Asian Noodle Soup and Malaysian Postcards

Malaysia- It is not so long ago when I visited this beautiful part of Asia and wondered at the beauty of the mixture of it's culture: Malay, Chinese and Indian. And I tell you I still have the taste of this delicious noodle soup I had at that small village while waiting for our train. Those moments are priceless! After so long hiatus ( a rollercoaster ride of adventure) I'm glad to announce that my kitchen is back! See you all soon!

Asian Noodle Soup

for 4 persons

Ingredients:
1 pack of rice noodle soup
1 liter of chicken stock
200 g of ground pork
8 pieces of fish balls
2 teaspoons of Fish sauce
2 tablespoons of garlic oil
some Bok choy or young spinach leaves for garnishing

Preparation:
1. Cook the noodles as per direction.
2. In another casserole boil the chicken stock. Add the ground pork and the fish balls. Season with fish sauce to taste.
3. Put the noodles in their individual bowl. Scoop a soup, the ground, and some fish balls. Garnish with bok choy leaves and garlic oil on the top

The colorful kelantan market of Kota Baru

The beautiful muslim city of Kota baru

Cafeteria Malaysian style

Tea plantation Cameron Highlands

Vegetable Bouillabesse and a Dinner date with mon Cheri

Remember I promise you a week ago about this romantic "tete à tete" dinner with hubby. Well we finally succeeded in getting a reservation last night to this two starred Michelin restaurant. And I'm warning you this is the first time for me to eat in such classy gastronomic restaurant who's regulars are celebrities (French that is), local politicians, well-off old couples and some food lovers who saved their hard earned money or probably just a lucky couple who received a gourmet check as a farewell gift from some generous colleagues. We fall on that last category of course.

The restaurant is bewithchingly situated at the foot of the famous Les Baux de Provence. Imagine this, a castle and fortress that is spectacularly set a top a rocky hill of the Alpilles mountain overlooking the beautiful Provence. We arrived at the restaurant around 8 in the evening with a temperature of minus three degrees outside. Fleeing the nippy weather with a high heeled shoes wasn't reallly practical specialy if one wants to adore the charming garden of the restaurant. All I remember was that I made a small reflection when I saw a flock of swan swimming comfortably in a Siberian like pond. "How the hell do they do that?" Even the fountain was half frozen. Anyways, it was such a refuge to enter in the warm lobby of the hotel leading to the restaurant. The decoration was sober, nice and clean sans too much frou frou. The table was solely decorated with a long stemmed white rose, the cutleries were not even placed. They were actually dressing our table and bringing in the silver cutleries for every service. I must admit that I have never seen so much people attending to us. The manager brought us to our table chatted with us for few minutes to make us comfortable and propose to bring us a glass of champagne. Then another guy came and brought us the menu card. I'll save you the delicious "blah blah" he made explaining every course. We chose our dishes then came the "wine specialist" holding the wine menu card and then goes our wine orders.

Now are you ready for the real spectacle?

The first set of our amuse-bouches were brought on the table. It started with green olives fait maison (home-made). I brine my olives but I have never tasted anything like that before it was really good and the color was bright bright green. Interesting! Next was a long rectangular plate of three mini-amuse bouche. There was a ginger spice cracker topped with beet root gelée, a spoon of creamy tapenade and black radish stuffed with tuna rillette. They were all beautiful to look at. These three bite-size goodness of different texture was really amazing. After few minutes another girl came with a small verrine of very cold nutty like cream with bubbling concoction on the top. I didn't get the name, hubby told me they were ancient vegetables very commonly used during the Middle ages but is now rarely seen in the market. It was my favorite it was really astonishing how the low temperature of the soup brought a completely different taste.

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Then came our first entrée; A velvety like creamy soup of pumpkin with bruscheta of onion confit and slices of fresh black Truffles. What was interesting was how dramatically artistically it was brought on our table; first the semi-concave plate adorned with a bruschetta lightly buttered topped with some onion confit and cream chantilly then after came another serveur to pour delicately the creamy pumpkin soup. Every spoon was really comforting.

The next service was the fish plate. It was red tuna perfectly grilled à la plancha served in the bed of vegetable tagliatelle and bits of Parma ham accompanied with a sauce of balsamic and red wine reduction. I rarely eat fish but this was really good!

The third service was our meat dish, it was a classic lamb dish braised tenderly in red wine, tomatoes and black olives. The meat was accompanied by a creamy polenta in parmesan. The dish was really good but I must admit I regreted for not choosing the other dish proposed by the Chef for it was less traditional.

Of course we needed some pause...... but then few minutes later the serveur arrived with a cart of cheese of all types and of all sizes you could imagine. My special favorite was the creamy fresh goat cheese with fig. Really really good! They have special toasts of raisin bread (pain au raisin) to accompany the cheese that I would really like to know the recipe :-)

Before we had our dessert the serveur came again with a small verrine glass of cream of passion fruit topped with a spuma of coconut cream. This wasnt part of the dessert this was just something to make us busy while waiting for the chef to prepare our dessert.

