We made dinner.

This story took place on a Sunday, after spending our afternoon at Magenta. For lunch, I ordered the chicken chop, which is the unlikeliest thing that I'd pick from the menu, for some reason. Most people who are concerned about food have their own philosophies about food choice, and there are people who try to minimize meat consumption, like me. He swapped his plate with me as though he could read my mind.

When wasabi and pasta coincide in a plate - Italian food enriched with a hint of Japanese flavor.

I was thinking about recreating this dish at home by adding wasabi, seaweed and sesame seeds to shrimp aglio olio. They used mild wasabi but I wouldn't mind substituting it with a stronger one, even though it may disrupt the harmony combination.

After lunch, we went to Ben's  Independent Grocer with an intention to purchase some ingredients to make bagel sandwich. Yes, the heat of bagel is still ongoing in my kitchen. Being adventurous, the idea evolved into cooking our own dinners. I was intrigued to make pizza base from scratch and he wanted smoked salmon and cream cheese as the toppings (fish is one of the changes he brought to my eating habit). We picked up smoked salmon, fresh salmon filet and some greens.

I started with preparing the pizza dough. While waiting for it to rise, we marinated the salmon filet with some salt and pepper, and seasoned it with Oregano. He offered to prepare the mashed potatoes while I do the cleaning. After the dough doubled in size, we placed it in into the preheated oven along with the salmon filet.

Dinner is served! P/s: He did the food presentation. 

The salmon filet turned out to be too salty for my preference and the pizza base was crunchy instead of crispy. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our dinner, mostly for the satisfaction from the accomplishment. Genuine pleasure can come from simple, ordinary things. I embrace every moment involved from planning the menu, shopping for ingredient, cooking the food and cleaning the place.

What I value the most is the effort he devoted to make this happen, despite of the geographical distance. 

Bagel, many ways.

Breakfast has become my morning ritual since the day my doctor gave me several advice to avoid triggering severe gastric discomfort. One of it demanded me to consume small meals at regular intervals instead of having big  portion at one go. 

I started having my breakfast everyday, usually at home and have no problem following the advice. In fact, breakfast is my favorite meal and it is necessary for me to get me get through my day. A good breakfast also soothes heartbreaks during the not-so-good-days, which I am currently having.

After a whole night of crying, I really wanted something that can serve as a REAL TREAT for breakfast. I am refrained from going out for something decent because of my red and puffy eyes. Crying out loud feels good, but explaining that it is merely way for me to release my feeling is a hard-hard-task. I also hate the weird, long stares from other people (Yes, I have several experiences!).

Out of the sudden, the bagels I made yesterday sprung into my mind; I still have five of them lying in the freezer! Why don't I make something out from them? 

I took out a bagel from the freezer and pop them into the toaster for 10 minutes. What makes a treat a treat is having something you love but can't have them too often for some reasons. I usually omit out high-fat content foods in daily diet and only have them on special occasions. Well, you can pretend not knowing about my weekly dessert and daily fika when you read this.

I mixed the leftover walnut from the making of Walnut Cranberry Bread with generous amount of cream cheese, drizzle some honey and spread them on the toasted bagel. 

After the first bite, I can foresee myself making more and more bagels in the future. They are versatile, thanks to their rather plain taste. Also, they can be preserved well in the freezer and still taste good after toasting. To be exact, toasted bagels taste better then freshly baked ones, forget the experience of the leathery store-bought bagels if you ever have any.

The slather of walnut cream cheese on the chewy innards of bagels, encased in the crispy crust served well as a treat. There is nothing a good breakfast can't cure.

Here's another serving idea. I said they are versatile, right? Naturally fat free, and low in sugar and sodium, they can make a healthy and complete meal with avocado and sunny-side up. Slice them open, spread a layer of avocado on the surface. And if you love runny yolk like I do, sandwich the egg in between. Happy breakfast!

Bagel

The little town that I live in cannot be accounted as a food desert, but there isn't any decent bakery within walking distant. I visit bakeries in the shopping center to get freshly baked breads every once a week but none of them offers bagel - it just isn't the culture in Malaysia.

I first discovered bagel in a cafe with in 2013 and that has left me craving for more. The shiny roll with appearance that assembles doughnut was completely new to me. I soon fall in love with its dense and chewy texture which sets it different from the other breads. 

