Ooey Gooey Beetroot Brownies

I recently bought a juicer and have become slightly obsessed with juicing (a whole other topic!), beetroot being a staple in all my juice concoctions. Beetroot has slowly become one of my favorite vegetables to cook with and eat. I’m not sure why because it has a sort of earthy, dirty flavor. Maybe it’s the gorgeous ruby color that adds a dash of wow to anything you cook or the heartiness of the vegetable. It can substitute for meat (on occasion), it can be eaten raw, cooked, warm, cold, grilled, roasted, boiled, and the list goes on.

In this recipe, beetroot adds a gorgeous color, an earthly flavor and most of all some nutritional value to classic dessert. The dark chocolate adds antioxidants and mood lifting properties. Need I really say more?? They’re brownies for goodness sake!

Ingredients:

400 g beetroot, leaves removed

100 g good dark chocolate, broken into pieces

150 g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

250 g (11oz) caster sugar

3 eggs

100 g plain flour

50 g (2oz) cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Directions:

1.  Carefully wash beetroot under a cold tap. Do not scrub them – simply rub off any dirt with your fingers. Try to avoid damaging the skin otherwise the beetroot will ‘bleed’ while cooking.

2.  Place the beetroot in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and continue to simmer for between 30 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the size and age of the beetroot. They are cooked when their skins rub off easily and a knife can easily be inserted into the center of each beetroot.

3.  Once cool enough to handle, rub the skins off the beetroot and cut beetroot into chunks. Place in a food processor with the dark chocolate and blend until a smooth purée and set aside. Warm beetroot will melt the chocolate nicely.

4.  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). If the cake tin (8”x8” square tin) has a removable base, butter the sides and line the base with a square of baking parchment, otherwise line the base and sides of the tin.

5.  Mix together the butter and sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

6.  Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for just a few seconds until mixed then gradually add these to the creamed butter mixture, beating constantly.

7.  Beat in the puréed beetroot mixture.

8.  Sift the remaining ingredients together and fold into the wet ingredients until fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin reaching half way up the pan and smoothing the top with a palette knife or spatula. There is a bit extra batter that can be poured into a muffin tin (yields 3-4 additional brownies).

9.  Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the centre of the cake is almost set but still wobbles when you gently shake the tin.

10.  Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely in the tin before carefully removing the cake and cutting into squares to serve. (If you can resist them for that long, these will keep for a few days in an airtight container.)

Excellent the next day, heated in a microwave or oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes

Whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled

Olive oil

Fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 225°F (107°C).

2. Halve each tomato lengthwise and arrange on a parchment or aluminum-lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic.

3. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs over tomatoes and gently salt and pepper.

4. Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours.

You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside. This could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.

You can use them right away or let them cool. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and keep them in the fridge for snacking or add to a variety of dishes in lieu of fresh tomatoes for extra concentrated tomato flavor!

Oven-Roasted Tomato Hummus

I’m a huge fan of chickpeas so I’m always trying out new recipes, incorporating them into the dish or making them the star.

Hummus is a nice introduction to chickpeas for those that have an aversion to the grainy texture of beans. I absolutely love sun-dried (or oven-roasted) tomatoes so I thought it might be nice to incorporate the two. Oven-roasted tomatoes are so easy to make and they taste fabulous! They can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Hummus, a nice twist on a classic. A little zing from the tomatoes with a huge punch of flavor combined with the subtle creaminess from the chickpeas makes a healthy and delicious snack for any time of the day.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 

   soaked if using dried

• 1 cup oven-roasted baby tomatoes

• 3 oven-roasted garlic

• 2 tablespoons of tahini

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• 2 green cardamom pods

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Spice mixture*

- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds

- 1/8 tsp black cardamom

- 1/4 tsp coriander powder

- 1/8 tsp white pepper

- 1/4 tsp garlic or onion powder

- 1/4 tsp red chili

* The spice mixture can be any combination of spices that you fancy. I try to stay within a theme so the spices are not competing with each other. This particular spice mixture is an Indian-inspired mix.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Recipe

1. Grind all spices of spice mixture until semi-fine powder.

2. In a small pot, bring to a boil chickpeas, green cardamom pods, spice mixture and enough water to cover chickpeas.

3. Once boiling, reduce temperature, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender and water is almost all evaporated.

4. Remove from heat, discard green cardamom and cool uncovered.

5. Place in food processor 1 cup roasted tomatoes, 3 oven-roasted garlic, fresh garlic and olive oil and pulse until blended through, but still a bit chunky.

6. Spoon chickpeas into food processor along with the remaining ingredients and puree all ingredients, adding water to keep the mixture moving and smooth.

7. Serve immediately or chill for an hour to further infuse flavors.

Serve with toasted pita triangles, fresh veggies or anything else you can think of!

Vintage Cocktails

I haven’t been inspired much lately to make specialty cocktails. Simple classic cocktails like the tried and true vodka soda have been my drink of choice. 

I had a friend visiting from the States last week and she graciously arrived with a hostess gift, a fabulous book on vintage cocktails! My new Vintage Cocktails book has re-inspired me to go beyond the classics to vintage cocktails, which the book by Brian Van Flandern defines as drinks that “conjure images of specific places in time when a particular cocktail gained global popularity. “

Since I’ve got a big bushel of mint overgrowing in my herb garden, mint drinks are up to bat first, the Whiskey Smash.

Also, simple syrup and lemons are in almost every cocktail so if you’re making cocktails be sure to have both on hand.

