Swan's place

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2012-01-22T10:11:00.006+08:00

Tomorrow is the first day of Chinese New Year.
Tomorrow we'll fly to Vancouver for 5 weeks. Also the beginning of a new beginning....

Happy New Year of the Dragon!

copy of our latest newsletter

2011-10-11T07:16:00.001+08:00

This week we send out newsletters to family and friends. Possibly there are people whose emailadress I do not have - but who do read this blog and would like to know how we are doing.
So here it is, the latest update of our plans!

******************************************************

Dear family and friends,

Last week we send out an email to our family and friends in Dutch - and I realized it might be nice to keep our english (and other languages)speaking friends and family informed as well!
Informed of how we are doing, and of our plans for the near future.

We are doing very well. Life in HongKong remains busy and interesting. There's lots of work, going out with friends, and travelling. Mostly for Jaaps business in the past few months but we manage to put a fair bit of fun into that as well. Like last month, when he had 5 days worth of work in HoChiMinhCity in Vietnam - we went there a few days in advance so we could do some sightseeing together before the work started.

Our life might be changing a lot next year.
There's a sistercompany of HITT HongKong, in Vancouver, Canada.
They are in need of a new managing director and Jaap has been asked to do that- and we more or less accepted. But...We cannot just leave HongKong behind without a successor.
So the solution for the next six or so months is that Jaap will be going to Vancouver a couple of times to assist and join meetings. In the mean time we can look for a successor in HongKong and if and when such person is found and well prepared, and when all our paperwork for Canada is in place, we will leave for Vancouver.
Or, option two (but less likely) would be we find someone to manage Vancouver and we will remain in HongKong.
So for the next months there will be a lot of flying between Canada and HongKong for us. We're not sure about the frequency yet - possibly two or three weeks Canada every two months.

All this is very new news and still 'liquid'- as in: it changes about every week. So both of us are very curious about the future and what our next newsletter will tell.

We will be happy either way: life in Canada will be totally different from HongKong and will involve lots of clean air and nature, but we still love HongKong and would be completely OK with staying.

To be continued!

Love to everybody,

Mickey & Jaap

Last week in Brisbane

2011-07-05T14:45:00.013+08:00

And there we were, in Brisbane.

It was deliciously cool and fresh and airy and there were koala's, kangaroos, birds and snakes at the Zoo we visited on sunday - a pleasure to be outside and wander around, enjoying the sun and the sights.

And then it was Monday. Lunch-with-Barbara-Monday!
She and her husband Bryan picked me up in my hotel and took me to the Southbank of the city, where culture and good food can be found.

We sat down at this lovely place, which served a tapas-style lunch.

It was so wonderful to sit down together, enjoy a shandy, some light starters, a nice maincourse, but mostly, just chat away.
About food, ofcourse. About travelling. About living in Brisbane, and living in HongKong. About plans. About her health (Barbara is batteling cancer), about children, in short - about life!

And again it struck me how nice and easy it is to talk to people you have something in common with. The love for food, in this case. And how that makes that two women, with very different backgrounds, histories and stories, end up chatting the afternoon away as if we're doing this every month.

We even forgot to take pictures of us together. Yes, we got the restaurant, the food. But not ourselves!
Good thing we found out that by coincidence we had restaurant reservations for the same place, the next day!...so we were able to get our snapshots together. (As it was quite dark in there they are not the sharpest ever, but...ah wel, you get the picture :-) )

Thank you Barbara and Bryan for a lovely, lovely afternoon together!

Next week in Brisbane

2011-06-21T18:11:00.004+08:00

My husbands work brings us all around Asia and beyond. Because if he has to go somewhere(nice)for business, I try to join him. And if I can't, I try to use that time to travel somewhere interesting by myself, like to Japan last year.
Next week there's work in Brisbane, Australia. Ofcourse I'll join him. And ofcourse we juggle the long weekend in HongKong, right after the work, into our trip, so we get some time off there as well.

One of the things I like to do when travelling, is meeting people I 'know' from one of my favourite websites, Chocolate and Zucchini. I have been more or less active on their forum since 2004 and have participated in food-and-giftswaps, get-togethers and one-on-one meetings. Somehow meeting a group of complete strangers is a lot less scary if you share the same interest!

There was a groupmeeting in New York in a fabulous italian restaurant, which the writer of the blog, Clotilde, was hosting.

There was lunch with a few forum members in New York while we all just happen to be there - neither of us lives there. (hi Judy, hi Greg, hi David!)

There was a lunch in Tel Aviv, more then one meeting in Paris with Debbie (and her hubby), a couple of days with her in Australia as well.
I feel blessed to be able to meet all these wonderful people and share a meal, a shoppingspree, lots of food-talk...

And next week, in Brisbane, I will be meeting the lovely Barbara of Winos and Fodies. Another inspiring lady on the forums and in her blog, and I can't wait for us to get together and start talking!

Pictures will be shared, ofcourse...

my big sis is here!

2011-03-29T17:30:00.001+08:00

And boy, did we start talking...

