Candied Japanese Loquat/Kumquat

28 February 2015, Saturday

So inlove with this mini oranges that I decided to venture into making it candied. So I decided to googled the recipes and finally settled at lafujimama.

With pictures as tutorials, I spent the whole afternoon just boiling and pickling the seeds out and finally boiled the syrup until it thickened. The final results is this 3/4 jar of candied kumquat from 2 boxes of Jap loquat.

Will make more next time if the price went down abit. It taste kind of nice and addictive too.

Pickled Japanese Loquat

26 Feb 2015, Thursday

After Chinese New Year is over, the supermarket started selling lots of Japanese Loquat/Kumquat. Since its suppose to be good for itchy or sore throat, I decided to embark on my first pickled Kumquat adventure.

Here's what I did:

2 boxes of Japanese loquat S$5.98 each per box
Sea salt - 1 packet

Method:

1) Make sure your jar is sterilize. I got mine from Daiso for S$2 each. Washed and dried since its new.
2) Slit the kumquat/loquat crisscross at the bottom.
3) Press down and stack the kumquat/loquat alternating with sea salt. Must be fully packed into the jar. I left the jar at the bottom of the fridge because of Singapore hot weather, I hate to see mold forming.

Now, let's wait 2-4 weeks time for update on pickled kumquat.

Creamy Risotto

On a weekday, when you do not know what to make for dinner, this risotto is simple and only takes 30 minutes to prepare. I got the smoke duck from cold storage. Just heat the duck up when your risotto ready and served. Easy preparation but you just need to stand 20-25 minutes in-front of the stove. Slow cooking but worth the effort.

Recipe from http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/478/Creamy_Risotto37324.shtml

Ingredients:

- 1/2 onion, chopped (omit cause my girl don't like onion)

- 2 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1/4 cup butter, divided

- 1 cup uncooked rice (use Arborio rice)

- 1/3 cup dry white wine

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 3 cups water

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

- salt and ground white pepper, to taste

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Non-stick pan - cook onion and garlic until soft in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add rice and stir 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add wine, stir until absorbed. Increase heat to medium high, stir in 1 cup broth and cook uncovered, stirring frequently until broth is absorbed.
3. Continue stirring and adding remaining 1 cup broth and water, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding another, until rice is tender and mixture has a creamy consistency. It will take approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Stir in cheese, salt, pepper, heavy cream and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir until mixture is creamy about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips:  added button mushroom (white and brown) and small cherry tomatoes for extra taste.

Seafood Pie

These Seafood Pie tasted good with double kinds of fish packed inside sweet potatoes and washed potatoes. A must try next time using cream campbell soup as stock next time and less flour so that it would be more moist on the inside. Added some peas and corns for my girl loves some vegetables in her dish.


Ingredients:

·         400g skinless white fish fillet

·         400g skinless smoked haddock fillet (uses salmon instead)

·         600ml full-fat milk

·         1/2 small onion , quartered

·         100g butter

·         50g plain flour

·         pinch freshly grated nutmeg

·         1kg floury potato , peeled and cut into even-sized chunks

·         50g cheddar , grated

Directions:

1.    Poach the fish. Put the fish in the frying pan and pour over 500ml of the milk. Stud each onion quarter with a clove, then add to the milk, with the bay leaves. Bring the milk just to the boil - you will see a few small bubbles. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins. Lift the fish onto a plate and strain the milk into a jug to cool. Flake the fish into large pieces in the baking dish.

2.    Hard-boil the eggs. Bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil, then carefully lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a gentle boil, with just a couple of bubbles rising to the surface. Set the timer for 8 mins, cook, then drain and cool in a bowl of cold water. Peel, slice into quarters and arrange on top of the fish, then scatter over the chopped parsley.

3.    Make the sauce. Melt half the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min over moderate heat. Take off the heat, pour in a little of the cold poaching milk, then stir until blended. Continue to add the milk gradually, mixing well until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat, bringto the boil and cook for 5 mins, stirring continually, until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then pour over the fish.

4.    Assemble and bake. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 20 mins. Drain, season and mash with the remaining butter and milk. Use to top the pie, starting at the edge of the dish and working your way in - push the mash right to the edges to seal. Fluff the top with a fork, sprinkle with cheese, then bake for 30 mins. Make up to a day ahead, chill, then bake for 40 mins.

This recipe taken from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3174/fish-pie--in-four-steps