Kith Cafe is little cafe tucked away in a secluded corner of Robertson Quay. Sandwiched between a beauty salon and a laundromat, it is likely to be classified as a “hidden find” on popular Singaporean online food guide Hungrygowhere. With only two (albeit long) tables in the indoor seating area, it is indeed a tiny but cozy place to stumble upon while taking a walk in the vicinity. There is also an outdoors seating area where people can stretch their legs and bask in Singapore’s tropical air while indulging in the simple pleasures of life — good food and good company. Did we also mention the view? Kith Cafe is right by the river.

Being Singaporeans (and PR), we are drawn to air conditioning like a bee is drawn to honey. Inside it’s cool, but we feel right at home on the wooden benches and stools. Plates of pastries entice and delicious smells wafted in the air.

Brioche with Vanilla Yoghurt and Strawberries

The two thick slices of brioche came studded with candied fruit and raisins. It was also delightfully soft. It went excellently with cold butter and dipped in yogurt! Though it may have been a tad sweet, the vanilla yogurt complemented the tartness of the (generous) chunks of strawberries hidden beneath the murky cover. Healthy AND delicious!

Big Breakfast

For the national softballer player / wushu master / big eater is the big breakfast. With 2 slices of toast accompanied by a slab of butter and a dish of homemade strawberry jam on top of 2 rashes of bacon and a giant juicy sausage, flanked by a serving of scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes, this dish is not for the diet conscious. The strawberry jam deserves a special mention: although not exactly jam-ish in texture, everything about it screams “HOMEMADE” and that’s what we like about it.

Bacon, Cheddar and Scrambled Eggs Toasties

For those with a smaller appetite, the toasties are the perfect choice. It is  hard to resist lightly scrambled eggs, bacons and gooey cheddar pocketed within warm, fragrant wholemeal bread. The bread may seem like your typical wholemeal slice but it definitely had a non mass-baked fragrance to it. And those crusty corners, mmm….

Croque Monsieur

On first look, we were slightly disappointed as we were expecting the typical cheese-topped croque monsieur that looks somewhat like a cheese volcano just erupted. Nonetheless, this could make a pretty decent comfort breakfast with ham and cheddar between lightly toasted bread. Both the croque monsieur and toasties came with chopped green apples drizzled with honey. Such a simple yet ingenious breakfast side dish. C had a not-so-secret moment of  sipping out all the honey ‘juices’ after gobbling up those fresh apples.

Watermelon Lychee Blend / Strawberry and Vanilla Yoghurt Milkshake

Both drinks were delightful. The watermelon lychee was refreshing; the strawberry and vanilla yogurt smooth and creamy without being overwhelming.

Drop by for brunch at Kith, it’s a wonderful place to catch up with old friends or simply watch the world pass by.

Kith Cafe

7 Rodyk Street
238215
6341 940

I can’t believe it has been this long since I last sank my teeth into these gorgeous little cupcakes!

Warning: this recipe requires the washing of many dishes

and they taste heavenly too!

Chocolate and mint is always a sure win combination. What makes this so special is the lightness of it. Watching my trusty mixers whipping up the yolks and whites to more than double the size — oh what fun! Doubling the size means halving the calories. Right? Right?

The thing about souffles is that you can’t just dump it all in a bowl and watch TV while the mixer does all the work (yes, I do that). There is always the sincerity of the human touch in the folding.

After sitting in the oven, these precious cups of chocolate rise to form crisp domes. If you’re starting to panic, thinking “HOW IS MY BLOB OF CREAM SUPPOSED TO NESTLE DEMURELY ON TOP OF MY CUPCAKE NOW”, just take them out of the oven and two seconds later..

Bam! Like magic!

A word about the White Chocolate Mint Cream: Amazing.

Sweetened by the white chocolate, beaten until light; you can’t help but lick it — just to find the subtle yet refreshing mint rounding off the whole transfusion of flavors. Beware though, the cream has to be VERY VERY cold before it’s whipped! And it takes FOREVER to whip!

taadaa!!

Now all that’s left to do is enjoy! And trust me you will!

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream
Smitten Kitchen

Makes 9 cupcakes, or about 20 mini ones.

