Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin - French Fridays With Dorie

After all the calories laden food we had over the last few days, it is good to go for something lighter :p  ahem...I was delighted that FFWD recipe for this Friday is Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin...this is considered light compared to those red meat we had the last few days LOL!  Cauliflower and bacon plus those lips-smacking cheese and heavy cream.....baked till one's nostril  tingles with the aroma of the bacon and spices wafting out of the oven....awwww I have to walk extra miles to burn off the calories that I had been happily tucking in during the festive season .  

This gratin can be served as a side dish with a roast or as suggested by Dorie can be served as a brunch, lunch or supper with a salad...the last would be favored by me but I was too lazy to prepare a salad so I took this as brunch without salad.  It is like a quiche filling with extra flour and yet taste like a savory pudding with its rich, soft and creamy texture.  A classic no doubt !

Christmas Away From Home - A Jolly Good One !

This year we had to celebrate Christmas away from home and we picked Piggy Jo's place to meet up and her place is 30 km away from the Mid Valley.  Jo met us in MidValley on the eve and we had a wonderful bonding time shopping in Robinson , The Gardens.  I picked up some plates going off for 70%  to showcase my food :p  70% off  was a great deal and knowing this Elin, well , she just have to pick a few pieces to add to her collections !  :)  We had our Christmas eve lunch at Aunty Nat Restaurant - a nyonya restaurant. I will post that on my next post 

Today's post is how we spent our Christmas away from home...and looking through all the photos , I realized that I do miss my Piggies very much and even if it means I have to travel all the way to just spend some hours with them , I am contented and happy just the same.  They can't come back, we go to them LOL!   We had our Christmas eve dinner at Kajang country club aka mewah club to the locals. The name of the restaurant at the club is 21st Century Restaurant .  Situated at the hill top , the hidden gems of Selangor,  the night scene was magnificent....looking down , we could sight the twin towers from where we stood...lighted up so magnificient....awwww that was a heavenly sight to behold.   I am sure Kajang readers will agree with me :) it was magical !   " Thank you Piggy Jo for arranging this beautiful place for us to have our Christmas Dinner and Wild Boar and myself had a wonderful Christmas and I am sure Piggy Josh would want to bring Elaine to this place LOL! "  

This picture was taken after a heavy downpour or we could have had our  dinner outdoor instead of inside the restaurant.  I would love to come here again the next time I come to visit Jo :)

Sesame-Crusted Salmon With Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

I was telling Joanna how good this was when we went down to KL to spend Christmas with her . Salmon being our favourite fish and what more I discovered a new way to prepare the salmon other than pan seared them.  Salmon fillets coated in sesame seeds and wasabi paste are drizzled with ginger lime vinaigrette was the original recipe by  Stefano Fiata . I substitued the lime juice  with red wine vinegar for the the vinaigrette and it was superb !  It has a crunchy coating and  a burst of wasabi flavor with a scent of the sea and dip with the ginger vinaigrette ...mmmmm yummy ! If you are bored with the normal pan seared style...do try this recipe, you will love this !

Spicy Garlicky And Minty Tofu - Night Market Snack

Wow...this is an awesome snack that I would love to tuck in while watching movies or dramas at home.  This is something that I dont mind having everyday :)  I was first introduced to this night market snack by Piggy Jo .    "Mom you must try this.... "  and she brought me to this particular stall at the night market that sells  ' taiwanese snacks '  they have fried fresh mushrooms, fried sweet potatoes chips, fried fresh enoki and many veggies ( can't recall what they have :p) but the most delicious ones are fried enoki  and special taiwanese tofu  Deep fried the tofu , enoki or sweet potato and mixes with fresh chopped garlic, mint leaves , cayenne powder and chilli flakes and salt...gosh, the best finger food ever ! Watching them do it live was how I managed to steal  replicate the recipe  LOL!  Of course, I could not make the special tofu but the taste is more or less the same as the one sold at the stall :p   I told her, let me replicate this for you and I was succeeded ! Well almost 90 % * oink oink and the day before yesterday, I cooked this again for the craving was strong and drooling can be bad at times !  Homecooked ones are much healthier where the oil is concerned :)  Do try this out if you are a fan of tofu, garlic and mint !  

Potato Chip Tortilla - French Fridays With Dorie

This a fast , fun , and funny version of the traditional Basque tortilla made with cubes potatoes. Dorie explained in her book that the French would call this clin d'oeil , a wink , at the original ,and they'd surprised not only at the potato chips that stand in for the usual sautèed spuds, but at the creator , Jean-Franςois Piège , formerly  the chef of  Les Ambassadeurs, the Michelin starred restaurant in Le Crillon. One thing good about Dorie, she will play around the recipe and give us her best version of this french recipe. I love reading her short write out on this recipe.  It is indeed fast to prepare, fun making them and funny because not a soul had any  inkling that what they were savoring had been a  snack food of a type they 'd never eat ! She is so funny :)  I made this for my breakfast bento this morning and Dorie suggested it can be served as a hors d’doeuvre for dinner parties.  It can be made ahead and served at room temperature.  Love it !  You can serve this for your coming Christmas party and I am sure you will have your guests and family members licking their fingers for more ! 

Bento Banter - Bento # 5

I like my lunch meal served in bento boxes .  Interesting and food served in bento helps to control food intake in large portion * I know Claire will surely ROFL at this statement * She used to laugh at me when I ordered big portion of food to the table :p  I am a big eater and still is or better phrase it this way " I have good appetite " ahem..this sounds better LOL!  So eating meals from bentos will be good for me.  Food served in small portion looks more appetizing actually  :) Food looks more dainty and delicious and  a good way to control my gluttonous eating habit  * wink  .  I am a fan of Japanese food and what a good excuse to prepare Japanese meal  to take to office !