homemade Sundried Tomatoes

Last night i was surfing the net and stumble upon this blog where the writer phrase the glory of sun dried tomatoes, how sweet, flavorful and nutritious it is. It is good on its own, great binging snack and surprise! kids loves it too...and true enough my vege hater son likes this unlikely snack. Sun dried tomatoes have the same nutritional value as the fresh tomatoes they are made from: they are high in Lycopene, antioxidants, vitamin C and low in sodium, fat, and calories. anyway seeing all those pictures of yummy tomatoes *ahem* dried up tomatoes....*shrugs* mmm to be honest i hate raw tomatoes and i can't imagine those people able to just bite into the red plump and juicy tomatoes...yes tomatoes are sweet and sour at the same time i give you that but there's this certain 'raw' taste that i can't seem to swallow...you know what i mean? but when it is cooked correctly i love it to bits...

unfortunately ready made sun dried tomatoes are not easy to find in Malaysia. but lucky for us it is easy enough to make yourself and be proud of it hehehehe~ the method is i presume the same with dried fruits...it make sense huh? ok what i did was...oh wait the ingredients...what you need

* 1kg of bright red ripe tomatoes
* 2clove of garlic chopped
* some dried herbs i use parsley and thyme
* kosher salt or sea salt
* olive oil to brush and some to preserve.

wash tomatoes and then slice them. i divide a tomato (mine was a large tomato) into 4 nice thick slices. slice all tomatoes.
*you wouldn't want to slice it too thinly coz it will shrink A LOT!
then pat it dry and brush them with olive oil and sun dry it for 2-3 days in a row, take it in during the night.
2nd day, you brush the tomatoes again and sprinkle garlic, herb mixture and salt then let it dry again.

We Malaysian are lucky coz the tomatoes can dry up in just 2 days or sometimes 1 1/2day (coz its really hot here) then you can have your snack or preserve it... i was sun drying my tomatoes today until it start raining late afternoon so i have to go for plan B. that is Oven dry tomatoes.

to Oven dry it you need a low low low heat, and let it dry for 1-1.5hrs if you have fan in the oven but if like me my oven don't have that feature so it took me slightly more than 2 hrs.
but today i cheated a bit instead of using 100c i crank it up just abit ooo about mmm 120c then towards the end i crank it up abit more to 135c coz i can't wait to eat coz after sprinkling the herbs and garlic, i can hear my tummy rumbles coz its soooooooooo fragrant!
but if you were to follow my step becareful coz you might burn them instead so set your timer and check on them once in a while and see how they are doing.

PRESERVING SUN/OVEN DRIED TOMATOES

to preserve your homemade sun/oven dried tomatoes, just prepare a glass jar, sterilize it 1st
though then fill those yummie tomatoes up then fill in olive oil until it fully cover the tomatoes.

TIPS

* you can use the olive oil from the preserved to saute whatever coz it'll be infused with flavors (tomatoes, garlic and herbs) or just toss it with pasta or salad with some vinaigrette.

* when you used up your tomatoes refill your olive oil making sure covering the remaining tomatoes

Sweet Secrets with Anna Olson Event by AFC

as promised here are the photos of the Sweet Secrets with our beloved chef Anna Olson....

thats was the emcee...can't remember his name though...

this is the founder of AFC...young huh? he is too a chef (if i was not mistaken)

Anna was chatting with the VIP guest ...chef Wan is one of them...

Banana Caramel Cheese cake

Cuppachino Nanaimo Bar

the Lady Baltimore cake as demonstrated by Anna

That's me having a little chat with Anna

and that's my mom btw...

