Monthly Archives: May 2011

Recipe: noodles with fish flakes and mushroom

Posted in Perth, Recipes by

From my kitchen: noodles with fish flakes and mushrooms

Remember how I bought a large container of fresh noodles from Big Bowl Noodles? Well, here is one of the ways I’ve cooked the noodles. Pasta noodles would work perfectly with this dish too.

Ingredients

noodles that serves 2-3 people

1 fish fillet

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup white wine

1 – 1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup cream or half a block of Philly cream cheese

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain and set aside.

2. In a large pan, panfry the fish fillet until crisp then, using a fork, flake it.

3. In a same pan, heat the oil and sautee garlic and mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Then add in the flaked fish.

4. Add in white wine, chicken stock, cream (or cream cheese) and lemon juice. Stir until well incorporated. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

5. Add in the drained noodles and mix until all of the noodles are covered with sauce. Let the noodles soak up the sauce. Note that the this recipe is meant for dry-type noodles with only a hint of sauce on the plate.

6. Serve hot and enjoy.

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Recipe: Fish fillet with white sauce

Posted in Modern Australian, Recipes by

From my kitchen: Fish fillet with white sauce

This is an alternative way of cooking basa fillets that we usually cook Asian-style (with soy sauce and ginger or teriyaki sauce). I used milk instead of cream for the sauce so it’s not a heavy kind of white sauce. My auntie has specifically requested for this recipe so I’m inclined to think that this was a hit at the dinner table.

Ingredients

6 – 8 fish fillets (I used freshwater basa fillets for the photo above)

salt and pepper

dill

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon flour

5 pieces button mushrooms, sliced

5 tablespoons white wine

1/4 cup milk

chicken stock or water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method

1. Season the fish fillets with a little salt, pepper and dill. Steam cook them or panfry then set aside.

2. In a pan, melt the butter and add in the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute. Add in mushrooms and cook for a another minute. Then add in the flour and stir until the mixture forms a paste.

3. Add in white wine and stir until the paste becomes a thick liquid. Then add milk and chicken stock or water and stir to your desired sauce consistency. Just keep adding chicken stock or water to thin out the sauce – the sauce will thicken as it boils.

4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

5. Place the fish fillets into the pan with the sauce to reheat the fish, about 3 minutes.

6. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe: Jelly with jackfruit dessert

Posted in Chinese/Asian, Coffee & Desserts, Recipes by

From my kitchen: Jelly with jackfruit

A very refreshing dessert courtesy of Auntie Cindy. Once jelly is made this dessert can be put together in 5 minutes! The jackfruit can also be substituted with whatever fruit you like (lychee, longan…etc).

Ingredients

Jelly or gelatin powder or agar powder

Food colouring of your choice

1 can of jackfruit

Ice cubes

1 lime, juiced

cold water

sugar syrup

Method
1. Cook the jelly according to packet instructions. Add food colouring of your choice. Then pour the jelly into mould shapes of your choice.

2. Once set, de-mould the jelly onto a big bowl. Add in ice cubes and the jackfruit together with the juice.

3. Add in lime juice and about 1 cup of cold water and stir.

4. Adjust the taste according to your liking by adding more water or some sugar syrup.

5. Serve and enjoy.

Pronto @ Claremont

Posted in Italian, Perth by

Having bought clothes sizes too big online has found me hanging about in Claremont trying to exchange my items for the correct sizes. After roaming around Claremont Quarter I ended up exchanging my coat and shoes AND buying 2 more to tops on my way out (which was clearly not in the agenda for today). I also ended up with a massive craving for pasta. In fact, I have had this crazy craving for pasta for a few weeks now and you can’t imagine the satisfaction I felt when I stepped into Pronto, along Bay View Terrace just across Claremont Quarter. From the outside it looked like a restaurant of small capacity but it actually is quite big inside. Modern looking with framed photographs for sale by a man named Paul (based on my assumption only because it says to contact Paul if you want to buy the photographs), Pronto has an unusual mix of having a homey yet modern feel to it. It is like an upscale casual dining Italian restaurant.

Pronto: interior

The waitstaff, when I came here, was a group of middle aged Italian men. I was given a lunch menu consisting of entrees, salads, pastas and pizzas. The menu was not overly complicated consisting of dishes that you would find in most Italian restaurants. I ordered the Spaghetti alla Nolana that was supposed to have mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and chilli. Then the waiter asked if I wanted any drinks so I said “just a glass of hot water, please” because I had a cold. And he said, playfully, “with lemon”? Oh yes please! A thumbs up from me for paying attention. A glass of boiling hot lemon water was just what I needed.

