How To Get Gourmet Food Gift Basket

Nowadays, the Gourmet Food is very popular because of it's uniqueness. The taste of the gourmet food is what makes it is popular and the presentation of the gourmet food makes it so delicious to look at. And gourmet food now are available to purchase in any gourmet food stores. But you will have to make sure that you give that person a personalize gourmet food gift basket.

The Special Dessert

Given my extreme inability to make decisions, it’s a miracle that I can figure out a dessert special every night at work. And truth be told, I can’t always. Sometimes I get part way through an idea and have to call for reinforcement. Like the day I made carrot cake. I had no problem making a carrot cake with nuts, raisins and spices, topped with an orange scented cream cheese icing but figuring out how to make it look interesting, (and not from 1972) left me drawing a blank. When in doubt, the guy with the tall hat and name embroidered on his jacket is probably a good person to ask. His answers, however, are sometimes more than I bargained for. I was looking for a little something to garnish my carrot cake with and ended up making candied carrots and carrot shooters to order.

Dessert specials allow for a little more freedom like being able to make carrot shooters. It was nice for one night, but it’s definitely not something I’d want to do at the height of summer business. Kind of like the day I made a Chocolate-Caramel-Walnut Tart and needed something to garnish it with. The tart on its own is quite nice, but needs some colour to look good on a plate. Chef suggested I do something with raspberry syrup and agar agar… that snowballed into wrapping rectangular pieces of tart in a raspberry jelly and then sealing the jelly with a blowtorch and sprinkling raspberry jelly confetti around the tart in a pool of crème anglaise. Once again, it was interesting for one night, not so fun for the whole summer.
As much as I’d like to get an industrial ice cream machine and make every summer dessert ice cream based, it’s not going to happen, (sadly). That means I have to come up with new summer desserts for a menu change happening very shortly. This task should not be as difficult as it is for me. I’ve been pouring over cookbooks and looking through blogs for inspiration and coming up empty. I see tons of beautiful desserts and things that I love, but they don’t necessarily translate well in my work kitchen. Some items are too fancy, some are too plain, some are out of season, some are too fragile, we don’t have the equipment, the time, the right customers or the labour force for others. I’ve been told to employ the K.I.S.S. strategy to my summer dessert making, but with so many options, (and also restrictions) I can’t seem to narrow it down to five new menu items.

So I’m asking for your help. Bloggers and blog readers are notoriously generous and full of great ideas and I want you to help me choose some new dessert options for work. What are your favourite desserts to make and eat? What would you like to see on a restaurant menu? While you’re being creative with your suggestions, keep the following in mind:
-The dessert has to be able to be refrigerated for storage, without compromising quality.
-It has to be able to stand up to extreme heat and humidity, (meringues and sugar garnish are out).
-It has to be relatively easy to make, (because I’m not working 7 days a week for the rest of the summer).

-There needs to be a chocolate dessert, a fruit dessert and something cakey, (those don’t have to be together, but have to exist somewhere).
-It has to look pretty on a plate.
-I don’t have an ice cream maker.
-It has to be able to be mildly mass produced, (and without taking me forever to do so or occupying all of the stoves and ovens and bench space).
Thanks for the suggestions… if I end up choosing any of your ideas, I’ll be sure to let you know! And will probably then ask for your mailing address so that I can send you something as thanks for helping save part of my sanity…

Delicious Sugared Ghee Balls

If you live in Malaysia, you know that you are very lucky where FOOD is concerned. Malaysians are known for the special relationship that they have with food which is evident from the variety of savory dishes and sweets that one can easily find at every corner. This is especially so during the many festive seasons, one of which was only recently celebrated – Deepavali.

