Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar @ The Gardens

The Sage, still my most favorite fine dining restaurant :-)

Bouillabaisse of Seafood Soup with Gruyère Crouton

Seafood my favorite, my favorite is seafood. This mini seafood food has scallop(scallop always won't go wrong with any type of preparation), prawn(which is nicely cook, not rubbery), squid(add little bit of chewy texture to the soup) and fish fillet(taste ordinary). The soup is good at balancing but not amazing although I would prefer a more thicken version of bouillabaisse.
A good bouillabaisse take at least two days to cook. - Gordan Ramsey 

Two Way of Preparation Lamb with Saffron Spice and Baby Spinach

Among all kind of meats or seafoods, I rarely eat lamb which can count with my fingers :D This lamb is more like an Indian dish, the highlight is on the curry lamb. The lamb is so awesome which is very tender while the lamb lollipop(rack) is cook to medium rare, which is juicy but just lack of flavor/seasoning. The side dish of couscous is flavored with spice and saffron, aromatic and go well with the curry lamb.

Fresh Red Cherry Fruit with Champagne Ice Cream

Come to the dessert, it is the first time that the dessert so outstanding and I think it is best dish in the lunch menu. The gem of champagne ice cream is heavenly amazing! Instantly melt in mouth, ultra soft texture and most important the ice cream is low in sugar and the champagne flavor just burst out! Brilliant, simple yet delicious dessert :D Lovely!

Mascarpone Ice Cream

When come to homemade ice cream, most peoples will say that the cost is expensive(for buy the whipping cream/heavy cream), they will rather choose to buy it from the supermarket. I'll agree with that in a normal case.

But if you are really going to make your own ice cream, are you really going to try out the chocolate ice cream, strawberry or even vanilla? I'm surely won't do it unless I really have the extra $ for that :) or maybe in a special case that I want to compare homemade style with the supermarket commercial style and the good quality of gelato, such as Haagen Dazs or Baskin Robbins.


The first idea I can think about is to make my own flavor of ice cream/special flavor ice cream which I rarely can get it at outside there! For example, lavender vanilla ice cream, aged Sumatra Mandheling coffee ice cream or some rare ice cream which you mostly only able to taste it at fine dining restaurant, such as olive oil ice cream, popcorn ice cream and even more!

Frozen Desserts by

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (Author) and Francisco J. Migoya (Author)

Comparison between Ice Cream and Custard-base Ice Cream

I'd like this book so much, it is all about the professional to make the cold desserts(ice cream, gelato, sorbet, mousse and etc). Ice cream can be easy in term, or super duper professional in term. This book is not only teach you how to make the ice cream but also a lots of formula and calculation for the recipe of ice cream with the very detail of description. This is same for chocolate confectionery, it can be super duper professional :)

Mascarpone Ice Cream Recipe

So I flip over all the recipes, at the end I decide to try out the Mascarpone Ice Cream. To ensure my success of the experiment, I decide to get myself an ice cream maker as well because in the future, I wish to try out more flavors of ice cream~~

One of my friend comment that the ice cream is too sweet for him maybe because of the richness of the ice cream as the note mention below the recipe :) But it is good enough for me ^.^

Kenwood IM280 Ice Cream Maker

I have a hard time to find the ice cream maker, I visited many hypermarkets' electronics department still can't even find it and at last I got it from the ONKING electronics store.

Skim Milk

There are many ingredients in the book are quite hard to find at local here. I'm quite lucky because I have saw the skim milk available at Cold Storage before. Some others hypermarket, such as Jusco don't have sell it. Personally, I don't like the taste of skim milk to drink it plain :(

Mascarpone Cheese

Quality of the mascarpone is a MUST, they are the taste of your ice cream! For cheaper mascarpone cheese of this brand, try to look out at Hook Choon(Jln Ampang) or the bakery ingredient suppliers.

