Dutch Cheese cake (non-baked) - Kwarktaart

Description:
This cake is made with fresh curd cheese, which is a very young cheese and tastes like yoghurt. The difficult part is to get the right ingredients in Singapore.

In Dutch this cheese is called "kwark" (pronounce as: quark), in French it's "fromage fraiche" - learn more at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(cheese)

This cake is not oven baked and it needs to stiffen up in the fridge overnight, preferably about 24 hours.

In this case I used strawberries, but other fruits can be used too (berries are best), try not to use kiwi's as they break down the enzymes in the cake - and some fruits don't work with agar agar if you use that instead of gelatin.

I couldn't find gelatin sheets, so I used agar agar, but with 2 packets of it it didn't get the same texture as gelatin - maybe I did it wrongly? If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know!

Ingredients:
half packet of digestive biscuits
50 g butter
2 packets of agar agar (maybe more?) or 10 sheets of gelatin
500 g strawberries
1 lemon (or orange)
500 g curd cheese
150g caster sugar
125ml whipping cream



Directions:
Crush the biscuits and mix it with melted butter to form a dough to stick on the bottom of the cake tray. Coat the tray with butter before plastering the cookie dough on the bottom. Use a spoon to flatten it and make it smooth.

Whip the cream with 25 grams of caster sugar in a bowl until nearly stiff. Fold it into the curd cheese. Wash half of the strawberries and cut them into small pieces, add to the curd cheese mixture as well. Add the remaining sugar to it as well. Give it a taste and make sure it's not too sweet and not too sour.

For agar agar - what I did was: squeeze the lemon, add a bit of water, dissolve the agar agar in it and slowly bring it to a boil. Keep stirring. Add this to the cheese mixture while it is still in fluid form. Mix well.

Add the mixture to the cake form and spread it on top of the base. Cover with plastic foil and put in the fridge. Let it firm up.

If you like, whip some more cream and spread it over the top and add fresh half strawberries for decoration.



Somehow it didn't firm enough and not equally with the agar agar.

This is how you would do it with gelatin: Place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for about ten minutes. Squeeze the lemon and heat the juice in a pan. Squeeze the gelatine to remove excess water and stir into the lemon juice until dissolved. Allow to cool. Mix it with the curd cheese mixture.

If anyone has an idea where I can buy gelatin sheets in Singapore - please let me know!

[photo courtesy of Upali Kohomban]

Belgian Endives from the oven (witlof uit de oven)

Description:
This is actually my mum's recipe, the way I remember it - and this is my favourite way to eat this vegetable.
It's not very common on this side of the world, but I managed to find it in Cold Storage!
(wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_endive )


Ingredients:
3 - 4 Belgian Endives
sliced ham (I used smoked ham and as the slices were quite small I had 6 slices)
soft grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
a bit of butter to coat the oven dish

Directions:
Clean the vegetable and take out the hard kernel at the stem. Use a small kitchen knife and cut out a cone shape from the stem, leaving the vegetable in one piece, make sure it's not falling apart.

Boil the vegetables till they get soft and turn colour (they are white originally and after boiling they become grayish green).

Drain them well and let them cool down.

Prepare an oven dish that is large enough to keep the vegetables next to each other. Coat the bottom and sides with butter, so that the vegetables won't stick to the dish. If you like you can sprinkle breadcrumbs over it as well.

Wrap the endives in the ham and place them nicely in the oven dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

I cut the endives into 2 pieces each, so that it would be easier to serve it later, but this is up to you, you can leave them whole as well.

Put in the oven at about 180 C degrees for 10 - 15 minutes to bake it off and serve as a side dish.

[photo courtesy of Upali Kohomban]

Coq au Vin (rooster in wine)

Description:
I made this for X'mas dinner, following a recipe from Nigel Slater of the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/25/foodanddrink.shopping

He has some great suggestions on the type of wine, bacon, and what kind of chicken to choose to get closest to the original taste of the dish.

It's a stew type dish, that means you need sufficient time - best is if you have all day to do the preparations and cooking the dish.

You will need wine too and it should be a full bodied red wine - as Burgundy (Bourgogne) wine is really expensive here, I chose a Shiraz from Australia - it will have the berry flavour and body that you need.
I didn't add the cognac - I found some other recipes and it seemed something that is optional.

A rooster is hard to get here, but I choose a kampung chicken and added some extra chicken legs and wings to the dish as well.
Below is my adopted version of Nigel Slater's recipe.

Upali brought his camera along, and I wasn't in the mood to take pictures, so photo courtesy of Upali Kohomban.

