Adrian Cooks

This year was the first time in 16 years I celebrated my birthday without any of my 7 childhood friends around. I managed to have a belated celebration with them last year when I visited KL in late November. I thought I would do the same this year but it didn't happen. Although I felt something was missing but I still had a very good time with many firsts:

Oil painting of Totoro from Yim.


Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake from Gate. (Note: the studio maid, Ba Dom, poses at the back)


Todd bought me my first alcohol in 4 years: tequila shot. I got sore all over my neck and shoulder the next day.

There's also a sketch of a Yogini in Tree pose from Peewee, and birthday song sang by my favorite Baritone, Or. Not to forget my Thai good friend, Nook, whom spent the day with me while my husband was busy at work.

Nook taking picture of the foods at The Deck, Arun Residences.

An outrageously expensive Japanese dinner at Tsunami. Although the staffs sang me birthday song and gave us complimentary Japanese melon as birthday treat, still, it's waaaay overpriced.

Months before my birthday I told Adrian I wanted nothing but his cooking. There's a history that leads up to this:

Two years ago when we just met, I told him I wasn't the cooking type. He on the other hand told me he did. I thought what a great deal: my man is handsome, smart AND he cooks! Two years into that conversation I, the one who didn't cook, now have a food blog. Adrian, still handsome and smart, was yet to show the third quality that I so valued. Something was amiss, I thought.

So I got him to promise to cook for my 29th birthday. Despite the fact that he was busy on my birthday, I wasn't the slightest unhappy because of what's to come the following week. He was going to make me breakfast but I wasn't going to let him get away with that - a breakfast and a dinner.

I caught glimpses of him surfing the net for recipes. It made me happy. Finally came the big day. I came home after a morning rehabilitation work with my client to a spread of brunch. On the table was polenta (sun-dried tomatoes, onions, cheddar) served with mushroom and fried egg - an adaptation of my Parmesan Polenta with Chili-Roasted Mushrooms; Pomegranate Salad with Maple-spiced Pecan and Honey-mint Lemon dressing; and the best smoothie he ever made with yogurt, frozen blueberry and dried fig!

I was so happy he did it for me. Imagine how excited I must be for the dinner to come! He was to make it the next evening. In the afternoon he mentioned he would go to work the next afternoon and that he would make me dinner another day. I was very very very disappointed and didn't speak to him for the rest of the afternoon. He noticed my long face and was concerned. I told him how I felt and he said he was going to do it but hadn't had the chance to tell me. That put the smile back on my face. How easily manipulated I am.

He wanted to make enchilada but given the time factor, he decided to go with something easier and less demanding. I'm not sure what it's called. This is what I gathered:

1. Sauteed together yellow pepper, red pepper and spinach.
2. Blend firm tofu, cheddar, cream cheese and cream.
3. Mix them all together.
4. Layer phyllo dough over a baking dish, fill it with vegetables. Cover with more phyllo dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake.
   

It was a bit bland to taste. But we figured there's a lot of room to play with the ingredients. For instance, roast the vegetables; substitute tofu with feta cheese; use a mixture of cheddar and gruyere; etc.

So there's my 29th birthday. Birthdays are always good :)

Homemade Bagels with Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon Spread

I used to make bagels before I started this blog. I remembered how impressed Adrian was. He was telling everyone that I made bagels - "handmade, not machine. I didn't even know that's humanly possible!?!" The lady whom I'm doing rehabilitation work with even suggested I should start selling; seeing the lack of quality bagels in Thailand. Although I'm flattered, but apparently there are tonnes of others in the world who make bagels, with hand, at home.

I'm doing it again after so many months because Adrian is craving for good bagels. He even asked Sandra to buy bagels back from The State after her Thanksgiving trip in San Diego. Let's say we established that's not possible. Eventually he decided to ask me to bake them. As all good wives do, I obliged.

