Eat, Pray, Love: March 2013

Hello lovelies! It's Easter and I thought that I should dedicate a post to this special occasion. Easter might be so commercialised and overwhelmed by Easter eggs, Easter bunny, Hot cross buns etc. It can mean a long weekend for you where you can catch up with friends, work, play or maybe sleep. All in all, these cannot represent how imperative this occasion means to me. It's a day of salvation where all of us are FREE, where a heartbroken yet meaningful sacrifice had been made, where we can have a personal relationship with God despite our sins and where we are able to conquer everything through His resurrection.

And so, I decided to celebrate this weekend with some baking and cooking.

Penne with asparagus pesto

Ingredients:

- Asparagus

- Penne

- Prawn

- Eggplant

- Garlic

- Sundried tomato

- Salt and pepper

- Pine nuts

- Danish feta

- Extra virgin olive oil

Methods:

1) Cook penne according to the instructions on the packet.

2) Boil a pot of hot water with some salt inside. Put asparagus inside until it turns bright green.

3) Recipe for asparagus pesto here.

4) Saute garlic, prawn and eggplant together. Add in penne and saute for a little while with addition of some salt and pepper.

5) Add in sundried tomato.

Notes: I didn't add baby spinach and lemon into the asparagus pesto. The pesto tasted a little bit vegetable-ish, I guess more salt and danish feta will be helpful. I tried to make my own sundried tomato but not really successful. You can refer to the methods of making sundried tomato here. Optionally, you can get sundried tomato without much hassle from supermarket.

Penne with asparagus pesto

Asparagus and poached egg with hollandaise sauce + Mashed sweet potato

Ingredients:

- Egg

- Prawn

- Garlic

- Mixed greens

- Cherry tomato

- Asparagus

Mashed sweet potato

- Sweet potato

- Milk

- Butter

- Exta virgin olive oil

- Salt and pepper

Hollandaise sauce

- Egg yolk

- Water

- Butter

- Lemon juice

- Salt and pepper

Mustard vinaigrette (with red wine vinegar)

- Dijon mustard

- Egg yolk

- Red wine vinegar

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Salt and pepper

Methods:

1) Recipe for Hollandaise sauce here.

2) Recipe for sweet potato mash here. I omitted the addition of balsamic vinegar and used purple sweet potato instead of orange sweet potato. It turned out smooth and delicious.

3) Recipe for mustard vinaigrette here. Use extra virgin olive oil for vegetable oil and red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar. I wanted to make mayonnaise initially but it turned out to be a different taste (more sour due to addition of red wine vinegar). Blend the egg yolk using food processor. Be aware of the choice of egg yolk as uncooked egg yolk can pose the risk of Salmonella infection. Choose fresh intact egg with its whites and yolk separated.

4) Recipe for poached egg here. I didn't add white wine vinegar in my poached egg.

Notes: This took me 2 hours for preparation but it is worthwhile as the resulting meal was satisfying.

Asparagus and poached egg with hollandaise sauce + Mashed sweet potato

Poached egg

Grilled avocado stuffed chicken breast

Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- Avocado
- Cherry tomato
- Garlic
- Lime/lemon
- Plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- Butter and olive oil

Recipe here.

Notes: I substitute pork chop with chicken breast for health reason and availability. Cherry tomato is an add on to the recipe as I love a tinge of sourness in my meal. Check out the above recipe for mustard vinaigrette.

Grilled avocado stuffed chicken breast

Lemon thyme cupcakes with salted caramel filling

Ingredients:
- Lemon
- Thyme
- Plain flour
- Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Sea salt
- Thickened cream

Methods
1) Salted caramel fillings recipe here.
2) Lemon thyme cupcakes recipe here.

Notes: Heavy cream in the salted caramel recipe is equivalent to thickened cream. Add sea salt for further boost of flavour. I had been trying to incorporate salted caramel as a filling in the cupcakes but I failed to do so. I had tried to pour half the cupcake mixture and put salted caramel, then covered it with another half of the mixture. As salted caramel will melt, so the effect was not too good. In the end, I filled the salted caramel in my nozzle and force through the cupcakes, creating a wound-like cupcakes, just like the wound on Jesus' hands and feets.

Hot cross bun-like lemon and thyme cupcakes

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3: 16)

That's all for my Easter's cooking and baking. Check out other stories here. Have a blessed Easter!

Love, Victoria

How many of you guys like soup, especially during the chilly weather? Well, I love slurping soup down my throat, feeling the warmth at my stomach. That reminds me of my home and mummy's dish too. Such a relief and reminiscence you can get when you are oversea. So, this week is about SOUP. In case you miss out on the previous weeks' recipe, you can check it out here.