Fun weeks to come with her here for three weeks all together, in which we'll visit Singapore, explore HongKong, and our brother, and-sister in law will join us in HongKong the last ten days as well.

earth hour

2011-03-26T21:21:00.005+08:00

We're lighting a candle and turning of the lights. And we're comparing the lights of yesterday (as seen from our livingroomwindow) with those of today.

yesterday

and today 20:30-21:30

Good initiative, Earth Hour!

tiramisu

2011-02-07T15:47:00.015+08:00

These days it is not a very original dessert anymore. It was when I started making this, about, ehm...*whisper*over 25 years ago...back in the days when it wasn't so easy to find mascarpone.(OMG, am I that old already?!?!)
Anyway, it still is a favourite. I sometimes try a bite when mr.Husband or friends order it in restaurants. And almost always I think: "mine is better". In restaurants they are often too wet, too watery, not creamy enough, well, you get the picture.
Saying those thoughts aloud challenges other tiramisu makers ofcourse, and modistly but proudly I can say that mine wins 'every time' in blind tests :-).

Why, you may ask? Is it such a special recipe?
Not at all, but maybe my joy in knowing there will be this huge tiramisu (with leftovers!) later is shining through?!

Tiramisu, serves 8 (recipe can easily be halved, but why would you want to?!)

4 eggs
90 gr. sugar
500 gr. mascarpone cheese
a packet of ladies fingers or italian savoiardi (in dutch: lange vingers)
about 150 ml espresso or strong coffee laced to taste with 3 tablespoons coffeeliqueur, or vanilla,cinnamon,chocolate-or-whiskey liqueur, or brandy.(I prefer not to use amaretto because the flavor is too strong almondy to my taste - but feel free if you love it!Alcohol free is also perfectly fine, or add more to taste. I like to keep it on the subtile side)
cocoapowder

-split the eggs, keep the whites at the side for later. Firmly mix the yolks and sugar together until pale yellow and creamy.
-add the mascarpone in two or three portions and mix in between until very smooth.
The mixing can be done by hand, with an electric handmixer or with your favorite new pink kitchenaid standmixer-toy :-)
-in a separate bowl beat the eggwhites until stiff and fold them through the mascarone mixture.Mix well - don't beat out all the air but don't worry too much.
-in a large bowl (I use the same size I use for lasagne, but you could make individual portions as well) first put a single layer of ladyfingers. THEN take a tablespoon and drip the espresso over, about a spoonfull per ladyfinger. (most recipes tell you to soak the ladyfingers in the coffee first. Well, that gives me the same result as dunking buiscuits in tea. You know the effect. Like this you get the perfect coffee-to-ladyfinger-ratio. They should be wet on the bottom as well but not falling apart).
-Spread half of the mascarponemix on top of the ladyfingers.
-Then repeat the ladyfingers - coffee thing for a second layer and finish with the second half of creamy, yummy mascarpone.

-cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or longer.
-take out of the fridge just before serving and top with a good dusting of cocoa powder, or grated/shaved dark chocolate (I prefer cocoapowder)

ENJOY!!!!
Any leftovers can/will happily be consumed for breakfast the next day...

Variations:

it is definitely not a classic tiramisu, but the mascarpone mixture tastes wonderful with red summerfruits, or, for example, mango.
Make layers of mangopuree and mascarponemix and serve the ladyfingers on the side, or soak them in orangejuice with a nice fruity liqueur and build up the same as the tiramisu.

** as this desert contains raw eggs please be careful when serving to the elderly, small children or pregnant women. You could use pasturised eggyolks and eggwhites if you like or make a version of tiramisu without eggs by using well whipped cream to mix with the mascarpone and sugar**

*disclaimer* As I did not take any pictures last time I made tiramisu I got the pictures from the internet. Thank you photographers!*

color blind

2011-01-14T09:45:00.001+08:00

:-)

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year dear friends!

merry x-mas, part II

2010-12-23T13:53:00.001+08:00

It's too funny not to share...

happy holidays everyone!

Merry X-mas!

2010-12-20T10:25:00.005+08:00

Dear All,

Best wishes for happy Holidays and a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!

Love, Jaap & Mickey

home made vanilla extract - in the making!

2010-12-11T09:25:00.011+08:00

It was in the plans for a long time already. Last year I received some home made vanilla extract from my friend Debbie. I haven't used anything else since. But now there's only a few drops left.
So...

Yesterday I finally got out my vanilla beans, bought some vodka, split the beans, scraped out some of the seeds (got lovely smelling hands!), put it all in the bottle and in about 8 weeks, with a weekly shake and a hiding in a dark closet my homemade vanilla extract will be ready. Dark, syruppy, vanilla-y, pure, fragant gorgeous vanilla extract.

How to do it? Uhm...get some vodka, get some vanilla beans, split, mix, and wait.:-)
And read more here.

Do read all the comments as well for tips on what other alcohol you could use instead of vodka.
Since I had lots of vanilla, a whole bottle of vodka and no jar or other, smaller bottle available I decided just to infuse the whole bottle and I used about 10 vanilla pods for that. It also ment I did not have to sterilize my jar :-).
There'll be no shortage of vanilla extract in this house for a while!!

