Recipe - Duck Confit with Crispy Potatoes & Witlof, Spinach & Apple Salad

I absolutely love French food, it's just so rich, full of flavour and character. One of my favourite dishes is the duck confit, duck maryland cooked in duck fat. However, this recipe requires a lot of time and effort, the duck itself needs at least 2 days of prep before serving but the end result is so worth it.

Serves 2

You'll need:


Duck Confit
2 duck marylands  
 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed  
1/2 bunch of fresh thyme, coarsely chopped  
50g sea salt  
2 200g can duck fat
1/4 cup water  
1/2kg kipler potatoes

Salad
1 Witlof, leaves separated
1 handful baby spinach
1 small pink lady apple, sliced & tossed in lemon juice
50g rindless bacon, sliced into 2cm pieces
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard


Method:

1. Rinse the duck marylands with cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Combine salt, thyme and garlic, layer half the salt mixture on the bottom of an airtight container. Place duck on the salt and sprinkle the rest of the salt onto the duck. Cover and place it in the fridge for 6-8 hours, any longer the duck will be too salty.

2. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Remove the duck from the salt and rinse with water and dry with paper towel. Place the duck fat and water in a over proof and flame proof tray, preferably one that comes with a lid. 

3. Heat the fat until it starts to bubble and submerge the duck in the fat, make sure that the fat covers all of the duck. Layer with baking paper and then the lid, if you don't have a lid use foil instead.  

4. Bake the duck for 2 hours, when the flesh from the leg has pulled away exposing the bone then it is ready. Let the duck cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, place them in a saucepan with boiling water for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cut them lengthways. Place potatoes on a baking tray, season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of duck fat from the confit pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.

6. Remove duck from the oven and wipe away excess fat but careful not to break the skin, place on tray and grill for 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and shiny.

7. For salad, place witlof, spinach and apples in a bowl. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon onto paper towels to remove excess oil.

8. Add remaining oil, vinegar and mustard into the pan where you cooked your bacon, whisk until it all comes together. Add bacon to the dressing and drizzle over the salad, toss to combine.

9. Serve immediately with the duck and potatoes.

Gimme Haute Dog!

Snag Stand

My apologies for the lack of posts in the last two weeks, the cold weather is making me lazy to venture outside to try new places to eat. But I did however stumble across this place called 'The Snag Stand', they specialises in 'haute dogs' which I guess is another way of saying gourmet hot dogs. It's always exciting to see places like these that put a spin on something that is so familiar to us all, like the simple hot dog. The one I went for is called 'Toulouse', it comes with a freshly grilled toulouse sausage, sautéed onions and rosemary mushrooms on a toasted brioche roll topped off with truffle aioli. Sounds very fancy schmancy right? It tastes even better! What you notice first is the aroma that is distinctively truffle and you can actually see the truffle in the aioli too, most places uses truffle oil instead of actual truffles. The hot dog itself is lean but not dry; the casing is slightly crispy from the grill. I love the bun, so soft and have a slight buttery taste which goes perfectly with the aioli. The onions and mushrooms also add that extra depth to the flavour. The whole thing was creamy, fragrant and finger licking good. It might be a bit costly for a hot dog ($10.90) but for this price and you get actual truffle pieces, I'd say it's worth it. 


Level 5, 188 Pitt St, Sydney

Tea+

I think that I've mentioned how awesome Burwood has become in terms of the variety of places to eat. If you've never ventured out into the suburbs of Sydney then you're definitely missing out. On one of those 'I don't feel like going anywhere so let's just eat in Burwood' nights, we went to Tea+. A small Taiwanese tea and light meals place at the end of Burwood Road. The Taiwanese love their milk teas; the one we got was called 'Pot plant milk tea'. As you can see, it looks like a pot plant. Tea, a layer of foam, a layer of crushed Oreos topped off with mint. It's cute to look at that's for sure, the taste is ok, like all the other milk teas I've had in my life. If you're hungry, try their large range of snacks, I recommend the basil chicken (chicken coated with pepper and potato starch and deep fried with basil leaves), Taiwanese pancakes and deep fried chicken cutlets (basically the same thing as 'Hot Star chicken' style).

