Sunday Night Slow-Cooked Dinner

Sundays tend to be a fantastic day (especially if you have a day off) where you can relax, laze around, enjoy a homely cooked meal with the family. I absolutely love the idea of friends and families coming together for Sunday brunches or dinners, where everyone can just huddle around the dinner table tucking into a homely cooked meal before starting a stressful week again.

So the most recent Sunday that has passed, I have decided to cook lamb shanks - one of my most favourite dishes. However, I decided to cook it in a slow-cooker so that the meat is able to be infused with all the ingredients and fall off the bone in order to provide that 'melt-in-the-mouth' experience. Obviously, I couldn't have served up just lamb shanks (though I could have easily just serve it up with some crusty bread rubbed with garlic and grilled briefly with a drizzle of olive oil), so I made some buttery-spring mash and broccolini to go with it. The ingredients are listed below.

Ingredients:


Lamb shanks

• Lamb shanks
• Garlic (whole clove)
• Brown onions (smaller bulbs if possible)
• Red capsicum (and also small yellow capsicum if they are in season)
• Tin tomatoes
• Fresh cherry or grape tomatoes or baby vine-ripe tomatoes
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• Few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Sea salt and black peppercorns (crushed) to season

Spring-Mash

• Potatoes (Coliban or Dutch cream variety are in season, or any type of potatoes suitable for mashing)
• Butter
• Sea salt and fine black pepper to season
• Cream (or milk for the healthier option) - cream makes the mash a lot creamier and richer
• Finely chopped spring onions

Broccolini with Garlic-Infused Olive Oil

• Broccolini
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Sea salt to season

Finishing off the dish with broccolini

The final dish from a different angle - remember that the lamb shanks could easily be served with some crusty bread

Having a slow-cooker is an essential item in the kitchen - basically all the ingredients for the lamb shanks are thrown into the pot and then left to cook for the whole day. If you need any help with cooking any elements of this dish, feel free to ask =)


Happy cooking and bon app étit ~

Burger Foundry has been Founded by Me

Bonsoir readers! Sorry for not posting again on Sunday (like I said I was going to, but cooking got the better of me and I ran out of time - I will post up the recipe another time for that).

Anyways, new joint I have to talk about. It's called Burger Foundry on Magill Road (below the post). Went there on a cold Saturday night, and though it is only a small joint, it was certainly busy! What can I say? It was definitely worth waiting for. The shop was quite easy to miss, but if you are heading away from the city up Magill Road, it is on the left - park on the side of the road or any side streets are fine.
The menu was written on the wall (I love the simple decor and how the menu is written with chalk on the blackboard), and there were numerous choices. It was a hard decision with either choosing beef, chicken or vegetarian option initially. Twas' a great pity that they ran out of the hand cut chips, but nevertheless, definitely a next time I say. It was around a 20 minute wait, but I didn't mind as the smell was fantastic. I also really liked how the chef was cutting up the vegetables and dressing up the burger literally in front of the joint (shows the freshness of the ingredients which is what makes a tasty and delicious burger).

I ended up ordering the "Rocky Mountain High":

Rocky mountain high - amazing beef burger

Visual presentation of the freshness of the ingredients

From bottom to top: tomato slices, crisp bacon, melted cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, char-grilled beef, mesclun greens all handcrafted in an amazing fresh toasted bun

The burger was huge — extremely satisfying. From the first bite, the cheese and beef just oozes onto the tastebuds leaving you hungering for more. The burger was pretty much perfect, with just the right amount of saltiness from the bacon and the greens to balance them out, and that beef was beautifully chargrilled - not dry at all! Highly recommend the Burger Foundry, especially if it hasn't founded you already ;)

Bon app étit ~~

Belgian Beer Goodness

Amis bon aprés-midi. A long week has passed and a new week is about to begin (again). Once again, my apologies for not posting as often as I should be. I will be trying my best to to be as up-to-date as possible.

