<異國風情篇之瑞典聖誕紅花包> Swedish Lussekatt (Saffron Bun)

原來我已經有幾個月沒有更新我的日誌~ 時間過得太快! 上一次我還沒有開始我人生新的一頁呢! 今年2013的聖誕節可說是一年的結尾, 亦是我夢想的開始~ 轉眼間我已回家好幾個月, 上了算是第一份正職差不多兩個月, 學會了不少! 新工會從明年的一月開始, 所以特意回到英國兩個星期~ 對呀, 當了上班一族後就不會有兩星期的長假期旅遊呢!在香港時都沒有這樣的閒情逸志去做飯焗蛋糕~ 難得還在渡假, 所以今天就下定決心要做應節的聖誕面包! Lussekatt - 照字面譯是紅花貓咪的意思~ 為什麼是貓咪? 到現在我還是不知道呢~我個人挺喜歡紅花的味道~ 市面上有已磨好的紅花粉, 但比乾紅花瓣, 這些粉都不是100%純正, 雖然用粉做出來的包顏色都比較美! 

I  cannot believe it has been already a few months since I last updated my blog! Time flies right? Last time I posted was the time when I still have not begun my new page of life. This Xmas will wrap the best year of my life to an end, yet accompanied the greatest start of my dream.  I have learned much from my first real job during last one month or so. My dream job starts January 2014, so I decided to come back to UK for a short visit. I guess once start working, it is almost impossible to have two weeks straight day-off. Lussekatt- literally means saffron cat. Why cat? what a pity that I still do not know the answer although I have been living in Sweden for quite some years. I personally like the smell of saffron. There are powdered saffron in the marketing for sell, however it is comparatively less pure than dried saffron thread, despite powdered saffron makes the bread look brighter in color. 

<甜蜜蜜篇之必勝健康小蛋糕分享> My winning healthy style muffins

因為身在外地關係, 未有時間去更新日誌!!真抱歉~~~ 

今天想跟大家分享我做小蛋糕/鬆餅的感受!

這兩天我努力研究做出健康鬆餅的食譜~ 我分別試用了橄欖油和牛油做了兩盤鬆餅~ 以半蒸焗方式, 做出來的鬆餅口感像雞蛋蛋糕! 而且因為我主張少油少糖, 這個食譜做出來的蛋糕比一般的健康但不乏香味!  最近家裡買來新鮮藍莓, 所以第一次用了橄欖油做了六小個心形的藍莓合桃蛋糕, 另外也用牛油加上先前自家做的車厘子果醬和即沖的日本綠茶咖啡粉做了夾心鬆餅~~~ 雖然同是油, 橄欖油做出來的蛋糕口感非常非常鬆軟且輕身, 牛油做出來的當然比較香口, 質地雖然同樣鬆軟, 但比橄欖油做的結實! 

It has been a while since my last update! Sorry guys! ~ For I am on my summer vacation away from home, I hardly use kitchen lately! These two days, i attempted to do some experiments on muffins/cake. I applied steam-bake technique, adopting the '' less sugar less oil''  principle to complete my healthy muffin recipe! What i found out is that, using olive oil make the cake way more fluffy and light, whereas

<甜蜜蜜篇神級不敗曲奇食譜>The never-fail cookies recipe

今天想跟大家分享我這個不可能失敗的曲奇食譜~ 

Today I want to share my always-win cookies recipe~

<異國風情篇之意大利帕馬紅豆魚肉卷> Parma-wrapped plaice fillet with red beans mousse

今天想教大家做一道比較夏天的菜~ 材料都很簡單~ 這個食譜雖然是我昨天有感而發想出來, 但出來的味道都非常不錯, 絕對值得一試~ 醬汁方面我特意配了一個凍的羅勒葉蘋果法式鮮奶油~ 聽上去好像很難, 但其實挺簡單!

I would like to share a sort of summer recipe. Ingredients are simple. Despite this recipe is something I just randomly came up with ( yes like an experiment, a trial!), it turned out good! Additionally,  this dish matches perfectly with a cold creme fraiche sauce with basil and fresh apple, which not only balance out the 'greasiness' of Parma-ham, but as well create a very fresh summer flavour.  

