Green Tea Buttermilk Cake

I decided to make a buttermilk cake a few weeks ago (after being in a baking hiatus) as i had almost 3/4 of a carton of buttermilk left in the fridge. This time i decided to wing it just to see what i would get and also because i was too lazy to google for a nice buttermilk cake recipe. I added some green tea powder but unfortunately there wasn't much green tea flavour in the cake - will have to add more next time! The cake is fairly easy to make and to my delight it turned out soft, moist and deliciously rich in buttermilk taste. I can't recall the exact amounts but here are the rough estimates:

Green Tea Buttermilk Cake

-1 1/2 cup of self-raising flour, sifted

- 2 eggs

- 3/4 cup of buttermilk

- 125g of unsalted butter, room temperature

- 1 tsp of cream of tartar

- 1/2 cup of caster sugar

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

- pinch of salt

- green tea powder, as desired

1. Sift together self-raising flour, cream of tartar, salt and green tea powder together

2. Beat butter and sugar until you reach a creamy consistency, add in vanilla essence and mix.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well

4. Divide buttermilk and flour into three batches and beat into the butter mixture alternately. If the batter is rather dry, add a bit of buttermilk OR if the batter is too runny, add a bit of flour.

5. Pour the batter into a 9" loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated oven (~170 C) for 45 - 60 minutes. if the skewer that is inserted in the centre of the cake and comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

Enjoy~

Pineapple Tarts 凤梨酥 Recipe

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

I love pineapple tarts, especially home made ones! Just to think about that lovely sweet and sour filling wrapped around by a melt-in-your-mouth pastry already makes me drool.

J and I have been wanting to make some pineapple tarts for quite a while and, after x months, we finally made it! Mission accomplished, in a way. Making pineapple tarts are certainly fun but at the same time, tiring and time consuming. Poor J had to cut up the pineapples and make the pineapple filling, which involved 1 - 1.5 hours of non-stop stirring. The sad thing? Two medium pineapples only yielded a minuscule amount of pineapple filling (fine, not that little...but you get the point). Making the dough was certainly less tiring and easier too. The most fun part was actually making the pineapple tart, i think i got a bit carried away and made a little chick (ate it before i could take a snapshot of it)
The finished product was very delicious and fragrant; all the effort put in was certainly worth it!

Pineapple Tarts Recipe (makes around 25)

Pineapple Filling:

- 2 pineapples, finely grated
- 4 tablespoon caster sugar

1. Slice and grate pineapple until fine. (If you have a food processor, use it!)

2. Strain the grated pineapple. (If you have a metal sift, that'd help!)
3. Let the pineapple simmer in a wok until dry
4. Add sugar and stir till the pineapple becomes thick, dry and sticky

Pineapple Tart Dough:
- 350g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
- 250g butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 40g icing sugar
- pinch of salt

1. Sift flour, custard powder, salt and icing sugar together

2. Cut butter into cubes and add them to the flour mixture. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until you reach a crumbly consistency.

3. Add in yolk and keep working on the dough until you get a smooth and soft dough (make into a ball)
4. Rest the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes

Pineapple Tarts
1. Divide the pineapple filling into roughly 25 portions and roll them into balls
2. Do the same with the pineapple tart dough, each ball should weigh ~22g
3. Flatten the pineapple tart dough until it's enough to wrap the pineapple filling in it

4. Mould it into a rectangular shape and using a fork, draw lines on top of the rolls. Do the same with the rest of the dough and filling.

5. Put the pineapple tarts onto a baking paper-lined tray and brush them with beaten egg yolk. Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before storing them in airtight containers.

Finished!

All you have to do now is to sit back and enjoy them. Share these lovely goodies with friends and families during this Chinese New Year Season! *putting them in nice containers make great gifts too! ENJOY~

Italian & Sons - Vino e Cucina

This post is long overdue! It was meant to be up sometime in December after we went to the Italian & Sons (7 Lonsdale Street, Braddon (02) 6162 4888) for a Christmas Dinner (for work). We decided to go there after finding out that Italian & Sons was awarded one hat by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2011.

There are two services in one day, one at six o'clock and the other one at eight - we booked the six o' clock one because we couldn't wait until eight to have dinner. Italian & Sons has a fairly small entrance and its name plaque is not in an obvious place, so make sure you look out for the number 7 sign!

We started off by ordering some drinks, a Lemon Lime Bitters for myself, and some Wood-baked Focaccia with rosemary and sea salt to share. The focaccia was nice and soft, very fragrant too. Good way to start the meal.