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes
6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) (86 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) espresso or instant coffee powder
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons (97 grams) sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Mint Cream
2 ounces (56 grams) white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

Get the white chocolate mint cream ready for later: Place the white chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate. Whisk well. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Using an electric mixer beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.

Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack.

Finish your masterpiece: Beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Remove cupcakes from pan, and fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy.

Inspired by one of  Luxirare‘s (an incredibly amazing blog) old post, Guestbakers DT and CY were dying to churn out some homemade lotus chips. So, after picking up some lotus roots from Cold Storage we headed home for some serious business.

This recipe is largely impromptu but the chips turned out surprisingly good. Except they weren’t baked too evenly, but that’s not something we can’t fix if we are going to make them again.

Ingredients:

Lotus Root

Olive Oil

Salt

Instructions:

1. Line baking tray with foil and proceed to brush olive oil onto surface of foil. At the same time, preheat oven at 190 C

2. Thinly slice lotus root to preferably 1/8 inch each. Too thin and it will become burnt easily, and too thick? It doesn’t achieve the optimum crunch.

3. Carefully lay sliced lotus roots next too each other. As the lotus tends to shrink when baked, slices can be laid closely.

4. Brush Olive Oil over evenly and sprinkle salt as desired.

5. Throw them into the oven, turning them over in approximately 10 mins or when golden brown.

These healthy, baked (not fried) goodness make a good snack anytime of the day! Best served right out of the oven we say!

When it comes to blueberry muffins, D & C practically has a hate – hate relationship with it. First time round, we were still our ignorant selves and we used canned blueberries, a BIG no no. Needless to say, our muffins were crappy. Fast forward, we were desperate to undo our mistakes. Turns out, we failed again, even with fresh blueberries!! Unbelievably so, because we usually end up with at least something edible. Yup, and that batch was thrashed as well.

Months later, we revisit our nightmares and were more than determined to make it werk. As C was approaching the end of her internship, she decided to give her lovely colleagues a treat. So of course, this batch of muffins HAD TO BE GOOD.

Behold…

Glorious to die for muffins, with the perfect streusel to top it off. As per TGF’s tradition, we overdosed the blueberries and the muffins turned out perfectly moist and fruity. To be exact, exploding with blueberry goodness!

Really, these muffins embody everything I would look for in tbe perfect muffin, so this recipe is definitely a keeper, to be passed down for generations! The recipe is named To Die For Blueberry Muffins. To whoever who created it, you were damn right!!

And phew, finally some blueberry muffin success for us!!

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (original recipe asks for milk, which would work perfectly as well, but buttermilk will give it an amazing texture)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (original recipe asks for 1 cup, but 1.5 cups is perfect for blubry explosion)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top  3/4 full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. (at 3/4 full, our muffins rose beyond the cups)
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Milkshake lovers, pancake lovers:  please buckle up or risk falling off your chairs from hyperventilation!

so,

HOW ABOUT THIS??

 MORINAGA PANCAKE FLAVORED MILKSHAKE!!!

I can’t find the right words for it so I should just shut up. Staring at the image itself is killing me.

It will only be available in Japan in September. I wonder when it will ever reach our sunny shores.

edit: S and D thinks this idea is gross. I am extremely disappointed that they do not share my sentiments for this brilliant drink.

 Source

These Matryoshka Russian Nesting Doll Measuring Cups really hit the note for blending style with function, don’t they? Now these domesticated russian dolls can venture beyond their typical ‘on the piano/ display cupboard’ territories to prove their worth in the kitchen!

Not sure about you but we always get frustrated trying to clean the last bit of the batter out of the bowl because the typical spoon just cannot do the job well! Well, it sure seems we  will now be rid of this problem with the Batter Finger. It’d probably also make licking the final bits off look attractive!

Gosh, this brings tea-time cupcake to a whole new level! These reusable Tea Cupcakes molds really trump anything else we’ve seen. Even the most ordinary cupcake would look luxurious in them!\

Argh, we’d be jumping in joy if we actually owned these stuff but we are, afterall, starving students who have to buy the cheapest ingredients in the store so these quirky tools can wait.

