Slow Roasted Beef Rib Joint

There is something magnificent about roast beef. The moment the beef is brought to the table, conversation comes to a hush and everyone's gaze is fixed on the wonderful meat and the ritual carving. Roast beef has a sense of occasion about it and your guests will feel incredibly special if they are served this for lunch or dinner. 

Today, we roasted a 3kg extra matured Scotch Beef rib joint. At our house, we like our beef medium-rare because it is just the perfect balance of flavour and tenderness.

 

(1) Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C

(2) Thinly trim off the top surface of the fat.

We do this because the we find that the fat surface can feel slimy and it will have been handled by a few people. 

 

(3) Season the beef using pepper, salt and half a clove of pressed garlic. Thoroughly rub all the ingredients into the meat.

 

(4) Place the beef on a high-heat pan and sear the meat on all sides for a few minutes. Searing will enhance the flavour of the meat.

(5) Place the meat into the oven and let it roast for approximately 1h30m. To test the meat, pinch a lean surface; if the flesh springs back readily, it is rare; if less resilient, it is medium rare; if firm, the beef is well done. Alternatively, you could insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat (keep the tip away from bone and fat). According to most experts, beef is rare at 60 °C, medium at 70 °C and well done at 75 °C. 

 

(6) After removing the beef from the oven, let the meat rest for 15-20 minutes. We do this because it lets the temperature equalise throughout the bulk and it allows the tissues to relax and reabsorb their juices. The internal temperature will rise as much as 2 to 3 °C while the meat rests, so remove the meat from the oven while it is still slightly underdone. Pour off the fat from the pan and make a gravy by seasoning the remaining juices. 

 

(7) The easiest way to carve the beef is to slice the meat vertically, steadying it with the carving fork. Try not to pierce the meat too deep with the fork otherwise it will spoil its appearance and release the precious juices. Let each slice fall free as you cut it.

Homemade Salad Dressing

We are like rabbits. Leafy, green-obsessed, salad-loving people. Mama Wong takes her vegetables very seriously but it means that we always have wonderful starters to our meals. The above salad includes: baby gem lettuce, beetroot, mango, apple and half an onion. The perfect blend of sweet and tart.

To go with the salad, we always make our own dressing. There are a few benefits in doing this. Firstly, it will not have any peculiar preservatives. Secondly, it just tastes so much better. Thirdly, it's cheaper than buying the ready made dressing in the supermarket. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp of white sugar

2 tbsp of distilled malt vinegar

1 clove of pressed garlic

1 tsp of ground pepper

1 tsp of maggi sauce

5/6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (* See below)

Method:

(1) Excluding the olive oil, mix all the ingredients together. We used an empty jam jar to do this. 

(2) Use a spoon to beat air into the mixture. This will thicken the dressing and ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly blended together. 

(3) Slowly add one tbsp of olive oil at a time. Stir well into the dressing. Pop the lid on the jar and shake well. Repeat this process with the remaining olive oil or until your jar is full.

Above is another salad we made when Mun-Yee, my unofficial big sister and role model, came for dinner. Here we have baby gem lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, apple slices, fresh tomatoes, olives, rocket and anchovies. We have a lot of beautiful dishes at our house so Mama Wong is always a bit creative when she arranges a salad. 

Belvedere

Elegant, light and spacious with tall ceilings, Belvedere is a wonderful culinary delight in the middle of Holland Park. Belvedere is one of my staple 'go-to' restaurants. I came here for my 18th and 24th birthday. Friends I've introduced to this place have introduced their friends and family. In the summer, they open the terrace seating area and eating outside (or with the large doors open) is marvellous. Overlooking the flower gardens whilst eating your smoked mackerel rillettes in this stunning Jacobean mansion is simply divine. 

We had some lovely friends from Kuala Lumpur staying with us for two weeks and we decided to make a trip to this W8 restaurant for dinner.

So, what to eat? The portions here are decent. From time to time, the menu changes only a little. For the starters, you must try the seared scallops. Juicy and sweet, these perfect little mollusks are full of flavour and will please all taste buds. 

For mains, the spaghetti with dover crab was good. The roast wild halibut with sautéed Jerusalem artichokes was also a great dish. This time, I had roast duck breast served on this amazingly tasty bed of potatoes with green beans and cherry tomatoes. I love duck and it did not disappoint! The sauce was ridiculously good. My dad had the rib-eye steak which was excellent, and their fries are perfect! (Addictive even! I kept stealing them from his plate ... at which point he got a little irritated). Only one bad thing, don't eat the watercress. It tasted a little funny.

