Chef Tim Healea And the Cranberry Marketing Committee

Yes, there IS such a thing as the Cranberry Marketing Committe. And they're doing a fabulous job, I reckon, of promoting the fruit.

I wonder if our Ministry of Agriculture takes the same initiatives and form a Durian Delegation (henceafter referred to as D-24, cos that's the minimum people it takes in our local delegations), and the MACC, aka Mangosteen Action Committee & Commission.

But yes, I never realised Cranberries were big. First time I heard of them was as a sauce or jelly accompanying turkey, but lately, I have been noticing their increasing presence. Frozen cranberries are quite readily available in supermarkets, and so are their dried counterparts. So, I was quite intrigued when I got invited to attend the US Cranberry Bakery Seminar & Workshop, thanks to BabeintheCity KL, who extended me the invite. (subsequently the host venue, Berjaya University College of Hospitality also did extend an invite, with many thanks).


Chef Tim Healea owns a bakery called the Little T American Baker, in Portland, Oregon. The bakery specializes in handcrafted breads, Vienesse style pastries, rustic desserts. An affable, likeable looking fellow, he imparted quite a lot of his recipes to us, and best of all, made it look simple and effortless.


Cranberries of course boast a whole truckload of health benefits. From fighting urinary tract infections to reducing risks of heart disease, these little gobules of goodness contain valuable antioxidants like anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, resveratrol, selenium, viatmins A, C and E. And on top of that, the gorgeous scarlet color makes it a fabulous decoration to any cake.

After a brief introduction, Tim launches into the demonstration. I have to say I really liked his style of whipping things together. Efficient, fast, no fuss, all the qualities I aspire towards.

He demonstrated Baked Cranberry Doughnuts, US Cranberry Almond Roll, Cranberry Crumb Brioche, Cranberry Cream Scone, Cranberry Apple Turnover, Cranberry Apple Whole Wheat Muffin, Cranberry Sweet Cream Tartand Cranberry Financiers. Amazing isn't it, so many recipes in less than 3 hours. He is my new superfast baker hero.


For those who couldn't see what was going on upfront, they had very kindly provided for us a screen magnifying the man's handiwork. He rolls his dough into balls with great ease, and even showed us how to roll balls with both hands at the same time.


He also takes the time to field questions from the floor. The funny strained expressions are when he was trying to decipher what the question was. You know how articulate some of us Malaysians are, ...it takes a translator just to translate their English into err...English. But you can't blame us, afterall, English is not our mother tongue, so it's amazing any of us can speak it at all.


Cranberry Apple Turnovers, with Italian puff pastry made from scratch. I really must try attempting this italian puff pastry. It looks less complicated than the normal one.


My favourite item, and looks easy to make. The Cranberry Sweet Cream Tart. The tart casing is a cross between a tart pastry and a cake. Does that make it a Take or a Cart? And the baked custard, combined with the tart cranberries, (as is sour tart, not pie tart, or slutty tart), perfect unison.


Yeast? What kind of yeast you use ah sir?


The one we got to eat was preperared, but this is the real deal, demo-ed to us by Tim himself. Turned out beautifully too!





Cranberry Apple Whole Wheat Muffin - not really a fan of muffins, so definitely not on the MUST TRY TO MAKE list any time in the near future.


Who said that scones had to be round? I love these triangle shaped ones, and really, this was screaming out for some Devon Clotted Cream and plum jam. Yummm. I must make these soon. Note to self. Make US Cranberry Scones SOON.


Cranberry Almond Roll... looks like a perfect tea time or breakfast treat. Another mental note, MUST MAKE FOR BREAKFAST.


Cranberry Crumb Brioche. My mental picture of brioche is a soft, buttery kinda bun, but this one tastes more healthy, and is more bready.



The smorgasbord of goodies prepared by Chef Tim.

What an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon, watching a chef in action, and the best thing about it was, it looks like something you CAN replicate at home. I have the recipes here, so email me if you want any particular one.

Thanks BabeKL for the invite, and for saving me a seat!

Thanks to the Cranberry Marketing Committee for hosting this very enjoyable event.

The AFC (Affable, Fun and Charming) Laura Calder

Now, far be it for me to solicit an invitation to any function, but sometimes, all dignity is thrown to wind, (much like our politicians), and we stoop to levels so low, it would need a ladder to reach a snake's belly. I can think of several scenarios, when I would stoop to shamelessly solicit an invite.... a chance to meet my goddess, Nigella Lawson, perhaps the chance to meet Martha Stewart, MAYBE Gordon Ramsay, probably Nipple Joe's wedding, ..... and most recently, the chance to meet Laura Calder of AFC's French Cooking At Home. To be honest, I stumbled across her quite by accident.

