Amaretti biscuits

After making the Greek almond cookies, I still had 2 egg whites left over from the coconut custard tart, so I attempted amaretti, another favourite accompaniment to coffee.

Buttered pork tenderloin with apple

Buttered pork tenderloin with apple, served with turmeric basmati and charred Brussels sprouts

Sticky honey lemon chicken

My local butcher has these huge chicken breasts on the bone available nearly every time I go in. I've occasionally taken advantage of the fantastic offers (5 for €8.99) and made a few tasty dishes (like smokey chicken & rice (1) and (2), and oven roast chicken with vegetables). This time I made a delectable honey lemon chicken.

Sticky honey lemon chicken with broccoli

Greek almond cookies

Leftover egg whites had been sitting in my fridge since I used the yolks in a custard tart. I thought about making meringues but then I came across a recipe for kourabiedes. I had all the ingredients needed already in the cupboard, so I went with it with some alterations.

Greek almond cookies

Duck consommé

I grew up on my mother's broths, be it chicken or bone. Nothing nourished me more on a cold, wet day than a piping bowl of chicken and shiitake in homemade broth. My mother would always skim the fat off the broth before serving it, and often she'd do so by freezing the broth overnight and then skimming off the solid bits.

For years I followed her way to make chicken broths. And then I saw Heston Blumenthal make a beautiful duck consommé by freezing the broth and then slowly defrosting it in muslin cloth. I thought what a great way to preserve the flavours! So after procuring muslin cloths from a friend in Taiwan (I'm sure it's available somewhere in Dublin, but all I could find from visiting numerous shops was cheesecloth, which is more gauze than fabric), I got to try out this promising method.

Duck consommé with steamed shrimp dumplings and scallop dumplings

Chicken Kiev (2)

Last weekend I tried my hands at an old standby, chicken Kiev. Encouraged by the wonderful flavours but not entirely happy with the filling, I opted to make it again yesterday. This time, I decided not to take the (somewhat failed) shortcut and butterfly the chicken fillets. I also made garlic herb butter, again, my first ever attempt. 

Chicken Kiev with buttery green beans

Nutty peanut butter cookies

I had a craving for peanut butter the other day and it didn't go away. Then I remembered I bought a jar of Meridian natural peanut butter a while ago and it was still sitting in the cupboard. The recipe I'm using here is straightforward and easier than a piece of cake (wink wink). Because Meridian has stopped using palm oil in their products, the natural oils from the nuts will separate in the jar. Storing the jar lid-side down allows the oils to distribute evenly throughout the jar.

Nutty peanut butter cookies

Chicken Kiev (1)

Chicken Kiev was a staple in my early days as a doctoral student. The local supermarkets often had specials (a couple of packs of 2 for €5) and a Chicken Kiev or two made for a tasty dinner. But I stopped buying them after a couple of years when I decided to eat less processed food.

Chicken kievs with sautéed herby mushrooms and garden peas

Coconut custard tart

I found a recipe for tart shells using coconut flour and was intrigued. And having made so many cakes, I decided it was time to try making a tart. A coconut custard tart seemed like a good one to start with.

Strawberry coconut custard tart

Beef balti with coriander turmeric rice

Beef balti with coriander turmeric rice

Spiced banana cake with coconut cinnamon frosting

Whenever there are super ripe bananas at home, I tend to make banana bread. But this time I decided to mix things up and use them to make a spiced banana cake. This is an impromptu recipe so no doubt tweaking is required.

Spicy beef & cabbage soup

I had a yen for a nourishing soupy dish for the past week. I think it has something to do with the weather, which has been wet and chilly. So I picked up some stewing beef from the butcher's last week and a big head of savoy cabbage earlier this week and prepared to make spicy beef and cabbage soup. Even though today turned out rather warm, showing the first sign of spring, I still went ahead as planned.

Spicy beef & cabbage soup

Minute steak with chips and asparagus

Husband went to the shops last weekend and came home with a few things, minute steaks being one of them. The last time I had a minute steak was nearly three years when I was in the hospital. While the meals were generally good in the two weeks I was in there, that minute steak was overcooked, resulting in a piece of chewy, tough meat, thus ruining my impression of the cut.

Minute steaks with romaine lettuce, hand-cooked potato chips, asparagus with balsamic vinegar

Ginger braised chicken wings 薑燒雞翅

Fried marjoram pork with claypot rice 牛膝草煎豬排暨肝腸炊飯

Fried pork with marjoram, charred Brussels sprouts with crackling, claypot rice with Cantonese sausages and sweet potatoes