To PB

I visited my colleague in the hospital today. He had a stroke 10 days ago and he is 46. Forty-six(!), it's the age for mid-life crisis, a red sports car, Caribbean cruise or all kinds of crazy things! Rarely do you hear the word "stroke" being mentioned for a forty-something but it did and could happen. And it shocked many of us who know him, especially he's been known to be a fit person who exercises regularly and eats a very healthy diet.

Yes, you can do all the right things and still get struck by sh*t. That's just life and its capricious nature (or cruelty). As a mere mortal, I can only do what I could to stay healthy and hoping that I would have the strength and will to recover, should any unfortunate thing happens. I am also acutely reminded to enjoy the life while you can and let the loved ones know that you care. Every little thing matters in the end. A small pot of flowers you planted, a smile you give to a stranger, a kiss to your lover or a kind word to your mother. A little more "want to" and less "have to".

The good news is my colleague is responding well to the treatment and physiotherapy. His movement is almost smooth today despite a bit slow and the speech being a bit slurred. More importantly, he's talkative and in good spirits. It's only early days of rehabilitation and I have no doubt that he's on his way of steady recovery.

Best wishes to you, PB. Be courageous and humorous, as you always have been. I look forward to seeing you back and work together again.

Weekend dinner - 18/04/2015

Roasted whole sea bass on top of charlotte potato coins and fennel slices

Easy and satisfying dinner. I skipped the anchovies called for in the recipe and seasoned the fish generously with dill, thyme, black pepper and salt, inside and out. The finished dish looks just like the photo on the web!

You can't go wrong with roast fish but the roasted potato coins and fennel are the true star tonight. Will try to make more of this in the future.

Weekend dinner - 11/04/2015

Mushroom lasagna 

This is the most decadent and satisfying lasagna I've ever made. And it has no meat! Thank you, Ina.

Chopped salad

Coriander, cucumber and tomato is possibly my favorite salad combination (extra lettuce was added in the photo). The taste is just so enjoyable and refreshing. The only thing it needs is some black pepper.

Apple tart

I used store-bought pastry and it gave us a nice finish of Saturday night.

I make - Flammekueche

This is hubby's youth. I am glad that I gave it a go finally. I need to work on my yeasted dough in general but overall the taste is pretty good. I used two types of onions, one regular onion cooked to lightly golden and the other raw shallow mixed with black pepper. It was initially because I ran out of onions. As a last minute idea, I threw in some shallots which turned out brilliantly. Because shallots are sweeter than regular onions, when thinly sliced and cooked at high heat, it brings out their sweetness and particular oniony flavor. We both like it very much.

Flammekueche

- 1 portion of pizza dough or olive oil pie crust

- 1 medium onion, sliced and cooked in one teaspoon of butter until lightly golden

- 1/2-1 cup of lardon strips

- 1-2 shallot, thinly sliced against the grain (optional)

- 2 tablespoons of fromage blanc (or fromage frais or greek yogurt) 

- 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche

- dash of nutmeg

- freshly ground black pepper

- sea salt flakes

Heat the oven to 220C.

Roll out the dough of your choice on to a baking sheet.

If using shallots, mix shallot slices with fresh ground black pepper while separating each layer with your fingers. Set aside.

Mix together fromage blanc, creme fraiche, nutmeg, black pepper and pinch of sea salt flakes. Spread the white sauce onto the crust.

Scatter shallot slices onto the crust, followed by lightly golden onion slices and finally lardon strips. Season with black pepper if desired.

Put the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy while it's hot!