Shop 9, 258 Burwood Road, Burwood
                                                                             

A guide to Industrial Chic

Our homes should be the place we love coming back to, so there's no reason why we shouldn't bring fashion and style into how we decorate our homes. I am loving Industrial Chic right now, think lofts, large open spaces with hanging pendants, natural woods, dark accents, vintage mixed with modern lines. To avoid the blandness of having only black and white, I would suggest adding pops of bright colours like the lemon yellow shown in the collage. It will liven up the room but do it in moderation, too much will be too busy for the eyes. This will also be the perfect chance for you to display your favourite black and white photographs and artworks, hang them in different sized frames on shelves or the wall to create that collage look. This is the perfect style for a bachelor pad don't you think?

For all the items and the prices click on the image.

Created using Polyvore

Fav Finds - May 2014

It's May! Almost Mother's Day too, what are you getting your mummy dearest this year? Fear not, here is my pick of the crop. Every mum is different so here's something for everyone and every budget.

1. Ice cream cone salt & pepper shakers from Pier1 - For the mums who loves cooking in style.  This is cute as a button, certainly making the task of grinding salt and pepper just that much more pleasant.

2. 'Mum's the word' pillow from Nordstrom - For the mums who loves decorating their homes with beautiful things. 

3. Medium 'Antigona' Tote from Givenchy - For the mums who loves high fashion and looking fabulous. Also for the ones who have the money to spend. The colour and design of this bag is quite timeless so it will suit mums of any ages.

4. Baleen clean nail brush from Modcloth - For the mums who likes to keep their nails in immaculate conditions and also like whales.

5. Refresh my memory box from Modcloth - For the mums who likes to travel/collect/reminiscent about things. Inside is a notebook, identifier tags, string-tie wallet, acrylic vial and metal trinket box. All comes in a very nice looking wooden box too!

121 BC + Movida Sydney

121 BC

Tucked away in a little lane way next to Movida is 121 BC, wine shop by day and bar/restaurant by night. It is quite missable if you have never been to the area before. The shop front does not really give much away, inside is a very long wooden table that also serves as a bar. The interior is very dark and intimate, a very large bubble like chandelier hangs over the table. We came at 5pm on the dot which means the shop is now a bar and restaurant. They stock some very interesting wines all sourced from Italy, If you don't really know what to pick just ask the bartenders, the two wines that she picked for me were superb. This is not a big space but it quickly filled up with people. The kitchen is in full view, they serve what's in season so the menu always changes. It's a shame that we were going to Movida for dinner afterwards because the smell that came drifting out of their kitchen made my stomach grumble. This place is a bit secretive but cool as hell, the perfect spot to hang after work or a casual date. I'm not really a big wine drinker but the wines I've had here really impressed me, I'm regretting not buying a few bottles now. 

121 BC - http://121bc.com.au/

4/50 Holt St (enter via Gladstone St)
Surry Hills  

Movida
I've only ever tried one other Spanish tapas place so I was very much looking forward to Movida having heard good things about the food. Obviously, tapas are meant to be shared so it's better to come with a group so you can sample a lot more on offer. 
So we got:

ANCHOA - Artisan Cantabrian Anchovy with Smoked Tomato Sorbet 

GAZPACHO DE MAIZE - Sweetcorn Gazpacho serves with Alaskan Snow Crab & Macadamias
CHICHARONES - Crispy Pork Jowl with Seared Scallops & Fried Kipflers
Special of the day - (Abalone with seaweed and etc, sorry I can't remember all the ingredients..)  
CECINA - Air cured Wagyu Beef with Truffle Foam & Poached Egg     
CARRILLERA DE BUEY - Beef cheek in Pedro Ximenez with Cauliflower Puree
CALLOS - Madrid Style Ox Tripe with Chickpeas & Chorizo 
 
