Sous Vide Machine @ home

a few weeks ago, Monkey brought JS to Euro Chef to pick up some small items like baking pans, canele moulds, and other small items for the kitchen...well the mission was to get baking stuffs.

but when we walked in, his eyes shone like the full moon, twinkling away, body froze...
gazing at a gadget
-_-
I dunno wat gadget was that....so I left him there to continued to ogle at that weird not good looking totally uninteresting piece of errrrrrr plastic?
while I busied myself searching for my baking pans.

Once Monkey was done.....JS was already talking animatedly with the French guy who works there about some cooking technique like he's done it a gazillion time.
Feeling neglected I inched my way to listen to his conversation.
None of it I understood.....remember......I.JUST.KNOW.HOW.TO.EAT

soon the heavy uninteresting piece of plastic was lifted up to the check out counter
it looks heavy
JS offered to pay for my stuffs. I didn't have anything to buy except 2 Madeleine moulds fr France.

"I'll pay for it." said Monkey
JS: "No no I'll just settle everything plus my gadgets."
the cashier machine ka-ching an amount nearing to 8k.

Monkey quickly replied: "OK u PAY!!!"
wat the hell he bought?????
that uninteresting piece of......plastic called Sous Vide machine cost so damn much?!?!?!?!
so JS hugged it home, did a lot of readings and research for the rest of the day and didn't even realise my existence *yes I'm jealous bcoz of that stupid plastic!!!*

the next morning when I woke up on a glorious Sunday, he wasn't next to me
hmmmmm.....

I continued to zzzzZZzzz and he dashed in like a lil boy who got his very first bicycle
"Breakfast in 5....get up!!!!!"
and dragged the duvet off me, pushed me up.
"Hurry, you have to be on TIME for it!!!"
Monkey was scratching her messy hair....do we have any breakfast appointment with anyone?
"Nope I'm making breakfast."
WOOOOOWWWWW Mr. JS!!!! are u on fever or there's a permanent head damage??
BREAKFAST???? hmmm that's a very first.

He sat me on the kitchen island, perched me on the high stool.
there's even table setting all ready on the bar
hmmmm what's the occasion?
he shoved me a freshly made cup of latte, the smell just lifted up my eye lids
and he walked over with 2 plates of food.... glorious smile with pride on his face

okie what is it?
"Ta-DA!!!! my very first sous-vide eggs!!!!!"
Monkey stared at it.
JS then continued to explain the processes, temperature, timing.
he cooked the eggs for one hour at 143.5*Fahrenheit

Sous Vide is a french word for under the vacuum
it's a cooking technique involving sealing your food in vacuum and put it inside a water bath of controlled temperature and cook them for longer than usual to seal in the flavours and achieve a texture which normal cooking can't.

well this is the most simplest explanation I could come up with for layman terms
I told him: "u know u can cook the same egg with the Mamak yellow color plastic which u filled it with water....when the water has finished dripping....the eggs are the same consistency as this."

OUCH....just like a slap....JS -_- and gave me the biggest frown
"taste it"
WOOOAAHHHH it has got a very different texture
the whites were just done right and soft while the yolk is sticky and gooey.
"Hmmmm this is good....very good....can I have another one plus more of those crispy bacon u've cooked."

JS frowned deeper
"Another one? u have to wait one hour."
now it's Monkey's turn to frown
"Next time make more lar!!!! so little......sob sob sob....I'm still hungry~~~~"

and for the rest of the day, Mr. JS played with his vacuum machine
watever he could find, he'll seal them
like the above, he was sealing my homemade butter cookies

"so now what? u gonna sous vide my cookies?"
"Nooo...just testing....it's so fun!!!!"
"Are those plastic bags expensive? they looked thick and of high quality."
"Oh yes they are" and continued to press some buttons to vacuum more irrelevant food items.

what the........

