Chuck Hughes Kept His Promise, New Durian Tattoo!

LOL just when I blogged about Chuck Hughes, he really did have an Durian King tattooed on his arm while he was in Singapore!!!

Pic grabbed from Chuck Hughes' Facebook Page Video

Check out the video on his Facebook page.

A Day Off With Chuck Hughes

It was more than a month when I got wind that Chuck Hughes of the fame Chuck's Day Off on Asian Food Channel (AFC) will be coming to Kuala Lumpur. I got on checking AFC website and found out that he will be in on 22 and 23 Feb. Not sure if I will receive a media invite for this but I set aside these 2 dates from work, well just in case... Boss in fact did ask me if I can work for a food styling cum photo shoot on 22 Feb but I turned her down as I've just missed too many AFC invites!

As if that's not enough, I even roped in Capt'n Hook to win us seats to the dinner hahaha since he's good with words but sadly we did not get the seats. Anyway, true enough, the invite came in and I was literally jumping for joy. Not to say I'm crazy over Chuck Hughes but who can resist his charm, right?

The event started off with the affable Xandria Ooi, the emcee, introducing Chuck Hughes. She really did her homework well and got off asking him various questions. It got down to where did the host took him for dinner the night before and we were told Jalan Alor. He tried the street food and as we're all aware there's this durian stall at the start of the street. He mentioned how rotten they smell when he visits Asian grocers back home in Montreal but never got round to taste it until his night at Jalan Alor. He hesitated cos of the smell but somehow after tasting it, he was amazed by the creamy texture. Not sure if he's saying it in a jest, but most probably he might get a durian tattoo when he's down south when Xandria asked him what item he would tattoo on his body to remember Malaysia by.



He kicks off the cooking demo by introducing Jerry from Ritz Carlton who would be his right hand man. There was just so much fun watching him jabbing Jerry with all sorts of humour and blaming him for everything that did not turn out so well. One can just see how warm and friendly he is, just as we could see from his TV programme.


That's Jerry next to him

We were told that he had a new show, Chuck's Week Off, show casing his week off in a country and the first being Mexico. When he was asked if he would film one in Malaysia... being polite he said he might be and I wasted no time to pass him my business card asking him to come to Bayan Indah for a Malaysian cuisine class lol. Let's home AFC will bring in this series.



He first made his signature Popcorn Rock Shrimp with Spicy Honey. As he add in the breadcrumb coated shrimp pieces into the oil, he was asked how hot the oil should be and next thing we know, he flashed out his arm showing us a tattoo of 275°. It was an essential reminder then to fry our food at 275°F so that they will turn out crispy and not soaking in oil!



He's really my guy when it comes to cooking as he said he don't usually measure the ingredients, just like I do except for baking cakes and pastries. He started off very young in the kitchen so much so that his mother instilled in him that when he grew up, he must be a chef but that's not what it turned out to be in the beginning that he was working in advertising and somehow his love is cooking. Thus he enrolled in a culinary school, Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec.


Popcorn Shrimp Made "Live"


What's Served

After graduating, he worked in some of Montreal's popular restaurants until 2006 when he opened Garde Manger with his 2 best friends. This is the place where they filmed Chuck's Day Off. With a second restaurant, Le Bremner, opened, he described Garde Manger is a He whilst Le Bremner is a She. Garde Manger serves a lot of meat and do not have a fixed menu as they'll cook what ever that is fresh in season but they do have the popular items and they certainly do entertain requests for items that are not in the menu. As for Le Bremner, it showcases more on delicate seafood.



Next up, Chuck demonstrated how to make Pan-Seared Beef Carpaccio with Potato Chips, Fried Capers and Lemon Aioli. As cooking is not rocket science, he usually does his mayonnaise with a whole egg instead of just the yolk as he won't know what to do with the single egg white. Waste not he said.


Beef Carpaccio Made "Live"


What Was Served

The last dish shown was a dessert of Chocolate Tapioca Arancini. We were told how this dish came about. In his restaurant, risotto is not cooked ala minute as it takes a while to get them cooking. Hence, in their prep they would cook the rice with water until they're 80% cooked. This is known as virgin rice. When an order comes in for risotto, he would then only add the stock and flavourings. However by the end of the night there would usually have left over of the rice. Not wanting to waste, he turns the rice into arancini - rice balls filled with chocolate and served on a bed of chocolate sauce.


