When life gives you lemons, you make lemon sorbet!

 

I used to think of sorbet as something fancy so I was really thrilled to find this recipe. It’s easy to make (though time-consuming) and you don’t need any special equipment. Just a freezer though the recipe does call for an electric whisk. I couldn’t find the whisk of my mixer, so I whisked it by hand. It turned out fine.

The ingredients are simple too. Nothing complicated, just water, sugar, juice and egg white (I skipped this because raw egg is used). Once you’ve learned how to make this, you probably would stop paying for overpriced sorbets in restaurants. 

The only snag with making your own sorbet is the time needed. The start is easy. Just boil 250ml water and 125g caster sugar until the sugar dissolves. Wait till it cools, then add 50ml juice and zest. The recipe called for lime but I used lemon.

Next, place the mixture in a covered container in the freezer. Once the edges start to firm up (the recipe said one hour but it took a lot longer), you need to break up the ice crystals (use a fork). Return to freezer and repeat at least twice every 45 minutes or so. Then freeze until firm. If you want a finer texture, break up the sorbet into chunks and whisk. And then freeze again. Shift it down to the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. Finally! After all that work, I’m having all of this to myself.  

Shopping list: Caster sugar, lemon or lime, egg white (optional)

Hardware: Freezer, freeze-proof container (I recommend a plastic container with a lid), mixer (or hand whisk) 

Can I do it?: Yes, but patience is needed

Tip: Do this when you’re at home the whole day. 

Credit: Jane F. Ragavan, Don’t Call Me Chef, Star2

 

World’s Best Baked Onions

I first saw this on The Naked Chef years ago and have wanted to try it ever since. Jamie always manages to make whatever he’s dishing out seem super delicious. And anything that’s wrapped in bacon is bound to make me salivate.

Onions are rarely eaten on their own, especially whole like this. Don’t worry. You’d need to boil them first for about 15 minutes, so the sharp taste would be gone by then.

How this works is you dig out the middle part of the onion, chop it up and fry with some rosemary and garlic. Then, add double cream and Parmesan.

Slice off the base of the whole onion (so it can stand), wrap the bacon around it and secure with toothpicks (or rosemary twigs). Finally, put in the cooked onion mix into the onion cavity, place on a roasting tray and bake in the oven – 200 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes.

Shopping list: white onions, fresh rosemary (or dried), double cream, Parmesan cheese (grated) ginger, pancetta or smoked streaky bacon rashers

From the pantry: cooking oil, garlic, salt and pepper for seasoning

Hardware: grater (for the cheese), toothpicks, oven

Can I do it?: It’s Jamie’s, of course you can!

Credit: Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Chopping herbs like Nigella Lawson

“This half-moon shaped, double-handled herb (and everything else) chopper is indispensable. It works like a speedy dream, and safely: two handles mean you can’t cut yourself while chopping!” – Nigella Lawson

Ever since I saw Nigella using a herb chopper on her show, I’ve been intrigued. She looked like she was having so much fun chopping herbs with it. I’ve always wanted to get one but was too stingy to pay for it it. There are other more important things to get, like a salad spinner and magnetic knife strip. Besides, I can always use a normal knife, right?

The push factor that finally nudged me over the edge was the RM40 Robinsons shopping voucher I needed to spend. Dresses were too expensive, there were no nice panties within that price range (unbelievable, right?) and I still had to top up a substantial amount for pillowcases to complete my slowly assembled Egyptian cotton bedding set.

A browse around the household department (my favourite section at Robinsons) led me to the Typhoon table – a lot of nice stuff, but too expensive to splurge on. I saw the herb chopper and visions of Nigella taunting me with her kitchen gadgets (another piece I want – the wooden lemon squeezer!) came flooding back. I didn’t have to pay much out of my own pocket, so that was the deciding factor.

While Nigella’s herb cutter has only one blade, Typhoon’s has two. It chops herbs in tiny pieces in no time at all and is certainly more efficient than using a chef’s knife. And it felt so good! Chop! Chop! Chop! Some people use it to chop onions and garlic too.