat until the butter foam has begun to subside.
2. Add mushrooms to the pan, toss and shake frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until cooked.

Salted Caramel Sauce (source: gourmand recipes.com)

Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe
(Adapted from The Sweet life of Paris by David Lebovitz)
Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse sea salt (or to taste)

METHOD:
1. Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal Dutch oven or casserole, at least 6 quarts (6 L). Set over moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquefy.

2. Using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, begin gently stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center and delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going; it will melt completely as it turns amber.

3. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown and starts to smoke. (Don’t worry about any large chunks of caramel.) The darker you can cook the sugar without burning it, the better the final sauce will taste. It’s ready when it’s the color of a well-worn penny, and will smell a bit smoky.

4. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in about a quarter of the cream. The mixture will bubble up furiously, so you may wish to wear an oven mitt over your stirring hand. Continue to whisk in the cream, stirring as you go to make sure it’s smooth. Stir in the butter and salt. Serve warm. If you like your sauce a bit thinner or less rich, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) water.

Storage: The sauce can be made up to one month in advance and kept refrigerated. Rewarm the caramel in a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave

Vongole (source: Jamie Oliver)

I've always wanted to make vongole - and make it with super extra gravy that I can slurp up as soup! The wine I used was a chardonnay - it was abit too strong...kinda overwhelmed the sea-saltiness of the clams...will try with other type of white wine next time! It was still good! Hic.

Approx 1 kg clams
1 pkt spaghetti
250 ml white wine
1 tbsp chopped garlic
a bunch of chinese celery
a few stalks chilli

4 lugs of olive oil into the pan, garlic and celery stems go in; when garlic is changing colour, throw in the clams, then pour in the wine and chillis. Cover pan and let it boil up, 2-3 mins. Swirl it around. Clams should have opened up, throw in cooked spaghjetti, salt as desired. Throw in celery leaves, and its ready to be served!

Tandoori Chicken

Here's one from my bro (who I'm sure got it off the net).

2 containers (6 oz) plain yogurt
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder

Mix it all up, chuck in the chicken to marinade overnight. To cook, I sear it over a pan first, before popping it into the oven.

Guo Tie or Chinese Pot Stickers (source Aunty Linda from Kunming)

Fresh back from Kunming, where I was invited to a delicious homecooked lunch...and the best part of a homecooked meal? You get to ask the chef/ask for a live demo. It was such a moment of epiphany where I realised that the guo tie actually used 2 cooking/heating methods - frying and steaming...it really just blew me away - to do 2 cooking methods in one same pan! (Ok, I will stop raving about cooking methods now, lest I get labelled a cook geek).

Skin
1 cup plain flour
2/3 cup cold water
2/3 cup hot water

Split flour into 2 portions, 1 portion mix with hot water, the other with cold water, then combine and knead into a dough.

Filling
Minced chicken
Chives/spring onion
Grated ginger
Salt/light sauce
Pepper

Roll out thin circular rounds of skin (about 1.5" in diameter), fill it with meat. Heat oil in a pan till quite hot, place dumplings onto pan. After about 2-3 minutes when the base is nice and brown/crisp, pour about half a cup of water into the pan, cover pan to allow steaming to complete the cooking. After about 2 mins of water cooking/steaming, remove pan lid and allow water to evaporate.

Dip
Black vinegar
Chinese celery
Ginger strips
Chilli strips

Enjoy! :)

Surprisingly Yummy Carrot Cake :)

The first time I made Carrot Cake, it was more like Carrot Bread - chewy...(sorry to the guinea pigs!) My colleague Angie gave me most sagely advice when I shared I did not why it was chewy - don't beat it, hand mix it. It was magic - my batch 2 Carrot Cakes were beeeatifuuuul - moist, a little crumbly, plenty of carrots but you don't feel like you're eating rabbit food. Carrot Cake will be my new favourtie cake to make, because its healthy and tasty!

Carrot Cake (source: Joyofbaking.com)

1 cup (100 grams) pecans or walnuts

3/4 pound (340 grams) raw carrots (about 2 1/2 cups finely grated)

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

1 cup (240 ml) safflower, vegetable or canola oil (or other flavorless oil)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin) (optional)

Carrot Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray two - 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.

Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

Peel and finely grate the carrots.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 5 -10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.

To assemble: place one cake layer onto your serving plate. Spread with about half the frosting. Gently place the other cake onto the frosting and spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake. If desired, garnish with toasted nuts on the top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves 10 - 12.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest.

What I Learnt From Guy Pieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Cable. Never got cable til recently. And oh my...Food Network Asia, AFC...

This week's tip after watching multiple episodes of triple-D, here's what i learnt about all these joints serving pot roasts:
- 1 big slab of meat
- Garlic salt (they call it granulated garlic, and ALL of them used it on their meat)
- Pepper
- Other spices, like paprika, or herbs

Sear the meat. Then line a big pot/dish with carrots, celery and onions, lay the meat on top, then more carrot, celery and onions. Then douse stock and red wine til it covers meat. Viola. After 3 hours in the over of about 170 degrees (350 f), you got one lovely piece of meat. :)