This time I'm using the recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. This intimidating looking book is the only food book that I bought (or I made Adrian bought for me). It is a shame but I have to admit I haven't been making good use of the book since I got it through Amazon months ago. However, from what little I have gone through, I know it is THE book for amateur bread baker. It's full of recipes and instructions to experiment with artisan breads, also, basic concepts of bread baking, the science of bread, and information about equipment and ingredients. It also includes an extremely useful section on the twelve stages in the life of bread. What I like the most about this book is it helps me to understand why the recipe does what it does.

I made a mistake by making too many bagels at once: I forgot we have a small kitchen and refrigerator with limited space. Besides, 12 bagels is a lot of kneading to do with bare hand. Next time, I'm leaving the arm works to the American who craves for good bagels.

I made the bagels with two different toppings: poppy seeds and white sesame seeds to go with sweet filling such as Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese, and minced onions and garlic to go with savory filling like Smoked Salmon Spread.

I'm too lazy to type out the recipe but you can go to The Fresh Loaf for it. Nevertheless I'm happy to share our favorite bagel fillings:

Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese

Most recipes use a mix of sugar and maple syrup but why would you do that? I certainly don't.

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  
• 1/4 Cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Whip cream cheese until smooth. While continuing to whip, slowly add all of the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill until firm (at least an hour or two).

Smoked Salmon Spread

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 Cup sour cream (lemon juice + cream)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon and zest
  

In large bowl, stir cream cheese until light and fluffy. Fold in salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Grape, Celery and Blue Cheese Salad with Toasted Walnuts

What is it with celery that I always need to use up the extra? Looking back, there have been more than once occasions where a recipe calls for little or not enough to use up the big bunch that they sell at the store. This is just another one of them.

This recipe uses grapes as its main ingredient and celery as a companion for a twist on the classic Waldorf. Fennel, endive or arugula also pair nicely with the grapes if you happen to have any of those on hand. Any of these will make a tasty substitute for the celery. For color and flavor variety, I used different green and red seedless grapes. Do not fool by this seemingly unassuming salad - wait till the blue cheese kicks in. "You redefine fruit salad"; "Extraordinary" YUM~

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 7 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together and keep in refrigerator until ready to use. This recipe makes enough for 4 - 6 servings. You can keep the extra dressing in refrigerator for future use.

For the salad:

• seedless grapes, halved or quartered
• ribs of celery, sliced
  
• walnuts, toasted and chopped
• blue cheese, crumbled

Toss all the ingredients together in a salad bowl. Pour dressing over to serve.

Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin

I ran out of cream and so used 1 cup of sour cream with splashes of milk. The gratin turned out to the soupy side. It still taste very good - we were drinking it as if it's some thick cream soup.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)

• 1 kg potatoes, sliced into 1/4" coins
  
• 1 teaspoons sea salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
  
• 50gram crumbled blue cheese
• 50 gram grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream (lemon juice + cream)
  
• 1 cups cream
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly grease a baking 8" pie pan.
2. In a bowl, toss together sliced potatoes, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Layer 1/2 the potatoes to the bottom of pie pan.
   
3. Mix together blue cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the potatoes layer. Top with remaining potato slices.
4. Whisk together sour cream , cream and salt. Pour over the pie pan. Tap the pan to release trapped bubbles. Top it with remaining cheese mixture.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
   

Broccoli Slaw

This is a no-brainer salad slaw. Besides, how can it possibly fail with mayonnaise as ingredient? I prepared it the night before and just let it sat marinated in the fridge overnight. You may substitute dried cranberries with raisins. I thought I would use cranberries since it's for Thanksgiving dinner.
For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (lemon juice+milk)
  
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons natural cane sugar
• pinch of sea salt and black pepper
  

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the salad:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
  
• 1/2 cup. whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped

1. Toss all ingredients together in a salad bowl.
2. Pour dressing over the salad. Toss well. Taste and season accordingly.
   

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Torte

For days Adrian was craving for peanut butter and Nutella. I thought I would make a Thanksgiving dessert with peanut butter and chocolate that will "wow" him. And so I decided to make this cheesecake torte with combination of a peanut butter mousse filling and Oreo crust. Unfortunately he told me he thought Oreo was disgusting. Granted Oreo isn't the best food in the world. Neither is it the most healthy thing on the supermarket shelf. But is Nutella? So I decided to go ahead with my plan and vouched to make him begging for more.

