Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I HAVE MOVED.

http://www.doughnutravis.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Making Tiramisu - Life can be simple at times.

Met David to hang out in town but he had to accompany me to NUS to submit my  SEP documents. On our way to town, the bus past by the Thai Embassy and was having a bazaar so we alighted in order to visit it.


IMG_0529
Mango Sticky Rice ($5) and Soya Bean Drink ($1 each)






Contrary to my belief that mangoes sold in public are often sour, this mango is actually sweet. It is almost the same as what you can get in Thailand, I mean, how can get you go wrong with fresh mangoes on glutinous rice?
I must say the staff working at Topman in Orchard ION is very friendly.


IMG_0542
Olive vine, which was highly recommended by VB.

Actually we had tried this restaurant already but I did not do a review then.


IMG_0535
Cheese Fries ($5.50)


Olive vine's Cheese Fries is much better than what you can get in KFC, as the fries are firmer and crunchier than the latter. Thanks for the fries, VB.


IMG_0539
Deep Fried Fish Alfredo ($9.90)


I added pasta ($1.00) because I was hungry but I could not finish it. I gave it to David  as the pasta that he had was too fiery for his stomach. Being too creamy, I would not recommend it to people who do not like dairy products. For me, I feel it is a good combination. The fish, though common, was good (as are all fried food isn't it?).


IMG_0537
Fried Pork with rice, egg and curry. ($9.90)


IMG_0540
VB and David.


IMG_0541
Marvin and I.


The dinner was rather briefly organized at the last minute and only Tian shuo (with mabel) unable to make it while Jia jia had to work OT.


I had decided to bake Tiramisu! 
IMG_0543
The ingredients.


IMG_0548
No, that wasn't my hand but my sister's.


I am glad I heeded VB's advice not to buy the coffee alcohol because I found a substitute cognac in the kitchen. My sister was helping out because she is keen to bake. Technically, making a tiramisu does not constitute baking because only mixing is required.


IMG_0550
The 1st layer of ladyfingers - Not the vegetable that you're thinking of.


On hindsight, we could have dipped the ladyfingers  slightly longer time for a more moist and coffee taste.


IMG_0551
Covering the ladyfingers with a layer of mascarpone cheese mix.


Doesn't that remind you of brick laying? Ladyfingers = Bricks and Mascarpone cheese mix = concrete.
IMG_0555
2nd layer of ladyfingers!


I sprinkled some cocoa powder which was optional. Kudos to VB for insisting I buy the cheaper cocoa instead of going for the more expensive one since I'm making tiramisu for the first time. The cheaper cocoa (made in malaysia) tasted good.


IMG_0558
Final layering.


IMG_0560
Viola!






The surface was rather uneven but well, as long as it tastes good, I'm satisfied.
IMG_0561
Place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours before consumption!


Woke up this morning and tried it. Both my sister and I felt it was really good! Success! Below is the recipe:
  1. 250grams of Mascarpone Cheese
  2. 3 eggs
  3. 1 packet of Ladyfingers (not sure if Fairprice has them but I bought this in Carrefour)
  4. 2 Tablespoons of sugar
  5. 2 shot of Cognac
  6. 1 thick coffee (We made it from nescafe coffee)
  7. Some cocoa powder
  8. Muscles for mixing the ingredients (Optional: Electric Mixer)
Steps (My apologies if I sound like I am performing a chemistry experiment):
  1. Make a cup of thick coffee and allow it to cool to room temperature. Pour it into a plate to achieve a higher rate of cooling effect. Add 1 shot of cognac and some cocoa powder into the coffee.
  2. Separate egg whites and yolks.
  3. Beat egg yolks and sugar until it turns creamy yellow.
  4. Add marscarpone cheese, 1 shot of cognac and mix till well blended. Leave it aside.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat egg white until super fluffy.
  6. Fold beaten egg whites into the marscapone mixture. Ensure minimal mixing so that it is only sufficiently well-blended.
  7. Dip the ladyfingers sugar side up and place it into the dish sugar side down. Layer with 1/2 the amount of marscapone mix, leaving the rest for the next layer.
So what should my next creation be? I should try as much as I can before my internship starts next week and before school starts. Anyway, I signed up for Standard Chartered Marathon with Lloyd ($75/pax). Freaking expensive but I've heard good reviews from it so far, with Sundown Adidas being the worst. Hopefully I am able to finish it at a decent time. If only I can have Chee Kong's timing, that will be perfect!