soon from sous-vide-ing eggs he advanced to beef
look at the consistency of the color
u can achieve medium or pink, any way u like in perfect order

a week later, I found myself at Les Amis French Restaurant's kitchen in Singapore
yes the privilege of walking into THAT kitchen
under the guidance of Chef Galvin Lim
just me and JS
we learned the art of sous vide from Chef

Sorry no pics from that private class :D
big thanks to Sommelier Timothy for arranging this :)))
now my man aka JS is really into this french technique

I wonder what is he going to sous vide for me next
whatever it is...my stomach is alwiz ready hehehehehehehehehe

I know I'm a very luck gal
don't be jealous
*big grin*

www.lesamis.com.sg
www.eurochef.biz

Steamboat at Prestigious Mein

Tell me who doesn't like steamboat???
esp when its broth has been prepared meticulously, cooked for freaking god knows how many hours
*pork bones, chicken carcass etc*


Last Saturday we were the lucky guests to be invited over to Prestigious Mein's place

Monkey: "Okie wat u want me to bring?"
like her usual corporate self, this strong lady gave instructions and empowered monkey
Prestigious Mein: "Thinly sliced pork belly and mutton...and if u can't get them, please let me know a day in advance."

those who doesn't know her will think she just lurve to boss around
but she's just straight, direct and hit everything on the eye
I like working this way...because that's very ME too
no beating round the bush, performing indian dances *oppsss Macho Mani*

she got everything prepared once we arrived at her condo
everything was so neatly packed in multiple sizes of containers according to the size of its food
so it makes it so much easier to re-pack should we not finish the food
and yes...we couldn't finish
>.<

She also made really yummy yummy super yummy "Sui Kow" aka chinese dumplings
and 2 days ago, at a power photoshoot, I managed to dig the recipe outta her..
though everything was a 1/3.... 2/3 agak agak kinda recipe, I'll attempt it soon and share it with u guys :)))) and hopefully my poor guinea pig at home aka JS will get to have some decent dinner cooked by Monkey

the MEN waited patiently while the food cooked
now I understand why MEN are not fans of steamboat
just too much of efforts and time
plus u need to cool pieces of cooked meat before u can chomp them down
else u'll burn

well I guess it's like a lesson about women
they need time and you need to have patience
efforts and time
and once u have them, u can't just chow them down or u gonna get burn
worse.....get urself into big big big trouble
hahahahahahahaha

YS seen here enjoying his thinly sliced pork cooked by his beloved wife Beautiful CS

but I must say, steamboat are really good communal food
most of all, it's healthy :)))
*Yes I repeat, healthy despite all the belly pork hahahahahaha*

I dunno why we lurve to stand
hahahahahahahhaa

YS burnt himself....hahahahaha
and I'm still standing
my theory is...food gets processed faster in your digestive system if u are standing
no no no....just kidding.

Steamboat is also known commonly as Hot Pot
it has got a history longer than Malaysia *hahahaha of coz*
about 1,000 years from China and usually eaten in Winter months

today, steamboat or hot pot have spread to so many other countries in Asia with different variation, esp those with a combo of BBQ meat on the side. Different ingredients and stock/broth are used today.

well I guess the key is put whatever u wanna eat inside
I prefer fresh ingredients, as in as natural and raw as possible, instead of those manufactured processed round/long balls that claimed to be made from meat or seafood
*the worse is crab sticks....I doubt there's 1% of crab innit*

the joy of eating steamboat is u can do pit stops and rest before continuing
we lurve to sink in and relax at our hostess's couch

Later, everyone joined in....
hahahahhahahaa

so it's either the couch or to the balcony for smokes
I wished the couch is on the balcony so I can sit while I smoke
or that the living hall is a smoking area...so I can sit and smoke freely
sometimes in life, u can't have everything don't ya?

then it's back to more food and round number 2...or was it 3?
I can't really remember with all the bubblies we had

a couple of months ago, we discovered Marie-Courtin champagnes and never turn back since
U can now get them in Malaysia from Artisan Cellars
hmmmm I don't think the shop is ready or if there's gonna be any shop
right now we just liase with their office in KL

