Cookism

I first encountered the wonderful focaccia in an Italian restaurant, and from then on, it has become a bread that is close to my heart (and stomach). The aroma and immense flavor this oily flatbread oozes is enough to make you crave for more. Here at Cookism, we pack our focaccia with extra big love. Sundried tomatoes? check! Caramelised onion ribbons? check! Hearty herbs? check! You name it, we got it. We believe that focaccia should pack a punch. So give this irresistible bread a shot. Trust me, they are dying to be eaten as much as you are dying to eat them. You’re welcome!

Ingredients:

1. 425g of Bread Flour + Extra for Dusting
2. 1 tbsp of Dry Active Yeast
3. 2 tsp of Salt + Extra for Topping
4. 1 tbsp of Sugar
5. 7 Sprigs of Rosemary
6. 2 Sprigs of Oregano
7. 4 Sprigs of Thyme
8. 70g of Sundried Tomatoes
9. A Pinch of Black Pepper
10. Lukewarm water (60ml + 240ml)
11. 60ml of Olive Oil + Extra for Topping

For Caramelised Onions:
12. 2 Large Yellow Onions (Chopped into Thin Slices)
13. 1 tsp of Sugar
14. Pinch of Salt and Black Pepper
15. A Splash of Dry White Wine
16. Olive Oil

Methods:
1. Gather and finely chop the leaves for 4 sprigs of rosemary, 2 sprigs of oregano and 4 sprigs of thyme. Next, chop 30g of sundried tomatoes into fine bits.

2. Sprinkle yeast over 60ml of lukewarm water. Stir well to dissolve. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes till mixture turns frothy.
3. In the meantime, add flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Use your hands to make a well in the centre.
4. Add 60ml of olive oil, yeast mixture, a generous pinch of black pepper and chopped sundried tomatoes and herbs into the well.
5. Followed by pouring in 240ml of lukewarm water into the well.
6. Gradually stir in the flour to form a dough. Dough should be sticky and soft.
7. Flour your hands and sprinkle your work surface with flour. Knead the dough for about 7 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. You could test by pressing the dough with one finger. It should bounce back if it is ready. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour till it has doubled in size.
8. While waiting for the dough to rise, heat the pan and drizzle a little olive oil. Add in onions and cook till soft and transparent.
9. Season with sugar, salt and black pepper. Stir well.
10. Cook till onions turn brown. Deglaze with a splash of white wine. Transfer onions into a bowl and leave them to cool.
11. When the dough has doubled in size, knock out the air by punching the dough once. Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a tin. Flatten the dough with your fingers to fill the tin evenly.
12. Preheat oven to 200C. Poke the dough with your fingers to make dimples. Distribute the rest of the rosemary leaves on top. Cover it with a damp tea towel and leave it to rise. Takes about 30 to 35 minutes.
13. Sprinkle dough with salt and black pepper. Scatter caramelised onions, drizzle olive oil on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
14. Halfway through baking, top focaccia with sliced sundried tomatoes.
15. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes before serving! 

Julia Child wrote that her first sole meunière was a culinary revelation, and it is easy to see why. Despite being a flatfish recipe, there’s nothing flat or fishy about it. The delicate sole is powdered to lightly seal in its flavor, before being fried to crispy perfection in parsley and lemon-infused butter. A sprinkle of green gems of capers add bursts of tanginess that delights the tastebuds. This is a dish that exuberates elegance in simplicity; a classic accessible to the humble home kitchen. C’est la vie! 

Ingredients:
1. 1 Sole Fillet (about 200g, skin removed)
2. Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
3. 2 tbsp of Plain Flour
4. 1 tbsp of Sunflower Oil
5. 50g of Butter
6. 1/2 of a Lemon Zest & Juice
7. 1 to 2 tbsp of Chopped Flatleaf Parsley
8. 1 tbsp of Capers

Serves 1

Methods:

1. Pat the fillet dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Spoon flour onto a large plate. Evenly coat both sides of the fillet with flour. Lightly shake and pat off excess flour.

3. Heat sunflower oil in a large pan over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, lower the heat to medium. Place the fillet in and cook each side for about 1 to 2 minutes till golden brown.

4. When fillet is done, transfer it onto a serving plate. 

5. Get ready some chopped parsley and lemon zest.

6. Heat and melt butter in a pan over medium heat until brown. Once butter has turn brown, turn off the heat immediately. Stand back and squeeze lemon juice into the pan as it will splutter.

