8 885004 110090
SINGAPORE 65-67438883 • MALAYSIA 603-87519151
食尚品味 GL 4
VIVOCITY
TAKASHIMAYA SC
NGEE ANN CITY TAKASHIMAYA S.C. SINGAPORE SERENITY SPANISH RESTAURANT 391 Orchard Road, #05-32 Ngee Ann City Takashimaya S.C., Singapore 238872 Reservation Tel: 6235 9989 Open Daily 11.30am to 10pm
SANUR - BALI
VIVOCITY HARBOURFRONT - SINGAPORE SERENITY SPANISH BAR & RESTAURANT No 1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-98/99 VivoCity Singapore 098585 Reservation Tel: 6376 8185 Open: Sunday to Tuesday 11.00 am to 11.00 pm Wednesday to Saturday & Eve of Public Holiday 11 am to 12 midnight.
SANUR - INDONESIA SERENITY SPANISH BAR & RESTAURANT Jln By Pass Ngurah Rai 27A Sanur 80228, Bali, Indonesia Reservation Tel: +62 361 284 381 Open Daily 11.00am to 11pm
食尚品味 GL 13
食尚品味 GL 26
Braised Dried Oyster with Black Moss
食尚品味 GL 30
食尚品味 GL 70
食尚品味 GL 71
食尚品味 GL 72
食尚品味 GL 73
Ingredients 8 Hokkaido scallops • 1/2 red capsicum, chopped • 1/2 yellow capsicum, chopped • 1 shallot, peeled and chopped • 20g butter • 100g miso paste • 30g yuzu vinegar • 1 hard-boiled egg Marinade 10g lemon juice • 5g extra virgin olive oil Seasoning a pinch of sea salt • a dash of white pepper Method 1 Torch (or roast) 4 scallops till surface is brown. Cool before dicing. 2 Mix capsicum, shallot, diced scallop, marinade and seasoning. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes. 3 Brown butter slightly before cooling. Beat miso paste, yuzu vinegar and hard-boiled egg with blender. Slowly add butter solution before refrigerating. 4 Season the remaining scallop. Pan-fry over high heat till both sides are brown. Transfer to plate and drizzle with yuzu-flavored miso sauce. 5 Transfer marinated diced scallop to an empty scallop shell. Garnish as desired.
食尚品味 GL 74
Ingredients 800g red sweet potatoes • 100g whipping cream • 50g butter • 100g yellow sweet potatoes • 100g purple sweet potatoes • 50g green peas • 1kg ribeye steak • 40g wasabi Seasoning a pinch of sea salt • a little of pepper Method 1 Wrap 700g red sweet potatoes with aluminium foil. Bake in oven at 180°C for about an hour. Dig out red potato flesh, then add whipping cream, butter and seasoning to cook for about 5 minutes. 2 Peel the remaining assortment of sweet potatoes, Then slice and steam before seasoning. 3 Boil green peas before seasoning. 4 Cut steak into 4 equal portions. Season and pan-fry till brown. Bake in oven at 200°C for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove steak to rest for about 5 minutes. Set aside beef au jus for later use. 5 Place mashed red sweet potato, the different coloured sweet potato slices and green peas on a plate. Cut each piece of steak into 3 equal portions to place on a plate. 6 Drizzle with beef au jus. Serve with wasabi. 食尚品味 GL 75
Mark Your Calendar 27 – 29 MARCH 2015 FREE ADMISSION
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F U L F I L
festivedining佳节美食
Feast, Toast And Make Merry!
