My Melbourne in Saigon!

How are you doing bloody readers?

I am glad that things are going well for me lately. I had my Dance party last weekend and Sunday dinner with my friends. Both went well. But what's exciting last weekend was when I got some of my favorite things which I placed in one basket. They are capsicums, lemons, limes & onions! I was truly delighted to put them all together because the colors are very lovely. I hurriedly grabbed my camera and took a photo of these smiling friends I got in my basket. It reminded me of my one exciting market day in Melbourne. I visited Queen Victoria Market and saw my capsicum and aubergine friends all smiling at me along with the cherry tomatoes. They are lovely creatures and they all made my dishes wonderful and exciting. They are my little Melbourne on my table.

I want to go back to Melbourne very soon. Perhaps I miss Queen Victoria. There are little things in my life that constantly reminds me to keep on going and hold on for one more day. I'd like to believe that dreams do happen and if you continue to be positive about it, it will come... in due time. Looking forward embracing my Australian dream.

Someone from Queensland told me why I never say hi to them, well I am going to do it now...

Hi to all the Banana benders down under!!!

hugs,
joanie xxx

Dadar Gulung Pisang Keju

Pr ke-3 ini resep nya liza yang pilihin, kulit dadar gulung susu bahannya : 150 gr tepung terigu, 1/4 sdt vanili, 1/4 sdt garam, 1 sdm gula pasir, 1 sdt baking powder, 450 ml susu cair, 1 butir telur kocok, 1/4 sdm mentega. Cara membuatnya : campur semua tepung terigu, vanili, garam, gula, baking powder jd satu, lalu tuang susu cair sedikit demi sedikit dan telur kocok sampai halus adonannya.
Lalu panaskan wajan, masukkan mentega, lalu dadar semua adonan sampai habis, 1 dadar adonannya kurang lebih 3/4 sendok sayur.

Isiannya : 50 grm irisan coklat masak, dicairkan dgn cara di tim. pisang raja sereh, 50 grm keju cheddar di parut, 50 grm kacang tanah panggang (gue ga pake).
Cara membuatnya :
1. Ambil selembar kulit dadar, olesin dengan coklat cair, letakkan pisang di tengahnya, taburin keju parut, lalu gulung.
2. Penyajiannya taruh diatas piring, siram dengen sisa coklat cair.

Ashton ga mau ma. , dia bilang coklat batuk.. (karena dia lagi habis batuk pilek kemaren)
Hubby makan 5 buah, enak dia bilang, gue makan berapa buah aja udah kenyang tuh semalam, enak sih keju sama coklat tambah pisang manis yummy deh.. Cuman bikinnya mesti sabar satu2 di gulung tuh.. Belajar sabar yah, bikin ini aja hehehe..

4 Pangan Alami untuk Kecantikan

Wow! mau perawatan tanpa bahan kimia dengan bahan mudah didapat ? berikut resepnya *dpt dari majalah Nirmala ;)*

Pepaya pelembut kulit.
Ternyata sejak dulu pepaya dipakai sebagai bahan kosmetik. Penduduk di kepulauan Karibia, menggosokkan daging buah pepaya matang yang dihancurkan untuk membuat kulit mereka halus dan sehat.
Jus pepaya juga dipakai untuk mencegah kerut karena bertambahnya usia dan terpaan sinar matahari.
Getah pepaya mengandung enzim papain berguna untuk mengobati jerawat, panu dan telapak kaki yang pecah2.

Stroberi bikin kulit putih.
Irisan stroberi yang digosokkan ke wajah (yang sudah dibersihkan) dipercaya dapat memutihkan kulit dan membersihkan noda akibat paparan sinar matahari. Atau oleskan jus stroberi ke kulit, biarkan satu setengah jam, lalu bersihkan dengan air hangat.
Mengunyah stroberi setiap hari akan membuat gigi putih dan bebas dari bau mulut.

