I made this a long long time ago but it wasnt something planned ahead. Everything from this were leftovers from making a cheesecake, a tart and leftover whipped cream and creme patisserie. So I cant quite pin down to an exact recipe for this nor how many it yields.
Plus I have been anything but precise lately. But perhaps I can do a simple recipe for this. You may however end up with more digestive bases and lesser passionfruit curd to fill them up all. If thats the case, just be creative then 
Passionfruit Verrine
Digestive Base
200g Digestive biscuit
80g melted butter
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamonPassionfruit curd
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp corn flour, dissolved in 1.5 tbsp water
1/2 cup passionfruit pulp (from 3-4 passionfruits)
60g butter, chilled, dicedVanilla Cream Mousseline
1 portion of creme patisserie
1/2 portion of whipped cream
vanilla extract ! (if need ed)Assembly
Fresh Strawberries and raspberries
Method:
1. Crush and ground digestive biscuits. Add melted butter, salt and cinnamon and stir till biscuit is coated with butter. Scoop enough to cover the base of the verrine cup. I find there is no need to press it down (like cheesecake base) Put in the refrigerator to chill it.
2. Make Passionfruit curd. Put everything except butter in a small pot. Cook over low heat and stir with a whisk constantly to prevent burns. Once it thickens and starts to bubble, cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add in butter, stir till butter has melted. The curd will look glossy. Pour out onto another bowl, wrap with cling wrap and let it chill before using.
3. Use whichever creme patisserie recipe you like, say if you use 200g of creme patisserie, whip it a little to break down the lumps. Fold in 100g of whipped cream and you get a lighter creme patisserie, which is also known as Creme Mousseline. If you wish to have a even lighter creme, use more whipped cream.
4. For the strawberry, I slice and put it against the side perimeter of the cup to make it like Le Frasier. In the middle, I added a raspberry as a hidden surprise. fill the cup up with creme mousseline. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours for it to set and the flavours to blend. Serve chill.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL WINE FAIR - EXHIBITOR PERSPECTIVES
Walking into the London Wine Fair at the cavernous Excel Centre to explore the hundreds of exhibitors showcasing thousands of wines is always an exhilarating experience - and this year was no exception. Now in its 31st year and boasting total attendance figures of 13,745 over the three days of the 2011 event (slightly up from last year), the London International Wine Fair (LIWF) is one of the key events in the world wine calendar. Producers from around the world use the LIWF as an opportunity to expose their wines to thousands of buyers and press from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
The LIWF attracts a diverse range of visitors from every area of the industry; from UK independent wine merchants and supermarkets, to German importing agents, to restaurant chains, to prominent members of the wine press. This makes the LIWF an ideal place for a producer or exporter wanting to launch new products, meet customers, look for agents, engage the press, or win new direct business. International Director for Distell, Don Gallow, commented that LIWF provides an established producer with a unique opportunity to meet with all their agents throughout Europe and the UK in a very short space of time, meaning that the LIWF represents a very cost-effective use of time and resources for the producer. "Being able to hold key tastings! with ke y buyers from across the continent and spend one-on-one time with them is a rare opportunity for any producer."
As in past years, Wines of South Africa (WOSA) exhibited a large pavilion showcasing South African wines as well as providing a number of individual producer booths. However, for WOSA, 2011 marked a departure from the traditional set-up of one producer per booth, showcasing only his or her wines. Instead, WOSA launched the Great South African Variety Show concept whereby 240 wines were showcased together on a large stand and arranged into self-pour "pods" - circular tasting tables with wines arranged according to a theme. The themes ranged from the geographical (Swartland, Wellington), to the cultivar-based (Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Shiraz), to the more esoteric (Stars of Tomorrow, Black Owned Brands, Biodiversity Champions). Producers paid R3,000 (around 270) per wine to have them included in the pods (approximately one tenth the cost of a traditional booth), meaning that smaller wineries were offered a uniquely affordable opportunity to introduce their wines to an international audience.
Petra Mayer of WOSA (Germany) commented that everybody to whom she had spoken had been tremendously positive about the new concept. According to Petra: "The structure of the pavilion allows one to do an in-depth tasting and to discover the hot trends in South African wine making, all in one place and within a relatively short space of time." Comments from visitors had included the fact that WOSA was "thinking out of the box", adding value for visitors, and leading the way with a new approach to promoting wines. People had really enjoyed discovering regions outside the well-known Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek areas with Swartland being a particularly popular pod.