PS. Vanilla extract works wonders for smelly fridges, I learned last week after leaving half an onion in uncovered (blegh!). The usual trick (leaving some bicarb of soda in the fridge to absorb the odour) did not work so I searced online and found this tip: clean the fridge with hot water with 3 tablespoons of bicarb, and a splash of vanilla. It worked like a charm!

happy B-day

2010-12-04T12:54:00.006+08:00

Oh yeah, I am now the proud owner of a PINK KitchenAid standmixer! Thank you hubby and Happy B-day to me :-)

NY food - Serendipity 3

2010-11-09T18:11:00.007+08:00

Today I saw an old Oprah-show in which she said you HAVE to put Serendipity 3 in New York City on your bucket list. Or, to be more precise, the 'frozen hot chocolate' at Serendipity 3.
I have seen that one featured in many food shows on tv, a blog or two and just about every travel guide out there. Serendipity 3.
THE placee to go. For Frozen Hot Chocolate :-)

Or, if you fancy, for the famous us$ 1000 golden opulence sunday. Choclolate icecream, yes. With edible gold.

Since I did not have an extra $1000 in my pocket I went there for the FHC. Online I studied the menu, they had a lot of all time american favourites besides the FHC.
And a waiting line of about half an hour. Not too bad, so I decided to wait for my 'table for one'. While I was standing there another single girl came in and we decided to join up and share a table for two. We ended up sharing a cheeseburger as well, but decided on a FHC each.

Well...what shall I say.
I'm not sure it is the best chocolate milkshake I ever had. I mean, it was nice enough, and certainly big enough, but the taste? It is made with a chocolate blend from 17 different chocolates, made into a powder, their signature mix. One cup full of this powder is mixed with one cup of milk and three cups of ice, and blended 'till smooth. Then you add whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.
I have to say, it reminded me a lot of the taste of the chocolate milk made from little dissolvable chocolate powder balls called 'Benco' from when I was a child.(I loved that stuff, by the way). Or perhaps even nesquick powder.
I was a little dissapointed, so to speak. My expectations ofcourse were quite high, with all this media coverage.
But...What a charming lovely place, and what a nice afternoon I spend there with my friend-for-the-afternoon, we shared the burger, laughter and facts of life and later on had fun in Dylans Candy store next door, before each going our own way.
And Serendipity 3? Don't let my opinion stop you. If so many people like their FHC, and they sell the mix online to all over the world - it's definitely worth a try!
Wether it has to be on one's bucketlist...well..I dare to disagree with Oprah on that one!

jam and jelly and Swan turnes one!

2010-11-04T11:17:00.008+08:00

Time flies...
One morning you wake up thinking it's time to blog about your jam-making again. And then you realise: Jam! That whas my first real entry on this blog. ONE YEAR AGO!!! Time flies..!

So I was in the Netherlands again, this september. Beautiful weather, and there was time to enjoy our house, family, friends, fall weather and cooking. And my favourite: Apple and pear picking in (commercial) orchards. Sun in your face, rubber boots stuck in the mud in the wet orchards, the smell of the fermenting fruit that fell off already, doing some shopping in their organic supermarket - I love it!

I came home with bags full of apples and pears. I made some juice, I baked applepie, and I made jelly!

Searching the internet I found lots of recipies that call for extracting the juice from the fruit by cooking chunks of fruit (no peeling or coring necessary) for half an hour with water until soft, and filtering this juice through a colander lined with cheesecloth or a teatowel, to make sure you get very clear juice for unclouded jelly.

Patient as I am...I decided to take the easy, quick way out and just extract the juices in my superjuicer that can handle the whole fruit (just half them to check for worms :-) )
First I juiced the pears, left the juice to stand for half an hour so the foam could separate from the juice.

With a large spoon I removed as much foam as I could, then mesured out my juice and sugar. (like last year I used the special jam-sugar with pectine that gives you half-sweet, fresh tasting jam and jelly)
For a little difference I infused my pear jelly with rosemary, by adding a sprig of rosemary to the boiling juice and sugar and allow to infuse for about 3-4 minutes. (on 1 litre of pearjuice I used one sprig, which is plenty).

Spooning of the foam from the hot liquid, by the time the roar in the pan was over I tested the jelly and spooned it into the sterilized jars. Voila, that was my first batch!
Ofcourse the first jar is opened already and nice as it is on toast, it works wonders with cheese, or even better: use it to glaze your apple pie. No, I mean it: USE IT FOR YOUR APPLE PIE!!!

The apples underwent more or less the same treatment, this time giving the jelly a hint of calvados by adding one tablespoon of calvados only, to the amount of one litre juice and 500 grams of this special sugar. The jelly gets a nice little kick but is still ok to use with children or pregnant women - my yield was 4 jars of jelly , so hardly any alcohol per jar. Besides, the jelly is very hot when you add the calvados so some of the alcohol will evaporate.

By all means add an extra tablespoon if you like!
I am sure the jelly will mature beautifully but as it is now it has a wonderful fresh, happy, comfortable flavor. And who wouldn't want that from her jam!

Using the juicing method instead of the boiling-and-filtering method worked well for me. The pear jelly came out just a little clouded - but just a little - nice and golden and beautiful and just not 100% see-through.
The apple juice, from which it was indeed easier to remove the froth, made into a perfectly clear jelly.

Ofcourse I could not NOT make my fig-jam, so that has been done as well. With rose-tea again, this time I enhanced the rose flavor a little by adding some rose syrup.

The only downside is I could not take all my jars with me to HongKong...so while I do have some here, the rest is patiently waiting for transportation when we next visit...!

Ofcourse they use English in the supermarket!