Thrice during the making of this torte I encountered ingredients problem: first, the springform pan was broken. Then I forgot to buy Oreo - the single most important ingredient for the crust. For the first time in my life I was thankful for 7-11. The next day when it was ready for the chocolate ganache, I ran out of cream. My foodie Indian neighbor came to rescue. If I were the least superstitious, I may have given up on this recipe. However the taste testing during the making told me to never turn back. At first glance this recipe may seem time consuming and overwhelming. However it is really easy and fun to make.

I used to bake cheesecakes, nothing else but cheesecakes, lots and lots of them. It's been years since I made them. This torte is most likely the best cheesecake I've ever made. After having a slice of it, Adrian and I looked at each other: we both knew the other person wanted more. Adrian even asked what happened if he finished the whole cake. I wouldn't have allowed that to happen without having a share of it, I said.

This recipe is unlikely to make it to the "top healthy foods you must eat before you die" list. It's a Thanksgiving treat for the fat boy/ girl in all of us.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 32 Oreo cookies, finely processed into crumbs
• 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Small pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan.
2. Mix cookies crumbs with melted butter and salt. Toss to blend well.
3. Press the crust mixture into the base and side of springform pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
   

For the crunch:

• 1 1/4 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped, divided (for the filling, crunch and topping)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. natural cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground nutmeg

1. Mix 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together and set aside.
   

For the torte filling:

• 2 cups cream
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups natural creamy peanut butter
  
• 2 tbsp. whole milk

1. Beat cream with sugar until medium peak is form. Keep it in refrigerator until ready to sue.
2. Beat soften cream cheese until smooth. Add peanut butter, milk and 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. Beat to combine.
   
3. Using a spatula, fold in 1/4 chilled cream mixture to lighten the mousse. Then add the crunch and the rest of the cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well with spatula.
4. Pour this mousse over the crust. Mounding and smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Keep it in refrigerator for overnight (or at least 4 hours). Keep it covered once it's firm.
   

For the ganache topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over the saucepan. Let the chocolate soften and just beginning to melt. Remove from heat.
2. Bring the cream to a boil.
3. Gently fold cream to the melted chocolate. Using a spatula, swirl to blend until the ganache is smooth.
4. Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing with a metal spoon. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped peanut butter. Let it chill for at least 20 minutes or until the ganache is firm. Remove from the springform pan and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
   

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I super love this soup! I love the creaminess, the sharp cheddar with just the right hint of spiciness. Remember: SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp butter
• Broccoli (divided into stems and florets)
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups miso soup
  
• 1 cup whole milk, warm
• 3 heaping Tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  
• 2 dashes tabasco
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper

1. Saute onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add broccoli stems and stir to coat evenly. Add garlic and let cook until fragrant. Stir in miso soup and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a blender to process till smooth.
   
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add in all purpose flour. Stir to form roux. Slowly pour in warm milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thicken.
   
3. Pour blended mixture in to the milk mixture. Add cheddar cheese, mustard and tabasco. When cheese is completely melted, add broccoli florets. May season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and divide into two individual bowls. Sprinkle with paprika to serve.
   

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

I never knew Thanksgiving is a American thing. I always thought it's one of those "Christmas", "Boxing Day" or "Halloween" things. So I did a little bit of googling and found out Thanksgiving falls on 26th November. So why did I make this now and not later? I guess I just wanted to try something different and Thanksgiving is just an excuses.

With apples, cranberries and nuts as ingredients, this dish has a festive taste to it. I know Adrian was very pleased with his "Malaysian Chinese wife making Thanksgiving dinner for her American husband in Thailand". It also answers his needs for Thanksgiving meal; it used to be "should I eat the turkey? Is it ok to eat just the stuffing?"