7. Stir in parsley, lemon zest and capers. 

8. Drizzle butter sauce onto the fillet. Serve with chopped parsley and lemon wedge. Enjoy!

The madeleine is a traditional cake blessed unto us cakeheads by patisserie paradise France. These little darlings are both pretty to eat and to look at. Here at Cookism, we simply cannot emphasize enough the sheer joy and wonders of homemade madeleines, these golden brown shells that hold their own on the dining table and in our hearts. Give these madeleines a shot yourself, go on, and let them drive your palates mad.

Ingredients:

1. 3 Eggs
2. 130g of Caster Sugar
3. 200g of Plain Flour
4. 10g of Baking Powder
5. 200g of Melted Butter
6. 20g of Honey
7. 60ml of Milk
8. Zest of 1 Orange
9. 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste
10. 1 tsp of Orange Blossom Water
11. Icing Sugar

Makes 24 

Methods:
1. Add sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl.

2. Using an electric whisk, whisk mixture till pale, creamy and  tripled in volume. Takes about 5 to 6 minutes. The batter should form a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.

3. Sieve flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add in orange zest and mix well.

4. Add honey into milk and stir till dissolved. Pour in honey-milk mixture into cooled melted butter. Stir well!

5. Stir in butter mixture into the batter by gradually pouring the butter mixture and stirring it with a spatula simultaneously. Make sure they are well combined.

6. Add flour in a few batches.

7. Using a spatula, fold in the flour using big strokes till just combined. Repeat step 6 and 7 for the remaining batches of flour. Do not overmix the batter!
8. Add vanilla bean paste and orange blossom water into the batter. Stir till just combined. Wrap the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
9. I am using a silicon mold this time round so it’s not required to grease or flour them, but I still greased mine just in case. For tin molds, brush melted butter and dust the molds with flour. Tap out excess flour and place it in a fridge to set. Using tin molds will give you crisper madeleines.
10. Preheat oven to 190C. When the batter is ready, scoop them into a piping bag. Cut a small opening at the tip. Pipe about 1 tablespoon worth of batter in the middle each shell. Bake for 5 minutes, switch the oven off for 1 minute and turn the oven on again to 160C to bake for another 5 minutes.11. Unmold and transfer madeleines onto a wire rack to cool. Serve with a dash of icing sugar. Enjoy!

Trust the Japanese to think of a dish consisting of stuffing rice into the hollow bodies of squid. Ikameshi is both fun to make and eat. In a way, they are like reverse sushi, with the meat wrapping the rice. Even though the process of disemboweling squid can be somewhat revolting, the final product is definitely worth the slime and ink. Itadakimasu!

Ingredients:

1. 8 medium Squid
2. 1 Cup of Mochigome (Japanese Glutinous Rice)

For Sauce mix:

3. 3 tbsp + 1 tsp of Shoyu (Japanese Soya Sauce)
4. 3 tbsp of Sugar
5. 1 tbsp of Mirin
6. 100ml of Sake
7. 800ml of Water

You will need bamboo skewers for this recipe.

Makes 8 Ikameshi

Methods:1. Wash mochigome for 3 times. Fill up enough water to cover the rice. Leave the rice to soak for about 1 hour.
2. In the meantime, let’s prepare the squids. Firmly hold onto the body of the squid with one hand and the head with another. Pull them apart, the head and innards should easily be removed from the body.
3. Cut the tentacles away by slicing the squid just below its eyes. Remove the hard beak from the center of the tentacles.
4. Cut and discard away the tentacles of the longer arms. Cut the longer arms from the rest of the tentacles. Remove the suckers from the tentacles by either scraping them off with a knife or manually peeling them off.
5. Firmly pull the cuttlebone out of the body using your fingers. Discard the cuttlebone.
6. Use a spoon, remove any excess innards. Rinse the inside of the mantle and tentacles in cold water.
7. When 1 hour is up, drain the rice with a strainer. Fill the squid with rice up to 60% full. Give the mantle a light shake to allow the rice to be filled from the bottom.
8. Secure the collar of the squid with a bamboo skewer to prevent the rice from coming out.
9. Combine the sauce mix ingredients in a deep pan. Stir well. Heat the pan under medium heat.
10. Immediately place the squid into the pan while the mixture is still cold. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the squid to simmer for about 30 minutes.Make sure the squid is covered with the sauce mix. This will ensure that the rice cooks evenly. Occasionally flip the squid over, baste the squid with the sauce and remove the foam from the sauce using a mesh strainer.
11. Add the tentacles into the pan halfway during cooking. You may lightly remove the purple film by scraping the body with a spatula.
12. After 30 minutes, reduce the sauce. Continue to baste the squid with the sauce at times. This may take about 10 minutes.
13. Strain the sauce to remove any foam or film. Cut Ikameshi into slices. Drizzle the sauce onto the Ikameshi. Ready to serve! Enjoy!

Credits: Thanks Shawn for the introduction!