Where the eggs are Bleu ....

Have you seen these beautiful eggs before? I had seen these eggs before, gracing Helen's and Bea's photographs and was on a lookout for them. Then, late last year I spied them at a stand in the farmer's market. I chatted with the lady selling them to find out more about the eggs and their intriguing color, but, surprisingly, she didn't have much information to share. Apparently, some of her hens laid blue eggs and she sold them since everybody seemed to be crazy after them..

Anyway, I was going to be travelling shortly after that and so, sadly, couldn't satisfy my curiosity then. Imagine my joy when I found these lovely blue eggs on the shelves of Gristedes!! I grabbed them without a second thought (the $3.40, for 6 eggs, price tag notwithstanding).



I am not much of an egg eater. We go through a few cartons a month, yes, but that's mostly from my baking and not so much the Sunday omelette or egg preparation. But, in order to really compare the taste, I decided to go with a simple fried egg.

As soon as I cracked open the egg, I noticed that the yolks were HUGE! And, of a deep yellow hue. The yolk to white ratio was very skewed relative to the standard brown or white eggs. Then I tasted them! Oh! they are indeed different; lighter (I can't figure out how, given above point) and so much milder without any of the egg-y after-taste.

If the smell and after taste of eggs, typically put you off, I definitely recommend trying these blue beauties. Next I am going to bake with them and see if there is any perceivable difference...



My lunch today was a Masala fried egg with a simple salad and toast. It was perfect!

P.S. Information from the carton - These eggs are laid by Ameraucana hens of Platine Bleue, descendants of the hens domesticated by the indigenous people of Chilean Patagonia.


Masala Fried Egg

(I picked this idea up at the cafeteria of my grad school. This used to be the only way, I'd consume eggs for breakfast!)

For each egg:

1 T finely diced onion (I mean real fine)
1/2 green chilli, finely diced
1/2 tsp chopped mint
pinch of chilli powder
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. Crack open the egg on the pan. When the white starts to become opaque, slit the yolk with a sharp knife and quickly pat all the above mixture into the yolk.

Flip the egg to cook for a minute on the other side and serve


Easy Lunch Salad

Handful of mixed greens
grape tomatoes, sliced in halves

For the vinaigrette:
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and fold over the salad leaves and tomatoes. Optional: Add toasted walnuts.

Because it makes me happy ....

I am, in general, a rather happy child. Life chugs along, brings its ups and downs and most always, I can see the silver lining, even if faint.. But, there do come, once in a while, some downer days... Without a warning and sometimes expected, the dark cloud looms over and refuses to budge..

Then my Knight-in-Shining-Armour has to trek all the way from whichever part of the world he is in and come make me smile. He always does.. never-failingly.. :) He is dependable, that way.. actually every way :))

Anyway, I had a bout recently... the clouds came and nested.. laid chicks and built an army of not-feeling-good-ness. So, KiSM came poo-poo-ed the clouds and sent them running elsewhere.



The sun peeked again over a largely cloudy sky.. but hey! atleast there was a bit of shine and all. Pleasure in little things, one must take... Knight went back where he came from and I was by myself again. It was ok, I was feeling kinda sunny again...

Then I made this brownie. It makes me happy! without fail. I am not a chocolate person but I love my brownies.. especially when the sun is shy and rain abounds. This one melts, is gooey and full of butter.. all good things to tuck into when you feel not all chirpy and fun... I don't even wait for it cool completely. I sit with the whole bowl .. scoop .. eat .. feel better...



I am smiling again... much to say there.. I want another scoop.. going to get one.. Hope you are having a good Wednesday...


Double Chocolate Pudding Brownie ^©

(Original FSK recipe)

5 T butter
1/3 cup + 1 T sugar
1/6 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/6 cup milk chocolate chips
1 egg
1/3 cup flour
3 T almond meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 T dry coconut for sprinkling

Over a double boiler melt together the butter, sugar, salt, cocoa and chocolate until the butter has melted and it's a thick mixture. Remove from heat and whisk in the egg quickly. Add the almond meal, flour, baking powder and mix completely.