My first post for the day is about Friday evening and the trip to Belgian Beer Cafe Oostende in Ebenezer Place off Rundle Street (refer below for the specific address). It is always a busy joint on Friday nights as it is an awesome place for afterwork-drinks! There is quite a wide selection of imported beers (which I will be talking about a bit later) and they are of course also popular for their chips (in cone cups) and mussels. This is also a good place on weekends if you are up for some drinks with a few mates, just to catch up and chat - or get up to some mischief ;)

The first beer which I ordered was the Hoegaarden (according to the menu: ...refreshing, spicy beer with only a slight bitterness & a hint of coriander & curacao). Normally, I don't drink beers if I had a choice, but this beer is one I definitely liked. I ended up ordering a HUGE pint of it (500mL to be exact - refer to the picture below). It was easy to drink and didn't really bloat me unlike other 'typical' beers. The next beer I tried was very different - called the Rochefort 10, it is a dark beer with a complex aroma of malt, elderberries, chocolate, prunes and raisins. The first sip was "OH SO BITTER", but the more you drink, the better and sweeter it started tasting. It is also a nice complement to salty dishes (e.g. their les moules!).

Hoegaarden (look at the size of the pint compared to the hand!)

Rochefort 10 (beware - it has a very high alcohol content of 11%!)

Then comes one of their signature dishes: 1kg Les Moules (mussels; refer to picture on right). I have been there numerous times to try different flavours and this time round, I tried the Moutarde, which comprises of mussels steamed with French whole grain mustard, chives and cream. The mussels were a bit small this time round, but the flavours were quite nice. The mussels typically arrives with a serving of their chips with mayonnaise (which is always quite tasty - never mind the calories at this stage!). 

Les moules - Moutarde (the cream soupy-base is not very creamy which makes it pleasant to eat)

Chips with mayonnaise (I recommend getting tomato sauce and dipping in both mayonnaise and tomato sauce)

As always, the broth of the mussels is very salty. This is where the beer comes in very handy, washing the saltiness away (I suggest the Rochefort if you are keen for an interesting combination). 

If you intend to come here for dinner with a group of friends on Friday nights or weekends (which I highly recommend), then I suggest that you make a booking as early in the week as possible as they are booked out very quickly (unless the group is very small and you don't mind eating in the bar area which is also nice). 

Alfresco on a Friday Night

Bonsoir! It has been a couple of days since my last disappointing post - need a break for all the readers to absorb it.

Anyway, this post is actually quite a positive one. If you are out on a Friday night with a few people, say 4 or 5 people (or perhaps a larger group like ours), and some people want dessert, whereas others just want to sit, have a chat, perhaps some coffee or wine, then I would recommend Alfresco on Rundle Street (address below this post). The place is big enough for a huge group, and cosy enough if there is only 2 of you as well. The layout of the place is very relaxed, i.e. 'alfresco' dining style - I quite like the retro-modern ambience feel that they have created.

So, after the disappointing meal at Brunelli, I needed a decent dessert and perhaps some wine as well! I ended up ordering Nutella (hazelnut) crepes with hazelnut gelati (I think...my mind has been overfilled these past few days) and it was actually very nice! The warm elements from the crepe and the oozing Nutella complements very well with the gelati (by the way, this was on a pretty cold evening but the heater was on just the right temperature in there).

Nutella crepe with hazelnut gelati (I think...)

Halfway through the dessert, I really needed something to warm me up, so naturally I was thinking either coffee or wine. However, I already had 4 coffees that day and decided perhaps that was enough, so opted to wine instead. I really was in the mood for a red wine, so TS, SL and I shared a bottle (remembering that I still had to drive) of 2009 Shiraz by Four Sisters. It was a pretty good choice, and very easy to drink. Many wines require the consumption of the second glass before it is easier to drink, but not this one! It was only tonight that I found out a possible explanation ~ the composition of the wine is 95% and 5% viognier. I think the viognier was the addition which made all the difference. For those of you who haven't tasted viognier white wine, you have no idea what you are missing out - I highly recommend that you try Yalumba's Viognier - to the palate, it leaves a fruity yet oily residue which goes down beautifully with seafood.

Side-tracking back away from wine (another post perhaps), Alfresco is definitely a nice place to go when you are out and abouts on a late Friday night and wandering down Rundle Street (they were still serving food at 12.30am, and from the looks of the burgers the food definitely looked appetising).

That's all for this post. Happy eating and bonne nuit =)

Brunelli...or Brutally Fail!