2010-11-02T18:36:00.001+08:00

I'm glad they cleared THAT up for me :-)

so true :-)

2010-10-12T05:20:00.003+08:00

how it all started

2010-09-30T12:35:00.009+08:00

You may see that I don't post here as frequently as on my 'jaap and mickey in HongKong'blog.
That is not due to lack of things to write about, nor to the language (jaap-and-mickey is in my native language Dutch).
No, it has to do with the character I had in mind for this blog. More food, more cooking, recipes, more travels and more books. You know, like a cosy library-type café, with open doors, strawberries and a breeze in summer, and a burning fireplace and the smell of applepie in fall and winter.

And now I'm finding out that writing a bookreport, and even more so writing a good recipe, is not half as easy as it seems.
I have to admit, I haven't looked into it. I'm sure there are guidelines out there on how to write good recipes, or how to make them your own if you use others for inspiration.
But still.

There are some great examples out there. They intimidate me a little. I love reading other peoples foodblogs! I have some of my favorites mentioned in my reading list.
But for me it all began with this one. The blog that celebrates its 7th B-day this month. I have been quite active for a while on the forum and participated in foodswaps and get togethers, in New York, Paris, Tel Aviv, and all that brought me a great variety and wealth of new experiences, new foods and great new friends from all over the world, some of whom I've met once, some several times and will continue to see, and with some of whom a meeting is still in the making.

So, you see, that's quite an example. Not that I want or need to reach that as well - but I would be happy to get a little bit better at it.
So I will start to write some more again, dive into my archive of food pics from the past months, all taken with this blog in mind, and I'll keep practising. And enjoying it.

But if you can't find me here, hey, I'm probably travelling.
Or reading my favourite blogs...

a culinary Tour de France

2010-07-04T15:56:00.004+08:00

While we are still excited about our progress in the World Cup another big sport event has started. The Tour the France.
Yes, you may laugh, oh dear friends and family, as you all know how much I'm interested in sports (NOT). Still - this one I will follow with interest.
No, not the cycling one, THIS one!
Barbara, whom I've met through the forums of chocolate and zucchini, is the writer of the weblog 'winos and foodies' and has launched a great initiative:

"For the next 3 weeks a group of food bloggers will bring you the food traditions and recipes from the stages of the 2010 Tour de France. Recipes to represent each region the 2010 Tour de France will pass through."

One of the regions she herself will write about is the start, which is in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. To get a little more insight in dutch food, food culture and food history she asked for my help (Barbara is Australian) and it was great fun thinking a bit closer about the things that are so natural to me - to each of us: our typical food-habits.

I think Barbara can be very proud of the result (as am I!) and I'm looking forward to reading the specialities of the different regions of this Tour the France!

a new cookbook

2010-06-30T21:59:00.005+08:00

When surfing the internet and following links some favourite websites and blogs I often find a new gem I haven't seen before. Some end up on my favourites-list, some are bookmarked, some just visited now and then. A few keep lurking in the back of my mind, and are visited and revisited.
Stonesoup is one of them. Now and then I stop by and I keep being surprised and pleased by the beauty and simplicity of Jules' blog.
Today I found a nice surprise there: She took all her 5 ingredients/10 minute recipes and collected them into a beautifully designed e-cookbook.
Free for anyone to download. (!)
So I suggest to click here, download the e-cookbook and start drooling - eh - cooking....
Don't forget to read the rest of her blog as well!

Flourless Orange Cake

2010-05-02T12:13:00.016+08:00

This week it was Queens'Day, a famous and much loved Dutch National Holiday. The whole country dresses in orange, eats orange treats, (drinks lots of beer and a dutch liqueur called 'oranjebitter'), has the day off and celebrates with large garage-sale-like-street markets, music everywhere and parties all over.
The 30st of april was the actual birthday of our former queen Juliana. And since her daughter Beatrix, who is our queen since 1980, has her birthday in january, she decided to keep the holiday on april 30, weather-wise...and why orange? The last name of our royal family is 'van Oranje', which means orange.
I had a coffee-date with 3 dutch girlfriends at our place when I realised that would be on Queens day. No better excuse to do some baking, ofcourse!

I opted for some cookies and the flourless orange cake. Orange both in color and in flavor! I made it before, to success, and it was about time I made it again. I consider it sort of healthy - no butter, no flour, but fruit and nuts inside :-)
The recipe is well tested and written upon, to name a few: Claudia Roden, Nigella Lawson and Clotilde Dusoulier.

Flourless Orange Cake

2 or 3 oranges, preferably organic (uncooked weight anything between 250-375 gr)
6 eggs
225 gr sugar
225 gr finely ground almonds/almond powder
1 teasp. baking powder

*if you can't find almond powder or almond meal use chopped or course ground almonds and use the foodprocessor to make them finer. Pulse in short blasts to avoid making almond butter, there's a lot of oil in almonds.
** if you use whole almonds and grind them yourself, make sure you use the ones without the little brown skin - my friend made the cake with home-ground-almonds-with-skin and it turned out a bit too bitter. Thanks for the tip, Ans!