Service was fast too. My pasta was served in less than 10 minute waiting time. But when the plate came it was spaghetti swimming in a sea of tomato sauce. It was obviously not what I had ordered and I fished around for my mushrooms just to check if I read the menu incorrectly or they actually stuffed up my order. No mushrooms nor sundried tomatoes were found but I am not the type of customer who would actually send food back to the kitchen unless it is really inedible. I am a believer of blessings in disguise so I happily ate my Spaghetti Napolitana – spaghetti with tomato sauce topped with parmesan cheese and a few leaves of basil.

Pronto: Spaghetti Napolitana

Getting an order wrong on a not-too-busy lunch is in any way a big turn off for me. But I’m happy to let this one go because it was indeed a blessing in disguise. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and the tomato sauce was very rich but not too acidic with just the right amount of cheese to give it that kick. There is only 1 other Italian restaurant (that I have been to so far) that cooks tomato-based sauces just the way I like them (as described above) but that restaurant, called Green Tomato, happens to be in the Philippines. On a side note, not even Ciao Italia, one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Perth, can whip up this kind of tomato-based sauce. Their’s is too acidic. Anyways, Perth-wise, Pronto is at par with Green Tomato, if not, even better because the tomatoes tasted fresher. It has been quite a while since I last had a Green Tomato pasta so upon taking that first taste of Pronto’s Spaghetti Napolitana I was taken back home, even for just a good 20 minutes that it took me to finish my plate of pasta. I was happy that there was plenty of sauce because I savoured every spoonful of it long after I chowed down the pasta.

The downside? Price and serving size. It costs $20 for such a small plate of pasta. Upon seeing that $20 on the menu I was expecting a big bowl/plate of pasta that would really fill me up until I have no more room for dessert. Sadly that wasn’t the case. I was left wanting for something more. I asked the waitstaff if they had tiramisu but he said that they did not make it today (but that they usually had it). In my opinion, tiramisus are a staple in Italian restaurants so they should be available all trading days. If it was sold out for the day I would understand but not making it is unacceptable. The other cakes in the fridge did not look appetising enough so I just asked for the bill. They wanted to charge me $25 for what was originally the Spaghetti alla Nolana order but I told them they gave me the wrong dish. The waitstaff showed me what he wrote in the order ticket and it proved that the kitchen got it wrong. He did apologise profusely about the mistake and asked if I did enjoy my meal anyway and I said yes.

The pricing and the size definitely makes me hesitant to come back to Pronto because I can get just as good a pasta elsewhere for 3/4 of the price or the same price for a much bigger serving enough to share between 2 people. Well if I get that Green Tomato nostalgia again I know now where to go (and that would probably be the only reason why I would come back).

My rating: 6.75/10

Pronto on Urbanspoon

Jean Pierre Sancho @ CBD

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, French, Perth by

I have an inexplicable relationship with anything French. Perhaps it has something to do with me taking up French history some odd years ago that France, or anything French really, has left such an impression in my life. Naturally, every time I step into Jean Pierre Sancho Boulangerie et Patisserie on Hay Street and walk up its glass stairs I am reminded of my said relationship with the French, and also those chic little cafes that you see in movies.

Jean Pierre Sancho: cafe interior in a glass enclosure

It is a very spacious cafe with a few tables on the sidewalk too. When you step in you can hear quaint French music playing in the background. The cafe does need a little more ventilation though or turn up air conditioning. If you wear long sleeves clothing you will no doubt start sweating within the next 5 minutes, even in winter. Stuffiness aside, head over to the counter and you will be greeted by none other than the French speaking staff. I have yet to encounter a staff there who doesn’t speak the language. They are friendly, and most importantly, patient enough to allow me to practice my French with them and correct me if I use the wrong gendered articles.

Owned by 3 partners, one of whom is my friend’s brother, all the products they sell are handmade in store every day. There is a wide variety of savoury and sweet goods to choose from and don’t forget the breads as well. Over the past year that I have been coming here, prices have also gone up with inflation but, given the size, quality and consistency of the products, I am inclined to overlook this.