Jules ordered the anchovy but I'm not a lover of anchovies so I passed on trying that one but apparently it is very nice, I will take his word for it. The corn gazpacho was simply delicious! Sweet and creamy, how I imagined corn gazpacho and crab would taste like, why can't Marque do the same thing with their 'gazpacho'?! The macadamias added a mild taste and texture to the sweetness of the corn and crab, the only downside is that there is not enough of it, i wanted more! The pork jowl and potatoes were crispy but it wasn't memorable. The special of the day was the abalone, I've had abalone that was too tough and just generally very unpleasant, so was quite keen to see how they did theirs and it did not disappoint. Tender and still a bit chewy, the seaweed was crunchy and added that bit of saltiness. Very well done. The air cured wagyu (sorry there's no photo, but the waiter mashed everything together before I could take a photo of it) was so soft and delicious, melts in your mouth goodness. The poached egg offsets some of the saltiness of the wagyu. Couldn't really taste the truffle in this but the flavours were already quite intense. The beef cheeks is one of the signature dishes, served with cauliflower puree. Sounds quite ordinary but the flavours were far from ordinary. The cheeks were so tender and moist from the slow cooking, it falls apart when it hits your tongue. It is the perfect thing to have in this cooling weather, comfort food at its best. If you don't eat tripe or any other kind of organs then you are definitely missing out, big time. When cooked right, tripe can be the most flavoursome dish as it soaks up all the juices and sauces. Cooked with chorizo and chickpeas, the tripe was almost jelly like. Fragrant and a little spicy from the chorizo, no wonder it's so popular. 

Time for dessert! Why not get all of them? Which is exactly what we did:

FLAN - Crème Caramel served with Pestinos
CHURROS CON CHOCOLATE - Spanish Doughnuts with Rich Drinking Chocolate
SOL Y SOMBRA - Rum & Coffee Granita served with Crema Catalan Foam

HELADOS - Homemade Ice-Creams served with Fig Bread

TARTA SANTIAGO - Almond Fondant with Fig Leaf Ice-Cream

We kinda went a bit crazy but we wanted to try all of them and why not right? I won't go into too much details about each one but what stood out from the rest was the fondant and the flan. The fondant was oozy and not overly sweet. The churros were ok, although the chocolate was overly bitter for me and the consistency was too watery for dipping. The rest was a bit of a blur, maybe I had too much sangria..

Movida - http://movida.com.au/sydney/

50 Holt St, Surry Hills, Sydney

Hinky Dinks

"Hinky Dinks" is situated in Kings Cross/Darlinghurst (Don't worry, it's quite safe here), it's one of the cutest, actually make that the curtest bar I've been to. When you step inside, It's like you've been transported back into the 1950's with all of the retro charms that come with the era. The bar is fitted out to look like a kitchen from the 50's with its retro fridge display and red leather bar stools. The booths are very comfortable and intimate to sit in, alternatively you can opt for a table or the bar.

 Their cocktails are fun and imaginative, oh and tastes awesome too! We went for the
'Gin n Jam' (Bombay Sapphire, Aperol, in-house rose petal jam, fresh lemon, cranberry bitters, egg whites) and 'Madagascar Manhattan' (Vanilla & citrus peel infused bourbon, sweet vermouth, agave syrup, chocolate bitters, cherry). The 'Gin n Jam' had a fruity smell mixed with faint notes of rose petals, it looked very pretty as well. The egg whites floating on the top was light and creamy, the cocktail itself was sweet and fruity. I can taste the cranberry, lemon and also a hint of rose, definitely something you can drink all night long. The 'Madagascar Manhattan' is a bit too sweet and strong for me though but still very nice never the less. They also serve wines and beers so it's not all girly cocktails.

It wouldn't be a good bar without some kind of bar food of course and they did not disappoint in that department either. It's quite a small menu but everything on it sounds very tempting. We ordered  

Dinky dog with cheese, fried eschallots & sriracha mayonnaise with a side of Polenta Chips

Tacos - pulled pork, piccante mayonnaise & shredded cabbage
- popcorn shrimp, cos lettuce & spicy aïoli  Popcorn chicken with BBQ sauce

Warm banana & chocolate doughnuts 

 

 