<異國風情篇之焦糖洋蔥芥末焗羊胸>Roast golden lamb breast with mustard and caramel onions

我本人不太喜歡羊肉, 可能心理上總是覺得羊肉很多時都會很強的羊味道! 這方面, 我比較習慣中式濃味炆的做法! 可是, 有時候調味料太重會搶走肉的鮮味! 原本今天我也是想隨便的一鍋炆了算, 但覺得我應該打破自己心理上的障礙, 去嘗試新的做法!  (其實也是因為我懶不想去超市買炆肉的材料...呵呵) 最後, 我就地取材, 拿出我廚房裡有的材料去做! 結果, 出來的味道比我預期的好, 還以為焗肉會乾, 但反而很軟, 肉汁還在! 而且做法材料比中式的還要容易. 雖然調味料不多, 但至少我也能接受到這個羊味! 所以大家絕對值得試一下! 特別有客人的時候, 做西式感覺會優雅高貴一點~~~
I always think that lamb sometimes has a really strong taste which I often can not endure. Therefore, I often prefer to cook lamb in Chinese style, like with a lot of spices and etc.. However I do agree that, too much spices will overwhelm the natural freshness of the meat. Its unfair to lamb I guess?

<素食篇之健康越南素春卷> Healthy Vietnamese green spring-roll

上一次教了大家做素包子, 要是不知道怎樣處理剩下了的材料, 不用煩惱! 這個食譜不但清淡健康, 還非常多變化! 份量就因個人而異~ 所以沒有特定! 所以這個分享可以是一個參考~~

This is another very simple vegetarian recipe. Ingredients are absolutely flexible! Since the amount of ingredients are not fixed, this post can be used as reference. 

<異國風情篇之自家御好燒>Home-style Japanese Okonomiyaki

不知道大家有沒有試過日本的御好燒呢? (日语：お好み焼き) 坦白說沒有! 我第一次接觸是來自日本的他給我弄的～他跟我說，　大板的御好燒是最出名的（他從讚岐來的）！　可惜，　第一次的印象的確很一般！　哈哈，他某一位大板朋友看到我上載的照片立刻狠狠批評這位徒弟跟他學無所成! 哈哈~~ 從此之後, 我跟他都很努力的去研究, 由第一次做每一口都是厚厚的面粉, 第二次太水不成形, 這次我們終於成功做出美味的御好燒~ 這個食譜是經我們不停參考不同的方法,作出適當的取捨, 加入我們自己的口味!! 雖然我沒有試過真正的, 但我相信這個是最理想及適合每個人的自家做法! 

Have you ever tried Japanese Okonomiyaki? I have not tried the REAL one as I have never been to Japan ( how pity...) The very first time I tried was the time when my Japanese friend made it for me. He told me that Osaka is famous for their Okonomiyaki. 

<甜蜜蜜篇之朱古力心心裝飾>Romantic chocolate hearts decoration

今天我想跟大家分享我第一次做朱古力心蛋糕裝飾的心得! 好多時候經過蛋糕店, 引起你注意的並不是蛋糕的味道(朱古力?栗子?), 而是它們很精緻的賣相! 事關快到了某紀念日, 我就有藉口去不停上網找資料! 我其實對焗蛋糕整餅真是一曉不通, 很多時都會有失敗的時候! 
Beautiful and delicate cake decorations are so important in attracting people on the street! 

I personally think that it is not necessary to pay for baking classes unless you are aiming to be a real professional! Nowadays internet does it all! Well at least I heavily rely on internet when I tend to do research on recipes or cooking skills etc...  

<素食篇之健康Go Green泰式沙律> Temptation of green Thai salad

近來非常流行Go Green (即是素食), 但對於一直食肉較多的朋友們, 說起食素會覺得人生變得沒有味道! 雖然以前我也是非常的''食肉獸'', 隨著年紀愈大, 我發覺我變得傾向蔬菜! 曾經那種''一定要食肉''的感覺亦慢慢減退! 可是, 我做不了每一天都吃素, 因為我愛吃魚! 儘管Go Green 對我而言只能是一星期幾天, 但這樣已經能Save the world! 減低地球的廢氣排放量!
Lately,  'Go Green' (meat-free) has become a widely-used motto in relation to 'better health' , 'environmentally friendly'', ''save the world' etc...'.  For all the meat-lovers out there, becoming a vegetarian seems a hard-to-reach goal. As I grow older, I have gradually lost the desire to eat much meat. However, I don't think I can ever be a vegetarian( well at least for now), as long as there are fishes! Nevertheless,DO NOT make this as an excuse for not helping our planet! If everybody decides to Go Green once a week, it can help reducing problems such as global warming or forest destruction.