A typical cold storage/ phoon huat ingredient run goes like this:

D: “Eggs! We need eggs!”

C: “Okay, which one?”

D: “Ah the cheapest one… wait this one is 5 cents more expensive but the crate looks sturdier.. this!” ( because we really aren’t too confident about bringing the eggs home safe and sound, right D? )

Yup, that’s how we function here, but you know what, despite cheap ingredients, we still love every moment of it.

All items from the Neatorama Store, which IMO is the most awesome internet store for everything beyond imagination and quirky.

S was hungry after waiting an extra 30 minutes for us to reach the bus stop. Long story. To cut it short, it was C’s fault. Heehee.

So as you can imagine, once we got to the kitchen we started slicing and mixing and frying away. C had graduated from citrus molester to chicken breast molester and managed to rip out all the fat and slice the pieces into 1/2 inch pieces while D was still rummaging for the scissors.

***

“I found it!!!!”

“I finish already.”

“Oh..”

***

It happens a lot.

Meanwhile, S hacked away at the german multigrain bread we picked up.. in Chinatown! D proceeded to boil the eggs and gather herbs and spices as C continued to massage the chicken into tenderness.

S and D whipped together a special cajun dressing while C rubbed in our hastily thrown together marinade. Chicken sits in marinade for 5 minutes before S, C & D decide to ignore the recipe’s advice to “marinate at least 2 hours” and pan fried the slices in olive oil.

After much deliberation, C also decided to thickly slice her avocado instead of mushing it, because “a true avocado eater will love it either way”. At this point, S has become too hungry to cook and proceeds to the living room to watch a Hong Kong drama serial.

As D toasted the bread slices, C assembled them. Bread – Chicken – Dressing – Egg – Avocado – Bread. Doesn’t get any better than that. We originally wanted to put in lettuce and tomato, but alas — all D’s fridge had was broccoli and cabbage. But the avocado worked out perfectly.

A sandwich bursting with tasty and juicy chicken, not-too-rich dressing, slightly runny egg and creamy avocados, this was a most satisfying (albeit messy) meal that we think would make a easy lunch to pack to work or school. Try it for yourself!

Recipe (Allrecipes adapted)

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• >1 teaspoon garlic salt
• >1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• >1/2 teaspoon paprika
• >1 teaspoon pepper
• 6 slices bread
• 1 avocado
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonaise
• 1/8 cup light sour cream

Nonetheless, internships will end in a month’s time, Y will be back from her century long exchange to the US of A in two weeks and trust us, things will get back into full swing in no time at all. So hopefully, what’s left of TGF ‘fans’ still comes back and hang out for a bit here and share this good news with us alright!

To start things of, C and guest-baker S attended a cosy birthday dinner at Arbite today! Here are some snapshots. Enjoy!

Pappardelle with Mushroom and Parma Ham

Arbite handmake their pastas daily. The texture was refreshingly agreeable. Slightly chewier and denser than the typical pasta, yet not flour-y in taste, C gives it a definite thumbs up. In addition, the saltiness of the parma ham complemented the aromatic truffle flavored cream base extremely well. A real pleasure to the senses! Extra brownie points for rose shaped parma

Seafood Tagliatelle

I love how you can tell from the uneven texture that the pasta has been lovingly handmade. Slightly tangy, the tomato base had adequate consistency, clinging just slightly to the pasta and seafood. Appreciation for generosity goes a long way here on TGF so the abundant seafood in this dish gets a nod of agreement. A classic dish done well.

Seafood Pie

Trust S when it comes to mashed potato. With her vast experience, she knows a good mash even by sight. Slightly garlicky, this mash with the right density and creaminess scores in S’s book of mash. Unearth the glorious top layer and be blown away by a generous amount of seafood in a flavorful light, almost soup-ish broth.

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Salad

C loves it when her salad is well tossed. Well coated on each leaf, this balsamic vinaigrette dressed salad had the right tanginess and aroma. The smoked salmon provided the right dash of saltiness to this otherwise sweet-based starter even though we had some trouble forking the salmon into smaller pieces as it comes in a strip.

Nothing like a wonderful, joyous and cosy dinner on a cold and rainy Sunday night!

