Recipe: Madeleines au Matcha
I love to buy baking hardware on the spur of moments but many times, they are left neglected in the kitchen somewhere, forgotten. Once in a while, I like to go through the kitchen cabinets and rediscover my kitchen tools and get inspired to bake.
These madeleines au matcha were the result of yet another (re)-discovery episode. Think of it, I had bought this 9-count silicon madeleine mould more than a year ago from a warehouse sale! Since this was my first attempt, I decided to just use the simple recipe attached to the mould.
These shell-like cakes were eggy and the matcha flavour quite mild. However the texture was slightly heavy. I would like them flufflier but they somehow did not rise much. I wonder if it was because this recipe did not use any other rising agent other than yeast. As I was surfing the web for other recipes as a reference, I noticed that baking soda is commonly used as the rising agent. The next time I make madeleines, I would try a different recipe and definitely add a little more green tea powder to intensify the flavour.
Nonetheless, these were pretty decent. I brought a few to my colleague’s place this morning when I visited her newborn baby and she loved it.
Ingredients
(I made about 14)
2 large eggs
75 grams fine granulated sugar
90 grams unsalted butter, melted but cool
90 grams all purpose flour
2 tsp green tea powder
pinch of salt
3 grams yeast
a few drops of vanilla essence
zest of 1/2 a lemon (I obmitted this because I didn’t have lemons on hand)
10 grams of honey
1. Whisk sugar with eggs until fluffy.
2. Add sifted flour, green tea powder, salt, yeast and zest until smooth and well-mixed.
3. Add melted butter and honey and stir thoroughly to mix.
4. Rest mixture in fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you are making it ahead.
5. Preheat oven at 160C.
6. Fill moulds with batter, almost to the brim.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
8. Turn out to cool on a baking rack.
By the way, the history of madeleines is a pretty neat story. You can read it from Wikipedia
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Merry Xmas and Happy New Year 2010
Today is Christmas Eve *yaay*…
Doing anything special on this eve of Christmas? A get together with family and friends, perhaps? Or spending some quite time with your other half?
Well, with Christmas just merely hours away, PenangTuaPui would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a merry jolly Christmas and to those who are not celebrating have a joyful happy holidays!!
Here is a song to all…and let’s sing aloud together ~Cheers…
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight.
Have yourself a merry Iittle Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star
upon the highest bough.
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now.
Excerpt from:
Otto Ristorante
Regular readers will know I have a weakness for pasta and sushi. So when I read about the delicious lobster pasta from Otto Ristorante, an Italian restaurant that had been established for about a year or so now, I made a mental note to visit because the recommendation came from the , a lady whom I have never met before but am quite positive our taste buds more or less synchronise.
It made the perfect lunch spot when a girlfriend surprised me with her shout-out to meet for lunch. There, I found good service from Shar, a familiar face previously from Garibaldi Group, who was very accommodating with our various requests when placing the orders. In the end, I opted for the set lunch just so I don’t have to think too much given I knew I had to have the pasta as my main course. The regular set lunch costs a reasonable $35++ but I topped up some to make a switch.
Now, I shall not waste too much time talking about the appetizer and dessert, both of which were average at best. Onto the main course that I had been wanting to try, while I cannot proclaim the pasta to be the best that I had, Otto’s was quite well executed. I would have preferred it spicy as stated in the description, but what I was served, definitely had no heat at all.
Having said that, the al dente linguine pasta, a generous serving at that, was coated with a most moreish sauce and there were fresh lobster chunks dotted all over though I did find myself wishing there was more! I was stuffed after all that carb but I am already eyeing the other pastas on the menu!
28 Maxwell Road
#01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building
Singapore 069120
Tel: 6227 6819
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Saint Pierre can be affordable
On this occasion, we had:
main course: roasted cod, fennel salad
(loved the crispy skin and fresh firm taste of bream)
(my favourite is comte!)
.
Originally posted here:
Sui Japanese Dining
So, Sui Japanese restaurant is first introduced by my friend D. Initially put off by this hidden amongst a row of shophouses near Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar border because it is a little inconvenient to access for me, but it was after all close to town and I was motivated to find a restaurant to replace my old haunt, Tomo Japanese Dining, which is now defunct.