<異國風情篇之日式燒豚肉烏冬>Japanese Yakibuta (roasted pork fillet) Udon

今天我想跟大家分享自家日式燒豚肉烏冬的食譜, 我看過不少別人的分享, 亦試過跟隨他們的方法, 但我總是覺得有點複雜化了! 我不會說是''傳統''日式的味道, 我的做法加入了少許中式的味道! 出來的效果都非常不錯, 我的某位日本朋友都讚是一番的好味! 這個食譜看上去好像很複雜, 但其實是非常的簡單, 只是需要時間及耐性!

Today I would like to share my Japanese style roasted pork fillet recipe! I have been looking around, testing many recipes shared by the others, yet somehow I found them over complicated   Despite my recipe is a fusion of 'Chinese' and 'Japanese', my Japanese friend do find it 'another type of home-taste'. This recipe only requires more time and patience, albeit it appears to be difficult. It is absolutely Asian-ly tasty!

<異國風情篇之意大利香草弗卡夏面包> Simple Focaccia bread with herbs

終於到了夏天, 英國天氣反覆無常, 這年的夏天比之前都遲來了! 每一天對著沒陽光的天色, 人都變得沒生氣! 今天天氣非常好, 陽天猛猛的曬著後花園, 一陣陣清風吹向你的臉, 心情都特別輕鬆!  剛剛新鮮焗了意大利麝香草弗卡夏面包, 軟軟的包加上淡淡的橄欖油跟香草的味, 又是一個理想的下午茶. 這個做法是非常簡單快捷, 無需任何酵母! 配料其實非常簡單隨意, 因為沒有某幾種配料, 所以我只用了麝香草! 但橄欖, 乾番茄等都是很好的配搭!!

Finally we have bright sunshine in UK which happens rarely! Indeed this year the summer comes quite late compare to previous years! Good weather, good tea-time can certainly boost up our mood! Today I would like to share this very simple Focaccia bread recipe! This time I purely used thymes~ it also tastes very yummy with olives, sun-dried tomato or a bit of cheese on top!

<異國風情篇之意大利白酒蘑菇合桃管子面>Baked white wine mushroom and walnut cannelloni

已經有一段時間沒跟大家分享美食了, 因為上兩個月太繁忙的關係都沒有空餘的時間研究食譜! 今天終於有時間去試新的菜式! 我一向都有收集不同食譜的習慣~ 這裡的超市每幾個月都會出免費的小冊子, 內附不同的食譜, 當然它們都是為了宣傳超市貨品而印刷!

It has been such a while since I updated my blog. Due to stressful examination period, I did not have spare time to explore and try out recipes until today! I have a habit of collecting interesting recipes from anywhere, newspaper, internet or magazines! I love to collect them and put them into a folder like a photo album. In United Kingdom, you could easily find free recipes from the supermarket magazines, certainly these are used for advertising their own products, yet sometimes you may discover something interesting!

<異國風情篇之瑞典忌廉賓> Swedish Semla

每年的二月, 我都會好急不及待去斯德哥爾摩(我認為) 最好的一間咖啡室, 叫個Semla慢慢享受~ 其實我都現在都不太清楚為什麼瑞典人要特別二月才會吃..   當我來到英國, 在沒得選擇的情況下... 就要學整我人生第一個的Semla~ 呵呵

Every Feburary is the only time when cafe starts selling Semla, which is like a pastry bun fill with delicious almond paste and cream. I am ashamed to say, till now I still do not quite understand why there is such a Semla tradition... Since I cannot find it in U.K, this year I tried to bake my own Semla for the first time. God blessed me, it turned out better than I expected!

