2024 Christmas Dinner

 

Starter

Smoked salmon

Main

Rump of Beef with a Mustard and Bone Marrow Butter 

Chestnuts and Brussel Sprouts

Pigs in the Blanket

Dessert

Bûche de Noël 2024

2024 Christmas Eve Dinner

We've gone down the easier route this year by ordering the main dishes from M&S for both 24th and 25th. I deserve a good rest after what's been going on this year. Grateful but feeling drained.

 

Starter

Grilled Prawns with aioli and pickled veggies

Main

Duck with Cherry & Chestnut Stuffing (from M&S)

Brussel sprouts and chestnuts

Pigs in the blanket

Cranberry and Port Sauce

Dessert

Bûche de Noël 2024

I make - Cranberry and Orange Loaf

I've found a new Christmas tradition, my friends, Cranberry and Orange Loaf!  The festive red and the wintry warming orange scent just speak Christmas all over to me. I adapted the recipe from Joy of Baking. Have to say, recipes from this website rarely fails me. That's why it's been 25 years and going strong!

Cranberry and Orange Loaf, adapted from Joy of Baking.

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon (5 grams) finely grated orange zest (outer orange skin)

1 large egg (50 grams), at room temperature

4 tablespoons (55 grams) melted butter (or 1/4 cup olive oil)
1/4 cup ground almond

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or 1 tsp psyllium husk powder)
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice (from the zested orange) topped up with yogurt
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (120 grams) fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (I use scissors)

1/4-1/2 cup of dried fruits with candied citrus peels

1-2 tablespoons of Demerara sugar and walnut pieces for topping

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Butter and line a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.

In a bowl mix sugar and orange zest with your fingers or a rubber spatula to release the scented oil. Your sugar will quickly turn orange color. Whisk the egg until frothy. It usually takes me three minutes with electric beaters. Drizzle in melted butter to the egg mixture with the beats on.

Sift in all the dry ingredients from ground almond to salt to the wet bowl. Pour in juice/yogurt and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Lastly stir in cut up cranberries and dried fruits/candied peels. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Scatter the Demerara sugar and walnut on top.

Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and let cool completely. This loaf is best if stored overnight before serving. It can also be frozen.

I make - Magic Peach Cobbler

I accidently came across this "magic cobbler" recipe. Looks and tastes like British sponge pudding but easier. Yum!

Magic Peach Cobbler, adapted from here

For the filling:

5 peaches , peeled, cored and sliced (about 4 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

or 4 450g-cans of peaches (4 cups of peach slices)

For the batter:

6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup gluten free flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
ground cinnamon

Add the sliced peaches, sugar and salt to a saucepan and stir to combine. 


Cook on medium heat for just a few minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and helps to bring out juices from the peaches. Remove from heat and set aside.

If you use canned peaches, you need a kg can, fruit and juice.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice butter into pieces and add to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats, to allow the butter to melt. Once melted, remove the pan from the oven.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Stir in the milk, just until combined. The batter will be thin, like single cream.

Pour the mixture into the pan, over the melted butter and smooth it into an even layer.

Spoon the peaches and juice (or canned peaches, if using) over the batter. Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 38-40 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

I make - Sticky Ginger Cake

This is proper sticky ginger cake, like the store bought version. Thank you Sarah.

Sticky Ginger Cake, adapted from Sarah Howells' Ginger Cake

Ingredients
150 g plain gluten free flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
75 g butter
75 g honey
75 g treacle
125 g crystallized ginger, finely chopped
25 g honey (to make up the ginger syrup)
125 ml milk
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 160'C / Fan 140'C / Gas Mark 3. Line a 2lb loaf tin with a loaf tin liner and set to one side.

Add the butter, honey and treacle to a large saucepan and place on a low heat. Keep stirring until the butter has melted and it's fully combined. Remove from the heat for 1-2 minutes to cool slightly.

Mix the plain gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl and stir.

In a separate bowl, add the milk and egg to the cooled butter honey mixture, thoroughly whisk.

