Notes to Self: Part Four

so continues the series on Joy the Baker. I make notes to myself. How to live. How not to live and how its ok if I burn the cookies.

Short Version: Everyone is as scared as you are. If theyre not, theyre just faking it. Chill.

Long Version: Sometimes you lose myself. It happens more easily than youd like. You enter a situation on your own, and you just dont feel as confident as you should. Its silly, really but its real. Forgetting your confident coat is like running out of the house without your bra on and you really need a bra. Youre over 30. The time for free-form experimentation is long over.

Sometimes its superficial. Youre not wearing the right shoes. The top you chose rides up in the back (wwwhhhyyy!?). You dont accessorize well. Your car is too dirty to valet. Ooooh the list of reasons why youre not good enough and why everyone is cooler, more prepared, and less scared could go on for centuries, leaving you feeling iffy-at-best going into social situations.

Sometimes its brainy. You havent read the correct books, and you dont quote the New Yorker. Youve got a good arsenal of Far Side comics committed to memory, but that doesnt really fuel a political discussion. Wait remember the Far Side where the moose has a bulls-eye tattoo? I think the caption is something like bummer birthmark, Fred. So theres that. When bummer birthmark, Fred is the only thing that comes to mind in a serious literary conversation thats when the terror sets in. Why is everyone smarter than us!?

Sometimes the fears are work and school related. Yourenot at the right level. Youre two promotions away from being happy at work. Your blog traffic sucks. Youre not taking the right classes with the right professors. Youre not in the rig! ht clubs . Everyone knows what theyre doing and where theyre going and youre the only one floundering. Your mind is filled with too many Blues Traveler lyrics. Thats the problem. If you could find a way to extricate those then all of your problems would be solved (this is actually probably true).

Stop it! Joy, youre beating yourself up. Remember this: everyone is just as scared and unsure as you are. They may not have the exact same fears or worries but they have them. For sure. Some people are just better at hiding their fears than others, but were all in this together. When in doubt (which may be more often than wed like), remember that youre good enough exactly right now, stop fussing with your hair, get out there, and live! Exactly right now youre, were dang good enough.

Part Three: Switch

Part Two: Youre Allowed

Part One: Be Bold

I cooked: Surf 'N' Turf (Steak & Scallops)

Surf and Turf (or surf 'n' turf) is a term used to describe a main course in American cuisine which combines seafood and meat. I had my first surf 'n' turf in Hard Rock Cafe, London - the dish was a combination of steak and grilled prawns and it left a lasting impression.

We were craving for a good steak, so for date night, I decided to cook Hubby a surf 'n' turf dinner. Steak (his fav) and scallops (my fav), we get the best of both worlds. We managed to get our hands on a lovely Australian Black Angus tenderloin plus some huge Hokkaido scallops.

There are quite many components in this dish and the sequence in which you should prepare this dish is to start with boiling the potatoes, followed by cooking the steak and resting it, then the mushrooms, asparagus, scallops and finally the jus. For the steak, I adaptedHeston Blumenthal's perfect steak recipe which calls for flipping the meat every 15-20 seconds to develop a crisp flavorsome exterior without overcooking the centre - I say adapt, cos I flipped it every 1 minute. It is important to rest your steak for at least 10 minutes after cooking and your steak will be juicier and tastier.

Not only was it a very balanced meal, it was very delicious as well. The steak was tender and flavorful, and the scallops were plump and juicy. I certainly know how to keep my man happy! :D

Hubby called this "surfing pigs" ;P

Pan seared scallops with crispy bacon on a bed of sauteed oyster mushroom

Tenderloin steak (medium rare) served on a bed of creamy truffle mash potatoes and topped with asparagus and crispy garlic bits and a natural jus

Surf 'n' turf (steak & scallops)
Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 x 200-250g steaks, 1" thick (I used tenderloin this time)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
A large knob of butter
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp truffle oil

8 stalks Thai asparagus
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

80g grey oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
A handful parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8 large Hokkaido scallops
1 streaky bacon, sliced thinly and fried

200ml beef stock
1/2 tsp cornstarch, diluted with 1 tsp of water
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the mash potatoes:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, then add the potatoes and cook for 12-15 minutes until soft. Mash with a potato press into a large bowl. Add butter while hot, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil.

For the tenderloin steak:
1. Remove steaks from fridge at least 1 hour before cooking to allow them to get to room temperature.

