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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Chinese Cuisines at Restoran City Star, Petaling Jaya
I was invited by Ken for dinner together with his friends from Tour2U at Restoran City Star in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya during my Kuala Lumpur trip. This double shop lot restaurant owned by Mr CM Wong has a nice and clean environment with one section of the restaurant air-conditioned.
Our meal consists of several recommended [...]
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???????? (Shaved Ice Desserts) @ Xi Men Ding
Among the many Shaved Ice Dessert we had in Taiwan, Three Brother and Sisters’ (????????) version of shaved ice had the most silky smooth texture. They call it Snow Ice (???), as soft and white just like snow. The shop is located at the ever happening Xi Men Ding (???), with a chirpy fella trying [...]
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Ang Hoi Lor | Authentic Penang Restaurant
A true Penangite would definitely have heard about Ang Hoay Lor and the food that is served there. It is truly synonymous with Penang’s local delights and flavour. This quaint shop located right in the heart of Old Georgetown is famous for its oyster mee, bak khi, fried tang hoon, pork leg beehoon, fried oyster and tauhu suan na, to name a few.
Limited parking is available. We circled the area twice before we managed to get a prime parking spot right in front of the shop J. The authentic feel of olden days greeted us as we entered the shop.
It was quite clear that Ang Hoay Lor has its share of loyal supporters, people who have been patronizing the shop for years. We settled on a few specialty dishes and sat back to wait while sipping hot chrysanthemum tea.
The fried oyster was the first dish to arrive. It looked a bit dark from overfrying, but the taste proved otherwise. There were sufficient fresh oysters and the spring onions added that extra oomph to the dish.
The oyster mee came next, with generous helpings of oyster, fish meat, pork and vege. We felt that the dish was slightly on the salty side.
One thing we note is that only pickled chillies and cabai burung are provided here. We were quite disappointed when we asked for sambal, and were told there was none available.
For those unfamiliar with bak khi, this (we are told by the server) is a famed Hokkien delight. It is essentially pork meat wrapped in a layer of cornstarch flour, fried and served in a thick soup.
After our experience eating this dish, we all agreed it is an acquired taste. If you like the texture of sticky cornstarch, you will most likely enjoy it.
The other 2 side dishes we ordered were the prawn fritters and the tauhu suan na. The prawn fritters were fried to a crispy golden brown (mmmm J) and the tauhu fried with suan na was indeed flavourful, though a bit salty.
All in all, if you are looking for a taste and ambience that is reminisce of Old Penang, look no further than Ang Hoay Lor.
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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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HK chee cheung fan @ Ming Tian foodcourt , Taman Megah, PJ
,
fail fail faill… we both a chee cheung fan lover had failed this.. oh oh .. why??
The minute we put in the mouth, we can felt that teh texture of the chee cheong fan is not smooth enough .. other than that , the shrimps is not fresh which we don love it anymore..
Presentation wise is not nice at all,..eeeeeeeee…!!! so we both had banned it in our food list .. oh oh…
Taste: 0/5
Price: RM3.50
Posted By : StrawberrY Gal
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California – COI Restaurant (San Francisco)
The concept of Coi sounds all righteous and good.
“best ingredients we can find in our area: cultivated plants grown from heirloom seeds; wild-harvested leaves, flowers, barks and roots; local fish, seaweeds and coastal grasses; pastured meat, poultry and eggs from small farmers. These are the flavors of place.“
I was sold and went all out to make a reservation on Opentable.com until I got a confirmation and heaved a sigh of relief.
Maybe it was a combination of factors – the recommendation and the anticipation, that made this meal a major disappointment.
I won’t go into details too much, but in general, I thought the food might have appeared interest and pleasant to the eye, some of them did taste pretty decent while some of them just don’t make sense. Above all, I could not stand the pretentious wait staff, with their no-smiles-i’m-better-than-you attitude. There was no need to seem so high-handed. I know they are probably nice people outside the restaurant. So the friend and I tried to loosen them up a bit by going a couple notches up the decibel scale.