Serenity Spanish Restaurant And Bar Usher in the festivities with mouthwatering roasts from Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant at VivoCity with great views of the sea and Sentosa island. Take a break from the usual turkey with its signature suckling pig ($288) instead. Marinated with sherry wine and selected herbs, and roasted to perfection, the crispy skin and tender flesh is out of this world. Impress friends and family by chopping the pig with a plate and smashing it into a pail for good luck – a Spanish ritual with a mite of theatrics. If a whole pig is a tad too heavy, the restaurant has thoughtfully created quarterand half-sized suckling pig platters with a myriad of tantalising dishes. Indulge without the hassle at value-for-money prices. The quarter suckling pig platter at $128 is accompanied by a spread of breaded turkey breast with herbs, premium honey-baked ham, potato stuffing with salad and grilled asparagus. The suckling pig is served with homemade tomato jam, the original broth, tangy pineapple sauce and brown sauce. For a half suckling pig, it is $198. This promotion is available for dining at their restaurant, and takeaways till January 1, 2015. If you prefer a quiet romantic dinner, retreat to the Ngee Ann City’s outlet which has an elegant, baroque ambience. 1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-98/99 VivoCity, Tel : 63768185
Carousel Revel in festive cheer with sweet delights of marron (chestnut) log cake, royal chocolate log cake and the refreshing honey citrus log cake – $60 each. Festive boutique-style cupcakes are also available at $6 per piece or $32 for a box of six. For takeaway, go for its rendang turkey ($135) marinated with Malay herbs and spices, and served with fragrant rice, chicken begedil stuffing, vegetable masala and rendang gravy. The Christmas goodies, roasts and cold cuts are available till December 25. Buffets for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day range from $45 to $82 for high tea, lunch and dinner. 25 Scotts Road, Lobby Level Royal Plaza On Scotts, Tel: 6589 7799
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Take home a slow-cooked, succulent, butter-roasted turkey with chestnut and herb stuffing or an Asian-inspired festive baked turkey with angelica root (both $165) from the Rotisseur. One can also indulge in honey-glazed boneless gammon ham ($155) that is infused with star anise and clove, classic meat loaf wrapped in bacon ($115) or Provençal crusted ribeye of beef ($255). A sweet highlight is the yuzu-infused log cake ($62) layered with meringue sponge. There is a 15% discount for a minimum purchase of two festive roasts and one log cake. 75 Airport Boulevard, Level 2 Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Tel: 6823 5354
食尚品味 GL 83
Swissôtel The Stamford Enjoy blissful reunions and jubilees against a backdrop of the gorgeous Singapore skyline as JAAN’s chef de cuisine Julien Royer stages artisanal creations such as scallop mille-feuille with black truffle and seaweed butter poached wild sea bass with winter vegetables cocotte and bouillon paysan. Menus range from $78 to $178 for three-course, five-course and seven-course festive lunch and dinner. JAAN also offers an exclusive 10-course degustation Krug pairing dinner menu from December 8 to 31 where guests stand a chance to win a trip to the luxurious Krug Champagne House in France. Equinox Restaurant helmed by chef Paul Hallet also presents the epitome of indulgence with a festive champagne brunch at $225 per person. Choose from a smorgasbord of appetisers, salads, crustaceans, hearty roasts and an indulgent selection of artisanal European cheeses. Up the ante with pan-seared foie gras, fig chutney and port reduction prepared à la minute at the live station. From the carving station, pick from a charming display of lobster, prawn, king crab, scallop, mussel and oyster, as well as organic turkey with apricot stuffing and bread sauce, roasted rib of Angus beef and salmon wellington with truffle butter sauce. Sweeten your senses with free-flowing Moët & Chandon Impérial or Ruinart rosé and house wines, cocktails and beers. 2 Stamford Road JAAN, Tel: 6837 3322 / Equinox, Tel: 6431 6156
Pan Pacific Singapore
Bakerzin Pick from four new delectable log cake creations, of which one is the universal favourite dark chocolate mousse with crunchy nougat called Magical Joy. The other three are Tropical Christmas ($62) which has a delicate almond dacquoise base with layers of coconut mousse, desiccated coconut and salted caramel; the Snowy Dream ($68) which features macadamia with eggnog mousse and white chocolate; and the Cheerful Delight ($58) with decadent cream cheese, refreshing yuzu and toasted almonds. Christmas cookies and roasts are also available till January 2. Order before December 9 to get a 10% discount. Visit www.bakerzin.com for outlets’ locations.
