Month: December 2012

Cheesy Bubble & Squeak

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Cheesy Bubble & Squeak

Have you ever made dinner for a party and have left over mash and vegetables that you are not too sure what to do with? Making bubble & squeak with the leftovers make a delicious meal the day after. And I assure you, you would always want to have leftovers for every party after you’ve tried making this! (: Always good to not waste food yes?

The Mr is a huge fan of bubble & squeak and the first time he had it was at Galleon Cafe at St Kilda and would order it when he sees it on a menu ever since! I’ve been meaning to make it for him for the longest time but whenever the weekend comes, I always decide to cook something else! haha

Bubble & Squeak from Mr Hive's

Recently at a good friend’s wedding lunch, I tried the yummiest bubble & squeak that made me crave for more even after a few days so I had to try to make it! This one from Mr Hive’s Kitchen & Bar was slightly different, and had cheesy bites to it, so I decided to make a cheesy bubble & squeak too! hehe and to add some protein, I fried a sunny-side up to go with (:

Cheesy bubble and squeak with sunny side up

Cheesy Bubble & Squeak (Adapted from Gino D’Acampo on Let’s Do Lunch with Gino and Mel)

4 potatoes (400g), small cubes and boiled

300g mixed vegetables (any kind you fancy or have leftover)

2 streaks of bacon, diced

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

50g butter

1 tbs thickened cream

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp tabasco

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 tbs grated parmesan

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded

freshly ground black pepper, to season

2 eggs

Truffle oil and chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Steps : 

1) Drain the potatoes after their boiled, and add the butter, thickened cream and garlic salt and lightly mash them with a hand masher. I like to leave some chunkier pieces so that it gives the dish more texture, but if you prefer it smooth, then just mash the potatoes till a mash potato texture. Transfer the potatoes into a large metal bowl and set aside.

2) In a frying pan, fry the bacon till brown and crispy, then add the chopped onion and garlic till fragrant. Add the mixed vegetables and fry till tender. Pour mixture over the potatoes.

3) To the potato and vegetable mixture, add the worcestershire sauce, tabasco, parmesan cheese and black pepper. Mix it till well combined and place the mixture into 2 terracotta pots and top with mozzarella cheese. Put it under the grill till the cheese melts and turns golden brown (about 5-10 mins).

4) As the bubble & squeak is grilling, fry 2 sunny side ups and place on top of each terracotta. Garnish with some chopped parsley and drizzle some truffle oil if you have some in the pantry.

Half eaten bubble & squeak

Dig in and enjoy! (:

Remember to always cook and bake with love! 

A Season of Giving

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Sour cream, pear & raspberry cake

Time really flies! It’s December already and this month only means one thing – Christmas is near! Christmas is no doubt my favourite festive season (and Chinese New Year of course) and I’m already counting down to the 25th! As school has ended for me a couple of days back, I decided to make something for some of my colleagues as a thank you + christmas gift. Nothing is more meaningful than a homemade present yes? hehe

As I was searching through what I wanted to make, I thought of making the ricotta pound cake I made a couple of weeks ago, and just add mixed berries into the batter to make it look a bit more festive. But I’ve ben hearing lots about the Bourke Street Bakery sour cream pear cake from the food blogger community who were lucky enough to try some that was made by Mich, The Bakeanista, at the blogger’s picnic recently. Miss D also made it recently and said that I should definitely give it a go cause it was really delicious! With so many raving reviews, I couldn’t not give it a try (: So glad I did though, cause it was so good! Super moist and Mich suggested adding fresh raspberries, which I did, and it made the cake look really pretty! So thank you! (:

Cut rounds out of the cake

And instead of slicing it up into the normal wedge, I decided to use a scone cutter to cut them into rounds instead before placing them into the plastic wrappers. Although I made a mess, it was all worth it, and might I add, fun! haha

Sour cream pound cake in a jar

And what did I do with the left over pieces and crumbs? What I love to do : put them into jars and layer them with freshly whipped vanilla bean cream and added more fresh raspberries! A combination I could easily (and happily) have every night if my waistline permits me to. 😛 Oh well! hehe Thank you again Mich for sharing the recipe! All my colleagues enjoyed the cake very much! YAY!

BSB Sour Cream Pear & Raspberry Cake (Adapted from The Bakeanista)

250g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

4 eggs, room temperature

200g sour cream

300g self-raising flour, sifted

1 3/4 pears (about 400g, tinned), sliced into quarters

18-20 fresh raspberries

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line baking paper at the base of a 28cm baking tin, and spray the sides with olive oil evenly.

