I won!

Congratulations on being chosen as a winner for Kylie’s question “Where can I find the freshest ingredients in Singapore?”! As one of the five chosen winners, you will receive a signed copy of Kylie's new cookbook: My China

Never won much in my life! The last time I did, it was almost a decade ago - $1000 worth of travel ticket at a corporate dinner. So I was over the moon when I saw the email! Though I have to admit, this was rather an easy win. If you see the rest of the entries submitted, you'll realised that the competition wasn't tough.

Here's my answer, that was voted 5 best answers by the judges.

Hi Kylie,

I agree that buying the freshest in-season ingredients is the way to go when you cook.

Firstly, where available we should support local produce. In Singapore there are 2 organic vegetables farms which are accessible to the public. They are Greencircle (www.greencircle.com.sg) and Bollywood Veggies (www.bollywoodveggies.com). They grow vegetables that can strive in our hot, humid climate and you can visit the farm and buy the vegetables freshly harvested. This is as fresh as you can get in Singapore!!

However, if there are certain vegetables that you are looking for that is not available there, you can visit the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market. This is where all imported vegetables will arrive in Singapore and get distributed throughout the country. They do sell vegetables in smaller quantities to the public too.

Fresh vegetables are easy to tell - buy green leaves that has not wilted. I also look for the fresh green stems when I buy vegetables like brinjals and bittergourd. Tomatoes must be firm to the touch, while mushrooms must be dry and musk-free.

For fresh imported meats, I get them from several butchers with good turnover. The Swiss Butcher on Greenwood Avenue is one such outlet. However, Carrefour and Fairprice Finest in Bukit Timah Plaza are supermarkets that constantly bring in fresh produce and their turnover is quick, so you can be assured of buying the fresh meats. To look for fresh meat, the texture must be firm and there is no sticky slimy film on it.

For the freshest seafood, you cannot beat the local neighborhood wet markets. The popular ones include Tekka Market and Chinatown Market. However, certain local Fairprice supermarkets and Carrefour do carry very fresh seafood that is cleaned and gutted according to your requests.

Fresh fishes and squid should have clear eyes instead of opaque, while the texture springs back when you press it. One way of checking the freshness is also by checking the colour of the fishes' gills - the good ones should have dark red gills, not pink.

You can also get fresh fruits from the local wet market and any supermarket chains with high turnover (NTUC and Carrefour).

I hope these tips would help you source for the freshest ingredients when you visit Singapore!

Apple Tarte Tartin

Some girlfriends and I had lunch at the ever popular and consistent Ember on Keong Saik Road recently. Popular because they are constantly packed and fully booked and consistent because you can never go wrong at Ember. That's the benefit of having the chef as the owner of the restaurant too.

They still serve their all time favoured Miso Marinated Cod plus other new yummy entries. You can see that Chef Sebastien Ng has become more bold and confident with his creations, half of which are influenced by Japanese ingredients.

For my set lunch starter, I had the crispy homemade Tofu with Foie Gras emulsion and Shimeiji mushroom. Hmmm and hmmmm was all I could managed throughout the course. Absolutely delicious and it impresses me how well he had the rich foie gras disguised in a mousse-like texture, complimenting the almost tasteless but crispy tofu.

When it comes to the mains, I wanted to try something new so I opted for his Crispy Pork Belly and Savoy Cabbage. It took the waiting staff an extra 10 minutes to serve me this course after they have served my fellow diners who had fish. But the irritation of waiting soon vanished when I bit into the soft moist melt-in-your-mouth meat and crispy skin.

Dessert was the raspberry macaroons with sorbet. Not too sweet but refreshing, it was a nice tangy end to the 2 heavy courses. The girls raved about their Apple Tarte Tartin which has a nice caramelized finish.

Inspired by the Apple Tarte Tartin, I've made my own version today. Recipe from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2. Its such an easy dessert to make but will definitely wow a lot of stomach with the crispy puff pastry in a dark caramel sauce. Serve it with ice cream for the ultimate finish!

Tarts in the making...

Once upon a time, in the small country of Singapore, Nat and Steffles decided they want to make tarts! To experiment and improve on their tart making skills - specifically short crust pastry. That day, they made short crust versions of savoury and sweet!

The experiment gave them lots of insights. One useful tip is never throw out your leftover pastry. After the "blind baking", you're most likely to find that your pastry has cracked or shrink. This is the best time to use those leftover dough to patch it up. Another useful tip is to roll the pastry between 2 layers of clingwrap. That way, the dough will never get stuck to the rolling pin or break easily when you transfer it to the pan.


The tarts they made were Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts (courtesy of Donna Hay Modern Classics 2) and a Parsley and Scallion Tart with Walnut Pastry (courtesy of The Cooks Book). Both turned up amazingly good. They also made some Cinnamon Hazelnut Biscotti from a class that Nat attended at Shermay's Cooking School.