Day 1

Bak Kut Teh / Pork Ribs Soup

Ingredients:

- Pork ribs

- Fried tofu puff

- Enoki mushroom

- Cos Lettuce

- Dark Soy Sauce

- Soy Sauce

- Garlic

- Bak Kut Teh Herbal Soup Pack

Recipe here.

Note: Rice will be a great combination to Bak Kut Teh. I omitted canned straw mushrooms and fried fritters.

Bak Kut Teh

You can easily make your own sauce for pork ribs by mixing chopped garlic with soy sauce.

Sauce for pork ribs

Day 2

Zucchini, Leek, Potato and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
- Zucchini
- Leek
- Carrot
- Potato
- Vegetable or chicken stock
- Butter

Recipe here.

Note: You can add some variation to the soup, such as bacon and celery. For healthier option, omit the addition of cream into the soup. Blend the soup to get the puree and add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt instead.

Zucchini, Leek, Potato and Carrot Soup

Day 3

Carrot and Leek Soup

Ingredients
- Carrot
- Leek
- Vegetable/Chicken stock
- Butter

Recipe here.

Note: Use the stalk part of leek instead of the leaf as the leaf might be hard and affect the colour of the soup. Leek can be a good substitute to onion as both enhance the flavour of the dishes.

Carrot and Leek Soup

Day 4

Steamed Chicken with Wolfberry (Goji) and Red Dates

Ingredients:

- Chicken breast

- Wolfberry

- Red Dates

- Salt, Pepper, Oyster sauce, Shaoxing Wine, Sesame oil

Methods:

1) Season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Leave it for few hours

2) Boil a pot of water.

3) Arrange seasoned chicken breast with red dates and wolfberry in a plate. Add some warm water to ensure the chicken breast won't dry out.

4) Steam it over the boiling water for around 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

5) Serve it with rice or noodle.

Steamed Chicken Breast with Wolfberries and Red Dates

Day 5

Tau Yu Bak/Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce

Ingredients:

- Pork belly

- Fried Tofu Puff

- Egg

- Anise

- Cinnamon stick

- Five spice powder

- Garlic

Recipe here.

Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce + Stir Fried Cos Lettuce with Enoki Mushroom

Hope this keeps you warm. *Smiles*

Love, Victoria

Onyx Dessert Lounge is a fairly new dessert spot in Adelaide for around 5 months, as I am writing, now. It is a lounge situated at one of the famous dining street, O' Connell Street. Its feature is desserts and cocktails as well as the ambience. Cocktails and desserts make a good combination as both flavours blend together to provide a balance for our taste buds.

I passed by this place out of random and I was deeply attracted by its colourful interior (scroll down and you will get to see it!). That was how I was strongly motivated to visit this lounge. And so, me and my friends went there for her graduation and birthday celebration. Food journey starts NOW!

We were greeted by a friendly Onyx team member and the contemporary decor as we entered the door. The decor is simple yet trendy, oozing out the playfulness through the mix and match of bright colour from curtains, sofa, wall and bar.

The interior decor

There is a multi coloured semi-glass panel near the kitchen area. Onyx team has been wanting to create an European ambience for its customers in embarking on their food journey.

Bar area

We were assigned to a private seating area which is suitable for big group of people. It looked like a giant fitting room, being surrounded by transparent curtains. I really liked the settings as it provided intimacy within our group of friends.

View from my seat

Apart from its contemporary setting, Onyx is standing out uniquely from its peer by displaying its menu on a TABLET! It consists of 13 pages, including desserts, cocktails, snacks, wine and main meals. This could mean that you can have your dinner all settled in a dessert lounge not to mention treating yourself to a dessert feast.

For the cocktails, Onyx has catagorised them into 4 different sense of taste. Reference to the waiter regarding the matching of cocktail to certain dessert is highly recommended. As we choose what to clothe, desserts do match well with certain type of cocktail. That would bring out the best of both.

The table menu

The waiting staffs were really polite and professional in ensuring their customers to have a five-star service. The drinks and desserts were served shortly after we ordered. A napkin folded in a tower shape was provided for each of us.

Napkin

Can't wait to see the presentation of cocktails and desserts? I feel you! So, here you go!

Cocktails

Snickers Martini

It is a liquid snickers being served in a martini glass with nutty caramel sheet. The nutty caramel tastes like chinese nutty sugar bar. The smell of alcohol is strong with a tinge of sweet snicker within. The bottom of the glass is filled with caramel where the sweetness originates. This can be ordered in combination with Cuban Chocolate Square or Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake.

