0 The Culmination

I'm kind of excited and happy and relieved to finally submit my thesis. After 10 months, I have learnt so much and killed so much. 3 days more but I have et to write my discussion section.

Anyhow, the more important thing is that the most massive haul of online grocery shopping has finally arrived at the doorstep! Well not exactly because I had to personally collect it from the post-office. Loving ALL the stuff. From the vanilla COCONUT macaroons to the "cheezy" kale krunch chips to the spirulina granola which I thought would be like oat bran kind porridge, but nevermind, it's darn tasty. The JEM almond butter was kind of below my expectations though. It tasted between a cross of gula melaka and kaya, a bit of almond flavour but not really there. I think I'll stick to the traditional almond butters like Woodstock or Artisana but it makes a nice drizzly topping nonetheless. Have yet to open the macadamia nut butter and raw cacao butter and cacao nibs!

Oh yes, the most awesome sammich for lunch: Gardenia bread with pesto, salmon + barely there wiggly sunny side-up egg whites, cherry tomatoes and sprinkles of KALE KRUNCH. Made complete with a whole october sun plum and a guilty indulgence of a crumble of vanilla almond macaroon.

0 Every second matters now

Oh my, I hate seeing the calendar page flip from "Feb" to "Mar;" later at 12pm (1 hr to go), the church bells are going to chime in their mocking tone, chiding my procrastination and perfectionism which results in me doing things so slowly just for the sake of precision, which ultimately, nobody would really care (except me).

Farewell lunch turned out to be at Itacho Sushi, which was a life-changing event, really. The blow-torched soy sauce salmon sushi was orgasmic, the fatty omega-3 oils literally oozing from the skin and melting into fishy goodness on the tongue. Salmon nigiris topped with lobster salad, chawanmushis, crabmeat beancurd, tamago were all equally good, and not too expensive. This has sparked a new found craving for sushi and I'm so going to have to check out the "shiok sushi" from Koh's Grill and Sushi Bar at Wisma's Food Republic - in 3 months time? And to learn to make sushi. It's amazing, rekindling the passion and love of something that I'm never experienced since... the discovery of oatmeal (which of course I'm still passionate about)

Speaking about oatmeals, this morning's creation was rather novel - 1/2 portion BRM's oatmeal cooked in Pacific soy milk and Garden of Life RAW protein powder, with a Rude Health Spelt Oaty biscuit crumbled in, a slice of Larabar Cappuccino melted in, Sunbutter, topped with a sprinking of nuts & seeds. Superb mix of creaminess and crumblyness from the biscuit (which surprisingly didn't disintegrate in the heat). A Red Delicious that was so red it could be the Snow White poison apple on the side. Garden of Life RAW protein powder has that malty, slightly chalky taste similar to Sunwarrior, which may be disagreeable to some as I found initially. However, I've even grown to like it now! So far, Lifetime Basics has the most neutral of "neutral flavours" out there in the market; you relaly can't detect the powder taste at all when mixed into oats.

0 Doughy, carby, chocolatey

Things have been busy lately, but it's the repetitive-kind-of-busy, which means not much progress made on the lab front. At least I've managed to clear 90% of confocal imaging, which was my target set for 31-12-12. I'm really quite sick of lab now; what's keeping me sane is knowing that it'll all be over in a matter of months time. It's so near yet so far. I know all this will pass in a whiz, yet during this period of time there's still the data to process, thesis to write, poster presentation. These very thoughts scare me.

On the food front, things could not have been better. I take every meal, especially breakfasts and Sunday dinners, as an opportunity to exercise creativity. From Christmassy oatmeal themes featuring s'nog (soy nogs) and homemade cranberry sauce (above) to pools of hot mole chocolate made with good quality dark chocolate like Godiva and Fauchon (below).

Today's breakfast theme - triple chocolate & banana (from bottom up): seared 'nana coins; Rude Health The Oatmeal cooked in water with a nugget of Justin's chocolate almond butter stuck in the core; topped with hot chocolate mole sauce made with soy milk, protein powder, square of Fauchon 65% coffee chocolate noir, chocolate mole powder and extra coffee granules.

This week I also bought Rudi's cinnamon raisin bagels which I had for a quick lunch today before going off to Middle Earth. Mouthfuls of doughy carbs paired with mushy avocado and flakey salmon = pure satisfaction.

Dinner was aloo matar gajar, basic indian curry with potatoes, peas and carrots (translated in that order). I added carrots for extra bulk. Alongside I had a hunk of Curry Times' curry bun, which was filled with even more potatoey goodness, and I must admit, their filling was much tastier than mine. I loved the soft sweet white bread bun. Doughy carbs again!

It's yet another eventful year gone by. I'll be ruminating on the changes and challenges I'll like to take on for 2013 as I reflect on events of 2012. Maybe a dedicated post tomorrow, if I can fit the time in.

