Cinnamon rolls

I have always had a strange attraction to making bread. There's something so intriguing about handling yeast and perfect timing as well as technique that keeps me coming back for more. My first (and last of 2011) attempt at bread was making a croissant of which, did not produce the fine layers and fluff that I would have liked it to have.

Maybe I have bitten off more than I could chew from that experience. Henceforth, I shall learn to master making less complicated pieces before moving onto harder challenges. Last week, I've stumbled onto a cinnamon roll recipe and decided to give it a go. After all, I looooove cinnamon and the ingredients/methods weren't overly difficult.

Success at last!! Although...I may have over-handled it a bit to the extend that it got less fluffier after a few days :S

The smell once I took it out from the oven was heavenly! I was overjoyed by the looks of it, despite it being slightly too brown on top).

It was such good fun filling my cake mould with these spiral pieces (which eventually puffed up really big!). They look so pretty together!! :D

The puffed up version~ I may have let it puffed up a bit too much :S

Cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 cup of lukewarm milk
3 tbsp sugar
3 and 3/4 cups of strong flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs

Add yeast to lukewarm milk and allow to dissolve before mixing it with the dough mixture (sugar, flour, salt, eggs and butter). Allow to rest until it's about doubled in size before rolling it out into a flat rectangle.

For the cinnamon filling,  brush about 1/3 cup of melted butter onto the dough before sprinkling it with about 3/4 cup of brown sugar and some raisins (any amount based on your preference!). Roll the carefully and cut into 3-4cm pieces and placing them onto a baking tin/ whatever you like. Allow to double in size before placing in the oven at 200C.

Devour Dessert Bar

Its been sometime since my last visit to Devour and I have to admit, this place had certainly undergone much improvements and had been receiving numerous positive feedbacks from diners. After having a delicious meal at a nearby restaurant, we had to pop by (mainly because I was too tempted from looking at their dessert pictures on facebook!)and lucky for us, there were still plenty of dessert options for the night and we were seated fairly quickly.

I do like the fact that they don't encourage reservations (due to numerous no-shows) and one doesn't have to worry too much about seating, especially if you have random sugar cravings like yours truly.

Peanut butter and jelly macarons~ gooey macaron with a slight crisp outer layer. I am a huge fan of peanut butter and this one was a clear winner for me:)

Chocolate fondant, peanut butter ice cream and berry foam ~ a heavenly combination indeed! Peanut butter ice cream was perfect. It wasn't overly creamy and was packed full of nutty goodness and crunch. Chocolate fondant was a little small for me and I certainly had wanted more of it :S The berry foam was light, fluffy and definitely not too sweet for my liking:)

Pumpkin bome alaska~ My friends were amazed at the flames when the dish first arrived at our table! We ended up waiting for the flames to extinguish prior to "attacking" the bomb lol. Was a unique way of entertaining diners, in addition to the lovely flavours of the concoction sitting below the meringue.

Here's a peak at their menu during my visit (might have changed but I am not entirely sure). Do give Devour a go if you happen to be in the neighbourhood and in need of some cozy time with family or friends;)

Ferment Asian

Apologies for disappearing from the blogsphere for some time!! Working life is certainly not a walk in the park although I am enjoying it minus the constant reminders from lecturers!!! After not blogging for some time, I just realized that blogspot had experienced a change in layout and despite my urge for perfection, I am a little tied up to reorganize the picture presentation in this post :( Buuuut, I do promise to work on it on my next post:))

This post is dedicated to a lovely little outlet in Tanunda, about 10 minutes drive from my place. Food inspirations originates from Southeast Asia continents and one can tell this from the unique variety of meal options. The interior exuded a very cozy atmosphere and the serving staff were extremely friendly and attentive. Certainly a different view compared to dining in the city! :)

For desserts, we had Bru Lee Chanh (Lime brulee). A delicious way to end the night. My only complain would be that the servicing size is a tad small for me (being the dessert monster amongst friends).

Com Nep Den Va Soai (black sticky rice pudding with caramelized banana) ~ rice pudding was not gluttonous in texture and bananas were well caramelized without being overly sweet :)

For the mains, we had 3 dishes to share, served with freshly steamed rice from the kitchen.

I can't recall the name of this dish but it was definitely a curry ( a well-seasoned one too!!). Meat fell off the bone without much slicing and gravy wasn't too milky :)

Lon Voi Gung Va Cam (Barossa Berkshire pork belly with ginger and orange sauce) ~ I always find pork to be somewhat of a heavy type of meat but this dish was an exception (please don't ask me why lol). The ginger and orange sauce served with it had a mild taste, which did not mask the pork flavours. I loved the citrus-y rustic taste of this dish very much and would recommend it to anyone:)

Tom Sao Can Tay (stirfried SA squid with celery) ~ not rubbery in texture and its fragrant aroma was certainly refreshing :)

Now on to appetizers, we were spoilt for choices so we stuck with the waitress's recommendations.

Nen Ha Noi (Vegetarian Hanoi Spring Rolls with salad of fresh herbs and soy sauce) ~ I have never had fried spring rolls before and if I do have it again elsewhere, I do hope its as tasty as this one. Fresh herbs and delicious dipping sauce with meat were a match made in heaven!

Thit Lon Cuon La Lot (Fresh betel leaves with sticky caramelised pork and incendiary components) ~ until now, I have yet to figure what were the individual ingredients of this dish. It was so challenging to accurately name the ingredients but I did enjoy it despite having absolutely no idea what was I eating xP A really traditional dish and a must have appetizer!

Until next time, dearest readers. Yours truly needs to hop back onto the work wagon :)