Day 4, from Gangtey to Punakha Today, we were to make a 3-hour drive from Gangtey to our next destination – Punakha. But first, I had requested to observe a special assembly at the local village school, organized in celebration of the birthday of none other than His Majesty The King of Bhutan. 旅程的第四天正巧是不丹國王的四十歲生日。為了慶祝這個特別的日子,村落學校的孩子們準備了精彩的歌舞表演,我們也好奇地前去湊熱鬧。 Upon…Continue Reading “[BHUTAN 不丹] Amankora Journey Part III”

[Shanghai] Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel – Part 3

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Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel

Address: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu / 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: 8:30~11:30am
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: 388 RMB/person, includes breakfast and a 3-course tasting
Visited on: 2011-12-17

The last dish Mickael demonstrated was Lobster Ravioli with Truffle Emulsion. Now this may not be the prettiest dish of the day, but its flavors are irresistible. Basic instructions here, but if you want the full recipes, leave me a comment or email me at sugarednspiced@gmail.com and I will be happy to send you the files.


The beast

Why store truffles in a jar with rice and eggs? Because rice and eggs can absorb the truffle aroma.


Truffle in storage


Yunnan black truffle


Truffle marbling

Let’s cook. First, infuse sliced truffles and shallots with butter. Add truffle juice and beat with butter and cream. Strain and season.


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[Shanghai] Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel – Part 2

 

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Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel

 

Address: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu / 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: 8:30~11:30am
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: 388 RMB/person, includes breakfast and a 3-course tasting
Visited on: 2011-12-17

The 2nd dish Mickael demonstrated was Pan-Fried Duck Liver with Carrot Confit, Carrot Stem French Fries, and Duck Gravy. Again, I have included basic instructions here, but if you want the full recipes, leave me a comment or email me at sugarednspiced@gmail.com and I will be happy to send you the files.


Mickael peeling the carrots

Peel carrots carefully, making sure that the tips stay intact and the heads are round (for aesthetic purposes).


Peeled carrots

Cook peeled carrots in carrot juice with ginger and olive oil. It’s best to use fresh carrot juice, but it’s also ok to use bottled carrot juice (FYI, we used Kagome carrot juice, which can be found in any supermarkets and even convenience stores).


Cooking carrots

Tip: when cooking the carrots, it’s important to cover the liquid with a sheet of greaseproof paper to retain flavor and volume. Make sure to cut a hole at the center of the sheet.


Cooking

Fry carrot stems in 140°C hot oil and drain on tissue paper. You’ll know the stems are done cooking when they stop bubbling.

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[Shanghai] Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel – Part 1

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Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel

Address: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu / 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: 8:30~11:30am
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: 388 RMB/person, includes breakfast and a 3-course tasting
Visited on: 2011-12-17

4 months have gone by since I last attended a cooking class at Maison Pourcel, and what lured me back was the restaurant’s new executive chef Mickael Le Calvez, an engaging man who also happens to be extremely generous with his culinary knowledge. A cooking class in Mickael’s kitchen is undoubtedly one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning, even if it means having to arrive at an unrelenting hour of 8:30am.

Breakfast: coffee and croissants

Mickael Le Calvez 

After downing a few buttery croissants and cups of hot coffee, the students – around 10 of us – gathered in the kitchen for the cooking demo. I knew we were in for a real treat when I saw the ingredients on the table – caviar, black truffle, lobsters, scallops, foie gras…oh my. The first dish Mickael demonstrated was Seared Scallops with Caviar, Asparagus, and Purple Cauliflower “Risotto”. I have included the basic instructions here, but if you want the full recipes, leave me a comment or email me at sugarednspiced@gmail.com and I will be happy to send you the files.

Caviar 

Let’s start cooking. First, shave cauliflower florets with a potato-peeler and cook the trimmings in boiling salted water. Look at that beautiful purple color! You can also use white cauliflower, but it obviously won’t have the same visual impact.

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s Cooking School – Dark Chocolate Cake

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Here’s the recipe for Dark Chocolate Cake with Walnut-Krokant-Parfait, the dessert and final dish we made at Stiller’s “Autumn Set Menu” cooking class. This delicious recipe is simple enough to be replicated at home – perfect for your next dinner party. For details on the cooking class itself, click here.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Walnut-Krokant-Parfait

Walnut-Krokant-Parfait

  • 250g walnuts
  • 300g sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 150g dark chocolate
  • 1l cream, strongly whipped

Let 150g sugar caramelize until golden brown and crystal clear. Add walnuts and mix with caramel. Pour on a tray with baking paper and chill. When caramelized walnuts are cold, put them into a plastic bag and crush them to small dice.

Melt the chocolate in a warm water bath. Mix in a bowl the egg yolk, egg, and sugar and whip with a whisk on a hot water bath until mixture is very creamy, bright in color and has about 60 degrees.