Hilton Singapore Tuck into a luscious ensemble of Christmas delights that have decked the Season’s Deli into a mega gingerbread house. Back by popular demand is the Christmas tree macaroons with a thin slice of candied cherry in the middle complemented by flavours of pistachio and almond. The trio of gingerbread spice cheesecake yule log, orange and pistachio yule log and the châtaignier yule log is set to entice. Roasts such as the hearty Australian sirloin of beef with succulent foie gras is another highlight. 581 Orchard Road, Tel: 6730 3392
Furama Riverfront
Discover traditional Christmas favourites at Edge featuring seven live food theatres and feast on lavish Christmas buffets ranging from $58 to $178. Sunday champagne brunches, Christmas Day brunches and dinners are complemented with unlimited champagnes, and red and white wines. Christmas delights flavoured with ambrosial spices include special terrines, crispy spiced pork knuckle, spiced lamb short ribs and sweet treats such as aniseed ginger vanilla cheese log cake and fruit mince pie. Alternatively, delight in the whimsical Imaginary Friends Afternoon Tea and charmingly crafted festive goodies at Pacific Marketplace.
Relish Christmas without the hassle in homely comfort with freshly made Christmas deli takeaways from the Waterfall Lounge. The festive menu of perennial favourites include traditional roasted Christmas turkey, boneless honey-baked Christmas ham and roasted striploin. Other new wholesome additions include the chicken pie, beef pie, as well as the signature red velvet and chocolate log cake. An international buffet lunch and dinner from $48 onwards awaits one at The Square @ Furama and Kintamani Indonesian Restaurant on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There is a credit card promotion where three persons dine for the price of two.
7 Raffles Boulevard Edge, Level 3 / Pacific Marketplace, Level 1 Tel: 6826 8240
405 Havelock Road Waterfall Lounge, Tel: 6333 8898 / Kintamani, Tel: 6739 6463 The Square, Tel: 6739 6468
食尚品味 GL 84
Ellenborough Market Café
Caffé B From December 15 to 25, Caffé B’s six-course Christmas menu sees Italian delights bespeckled with delicate Japanese touches. Begin with rillettes of sweet crabmeat and sea urchin in tzatziki followed by sakura ebi pasta puttanesca which consists of chilled capellini in cream sauce adorned with prawns, flying fish roe and fresh herbs, drizzled with lobster oil. Especially memorable is the Japanese risotto with mushrooms and scallions infused with miso broth, Parmesan tossed in sake and pan-seared scallops. The Christmas menu is priced at $100 and an additional $50 with wine pairing. 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-15 & #01-83 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Tel: 6887 3311
Balzac Brasserie Go French this festive with an amuse bouche of homemade smoked salmon rillettes with crispy baguette. Taste foie gras paired with juicy marinated cherries and a crispy puff pastry for appetiser, proceed to a typical winter dish of grilled Spanish pork collar served with French lentils and winter vegetables and end with a champagne sabayon with sautéed winter fruits and forest berries ice cream. A fourcourse set menu comes with a glass of crémant or mocktail at $98 per person from December 15 to 31. 9 Bras Basah Road, #01-01 Rendezvous Gallery, Tel: 6336 0797
Lobby Lounge
Chef Jason Teo has outdone himself with his latest culinary masterpiece – nonya laksa turkey served with special laksa gravy and glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves. From December 8 to 31, savour this and other gourmet temptations such as roast ribeye with shallot jus, red wine lamb stew and honeybaked ham. Other perennial favourites include seafood on ice, slipper lobster in black bean sauce and nonya laksa. Dessert lovers will be spoilt for choice with sweet selections of mince pie, stollen and log cakes. Lunch and dinner buffets start from $52 and $58 respectively. 20 Merchant Road, Lobby Level Swissôtel Merchant Court Tel: 6239 1848
Café Brio’s At $106 per person on December 24 and 25, Café Brio’s offers a sumptuous feast of festive picks which include roulade of chicken stuffed with spinach scallop mousse, prawn paste marinated turkey meat with curry leaves, oven-roasted herb premium ribeye, seafood on ice, mince pie and festive wine jelly with berries. The restaurant also offers takeaway party packs with free delivery. Choose from Santa Bundle A ($468 for 10) or B ($528 for 12) which include Norwegian smoked salmon platter, ovenbaked turkey breast, oven-baked honey-glazed ham and log cakes. 392 Havelock Road, Lobby Level Grand Copthorne Waterfront Tel: 6233 1100
Marriott Café
’Tis the season for hearty gatherings and afternoon tea at $42 on weekdays, $52 on weekends and $58 on festive days for the month of December at the Lobby Lounge. Enjoy tiers of premium tapas, cheeseboard, dainty finger sandwiches, desserts as well as a live roast turkey carving station. Bring the indulgences a little further with the complementary à la carte Plates of Pleasure menu of signature favourites prepared à la minute. Toast to a great year with free flow of Laurent-Perrier bubbly all afternoon with a top-up ($76 on weekdays and $82 on weekends).