Pour the batter into a greased 5 inch square dish. Sprinkle the coconut over the batter. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes. The center will still be gooey and jiggle a bit but will not be runny. Remove to cool on rack for as long as you can hold yourself.

Almond and Cardamom Polvorons for Kulinarya Cooking Club - April 2010

You know what I love about being part of the Kulinarya Cooking Club? I mean, aside from the lovely people and the yummy food, ofcourse! It's that every month, so far, it has redefined something for me - a memory (Leche Flan), a healthier technique (Empanada) and this time .. a kitchen instrument! "Eh? What?!", you say?! Haha, read on ...

This month's Filipino item to show case was the Polvoron. During my search for a recipe for this sweet dish, I came to realise that this is one of Filipinos' most loved sweet! :-). Interestingly, it was very close in taste to an Indian sweet as well (revealed later in the post!). Isn't all this cultural inter-mingling fascinating? What better way to learn of them than through their cuisines!



So, anyway, the Polvoron is a shortbread like sweet made by pulverising a sweet powder into compact shapes. As you must have guessed, you need a "molder" for the purpose. I definitely don't have a Polvoron Molder. I racked my brains a bit on how to approach this obstacle short of buying one and then a light went on. Guess what I used?! My humble Murukku Maker (the same I used to make Murukkus here)!! It was the perfect solution; I made perfect discs of sweet candy with my work-around moulder!!

Today, there are many variations of the original recipe available in the market including chocolate covered versions of this candy. For my flavors, I went with cardamom and almonds and then just for fun (I was still on a high from having devised that solution.. hehe), I drew fun shapes on the cookies with milk chocolate.. haha.. Aren't they a riot?! :D



Wrapped in little cellophane bags they look so cute and make for a nice party favor too! I shared some of my cookies with friends we met for brunch yesterday. I will be meeting Trissa (YAY!!) later today and look forward to getting her (the true Filipino!) opinion about my creation. Hmm... I hope it passes the authenticity test!

BTW, remember, I mentioned cultural cross-overs and stuff up above? Well, the polvoron tastes very similar to Besan Laddoo and Rava Laddoo, very typical Indian sweets!!! I don't know how, but it does! :-)




Almond and Cardamom Polvoron

** Note: I eyeballed a lot of stuff, based on taste. The recipe below is close to the amounts I used but feel free to tweak as per your taste :-) **

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 T milk powder
1/4 cup + bit more sugar
3/4 tsp fresh ground cardamom (if you are using packaged powder, you'll need more)
handful of almonds, dry roasted and coarsely ground
1 stick butter, melted

In a heavy bottomed wide pan, roast the flour over low heat until it turns golden in color. Meanwhile, mix together the milk powder, sugar and cardamom powder. Add the cooked flour into the mix and pour in the butter. Mix well with a spoon or your hands. You'll end up with a crumbly mix.

Now, using a polvoron molder, or other alternate solutions, press a bit of the sweet powder into a compact disc. Freeze for atleast 30 minutes to let the butter harden and sweet to set.

When it doesn't look like it is going to crumble again, you can paint using chocolate, set to cool and wrap into pretty parcels.

______________________________________________________________________________

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Kath - http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

Trisha - http://sugarlace.com/

Trissa - http://trissalicious.com/

Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Cusinera- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/

Cherrie – http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/

Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/

Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina – http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Dahlia - http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/

Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Aussie Diaries ...

Some of the Twelve Apostles

Finally, today, I managed to put the house back in shape, which, since my arrival from OZ last week had resembled a disaster zone. The laundry has been folded into the closet, the house vacuumed and a host small things that needed to be done have been completed. Now, the only left on my to-do list is to tell you guys about my trip down South. And, here it is! I a good little girl, an't I?! YAY! I am proud of myself!! ;)

Soo, on an impulse, sometime in February, I decided to join my friend in her discovery of the youngest continent on Earth. Our itinerary touched Brisbane, Noosa, Fraser Island, Cairns, Port Douglas, Melbourne and Sydney, all in 17 days! To write about everything we did in that period would bore you. So, I just take you through some of the highlights and share photos from the journey...