The croissants and chocolate croissants here are one of the bests I’ve had in Perth. Croissants that taste like what they should taste like (that’s to say not factory made) – very buttery and rich. Other pastries that I have come to love include -

The lemon tart, tangy just the way I like it but it has the tiniest hint of egginess which is a little turn off for me but that which doesn’t stop me from eating it.

The chocolate mousse, very smooth and very rich chocolate mousse. Not much to complain about that one.

And the blueberry and almond tart. This is by far my favourite. Sweet blueberries sandwiched between 2 almond based cakes, now what could possibly go wrong with that? It was a great afternoon treat after a long day of walking. The tart was pretty big for me to eat in 1 sitting. So I asked one of the staff if I could have it sliced in half and have the other half to take away. She gladly did this for me. People who stereotypically think of the French as a stuck up bunch should really come over to Jean Pierre to experience for themselves just how friendly they can be.

Jean Pierre Sancho: half of a blueberry and almond tart with coffee

Then you wash down all the sweets with a cup of organic fair trade coffee. Coffee is not the best there is but has improved significantly over the past year. They serve it with a bite-sized, buttery and nutty biscuit on the side too.

Jean Pierre Sancho has been in the Perth cafe scene for over a year now and they have already expanded by opening a smaller shop in St. Georges Terrace catering for the busy corporate people. If that’s not enough for you, they do catering as well as deliveries in the CBD area using a characteristically French delivery bike.

Jean Pierre Sancho: delivery tricycle*

My rating: 8/10

Jean Pierre Sancho on Urbanspoon

www.jpsancho.com.au

*photo from http://www.jpsancho.com.au/cmspages.php?pageid=7

La Galette de France @ Subiaco

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, French, Perth by

Three things that render my weekend well spent – markets, sweets and strolling. What could be better than accomplishing all these in 1 place? Conveniently located inside Station Street Markets in Subiaco, La Galette de France Subiaco definitely makes my weekend routine complete. There are 3 La Galette shops – South Perth, Nedlands, and Subiaco – but Subiaco is the one I frequent. I get up, head down to Subi, buy loads of fruits and vegetables and then treat myself to some french pastries. Yes, some pastries because I can never settle for just 1 pastry. The pastries available depend on what time you get to the markets. Arrive too early and not everything will be out yet. Arrive too late and most would have already been sold. The best time to get there would be noon so that you can have a wide array of pastries and pies and bread to choose from.

La Galette’s stall is just before the fruits and veg stalls so be prepared to squeeze through a sea of onlookers and passers-by.

La Galette de France: shopfront

Here, I am always greeted with a smile and fast service and the waft of freshly baked croissants always draw me back for more. One of the things I like about La Galette de France is that they are not sugar crazy. Everything is just sweet enough which is how I like my sweets. My top picks are: any of the petits fours, particularly the lemon tart and chocolate tart, pain au chocolate, the mini bag of palmier and the quiche ratatouille. The lemon tart, whether small, medium or large, is super tangy. The lemon curd is not eggy at all making it a genuine tarte au citron. The chocolate tart is filled with a rich dark chocolate ganache. The sweetness does not overpower the richness of the dark chocolate which makes me appreciate it even more. Both tarts have a very nutty pastry shell. Yum yum!

La Galette: tarte au citron et tarte au chocolat

The pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) is very flaky but not overly greasy like some of the croissants I’ve had elsewhere and is filled with rich dark chocolate. Size is a bit too small for my appetite though.

La Galette: pain au chocolat

The bag of palmier is one bag of crunchy goodness that even my granny LOVES. In fact, she was the one who bought it and tempted me to share it with her because she felt guilty finishing the whole pack by herself.

Macarons? Yes, they sell macarons too but they are not the best ones around. It’s better to spend your money on the tarts.

And for the first time last week I had something savoury. Not a lot of hot pies and quiches left late in the afternoon. There were only 2 kinds of quiche that I could choose from – quiche lorraine (ham and cheese) or quiche ratatouille (tomatoes, zucchini and other veggies). Of course I had the quiche ratatouille because ham and cheese were too plain. I made the right choice though because this was one very tasty quiche. It was packed with rich tomatoes with only a little layer of egg.