Kelapa usir jerawat.
Mencuci muka dengan air kelapa tiap hari dipercaya dapat mengatasi masalah jerawat, noda hitam, kerutan dini, serta kulit kering.
Dulu santan kelapa digunakan untuk menghilangkan uban, sedangkan kelapa parut untuk menyembuhkan ketombe.
Rambut yang diolesi minyak kelapa akan tumbuh subur, hitam, dan mengkilat.

Cokelat memanjakan kulit.
Sejak dulu digunakan untuk mengatasi masalah rambut rontok, bibir kering dan kulit terbakar.
Cocoa butter yang berasal dari biji cokelat termasuk lemak yang paling mahal di dunia karena memiliki efek pelembut yang sangat baik, dipakai juga untuk scrub tubuh.

hmm... gimana kalau bahan2 diatas langsung dimakan, lebih sangat bagus untuk memanjakan lidah kita :D

Swatch at Dazed & Confused.

I bought last week the March issue of Dazed & Confused, and I found this gorgeous editorial that made me wish I had a bunch of Swatch clocks here. I want all of them!

(read more)

The point is that I feel this editorial as a very trendy and cool research for the brand. They took some cool London teenagers and gave them the watches, just for see what they can do... and the results are this gorgeous pictures...

Did you used this watches before?

PS: As you can see in the sidebar, I've add a Formspring.me box... feel free to ask anything and check the answers here! I'll publish the most interesting questions here at my blog from time to time!

Salmon with Morels, Leeks and Peas

  

  
Last December, on a trip to Copenhagen, I visited the critically acclaimed restaurant Fiskebar or Fish Bar restaurant.  The New York Times described it as "perhaps Copenhagen's hottest new restaurant, drawing raves both for its chic interiors and loyally Danish seafood creations like tartare of Jutland trout and blue mussels from Holbaek Fjord, steamed in apple cider."  A meal I had at Fiskebar was similar to the above recipe I found perusing for Spring dishes.  It combined a cut of fish on a bed of leeks and other vegetables, paired with mushrooms and a sauce.  Fiskebar's of course kicked things up several notches with poached halibut instead of salmon, mushroom mouse dollops around the plate, and the leeks rolled in black truffle flakes.  Paired with a wonderful clean burgundy, the results were sublime.  Seeing the recipe below in Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook made me think of my Fiskebar experience and so I gave it a try.  Needless to say I did not replicate Fiskebar's truffle flakes, or attempt a mushroom mouse, but I did merge Fiskebar's poaching of the fish with Portale's pan searing on one side to give a nice crust.  I also prefer white fish to salmon, and so I substituted a nice piece of cod.  Also, Portale calls for ramps, which are a kind of onion seasonal in the Spring.  Those were not available at my local store, but I did find baby vidalia onions which have a similar bulbous leek look and a mild taste.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh peas
2 baby vidalia onions, white and a little bit of green parts, cut in half lengthwise
2 leeks, white and a little bit of green parts, cut into 1/2 inch lengths and rings separated
4 fingerling or baby gold potatoes 
4 tbsp butter
4 morel mushrooms (if desired), ends trimmed and caps halved lengthwise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 salmon, cod or halibut filets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced chives
pinch of chervil
     
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from heat and cover to keep warm in the cooking liquid.  Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add the peas and cook for 4 minutes.  Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process.  Repeat with the onions and leeks.  Drain the vegetables and set them aside, reserving 1 cup of the remaining cooking liquid.  If including the morels, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  
In the saucepan used for the vegetables, bring the reserved vegetable cooking liquid to a boil.  Add the cream and cook for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to prevent it from boiling over.  Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper.  In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not quite smoking.  Add the fish (skin side down if salmon) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to brown one side.  Remove the fish and place in the broth in the saute pan with the uncooked side down.  Cover and poach a few more minutes to complete the cooking process.  Remove the cooked fish to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, stirring to incorporate.  Drain the potatoes and slice them into 1/2 inch rounds.  Add the potatoes, peas, onions, leeks, mushrooms and any juice to the sauce and heat, stirring gently to heat through.  Turn off the heat.  Stir in the lemon juice, chives and chervil.  Spoon the mixture out to plates or bowls.  Top with the fish.  Spoon out more sauce if desired.  Serve.