2) In a mixer, cream the butter and caster sugar till light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix till well combined.

3) Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are well incorporated before each addition.

4) Alternate the flour and sour cream and mix it on low speed till well combined. Use a spatula to scoop the batter into the tin, and spread it out until the top is smooth. Arrange the pear quarters evenly around the tin, and place the raspberries in the spaces between them.

5) Bake for 40 mins, then cover the baking tin with foil and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

All baked and being cooled on the rack

6) Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the baking tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. If you intend to cut rounds out of the cake, do make sure the cake is completely cooled before doing so, or it would crumble! Sprinkle icing sugar on top before serving! Enjoy!

All wrapped up!

Remember to always cook and bake with love ! (:

Wantons in Chilli Oil & Vinegar (红油抄手)

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Wantons in Chilli Oil & Vinegar

Wantons. Don’t you just love them? I can’t get enough of them! I love them in soups, with noodles and even on it’s own. Steamed, boiled and fried, gimme gimme! I love it when it is really stuffed to the max, and all you need is a few to fill your tummies. Recently, I went back to Food Republik with my dearest Peach Water, and decided to try their wantons in chilli oil and vinegar.

Wantons in Chilli oil and vinegar from Taiwan - Shilin Night Market

Wantons in chilli oil and vinegar in Taiwan - Shilin Night Market

(Photo from my Taiwan trip in 2009, please excuse the blurry picture of the food, I think I was too excited and hungry haha)

The first time I had these were at the Shilin Night Market in Taiwan itself. Let me tell you, it’s a small bowl of yummy-ness! Silky smooth wantons, with flavoursome stuffing, chopped lettuce and a sauce that I still can’t replicate. It had chilli oil, sesame oil, vinegar and a nutty paste (might either be sesame paste or peanut). Just so so good! And because it’s so small, I could easily slurp down 2 bowls! haha

Wantons in chilli oil & vinegar from Food Republik

These from Food Republik were quite yummy too! Although they didn’t have the same sauce, but a really good balance of chilli oil and vinegar! They also garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander. All I needed was a bowl of these wantons and the popcorn chicken. My belly was very happy! (:

Rows of handmade wantons

So a few days after having them. I was somehow craving for more. So instead of going down all the way to Boxhill, I decided to make my own version of it. I have to say, mine wasn’t anywhere close to the ones from Taiwan, but it was pretty similar to the one from Food Republik. Hooray! (:

I think the next time I will try to add a bit of sesame paste just to get the nutty flavour through the sauce. Lucky thing I made heaps of wantons, and because I only eat 4 each time (cos they are ginormous haha) so I could slowly try different versions! But if you’re a fan of the combination of spicy with a sour kick, do give these a try! I’m pretty sure you’ll be hooked! Even though the wantons take a while to make, but it’s actually a pretty fun process and you’ll realise there are many ways to fold your wantons! Mine is just one of which (:

Cross section of the wanton

Wantons in Chilli Oil & Vinegar (An Original Recipe of FoodMadeWithLove)

Wantons 

250g mince pork

100g fish paste

8 prawns, finely chopped

4 shitake mushrooms, soaked and diced finely

20g dried shrimp, soaked and finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 heap tsp corn starch

1 stalk of spring onion, finely chopped

Wanton wrappers

Sauce (for 4 wantons)

1 tbs chilli oil* (I used 老干妈)

1 tbs black vinegar*

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp oyster sauce

toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts & fried shallots (for garnish)

Steps :

1) For the wantons : In a frying pan, fry the dried shrimp and garlic till fragrant. Set aside. In a large metal bowl, add all the ingredients as well as the fried dried shrimp and garlic and mix till well combined.

2) Place a portion on a wonton wrapper, wet the two sides with water and fold it into half. Press all the air out and stick the two ends together.

Steps to making wantons

3) In a pot of boiling water, drop the wantons in and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the wantons start floating at the top. Drain and set a side.

4) In a small bowl, combine the sauces together until well combined. Place the wantons on top of the sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, peanuts and fried shallots.

Wantons in chilli oil & vinegar

5) Give it a good mix to make sure the wantons are coated with the sauce and soaking in all the good stuff! ENJOY!

* Note : I do love spicy food and I love my black vinegar too, so do give it a taste after mixing the sauces and adjust accordingly to what you fancy!