The kind of familiarity between my taste buds and the sushi chef is very important to me and a couple of visits later, I am pleased that I feel fairly positive about this place and the Chef/Owner Andy. He is very passionate about his food and tries to be creative with his sushi.
His sashimi was fresh and sliced thickly with clean cuts. If I had to pick bones, they were sliced just a bit too thick, reminding me of Wasabi Tei’s version. But to give benefit of doubt, we were the only customers for lunch and since he was preparing the sashimi fresh from whole fishes, he could have been more generous that normal since he believes that the fresh fish should be eaten within 1-2 hours and not be kept.
One can still find traditional sushi from the regular menu. However, going omakase allows you to experience Chef’s creative sushi. He loves being innovative and is constantly trying to find new ways to serve and garnish his sushi with different ingredients that would excite the tastebuds. He can be a little heavy handed with salt but nothing a gentle reminder could not solve.
I am not a big fan of ankimo but the little ball looked so cute I just ate it. I am glad that he made the sushi small and used a citrus dressing to cut the richness. The result was very yummy and I could easily have another.
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Saraceno Ristorante
This new, three-month-old Italian restaurant took over what used to be a French restaurant at Berjaya Hotel. The food served is supposed to be southern Italian cuisine. Still relatively undiscovered, I think Saraceno deserves better because the menu was relatively interesting and had more character in comparison to mainstream Italian restaurants. The food actually tasted pretty good too. The focus was not on fancy presentation or complex range of ingredients. Each dish was kept simple and unassuming. I loved the texture of the homemade pastas, but could be slightly too ‘undercooked’ for those who do not like their pasta al dente. Therefore, if you are one of those folks, be sure to request for more well-cooked pasta. Don’t worry about the restaurant looking chi-chi and stifling. The decor is a total mismatch to the very friendly and down-to-earth personalities of the Chef and the floor staff.
Complimentary breads with olives and its oil. There were three different types of bread. The spinach bread (on the top corner) was interesting to the eye but did nothing to elevate the taste (which was otherwise just fine) . The olives were great! Not too salty and totally addictive.
Fresh pasta from Naples with eggplants, cherry tomatoes and smoked mozzarella ($19.80). The pasta was slight too al dente as I found out that gave me quite a work out chewing. I would have preferred a heavier hand on the salt but to each his own.
The other fresh pasta was pappardelle with grillled peppers and olives. Again, very simple flavours. Both pastas reminded me of fresh pizza toppings against fresh pasta.
Dessert was the apple tartin with vanilla ice cream. I loved the dessert despite not a big fan of the caramel sauce. The chunky apples were nicely stewed until it was soft. Against the puff pastry and cold ice cream, it was rich and heavenly. The icecream did not look homemade but at least it was of good quality with specks of vanilla against a rich creamy base.
Saraceno Ristorante Italiano
Italian. G/F, Berjaya Hotel
83 Duxton Rd
Tel: 6438-9638
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Fiftythree
Once in a while, the ladies who keep me sane at work would cast their boyfriends aside and indulge in a day of eating and shopping together. We went to Fiftythree for lunch, first time for all of us.
Fancy potato chips served on a platter of charcoal was our amuse bouche of sort.
Following shortly was a little gunny sack bag containing the exact number of mini bread rolls as there were folks on the table. There were heated ball bearings at the bottom of the sack, keeping the rolls warm. Now, I am all for the novel idea and presentation effects but the bun, oh do I think it sucked. It had a too hard crust, a too dense innard and too salty in general. No amounts of good butter could save it.
The appetizer was chilled cherry tomato and watermelon, with horseradish, and mozzarella foam. This dish, I’m guessing, was trying to get this interplay going between temperature, texture, and flavour. If so, I think the idea was a great one but the execution fell short. I found the horseradish too dominating and the dish could do better without. That, plus the heavy cream sauce lining the bottom of the plate was quite redundant too.
The main course was barramundi with pear and blackcurrent jam. This was more palatable and the fish was fresh. The sweet jams surprising went well with the fish and the bits of fried shallots added delicious enthic flavours.
