2013 Resolutions: Thomas Keller's Chocolate Financiers

Nope these are not cupcakes
they are Financiers, baked in mini cupcakes mould. Such cute lil sinful bite-size financiers :))) Not too difficult to eat nor bake..but it did require some preparation and my very first attempt at making Brown Butter.

Thomas Keller the famous and top American chef in the states has plenty of books. JS bought almost all of them. It started with "Cooking under Pressure" a really technical book explaining the A-Z of sous-vide cooking. Yeah sous-vide is all about cooking ur food under the water bath of controlled temperature.

JS also attempted this amazing Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Thomas Keller's book
*read about it here*
since a few of his recipes were attempted by JS and proved to be GREAT,

Monkey finally picked up her book by Thomas Keller --> Bouchon. A gift from Munchy and Si Fu Lawrence.

It was just yesterday and Monkey just woke up, sprawled on the sofa, flipping pages from his book Bouchon...choosing wat to bake. :P And I found a really really simple recipe with ingredients that are accessible, tools and appliances that I have at home.

so the recipe started off with:
120gm granulated sugar
20gm of all purpose flour
60gm almond flour/meal
20gm unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder *use Valrhona Cocoa Powder, else just get a good quality ones*

if possible please sieve the above separately...and I was too lazy. This proved to be a lot of more work later....


to the Dry ingredients, add 100gm of Egg Whites
yeah too much of work becoz I had to mix them nicely and break up any lumps of flour/cocoa powder/almond meal.
-_-"
moral of the story, follow instruction!!!
Mix thoroughly the above.

Next, the Brown Butter.....it was my first time...When I saw it on the recipe, neither one of us know wat the heck is Brown Butter....Thankfully the book Bouchon has every explanation in different section on methodology, ingredients, tools, technique and so on....

Basically it literally means wat it is...brown the butter
but it was as simple as it is...bcoz u don't want to burn them

So to brown the butter, just drop the entire chunk of butter onto ur sauce pan over medium fire and let it melt. U will need to whisk it all the time to prevent the base from sticking/burning. There will be a lot of bubble as it evaporates. Keep on stirring until the bubble has subsided and u need to check the color of the butter with a spoon. Once it has reached the "Caramel" color with a toffee nose....it's done!!!

Immediately transfer it over to the muslin cloth/sieve to remove any sediments.

and this is wat u got at the end.....clear caramel toffee nose of brown butter....
Thomas Keller used a lot of these in his cooking and baking for its rich aroma.

So gather about 100gm of Brown Butter and add 30gm of chopped 70% chocolate.
The recipe requires 20gm of 70% Valrhona chocolate and 10gm of 100% Pure chocolate....since I don't have 100% really bitter really pure chocolate....I just make it up to 30gm of 70%

Heat up lightly the Brown Butter with the chopped chocolate. Chopped ones are easier to melt and faster but I was lucky coz my Valrhona came in pallet form. Each pallet is about 3g.

Once the chocolate has melted in the Brown Butter, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. It will become like the above.

Spray ur mini cupcakes tin with non-stick spray. I used butter spray. You can obtain this from the vegetable oil section in any supermarket. Transfer these mixture into the pipping bag and fill each mould with the mixture until it's slightly under the rim. My mini cupcakes tray can accommodate about 12.

Ur oven must be heated by now. Rule no. 1 in baking is to reheat your oven even before you start anything. The temperature used in this recipe is 175*C Bake each tray individually for 12 minutes or until your skewer comes out clean.

and Ta-DA!!!!
enjoy them on the same day...but I like them warm :)))
perfect as petit four and a cup of espresso
Life is good :))))))))

I know....I should have attempted the original rectangular Butter Financier instead of this modern chocolate version but I just didn't have the mold. Gotta get them soon :))))

If you wanna view more beautiful pics from Thomas Keller's bakery, log on here:
www.bouchonbakery.com

2013 Resolutions: Jamie O's 15 mins Asian Beef Salad

Cashew nuts, sunflower seeds and some sesame seeds at the bottom.

This Asian Beef Salad was part 2 of the same episode of Jamie Oliver's 15 minutes meal program. Read about the first inception of Fish Stew *click here*
Anyway Monkey has learned and accepted that she can't cook anything in under 15 minutes except instant noodles and artisan cuppa of cappuccino. So the workflow and methodology for his recipe were all re-arranged according to my convenience....

