Building a Perfect Meal , livre ebook

Marshall Cavendish International - Michelle Tchea

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146 pages

English

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Building a Perfect Meal offers you a two-throng approach to becoming the home chef you have always wanted to be! With basic recipes to help you hone and perfect your cooking skills, you can then move on to preparing party-perfect recipes that you can entertain friends with! Forget about recipes that are filled with confusing cooking jargon such as julienne, streusel, deglaze and parboil. The recipes in this book keeps it simple by saying it as it is, so you can cook, eat and enjoy your food without the fluff!

Informations

Publié par	Marshall Cavendish International
Date de parution	01 novembre 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789814435536
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0600€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

building
a perfect
meal

building
a perfect
meal
Michelle Tchea
Photographs by
Penelope Beveridge
The publisher wishes to thank Villeroy and Boch, Dreamfarm, Urban Attitude, Tomkins, Laura Ashley, The General Trader and Leonard Ramsay for the loan of tableware and props used in this book.
Editor: Jolene Limuco Designer: Kerin Yap Food Preparation: Michelle Tchea and Jen Lin Yang Photography: Penelope Beveridge
Text copyright 2012 Michelle Tchea Photographs copyright 2012 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited and Penelope Beveridge Published by Marshall Cavendish Cuisine An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: (65) 6213 9300 Fax: (65) 6285 4871 E-mail: genref@sg.marshallcavendish.com Online store: www.marshallcavendish.com
Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Author and Publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The Publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book and is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe in this book. While the Publisher has reviewed each recipe carefully, the reader may not always achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking temperatures and individual cooking abilities. The Publisher shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices: Marshall Cavendish International. PO Box 65829 London EC1P 1NY, UK Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Tchea, Michelle. Building a meal from scratch / Michelle Tchea. - Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2011. p. cm. eISBN : 978 981 4435 53 6
1. Quick and easy cooking. 2. Cooking, Asian. I. Title.
TX833.5 641.512 - dc22
OCN745853231
Printed in Malaysia by Times Offset (M) Sdn Bhd
Contents
7 Acknowledgements
9 Introduction
11 Glossary
18 Breakfast
32 Sandwiches and Tapas
72 Bigger Meals
116 Sweets
144 Weights and Measures
This book is dedicated to my three critics and taste testers
Acknowledgements
I would like to send my warmest regards and appreciation in the form of air kisses to all the sponsors who helped support this project. To Sheridan and Kristy at Laura Ashley for the beautiful props and friendly help; Carmen at Urban Attitude; Louise at The General Trader for the wonderful kitchen props; Samantha at Villeroy and Boch for her kindness and efficiency; James from Toni and Guy, and in particular, Ben Middleton for going above and beyond in making an ugly duckling more chic; Chef Shigeo- san at Shoya Restaurant in Melbourne for lending me his lovely family heirlooms as props; Julie at Tomkins for the boxes of classy cutlery and plates; George from Tassal Atlantic Salmon for the deliciously fresh fish; Jules from Lindt Spr ngli Chocolates for sweetening my book with
decadent chocolate; Maria and Jose of 108 for letting me tear down your kitchen with a smile; Leonard Ramsay for his amazing tabletops and furniture; and Mahia from Dreamfarm for the fun box of goodies and kitchen toys . To produce this cookbook was only made possible because of your generosity and kindness.
To my photographer Penelope- thanks for loving the recipes and indulging in my passion.
To Lydia at Marshall Cavendish- your accommodating emails, kindness and help in building this project with flexibility made it possible for me to do what I love with a smile.
To Jolene, thank you for being my extra set of eyes under my Gucci sunnies and proofing my recipes.
Thank you to the best cook that I know-my talents and strengths in the kitchen come from watching you dance around our tiny kitchen and preparing delicious meals with a smile on your face. Thanks to the two taste testers who ohhhhed and ahhed even over burnt toast and underdone cakes.
A huge shout out to those that fed my inner curiosities with drool worthy food, exciting stories and great conversations over unique dining experiences. I highly appreciate the free cup of coffee, extra slice of pizza and complimentary side dish that many of my fellow eaters have given me on this journey. To all those who opened up their kitchens, recipe books and memories to help inspire me in the world of cooking: thank you for being my muse.
7

