feedest: read this: uR rEsiDent CheF

This has got to be my favourite chocolate of all time. I'm usually not a big fan of White Chocolate but this wonderful Italian chocolate from the wonderful makers of Nutella (Ferrero!!!) sure tickles my fancy. They have named it Confetteria Raffaello which is the Italian name of an archangel.

Do not be mistaken.. I'm not doing any commercials for them. I'm just sharing some confections that might inspire you in your next chocolate truffle creation. As the Ferrero site describes this confection as "A whole almond in a delicious milk cream, enclosed in a crisp shell covered in coconut flakes."

This chocolate has inspired Croatian confectioners to come up with a delicious cake that borrowed its name. But whether it is a chocolate or a cake, it looks lovely like a snowball waiting to be discovered.

Speaking of coconut, I really miss the use of fresh shredded coconut in confections. In most countries due to health and safety reasons, the coconut to be used for confectionery is only available as dried coconut flakes treated with a type of sulphate.

However, the lack of freshness does compromise the taste of the coconut in most confections. In Singapore, our Kuehs (that's how we call our cakes/desserts) are usually coated with the fresh shredded coconut that has a sweet taste (maybe due to the presence of coconut oil, I guess) and wonderful aroma.

In addition, in most Southeast Asian confections, Coconut is the most beloved ingredient. I recalled tasting a Philipino bread that has caramelised shredded coconut enrobed in a soft sweet bun. You couldn't describe the satisfaction of eating one of these buns straight from the oven!

Do you have a similar love for anything coconut? Share your favourite coconut dishes!

No I'm not starting a new section introducing you to Croatian language 101. This post is about Croatian names.. yeap.. names for Croatians. What is it doing on a Food Blog or has anything to do with Food you ask? Well.. you'll be amazed.

It struck me the other day how many Croatians love to name their children using Food... or Fruits to be exact. Remember for English names we have Apple being most common Food name for baby girls. In Croatia, they have the equivalent of Jabuka (Yah-Boo-Kah). After asking around a few Croatians, I discovered more Croatian food names.

Hi hi everyone and welcome back!

Yes, I was idling the past few weeks and neglecting my blogging duties. Hee hee hee.. but don't lose your sleep over not being able to read any new posts on my blog as I am back! Hm.. kind of.

Here's some stuff I have in mind, I will continue the few sections that I did last year: Food News, Recipes and Cooking Tips. One section - Chef's Garden has to be put on hold as my plants are not exactly surviving well into the winter. My lemongrass has gone into hibernation! I will plant a new batch in spring and continue with some tips I found on the web!

I will include a section dedicated to Croatia where I call my home for the past year. I will put up pictures and some recipes that I found regarding Croatian desserts. And I do appreciate it if anyone who is familiar with it to help me out!

That's pretty much all. Hope to hear more comments from you *my precious* readers and into the new year we go!!

This 2008 ended with a big Boom in the financial market. Let's hope that 2009 starts off with a soft throttle and recover its footsteps by the end of the year.

For my dearest family back in Singapore, I miss you all dearly. May the best happen for all of you. The sweetest blessing to our family will be born in the warmest home. Hope time will go by quicker so that I can see all the lovel smiles on all your faces real soon!

To my friends and acquaintances in Singapore, UK, Croatia and wherever you are on earth, I wish the best for all of you as well. May the financial crisis not hit you too hard. Your homes be always filled with food and laughter. And you are always in my thoughts.

And the rest of my Blogger friends and anyone I know through the web in one way or another, I wish to be able to see you in person real soon.. to give you a big hug for giving me support in all the toughest times and advices when I'm stuck.

Lastly, for those who chanced upon this Blog for the first time, may you be HAPPY! Eat well, stay healthy!

My apologies to those that frequent my blog. I was terribly ill.. sore throat, cough and cold for almost a week. Couldn't get myself out of bed much besides visiting the loo and eating. Was sniffing so much I finished to rolls of toilet paper. Hope all the rest of you are fine and well. The festive season is coming and I do hope I will fully recover real soon.

Here's a nice picture that I took from our vehicle while driving in Italy two weeks ago. Let's wish for nicer weather and no storms!

What on earth is this?? This will be our dinner tonight. For some reason, I love these little meaty stuff even though I'm not a meat lover. Some say it contains a mixture of pork and beef, some say lamb. Whatever it is, I'm not too bothered about what goes in there because they are simply too delicious.

Not that we in Croatia know too much about how to make these Čevapcici. These are Bosnian specialty and no matter how hard the Croats try, they can never replicate the recipe.

