YBR & My New Year's Gift To You

we desire the way a twice poisoned dog eyes a third piece of meat. Philip Milito

Yes, that Milito dude has it right on the money. When I chanced upon this book, I knew I had to have it. Sure, the minimalistic cover drew me in, yet when I opened it, I wasn't the least bit disappointed. It blew me away to see authentic Southeast-Asian dishes being presented like this:

Banana bud salad with shrimps and spicy coconut milk sauce

And this....

Grilled tiger prawns with vindaloo dip and morukku

Too fancy schmancy? Well, here's the deal... at the end of the day, when you plonk all the ingredients down on a plate any old how, it will still taste the same. A good recipe will always result in a good dish, yes. But there's nothing wrong with having a bit of beauty in your life, and if you can taste with your eyes first before you do it with your tongue, won't it enhance the whole experience somehow? I wonder now if this is the way the male (chef) brain works, visualization and all that....hmmm.

Anyway, this visually stunning book is authored by celebrated travel and culinary enthusiast, Wendy Hutton, with a foreword by famed chef, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa of NOBU. There's a NOBU restaurant in every continent bar one (Africa) and if you haven't experienced dining in one, quick, put it down in your list of To Dos for 2011!

Here's a brief description of the book:

Lush, fresh, and eclectic, the more than 90 recipes in this gorgeous cookbook represent the essence of the culinary tradition of tropical South and Southeast Asia. The recipes were produced in collaboration with the stellar chefs of selected Four Seasons resorts, all of whom are working on the cutting edge of tropical Asian cuisine. From sumptuous dinners to a simple breakfast for two, from barbecues to mouthwatering desserts, these dishes reflect the fascinating blend of people and cultures found in the region and manage at once to preserve and expand upon the distinctive character of indigenous dishes and ingredients.

This is the perfect cookbook for home cooks seeking to explore the unique blend - and spectrum of spices and tastes - that is at the heart of Southeast Asian Cuisine.

I've really enjoyed my journey in this food blogging world and because of that, I want to give something back. So one of you will be lucky enough to own this book! Now, I'm a crappy (or maybe reluctant) SEO-er, so there'll be none of that follow me here, or RT on Twitter or any of that stuff to enter. ALL you have to do is simply leave a comment after this post saying you want to be entered for this giveaway and don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you should you win. Anyone, anywhere can enter... well, anyone except my family members (I know you're all poised to write in, but NO). Winners will be picked via random.org or via this method used by Jenn Yu of Use Real Butter, whichever one's easier or more funky, or both.

The deadline for entries in this giveaway is on 5 January 2011, and the winner will be announced on 7 January. In time for the first weekend of the New Year! Which reminds me, here's a heartwarming toast to welcome the year ahead:

Very lastly, please don't forget to check out what my best recipe for 2010 was over at Spicie Foodie and for this month's YBR round-up by its most talented host, Nancy. Cool badge below with the picture of my dish on it, and Nancy was the one who taught me how to do this!

Have a blessed New Year, everyone! See you in 2011.

Date and Orange Mascarpone Fritters & YBR November

If you feel like doing something very easy but still unusual for dessert next time you have some guests over for eats, then I have just the recipe for you. Dates are now in season and if you happen to have them in abundance in your pantry, you can whip these simple fritters up. Fill the pitted dates with the flavors of orange (zest) and creamy mascarpone, toss them in orange (juice) batter and fry. See... easy like Sunday mornings.

These are best made by using the sweet, thick, fleshy medjool dates which grow in Egypt and California. I didn't have any medjool on hand but a friend had just brought back and gifted me some dates from Saudi Arabia, so I used those instead. Not as large nor as fleshy, but they were just as sweet. Once coated in batter and deep-fried, the mascarpone just melts in your mouth as you bite through the batter. I would serve these warm with Cinnamon or Vanilla icecream, or both, why not?

Last time I fried up a batch of these fritters, I ate about 10 of them all by myself, curled up in bed with a cup of hot, creamy chocolate. While watching The Biggest Loser on TV. How ironic.

Date and Orange Mascarpone Fritters
Makes 20 fritters, serves 4
Ingredients:
20 medjool dates
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
8 tablespoons mascarpone
Plain flour, for dusting
Oil, for frying

Batter
300ml freshly squeezed orange juice
100g (4 oz) self-raising flour

Method:
1. Split the dates along one side and remove the seeds. Set aside.
2. Mix the orange zest with the mascarpone. Stuff the dates with the mascarpone mixture and push back into shape.
3. Make the batter by whisking flour and orange juice together until smooth, getting rid of lumps. Heat the oil for deep-frying.
4. Dust the dates with flour and then drop them carefully one by one into the batter to coat. Lift the dates out of the batter with a spoon and place gently in the hot oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until completely crisp and golden. Lift from the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
5. Serve the fritters warm or cool with cinnamon or vanilla ice-cream.

One last thing, as you may know, Nancy of Spicie Foodie is hosting the Your Best Recipe event starting from last month. For November, I've submitted my recipe for Spiral Ravioli, in the mysterious (natural) hues of green, black and white. To check out mine and other bloggers' best recipes via Nancy's round-up, please click here.

Have a great 'date' with these fritters, peeps! (Cheesy, I know).

Your Best Recipe - My Sweet, Purple Amore

Let me reveal a side of myself you probably wouldn't know - I am a Recipe Narcissist. I get a real high when these hands (and this unfathomable mind) can come up with something original, beautiful and delicious to boot. Unfortunately, I only have one blog to showcase these recipes. Fortunately though, there are many talented, creative food bloggers out there who graciously host great "events" or round-ups where we can link our posts to. I am so grateful to them, these unknowing enablers (in a nice way, truly) of my recipe-narcissistic tendencies.

An initiative that begins today is Your Best Recipe (YBR), hosted by the amazing Nancy of Spicie Foodie blog. To me, she is a photographer extraordinaire who portrays her spicy-laden dishes in photos that often make me gasp. Yes, she's THAT good! By hosting these monthly YBR roundups, Nancy is actually sharing her limelight (in the best lighting possible ;-)) with fellow bloggers who wish to draw the blogosphere's attention to their best recipes posted within the month. This is the start of what I believe is a great resource and I'm encouraging you to head over to Spicie Foodie right now to read the various bloggers' best (BEST!) recipes for October.

So what's my best recipe this October? It's a dainty dessert, topped with some crazy purple mousse noodles (preview below).

If it's killing you to find out what our best recipes are for October, go and check out Your Best Recipe now. Hope you all had a terrifyingly happy Halloween!