Ingredients:
a large kampung chicken, cut into large pieces + added extra chicken legs and wings - kept the neck, feet and some of the bony parts to make the stock.
an onion, a carrot and a few peppercorns for the stock
150g bacon (couldn't get it in the piece - so bought a packet of thick slices)
olive oil
2 medium sized yellow onions
a large carrot
4 ribs of celery
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps flour
a bottle of red wine
4 or 5 small sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
12 shallots, peeled (whole)

boiled baby potatoes with added herbs and a warmed with a bit of butter, to serve

Directions:
Put the chicken bony pieces, neck, feet and other parts that you don't want to eat into a pot, cover with water, add an onion and a carrot, half a dozen whole peppercorns and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer to a stock until you need it.

Cut the bacon into short strips; they need to be thicker than a match but not quite as thick as your little finger. Put them, together with the olive oil (or butter if you prefer that), into a thick-bottomed casserole - one of enamelled cast iron would be perfect - and let them cook over a moderate heat. Stir the bacon from time to time - it mustn't burn - then, when it is golden, lift it out into a bowl, leaving behind the fat in the pan.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place them in the hot fat in the casserole, so that they fit snugly yet have room to colour. Turn them when the underside is pale gold. The skin should be honey coloured rather than brown - it is this colouring of the skin, rather than what wine or herbs you might add later, that is crucial to the flavour of the dish. Lift the chicken out and into the bowl with the bacon. I had to do the baking of the chicken in batches as my pan wasn't large enough.

By now you should have a thin film of goo starting to stick to the pan. This is where much of your flavour will come from.

While the chicken is colouring in the pan, peel and roughly chop the onions and carrot, and wash and chop the celery (I did this before starting the cooking, but if you can multi-task you can do it at this stage). With the chicken out, add the onions and carrot and celery to the pan and cook slowly, stirring from time to time, until the onion is translucent and it has gone some way to dissolving some of the pan stickings. Add the shallots and garlic (sliced), as you go. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan, stir in the flour and let everything cook for a minute or two before pouring in the wine and tucking in the herbs. Spoon in ladles of the simmering chicken stock until the entire chicken is covered. Bring to the boil, then, just as it gets there, turn the heat down so that the sauce bubbles gently. Cover partially with a lid.


Check the chicken after 40 minutes to see how tender it is. It should be soft but not falling from its bones. It will probably take about an hour, depending on the type of chicken you are using. Once the chicken is tender, take out the chicken pieces and put them in a bowl.

Turn the heat up under the sauce and let it bubble enthusiastically until it has reduced a little. As it bubbles down it will become a bit thicker - though not thick - and will become quite glossy. Let it reduce to your liking - I actually liked the sauce and didn't let it get very thick.

Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce and serve with the potatoes.

For the potatoes I used baby potatoes, peeled them, boiled them, drained, then when my guests arrived, I heated them up quickly by melting a bit of butter in the pot, adding the potatoes and a few herbs and tossing them around in the pot for a few minutes, just to get them warm. Don't add too much butter, it's really just to warm them up again - so that you can prepare all and don't need to do too much when the guests get there.

Beef Stroganoff (Russian)

Description:
Another Russian dish, beef strips in a sour cream sauce, served with rice, bread, potatoes or pasta (it really goes well with any type of carbs!).

I served it with rice and French long green beans. I read a few different recipes online and made my best of and did my own version as recorded here.
It's a very quick, easy recipe, takes about 10 mins to prepare once you have the ingredients ready.

Ingredients:
300 gr beef (sirloin or tenderloin) cut in thin slices
2 onions
mushrooms
1 cup of sour cream
flour
salt
pepper
butter

Directions:
I got the butcher to slice the beef for me in thin slices, but if you get a chunk you'll have to do your own slicing, as thin as possible.

Peel, clean and cut the onions, and I cut two cloves of garlic as well (optional).
Clean and cut up the mushrooms.
Mix some flour (about 2 tablespoons) with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the flour mix on a plate and coat each beef slice on both sides with the mixture.

Heat some butter (should be enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan) till it gets bubbly. Quickly fry the first batch of beef slices on both sides on high/medium heat. Make sure the butter and beef don't get burnt.
Take out the fried slices of beef and keep them aside on a plate.
Add a bit more butter and do the next batch till all beef slices have been nicely fried with brown colour.

Now keep the butter in the frying pan that you used to fry the beef and add the onions (and garlic). Add some more butter if necessary, make sure it won't stick to the pan and won't burn.
Take out the onions when nicely fried and keep aside with the beef. Add a bit more butter and fry the mushrooms till brown and soft.
Lower the fire, slowly spoon in the sour cream, make sure it won't get to a boil keep stirring. Add a bit of water as well (about half cup).
Add the onions and beef back into the mixture. Stir all through.

Serve hot with rice (or potatoes, bread, pasta).

Borsch (Russian beetroot soup)

Description:
A healthy & hearty soup, for cold winter nights or just as a change of palate in a hot country like Singapore...