Let me describe a little about these little meat.. erm.. rolls. They are a mixture of minced meat together with secret herbs and spices. They are then grilled. Yeap.. only grilling them can release the flavours of these rolls without making them too tough to chew. One can eat them with Lepinja which resembles Ciabatta in texture. The condiments to accompany these little rolls include Ajvar (which is a puree of Paprika/Peppers/Capsicums and some other stuff but not spicy at all) and chopped raw onions. We are going to order a huge plate of Pommes Frites/Fries/Chips to go with it. Simply wonderful if you have a few bottles of beer to go with it too.

In this restaurant that we frequent (which is right behind the Sports Centar in Kantrida, Rijeka), they do make other Grilled Meats too.. beef, pork or chicken but we love these Čevapcici which is only 23kn (1 EUR to 7.15HRK). We're going right now! Wish us Dobar Tek!

Clear instructions on how to open your pack of Chocolate.

Nope. I'm not talking about internet technology or space science. I'm telling you about some little pieces of advancement and improvement that occur around us without us noticing them. What do we have today? Of course, this is food related. It has something to do with Food packaging.

The other evening, I sat down and was going to rip open another pack of chocolate when I noticed the nice picture on the back of the packaging featured above. (No need to know which brand it is even though it's pretty obvious..) Yes, when the whole world has been busy focusing on the advancement of some other sciences, the people at the food industry has secretly introduced newer ways of packaging one of everyone's favourite food.. Chocolate.

What amazed me was the ease of opening the pack. No longer would I have to rip open layers of paper and foil before I get to eat my precious. I recalled the representative at Bourneville telling us about the history of Cadbury's. He told us that it was required by law to have a layer of foil to wrap the chocolates before wrapping it with any paper packaging. (You didn't know that do you?!) Oh..I wish packaging gets easier. I could suggest lots of changes to food packaging.. the first on my mind would be Yoghurt cups!

Yes! I've got mine from Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas)! Last night was the night when most Croatian children have been longing for the whole year. Because when they woke up this morning, they will find their boot stuffed with candies.

Well.. over in our home, none of us are children anymore but we still keep this tradition. Last evening, each member of the family had dutifully placed their boot/shoe/slipper at the kitchen window. Then in the middle of the night, each of us will take turns to sneak into the kitchen and distribute the goodies by stuffing each of the footwear with lots of chocolates. As you can see from my picture, I'll probably need a bigger shoe for next year... mine was overflowing with chocolates and cash too!!

So you've missed out? Nevermind, you always have next year. Just remember to be good and Sveti Nikola will drop those lovely chocolates in your boot!

Wonky vegetables? Did you know that cucumbers that do not conform to the EU curvature standards are not allowed on the shelves. There is currently a 100-page regulation for shape, size and texture of all fruits are vegetables sold in EU. That means all fruits and vegetables must be "perfect" in order to be able to make their way on supermarket shelves in EU whereas the less attractive counterparts are left to rot in the fields or discarded. Why are we wasting such good food which are still edible so that we can conform to such perfectionist standards?

Yes you heard me! THE BEER FLOAT!!! Do not confuse this with the kid's stuff of Root Beer Float with absolute no alcohol content. This is the one for the true lovers of both Beer and Ice Cream. For those with alcohol allergies, look away now!

A good friend of mine was bugging me months ago with come up with the concoction, knowing that I love both the members of this lab mix. But I was really skeptical as Beer is not exactly sweet and when combined with a sweet counterpart might bring out the bitterness of the Alcoholic drink. But I was proven wrong when I got a buzz in my inbox today.. with this post.. In Search of the Ultimate Beer Float! Read this post and drool over the pictures my dear beer lovers.

So that brings me to conclude what really makes this dessert aka shake work:

Chocolate flavoured beers.. yeah I think it does help if you already have a good foundation for a dessert!

Stouts, black beers, Guiness.. guess what? This is a nice beer to start off your Beer Float adventure. As it reminds you of the innocent version.. Root Beer Float.. rings a bell?

Ales, Lagers.. yes! My personal favourite for beers! It has a stronger malty flavour. And I think this would be a winner for Beer Float. I tend to skip Stouts due to the stronger bitterness...

Vanilla Ice creams.. mmmm... doesn't this just make you forget that it's Winter in this part of the world? This flavour ice cream is plain enough to go with anything really.

And oh.. don't forget the Chocolate in your float. Sinful eh? Let's make it more than ever!

Anyone for seconds?

Chestnut cake is an absolute delight in Autumn. In almost every Slasticarna in Croatia, one can get Chestnut cake in any form (roulade, squares or even in an ice cream cup..Kesten Pire!). It's a real wonderful treat for us. Though in my opinion, the Croatian chestnuts are not as sweet as the Chinese counterparts. The flavour being less intensive and goes really well with cream. It can fill you up real quickly too. Do give it a try next time you pop by any cake shops in winter!