Marriott Café offers lavish Christmas and Christmas Eve dinner buffets ($112) with signature favourites such as traditional grandmother’s recipe turkey, roast leg of ham and mince pies. An array of takeaway selections makes hosting an extravagant meal at home a real convenience. Make this festive even sweeter with the new deluxe Mont Blanc log cake ($68) which is a thick luscious chestnut purée with candied chestnut tucked within. The popular strawberries Romanoff log cake ($68) returns to gain more fans while tiramisu fans are certain to enjoy the tiramisu bouché de Noel log cake ($68).
10 Claymore Road, Lobby Level Pan Pacific Orchard Tel: 6831 6685
320 Orchard Road, Lobby Level Singapore Marriott Hotel Tel: 6831 4605 食尚品味 GL 85
Mandarin Oriental
Spices Cafe Experience the magic of Christmas at Spices Cafe which plays host to Santa Claus and his strolling guitarists on Christmas Eve while on Christmas Day, diners can play games with Santarina and the balloon sculptor beside savouring gourmet Christmas goodies and lavish buffet spreads ranging from $58, $68 and $88 for lunch and dinner. Each guest will receive a complimentary box of novelties and a complimentary serving of cheese lobster. Early birds enjoy net prices for buffets if they booked before December 15. Enjoy a sumptuous variety of fresh seafood such as rock oysters, snow crabs, mussels and boiled prawns, sashimi and appetisers like gravlax, smoked marlin and mackerel, and a cheese platter. Indulge in a selection of main courses including roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing, braised sea cucumber and mushroom with vegetables, deep-fried sea bass with sweet lychee sauce, stir-fried scallop with asparagus and shimeiji mushroom and wok-fried veal fillet with ginger, among others. 100 Orchard Road, Concorde Hotel, Tel: 6739 8370
Fairmont Singapore Bring home a luxurious medley of gourmet treats from Café Noel to complement your Christmas feast. For exotic taste buds, go for the chocolate log with Karukera 70% chocolate mousse and caramel banana ($65). Other delights to make you leap with glee are the chocolate couverture pralines ($35), white Christmas cheese mousse dome with cranberry gelée and almond dacquoise ($65) and the pistachio chiffon with milk chocolate ganache and chocolate croquante ($65). In the rotisserie are Café Swiss’ crispy pork knuckle ($38), Prego’s signature lasagne of handmade pasta with layers of rich beef bolognese, creamy bechamel and mozzarella cheese ($66), roasted organic turkey with pan gravy and herb stuffing ($245) as well as Mikuni’s sushi and sashimi platter ($280 to $540) of premium tuna, salmon and kampachi slices plus chef Moon Kyung Soo’s signature Futomaki among others. 80 Bras Basah Road, Café Noel Booth Level 2 Fairmont Singapore, Tel: 6338 8785 食尚品味 GL 86
Bask in the festive revelries with the traditional chocolate yule log where dark chocolate truffle mouse meets brandied cherries, crunchy chocolate biscuits, rich ganache and crispies. Other tantalising selections from the hotel’s festive counter are the Christmas Snow Noel which is rolled in pistachio genoise sponge, pistachio nougatine bavarois and raspberry milk chocolate, and The Northern Star Noel comprising citrus Victorian sponge, wild strawberry yuzu compote and Madagascar vanilla mousse. A myriad of tantalising selections from its Christmas Roastery include the traditional roasted Christmas turkey, Mandarin Oriental truffle Christmas turkey and the roasted Christmas goose. 5 Raffles Avenue, Mandarin Oriental’s festive counter Tel: 6885 3081
Park Palace Park Palace rings in an oriental Christmas with menus bursting with rich Cantonese flavours. December festive takeaways include the Yuletide braised soya turkey with bean curd, soya sauce egg, Chinese endives and fried rice with XO Sauce at $138. You need to order the turkey seven days in advance. Additional items include the oven-baked turkey pastry with cheese ($4.80), steamed turkey dumplings with bacon and prawns ($5.80), deep-fried yam dumpling with diced turkey, bacon and black pepper ($4.80), double-boiled turkey soup with fish maw and cordyceps ($60) and the traditional Cantonese-style braised pig’s knuckle ($38). 10 Coleman Street, Level 2 Grand Park City Hall Tel: 6432 5888