0 Pollen pleases with much pleasures

We had an amazing afternoon at Gardens by the Bay, starting with a fancy lunch at Pollen. The Mediterranean-European restaurant, helmed by British Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, was a perfect match to my dining preferences; it joined my radar list the moment I read about its opening a few months ago. I'm really thankful that the family could have a nice lunch together, a rare event these days, in the comforts of the majestic Flower Dome. The food was nothing short of awesome. Every dish was not only perfect balance of flavours, textures, but beautifully plated. The set lunch at 55 pax is quite a good steal, considering you'd get free entry into the Flower Dome, which would otherwise cost 12 bucks.

Rye sourdough with codiments: cod-potato dip and green olives

Roasted beetroot, goats cheese and beet leaves. Beets and goats cheese are a classic pairing but they are paired for a reason. The earthy tones of the roasted beets (which came in purple, golden and orange) accentuated the creamy sweets notes of the goats cheese. Simple yet satisfying.

Smoked salmon with wasabi-like accompainment. Have you ever seen such a hunk of smoked salmon? I'd imagine thin slices of salty salmon a la carpaccio-style, but this meaty slab delivered a pleasant surprise. I had a slice of Mum's salmon; lightly smoked and not too heavy-handed on the salt (my pet peeve of smoked salmon), the flesh was between a raw and flaky texture. This would definitely provide the daily recommended dose of omega-3.

Pan-seard John Dory, prawn minestrone, baby courgettes, coco beans and edamame. Although slightly disappointed the cod was not on the menu, the pan-seared John Dory did not disappoint. The execution of the searing could not be more perfectly done; it yielded a skin so crisp you could feel it crackle at the slightest pressure, unveiling smooth tender flaky white flesh. It's so easy to overcook white fish, but as mentioned, the timing here couldn't be better (I'd imagine the chef had a ticking timer beside him!). The foamed sauce of prawn minestrone was poured over the fish upon serving; it looks deceptively light, but was potent with the umami taste of the crustaceans. I loved the beans and edamame that came with it. Overall, a stunning fish dish.

Most awesome risotto ever: turffle & sorrel risotto. It was creamy but not heavy (no jer lak aftermath) and bursting with mushrooms and truffle jus! I shared this and the John Dory with my sister, so we could enjoy the best of both worlds :)

All good things must come to an end, and the divine desserts helped to end it right, leaving us with sweet memories (pun intended).

Peanut butter and cherry yuzu sorbet. It was my first time having desserts in a deconstructed form, so I wasn't sure if the different components were meant to be enjoyed separately or combined into a mess. So I sampled the them individually first: the cherry yuzu sorbet was tart but refreshing. The "peanut" part of the dessert was delivered in multifarious forms - as a peanut mousse, peanut parfait, peanut crocante and crunchy peanut butter - which resulted in a complex but complementary play of tart and sweet, smooth and crunchy.

You may need an acquired taste to enjoy the goats cheese ice cream, but I'm sure no one can deny on the artistic appeal of this dessert. So pretty and pink!

Chocolate roast cocoa nib ice cream, lavender parfait and cherry. Again I had a bit of Mum's dessert; the crushed cocoa nibs with ice cream reminded me of oreos atas style. This was on the sweeter side compared to other desserts, but still oh-so-good.

Overall, this was one of the most memorable meals I had, for the food, company and ambience. Delivering fresh and clean flavours amid a modern flowery setting, I look forward to many more returns - if only I had the money. (Total bill racked up to approx 300 for 4, thanks to the charges for the bottled water.)

Some pictures of the setting:

After that we had a walk around the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, which will be featured in the next post!

6 100% Spelt

As promised, here is the 100% wholemeal spelt bread I made last Saturday.

First all, let's get to the low-down on spelt. Google will provide you with much more information, so I will just briefly highlight the key aspects.

What is spelt?
Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat (specifically, Triticum spelta) that may have originated in the region of present-day Iran or southeastern Europe from a crossbreeding of emmer with other other local wild grasses. Compared to modern wheat, its seeds are covered and thus not easy to thresh. However thanks to modern machinery, spelt is now easier to mill and is making a comeback to our 21st century kitchen tables.

Properties (and benefits) of spelt
Spelt is higher in protein, but not specifically gluten, than red and white wheat. As such, some people with gluten intolerance (e.g. celiac disease) don't react to spelt. Gliadin is the portion of gluten that people with celiac disease can't digest. One theory is that spelt contains a different, more tolerable, type of gliadin. Moreover, unlike regular wheat whose nutrients are concentrated in its outer layers, the nutrients are more evenly distributed throughout the whole kernel. As such, if you're not yet accustomized to wholegrains food (containing bran, germ, endosperm), even using white spelt flour (endosprem only) can offer more benefits than normal wheat flour.

