Bits of Heaven

diveintotheculinaryworlds

B I T S O F H E A V E N

WHY IS BREAKFAST IMPORTANT?

There is a good reason why breakfast is frequently referred to as "the most important meal of the day." Breakfast breaks the overnight fast, as the name implies. It provides other crucial nutrients needed for good health while also replenishing your supply of glucose to increase your energy and alertness.

the first meal of the day especially

taken

the

PANCAKES PANCAKES

HistoryofPancake

Pancakes are an American classic. Without these fluffy piles of delight stacked high and served with syrup, butter, and all of your favourite toppings, breakfast and brunch would be wholly lacking.

Although you've probably had pancakes every morning for as long as you can remember, these adorable little fellas have been around for thousands of years!

Wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk were the ingredients used to make pancakes in classical Greece and Rome. Cratinus and Magnes, two early Greek poets, both included references to pancakes in their works. Even in his well-known plays, Shakespeare makes reference to them. Spices, rosewater, sherry, and apples were used to flavour pancakes during the English Renaissance.

The word "pancake" first appeared in use in the 15th century, and it eventually became widely used in America in the 19th century. They were formerly known as flapjacks, Indian cakes, hoe cakes, johnnycakes, trip cakes, buckwheat cakes, and griddle cakes. Buckwheat or cornmeal were used to make the first pancakes in America.

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine together the flour, sugar (or sweetener), baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, slightly cooled melted butter, vanilla and egg.

Use a wire whisk to whisk the wet ingredients together first before slowly folding them into the dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth (there may be a couple of lumps but that's okay). (The batter will be thick and creamy in consistency. If you find the batter too thick -- doesn't pour off the ladle or out of the measuring cup smoothly -- fold a couple tablespoons of extra milk into the batter at a time until reaching desired consistency). Set the batter aside and allow to rest while heating up your pan or griddle.

Heat a nonstick pan or griddle over low medium heat and wipe over with a little butter to lightly grease pan. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the pan and spread out gently into a round shape with the back of your ladle or measuring cup.

When the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with honey, maple syrup, fruit, ice cream or frozen yoghurt, or enjoy plain!

What about Malaysian Fav, Nasi Lemak

WHAT IS WIN HAT IS IN NASI NASI

NASI LEMAK RECIPE

Ingredients

coconut milk steamed rice

cups rice

screwpine leaves, tie them into a knot as shown above

salt to taste

1 can coconut milk (5.6 oz. / /150 ml-180 ml)

some water

Tamarind Juice

1 cup water

tamarind pulp, size of a small ping pong ball

Sambal Ikan Bilis (Dried Anchovies Sambal)

1/2 red onion

1 cup ikan bilis, dried anchovies

clove garlic

4 shallots

dried chillies

1 teaspoon belacan, prawn paste

teaspoon salt

tablespoon sugar

Other Ingredients

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into half

small fish, sardines or smelt fish

small cucumber, cut into slices and then quartered

NASI LEMAK RECIPE

Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain. Add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and some water. Add the pandan leaves into the rice and cook your rice.

Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water. Fry the anchovies until they turn light brown and put aside. Pound the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chilies with a mortar and pestle. You can also grind them with a food processor. Slice the red onion into rings. Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant. Add in the onion rings. Add in the ikan bilis and stir well. Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar. Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens. Set aside. Clean the small fish, cut them into half and season with salt. Deep fry. Cut the cucumber into slices and then quartered into four small pieces. Dish up the steamed coconut milk rice and pour some sambal ikan bilis on top of the rice. Serve with fried fish, cucumber slices, and hard boiled eggs.

IS AN MACCEPTABLE

AT ALL

PAN-SEARED SEA BASS

INGREDIENTS

Only 4 ingredients are needed, and I can all but guarantee that you have half of them sitting in your pantry on any given day. Grab some fresh fish and citrus and get to cooking!

Sea Bass Pick the freshest sea bass or Chilean sea bass you can find at your local seafood market or grocery store

Sea Salt I love the thick flakes of sea salt in this dish! Olive Oil Try an infused olive oil for a variation on flavour

Lemon Wedges Use these to add fresh citrus over your finished productand to garnish

Instructions

· Pat dry the sea bass using paper towels, then season both sides with sea salt. 8 oz sea bass, 2 teaspoon sea salt

Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet to medium high heat with the olive oil and heat until the oil is shimmering.

1 tablespoon olive oil Carefully place the fish into the pan (skin side down if your fish has skin).

Cook 4 5 minutes skin side down, then carefully flip the fish over, continue cooking about 2 3 minutes. Cook until the sea bass is cooked throughout and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the pan. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top, serve, and enjoy!

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE INGREDIENTS

cup

onion

water

1. 2. 3. 4.

INSTRUCTIONS

Heatoilinalargepotor deepskilletovermedium highheat.Addonionand garlic,cookfor3minutes oruntillightgoldenand softened. Turnheatuptohighand addbeef.Cook,breakingit upasyourgo,until browned.

5.

Addalittlebitofpasta waterwiththebeefcubes. Addremainingingredients exceptsaltandpepper.Stir, bringtoasimmerthen turndowntomediumsoit bubblesgently.Cookfor 20–30minutes(nolid), addingwaterifthesauce getstoothickforyour taste.Stiroccasionally. Adjustsaltandpepperto tasterightattheend.Serve overspaghetti.

Ofcourse I can cook! I usually boil water and drop the pasta in it.