I had my astromax set to record Anna Olson's SUGAR series, on Fridays 9-9.30pm, and unbeknownst to me, that ended, and was replaced with Laura. I remember vividly her first episode, which was making choux pastry, a subject close to my own heart. I honestly thought she was based in France. The opening clip with the French ditty in the background, and her cycling through the meadows, which I assumed was part of greater Gaul, all led me to believe French cooking at home was shot in France. Apparently not.

Anyway, so, when I first heard she was coming to town (my bro in law works for BMW, so I knew a few months ago they were thinking of bringing her in), I shamelessly told him, "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE INVITE ME". Alas, since I do not possess one of those exorbitantly priced automobiles, I did not really qualify. So, the next best thing was to turn to the Goddesses of the Food Blogging Realm, Boolicious and Thamby.

Boo magnanimously shook her head, the way a goddess heavy heartedly rejects the requests of the tribal chiefs to send rain, because the tribe had been EVIL, kinda way, and said, "alas, my child, tis not within my powers to grant unto thee thy wish"

... leaving the other goddess... who one day said, "soo, you want to see Laura Calder eh? HOW BADLY do you want it?".... All decorum and composure flew out the window as I wailed, PLEEEEEZEEEEE, YOU GOTTTA LET ME COME, PLEEEEEEEEEEEZE, I BEG YOUUUUU, I'LL DO SUTTEE FOR YOU.... I'LL THROW MYSELF IN THE FLAMES.... JUST GIVE ME THE DARN SEAT OKAY!

Despite appearing evil, She is actually quite kind, and after much grovelling, she acquiesed, and YAY, my ticket to Laura was secured. Thanks to AWhiffofLemongrass and Alice George PR Company, and Guldip, bless her.

So, joining the rakyat, I hop onto the KL Monorail, happy as a lark, as I make my way to Berjaya Times Square, to the Berjaya Tastings on the 14th, the venue for the event. Familiar faces are there, ...Aly of RedFM, my favourite DJ, my dear Boolicious, Hooi Khaw, Mrs Frat Mustard, and Superwilson.

They announce her arrival.....I think EVERYONE'S first thought was, WOW, SHE IS TALL!!!! I felt like returning to the Shire, to my hobbit hole the minute she walked in. Almost regal. And oh so very charming. And stunningly photogenic.

She starts off with the apple cream tart. I noticed most TV chefs start off with dessert. She made it look simpler than cooking instant noodles. Rub flour and butter, line pan, whisk cream and cream cheese, fill pan, line with pre cut apples, sprinkle almonds, and pop into oven. Of course, these professional chefs have the ready made product, as everything is fast forwarded in real life, and tah dah, the finished product.


The finished apple cream tart...picture perfect.


Then she cooks the Asparagus served with orange sauce and shallots. Blanched asparagus, punctuated with witty repartee and culinary tales that enraptured the audience, a zested orange, and a revelation that her fridge is full of bald oranges, that have been shaved, a bit of waffle here and there, and presto, we have our appetizers....


Asparagus, in individual servings, for guests to taste. Was this really cooked by her? Well, we wouldn't know would we.


This, we know for a fact, IS cooked by her but we don't get to try it, as its for display.


"in my country, we call this a baseball bat".. she proceeds to prepare the Steak Au Poivre with Potato Gratin...well, it wasn't quite potato gratin, but more like potato cake. All this was done in less than 10 minutes, I reckon, which really goes to show, cooking can be really quite simple.


This is what we get to try......


And this is what is cooked and plated by Ms Calder herself.


Mrs Fratmustard and Alison Victor of Red FM. Read her story here. She has correctly titled her post A FRENCH AFFAIR WITH LAURA CALDER, which is the proper name for the event.


Superwilson. Don't you just want to pinch those smiley cheeks. (on the face I mean)


Hooi Khaw and friend.

Finally after a Q&A session, where I found out the cycling scene in the beginning credits, was filmed in Nova Scotia, not Bordeaux, she fields our questions with the diplomacy of a politician.




So there we have it, I have finally seen Miss Laura Calder live. Thanks to Thamby and Alice George PR.....



And it may seem ridiculous at MY age, but hey, I simply HAD to get her autograph.....



I slept well that night......

