ANNA'S TOMATOES TART

28/5/2018
MONDAY

After watching  Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa last week,  I finally managed to get all the ingredients ready to replicate her Tomatoes Tart.   

The pastry  were prepared on Sunday and rested overnight in the fridge till I was ready to blind bake it.  I brushed the based with some beaten egg wash before the final last 10 minutes of the baking. 

One of the reasons why I wanted to bake this tarts was because of  the lush growth of my basil plant.  Got a big handful of the leaves, puree it with some dry parsley,  garlic and olive oil  

Tomatoes were big and cheap and I brought a kg of tomatoes from the market. Slice them thinly and drain well and pat dry. 

Mix the pesto and tomatoes and season with pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. 

Once the pastry is cool, brush the base with some Djion mustard.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

then layer the tomatoes slices neatly on top. 

Top with more cheese and bake for around 20-30 minutes.

Recipe can be obtained from the AFC channel. 

Tomatoes Tart for lunch with grapes and green tea biscuits  for dessert.

Made some Pulut Tai-Tai over the weekend too. 

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE TRIP 2018 # 2 Part 2

22/4/2018
SUNDAY
WILSON POINT/SYDNEY HARBOUR CRUISE
LUNA PARK
THE HARBOUR BRIDGE AT NIGHT .

new playmate for Alexa..

By the time we finished our chocolate and also done some shopping at Lindt Cafe, Alexa had awoken from her nap and we were all ready to continue with more sightseeing. 

No introduction needed for the background. 

we boarded the Sydney ferry from Circular Quay towards  Milson's Point Wharf.

passing under the iconic Harbour Bridge....

enjoying the cruise and view... 

passed a large cruise ship waiting nearby...

No mistake that we are one family.. don't we look alike. 

Luna Park is Sydney oldest amusement park and  has a very interesting history- passing from one lease to another, opening first in 1935 and through the years there were many closures and re-opening again.  One closure was due to a fatal fire on the Ghost Train in 9/6/1979.  The concept of Luna Park was based on the first Luna Park on Coney Island New Yoke in 1903.  The Luna Park was finally listed on NSW Heritage Register in February 2010.  

Milson's Point Wharf is situated right in front of Luna Park 

Our arrival was just in time for the live showtime by clowns and dancers..

She is star-struck with the laughing clowns and lively dancers, but scare to join in the fun....

There are carousel, ferris wheel, roller coaster and many side games as well.

walking along the foreshore boardwalk and watching the sun-set  

Still so many people as the night falls...

the cruise ship making the turn 

The departure of the cruise ship from the harbour - photographs taken by May .

The Interloop @ Wynard Station

This is an award-winning  art installation of the old original wooden escalators from the 1940's hanging from the roof of the concourse of the newly upgraded Wynard Station at the York Street entrance literally make one stop in the their tracks. Old things put to new use.

HAPPY DUMPLINGS FESTIVAL 2018

18/5/2018
MONDAY

Wishing everyone a happy and wonder Dumpling Festival today.

My Cantonese Dumplings 2017

That's right, no making of dumplings this year but that does not mean that we did not celebrate the festival together.  To me,  coming together, seeing each other  and catching up with the news is more important than the dumplings!  

and of course the table is always laden with food ..

Must-have Poached Chicken and Roasted Pork.  Roasted Duck (brought by my sister-in-law Evon) while my sister-in-law Serena cooked Braised Mushroom with dried oyster and Pig trotters, Turnips to be wrapped with lettuce, Steamed Fish  and Pig stomach soup.  We also have sweet sour Pork cooked by my eldest sister while my sister Yoke also cooked the Soy Sauce Prawns (had to go hunting to 4 wet markets before getting big prawns due to the Raya holidays), stir fry mixed vegetables and last but not least her home-made "fiery" Chili sauce.  

Dessert:- Fresh watermelon, Almond jelly with longans and lychees and Bread Pudding. 

Every year when we go shopping for the Chinese New Year, Sarah always wanted to buy canned longans and lychees. She likes them since her childhood and said without them, CNY is not CNY. So now after half the year had passed, both these items were still sitting on the counter (even though the expiration date in next year), so I decided this is a good time to eat them.  I had a packet of organic Almond powder, its perfect for this dessert.  So, this is really a classic dessert that you can find in a Chinese wedding dinner, Almond jelly served with a mixture of canned fruit cocktails.  

of course, there is always ice-cream..

Bread Pudding with blueberries.

I had made some no-knead crusty bread (King Arthur's recipe) over the long weekend. 

Must butter the the pan generously. Cut half loaf into big chunks and layer them over  the pan.  Top with my rum-soaked mixed fruits and fresh blueberries.  For the custard, I used 450ml full cream milk as I had no cream (its 300 ml milk plus 150 ml cream) with 3 eggs plus 2 egg yolks and I actually forgot to add sugar!   

Pour the custard over the bread and sift some cocoa powder over the bread. Set aside for a while to allow the bread to soak up the milk.  Bake @ 175C for around 25-30 minutes till the custard sets. It is best serve warm.

Here are some of my baking over the long weekend...

My Crusty No-Knead Bread served with some cheese. Simply delicious.. 

Matcha Chiffon Cake.
A flavour for this week that you can find @ the BlackEyeBear Cafe besides the usual butter cakes and Banana Chiffon Cake. Do drop by for their coffee and our cakes (see The Three Sisters Bake).


Weekend dinner cooked by Sarah.
Soba with Onsen eggs. Simply heartwarming and ultra delicious.