Breeze Embrace the splendour of love and joy on Christmas Eve at this exclusive rooftop bar with a decadent fivecourse menu priced at $85 per person. Pamper your palate with an entrée platter comprising festive canapés of honey-baked ham crostini, duck pâté with poached pear in moscato and pumpkin soup with truffle cream. The meat platter features juicy five-spice turkey with chestnut stuffing paired with wild berry and pineapple compote. End on a sweet note with the Christmas eggnog crème brûlée. 33 Erskine Road, The Scarlet Singapore, Tel: 6511 3333
Hotel Fort Canning Toast to executive chef Randy Torres’s two new turkey renditions. First is the Chardonnay braised roast turkey marinated with white wine, butter fresh sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary, and the traditional American-style deep-fried turkey which is brined in sea salt and water bath for one day before deep-frying into a golden brown. Alternatively, the signature tom yum roast turkey and laksa roast turkey will spice up palates as well. They are available for orders at $128 till December 20. A minimum of three days advance order is required. 11 Canning Walk, Tel: 6559 6760
Stellar Chef Christopher Millar has specially crafted menus to satisfy the festive cravings, in particular, an exclusive tasting menu paired with Krug champagnes for the month of December. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, diners can enjoy a five-course set menu ($120 or $140 for seats with a view) comprising wood-fired king prawn, caramelised foie gras and Sevruga caviar among others. Brunch ($120) is also offered on Christmas Day from noon to 2.30pm with free-flow Prosecco complementing your traditional must-haves and a full spread of fresh seafood along with extravagant live stations housed in an impressive winter wonderland. 1 Raffles Place, Level 62, Tel: 6438 0410
Tiffany Café & Restaurant Partake in the merriment of the Yuletide festivities from December 2014 to January 1, 2015 and more so on December 24 and 31 when the restaurant offers a two-for-one promotion. Lunch ($55.80) or dine ($65.80) in a cosy ambience with family and friends on an international cuisine prepared in a Malay kitchen. The delectable buffet spread include appetisers such as the turkey roll and roasted capsicum salad, savoury mains such as salmon wellington with chives cream sauce and baked giant clam with prawn aioli, and dessert with a Southeast Asian twist – the durian pengat log cake. 60 Eu Tong Sen Street, Level 2 Furama City Centre Tel: 6531 5366
Spice Brasserie Indulge in slow-braised pumpkin crab in claypot, gammon ham with peach sauce and roast turkey with chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce from Thursday to Sunday ($42 to $65; December 11 to 30). For Christmas Eve dinner ($68), mentaiko rock lobster flambé with brandy, ovenroasted prime ribs plus other Yuletide favourites are lined up for your enjoyment. Besides traditional desserts, look out for the live dessert station where you can savour cherry flambé and crêpe suzette. A “Frozen” Disney-themed corner entertain the little ones with a bouncing castle, ballon sculpting and face painting among other activities. 181 Kitchener Road, Lobby Level Parkroyal On Kitchener Road, Tel: 6428 3160
Lower East Side Taqueria Seasonal Tastes Pamper yourself to Christmas Eve lunch and dinner buffets from $42 to $178 at this interactive dining venue which will captivate taste buds with its wide range of decadent selections such as lobster au gratin, 90-day Angus grain-fed prime rib, goose liver terrine, pan-fried goose liver and an extensive selection of seafood. Christmas Day brunch sees special menu items such as the prawn thermidor and salmon feast where the fish is prepared in four different ways: smoked, Thai-cured, coffee-cured and with Chinese herbs. 12 Marina View, Level 32 Asia Square Tower 2, The Westin Singapore, Tel: 6922 6968
