baking bug

 When I'm in the mood for a bit of baking, I wouldn't mind spending 2-3 hours on something, but it doesn't happen often. Often when I've a "deadline" like having to bring something for a party/morning tea/friend's dinner that's when I don't feel like baking coz cleaning up is such a chore in this tiny tiny kitchen.
Anyway, above, are pineapple tarts which are a traditional malaysian biscuit, eaten at festive occasions like chinese new year. Who knows its actual origins...it could be that the english jam tarts inspired the early malaysians to make their own sort of "jam" using pineapples coz they were cheap and readily available [unlike traditional jam fruits like strawberries, or any sort of berry, really]

They're really yummy, and one of my favourites in the chinese new year cookie tray. If the pastry's made well, the contrast between the crumbly buttery rich pastry and the tangy fibrous cinnamon scented fruity filling is hard to beat. One thing that's hard to get right is the right ratio between pastry and filling. too much of either one and you'd get a disappointing mouthful.

I used a combination of 2 recipes from 2 of my malaysian cookery books, one by Amy Beh and another by Agnes Chang. Basically the pastry's just a rich shortcrust party [like you'd make for a piecrust] and the jam's just jam made with pineapples. It involves whizzing some pineapple pieces in a food processor till it's pulp, then cooking it slowly with sugar and a cinnamon stick till it dries up and turns golden. Some recipes state to use icing sugar instead of regular sugar for the pastry but I think it makes the pastry too soft and falling apart-ish and without enough "bite". Also, I used a food processor to make the dough and added a tiny bit of iced water to bind it up, which worked very well - it had the best "shortness" ever. Also, since I had no moulds, I just pressed balls of dough into a roundish shape and put the jam in the middle to bake - sort of like thumbprint cookies! worked well. However, since this whole project took me close to 3 hours to do - I would recommend making a large amount at a time.
Now...on to our regular meals....

 Above, one of our korean beef and tofu stews, with kimchi and spinach as side dishes.

korean "dakdoritang" which is a chicken, potato and carrot spicy stew. it's not as spicy as it looks though. with radish kimchi and spinach again as side dishes.

masterchef mania

I've lately been hooked on Masterchef [an Aussie reality cooking contest] and hope Billy wins. It's an entertaining program to watch even if you don't cook coz it's full of drama, competition, triumph, devastation, disaster and is a bit of a cultural journey as well with the contestants going around the world cooking up food from all over.I doubt i'd actually try any of the recipes from it though! I'm not out to be a chef. Just want to cook up yummy food for everyday life. Everyone has their favourite contestant and like a sporting event, it's just fun supporting your contestant by watching passively and hoping for the best!

We had a nice dinner at flathead last night in South Hobart.

Below, the grilled trout with roast vegetables that was cooked to perfection. The fish was crispy on the outside and so juicy and tender on the inside and went so well with the vegetables and had a caramelized exterior with so much flavour! I didn't really like beetroot before but after having it in this dish I think I'll like it from now on.

 Gav had the "Lot" which had deep fried everything with tartare sauce and a salad which he said was very tasty.

It's a small place so booking in advance is recommended.

cat blogging

 Us cat owners find our cats amusing to watch no matter what boring thing they may be doing. I find that they look so elegant and graceful just sitting/lying/standing. Somehow, every pose seems like a great photo opportunity! So, here he is enjoying a bit of sun on a cold windy afternoon.

 here he is looking out of a ledge of our wardrobe.

 and.... sitting comfortable on a human bed.

 one of our dinners last week. miso soup, spinach namul, grilled pork ribs in a korean marinade and rice.

the refreshments after a CWA meeting, that victoria sponge in the foreground was absolutely yummy.

a day out in Moonah

Today was my first time ever having a meal at a "hotel". I still don't quite know what classifies something as a hotel. it appears that it may not have rooms to stay in at all and is more of a bar/pub where you can drink, play pool, gamble [keno] and bet on horses. I dont really know what keno is. anyway, so, we walked in to Cooleys Hotel in Moonah and didn't know that the restaurant was separate from the bar. so I waltzed up to the barkeeper and asked "can I have your lunch menu?" and he told me to go to the restaurant which was behind some doors. Hahhaa..I felt quite silly but it being my 1st time eating at such a place, how was I to know? The restaurant was very nice, felt like any other restaurant really. Our server was very warm, cheery and attentive. However, the seafood boullabaise I ordered [above] was quite ..... bad. The soup had a weird, bitter aftertaste that I just couldn't eat. After a few mouthfuls, I gave up and decided to only eat the pieces of seafood in it. what a waste of perfectly good oysters, mussels, salmon, scallops and fish! unfortunately the best part of my meal was the toasted bread. I know if it's just me, perhaps I'm not used to those spices used, or was it coz something was past its best? I'll never know.

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Gav's porterhouse steak [above] however, was good. The bacon and mushroom sauce was really tasty and the meat done just right [with some blood leaking out of it!] I often go for a seafood option whenever possible and he goes for meat. and I'm the one who needs more dietary iron! Of course steamed veggies and chips always go down well with a hunk of meat.

We got this meal at half price because of the entertainment book voucher, else we never would have thought of eating here. Later at the Island markets, we had this caramel souffle slice $5, below, at the churros cafe. It was absolutely delicious, with its layers of what tasted like sponge cake, whipped cream, caramel sauce and crunchy toasted almonds. Too many calories for one person but for two it's not too bad... :P