What The Duck! Duck A-Z at HTC

I love duck, generally. Its such a versatile word. It can mean so many things.
Hey, DUCK! (when avoiding a punch or something) or, DUCK OFF... (when telling someone to sod off), I want to DUCK you, or What kind of Duck are you? (Are you a quack?), ...the dictionary also says duck can mean a playing marble (but not the shooter), or the failure in cricket for the batsman to score. A list of meanings can be found HERE. It's even a type of fabric. In cantonese, "Ngap" is the opposite of "Kai". The word is almost as versatile as its famous cousin, that begins with 2 letters away from D.

I digress. Just as the word DUCK is versatile, so too is the Bird. So, when I saw the flyer from HTC (French Culinary School) with DUCK A to Z, I knew I had to attend this course. The Cuisine Studio outlet in Tropicana apparently has closed, and they have opened an outlet in Sierramas. This class was held at Menara IMC, which according to Chef Jean Michel, is more a pastry kitchen than a food kitchen.

I love watching Jean Michel in action. He oozes enthusiasm and knowledge, and of course, that French accent gives it a whole lot of authenticity..... don't you just love sentences that are punctuated with "bon", or "voila"....




HTC is Menara IMC is a well stocked gourmet paradise, with Valrhona Chocolates, gourmet balsamics, mustards, a wide range of silicon bakeware, tart rings, etc. And I think they do sell frozen foie gras as well.


The various poses of Jean Michel. He dissected the duck with the ease of a surgeon, and proclaimed that no part of the duck goes to waste. And how true that was!!!


Cut-throat takes on a new meaning. It's amazing what one can do with the foreskin of the neck.


Dang, I used to be a Queen in my previous life. Just call me Anne.



Glorious slabs of Duck Breast


The breasts are sprinkled and rubbed... with salt.

The recipes for this class were, Duck Confit, Duck reilletes, duck liver pate, duck confit shepherd's pie, duck breast with pink peppercorn sauce and smoked duck with puy lentils...and all for RM200, which I thought was ducking good value for money.


Stuffed Duck's Neck Skin With More Duck. The filling is minced, and some stuff is added, and then the whole pouch, after it's sewn up like woman who's just given birth, is then confit-ed. Hmm, come to think of it, we didn't get to try this. Probably because we were stuffed. Just like the duck neck skins. Look at the picture of the three sacks snugly resting in the dish.


The fats from 3 ducks, which is rendered to make the duck confit. This is probably one of the reasons why you wont see ME doing this recipe at home. What on earth would I do with three ducks!!!

The aroma of the duck fat wafted through the place...it was like Pork Heaven, but only with duck. Those bits of crispy duck fat, is the duck equivalent of chee yau char...and omigoodddness, excellent!!! Our class of 5 people, plus Jean Michel, kinda finished the whole pot. (That cup was about 1/3rd of the total). Not going for a cholesterol check anytime soon. BUT, according to the Chef, duck fat is good for you, and has no cholesterol. Just look at how long the French live.



Because they had bought like an obscene amount of duck liver, the supplier had thrown in these little hearts, which were skewered yakitori style and pan fried. Absolutely delicious. I wonder if hearts are good for you....but I heart heart. Duck's heart anyway.


The carcasses are made into stock, and any flesh leftover is used for the reillettes.



The duck meat is shredded, (again, not a dish you'd see me making, too much work), and mixed into a pate like concoction, and then chilled. The end product, divine. Goes lovely with bread or crackers. In fact, I think Hairy Berry usually buys jars of this stuff from Singapore in those days when he used to party with us.





The duck liver pate that is ready for selling.


The texture LOOKS a bit rough, but in reality, it was delightfully velvety, and the intense flavours of the duck liver and calvados brandy really makes it an acquired taste. I loved it. We were also fortunate to have in the house Julie Wong, the editor of Flavours Magazine, who said it tasted like durian. Erm, I'm not sure how....


Look at those duck pieces soaking away in pure DUCK OIL!!!


The duck after its 2 hour long spa bath in simmering duck oil. You can imagine the smell... it was heavenly!


You can tell the duck is done when the boner is clean.


Puy Lentils are given a last toss in the duck fat from the pan that was used to sear the duck breast. No waste.


Duck breast with puy lentils. (puy lentils are really expensive, which is why I love attending classed at HTC. They always use the best ingredients!)

The shepherd's pie was gloriously rich, (forgot to take pictures!), because of the inordinate amount of butter used in the mashed potatoes, but you can never have too much butter can you!
Fabulous.

