Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce) & Cauliflower Cheese

Bechamel Sauce and Simple Cauliflower Cheese

This is one of my very few favorite chef', Chef Marco Pierre White's original recipe.. Tried it..and it is fantastic!! Love you Chef Marco!!

The Bechamel Sauce

• 25 g butter
• 25 g flour
• 570 ml  semi-skimmed milk
• 1 Knorr Vegetable stock pot ( I just used chicken stock since I can't find vegetable stock)
• I also add a pinch of nutmeg 

• melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan
• Using the wooden spoon, stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring continuously
• gradually stir in 3/4 of the milk, a little at a time, until the paste become liquid.
• replace your spoon with a balloon whisk, then stir through the balance of the milk
• Whisk through the vegetable /chicken stock.
• Bring to boil and gently simmer for 8-10 minutes.
• Finally, to remove any lumps, strain the sauce through a fine sieve to produce a smooth velvety texture
• NOTE : The secret is to work the roux so that it does not burn or scorch

The versatile sauce can be used to coat vegetables, for layering in  lasagna or for sauce base for macaroni cheese

Simple Cauliflower Cheese

• 1 knorr Chicken Stock cube
• 1 serving Bechamel sauce
• Cauliflower
• grated cheddar cheese

• place cauliflower in a saucepan of boiling water and add 1 cube of chicken stock.cube.
• Once cooked, drain the cauliflower. Make sure it i well drained.
• Place in a dish and cover with a  handful of grated cheese. 
• Pour the white sauce over the cheese, be generous.
• Place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes. 
• garnish with a bit of paprika

Masak Lemak Cili Padi Otak Lembu (Super HotCalf Brain in thick coconut cream)

WARNING !!

Not For the Faint-Hearted!!

Masak Lemak Cili Padi Otak Lembu

 (Super Hot Calf brain cooked in coconut cream and bird chilli -Tumeric paste)

A lot of people would squirm at the thought of eating internal organs leave alone BRAINS!! but Let me tell you it is lovely..:) especially if it is smoking coming out of your  ears HOT!! This hot creamy dish is a culinary delight from the olden days in the villages, normally prepared only by those who are experts. The texture of calf brain is smooth and velvety and fine much like a thick custard. paired with a super hot and aromatic chili and tumeric sauce, it will definitely wake up your palate. last week i was lucky enough to be given the main ingredient for this dish by a friend, so I had made this special hot dish. If you dare to try here are what you will need:

1 calf brain (boiled and membrane and blood veins removed)

10-13 Chili padi ( Hot Thai chili)

10 shallots

2-3 inches fresh tumeric 

1 candle nut (buah keras)

1 teaspoon sugar

3  lemon grass - bruised

1 tumeric leaf (fold and tie into a small bundle)

1 cup coconut cream

1 cup fresh milk

salt to taste

Pound the chili together with tumeric shallots and candle nut into a paste. In a sauce pan, put in the prepared together with all of the ingredients above. Cook over slow heat.stirring constantly. Simmer to boil. and thats it! Garnish with finely sliced tumeric leaf. Serve with hot steamed rice. Enjoy...

Pomegranate Syrup and molasses

I made this syrup today using the resipe I got from Goodeats at Foodnetwork. Bought 3 for RM5.00 .really should have gotten the RM10.00 deal for 7. Anyway these pomegranates were from China ..Judging from the colour of the fuit and the fruit sac I dont think they are very high quality pomegranate. The best ones are very red outside and inside. But that will do..at least they are better then the ones I grow at home. Mine bears lots of fruits this year but the seeds are just slightly pinkish..Sometimes my next door bachelor neighbours eat them otherwise its food for the birds...Anyway..back to my syrup..it tastes GRRRREAT!!

Pomegranate Syrup or Molasses

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006

Prep Time:5 min

Inactive Prep Time:30 min

Cook Time:50 min

Serves:

1 1/2 cups syrup or 1 cup molasses

Ingredients

• 4 cups pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

For Syrup: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 cups, approximately 50 minutes. It should be the consistency of syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

For Molasses: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately 70 minutes. It should be the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Making my own homemade pomegranate syrup...