Egg Yolks with Half the Sugar

Whisk together the egg yolks with half the sugar until foamy.

Soften Mascarpone Cheese

Whisk to soften the mascarpone before add into the base will help easier to dissolve.

Ready-Custard Base

Cool over an ice bath(after add mascarpone and strain) immediately to prevent it continue cooking from remaining heat.

Ready-Mascarpone Ice Cream Base

Pour into desire container to age :) I make 1L of the ice cream~

The Making of Mascarpone Ice Cream

After aged, pour into ice cream maker and churn to the desired consistency.

Mascarpone Ice Cream (1L)

Woala! It is done and ready to melt in the mouth! Rich and creamy!

Mascarpone Ice Cream

Mascarpone Ice Cream In Quenelle Form

For a more professional, scoop your ice cream into quenelle! I'm still on the very beginner stage :p

Scooping flawless quenelles takes a lot of practice and patient for sure, it is the product of an experienced hand.Quenelles just look better because they are more refined than a scooped ball and are a display of the pastry cook's and pastry chef's finesse and skill. They show an attention to detail and care for your products, the pastry shop' and customers. - Quote from Frozen Desserts



Cost: Roughly 30-35RM(1 Tub of 1L)

Recipe:

700g Skim Milk
210g Sugar
88g Egg Yolks
250g Mascarpone

1.Place the milk in a sauce-pot along with half the sugar. Heat over high heat for about 1 minute to dissolve some , but not all, of the sugar. The undissolved sugar will be settle at the bottom of the pot to prevent the milk from scorching.

2.While this mix comes to a boil, place the egg yolks and the remainder of the sugar in a bowl. Whisk until it becomes a uniform mass.

3.Once the liquid comes to a boil, slowly pour half of it into the egg yolk-sugar mix while whisking constantly.

4.Once half of the liquid has been tempered with the egg yolk0sugar mix, pour the contents of the bowl back into the pot while whisking constantly and turn the heat down to medium or medium low.

5.Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 76°C. At this temperature the mixture reaches a consistency call nappe, or "coat".

6.Turn the heat off and strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.

7.Add the mascarpone while the base is still hot. Whisk thoroughly to completely dissolve the mascarpone.

8.Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer and cool over an ice bath. Age the base under refrigeration overnight.

9.Once the base has aged, churn to desired consistency.

10.Harden for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours. Reserve until needed.


*This ice cream make with "Classic Method Base"(Step1 to step6) which it is the "mother" recipe from which all other recipes are formulated.

Important Note: Always add 0.5g salt per liter of base. This will enhance flavors significantly. Do not consider it as part of the formula because the presence of this amount will not affect the structure or balance of the recipe.

Fui Cooks At Home V: Destruction, The "Man-Go-Zilla"

This is the best and most complicate dish I ever make, trying out all the new recipe and tools that I never use before. Of course, this is the dish which involve of "Molecular Technique" and you can't do it unless you get the Whipped Cream Charger. For me, I use the trusted brand of iSi Gourmet Whip Plus 1L. You can get this in KL but that are more pricey than I get it with 250RM and they don't have the Gourmet Whip but the normal cream whipper.

Fine Dining Dishes by Fui

Original Recipes

This is the original recipes that I'm going to do but I made some changes at the end. The original recipe include of 6 sub-recipes: Mango Cheesecake Foam, Sablee Pastry/Crumbs, Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Mascarpone Ice Cream, Mango "Building"(Which is a jelly mold that fill with mango cheesecake foam) and Lemon Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter).

This sound like a crazy recipe if going to do all these alone, that's why I made some changes to simplify it :)

Mascarpone Ice Cream

The mascarpone ice cream recipe will be share by the next post! This ice cream is so awesome great, smooth, melt-in-mouth as what the fine dining restaurant serve. This is the standard!

Lemon Infused Milk

Part of the mango cheesecake foam ^.^ I'm too lazy to take that much of picture and I think the recipe at bottom is easy to understand.