Maria, I Just Met A Girl Named Maria

Maria!
I've just met a girl named Maria,
And suddenly that name
Will never be the same
To me.... -

From The Bernstein Musical - Westside Story

When I got a call from Mae Ho, the Lady Boss of the Berjaya University College of Hospitality, (why didn't they have such interesting tertiary education places when I was growing up?! I might have been a local celebrity chef by now, ahem!) inviting me to a food demo by Maria Cordero, I was thrilled. Again, the invitation was thanks to Eu Hooi Khaw..... that dear lady who has been so very nice to us group of food bloggers, as she had given my name to Mae. Thanks so much Mae, if you are reading this. It was a fabulous event.

Yeah, so anyway, as it was a Selangor holiday, I thought I should not risk being late, ....I take these appointments with celebrities, ahem, very seriously, so I braved the masses and the threat of H1N1 and took the MONORAIL. Very convenient.

I had NO idea that Berjaya had such a grand set up in Times Square. After meandering to and fro in a maze, I finally found the venue for the event. Very la di dah, the press, very important looking people, the AFC rep, the Hong Kong Tourism Director, the Berjaya who's who....

I didn't get the name of the local emcee fella, but I have to say he did a fantastic job. Articulate, witty, and speaks well. With the local standards of English plummeting faster than the new depths our politicians sink, its heartening to see eloquent and grammatically correct emcees. The suave director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, David Liu (I think) certainly made us want to hop onto the next flight to Hong Kong. And the affable AFC rep, Simon, must have one of the best jobs in the world. When I mentioned this to him, he said, "nooo, not at all, it makes you hungry all the time". Or something to that effect.


The cooking island was laid out, like a concert stage awaiting the arrival of the Diva.

The event organisers. AFC, Hong Kong Tourism Board,



and...



Star Quality. Some people obviously have an abundance of it. Be it when they sing, or act, or cook, and this lady here is one such person. She radiates such a charming persona, it is impossible not to be taken by her. And her recipes make you feel that yes, I want to make that, it looks so easy.














Her tip for wives out there, don't call your husband and say, "oi, where are you ah? what time you coming home?". Instead, lovingly coo, "dahling ah, I am cooking your favourite dish tonight, are you coming home for dinner?". I would pay heed to this wise woman's words of wisdom. She runs a large household, with 4 generations under one roof and cooks for her grandchildren even. She is a SUPERWOMAN.








One of the things about Maria that struck me is how friendly and affable she is. I've seen some celebrities who are so up themselves, their a** is almost coming out of their mouths, but Maria is a people's person. Not an air of pretentiousness. She is seen here feeding her assitant the mushroom cappucino she just whipped up in a jiffy.


While waiting for the Rice Cooker Chicken to cook, she obliges us with her really powerful voice.





The chicken is ready. No need for formalities. She pierces it with a fork, lifts it and plunges the cooked chook into a waiting tub of ice water, to make the skin nice and firm. I shall try that in the shower too, after a hot shower, run myself under cold water to keep my skin nice and firm.








This innovative Diva made these Bitter Gourd Pickle in her hotel room last night. Apparently you just chop up the bitter gourd, boil a rock sugar solution with some sour plum, cool the solution, and chuck in the gourd, and voila, SWEET gourd the next day. The gourd was nice and crunchy, and not a hint of bitterness. Well, I personally like my bitter gourd to be ...well, BITTER, but hey, a lot of people don't like it bitter, so what better way to eat Foo Gwa.


She obliges to take pictures with individuals. Featured here is The Nomad Gourmand. Food bloggers also present were Boolicious, my blogging idol, Superwilson and Sid of Big Boys Oven. Oh, and Jason Mumbles was the photographer for the event.

After the cooking demo, we were treated to lunch at SAMPLINGS ON THE 14th. I am not sure if it is a restaurant or a simulated restaurant for the culinary school.


The yam puff was yummy and yammy.


Very healthy Maria Cordero Styled food. Steamed chicken, stir fried vegetables, a more watery version of her mushroom cappucino, and the mushroom rice.


Red Bean Soup for dessert. Blended smoothly. Not heavy, not sweet.


The organisers of the event, watching Maria perform. David tries to scuttle away as Maria invites him to join her in a song.





That's the boss of the University. What an elegant looking lady! I think I want to enrol in a course here.


The AFC fella.





The many faces and talents of Maria Cordero.

Well, the objective of the event was to promote Hong Kong as a tourist destination, but really, do they need to promote Hong Kong? Food is excellent there, the nightlife pulsating, shopping a paradise to the shoppers... and air asia flies there too!!!! Now, if only I can find some cheap accommation, I am soooo there!!!!!