La Galette: quiche ratatouille

As with every other shop that hand makes their products and make them as close to authentic as possible, prices would be an issue if you are the stingy type. Petits fours cost $2.30 each for 1 bite; pain au chocolat is $3; quiche is $4. But the adage “you get what you pay for” is certainly very true in this case. This is certainly one of the best French patisserie and boulangerie that I have ever been to in Perth.

My rating: 9/10
La Galette de France on Urbanspoon

www.lagalettedefrance.com.au

Big Bowl @ Northbridge

Posted in Chinese/Asian, Perth by

Finally a place in Perth where I can indulge in noodles semi-guiltlessly (semi, because I am trying a diet of low carbs). If you need to be reminded…I have a very unhealthy addiction to noodles. Noodle soup, stir-fry noodles, deep fried noodles with sauce, boiled noodles, claypot noodles, salad noodles – in whatever way noodles are cooked I will eat them all (but noodles in a heart warming broth is my number choice).

Today on a very chilly day I ventured out to the city for some harmless shopping. I had the craving for a good bowl of soup, battling between minestrone or asian soup. In the end, asian soup craving won so I headed on foot to Northbridge for a big bowl of noodle soup. I have read that Big Bowl Noodles along William Street makes their own noodles so that alone is enough to convince me to give this place a try. The restaurant was not overly busy when I walked in seeing as it was already 2:30pm then. There were only 3 other tables occupied so service was very quick.

They have this on their wall explaining something about noodle making -

Big Bowl: info about noodle making

- and they are right. Noodle making is an art. Big Bowl makes their own noodles called La Mien, as in noodles pulled by hand, but we are now in the modern ages so they actually use machines to “pull” the noodles. There are 3 machines – 1 for regular noodles, 1 for wholemeal noodles, and 1 for thicker regular noodles – and the noodles are “pulled” to order. Place your order then choose your noodle and the waitress presses a button on the machine and, voila, noodles come out and she passes them on to the chef.

Big Bowl: here comes my wholemeal noodles

There are some 50+ combinations of noodles on the menu – some soup, some stir fried, some vego..etc. and it did take a while for me to decide which one to indulge in. Finally I chose the fish skin with prawn dumpling noodle soup with wholemeal noodles. Wow, it was heaven in every slurp. And made even better with a little bit of chili. It was unusual to have wholemeal la mien because I have never been to a chinese restaurant that actually makes and serves wholemeal noodles. This worked just fine for me because I currently have an obsession with anything wholemeal (for that added texture). The soup was very simple yet tasty. Just broth, I’m guessing pork broth, and not loaded with msg seeing as I was not left dehydrated after I finished my bowl of noodle soup. They were generous with the veggies too. The only real problem with my meal were the dumplings. They came in only 4 pieces and were mediocre. The wrapper was too big and I could not make out where the fish skin was.

Big Bowl: fish skin with prawn dumpling noodle soup

The staff there can speak little English, enough for them to get by and understand me. I was going to try ordering in Chinese but I felt so embarrassed with my broken Chinese that if she asked me something else I would’ve just turned red and replied in English. The lady who served me looked a bit uptight but she did turn out to be friendly upon “chatting” with her about the noodles. I loved my wholemeal noodles so much that I ordered fresh ones to take home. I did not know that you can actually just order fresh noodles until a man came in and ordered 4 large containers. So I copied him and ordered 1 large container for myself. And this was when I “chatted” with the lady about the different types of noodles and how I should store and cook them at home.

Big Bowl: take home fresh wholemeal noodles

I am literally contained with excitement about cooking the noodles at home. I finally found a place where I can get quality noodles to feed my addiction.

My rating: 8/10

Big Bowl on Urbanspoon

Market! Market!

Posted in Adventures by

Early rise today at 3:12am for a first time experience at the markets. The last time I’ve been up this early was during the Easter weekend 2 years ago to pack thousands of hot cross buns. Anyways, back to the markets. I have been to the markets before scouring for cheap finds; only today I was on the other side of the line with my friend. We were the sellers.

Karrinyup Markets was our choice this week and it took about 15 to 20 minutes to drive up north on an empty freeway from our place down south. By 4:30am we have arrived and we were number 27 in the line of cars. This was all there was at 4:30am in the parking lot – the moon and the street lights -

 

It never occurred to me that there were “rules” to selling in the markets. Entry to the markets were on a first come first served basis so that car number 1 would have number 1 priority in choosing where to set up his stall. There is also a list of things that you can sell – clothes, toys, books and even plants – but brand new things and food are not allowed.