The recipe started of with soaking some rice noodles aka bihun in hot water. Then toast and roast the above nuts until it's golden brown...that should take only a few minutes. I like to use thick based pan for its heat retention capability....more so for its weight. Can wham ppl and cause head injury. Yes therefore kitchen is a very dangerous place.


Next prepare the dressing.....
1x Tbsp of fish sauce
1x Tbsp of sesame oil
1x Tbsp of good quality soy sauce
all into the japanese pickled ginger which JS bought from Rakuzen :P

it's his shopping style....he actually goes to restaurants to buy ingredients....like to the seafood restaurants to buy their fresh produce, restaurants to get their raw ingredients.
*smacks forehead*

I've never seen any meat delicatessen actually allows their customer into the cold room to choose MEAT. He gets to select which cow he wants that's hanging in there....precisely which cut.
*double smack forehead*

One of the recent funny experience was....we were purchasing some beef for dinner. JS wanted the exact thickness for his steak....didn't like any CUT was already showcasing beautifully inside the chilled display counter. He demanded for the whole slab to be brought and presented to him.

Soon half the cow was on top of the counter to the horror of other customer. JS then requested for the knife...How rare this is??? Customer holding a knife inside a supermarket. He actually took the knife and mark onto the cow how thick he wanted his steak to be.

oh well u can imagine wat happen next......Monkey pushed the shopping trolley away and pretended not to know him~~~~~~ such a good housemate I am~~~~~~~but when it comes to enjoying his cooking, I'll cling on to him and whine the magic word....voila!!!! food will be prepared instantly. I don't know wat I have done to deserve a man like JS :)))))))))


The recipe calls for several types of greens. Seen bathing inside my stainless steel bowl were spring onions, red but not spicy chilis, carrots, asparagus, cucumber and sweet peas. U gotta clean them nicely bcoz all of the above will be eaten RAW.


Drain them nicely under the cold blast of my aircond at the dry kitchen.



The dressing was almost done.........just zest one lime with a good zester like microplane. That's a very very and really sharp utensil. Just one small accident and u will lose some skin off ur lil fingers.


my bowl is so pretty....lurve these japanese bowls.
See the lime zest is so fine.


with the naked lime which has just lost its skin....use it!!!
squeeze the hell outta its pulps and get all its juicy goodness.


Next dress ur beef with chinese 5 spice powder.
coat it evenly and nicely. Make sure u have trim off all the fat from the meat.


Then let it sizzle on the heated pan with a lil bit of oil


2 heads of Baby Romaine Lettuce
or was it Cos Lettuce?


Too lazy to wash...so just peel off the first few layers and off they went into my bin


Chop off the base and off it went into my bin. Then chop all the way down diagonally for a few centimetres.


Lay them nicely at one corner of the plate
The idea is to cut them into smaller edible bite size.


Next peel ur cucumber...oh well it depends..if u like the skin u can have them...but me no likey..


Cut them into cubes like this...u'll just need 1/2 a cucumber. Monkey got really tiny organic ones so I used the whole lot.

My ceramic knife is like the best thing ever. Been using it for the past few years now and still as sharp as ever. It's a limited edition in conjunction of Breast Cancer Awareness. I know...I'm such a bimbo...even my knives have to be pink but then JS bought it for me!!!! He gave instructions that I cannot touch nor use his knives....prollie coz I dunno how to use them and damage most of his stuffs...so he bought me these bimbotic pinkish tools!!


Next using a peeler....peel some organic baby asparagus like this. Oh yeah in case u were wondering, it's ceramic..it's pink...it's Kyocera ceramics :P

I was curious and wondered how does RAW asparagus tasted like. Oh yumms it was sweet with a good bite!!! Surprise!!!


Don't forget ur beef...keep turning every minute...
Up down up down
it should sear nicely :))))))))))


At the same time, continue chopping and building ur salad.
Sweet Snap Peas...u'll need to remove both ends and pull off the fiber on both sides. I was also curious at how it tasted like....

Krop krop krop crunch crunch
Oh yummy!!! it's so sweet!!!!!

Cut them sideways like this.

WAHHHH clap clap clap
I am so proud of my cutting skills!!!!