Condensed - It's been a while.


It's been about 2 months since my last exam (CM2142 Analytical Chemistry) ended. I have not had sufficient rest yet my internship at Fajar sec is about to commence soon. May be it is because I took CM3291 Advanced Experiments in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry during the special semester. The module was Bah. I certainly hope it will be an eye-opener (the internship) for me. Looking at module codes reminded me about my deproved CAP again. LSM1103  Biodiversity is the bane of my existence cause I got a C+ for it. This is the first module in my university days that I got such a low grade. Really low grade indeed. I swear never to take any life science modules 'cept for the one I am going to take at Technical University of Denmark (DTU) on my exchange.
Speaking of which, I was doing research on the places that I can go while in Denmark during Year 3 Semester 2. It seems like Denmark is situated roughly in the centre of Europe and allows me to travel around! Currently, the only country that I desperately want to visit is Switzerland because of its awesome natural landscapes. I feel it is on par, if not better, than the South Island of New Zealand. SCI SEP has sent us a list of the contacts of students who are going to DTU. Should I email them all for a lunch/dinner gathering cause we are gonna depend on each other in Denmark? 所谓在家靠家人在外靠朋友. Will it be weird? Anyway I guess I will be flying on a different plane with them (unless by coincidence) because MOE has decreed (a rather imposing word) that I need to book a plane ticket via its approved vendor. What is anal about going exchange is the amount of administrative work to be done. It's omgwtfbbq. Till date I have not received the scholarship endorsement letter from MOE. Hope I'll receive it by today so I can time my visit to NUS tomorrow to submit all documents after meeting Dr Leonard to get my recommendation letter.
On an entirely different note, I have decided to take CM3211 Organic Synthesis and Spectroscopy and a UROPS module. If I am unable to secure a UROPS module, I will take CM4211 Advanced Coordination Chemistry to replace a level 3000 core module because the year 3 core modules are does not sound the least bit interesting to me or maybe it is because I did not do well in some of the foundation core modules to warrant me taking up those advanced courses. Kinda excited about the new school term because I can finally choose the modules I want to read (the irony) and to work in the spanking new Radiopulze studio! :D
Sorry for the abrupt change of thoughts but I must thank Lloyd, Stef and Jerel for the present!
IMG_0525
At least this saved me from the hassle of choosing a new pair of shoes.
new-green-lantern-poster-550x235
Unimportant aliens unite!

We caught Green Lantern on that day. It was not a bad film but we expected more action from the Green Lantern Corp. There should be more coverage of Blake Lively because she is the female lead! Someone so goddamn chio like her should be featured in the poster itself. I was disappointed she was not in any and was replaced by some fish/insect/alien/rock hybrid.


In The Green Lantern, I felt that they had cast the female lead in a different light - A strong counterpart and not some damsel in distress which is a fresh idea. In the movie, Carrol (Blake Lively) helped Hal to shoot rockets at the monster blob, which temporarily gave her sufficient time to throw him the ring which Hal obtained from the dying purple alien (I like this phrase). Carrol is also Hal's boss and she helped him avoid a dismissal due to unrequited feelings for him. I am a big fan of superhero movies and so far, only Iron Man and Spiderman 2 left me wanting for more. The movie Thor has humour but not enough action as well while X-Men: First Class managed to pull off a satisfactory performance. Lets hope Captain America will be good. Catch the trailer here.
On a side note, Yue Ling gave me some Capitaland Vouchers and I really appreciate it. Oh the reason for the title of the blog is because I have not been blogging and this pretty summarizes everything for the past 2 months. Heh.