C2S Cooks: A Birthday/Catch up Dinner

My friends hear me say this all the time, “I don’t and can’t cook, I only bake!”

But friends are people that I treasure and love with all my heart. So, when I gave a friend of mine a card which says that I am taking her out for dinner to celebrate her birthday on me, she turned it around and requested that I cooked her a meal instead. OMG, how do I say no to a birthday request, especially from one that went from us being colleagues to friends and having her constant support and pushing me out of my comfort zone.

So it was that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and into unknown waters to cook dinner. After some serious pondering to devise the menu and setting a date, I set about on what seems to be a mammoth task ahead. Along for the dinner came others friends that I am glad had pop into my life and that I would want to see/catch up with regularly.

Ingredients were bought over a few days, advice was sought (which means calling mom) and prepping started a week before. To add to the complications, some of these were new recipes to me which I then spent each day after work trialling (which I was glad that I did!). There were some funny and almost disastrous moments such as nearly setting the smoke alarm off near midnight and juggling multiple woks, yes! I use more than one. To add to the equation, she doesn’t like desserts (which is my forte) so I had to make savoury ones instead which somehow ended up with 3 entrees, 5 mains and 3 desserts. Also within that week, I was sick and had to bake a birthday cake at the request of my colleague. Thankfully, birthday colleagues + team loved the cake. It was a packed and manic week indeed.

Anyhow, I don’t think my cooking skills were up to the standards of the birthday girl but am glad that she enjoyed it. I was exhausted after!

For pictures of my kitchen adventure, please go to Sam’s post.

Ps. If anyone is after any of the recipes, let me know. I’ve already been requested to make Bak Kwa again!

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Gourmet cooking with love!

There is nothing quite like having a meal cooked by and enjoyed among friends.

A couple whom I know from Sydney came over for a few months on a working holiday visa and extended an invitation to their place for a meal. You definitely don't say no when one of them is a chef!

I was seriously expecting and would have been more than happy with just a simple meal but it turned out to be an extravagantly decadent 4 course meal. Already laden down from lots of eating and drinking during the holidays, I guess any January dieting resolution can be delayed by just one more day.

Arriving at their place after work, we started with some wine first, naturally! Chatting away while the chef cooks the first course, I could not help salivating when wafts of scallop and prawns being cooked drifted my way.

Scallops & Prawns, Parsnip Puree with lemon dressing

 

I could not wait to dig in. It was presented so beautifully. Scallops and prawns were beautifully cooked – tender, juicy, springy where it needed to be. The Parsnip puree was smooth and slid down like silk with just the right balance of graininess to give it a bit of texture. The lemon dressing helped to liven up the whole dish so that it is refreshing and light. This is so good thumbs up to the chef!

A break came while waiting for the mains to be cooked. It was great to be able to see the cooking action happening in front of you. Feels like I’m sitting at the chef’s table!

How great were this couple? They actually cooked 2 mains!

Lamb Cutlets resting on a Potato Galette & Spinach with Red Wine Jus

Another beautiful artwork. Lamb cutlets resting on the potato Galette & spinach with sprinkles of watercress like rose petals falling on a bed of leaves.

The best bit of this dish for me was the potato Galette. Crispy on the outside followed by a slightly soft creamy texture that was all the more enhanced due to its thinness. My eyes widened when told that each slice were all lovingly sliced by hand!

Baby Spatchcock wrapped in Prosciutto dribbled in Sweet Wine Sauce with Pomegranate Watercress Cous Cous

The meat literally slid off the bone and was enjoyed most with the crispy prosciutto wrapped around it. The sweet wine sauce was the bomb!

I literally had to refuse second helpings as I needed that space for dessert!

Where do you start with this? The chef outdid himself by giving us not one but a few desserts on a plate!

Poached Pear in Sweet Wine coated with chocolate

Vanilla ice cream with butter crisp

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Summer Berries

Strawberry and Sweet Wine Jelly

I started with the vanilla panna cotta. It was smooth, it was firm, it was dense, easily one of the best I’ve had in London and it was home made.

I continued with the poached pear which you could really taste the sweet wine absorbed into the pear against the chocolate. Mr. Chef took out the remaining red wine and lemon jelly for the table as it was really good and also made by him too. This is definitely not Jell-O brand!

Apparently, our vocal admiration for the panna cotta resulted in us being given more to bring home for future consumption. So not only was it a decadent meal, there were more goodies to bring home.

I enjoyed this dinner tremendously, even more so when compared to some 1 Michelins I’ve been to.

Having convinced the lovely couple to reconsider extending their visit for a few more months longer, am now trying to encourage Mr. Chef to go ahead and perhaps do some pop up dinners during his time here.

Any takers? Let’s give Mr. Chef some encouragement!

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Mom's cooking

The best food in the world is always one that is made with love and nothing beats mom’s cooking. My dear friend’s mom that I was staying with in Singapore made dinner when I was there.

Was looking forward to trying the much raved about fried chicken wings.

It was really yummy. A nice crisp crunchy skin followed by tender and hot chicken. Spices have been added to heighten the taste.

I can’t for the life of me remember what these other ones were called but I remember going yummy!!!

Thank you for the lovely food R, muakz!

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Mom's cooking

One of my friend's mom kindly graced us with her culinary skills with a lunch during the weekend. We were treated to Chinese Laos home cooking.

Having been away from home for so long, home cooking is a welcome treat!

Checked out the huge pot of Laksa awaiting us, it's not just for us to finish of course!

While waiting for others to arrive, we started munching on these yam cake slices.

Spring rolls all prepared (ready for frying).


Yum!
Fried just right, not too oily and with a nice crunch.

This was a tad spicy!


Chinese fried rice.


How could we forget, the laksa!
This is the sweet version as it has a lot of coconut.

Ended with a nice choco cake from Michel Patisserie

Thanks Katherine, it was a wonderful meal.

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