New Fat Pom Pom

Hi Guys!

Its been a long while but my new Fat Pom Pom page is live and kicking hehe, the link is:

http://fatpompom.com/

Please visit it and follow me on Facebook or my Instagram!

Lots of love as always,
Fat Pom Pom
xoxo

Berry Trifle - Cooking with Totoro!

Yummy Berry Trifle!

Hi Guys,

You can find my video of how to make the Berry Trifle here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W97O7slX9Pk

Or the simple recipe:

2 x 85g packet of Aeroplane jelly, i used strawberry and raspberry
1 large jam roll, cut into 1cm thick slices
80ml of apple juice
2 x 250g punnet strawberries
300g of frozen mixed berries
500ml of Pauls premium vanilla custard
250ml of thickened cream, whipped

Follow the rest as per my video and you will be indulging in your own delicious trifle in no time at all :)

Hope you guys are all well and the cold Melbourne Autumn weather is not giving you the blues!!! Winter is coming again....hehe

Happy eating my friends!
Lots of Love
Fat Pom Pom

Can we still be friends?

Hi Everyone,

A thousand apologies for forgetting to post.....can we still be friends?
Fat Pom Pom is getting another make over, it will be a while but I hope to post something again for you guys soon... :) thank you for your patience and continuing support!!

Here, Leonidas is asking Nilla to be his friend....can we?

Lots of Love,
Fat Pom Pom

Gordon Ramsay's scramble eggs, with toasted croissants and smoked salmon

Yummy Scramble eggs....mmm

Hi everyone! This dish is perfect for brunch! My favorite meal during the day because it reminds me of a lazy day where I get to sleep in as much as I want and still get to enjoy a meal that is somewhat the best bits of breakfast and lunch! Two birds in one stone. That's the kind of life I enjoy :D

I saw this recipe a while ago on one of Gordon Ramsay's shows. I love his style of cooking, simple and flavour packed food!! So many good recipes of his that I am yet to try. I have made this dish at least 3 times now, and it still is delicious every time. It takes less then 10 minutes to whip up. Who would have thought scramble eggs, croissants and smoked salmon would go so well together!

What you need to make a lazy Sunday breakfast for two: 
2 large croissants
4 eggs
20g of butter
small bunch of chives, chopped
1 tbsp of creme fraiche
100g of smoked salmon slices
black pepper to season
Fresh garden salad to serve
(you can make a simple salad dressing with lemon, olive oil and season with salt and pepper)


What to do:
1) Slice the croissants into about 4 pieces (rounds) and toast on a pan on low heat with some olive oil until slightly toasted on both sides.
2) Meanwhile, in another pan on medium heat, break in the eggs and butter and stir until starting to clump, add creme fraiche and stir gently.
3) Remove from heat when eggs are still soft and serve over toasted croissants. Top with chives and season with black pepper. Finally, top with smoked salmon and serve with some fresh garden salad.

Happy Eating!

Lots of Love,
Fat Pom Pom

New York Cheesecake!

Hi All,

Cheesecake....who doesn't love a slice of perfectly baked cheesecake :) mmmm...

I was reminded of how much I love cheesecake just the other day when I had some from Brunetti! mmmmm dear friends of mine, am I too greedy for having such a love for delicious sweets and desserts?

I decided that it was time to make my first New York Cheesecake! The outcome....awesome and delicious as it looks!

This is my simple recipe! 
Ingredients:
350g of plain sweet biscuits, finely crushed in food processor
170g of unsalted butter, melted
750g of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup of caster sugar
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tbsp plain flour
4 eggs
300 ml sour cream
fresh strawberries for decoration

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius. Line the base if a 23cm springform pan with non-stick baking paper.

2) Mix biscuits and melted butter in a bowl until well combined. Pressed the biscuit mix into the base and side of pan, press firmly, leaving about 1 cm at the top of the pan. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3) Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon rind in a large bowl and beat with electric beater until just combine. Beat in flour, and then 1 egg at a time, beating well until just combined. Stir in the sour cream until just combined.