From first glance of the title (and the picture on the left with a pinkish-red cross through the name), that sums up the experience at Brunelli on Rundle Street on Friday night - and I reassure you that it is not the first time! I have been there multiple times, not really by choice.

Anyways, this review is not about previous times (another post for that if I can be bothered), but about my most recent experience on the Friday evening which has just passed.

Let's begin by reviewing the food - the dish which I ordered; I always like crab pasta, and I knew that Brunelli was definitely not going to make it as nice as Chianti's crab pasta, but I was definitely in the mood for some crab pasta that night, and so I ordered their restaurant signature dish:

Brunelli - blue swimmer crab meat, spanish onions, chilli, garlic, rose sauce and topped with prawns

From first glance at my pasta dish, where are the prawns???? So of course, I flipped the pasta around, and there were NO prawns to be found at all. Next, the crab - don't even get me started with the crab meat. It was powdery and soggy (almost like eating a can of really bad tuna) - and my friend, AF, agreed with me on this one. The crab meat was absolutely pathetic. The only positive edible item from that dish was perhaps the actual fettuccine pasta which was half-decent. The portion of the pasta was really quite big, but for the price you pay, I really would rather have the quality rather than the quantity.

Next, the service - it was disgustingly horrendous. From the service counter (with the lady going "Next...WHAT DO YOU WANT?" which was yelled out by the lady with the meanest expression), to the non-existent and rude waitresses, it was an appalling dinner. On my table alone, a couple received the wrong pizza (because the rude lady at the service counter had actually written down the wrong pizza, even though the couple were re-questioned at the counter regarding their choices), and my other friend just had the wrong dish cooked (instead of penne primavera, received tortellini primavera). What made it even worse was that the waitresses did not know what dish they carried out (apart from yelling out "pasta" or "pizza").

When we ran out of parmesan cheese for the pasta, we had to wait for literally 10 minutes for one of the waitresses to even turn up close to the tables, then having one of us chase them down to ask for more cheese, and the even more ridiculous response was the following: "What? You want cheese? What cheese did you want?" and of course, my friend looked at her blankly with the 'you are kidding me right?' expression and only then did the waitress semi-realised that they had given us very little parmesan cheese. 

The owners (I am pretty sure the lady at the counter is one of them) should be very thankful that we did not make a fuss, but just ate what arrived. 

The only positive service I received was when I bought a drink at the bar. The restaurant is an absolute disaster - terrible service, but even worse, horrendous food. I used to love the previous restaurant, Cafe Buongiornos, with way better service and very home-ly food, but Caffe Brunelli has literally ripped the place to pieces. If you intend visit this restaurant, I hope you have a better experience than I did, but if it was up to me, I would avoid this place altogether unless I did not have a choice.

Chocolate and Orange Parfait

Des amis bonne soirée.


For this post, I will be talking about a dessert which I recently tried making. It is a chocolate and orange parfait - this dessert is definitely for those who like eating Jaffas (round chocolate balls with orange shells). I made a quick vanilla infused raspberry sauce which went quite nicely with it - the slight tartness from the raspberries assist in cutting out the sweetness of the chocolate. The raspberry sauce is extremely easy to cook, and can be used practically with anything, from ice-creams to pastries, or even used as a filling by putting in some candied orange peels as well. All you need is some sugar, vanilla essence or vanilla paste, berries and some heat.

Back to the chocolate and orange parfait, here is the list of ingredients which you will need:

• Chocolate
• Orange juice
• Orange zest
• Gelatine leaves
• Fromage frais 

Chocolate and Orange Parfait with Raspberry Sauce

As you can see, the ingredient list is not exhaustive and really, this is what attracted me to making this dessert.  Just be careful when it comes to mixing the melted chocolate with the zest - I was a bit unsuccessful with this step; do not mix the ingredients until all of the ingredients have been put together, or there will be some unnecessary lumps forming due to the temperature difference (some basic chemistry here!).  

I did a little tweaking from the original recipes as some of the ingredients are very hard to obtain. I couldn't find gelatine leaves or fromage frais, so I used gelatine powder (with the conversion of 2 leaves =  1 teaspoon) and substituted the fromage frais with vanilla fruche (which is fine in this case as it is a dessert, not a savoury dish). 

If you would like the recipe or have any suggestions, please feel free to ask or write any comments.

Brunch at Nano

Désolé amis! 