We waited and waited until 6:15am when we were finally let into the markets to set up our stall. It’s really amazing how 4 chairs, 1 table, 4 big bags of clothes, 2 clothes racks, 1 mannequin and some random things could fit into a small Holden Barina. It was a very chilly morning and I regretted wearing flats as my feet were frozen stiff. Should’ve worn my ugg boots instead. My friend and I quickly set up our stall using 2 car bays to look like this (initially) -

By 6:25am buyers have already started coming in! Who would’ve thought that people actually get up this early to come to the markets? We haven’t even finished setting up our little space and people were already digging into our things.

When you come to a swap meet or a flea market – most things are dirt cheap. Well, dirt cheap is by definition different to everyone. We were selling quality clothes for $1 each and apparently that’s not cheap enough for some buyers. $1 for a close-to-brand-new MNG top is really really really cheap, don’t you reckon? Or $5 Levi’s jeans? This reminds of my bartering days in China 10 years ago where I would harass the xiao jies for a very cheap price. I have now come to realise that being the buyer and the seller are 2 completely different experiences.

Sales picked up about an hour or so into the whole process of bartering and at the end of the day I was able to sell most of my bulky items and 3 of my hand bags that were clogging up space in the closet and made quite a considerable sum of money too. Not bad for a first timer!

It was so much fun that we are already planning our next market trip.

Recipe: Good ol’ steak with mushroom sauce

Posted in Modern Australian, Recipes by

From my kitchen: steak with mushroom sauce

Ingredients

1 piece steak – your choice of cut

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

4 pieces button mushrooms

1/8 to 1/4 cup white wine

water or stock

Method

1. Season steak with salt and pepper on both sides and cook it in a pan according to your liking then set aside.

2. In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the flour. Stir together until it forms a paste. Then add in the mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add in the wine and stir until a thick sauce is made. Add in the juice from the steak that was set aside.

4. Gradually add in water or stock until the sauce is gravy-like.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Spoon the sauce on top of the steak.

7. Serve with a side of salad or mash and enjoy.

Daisy’s Cafe @ Jandakot

Posted in Chinese/Asian, Perth by

Okay, this post is outright biased I must admit. Daisy’s Cafe is the cousin’s boyfriend’s parents’ restaurant and given how much I appreciate uncle Sam (the chef, as he is affectionately called) and auntie Doris’ warmth and hospitality I cant bring myself to find any faults with this restaurant, except for the fact that it is in woop woop (that’s a place far far away, for you non Aussies). Any place farther than Canningvale from my place is woop woop. This little restaurant, just off the Berrigan Drive exit of the freeway, sits about 20 to 30 people and there is quite a significant number of takeaway patrons as well.

Daisy's Cafe: interior

But as biased as I may be, Daisy’s Cafe is really worth going the extra kilometres if what you are looking for is a neighbourhood chinese restaurant that serves food in its simplicity. The food here is sort of like home cooked meals only much better.

Our family favourites include the succulent lobster with noodles dish. The dish below features bite sized lobster pieces on udon noodles. That’s a little different from the usual egg noodles or yee mien that this dish is served with but udon worked just fine in this instance.

Daisy's Cafe: lobster with noodles

Next up is fish cooked 2 ways. I’m not exactly sure what the fish we had is called as I am not a fish monger but it’s that kind of fish with red skin and blue green spots. The head and bones in this case are battered and deep fried while the fillets are stir fried with vegetables. Either way the fish is cooked was just really tasty. Here’s the fish that was the star of the dish but the final product was consumed all too quickly.

Daisy's Cafe: fish

Then auntie Doris came out with a boiling hot claypot containing chicken pieces in a wine infused special soy sauce based sauce. The sauce was sweet yet still with that hint of saltiness and the tender chicken pieces were deliciously drunk with wine.

Daisy's Cafe: chicken claypot

A non red meat dish came next – which is another family favourite of ours – steamed egg whites with seafood sauce. Very smooth and fluffy egg whites topped with chopped seafood sauce. Be warned that this is steaming hot and will burn your tongue if you cant resist it and dove in too quickly like what happened to me.

Daisy's Cafe: steamed egg whites with seafood sauce

We would usually just ask the chef to prepare whatever dishes he felt like making and we have not yet been disappointed. Food is always fresh and consistently good – tasty but not too greasy nor too salty – at a reasonable price.