4) Pour the cream cheese mixture into the base. Place the pan on a baking tray and bake for 1 and 1/4 hours or until the centre is just slightly still wobbly. Turn off oven, with door ajar for about 2 hours. Then refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight to chill.

5) Served with sliced strawberries.

Enjoy life, love and the beautiful sunshine on a cold winters day!

Lots of Love 
Fat Pom Pom

Homemade Apple Pie!

Hi everyone!

Nothing beats home made food, and who doesn't like Apple Pie, especially freshly baked, serve hot with a dollop of icecream or custard!! mmmmmm :) a great winter warmer to feed my hungry family who seems to always be starving of desserts these days...

This is a simple recipe, almost anyone can make this, and as usual a crowd pleaser! Why not make this at your next gathering of family and friends! Simple food does not always mean boring food, so roll up your sleeves boys and girls, its time to roll out the pastry.

Apple Pie ingredients:

8 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks
2 tbsp caster sugar
pinch of grounded cinnamon
pinch of grounded cloves
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp of corn flour
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

for Shortcrust Pastry
2 cups of plain flour
1/4 cup of self raising flour
150g unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
2 tbsp caster sugar
4-5 tbsp ice water

2 tbsp of jam (i used strawberry)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp of sugar

Method:
1. To make the filling, place apples, sugar, lemon zest, cinamon, 2 tbsp of water in a small saucepan and simmer on low, stir occasionally for 8 minutes or until apples are soften.

2. Remove most of the water except for about 2-3 tablespoons. Add corn flour to the cooked apple mixture and leave to cool completely.

3. For the pastry, place sift both flours in a small bowl, rub butter into the flour until you get a breadcrumb like consistency. Stir in sugar, then make a well in the centre. Add almost all the water and mix, until the mixture comes together. Add more water if the dough is too dry. Gather dough together on a lightly floured surface. Press into a ball and divide into two, making one half a little bigger. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.  Roll out the larger piece of pastry between 2 baking paper to line the base and side of the pie plate. Line the pie plate with the pastry. Use a small sharp knife to trim away any excess pastry. Brush the jam over the base and spoon the apples into the shell. Roll out the other pastry between the baking paper until large enough to over the pie. brush with water around the rim then place the top on. Trim off any excess pastry, pinch the edges and cut a round hole or a couple of steam slits in the top.

5. Re-roll the pastry the scraps and cut into leaves for decoration. Lightly brush the top with eggs, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy this delicious pie with some custard and vanilla ice-cream!

Special thanks to Ninh for this recipe!

Lots of love,
Fat Pom Pom

Hu Tong vs Din Tai Fung

Hi Guys!!

Finally the last part of my food adventures in Hong Kong is finally here...7 months late...i guess its better late then never right?

While in Hong Kong, we had the opportunity to indulge in two of the most well known and highly rated, not to mention a must dining place for all new and old to Hong Kong, Din Tai Fung and Hu Tong.

I will start with our experience at Din Tai Fung since we ate there first. Located at Silvercord, 30 Canton Road,  Hong Kong, it had a simple and clean ambiance, very different from the many other local restaurants we ate whilst in Hong Kong, there was a huge selection of dumplings and main dishes, including a few dishes served with their special secret chilli sauce, which you definitely have to try!! Correct me if I'm wrong but this place currently holds one Michelin Star! Didn't know that until now :)

There was about 10 of us there so we were able to order alot of different dishes to try. The price was quite high compared to food in Hong Kong, but the quality and standard of food was very good also, in comparison. Staff was friendly, though it was hard to get their attention to order anything else, after you already place the initial order, understandable since the place was super packed and busy! Overall, it was an amazing dining experience. I was very satisfied with the flavours of the food, all the dumplings were made with care, our food came out nicely presented, simple and clean, everything was so yummy and delicious!! Standout dishes would be the Xiao Long Bao, Noodles serve with Special Sauce, Prawn dumplings in special sauce!! The flavours of the special sauce were simply amazing...makes me drool just thinking about it haha and the Xiao Long Bao were absolutely perfect, the skins were the right thickness, flavours of the filling were delicious with burst of the steamy and super flavoursome soupy goodness inside, balance with the right amount of soy sauce, vinegar and finely slice ginger  ....mmmmmmmmmm