Parsley and Scallion Tart with Walnut Pastry
- courtesy of The Cook's Book from Jill Norman
Serves 4

For the pastry
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 medium egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup ground walnuts

For the filling
3 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp low fat milk
1 tbsp chopped parsley
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method:
1. Mix the butter with the egg and a pinch of salt. Add the flour and walnuts, and knead once or twice to combine the ingredients evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Roll out the pastry and line a 10 inch (25cm) tart pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200C), then bake the pastry shell for 15 mins. If the side of the shell has slid down a bit, repair nay gaps with pieces of leftover pastry. Let the shell cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350F (180C).
3. Whisk all the filling ingredients together and season. Place the pastry shell on a baking sheet on the lower shelf of the oven and pour in the filling. Bake until the filling is set but still soft and lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Strawberry and Lemon Souffle

The original recipe actually called for blackcurrant. Somehow all the shops in the central / west area of Singapore has run out of frozen blackcurrant so I finally settled with frozen strawberries instead. The result is still tasty and be warned, the smell wafting out of the oven during the baking is intoxicating!

My only muse about this dessert is the size of my ramekins! They were too big, so you don't get to see the fluffy white top of the souffle as they rise majestically...

Strawberry and Lemon Souffles
Serves 4

170g frozen strawberries
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp fruit liqueur (I used sweet Masala)
55g butter, softened plus extra for greasing
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
3 medium eggs, separated
100g cream cheese
icing sugar to dust

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Place the frozen strawberries in a small saucepan with 1/2 the caster sugar and cook for 10 minutes or until they begin to split. Stir in the masala or fruit liqueur, then set aside. Lightly grease 4 x 145ml ramekins with butter.
2. Beat the butter wiht the remaining sugar until pale and creamy. Whish the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Carefully fold a spoonful of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture to loosen, then fold in the rest.
3. Divide the strawberries mixture between the ramekins, top with the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until risen and firm. Dust the souffles with icing sugar and serve immediately.

June for Delicious.

This month issue of Delicious. is brimming with great ideas! I love the Valli Little picnic session with lots of easy yet impressive recipes. In fact, I've made 4 recipes from this month's collection, and I see myself replicating more in the next few weeks!

With our new home, we've also acquired a new 3-burner BBQ! Without a doubt, we've been firing up our mean green machine to test out what it can do. For a recent dinner, I tested out Bill's Grilled Seafood Salad with Garlic and Chili dressing. With very fresh ingredients, this recipe is so easy to make and best of all, it brings out the flavors of your seafood complimenting it with garlic and some hot chili (I've added bird's eye chilies for a little more bite!).


For the mains, I wrapped a fresh red snapper in foil with olives, cherry tomatoes, truffle salt, onions and olive oil and BBQ it for 20 minutes covered, for al dente. Served with Valli's Beetroot Cous Cous and French Beans salad (recipes below), it was a meal exploded with colours, textures and taste!

And if you have some lamb shanks, do try out Ben's Rogan Josh (Lamb Shank Curry). I made this in our Mario Batali cast iron 6qt casserole and after 1.5 hours in our new oven, the meat were falling of the bone with a rich spicy tomato based sauce. It was Delicious. right to sucking out the bone marrow! Definitely a recipe for keeps and it only takes 15 minutes to prepare it.

I was going to try Valli's Mixed Berries tray bake but I couldn't get hold of any frozen mixed berries so this would have to wait till the next dinner party. So if you're looking for easy fantastic recipe ideas, don't forget to grab the June issue of Delicious. soon!

Beetroot Couscous
Serves 4-6

1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup couscous
2 tbs olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbs each balsamic vinegar & lemon juice
2 peeled, cooked beetroot, cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra for garnishing

Method:
Bring stock to boil in a pan. Remove from heat, then slowly stir in couscous. Cover with a tea towel, stand for 5 minutes, then fluff grains with a fork. Meanwhile heat oil in a frypan over medium-low heat. Cook onions for 10 minutes, stirring until softened and just starting to caramelise. Stir in vinegar, juice, beets and parsley. Season then stir through couscous. Serve with extra parsley.

Green bean, Roast tomato & Almond Salad
Serves 4-6

250g punnet cherry tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
300g thin green beans, trimmed
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Place tomatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tbs oil, season and roast 5-6 minutes until starting to wilt. Meanwhile blanch beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes until tender. Drain, refresh and pat dry. Combine vinegar and remaining oil in a bowl. Season. Add tomatoes and any tray juices, beans and nuts. Toss well, serve.

Gourmet Shepherd's Pie

What do you do with leftovers roast lamb?

One really clever solution is to make them into a Shepherd's Pie! Nice pieces of lamb meat stewed with the leftover red wine gravy, chunky carrots and mushroom topped with a crispy layer of mashed potatoes.

So next time you end up with lamb leftovers, do not be despair! Turn it into a delightful and delicious meal of Shepherd's Pie!

Room with a view

We moved into our new home with much fanfare. We are still dealing with bits and pieces here and there every day with the contractors in and out of our home. We look forward to the day where we can have the house all to ourselves.


Its really refreshing waking up to the sounds of birds chirping. This time, the view that greets us is of a different kind. One that is more in tune with nature - lots of flora and fauna. We are not complaining. I'm sharing with you some pictures taken from our little garden. Can you name these flowers?


Best of all, our little Pumpkn is settling in well too. She loves exploring the spaces and corners in this new home with her new found physical skills, which also means we have to keep a close eye on everything she does. Cest la vie!