I was speaking to Connoisseur TH yesterday and he wanted to start a wine diary/blog online with me
well I think that's a fantastic idea to document wat u had and its tasting notes
problem is....I am quite suffocated with work and this blog, social life, travel, eating drinking bla bla yada yada

but I wanna do it...how?
*kept muttering to myself...sometimes in life u can't have everything...*
**on another note, if u insist on having everything, then do it 300% and make it worth all the trouble**
agree??

our caretaker alwiz - Macho Mano
he has got a beautiful nose.....I'm sure Sweet Devil Rachel and his kids gonna be so good looking!!!
he's still keeping his hair ala Richard Gere style and colors :)))

after all the yummy food it's CLEANING time!!!!
everything was washed up in less than 10 mins

can I have sumore champagne please while I'm doin the dishes?
nope we didn't break anything....
everything was spanking clean and dried by the ladies
hahahahahaha
we make a very good team
hahahahahahha

and soon we were back to the comfy couch enjoying our fruits and conversation
dinner was so healthy I don't think the men were satisfied with their meal
hahahahahaha

then Macho Mani brought out a bottle of whisky and Prestigious Mein with coke
but we didn't have any
instead the ladies had Shoju

Shoju made me tipsy and do silly kawaii things
nah...I guess I had too much of champagnes coz Macho Mani wasn't drinking and I drank on his behalf.

Beautiful CS and YS
YS isn't a champagne person either, okie okie next time we bring red wines for u

I remembered the last time I had champagnes with this group, Shy Chatwin was holding the glass awkwardly and say he felt like a "lady"
okie I get it...champagnes are ladies' drinks huh?
actually that's not true :P

Prestigious Mein the host and Sweet Devil Rachel
so I guess the next meet-up is next 2 weeks huh?
more champagnes then but I'll be bz with other things.....like donating money to H&M

digging out more chocolates
we have big cc stomachs

Macho Mani, YS and JS

I like JS's shirt *coz I got it for him in overseas, ahem*
anyway he won't buy pink shirt with turquoise lining
he said it's very gay hahahahahaha

well the men lurve their conversation
it's all about CARS, cars, CARS, cars, CARS, cameras, CARS, cars, CARS
-_-"
we ladies can't be talking about SHOES, shoes or bags the whole evening
hahahahahahhahaa

Prestigious Mein, Sweet Devil Rachel, Monkey and Beautiful CS
we have too many topics to discuss about....
it's about WORK, business, world issues, economy's outlook
no...I'm just kidding...hahahahha
but seriously, it's all about it because it's been affecting our career and stress level

but later towards the evening
when we turned tipsy.....

I know my tongue is sharp
so never ever start an argument with me
hhahahahahaha

That was a great evening of catching up
haven't been doing this a lot recently, all bcoz of work
what has life become?

I really do missed those good old time like this *click to read*
but then we need to grow up, life gets complicated, portfolio gets bigger, dealing with people that caused us hypertension
so I guess cherish the moment that u have at that very instant, for we don't know if we gonna re-live that again *sometimes never again*

Folks, u worked hard...so u deserved to enjoy your life
:))))
hey, sometimes u gotta know how to enjoy life u know?
it's good for your soul
:))))))))

Thanks again Mein
my tummy had a whale of time hahahahha
hugs

Onion Tart by Christine

Monkey's been looking hi and lo for a yummy and simple onion tart recipe and my dearie reader Christine was so generous to share a professional one with me :)))))
THANK YOU!!!

it's very USUAL of Monkey not to follow instructions
hohohohohohohohohohoho
the recipe said 4 strips of bacon....and greedy me double that up to 8 strips

