A Sweet Mother's Day Breakfast at Luxbite

I must be the last food blogger to try out Luxbite.  I have heard many good things about Luxbite and have been wanting to go for a long time.  Hubby finally took me on Mother's day weekend.  To be honest, the decision to take me was due to the reason pictured below.

They recently started serving breakfast and this dish was the special for the Mother's day weekend. It is called Sweet Benedict.  It consisted of donuts, bacon, burnt butter maple dressing and white chocolate hollandaise.  It was also dotted with fresh kiwi and decorated with a chocolate heart.

When we ordered it, we were not expecting it to look this beautiful.  It was hard to eat it because we didn't want to destroy the look of the dish.  However, it only took a few seconds of that thought before we plunged right in.

The donut was crunchy and delightful.  The saltiness of the bacon worked really well with the sweetness of the rest of the dish. The fresh kiwi gave it the freshness it needed.  Personally, the best part of the dish was the pork crackling and lemon crumbs.  This added a savoury element to the dish.   All in all, this weekend special was delicious and I hope this makes it back onto the menu on a regular basis.

We also ordered the waffles.  The texture was more bready than the usual skinny waffles you would normally get and together with the spices, it had a  more substantial feel and made it moorish.  The Heilala Vanilla roasted plums were sweet and tangy at the same time. Deanna happily ate the waffles with lashings of the whipped honey butter.

Now, how can I write about Luxbite and not mention their macarons.  They are much talked about. They have many unique flavours.  I wanted to try them all but I let Deanna choose what she wanted to eat.  So she chose watermelon and yoghurt, strawberry, passion fruit and the chocolate sprinkles.

I loved my first experience at Luxbite and I will happily go back again.  In fact, I am planing to going back again real soon.  After all, I have to try every macaron and cake they offer, don't I?

Luxbite
38 Toorak Rd
South Yarra
www.LuxBite.com.au

Bon Appetite,
Cherrie

Cooking the books: Nigella Lawson. Kitchen

Well, another round of  "cooking the books" lunch and it was a stomach-aching success.  While at our last lunch, it was decided that we will cook from Nigella Lawson's Kitchen cookbook this time round.  This time we were able to have it at www.cookingspace.com.au

Food Bloggers make the best companions for such feasts as everyone brings enough great food to induce a food coma to last days. 

Agnes from Off the Spork blog made Beer-braised pork knuckles with caraway, garlic, apples and potatoes

Agnes chopping up the pork knuckles.  Everyone jumped in for the crispy skin

Potatoes that were cooked with the pork knuckles from Agnes

Kat from Urban Cook's Journal Blog brought along Mexican Lasagne

Kat also made avocado salsa to go with the mexican lasagne

Thanh from I eat therefor I am  blog made Spanish chicken with chorizo and potatoes.
Notice the eaten piece tucked up at the top?  Thanh couldn't wait!

Shellie from Iron Chef Shellie blog made meatballs and Rocket and lemon cous cous.
Shellie is Meatball Queen

Celeste from Travelling in my Mary Janes blog made Chorizo and chickpea soup.

Celeste also brought along buglar wheat

Kat (and Josh) from Spatula, Spoon and Saturday blog made pigs in a blanket.  Kat also made Risotto Bolognese.
For some reason, I don't seem to have a photo for :(

I made African chicken.

We were all so full from lunch but we managed to fit in dessert...just.  After all, we cannot have a blogger lunch without dessert. 

Thanh also made Venetian Carrot cake with rum cream

Emma from Cake Mistress Blog made Torta al Giandula

Celeste made Key Lime Pie

Agnes made Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Shellie made Lemon Meringue Fool.  No doubt, Deanna's favourite on the day

I-Hua from Ms I-Hua Blog made Macadamia chocolate fudge

I made Coffee Toffee Meringues

African Chicken Recipe: (serves 4)
80ml Worcestershire sauce
4 tbs tomato sauce
2 tsp English mustard powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbs apricot jam
1 onion, finely chopped
8 chicken drumsticks (I used 1kg of wings and separated the wingettes and drumettes)
1 tbs of garlic oil.  (I used olive oil and 1 clove of garlic, smashed)

1.  Preheat the oven to 200degC.
2.  Marinate the chicken in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, mustard powder, ground ginger, apricot jam and the chopped onion.  Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
3.  Pour the olive oil and garlic into an ovenproof dish and arrange the chicken in the dish snugly.   Pour over any remaining marinade.
4.  Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through.


