Sunday 21 February 2010

2010 CNY dinner

2010 CNY Dinner

As K and her husband could not make dinner on 13 February (Reunion Dinner), we decided on the following week, which was yesterday.

Planned to cook 10 dishes and 3 desserts, and for this had all my shopping done a couple of days beforehand. Saturday morning itself, started at around 10 making my desserts first so that they could harden/cool in the fridge. Made my chocolate torte, finished that and then was starting on my mango pudding when I realised I did not have enough gelatine and also needed a pack of mango juice. Yikes, so had to drive to the supermarket to get them, but eeks, no mango juice. Was debating whether to go to another supermarket to get it, but decided against it as had so many other things to do and I was so afraid of running out of time.

By the time I got back, it was around 1+, so starting making my mango pudding. That done, my stomach was calling out to me, so had to take a break to have instant noodles. Turned to TV on just to see what was happening and "East Enders Revealed" was on - (this btw is an English soap that has been going on for a long, long time) -so anyways watched it for a bit but with a heavy heart, had to turn the TV off, otherwise - no dinner for my guests!!

Never made lychee sorbet before, but this was one dessert that I have always wanted to make and boy was it ever so easy. Opened a can of lychees, threw the fruit into a food processor and whizzed it. Then put the whizzed fruit and a pack of lychee juice into an icecream maker and 1/2 hour later - voila - sorbet. Hehe, didnt realise making sorbet was so easy!And yet I didnt take a picture of it! Duh!

The rest of the afternoon flew by and I am pleased to say that I managed to finish everything by about 8 - so just in time for dinner!

Recipes to follow shortly!

Our guests

Braised Beef with Daikon

Roasted Chicken Wings

Scallops with Asparagus

Steamed Monkfish

Steamed Fish Paste Roll

Siew Yoke

Gado2

Prawn, Mango and Banana Packet

The picture does not do this dish justice. I use wafer paper and in it I have prawns, sliced mango and banana. To top it, I add a litle sauce of condensed milk and mayo. Yumm!
Chicken Ngoh Hiang

I decided to make Chicken Ngor Hiang as one of my guests prefers chicken and I have been wanted to try this dish out for a long time. If you use chicken thigh, it is actually quite moist and tasty. I was worried it would turn out dry but not so!
Yee Sang

Chocolate Torte

Mango Pudding

Sunday 14 February 2010

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Wishing all my friends and readers a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. May this year bring you Peace, Happiness and Good Health! Oh and I almost forgot - Happy Valentine's Day too!

Saturday 13 February 2010

Finally

Finally

Whew! Managed to nearly complete my tasks for today. Did 5 loads of washing today. Made sugee biscuits, acar and also a strawberry shortcake.

Wanted to do the strawberry shortcake for valentine's day tomorrow but since Katrina's future parents-in-law were coming to tea, thought I'd make it today. This is the first time we are meeting them, so...

Last 2 things left to do. Bake one more batch of pineapple tarts - jam already done this morning, so just have to make the dough and then wipe down the glass of the extractor fan and I think I'm done!







Friday 12 February 2010

Chinese New Year Cookies

Chinese New Year Cookies

When I went back to SG in Sept, chanced across a heart shaped pineapple tart mould in NTUC and got myself one. So this year, instead of the normal round one, made a heart shaped one. Trouble is I love pineapple tarts and also, because I have given some away to friends and colleagues, have to bake my third batch this Saturday again because it has run out.



Also made peanut cookies - Pat prefers these to pineapple tarts.
Recipe can be found in the archives.



The other cookies that I made as well was Kuih Bangkit. Trouble with Kueh Bangkit is that I have never got it looking right. The taste was good but I always ended up with the dough spreading out after baking. that is until now. I finally worked out not to add so much coconut milk to it and boy, was I ever so pleased. I got proper looking kuih bangkits!



After seeing a fellow blogger talk about Kueh Belanda or Love Letters (they call it Kueh Kapit in Malaysia, I decided to try it out as well. I have 2 of these molds as my mum brought it for me yonks ago but I had never trie it. So tried that and not that great, but I think good enough for a first time and it tastes good as well!

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