The Saffron Challenge #2 - Orange Saffron & Hazelnut Pull Apart Bread

I was feeling so guilty for not doing my saffron challenge for the past couple of days that today I gave myself a double challenge ...

a saffron dessert and bread making.

I've never made bread before. But everyone keeps telling me that making bread is totally easy and there is something therapeutic about the whole process. Both parts are true. It was easy (just time consuming) and kneading the dough made me felt like I was in my own little world. 

Half way through it, the construction workers decided to drill the heck out of the exterior wall of my building. I was so annoyed that I tweeted about it (yes, I wanted everyone to know about my bread making experience). Thankfully, my lovely bread dough wasn't affected by the noise and raised beautifully. And I, while kneading, was totally consumed in the whole thing that it drowned out the 'diiizzzzz diiiiizzzzzz ... silence ... silence... diiizzz diiiizzzz diiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... and so on'.

I am done making the bread, ate half of it and the dizzzzz dizzzzzz is STILL going on. Thank goodness for sugary bread dough to get me through the day. 

Today's flavour combo: Saffron, Orange, Hazelnut and Brown Sugar. YUM! All combined into a soft, warm and yeasty bread. Quadruple YUM!

I took it a step further. This is not your regular loaf of bread. Is made in a way that you can pull the bread apart in sheets!! Thanks to the JoyTheBaker! She is such a genius and is THE baking queen. I LOVE her blog! 

The bread turned out oh-so-good! I couldn't resist and had to eat a slice right away. The top was very crunchy, with bits of nuts sticking out and crumbly brown sugar bits all caramelized & gooood. The bread was so soft and moist and when I pulled it apart, I got hit by the sweet citrusy smell of the orange zests and the warm aroma of the saffron.

MMmmmmmMMMMmmmmm. 

The Saffron Challenge #1

I've been around saffron quite a bit these days and realized that not a lot of people use it in desserts or maybe i just haven't came across them. So I am giving myself a little challenge until the end of this month - come up with 6 desserts using saffron. (Though I just realized while typing this that I only have until next Monday as I will be going on a short trip until April 1st). emmmm ...

Saffron is the world's most highly priced spice. Totally in a league of its own, saffron has a very unique aroma and taste. Just a couple of these thin golden strands will give any dish a deep and vibrant orangey-yellow colour. Is an amazing spice and I love it.

Okay, so back to desserts ... guess there isn't any rule in this challenge. As long as I use saffron in my dessert recipes, it counts. :) I am sure there are plenty of good flavour combos out there.

Creamy, velvety, smooth and heavenly ... some words that you usually associate with cheesecakes. My first saffron dessert is going to be ....

Neglected

What happened to the fully committed relationship to my blog? I have been an awful partner ... I know. And I am sorry. 

To make up for my week's of absence, I am giving myself a challenge until the end of the month. 

Stay tuned  .... is gonna be good. I promise. 

Mirror, The Restaurant

Quite a few things going on these days and I apologize to my blog for not posting as regularly as I should ... my apologies to those who actually read my blog too. I love you.

Since I have been busy these days and renovation of the building that I am living in has started, I am sorry to say that I probably won't be able to post as much cooking related posts for awhile. Is hard to concentrate when there is constant drilling and knowing there are sweaty old men right outside your windows.

I now give you a taste of Mirror - a private kitchen opened by the ex Sous Chef of Robouchon - Chef Jeremy Biasiol. I waited for 3 months for this table, so I think this is worth to blog about it. I went with my cousin Pat and we ordered 2 tasting menus - one 5 courses and one 8 courses. We shared everything. Another great thing about this is that they allow you to bring your own wine.

This Champagne, Joseph Pierre Perrier, is my new love. J'adore! Is fruity with the perfect amount of bubbles. The Chateau La Mouleyre 2005 I got from my dad (thank you very much). It was a wonderful red wine with complex aromas of vanilla, sandalwood and soft spices. Very good texture in the mouth with elegant oaky tints.

A very generous bread basket with great French style breads - Olive bread, herb focaccia, mini french baguette and bacon twisty bread sticks. Served with your choice of sweet french butter sprinkled with sea salt or syrupy balsamic vinegar with fruity extra virgin olive oil. They even give you refills. 

Scallop mousse with cream sauce, caviar and lemon oil - delicious! 

I absolutely loved this flavour combo and the lemon oil just brought out all the freshness of the ingredients. 4 stars.

