Chocolate Easter Bunnies

Ive been playing today. Just having a little fun with some candy molds.
Bunnies, ducks, lambs and eggs and all on one mold. Too cute.

The molds on this sheet are the perfect size for cupcake toppers and you could even attach them on top of cake pops.

I didnt use it for either of those reasons though.

But, I did make chocolate bunnies with pink bellies

And even though cupcake bunny toppers would have been pretty adorable, I decided to get a little crafty with these creatures.

I know its last minute for this kind of project, but I had this idea and just had to get it out of my head and see if I could make it work before Easter passed.

Can you guess what I used the bunnies for?

Its miniature.

As in tiny.

Mini Chocolate Easter Bunnies. In boxes!

Squeal.

I had the most fun making these. Sometimes you just have to play, you know.

Ill show you how to make the boxes, but first lets make some bunnies.

They are easy breezy.

Candy mold. Toothpicks. Melted candy coating.

Dot blue for eyes and pink for noses, bellies and ears. Or fill the inside of the mold with any color you like for details.

Turn it over and you can get a better idea if you stayed within the lines or need to tweak anything. If you get outside the lines, use a clean toothpick to scrape the candy off.

I also thought about turning his belly into an easter egg, but that small of a space was hard for me to control the candy and still make a decent looking egg pattern.

So its pink bellies for the bunnies. And I like it.

Let the coating dry for a couple of minutes and then fill the mold cavity with melted chocolate candy coating.

I used a spoon because I was too impatient to see how these would look. A squeeze bottle would be a better option if you have one. And if not, spoon away. Once filled, give it a little tap to flatten out the back and place in the freezer for a few minutes to set.

Then they will pop or hop right out of the mold.

You can do this with any size mold. And there are endless designs and sizes to choose from.

So thats it for the bunnies.

Now for the boxes.

I created a box design to fit the size of the bunny mold using a program called Adobe Illustrator and then printed it out on card stock.

Ill give you the pdf if youd like it. (See below. You could print it out larger and use it for other size bunnies, too.)

A ruler and an X-acto blade will make this go much quicker than using scissors.

Cut out the boxes.

Then score all the edges that fold. Just barely skim the blade over the lines and you will be able to bend the paper without it breaking apart.

If you want to add a plastic front, cut out clear film the same size as the front and tape it to t! he insid e.

Put some double-sided tape on the white edge of the box so when you fold it up, it will attach.

Cut out inserts from the pdf to place your bunny on and slide in the box.

To attach the bunny, dot on a little melted coating and gently rest the bunny on top. Let dry.

Then slip the inserts into the boxes and close them up.

Cute! I hope you see why I couldnt stand to wait until next year to make these.

And just so you can see how tiny. I measured one in mini peanut butter cups for you.

If you want to play sometime too, heres what youll need:

• Candy mold I found the one for this project at Cake Art, but google the mold number if you want to search for it (90-2114)
• Candy coatings chocolate and any other colors you like
• Toothpicks very handy
• Bunny Box template Download the pdf
• Clear film you can totally omit this and then you could reach through the front to pop the bunny off instead of opening the box to get him out. Either way -still cute. I found it at Hobby Lobby.
• Heavyweight paper or card stock
• Double-sided tape
• X-acto Blade
• Ruler

Hope these little guys made you smile.

Are you playing or making anything fun this weekend? Do tell.

Have a Happy Easter!

Lunch @ The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat Ipoh, Malaysia

Back in October last year, we visited this beautiful resort in Ipoh - The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat to attend a special event called "Some Like it Green by Madame Lawrence Aboucaya" where we were exposed to delicious, vegetarian organic cuisine. We were also invited to stay the night in one of their gorgeous villas which I shall blog about soon.

Since we arrived around noon, we went straight to The Pomelo Restaurant for lunch. Diners get the choice of sitting in the main dining area or one of the gazebos out front. We picked a spot in the main dining area but with a view of the herb garden and the limestone caves. Have to say it was a beautiful view.