I haven't posted for the last few days as I have been extremely busy running around doing errands and what not. So today I aim to release a few shorter posts. The first post (i.e. this post) will be about brunch which occurred on Thursday morning/afternoon.


It was a beautiful day, slight chill in the air, sun shining very brightly. Nothing better than a lazy brunch at a cafe sitting outdoors with the sun beaming down. So in fact that is exactly what my friend, LK, and I did. This wasn't meant for review, but I am quite amazed at the number of "Adelaide-ans" who don't know about this place!


Of course, I am talking about none other than Nano (that's right, Nano, NOT Nandos or anywhere else), located in Ebenezer Place opposite to the Belgian Beer Cafe Oostende. Nano serves amazing bread, ranging from their doorstops, to simple Italian breads and many many others as well. Their freshly squeezed orange juice goes down an absolute treat with their warm crusty bread. Here's the 2 dishes which we ordered:

Ham, cheese and pickled green tomato 

I can't remember exactly what was in it, but those were the 3 key ingredients I remembered (LK help me out here!). I remember that she said this was really quite nice and the bread was beautifully crisp.

Max breakfast (available all day) - bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, spinach, tomato, mushroom

This was a fantastic breakky for brunch. The bread is of course, amazing (don't expect anything less) and the serving was more than adequate. Needless to say, I was not hungry again until later in the evening! 

The dishes are very well priced as well. I definitely recommend this place, but if you were to come here for lunch, make sure you get there at 12pm on the dot, otherwise, expect to eat standing or takeaway will do as well. Highly recommend this place. 

Anyways better get going for now, and will be posting more later. Au revoir!

Milano Cucina Review

Buonasera! Change of pace (and language) to Italiano tonight.

So far, all the reviews have been positive (or on the verge of positive), but tonight is about to change.

Tonight's review is on a recent outing (last Saturday night) for a friend's birthday. Went to an Italian restaurant on Hutt St. called Milano Cucina. I had an 'intermediate' level of expectation when I went there, based on the reviews which I have received (and the prices as well).

First is the comment in regards to service - the food started arriving in 40 minutes since it was ordered which is absolutely not acceptable, considering most of the food for other tables were out and our table was actually seated before a couple of the others. Here are some of the photos of the food which were ordered:

Scaloppina Milano - veal scaloppini with prosciutto, provolone cheese, asparagus and potato puree

From this dish, the veal was tender and the provolone cheese wasn't overpowering. The sauce was good, but what brought this dish down was the potato puree. The 'supposedly' puree was more similar to badly mashed potato - it was lumpy,  grainy, plain and the sauce did not help it at all. Maybe the chef who made the potato puree should take a page from the French on how to make potato puree more flavourful (BUTTER is the key!) and also learn how to make it smooth. The asparagus was over cooked as well and as a result, the sweetness and flavour was drained out.

La Scala - marinated lamb, Spanish onion, fresh tomato, tzatziki,  fresh lemon, parsley

My friend ordered this dish (I didn't understand why he did) and was not satisfied with it. First off, sorry for thinking this, but from the flavours described in the menu, it sounds more like a Greek influenced dish rather than an Italian dish. I am a bit unsure in regards to why such a dish would even appear in the menu. From the looks of things, the lamb which were on the pizza did not look very appetising either - more like lamb scraps (unfortunately another unsatisfying dish).

Steak with polenta - specially made 

SM ordered this dish because she wanted polenta, but the other choice of polenta was with chicken (which was a bit boring), so one of the waiters suggested switching it for steak. The polenta was very disappointing - we thought it was going to be a creamy based polenta rather than the block, and the sauce provided was inadequate; the steak was not bad, but was a bit dry - could have easily been fixed with more sauce.

There wasn't a picture in here, but another friend of mine ordered Capretto and it was served with polenta as well. The capretto was cooked very nicely (I think the only positive of the night), and the sauce was adequate, though the 'block' polenta did miss the mark once again. There was a bit of difference in the same dish unfortunately - another friend of mine ordered the same dish and did not receive much of the sauce.

