Lights, Camera, Action!

I wish it was that easy taking pictures of food. Appetizing food that will make all of you lick your computer screen or drool unto your keyboard. I even invested in a macro lens specifically for food photography. However, the lens is currently in service now (its growing fungus!) so will have to make do with my Canon Ixus in the time being. So I apologize for those crappy pictures lately. I have to admit though, having the right tool (like the hospitalised macro lens) does add magic.

Good food photography needs a couple of consideration besides having a great eye for detail. A friend sent me this site recently that list 10 tips for taking super sexy photos of food you'll want to eat. Go check it out if you want to enhance those skills of yours. The pros just make it look so easy. One thing I find hard to do when taking photographs is good lighting. I generally cook dinner so the lights I have to work with are the dimmed, romantic types so no chance for natural lighting and that's why you see the pictures are mostly tinged in warm yellow glow.

Speaking of which, here's another photo with the warm yellow glow - Poached Pear served with Vanilla bean ice cream. A little healthy for my guest who loves his sweet desserts but a good alternative if you want something a little more diabetic friendly.


The dessert was served after a starter of Stirfry Prawns with Garlic, Lemongrass and Coriander with Toasted Sesame Bread and a mains of Grilled Sticky Pork Ribs in Plum sauce, Blanched Baby Bokchoi with Braised Shiitake Mushrooms and Rice.

Poached Pear
(serves 6) - Recipe from Bills Open Kitchen
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 pieces lemon zest
1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 small pears, peeled

Place the sugar, zest, vanilla bean/extract and 3 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolved. Bring to a simmer, add the pears, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stand, covered, for another 30 minutes. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and serve. You may also serve with some of the syrup if desire.

Planning a 3-course Dinner

Some people wonder how one should plan a 3-course meal? When I plan a dinner, I take into consideration several points:

1. Time Consideration
When I was working, I would still entertain during the week-nights. In those cases, I need to plan my meals ahead, and work with simple courses that require little preparation, or one that allows you to cook a day earlier and do the finishing touches on the evening itself. However, if time is on my side then I would attempt more complicated meals that requires me to spend more than 5-6 hours with the preparation and cooking.

You'll also need to plan the time required to prepare between each courses. Personally, I think one should not make your guests wait forever before you start on the first course or between courses. However, between mains and desserts, a lingering moment of about 30-40 minutes is acceptable. That way, your guests would have been satiated from the 2 foremost courses and allow them some time to digest before a sweet surrender.

For example, our general entertaining hours as follows:

7.30pm - 8.00pm - guests arrivals, offer them an aperitif and some light snacks (eg, wasabi peas, cashew nuts, edamame, cheese etc)

8.00pm - Starter is served. Once everyone has completed their course, I would return to the kitchen to prepare the mains. Usually takes me about 10 minutes to do so.

8.30 - 8.45pm - Mains will be set upon the table. More chitter-chatter and wine. If I'm doing a dessert that requires the oven, this would be the time to put them in.

9.30- 9.45pm - Dessert is served, more mingling and wine.

2. Balanced Meal
Balancing in 2 ways. Firstly, making sure that my courses has the variety that includes a medley of ingredients, ideally seafood, meat and vegies. Secondly, one can also balance the course by taking into consideration the cooking method - hot vs cold dishes. Hot meals can be complimented with a cold refreshing salad, or a hot main course can be followed by a cool dessert.Or a cold starter can follow a hot mains and dessert. If one is cooking in a winter climate, than warmer courses would appeal more and vice versa. Alternatively provide a balance in terms of food type, a mixture of protein and carbohydrates.

3. Texture
Crunchy, smooth, grainy, velvety, crispy, sticky, stringy - different textures within courses enhances the sensory experience. When planning a course, think how you can vary texture with ingredients and the method used for cooking. If you're cooking vegetarian, this pointer on textures should be your main consideration. You don't want singular texture throughout.

For a typical balanced meal, if you're serving a steak for mains, then a starter of soup or crunchy salad can provide varying textures to the course. If one is choosing to serve hot battered crispy whitings for starter, than a warm pasta/risotto with meat would be a nice contrasting texture. Two hot courses can also be followed by a contrasting cold, tangy smooth dessert like a passionfruit semifreddo or a trifle.

4. Allergy consideration
Some of your guests may have an allergy or special diet so it is imperative that you inquire before you plan your meal.

