Tiramisu + personal random nutrition beliefs (a.k.a RnBs)

After having a fairly disappointing tiramisu, I decided I would make my own.
I followed a tiramisu recipe from taste.com.au taking into some reader's comments mainly suggesting to beat the hell out of the thickened cream and egg whites as so soggy tiramisu are not very palatable.

Ingredients (I made ~10 individual glasses)
1 cup strong black coffee (or what ever you have at home, I used instant!)
1/2 cup marsala (I used tia maria)
3 eggs, seperated
1/3 cup caster sugar
250g mascarpone cheese
300ml thickened cream (whip until it's cement like)
1 packet of savoiardi biscuits (bought at coles)

1. Pour coffee + tia maria together in a dish, set aside
2. Beat egg yolks + sugar until pale and white using an electric beater. Add the mascarpone and whipped cream and mix until just combined.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff (defies gravity) and gently fold into the mixture in (2).
4. Dip sponge fingers on both sides into the coffee mixture (max 3 seconds, you don't want it soggy) and create a layer at the base of your container. Layer the mascarpone mixture on top.
5. Repeat the process in (4) and create how ever many layers you want (I did 3) finishing the tiramisu with the mascarpone mixture at the top.

Tada and ooh sooo gooood especially with a cup of unsweetened coffee.

They may not be restaurant worthy in appearance - a dusting of coco powder/shaved dark chocoalate can help with that - but the taste definitely were!!! 

One thing I would change next time would be using espresso coffee as the instant stuff just doesn't cut it - even though I put 4 teaspoons to 1 cup - and probably opt for a liquor/spirit higher in concentration to get that extra ooomph

Side note: 

I do believe in healthy eating (contrary to what people have said about my dessert consumption ) but I definitely don't believe that telling your self to NOT eat certain foods help at all. Yes, most desserts are extremely unhealthy BUT I do eat them because:

1. Desserts are a sometime food, not regularly and definitely not for everyday

2. If I am to eat dessert, I'd rather eat the full flavoured version (none of the low/reduced fat/sugar free crap as it just doesn't taste the same - you'll end up wanting more

3. Hey, if I was eating them once a week, I'd rather eat the best/most delicious

4. I keep my daily consumption balanced so I will be able to afford (not $$ wise) to have dessert without growing sideways (exercise does help!) 

Toodles

Chocolate Lava Cake

Was bored today at home, so I decided to make chocolate lava cake - hmm the gooey goodness. A bit ironic as it has some reference to the lava erupting out of the Earth's crust in Iceland, as the volcano continues to puff smoke and dust onto the atmosphere.

No these aren't as gooey as I would have liked them, but hey they are damn delicious and chocolate is one of the feel good foods too! (Perfect for the little grumpy me at home) Dark chocolate is what I used, although being only 40% coco solids, they were the only thing I had in the house.... none of those fake imitation chocolate flavours in sight around my house!!! (white chocolate is NOT chocolate!!!). Still don't have the courage to open/use the 99% coco solids I bought last month!!!

I followed this recipe from famous french desserts (yes I believe in the "I'm feeling lucky" button) with a few modifications (ie more chocolate, less butter):

Oozing Chocolate Lava cake - I made 8 little lava cakes 
200g dark cooking chocolate
140g butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
butter for the ramekins

1. Butter the ramekins with softened (not melted) butter and place back into the fridge
2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees
3. Melt the butter and the chocolate together (by either having a bain marie, or microwave)
4. Beat the eggs and the sugar together until pale and fluffy (electric beaters makes life so much easier)
5. Mix in the melted chocolate and butter followed by the flour
6. Pour into ramekins
7. The time is takes to bake really depends on your oven... mine took around about 12 minutes

I made them about 3 hours ago and there is only 2 left.... The irresistible and decadent chocolate smell can not be missed and if this can cause my parents to stop watching their TV show and come down stairs with their cups to enjoy a bit of dessert after dinner... then it is definitely a real winner.