Add melted chocolate and walnuts to egg mix. Fold carefully whipped cream under the mix and fill into a terrine mold and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s Cooking School – Venison

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Here’s the recipe for Venison Fillet with Juniper-Berry Sauce, Fig-Red Cabbage, and Brioche & Apple Souffle, the third dish we made at Stiller’s “Autumn Set Menu” cooking class. Juicy! Lovely with the accompanying fig-red cabbage. For details on the cooking class itself, click here.

Venison Fillet with Juniper-Berry Sauce, Fig-Red Cabbage, and Brioche & Apple Souffle

For the fig-red cabbage

  • 1kg red cabbage, finely sliced
  • 500ml red wine
  • 50ml red wine vinegar
  • 200g onions, finely sliced
  • 50g butter
  • 0.5l chicken stock
  • juniper berries, cloves, bay leaves, black pepper
  • 100g dry figs
  • 200ml port wine

Soften sliced onions in butter. Add red cabbage with wine and fill up with chicken stock until almost covered.

Put spices in a “tea egg” and add to the cabbage. Cook for about one hour until the cabbage softens and liquid reduces. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring port wine to a boil and add dry figs. Let figs soak up the liquid and soften. When fits are soft, add to a blender and mix for a smooth puree. Add figs puree to red cabbage for seasoning.

For brioche & apple souffle:

  • 300g brioche, diced
  • 100g apple, peeled and finely diced
  • 40g shallots, finely diced
  • 80g bacon, finely diced
  • 40g butter
  • 150ml milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 egg whites, very stiff whipped
  • parsley, salt, pepper

Sweat the bacon in a pan until crispy. Add butter and shallots and sweat until soft. Add to brioche and apple dice in a large bowl. Boil the milk and pour over bread. Add eggs and mix everything well. Cover with cling film and let rest for about 15~20 minutes.

Chop the parsley and add to the mix. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in stiff whipped egg white.

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s Cooking School – Salmon Turbot Roulade

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Here’s the recipe for Salmon Turbot Roulade with Beet Root and Horseradish Sauce, the second dish we made at Stiller’s “Autumn Set Menu” cooking class. Beautiful in presentation and in flavor, this was my favorite dish for the day. For details on the cooking class itself, click here.

Salmon Turbot Roulade with Beet Root and Horseradish Sauce

  • 200g fresh salmon fillet
  • 400g turbot fillet, cut in 50g pieces
  • 150ml cream
  • 1 egg
  • 200g spinach
  • 300g beet root, cooked soft with skin
  • 4cl sherry
  • 1pc lime
  • salt and pepper

Turbot

Chef Stiller filleting the turbot

Nice, clean fillets

Blanch spinach and layer on a sheet of cling film. Dry spinach leaves and press with a cloth.

Cut salmon in small dice; add egg and season with salt and pepper. Keep in the freezer for at least 20 minutes together with the cream in order to chill it down to almost zero degrees.

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[Shanghai] Stiller’s Cooking School

Stiller’s Restaurant & Cooking School

Add: Bldg 13, 6-7/F, The Cool Docks, 505 Zhongshan Nan Lu 老码头, 中山南路505号6-7楼
Tel: 6152 6501
Hours: email cookingschool@stillers-restaurant.cn for course schedule and time
Price: 420~650 RMB/class
Website: www.stillers-restaurant.cn
Visited: Nov 2011

I have known about Stiller’s Cooking School since the first time I dined at his restaurant, but it wasn’t until two weeks ago that I eventually signed up for a class. So how does haute cuisine actually work? Let’s find out.

Stiller’s cooking class is held on the 6th floor in an open kitchen gorgeous enough to make any housewife jealous. I arrived at 10:50am, greeted the chef, put on my apron (ours to keep), and carefully perused the recipes while waiting for my fellow classmates to trickle in. What’s on the menu? The theme of the class was “Stiller’s Autumn Set Menu” (650 RMB), and the recipes read foie gras, turbot, venison, and chocolate cake…looking good, looking very good.


The cookware and utensils, all glistening.

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[Shanghai] Cooking Class at Maison Pourcel

Maison Pourcel

Add: 8/F, 35 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Changle Lu 陕西南路35号8楼, 近长乐路
Tel: 6215 8777
Hours: 8:30-11:30am
Website: www.maisonpourcel.com
Price: 388 RMB/person, includes breakfast and a 3-course tasting
Visited: Nov 2011

Every other week, Christophe LeRouy from Maison Pourcel opens his kitchen for an exclusive session to reveal some cooking secrets. Here are picture highlights from the “See Provence in Your Dish” class I attended back in August, starting with some of the best croissants I’ve had in Shanghai…

Today’s menu: foccacia bread, cod fish with anchovy pissaladiere and tomato coulis, and mackerel esbache with tomato jam. Let’s turn up the heat.

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