Berry panna cotta

This was an absolutely disgraceful dessert, in fact, I don't think it should even be called that. First off, the panna cotta (if I can even call it that) is ridiculously grainy and rough, and it was too hard. The "wobble" was not evident at all (perfect panna cottas, or even half-decent ones, should wobble when the plate is moved). What made it more disappointing was the fact that this was in fact the WRONG panna cotta - what was listed on the menu was candied almond (or something like it) served with almond bread and coffee; upon questioning, the waiter seemed puzzled - the service was unacceptable as they should have realised what was written on the menu and customers should be told if the dessert on the menu has been changed or unavailable (this could have been the fault of the chef, but regardless, they should know better). It may look like a pretty dessert, but the texture of the panna cotta was a failure.

Affogato "drowned" with Frangelico

This was my dessert, and at least they got it right - the espresso was well done and not burnt. 

Unfortunately, my visit to Milano Cucina was not memorable but quite the opposite - there seems to be miscommunication amongst their staff and some of their dishes were absolutely not acceptable, especially at a restaurant standard. The presentation of the dishes were fine, but that's about the only positive comment (apart from the capretto been cooked quite well). 

I wouldn't recommend this place if you are looking for a good Italian restaurant. I guess it would be fine for a casual dinner, but for the cost of some of the dishes, you probably would avoid this place altogether. I hope my experience in the future is more positive (if I ever return to the restaurant again).

Lazy Saturday Brunch at the Queen Street Cafe

There is nothing better than a lazy Saturday, catching up with friends in an awesome lil' cafe tucked away in the middle of no where. It was my first visit here (and I will tell you right now, definitely going back again).

This cafe sits between another cafe and a row of trendy shops ~ quite a chic and quirky street to be seen at. Anyways, Saturday was really not a great day weather wise, slightly cold, cloudy but the atmosphere brought on in the shop by the staff and everyone there just makes the day seemed right.

The menu was not extensive (one of the signs of a good cafe), and I really liked the way that the menu was presented: written with chalk on the blackboard at the counter, once again very quirky (I definitely like!). So my friend ended up ordering berry waffles, and I ended up with poached eggs and chorizo with caramelised cherry tomatoes and onion served on crusty bread with a side of rocket.

Berry waffles

Poached eggs and chorizo with caramelised cherry tomatoes and onion

The berry waffles were nicely done. The eggs were poached perfectly and the burst of the egg yolk with the caramelised sweet cherry tomatoes, chorizo, bits of the onion and rocket went beautifully with the crusty bread. Very satisfying brunch - simple but fantastique.

Friday Night at The Gallery, then The Pot

Vendredi soir (Friday night) ... could not wait for it to come any quicker. It was time to catch up with a few friends which I haven't seen for a few months (being the busy people we are!), and also met a couple of new people along the way.

The first stop was The Gallery on Waymouth. When my friend and I first walked in, we were overwhelmed with how many people there were (mind you this was a Friday night at 7.15pm); the crowd was a mixture, mainly business people (with the exception of the 2 of us), all dressed up in their suits straight after work for Friday night drinks. As we had friends waiting for us at the rooftop bar, it was slightly annoying in regards to the 'capacity' factor - my friend and I had to wait approximately 15 minutes before we could head up (and nobody actually came down to make more room, so this factor did not make sense at all!). Anyways, it was quite a nice night even if it was cold - there were gas heaters around the area so it was in fact slightly cosy. The drinks they made were decent at least (gin and tonic, and then soda with lime). Overall, it was a nice atmosphere with a good mix of crowd - could see myself coming back perhaps in the future.

The next place however is what this review will mainly be about (and what a few of my readers are waiting for). My friend CY, had been discussing about going to The Pot Food & Wine on King William Road (towards the end in Hyde park, refer to address at the bottom of this post) for a good few months. They decor is quite lovely, and I really liked the cosy vibe that hits you when you enter the restaurant. Just be aware that it would be quite easy to miss if you are not actively seeking the restaurant.

Then it was time to make the orders. We were first a bit confused about the layout, but luckily the waitress was nice and explained the format of the evening. So with this restaurant, it is slightly different in that everything is to share. The smaller plates are generally single servings, whereas the bigger dishes were shared. It was good that 6 people went last night so we could order a variety of dishes.

So the first thing that arrives (like most other restaurants) is warm bread. I would have preferred the outer part to be slightly crustier but I love bread regardless. In case you were wondering, located beside the tin in a small oval dish is butter (I wonder which butter they use because it is creamier in texture).