Dessert. So we were a little greedy and ordered four. The melted chocolate pudding with mint ice cream was okay. The orange tart with sorbet was alright. The tiramisu with pistachio ice cream was good. But the winner had to be the cheesecake. Be still my little heart. It was AMAZING!? Dad ordered this (he always picks the winners). Out of everything we tried that night, this was everyone's favourite.

The perfect cheesecake

Tiramisu with pistachio ice cream

Melted chocolate pudding

Orange Tart with Sorbet

Visit www.belvedererestaurant.co.uk for more information

Caramelized Vietnamese Fatty Pork

(Thit Kho)

This has to be my all-time favourite dish. I never get tired of the succulent pork and its amazing sauce! Great with white rice, I have grown up with this and it always reminds me of home and family.

 

Fatty Belly pork is used for this dish. It's important to briefly dip the pork in cold water to wash away any preservatives on the surface of the meat. In the UK, we find that the pork has a slight 'ammonia' smell. Once clean, slice the pork into equal sizes with a sharp knife.

The five layers of fat/lean pork is perfect for our dish. It looks great and each bite will be perfect. Too much fat and it will be too filling. Too much lean meat and each bite will be too dry.

Place 8 tbsp of brown sugar in a pan and turn the heat on high. Watch the sugar as you do not want it to burn. When the sugar is melted, swirl it around to prevent burning. Then add around 8 tbsp of boiling water to the pan.

Stir the sugar and the water and make sure you get any remaining sugar stuck on the side. Take the pan off the stove and carefully pour about 80-90% of the mixture into a jar for storage. We can use the stored caramel mixture to make more fatty pork in the future.

 

Now add the pork to the caramalized sugar. Add fish sauce and mix well. Once marinated, place back onto the stove on medium/high heat. Let the pork and caramel cook until the pork is nice and brown (approximately 10 minutes). Add sliced cloves of garlic, two chillis and ground pepper to the pork. Cover and leave to simmer for a few minutes. When you start smelling the wonderful flavours, add boiling water to the pork until you almost cover all the meat. Let it come to a boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until the pork is fully cooked. Serve with white rice.

Tasty Tapas at Brindisa

You know the food is good when you're not exactly hungry but the food on your plate vanishes in a matter of seconds. This happened last night at Brindisa.

Located on the outskirts of Borough Market, this ordinary-looking Spanish Tapas restaurant is always busy but the food here is fuss-free Spanish goodness. My first time at Brindisa was with a friend for his birthday a year ago (thanks Patrick!). The manager's name is David and remember to put your name down on the waitlist if there's a queue. 

To not try the Jamón Ibérico here is like going to the pub on St. Patrick's day and not having Guiness. The ham comes from the Iberian pig which resembles a black wild boar. Acorns, known as 'bellota', are included in the pig's diet which gives the ham the wonderful nutty flavour. Apparently each pig can eat up to 10 kilos of acorns a day! After three to four months of acorn feasting in the open pastures, the pigs will be slaughtered once they have doubled in weight. During the curing process, the salted meat 'sweats'. The heating, cooling, salting and drying process breaks down the fat in the ham - leaving us with the marvellous buttery flavour. The long curing process can last up to 3 years.

The other dish you must try is the 'Traditional Black Rice' with squid and alioli (garlic mayonnaise). This is superb! I advise that you probably shouldn't have this if you're going on date because your lips and teeth will get stained black from the squid ink. But, it may be a sign of true love if your date doesn't run away when you smile ;) 

 

Tapas Brindisa has three restaurants in London:

(1) (London Bridge) 18-20 Southwark St London SE1 1TJ

(2) (Soho) 46 Broadwick Street London W1F 7AF

(3) (South Kensington) 7-9 Exhibition Road London SW7 2HE

See http://www.brindisa.com/ for more information.

Pierre Hermé Macarons

Chic confectionary at its best, macarons are sweet little meringue-based wonders. For my birthday two years ago, I ordered three pyramids of macarons (120) from Laduree. My friends had serious sugar highs for the rest of the day. My friend, Cindy (who knows all the best places to eat), introduced me to Pierre Hermé and since then, I have been their loyal fan. Personally, I'd rate Laduree 7/10. Pierre Hermé is 9/10.

PH's macarons are creamier and have wonderful texture. They also have very unique flavours. Today I spent the afternoon with the lovely Anisa, and we ordered three different ones: (1) Crème brûlée - Vanilla & Caramel bits; (2) Milk Chocolate and Passionfruit and (3) Salted Butter Caramel. All were delicious!

PH's shop is located on Lowndes Street in Knightsbridge. It is one of my favourite spots in the city, Louboutin is across the street and Herve Leger is a few doors down. They also have a concession in Selfridges.

Mother's day is coming up and PH have beautiful macaron gift sets that would be ideal for all mummies. Visit their website http://www.pierreherme.com/ for more info.