Introduction
Cooking can seem like a mind- numbingly boring task to many and may require every ounce of energy to draw an eater (rather than a cook) into the kitchen. Nightmares of producing unappetising and unpalatable dishes can scare a novice cook and force him or her into the hands of take-out menus and to eat out. But before you seek refuge in the pizza joint down the road or even call upon mum to send over her home-made casserole, delve into the recipes that make up this unique collection of delicious eats.
The secret to cooking begins from basic skills and then perfecting them to make your meals worth sharing with family and friends. As a person who loves food and enjoys cooking, I find that there is something truly insatiable and pleasurable in creating food that suits all occasions. Being able to play in the kitchen and being my own chef at the wok whilst meeting the demands of hungry eaters encourages me to teach fellow
food lovers the same pleasures. With this book as a guide, I hope you will become an aficionado of Building a Perfect Meal!
It is easy not to have an appreciation for cooking because of a bad childhood memory or not having the fortunate upbringing of being surrounded by those who have unique talents in the kitchen. Some of you might be great at the technical side of chopping and mastering one-pot wonders, whilst others with a creative side might find solace in crafting food that look too good to eat, sending any artist to shame. What ever your strengths, likes or dislikes, with my recipes, you will love cooking for your family and friends whilst chilling over a glass or two of bubbly. The dishes in this book are delicious and made with simple ingredients. Those of you looking to take the plunge to develop skills in the kitchen can also look to build a more elaborate meal using the same ingredients. The collection of recipes I have gathered here will hopefully
inspire, educate and encourage you to step outside of the usual everyday meals found in the kitchen.
I have been to many far-flung destinations and eaten many memorable meals thanks to my job as a food and travel writer and food and beverage chemist. These experiences have inspired me to recreate the dishes, which I have tested and perfected. I hope you will be inspired to use them in your cooking repertoire on a regular basis.
These recipes come straight from the heart with a twist on classics to suit both Western and Asian palates. My background as a food and beverage chemist has allowed me to build on simple ideas from Asian cooking whilst re-inventing recipes that combine both traditional and modern cooking in the same dish. I hope you will enjoy these scrumptious dishes. Say good- bye to the usual lemon chicken and fried rice and a tasty hello to new dishes such as Michelle s Mess and Mochi French Toast!
9

Glossary
Agar-agar
Agar-agar should be soaked in cold water for about 30 minutes before using in any recipe. Boil over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a fork or whisk. Pass your jelly mixture through a sieve to remove any unwanted lumps before putting in the refrigerator. This extra step makes a lot of difference to any dessert.
Alcohol
Alcohol in cooking is often used to deglaze and remove the sediments from the pan. This adds great flavour to your meal. I use port for most dishes, but for seafood dishes, use white wine or beer. Chinese white wine can also be used but use small amounts as it can be slightly sour.
Avocado
I love avocados especially when they are sweet, slightly firm but ripe enough to eat. To cut avocado, hold it in the palm of your hand and run a knife through it lengthwise. Cut all around the seed. Open the two halves. Remove the seed of the avocado by placing a sharp knife in the pit and tilting it away from you. Remove avocado
flesh by inserting a spoon between the skin and the flesh and run the spoon around the edge. Squeeze lemon juice on the flesh to stop it from going brown.
Baking soda
Baking soda is used in most cakes that have lemon or acid. It gives the lift to make the cake rise. Make sure you don t add too much of this as it can produce a rather metallic taste. Baking soda is also an effective cleaning agent for clean pots and pans!
Bean curd
Bean curd or tofu comes in many varieties: silken, firm and deep- fried. The ones that I use in my recipes are either silken or firm. Silken is best enjoyed in salads with your favourite dressing and should be lightly rinsed and drained before using. Firm bean curd can be used in a wide variety of dishes, and can be grilled, fried and stuffed.
Beetroots
The colour of beetroots is a vibrant red. Make sure you wash the beets well under cold water as they may contain residual dirt, which will
then get into your dis