Mushroom, truffle & raclette croquettes

This was absolutely amazing. The croquette was very creamy and the truffle (I think truffle oil was used) flavour was evident and quite frankly, is what makes this dish almost parfaite. It was plated up nicely (a bit hard to see in the photo). Definitely recommend this as an entree for everyone!

Ortiz anchovies, iceberg hearts, capers, soft boiled egg & aioli

I am not a huge fan of lots of anchovies, but they had just the right amount in this salad to bring out the saltiness. The capers were a nice combination with the aioli and anchovies. I would have preferred the eggs to be slightly runnier to have the yolk as part of the dressing (would have given the sauce more flavour).

This next dish below I have been dying to try for ages - escargot (snails)! They made it really nicely and I ended up having lots. The buttery sauce with garlic makes it extremely delicious, a perfect combination with the iceberg hearts above (don't eat too many though because it is very rich). 

Tempura snails with garlic butter

So the next dish really was a bit of a challenge. It was lamb brains (thanks to one of SL's friends) who decided to give it a go:

Deep fried lamb brains with lime zest (and possibly mint?)

Lamb brains separated into halves

The flavour wasn't bad at all (they have infused the lime zest very well), but it was the texture of the brain which was a bit off-putting; it was more gelatinous and soft - very well cooked and tasted good, but unusual texture.

Tagliatelle in a cream base cooked with french beans and sweet peas

Now this pasta dish was another one of my favourites of the night (it was a special, not listed on the menu). The french beans cooked with the pasta were beautifully done - very tender and sweet. The cream base, unlike many common pasta dishes, did not seem very heavy and complemented very well with the others.

Roasted Berkshire pork belly with green apple, wombok and dill salad

Overall, this dish was nice but there were a few elements missing; a sauce, even something simple sauce as tangy apple sauce would have really accentuated the flavours of the meat, and also the top layer, i.e. the crackling would have been nicer if it was a bit crispier (a bit more salt perhaps would have done the trick). The salad was fresh and complemented well, however more green apples would once again make the dish better, but having said all that, the overall dish was still nice. 

Slow roasted Hay Valley lamb, macaroni & cheese

Oh my goodness me... the lamb in this dish had me falling onto the floor. It was incredibly tender, practically melting once it reaches your mouth, releasing beautiful flavours. Definitely a recommended dish to try. The macaroni and cheese was not necessary - crusty bread or some light pasta would work very well. The lamb could actually be a dish by itself, especially with the way it is cooked. The plating of this dish is quite chic as well, giving it a quirky feel.

Steamed Boston Bay 'blue lipped' mussels & clams, coconut & kafir lime broth

There was definitely an Asian influence in this dish (flavours of coconut and kafir lime in the broth). It is still a very nice dish. The creaminess of the broth makes this dish almost perfect, and it smells delectable. One of my friends who barely ever touches more than a piece of seafood, actually surprisingly rather enjoyed this dish and had quite a few ~ apparently the 'fishiness' is masked by the broth. That was the final savoury dish of the night. 

We did choose a rosé wine to go with our foods - white would have gone with the seafood, but red was required for the lamb, so we decided to pick something in the middle (strange people we are). So the one we did end up choosing was a French rosé Mescladis (Domaine Clavel) from Coteaux du Languedoc region - it was very light and easy to drink (would have had LOTS if I wasn't driving). 

Dinner would of course be incomplete without dessert, so we ended up ordering 3 of them to try:

Passionfruit souffle

Coconut & lime sago, black sesame ice-cream, palm sugar caramel

Eton Mess - raspberries, almond meringue & mascarpone

The decision to have dessert here could not have been any better. The souffle was actually done very well (it disappeared within 3 minutes). The coconut and lime sago was interesting - it was a hot dessert, yet the cold component of this dessert, black sesame ice-cream, jazzed this dessert up; more lime would have made it even nicer. The Eton Mess was fantastic. I could eat lots of this. The almond meringue was not very sweet because of the mascarpone included and the raspberry reduction just completed the belle 'mess'. 

