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Biscotti Tricks

11/17/2014

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Some of my earliest encounters with biscotti were closely associated with work. The art of skiving, to be exact. It was not as blatant as leaving the office to hang out just about anywhere, anytime. My job at that time was to sell advertising space on the internet and, depending on the client's business, to push for an e-commerce store to be set up by the company I represented. 

The dotcom boom in Singapore at the start of a new century meant exploring new possibilities among small and medium enterprises for greater opportunities out there, despite not knowing much about the internet. It was my job to cold-call potential clients, get myself in their office to educate and close the deal. I use the word "educate" because most of my colleagues were hardcore salespeople. Hard-selling was their strategy, something I could not bring myself to embrace.

My sales director was a "cili padi" - a feisty, ambitious, aggressive leader with an insatiable appetite for sales revenue, attractively packaged in but five feet two inches. She was so sharp one had better not try to be funny, especially when one's sales figure had not been up to her expectations. Imagine your name on the whiteboard, with a daily, weekly, monthly and to-date (ie. since your very first day in the job) sales achieved. You'd also receive the printout every Monday morning at the sales team meeting. There were as many as forty salespeople, experienced and otherwise. Staff turnover was regular.

So what does that have to do with biscotti? 

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Bruschetta

7/5/2013

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I must be slightly over-enthusiastic to blog three times this week but since I'm waiting for a block of butter to soften, and that I've made something simple earlier on, why not? My schoolmates J and C came over for lunch today. Yes, schoolmates. But like what C had said, we were just schoolmates not so long ago. As the girls came from the office, they brought some savoury pastries - chicken and tuna puffs - shared over mushroom soup and lemon cake. 

When friends come over, I always worry about not having enough food. So for supplementaries - purely optional - I got some baguette slices lightly toasted to either go along with the soup, or for some tomatoes as topping. The Italians (and now nearly the rest of the world) call it bruschetta. 

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Simple Pleasures

7/31/2011

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Having spent holidays at my in-laws over the years, it has become very clear that appetizers are a "must" before dinner, especially when there are guests coming over. Aperitifs, as it is known in the French culture, is when one enjoys finger-food with drinks, before the real meal.

Here at my in-laws, aperitifs could be as casual as store-bought nuts and crisps with Coke (JL and his father), Orangina (me) or fruit juice (the MIL); or as elaborate as the MIL's homemade puff pastries, tapenade or duck rillette canapes, with the FIL's homemade walnut wine (me), pastis (JL), wine from his little inventory built over the years (the FIL) and fruit juice (the MIL).  

Casual or otherwise, the common denominator being assembly work. It also helps when there is a little collection of trays and platters in the house (husbands, beware!) to hold different shapes, sizes and portions. 

But at the very worst, the dessert plate or coffee cup saucer does the job as well -- just like the picture above. It was taken during our time in Cambridge when we had only a set of dinnerware for four people. These appetizers are more American than French, though.  

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Sticky Puff Pastry Rolls

2/12/2011

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Confession: what you see above was a mistake. Due to the sudden demise of my five-year-old laptop (I'm still grieving now and then), I thought I'd just go ahead and make some sticky rolls by intuition. No need for looking up ideas on the internet. I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon to be honest, but with the cinnamon swirls which I love from Peet's in mind, I took out the last box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets and there's no turning back. 

Here's what I did, in brief:
1. Roll pastry sheets to slightly bigger than the size of a laptop.
2. Spread fig jam over both sheets. Lightly sprinkle castor sugar over the area.
3. Roll up the sheets loosely. Cut each sheet into 6 wheels. Reshape them a little.
4. Sitting them cut-side up, stuff as much dried cranberries inside the wheels (between layers). 
5. Top with torn-up pieces of figs from the jam. Do an eggwash on top and around the wheels.
6. Arrange the wheels on baking tray and sprinkle castor sugar over. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400F.

On hindsight, I should have sprinkled the dried cranberries in step 2, after the jam, before the sugar. 

I suppose it all turned out well - I managed to finish the jam that's been sitting in the fridge for months (neither of us liked it enough...). Edible mistakes - what more to ask for?
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A Wheel of a Time

12/28/2010

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I made these recently for a party because it's just not me to show up at potluck parties with something store-bought, unless the host specifically asks for chips and dips. My opinion is that if a party is worth attending, then it should be worth spending some time preparing for. Some women prepare by doing up their hair, colouring their faces, getting dressed only to change into another, and lastly choosing the right heels and accessories to go with the look. I spend my time making sure the food tastes decent, looks presentable and then pack them in a fuss-free manner. Ideally I should be able to leave the party hands-free (use good-looking disposables), and the host shouldn't have much trouble cleaning up after the party. Did I mention that I only bring enough not to have any leftovers? ;-)

In terms of food preparation, I have these learning points to share with you:

1. Never completely ignore the recipes recommended by manufacturers on their product packaging. The recipes serve as a good guide for first-timers, and allows one to improvise on subsequently.
2. Keep a pack of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets in the freezer. Along with Pilsbury's pie crusts, these have become my pantry staples. There are usually two of each at any time. You can make sweet or savoury tarts and pies whenever you feel like, just as long as you have fruits or ham and cheese in the fridge.
3. Plan ahead so that you can save time effortlessly. For example, if you want to use the puff pastry tomorrow, you should move them from the freezer to the fridge tonight. Then, tomorrow, if you want to use the puff pastry for lunch, take it out from the fridge after breakfast.

Here's my version of ham and cheese wheels, inspired by the recipe given by Pepperidge on their puff pastry packaging.

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Spinach, Ham and Cheese Tart

11/13/2010

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“This I will have for myself. Don’t give it away, okay?”

The husband is usually generous when it comes to sharing homemade food with friends. But not this one because he claims he can clean it all up, and I believe so. Ever since I started making the spinach, ham and cheese tart weeks ago, he had asked for it every subsequent week. Sometimes even proactively substantiated as to why I should. 

He is right. I should make this more often as it keeps his stomach happily occupied for several meals; he doesn’t get sick of it; I don’t have to cook that often; it is not messy at all; he simply microwaves it and washes up later. This works perfectly especially on evenings when I have French lessons.
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It also works very well as appetizers when there is a dinner party as it is just a matter of cut-sizes.

Besides, it can be made well in advance, cooled and cut into 1-inch squares, arranged on a platter which only needs to be kept warm till guest arrival.


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    briefly

    JL and S grew up in France and Malaysia respectively. They met while living in Singapore, stayed a year in the USA (Cambridge, MA) then the south of France, Malaysia, and are back again in the USA (New York, NY). 

    frenchinos at home is where we share some of our stories with friends, much like the living room, dine-in kitchen, or the timber-deck balcony which we've always wanted to have, which sounds most impossible where we live now. 

    Welcome and we're happy to have you here :)

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