We had a bit of chat before our entrees started coming. I ordered the Kingfish 'crudo' with pink peppercorns and baby herbs; the thinly sliced kingfish was fresh and nicely drizzled with a light lemon-y dressing. I quite enjoyed this entree, i have to say. Other entrees ordered included the 'Fiore di zucca' ripiene filled with ricotta, thyme & zucchini (stuffed zucchini flower), Pea, mint & buffalo mozzarella 'suppli' risotto balls and Chilli & garlic Yamba prawns & eggplant caponata.

I wasn't particularly impressed with these entrees. The zucchini flower was poorly presented (solely with a lemon wedge) and so was the risotto balls. The risotto balls tasted a bit bland and crumbed very easily. The Yamba prawns dish was probably the best presented out of the three, but it was rather salty.

'Fiore di zucca' ripiene filled with ricotta, thyme & zucchini

Pea, mint & buffalo mozzarella 'suppli' risotto balls

Chilli & garlic Yamba prawns & eggplant caponata.

Moving on to the mains. I've ordered the Orecchiette with suckling pig, broccoletti, chilli and pecorino and also tried a bit of the Spaghetti 'ai fruti di mare', prawn, calamari, tomato and snow pea and the Margherita Pizza. The suckling pig pasta was light and tasty but for the seafood pasta, the spaghetti was a bit tasteless and the seafood components were a bit on the salty side. The margherita pizza was alright, simple and fresh (the base wasn't particularly wow).

Left: Orecchiette with suckling pig, broccoletti, chilli and pecorino Middle: Gnocchi with veal and marjoram ragu Right: Spaghetti 'ai fruti di mare', prawn, calamari, tomato and snow pea

Margherita Pizza

Unlike the entrees and mains, the desserts came out pretty fast. We ordered the Italian classic Tiramisu, Torta Al'Cioccolato (Flourless Amadei chocolate torte with marsala zabaglione and strawberries) and House Made Gelati...i can't recall the flavours clearly but i think they were mango, banana and some liqueur that i can't remember (Cointreau?). I only liked the mango gelato as the banana one was rather sweet. The portion of Tiramisu was quite generous and definitely needs to be shared, taste-wise it was nice (a tad sweet). However, it lacked a bit on the presentation side as it looked as if it was just tossed onto the plate and topped with a sauce.

Left: Tiramisu Middle: Torta Al' Cioccolato Right: House Made Gelato

Not long after we finished the desserts, we were asked to pay the bill and leave. That didn't leave a good impression of the restaurant and some of the girls thought it was rather rude. I understand that they are trying to accomodate for both services, but they could have been a little nicer about it. Overall, the food was average and not sure if it lives up to the one hat it was given. I don't know if the reviewers are more lenient towards 'regional' restaurants because in Sydney, a one-hatted restaurant certainly does a better job than this - especially on the presentation side.

Gold Coast: Yama Sakura Japanese Restaurant

Seriously, in Gold Coast you are spoiled for choice of Japanese restaurants.

There are quite a few of them just in Surfer's Paradise alone. So there i was, during lunch time, surrounded by a few choices in this particular complex; i ended walking into Yama Sakura (Shop 60, 3131 Gold Coast Highway, Surfer's Paradise (07) 5592 2799) just because it looked more 'authentic' than the rest and there was a group of japanese students going in as well.

Apart from the a la carte menu, there were like a gazillion of sets to choose from. Probably every single possible combination of Japanese dishes you can think of, seriously. The waitress came by a few times asking if we were ready to order and we kept telling her that we needed more time. We eventually ended up getting the SET C (consisted of Wagyu Beef Teriyaki, Tempura, Sashimi, Rice & Soup) and the Sushi & Sashimi Set.

Not long after ordering that i realized that they had abalone sashimi set and sea urchin set. It was a bit too late to change the order, so maybe next time. Let me know how it is if you have tried it!

Set C came as a bento box and i wish there were a bit more of everything in it. Being in a set, the sashimi used didn't taste as fresh as the one from the Sushi & Sashimi set and there were not many pieces of wagyu beef teriyaki either, four strips to be precise. It was alright, but for $15, i probably would have got something better at Iori.

Out of the two sets that we've ordered, i liked the Sushi & Sashimi set better. The sushi was nice and the sashimi was fresh and decent-sized. I particularly liked the squid as it was beautifully sliced and deliciously fresh.