One of the favorite Indian sweets eaten during Deepavali is Sugared Ghee Balls, which is also popularly known as “Neyyi Urundai” or “Payatham Urundai”. True, compared to the other more gloriously colored sweets found during this festival, Ghee Balls do not get full points for looks. In fact, its unstimulating colour and simple shape may even be a “put off” for some. But, for many who have tried it, this sweet has easily become a favorite.
Making it from scratch is relatively easy. The only tricky part is pouring the hot ghee into the flour mixture and molding the balls into shape. One may find that the first few balls take a longer time to make than first anticipated. Don’t let your spirits down if you find this happening to you. Persistence pays off and it won’t be too long before you start getting the hang of it.
Once cooled, pop a ball into your mouth and enjoy the taste as it slowly crumbles into a wonderful sensory delight. You won’t regret it!
This is my recipe for Sugared Ghee Balls.
Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted mung beans flour
• Additional 1/3 cup roasted moong beans flour for coating
• 1 cup icing sugar
• about 10 roasted cashew nuts
• ghee
• 1/3 teaspoon salt

Method
If you are using unroasted moong beans flour, you must first dry roast it. Do this by heating a large frying pan or wok to low-medium heat. When the pan or wok is hot enough, pour in the flour and dry roast it until fragrant. Remove from heat and let the flour cool.
Mince the roasted cashew nuts into tiny pieces (but not ground) and keep aside.
Once the flour is cooled, pour it (2 cups) into a large dry mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar, minced cashew nuts and salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together.
On a separate large plate, put in the rest of the roasted moong beans flour (1/3 cup) for coating and keep aside.
When ready to make the ghee balls, heat a small quantity of ghee (approximately ½ cup first) in a small pan, on low heat. Don’t overheat the ghee, but it has to be reasonably hot. (As you use up the hot ghee, add more to the pan if required.) As you make the ghee balls, the ghee pan should remain on low heat close by.
Remember to be keeping an eye on it the whole time!
To make the ghee balls, use another wide shallow bowl on which you can comfortably work on. (I like to call this the sand-pit). Pour in half the mixed ingredient and loosely spread it around the bowl with your fingers. When you are ready to make a ball, heap a little of the flour (slightly more than what is needed for one ball) into the middle. With a small spoon, make a small ‘well’ in the middle of the heaped flour. The well should only go about 1/3 down the heap and not all the way! Pour in about 1 tablespoon of hot ghee into the well. You will notice that when the hot ghee is poured, the flour will sizzle a little. Using a spoon, slightly press the heap allowing for the oil to ‘catch’ the flour. Then, carefully, pick the oiled heap into your hands and compact it into a ball shape. You may find this a little difficult at first as the oiled flour can be hot.
Once you have made a ball, roll it around on the flour kept aside earlier, to coat it lightly. Keep the coated ball aside to cool.
As you use up the flour mixture in the ‘sand pit’, add more into it and continue the process till all the flour are used up.

Tips For Unforgettable Cupcakes,You Should Know

Cupcakes are the latest rage in desserts. No longer relegated to children's parties and bake sales, cupcakes are now being dressed up for weddings and served at high end restaurants.
What other sweet treat can be silly, sinful or elegant merely by adding a flavoring or changing the decorations?
Here are some tips to make your next batch of these yummy desserts the hit of the party (make extras so they can take some home!)

Ten Tips for Unforgettable Cupcakes
1. Follow the instructions exactly as they are written. Substituting ingredients and over/under mixing the batter will affect how your cupcakes turn out.
2. Use high quality ingredients and make sure they are at room temperature before adding to the batter. Preheat the oven according to the recipe and make sure it is hot before baking.
3. Place cupcake papers in your muffin pan for easy removal after baking. Fill each paper ½ to 2/3 full.
4. Adding flavoring or flavored liquids gives a new dimension to basic cupcakes. Coffee intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. Almond syrup makes anything with cherries taste brighter.
5. Test your cupcakes for doneness at the minimum baking time. If the recipe calls for 20 - 25 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake at 20 minutes. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. If there is batter on it, cook the cupcakes for a least a minute more and check again.
6. If the cupcake papers are soiled after baking, remove or set the cupcakes in a second paper before serving.
7. For a real surprise, core out the center and fill it with lemon curd (spice cupcakes), cherry pie filling (chocolate cupcakes) or raspberry jam (vanilla cupcakes). Lay the top over the filling when the cupcake is almost full and frost the entire cupcake.
8. Experiment with contrasting flavors. Chocolate frosting goes well with banana cupcakes while a mocha cinnamon frosting gives pizzazz to anything chocolate.
9. A rich buttercream frosting goes with any flavor. Add a pop of color like a flower or jelly bean to make it special.
10. Your cupcakes will look more professional if you pipe the frosting on instead of applying it with a knife. If your frosting is not spreading smoothly, don't scrape it off. Cover it by rolling the cupcakes in coconut or brightly colored sprinkles instead!

