SHF #43: Citrus

Desserts & Dinner
SHF #43: Citrus
i know this is gonna sound a bit out of the ordinary. But hey! Whats a little dessert before dinner going to do any damage yar?

Since our dearest Tartlette has annouced Citrus for this months Sugar High Friday; i shall skip the hassle of the dinner and zip to the finale instead? hehe. alright alright. Perhaps a morself of savoury goodness will suffice later.

But first, let me introduce you to my entry for this month. *drum roll*... okay, so it was tough. Citrus? lemons, grapefruits, pomelo, orange, blood orange, lime... the variety just stumps me. Oops, before I launch into a long discussion of the different kinds of citrus fruits there are in the market. lets talk about what I made, lest you guys fidget in your seats too much.

here you go...


Oops, got that wrong again. That was the Sherpherd's Pie i made for dinner with the family instead. kk, here you go.. *nudging gently*

souffle2

the Orange and Lemon Souffle (completed with a dash of cointreau; only because we've got strictly adults in the house. heh). Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's 'Just Desserts'; the recipe was easy to follow. Starting off with a Crème Patissiere base; i then proceeded to fold the reduced orange and lemon juice into it followed by the whisked till stiff-peaked egg whites at the last moment before dishing into the souffle dishes. and then it was off into the oven.

soon, the light batter had risen to monstrous proportions. towering over the sides of the dish. I was awed by the amazing structure. and even more bewildered the fast rate at which the mighty structure fell once it had left the helms of the warm oven into the airconditioned room.

souffle3


In fact it was a little too fast even for me to dish them, dress them with orange segements and juggle the dishes out to the living room before running into my room frantically in search for the missing camera. By the time I had steadied myself, the towering structure had sunk gracefully into its crater. I was disappointed.. BUT WHO CARES! the souffle tasted great nonetheless. The orange and slight tinge of lemon so predominent with every bite. Paired with Brown Brothers Orange Muscat and Flora, a light dessert wine that complimented the fruity flavors of the dessert even more. It all seemed to fall into place, the orange and lemon souffle acting as the perfect and light ending to our seemingly heavy dinner.


Moving back in time, to pre-dinner hours. As I had said earlier, dinner was proudly presented to the family by Zhiheng and I. Babe was responsible for the cheese and grape platter complimented by his choice of white wine. Whereas I was responsible for both the entree and the desserts. The cheese platter was a show stopper. Featuring 3 different types of cheese of various textures, complete with crackers on the side, fresh cucumber chunky cuts in a center piece and sweet grapes. Mum being a cheese lover fell head over heels for this one and contemplated skipping the mains for a chance to gobble down all the cheese. FAT HOPE mum! hehe. mains are on me!
The entree was a fuss free sherpherd's pie; my usual recipe completed with a fresh addition of zucchini layered through the entire dish. That was the bomb; i'm so in love with the vege. The result, a success of moist succulent minced beef, mixed vegetables, smooth cheesy potatos and more cheese as its crowning glory. No one could resist the heart-warming course. *cheers*

now.. lets see whats cooking for next week? any suggestions for easy fuss free dishes peeps? Come on.. i need a little help here!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you for your entry! The souffle is gorgeous! Great job on an easy but tricky dessert!