Slappin' my bass

T// Chinese Style Steamed Fish

Steamed striped bass with ginger in a homemade soy sauce concoction, served with fresh scallions & cilantro =)

Flan 2.0

T// Classic Crème Caramel (FLAN!) 2.0!

I know I've been lagging with Cookthyme posts, but hopefully I'll be more diligent with it. I've been cooking and baking... I've just been too lazy to upload the experiences.. my bad. (At least I post more than J//) Anywho, learning from my previous Flan experience... I present my new and improved Crème Caramel (flan) with more caramel and little to no bubbles! =D Creamy, smooth, and caramel-y... Just the way I like it. uh huh.

Hello Jello!

T// Pandan Vietnamese Jello Cake (Rau Câu Lá Dứa)

Made from agar-agar, light and refreshing, flavoured with fresh Pandan extract. It's really easy (the jello part at least... not so much the extract making...) and really good. =)

A Very Brady Bunch... of Cupcakes!

T&J// Lemon Zest Cupcakes

My first cupcakes! The recipe I pulled this time was suspiciously dry, but I was optimistic. Definitely have a twist in mind for Round II though - for looks AND taste. On the bright side, my cupcake stand finally fulfilled its raison d'etre and decorating these babies were tres fun <3 ...icing mishaps included. ps. Yes, I am aware of the cheesy nature of the Brady Bunch/cute cupcakes thing.. but I couldn't resist.. I love 'em all... and they deserved their own picture!

Apple.

Banana ..Pancakes?

T// Classic Banana Bread... but in Muffin form!

No,they're not Pancakes as per JJ..or just bread, or just muffin .. it's a hybrid. =) Twist on the classic for easy and accessible breakfast food.

It's all about the Zebra Print

T// Zebra Cake!

Pretty and Yummy. Definitely now one of my favourite cakes, and i'm not even a cake lover. Super moist, and mocha-y, bursting with flavour from the double shot of expresso and splash of Grand Marnier. =) YUM.

♪ Melt My Heart to Stone.. ♪

T// Molten Lava Cake

Chocolate-Lovers' fantasy; ooze-y bittersweet chocolate with a bit of Grand Marnier in the mix. This belly-warming dessert (great for the weather, since it's snowing in May) is divine especially with strawberries =) It's like a super-fudge-y brownie with chocolate dipped strawberries. yum.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sorbet Roll!

T// Mango Sorbet

Homemade sorbet, again!...Yes, I am on a sorbet frenzy.
Made from ripe mango puree and a splash of homemade sultana grape juice for a tangy kick, and orange juice to complement the ripeness of the mangoes, it's sweetness goes really well with the tangy kiwi sorbet =)

Carbonated Sorbet?

T// Homemade Kiwi Sorbet

Summer's almost here and this slew of sorbet making is evidence of my excitement =) Homemade kiwi sorbet with some homemade sultana grape juice for a extra tangy kick and a homemade simple syrup. It's quite tart... making it taste almost carbonated, lol.

Sorbet.Sherbert.Sore-bay.

T// Homemade Strawberry Sorbet

Refreshing and Delicious - Homemade strawberry sorbet with a fresh sweet chunky strawberry puree, a hint of lemon juice and some lemon zest. =) Summer's coming!

Pour Some Sugar On Me

T// Strawberry Lemonade =)

Fresh strawberries & lemons make for awesome strawberry lemonade, made with a homemade syrup - iced, and with lemon zest. A very refreshing and giddy-inducing (for the coming summer) drink

Lemon spiralling, zesting, squeezing, and juicing

yum. =)

So cute, you just wanna eat it up!

T// Fresh Fruit Tart

Great start to the season and compliment the oncoming Spring weather - A fresh fruit tart with a crumbly pie crust and pastry cream custard filling, topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis =) Very refreshing, creamy, and yummerz!

Cooling pie crust, fresh out of the oven

Assembling the tart!

The final product. I'm in love with this. Its so cute!

Muffins for My Muffin

T// Apple Sauce Walnut Muffins

Sweet baked apple sauce turned into a walnut muffin. Great if served drizzled with maple syrup. =)

Please Sir, Can I have more Chili?

T// Chili!

My first, but definitely not my last, rendition of chili! Spicy in all the right ways, this bowl of chili includes ground beef, red & white onions, red & white kidney beans, diced & crushed tomatoes, diced red bell peppers, and corn. Garnished with melty cheddar cheese and cilantro, served with crisp garlic pita bread. =)

BB me...BBque!

J// Homemade Chinese BBQ pork (Sa Siu/Cha Siu)

deliciously easy! (because i cheated) Chinese BBQ pork! kickin it homeschool I used bottled marinade for the bbq pork, however I chose to use a pork tenderloin and never looked back. awsomly sticky and sweet and sooo sooo juicy!

IT'S BED TIME CHICKEN!!!

J// Oven Roasted Chicken on a bed of Veggies

Simple oven roasted chicken, seasoned with salt,pepper, and fennel. on a bed of mixed veggies. all deliciously roasted together in the oven nice and slowly. Simple, delicious, comfort food.

Your Pita is showin'.

T// Pita-Flatbread Appetizers

In an attempt to throw together an appetizer for a meal with the chicken already half-roasted in the oven, I twice halved pitas into substitute flatbread for my flatbread apps, shown in my 2009 summer BBQ meal post. The flatbread is usually brushed lightly with EVOO, but I used garlic spread on these pita-flatbreads and it made a huge difference. Includes the typical herbs and cheeses, with fresh button mushrooms and vine ripe tomatoes of my flatbread apps. They came out of the oven crispy, garlicy, and yummy. Love it. Definitely on the Repeat Menu.

It-sa Me-a .. Tiramisu!

T// Bailey's Irish Cream Mocha Tiramisu Cake

My first attempt at Tiramisu! I debated between doing a whole cake and doing individual servings in little cups and ended up obviously, with the cake, just because it's more practical for storage.. and quicker. =) Instead of lady fingers soaked in a liqueur and coffee, I made a moist chocolate cake and soaked it in 2 shots of expresso and Bailey's Irish Cream. (smiles x2 [I'm a coffee junkie]) The cake filling is the traditional Italian marscapone, egg yolks, and sugar. I frosted the cake with homemade whipped cream strongly spiked with Bailey's, finishing everything off with lots of cocao powder, dark chocolate shavings, and chocolate truffle shavings and served it a little bit of chocolate sauce. =) Bon Appetit-o?

Kum-quat? Kum-Again!

T// Kumquat Glass Custard Tarts

Kumquat glass after over an hour in the oven..

Custard Tarts before going into the oven


Final Result: Kumquat Glass Custard Tarts sprinkled with icing sugar
Delicious eggy-creamy-citrusy goodness. =)

Kh-uhm-kw-ahwt. Kumquat.

T// Candied Kumquat Tarts Served with sprinkled Icing Sugar

These were delish. Crispy and flaky crusts with savoury sweet and just-the-right-amount-of-bitter from the rind of the candied kumquats.

Delicious Tuesday Roast!

J// S&P and Fennel Crusted Prime Rib Roast



Ground rock salt, pepper corns, and fennel seeds.



Salt, Pepper, and Fennel Crusted Prime Rib Roast.



Delicious Crusted Prime Rib Roast on a bed of Roasted Veggies that were cooked under the Roast, picking up all that deliciousness.