Seafood soup

Done it before, but this version seems nicer, so documenting it.

1. about 600g of shells (half prawn, half crayfish). 5 garlic cloves (diced). 1 medium onion (diced). 1 small leek (diced). sprigs of thyme. Brandy. Teaspoon of dried fennel. Tablespoon tomato paste. 1 cup of homemade tomato sauce. 1 lime leaf (Kaffir). 1 teaspoon gelatine. half teaspoon fermented fish sauce.
2. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil and saute onions and leeks with the fennel until fragrant and almost translucent. Add in garlic and saute about a minute or two more.
3. Turn heat to high, put shells in pot. Saute until shells turn pink and there's a heady fragrance coming from the pot.
4. Add in tomato paste, stir it in and mix well. Saute for tomato paste to caramelise.
5. Pour in brandy - maybe a tablespoon or to taste.
6. Add in tomato sauce, thyme, fish sauce and lime leaf. Pour in enough water to cover the shells.
7. Bring to boil. Turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 40 mins.
8. Strain soup to remove solids.

To use the seafood soup as in pic, boil soup. When boiling, individually cook seafood till just done. Serve with soup separate, or pour warm (not boiling) soup back over seafood. Alternatively (and I'm going to try this next), use the seafood soup for a steamboat.

Back to basics: the (almost) no fuss french baguette

To make a really great french baguette takes great painstaking care. Probably a less humid climate also helps 8-).  I don't think I want to do that.

I'd like to make a good enough baguette (better than the average I can purchase) with no undue fuss. The result is quite tasty, but the crust texture is still not to my satisfaction. On another occasion, I shall sacrifice my baguette to science and try baking longer and leaving the step 12 to be longer as well.

I haven't made one in a long time, so I'm doing it again.This variation is for 1 medium baguette. Scale appropriately.

1. Bread flour 200g (2/3 AP, 1/3 bread flour), salt 4-5g, yeast 2-3g, room temp water 140g (70% hydration). 
2. Make a well in the bowl and pour water and then the yeast. Gently mix the yeast into the water, then slowly incorporate the flour with a spatula. For larger amounts, use a mixer, but do not overmix.
3. Let the dough stand for 60 mins. Then cover and refridgerate (spritz water to keep it moist) overnight.
4. Take out dough and let it stand for 2-3 hours depending on weather.
5. Tip out dough. Gently stretch and fold for a bit. Then for a final stretch and fold and shape the dough.
6. Leave the dough to prove a 2nd time for about 60-90 mins (depending on weather). Keep the dough moist.
7. preheat oven to 250C. 
8. Just before putting in dough, slash the dough, throw a few ice cubes into the bottom tray and start steam injection for highest level.
9. Put in dough and bake for 10 mins with steam.
10. Put temp control to 190C, turn off steam injection and open the oven door for 30-40 secs.
11. Close the oven door and continue baking until well browned.
12. Open the oven door, turn off oven and leave the bread in the oven to continue to develop the crust.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Could not resist buying this book at long last.

The movie "Julie and Julia" is a really great movie for cooks. Saw this movie twice (once at home) and both times, it seemed so inspiring (Meryl Streep was marvelous).

smoked duck breast soup

Had 2 smoked duck breasts from Phoon Huat.

Also had some duck bones from before.

So I made smoked duck soup.

1. Make duck stock the usual way like I do with chicken except with the duck bones.
2. Pour into pot, the duck stock over the smoked breasts.
3. Bring to a vigorous boil. Put in thai fish sauce for the saltiness.
4. Put pot in oven at 62C for 2 hours.
5. Take breasts out. Boil the soup again and put in the veg.
6. When veg is done, put duck back in, sliced.

Variation of original spelt cake

This is nicer according to mw.

1. 150g of flour, but this time 2/3 spelt and 1/3 whole wheat.
2. 35-40g of flaxseed plus half handful of dried raspberries and prunes (chopped).
3. 120g of liquid comprising lemoncello, lemon juice (one whole small lemon) + maple syrup and brown sugar (as usual my measuring system is "a dollop" and 2 tablespoons.). There's more lemoncello this time (prob about 6 tablespoons).
4. 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
5. dash of cinnamon powder + nutmeg powder.
6. 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda.
7. 180g unsalted butter (soft)
8. Solution of lemoncello + icing sugar for after baking.

Mix all dry ingredients well.
In a mixing bowl mix all wet ingredients.
Then mix in the dry ingredients just enough to get them all mixed. Do not overknead.
Bake in 170C oven. First 10 mins on light steam injection. Then about 20 mins or so without steam.
Watch the whole thing brown nicely, then take out and measure temp. Unfortunately, this time my thermometer was spoilt so I aga aga.
Let the cake cool a bit.
Poke holes all over.
Spoon over the lemoncello/sugar solution well and watch it sink into the cake.

Serve warm (not hot).