First of all u add a small amount of oil into your pan and fry the bacon till it's crispy
u don't really need much oil bcoz the bacon itself will release hell lot of oil that your veins will choke!!!! I've only used barely there oil....hahahahahaha

fry till it turned crispy and caramelised a bit
notice all the protein goodness at the bottom of the pan?

see the amount of oil left?

next with the remaining oil, sautee about 3 yellow onions
recipe indeed said....2 yellow onions but then it's really up to you

when the onions turned translucent, add 1 tbp of sugar, 2 tbsp of white wine
inside JS's cellar there ain't any cheap nor cooking white wine...
every bottle of whites are from France...my eyes popped out when most of them are Grand Crus.
*okie....how come so many good white wines but never pop them open??? saving for what???*

so Monkey resort to cooking sake :D:D:D
JS cooks with japanese sake everyday - including stir fry vegetables
hence I substituted white wines with 2 tbsp of sake but lazy me refused to measure and dunk it as much as I like :P

along with all these, add salt and pepper to taste and finally some chopped taragon
lower the fire and continue to caramelize the onions for about 20 minutes
u'll need to stir occasionally

until they turned like this
I tasted it....OMG so sweet!!!!!

then add a dash of balsamic vinegar
and a knob of butter and this mixture is ready to be cooled

oh yea don't forget your crispy bacon
:)))))))
the fattiness of the bacon balance the sweetness of the caramelized onion
also u can taste a bit of sourness from the balsamic vinegar...
the taste is pretty balanced by now

lazy Monkey used pre-made puff pastry off the shelves
Pampas is my favourite brand. Alwiz have some at home...
so easy to make sardine puffs/tuna puffs/ sausage puffs/ chicken puffs/ egg puffs/ jam puffs
basically just roll them out and fill it with your favourite ingredients and voila!!!!

hmmm so now do u realise that most of the bakery/cafes been charging u a bomb for something so simple?
in fact puff pastry is not that difficult to make but I'm just so so so LAZY. Especially now that my asses have gained some weight...hua hua hua hua

roll our your puff pastry to 1/2 inch thick and put it onto a pan.
if possible fold the sides either in or out to create a crusty sides
poke everywhere with your fork and blind bake till it turned crispy at 190*C

after the blind bake, the puff pastry shrunk....>.<
oh dear~~~
I hope it's enough for the both of us
top it up with the caramelized onions and bacon

Prepare 1/2 cup of Gouda cheese
either u get the block ones and shave them
or just get those sliced gouda cheese off the shelves

put as much or as little according to your palate
and bake them again at the same temperature until it turns brown

oh I forgot, u may want to egg wash your pastry
I can't remember how long I baked it but just for a while I think
nothing more than 15 mins?
coz by the time I've loaded everything onto the dishwasher, set up the table and got *force* JS to open a really nice bottle of white wine for dinner...it's DONE!!!
*well u know I won't attempt too difficult recipe don't ya?*

Ta-Da!!!
it's dinner time :))))
sprinkle the remaining of Taragon...I don't usually waste my ingredients
recipe says sprinkle flat leaf parsley

I have a feeling Christine must be smacking her forehead now coz I've only followed the recipe maybe errrr 65% and modified everything according to my liking and to her horror
heeeeeeeeeeeeee
Oh My!!!!
it's really good and easy to make!!!
JS concurred after the tasting test
:))))))))))))))

I like my food spicy so I sprinkled some freshly cracked dried chili peppers from Sabah
spicy yo!!!! but it's really yummy!!!!

well do attempt it yea :))))
I hope u are able to understand my scribbly mambo jumbo recipe
*well it was very organised when I received it via email from Christine*

Thank you again Christine for sharing this with me
I'll make this again....definitely :))))))

and as for JS...he was a eppy boy bcoz he finally get to see and eat the onion tart I promised him last month, with the baking pan he bought mecoz the 1st time I used it to make a Malaysian Butter Cake and 2nd time for the Union Jack cream cheese tart
hehehehehehehe

Happy Monday folks!!!!