- Put the washed oranges whole in a pan and cover with cold water. Boil for 1 1/2 hours until soft. (make sure the pan doesn't boil dry). I love the smell...! Drain and let them cool.
- preheat oven until 180 C
- grease (butter, oil or spray) a round (springform) caketin (any size between 8-10 inches, 20-25 cm is fine)
- When the oranges are cooled cut in quarters, remove the pips. Put whole oranges, skin and all, in a foodprocessor and whizz 'till pureed. (or use an immersion blender, or cut by hand very, very fine).
- mix the eggs with the sugar until light yellow and creamy.
- Add almond powder, baking powder and orange puree and mix well.
- pour into prepared cakepan and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 50-60 minues, until a skewer comes out clean. Keep an eye on the color and cover with foil if necessary.
- cool inside the tin!!
- remove the tin and decorate with icing sugar or with a glaze, frosting or icing

optional:
lemon icing
150 gr icing sugar
a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
food coloring if desired ( I used a few drops of red and a few drops of yellow to create a bright orange)

- sift the icing sugar and stirr into a not too runny paste by adding first some food coloring if and when using, and then some lemon juice. Make it more runny if you like it to drip off the sides of the cake or to be less visible, or as thick/spreadable as possible to do just the top.
- spread onto the fully cooled cake

variations
This cake can be made with all sorts of citrusses. This time I used minneola's, it can be made with clementines, tangerines, mandarins, all lemons or a combination.

It tastes good at any time but is especially nice after one or two days, so ideal to bake in advance. The flavor improves, it really does. Today was day 4 and it's just getting better. Too bad we finished it...it's quite moist due to the almonds, so just keep it in a tin or covered on room temp.

the cookies were just simple butter-cut-cookie-dough, some funny cutters and lots of glazing and food coloring!

Impromptu dessert

2010-04-23T14:52:00.007+08:00

Yesterday we had an unexpected dinnerguest. One of the salesmen from Jaaps company was here and they needed some time to talk - and we all needed to eat. As our guest has been on the road for over two weeks now I suggested the men to come over for a home cooked meal - I was making a huge lasagne anyway. They happily agreed.
Having guests in your house is not a regular 'thing' in HongKong. Or in our appartment. The dinnertable is permanently in use as a desk - so I had to clear that out. Having guests is definitely good for the appearance of ones little house!
Usually the two of us have dinner on the couch - so laying the table was a new concept in this appartment.

While laying the table a dessert came to my mind. So simple - and so good!

quick summerfruit icecream

300 grams of frozen red fruit, mixed (I have them premixed in my freezer, ususally to add to smoothies in the morning)
150-200 ml of cream ( I had one of those long life packages lying around)
3 tablespoons of yoghurt
2 tablespoons of sugar
to taste a dash of rosewater, rosesyrup or perhaps a nice liqueur, I used rosesyrup. (not required but it does add a certain ' je-ne-sais-quoi'!)

-Add all ingredients in a stand-alone blender or in a high jar when using an immersion blender
-Blend!

because the fruit is frozen you get instant ice cream, soft and creamy.
Either serve immediately or place in the freezer until it's dessert time. When frozen hard give it ten - fifteen minutes to soften.

Serve in nice glasses, just like it is or with some extra cream, a cookie or liqueur on top.

*variations*
Mango and orangeblossom water, one fruit only, banana with chocolate sprinkles or caramel on top...

the Japan-files

2010-04-10T09:08:00.003+08:00

the stories are in Dutch but the pictures of Japan speak for themselves...

My wonderful week in Japan is documented and updated here !

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:37:00.002+08:00

egg-free ' mayonaise'

2010-04-03T10:48:00.008+08:00

OK. I am cool. I am very, VERY cool. I made mayonaise....!
I've always been a little intimidated by home made mayonaise. And I was ok with the store-bought ones. And I don't use that much mayonaise. So, no reason yet to try making my own. I did bookmark a few recipes for 'easy' or 'one step' mayo - all involving immersion/hand held blenders (staafmixer in dutch). Now THAT's a tool I love and can handle. And own. And enjoy. Due to tiny kitchen space many other toys will not make my shelves here in HK, but this one is a joy.
So, back to the mayonaise.

As a part of my morning rituals I read the new entry on David Lebovitz's blog. About eggless mayonaise. EGGLESS?!?!?!
A little more reading brought me here and here. OK. Officially we cannot call this mayonaise because it contains no eggs. BUT...it is an emulsion (oil in liquid) and it's silky, creamy, light and taste a lot - well- like mayonaise!

It's open for variations: different oil will give slightly different flavor, one can stirr in a variety of herbs or spices, even some caramelized onions (or onion jam from a jar :-) ), some yoghurt or mustard.
It will be a beautiful dip for crudite's of steamed artichokes, spread it on (toasted) bread or pita, use in salads or on sandwiches.

I feel a potato-salad coming up. Or deviled eggs. Or tuna salad. Or maybe with lots of fresh herbes, some extra lemon juice and some yoghurt stirred is as a sauce for fish - or asparagus?

The use of an immersion blender is highly recommended in this recipe, or a small tabletop blender.Regular blenders may be to large for this small amount.

egg-free mayonaise with parsley

1/3 cup (80 ml) cold milk, whole (in dutch: volle melk)
1 teaspoon fresh lemonjuice
1 small clove of garlic
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup (+/- 180 ml) vegetable oil. I used sunflower with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and next time I might try rice bran oil

- In the high plastic or glass jar that comes with the immersion blender mix the milk, lemon juice, pepper and peeled garlic. (or use any high glass jar that can hold around 2 cups)

-Buzz for around 30 seconds until frothy

- with the motor on high speed (if you have options :-) ) very slowly start to add the oil, drop by drop. It might emulsify and thicken - but that could also only start to happen towards the very end. Keep blizzing!