The grand finale was naturally a chocolate dessert. It was a three layered dessert of three chocolates of different taste and temparature. It was served in an aquarium like glass were in the first layer was an intense chocolate soft biscuit topped with a warm dark bitter chocolate and a very cold mousse of chocolate au lait. There was a praline of hazelnuts on the top of it and scoop of dulche de leche ice-cream beautifully adorned with a long thin piece of black chocolate. If heaven had taste I'm sure it was close to this :-)

We had some coffee and then "again" the serveur brought us a plate of mini mignardises (sweet stuffs) there was Rosemary creme brulée (an interesting taste), Raspberry madeleine and strawberry sablé (biscuit).

It was an amazing delicious night.Verdict; considering the price, this is something we will do again once a year unless some rich kindhearted fellow will offer it for us "again"!

Vegetable Bouillabesse
for 6 persons

Bouillabesse is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the city port of Marseille.

1 liter of fish stock (about a kilo of fish carcasses)
1 celery chopped
1 carrot
1 onion
1 fennel
one cup of chopped pumpkin
2 tablespoons of Pastis (anis based liquor)
Some boiled vegetables of your choice: broccoli, potatoes, carrots, etc
some olive oil

In a large casserole put your fish stock, celery, carrot, onion, fennel and chopped pumpkin. Bring them to boil. Pass them all together in a mixer and strain. Put it back in casserole, add your pastis, olive oil, salt and pepper and boiled vegetables. Bring to boil. Serve with some croutons.

Cold Minestrone

My Mom Lied to us!!

Eat stringbeans and you'll grow intelligent but hey I still consider myself poor in Math. How about some carrots that she claims will make us grow taller, hello I still need to put some inches to be seen by others. Or her famous tomatoes that'll make our cheeks pinkish, that I discovered during teen age years that a blush-on can do the trick.

I don't remember how many casserole of lies she fabricated only to convince us to eat vegetables after all children have always aversion for them. The truth is, if not for those lies I would have never known vegetables: its' tastiness, its' nutrients, its' versatility and how it could be economical.

I am sending a bowl of this Cold Minestrone soup to talented Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook, the creator and the host of My Legume Love Affair # 15.


Cold Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
250 g of any pasta (macaroni, tortillini)
300 g of white kidney beans
2 zucchini
2 carrots
1 onion
8 pieces of basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
some olive oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Soak the beans in cold water for twelve hours. Clean the zucchini and cut them. Wash and cut the rest of the vegetables in bite size pieces. Crush the garlic and chopped finely the basil leaves. Warm some olive oil in a casserole and sauté briefly all the vegetables except the zucchini and the beans. Then add the beans, the basil leaves and the garlic, pour afterwards about one and a half liter of water. Let it boil, then lower the fire and let it simmer for about an hour. Ten minutes before the final part of the cooking, add the zucchini,the pasta, salt and pepper. Finish cooking, then let it cool, serve with ice.

Easy Summer Appetizers

Easy Summer Verrine Recipes

Hello world!

I have been out of the blogging circulation lately. Not that I am hibernating its just that summer in Southern France is extremely hot. It makes you feel lazy. And even though I was born and raised in a tropical country I am only human being. This heat is truly unbearable. So do not crucify me (oooops that's the problem of watching too much Rome episodes) if I prefer to frolic in the cold blue water of Mediterranean from time to time or spend my entire day in the swimming pool instead of being in front of my computer.

Well, I am still here alive and kicking but very tanned :-). I maybe physically too lazy to do anything but my hunger for cooking and eating is still the same. So here's what my idle brain have concocted in the kitchen lately and this will be my submission to the Perfect Party Dishes blog event that I am hosting. These are easy and simple verrine recipes perfect for garden parties: Baby Zuccini Crips in Rosemary and Melon Mint Gaspacho. By the way you still have until August 15 to participate in this event.


Baby Zuccini Crisp in Rosemary
(for about 5-6 persons)

about 15 pieces of baby zuccinis
sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 small block of mozzarella

for the crisp
1/4 cup of cold butter
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of bread crumbs

Start by slicing the zuccinis. Put them in a bowl add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Let it stand for about fifteen minutes and squeeze out some water. Warm the pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté briefly the zuccinis with the rosemary for about 4-5 minutes. Cut the fire and add some pepper. Divide the zuccini on your verrine or any glass of your choice. Put a layer of the vegetable then add a layer of sliced mozzarella on the top. Put some olive oil on each of the verrine. Mix with your hands all the ingredients for the crisp until crumbly. You can add more nuts, parmesan or bread crumbs if needed. Preheat the oven at 180° celsius and bake it for about 15-20 minutes. It should be golden brown and crispy. Top your zuccini glasses with this mixture. You can prepare in advance, refrigerate and serve it only when the guests arrived.