Me and Chef Mike Olson. He made our brunch that day and i tell ya it was wonderful. I love his Slow roast beef....

p/s: i'll update the pictures again later coz it seems that either blogger or my connection is acting up so ...til next time...enjoy reading / surfing / trying my recipes ^_^

Roast beef fillet with abergine sandwich

i was watching Barefoot Contessa the other day and saw taken by her beef fillet sandwich it seem so simple to make except that she had horseradish something something. well for us Malaysian we can hardly find horese radish anything (not in my town anyway) so with her method i tweeked the
recipe to suit our taste or rather ingredient availability...

and as for abergine or eggplant part...i just thought that it'll be a great addition to a sandwhich so WHY NOT?why not throw that it while we're at it? i know it might sound odd putting abergine in a sandwhich, us Malaysia only use it in a curry based dish but never on a sandwhich...but it works! abergine is a very 'meaty' vegetable i can asure you that you'll love it...even a non vege eating person will love it coz its so good that you don't even think that its vegetable...am i over exagerating things here? well that's how i feel and true enough my non eating vegetable son LOVES it and he's a picky picky eater! so its worth a try...(anything to make the kids eat veges huh?)

you can see Ina Garten version of recipe here. her version have nothing to do with abergine and she had arugula or rocket as her greens...but i don't have that... looked at coldstorage last night and they were out...so i settled for lettuse but look for a good crunchy ones avoid those that turning yellow or mushed leaves (pssst check the bottom of the packaging and see if it is any good, don't just look on the surface or you might be fooled)

anyway here's my version of it... you need:-

Roast Beef fillet with abergine sandwich:-
2-3pound of fillet of beef trimmed and tied
1tsp corse Dijion mustard
2tsp fresh coarsly grounded blackpepper
2tsp of kosher salt or sea salt (this seem alot but its the only flavor the beef will have ;) )
a table spoon of butter - room temp
a set of sliced sandwhich bread lightly toasted. - i use wholemeal rustic bread
1 round abergine
lettuse or arugula
alfalfa
a slice of cheddar cheese or any cheese you like... ^_^

the beef fillet once rubbed with butter and dijion mustard mixture

already seasoned with salt and pepper

20minutes later....you can see how juicy it is. its still slight under cook which is good...a touch of pink in the middle...at this point, let it rest for another 15-20 minutes (the beef will keep cooking while resting and then the beef will be nice and tender and juice mmmm mmmm~)

mix butter and dijon mustard well then rubb it on the beef fillet (pat it dry first before rubbing it in, this will ensure that the butter sticks) then season it with salt and blackpepper. and roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes in a 190C preheated oven.

then the most important step in beef roasting is to let it REST for another 15-20minutes, oh don't forget to cover it with aluminium foil when resting it.

meanwhile...for the abergine:-

slice a round abergine thickly about 1/2 an inch or you can do it thicker. then rub it with salt let it sit for a minute or two, this will draw the slight bitterness of the abergine out. then rinse it and then pat it dry. spread the leftover mustard butter mixture and start grilling. a couple of minutes each side then season it with a bit of salt and we are done.

Sandwhich dressing:

1tbs plain yogurt
1tbs sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1tsp smoked powdered paprika
1tsp honey
a pinch of salt and b/pepper.

just combine all and ready to use. don't worry about the paprika it'll just give you a hint of heat.

isn't it gorgeous..i wish that you can smell this...

Assemble your sandwich, starting with spreading butter on your toast. this will prevent the toast being soaked by the dressing later. then layer in the cheese then the abergine then the cheese again then the lettuse/arugula (arugula taste A LOT better than lettuse). drizzle in the dressing....(my mouth is literally watering right now) then the sliced beef...i like to slice it rather thin so that i can have more than 3 slice in a sandwich plus its easier to eat but you cut it any how you like... then top it with alfalfa and drizzle in the dressing again and end it with another toast. Ahhh~ that's a handful of sandwich and though its seem simple but it is as filling as it should be. have it with corn on a cob on the side or a simple potatoe salad and you are set...

Assembling the sandwich....mmm yummy!

tah dahhhh~

Brunch with Anna Olson

Anna and her husband...such a sweet couple. she's explaining on how to take a good picture...lol

it was quite a turn out

this is me and my mom

Oh my GOD...yesterday i went to a brunch with Anna Olson....its an AFC even but anyway it s awesome she made us a whole stretch of desserts mostly from her book sugar and another cup of sugar...and the brunch itself was done by her husband Michael Olson. we had slow roast beef which is delightfully scrumptious, Cod with risotto, goat cheese terrine errr...i can't remember the names of the food but its all delicious... the 300+ ticket is all worth it.