- Continue to add the oil, gradually increased to a thin stream, until the mayonnaise is thick and smooth. Be patient, it may take a few minutes before it resembles mayonaise.

- If you are happy with the thickness of the mayonaise stop blending. You may have a little oil left, or you may need to add just a little more. This can vary every time.

- Add a little salt to taste.

- finely chop the parsley and add to the mayonaise. Ajust seasoning with a little more salt or lemon juice.

- transfer to a smart looking jar :-), that looks nice and professional in your fridge!

* note: as lemon juice does curdle milk don't add too much
**note to myself: next time use a little more lemon juice and only half a garlic clove. Will try the stirring in yoghurt or mustard after finishing. Or a tablespoon of truffle-oil (definitely less or no garlic when using truffle-oil)

This dip will keep in the fridge for at least a week (and probably longer).

local specialty

2010-03-21T20:49:00.005+08:00

It's been a while. There was lots of flying and organizing and ' things' involved. I was back in HK, ofcourse. And a long weekend in the 'Hawaii of China', Hainan.
And now...Oh YES, I AM IN JAPAN!!!! Have been looking forward to this little trip a lot. It's Sakura-time. (cherryblossom).
Not just in the country - also at Starbucks!
I found these lovely looking 'steamed Sakura-cakes' - had to try one ofcourse!!

They were soft and sweet and tasted a little like...flowers..!

HERE I will post pictures and stories of my trip...

Enjoying Holland!

2010-02-14T16:04:00.003+08:00

inside/outside

2010-02-14T15:57:00.004+08:00

Outside it's snowing again, inside the house is filled with tulips and daffodils and peasoup and applepie and family and friends.

eye of the tiger

2010-02-02T23:12:00.008+08:00

The Chinese will celebrate the beginning of their new year on feb 14th. The year of the Tiger.
Would you believe these decorations? They're all flowers! Almost like the 'Bloemencorso' in the Netherlands, a parade with beautiful displays on carts - parading through the streets the first weekend of september, all made out of flowers.
Obviously I'm not the only one who *hearts* flowers!

Happy year of the Tiger!

dutch love III

2010-02-02T21:55:00.003+08:00

Tulips don't *heart* airco....

Burns, baby, Burns!

2010-01-28T09:37:00.020+08:00

It was quite the international environment, last weekend.
At our table alone we counted at least 9 languages spoken fluently amongst 5 or 6 nationalities with a background of many cultures.
A Scott born in Hongkong whose cantonese is unbelievable. A Dutch girl with a scottish background, married to this Scott. She speaks Bahasa, by the way. Oh, and they live in Macau. A Sri Lankan man, but from Australia, living in Macau. Another Dutch girl with Middle European background, living in HongKong. A Spanish lady, some Britts, a real Dutchman, another Aussie...

All this at a Scottish party - in a Portugese Pousada - in Macau - which is China.
It was Burns Night!!

As our host the Scotsman explained:" Robert Burns was a womanizer, a sexist, a racist, and a briljant poet. He died young, and his friends started to honour him with lunches where the ate, drank, sang and read his poetry. This became a tradition and the aniversary of his birth (1759) is now celebrated by Scots all over the world. Ah, Scots take any excuse to eat, drink and celebrate..."

So we were invited by our Scottish-Dutch friends in Macau to celebrate Burns Night.
Quite the official affair: black tie. So Dirk (our host) in his kilt, Kat, his wife, with the families celebration tartan sash,
Jaap in dark suit, a new shirt and bowtie and me in a cocktaildress.

Not just the clothing was official, the program of the night was as well, with our hosts being the Chieftain and Chieftains wife this year, which is some sort of mix between host and guest of honour, and it means he got to bless the meal, and his knife (called a 'Dirk' as well) was used to stab the haggis. (don't ask - another tradition!)There was traditional Scottish food (as mentioned: haggis), and there were speakers: one man recited a Burns poem, by heart! which lasted for 10 minutes - the ladies were greeted, the guests were toasted, the men were thoroughly mocked and greeted - speeches full of wordplay and wit.
There was music ( a chinese band - singing Scottish songs..!),
there was dancing, there was singing, there was booz.

AND I got to the bottom (no pun intended!) of the kilt -secret....But I promised not to publish!!

dutch love II

2010-01-27T22:39:00.001+08:00

Did I mention I **heart** tulips?!

it's spring in my house!

dutch love

2010-01-23T11:15:00.004+08:00

I *heart* tulips!

Ikea was kind enough to have them this week....

happy home!

good beginnings

2010-01-18T19:53:00.010+08:00

We like to start the day with a cool and healthy smoothie. Basic ingredients: orange juice (from a carton, but pure juice, NO sugar!), a little yoghurt, and whatever fruits I have laying around the house or in the freezer.
Recent succes: banana-peach-kiwi.
An oldtime favourite: banana-red summerberries.

I always keep sliced banana in the freezer (sliced - so you can use as much or little as wanted! It adds a nice thickness and natural sweetness to the smoothie, and usually +/- half a banana will do for the two of us)- and red summerfruits, both mixed as well as raspberries and blueberries on their own. Easy for the morning smoothies, and for baking!
I love the way you can pick your own favourites and mix it into healthy goodness. Something entirely different, and much more luxurious than just eating your fruits...