Healthy Desserts Tips For You

For those of you with a sweet tooth, listen up.
Sweets are some of the hardest things to overcome while dieting. My grandparents are old-school and they love their desserts. I’m talking about multiple meals a day with some sort of dessert after each one. So growing up with a family of that mentality was a challenge. But I knew that in order to get to where I wanted to be, I had to break free from that stranglehold.

Sweets can be the downfall of a good nutrition and fitness program. There are however some better, healthier alternatives for people who really enjoy something sweet after a meal.
Nature’s form of sweets come in the form of fruits. These can be a fine dessert by themselves, but combined with yogurt or cottage cheese provides a good source of protein in addition to the sweetness that you were craving. Also you could throw in some almonds, peanuts, or pecans for some crunch if you so desire.
My favorite fruit and yogurt combination is vanilla yogurt with any frozen fruit. The cold fruit chunks freeze the yogurt around itself which creates an amazing texture.
Frozen yogurt is also a great dessert alternative to ice cream. I personally do not understand the fascination with ice cream, whether it’s the texture or the temperature or something else. But it is loaded with sugar and other things ready to derail a diet.
Now for all of you chocolate lovers, I know that there is no equal substitute in your eyes. And I also know that chocolate provides some health benefits. Remember these few things when it comes to chocolate:
Dark Chocolate is better than milk.
This is plain chocolate we’re talking about, not a Snickers bar.
Moderation, Moderation, Moderation.
As an alternative for this, I would recommend investing in a low-calorie chocolate flavored protein shake or bar. For information on the right protein shake for you, check out my post on protein powders (The Power of Powder). This will give you that cocoa fix as well as help to repair your body from its daily stresses.
You can either drink the shake with water or you can make it into a milkshake. In the blender you can add milk, ice, fresh fruit, and yogurt to your powder and make amazing tasting, yet healthy dessert.
Although cake, cookies, pie, and candy are all great, they are terribly detrimental to your goals. I am not telling you that you have to cut out all forms of sweets altogether, because I don’t want you to go insane. I am just telling you to save yourself the sugar, the calories, and the guilt and opt for the healthier choice.

Delicious Butterflied Prawns In Eden

What a name! Sure, this dish may be common but did you know that simply by putting in a little effort to carve your vegetables, you can create give a new and beautiful breathe of life to an ordinary dish? My little daughters were fascinated with the carrots and broccoli stems which were cut to resemble flowers sitting in the midst of a bed of freshly blanched green broccoli. To give it a more “garden feel”, I used orchid mushrooms as well in this dish. I bought the orchid mushrooms in can and they are quite delicious with a light crunch. You can also use any other suitable mushrooms such as straw mushrooms.
The prawns were cut to resemble like butterflies but being an amateur, I can’t say they look like one. What I did was to remove the heads, middle shell and legs by fingers and leave the tails attached. Next, I use a knife to make a slit down the centre back of each prawn and removed the guts (brownish black thread running down the back of the prawn). When the prawn is cooked, it will give a nice slightly opened shape.

To cut the carrots or broccoli stems into flower-like shapes, you will need to first scrape off the outer layer. Next, cut the carrots into 6 cm lengths. You will need thick broccoli stems for the same purpose. Then, lay the carrot onto a chopping board and make a slanted cut (about 5mm deep or lesser) length-wise along the carrot. Then make another parallel slanted cut just next to it so that both cuts resemble a V shape. You will then be able to remove the whole strip thus leaving you a length-wise groove. Repeat this over the other parts of the carrot until you get at least 5 grooves. Then, slice the carrot sideways and voila! You’ll get the flower-shaped carrots.
Get creative. It makes a whole world of difference to the eating experience!
This is my recipe for Butterflied Prawns in Eden
Ingredients