Brisbane, Sunshine Coast & Noosa:

Clockwise from top: Brisbane ferris wheel, Me feeding a kangaroo, Next to a Koala, Kangaroos in the park, Bright colored parrots, Story Bridge

Our discovery of Australia began in Brisbane. Our hotel was right by the Brisbane river and conveniently for us, in walking distance to all things - sights, markets and restaurants. We sighted the Story Bridge from our hotel itself, City Hall and took a ferry ride up and down the river and checked out the various suburbs. And, ofcourse did a stop at the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary to see koalas (I didn't want to hug them) and feed young kangaroos!

The highlight of my stay here - meeting Julia. She is as sweet as her mouthwatering creations!! :))) She took us to Ecco, Brisbane's top rated restaurant, where we had a fantastic meal. My friend is vegetarian and she was super thrilled to find that they had a whole separate vegetarian menu that was executed perfectly. Julia also recommended Piaf, a little French place, where I had the best Barramundi of the trip!

Sunset over Noosa beach and surfers

Then we set off along the Sunshine coast towards Noosa and Fraser Island. Along the way, we stopped at Bribie beach and reached our resort just as the sun was setting, taking in the Glass House Mountains along the way. The drive along the mountains is about 30 miles long. My suggestion is to skip it. However, there are wineries on the way, some that offer lunch as long as you reach before 3 pm.

Fraser Island:

Clockwise from top: View atop Indian Head, Portholes of a shipwreck on the beach, Aussie Dingo, the Wreck again, the gorgeous sea

From Noosa, we booked a two day (which actually was a day and half) tour to Fraser Island. Fraser Island for some background is largest island made of just sand. History is that these are sands that have been washed up by the sea currents all the way from Sydney to the Northern coast. Although, the island is on the list of "1000 places you must see before you die", my take was that there are other places of higher priority. It was beautiful and the sea colors were stunning but I have seen the same on the coasts of Andaman. Besides, you can't swim in these waters at all since the currents are too strong and the water is infested with jelly fish ...

{Be Warned - Most of the beaches along Queensland coast, aside from the Sunshine and Gold Coasts are strictly off-limits, because of the above reason}

Port Douglas & Cairns:

From Brisbane again, we flew to the Northern tip of Queensland, to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest - two World Heritage sites and the latter being the oldest rainforest on Earth.

We took a day tour aboard the Silversonic to the Agincourt reefs. We were given a total of 4 hours in water at three different sites. I was sea sick on the way there (GAH! nasty winds and a over-confident big breakfast were to blame!!). But, yet managed to get about 3+ hours in water. The reefs and sea life were gorgeous!! I swam just a hand's length above a reef shark!! I am sure, he didn't care about me but I was super thrilled!! The reefs themselves were gorgeous!

Oh! and the highlight - The boat lunch was phenomenal (it cured my seasickness, scout's honor!!). The crab was succulent and sweet as were the prawns!! In general, Port Douglas and Cairns had some subliminal seafood. I would urge you to try Salsa Bar and Grill at Port Douglas. Seafood to try - Yabbis (smallish lobster), Coral Trout (YUMM!), Crab and Prawns.

Melbourne:

Clockwise from top: Melbourne skyline from St. Kilda pier, St. Kilda pier, a canoe moored, St. Kilda park

Melbourne city center was, well, like a city. My favorite part was an excursion to St. Kilda, a suburb just 20 minutes from Melbourne city center. It's a lovely seaside neighborhood, very residential and just reminiscent of Besantnagar back home! :). I spent hours here at Pelican Cafe, reading a book and enjoying a happy meal.

Clockwise from top: 12 Apostles, some more Apostles, Lighthouse along the way on GO road, Lockard Gorge

On the second day, we did the Great Ocean Road drive to the 12 Apostles and Lockard Gorge. It was a gorgeous drive and we entertained ourselves with a lot of out-of-tune and really bad singing :)).

