Reminiscing does little good to anyone, it seems.

We started walking in from the bus stop opposite Peirce Road and walked and talked til we reached Block 11.

Liz had the Bacon Carbonara while I had the Seafood Marinara.
(Shall insert pictures here in future)
At $12.90 and $13.90 respectively, with reasonable portions, we were happy and well-fed.
I love Dome’s pastas. Both the cream-based and tomato-based pastas were beautifully done.

After having a hearty dinner, we crossed over to Block 9 and walked past my dream Audi TT (and in silver, too!) and stepped into gastronomical heaven.

I was so excited I had this inexplicably tingly and fluttery feeling in my chest, palms and fingers.
(See how much I love food?)

Food and pastries served in the store are specially prepared by the jones chefs but I didn’t have the time to sit down and enjoy. Maybe next time?

When I entered the store, I was greeted by a mini library of the cookbooks they had on sale. They’d make rather nice housewarming gifts or birthday gifts for friends. (I would prefer jones vouchers though. hinthint.)

Round the corner, jones has their own brand of cordials and I was particularly intrigued by the Pear and Blackberry one. I could get that next time. Imagine the sangrias you could make with the yummy flavours!

The pasta selection was so massive I was amazed at the variety of choices available.

I kept laughing at the cute pastas because I could just imagine how huge they’d get when they’re cooked.
I can imagine myself preparing white wine cream sauce pasta with mussels soon. Hmm~

And then they had the wine and champagne area next to the deli and cheese room.
I’ve been keen on getting a bottle of Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin (pronounced verve’ klee-koh’ poh(n)-sah(r)-deh(n): I google-d it!) and they stocked some other Bruts and I spotted a bottle of Rosé too.
(Okay I should stop talking about wines now. I’m getting high just thinking about it.)

The highlight of the evening’s visit was the cheese room. I was keen on getting my usual Brie for a fortnightly cheese and crackers treat. Since I was at jone’s, I decided to pay slightly more for the premium assortment and education.

According to the store’s website, jone’s Dempsey outlet’s cheese room is the largest in Singapore. It was kept at a controlled, lowered temperature and had a strong fragrance of cheese. My olfactory glands were pleased and I had a food high. (Plus, since I am not designed for tropical climates, I enjoyed the nice cool environment. I hope you weren’t freezing in there, Liz!)

Liz and I were rather entertained and educated by the friendly fromager (don’t you love alliteration?) Ivan who alluded the fragrance of various cheeses to delectable choices such as sweaty gym socks. =) While tasting the cheeses, we learned that the cheeses at jone’s are mostly imported from France. The higher butterfat content in cheeses make them softer and more fragrant.
My chosen brie, St Nectaire ($7.80/100g) was very enjoyable with a light flavour. It had a 60% butterfat content while another one I tasted had up to 75% butterfat. YUM. (My close friends are appalled at my obssession with all things full-fat. But you only live once!)

We ended the evening with a relaxing lounge experience at Hacienda’s.
It was most lovely, Liz. =)

I’ll definitely be heading down there again.

Jones The Grocer
Dempsey Hill
Block 9
#01-12 Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill
Singapore, 247697
Tel: +65 6476 1512

p.s. Sorry for the naggy post and lack of pictures; I blogged entirely from memory. It’s a visceral experience for you all to see things from my glut perspective. :p

Kono Pizza

Quoting a post I saw off tumblr,
“Goodbye arteries. It was nice knowing you.”

The funnel shaped presentation of the pizza is novel and totally yummy. It makes the mid-day pizza indulging so convenient and enjoyable. No messy, greasy fingers; just a whole lot of awesomeness.

I tried my very first Kono Pizza in Beef Pepperoni and it was so darned awesome I could only snap a picture of the empty wrapper.

According to the Auntie Anita at the Liang Court Branch, the cheese used is a blend of 3 cheeses including mozzarella and it was spectacular. The cheese was chewy, elastic and stringy and they were generous sized portions.

And the best part? The price. It’s only $4 for a large Kono but if you can get $2 for the second large Kono.
They’re closing down the chain soon (18th July, if I didn’t remember correctly) =( so get your Konos while you can!

Liang Court #B1-13
177 River Valley Road Singapore
Ph: 6336 3994

Fortuitously, I managed to spend some time planning and hosting an Italian-themed dinner party at my place a few weeks back to commerate our unofficial graduation.

To surprise my guests, I told kept the food on the menu a surprise.
When my guests offered to bring the wine; I managed to resist divulging the menu.

The whole time I prayed that no one would bring red wine because I hate red wine it wouldn’t go with the food.