Well, you know, we do need something to balance out this...

good news

2010-01-13T10:26:00.004+08:00

Sometimes the news broadcasters bring some good news: Do read the ' headlines' in the banner (ignore the talking)

My hips, bum, thighs and I are very grateful :-)

KK reunion: Veronica in HK

2010-01-05T11:33:00.009+08:00

Two years ago I made one of the most incredible trips one can ever make: nearly 6 weeks on an icebreaker (kapitan Khlebnikov) sailing the Far Side of Antarctica.
WOW.
Friendships formed and all over the world people who were on the ship then are still meeting eachother now. Last September I met John (from the UK) in Amsterdam and Evelyn (from Schotland) in Edinburgh.
And now Italian beauty Veronica is in HongKong with her friend Christi to visit me and the HK-KK girls Henrietta, YY and Po Lin!
Memories, gossip, new travelling plans and great meals are shared...

@ Aqua

on the Peak with YY

Dimsum @ CityHall

With Henrietta!

KK girls @ Hutong

Dear all,

2009-12-23T08:46:00.003+08:00

Wishing you a very

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

a recipe for new friends

2009-12-12T08:46:00.005+08:00

You start with a foodblog, and add some regular reading.
Add 2 meetings in New York, the first one stirred with a lot of fellow readers, the second one carefully blended with only a few.
Keep on reading and allow to rest. While doing that, add a lovely and lively Israeli girl.
When it all feels well to the soul, add some more new people to meet in Paris. Enjoy the flavor of the company and the city.
Repeat the Paris visit, and find out the recipe is working so far.
Then after a short while stirr in a visit to the Paris friend when she is in Australia, to talk about some of the ingredients, and to add some seasalt. :-)

This slow cooking recipe is good for many moments of joy, both solo and in good company.

Debbie - can't wait! See you tomorrow!!

Granola!

2009-11-25T10:47:00.020+08:00

The signs were there, already for a while.
It's hard to find a good breakfastcereal. That is, if you're looking for one that is kind of healthy. There are numerous cereals and granola's out there, organic and natural and good for you, according to the package. And then you read the label and you'll find that most of them contain lots and lots of suger, lots of salt, more than one additive and not a lot of the good stuff. I did find one or two that ware decent, didn't taste like cardboard and was ok on the sugarlevels. (hey, don't get me wrong, I love sugary things, but as a treat, not necessarily for breakfast!)But we got a little bored with them.
Then there was this recipe on one of the blogs I read. It was inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe from the book 'Feast',(happily sitting on my shelf, that book) and, another sign, featured on her tv show that aired the very same day David blogged about it.
Who am I to ignore signs, so after a trip to the organic supermarket to find the ingredients, I made my first batch. And we are hooked. I made a few adjustments to suit our own taste, as this recipe is very versatile. (do you see the trend here? I like easy recipes that work. And where it doesn't matter if the measurements are not too precise. And where it's easy to substitute things. Say: almonds for pecans. Or cinnamon for pumpkinpie-spices. Or rice syrup for maple. Of double it, or halve it, just whatever suits you.)
After making it 4 times now I found that a very neutral oil works best for me (sunflower, or in my case, ricebran, but you can use whatever you have on hands except perhaps a very strong tasting olive oil), but I've used pistachio and pecan oil as well. Since the flavor doesn't really come through I now switched to much less expensive ricebran oil that's in the cupboard anyway.
I use less nuts than David mentions - just because I like to taste the grains as well. I use a mix of three grains - just because those were the three I could find. Just rolled oats (not the instant or ' quick' ones) works fine, or any mix of wheat, oats, rye, rice, and barley. I use maple syrup as well as honey, but only honey would be fine. Or agave, golden or rice syrup. Instead of applesauce any fruitpuree (unsweetened) will do. (jars of babyfood are great and have the right size).
I've read comments from people leaving out the sugar (but I think my concoction has the right amount of sweetness), and questions about more, or less nuts, adding dried fruits ( after baking and cooling!!) or coconut. In my opinion it's a very forgiving recipe and as soon as you master the basics (which is very easy) feel free to experiment and find your own personal favourite!

What's very cool: I got to use a trick I read about a long time ago, and it actually works!: if and when measuring (in cups) or weighing on a scale sticky liquids like honey or maple syrup - and if there's oil in the recipe as well: measure the oil first or put the oil in the cup you use for weighing. Then add the honey and/or syrup.
Now, because of the oil, if you pour it out of the cup it doesn't stick!

Granola (adapted from David Lebovitz/Nigella Lawson)

Please note: this recipe is for half the amount David makes - just because my oven is small! It will make around 700 gr, I can fill a one-kilo jar with it and it lasts the 2 of us about a week)

250 gr multi-grain flakes or rolled oats (I use about 100 gr oats, and 75 gr each of wheat and rye)
100 gr almonds, coarsely chopped
60 gr sunflower seeds
40 gr pumpkin seeds
40 gr untoasted sesame seeds
50 gr soft (light) brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
a good pinch or grind of sea salt

100 gr unsweetened applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
50 gr maple syrup
50 gr honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).

- In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (grains, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt).

- In a small saucepan, slightly warm the applesauce with the maplesyrup, honey, and oil. (warming it makes it easier to mix through the dry ingredients)

- Stir the 'wet' mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed, and spread on a baking sheet (the one that comes with the oven and has sides works very well)

- Bake the granola for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Don't forget the stirring as the sides will brown quicker than the middle. Enjoy the smell throughout your house...

