Friday, May 25. 2012
For Ascension weekend, my husband and I took a trip to Paris. I've always wanted to bring him back to Paris as his first experience many years before left him with a certain fear and dislike for the city. I had already visited the city three times before, and I loved it. We didn't have many days (only 2 full days), but we did our best to do the essentials. Aside from the obligatory attractions, food, of course, was a biggie. We found out that our hostel was located near the Chinatown in the 13th arrondissement. Not one to be too touristy, the idea of living near Chinatown sparked curiosity because no decent Chinese restaurants exist where we live, and the selection at the only Asian supermarket in town can be limited (although we fully appreciate having even one!). Such a desert made the possibly of having decent Chinese food and stocking up on much missed items all the more enticing. I did my research and knew that Chinese food in Paris was still foreign and not well-understood, but we tried nonetheless. The first dinner was an utter mistake. We should have asked the locals. Instead, we walked into a trap---albeit full of people with a developing queue---where food arrived cold so quickly that one could only guess that they were prepared in advance and re-heated to order. We regretted choosing that restaurant, and it certainly left us dubious on the others, but we returned two nights later, as we needed to eat in the area. We had one marked down from our scouting on the first night, so we headed straight for it---a Laotian/Vietnamese/Thai restaurant called Lao Lane Xang. Our choice was supported by a local advice that the only Asian food worthy in Paris was Vietnamese and Laotian.
The restaurant on both nights was busy and packed, but our wait was short. It was long enough to make us salivate at the food being served. At least 50% of the dishes on the menu were spicy, but the restaurant was fully accommodating in reducing/eliminating the heat. I ordered two separate salads (a beef and a prawn), and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The beef was pink in the center and the prawns large ones, and the sauce was flavourfully spicy/sour/sweet. My husband ordered a prawn curry, and he enjoyed it. I was intrigued by the dishes ordered from the neighbouring table only to learn that one of the diners was a native Southeast Asian. Prices were decent, too. It was certainly a recommendable restaurant, and we were glad to have found it. The last Asian meal was dim-sum. My husband grew up eating good quality dim-sum, so I knew I had my work cut out. And Paris was, as I found out, not the ideal place. Dim-sum was only beginning to enter French vocabulary, and all the restaurants I encountered from hours on the internet yielded pictures or reviews that were mediocre at best. Still, I learnt that the other Chinatown in Belleville in northeast Paris (straddles four arrondissements: 10th, 11th, 19th, 20th) was the source for Cantonese food. I found two possibilities and left the rest for judgement on sight.
We settled on Le Pacifique and were quite thoroughly satisfied. The dim-sum was decent, but the biggest surprise was the "rose wine soy sauce chicken" (玫瑰豉油雞). It was hands-down the best dish that we ordered. My husband and I happily ignored the dim-sum because the chicken was just too good to waste our limited stomach space otherwise. We left happy with our Parisian friend pleased to know that there may finally be a place to eat decent dim-sum in Paris.
Aside from the Asian, we had many other good meals, but the most memorable may be our afternoon tea at the Angelina tea room in the Chateau de Versailles. It was a splurge, but given the availability in the area, we took the chance to indulge as the offering at the tea room looked decadent. I settled on a smoked salmon salad (for tea!) as I was hungry, and all the desserts (besides fruit) contained dairy. My husband went for the selection of 4 macarons and an in-house special tea blend---a mix of Chinese and Indian teas, cacao, almonds, and rose petals. The macarons were light and pleasant, but the highlight was the tea. It had a strong flavour profile, and part of the intrigue was the play of flavours. At first encounter, the aroma suggested cacao, but hitting the tongue, the cacao disappeared into the predominant soothing flavour of almond. The rose petals provided the necessary lightness with a bit of fruitiness while the cacao gave the earthiness. It was certainly a tea that made its presence and not for the faint-hearted.
Besides the mainly overcast and rainy days, we enjoyed our stay. My husband has learned to appreciate Paris and even wants to return to see the many things that we missed! Paris may have its darker sides, but it nonetheless still charms in so many ways.
Wednesday, May 16. 2012
I can't remember when I first encountered biscotti, but I do remember liking the idea of twice-baked breads. There's just something about the dry, crumbly, crunchy nature that attracts me. Even better is it's ability to soak if desired. The texture doesn't turn soggy like wet bread; but instead, the flavour intensifies and the crumbs merge to create a completely different moist, mealy/pasty (in a positive way) treat. I never ventured to make them when I was still at home with my parents for fear of harming their teeth. Instead, it was only when I left to study abroad and returned home to visit, that I discovered my mother's new-found adoration for biscotti. She had brought me to a quaint little artisan food and craft store that she recently discovered and ended our transaction with a couple fancily flavoured and decorated biscotti as a treat with her coffee. I cannot recall the price, but they were at least $2.50, maybe $3.50, each for the length of a pencil. Expensive indeed, but they really looked enticing and decadent. Mint chocolate, lemon white chocolate, dark chocolate, raspberry chocolate, orange, etc. Who could resist dunking those?? Yet the whole time I was thinking, "these can be so easy to make, and it'd be so much cheaper!" Fast forward many years, and I've only managed to make them twice. Sadly, neither were for my mother as I remained away from home. Maybe I should consider making some as a care package... In any case, both attempts were simple quickbreads with nuts and maybe cacao powder added. Neither ever became as fancy as the artisan shop. Having said that, biscotti are very versatile. They are extremely easy to make and as open to creativity as a blank slate. They can be tailored exactly to one's taste, from the choice of nuts, to the addition or omission of chocolate, to the type of chocolate, to the type of spices, if desired. They can be served as breakfast, snack, afternoon tea, or dessert, and can be eaten as is or with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, ovalmatine, or any hot drink. They are portable and easy to store.