Sift the flour and spices into the butter-egg mix and whisk together until fully combined. Fold in the chopped stem ginger, and then pour the batter into the baking tin. It should be quite a runny batter.

Place in the centre of a hot oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is starting to come away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin on a cooling rack until completely cool before slicing. For best results and sticky-ness, leave for at least 24 hours before tucking in - the longer you leave this cake, the better it is!

I make - Nigel Slater's Teatime Fruit Cake

What can I say, Nigel Slater has never let me down. Another fabulous cake to enter colder and darker days with before the festive period starts. 

Nigel Slater's Teatime Fruit Cake, adapted

Ingredients

150-200 g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

125g butter 

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour

1/2 cup ground almond

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mixed spice
100ml kefir/yogurt/milk/tea 
1 cup of assorted dried fruit, soaked in 1/4 cup of liquid (water/tea/rum)

1/3 cup of walnut pieces

You will need a metal cake tin, 20cm in diameter (round) or length (square).

Line the cake tin on the base and sides with lightly buttered baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 160C.

I use all-in-one method to prepare the batter. First beat together sugar, salt, butter, eggs and ground almond in a large bowl. Add in flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, vanilla, mixed spice and your choice of liquid. Beat for another minute or two. You should have a cohesive batter, on the thick side. 

Stir in the dried fruit (and the remaining liquid), then transfer to the lined cake tin and lightly smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes (the original baking time is 70 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a metal skewer into the cake. If it comes out with any raw mixture attached, return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes longer then check again. Set the cake to cool in its tin, then remove and leave until cold.

I've Got It!

This is the most transformative year ever.

Not the job I just earned, but the personal transformation I've had. Asking for opportunities to be seen differently and guiding people to see what I can offer. Stepping out of my comfort zone doesn't cut it. It's like walking from north pole to south pole.

I truly have no regrets of doing this. I am apprehensive of what may come but I already started to enjoy the feeling being relied upon for my expertise.

I know I am the lucky one. 

Words Don't Come Easy

I finished my interview yesterday. 

Frankly, I wasn't sure whether I had enough time to prepare. I had two very busy weeks before this week and travelled to the US and back. To be honest, my slides were only finalized two nights before the day, one day to practice and adding a last-minute slide the night before which turned out to be one of the most discussed slides.  

Stars must have been aligned for me this week.

The most amazing thing from this experience is that the support and encouragements shown by the people I know. My current colleagues (some of them interviewers) and my ex-colleague who offered to help me prepare the interview. 

Thank you, G, N, C, M, J, T, F and D, your belief and kindness meant a world to me. 

Words by F.R. David

Words don't come easy to me

How can I find a way to make you see I love you

Words don't come easy

Words don't come easy to me

This is the only way for me to say I love you

Words don't come easy

Well, I'm just a music man

Melodies are so far my best friend

But my words are coming out wrong

Girl, I reveal my heart to you and

Hope that you believe it's true 'cause

Words don't come easy to me

How can I find a way to make you see I love you

Words don't come easy

This is just a simple song

That I've made for you on my own

There's no hidden meaning you know when I

When I say I love you honey

Please believe I really do 'cause

Words don't come easy to me

How can I find a way to make you see I love you

Words don't come easy

It isn't easy words don't come easy

Words don't come easy to me

How can I find a way to make you see I love you

Words don't come easy

Don't come easy to me

This is the only way for me to say I love you

Words don't come easy

Words don't come easy

Dear Darlin

The drums and the violins, feeling very pumped after listening to this!

Dear Darlin was co-written by Olly Murs, Ed Drewett and Jim Eliot.

She Endorsed Me

Create your own narrative, otherwise others would be more than happy to do it for you.

Thank you for your support, S. It means more than you know.

My Lucky Star

 

Laura Huang:

People generally underestimate two things: 

    How hard it is to get your foot in the door as an outsider. 

    How wide doors are open once you’re on the inside. 

It took me three failed attempts before I successfully changed employers. I don't know how my number compares to others but it takes me roughly one year to recover for every failed job application. When you give it all, you could lose it all. 