As I further my adventure with yeast, I decided to make my own bagels. The recipe calls for just a few kitchen staples: flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water. Traditionally, malt syrup is involved in the recipe but I decided to stick to the simplified version as I do not have any malt syrup in hand.

I was brainstorming for topping idea as I shaped the dough and started wondering its origin. A quick search on Google told me that bagel has acquired its stirrup shape for more than a century; the shape signifies the eternal cycle of life and is believed to bring good luck.

After shaping, these dough was rested for 40 minutes to allow proofing.

Bagel making involve a distinctive step that distinguishes it from other baked products - dough has to be poached in boiling water prior to baking. This key step is responsible for the chewy texture of the finished product. Apart from that, poaching in boiling water could also inactivate yeast and limits fermentation in the latter baking. It is often said that New York City has the greatest bagel in the world because it's municipal water has high mineral content which better supports the formation of gluten. 

Conventionally, lye is added to the poaching water to achieve an alkaline mixture that enhances Maillard reaction - the reaction that facilitates crust browning and flavor development. Due to the potential danger involved in dealing with the corrosive solution, baking soda is often used as the alternative for home baking. 

Poached bagel dough is subsequently brushed with egg white and baked in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it becomes golden brown.

The outcome: a half dozen of freshly baked bagels! These babies have crackly crust and chewy innard when warm. Upon cooling, they become touch and too dense and require toasting before serving.

Isn't it amazing that a few basic ingredients can give rise to so many possibilities with different textures and flavors? A slight alter in cooking methods and other parameters could create product that will surprise you! Making bagel is not tough but it is time consuming. I am so addicted to baking, the feeling of accomplishing things, especially edible things, from scratch makes me happy. It is a huge lesson about being patience- urging the yeast won't make the dough rise any faster. 

The undesired response I received in my mailbox today has brought me down but I am learning to take it positively. I feel blessed that my boyfriend is not only a partner, he is a teammate who involves himself in my life and shares the same feelings with me. It feels so good to have someone who strives to bring the best out of you and holds your hand and tells you it's okay.

Lastly, there's no way I can tell whether my bagel taste authentic because I've never been to New York! Well, someday, maybe :)

Walnut and Cranberry Bread

Rain falls heavily as I'm writing this. It's the same to the day when these breads were made. In fact, this sad weather has persisted for a couple of days and I wonder when the rain will go away. Don't mistake me, the rain is not making me down. I've realized that your mood depends on what you think and what you do, so don't blame the weather. I just have a slight complain because the cold seems to intensify my premenstrual pain  T^T.

I made these breads as I wanted something dense to bite. The breads are mildly sweetened and contained very low amount of fat. It was pleasurable to bite into the crispy crust and soft crumb, along with the crunchy walnuts and juicy cranberries which gave a burst of sweetness. Sadly, the texture wasn't retained after the breads were cooled. Fresh is always the best! 

The original recipe called for raisins but I substituted it with cranberries (I hate raisin!). I am so glad with the outcome and good comments from my neighbors. Paired it with coffee and called it a meal :)

What should I make next? There are so many recipes that I wish to try!

Breakfast Roll

'Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.' Dale Carnegie

Losing passion and the drive of the life is like walking in a no-end tunnel. I wouldn't say that I have found the exit at the moment, but at least I keep myself moving :) 

I started my bread baking adventure with this breakfast rolls. The use of yeast added a certain extent of doubts into the process because it was hard for a beginner to gauge and predict the outcome. It may be intimidating but it is those unforeseeable factors that make the process extraordinary exciting. 

The process took me around 3 hours. I started by using the bread machine to form a dough and subsequently hand-kneaded it for 15 minutes to allow the development of gluten. Kneading is a labor intensive, but definitely rewarding activity. My heart was overflown with joy as the dough became smoother and smoother. Subsequently, the dough was placed in a bowl and covered with cling wrap for 40 minutes to allow first proofing. 

When the dough doubled in size, it was divided into nine equal parts and allowed to rest for 15 minutes for second proofing. Another round of shaping followed and the dough was left for 40 minutes for the final proof. Before putting them into the oven, I brushed the surface with some egg to enhance its appearance. 

I halved the bun and toasted it with some cheddar. My heart fluttered when I saw the fine and even holes in the crumb. It feels like performing magic using yeast in the kitchen!

Today, I've decided that, whatever I do, it has to involve foods. It doesn't have to be my job,  I feel happy simply by writing about my kitchen adventure! I will never let go of my passion :)