The Dinky dog was one of the best hot dogs I've had! The dog itself was so soft and so was the bun, together with the cheese and mayo it was like heaven in your mouth. The fried eschallots had a slight bitter taste but the whole thing just worked in perfect harmony with each other to produce the perfect hot dog to satisfy any taste buds. The polenta chips were so crunchy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside, it was my first time trying polenta chips and they have my tick of approval for sure. The pulled pork taco was also a big hit with me. Pulled pork anything is already awesome but put it in a taco with some mayo and cabbage and you got yourself a explosion of flavours and textures in your mouth. The pulled pork had amazing aroma and melts in your mouth textures, the cabbage added that crunch and the mayo was smooth and creamy. The popcorn shrimp taco in comparison did not have that 'Oomph' factor the pulled pork had. The popcorn chicken was also a delight, bite size chicken pieces fried to a crispy golden colour, topped with salt and pepper. We got the BBQ sauce to go with it, the sauce tasted like it had bourbon or some other kind of alcohol in it. By this time we were already quite full but we can't resist getting some kind of dessert and so, doughnuts were ordered. These little balls of dough came out pipping hot, filled with chocolate and dusted with sugar. Sweet and so very indulgent, banana and chocolate can never go wrong. 

Everything about this place is just so adorable, if you want to try somewhere that's a bit different to your standard cocktail bar then pay 'Hinky Dinks' a visit, the food and drinks are worth coming all the way to Darlinghurst. The perfect place to unwind after work on a Friday night, make sure to get a Dinky Dog! 

Hinky Dinks

185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst

http://hinkydinks.com.au/

Bali, Indonesia - Part 3

Shopping

Batik

Batik is the art of drawing on fabric with hot wax. We were taken to this place where you can watch the ladies in action. There's a huge hall stocked with batik clothing and home furnishings. You can also buy a plain t-shirt and give it to one of the ladies at the front with your choice of pattern that's displayed on a white cloth in front of her station. They will draw the pattern, every single detail of if from memory. Mine only took her around 5 minutes or so, I was quite mesmerised sitting there watching her do it. You will need to give them a small tip afterwards, I gave her 50,000 rupiah which is around $5 Australian dollars.

Dewa Putu Toris Art Gallery

The Dewa Putu Toris art gallery showcases some of the largest art collections I've seen. Bali is also famous for their artists so people have flocked here to buy and collect artworks. If you are an art enthusiast then do make sure to stop here for a visit. The building itself is quite amazing too, it looks very narrow and small on the outside but it seemed to go on forever once you're inside. The gallery holds artworks of all kinds of styles and subjects, if you are interested in buying anything the gallery also can delivery to your hotel for you. They also let some artists work at the front area so the buyers can observe how they work. 

Ubud Market

If you like finding bargains then markets would definitely get you quite excited. Ubud market is one of the biggest markets in Bali, stalls here sell everything from clothes to souvenirs, paintings, jewellery and toys. But from what I've seen, most of the stalls sell pretty much the same things. Now, if you don't know how to bargain then do not come here because you WILL get ripped off. Always ask for 60% first, if they refuse then walk away, 99% of the time they will stop you and say something like "I don't make any money off of that price but for you I will do it" and then if they insist you go a bit higher then go for 50%. Either way, if you don't buy it at this stall, you will find it in another stall so you don't really have anything to lose. Oh yeah another thing, our tour guide took us to this silversmith in Celuk village, even though I asked for and got 60% off (apparently this was a first as the highest anyone has gotten out of them was 55% off, yay for me and my asianess! ) of our things we still got seriously ripped off. So I would suggest you buy your silver stuff at the markets. 

Discovery Shopping Mall, Kuta

One of the biggest malls I've been to, inside is mostly international brands like Ralph Lauren Polo (they're everywhere in Bali), Crocs and a lot of surf and sunglasses stores. Right outside the mall is Kuta beach. I guess if you're looking for some surf wear then come here, although they're about the same price as you would expect to pay in Australia. There's also some really nice home ware stuff in here like cushion covers and carved wooden sculptures. 

I think that covers everything, just remember to bring some medicine for stomach upsets because you will most likey get some kind of stomach problem during your stay. Otherwise, Bali was a wonderful place to visit, we really enjoyed our time here. No wonder so many aussies love coming here, till next time Bali, I'll miss ya!