But you know what? I realize that I can be resilient and I only need one Yes. So instead of the number of failure, I look at success. You always learn something from the process. That's what I discover. So rest assured that your effort is never in vain.

And since I made my first successful move, the place continues to impress me with its people and quality of work. This is the first time I have honestly say that I feel being trusted with what I can do and with my potential, sometimes more than I trust myself. I am truly grateful given the opportunities and also pleased about making myself change. For M, even our circles rarely overlap, I am eternally grateful for your faith in me.  

Laura Huang:

Acknowledge that it takes time to get good at anything. Enjoy the process of getting better and better each day, and then you can start to enjoy the result without getting hammered down where it's crowded.

Take comfort in knowing that your basic goods and your perspective matter. You can create an edge.

Stepping out of comfort zone

I did something that I would have never done before. I asked for an opportunity to apply to a position which is currently open to the public. I don't know whether I would get it. I know there are qualified people out there. I just wanted to give it a shot at a once-in-a-life opportunity when everything feels right to me.

This is something I've been secretly working. I even talked to a few people to gather opinions. I would have never done that before. I hope to retire in 10 years and some think it's early. It's borderline but it's now or never for me if I want to give a shot to anything. So, what else can I lose?

The person I officially talked to today is easy to talk to and friendly at least on the surface. You never know what/how this person will say behind my back. I gave a decent pitch, not much I would regret. 

The more grey hair I get, the more comfortable I feel about myself and doing things to avoid regrets. This is one of them. 

So this deserves a post, to commemorate a milestone that I, a life long I-get-what-I'm-given, finally dared to ask for what I really want. 

Remember, you just need one Yes, so never mind the Nos. 

I make - Raspberry Almond Bars

Very easy to whip up and tastes wonderful with tea. The thick cake batter bakes into cookie style, with tender centre. A great recipe for many adaptations.

Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Bars (adapted from Baking Bites)

1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I used 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup ground almonds (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup almond flakes
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line an 20x20cm baking pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in raspberries. Dough should have a cookie dough-like consistency.

Spread dough into prepared pan using a spatula to push it into the corners. Sprinkle almond flakes top of the dough, followed by demerara sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Cool completely before slicing.

Thought of the day

 

Saturday, March 30, 2024

"I don't look to jump over seven-foot bars. I look for one-foot bars that I can step over."
--Warren Buffett

Thursday, April 4, 2024

"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself."
--Coco Chanel

Thursday, April 11, 2024

"What we do is more important than what we say or what we say we believe."
--bell hooks

I make - Fruit Scones

This is my scone recipe going forward after my coeliac disease under control (knock-on wood) and eliminating oats (sadly) from my life. As I tend to have scones for breakfast, the default flavoring is orange zest. Citrus fruit always brightens up my day.

Gluten-Free Fruit Scones

- 310 g gluten-free self-raising flour*
- 50 ground almond
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- zest from 1 orange
- 1 tsp baking powder (if using plain flour 1.5 tbsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda)
- 90 g cold butter, cubed (25% of flour/almond)
- 100g dried fruits
- 1 cup of crème fraiche or cream** thinned with milk/yogurt (it should pour like double cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 beaten egg, saved 2tbsp aside for glazing
- 2-3 tbsps milk to adjust the dough

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking pan with baking paper and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, ground almond, xanthan gum, salt, sugar, orange zest and baking powder. Stir a few times to mix thoroughly the dry ingredients.

Put the butter cubes on top of the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter (or two knives or fingers) to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Mix in the dried fruits and stir a few times. 

Make a well in the centre and add the cream mixture, vanilla plus remaining beaten egg.

Use a rubber spatula to mix the wet ingredients into the dry, until everything clumps together. Keeping turning the mixture downside up as you mix. If there is dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, add 1 tbsp milk each time as you turn and mix the dough. The dough should be on the damp side, not crumbly nor dry to touch.

Dust gluten free flour on a clean work surface. Tip the dough out onto the floured surface, sprinkle a little more flour on the top and tap the dough out so that you can fold in halves or 3 thirds. I like to refrigerate the dough at this stage (at least for 1 hour, overnight fine) before I continue. If you are in rush, you can continue the rest of the steps below.