Arancini Made "Live"

As you would see the difference in plating of those he have cooked and of those served to us... there's really no hard and fast rules as we see him throwing extra chilli, orange instead of lemon... not wasting the ingredients.


Arancini Served

Capt'n Hook and I would like to thank Alice George Communications for the invite; Asian Food Channel for bringing Chuck in and also all the delicious food programmes shown on the channel; Ritz Carlton and American Express.


The Animated Chuck Hughes

New Zealand Natural Dessert Workshop: Baking Up An Icy Storm

I had this invite from New Zealand Natural Ice Cream, something that is very hard to say no to since we're already a big fan. Can't help it especially you have a 9 year old kid who loves ice cream and guess who influence him!



The previous invite was by courtesy of The Cooking House which has recently acquired the next door lot and turned that into proper hands-on cooking stations. A major reno underwent which sees a bigger reception area. The industrial kitchen was demolished and turned into an office. The previous demo area became a dining room cum demo area. The new section has rows of spanking cooking stations with the demo island up front. The Bosch ovens, sexy red mixers and equipments made my mouth waters!



After a brief intro, we crowd around the demo island to watch Chef Merkaine demonstrating the first dessert - Chocolate Delirious Cupcake with Stuffed Ice Cream. A very easy peasy cupcake indeed when cup cakes were already pre-baked for us. We just need to remove a hole from the cupcake and roll the ice cream, White Chocolate Raspberry is used here, into melted chocolate to fill up the cut-out hole. Then decorate with non-dairy whipping cream and chocolate ganache. To ensure the ice cream remained firm, you'll have to shape the slightly soften ice cream into small rounds using a melon baller and then freeze them up for up to a day so that it's easier to work with this way.

Chocolate Delirious Cupcake with Stuffed Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Cupcake:
Sponge cake mix
300g chocolate coating (melted)

Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup whipping cream
250g chocolate coverture
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Prepare ganache by heating cream over pan and then pour over chocolate coverture.
2. Whisk till all chocolate have melted and smooth
3. Cool and use once texture is pliable.
4. Scoop ice cream into balls and freeze.
5. Use a knife and remove the middle part of the cupcake.
6. Dip ice cream balls into chocolate coating then freeze.
7. Once hard enough, place coated ice cream into cupcake and pipe ganache over.
8. Decorate as pleased.

Next, we were shown how to turn sponge fingers, espresso coffee, diary whipped cream and Cookies & Cream ice cream into an ice cream stack ala tiramisu. Another simple dessert that even a kid can assemble! This is the non-alcoholic version but feel free to add coffee liqueur into the espresso. Cut the sponge fingers to fit into the size of your glass container. Dip them into espresso coffee briefly as you do not want a soggy sponge, just nicely soaked. Place into a glass. Next, spoon in the ice cream. Repeat with the sponge and ice cream layer. Lastly, spread in a layer of whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder. Voila, a Tiramisu Ice Cream Stack!

Tiramisu Ice Cream Stack 

Ingredients:

1 pkt of sponge fingers
2 cups of Espresso coffee
2 cups of whipped cream
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1. Pipe whipped cream on the base of the cup.
2. Then place a piece of sponge finger soaked in espresso on top.
3. Then top with Cookies & Cream ice-cream.
4. Repeat and lastly top with whipped cream.
5. Dust with cocoa powder and serve!

Chef Merkaine demonstrated how to literally whip up a Chilled White Chocolate Mousse. She uses pasteurised egg white for this recipe since the mousse is served raw. The texture of the egg white is very thick and stringy. She explained that it takes longer to whisk up the pasteurised egg as compared to normal eggs. So long that she had gotten a celebrity baker to do the task. I really loved the Chocolate Ecstasy ice cream used here, as if chocolate ice cream is not enough to blow your mind but the thick chocolate fudge ribbons did the trick here, no wonder it's named Chocolate Ecstasy!

Chilled White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

White Chocolate Mousse:
180g white chocolate, broken into small pieces
250ml cream
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

Almond Brittle:
250g whole almond with skin (roasted)
450g white sugar

White Chocolate Mousse method:

1. Double boil the white chocolate till melted and smooth.
2. Set aside to coo before using.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream till stiff and then whish egg white till resemble a meringue.
4. Fold in the cream and egg white together with vanilla extract and white chocolate cream.
5. Pipe white chocolate mousse onto a cup, then scoop chocolate ice cream and finally top with almond brittle.