We didn't have a carrot shredder at home so I ended up having to cut them this way....used up a lot of time here.......Jamie Oliver used a shredder and it was so so so so fast and easy.


By now the piece of beef should be nicely done. U'll need to let it rest for a while for the meat to relax and soak up its jus.

My next fav tool is this ceramic Mandoline. It's really sharp and fast. Slice up some red radish.


Just throw everything anyway u like on the plate....for visual outlook, merchandise them according to texture and colors.

The recipe oso calls for alfalfa sprouts. Me no likey this.....

Since we lurve loads of heat. Chili Padi is a must!!!!
The big red chili is just for visual and aesthetic outlook. It doesn't do its job. U'll still need the small tiny powerful chili.

The Rice Noodle should be soft by now, put it at the edge of the plate. Then slice up the beef.....
and throw everything onto the platter....as effortlessly as Jamie O

Wham wham baam baam...and don't forget the coriander at the end.
I felt like I'm throwing things around
very therapeutic dish hahahahaha. Moreover I was preparing this half tipsy after finishing Minnie Winnie's 5 litres of Sangria a few hours ago.

ta-DA!!!!!
and it's done!!!!
Monkey took 40 minutes from cleaning the vegetables, to searing the beef, chopping, slicing, peeling and assembling the salad

To serve, pour the dressing onto the rice noodle, bcoz that's the least flavourful item on the plate.

squeeze some lime all over your salad...
MIX and "lou-hei"!!!!

Yup it was really tasty....I was surprise bcoz it looked like rabbit food to me :P
For the recipe *click here*
However I would recommend watching the video instead bcoz the ingredients are pretty basic, u just put watever u like :)))
*Click here* to watch the video, it's the 2nd part after the fish stew.

Happy Cooking!!!!!

2013 Resolutions: Jamie O's 15 Mins Fish Stew

Beautiful Glorious Bulb of Fennel
I really do lurve fennel for its fresh anise aroma but a certain Si Fu hated it. He even banned Monkey fr ordering it at a restaurant. -_-" Speaking of men being drama.

Having just declared my love for fennel, I actually hated Absinthe. Originated from Neuchatel, Switzerland it's like their staple alcohol. The main ingredient in Absinthe is actually our dearest friend Fennel...hahahaha...I recalled downing shots and shots of absinthe in madness. Blame it on school....stress....school stress...... for Monkey was back to watchmaking school then.
*read about it here*

Ahem now back to present
Monkey was on a flight back to KL and watched a short episode of Jamie Oliver's 15 Minutes Meal. It's currently being shown on AFC channel but U know Monkey..I don't really have time to watch tele at home...it's either I'm too busy or the tele is perpetually being CONQUERED by my housemate cum JS with one an only channel - GOLF CHANNEL.

Jamie O's style of cooking was just simplicity, fresh ingredients, fuss-free, wham-baam, healthy and most important of all....it's IDIOT PROOF!!! I really needed that!!!! which also confirmed that it's failed proof. So armed with only memories of the short programme I've watched, Monkey was so inspired to cook Sunday Brunch for Mr. JS and he was.....very and extremely skeptical.

Monkey: "Ok no worries....don't fret urself. If it's inedible, I'll promise to bring you out for a mean brunch of your choice."
and the poor man sighed a heavy relief and soon colors returned back to his face.
yes Men are really DRAMA.


The recipe starts off with cutting your ciabatta criss cross like this. Quickly wham one or 2 cloves of garlic with the greatest invention ever - the garlic smasher!!!!

*Punch Punch* just like punching holes on your A4 papers...my specialty hohohohohoho.
depends on your tolerance of garlic....if u lurve it put more...otherwise use sparingly.

La-La-La-La-La-La spread the garlic in between the creases.

and JS who just woke up.....ok ok it was ME whom just woke up.
JS woke up 3 hours before me and he's been fiddling with his new Leica camera the entire morning until he was so hungry and came to bedside...."when is Brunch gonna be served? I am hungry....."

Then as alwiz, Monkey forgot....to add lemon thyme!!!
and off it went on top.....so easy to use. Just press the end and pull ur fingers through its tiny stem and all its beautiful leaves will fall into place....