Whiskey Smash

- Created for Bemelmans Bar by Dale DeGroft

2oz. Bulleit Bourbon or any Whiskey you choose

1oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1oz. Simple Syrup

Handful of Fresh Mint

1. Add ingredients into a shaker with mint leaves and muddle until leaves are deeply bruised.

2. Strain out leaves, add ice and shake vigorously.

3. Strain into an ice-filled rocks class, garnish with lemon wedge or mint sprig.

The finished product below. Cocktail snobs, don't kill me for using a stemless wine glass!

Notes: Bottled lemon juice is okay, but fresh is always best. Try a flavored simple syrup to give the drink a different twist. Keep it to a mild flavor, such as rosemary infused simple syrup (I used vanilla bean), so the flavors blend together nicely instead of competing with each other. 

7 Poses to Try While on an Airplane

Now that I've become a frequent flyer, whether it's back to the States for a visit with the family or a short jaunt to a nearby country in Asia, I think I've got my traveling routine down; neck pillow, eye patch, pashmina, sleep aid, lip balm, facial wipes, hand wipes, hand lotion. I know it sounds like a ridiculous amount of things to bring on a plane, but it really does fit into a small bag and all items come in handy.  

Something that's always a challenge is the achy muscles and joints. I get up and walk around, drink water like it's going out of style which then forces me to get up out of my chair anyway, and try to avoid alcohol. Somehow, all that doesn't seem to work all that well. Yoga crossed my mind, but the lack of space, even for arm stretches, prevented me from tackling that idea further.  

I stumbled across a fun article with photos that show that it’s actually possible to do yoga in a plane. The author is a petite little thing, but the next time I fly I’m going to give it a shot.

Enjoy!

7 Poses to Try While on an Airplane

By Sinda Anzovino 

http://www.yoganonymous.com/7-yoga-poses-to-try-while-on-an-airplane/

DISHing it at Fat Cow

DISHing it at Fat Cow

As a part of my monthly lunching group with the American Women’s Association (Diners In Sensory Heaven), we did a 180 from last month (Beets, a vegetarian restaurant to be reviewed later) and headed to a Japanese steakhouse.  I was excited to try Fat Cow after reading great reviews and especially after confirming the mouthwatering menu.

From the outside you would think you’re entering a secret club by the copper paneled exterior and the minimalist sign. Equally odd is the fact that the restaurant is part of a medical center, but then again Michelin starred chefs have opened restaurants in malls so who am I to judge. The interior compliments the exterior, modern earth tones accented with black. The front dining area consists of private rooms separated by tatami screens, the back a bit more social, set in a semi circle with individual burners for each guest.  I’ll have to come back another time to experience that. 

In traditional Japanese style, each course was meticulously put together from start to finish, beginning with the first course.

We started with a Japanese standard of Mizuna & Onion Salad, but there was an added twist. The typical wafu vinaigrette dressing was updated as a duo of a soy vinaigrette, uniquely gelatinous in texture, and a light and creamy sesame sauce. Like ying and yang they went together perfectly, the tang of the soy vinaigrette balanced out by the sweetness of the sesame dressing. Something that is often passed over during a Japanese meal was made to standout just like the rest of the courses, the perfect way to start the meal.

Next up was the tai (snapper) carpaccio.  Words cannot describe how delectable this dish was, so buttery and tender it just melted in the mouth. To think things couldn’t get any better, the carpaccio was topped with paper-thin slices of black truffle…yum!

On to the Chawanmushi, a traditional Japanese egg custard. Again, beautiful presentation. Upon lifting the lid off the delicate china containing the chawanmushi, I was lured into taking my first bite by how lovely the dish looked.  The photo does not do it justice.  There were shiitake mushrooms, julienne of krab, a few other standard chanwanmushi items and the unusual, but beautifully complimenting, thinly sliced pieces of okra.

The piece de résistance was the main, Wagyu Donburi, which did not disappoint.  Sliced pieces of Wagyu placed systematically over a delicious base of sticky rice seasoned with dashi flavored sauce, nori and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Centering the sliced Wagyu was a perfectly poached egg topped with a nest of shredded radish.  The creaminess of the egg and the cool crunch of the radish were the perfect compliment to the buttery Wagyu.

As if we weren’t full enough, lastly came the dessert of Hokkaido milk custard, red bean & green tea ice cream.  Sometimes dessert can be an afterthought, especially in a restaurant focused on their meat.  This was a simple dessert, presented beautifully.  Although I was completely stuffed before dessert arrived, somehow I managed to eat the whole darn thing. Enough said.

Ultimately, a beautiful set lunch that flowed wonderfully from a refreshing salad to a delightfully light and just sweet enough dessert.

Service was decent, an ‘A’ for effort, a little polishing needed.

Fat Cow is a bit difficult to find, but worth the hunt.

Fat Cow

1 Orchard Blvd #01-01/02 Camden Medical Center

Singapore 248649

T. +65 6735 0308

Travel Packing Tips

I came across an article that I thought was quite handy.  After traveling quite a bit in the last 5 years, I've become a much better packer, knowing exactly what to bring and what is totally unnecessary (this coming from a girl who used to travel with two big bags and a grumpy husband carrying the second bag).  

This list from Budget Travel is pretty good.  A few surprises landed on the list that I thought were ingenious!  Duct tape?  Seriously, who would have ever thought, but it makes total sense...fix a broken bag, cover a hole, lint remover...the list goes on. The coffee cup I would reconsider.  It takes up far too much space and is heavy.  Leave that one at home. 

My full list of travel essentials to follow in another post.

http://www.budgettravel.com/slideshow/8-items-you-never-packbut-should%2C7820/

Happy traveling!!