Almond Brittle Method:
1. Melt sugar in a small pot till the color resembles a caramel tint.
2. Pour onto the almond placed on a parchment paper.
3. Let it cool and break to use.

I had a great time at The Cooking House making such yummy icy treats. Just remember that every 30th of the month, New Zealand Natural offers 30% discount on their Take Home Packs on their "30% on the 30th" promotion at all their outlets at IPC Shopping Centre, Suria KLCC, KL Convention Centre, Centro Klang, Sunway Pyramid, The Waterfront Desa Park City, Queensbay Mall (Penang) and Sunway Carnival (Penang).

Thank you to New Zealand Natural by way of Salina & Associates for the invite and The Cooking House for hosting the class.

Chili's Grill & Bar Global Culinary Roadshow

I was invited by Chili's Grill & Bar recently to attend a culinary roadshow showcasing Chili's American Southwest flavours and recipes. Well, I was there late as I had a meeting to attend, hence had missed out the opportunity to catch Michael Winkelman cooking up the latest flavour introduced - Honey Chipotle Sauce which was used in Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers.

Anyhow, I was on time though to taste out the Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers hah! I also got to taste the ever popular Mojito, minus the rum of course (pssst cos it was still before noon :p). Perfect to quench my thirst running in the hot morning from one end to the other end of MidValley Megamall.



As I dug in, I tasted the sweetness of the honey followed by a bit of fire that came from the chipotle (smoked chilli pepper). I usually order the Chicken Crispers and with this sauce for this dish, it gave the crispy chicken a total make over.



Since I was there towards the tail end of the event, after most of the members of the media left, I got the full attention from Dave Anderson, COO of TAS Leisure, the franchise holder of Chili's Grill & Bar in Malaysia. I've mentioned that it's funny that we frequent Chili's but yet I do not have a single blog post :p Dave did asked why and my reply was "Who doesn't know Chili's and the delicious food they serve?" plus I added there are always queue at the entrance! In a jest Dave laughed questioning is it a good or a bad thing lol.

Dave asked me one important question - does the food served looked the same as shown in the menu! In my honest reply, I said they're quite close, totally unlike some fast food chain *chuckle*. Seems like it annoyed him to the bit if the food served at Chili's does not look the same as the visuals. Way to go Chilli's!

Michael was on his way out to check another outlet before flying out the next day to his next destination of this roadshow. Michael resides in UK but he travels frequently to this part as he oversees the business development for Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

It has been great meeting the people behind Chili's and what say you... to feature a proper blog post on our favourite stuffs on Chili's menu?

Thanks to Chili's Grill & Bar via Creative Geckos for the invite.


Click here for Chili's Grill & Bar locations

A Taste of Australian Avocados

"Hello", the avocado beacons as I entered the foyer of the lecture theatre of Berjaya University College of Hospitality. The avocados on display looked so fresh and inviting and it's no wonder since I was invited for this A Taste of Australian Avocados event by Agri-Science Queensland in partnership with The Avocado Export Company and brought in via Euro-Atlantic, the importer of hass and shepard avocados.

The event was kicked off and Jodie Campbell was introduced to us. Campbell has more than 2o years in research, development, extension and marketing in Australian and International Horticulture. She gave us and introduction on avocados, benefits and uses of avocados, guiding us on how to select good quality avocados to choosing the right ripeness.



There's always a misconception of avocados being very fattening and it's not helping when the Chinese calls it "ngaw yau gor" (butter fruit). Not sure why it's named in such but I think it's because of the texture of avocado is similar to butter. Do note that avocados are densed in nutrients which is rich in vitamin C, E, K, folic acid and potassium. They are low in sugar and salt-free. They have antioxidant, anti-viral and anti-bacteria properties which helps to lower cholesterol. Best of all, avocados contained mono-unsaturated fats to maintain a healthy weight! Do head to Australian Avocado for the detailed health benefits.



We were taught not to simply poke on the avocado with our fingers to check for it's ripeness. One can check the colour chart or by placing the whole avocado on our palm and just squeeze gently to check for firmness as demonstrated by PureGlutton in the photo below.



Next we have Chef Malcolm of Berjaya University College of Hospitality demonstrating to us on how to prepare Avocado Zimbabui, a very simple dish of beef bacon with avocado served with smoked salmon.



Chef Malcolm showed how to remove the peel from avocado and how to slice them for this dish.