There's a lot of room to play with the ingredients. You can substitute cooked barley with lentils, toasted bread, long grain rice or seitan; raisin always works in place of cranberries; any types of nuts you have in hand; apple cider vinegar or dry white wine instead of lemon juice. Use a whole pumpkin if you are serving a small group of people. Cut a large circle around the stem and remove the seeds and stringy matter from the inside.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
For the Stuffing:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup cooked barley
1/4 big apple, diced
Handful of walnuts and hazelnuts, chopped
Handful of dried cranberries
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano and sage, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a sauce pan, saute onion with pinch of salt until fragrant. Add celery and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add mushroom and cook for another 1 minute. Toss in cooked barley to coat evenly. Remove from heat and pour sauteed vegetable into a large mixing bowl.
   
2. Stir in apple, nuts, cranberries and beaten egg. Let the mixture sit for a moment.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat until it bubbles. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute. Stir garlic butter over vegetable mixture.
4. Add herbs and spices, finish with lemon juice and blend thoroughly.

For the Pumpkin:

• 1/2 medium pumpkin, seeds removed.

1. Press stuffing into the shell until the pumpkin is completely stuffed.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut several small, slit-like pockets at different levels in the exterior wall of the pumpkin. Dab a pat of butter into each of these crevices.
3. Place the stuffed pumpkin in an oiled baking dish and cook, in a preheated 180C oven, for about 1 1/2 hour. (Cooking time may vary, depending on the thickness of the pumpkin's wall.) Pumpkin is ready when fork inserted comes in and out easily through the shell.
   
4. As the pumpkin bakes, the butter will trickle down from one side-slit to another, finally winding up in the pan. Collect the dripping and dressing.
   

For The Gravy:

• cooked dressing and dripping from the pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add the pumpkin drippings and stuffing, being careful to break up the dressing as it simmers. Then slowly add the flour, stirring constantly. When the flour starts to brown, gradually pour in the water a little at a time, still stirring continuously. Add soy sauce. As soon as the gravy thickens, remove it from the burner. This should make 1 cup of sumptuous sauce for spooning over roast pumpkin slices.

Corn Polenta and Broccoli Cheddar Bake

This recipe is the synergy of Cheesy Cheddar Corn Polenta and Twice Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheddar. It didn't take me much time to whip it up since I was using leftover polenta from the Cheesy Cheddar Corn Polenta.

I started with broiling the polenta. As it broiled, I cooked the broccoli as I did with Twice Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheddar. To make this more breakfast-sy I added an extra step:

• In a separate bowl, lightly beat one egg with one 1 tablespoon of buttermilk (lemon juice + milk). Fold cooked broccoli over egg mixture.

Once the polenta top turned golden in color, I sprinkled it with chopped basil leaves. This was followed by broccoli-egg mixture and grated cheddar cheese. I also added chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, and grated Parmesan over the top.

Berries Apricot Crisp

We had a very hearty lunch at this organic Thai vegetarian restaurant called Khun Churn at Ekkamai this afternoon. I didn't think we'd have dinner except something small. So I decided to make this Berries Crisp based on the Apple Crisp recipe I liked very much.

I substituted apples with fresh strawberries, frozen raspberries and frozen apricots. Instead of using walnuts for the crispy topping, I used macadamia nuts.

I didn't think much about this knowing that it would not fail. Perhaps that's why when Adrian said "I would wear it as a perfume if they had that", I was pleasantly pleased. He also likes the resemblance of its smell to some berry jam that his mother used to make - anything that stir up good childhood memories must be good, right?

To make two servings, I quartered the amount required in the original recipe. I wanted just enough topping to provide a crispy texture to go with the soft filling. Besides, it's more of a sport eat rather than anything substantial.

Bear Heart Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Today, 16th November 2009, is our 2-year wedding anniversary. Or, as I prefer to call it: 730 days as Mrs Cox. Adrian arranged for us to stay a night at the Shangri-la Hotel. People wonder why would we do that given that our apartment is literally a stone throw away from the hotel. At least Shangri-la is at the other site of the river as our apartment; we get to see different view of the city from another angle.