Anyway, in conclusion, don't hold your breathe waiting for me to make ANY of this. Firstly, I dunno where to buy duck. 2ndly, you need a truck of duck to make confit. Somehow, I have the feeling its not the same if its confit-ed in normal oil. The good news is, all this stuff is available to buy at Cuisine Studio.... RM25 per leg of duck confit, etc. (to take home).

Check out their website for the interesting weekend workshops and my post on that fabulous baking class way back in 2007. (when I did not know most of you).

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, Courtesy of The Girl From Abu Dhabi

Actually I was going to post about my duck class but for some reason, I cannot upload my pics to photobucket. I feel like kicking it.

Anyway, as an interim measure, let me share with you the delights of some instant mix. I got a twit from GFAD if I wanted more Jiffy, (Jiffy is different from Jif, the toilet cleaning liquid), a muffin mix that she gave me the last time she was back in KL.


Actually I had almost forgotten about that little box of Jiffy, which sounded a bit iffy, to be honest. I'm not a big fan of instant cake mixes per se. My instant pancake mix, which was blardy expensive too, wasnt as nice as the ones made from scratch. I think it was pillsbury brand.

Anyway, since I was quite free, and the instructions for the muffins said, JUST ADD EGG AND MILK, and I needed to fire up the oven for another thing, I thought, why not, let's DO IT. It really took less than 3 minutes. Open packet, crack egg, pour milk, blitz in processor, (actually probably can even stir manually), pour into lined muffin tin... and DONE! Bake for 15 mins, (might have been overdone), and you have piping hot corn muffins.

I hope my short post inspires as many comments as Thamby's recent 12" burger post. With 2 lines, she spawned 60 comments. Brevity is in!!! I also want laidat.

Thanks for the Jiffy GFAD!

Silver Spoon Trattoria, and the Return Of Chef Ken

Mid 1990s
Back in the mid-90s, a place opened in Manjalara, called CHEF KEN. I have fond memories of the place, having had many a dinner there, at very reasonable prices. I recall aglio olios for RM12, or so, fresh mushroom soups below RM10. Ah, good times. Then, it was said that Chef Ken himself sold the place, packed up and left for Australia.

Fast Forward...Present Day

Many years have gone by. In the days I was going to Chef Ken, my fellow diners at tonight's dinner were still in Primary School, and it would have been socially incorrect to have been mingling with them. I might even have been thrown in jail.

Last week, I got an invite from Jessica, the lovely proprietress of Silver Spoon Trattoria (it's an informal restaurant, where you can wear slippers and casuals.... (Nipple Joe and I both were)), to sample the food there. At that point in time, I could not make it, and heavy heartedly declined the invite. Yesterday, I found out my original plans had been scrapped, so I was free. Unkaleong, through our daily MSN chats, asked me if I was going, and I told him the whole sob story about how I had declined, and surely it would be wrong to approach Jessica and say, OH, I CAN MAKE IT NOW. BUT, as luck would have it, Unka pointed out to me that Nipple Joe had tweeted that he was looking for a date for this event. Shamelessly I text him, and offered to be his man-date.

The whole Manjalara-Kepong landscape has changed so vastly, with buildings sprouting faster than the government gives out campaign promises. Nevertheless, with my in built GPS, (in my head), I navigated my way without problem to Wisma Manjalara, with is at the crossroads ..almost, of Jln Burung Hantu and Jln Taman Bukit Maluri. The place is quite noticeable, and Silver Spoon is located above the bank....(Ambank)... which metaphorically is quite accurate. I mean, you need a Bank to have a Silver Spoon.

I was one of the last to arrive. Always amazes me how punctual food bloggers are for food tasting. Malaysians in general are not known for that trait. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned my regular visits to Chef Ken, not expecting anyone on that table to have heard of the place, when it turns out that CHEF KEN IS THE CHEF of Silver Spoon! Fancy that!!!

The crowd was a rather interesting one. Lots of people I had not met before, like Blushberry, (special para for her at the end of post) Myhorng (Too slim to be a food blogger), Shaolintiger (Is it possible to sound more Malaysian than him?), Kimberly (I have to get a pair of her Chicken Little Spectacles) and Skyburial (who has more art on him that the Sistine Chapel ceiling). I felt like I was in a Marvel comic. The usual suspects were The Nomad Gourmand, Mr Nomad Gourmand, Nipple and Mrs Nipple Joe, and the famous KY Speaks.

To start off, we had the Feta & Olive Foccacia.


The bread was nice, crispy almost. But at this point, looking at the extensive menu ahead of us, I thought I should refrain from filling up on bread. Plus the beer I was having, bread would probably expand like a pufferfish on heat.