Ready-Mango Cheesecake Foam In iSi Cream Whipper

For the first time to use the cream charger, I feel so excited! At the end, it is not end up with the satisfy result and very soon I catch the trick and successfully make it!

Sablee Pastry

The easy but delicious sablee pastry before bake. It can use as any type of cheesecake base!

Mango Puree

As usual, I always prefer the top notch quality of the ingredient, this mango puree won't be exceptional. I have use the "water-lily" mango which is very sweet, juicy that will make your cheesecake foam flavorsome :D

Dessert

Destruction, The "Man-Go-Zilla"

Deconstructed, Mango Cheesecake Foam with Sablee Crumbs and Mascarpone Ice Cream

"Deconstruct" is commonly use in molecular cuisine, for example, deconstruct tiramisu by Chef Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin.
I get the mango cheesecake foam recipe from Pier by Greg Doyle Cookbook which I love it very very so much! The mascarpone ice cream recipe from Frozen Desserts by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (Author) and Francisco J. Migoya (Author) which is another cookbook all about the cold dessert and Cool dessert, the very detail of ice cream, gelato, granite, mousse and much more of the professional formulas and calculation.

I'd replace the mango "building" with the mango shell :p The dish name of "Man-Go-Zilla" which is the idea that pop in my mind: "Mango", "Godzilla" and "Gila(Crazy)". The so complicate recipe if you do it alone for the newbie like me surely will drive you into Gila-Mode, combination of the mango and gila, present in the deconstruct mode, just like a Godzilla bring down the destruction :) Oh... that mascarpone quenelle is "Godzilla" egg XD

The Revised Version

The Eruption, Volcano

Deconstructed, Mango Cheesecake Foam with Sablee Crumbs, Strawberry Compote and Mascarpone Ice Cream

Lets change the background screen LOL when the "Godzilla" going to born beside the anger volcano, the "magma" is bursting out from the "volcano"!

Absolutely awesome look of the melting mascarpone ice cream! Ah ha!

My friend had tried the dish and he comment that the ice cream is great, the mango cheesecake foam is bit sourish(I'm a lover a sour, lemon!lime! That's why it suits me and forget to adjust the sourness before serve to him >.<) but the mango flavor is so great(Of course I use good quality of mango).

Another friend just tried the mascarpone ice cream. He comment that the ice cream is so thick and sweet for him. In fact, the ice cream is very thick and the minimum level of sugar use according to the recipe, it is even using the skimmed milk.



Cost: Undefined (Tools and Portion depend)

Recipe:
Sugar Syrup
165g Sugar
190ml Water

Mango Puree
1(700-800g) Large Mango, Peeled, stoned, and diced
100-150ml Sugar Syrup
A Few Drops of Lemon Juice

Mango CheeseCake Foam*
5g** Gelatine Power
250ml Milk
55g Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
Lemon Zest
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
100g Cream Cheese

Sablee Pastry
100g Unsalted Butter
50g Pure Icing Sugar, Sifted
1/2 Egg Yolk
125g Plain(All Purpose) Flour, Sifted
Pinch of Salt

Mascarpone Ice Cream***
Refer to link above

Mango Shell
1 Large Mango

For the Revised Version (The Eruption, Volcano)
Strawberry Compote
200g Strawberries
30ml Sugar Syrup



In a pan, bring the sugar and water to the boil for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

To make the mango puree, puree the mango flesh in a blender until smooth. Add the sugar syrup and lemon juice and blend again. Pass through a fine stainless-steel mesh sieve and refrigerate.

To make the cheesecake foam, soak the gelatine in a small bowl of water. Place the milk, half the sugar and the lemon zest in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and remaining sugar. In another bowl, soften the cream cheese with the strained lemon juice. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour back into a clean saucepan, add the gelatine and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of the spoon.Then strain through a fine-mesh stainless steel into a bowl over an ice-water bath. Cream the cream cheese and lemon juice mixture with 150g of the mango puree until smooth, then whisk this into the milk mixture. Pour into a cream siphon/charger, adding two N2O chargers, and chill in the fridge.