If you take the above 4 pointers into deliberation the next time you plan a 3-course meal, you'll have a satisfying result that your guests will surely appreciate. They will likely walk away from a gastronomic experience of textures, tastes and smell. Avoid the disaster of serving a carbo-rich potato starter, followed by a pasta mains and a rice pudding for dessert. Or a velvety creamy bisque followed by a rich lamb stew and a creamy cheesecake for dessert. Your guest will only leave your meal feeling constipated and heavy. Worst, if your guest have an inherent cholesterol problem, this meal might just give him a potential heart-attack!

Last week we hosted yet another dinner. The guests were apprehensive about spicy food so I made sure that chilli was not one of the ingredients used. Taking the pointers above into thought, I designed a multi-ingredient 3-course with different textures, temperature and cooking methods.

To begin, starters was crispy Prawn and Cream cheese in Wanton parcels, served with a sweet raspberry sauce.


Mains was warm Roast loin of Pork with the most perfect crackling skin, served with homemade Apple Sauce, with sides of roasted butternut, blanched french beans and a steamy cheesy roast cauliflower with bechamel sauce gratin.



To end the hot starter and mains, I served a warm and cold duo of delicious tangy Strawberry in red wine sauce and Marcapone Zabaglione, recipe taken from the delicious Nov 07 issue.


Strawberry in Red Wine Sauce and Marcapone Zabaglione
serves 6

1/2 cup caster sugar (revised from 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cup pinot noir
1/3 cup strawberry jam
3cm piece of cinnamon quill
Pared rind of 1 lemon, cut into 1cm-wide strips
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
500g strawberry, hulled, halved

Mascapone Zabaglione
3 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
375g mascapone cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Place sugar, wine, jam, cinnamon, lemon rind and vanilla extract in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and bring to boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily and leave it for about 12 minutes or until it has reduced and become syrupy. Remove from heat, once the syrup is cool, strain it through a fine sieve to remove any jam pulp, then return the vanilla bean and lemon rind to the syrup. Half and hour before serving, gently mix the strawberries into the syrup. To serve, spoon some zabaglione into glasses, then scoop the strawberries and syrup over.

To make the Mascapone mixture, beat the eggs and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl over a pan of simmering water and continue to beat for 5 mins or until it is warm and thick. Be careful not to overheat the eggs or it will begin to scramble. Remove the bowl from the heat, then beat for 6-8 mins more until cool, very light and thick. Reduce speed to low, mix in the mascarpone and vanilla extract until just combined, light and creamy. Over-beating can make it grainy, if this happens, add a tablespoon or so of cream to smooth it out. Serve it layered between the berries.

Lemon Poppyseed Syrup Cake

I've made this cake on numerous occasions and it always appeal to the crowd. Last week again, I was asked to bake this cake for a birthday boy who just turned 40! I also baked him the same cake last year. Looks like we've established this as an annual birthday cake for him - the forever classic Lemon Poppyseed Syrup Cake which is constantly versatile in its appearance but has a tangy sweet and crunchy texture.

To my horror, I realised I've not posted this recipe so here it is. This is a slight adaptation from the original "Lemon-Syrup Loaf Cake" from Nigela Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess where I added 1 tbsp of poppyseed in every portion for that extra crunch. Beware of poppy seed smile after though!! :) Another thing you need to note of is that in Singapore, poppy seed is scarce or hard to find so I get my stash from Australia. If any readers out there know where to get poppy seed in Singapore please feedback.

If making a birthday cake, you may use a round tin or a square one and increase the batter proportionately.

Lemon Poppyseed Syrup Loaf Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp poppyseed
1 cup plus 1 tbsp self raising cake flour
pinch of salt
4 tbsp milk

syrup:
juice of 1 1/2 lemons (4 tbsp)
1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180C, line and butter your loaf pan (9 x 5" loaf pan) with wax paper. Make sure the lining comes up to the top so it allows you the lift up the cake later. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and lemon zest, beating them well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently and then the milk. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and put in the oven. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes and an inserted cake tester comes out clean. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by heating the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, puncture the top of the loaf all over with a fork. Pour the syrup all over, let the holes and cracks absorb it well and leave it to soak. When it is completely cool, lift the cake out of the pan and serve.

Women of the world, I salute you!

Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him. Matthew Henry

International Women Day - 8 March 2008.

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalled Hossein, whose other book "The Kite Runner" was just made a major Hollywood film. Never have I read a book that gripped me so much. Never have I read a book that made me feel so fortunate to be in this part of the world. Never have I feel so much for the women out there who does not have the freedom that I take for granted.