The restaurant was in a low-ceiling room that made me feel like I was in a upscale cave. All the tables were full (about 24 pax in total) and more than 50% were Asians. Just a note, I don’t want to imply anything. So anyway, we got the tasting menu, which was the only menu, at US$125 per pax (excluding tax and tip) without wine pairing. What did we eat?
Scented with Coi essential oils (sage, pepper, and some flowers)
Honeymilk in a gel
Pink Grapefruit
ginger, tarragon, black pepper
early season asparagus, flowers and herbs
Vadovan gastrique, preserved lemon, wild arugula
fennel in different forms
glazed, young carrots, burnt breadcrumbs, almonds, wood sorrel
steamed tofu mousseline, yuba, fresh seaweeds, mushroom dashi
wild mushrooms, oxalis flowers
slow roasted farro, erbette chard, brown butter parmesan sauce
toast, spring lettuces
Hazalnut and cocoa textures
Olive Oil Shortcake
strawberry rhubarb, lemon balm, long pepper
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Las Vegas – Bouchon Bistro
It was not by chance that our second restaurant in the Sin City was also a French bistro. Because I could not get a reservation to The French Laundry and I was really keen to try Thomas Keller’s food, I made a reservation at the Bouchon Bistro at the Venetian. This is much more casual than Daniel Boulud as in they line the table with white paper and the menu is made of paper as well.
The restaurant, located in an unusual lobby on the 9th floor, was welcoming with its warm tungsten lighting through wrought iron wrapped ceiling lights and
beautiful, rustic blue tiles.
We were served a beautiful loaf of bread and butter very shortly. Oh my, the bread was such a joy to eat. I haven’t had such a good baguette since Paris and we chomped through another helping, which explained why we could not finish our food later.
We had ordered mussels and frites as our main course and a couple of appetizers and sides to share. Unfortunately all the food came at just about the same time.
The mushroom soup was unfortunately not up my alley. The soup was one-dimensional in taste and texture and the use of sour cream made it excessively sour for a soup. I did not like it one bit. The macaroni gratin on the other hand was really good. The cheese was generous, the pasta still had bite and I totally grabbed all the broiled parts. C-o-m-f-o-r-t food.
The mussels were alright. Sauce was pretty good and I remembered the portion was super huge. Both of us ate and ate and ate and still had left overs. I wanted to lay off mussels for the rest of my life after that meal.
Definitely no room for dessert. Oh well.
Venetian Resort, Venezia Tower Ste 101013355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 414-6200
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Las Vegas – Daniel Boulud Brasserie
Daniel Boulud Brasserie is a casual offshoot of the original Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC. Located at the basement of the grand Wynn hotel, the Brasserie offers a really good value tasting menu between 5pm to 7pm. Not only that, if you stay past 8pm, you would also get to watch the Wynn’s fountain show that shows at 15 minute intervals starting at 8pm.
The food focuses on classical French food and style of cooking and whilst quite ordinary, was perfectly executed so this meal turned out to be one of the most enjoyable one for me. The waiter was casual and friendly yet professional. The bread was interesting too – one of them had poppyseeds and the other had figs and walnuts.
My warm frisse salad with roasted mushrooms and poached egg was a lovely start to dinner. The soft, runny yolk added a richness to the earthy mushrooms and different flavours and the textures just all blended and melded in my mouth.
The scottish salmon with asparagus was perfectly pink and raw in the middle and had an interesting meyer lemon and radish relish that was sourish and did a good job in preventing the palate from becoming too tired. The skin was so crispy I savoured each bite of it. I cannot understand why most Westerners do not eat the skin of the fish. The first thing they do is to lift up the skin and set it aside. What a shame! Anyways, the portion was generous as well so we had to share dessert.
Dessert was a chocolate hazelnut fondant with nougatine crunch and coffee ice cream. It was a good dessert with tried and tested pairing but oh my gosh, the ice cream was sooo good. The bittersweet effect from the coffee grounds and the sweet cream was a match in heaven and I could only complain that the scoop was too small!
We got a complimentary bowl of mini citrus madelines because my friend’s steak was slightly overdone. These were surprisingly really fluffy and light, almost ethereal and just not like most madelines that are heavy and dense like muffins. It was a pleasant surprise and a sweet ending to dinner.
Wynn Las Vegas3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136
(888) 320-7110
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