Gently roll out the dough to a depth of about 3 cm.

Use a round/fluted cookie cutter (I use 5cm) to cut rounds from the dough and carefully transfer to the lined baking pan. Gather any remaining dough and repeat the rolling and cutting process until all the dough is used up. I usually get 8 proper ones plus 1-2 taste (smaller) sizes.

Brush the scone top with the saved beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, turn the baking pan halfway, until well-risen and golden.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

The scones are the best on the day of baking. Otherwise, reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds before eating.

*For chocolate scones, replace 40 g flour with cocoa powder. Up the sugar to 60 g to offset the cocoa bitterness. 

**The richer the dairy, the lighter taste the scones (not in terms of calories unfortunately). Dairy mixture with yogurt gives a slight spongy texture compared to creme fraiche thinned with milk.

Focus and Confidence

Here is the description of a tarot card I picked:

In addition to maintaining passionate and interested in your goals, you also have to work hard to keep going. You must believe that you can overcome all challenges. Please keep your emotion under control.

You know, I've been pursuing a professional project since January. The journey has been bumpy and I've been telling myself that confidence does not mean competence. Just because you feel confident, it doesn't mean you have grown equally in ability. I came across this revelation while watching one of many self-growth and self-help videos this year. I thought to myself , yeah, maybe that's my problem all along. I have become tired and irritable by facing one after another unsatisfactory pursuit. I was about to give up and I saw my tarot card reading.

Morgan Housel has said that if you continue to be good for a long time, you will succeed in the end. I think I am pretty good with what I am doing and I've been doing it for 20+ years. I am in a place with people who appreciate what I am doing. Not everyone is as lucky as me. I just need to keep at it. Focus on what works and confident that it will bring reward in the end.

Best realization this year so far.

I make - Dutch Honey Cake (Gingerbread Cake)

A very well balanced spiced cake. The cake is gently spiced and with just a right amount of sweetness. Lovely cake to have as snacks.

Dutch Honey Cake (Honigkoek)

Adapted from this recipe

260 g gluten-free flour (I used ASDA)
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum  
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice

45 g butter
100 g honey
100 g molasses/treacle
120ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
60ml tea/coffee/water
55g Demerara sugar

Set the oven to 160°C. Lightly butter a 20 x 20cm light colored cake tin and line it with baking paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and all spice powders.

Melt the butter, honey, molasses, milk, tea and sugar in a saucepan. Let it cool for a few minutes and add the eggs to the warm pan. Whisk well, stir into the bowl with the dry mixture and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. The dough is quite liquidy. Pour the dough into the lined cake tin and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before you take it out of the pan.

Keep the cake wrapped in paper and cling film to keep it moist for 2-3 days.

Thought of the day

 

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

"Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down. And trust your instincts ... good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don't hurt. They're not painful. That's not just with somebody you want to marry, but it's with the friends that you choose. It's with the people you surround yourselves with."
--Michelle Obama

This Too Shall Pass

I heard another colleague at similar age as me passed away recently.  Three people since 2023, younger or around my age. I feel shallow spending time thinking about money and career advancement (it's been on my mind a lot lately).  

I know in the end none of this matters. What means most to me is to know that some people's lives got better because of me, that I made some people smile and laugh even just momentarily, and that people know I am grateful for their kindness.

Meaningful connection with people, this is what makes me happy and fulfilled deeply.

So why am I chasing vanity? This is something I need to work on.

Life is short. Nothing is constant. Take every day as your last day. Cliché but still rings true. Accept that I am ordinary and just trying to make sense of my life journey. 

Enjoy rainstorm as well as sunny days, embrace defeat as well as success. Nothing is supposed to be. This too shall pass.

Happy New Year 2024

And here it is, year 2024. I started the year feeling incredibly lucky to receive many happy new year wishes from my old and new friends, some not been in contact for a while, a student who spent two months with me, and my ex mentors. 

I wish you good health and ability to do what makes you happy.

Have a good year.