Snickers Martini

St Germain Sour

It lies in the sour section of cocktail. It is a combination of elderberries, lemon, mint, and passionfruit which will give you a refreshing start to your dessert. The passionfruit sorbet is not too sweet, whereas the addition of mint further enhances the cocktail. There is not much alcoholic element in this, hence it is recommended for those who can't stand the smell of alcohol and yet want to have a try.

St Germain Sour

Onyx Expresso Martini

A coffee enthusiast? This can be your choice. Onyx's style of mixing vanila vodka, frangelino, fresh coffee and creme de cacao together has produced this martini where you can taste both coffee and alcohol. Interestingly, the foamy layer will still remain even after you drink till the bottom of the glass. This was ordered in combination with Chocolate Fondant.

Expresso Martini

Cocktails

Desserts

Chocolate Fondant

with Poached Pear, Creme Angalaise (light pouring custard), Nutmeg Chantilly (whipped cream) and Honey Honeycomb

Instead of being gooey, the chocolate fondant is a little bit dry and not too sweet. There is only a little amount of melted chocolate in the middle of fondant, which makes it not too surprising. The ginger ice cream is special as it exudes sweetness and spiciness at the same time. Worthwhile to be mentioned, Onyx has incorporated gold leaf on poached pear, which makes this dessert an exquisite one. Its effort of making the honeycomb is applaudable too as the strands are pretty even in texture.

Chocolate fondant

Cuban Chocolate Square

with Burnt Milk Gelato, Praline Cigar and Hazelnut Praline

This is another top effortful dessert in Onyx as it is full of creativity. Do you notice the long radar which is radiating from the caramelised sugar blob? You will be surprised that it is quite stable and sturdy. In addition, the cigar which is made up of praline has soft fillings within the harder covering. It tastes like Magnum Ice Cream. For the chocolate square, you can taste the rich dark chocolate before the rum kicks in as it contains alcohol. However, the ice cream is pretty normal and tastes like vanilla ice cream instead.

Cuban Chocolate Square

Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake

with Balsamic Ice Cream, Fig Jelly, Caramelized Fig, Grape Gel and Cinnamon Lavosh

The cheesecake has a subtle flavour instead of being cheesy. I still prefer a rich cheesecake though. The knife which is biscuit-like is really unique as you can eat the whole knife without hurting your throat. The fig jelly is indescribable, probably because fig is one of the incomprehensible fruits for me.

Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake

Sticky Date Pudding

with Caramel Sauce, Orange Peel Ice Cream and Blood Orange Jelly

Sticky date pudding tastes pretty good aside from the more-buttery-than-usual texture. I really like the orange peel ice cream as it gives us the summery feeling where our taste buds are further stimulated for further degustation. Blood orange jelly is being decorated by gold leaf too.

Sticky Date Pudding

Lemon Sugar Caramelized Vanilla Creme Brulee

with Chocolate Ganache and Palet Breton

The creme brulee is soft with caramelized top layer. Chocolate ganache is more rich than the Cuban Chocolate Square. Besides that, the palet breton which is a french biscuit has a crunchy texture.

Lemon Sugar Caramelized Vanilla Creme Brulee

Yours truly blogger

The dessert team

On overall, Onyx provides its customers a tip-top experience in regards to its creativity and effort in presenting the dessert, not to mention the variety of self-created mixed cocktails. The ambience and customer service which are excellent have contributed to my pleasant dining experience too. However, the desserts and cocktails are pretty expensive, ranging from $16-$22. The desserts are pretty subtle in flavour. This would be a great place if you are looking for a special hang out event and birthday celebration.

It is an Easter weekend. What does Easter mean to you besides the long weekend? To me, it is a time of gratitude and appreciation of what Jesus has done on the cross for us. Have a blessed Easter!

Love, Victoria

Website: http://onyxdesserts.com/lounge/

Address: 163 O'Connell Street, North Adelaide, SA 5006

Trading hours: 6pm-12pm (Wed-Thurs), 5pm-1am (Fri-Sat), 4pm-10pm (Sun)

Hey guys! This week I am going to feature on these two ingredients which are BASIL and FETA. Do check out Greek yogurt story last week!

Basil is a kind of herbs which has various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects, DNA protection, antibacterial and antioxidants properties. I really love its fragrant smell and it can enhance the flavour of any dishes, be it Western or Asian.

Feta cheese is a cheese type made up of whole sheep's milk which has a creamy and crumbly texture. It has a tangy and salty taste, hence making it suitable to be used in salad or as table cheese. However, it has saturated fat and cholesterol which is bad for our health.