The past few days the weather has been rather wet, and after a big storm the other day we could almost smell the mushrooms sprouting everywhere in the forest. So yesterday afternoon, we went mushrooms-hunting, hiked up in the forest and stared hard at the ground as we walked, making sure we weren’t stepping on… Continue reading Mushrooms

I was recently stung by les orties (or stinging nettles in English) while picking blackberries in the countryside. Ouch! Not only did it hurts like hell, I was rewarded with beautiful hives and I scratched myself like a monkey – as if the blackberries’ thorns were not enough. This smart little plant hides itself among… Continue reading Nettle Soup

Quenelle [kuh-NEHL] are a culinary specialty of Lyon, France: a light, delicate small oval shaped dumpling made of seasoned, minced or ground fish or white meat bound with panada which are gently poached in stock or water. Quenelles are usually served with a rich sauce and can be used as a first course, main course… Continue reading Quenelles de volaille

No recipe today but I’d like to present a fabulous delicacy that we bought today on our holidays and that is unique to the French region of Auvergne : the brioche aux pralines. It’s a regular, albeit somewhat dry, brioche, infused with chunks of praline and sugar. Sold in some bakeries around the area (haven’t… Continue reading Introducing: brioche aux pralines

Many years ago a friend of mine highly recommended me this cook book by Mrs Lee Chin Koon (the mother of Singapore’s Prime Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew). She found the instructions to be very easy to follow and had already tried out a few of the recipes with delicious results. While I was… Continue reading Beef Rendang

I’ve been wanting to bake an apple pie with almond fillings for some time, but I couldn’t find an apple pie recipe that would fit the bill in any of my books. So I decided to be a bit creative and modify an existing almond pie recipe. I started from a Bakewell tart, which combines… Continue reading Almond Apple Pie

Our mini summer vacation at Pierre’s grandparent’s house up in Brittany was great – love the big old house and the vast green for our little ninja to run about and explore on her own, not forgetting the trips to the seaside: she loves running after the waves and refused to return home even though… Continue reading Taboulé à la Française

Pineapple – a good source of manganese, rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin B1, exotic in fragrance and tangy in taste – my family’s favourite but strangely not mine. Frankly tried as I might to like this lovely fruit, I’m still not a big fan of it … perhaps it’s the strange juicy mix of… Continue reading Pineapple Fried Rice

Lassi is a yogurt-based beverage, originated from India where it exists in several versions: salty, spicy or sweet. Sweet Lassi is a recent invention that is flavoured with rosewater or lemon, mango, or other fruit juice. It’s a very refreshing drink to have during a hot summer weather and is also a great way to… Continue reading Rose Lassi

Char Kway Teow (translated literally as “fried flat noodles” ), is a popular noodle dish in Singapore and Malaysia. The original version is stir-fried with pork fats and crisp croûtons of pork lard which gives its characteristic taste together with ingredients like cockles, egg, bean sprouts, slices of Chinese sausage and fish cake. Because of… Continue reading Char Kway Teow