Melon Mint Gazpacho
(for about 5 to 6 person)

1 ripe melon (I used the cavaillon variety very common in Provence)
a quarter of a small red onion (you need a very small amount only this could be optional)
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
1 teaspoon of olive oil
a pinch of salt

Start by peeling and removing the seeds of your melon cut them and put them in your blender. Add the onion and mint leaves. Blend them together. Add the olive oil and the salt. Continue blending. Pour them on your verrine or glasses and decorate the top with a slice of melon and a mint leaf. Refrigerate before serving.



Other Appetizer Recipes:

Strawberry Gazpacho and Basil
Californian Citrus Couscous Salad
Chicken liver and Fig Bruschetta

Fruit Minestrone: savouring a refreshing soup dessert

A healthful dose of Fruit Minestrone

Who doesn't love strawberries? Who doesn't love basil?

And do you know that blending these two together will make you love them even more? I know that my cravings for strawberries and basils arrived too early for their season. But the moment I come across the recipe of this wonderful soup dessert on the Serge Hermes dessert cookbook, I got so thrilled. I have been hearing already so much praises on combining strawberry and basil among French gourmet magazines but I know this time I really need to taste it myself. I would admit that I knew very little about Pierre Hermé but my brother-in-law (lawyer by profession and an amateur gourmet just like me) introduced me to this awesome world renowned French chef that is really talented. Last Christmas they offered me his latest collection of recipes dedicated for sweet-tooth.

Don't ask me how I succeeded in procuring strawberries and basils but I tell you it was worth all my effort. Thanks Alex and Cecille for this delicious gift!!

Fruit Minestrone

for Apricot syrup:
40 cl of water
70 g of sugar
zest of one lime
1 tsp of vanilla
15 cl of apricot juice
7 leaves of fresh basil

ministrone fruits:
12 pcs of strawberries
1 banana
1/2 ripe mango
1 kiwi

Start by preparing the apricot syrup. In a casserole mix all the ingredients except the fresh basil leaves. Cover and wait until it boils. Turn off the stove and transfer the syrup in a bowl and let it cool down. Add the thinly sliced basil leaves in the syrup and let it infused for at least 30 minutes. During those time, wash and dry the fruits. Peel the mango, banana and kiwi. Take off the green part of the strawberries. Cut all the fruits in dice of about 3cm. Put them in a bowl, cover and keep in the fridge. Dress each soup plate with the mixed fruits and put about 1-2 ladle of apricot syrup. You can serve this soup with some lemon sorbet as suggested by the recipe.

Strawberry fields forever......

My Legume Love Affair: Pistou provençal vegetable soup

The talented and sweet Susan of Well Seasoned Cook is hosting "My legume love affair" a blogging event not only for vegetarians but for all veggie lovers out there. Eating vegetables has been part of our daily life. Although I am certified omnivore, eating vegetables is one thing I enjoy a lot. Probably it was due to the fact that I grew up in the neighborhood where vegetables are growing abundantly. Waterspinach (kangkong), bittergourd (ampalaya), gourd (patola), gumbo (okra), eggplants are part and parcel of the landscape of my childhood. My parents were not farmer, let just say were lucky to live close to one who loves planting. The old couple does the planting while we do the harvesting :-) But seriously, one thing I admire the most on our neighbor was their generosity to give to anyone who's in need. Sometimes we pay but most of the time they were given to us for free.

Although I miss terribly local vegetables in the Philippines living here now in southern France gives me the same delight everytime I consume vegetables. Being the hottest region in France, explains the reason of the bountiful vegetables available in the market. And when it comes to traditional vegetable recipes inherent in provençe ; Ratatouille and the Pistou soup are the ones to remember. The vegetable dish Ratatouille is so popular that it has even been used as a title of a recent box-office movie. While Pistou soup on the other hand, despite its goodness and richeness the popularity remains locally probably too overshadowed by its italian counterpart (Minestrone soup) in the international scene.

In light with this blogging event I am sharing with you a typical and classical vegetable soup in southern France, Pistou (which means literally basil in the provençal dialect)

The chunky pistou soup

3 courgettes cut in cubes
4 big and ripe tomatoes
2 potatoes peeled and diced
3 carrots peeled and diced
200 g of white kidney beans (soaked over night and cook for two hours in crock pot)
150 g of green beans
2 onion leeks (white part only) cleaned and cut about 3 cms long
5 cloves of garlic
3 branches of fresh basil leaves
salt, pepper
5 tbsp of olive oil
3 liters of water
50 g of macaroni
100 g of parmesan cheese

Wash the cut courgette, carrots, leeks and potatoes. Set them aside. String the green beans and cut them into small pieces. Peel and seed the tomatoes and crush them using the back of the fork. Bring the three liters of water to boil then thrwo in all the vegetables including the cooked kidney beans. Halfway the cooking, add salt, pepper and macaroni. Cook for another one hour. In a mortar pound the cloves of garlic and basil leaves. Continue pounding , then gradually add the olive oil. Mix this paste up with a ladleful of broth and pour the mixture on the boiling soup. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the top.

My Pistou elements in still life