Remember to always cook and bake with love ! (:

Bendigo St Milk Bar

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Bendigo St Milkbar

I’ve been very lucky this year and have come to know a few really good friends who are sure to be keepers. It’s really amazing how friendships can form through the love of food! Absolutely love it! (: My dearest Peach Water was so lovely to invite me to accompany her for brunch last weekend. She was invited by 360 Immerse Agency to visit the Bendigo St Milk Bar and she decided to bring me along! Whoopeedoo! hehe I’m one lucky duck! heh

Bendigo St Milk Bar

Address : 37 Bendigo Street, Burnley Vic 

Tel : 03 94284196

I’ve never really visited any milk bars that have been converted into a cafe before. So I was really excited about this visit! When we entered the cafe, it didn’t look anything like a milk bar. Instead, it was really spacious and had two dining areas. One was just right opposite the beautiful glass cabinet of sandwiches and yummy display of cakes! The other is a small cosy room filled with smaller tables. Love the decors in the place, had colourful paintings and spruced with small pots of plants everywhere! Initially, we wanted to sit in the small enclosed area, but because the weather was bright and sunny that afternoon, we decided to head to their backyard instead!

chai soy latter

When we sat down, we were immediately asked what we wanted to drink before browsing the menu.

I was really glad they served chai soy latte, so that’s what I ordered! Sadly, there wasn’t much of a chai taste to my latte, it almost just tasted like a cup of hot soy milk with a hint of chai. I have to say though, that thankfully, they didn’t use the syrup to make their chai! But would be good if they allowed the chai leaves to be brewed a little longer.

Hot chocolate

Peach Water’s hot chocolate was also quite a let down. When it first arrived, she had a taste and found that is was overly sweet. So she asked for them to add a little more milk into it. They were nice enough to make another cup freshly for her, but this time, it turned out too milky and wasn’t chocolatey at all. It was a pity, as both drinks looked really good when they were served to us!

Mushrooms

Thankfully, the food was amazing! Just scheming through the menu, we both knew what we were going to order. But just before we did, we were chatting to the staff and asking her what she would recommend. As Peach Water loves her mushrooms, the staff told her she would not regret ordering it! And so she did! The field mushrooms were marinated in lemon, garlic and herbs and topped with rocket dressed with creamy goats cheese, poached eggs and served on top of toasted cibatta. Those mushrooms were SO GOOD. They looked so simple, but they were packed full of flavour! The ciabatta was really yummy and light! I would go back just to have it! Delish!

Corn fritters

If you know me, I am addicted to corn fritters. So when I saw it on the menu, I just had to order it! The staff said that it was a hot item on the menu, score! (: The corn fritters were swerved with avocado salsa, rocket and poached eggs. Every bite I took, there were corn kernels popping in my mouth! My rocket was dressed differently from Peach Water’s. It was lightly dressed with a vinaigrette and had a little tang to it. Everything just went perfectly and boy do chefs at Bendigo St Milk Bar know how to poach their eggs. All our eggs were perfectly poached with a molten middle!

Poached eggs perfectly cooked

Of course, both of us had fun taking shots of the runny yolk! A pity I didn’t snap Peach Water‘s plate after she cut into hers. Do head over to her post to see! Hers looked like two pac men! haha Love it!

egg porn shot

One more shot from the top! (: I couldn’t help it, sorry! hehe Love how orangey the yolk is. AMAZEBALLS! hehe The yolk was perfect as a sauce for my fritters! I usually can’t finish my meals, but I ate it all up, not a single drop of egg yolk was left on the plate hehe

Interior

Sweets

We then moved inside to get some cool air, as it was getting really hot. Bendigo St Milk Bar also had a range of sweets to choose from after the savoury and that’s exactly what we did! But we were both really stuffed from our mains, so we decided to share a slice of lemon drizzle cake. Mmm, love citrus in my cakes!

Lemon drizzle cake

The cake was really moist in the middle and became crumbly as we made our way through to the edge. It was a little too sweet for our palette but I love how it had a really strong lemon flavour to it. It would be perfect! The edge was a little darker, but I actually quite like the caramelised bits! hehe If I had more space in my tummy, I would order a cup of hot tea to have with this.

It was definitely a good experience at Bendigo St Milk Bar besides the drinks at the start. But we definitely enjoyed the food that we had and I would definitely head back for more mushrooms! Noms! Thank you Peach Water for bringing me as your guest! (: Wonderful experience! Do head over to Peach Water to see her wonderful pictures and review!

Disclaimer : I went as a guest of Peach Water who was invited by 360 Immerse Agency to visit Bendigo St Milk Bar. Thank you very much for this opportunity! (:

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