The Food Blogging World

I blog because I want to have something to keep me going and occupied since I am jobless. I have been jobless for awhile, money is running low, so blogging seems to be a good option since there is no set up cost involved, thanks to blogger in my case.

But having started doing this for a month, I realize blogging is a hard core business. The blogs that I've been following are bloggers who have started writing for 7 to 8 (or more) years ago. What started out to be online diaries (that's what they used to call it back in the days) have turned into years worth of well written stories, with creative recipes and gorgeous photos. And you know what this leads to - cookbook deals, jobs as food writers/critics for magazines, awards and honorable mentions in NY Times/Food & Wine for best blogs of the year.

If you have a niche and you do it right and do it well, your blog can change your life.

Food blogging is such a big deal these days that they even have a Food Blogger Camp! (http://foodblogcamp.com/)

For USD1,200 you will get to spend 5 days with a talented bunch at a sunny and beachy place, with seminars to teach you about better blogging, food styling, photography, branding; cooking demonstrations by world renowned chefs; and for the rest of they day, you get to sip on mojitos by the pool and discuss about what makes a good blog, share recipes and cooking techniques, predict upcoming trends in the culinary world and so forth.

Now this is some dedication to food blogging.

Adela's Paella

I spent about 10 days in Madrid last October and was blessed to have been able to stay at my aunt's friend's place, an adorable couple who has been leaving in Spain for over 25 years. Adela is Spanish while Carlos is Chinese, who grew up in Spain.

That was my Euro foodie trip and it was meant to be when I found out that Adela is a fantastic cook. She loves hosting parties and cooking for people. The whole time I was in Madrid, I didn't do much sightseeing at all. I stayed in the kitchen with Adela, making her tell me the secrets of what authentic Spanish cuisine is all about. I went to markets with her to buy unbelievably fresh produce, meats and seafood for Adela to turn into omgosh good dishes.

It was simple and homey Spanish cooking and it was exactly what I had hoped for. When the ingredients are this fresh, you don't need to do much to them. They speak for themselves.

Adela is the type of cook who just goes with the flow. She throws in a bit of this, a bit of that and the concoction just magically comes together. Is fun watching her cook. She would rummage her fridge for inspirations, but more so for using up leftovers and soon-to-be over riped fruits and vegetables.

Is Good to Know the Chef

Here's a preview of what's to come from Liberty Exchange and the soon to be reopened Liberty Private Workshop. I apologize for the poor quality of the images. My iphone sucks.

A 6-course tasting menu by Chef Vicky Cheng.

First course: Escargo with bacon and potato gnocci, accompanied with mini grilled chesse crostini & roasted garlic

Second course: Steak tartare with fries & onion ring with truffle mayo

Third course: Oyster and bacon slider with clam chowder

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

Some people love it. Some loath the thought of it. There's really no in betweens. I just finished reading this book, which is a collection of essays/articles by 26 authors confessing when they cook for one or dine alone.

An extremely delightful read that will inspire you, make you laugh and make you think back to the times when you were alone and had to think of "what's for dinner?". The way the book was put together was witty and quirky and it caught my attention right away:

"Dinner alone is one of life's pleasure. Certainly cooking for oneself reveals man at his weirdest. People like when you ask them what they eat when they are alone. A salad, they tell you. But when you persist, they confess to peanut butter and bacon sandwiches deep fried and eaten with hot sauce, or spaghetti with butter and grape jam." - Laurie Colwin.

Here's my version of "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant".

A Lost Chinese Delicacy

A relaxing dinner at home can really bring out the eater in me. And when it is a dinner filled with surprises, that's even better.

It was what I thought a casual hot pot dinner at a family friend's place. These are people who know their food and would go the mile to get the best and freshest ingredients dinner. I have already up my expectations and was expecting a flavourful soup base with a table full of tender and thin slices of meats, fresh seafood and vibrant green veggies.

We were greeted with a bottle of Château Haut-Bages-Avérous Pauillac 2001, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux that has the scent of spicy fruits. A medium bodied wine that needs only 15 minutes out of the bottle, it is quite tannic and you can taste blackberries and cedar. I don't know much about wines, but it was very well balanced and I couldn't stop drinking it.

A very strong yet pleasant aroma started to drift out from the kitchen. It wasn't a familiar scent but I know it was from something savory and my mouth started to water. I couldn't figure out what it was but finally, the dish was brought out and I saw medium sized golden brown nuggets on a plate.