Sydney:

Clockwise from top: Harbor Bridge, Arts Museum in Domain park and Markets at The Rocks, St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydey Opera House

Sydney was my favorite city!!! And, clearly closest to NYC - no narcissism here, I swear. It had a harbor, a lovely park, a gorgeous Cathedral (St. Mary's by the park, where I attended a beautiful Easter service) and an inspiring museum in the park. Not to mention street markets (Rocks and Paddy's Market) where I picked up Aussie flavors! :). We also saw King Lear at the Opera House; very different from the NYC theatre scene with the drama focussing mainly on the actors' talents and very minimal on set decoration. It was an experience much cherished!

Sydney was mostly leisure and strolling around but we did have one day of intense activity, our last. We took a train to the Blue Mountains (similar to Nilgiris, in terms of Blue) and then did a shortish 2.5 hour hike along the Federal Pass trail. It involved a scary 1000 steps descent along a cliff with sheer views and a brutal 1000 step ascent on the other end. But, the view was worth it! :)

Three Sisters at Blue Mountains

Next day, we boarded our plane back on sore legs to non-functional on-board entertainment system and many hours of sleep deprivation. Setting foot back in NYC was much welcome after the days of adrenalin rushed travelling! :)

Brunswick Stew Daring Cooks April 2010

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

This is indeed my first "make" of the month! I read this quote on Deeba's blog recently - "No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one." by Elbert Hubbard. I don't think anything captures the essence of my feelings since I came back from Australia as that one-liner. Oh! Imagine, if only we actually did that! Life would be such perfection. No house cleaning, laundry, bill paying etc... just one happy discovery after another!



Anyway (as the dream mists clear, I took off on a fantastic journey there....), since reality is no illusion and I don't have a trust fund, I find myself laboring under a heavy jetlag exacerbated by my sleeping through an entire day and all of 20 hours at a stretch and then staying awake unable to snooze for yet another 20 hour stretch. In my defense, it was completely accidental and I usually am not this badly affected.

**{Perhaps having spent the 9th hour of the day of April 6 in Sydney and then, once again in LA may have added to my disorientation??!!}**

So, my point is that I am rather glad for the choice of dish for this month's challenge :). It is a comforting dish that was fabulously easy to put together. I love stews in general; post-consumption contentment is such a selling point! I typically make my stews in a slow cooker. So, I thought I should give the Brunswick kid a fair treatment and made this stew in the slow cooker as well, which, rather drastically simplified the process. :-)



As to ingredients, I used chicken as the main protein with potatoes, carrots, corn adn lima beans pulling the vegetable weight. I also crumbled up the crisp, rendered bacon. For garnish, I used apple vinegar pickled red onions, basil and fresh parmesan.

BTW, while I was away this city had magically transformed into a gorgeous place full of good cheer and warm (and at times too warm) welcome. I know, that the magic fairy responsible for this metamorphosis goes by the name "Spring" and I cannot tell you how happy she makes me feel (despite all the points in para above). The park, and a few lucky streets, are blooming with gorgeous cherry blossoms and tulips have been planted wherever they could be (see, tax dollars at work).

I even managed to get out for a walk, a jog and a few clicks while the stew was cooking away slowly. We returned for a sumptious and satisfying dinner!




Brunswick Stew

** I sort of used the short version, which, I include here. If you are using a slow cooker like me, you can render the bacon and reserve; brown the chicken pieces in the fat; arrange all the ingredients in the cooker and wait for the magic! **

Brunswick Stew recipe from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club, served yearly at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Va.

Serves about 10

2 ½ lb TOTAL diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth - yes, all three meats
3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups/ 689.76 grams / 24.228oz frozen corn
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz frozen lima beans
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
½ stick / 4 tablespoons / ¼ cup / 56.94 grams / 2oz of butter
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz sugar
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / .5 oz ‘Poultry Seasoning’
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice

In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Mamasita, Melbourne

One of the restaurants I really wanted to try in Melbourne was Movida that was recommended by Trissa as well as Julia, when I met her in Brisbane. Unfortunately, we were in the city over the Easter weekend when the restaurant was closed, much to my disappointment. It was just a stone's throw away from the hotel where we were staying. Sigh... oh well!