• 8 to 10 pieces medium sized prawn (butterflied)
• 150 grammes broccoli (cut into florets. stems cut into flower-shape)
• 1 medium sized carrot (cut into flower-shape)
• 1/2 tin of orchid mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
• some cornstarch
• 300 ml hot water
• a pot of water
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Seasoning

• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• salt to taste
• a couple of dashes of white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon of light soya sauce

Method
Bring a pot of water (about 2 litres) to boil. Once boiling, add 2 teaspoons of salt and drizzle some cooking oil. Then blanch broccoli florets till your desired softness. Remove and drain. Place aside to cool. Repeat process with carrots and broccoli stems.
Heat oil in wok. Add half the chopped garlic into the wok together with prawns. Stir fry briskly and add 1 teaspoon of light soya sauce. Remove prawns once it has completely cooked and curled up. Set aside.
Add oil into wok followed by garlic and orchid mushrooms. Stir fry briskly for about 30 seconds before adding 300 ml hot water. Bring to boil and add seasoning to taste. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Allow gravy to reduce to half.
Meanwhile, arrange broccoli florets in a ring on a deep plate. Place carrot and broccoli stem flowers on top of the broccoli florets. Place remaining flowers in the middle.
Check the orchid mushrooms and add some cornstarch to thicken the gravy a little. It should be slightly runny but not watery. Remove from heat.
Scoop some orchid mushrooms and place on centre of the dish. Place prawns on top of orchid mushrooms and flowers before pouring the gravy over the whole dish.

Wine Poached Pear

Pears soaked and bathed in wine, juice and spices transform themselves into luscious jewels. A very elegant dessert indeed!
Making a dessert cannot get easier than this. A few pears in one hand thrown in & slowly simmered in some wine and spices and you turn them into to treasures, you have the most beautiful looking thing; vibrant in jewel tones, sweet, spicy, buttery melt in the mouth kind. Poaching the pears brings out the natural sweetness, the wine paints the fruit and the spices adds a good burst of flavors. This dessert can also be made ahead of time. So what are we waiting for?
Wine Poached Pear
Ingredients:

1. 2 Ripe but Firm Bosc or Barlett pears
2. 1.5 Cup Red Wine (Pinot Noir , Shiraz or Zinfandel will do)
3. 1/2 Cup Orange Juice (Freshly Squeezed or Store Bought)
4. 1/2 cup Sugar (may be substituted with Honey or Nectar – adjust quantity as you will need less honey/nectar than sugar)
5. 1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Rind
6. 2 Whole Cloves
7. 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
8. 1 Finger Length Cinnamon Stick
9. 1/2 Teaspoon Grated Ginger
10. Few Whole Peppercorns (Optional)

Preparation:
Peel the Pears keeping the stems intact. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear (to make them stand). Set them aside.
In a deep non reactive pot, combine the wine and sugar & bring to a boil. Add the orange rind and orange juice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and peppercorns. Simmer the liquid at low heat for about 7-10 minutes.
Add the pears to the liquid on their sides and keep the heat at medium to low to keep the liquid at a slow simmer.
Cook the pears in the liquid with the pot partly covered, for 30 – 40 minutes. (The pears will turn soft quicker if they were not firm). Turn the pears frequently to make sure the pears absorbs the color from the wine evenly on all sides.
Test to see if the pears are done by a knife end or skewer. (When done they should be tender but not mushy and falling apart).
The above steps may be made a couple of days in advance. Cool the liquid & the pears and transfer it to a container. Make sure the poaching liquid covers the pears; if it doesn’t you would have to turn the fruits around a few time to have an even color. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, remove the pears. Strain the liquid & bring the liquid to a boil & continue simmering till the liquid gets thick & slightly syrupy. (Syrupy consistency is achieved when the syrup coats the back of a spoon.)
Transfer the pears to a serving dish and pour the thickened liquid over the pear.
If you want to serve it warm, gently re heat the pear along with the syrup. Or serve it chilled with the chilled syrup.