Arbite

66A Serangoon Garden Way

Chinese New Year is the time of the year when Chinese people get together to exchange blessings with family and friends. The actual date however, is not always the same! This is because we go according to the Chinese lunar calender. CNY is always the first day of the lunar calender, just that festivities go on for 15 days! Now that’s a reason to celebrate.

Just in case you’re wondering, the mythology behind CNY goes like this: A Chinese village is plagued by a monster called Nian (year) and he comes out at the end of every year to eat villagers. Naturally, the villagers were in terror at the end of every year until one year, a boy came up with a brilliant idea to scare Nian away with firecrackers and it worked! Voila! A new year of thanksgiving is celebrated, and streets are alive with boisterous sounds of the popping of firecrackers (or at least, that’s what i imagine, since it’s banned in this country).

For all you people out there whose favorite part of Chinese New Year is eating oranges non stop, then this post is for you! (Although we all know there are many other perks of CNY, free money for instance). I also understand that many people do not like CNY at all. After all, who likes being pestered by various relatives you barely know? This year, there’s another reason to be stressed by CNY:

Valentines Day! That’s right, this year the lion dances when cupid takes aim. CNY 2010 is on the 14th of Feb. What to make? Pineapple tarts? Sweets for your lover / friends / family? TGF(with the help of guest bakers RS and Samurai, and guest eater JZ)  has a solution for you:

Mandarin Orange Tart!

Leave some at home for guests who come harking at your door for ang pows (red packets full of $$$) and give some away as a little token of appreciation to loved ones for v-day.

We are proud to say that this is one of the few recipes that are adapted. Meaning, we threw it together ourselves (well, we found the recipes from various places! The results are pleasing to the palate. Sweet without being to cloying, refreshing with a slight tang, this tart is also perfect for the yearly heatwave that hits us just as we’re trudging around in our new clothes that are not meant to be drenched in perspiration. Layered with 2 different creams, it might be a little time consuming, but the results are worth it!

Mandarin Orange Tart (makes two medium pies)

Shortbread Crust (allrecipes)

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder together, then blend into butter mixture.
3. Pat into pie base. Bake for 15 minutes, until edges are brown.

Pastry Cream (joyofbaking)

• 1 1/4 cup (300ml) milk
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Mix sugar and yolks together in together with a wooden spoon. Sift in flour and cornstarch, and mix until you get a smooth paste.
2. Combine milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Heat up until boiling on medium heat (when it foams up, it’s ready!).
3. Remove milk mixture from heat and pour slowly into egg paste, whisking as you pour.
4. Put combined mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes very thick.
5. Pour into clean bowl and cover to prevent cream from drying out. Let cool completely.
6. Meanwhile, whip whipping cream to soft peaks. Fold into cooled cream until desired lightness.

Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting (allrecipes):

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Beat whipping cream to soft peaks and set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add sugar until desired sweetness. Beat until smooth again.
3. Fold in whipped cream.

Assembly

• 4 cans mandarin oranges (try not to use the ones with skin, they will be difficult to when serving), well drained

1. On cooled crust, spread a layer of pastry cream.
2. Arrange oranges on top on pastry cream.
3. Spread layer of cream cheese frosting on top.
4. Arrange another layer on top.
5. Chill for 1 hour, serve!

Oreo Cookie Crust

1. 2 large rolls of Oreos
2. 1/2 cup melted butter

• Finely crush Oreos and stir in melted butter.
• Press mixture evenly into pan.

We couldn’t find D’s pie pan, so we made tiny pies using the muffin pan, lined with aluminum foil.

• Freeze crust for 30 minutes to make it easy to remove.

Chocolate “Mousse”

1. 2.5 cups heavy cream
2. 12 oz semi sweet chocolate
3. 1 tsp vanilla
4. pinch of salt
5. 1/4 cup white sugar

• Heat 1 cup heavy cream in a saucepan and remove from heat. Pour in chocolate and let sit 30 seconds before stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, whip remaining 1.5 cups of heavy cream, adding in sugar a little bit at a time. Stop when stiff peaks are reached. Remember not to overbeat!
• Fold the whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture. Fill pie crust, and refrigerate for 6 hours.