Mozarella Sticks and Arrancini, which are smoked salmon Italian riceballs stuffed with brie. I loved the mozarella sticks. Creamy yet chewy strings of goodness, it was like eating a Goreng Pisang without the pisang, but with cheese instead.


Prawn & Avocado Stack, chargrilled garlic pranwns on avocado and stuff. The prawn I had was fresh and crunchy, but like most Malaysian prawns, somehow lacked flavour. The condiments surrounding it helped to enhance the entire dish.


Stuffed Portobello mushrooms. One of my favourite dishes for the night. Mushrooms were cooked just right, and the toppings not overpowering so much as to drown the natural taste of the portobellos.


Smoked Salmon Pizza, dough made from scratch, according the manager, Kelvin, and using fresh yeast. I'm not sure what exactly that was supposed to mean, (the stress on the fresh yeast), but the crust was delightfully crispy, and thin enough so as not to fill you with dough. Again, when the menu is extensive, one has to avoid any unnecessary intake of carbo, that would deprive you from other goodies later on.



There was lots of this unpronounceable foreign beer circulating around, thanks to the generosity of our hostess. There is supposed to be banana flavour, which I can't taste. Call me a pleb, but I prefer our cheap local Tiger beer than these fancy smancy beers. It's too gourmet for me.


Grilled Baby Snapper. I guess it's better to call it baby snapper than suckling snapper (as in suckling pig)... well, fish is fish....and taking fish pictures is always so difficult, coz if they're alive, they don't stay still to pose for you, and if they're dead, they look so ..... dead.
The fish was fresh, and cooked just right. Not over, or under done.


KY demonstrating to Skyburial how to properly cut and serve a dead fish.


The dish that Myhorng was waiting for, the Duck Confit. I hope he was satisfied. I loved the taste, but found the meat a bit dry. At least the bit I had was, coz SOMEONE had swiped all the skin. Chis. Incidentally, I love duck confit, so I will be attending the HTC Class this Saturday titled Duck A-Z. I hope its not a quack class.


Marinara... very good. Pasta just right, for me, not TOO aldente, and not soft. And I loved the tomatoey sauce, which was the perfect marriage with all that seafood. It is a huge portion though, I thought. I'd order this again for sure.


Wild Mushroom Risotto. Risotto must be to the Italians what congee is to chinks. Some like it grainy, some like it soft.... this particular version I heard Mrs Nipple Joe exclaim was great, coz she doesn't like aldente... I myself, not a risotto fan, but found it palatable because of the lovely mushroomy flavours.



Dessert. There's always room for dessert. The creme brulee was nice and smooth. I would've preferred it if they had used fresh vanilla bean.


The chocolate pot was nice. Heavier than a mousse, but lighter than clogging cream.


The signature tiramisu, sufficiently doused in alcohol. Not sure if the chef was under special instructions to do so, but hey, one can never have too much alcohol, in dessert.




I LOVE KY's expressions in photographs. That's why I voted 5 Chillies for him on his Hunks and Babes (I can't find the link now) post.






Silver Spoon has a lovely interior, tastefully decorated, and a lovely private dining room for a table of 15 or so. That there is the famous Chef Ken.


Skyburial (I must find out the meaning of this name) and Shaolin Tiger doing the honors of finishing the last of the wine.


Just when we thought we could go home, Jessica's dad very generously gives us a bottle of THIS!!!! Argh, there went my "NO DRINKING ON WEEKDAYS" policy.




Haze

SPECIAL MENTION

I think I need to have a special mention here, coz I've never met one of these before. This girl can solve a Rubik Cube in a matter of minutes, while chit chatting, the way a granny might knit you a sweater while telling you her cookie recipe. Despite the numerous glasses of alcohol, her mind stayed as sharp. And, on top of that, she's an artist, a designer, and God knows what else, which BEGGED the question..... and this was the conversation:

ME: I know this might sound really rude, but can I ask you a question?
HAZE: Yup, [looking a bit worried], what?
ME: Does it hurt?
HAZE: Huh?
ME: Your head. All that brain, does it hurt, in your head? Because your head looks quite slim. How does it all fit in there?

Apparently she was rendered speechless.

Anyway, thanks to Jessica and family, for a lovely time, and for being such gracious hosts. Wishing you great success in Silver Spoon. Can't wait to return with my other friends.

