FRUITS COCKTAIL AIYU

Continuing making aiyu jelly, a welcome heat repel!

To eat with sugar syrup

Serve with cocktails make a colorful and lovely dessert

BROWN SUGAR & GINGER AIYU JELLY

A bowl of cold aiyu jelly to reward myself after washing and cleaning on such a hot day.  Brown sugar and ginger juice were added to the unset jelly before refrigerating

PINEAPPLE TARTS

After making the usual pineapple tarts there were some pineapple paste leftovers.  Baked another batch just for fun by making a different design and decorated with dried cranberries.  The tarts turned out crumbly but tasted good overall.

KUEH LAPIS

Had not been baking kueh lapis (layered cake) for many years.  As there was ample time left after finished baking all other types of cookies I decided to bake the cake.  The recipe was from Mr Richard Goh whom baking class that I attended and was a huge success after the first try.  The cake was spongy and soft with rich butter and egg aroma.

VALENTINE

What's better than making your own dessert to celebrate Valentine Day.  Sweet strawberry heart tart and jelly.

NEW YEAR GATHERING

It is time for Lunar New Year gathering again. It just seems that it happened not long ago. Time really passes fast.  For the convenience and save time we gathered at NUS Faculty Club for Chinese meal.  It was a disappointment.  Service was inefficient and the food is not up to standard.

We started off with an array of appetizer : potatoes in wasabi mustard sauce; fresh cucumber in chillie oil; cold chicken, jelly fish, fried fish etc

The raw fish salad was a winner

Crab soup watery and bland

Gigantic prawns with tough meat.  Appetizing to the eyes only

Soupy and bland poon choy

Stir fried venison

Bamboo shoots and spinach stew.  Too starchy

Steam cod fish

The yee fu mee was too soft

Cheese cake was creamy

Alveolar with osmanthus sweet soup

Fresh fruits to end the meal

SALAD & SEAFOOD

A big bowl of mussels bathed in white wine, butter and garlic?  No, not with butter but olive oil.   It's both easy and quick for festive season.  

The "beard" is the fibrous hairy thing hanging from one side of the tasty bivalve. Pull it off with a side-to-side motion. soak the mussels in cold water and change every 20 minutes till ready to cook. This lets the bivalves expel any grit.  Finally, scrub them under the tap.

Fry garlic and fresh red chillies in olive oil till fragrant.  Add in mussels and give a quick stir.  Pour in white wine and seasonings.  Cover cook for 5 mins over high heat.

This watermelon salad is cool and refreshing, combining fresh mint, pickled artichokes and crumbled feta cheese in lime juice.  This salad is light and sweet, with a perfect balance between fruit and vegetables.

LAKSA TAGLIATELLE

Making pasta is easier and quicker than you may think, and thus this was served as main dish to celebrate the eve of 2014.

For an Asian flavor the pasta was paired with laksa sauce, which cooked down to a more creamy and thicker version

Pan fried fresh prawns a good combination with the sauce

Extra dish to go with the dish - chicken pork balls in tomatoes sauce

A mixture of minced chicken and pork, together with herbs like parsley, mint and bay leaves to stew with tomatoes sauce

SMOKED SALMON BRUSCHETTA

For the Christmas eve dinner a light appetizer of smoked salmon and feta cheese with bruschetta was served.

Feta is a type of Greek cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep's and goats' milk.  The cheese is salty and tangy in flavor and a crumbly consistency.  It is best to use up fast when it is in a packed form as it will dry out fast.  Best buy it packed in water or oil.

The smoked salmon gives a deep red flavor

These smoked salmon bruschetta can be prepared hours well in advance and refrigerated. The smoked salmon gives out rich deep flavor, which the brie lightens up making it suitable for an appetizer.

2013 NEW YEAR EVE

Simple meal before countdown.

WISHING

A

WONDERFUL & PROSPEROUS

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