Since it's our anniversary, and upon Mr Cox's permission, Mrs Cox decided to "take the day off" and not cook for the day. So we rode the apartment boat to the hotel, stormed straight into the Next 2 riverside cafe for breakfast buffet; we got a Spa appointment at 9.30am. Breakfast was good although Mr Cox thought "nothing is as good as your cooking".

We had a 3 1/2 hours couple spa treatment. It was way too long. I was terrified when they placed the 5th layer of mask on my face after the 8th cleanse (or whatever they were for). It was a huge relief for us when the masseurs finally let us go.

The rest of the day was spent chilling by the pool, eating free snacks and drinks at the club lounge, and watching TV (we kind of have this thing with TV while we travel to make up for the lack of TV back home). It wasn't exactly an exciting day but we both felt refreshed by the end of it. I think the occasional isolation from the "world" is necessary for the soul.

Someone once told me honeymoon is over after two years of marriage. There may be certain truth in that. In any case I prefer to see our marriage as an adventure. I'd be straight up lying if I say everyday has been great in this two years. But every time we fight it makes our relationship stronger than before; it makes me appreciate our relationship even more; I come to realize how truly I am in love with this man.

I panicked the day Adrian told me he had plan for our anniversary. What should I do then? I thought of a symbolical way of telling Adrian my wish of truly becoming one with him - no "he" no "I"; just "us". I'm keeping a little privacy here as to what I gave him. Along with that, as a gesture to commemorate our anniversary, I baked this oatmeal cookies in Bear and Heart.I adjusted the recipe to suit the Bear and Heart molds. You may double the amount to make 18 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 50gram of butter, soften at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
• 1/2 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp pure Vanilla
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Oatmeal
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
   
2. Add a pinch of salt to the softened butter. Beat together with sugar until creamy.
   
3. Stir in egg, pure vanilla, flour, baking soda and oatmeal. The dough should not be too sticky.
4. Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts and cranberries.
5. Transfer dough into molds or drop by rounded teaspoons onto parchment paper.
6. Bake for 20minutes if using molds, or 7 - 11 minutes for cookies-size.
   

Twice Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheddar

One of the great thing about this dish is that you can prepare it way in advance, refrigerate it - or freezing - and pop it into the oven when you need it. It works both as main and side dish. For breakfast, simply add a poached or fried egg over.

These twice baked potatoes are moist, luscious and creamy. The cheddar gives a good sharp bite, and and the sour cream keep them perfectly moist. I added lemon zest for a bit of extra flavor.

Ingredients:
(serves 2 as main or 4 as sides)

• 2 Large Potatoes, cleaned and scrubbed
  
• 1 Cup Broccoli florets
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 2 TB milk
  
• 1 C cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven at 200C. Lightly oil potatoes. Poke the potatoes over both sides using a fork. Let bake until tender, about 60 minutes.
2. While potatoes are baking, sautee broccoli florets with a teaspoon of salt. Add minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
3. Remove potatoes from oven and let cool. Cut potatoes into halves and scrap the flesh out using a dessert spoon. Leave about 1/4" around the edges. Return the skins to the oven and let bake for another 10 minutes until slightly dry and crisped.
4. Mash the potato flesh with a fork. Fold in broccoli, 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese, lemon zest, sour cream, milk and Dijon mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove skins from the oven. Divide broccoli mixture into 4 portions and spoon over the skins. Sprinkle with the other 1/4 Cup cheddar and return to top rack of oven.
6. Broil for another 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool slightly before serving.
   

Sticky Date Pudding

It's an Australian thing. How do I know? Because my American husband never heard of it. And, a American chef has testified to that being English/ Australian.

Sticky Date Pudding is one of those things that gives me fond memory of winter in Australia; Melbourne to be more specific. Warm and sweet; the best thing to caress one's tummy. I remember having sticky date pudding after every dinner. My friend, Ken, was the real champion: he requested frozen sticky date pudding from Sara Lee's as souvenir - a good 8 hours flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. I tried to make my friends did that but it hasn't happened yet.

I once had a slice of sticky date pudding at this fancy restaurant down in Silom soi Convent. It was way too sweet. So sweet it gave me a headache and nausea. I don't have to tell you how disappointed I was. So my search for sticky date pudding remained at large.