From top left: Serving arrangements at Din Tai Fung, Tea, Crispy fried pork, Spring Rolls, Xiao Long Bao (mmmm :D), some green veggie stir fried with garlic :P, Noodle in Special Chilli Sauce, Shrimp and Pork Shao Mai, Cha Jiang Noodle with Mince Pork, Shrimp Wonton with Special Chilli Aauce, Crispy fried pork with fried rice, Spicy Sesame Noodles, Prawn and Pork Wonton with Moodles, Special Shallot sauce Noodles, Black Truffle dumplings, and Cantaloupe dessert.

I will definitely return to Din Tai Fung, just for their Xiao Long Bao's and Special Sauce (of which I did on my last day in Hong Kong hehe).

I would rate Din Tai Fung as follows:

Food: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Value: 8/10

Hu Tong was located at level 28, One Peking Road, Hong Kong. Upon arriving at this restaurant after going up 28 levels and stepping out of the lifts, I was blown away by the beautiful interior design of the restaurant. It was beautifully traditional yet very contemporary/modern at the same time.

The ambience is amazing, and the decoration and view of the city was stunning! We were lucky enough to be seated in one of the private booths, absolutely beautiful, I just love the traditional feel this place has! I haven't even started eating and already this restaurant has left me nodding and speechless in appreciation :) The service by the staff was exceptional, they were attentive, yet weren't pushy and seemed to know exactly when you needed to ask them for something. We mainly order dumplings because it was only lunch time, but there was only 5 of us this time and we were more then happy to just order dumplings to share (nope still not sick of dumplings...yet :P). The prices of dumplings were much higher then Din Tai Fung, or anywhere else we ate in Hong Kong, same price as Australian Yum Cha, in terms of quantity. The cutlery and dining ware they had were absolutely gorgeous, I wouldn't mind having these in my home. The dumplings were beautiful presented on unique plates, each one beautifully crafted! The food was of very high quality, almost fine dining like experience. Not to mention the tea we had was a very unique blend....i consider myself a tea nut and this is not one I've tried before, not the usual Jasmine or Chrysanthemum tea you get in Chinese restaurants. Flavours of the dumplings were amazing and of very high standard, and overall the dining experience was exceptional. Obviously we had to try the Xiao Long Bao also and make the comparison on this popular dumpling dish, they tasted just as good as Din Tai Fung and I couldn't decide which one I liked more hehe I was very happy that I did not miss the opportunity to try out this place before we left Hong Kong, one place I would be visiting again if I went back to Hong Kong and try out the many other main dishes they offered.

From top left: Tea served in a beautiful tea pot, more awesome cutlery, Lamb and Scallion Dumplings, Prawn in Tofu roll, Xiao Long Bao, Fried Dumpling, Bean and preserve vegetables appetizer dish, our lunch, Pork Dumpling. To be honest I don't quite remember which dumpling is which on the menu, its been over 6 months and the menu doesn't have pictures so I just had to guess them hehe

I would rate Hu Tong as follows:

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Value: 8/10

I guess you can tell which place I enjoyed more from my ratings?...hehe not really, though I rated Hu Tong's higher, I enjoyed both places almost equally and for different reasons.  They both lived up to the hype and good ratings that I have read all other the internet! I couldn't ask for more in this short trip to Hong Kong. Hong Kong was an awesome way to finish off my Asia trip. In short, Hong Kong has left its mark on my taste buds, and I do hope that someday soon, I will return there to explore more of what this amazing country has to offer. If you ask me which of the two restaurants I would recommend more?  I say try both :D

Lots of Love,
Fat Pom Pom