So the moon was out, and the weather was fine and lovely; we sat at the table in the veranda sipping on our glasses of white wine. (Yes, everyone brought white wine: we enjoyed bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and Moscato. Prayers do get answered! I’m hoarding the third bottle of sparkling white wine muahaha)

The Dinner Menu

Starters

Crostini with Italian Herbs

For the crostini I baked the baguettes and sliced them diagonally before seasoning them in olive oil, salt, black pepper and a mix of Italian herbs (I bought a mixed bottle of Italian Herbs from McCormick’s but I’m quite certain they included oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme; browse through 3~4 Italiano recipes and you’ll catch the drift.)

I also cut the ends and ugly bits into cubes and tossed them back into the oven for another 10 minutes and presto – we had croutons.

Obviously, they were gone in less than the time it took to prep. =)
[I enjoyed the last crostini with my Hoegaarden later. it was AWESOME.]

Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup with sliced Baby Portobello Mushrooms

Okay I don’t really have much to say because I didn’t exactly add value to the cream of mushroom soup besides adding the huge chunks of baby Portobello mushrooms. Oh and the awesome croutons. =p

Mains

Ravioli stuffed with chargrilled vegetables in Tomato Cream Sauce

I am very very pleased to brag say that (besides the ravioli) I made the pasta sauce from scratch. I bought the San Remo’s ready-made packs of chilled pasta from Cold Storage; you should be able to find the pasta near the dairy section. (I made 2 trips while prepping for this party! >.<)

I added some bits of crab meat to enhance the appeal and nutritional value of the pasta. Caveat: raw crabmeat stinks to high heaven. To prep the crabmeat, I sauted small pieces of shallots and garlic in butter and tossed some ginger with the crabmeat to get rid of the fishy taste. DELISH! =)

Parmegiano cheese is definitely a must for pasta. It was simply bellisimo.

The sauce tasted so good I polished the leftovers for the breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day.

Dessert

Buttermilk Creams with Strawberries

Deviating a little bit from the Italian theme (I thought Panna Cotta was a bit boring), I decided to do this Panna Cotta-inspired Buttermilk Creams recipe with Strawberries.

I’ve learned that I should really read the recipe the day before the party and listen to that inner voice which urged me to prep and chill the dessert the night before.

The chilling time required was at least 6 hours ~ overnight.
I started making this 3 hours before my guests were to arrive. -.-
Thankfully, my guests were distracted by eclairs patient enough to wait for the buttermilk creams to set.

The end-result was light and mousse-like texture. I modified the recipe a little and the sweet vanilla flavour was contrasted by the slightly sour tang of the strawberries, soaked in lemon juice.

In the angmoh spirit, we decided to indulge in Brie and crackers. The cheese and water crackers went so well with the moscato, which had this lovely crisp green apple flavour.

The night of reverie and merry-making seemed to go by so quickly; the tealight candles lent a comfortable warmth to the table setting and sounds of mirth and laughter could be heard all the way til one in the morn. I’m glad my neighbours are so understanding despite the fact that the party was organized on a weeknight and my friends took their lots.

As always, dinner is never about the food; it’s always about the company. It was very nice to see people bond while enjoying food and wine.

In retrospect, I’m glad my hair didn’t catch fire.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Yes I was born after Christmas so my birthday parties would be rather sad without my relatives.

Here’s why:

1. People could get away with getting me ONE present.  (2-in-1 gifts XMAS+ BDAY!)

   

2. People could recycle gifts.  (I vaguely remember a mini catfight/cold war at a party…)
3. People could get me kitschy gifts. (I got TWO $1-shop items from an unidentified party guest. Yes it’s not the value but the thought which counts but two items! I really would’ve preferred a handwritten card.)
4. And because it’s Christmas, no one came to my birthday parties if I held it the weekend before my actual bday! ):

But there’s always my extended family and I can think of many reasons why they are simply amazing.

1. I am fortunate enough to have close-knit ties with the extended family. (Aunts, uncles, cousins and their partners, nephews nieces…)
2. They (60 loving people!) ALWAYS attend my birthday parties. (Excluding the 22 in Vancouver.)
3. Can you imagine the number of presents? I had over a 100 items once. mwahahahaha and yes they could range from the kitschy to the interesting. (Imagine popping 14 party poppers… How nutty was that! Only Steph & Sebas could come up with that. (: DO NOT SCARE ME ON MY 21ST.)