Tre Pesci

*while K drives back from Broadway*
Me (whining very loudly over James Morrison's Undiscovered): I'm hunnnngrryyyy

..... (I admit that I am very annoying some/often/most of the the time)

K: Let's try that place thats always full on our way back.
Me: What place?
K: The place I told you last time
Me: ???? (poor memory)

Tre Pesci - 105 Victoria Rd, Drummoyne, NSW 2047, (02) 9719 2100

We were the first diners that night, we waited outside (me super eager) until the sign was flipped to 'Open' by the charming restaurant manager Danny.

A few words from Danny on the menu 

We order an entrée to share, 2 mains and a dessert =] its kind of out of our normal budget, but hey it is the week leading up to both our graduation and our 3rd year anniversary on the same day!

Inside the restaurant

The ambience was warm and inviting. Some good sound insulation went into planning this restaurant as it was dead quiet inside (us being the only ones) beside the noisy Victoria road traffic.

What's on in Tre Pesci

As we wait for our meal, I took note of the $12 pasta available on Wednesday and Sunday nights - If the pasta I ordered are any good!

Bruschetta $8.50

I love bruschettas, I love the salty/oily/aromatic tomatoes. I know its probably dead easy to make but we always order this in a decent Italian restaurant and these are just what I expected. However these are SUPER over priced! 

Filetto Con Dijion $35 - Grain fed eye fillet with king prawns, dijion mustard and mash potatoes

The fillet was recommended by the super cherry Danny and was requested to be medium rare, however these are more like medium/well done. That said, these were extremely tender and the mustard sauce was smooth, creamy but light. I ate the piece of fillet lathered in in the sauce with a great deal of mash - awesome! If I made a comparison with the steak at Mad Cow - which I recently went to, for the same price I would definitely get this!

Pappardelle con Gamberi $25 - flat ribbon past with prawns, garlic, bacon and cherry tomato

I don't normally like tomato based pastas as I find it too sour most of the time - or maybe I just haven't tried good pasta? But I ordered these as I love flat ribbon pastas. There is just a hint of the chilliness, saltiness from the bacon and the cherry tomatoes had just enough sweetness to make these pasta extremely satisfying.

We both stay silent as we savour the different flavours and being extremely satisfied with what we have ordered.

Tiramisu $10

Happy customers are more likely to spend more right? We normally don't stay for dessert/coffee at the same place as our meal (won't lose the chance of trying other places!) but we ordered - a very Italian dessert - the tiramisu. It is decent enough, but as I find out later on - when I made my own tiramisu - I can totally make it better than them! 

As I was finishing my beloved peppermint tea, I took a look around, the restaurant was now full with only 2 tables left at 7pm on a Sunday night. We chuckle to ourselves as we realised we probably brought down the average age in the Restaurant by 10 years! 

Baja Cantina

Ever since I graduated, I have the urge to explore Glebe and Newtown more. Like the age old saying along the lines of you won't miss it until it's gone.

Once while we were trekking through Glebe we came across Baja Cantina. After a while I realised it is actually one of the restaurants on the show 'The Chopping Block'.

Baja Cantina - 43-45 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, NSW 2037, (02) 9571 1199

Baja Cantina Menu

We order a Mojito and a Pina colada to start with, being in a Mexican restaurant, who can resist these!?

Mojito and Pina Colada $12 each

We were super hungry (why are we always super hungry???) and we got a bit ambitious and tried to order 1 appetiser or antojitos and 2 mains, luckily the waitress 'stopped' us saying that the 1 entree and 1 main is plenty =]

Antojitos - Quesadilla $12 (Crispy flour tortilla filled with jack cheese and jalapeños with house made Mexican Chorizo and potato)

The quesadilla was delicious with a smear of the sour cream, the cheese was oozing slightly out of the crispy tortilla pockets. I didn't taste any jalapeños nor any hint of spiciness, should have tried the sauce that was sitting on our table... 