In the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and icing sugar until pale. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed, add the egg yolk and mix. Add the flour and salt and mix just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill thoroughly before rolling.

Roll out the sablee pastry to 5mm thick and place on a baking tray. Bake at 180°C until golden brown. Allow to cool, then break into pieces and blitz in a food processor to form fine crumbs.

For strawberries compote, wash and hull the strawberries, cut into small pieces. Blend for five seconds together with the sugar syrup, until there are still some smaller pieces there. Pass through a fine stainless-steel mesh sieve and reserve the small pieces of strawberries flesh. Refrigerate before serve.

To serve, arrange the sablee crumbs on the plate. Fill the mango shell with the mango cheesecake foam and drizzle with the mango puree. Place the mascarpone ice cream quenelle on the other side of sable crumbs.


For The Eruption, Volcano. Place a cylinder on the plate and use the sable crumb to mound around it. Lift up the cylinder and fill with mango cheesecake foam. Drizzle the strawberry compote on top of the crumbs. Place the mascarpone ice cream quenelle on the other side of sable crumbs.



* The origin recipe from Pier is form with Mango cheesecake foam(with isomalt caramel parcel), Mango puree, Lemon Beurre Noistte. Due to I can't find and don't know where to find the isomalt, I replace with the mango shell.

**The origin recipe use gelatine sheet instead of gelatine powder. Beware of it, do use only 3g gelatine powder if you not going to serve it soon. If you use 5g of gelatine powder, serve the mango cheesecake foam within 5hours, otherwise it will solidified and can't charge out.

***I have add the mascarpone ice cream recipe into this dish by my own.




Upcoming: Mascarpone Ice Cream!
Stay Tune!
Thanks!

Fui Cooks At Home III: Tuck, Tuck, Tuck Into "Duck"

I'm myself not fans of green salad :D but having these TWO as the components, I definitely like it, the smoked duck breast and the toasted macadamia nuts.

Fine Dining Dished by Fui

Among the smoked salmon, chicken and duck, I like the smoked duck breast the most while the smoked chicken breast also good idea for canape!

You can get the crouton in package at supermarket and I make it myself, just simple put the diced bread in heated oven(turn off) for overnight.

Not using that much of lettuce at once which need to buy the whole lettuce at supermarket. Not affraid, you can get the packed garden salad, caeser salad and other. It save your money and time as well :)

Toasted Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nut itself is awesome delicious even eat it plain. Toast it with herb and crown it with the white truffle oil, it is heavenly delicious. I learned this recipe three years ago while I had my industry training at Nikko Hotel (Now known as Intercontinental Hotel). This yummy snack is serve as cheese accompaniment. I found it can coat with white truffle oil instead of marinated into olive oil and sun dried tomato.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

One of the most common vinaigrette, but this is the first time I make it by myself and satisfied with it. Tad sweet and salty really great with the salad!

Salad

Tuck, Tuck, Tuck Into "Duck"

Smoked Duck Breast Garden Salad with Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Cost: Roughly 15RM
Recipe:
80g Butterhead Lettuce
10g Radicchio
3pcs Cherry Tomato, halved
10g Croutons
5pcs Smoked Duck Breast
Reserved Toasted Macadamia Nuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette (Recipe As Below)

Toasted Macadamia Nuts:
40g Macadamia Nuts
SQ Salt
SQ Black Pepper
2Teaspoons Alba White Truffle Oil

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
3Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2Teaspoons Good Quality Honey
2Teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

For the macadamia nuts, heat the pan with some olive oil. Pan fry the nuts until golden brown, seasoned with salt and pepper. For more flavorsome, can add two pieces bay leaves and some dried herbs, such as oregano to pan fry together. Mix with white truffle oil and reserved.