All right you heard me. Watch your diet. Here's the article link.

Don't look at me.. I'm not a fan of either. Those hot dogs may look extremely tempting on a cold winter night after clubbing but I know the amount of Salmonella, salt, fats.. and anything that adds up to choke my arteries.. no way!!!

In my family, there is almost a total absence of Red meat diet (hm.. that includes duck meat right?). I'm referring to Beef (and related products), Lamb, Mutton and the sorts. My mother and me can't stand the taste of any of them so we do not cook it at all. Amazing?

Recently, my Sister-in-law is advised to start eating more red meat during her pregnancy. So my Brother will bring her out for Steak dinners. Yeah.. leave it to the professionals to cook the meat. We will not take up the challenge. The only time I tried cooking beef at home (of course I cook it in the restaurant where I worked), it wasn't such a pleasant experience. So my fiance told me to stop doing it. Yipee! :)

Now with this piece of news about the link with cancer.. I have another excuse not to tough Red Meat! :P

I confess I'm not big fan of Sushi. Yeah.. I'm one of those weirdos who hate the taste of the vinegared rice. Just not my type. Not to mention the rawness of the fish on top. :P I guess fans of Japanese food will skip my site from now on. Hey.. wait a minute. I have nothing against Japanese food. And I think it is one of the greatest cuisines ever alive. The amount of dedication each Japanese (food) chef puts into his food deserves utmost respect!

I have a Korean friend living in London who works as a Sushi Chef. She had to train 3 years in the restaurant before she is allowed to slice the fish. That is how important the Japanese regard the skills of Sushi and Sashimi making!

Nowadays, we see many Sushi restaurants all over every major cities all over the world. And due to the lack of knowledge about Asian cuisines, most restaurants (in the US) that sell Chinese food have Sushi as well (even though they hate each other).

And how hard it is indeed to convince people that not Asians know how to make Sushi. Oh yeah.. their knowledge of Sushi making is only limited to that of a Bamboo mat and Seaweed. If you are one of those people, then you are wrong. Sushi making is a skill, extreme dedication to this artform and require years of training. So there you have it peeps another story telling post from Ur Resident Chef (who knows nothing about Sushi making)!

One might not associate Chocolates with Croatia. But I can tell you lots of Croats do love their Chocolates especially Kraš, a Croatian Chocolate company founded in 1911.

Currently I am obsessed with this Milk Chocolate bars filled with Strawberry. Lovely. So I thought to share with you one of all time favourite Chocolates!

Speaking of Chocolates, my mum is not exactly a big fan. But give her one with fruits or strawberry and she is a convert. Yes, she loves this Milk Chocolate with Strawberry too. I'm not kidding you. Usually she hates anything that is too sweet. But I guess it's the delicate blend of strawberry flavour with a slight sourish tang that makes this chocolate a winner in SG and Croatia!

So what's your favourite type of chocolate?

This is a post dedicated to all those pregnant mums out there (including my dear Sister in law!). The daily recommended intake of Caffeine is 200mg. Here are the variety of products with the Caffeine amount included:

Yeap. I was really glad that I had the time to bake a nice birthday cake for my really pregnant Sister-in-law, KL! You should see the smile on her face right here.

My dear mum cooked a nice big pot of Crab Bee Hoon (Bee Hoon is a type of noodles made from ground rice flour.. nice smooth texture). Sorry you didn't spot any Crab in the pot as we had managed to steal most of it from the pot before any pictures were taken.

We had a few of my brother's closest friends over for the evening. And lovely Sophia contributed a few dishes including this really SPICY (I dare you to try it) squid dish!! KL loved it of course.. She's the other Spice girl (huge lover of SPICY food)in the family!

Other dishes contributed by the other attendees are (sorry pictures were not clear enough to be placed on the Blog).. BBQ Chicken Wings (oh my favourite SG-style chicken wings!!!), Sushi, Satay and the Chocolate Fondue!!!

What a whole lot of Singapore treats in one evening! And my cake wasn't frosted properly. But KL was enjoying it! :) Missing all these treats right now....

Read this interesting article about holiday hotlines on about.com a couple of days ago. I wonder if any of you need to ring up any of these numbers listed in this article while you are roasting that turkey (hopefully not after you burnt the turkey!)?

I wonder how the operators will sound like? "Good evening. Welcome to the Christmas hotline. For Turkey, please press 1. For Cakes, please press 2... You pressed 1. For tips on how to roast a Turkey, please press 1. If you have burnt your Turkey, please hole while we fetch the numbers of the restaurants with roasted turkeys in stock..."