Turn up the heat this Christmas with four scrumptious Christmas party combos together with pickled chillies and sauces made by chef Claudio Sandri from a host of indigenous spicy Mexican chillies. Available till December 25, the combos (from $18 to $44 per person) could come with spicy chicken drumlets, halved or whole rib, spicy or chipotle turkey, chargrilled ribeye, pulled pork sliders, or crispy roasted pork along with Mexican nosh like tacos, chilaquiles, quesadillas and burritos. 19 East Coast Road, Tel: 6348 1302 食尚品味 GL 87
x’masrecipes圣诞食谱
A
lthough Joe Cheng is a busy working mommy, she still takes time to cook for her family. In fact, for the family’s best interest, she even bakes her own breads rather than buying them off the shelves. This is to ensure that her children and husband enjoy food that are free from preservatives, excessive sugar and other nasties. The mother of two believes in inculcating children the habit of a balanced diet right from the start. “My kids are not allowed to choose their food. If food is not to their liking, I would encourage them to at least taste it before they reject it. Sometimes, we will strike a bargain to halve or even quarter the portion if they really dislike what are on their plates,” Cheng shares. At least one vegetable and meat dish is prepared at every meal. In a day, the children also eat minimum two types of fruits so that they have enough fibre. When she cooks and bakes, a conscious effort is made to use less oil, sugar and salt. For instance, American baking recipes comparatively uses more sugar, so Cheng will improvise by reducing the amount or use healthier substitutes such as honey, rock sugar and brown sugar. The latter two are preferred as they are less processed compared to granulated sugar. As for honey, the nutrition is significantly reduced at high temperature. Check out the mixed berries jam that uses rock sugar on page 94.
Naturally Delicious
Eating healthy starts young and at home. Joe Cheng shares her Christmas recipes and some tips on how she makes sure her family gets balance nutrition without compromising on taste
食尚品味 GL 90
The diligent mother has also learnt how to read food labels too. At the supermarket, like a protective mother hen, she meticulously scans labels, putting the information researched from books and the Internet to good use. For example, the first thing she screens on a label are sodium and sugar which are usually camouflaged with unfamiliar terms like glucose, maltose, sucrose, fructose and lactose. She also avoids ready-made sauces and jams. Products with long unfamiliar chemical names and preservatives on the labels will never end up in
her basket as well. “I choose raw food or the least processed foods whenever possible. This is a guideline for whatever I buy home,” she says. In baking, only vanilla pods are used because the chemically produced vanilla essence is taboo. She maintains her motto on sticking to what is natural and makes the healthier choices for her family. As baking is her hobby too, she enjoys poring through recipe books and experimenting with new ideas in her free time. She would work on the recipes, adjusting them to her family preferences until she perfects them. She especially loves the recipes by Jamie Oliver who is one of her culinary heroes. In fact, her frangipane tart is inspired from one of his books. “I love how Jamie handles food. His recipes are very easy yet very delicious. He is also very concerned about food ingredients and health issue. I was especially impacted by his food revolution campaign which is a great success. I admire him for teaching people how to eat healthily besides creating delicious recipes!” she chatters excitedly. The jovial lady loves watching her husband and children munching away happily on her creations. This is the reward that motivates her. For Christmas, she plans to celebrate by preparing her own Christmas dinner instead of having it at the restaurants. Gifts and food for a mini get-together among family is simply heartwarming. The family of four also likes to visit Orchard Road, soaking in the spirit of Christmas with the children dressed in Christmas outfits participating in the festivities.