Dessert was apple risotto with rosemary foam and struesel of sorts. There was no rice in this dessert. The apple was chopped and diced finely to resemble risotto. Served warm, the cinnamon notes harmonized with the scent of rosemary pretty well, if not unusual. My palate could not decide if I was having a savoury or sweet course. Interesting dish that was easy to eat but I would not order it again.
Fiftythree remains an interesting place to visit once in a blue moon because I truly was not really impressed enough to come back again anytime soon.
Fiftythree
53
Tel: 6334 5535
Lunch: Tues – Sat
Dinner: Mon – Sat
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Klee
Klee is this little bar located in the slightly off the beaten track location of Portsdown Road. A couple of colleagues swear by the fresh fruit cocktails there and recommended me to visit their favourite bar.
What makes Klee so special is its sushi-bar style setting. I loved the contrast between good and bad, the innocent pine wood counter top and the alcohol display right behind. The bar chairs are an eccentric mix of different chairs, adding to the charm.
Of all the drinks I had that night, my favourites were the pear martini and the kiwi martini. A close third was the cantaloupe martini. It was interesting to see my drink being made from scratch too. The rest of the drinks were okay, but not particularly memorable. But I remember the two cute bartenders though
Klee has a policy of not serving their cocktails outside on the veranda. Before you head there, be sure to make a reservation lest you get disappointed.
Klee
5B
#01-04
Closed Sundays
Tel: 6479 6911
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Graze T
I love brunch. Having breakfast food in an al fresco setting, with natural lighting and warmth, glass of chilled white wine, good friends with endless chat and no busy schedule to follow, would be most brilliant and make me a very happy girl.
Recently, I went to Graze for brunch. The restaurant, set in a colonial bungalow house, made me feel like I was invited to someone’s house – cosy and comfortable. Besides, the service was good and nothing to complain about. Definitely a place to return again and again.
Graze
4 Rochester Park
Tel: 6775-9000
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Yountville – The French Laundry
As you know, God is amazing. If you want something bad enough, he will give it to you. That was how I got to have a grand meal at The French Laundry anyway. Leading up to the dinner, I was just really excited, like a teenager going on her first date.
The food was excellent. Most of them I had read so much about, seen so many pictures on other blogs and reviews, that it actually felt so surreal when I saw them presented in front of me. The service was professional yet very warm and friendly. I loved the whole experience and it was nothing short of memorable.
airy and gone in 3 seconds
salmon conets
cute mini cones crunchy and savoury. perfect complement to the smokey salmon.
oysters and caviar
If I had to choose (reluctantly), this would be my favourite dish. generous amounts of caviar only to be eaten with a mother of pearl spoon of course, paired with the freshest little oysters and a thick, rich, custard. it was orgasmic.
Somewhat like a blend between bread and brioche. nonetheless very good and very addictive. no additional butter was required but then I needed something to spread the Vermont Butter and Local Californian butter with.
sweet navel orange wedges and fresh greens that were very flavourful despite the lack of dressing or sauces.
the scallops were raw and sweet and the cream sauce went well with them. the vegetables were again, very fresh and tasty.
beautiful dish. the lobster really was fresh and not overcooked. i loved the morels.
wolfe ranch white quail
that my friends had and claimed was the most tender.
very tender and went well with the cauliflower puree, which was suprisingly the thing that binded the dish together.
the beef looked so good doesn’t it?
the pastry crust could have been ‘puffier’. compared to the beef, this was not quite visually appetising so perhaps that was why i didn’t think much of this course.
pickled red endive, medjool dates, pistachios and black truffle
the sheep’s milk cheese was not so strong in smell and had a firmness of gelatine. you experience different tastes when you pair the cheese with the different condiments. it was good but i had enough after two pieces.
oatmeal cookie, yogurt sherbet and apricot jam
this dish had the combination that reminded me of breakfast muesli. clever and tasty too.
candied buddha’s hand, lemon snow, biscotti tuile
a very refreshing and light tasting dessert. but was not overly exciting.
shortbread cookies to bring home
became supper for me.
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