Seriously, I think most of us love hosting dinners. Perhaps we treat it as a cooking challenge. Or just another time to show off our new kitchen set. Either way, the guests would expect a palatable meal. So impressing them with your cooking and baking skills is really fundamental. However, (as I've realised) do not attempt any dishes that you have not tried before on a holiday season. Try the dish before hand. You do not want to invite your guests over and have them starving because the turkey (the main course) is burnt. Yeah.. me and burnt turkeys!

Housewives have the least thankful job especially when it comes to holiday season. She cleans the house, shops for everything and yet have to cook for everyone. At the end of it all, she just hope those stuffed stomachs will be a little happier. But she will not stop at that. Scrubbing the dishes, cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, it's all down to the housewife again. So what we can do for them is, get her a nice present. Give her a hug and say "Thank you"!

All right this is a really late post but you know I'm still posting stuff that happened in Singapore. So do bear with me!

What am I talking about here? My meet-up with a Blogger friend, Amsie from Curious Foodie. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I was really busy during my 15 days in Singapore (with my Aunt) so I managed to squeeze a little 2 hours meet-up with Amsie.

How did we get to know each other? I was surfing the net for some SG food bloggers and I chanced upon Curious Foodie. She has such a passion for baking like I do that I decided to leave her a message. And that's how our friendship grew from there.

We finally met up on a Tuesday afternoon in Starbucks. Not exactly my favourite cafe. And I recalled that space used to be Bakerzin?? Someone enlighten me?? I took a long bus ride from AMK to Cityhall for our fateful meeting. As instructed, Amsie told me to approach the staff if I did not see her there. The friendly staff told me to have a seat and wait for "Amelia" who just popped out for lunch.

And after a while, there she was entering the glass doors. Dressed in the loveliest pick shirt. Ah.. Amsie! Such an honour! :)

For those who I did not have a chance to meet, ECL, Xinyun and Jasmine, I promise I'll meet you all the next time round! And for those SG bloggers who are too arrogant to reply to me (my intention is only to make friends with like-minded peeps), you don't know what you are missing out! :P

To the pretty Amsie, till we meet again the next time. Take care and good luck in everything!

We were offered this lovely tasting cookie on board Croatia Airlines. What's so special about it? It has Pepper has its main ingredient. Lovely peppery cookie! Maybe I'll try to make them one day.

The rest of the ingredients are:
Wheat Flour, Eggs, Margarine, Honey, Sugar, Walnuts, Cinnamon.

According to the description written on the back on each pack:

...Paprenjak ..old Zagrebians' favourite treat baked by Magda, the sorceress.

This is a simple but beautiful traditional Croatian cookie which is sure to surprise you if you ever get a chance to travel on the Croatian Airlines :)

If you ask me what I think about this, I would tell you I really am not too bothered anymore. There's recently so many studies that promoted various fruits to "SuperFruit" -dom. Thus, this only help those merchants increase the prices of their products. Look at the example of Pistachio. The farmers couldn't wait for a conclusive study to prove the health benefits of the nut!

I reckon as in many health guidelines, we should consume at least FIVE portions of fruits and vegetables a day and not be too concerned if they are Superfruits, Super vegetables, etc. And don't let those merchants reap more profits from this!

Cherry Tart anyone?

This is a creation that I made for my cousin's wedding. It was a rushed job (baking and assembling till midnight the day before the wedding!) as you can see from the bad piping of the Chocolate Ganache. The Banana Cake could be thicker. We did try sandwiching the ganache but it did not produce a good enough texture. I can improve on the softness of the cake. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this combination as I've never tried combining Pistachios with Banana before.

Here's the layout:
Bottom: Cut out Banana Chocolate Cake.
Middle: Chocolate Ganache with a splash of alcohol.
Top: Chopped Pistachio Nuts.

Why is it called Happy Petits Fours instead of Going Bananas or Nuts? Well.. pistachio is called "Kai Xin (Happy) Guo" in Mandarin. And for this happy occasion, I shall give it a more common name! :P

Didn't manage to snap a picture of the Lavender Almond cookies that I made to pair off with this Canape. Anyway, my cousin Allen was happy to bring the whole box home thereafter! Yet another inspired confection made especially for my cousin Lucy who loves Bananas!

As promised, the news about BPA will be posted on this blog as soon as I'm blogging. Sorry for the delay.

A recent study shows that there is insufficient proof to link Bisphenol A (BPA) and heart disease, type II Diabetes and Liver Enzyme abnormalities.

Read this article through this link.

And for those that do not know,

Canada has banned the usage of BPA in milk bottles.

Here's the article link.