Sushi

Sashimi

Overall the lunch at Yama Sakura was okay. The only disappointing thing was the Set C because it didn't feel like it was worth the money; Sushi & Sashimi Set, however, was good and fresh. When i get a chance, i will definitely come back for the Sashimi Abalone and Sea Urchin - at least it's something that's not readily available here in Canberra.

Brisbane: Shinbashi Yakiniku

I'm finally back after going to Gold Coast for a little break - which explains my lack of updates! Thank God for the safe trip back to Canberra and gladly i wasn't affected by the flood in Queensland.

Despite the rain, the trip (overall) was nice and i got to try a few places that i would recommend to you all -coming in the next few posts, so stay tuned!

***

I decided to try Shinbashi Yakiniku (Japanese Style BBQ) after seeing how much my friend loves that place. 'It must be good' - i thought to myself since she had already been there AT LEAST three times (mind you, she lives in Canberra) and the restaurant has only been opened for about 7 months!

Shinbashi Yakiniku (2900 Logan Road, Underwood, Logan City - (03) 3841 5888) is tucked away in a rather quiet complex, so don't freak out if you can't find it at first sight. It is a nice and simple restaurant furnished with wooden tables and chairs and the staff is very attentive and polite.

Not long after we were seated, we got some Iced Tea and a bowl of Edamame. It took us a while to decide on what to order as the menu is packed with a lot of mouth-watering dishes. We ordered the $69 set menu for two plus a few other dishes. The fun thing about Japanese BBQ is that you cook your own food (meaning that you can't blame the chef if it ends up tasting horrible) and the good thing about it? It doesn't use oil, which translates into a healthier meal plus your clothes won't end up smelling bad afterwards.

The meat/seafood dishes at Shinbashi are seasoned to the minimal, just enough to enhance its flavours and freshness. I was actually pleased to see the restaurant commitment in serving good quality produce.

Below are the dishes that we tried:

Vegetables:

- Enoki Mushroom: simply cooked with a slice of butter. Simple but delicious.

Seafood

Overall the seafood was alright. Just make sure that you don't overcook it or else the seafood will be dry and tough.

- Squid: tasted normal but it was fresh.

- Japanese Scallop: tasted good when cooked just right. I failed the first batch, so it ended up a bit chewy. The second batch, however, tasted lovely.

Meat

- Premium Ox Tongue: tasted really good (juicy & tender) and not surprised that it is a popular dish at Shinbashi. I am not a big fan of ox tongue but this one i would totally recommend! Don't forget to eat it with the onion condiment that comes with the dish.

- Boneless Chicken: this dish had a 'heavier' marinade in order to bring out the delicate chicken taste. It was nice but not one of my favorites.

- Chicken Cartilage: I liked this dish because i am a total fan of chicken cartilage. It tasted really nice with the simple hint of pepper and salt, and the bit of meat around the cartilage was very soft and tender. Recommend it if you like something crunchy and chewy.

- Pork Jowl: It is a rather fatty cut of meat but i have to say that it tastes simply delicious after being cooked. Just for your info, I cooked it until the fatty part started turning a little brown and crispy. Recommend this too!

- Marble Beef: liked the fact that it was thinly sliced which made it super soft and tender. Nice dish. Make sure you don't overcook it.

- Wagyu Marble Beef (~marble score of 4): this one is not as soft as the marble beef but still very good and tasty. It has a chewier texture which i like.

- Wagyu Rump (Marble Score 7-8): definitely the highlight of the night. It was simply devine and the wagyu just melted in my mouth. I haven't had such a good piece of wagyu for a while. It was only seasoned with a bit of seasalt and all you need to do is to sear it. *Thumbs up and it's a must order dish!

Originally, there were a total of 6 pieces of wagyu. I was so eager to try it that i almost forgot to take a photo of them. *phew

Look at all that Wagyu goodness =9

 To finish our lovely meal we treated some Matcha Ice Cream - two scoops of matcha ice cream on some cornflakes and finished with some red bean syrup. I like how they used corn flakes at the bottom to add that 'crunch' factor! Yummy =)

Verdict?

Nice staff. Good food. Fun Experience.

I had a lovely dinner at Shinbashi and i did enjoy the whole experience of cooking my own food. The food overall was good and you can tell that Shinbashi does look after the quality and freshness of what they serve. The highlights of the night (for me) were the Premium Ox Tongue, Pork Jowl and the Wagyu Rump...ohn and the Matcha Ice Cream too (i'm a total sucker for green tea ice cream)! 

I will most definitely be back when i get a chance to visit Brisbane again!

Thanks Steve, owner of Shinbashi Yakiniku, and the staff for looking after us!