I read a few different recipes online and sort of made my own version of it, recording it here so I won't forget how I did it...

Ingredients:
1 beetroot
a few chunks of beef (with some bone) for the broth - (or 1 liter beef stock)
half a cabbage (any type of cabbage, e.g. Chinese cabbage will do)
1 large carrot
2 tomatoes

Optional: add potatoes, or tomato puree (for a thicker soup).


Directions:
Wash the beef and rinse with hot water.
Boil the beef chunks in a pot with water and let it cook for about 1 hour to get the beef stock and make the beef soft.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables:
Clean the beetroot, half it and cut each of the halves into thin slices.
Clean the carrot and cut into thin slices.
Wash the cabbage and into strips.
Cut the tomatoes into 6 or 8 slices.

Once the broth is done, take out the chunks of beef and use a fork to peel of the strips of beef. Add back the beef in small strips into the stock.
Add the beetroot to the stock and the carrots.
Let it cook for 30 mins.
Now add the cabbage to the soup and let cook for another 15 mins.
Add the tomatoes as well in the last 5 mins.

Season with a bit of lemon juice, sugar and salt to taste, and freshly ground pepper.

Serve with a bit of sour cream if you like a more creamy version. Add the sour cream only when serving, don't mix it through the soup.

Serve with a soft bun or a slice of French loaf.

Cajun Prawns with Pineapple Salsa

Description:
A variant to the recipe that I found on: http://thebestrecipes.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/cajun-fish-with-pineapple-salsa-and-wilted-spinach-salad/

Marinated shelled prawns for the afternoon in Cajun spices, Worchestershire sauce and beer. Pan fried them just before dinner. The pineapple salso has fresh mint in it, pineapple, capsicum and a small onion. Think the salsa can be improved, I guess I put in a bit too much of pineapple, but it was nice anyway... The prawns can be replaced with white fish fillets, which might be nicer - will try this next time...


Ingredients:
1 kg large prawns

marinade:
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
11/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
11/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
5/6 Dashes of Tabasco
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (original recipe has 2 teaspoons paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 Cup beer

Pineapple Salsa:
250g fresh pineapple
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 yellow capsicum
1 small red onion
2-3 tablespoons fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh coriander (substituted with dried coriander leaf flakes)


Directions:
Clean the prawns and remove the shells, leave only the bit at the tail in tact.
Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add it to the prawns. Leave the marinated prawns in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours.

For the salsa, chop the onion, pineapple, capsicum into fine pieces.
Cut the mint leaves fine. Mix all together and refridgerate.

Fry the prawns (discard the marinade) until they are nicely cooked. Serve on a plate. The salsa can be added at the side.
If you use fish instead of prawns, spread the salsa over the fish fillets.

Gumbo Soup

Description:
This is a Cajun soup where anything goes, I made a chicken & sausage version - basically cooked it for the whole afternoon on the slow cooker. It has a mix of herbs and spices, meat or fish, and sturdy vegetables like okras, celery, carrot, capsicum, onion. The soup can be a meal on its own, it's very heavy as it has a roux base (roux = mix of wheat flour with oil or butter). I served it with French bread (to dip in the soup), but it can be served with rice too. Some people add rice in the soup itself.

Ingredients:
1 cup oil
1 cup (wheat) flour
2 large onions
2 capsicums
1 carrot
6 ribs celery
6 cloves garlic
12 okras
2 litre chicken stock
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (i couldn't get those)
3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 chicken
1 salami sausage (original recipe requires Andouille sausage - I substituted with Hot Hungarian Salami)
gumbo file powder
fresh parsley

Directions:
Chicken chopped into chunks. Sausage chopped into cubes.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Brown quickly in frying pan.
Take out the chicken - keep aside, brown the sausage, take out, keep aside with the chicken (discard the fat).

Make a roux of the oil and the flour. Heat the oil, slowly pour in the flour, stir and keep stirring till it becomes a dough ball and turns light brown. I make it peanut colour - some people make it chocolate (but that's tough ... ) - careful not to burn it. If it does get burnt... start again.
Take out the dough and put it in the fridge for about half an hour to let it cool off.

Meanwhile clean the vegetables and cut them into chunky pieces.
The onion in large pieces too. The garlic in slices.

Make a chicken stock (or buy ready made one - I made mine with chicken stock cubes and water).

Put the roux dough back in the pan - slowly heat and add a bit of the chicken stock. Stir till it gets to a smooth paste. Add a bit more stock, keep stirring, keep adding stock, keep stirring. Make sure at all times that you have a smooth substance. Once you have added half of the stock, it's time to add the vegetables and the chicken. Stir, add remainder of the stock, stir again and now put it in a slow cooker to let it cook for a few hours.

Before serving add the chopped parsley.

Serve hot with French bread or rice.