Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Testing

Testing 1 2 3. I don't want Jade to murder me for not posting enough. Hence this trial, so I can post on the go! (^_^)v
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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Jade: Bitemychickenwings

I have a friend who doesn't eat boned chicken..which pretty much means no dark meat..no juicy chicken thighs...no tender drumsticks..and no chicken wings. Honestly, I think that is no way to live..I went through a phase where I had nothing but ready prepared chicken wings from Asda...in retrospect it tasted pretty awful...thank god the whole thing only lasted about 2 weeks..My point is...chicken wings have got to be the most addictive parts of a chicken...that, and maybe chicken necks..Deep fried, baked, grilled, stewed...it's one of those things that is near impossible to ruin, no matter how crap a cook you are. Having said that, perfectly cooked wings are hard to come by...I'm just lucky to have grown up on the perfect wings~my mum makes the most amazing crispy wings that she marinades in honey, soy and chinese wine...So you'll understand when I say I think the oft under appreciated chicken wings deserve to be a food group on their own.

Coca-cola chicken wings~ Like my old flatemate from china used to make

1 pack chicken wings, cleaned and separated into drummets and wings
4-5 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic
Splash of shaoxing wine
Dark soy
Light soy to taste
250ml Coke ~no Diet please
Little bit of brown sugar and a little dribble of balsamic vinegar for more body
Dried chili [optional ~ but that bit of heat balances out the sticky sweetness really well]

1. Brown the chicken wings and set aside
2. In the chicken fat, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant
3. Add shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan
4. Add chicken wings, give a quick stir, add soy sauces and coke
5. Bring to a gentle boil, pop the lid on and let it simmer for about half an hour
6. Add the sugar, vinegar and dried chili, and taste to adjust seasoning and let the sauce reduce for a further 10-15 minutes.. really depends how much gravy you want
7. Perfect with a big bowl of sticky sushi rice. Save your leftovers, if there are any...because these wings and all that thick gravy is divine with scallion pancakes...almost a more peasanty take on peking duck;)

Jade: Bitemyberries

I read a lot of food blogs..and I mean a lot. You'd expect..or in my poor dad's case hope to find at least some clever journals or revision sites on my list of bookmarked sites..but the last time I had a look there was one page I'd saved on heart murmurs about 4 years ago...Food related sites, however..now that's a completely different story...there are about 6 pages on how to make bakwa...10 on ayam pongteh in my quest to find the most authentic version...and I'm not even going to bother keeping track of the memory space dedicated to cupcakes and cookies...I think the most interesting bit about all this, besides the odd 'why didn't I think of that' moments~coke float cupcakes anyone?..is observing the trends floating around. First there were cupcakes..then macarons..at some point I think everyone was making artisan loaves....and then came the fruit pastry cake. Beautifully arranged fruit glistening like little edible jewels enveloped in tender crumbs of cake..I don't normally follow trends..but this time,I just had to make an exception..

Fruit pastry cupcakes~

100g salted
100g castor sugar-I used vanilla sugar
50g yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon zest
3 large eggs
210g SR flour
1 tsp baking powder
Fruit~ I used canned peaches and fresh strawberries because that's what I had

1. Preheat oven to 180'C.
2. Wash fruit and dry thoroughly
3. Add the zest to the sugar and rub to release the oils
4. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy, then add eggs slowly
5. Add vanilla and salt, give it a quick mix and add yoghurt
6. Now either fold in the flour or beat on low speed..I wouldn't overdo the beating
7. Scoop the batter into paper cup
8. Cut your fruit into desired size, and go crazy with the arrangement, just don't press them into the batter or they'll just disappear when your cake rises
9. Bake for about 15 minutes, cover with tin foil to prevent over-browning and bake for another 10-15 minutes
10. Let cool and marvel at the sheer artistry of these little cakes. You could dust them with icing sugar..I was lazy