- Remove from the oven, give it a last stir. It will crisp up as it cools.

- After cooling completely (add dried fruits or raisins if desired) store in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and enjoy...

**update after making lots and lots of granola: I completely skip the step of warming the wet ingredients. I just put them all on top of the dry ones and stir until well mixed. Then it goes into the oven. Mesurements can be taken very loosely according to taste and whatever grains, seeds and nuts are around. I have one in the oven now containing lots of the usual grains, flaxseed, poppyseed and some cardamom powder for extra flavor**

mmmmmm

2009-11-16T16:17:00.005+08:00

Can't help it.
But this 1 kilo bar of chocolate is making me extremely happy....

Super-dinner.

2009-11-12T18:20:00.014+08:00

I've been eying this recipe for a while, and yesterday I made it. A bit sceptical, I must admit. I do roast veggies in the oven, but mostly rootvegetables. I couldn't imagine broccoli'working' like this. But it does. Oh boy, it does...

This:

....is what was left of it - finished before I could even take a picture. It was THAT good.

For precise measurements, please follow the recipe in the link. This is one of those recepies that, in my opinion, doesn't really require precise measurements.(that is, if you know your way around the kitchen a little. if not - do follow the recipe!)

Roasted broccoli and shrimp

- Preheat the oven at 180/200 centigrades.
- get your broccoli, enough for your crowd. Clean, cut in florets, coat with some olive or vegetable oil, add the spices (salt, pepper, and in my case: ground cumin and cayenne) to taste (I didn't have the corianderseeds or dry chili's).
- Spread in a single layer on a cookiesheet or large bakingtray and roast for about ten minutes.
- In the mean time take your (uncooked) shrimp (I used frozen, defrosted under cold running water, shelled and deveined is easiest)(as much again as you wish or need for the amount of people you're serving),coat with olive oil, add salt, pepper, some lemonzest.
- Add the shrimp to the bakingsheet with the broccoli in the hot oven after the first ten minutes, give it a stir or a shake.
- Roast for another ten minutes, take out of the oven and add the juice of half a lemon. Don't forget this - it makes the dish.

Serve with rice if you like - we did. We scooped out all the 'dressing' fom the baking tray.
And sat happily with our bowl of goodies on the couch. Confirming to eachother with each bite how GOOOOOOOD this was.
And so easy. And hardly any dishes to wash!!

Holiday read.

2009-11-08T10:44:00.003+08:00

Two weeks ago in Vietnam, where Jaap was working, I finally got to read this book: ' Night Train to Lisbon' by Pascal Mercier. It has been on my bookshelf for a while. I bought it shortly after reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's 'The Shadow of the Wind', because someone said: If you enjoyed the Shadow of the Wind, you will enjoy this book as well.

And I did. A lot.
It is so nice to get sucked into a story that takes your mind off of everything else and you just want to keep on reading. It takes you into another world.

I'm not going to write a review of the book. One, because I'm not good at bookreviews. Hated it in hightschool already. Love the reading, don't like to write about it. Two, because other people already did, for example, here.

But it doesn't happen a lot that a story sticks to your mind for a while, because its so different, different from the things I usually read. It triggers thinking beyond what's written, it creates an atmosphere that sticks - you can't help but like Mundus, the main character, and sympathise with the feelings he encounters when he, a very 'plain' man, finds himself, almost beyond and in spite of himself, doing things he never expected.

I enjoyed it. And can recommend it. Not for a 'ten minutes a day'-read, but for a relaxing weekend or holiday. Take your time. Make tea, get the biscuits, sit down. And enjoy.

P.S. My enjoying the book, in this case, had nothing to do with the swimmingpool-where-they-spontaniously-serve-icecreams-environment. Though I did enjoy that as well. Thoroughly.

Fig Jam

2009-10-30T17:47:00.008+08:00

A few weeks ago I was in the Netherlands. It was september and the weather was beautiful! The kind of weather that gives you energy: lots of sunshine and nice crispy sky. Cool air in the morning, windows open all day, maybe a light sweater later in the afternoon.
Well, I woke up one of those days in my own bed, because the birds were in a meeting in the tree right in front of my bedroom window. They were planning their trek south. As I had just flown IN and wasn't going anywhere that day, I enjoyed the light peeping in the room, the twittering of the birds and then it hit me: I had to make JAM. Actually, I had to make jam RIGHT NOW!

So I got up and went to the greengrocer who had beautiful figs (and at a fair price).
Went to the supermarket to buy ' geleisuiker', a special kind of sugar for jammaking - I bought the half-sweet version - which allows for quick jam-making, only 4 mins of boiling needed. Happy with my catches I went home and made my fig jam. Flavoured/perfumed with my secret ingredient:black-tea-and-roses.(from the Peninsula Hotel in Hongkong. So it was a real Mickey-jam: Dutch*figs with HongKong tea...) (and I was out of earl grey tea, which I used last year).
It was SO good I made two more batches in the next days...

No recipe due this special kind of sugar (500 grams of it for 1 t0 1,25 kg of fruit - 1 cup of very strong rose tea and the juice of half a lemon added) and that might vary if you use regular sugar.

* Dutch figs...ofcourse not :-)(as she notices the next morning). They were Turkish, actually. So let's say this jam is international? Or at least part Dutch, because of the sugar?!?

A blog in the making...

2009-10-23T11:46:00.001+08:00

...soon Swan's place will be opened!