Coffee Toffee Meringues. (makes 8-10)
for the meringues:
200g caster sugar
50g light brown sugar
2 tsp instant espresso powder
pinch of cream of tartar
4 egg whites

for the toffee sauce
15 g butter
75g golden syrup
25g light brown sugar
60ml cream

600ml double cream

1.  To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 140degC.
2.  Combine the caster sugar and the light brown sugar, the coffee powder and cream of tartar in a bowl and set aside.
3.  Whisk the egg whites till soft peaks and have started to form.  Begin to add the sugar mix 1 tablespoon at a time while whisking until the mixture is glossy and thick.
4.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper and spoon out dollops of the meringue (I used 1/4 cup).  Spike or fluff the tops to give texture.
5.  Put in the oven for about 45 minutes.  Take out of the oven but do not remove them form the baking paper.
6.  To make the toffee sauce: melt the butter, golden syrup and light brown sugar in a pan over a low heat, swirling gently occasionally.  Bring to the boil and let bubble for 2 minutes.
7.  Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the 60ml cream.  Pour into a small jug to get cold.
8.  To serve,  dollop some of the double cream on top of the meringues and drizzle the toffee sauce over it.

Deanna, the fairy had a great time eating and chatting with friends :)

Deanna with her favourite dessert ( photo taken by Agnes)

We are already organising our next one, this time will be a Momofuku Fest.  Can't wait!

Bon Appetite,
Cherrie

Cook Book Challenge : Egg Pin Wheels for an Afternoon Tea Dinner

Theme 7 : Eggs

CookBook : The Dairy Book of Home Cookery by Sonia Allison 

for the Milk Marketing Board of England and Wales

Recipe : Pin Wheel Sandwiches

With my Hubby and his family originally from England, we were all excited for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  My mother in law came over for dinner but instead of eating dinner I prepared an afternoon tea affair.  The cookbook I used actually belong to Hubby's Nan in England.  She let me keep it during our holiday there a few years back.  This version was published in 1978 and as you can see it's been well used.  To this day, my mother in law still cooks dishes that she got from it.

Pin wheel sandwiches shows up regularly in afternoon teas, alongside other fabulous finger foods, sweet and savoury.  It can be filled with any filling you like.  I chose Egg.  

Tea is, of course, compulsory though coffee can also make an appearance.  I even took out our special Harrods tea towel just for the occasion.

Other dishes I also prepared for the Afternoon Tea Dinner :

My Afternoon tea table

Salmon sandwiches and cheese and cucumber sandwiches

Victoria Sponge Cake

After dinner, Hubby made Pimm's Deuce.  

Recipe :

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

2 tbs mayonnaise or salad cream

1/2 tsp English mustard powder

salt and pepper

6 white or brown bread slices, crusts removed

butter

alfa alfa

1.  In a bowl, place the eggs, mayonnaise or salad cream, English mustard powder salt and pepper.  Set aside

2.  Using a rolling pin, roll over a slice of bread to flatten.

3.  Spread with butter and 1 - 2 tablespoons of the egg mixture.

4. Sprinkle alfa alfa over the egg mixture.

5.  Roll tightly to enclose the filling.  Place on place, seam side down.

6.  Repeat with the remaining of the egg mixture.

7.  Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to firm up a little

8.  Cut into 3 or 4 even slices.  (as you can see, I didn't cut them evenly hehe)

 Check out my previous posts on this year's cookbook challenge.

Bon Appetite,
Cherrie

My Easter 2011 in Pictures

Good Friday at Mother in laws

Thomas finding Easter egg up a tree

Deanna searching for Easter eggs

Corn fritters with sweet chilli sauce

Thai corn soup 

Baked salmon with lemon pepper

Strawberry milk jelly

Easter Sunday at home

Easter egg hunting at home

Easter Sunday breakfast

Full English Breakfast for 4

Easter Sunday at mum and dad's

BBQ!  lamb, pork and sausages.  YUM!

Dessert.  pandan cupcakes, coconut macaroons and my Chocolate angel food cake

With the cousins after another Easter egg hunt

 Easter Monday at Hilda's Home

Beautiful lunch. From left: Warm prawn and fennel salad with mandarin, caramelised onion and mushroom tart,  lamb chops and a chicken, egg and avocado  sandwich

Hilda also made mini carrot cupcakes

What did you eat during Easter?

Bon Appetite,

Cherrie