Anyways this growing list is targeted at the clueless guests-to-be if y’all don’t really know what to get me.
(Allocating resources more effectively, people!)
Oh and to avoid duplicate items you guys can just let me know what I’ll be getting so I can strike it out. HAHAHA

Food-related items
It’s no secret how much I love food. (You are at my food blog!)
Some items I would <3 to get…

1. Silicon baking mat (Silpat or Calphalon. The pink range from Calphalon is SO PRETTYYYY. Available at Tangs Orchard and Vivo. )

1. Japanese cooking condiments (Dashi mirin sake and others!) Inane, huh but totally not cheap.
2. Valrhona Chocolate and Marsala Wine
3. Vanilla bean pods

   

4. Dining/shopping vouchers at Culina or any other gourmet food place

Stuff I would love to have

1. Charmmy Kitty stuff (Anything!) [Hello Kitty's glam pet-cat with her own pet hamster, Sugar!)

1. MAC Makeup (Lipglass/Palettes etc.)

   

2. Lancome Gloss in a nude shade. The colour code eludes me. (#217?)



3. Laneige Snow Crystal Dual Liquid Foundation
4. Giorgio Armani makeup (I received a limited ed Holiday Crystal Armanisilk lippie from Mei Wa last year. PRETTY!)


yummy lippie gift!

Source: http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/

Gingerbread Mansion, anyone?

Alas, procrastination got the better of me – so no pictures of a croquembouche up here. heh!

No prizes for guessing the baking want of the week. (Christmas time is coming….!)

I am really inspired by Barry’s creations (He bakes and donates these yearly for a charity raffle!)

I think I will try a simple one. If that succeeds I will make another and donate it to some happy kids to gobble up. (:

Royal icing is key to gluing the pieces together and keeping them stuck to each other.

Source: http://www.browneyedbaker.com

Look at the shiny sheen!

While some recipes suggest using egg whites, I’m pretty grossed out by the possibility of eating raw egg whites.
(Met our friend, Salmonella?)

Shall stick to using meringue powder. A 4oz (113g) portion retails at Phoon Huat for SG$8.30.
Some people have commented that meringue powder has a stench but I shall see/try/buy/smell and blog about it.

….If and when I get to making my gingerbread house. :b

Source: http://lacerise.blogspot.com/2009/02/croquembouche-project.html

I am going to embark on a two-part project which validates my semi-expertise in the baking of eclairs.

1st stage: A mini tower of about 20 eclair puffs

2nd stage: 231 eclair puffs for my 21st birthday. The arithmetic is interesting. Try guessing WHY 231. (:

Wish me luck!

Shall post pictures of my success/epic fail later. toodles! (:

Oh and good luck, have fun cleaning up.

With necessity comes invention, right? I decided to share the lazy rat bum’s method of making the yummy treats. Mine!
(On a side note, they’re apparently marketed as LCM bars in OZ. Hmm I wonder why not HCF bars.)

Makes approx 6 bars
Feeds a greedy Charmaine F!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
(the more the merrier!)
1 cup krispy treats
1 cup marshmallows
(approx 9-10 pieces)
Some vanilla essence/vanillin
(Prefer the latter for the stronger aroma)
Optional: food flavouring/colouring.
(To be added at step 6.)

Stuff you’ll need:
Greaseproof paper
Heatproof glass container
(I am a huge fan of Pyrex glass containers since they can withstand extreme temperatures.)
Metal spoon
(A regular tablespoon will suffice)
A microwave oven

Method:
1. Line your container with the greaseproof paper.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave on high for 30 secs with your lined container.
( Warning: don’t stick metals into the microwave!)

3. Brush the melted butter all over the sides of the lined container.

4. Place the marshmallows into the container and put it on high for another 30 secs.
(They’ll puff up and look real cute. LOL)

5. Remove the puffy buttery marshmallows from the microwave and give them a good mix. It should be gooey and tacky.

6. Mix in the rice krispies a bit at a time to ensure that the puffed rice bits will be held together by the marshmallow glue.

7. After mixing everything well, stick the whole lot into the freezer for an hour or so before cutting them into bars. YUM!

If the pastry dough turns out wet, simply add more flour. The consistency should be pliable like playdoh, not crumbly.

You could roll the dough out (approx 0.5cm thickness) and use a mini cookie cutter to cut out circles (diameter: 3cm) or you could roll out mini mentos-sized balls and flatten them.

Take approx half-teaspoonfuls of the pineapple jam and wrap the yummy balls up. Arrange them on a greaseproof paper lined tray and brush some egg yolk on top to produce a golden brown sheen at 170 deg Celsius for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Would have loved to post pics but they’ve all been gobbled up by the greedy pigs at home. Heh!

next post: krispy treats! (:

My mother also happens to be an expert in baking killer pineapple tarts which are buttery and melt in your mouth.

She always makes her filling by hand and I decided to experiment and make a batch of pineapple tarts by myself.

Phwoar! It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted, impatient types. Cutting the pineapple cubes took an hour for me and my maid (I still can’t believe that’s only 3 pineapples there.)

Boiling them took another 2 hours of continuous stirring over a low flame. My right arm’s falling off. Alternatively you could also buy the pre-made pineapple filling from Phoon Huat. (Since I am so picky, I chose to make my own lor.)

Shall update with peektures when I do the baking later. Whee! (:
(tummy rumbles.)