Main dining area

Gazebos

Facing the limestone caves and herb garden

The restaurant's name is inspired by the pom! elo frui t, that Tambun, Ipoh (where the resort is located) is famous for.The Pomelo serves spa cuisine, hence food here is lighter and healthier i.e. low fat, low salt and low cholesterol Their cooking philosophy here is S.L.O.W. (Seasonal, Low-Fat, Organic and Whole) method of cooking. A range of organic fruits and vegetables (from local markets and retreat's own vegetable/fruits garden) as well as premium fresh seafood and poultry is used. No artificial flavouring or seasoning is used in cooking or preparation of the food. Even kitchen utensils are green and environmentally friendly.

For what it is, I found the food to be pretty tasty and certainly felt healthy.

Bread basket

During my 2D1N stay, I tried several of their mocktails and they are very enjoyable. During lunch, I had the Pomelo Mojito, the Banjaran signature mocktail made from pomelo, lemongrass, fresh lime juice and fresh mint.

Pomelo Mojito Mocktail (RM23)

If there is ever scallops on the menu, I will nothesitatein ordering it. The Grilled Scallop Skewers (RM36) came with three large, juicy scallops. The scallops must been grilled with very little oil (or none at all) as it tasted really healthy and almost steamed. Still, I enjoyed it. It came with a side of pumpkin salad wrapped in rice paper and red pepper aioli.

Yummy scallops and the pumpkin offered a nice crunchy texture to this dish

Hubby had the roasted pumpkin soup (RM24) with Japanese tofu and cilantro oil. Very creamy, rich and hearty.

For mains, I had the oven baked organic duck breast (RM45) served with okra ratatouille, nai pak, caramelised mango and ginger sauce. The duck was nicely cooked, still juicy and the mango and ginger sauce complemented it well. However, I didn't really care much for the okra ratatouille (too much onions) and the asparagus topped was slightly undercooked for my liking.

Nicely prepared duck

Hubby had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (RM65) which he! request ed to be cooked medium rare (when asked about his preferred doneness). However, it was quite frustrating for us, as different wait staff came over to ask us three times what doneness we wanted (not sure why) and eventually the beef came out cooked well done anyway. I'm not sure if it's part of their S.LO.W. cooking philosophy to cook the beef well done or not, as during dinner we also experienced the same thing.

Luckily, the beef tenderloin was still tender and quite enjoyable and Hubby finished it all. It was served with asparagus, zucchini, scrambled bean curd and whole grain mustard sauce.

Since we were already quite full, we skipped dessert and returned to our beautiful villa. Stay tuned for the hotel review as well as a review of our other meals in The Pomelo restaurant. Have a good weekend all!

Hotsprings

Opening times: Breakfast (7.00am-11.00am), Lunch (12.00pm-2.00pm), Dinner (6.00pm-10.00pm).

Location: The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-210 7777

Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com

GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617

Suchan @ Section 11, Petaling Jaya for a Good & Quiet Meal.

Suchan is an ideal place for good cakes, cookies or snacks be it Western or Asian. The food is delicious. Suchan at Section 11 is the original outlet which probably needs to refurbished after all this while.Wild Mushroom soup RM9.00 Thick & tasty soupCaesar'ssalad RM15.00 -Romaine Lettuces topped with Cashewnuts and Pan fried Chicken fillets serves with Home-made Anchovies Dressing.VietnameseBeef Pho RM15.00 - I like it.Earl Grey tea RM6.50Italian Cream Cake - layers of walnut pieces, coconut & buttermilk cake & walnut filling RM10.90

Suchan Restaurant . Bakery . Cafe

21, Jalan Dato Mahmud (11/4), Off Jalan University, 46200 Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 603 79579908

Email: enquiry@suchan.my

gps:3.110745,101.648335

Elegant marriage of crabs and noodles

Chilled Dungeness Crab... a totally awesome taste experience. Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 The call from J was to come and eat some yim kei (capon chicken) at Elegant Inn. But as expected, dinner turned out to be more than that. It was also the night for Dungeness crabs from the US, Crab Roe Noodles, like those we ate in Macau, and Crispy Chinese Noodles Braised with Sea Cucumber and Fish Maw.

I was bowled over by the crabs and the noodles. First the Dungeness crabs, which have more meat to shell ratio than other crabs. About one-quarter of its weight is meat.

Baked Salted Dungeness Crab... yummy.