2. Clean the steaks under running water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season both sides with pepper. I avoid seasoning them with salt at this point as salt encourages the juices to come out (and we want to keep the juices in, well, to keep the steaks tender and juicy!)

3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a deep frying pan, and wait til the oil/pan is smoking hot. Place th! e steaks in the pan (leave some space between both). After every 1 minute, flip the steak. Cook to desired doneness - 2 minutes each side for medium rare, 3 minutes each side for medium and 4 minutes each side for well done.

4. Remove from pan and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Remember to season the steaks with salt before serving.

5. To make the sauce, add the beef stock to the same pan used to pan fry the steaks. Add any other juices you get from resting the steaks. Add cornstarch to thicken, then season with salt and pepper.

For the mushrooms:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Then, add the mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley and give it a quick stir, then remove from heat.

For the asparagus:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and fry until golden brown, around 2 minutes. Then, add the asparagus and cook for 1-2 minute (cooking time depends on how thick/fine your asparagus is). Remove from heat.

For the scallops:
1. Clean the scallops and pat dry with kitchen towel. Season both sides of the scallops with salt.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over high heat and wait until it is smoking hot. Place the scallops in pan in clockwise direction (this is purely for reference, so you can remember which ones you put in first when flipping to cook the other side) and sear for 40 seconds on one side before flipping over. Cook for another 40 seconds, then remove from pan. It is better to undercook scallops than to overcook them. Usually they take about 1-2 minutes to cook.

To assemble:
1. Using a 9cm round mould, place mash potatoes on the plate. Top it with the steak, followed by the asparagus. Use a small spoon to drizzle some sauce over the steak.

2. On the other side of the plate, place the sauteed mushrooms followed by the scallops and bacon bits. Serve immedi! ately.

Forty Licks Ice Cream & The Potong Artisan Pops

KL's ice cream scene keeps heating up: the future looks deliciously cool, thanks to a big freeze of budding brands that'll have customers chilling out with funky flavors.

A futsal-loving former management consultant might not seem like the likeliest candidate to make ice cream for the masses, but 26-year-old Tat Wei has spurned societal stereotypes, withdrawing from the white-collar world this year to chase a chocolate-laden vision encapsulated in his new Forty Licks enterprise.

Tat Wei has a long history with ice cream, first producing a disastrous version at a cooking class with an ex-girlfriend a decade ago. But there was no escaping ice cream throughout his five-year stay in London, which spawned indelible memories of egg-and-bacon ice cream at The Fat Duck and late-night salted caramel binges at Arbutus.

Forty Licks, its name inspired by The Rolling Stones hits CD (remember the stuck-out tongue?), emerged following months of e! xperimen tation in Tat Wei's family kitchen. Discarding dreams of liquid nitrogen ice cream (imagine a Malaysian incarnation of Chin Chin Laboratorists), Tat Wei settled for making handcrafted treats that range from a popcorn flavor with a sweet-savory sting to milk chocolate with sticky bits of peanut butter.

Sensuously smooth and fast-melting, distinguished by flavors both aggressive and indulgent (every two mouthfuls felt like an inch added to the waistline). Comparisons with The Last Polka are inevitable but unnecessary for this post. Forty Licks owes a debt to The Last Polka for blazing the trail in KL, but both deserve devoted fans.

Our favorite might be the honey ice cream, tasting like the best nectar a bee could collect, studded with bittersweet jewels of dark chocolate. Expect more eventually: possibles include eggnog ice cream for Christmas and pineapple tart for Chinese New Year. Prices are fair; we paid RM40 for a six-cup sampler.

Tat Wei has reveled in surprised reactions by customers who say his ice cream exceeds expectations. Deliveries are the main way to sample Forty Licks, but look for Tat Wei starting Sept. 9 at the Plaza Mont Kiara Sunday market. Forty Licks might soon also surface at s! everal b urger and coffee hangouts. Keep an eye onwww.facebook.com/FortyLicksIceCream.

Also worth many licks: The Potong Artisan Pops, which many enjoyed at Jaya One's Food Bites in May. Now available at Bangsar Village's Wondermama and Section 17's Food Foundry.

We haven't met The Potong's founders, but their creations leave little doubt about their passion, leaving us feeling like six-year-olds in a kindergarten playground, sucking on sweet popsicles to keep our spirits high.

Nutella and coconut make for a fun mix, while mango, grapefruit and rose water combine for terrific tropical temptation. A booster shot of flavor and less of plain ice ensure that customers won't scream 'potong stim.'