About Joe Cheng Better known as Hippomama in the blogosphere, the bubbly mother of two, a daughter and a son, is an avid baker who refers to each baking project like a piece of art. She also believes in teaching her kids to eat not just delicious food but also to eat well. She also runs a little blog diary (hippomamakitchen.blogspot.sg) that documents her adventures in baking.
食尚品味 GL 91
食尚品味 GL 92
Ingredients 300g bread flour 24g castor sugar 5g fine salt 205ml milk 3g instant yeast 9g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 50g dried cranberries Garnish some egg wash 3 pieces ham, cut into small chunks 50g mozzarella 1/2 tsp dried parsley
贴 士 TIP
Method 1 Knead bread flour, castor sugar, fine salt, milk and instant yeast in an electric mixer into a dough. Add butter and beat till smooth and not sticky. Then add dried cranberries and knead for about 1 minute. 2 Roll dough into a ball. Place in a greased container and proof for about an hour till double in size. 3 Punch down the dough to expel air. Cut into 20 portions of 30g each. Roll into balls. Arrange 10 balls into a wreath shape. Leave 1cm gaps between each balls to allow for expansion during proofing. Repeat this step to make another wreath. 4 Proof for about 50 minutes to an hour till double in size. 5 Brush with egg wash and top with ham, cheese and dried parsley. 6 Transfer to preheated 180°C oven and bake for about 12 minutes till golden brown.
你可以用培根或粟米粒取代火腿。 You can use bacon and sweet corn in place of ham.
食尚品味 GL 93
TheWalking
Idea Incubator
How does one know what works and what does not? Why do certain ingredients work together and what makes deliciousness? Ramada and Days Hotels Singapore’s executive chef Melvin Lim gives some insight
with mushroom is really reminiscent of bak chor mee and the Italian the Bolognese. The dash of savoury fried ikan bilis replaces the salty umami cheese which is usually present in a plate of pasta garnished with sweet basil.
L
aksa tofu goreng, potato gnocchi with minced pork and mushroom with sweet basil, and pandan pancake with mascarpone, grated peanut and gula melaka are the three products of executive chef Melvin Lim’s imagination. Conjure these flavour combinations on your tongue, can you taste them in your mind’s eye?
juices behind his potato gnocchi with minced pork and mushroom with sweet basil. This interesting match is really inspired by hawker favourites like the bak chor mee (minced meat noodles) and mee hoon kueh (handpulled noodles), as well as the Italian beef bolognese. Strange as it may sound, it actually tastes really good!
The friendly 37-year-old chef is trained in classical French and Italian culinary arts and has more than 20 years of culinary experience under his belt, of which 10 years was spent with Shangri-La Hotel. His stints with Italian restaurants explains the creative
Same same but different Dismantling the different parts of the dish into the following would make more sense to the layman: The springy gnocchi, a handmade soft dough dumpling, is actually much like mee hoon kueh while the minced pork
食尚品味 GL 98
Sounds complicated but what is most important is that all the ingredients’ flavours were distinct and they meld together like a glove to a hand! If you have not already noticed, many of the ingredients were selected for their similar taste profiles and substituted in familiar favourites – simply ingenious! In fact, there was another inspiration borrowed from the heartlands of multicultural Singapore that became the popular item on the menu of Flavours at Zhongshan Park restaurant’s buffet. It is none other than the Ah Hood burger – a DIY concept where the hot, fluffy and soft Chinese mantou is matched with an array of ingredients in place of pork belly. The myriad of condiments include otah, achar, Italian ham, char siew, chicken floss, satay chicken and curry chickpeas.