However, on the bright side, we discovered a lovely new Mexican joint, Mamasita. It was truly by serendipity. We were walking along Collins street in vain search of a Indian place that was recommended by our concierge, when I noticed this flight of stairs overhanging with people and an unobtrusive sign that said "Mamasita".

Something in the name triggered a vague memory of having come across it somewhere and despite the daunting line, I convinced my friend to do a look-see and perhaps return with reservation. A peek at the menu baited us and we waited a bit for the "host" to check on the wait time. As it happened, most of the people waiting were large groups and us being just two really helped in getting a table ASAP!

Zucchini Blossom & goats cheese tamale with red pepper escabeche

We were seated in a sort of bar style area, without the bar. That is to say, there was a bar in the restaurant, just not where we were. Aside from the typical table seating area, there was a enclosed section of seats that were by the wall, with a view looking out or in or the wall. We got the well.. No worries! :)

We browsed the menu again, this time in more detail. The first thing we noticed was that the prices were unlike what we had been exposed to in Queensland, viz. reasonable. Entrees were in the $20 range. We were unsure of portion sizes but decided to start with one main dish each.

Chili Relleno

My friend being vegetarian chose Chili Rellenos and I chose the Mole, partly because it is indeed the quintessential Mexican dish and hence, the perfect test for the restaurant but also because I wanted to compare with the one I made a few weeks back.

Once we placed our orders, I went around exploring the space. The decor is simple and reminiscent of NYC restaurants. The kitchen is an open layout and Executive Chef Jason, also co-owner of the joint, was friendly and more than happy to let me shoot his creations fresh out of the kitchen!

Chicken Mole

Back at our "table", our dishes were served. As far as portions go, they were on the smaller side. But what they lacked in size they made up for in flavor. My friend, who typically is a sloooow eater, cleaned up her plate in less than 10 minutes!! She could not stop raving about her relleno although she said she could have done with more on the plate. My Mole was light, flavorful and had an edge to it from the hot chilli slices from the garnish and the chicken was perfectly cooked.

Our "host" checked up on us from time to time during the course of our meal and on one such occasion we uncovered the story behind the restaurant. Matt, our "host" and co-owner of Mamasita, is a NYC trained chef who went to Melbourne looking for a restaurant adventure and found it! The restaurant is barely four months old and he is already looking for opportunities in NYC.

Jason and Matt, the owners of Mamasita

Overall, we had a satisfying meal and would definitely recommend anyone in Melbourne to make a stop at Mamasita. And, I am looking forward to Matt's debut in NYC! :)

P.S. The answer to the trivia question in the last post is - Melbourne skyline from St. Kilda pier

Mediterranean Baked Red Snapper and Aussie Trivia

Ok! Let's start with a trivia question from my trip. Tell me where the below photo was taken ...



While you ponder the photo, let me just say .. I am back! :) Well, I seem to be saying that every other month!! Hmmm... Anyway, after almost a month away from home (and my kitchen) I am back to wearing clothes from the closet rather than the crumpled suitcase stuff. OK! I really can't complain... We spent all that time living in 5 star hotels and luxurious resorts. Still, I am glad to be back on home ground..

The travelogue is due.. I am still sifting through the pile of photos I took during the trip. Meanwhile, I did not want to be absent from my space here. I have not yet gotten into the full swing of cooking, photographing, posting... So, while I am still recovering from the jetlag, I leave you with a dish that I made before I left - Mediterranean Whole Baked Red Snapper.



I found some gorgeous snapper at my seafood store and immediately grabbed one. I love snapper, one of the few fishes I can eat without a fuss! It's mild flavored, cooks easily, can be flavored with pretty much any seasoning and when fresh has a slight sweetness that is quite enticing..

I have a fascination with cooking fish whole. I don't often do it but I love the way it looks on the table (ofcourse ignoring that eye!). For this one, I made a simple Mediterranean influenced marinade with olives, coriander, garlic, capers and olive oil. To make a complete meal of it, I baked the fish with red peppers and red onions. The juices from the fish and marinade flavor the veggies as well making it a nice wholesome meal. I served this fish over lemon rice .