For the vinaigrette, put together balsamic vinegar and honey into small pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat, slowly whisk in olive oil until it look like emulsified, cool to room temperature.

To serve, nicely arrange the lettuce, radicchio, cherry tomatoes on the plate. Top with toasted macadamia nuts, croutons and smoked duck breast. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and serve




Upcoming...
Stay Tune!
Thanks!

Fui Cooks At Home IV: Oh My "God"

Apologize for the late update, been confusing by something recently and moody, also a little bit of laziness.

I'll skip the salad course because I'm still not yet think of any good idea for it :(

Fine Dining Dishes by Fui

Among the Chicken, Pigeon, Duck, Fish or any Seafood, Beef or Lamb... ...Cod Fish always the "God" in the top list, all the time.

I like the cod since first time I ate it when I was still a child. The first question I ask my mother,"What fish is this?Why there is no bone?"

Yea, I do always complain to my mother why all those fishes so many small bones inside, and I love the cod since I know about it.

Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms

I remember the Best Cod Fillet I ever had at Lafite, Shangri-La Hotel. The cod fillet was cook to nicely well done and it is not only flaky but juicy! The best cod in the town!

Pickled Capsicum

I had a hard time to search for cod fillet, every hypermarket and the wet market at the morning, still it was a surprise that I had finally found it at the Isetan Food Market, KLCC. Note, the cod fillet is different from the cod block, which is look much better in presentation.

Cod Fillet Glazed with Honey

Honey Glazed Scallop with Wild Mushrooms

Honestly, I'm not so satisfy with the presentation and the taste is OK, 6 out of 10. But I have no time to adjust because I don't like cold cod as my dinner :D

Main Course

Oh My "God"

Honey Glazed Baked Cod Fish with Scallops, Wild Mushrooms, Pickled Capsicum and Lemon Vinaigrette

Cost: Roughly 60RM

Recipe:

Pickled Capsicum
SQ Red Capsicum, Finely Slice
SQ Yellow Capsicum, Finely Slice
SQ Green Capsicum, Finely Slice
250ml Water
2Teaspoons Sea Salt
50ml Mirin
25ml Soy Sauce
1Teaspoon Sugar
2Teaspoons White Wine Vinegar

Honey Glaze
3Teaspoons Honey
1Teaspoons Lemon Juice

Lemon Vinaigrette
2Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2Teaspoons White Truffle Oil
1/2Teaspoons Lemon Juice
Baked Cod Fillet
200g Cod Fillet
SQ Salt
SQ Black Pepper
Honey Glaze

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms and Scallop
30g Mixed Wild Mushrooms, Dehydrated
3pieces Large Scallop
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Honey Glaze
Asparagus
Trout Caviar

Method:
For the pickled capsicum, mix all ingredients until fully dissolved, except the sliced capsicum. Then, add in the sliced capsicum, cover in air tight container and put in the chiller to marinated for 6hours.

Mix well the honey with the lemon in a small bowl, reserved.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and the truffle oil. Then add in the lemon juice and mix well, reserved.

Season the cod fillet with salt and pepper.Preheat oven to 200°C/392°F. Heat the pan and slightly pan sear the cod fillet. Transfer to oven-proof plate(wrapped with aluminum foil and little bit of olive oil),skin side down and brush with honey glaze. Bake for 20-25minutes, depend on the size of the cod fillet.

Wash and blanch the asparagus with salted water for 1minute, transfer to ice bath and reserved.

While baking the cod, 10minutes before it done, heat the pan with olive oil, sauteed the wild mushrooms. Then with the pan, sear the scallop with the honey glaze.

To serve, place the pickled capsicum and top with asparagus and the cod fillet. Divide and spoon a small portion of mushrooms on the plate and top with the seared scallop. Drizzle with lemon vinaigrette and some trout caviar.




Upcoming...
Stay Tune!
Thanks!