It was indeed a very satisfying family (extended family included) dinner. And if you open your ears you might even hear uncle Sam belt out some really old-fashioned Chinese songs while he cooks!

My rating: 8/10
Daisy's Cafe on Urbanspoon

Recipe: Crepes – dessert in a flash

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, French, Recipes by

From my kitchen: crepe with dark chocolate sauce

We were recently cleaning out our freezer and found a box of frozen crepes bought years ago from Ikea. So we decided to have them as dessert today before they become inedible. Some crepes are suzette style and some served with dark chocolate sauce. Also perfect with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night.

Ingredients

6-8 pieces ready made crepes (or you can make your own if you wish)

6 tablespoons butter, cold but softened

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons lemon juice

dark chocolate flakes or bar

Method

1. Heat up the crepes according to package instructions and set aside.

2. Mix the butter and the sugar together.

3. Heat a pan and melt about 1 tablespoon the butter-sugar mixture  and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice on low heat. Add in a piece of crepe and leave it on 1 side for about 20 seconds. Flip to the other side and leave it on for a further 20 seconds. Then fold the crepe into a triangle and transfer onto a plate. Repeat the process for all the crepes.

From my kitchen: crepe suzette

4. If you prefer a chocolate sauce for the crepes, simply melt the dark chocolate flakes or bar and serve it in a small bowl.

5. Best eaten warm with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee

Recipe: Chinese-style stir-fried noodles

Posted in Chinese/Asian, Recipes by

From my kitchen: Chinese-style stir-fried noodles

I cook this dish very often because it’s really tasty and easy to make – once you get past all that slicing.

Ingredients

1/2 capsicum, sliced thinly

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced

1 chicken breast, cut into strips

oil for stir frying

2 packs yee fu noodles

1 – 2 cups chicken stock or water

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

spring onions for garnish

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok. Add in the vegetables and cook for about 2 -3 minutes. Transfer onto a plate.

From my kitchen: vegetable strips

3. Add more oil to the wok. Stir fry the chicken strips until completely cooked.

4. Then add in the chicken stock or water, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well.

5. Add in the noodles and constantly mix it with the sauce so the sauce is evenly distributed.

6. Add the vegetables back to the wok.

7. Once noodles are al dente and evenly coated with the sauce, transfer onto serving plate.

8. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe: Rich dark hot chocolate

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Recipes by

From my kitchen: Rich dark hot chocolate

A sinfully rich dark hot chocolate inspired by Koko Black. Chocolate can be adjusted according to how rich you want your drink to be. The recipe below serves about 8 to 10 cups the size of the cup pictured above. I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a big hit with the oldies and the fussiest of the young ones!

Ingredients

250 grams Koko Black hot chocolate flakes (or another brand of dark chocolate bars)

1/4 cup hot water

3/4 litre skim milk

1 cup cream (optional)

Method

1. Prepare a double boiler – a mixing bowl sitting on top of a pot of boiling water. Add in the chocolate flakes and water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the consistency is smooth. Mixture should not be too thick. Add more water if needed. Switch off the stove.

From my kitchen: melted dark chocolate mixture

2. In a large saucepan, simmer 3/4 litre of milk and cream. Be careful not to boil it and constantly stir it so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pan.

3. When the milk is about to boil, gradually stir in the chocolate mixture. Stir until well combined.

4. If the drink is too rich for you, add more milk.

5. Using a ladle, scoop the hot chocolate into cups.

6. Serve hot.

Recipe: Avocado, bulgarian cheese and lime on toast

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Modern Australian, Recipes by

From my kitchen: avocado, feta cheese and lime on toast

My take on The Attic‘s avocado, bulgarian white cheese and lime on toast. A simple yet tasty and healthy breakfast, or snack. The bulgarian feta cheese I bought from Coles’ deli has a yeasty smell and taste but you can hardly notice the smell when eaten with the avocado and bread.

Ingredients

2-3 slices of crusty bread (italian bread or sourdough) or any bread of your choice

1 avocado, stone removed and flesh sliced

1 block bulgarian feta cheese or regular feta cheese

1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Toast the slices of bread.

2. Top with slices of avocado to cover the whole toast.

3. Crumble the cheese on top of the avocados.

4. Squeeze lime onto the toast.

5. Serve and enjoy.