We got to sample some avocado inspired dishes prepared by the university college ranging from avocado  salsa dip, salad, pasta, Avocado Zimbabui and guess what... rainbow coloured macarons filled with avocado cream as filling!



We were presented with a fruit basket that of course contained avocados and some other fruits imported by Euro-Atlantic. I will post up some of the ideas on what I did with the fruits and avocado in my next post.

Thanks to Scribe Media for the invite to an afternoon of very educational introduction on avocados.

2010 Time Out KL Food Award Winners

Remember I've mentioned about 2010 Time Out KL Food Award which we attended back in November. Well since the month is drawing to a close, just in case you did not get a copy of the magazine, here are the winners of the award in their various categories.

The photos did not turn out well cos I just took them from my second row seat. There were just too many photographers hovering around the stage. Posted are just some I picked that was not fully blocked by anyone.

2010 Time Out KL Food Award Winners

Chinese – Chynna-KL Hilton

Continental – La Bodega

Fine Dining – Lafite

Healthy Eating/vegetarian – Marmalade

Indian – Bombay Palace

Italian – Prego

Japanese – Fukuharu

Malay – Bijan

Middle Eastern – Al Amar

Seafood – High Tide

Steak house – Prime, Le Meridien

Thai/Indochinese – Tamarind Springs

Mamak/Hawker – Nasi Kandar Pelita

Outstanding Chef of the Year – Chef David King

Pub Grub – Jarrod & Rawlins

Best New Restaurant - The Pressroom

Best Independent Restaurant - Albion KL

Best Restaurateur - Edward Hyde

The US Cranberry Bakery Seminar & Workshop 2010

Since my last attendance of the cheese tasting, I'm glad that Kenneth Wee of Total Agri Marketing still remembers me and put me on the invite list amongst the chefs, bakers, celebrity chefs etc. I'm so honoured actually! Since it was a work day, nobody else could come along except for FBB. This seminar cum workshop was held at Berjaya University College of Hospitality.

Total Agri Marketing is promoting cranberries in Malaysia on behalf of the Cranberry Marketing Committee USA. Thanks to them, it's quite easy to get frozen or dried cranberries and juice on our supermarket shelves these days. All these while I only know the answer for urinary tract infection is to drink lots of cranberries juice but now, I know cranberries hold more than that.



Cranberries contain no fat, no cholesterol, and very little sodium. Whole cranberries are a good source of dietary fiber, and all cranberry products contain flavonoids and polyphenolics, natural compounds that offer a wide range of potential health benefits. Since we can't get fresh cranberries, the closest would be the frozen kind but I'm not sure if they're sweetened like their dried counterparts. We were told fresh cranberries can be very very tart.

Kenneth introduced 2 officials from the committee and they each gave a short speech on cranberries and all.



Next, we were introduced to Chef Tim Healea who is the principal baker and owner of Little T American Baker. His bakery specialises on handcrafted breads, Viennese-style pastries and rustic desserts.



Without wasting time, Chef Tim demonstrated 8 out of the 10 recipes provided to us all within 3 hours plus! To help those who are sitting at the back, there's even a screen zooming into what Chef Tim is doing upfront. How thoughtful!



As he goes along, Chef Tim impart some tips here and there for each of the recipes. I noticed a lot of the participants were so hardworking taking notes! Mid way, there was a short coffee break where we were served pre-made goodies from the recipes of Chef Tim demo. There were the Baked Doughnuts and Almond Rolls which are made from the same dough base. Then there is the Crumb Brioche, Cream Scone, Apple Turnover, Apple Wholewheat Muffin, Gibassier, Sweet Cream Tart (my fave out of the lot) and Financier. All of these have cranberries in them!





Chef Tim continued on after the break and by the end of it, he have all these goodies all done out! Amazing that they all looked good as some demo I've been to produces messy products :p




Apple Turnover


Baked US Cranberry Doughnut


Cream Scones


Crumb Brioche


Sweet Cream Tart


Almond Roll

Hmm the recipes for the above goodies are not available on the website but they do have other recipes. I would love to try some of these recipes but only when I have the time :( First on my list would be the Sweet Cream Tart, it's quite simple and soooo tasty!



Thanks to Kenneth and staff at Total Agri Marketing, Cranberry Marketing Committee, Berjaya University College of Hospitality and most importantly Chef Healea for the great afternoon.

BTW, do check out FBB's creative post!

Another pic of Chef Tim ;-) with the completed Apple Turnover. Just can't get enough of his smiles :p