Homemade Pasta with Black Truffle Paste or XO Sauce

So, I've finally tried making my own pasta at home! Thanks to Linguini Fini's goodie bag!
Look at all the mess I've made, but it's so worth it!


I don't have a pasta maker, so I hand rolled my pasta. I also didn't know how maltagliata pasta's supposed to look like and at that moment, it didn't occur to me that I could google it. Duh! Please excuse my blond moment. So I cut my pasta the way I like it the most.

It was a busy weekend, and I didn't bother making a sauce. I've consumed the pasta two easy ways.
Homemade Pasta with Black Truffle Paste

After it's cooked to al dente, the pasta's tossed with a bit of olive oil and black truffle paste, with a touch of sea salt. I've learnt this combo from a friend and oh my! It may sound so simple, and I know it's only black truffle paste and not freshly shaved black truffle, but it's absolutely delicious! I am sooo totally doing this combo again.

Homemade Pasta with XO Sauce

The other batch of pasta's tossed with XO sauce, a touch of light soy sauce and sesame oil. You know it's gotta be good. Plate-licking fantastic!

If you're up to making your own pasta, here's chef Vinny's recipe.

If not, you can use the above combo with any pasta or noodles.

Enjoy!

Epic Dinner at Linguini Fini

Here's some Friday delishfest for you.

Yummy pictures from a bloggers dinner at Linguini Fini.
Linguini Fini prides itself for using locally produced organic produce, sustainable seafood, head-to-tail pigs,  as well as all natural meats, rice and pasta. All fantastic and admirable principals, but most importantly, the food's gotta be good, right?

The dinner was...epic. We had at least 33 dishes that night (whew!), but I'll just show you my favorites...and I'll try to describe each in just two words.

Stracetti di Manzo
Rare beef, artichokes, gorgonzola dolce, with anchovy aioli.
Two words, absolutely delicious!


House Cured Lingua (Tongue)
I've always been a huge fan of tongue dishes. It could be really good when it's done well. The tongue was cut in perfect thickness, not too thin (I am not a big fan of thinly cut tongues), not too thick, very tender, and everything ingredients work well together. Love.
So, I've failed to describe this dish in only two words.
Sue me.


White gold bars. 
Herb breaded pubblico mozzarella with marinara.
Soft and yummy cheese with crispy deep-fried exterior. What's not to like?


Eggplant, Scamorza, Sundried tomato and basil flat bread.
The base has a good amount of crispness yet still kinda fluffy inside. Again, I hate it when it gets too thin and too crispy, so this was perfect for me. The toppings are super duper tasty. Love it.


Chitarra.
Pasta with chicken liver, pancetta, sage, and brown butter.
Creamy and rich liver, perfectly cooked pasta. I adore. It's my favorite pasta of the night!


Rotisserie Porchetta.
Pork belly, fennel sausage, chili mostarda.
Tender and juicy meat with crispy crackling. Yumminess!


Lardo Roasted Chicken with basil and cherry tomato vinaigrette.
I normally avoid ordering roast chicken when I dine out, but this was absolutely lovely. Juicy, moist, flavorful.


Cast Iron Charred Hanger Steak with caramelized onion aioli.
Nicely charred and tender, bursting with flavors. I took seconds :)

From the sweets department...

Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Poppy Seed Gelato.
If I were to order my own dessert, this would be my last pick. I was very pleasantly surprised when I crowned this as my favorite dessert from the selection. The cake was perfectly moist, it's not too sweet, not too rich, just right. The gelato was indeed the perfect partner for it. Lovely.

If you wanna see which other dishes we tried that night, check out my Facebook Page.
I'll post the pictures there.


The goodie bag's beyond adorable. I love how they encouraged us to make our own pasta.


I had a lot of fun! I'll post what I made soon, stay tuned!

Thank you for the lovely dinner and the memorable goodie bag, Linguini Fini!


Linguini Fini
1/F, The L Place, 139 Queen's Road, Central
Hong Kong
中環皇后大道中139號The L Place 1樓
They don't take reservations, so go early.

Craving Now - Butter Cookies from Random Hong Kong Neighborhood Bakeries

Such a random post, I know!
But I am suddenly craving these crunchy yet melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies. I don't need to get them from famous bakeries, I'd just walk into any random Hong Kong neighborhood bakery to get a pack (this costs HK$10 a pack) and normally it'd be good enough to satisfy my craving.
SC loves these cookies so much and he converted me from a hater to a lover.

What are you craving right now?

Roasted Corn, Chicken and Coriander Soup

Summer's too hot for soups?
Hmpfh. I don't think so.
But I do prefer clear soup instead of the rich and creamy ones for summer.
This one started with a minimalist quick chicken broth, to which I added roasted corn, coriander and some citrus juice at the last minute.

Recipe
- 1 chicken, broken down to quarters, excess fat removed
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 3 cloves of shallot, thinly sliced
- a big bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
- 4 ears of corn (or you can used canned corn kernels)
- 1 lemon
- cooking oil, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg, water (or chicken stock if you want it more intense)

In a stock pot, saute chicken, garlic and shallot in a bit of oil and butter until fragrant. Add hot water (or chicken stock), bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes to make the chicken stock soup base. While the chicken soup is simmering, slather corn with some butter and grill until golden brown. Remove corn kernels, season with salt and pepper, then set aside. Check on the chicken soup base, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and nutmeg. Turn off heat, add chopped coriander, squeeze some lemon juice, add roasted corn kernels and serve. You can add a bit of fresh chopped chillies if you want more heat.

I love mine with buttered toasts or sandwiches and a big glass of iced tea.

Hello Kitty X Swarovski Launch Party at The Four Seasons, Hong Kong

What would a food blogger do in a Hello Kitty x Swarovski party?

She'd stop every tray of canape.
Photograph the food.
And eat them.


...and eat...and eat...and eat...


When she loved something...

...she shamelessly took seconds..


...or thirds...or the last serving on the tray ^_^'









After gawking at all the gorgeous people and sparkly Hello Kitties...


She'd be damned if she missed desserts :p



So, where were all the gorgeous people and the sparkly kitties?
Don't tell me that only took pictures of the food?
Ahem! Check them out here.

Special shout out to the ever so sweet & thoughtful Hong Kong Fashion Geek! Thanks muchh, babe! ^_*