roast rack of lamb

roast rack of lamb
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

It was a nightmare in the kitchen as I prepared the main course. Chin Ru panicked when she realised she forgot to bring her beaters for her mixing machine and I was nervous from the guests' wish for 4 different ways of how they want their meat done (I asked the question becos I wanted to know if I could deliver the challenge, and soon realised the task itself is bigger than the thought!!).

So with anxiety looming in the kitchen, I'm to make 1 meat in medium rare, 4 in medium, 3 in medium well and 1 well done. This takes different time for how long the meat has to stay in the oven. My thoughts were in an uncontrollable fear as I was worried how to keep the medium meat warm while I make the ones more well done. I'm sure in a commercial kitchen, one is able to cope with a complicated order like this with the right kitchen tools (ie food warmers, extra ovens etc). I soon found a solution when my hand rested on my little oven toaster - a little help can go a long way. So with the kitchen god smiling on me, the meat was now ready.

As I arranged the ingredients on the plate, with the medley of roasted potatoes under the rack of lamb and a bunch of "baby kailan" on the side, it occured to me like a bomb in Hiroshima that I forgot to make the balsamic mint sauce. The amount of swear words coming out of this realisation is not something one would one to hear (which poor Chin Ru has to tolerate). I was scouring the kitchen to chop up the mint but spent instead 5 minutes looking frantically for it, couldn't recall where I've placed it earlier. When we've finally found it, I proceeded to make the sauce and we were finally (yes finally phew!!) ready to serve the main course amidst the earlier chaos. Some behind the scenes accounts on this otherwise quite well presented dish. Except for one guest returning his meat becos its too rare (he wanted medium rare), I think I got most of the meat done to their requirement.

personalised menu

personalised menu
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

We wanted to make the menu personalised with our guest's names and as a subtle gesture on the seating arrangement. we've never folded napkins in our life before and for the first time, i wished i'd paid more details on napkin designs each time I absent-mindedly spread mine at a restaurant. we searched the web for tips and finally settled on this design which allow us to slip the menu into its napkin sleeves.

the settings

settings
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

We put alot of effort thinking about how to set the table, while I spent 3 hours in Singapore looking for the place to get table napkins and finally find that (amongst many other things) at a reliable kitchen supply store in Chinatown (Temple Street). We finally decide to go au-naturel except for a couple of floating candles and orchids in clear short glasses with a nice green leaf wrapped around each. the effort was minimal, but the effect was maximised.

Planning the Dinner

Let me backtrack a bit here to give you a bit of History on how this all started.

The History of Soul Cravings
Steph and i were having dinner one night at her place with our respective partners and another friend Rick. We were having a laugh over my muffin deliveries every weekend, and Steph was lamenting over the lack of good breakfast cafes in Singapore. Before long, Steph's fantasies of starting a breafkast cafe started brimming overtime as her enthusiasm for what great things she could do with a cafe of her own started it's ascending crescendo to the point of her exclaiming 'I can do it! I want to start one!'
At this point Rick interjected. he had been working as a chef in a restuarant in Austin many years ago, and highlighted that the reason why he had quit was because of the long arduous hours and incredibly hard work. Could Steph give up her Friday nights? Her holidays? Her luxurious Saturday morning lie-ins? Could she fry sunny side ups and bacon day in day out every week of every month?
There was a pause.
So the suggestion was "Why don't you try cooking dinner for friends every Satruday of every week and see how that makes you feel."
There was a unison of nods.

And hence the idea of the dinner was born. We wanted to cook wonderful meals for anyone who would appreciate it. But at the same time, these meals were expensive and we couldn't afford to offer our friends free elaborate meals all the time. So we thought - why not charge for a dinner, invite an interesting mixture of people, and serve them a wonderful home cooked meal?

The Menu
Steph and i got together for dinner at my place the monday before the dinner to plan the menu. This in itself was a big task. What combination of courses (how many?) would satisfy the palate?
For dinner that night, i had decided to experiment with a rocket salad with shaved parmesan and pear. I had downloaded the salad dressing from the net (chopped shallots with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tablespoon full of honey, salt and pepper). It turned out beautifully, and we decided whilst eating it that it would be our first starter.
Rocket leaves are 'soft hot peppery leaves' that i have read 'respond well to a simple dressing ' that will cool their ardor a little without smothering their character. Ideal therefore to be matched with something cool and sweet like crisp and thinly sliced pears.

There was a roasted vegetable tart that i had been craving to make again in small pretty tart shells, and we decided that was a good second starter.

For the main, we decided Chicken was not a good option. No one ever really wants Chicken when looking for a dinner 'treat'. Steak was not always everyone's cup of tea, and fish was not always particularly popular with the carnivorous men. We finally opted after much debate on Rack of Lamb - never a feature in one's home cooked meals and always seen as a relatively 'substantial' and 'fancy' restaurant option.
Neither Steph nor I had ever made Roast Rack of Lamb before, but Steph volunteered that she was up to the task!
The accompaniments to the meat- we decided on a 'medley' of roast potatoes - a combination of sweet and normal potatoes that Steph had made to great success before, and a side serving of vegetables.

For dessert, we agreed we needed something that wasn't too heavy on the palate, and opted for a Lemon and Almond cake i had made before - served with vanilla ice cream.

Over the course of the next day or two, the Roasted Vegetable Tart was scrapped in favour of a cream of broccoli Soup with toasted almonds. We had felt that with a salad to start with, another vegetable dish might have been too much for those impartial to vegetables. A decision for me to bake an impressive loaf of bread was also made, given the 'wow's' one always gets when baking their own bread with their own bare hands!
Hence the Final Menu:

STARTER
Rocket with pear and Parmesan drizzled with a balsamic walnut dressing

Cream of broccoli soup with toaste almonds

Rustic white loaf

MAIN COURSE
Roast Rack of Lamb with a medley of roast potatoes and a balsamic mint sauce

DESSERT
Lemon and Almond cake with a tangy syrup and vanilla ice cream
We were prepared and ready to roll!

budding chefs

budding chefs
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

Soul Craving's inaugural dinner today, Saturday, 14 May 2005. We want to make an impression and besides cooking well, we know the secret to delicious food is the freshest ingredients. Rain was pouring down hard but that didn't stop us from venturing into our first visit to Tekka Market in the wee morning.

Equipped with cash and a desire to shop for the best we were dazzled by the array of fresh produce in this market. Mostly everyone spoke english so that was no problem in communicating exactly what we want. The choice ranged from selecting the types of vegies you want to the place you want it to be imported from. Wow.

Prices were fair, in fact 30% less than what you can get in your average neighbourhood supermarket and what an abundance of variety! I was tempted to buy anything and everything, lured by the garden-fresh natural supplies. Good thing we were short on time and had no more hands to carry (and dare say we had 6 hands full that day - Mike my boyfriend was lending us a pair).

We came home straightafter, and set to work on boiling a stock pot full of vegetable goodness for our brocolli soup and preparing the essential ingredients for the rest of the cooking and baking later.

The living room has also been re-arranged, napkins folded, menu in place. We're raring to go. Now awaiting the guests who'll be arriving at 8pm.

choosing the best

choosing the best
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

Chin Ru was an uncompromising negotiator, down to every cent and gram. We surely got our money's worth!

tekka market

tekka market
Originally uploaded by stephlung.

We were impressed by the variety of vegetables available in this market! Chopin abound (from an enthusiastic vegie seller's store), waves of colours, wafts of smell and assortment of textures!