A couple of weeks ago I made this Upside Down Cake. In many ways it's a reminiscent of sticky date pudding - the caramelized sauce. One fine morning, I told my neighbor Alan Cooper I had day-old Upside Down Cake for dinner and that it was much better than fresh. And so the conversation went on to his overweight Australian friend whom is a foodie and good cook, who happened to have mailed him a few recipes with Sticky Date Pudding included!! I insist he should give me a copy of the recipe and so he did.

This recipe is an adaptation of Alan's friend's and this site. I had a lot of expectation for this recipe for all the reasons you can find from above. I literally watched while Adrian was having it for breakfast. There was the expression that one couldn't fake and the verbal approval of "top class". It turned out to be just moist and not overly sweet. I feel proud, relief, happy, sentimental, accomplished - all at the same time. It also makes me wonder how can a restaurant failed so miserably?

If you, like me, don't have self-raising flour and don't necessarily want to buy one, use this following recipe. It works.

For homemade self-raising flour:

• 3/4 C all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine all the ingredients together. May double or triple the amount if more flour is needed.

For the Pudding:

• 250g pitted dates, chopped
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups White Wings Self-Raising Flour, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 9" springform pan.
2. Place dates and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, fold through date mixture and flour until well combined.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake for 40 to 50minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn onto a plate.

For Caramel sauce:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 60g butter

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Pierce pudding all over with a skewer. Pour 1/2 cup of warm sauce over warm pudding. Stand for 10 minutes.
   
3. Cut into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce.

Fresh Strawberry with Balsamic Reduction

One of my favorite dinner dessert recipe is non other than the Grilled Peach with Ricotta Cheese and Balsamic Reduction: the taste is exceptional, it looks fancy but takes little time and effort to make. This time, I'm using balsamic reduction on fresh strawberry. With just the right amount of black pepper, this dessert is sweet, peppery, sour and even just a bit salty.

I never knew balsamic vinegar comes from reduced grape juice. Actually, I never gave much thought about how it comes about. Some of the thin balsamic vinegars being sold are actually a mix of conventional white wine vinegar with coloring and flavoring - I can now stop feeling the pinch of having to pay for the good quality stuff.

When you make this, bare in mind you'll need approximately 1 teaspoon of balsamic reduction for each 1/2 pint strawberries, and the balsamic vinegar will reduce by half (or more).

Ingredients:

• 1 C balsamic vinegar
• Fresh strawberries, sliced or whole
• 1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
• Ground black pepper

1. Combine strawberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Place the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. When the vinegar comes to a boil lower the heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 - 40 minutes until reduced to 1/4 cup. Cool.
3. Divide the strawberries into individual serving bowls when ready to serve. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon of the vinegar and a pinch of ground black pepper.
   

Cheesy Cheddar Corn Polenta

I have to date made savory polenta with Parmesan: Polenta Fries, and Parmesan Polenta with Chili-roasted Mushroom. This time, it's done with sharp Cheddar and corn. The corn niblet give this crispy polenta an interesting texture: crunchy like nuts.

I served this with a side of Camembert and Cranberry Stuffed Mushroom with Pesto. You knew it's good when two hours after the dinner, Adrian said "dinner was really good".

Ingredients:
(makes 1 9x9" pan)

• 4 cups miso soup
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh corn niblet from 1 cob of corn
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  
• 1¼ cup uncooked polenta
  
• 1½ cups old cheddar, grated
• ¼ cup fresh thyme and rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Line a 9x9" pan with parchment paper.
2. In a pot, bring stock and cream to a simmer and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, saute onions with butter until soft. Add garlic and corn niblets and cooked until corn is tender. Pour in apple cider vinegar for deglazing.
4. Add the stock and cream mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a slow, steady stream, add the cornmeal and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheddar and fresh herbs. Season with salt, to taste.
5. Pour mixture into pan. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Turn out the polenta and cut into desired shapes.
6. Pan fry the pieces in olive oil and a little butter until lightly browned on both sides or broil in the oven until browned.