The hot sauce. I am too much of a chicken!

After polishing the quesadilla off we were pretty sated, ahhh the cheese working its magic!

Plate 1 of 3 for the Fajitas $25 - salsa, cheese, crema, onion, lettuce, rice and beans

This plate came first, followed by...

Plate 2 of 3 for the Fajitas - guacamole, tortillas and an extra serving (3) of tortillas ($2.50 extra)

When we were ordering the Fajitas, the waitress informed us that we would be making or wrapping the tortillas ourselves. 

I remember having this little 'thing' against eating with my hands. Especially the first time at a Korean BBQ where traditionally your suppose to get a piece of lettuce leaf, place a piece of cooked meat which would be cut up, a pickle and smear some sauce on it, and basically wrap or squish the 'package' as small as possible and stuff it in your mouth - whole. Not take a bite out of it, but put the whole thing in at once. 

Well at that time I basically felt stupid, because the lettuce wrap was so BIG. I can hardly chew! There is no looking dignified while eating lettuce wraps at Korean BBQs... or at least I can't...

Plate 3 of 3 for the Fajitas - marinated prawns with sautéed capsicum and onions.   

The prawns were still sizzling when it arrived. The waitress recommended the prawns over the steak or the chicken. So this is what you basically do. Spread some guacamole on the tortilla, put on a bit of everything from plate 1 and 3 and you get...

Tada! Fajita with marinated prawns, sautéed capsicum and onions, guacamole...etc etc etc! 

Wrap it up, with your hands...

I know your hungry, but I need to take a picture!!

... and basically munch!

Random shot of the décor

I'd have to say I am thoroughly impressed, I mean its simple and delicious and its fun to make! If we forego the drinks it would have been pretty nice on the pockets and for large groups of people - for my graduation dinner on Friday!! 

Toodles for now, Italian coming up!

Taiwanese part 2

Me: "Ooo!! it's new!!"

Taiwan - 52 Dixon St, Haymarket, NSW  (02) 9212 2220 
This is a hybrid to what caused the public to flock to Wagaya (well, kind of?) with the touch screens, atmospheric booths settings and of course the food!

Ground level with the touch screens at each table. Check out the black chandelier!

S and I went at around 4pm for lunch (after our 4 hours of butt-flattening hair dressing appointments), we were extremely hungry and I was on the verge of chucking a tantrum... me and low blood sugar don't get along too well!

'Screen shot' of the English menu

I proceed to order the 'combe B' thinking that the deep fried chicken I love so much will satisfy my empty stomach. Note: the English menu isn't very detailed in the thumb nail view, we ordered with the Mandarin menu. Ordering was very easy and much like Wagaya; you have tabs on the top (appetisers, noodles, rice, soup, drinks ...etc), you tap on the item of interest and it will - sometimes - show you the full description. 

MINE all MINE!!! Fried chicken + mince rice + green tea

The good thing about having a touch screen ordering system is this: it gets the food quicker to you as it cuts down the waiter's 'walking' time.  

The crispy chicken came first, despite its looks, it was steaming hot inside and being the hungry person I unfortunately burnt my mouth....

Photo perfection of the mince rice, 1/2 egg and slices of pickled daikon radish.

The mince rice had a generous helping of the mince + sauce. Soft and flavoursome, the pickle served as a perfect palette refresher in between mouth full of mince rice.

S's grilled chicken + mince rice + drink

The grilled chicken that comes with S's combo had me nodding and shoving plain white rice into my mouth.  Thanks to the thinness of the chicken and the sweet and salty sauce it was the perfect dish for a hungry human with plain white rice. 

The portions didn't seem big, but the satiety score of the meal was high (mainly due to the high fat/protein content). I couldn't finish the rice nor the crispy chicken! I tried my best! I really did!! 

Other dishes that I have tried included the 'bamboo shaped rice' which looks like this:

Yum, sticky rice with bits of meat through it. 