Chicken Fried Steak with Country Style White Cream Gravy

The Gravy

1 piece meat ball-pan fried with a little oil and crumble to bits(optional)

1 medium onion- minced

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

2 medium cloves garlic paste

3 tablespoon all purpose flour

 1/2 cup chicken broth /1 cube chicken stock dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

2 cups full cream milk

3/4 tablespoon 

3/4 teaspoon salt

a pinch of nutmeg

1 bay leaf (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

cayenne pepper

Pour the oil from the meatball into a sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the meat ball bits,onion and thyme. Cook  untill the onion has softened and beginning to brown for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic. (about 30 seconds). Add in the Add the flour to the pan and stir until well combined 9about 1 minute). Whisk in the broth. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne, nutmeg and bayleaf. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook until thickened (about 5 minutes)

The Steak

Mixture A : Mix together 

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper 

 5 teaspoon salt

Mixture B : Beat and mix together 

1 large egg

 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

6 cube steaks (about 5 oz each) pounded to 1/3 inch thickness, pat dry with kitchen towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides

4-5 cups peanut/vegetable oil for frying 

Put the thin steak intoflour  mixture A then dip nto egg mixture B and again in flour mixture A. deep friy for a 2-3 minutes each side and . transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off eccess oil.

To serve pour the  white gravy over the steak . Also great served with buttermilk biscuits.

buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

You will need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 6 tablespoon cold butter cut into small cubes
• 1 cups cold buttermilk (or if you dont have buttermilk make some by adding 2 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of fresh milk - )

Preheat your oven to 232 degrees Celsius 0r 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a wire whisk mix all the dry ingredients together. Then rub in the cold butter either by using your fingertips or the pastry cutter (see picture below- a good tool to have) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you are in a temperate place like mine, you might want to place the butter/flour mixture in the refrigerator for a while. before the next step

Form a well in the middle of your flour mixture. Add the buttermilk.  Very gently incorporate the liquid into the dry ingredients. handle as little as possible!  Use a little buttermilk first instead of using all because you can always put more but you cannot take out. The dough  will be a little sticky.

spread some flour on the rolling board and using your fingers spread the dough into 1 inch thick. You use a glass to ut out round shaped biscuits (do not rotate your glass/cutter when cutting) or you can simple cut them in squares like I did. Place them in a greased pan close to each other to avoid crusty sides. Bake in the oven for 10 -12 minutes.

Enjoy them warm straight from the oven with butter and jam or serve them with Country Fried Steak with white gravy..

 serving suggestion

Chicken Cream Pasta with Basil Pesto

Chicken Cream Pasta with Basil Pesto

You will need:

• Chicken strips from half a breast
• Vegetables: I used cauliflower, sweet peas and red bell peppers. You can use corgett, broccoli or any vegetables of your choice)
• 1 medium size shallots
• 2 cloves garlic- make into paste
• some parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto ( please see my recipe for basil pesto)
• 1 cup cream
• pasta - cooked ala dente
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper for taste
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock/1 cube chicken stock

Heat up the olive oil in a pan and stir fry the chicken strips

Add in garlic and pesto and stir for a minute. Add the vegetables and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock

Add in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil

Add in pasta and cook for about 2 minutes

Add some parmesan cheese...

....and enjoy...

Fresh Basil Pesto

Fresh Basil Pesto

You will need :

• 3 cups loosely packed basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic (remove the green part inside) and make into paste
• 3/4 cup pine nuts or cashew nuts (I used cashew since I cant get pine nuts in my area)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

step 1 ; mash the garlic

step 2: add salt

step 3: Add basil leaves

Step 4 : add nuts

step 5; add pepper

Step 6: add EVOO

You can either keep the pesto in a jar or freeze it in ice cubes mould and then take out and keep in freezer bags to be used one cube at a time