Pricing: Very reasonable, RM38 for eg, lamb shank, RM12 for soups, RM29 for the marinara pasta...
Other Reviews: The Nomad Gourmand

Seng Kee, Rat's Tail Noodle and Cuti Cuti KL

Although our Ringgit is strengthening, its still expensive for us to travel abroad, so since I struck out London, New York and Paris as potential weekend destinations for the kids, I decided to do the next best thing, and bring them on Cuti Cuti KL. The pros of a KL holiday is, no need to change money, no need to pay taxi fare to get to LCCT (KLIA? Forget it, with four kids, I haven't stepped foot into KLIA since 2005), no need to apply passport or visa. It's great. Best of all, we could reach our destination in 15 minutes. With traffic.

We check into KL Hilton, (got free room voucher from the Hilton Card, which expires end May, so no choice lor, die die oso have to use), and head straight for the pool. Actually, it takes very little to entertain children. All they want is the loving company of their parents, and a pool, and they're happy campers. No need for PSPs, and expensive toys. I should start a parenting blog. My first tip would be..... I shall save that for Fatboybakesparentingwordsofwisdom.blogspot.com. Don't click on the link...it's not set up yet.
Maybe I should abbreviate it to FBB-WOW.blogpsot.com

Where was I?


The twin towers of Meridien and KL Hilton. They share a common pool, BUT have different water. I kid you not. There is a barrier underneath the bridge, and that separates the two pools. Water from Meridien does not flow into the KL Hilton side.

There is also a RM50 cash voucher that we had to spend. Snack time. Damn, I am a good planner. Designer french fries, pizza, and club sandwich. Of course, it's more than RM50. Drat.


Club Sandwich and Pepperoni Pizza, and very hungry boys.


If you can't be at the beach, put your imagination to good use.... reminds me of the Alleycats song...."Kuala Lumpur, Senyuman mu....di pagi ini, sungguh bererti". (Kuala Lumpur, your smile, this morning, is most meaningful)


As I said, give the kids a pool and they'll be happy. Or any form of water. Even a public waterfall will do.



As the sunsets, and we gaze out our window to the gorgeous view of shanty buildings of Brickfields, to the modern skyscrapers in yonder, I plan the next step of our itinerary. An LRT ride from KL Sentral, to Pasar Seni, and a walkabout of Petaling Street.


The famous air mata kuching. I often wonder...1. how much protection money they have to pay the triads, 2. where is their mansion....and how many luxury cars they own. They must be raking it in!!!



There is something festive about Petaling Street, although the moniker Chinatown is highly suspect, now that most of the stalls are run by foreign workers. Who speak Cantonese quite well.




Lower the bar. Tell the kids that designer clothes from Petaling Street are good enough for them. That'll save you from an embarrasing, "I WANTTTTT THISSSSSS" the next time they walk past Ferragamo in KLCC.


A fascinating eclectic mix of people, and products. From monks asking for alms, to crowds of tourists, to the locals who actually go there to shop. Some sights like the old bicycle with the China Press board does remind me of the World War II era...when we only ate tapioca and sweet potato.

And for dinner, a rare treat for the kids....

The famous claypot rat-tails. Lou Shee Fun, at Seng Kee. Actually, the last time I was here was probably about 8 years ago. The stall has expanded, and now occupies the shoplot that used to be the dwellings of the owners. Makes sense. They can probably afford a penthouse in KLCC, with the brisk business they do.


The rat's tails are soaked with mincemeat, a raw egg, which cooks in the heat, liver, and doused in a delicious sauce. As Aly in her post pointed out, the flavours of the sauces haven't really had time to seep into the noodle, but nevertheless, it is delicious.


The other signature dish. The siu yoke mee. Actually, the noodle is nice, but the meat is nothing to shout about.


Fried Water Dog. Easy snack.


I love their deep fried foo choke, (beancurd skin), which is crispy, yet not oily. So very light.


I am a sucker for intestines, and though alarm bells went off in my head, when the lady recommended this, (more like FORCED it upon me, she could see the weakness in me, chis), I ordered it, knowing I would be the only one eating it. It's sang cheong, which according to I can't remember who, is actually the FALLOPIAN TUBE of the pig, and not the intestine. We try not to think about its history, and its passage of time...oops, passage of sperm.

Dinner for 6 came up to slightly above RM60, with drinks. Could've been cheaper if I was not co-erced into ordering the fallopian tubes.

A great itinerary, if I may say so myself.


Footnote:
Okay, those of you intending to do the same thing, and take the LRT to PASAR SENI, be warned, the walkway from Pasar Seni station to Chinatown is VERY dim and dingy. It is a robbery, rape/murder site WAITING to happen. Bring along a bodyguard. I don't understand WHY the powers that be can't even get this right. Pasar Seni station is meant to be a tourist stop. It is a disgrace. Why is our Tourism Minister touring the world for ideas, and can't even get this right? And the Transport Minister as well. We PALE in comparison to Singapore and BKK...