Photography：Max Ng, Max Clyne At Work
Chef’s third creation, the pandan pancake with mascarpone, grated peanut and gula melaka, is like a hybrid between the Western breakfast favourite and the local man cheng kueh. By now you can surely figure out how this dish is assembled and the inspiration behind. Well, fusion when done skilfully can give you astounding results instead of the ensuing confusion. Starting from ground up Chef Lim also revealed that his inspirations often come from conversations, supermarket visits, eating and surprisingly, visits to the food court! Also, it is extremely important to understand how everything is made the traditional way so that you can build and twist them into other things. He could not stress more about the foundations. In the case of the Laksa Tofu Goreng, knowing how to make tofu from scratch allows him to gauge how he can make changes to it like adding laksa paste and seafood to the tofu to assemble into a new innovative dish. Knowing the components of the Peranakan laksa paste also can help one to determine the proportions accordingly. Eventually, understanding the ingredients means going back to the roots – using your hands to work the earth and watch your food grow. “It is actually pretty exhilarating and peaceful at the same time,” Lim revealed. He excitedly brought us up on the little rooftop garden where he plants zucchini, cucumbers, pandan and cherry tomatoes. With a twinkling in his eye, chef Lim plucked two huge overripe cucumbers from the vine and posed for a picture. Much like his creations, the fruit of his labour often tastes the sweetest. 食尚品味 GL 99
食尚品味 GL 100
Ingredients 1 bunch of pandan leaves 50ml coconut milk 50ml fresh milk 50ml evaporated milk 250g wheat flour 10g baking soda 80ml water 50g gula melaka, chopped 5 eggs 50g sugar 10ml corn oil 10g mascarpone some grated peanuts Method 1 Cut pandan leaves into small pieces. Retain 2 whole leaves for later use. Blend the rest with coconut milk, fresh milk and evaporated milk in a food processor. Strain and put aside. 2 Mix wheat flour and baking soda together, then put aside. 3 Boil water with gula melaka and pandan leaves in a pot. Reduce for 5 minutes. Strain and put aside to chill. 4 Whisk egg and sugar in a mixer for 5 minutes till creamy. Then pour in wheat flour mixture, coconut milk mixture and corn oil. Mix well. 5 Pour batter in a nonstick pan to make into a round shape around 2 cm thick. Cook pancake on both sides. Repeat step to use all ingredients. 6 Remove pancake, spread mascarpone on it and drizzle with gula melaka syrup. Sprinkle grated peanuts then stack second pancake on top.
食尚品味 GL 101
食尚品味 GL 118
Ingredients (prepare 7 portions) 1/8 tsp salt 60g icing sugar 100g unsalted butter, diced 1 egg yolk, beaten slightly Flour Ingredients Plain flavour: 150g cake flour Chocolate flavour: 130g cake flour + 20g cocoa powder Green tea flavour: 130g cake flour + 20g sencha powder Black sesame flavour: 120g cake flour + 30g black sesame powder Red yeast rice flavour: 140g cake flour + 10g red yeast rice flour Turmeric flavour: 140g cake flour + 10g turmeric Spicy flavour: 135g cake flour + 5g chilli powder + 10g Hungarian paprika Method 1 Sieve salt with one component of the flour ingredients. Add icing sugar and mix well. Add butter. Knead with finger tip into crumbs. 2 Pour in beaten yolk. Press with hand into a dough. Repeat step with the other flavour components to make 6 other doughs. 3 Wrap the different flavoured doughs with cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 4 Line baking tray with baking sheet. Preheat oven to 160°C. 5 Flatten dough with rolling pin to about 0.5cm thickness. Cut out flower shapes with a 4cmdiameter flower cookie cutter. Arrange on a baking pan. 6 Press flower-shaped biscuits lightly with a 2.5cmdiameter round cutter to round the edges. Pierce 4 small holes with a bamboo stick. 7 Bake in oven for about 15 minutes.
About Koay Saw Jing Penangite Koay Saw Jing is a fine arts graduate who specialises in oil painting. In 2007, she and her husband relocated to London where she works in an art gallery. She loves the Western style of food presentation and savouring yummy food pictures as she pores through recipe magazines. Koay enjoys trying new things in her free time, especially baking.
食尚品味 GL 119
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