The amount of sugar, cinnamon, and almonds have been reduced from the original recipe. The sugar and cinnamon can be reduced further, as they were still a bit strong for me; but they can certainly receive an extra boost of lemon zest and juice.
- 1 large egg
- 100g sugar (I used brown)
- 3/8 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon/orange
- 3/4 tbsp lemon/orange juice
- 122g flour (I used 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 all-purpose)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 65g whole almonds/hazelnuts
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Mix together egg, sugar, vanilla, citrus zest, and citrus juice.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet. Add the almonds and mix.
- Form batter into a log, and bake for 25-30 minutes (or when middle of loaf feels cooked).
- Cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut into bar of desired size, and bake for another 20 minutes.
Nutrition (per biscotti, varies with changes to recipe and biscotti size): ~26 calories, 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 4mg cholesterol, 26g sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 2g sugar, 1g protein.
Monday, May 7. 2012
Several weeks ago, we received another surprise special delivery from our neighbours -- Spanish flan. It was always something that I loved eating, but on this occasion, I could not join in the indulgence. Dairy was a vital ingredient. So instead, I lovingly served it to my husband for his afternoon tea, embellished by the crushed "Crêpes dentelles" (crispy crêpe biscuits) that were delivered alongside the flan. I'd never had such biscuits served with the flan, but I assumed it was given to provide textural contrast. Maybe it's the French version of Spanish flan. But regardless, my husband absolutely adored it, not only because he loves "crêpes dentelles", but also because the flan reminded him of one of his favourite Hong Kong desserts "dun dan" 燉蛋 (steamed egg custard). It was certainly a dish to keep in mind. Fast forward a few weeks, and I found myself asking my neighbour for the recipe. My husband was due to have his wisdom tooth extracted, and I thought that this would be the perfect afternoon tea for him as it required (nearly) no chewing whatsoever. I also happened to have a can of evaporated whole milk leftover from visiting guests, which I thought could be used instead of regular milk. I wasn't sure how it turn out, if it'd be too rich and unedible, as I only knew of using evaporated milk in cakes. I did add additional water it down a bit as it was less than the amount of liquid required in the recipe. The aroma emanating from the oven was tantalising. It almost smelled cake-like. When I unmolded it the next day, I found that there were more bubbles present than I would have liked (even though I tried mixing gently and removed all extraneous bubbles), but my husband approved it fully, evaporated milk and bubbles. I'll certainly go back to regular milk when I next make it (evaporated milk seems like too much of an indulgence), but I just might investigate making "dun dan" at some point again. Addition: I tried the recipe again using whole milk, dropped the temperature down to 150°C (300°F), and increased the baking time by ~15 minutes. The resulting flan, according to my husband, tasted just as good, if not the same, as the evaporated milk version. As for decreasing the oven temperature, there were significantly less bubbles in the flan. The recipe below has been adjusted accordingly.
Spanish Flan The caramel and sugary milk can be made using only one pot. This can recycle some of the caramel that will be unavoidedly left in the pot. The following recipe has been re-organised to reflect that. Otherwise, if you happen to have a casserole dish that can withstand stove and oven heat, even less caramel can be wasted if you make the caramel base directly in the casserole dish, then allow to cool a bit (to prevent dangerous splashing) before pouring the warmed milk directly over the caramel.
Caramel
- 30g white sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Pudding
- 500 mL milk (whole, semi, so skim)
- 80g raw (brown) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 whole eggs
- Caramel. Heat sugar with water on medium heat. Leave untouched until colour turns golden. Begin stirring a bit to fully dissolve all sugar particles (some may have solidified above the bubbles). Continue monitoring until colour reaches light brown to brown. Process can take up to 10-15 minutes, maybe less, depending on the heat of the stove and heat conduction of vessel holding the caramel.
- Remove from heat and immediately transfer caramel into oven-safe container, unless you are using the container itself to prepare caramel.
- Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Pudding. Pour milk, sugar, and vanilla extract into same cooking pot that was used to make caramel (if you made the caramel directly in the container to be used for baking, then use a separate pot). Continuously stir on medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. This should not take too long, and milk should only be slightly warm to the touch. You will know that the sugar has fully dissolved when you no longer hear or feel grains at the bottom of the pot while stirring. Remove from heat.
- Gently beat the 3 eggs in a separate container.
- Pour the sugary milk into the beaten eggs in a continuous stream while beating gently with a whisk.
- Pour mixture into container with caramel.
- Place container with flan mixture in a water bath in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and leave untouched for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove flan from oven, allow to cool, before placing in the fridge overnight to set. Unmold the next day.