CREAM BRULEE

the

INGREDIENTS

the custard:

PREPARATION

· STEP 1

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot.

sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)

· STEP 2

In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centres are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.

STEP 3

When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop 1½ tablespoon-sized balls of dough on the cookie sheet, place about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cookie edges are firm and the center appears dry. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to continue cooling. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

okie

ifyou have crumbly attitude..

Brownies came into being because socialite and philanthropist Bertha Palmer was head of the Board of Lady Managers for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. She directed Palmer House pastry chefs to come up with a recipe for a dessert that would be easy to transport in boxed unches at the Women's Pavilion.

A chocolate brownie or simply a brownie is a square or rectangular chocolate baked confection Brownies come in a variety of forms and may be either fudgy or cakey, depending on their density. Brownies often, but not always, have a glossy "skin" on their upper crust. They may also include nuts, frosting, cream cheese, chocolate chips, or other ingredients. A variation made with brown sugar and vanillarather than chocolate in the batter is called a blond brownie or blondie. The brownie was developed in the United States at the end of the 19th century and popularized there during the first half of the 20th century.

They are typically eaten by hand, often accompanied by milk, served warm with ice cream (a la mode), topped with whipped cream, or sprinkled with powdered sugar and fudge. In North America, they are common homemade treats and they are also popular in restaurants and coffeehouses

METHOD

10 tablespoons (145 grams) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process

1/4 rounded teaspoon kosher salt, use slightly less if using fine sea or table salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large cold eggs

1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour 2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

BROWNIES

This is my absolute favorite brownie recipe. They are rich, fudgy in the middle, and made completely from scratch. These brownies are so much better than the box, and I bet you have what you need to make them already sitting in your kitchen.

DIRECTIONS

Positionanovenrackinthemiddleoftheovenandheatto325degreesF.Linethebottomandsidesofan8-inchx8-inch squarebakingpanwithparchmentpaperoraluminumfoil,leavinganoverhangonoppositesidestohelpremovethe bakedbrowniesfromthepan.

Prepareadouble boilerbyfillingamediumsaucepanwithwaterabout2inchesdeep Heatthewateruntilbarely simmering Seethenotessectionbelowfortipsonmakingthesewithoutadouble boilerandinsteadusingamicrowave ormakingthemdirectlyinasaucepan. Combinethebutter,sugar,cocoapowder,andsaltinamediumheat-safebowl.Restthebowloverthesimmeringwater. Ifthebottomofthebowltouchesthewater,removealittlewaterfromthesaucepan.

Stirthemixtureoccasionallyuntilthebutterhasmeltedandthemixtureisquitewarm Don’tworryifitlooksgritty;it willbecomesmoothonceyouaddtheeggsandflour

Removethebowlfromthesaucepan,andsetasidefor5minutesoruntilitisonlywarm,nothot. Stirinthevanilla.

Addtheeggs,oneatatime,stirringvigorouslyaftereachone.

Whenthebatterlooksthickandwellblended,addtheflour.Useaspoontobeattheflourintothebatteruntilitisvery thickandpullsawayfromthesidesofthebowl Weuseawoodenspoonorspatulaandbeatfor40to50strokes(see videoforreference)

Stirinnutsifusing.

BAKEBROWNIES

Spreadthebatterevenlyinthepreparedpan

Bakethebrowniesuntiltheedgeslookdryandthemiddlelooksslightlyunderbaked;20to30minutes Youcantest donenessbyinsertingatoothpickintothecenter.Thebrowniesarefinishedbakingifitcomesoutwithafewmoist crumbsattached.

Coolcompletelybeforeremovingfromthepan

BURGER FOR DINNER?

Add the minced beef to a large bowl and season well. Using your hands, divide the beef into 4 equal patties, place on an oiled tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To make the potato wedges, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a good pinch of salt. Cut the potatoes into chunky wedges, then add them into the pan. Boil for 5 minutes before draining and leaving for a couple of minutes to steam dry. Drizzle olive oil over a large baking sheet and tumble the wedges onto it. Season with salt then turn the potatoes in the oil so that they’re evenly covered and spread them out into a single layer. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway until soft on the inside and golden and crisp on the outside.To make the pickled cucumbers, toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

When you’re ready to cook the burgers, brush them with a little more oil and heat a barbeque or griddle pan to hot. Cook the burgers for 4 minutes each side, or until browned all over and cooked through. For the final 30 seconds of cooking, place a slice of cheese over each burger to melt.

At the same time, on the barbeque, or in a separate hot pan, cook the bacon until crisp and golden on both sides. Slice the brioche buns in half and toast on both sides in the leftover heat. Now it’s time to assemble! Start with the bottom of a brioche bun and spread over your choice of Bay’s Kitchen condiments, we’ve gone for Garden Herb Mayo. Top with lettuce, a burger, a slice of bacon, tomato, some pickled cucumbers, some more Mayo if you like and the top of the brioche bun. Serve with the potato wedges.

Strawberry Detox Lemonade (home-made & refreshing)

Add the strawberries, cucumber, honey,

apple cider vinegar to a blender

a cup of the water. Then blend

it

as thin as possible.

may optionally choose to strain the juice with a cheesecloth to remove the

seeds. Pour the juice mix into a two quart pitcher.

the remaining water and lemon juice.

with a long spoon.

serve: Muddle fresh mint in a glass*

pour some ice cubes

the strawberry detox lemonade.