Lana Sinclair of wine exporters Robinson & Sinclair is a regular exhibitor at LIWF as well as at shows such as Prowein (German trade fair) and Vinexpo (French trade fair). She says that last year the difficult economic situation had a negative impact not only on visitor numbers at LIWF but also on visitor spirits. "Last year it was just too quiet - there was no buzz, no enthusiasm - but this year the buzz is back. The fact that the FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa has created a huge surge of interest in South African wines." Lana also noted that there were a number of new people visiting their booth this year, and that there seems to be a growing trend for restaurant groups in the UK approaching producers and exporters directly to purchase their wine in bulk.
Robinson & Sinclair was one of the 19 exhibitors that had a booth of their own as well as having some of their wines on the WOSA pods, a system that Lana felt worked synergistically. "I could keep an eye on the WOSA pods, see who was tasting our wines, then go and invite them back to our booth for a more in-depth tasting." Lana was very enthusiastic about the WOSA wine pods concept and saw it as a way of building "brand South Africa", allowing people to discover the kinds of South African wines they want to taste but may not have been familiar with.
Wine journalist Jamie Goode of the Sunday Express newspaper was spotted taking his time and tasting his way uninterrupted around the WOSA pods. According to Jamie: "The Variety Show concept is innovative; the selection of wines interesting, and the choice of themes suitably quirky." He noted that the system made South African wines more accessible to journalists as it allowed them to taste various examples of a single style or cultivar side by side; and to taste more wines in a shorter time as there was no need to interact with the producers. He also loved the stack of business cards available with e! ach wine , listing each wine's producer and essential info.
Chenin Blanc Association manager Ina Smith supervised the two Chenin Blanc pods and was on hand to provide information and receive feedback from visitors. "They love the new system", said Ina, "because the pods allow people to taste at their own pace". She also noticed that visitors were keen to give her unsolicited feedback on the Variety Show concept and that it was almost all positive. She did, however, add that although footfall on the WOSA stand had been good over the three days, it was hard to tell if any new business was being done when producers were not actually on the stand.
Jeff Gradwell, Brand Director of KWV, another major player in the South African wine industry who regularly exhibits at LIWF, commented that he had the impression that a lot of new business was being done this year. Although KWV was one of the producers able to have their own booth as well as having wines on the WOSA pods, Jeff mentioned that one of the main advantages of the pods was that it made the LIWF more affordable and therefore accessible to South Africa's smaller and emerging producers. He also commented on how busy the WOSA stand had been for the duration of the LIWF, and that the system was a great way of showcasing South Africa's versatility as a wine-producing country.
Perhaps the only negative comment on the Variety Show was that it did not look at all African. Su Birch, CEO of WOSA, explained that the look and feel of this year's WOSA pavilion took its cue from the Variety Show theme. The UK has a long history of Victorian entertainments (think Brighton Pier in its heyday) and this concept was carried through to the signage and visuals on the pavilion. Although Su concedes that not every! body imm ediately made this connection, the new look certainly got LIWF visitors talking about South African wine - and that in itself can only be a good thing. "Now that the Variety Show has been successfully introduced we will probably adapt the visuals to the traditional DNA for South African wine at future shows."
Subway
Hell's Kitchen - no it's not Gordon Ramsay's restaurant! It's an area near Broadway in Manhattan NYFinally, I've reached Hell's Kitchen. See, Hell's Kitchen is not Gordon Ramsay's restaurant. It is a place in Manhattan. :)
Kyotofu
Tofu!!My first course was sweetened tofu. It was not as sweet as the name suggested it to be. In fact, it had a very light, subtle sweetness.
Sweetened tofuThe chilled dessert is rich with the flavors of freshly ground soy beans. The taste of the beans is amplified by the light raisin-raw sugar syrup. I know it sounds off but the syrup is really light. A tofu lover's delight.
Raspberry tofu cheesecakeThe raspberry tofu cheesecake makes a good exit for the mains. It is very light and again, not too sweet. There is balance in terms of the amount of soy and raspberries one can detect from savoring this smooth, velvety cheesecake. The tart flavors from the raspberries and the raspberry coulis offers a refreshing end, allowing a smooth transition to the final course.