At that moment, I felt that I'm doin a pretty decent job as JS was maneuvering around me looking pretty skeptic.
Monkey: "I know wat I'm doin...CHILL!!!!" and continued to la-la-la-la-la-la

spread the garlic and lemon thyme evenly....drizzle some olive oil and wham it into the oven at 150*C. You just need to crisp and brown up the ciabatta so if u are worried, u can set the oven temperature lower.

Then the chopping frantic began!!!
chop-chop-chop-a-chop

Chop any way u want but the above size is good. I don't recall the recipe used any leeks but we lurve leeks so I've chopped one and cut the fennel about the same size as the leeks. So they'll cook in uniformity...oh just about right...

Heat some olive oil on the pan, Monkey used a Le Creuset cast iron Braiser in mustard color.
sorry I'm such a bimbo, even cookware must be pretty. But seriously Le Creuset is a very good investment and so easy to clean :))

after it's heated, throw in some anchovies. I've used about 3-5 pieces, can't remember coz I was in a rush....just throw everything in with feel. While JS was busy kacau-kacau moving around Monkey snapping pics. He was so excited that I AM COOKING!!!!!

stir fried them for a bit then throw in a good splash of white wine. About a glass.
Monkey opened the fridge and saw a bottle of french white wine...
"Can I use this?"
JS was.."errrr..errrr...."
"Ok I'm using it....if it's half opened and u are not serving it to me, it's gonna go into the pot."
JS >.< hu hu hu hu hu hu

Cook the above for a bit until the liquid has reduced for a bit......


Open a can of good quality tomato puree. Pour everything in...and using the same can, pour some hot water innit and add it into your stew.


Let it simmer.....

Cut your fish. Clean your prawns...

we lurve HEAT
so snip snip snip some bird eye chilli into your stew. I seldom cut my chili with knives..it's usually the ever reliable scissors.

arrange your prawns and pieces of fish into your stew

Throw in the cleaned clams
Jamie O used mussels as well but we don't really fancy local mussels.

to clean clams....put them in a nice bath of cold water + salt.
This is to give the fresh and ALIVE clams the illusion that they are still in the SEA. So then leave them in their lala-land of salt water and soon u will see them spitting out sand and water at ur face!!!! hahahahaha.

Cover the stew and turn the fire to medium or low. Since Le Creuset cast iron retains a lot of heat, I've left it at low fire.

While waiting...in fact there's no waiting in Jamie O's 15 minute meals recipe....u gotta go boom-boom-boom wham wham wham the moment u start any of his recipes.

Get a good pinch of saffron onto the mortar. JS got this in Seville, Spain. Or was it Granada?? I can't remember....it's really high quality ones.

one clove of garlic....is all u need :)))))))

Ka-baam-ka-baam ka-baam
oh the smell of saffron was so so so good!!!!

Pour in the low fat light yogurt in

Mix mix mix mix mix

Ta-DA!!!!!
such vibrant yellow color
okie I am so in love with yellow now!!!!!!

remember the fennel bulb earlier? it has got the beautiful feathery leaves...
throw them in :))))))))))
and a beautiful aioli is done!!!!

By this time, your stew is so so so ready
pluck some basil leaves and throw in!!!
if u really love basil, u can even put them during the cooking stage.

The clams have opened, the fish and prawns are cooked
the smell was enuff to murder all my neighbours for I am sure they are hungry like JS too!!!!
hahahahahaha

Get the bread outta the oven

hot fluff and crispy on top
it looked like a hedgehog to me!!!

Lunch is served!!!

NOPE I didn't take 15 minutes....it was about 35-38 minutes I think.
:P
FAILED.
hahahahahaha but it was so so yummy!!!!

U hungry yet?
JS was so proud of Monkey
I was surprised at the results.
see I told ya, Jamie O's recipe are all idiot proof!!! If an idiot like me can do it, anyone can :)))))))))

scoop some fish, prawns and loads of clams...a dollop of aioli
and open ur mouth!!! hahahahaha

this is really good. Do give it a try.
For the recipe, go *here*
but I reckon u just watch the video *here* coz I didn't refer the recipe and just cooked fr wat I saw in his video. Maybe that's why I missed so many things and steps....hahahahaha.

Since it was a 2 recipe video, guess I'll attempt the Asian Beef Salad this weekend
:)))))))))))