French *hic* Onion Soup *hic hic*
Monday, November 06, 2006
I have such a nasty hangover right now so forgive me if I sound incoherent here. I shall do my best to make sense.
Today I had the notion of making French Onion Soup for dinner. It's a perfect stomach warmer for the winter. I have this never-before-tested French recipe which I've been sitting on, waiting for the colder months to set in.
Anyway, I gathered my ingredients together, followed the recipe to the T and voila, incredible smelling soup. I scooped myself a big bowl, topped with croutons and melted Gruyere cheese and tucked in greedily. Within minutes of consumption, I felt myself getting dizzy, my eyes slightly dilated and neck feeling flushed. I was high from the alcohol in the soup! The recipe had called for 275cl of dry white wine and I thought the 2 hour cooking time was enough to kill all traces of alcohol. Obviously it was not. *hic*
So here I am typing this, with a nasty headache. My husband just called home minutes ago and I related the incident to him. He found it so hilarious and couldn't stop laughing. I'm sure I'll find it funny tommorrow. *hic* Just not now. Thought to self: I do wish the room will stop spinning.
As if it wasn't bad enough, who should ring the door bell (just before my husband's phone call) but my son's classmate and her mother. They were here to deliver a birthday party invite. I tried my best to appear normal hoping they didn't notice I was sloshed to the gills.
You see, I'm a teetotaller of sorts. I don't consume alcoholic beverages if I can help it. It wasn't always like that. Before I got pregnant and quit alcohol, I could drink like a fish and still be relatively sober. Ironically, during the entire pregnancy, the mere whiff of it would make me nauseous. I attempted my first glass of red after things got back to normal but it made me so sick I was off it for good. I'm very sensitive to alcohol now, even if it's just a dash in cooking, I'll feel the wrath of it.
No photos of the soup tonight. I promise one the next time I make it again. And I will make it again as it's one of my husband's favourites. In the meantime, I must go tend to my splitting head. *HIC!*
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 1:46 pm
Dinner For Six - Irish Beef Stew
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks
Monday, October 01, 2007
We had an impromptu dinner party on Saturday. I knew I was going to make a stew that evening and it was more like, who can we invite to help us polish the whole lot off? Our victims guests turned out to be Brother-in-law #3 and his two daughters - Niece #1 who just turned seven and Niece #2 who is three. The two girls get on fabulously with Sonny-boy. Especially Niece #1 who's a bit of a tomboy.
So.
The Irish Beef Stew recipe I wanted to try was from Beau Lotus. Her recipe is straightforward and easy to follow. The only eventful thing that transpired was when I asked Hubs to open a bottle of red wine - for a bit of added flavour (Lotus' french influence coming to play). Hubs wanted to do the honours so I let him with incessant reminders of only a little! Only a little, okay? What are you doing??? I said only a LITTLE!!! My dear husband went and poured something like almost one and half cups of wine into the stew. This is just after I emptied a whole can of Guinness Stout into it. Heavens to Murgatroyd! I didn't want this to turn into another case of the French Onion Soup Incident. It didn't fortunately - hours of simmering killed off any alcohol nasties lurking within. What I was left with was an extremely rich and flavourful stew - super for the cold weather.
To round up the meal, I made a Garlic Butter Risotto. I added some pine nuts for extra crunch. I don't know if this dish exist or not because I made it up in my head that morning. I figured it would go very nicely tastewise and it did. And because we all need some fibre, I threw in a salad as well. For the kids, I made Spaghetti in Cabonara Sauce which they attacked with relish. No doubt from the earlier hours of playing, running and screaming (my ears are still ringing).
And what's a dinner party without some bubbly? I set out a bottle of non alcoholic apple flavoured champange for the kids. We like to start them young, don't you know. *heh* The grown-ups had a more sedate bottle of Chilean red. For dessert, we had Panna Cotta with Balsamic Berries, a little something which I prepared earlier on in the day. I will elaborate on it in a future entry because a yummy dessert like this deserves its own header and you will see why.
By the way, even with all our gallant efforts, I was still left with a lot of stew. Actually, almost four large servings which I've since tucked into the refrigerator. I shall resurrect it again as a mid-week meal because according to Lotus, it gets better with time and according to the Dutchess, so do some people.
By the way, this recipe is a definite keeper. Thanks S!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:26 am
Berena's Beijing Roast Duck
Labels: asian food, Beijing, eating out
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
We at Cookalot, love Beijing Roast Duck. We are so crazy about it that on occasions, we'd have roast duck twice in a week. We have two favourite spots. One a neighbourhood Sichuan restaurant down the street serving organically farmed duck and the other, the more flashy and expatish (if there's such a word) Berena's Bistro
The restaurant is situated on the third storey of a walk-up building and is run by a local Chinese lady named Berena. She and her French husband bring new meaning to the term working together for he has a French restaurant right across the narrow hallway to her award winning Sichuan one.
Berena is what one would call a woman's woman and the interior of her restaurant reflects it. There are organza lanterns and butterflies dangling off the ceiling and the furniture and decoration mainly Chinois. My favourite part is the wall where she displays the imperial costumes of the Emperor, The Empress and The Emperor's side-dish, formally known as The Concubine.
Imperial Costumes.
l-r: The Side Dish, The Emperor, The Empress
Beijing Roast Duck requires some prep time so patrons are advised to call in advance should duck be on the table that visit.
When it is ready, the chef will come to your table, duck, chopping board, cleaver et al and proceed to cut the duck into thin slices right before your eyes. I remember reading from somewhere that an expert can yield up to 120 slices from a single duck. Makes one wonder if it's a case of a huge fowl or wafer thin slices.
Well, 120 slices notwithstanding, Berena's ducks are not to be sniffed at. Its skin is crispy while the flesh retains it's succulent juiciness.
Lekker!
How To Eat Roast Duck 101
For my in-laws and friends on the other side of the pond, this is how Beijing Roast Duck is eaten:
First you place a slice of duck or if you're like me, make it two, on a layer of thin wheat pancake. You then add sliced cucumber, spring onion and radish followed by some dipping sauce. In some restaurants, you are given sugar to sprinkle on as well.
Next, tuck in the ends and pray nothing spills out because *blush* you've been greedy and put two pieces of duck when you should have only taken one.
Form a neat little package like so...
... then proceed to pop neat little package into your mouth and enjoy the fowl concoction.
Now man, or woman, for that matter, can't live on roast duck alone, hence the additional dishes on this particular visit.
Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup
I love Berena's version of the soup. It is busy with ingredients like pork, bamboo, mushrooms, silken and of course, egg white, stirred in to give a lacy look. It is also spicy with a capital S which would explain me clutching a tissue while sipping the soup. For the runny nose. Oi.
Deep Fried Potato Sticks
Hubs' must-have dish. It's like French Fries, only crispier and spicier. MUCH spicier. You can't see it from the photo but there are hidden landmines in the shape of dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorns.
Treasure Box
This is deep fried cubes of tofu which have been cleverly hollowed out, stuffed with minced meat and re-covered to form little boxes of 'treasure'. The whole lot is then drowned in, yes, yet again, a spicy bean sauce. A real gem of a dish this is. Forever thinking ahead with my tummy, I normally order an extra portion to take away as lunch the next day.
A girl's got to eat, you know.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:06 pm
