Life Outside PLT1

Dining: Hot and Spicy Instant Noodles

Read Jawyei’s blog entry on hot and spicy instant noodles at http://jawyei.blogspot.com/

Cooking: Salt and Pepper Prawns

Read Jawyei’s blog entry on Salt and Pepper Prawns at http://jawyei.blogspot.com/

Cooking: Deconstruting a McChicken Burger

As some of you might be aware, I like cooking. I even have a gallery of dishes I’ve cooked (and deemed worthy to be photographed and put on the Internet) here. Last week when I was watching Top Chef they had an elimination challenge of deconstructing a well known dish. From what they explained on the show was, you take a dish that everyone knows (like fish and chips or sweet and sour pork), break the dish down and remake the dish so that it is different but when the diner eats it can figure out that this is that well known dish. I thought that was quite an interesting idea and today I tried my hands on deconstructing something simple, a McChicken Burger. Continue reading Cooking: Deconstruting a McChicken Burger…

Dining: At Butter Bank on Bank Street Whangarei

With me today was Kirsty Williams. I first saw this place open a few weeks ago but I’ve been told that it’s been there a little longer than that. When it was open it doesn’t matter, it’s a restaurant that I haven’t been to yet. Continue reading Dining: At Butter Bank on Bank Street Whangarei…

Cups of Brown Joy: Harney Teas, Black and White

For lack of content, it seemed like a good idea to post reviews of teas. We’ll begin what could become a series (if I bother) with a double-review.

Our two flavours are both from Harney Teas: Big Red Sun and Winter White Earl Grey. Big Red Sun is a bold black blend of Kenya and Ceylon, while Winter White Earl Grey is a subtle Chinese white tea with lemony bergamot. They represent an interesting contrast — in fact, two opposite ends of the tea spectrum — so I thought they would be a good way to sample Harney’s teas.

Continue reading Cups of Brown Joy: Harney Teas, Black and White…

Custard and Raisin Fudge

Add the following to a microwave safe bowl. I’m doing this in the microwave because there’s no reason to make fudge on the stove top. You don’t want it to burn, which it may do on the stove, and it’s simple enough in the microwave. The entire point is just to get the sugar to recrystallize correctly, the microwave method is significantly more repeatable and will turn out better results.

100g of Butter
1 cup of Sugar
1/4 cup of Golden Syrup
1 can of condensed milk (remove from can…)
1/4 cup of custard powder

Microwave for two minute intervals, stirring on the breaks and checking if it’s reached soft boil stage. This should be roughly at the 10 to 12 minute mark. Once it’s reached soft boil leave it for 2 minutes.

Then add

1tsp of Vanilla Essence
1/3 cup of raisins

And proceed to stir until the mixture stops looking glossy. Pour into a baking paper lined tin of some sort. Lamington tins are slightly too big, you need something slightly smaller.

If you want to make Bailey’s fudge.
Don’t add the custard powder or the golden syrup.
Use half of the amount of condensed milk. (Neenish tarts will use up the leftovers)
Add 1 cup of Bailey’s.
You probably don’t want to add the raisins at the end either, but it’s upto you, I haven’t tried it.