Our recommendation: A&W classic root beer, vanilla cream and maraschino cherry. Chic-a-cherry cola, I wan! t you, i ndeed!

To wash everything down: Wondermama's 7-Up and kumquat fizzy concoction.

Forty Licks Ice Cream & The Potong Artisan Pops.
Consumed at Wondermama, Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur.

Hagen-Dazs

The Pureimagine has added a photo to the pool:

Hagen-Dazs
Nikon D700, Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G

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I sometimes wonder, what inspires you to make that particular dessert or dish? For me, for more complex desserts, I usually start from a base flavour and work my way around it. Sometimes, it could be just out of curiosity, to see how this fruit would work in this dessert. Or even, from a place or from a movie or cartoon or even pinterest. Anything. Which is why I cannot stick to the norm because the world of flavours is just bursting with endless possibilities; a butter cake just doesnt work for me.

Well for this one, it was simple. I came across Alans blog on Tahiti that he made. swoon. The way the mango is sliced and placed on top of the tart, is just beautiful! I reckon pear or mango would make a beautiful tart, if its cut like this. So all I had in mind was, ok I want to make a tart that has the mango like that on top. Give and take a few ingredients, I decided to make it a mango and coconut tart with a hint of kaffir lime leaves.

(I should have bought a BIGGER mango so it covers the entire top of the tart. ish)

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Tart shell adapted from Travellingfoodies

Coconut cream adapted from Shesimmers

Mango Gelee roughly adapted from KitchenTravels

Mango Coconut Tart

(makes 6 x 3 tart)

Pate Sucree
50g Butter
30g confectioners/Icing Sugar
1 Egg yolk
10g Ground Almond
75 Pastry/Cake flour

Mango Gelee
80g mango puree
juice of 1/2 lime
10g caster sugar
3g gelatin, bloom in 15g cold water

Coconut Cream
3 large egg yolks
80g sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup cream, whipped, chilled
2 kaffir leaves

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Method

Make Pate sucree

1.Cream butter until pale and creamy. Add icing sugar and mix thoroughly
2.Pour in egg yolk and mix well. Pour in flour and ground almond mixture.
3.Press in butter-egg mixture with as little stirring as possible until just incorporated. preventing overworking of the dough.
4. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, preferably overnight.
5. When ready, roll out dough and line over tart tin. Dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for about 15 minutes. Lightly brush egg white on top and send it ! back int o the oven for another 3-5 minutes.

Mango gelee
1.Puree mango. In a small pot, heat mango puree and caster sugar. Stir in lime juice. Remove from heat.
2.Dissolve gelatin and add into mango. Stir and pour on a tray to let it set (in the freezer if u cant wait)
3.When set, remove and use a smaller round cutter (than your tart shell) and cut it out.

Coconut Cream

1.In a saucepan, whisk together everything except the coconut milk until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
2.Slowly whisk in the coconut milk making sure to get rids of all lumps.
3.Put the saucepan on medium heat and whisk until the mixture thickens up.
4.Transfer the cream to a bowl and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap placed right on the surface of the custard to keep it from forming a skin. Chill the custard for at least 2 hours.
5.Transfer the chilled custard to a mixing bowl, remove kaffir leaves and lightly whisk it to loosen it. Fold in whipped cream. Keep the coconut cream covered and refrigerated until you assemble the dessert.

Assembly
Tart, a little coconut cream, mango gelee, more coconut cream. Mango slices as garnish. Light apricot glaze on top.

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Verdict?

Love the shell as it was very crunchy but not too hard to cut, somewhat brittle but not crumbly. errr yeah..

Coconut cream has a light hint of kaffir leave leaving the tart to Asianize But I thought the coconut was too overpowering, hence I reduced the coconut and increased cream in the recipe ab! ove.

Mango? NEED TO GET BIGGER MANGO NEXT TIME!

Episode 2 - Jalan Jalan In Penang With Hennessy XO and Edward Lee

I love the way Will Quah, that mat salleh sounding emcee for all the Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows events, describes all the local dishes with a slang, but best of all was Assam laksa, which sounded like Awesome Laksa...ladida....



Ooh, and check out when Will says LONG -UN...my mata kuchings nearly rolled out. A very entertaining segment, I have to say.

For Part 1, check out the post here...and also if you want to know more about Edward Lee.