Thursday, July 28, 2011

Secrets to Oriental Evergreen Beauty and Wellbeing - Osmanthus and Chrysanthemum Flowers Exotic Teas and Sweets

In the midst of a sultry southern hemisphere summer afternoon, flowers will lift your moods, douse the heat and regenerate energies.

Sipping a cup of osmathus and fruits is an age old beauty formula (not much of a secret now if you know how). A simple recipe of Osmanthus fruit tea :

1. Throw in two thin slices of starfruit (carambola) and bashed kamquat (either fresh or dried) into a slightly warmed tea pot.

2. Put osmanthus dried flower and leaves into a tea ball or tea strainer and fit across the tea pot.

3. Pour boiled water to steep tea and fruits.

4. Rest for 5 minutes and it's ready for drinking.

Osmanthus Jelly

1. Dissolve a packet of standard gelatine powder or leaf in 1/2 cup water a large dish.

2. Boil water and make a pot of 700 ml of osmanthus tea. You may strain the flowers but it is not necessary as they provide a pretty decoration to the jelly.

3. Dissolve castor brown sugar in the tea.

4. Pour tea into the gelantine and stir well. You may wish to spoon into smaller moulds.

5. Cool for 20 minutes, cover and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours before removing from moulds and serving.




Chrysanthemum Tea

1. Make chrysanthemum tea as with osmanthus tea above.

2. Pour hot tea over goji berry.

Chrysanthemum Jelly
Prepare gelatine mixture.
Pour hot chrysanthmum tea and goji berry over gelatine.
Mix well and pour into mould or cups.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Homemade Slow Roast Cashew Nuts - best in the world

I have given up buying cooked cashew nuts from moderately to highly priced of all sorts from supermarkets or gourmet stores. With the exception of very few speciality nut vendors, the taste and texture are disappointing to say the least.



Once you have done home-made cashews, you probably won't bother to try any of the ready cooked ones anymore. Though it may not mean savings, it is well worth the effort (not much actually)!

Purchase premium quality large size cashew nuts from nut shop, grocers that get supplies from reputable importers or health food stores.

Pour boiling water into cashew in a large pot. Give it a quick stir, ensuring that the nuts remain intact and are not broken. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. (Note : the water should just cover the nuts by 2 cm.)

Drain and repeat with another pot of hot water.

(Note : if this step is skipped and the nuts are baked or roast, it will take a much longer time cook the nuts and the results won't be as delicious)

Drain and transfer into an ovenproof pan. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle with salt.

Put the tray into a preheat oven of 150 degrees. After 15 minutes, stir the nuts and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 120 degrees. Roast for another 90, during which the nuts should be checked and tossed at least 4 times.

When nuts look light golden colour, turn off the heat.

Remove from oven and sprinkle a little brown castor sugar. Mix well. Return to the oven and let it continue to absorb some residue heat and infuse the sugar.

(Note : do not roast the cashew nuts till it is brown as it will have a bitter and burnt taste)

Alternatively, the nuts can be deep-fried in oil. However, that would be a less healthy option. Moreover, you have to be very quick to avoid getting the nuts overly brown as they burnt quite easily.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Versatile Verjuice - versatile traditional French ingredient given a new breath of life in modern western cuisines

I have recently discovered the uses and versatility of verjuice. Despite the initial inertia and apprehension of trying something out of my comfort zone, I managed to gain confidence after following some recipes successfully.


What is verjuice? Verjuice is the juice extracted from large unripened grapes which is unfermented (unlike wine) and popularly used in classic French cooking. Some Mediterranean cuisines also use verjuice, owing to the abundance of grapes grown in these regions.

To sum up, verjuice has the lemony taste without the tartness and acidity of vinegar and citrus fruits. Verjuice is also a good substitute for wine for those with dietary restrictions.

MARINADE
- roast pork marinade for crispy skin
- fish and other seafood

SAUCES
- vinaigrette salad dressing by mixing with herbs
- salad cream : whip with egg yolk, seasoning and vegetable oil
- toss in pasta with olive oil
- pickled vegetables

COOKING
- deglaze meat in stir fry
- moisten halfway through cooking meat or root vegetables
- add to vegetables or seafood soup
- paella or fried rice
- fried noodle

DESSERT
- syrup for cakes
- poach pear or quince
- apple pie
- sorbet
- jelly
- soak dried or fresh fruits

Verjuice has made a swift comeback in recent times. Maggie Beer popularised when she ventured into and successfully bottled it commercially, as well as recommending various uses for verjuice.

Verjuice novice cooks may want to experiment with less expensive verjuice available in some larger supermarkets in the beginning, so that making a few failed attempts would be quite affordable.

Tribute to a wonderful chef without advertising the product :
http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/products/details/?Item=PrdctsVerjuice62

More recipes to try out :
http://www.welshmansreef.com/welshmansreef8.html