Although a fictional story, most of us know its a realistic portrayal and a pitiful plight of women in some countries. Why is there even an unfairness of genders? I can't seem to contemplate the answer as the idea seemed so foreign to me, and it makes me wonder how much women had to endure in the past to allow the new generation of women to live so independently today.


I love this book. For 3 simple reasons:

One, a story that builds around a historical background of a wounded country and the raging wars they have endured. It gave me a history lesson of this country most have not heard of until after the unfortunate 9/11 event.

Two, a gripping story about women. Women in this country and others who face similar plights breaks my heart. Also a story about much women would endure and persevere so that their daughters can have a better tomorrow.

Three, Khaled Hossein brilliant story-telling. Every word evoking senses and visuals as he brings you into his world. Acutely describing a war-torn country, the romantic love of 2 lovers, the friendship of 2 women and a relationship of mother and child. I couldn't put this book down and with every spare time I had, I absorbed every page hungrily, sometimes into the wee mornings.

Meanwhile, for whatever you feel and think of Hilary Clinton and her presidential campaign, I think its takes a very brave, committed and intelligent woman to be standing out there in one of the biggest nations in the world, standing up for a role that's usually reserved for men and contesting shoulder to shoulder with the opposite sex. She gave us the voice and spirit we never thought we could have.

To all the women out there, no matter the race or religion, I salute you.

The angel of the Family is Woman. Mother, wife, or sister, Woman is the caress of life, the soothing sweetness of affection shed over its toils, a reflection for the individual of the loving providence which watches over Humanity. In her there is treasure enough of consoling tenderness to allay every pain. Moreover for every one of us she is the initiator of the future. The mother's first kiss teaches the child love; the first holy kiss of the woman he loves teaches man hope and faith in life; and love and faith create a desire for perfection and the power of reaching towards it step by step; create the future, in short, of which the living symbol is the child, link between us and the generations to come. Through her the Family, with its divine mystery of reproduction, points to Eternity.
Giuseppe Mazzini

Hidden talents

I thought being a full time mum would give me more time but no, I've been busy as a bee! Firstly keeping up with the growth of Pumpk'n! Now that she's eating, I have to constantly think of what to feed her, to give her variety and a chance to explore different fruit and vegetable.

She's also started to show signs of crawling. Today she managed to get up on all fours before she stretched out on her belly again. She's also beginning to sit on her own unassisted and she loves to stand and walk. Again, we had to find new toys that will enhance her new motoring skills. Good thing we found Babytown and Toy Rental Club. Both offers us a chance to rent the toys instead of buying it - giving Pumpk'n an opportunity to try out different things every fortnight! If she likes a certain toy we keep it longer, if not we return it. Now she's into the exersaucers and walkers stage. If you ask me, Pumpk'n's growing too fast for my own selfish reasons.

I've also been using up some time to do my own things. Stuff that I'd always wanted to do but could never find the time when I was working. Art is one of them. I was recommended Canvass for its laissez-faire approach in giving us the flexibility to do what we want at our own pace but providing the guidance and help that's just an arm away. Our first class with Michelle was exactly that. Everything you read about her approach and style of Canvass on the website rings true. She as a tutor is obliging, privy and encouraging. I really look forward to her classes every week. I'm doing a canvas on flowers with acrylic paint and already conniving what I'll be doing next - so much fun!!

Meanwhile, I've also started weekly pottery classes with some girlfriends at SP Chew Pottery who has a gallery/classes on Syed Alwi Road. A thoughtful girlfriend first brought us here for a free class as our Christmas present (what a fantastic idea!). Since then we've signed up on a course and now we're using the wheel.

Its true that clay can be sensual. Bet you most of our first impression of clay goes back to the famous scene of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in "Ghost". Wet, smooth and conforming, the coolness of clay and your naked hands can only make one's imagination run wild. But lets not even start now.

Seriously, what I like about pottery is the fact that I'm able to create things that I can use! So far, I've made a small plate, 2 big salad bowls, a gravy cup and a toothbrush holder. And it is with much pride as I display my ceramics while I'm entertaining (what the heck, might as well show off! hee). So be warned, pottery can be addictive - I have a strong desire to see what else my hands can make!

If caring for a 5 month old, art and pottery is not enough, I've also extended my membership with Planet Fitness where I go 2-3 times weekly. Its time to rid of those post-baby fat and get back to my pre-pregnancy form!

Next, perhaps I'll conduct a cooking course. A friend gave me some ideas to pursue. She also promised to sign up and be my first student. I just need to bring the concept to life. I will, when I find some time!!