Green tea chocolateThe green tea chocolate was very interesting. If I am not mistaken, it is made of cocoa butter and lots of green tea, thus the green colour and the slight acidity. It marks a sweet and rich ending to the Kaiseki course.
Cute NYPD vehicles
Entering Korean town, 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) cnr W 32-35th st
Caught in the rainThis is the very week of the Midsummer Nights Feast! And tonights menu is masterminded byMaster Chef Moshik Roth (Netherlands), a2-Star Michelin Chef from theRestaurant T Brouwerskolkje of Netherlands. Check out his Water element menu!
Element: Water
From The Land of Omniscient Waters
Master Chef Moshik Roth (Netherlands)
2-Star Michelin Chef
Restaurant T Brouwerskolkje, Netherlands
In the Land of Omniscient Waters at Haarlem only 30 minutes from Amsterdam, T Brouwerskolkje is led by 2-Star Michelin Chef Moshik Roth, who travels regularly to collaborate with 3-Star Michelin Chef Jean-Gorges Klein of lArnsbourg restaurant in Alsace.
Brouwerskolkje is certainly unique in that the restaurant has only six tables, and reservations are highly suggested. The menu is created from a mix of both classical and molecular techniques (molecular gastronomy*) and the presentation is often as interesting as the cuisine.
Chef Moshik continually tries to create the ultimate taste sensation to encapsulate the essence of his inspiration, working with many diverse products, flavours and techniques. Involving his entire team, he strives to create dishes that are unique by continually experimenting and mastering the key values of creativity which makes Brouwerskolkje unique.
Together with his team, they travel around the wo! rld in s earch of new flavours and textures, yet they never forget their roots to be inspired by the nature around them in the Netherlands as water always finds its own level in balance with Nature.
Its not always about luxury and exclusive products,
but rather the combination of fresh tasty products
thats the basis of good food.Cooking is more than behind the stove.
It runs on ideas with experimenting and daring.
And those ideas come at the strangest moments.
It always comes suddenly . in places you would not expect
* Molecular Gastronomy also known as post-modern or experimental cooking is a culinary development which takes advantage of scientific innovations to investigate and explain the chemical and physical reasons behind food transformations and processes. Its objective is not to totally alter the concept of cooking, but rather to find new ways of expanding existing foundations of culinary techniques and applications. Hence, its approach is emphasised by the motivation to explore, experiment and ultimately, create new recipes to elicit new culinaryemotions which take into account the social, artistic and technical components of the culinary experience as a whole.
WATER MENU
Aromas, Flavours, Textures
Sea Abstract
Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Salty Plants, Sea Urchin Emulsion, Virtual Seaweed and Caviar
Amalfi Coast
Datterino Tomato Spaghetti, Parmesan Reggiano, Basil, Olive Oil, Sea Flavour
On the Rocks
Seabass, Miso Cream, Mushrooms, Radish, Kumquat, Elderflower Vinegar
Coral
Seaweed, Lobster, Langoustine, Gamba Carabineros, Jasmin Rice Foam, Lemongrass
Cocktail
Whisky Sour, Lemon
I really wish I could be! there t onight to taste this! Well, theres still tomorrow! Lets hope theres space left.
These 8 exciting nights of culinary authenticity are now available for booking. Its limited to 130 seats per night at RM385 nett per person;and RM50,000 nett for corporate bookings.
For further enquiries and reservations, please call +603-2782 3855.
In summary, here are the dates for each of the Chefs dinner:
1 July Chef Jason Koppinger (FIRE MENU HERE )
2 July Chef Wai (SPACE MENU HERE )
3 July 5 Elements Brunch from 11.30am to 3pm
4 & 5 July Chef Moshik Roth
6 & 7 July Chef Benoit Vidal (7th Jul FULLY BOOKED) (EARTH MENU HERE )
8 July 5 Elements Gala Dinner (CORPORATE NIGHT non bookable)
1-7 July Chef Manabu Special ala carte menu-Gonbei San (AIR MENU HERE )
(** this is the AIR Menu & its available all 7 days)
For an idea on Midsummer Nights Feast 2010, check out my experiences below:
Starhill Gallery presents Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 (2 July 9 July 2010):