The staff there were quite nice and friendly and the service provided was adequate. Dinner here was definitely an enjoyable experience. I would recommend this place for dinner with a few people (if dinner for 2, then perhaps try the tasting menu) as the experience is unique. It probably would not be suitable for more than 7 people unless dishes are doubled up. Although the dishes seemed 'small', all 6 of us ended up being quite full and were very satisfied.

Hope you enjoyed this review and perhaps try this place out for yourself. Feel free to leave comments.

Macaron or Macaroon???

Bonsoir!

It has been a couple of days since I have posted, so here's one for today. The topic today shall be....MACARONS (or macaroons).  There has often been a confusion between macaroons and macarons, so my aim here is to try and smooth out the 'kinks'. Macaroon (two O's) has a thick chocolate centre (often white chocolate, or sometimes, almost a cake-like centre) with roasted coconut shreds surrounding the outside (as pictured below).

Macaroons (notice 2 O's)

Macarons (notice 1 O)

Macaron on the other hand is a baked, sweet confectionery consisting of egg whites, LOTS of sugar, and ground almond, with the combination resulting in a heavenly delightful confectionery (which is likely to give you diabetes!). The appearance of these pieces are characterised with the smooth dome top, and 2 pieces are often sandwiched together with either jam, ganache or buttercream filling. These days however, macaron and macaroon are taken by most individuals as synonyms (and differentiated only when saying...'No, I'm not talking about macaron, I am talking about the COCONUT "macaroons"!') I've included a picture of macarons above to show you the difference.

Well this article would not be complete without a review.  On Monday, an awesome colleague (fine...friend - I hope LK doesn't read this =P) brought in a box of 4 macarons for me from Aviary (as pictured below). If I was to be extremely critical about them, I would be making comments about the presentation of the macarons - observe the picture below closely and you can see that the macarons do not have a 'clean' finish; by this I mean that there were bits and pieces on the individual macarons that shouldn't be there, but that is me being extremely picky. The flavours were rather nice and sharp; the raspberry macaron was a bit of a surprise as the raspberry jam was placed in the centre (unexpected burst of flavour). I think my absolute favourite one out of the lot is the red looking macaron, which I believe is a 'cherry-ripe macaron'; it has very small pieces of desiccated coconut, with the layer of dark chocolate in the middle, sandwiched between the two light 'air-meringue-biscuits'. 

Clockwise starting from left: mint macaron, salted caramel macaron,  raspberry and chocolate macaron,  cherry-ripe macaron

Enjoying macarons - best enjoyed with hot tea/coffee

If you haven't tried a macaron yet, I would suggest that you try and obtain some from your nearest patisserie or dessert cafe - to be administered orally stat. 

Alternatively, you could try and make them (if you are interested in a challenge or know someone else that can make them - the most challenging step is the beating of egg whites and the number of times which you 'fold' the egg white, so be careful!). 

Feel free to leave comments about macarons or macaroons (favourite flavours perhaps?).

cheese + cake = ...

Bonjour les amis!

On Sunday night, I was feeling slightly bored...so baking it was. It is the first time I'm trying this cheesecake recipe out. Instead of the normal "cream-cheese" (normally I use Philadelphia cream-cheese), this recipe uses mascarpone (one of my absolute favourite dessert cheeses used in cooking). The actual time required to mix the ingredients and prepare it for the oven took slightly less than 30 minutes.

Hot straight from the oven

The aroma wafting from the oven (thanks to the mascarpone) was absolutely amazing - if you can imagine a batch of freshly made, warm oven-baked butter cookies on a cold winter night. Even though this is a plain classic vanilla baked cheesecake, the lemon zest (no juice) gives it that extra flavour. The taste and texture of this cheesecake is very different compared to the 'normal' classic baked cheesecake. It is definitely firmer, but as it melts on the tongue, the creaminess of the mascarpone really bursts out onto your taste buds, along with the vanilla and the lemon zest that follows through. 

This cheesecake requires:

• Gingernut biscuits (or Nice biscuits for that rustic and slightly more crumbed base)
• Melted butter
• Vanilla bean (or vanilla paste)
• Mascarpone cheese
• Caster sugar
• Cornflour
• Eggs
• Lemon zest 

The centre of the cheesecake (note how baking naturally gives the cheesecake a slight raised edge)

Try baking this cheesecake and e-mail me if you want the whole recipe. Enjoy ~