<異國風情篇自家芝心瑞典肉丸>Homemade Swedish cheesy-meatball

想起以前在瑞典的時候我從來都沒有覺得肉丸有什麼特別好吃, 到處都可以買到的食物我們都不會怎樣留意它們美味的地方, 但直到我再到另一個國家生活才發現原來瑞典肉丸(瑞典語:Köttbullar, kött-肉, bullar-丸)在外國都挺有名氣. 哈哈, 當然別人一講到IKEA都會說起瑞典肉丸, 薯蓉跟特別的醬汁, 雖然自己做的永遠都不及外邊買的, 但也別有一番風味, 今天我想跟大家分享我平常在瑞典的時候食的'自製芝士肉丸''

When I was still living in Sweden, I have never paid attention to Swedish meatball. Perhaps we never treasure or value the uniqueness of something until we find it ' hard to reach'.Meatball is called  Köttbullar( kött-meat, bullar-ball). I realise that meatball is so popular in everywhere else, especially when IKEA is being mentioned. People usually describe how good the meaballs ' brown sauce', mashed potato are. Although home-made is never the same like the one we eat outside/buy, it is still delicious and ' special'.  This is my own recipe which I often used when I was a teen living in Sweden! Nothing tricky, nothing professional, just a simple recipe made by a (used- to- be) lazy  teen 

<甜蜜蜜篇之意大利士多啤梨凍餅>Strawberry Pannacotta Pie

Time flies, now its already May 2013. Although the weather in UK is still unstable, I can feel that summer arrives any time. Summer, always reminds me of colourful fruits like berries, mango, pineapple (Yes, these are my favourite ones). Certainly people may have different taste and preferences for fruits. I know people do not like desserts made of banana or lemon. However, (so far) I have not met anyone who would reject   dessert with fresh strawberries!! Today I will like to share the never-failed Strawberry Pannacotta Pie recipe!

<簡易配菜篇之麻辣涼拌木耳昆布>Szechuan Jelly Ear Kombu Salad (spicy)

我絕對是一個無辣不歡的80後, 最愛吃麻辣酸辣香辣等等的菜~ 但有時又會嫌外面的川菜油膩! 加上前一陣子那盛傳的<地溝油>事件~ 我更加對外面的辣油有戒心~ 說到這裡, 有很多人都愛吃涼拌的小菜, 無論是飯前或撈飯, 酸酸辣辣的冷盤都非常受歡迎~ 而有益又健康當然是自家製!這個懶人版,  簡易又快捷!

<簡易配菜篇之醬油糖心蛋> Japanese marinated soft-boiled egg

今次想跟大家分享醬油糖心蛋 (日文: Ajitsuke Tamago) 的食譜, 做法非常簡易! 最重要是要掌握好煲蛋的時間! 我個人不太喜歡太生的蛋, 所以4分鐘對我是最理想的.. 做糖心蛋方法有很多~ 有人會將蛋直接放入滾水煲6分鐘. . 大家可以嘗試不同的方法~

<甜蜜蜜篇之紅酒燴梨子> Poached Pear in Red Wine

很久以前聽過見過這道甜品, 直到上個月到法國旅行第一次試食紅酒燴梨子. 第一次食已愛上了~~ 清甜的梨子, 加上陣陣香濃撲鼻的紅酒味, 做法簡單, 外觀漂亮!  絕對是招呼客人最理想的甜品!

Poached Pears in Red Wine -  The first time I heard about this dish was through a TV show, but not until last month I finally tried it out in Paris. I totally fell in love with it. I personally do not like '' sweet and greasy'' dessert, yet this one is extraordinarily tasty and I highly recommend it for dinner party at home.  It looks elegant and professional ( easy and simple recipe), more importantly,  it tastes fantastic!

<異國風情篇瑞典煙三文魚焗薯>Swedish style smoke salmon potato-gratin

今天我想教大家做一道傳統瑞典聖誕餐的菜式~~ Potato-gratin ( 瑞典文: Potatis-gratäng) 其實這是源於法國的菜式, Gratin dish的意思是指用一道用淺的容器焗成表面金黃色的餸菜~~ 有很多不用的Gratin 款式~ 大家不妨搜尋一下~

做之前要提醒一句, 這道菜絕對不適合正處於減肥狀態的女士!!但一次半次...~~~~~~又無妨呢!!
Today I am pleased to teach you one traditional Swedish xmas dish which you may easily find on the Xmas dining table at a Swedish home (Swedish: Potatis gratäng) Gratin originates in France, in which '' Gratin dish'' is referring to a shallow dish which is used to bake stuff until golden brown. There are many different types of gratin nowadays, feel free to search around and see if there is any others you may feel attracted to!