Cooking with spelt

Tastewise, there is hardly any difference between spelt and wheat, at least to my tastebuds. However, in terms of baking, there is much to tweak from conventional recipes, because the gluten in spelt is more fragile than the gluten in wheat or whole wheat.

• Amount of water. Too much water and you will have a sticky and weak dough; too little water the dough will be dry and dense
• Mixing. Undermix and the dough will not be properly hydrated leading to poor expansion; overmix and the protein strands holding the dough will break down. Experts set a 4 min maximum threshold for mixing the dough, from the time water is added.
• The best way to baking with spelt, especially wholegrain spelt, is by using a soaker/starter, to activate the enzymes which will in turn convert the complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars. This provides instant "food" for the yeast when both the soaker and starter are combined into a final dough. (Based on Peter Reinhart's delayed fermentation method)

I find the sciency stuff behind bread making highly interesting. I mean there is so many factors at play - yeast activity, enzyme activity, bacteria, humidity, temperature, sugars, salt... - that can make or break your dough.

Now for the lengthy recipe. Feel free to scroll down to skip this part and see the final outcome.

Whole Spelt Sandwich Bread (adapted from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads)
Makes 1 large loaf

This recipe takes two days. Day one for the soaker and biga (starter), day two for the final dough and baking. Do plan in advance because yeast and enzymes wait for no man!

DAY 1
Ingredients
Soaker

• 1 3/4 cups wholegrain spelt flour (Bob's Red Mill brand)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp soymilk (or milk, buttermilk, yogurt, or other non-dairy milk)

Biga

• 1 3/4 cups wholegrain spelt flour (Bob's Red Mill brand)
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast (or rehydrated dry active yeast or wild yeast
• 3/4 cup filtered water at room temp

Directions

1. Mix all of the soaker ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 min, until the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough.
2. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 12-24 h. (If more than 24 h, place the soaker in the refrigerator and remove it 2 h before mixing the final dough).
3. Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead dough for 2 min so that all ingredients are evenly distributed and flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky (sticky). Let dough rest for 5 min, then knead again with wet hands for 1 min. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.
5. About 2 h before mixing the final dough, remove biga from refrigerator. It will have risen slightly but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

DAY 2
Ingredients

• Soaker from Day 1
• Biga from Day 1
• 7 tbsp wholegrain spelt flour
• 5/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (or the equivalent of rehydrated dry active yeast or wild starter)
• 3 tbsp sugar (or 2 1/4 tbsp honey)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or butter)

Directions

1. Using a pastry scraper (or any other tool; I used a kitchen knife), chop the soaker and biga into 12 smaller pieces each. Sprinkle some extra flour to keep the pieces from sticking back to one another.
2. Combine soaker and biga pieces in a bowl with all of the other ingredients except the extra flour and stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands until all the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. If should be soft and slightly sticky; if not add more flour or water as needed.
3. Dust work surface with flour, then toss the dough in the flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3-4 min,incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form dough into ball and let rest for 5 min. Meanwhile, prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.
4. Resume kneading dough for 1 min to strengthen gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. Form dough into ball and place it into the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp for 45-60 min, until 1 1/2 times original size.
5. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and form it into loaf pan shape (or freestanding batard). Place dough into greased bread pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp for 45-60 min, until 1 1/2 times original size.
6. Preheat oven to 425F (218C). When dough is ready to bake, place it in the oven and lower temp to 350F (177C). Bake for 20 min, rotate loaf 180 degrees, and continue to bake for another 20-30 min, until load is rich brown. If using thermometer (which I don't have), the internal temp should be 195F (91C).
7. Transfer bread to cooling rack. Cool for at least 1 h before serving.

A side-by-side comparison of the crumb of the ideal wholewheat bread (taken from the recipe book) and the one that I made. Well...ain't too shabby for a first-timer eh? Of course, my crumbs are slightly denser, especially around the base and the edges, and the holes are much more uneven. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was slightly gummy on the first day, but by yesterday (day 2) and today (day 3), the texture was juuust right! The crumb is still dense, as expected from using wholegrain flour, but it has dried out a bit, probably because I also toasted the bread.

I've been enjoying it in all sorts of forms: slathered with PB&J (Hediard's fig jam) for breakfast; cheesy mozzaerlla & salmon for lunch. In truth the bread is rather tasteless, but somehow it's so lovely! I think it all boils down to the right texture. Being tasteless has its own advantage too: it's versatile and soaks up the flavour of any topping you put on it!

Next up: Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread. It looks so good in the book! Oh yes, if you're a new baker or are interested in the science behind bread, I highly recommend Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads. Very detailed, science explained but still very accessible and easy to understand.