And as for Anna, she is soooo witty and funny and also she is so slim & slander i mean when you see her in sugar and fresh she doesn't look that slim but in real life she is like stick thin...we were pleasantly surprise. btw i went to the brunch with my beloved mom and she didn't want to go coz she said that it wasn't her thang but when she we arrive there she got really excited coz she got to take a picture with Anna and chef Wan...yup he was there too as a VIP guest. if you are wondering who is chef Wan, he is Malaysian top celebrity chef...he's pretty famous ;)

oh oh enough blabbering...i am soo happy that i was able to met Anna Olson and her husband in person coz i'm a HUGE fan...


this is what i've gathered from the menu :

Lunch Menu at the Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur+

Appetiser

Beet & Goat Cheese Terrine

With Grapefruit and Pistachio

First Course

A choice of Seafood in Parchment Parcels

OR

Mushroom Bisque++

Main Course

A choice ofSlow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Maple Onion Cream,

Potato Perogies and Roasted Root Vegetables

OR

Grilled Cod with Tomato Vinaigrette

With Lemon Risotto and Asparagus with Avocado Cilantro “Butter”

OR

Spinach, Corn and Herb Stuffed Pepper with Sweet Pepper Coulis++

Cheese Course

Walnut, Fig & Brie Tart

With Frisée Salad

Lunch Demonstration Dishes

Lady Baltimore Cake

Banana Caramel Cheesecake

Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars

***sorry, i have loads of pictures here but i can't resize it therefore i'm having problem uploading those pictures...but no worries i will do it as soon as i figure out how to resize it heheeh***

Uric Acid attack: how do you prepare food for ppl with this problem?

i know i haven't been blogging much lately...it just because i was so bz with something else and that something else is mostly my hubby. he had kidney stone, operated and now recovering at home. with this the good doctor gave me a long list of NO NOs to keep uric acid at bay.

what happen:
well one fatefull night, i've been woken up by my daughter asking for milk. then as i was just trying to go back to sleep, hubby kindda slap me on my forearm and i was like ouch! what was that for? then i saw his face in the dim light (mm macam tulis novel la plak) he looked funny but i can tell that he was in pain. i asked him whats wrong? another gastric attack? he was just moaning in pain then i ran dwn stairs and look for bascopan and a gastric pills (yes doctors gave him pills and yes he had several gastric attacks for the past months) but it didn't helped at all.

he said i need to go to the hospital i cannot stand it anymore. then i looked at my sleeping children thinking "gosh, how am i gonnal carry and bring them all?" my parents was not around at the time but lucky for my my younger brother was at home neahe by. called him for help...and this was around 3:45am or something.

so they went to the hospital and half an hour later my brother called telling me that husband have to be admitted and apparently the M.O gave him 2 concoction of pain killer and THAT didn't help with the pain. so they did the scan and saw the 3mm stone trying to pass its was out. you see 3mm is big for a stone coz our kidney ureter?(salur pundi) is only 2mm in size so according to the doctor thats why its so painful. hubby thought that he's about to die and frankly speaking i never knew that kidney stone ia a painful disease. anyway....so the very next morning he had to do the operation - a non abrasive one, thank God...but with all this the hard part is controlling the uric acid

my husband uric acid is 500 and thats VERY high! hmmmm....and apparently he can't eat

• meat - beef & muttons
  
• all kinds or beans and nuts especially soy which includes soy sauce <---teruk lah
• ikan bilis/anchovies, sardines
• shell fish: clams,cockles, crabs even squids
• meat extracts - gravies, stocks
• cauliflowers
• spinach
• cabbage
• all sorts of nuts

and the list went on and on and on...and i was like this is crazy shit....and now i'm having hard time cooking...*frowns* chicken he can eat them but must be in moderate but best to stay away. thats what the doctor said when i asked him last week.

so i am begging anyof you who had the same or similar experience to advice me on the food, perhaps sharing with me some recipes? i really need some help here *banging head on the wall*

thanks...any tips shared is greatlt appreciated!

