1. Truffle oil
On the way back from Italy, I was "forced" to transit in Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport for a few hours while waiting for my connecting flight to Singapore. Since it way too expensive to get a Prada handbag in duty free even though they looked mighty tempting, instead I consoled myself by getting gourmet goodies. Not a huge variety of items but they had truffle oil, something I have been eyeing for a while. Definitely lighter on the wallet vs whole truffles. Last night, I had to chance to break the seal and sniff the oil. Fantastic stuff that smelled so heavenly I reckon they should make it into body cream or even perfume. Expect more homecooked meals with truffle oil. I reckon, I can add it to mushrooms soups and mashed potatoes. For last night's dinner - I infused my raw egg with the oil and slowly fried it. Somehow the egg tasted richer and a tad more luxurious than normal. (Postscript: For those who want to get truffle oil, delicious ingredients at Dua Residency stocks white and black truffle oil)
2. Truffle salsa
Fans of Tetsuya will know of his infamous truffle salsa. Google it on the net and you'll find it everywhere. Sadly I have yet to taste this famous salsa (saw it once at Uncle Ho's!) even though I have been trying my best to get my hands on it. I spied a bottle of truffle salsa (not Tetsuya's though) at delicious ingredients recently and decided to put it to good use. A mix of a spoonful of the aromatic black truffle salsa transformed my ordinary pasta into something spectacular. Amazing stuff. Next I plan to make that famous truffle butter everyone raves about. Can't wait to try that.
3. Greenpan
Asian Food Channel viewers will definitely know all about the Greenpan. Recently I got my hands on one and decided since I had to make fried eggs last night, it would be appropriate to "de-virginise" the pan. Amazing item, as my eggs slid off easily making fried eggs, a piece of cake. I reckon I'm in love with the pan, which is coated with Thermolon vs Teflon, which when overheated releases all those harmful substances. Next test for the pan is seeing if it can last in the oven.
4. Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Last but not least, I love all kinds of kitchen gadgets and one of my favourite buys has been my Microplane grater. It works so well with hard cheeses like Parmesan - creating fine ribbonlike shreds that melt in the mouth when you eat it. That small but crucial addition seems to add that extra oomph to my meal.
* Note 1 - my recipe for dinner was based on David Lakes' recipe on Cuisine. I made some changes like adding more truffle salsa to my own taste and keeping the pasta water to toss the ingredients together as they tend to stick after it gets slightly cold.
** Note 2 - took me 30 minutes to cook the dinner and in return, it was utter bliss especially when you break the egg yolk, mix it with the truffle salsa pasta and take a large forkful of pasta - yummmmmm....
18 comments:
gosh, that looks really mouthwatering ... pasta, egg, truffles and cheese ... that's a roll call of my favorite ingredients! now if only you had added some foie gras ... :D
i envy anyone who can cook well. i can't, so i don't bother to keep any cooking equipment at home ... no oven, no microwave, no stove, no kettle, nothing ...
The pasta looks delicious. We only cook simple pasta, with ready-made sauce. Yeah, even if it's duty free, bags are still expensive!
Truffles! My favourite! I do agree that buying the oil is much lighter on the wallet than the truffles itself! Great cookout!
truffles! never try it before but your pasta sure looks delicious and so mouth watering!
Sean - I also bought foie gras in Paris! LOL, keeping that to make a chris salans recipe I learnt with mangoes that was simply divine.
sugar bean - I still prefer to cook my own sauces, as it's simple. Go try the Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce, 10xs better than a bottled sauce and so simple; just cook canned tomatoes with butter and onion for a wonderful light meal.
eiling - I had loads in Italy - black truffles over risotto and this wonderful white chocolate truffle. Guess I'm hooked on them now.
Allie - that's so sweet of you. If you have a chance, give it a try as they're fantastic stuff.
My my...this looks absolutely divine!! Now, where did I put my truffle paste...?? =)
bangsar-babe - easy to whip up too!
simply elegant
saw the pan too..but its like 400pls!?
haha tell me abt prada..was oogling at the shoes till i saw the prices!
eyeing the pan for quite sometime but can't justify the price tag that I have to pay for it :) still got my trusty non-stick pan at home...
But then, the truffle oil is something Jenn, my wife, would love to have while cooking. HOw I wish that she would take initiative to wash everything after that :(
Gahhh! Who knew an egg and some pasta could make ART? A little drop of truffle oil goes a long, L-O-N-G way! Thanks for the tip about Dua, I absolutely must get myself a bottle.
Oooh la la!
ciki - yums too!
Joe - the sad thing abt me is, I'll spend the monies on the pan vs prada! LOL.
leo - am sure yr wife will wash up after you. Just dangle the carrot of yummy food for her?
550ml - dua's truffle oils seem cheaper. I just saw in Nerodeli, they had a bottle all written in Italy for RM130! Yikes that is a hefty amt to pay.
qwazymonkey - oui oui!
Yummy and delicious. But Online Healthy Diet meal Plans great offer about healthy diet foods.
thxs faisal.
quite a simple yet decadent meal :) I too would spend on the pan vs. prada..hehe...
OHH i love microplane too! I once shaved off half of my thumb bcos I was so enthralled by my chocolate ribbons :P needless to say my cake was extra yummy from all the blood :P
and yes truffles - fresh, oil, paste or salsa do make everything taste a bit more divine innit? It's now asparagus season here and it pairs of so beautifully with truffles!
this is so awesome!can't wait to try this. i love how you put the egg in there!so delish!
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