We had a male crab served chilled, on ice in a black stone bowl, with its awesome claws shaded black at the pincers draped over it. A thick black vinegar dip was served with this. Again this is no ordinary dip as it had been caramelised, with the sweetness and the tartness perfectly balanced. It was sublime with the firm, sweet flesh of the crab.

I loved it that the carapace of the crab had a thick, creamy lining, and I could almost peel it off the shell. It was for me (the lazy crab eater) the best part of the crab. I did go on to eat a crab claw and enjoyed it as much.

We went on to have Salt Baked Dungeness Crab. This time it was a female one packed with roe, done in that inimitable chiew yim style of Elegant Inn. While the pepper and salt touch the lush meat of the crab, and add to its flavour, we still liked the chilled crab the best.

Crispy Chinese Noodles with Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber... a winner.

The crab is now on the menu, as a fresh batch has just arrived. Its priced from RM138! a crab, depending on size.

Just one glance, and you would love to sink your teeth into the Crispy Chinese Noodles Braised with Sea Cucumber and Fish Maw. There is a nest of crispy noodles appearing at the top, with the rest of them sliding into a slightly thickened superior chicken stock with dried scallops, sea cucumber and fish maw then topped with yellow chives, mushrooms and trimmed beansprouts. There is this dusting of fine prawn roe (har chee), which sends a little shiver down the palate.

Imagine the coming together of the crispy with the al dente noodles soaked in the sauce, the prawn roe, and the sea cucumber and fish maw strips. The noodles had been simmered in the chicken stock, drained, then deepfried, before being plunged into the stock again. So the flavours of the stock clung to every strand.

I have had these incredibly rich and irresistible Crab Roe Noodles on a late night in Macau, and I was delighted to find these replicated, but in a finer style at Elegant Inn. It was no less delicious: the noodles in Macau were drenched with an orangey sauce that owed its colour to the generous portion of crab roe in it. Here at this restaurant, the springy egg noodles were doused with a sauce of crab roe and crabmeat. The sweet essence of fresh crabmeat gave them a tasty lift.

Crab Roe Noodles... sublime.

An appetizer platter of Smoked Duck Breast, century egg from Yung Kee with pickled ginger, and Pak Fah Tofu was a great start to dinner. The juicy and tender smoked duck breast, and the tofu, done to an old-fashioned recipe of beancurd mashed with fishpaste, with a little chopped chilli and spring onion, then shaped and deepfried, were both outstanding.

This was followed by the Trio of Abalone, Stuffed Sea Cucumber and Mushroom. The abalone was smooth and soft which I liked. The Mexican spiny sea cucumber had an eight treasure stuffing, with pork, dried scallops, ! mushroom and waterchestnut, among them, and together they delivered a mlange of delightful flavours and textures.

Eggplant and French Beans in a Spicy Style... delicious.

Who would have thought you could get a spicy vegetable dish in this restaurant? We had eggplant and French beans sauted in an aromatic hot sauce of chilli, dried scallops and dried shrimps (the very tasty Hong Kong variety of har korn). We loved it.

Dessert was Almond Tea with Glutinous Rice Ball and Sweet Osmanthus Waterchestnut Stick. It was executed well, with thick and fragrant almond milk touched with tea presented in a teacup. It was simply heavenly with the waterchestnut stick that was crispy on the outside, and jelly-like on the inside.

This dessert and the Crispy Noodles with Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber are two of seven items that appear in a set menu (for at least two people) at RM118++ per person.

Trio of Stuffed Sea Cucumber, Abalone and Mushroom... deliciously decadent.

There is also a set menu of RM338++ for four to six people, featuring five dishes, among them a Pigs Stomach Soup with peppercorns, Golden Boneless Stuffed Chicken, Live Dragon Tiger Garoupa, and two other dishes you can choose from an extensive list.

The RM88++ per person menu offers six courses Twin Delight Platter with Smoky Prawn Cake and EI Crunchy Nachos, Double-boiled Shark Cartilage Soup with Bamboo Pith and Baby Cabbage, Crunchy Garoupa Slices with Light Spicy Sauce, Old-Fashioned Braised Pork Cartilage Ribs, Ginger Egg Fried Rice and Chilled Longan Sea Coconut with Hasma and Osmanthus Waterchestnut Stick.

Elegant Inn is located at 2.01 2nd floor, Podium Block, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2070-9399).

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