Chocolate Mint cake - adaption -

this is a recipe originated from kak Ummi's kitchen. My children loves this cake much to my suprise i thought kids hate minty flavor but i suppose the combo of mint and chocolate is a palate pleaser.

My verdict:-
its a rather moist cake provided that you do not over beat the batter. fairly easy to make, its a no brainer just follow the instruction to the letter. and you'll be OK. ;) Our family loves this cake so its a keeper. I highly recommend you to try - if youre up to something different ;)

MY adaptation to the recipe:
200g flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
230g butter
180g granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
21/2tbsp dutch processed coco powder
50ml fresh milk
few drops of green coloring
few drops of peppermint essence/extrat (do not go overly EXCITED with this one or you'll end up having toothpaste flavor cake *L0L*)

preheat oven to 175c. line a 8"x8" cake tin with parchment paper.
sift flour, baking powder and baking soda then mix butter and flour into a paste consistant batter. set aside.
in a different bowl beat eggs with sugar until thick then add in vanilla.
then mix together the flour mixture and the egg mixture. beat until fluffy, the batter will look shiny/glossy at this point.
devide the batter into 2 portions. portin A mix it with coco powder then portion B mix it with peppermint and green coloring - mix well.
then pour the batter alternately onto the center overlapping with each other, this will create the marbeling effect. then tap the pan to let any bubbled out and bake for 45mins or until the cake test done. if the top of the cake browns too fast, cover it with aluminium foil.

NOTE: for the coco powder, its best if you were to dilute it with a table spoon or two of water for easy mixing.

Mini Cheese Shortbread Tart

this is no ordinary tart... its crust is actually made from shortbread cookie recipe which i personally think gives it a rather refreshing taste then the ususal pastry tart crust...although the ingredients is almost the same but its the method of making it makes a lot of difference in taste and texture.
hence i prefer this crust than the later. this just shows how versatile shortbread can be...

if i'm not mistaken, shortbread was scottish in origin and was served exclusively during chrismas, like us serving lemang or ketupat palas for Eid celebration. but nowadays it seems that we can have it all year round in different froms such as this cute miniature tart shells enjoyed as tart.

Although making these tart shells was not THAT eazy particularly bacause of its almost super soft dough (does that make any sense?) anyway you need to pat/dust your hands with some flour while handling the dough other wise it'll be difficult because we need to mold the a little dough into a ball then press into a miniature tart/muffin pan then bake them until just delicately browned.

why i love this crust is because you can make it ahead of time and freeze it.

Here's the recipe:

For Crust :-
1c room temperature butter
55g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2c flour - and some extra for handling/molding
30g cornstarch

preheat oven at 175c.
cream butter and sugar then add in vanilla mix well then add in flour and cornstarch. mix until just incorporated. then start molding into the tart tins. when done chill it for a while, this will reduce the puffiness when baking. then bake for about 15-20 mins depending on oven, mine actually took approximately 25mins or just make sure it browns lightly than its done.

TIP: halfway during baking time carefully prick the crust with a bamboo stick if it puffed up then check again in 5 minute or so and repeat if needed.

Cheese Fillings:-
230g cream cheese
350g sweetened condensed milk (susu pekat manis)
juice and zest from 1 lemon
1tsp of vanilla essence

Garnish:
variety of berries - mini strawberries or black berries, blueberries, raspberries all make a beautiful and appertising garnishes.

cream all fillings ingredients until nice thick and fluffed but DO NOT OVER BEAT or it will turn runny. then pipe the fillings into the tart shells and garnish it. let chill for a while before serving. of transfer fillings into a piping bag and let it chill until serving time then pipe it into tart shells,garnish and serve.

easy huh?
ok hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do...any question feel free to ask.. ;)

happy baking!