The sticky rice 'pudding' was warm, but not hot enough which was a disappointment. I like the one in Chatswood night market more. It can be ordered as part of a combo with a side dish and a drink ($10.90), the side dish we ordered was - don't freak out - pig ears. 

Pig ears, don't be fooled by the name, it is high in collagen which is good for your skin

 The pig ears were good, it is a bit chewy, flavoursome and the perfect - if we were in a izakaya (Japanese drink establishment which also serves food) side dish to drink a cold beer with.

Crispy chicken with rice

And because we like to compare stuff, we ordered the crispy chicken rice. The batter for the chicken looks less appealing compared to the one from Sunflower and the side dishes weren't as good either. Even though  the cabbages are there - hiding under the chicken - but stirred fried eggs?! Sunflower crispy chicken rice wins on flavour, balance and portion size, as well as being cheaper! 

After all the deep fried, salty goodness I can say that I have satisfied my taste-buds' craving for Taiwanese foods. Time to move on to something else...

Taiwanese part 1

For some strange reason, all I've been eating are Taiwanese foods... I think its my taste-bud's message telling me that I miss Taiwan - and the food there.

Taiwanese foods are mostly, heavily flavoured with spices/salt and/or deep fried oily goodness. It is not a very healthy choice, but - oh so good - when enjoyed once in a while!

There are 2 places in the city that I often visit. One being so close to uni/work and the other one in the heart of Chinatown. These places serve up 'street' foods that you would normally get for under AUD$3 equivalent in Taiwan and although they are not really authentic (slightly modified to adapt to local - Australian tastes) they are extremely appetizing.

Sunflower - 147 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007. (02) 9211 5298

Loyal to the name - cute decoration

I remember being introduced to this place when I first attended Sydney uni 4 years ago and upon joining TSA (Taiwanese Student Association) - a bunch of us first years jigged a lecture - an exhilarating experience for me as I have NEVER been absent for class my whole life - we trekked down to this little Sunflower Crepe Cafe.

After finishing our lunch, we forgot - seriously! - to pay and left. Oh, life's little stain! While we were walking and talking, the owner runs up behind us and nicely (I think) told us that we haven't paid!!! I don't think I went back to Sunflower for over 2 months hoping the owner would forget our faces. Now they have implemented the system where you order and pay before being served...

Awesome modern art 

But ever since I've been visiting this place when ever I'm in close proximity - not just out of guilt, but mostly for the food. When K and I visit, we normally just go straight to the counter to order. Me having tried most of the dishes/crepes they have on offer stick with my regular crispy chicken rice with lemon tea and for the two of us, a red note ($20) would be just enough to fill our extremely empty stomachs. The portions are large and filling, the food is fantastic and I love a bargain =]

Pork mince rice

This time however, we chose to order 3 dishes as we are more hungry than usual (me: no breakfast/lunch and worked 5 hours standing and talking to customers, K: no lunch and contracting pipetting hand syndrome in his lab) - how that is possible is beyond my capacity to explain! 

The pork mince rice is just like its description + other little side dishes which I appreciate as they kind of balance the meal on the food pyramid. The mince is soft (thanks to the fatty bits), flavoursome with onion and pepper and lovely to eat. We ate the mince with the large amount of rice packed in at the bottom. The spicy potato stands (at the far end) are excellent and slightly crunchy. The cooked cabbage are a permanent side to every rice dish on offer and there is a reason why - they are there to balance the meal and are perfectly cooked and flavoured. 

Curry crispy chicken rice

K chooses the variation to my beloved crispy chicken rice - with curry. As you can see here, the thin pieces of chicken are deep fried to perfection, golden brown! Look at the size! It's spilling out of the dinner plate!

Pan fried dumplings

For our 3rd dish (what were we thinking) we ordered the pan fried dumplings, 10 flat but juicy dumplings filled us a little too much! The bill + 2 ice teas = <$30... well the amount of food there would feed 3 people with no problem!