fzld Home, "Where your Story begins..."

Hors d'oeuvre is usually a savory small dish served as an appetizer.  At the cafe, we like the best of both worlds and thus we offer the savory as well as a sweet, usually with fruit, canape as our starter. Here is a very simple appetizer using strawberries and blueberries. They look so pretty on a bed of sour cream piped with a rosette tip. Make your own homemade version of the sour cream included in the recipe here.

The cooking demo at the newly opened Sunway Velocity saw the launch of AEON's premium supermarket stores called AEON MaxValu Prime. I had the opportunity to showcase Barilla products on Christmas Eve. It wasn't the usual independent booth at the general public area. This time it was in the supermarket floor itself at the cooking station by the vegetable and fresh fish aisle. Nevertheless, with microphone in hand, we wooed the shoppers to come sample the recipes. This time with 3 new ones featuring mostly the Barilla Pesti Genovese.  The first recipe called for using the pesto as is, straight from the bottle as a spread on warm bruschetta topped with a tomato salsa, smoked salmon, garnished with pearl onions and dill. The pesto is delicious and thus we created a version of the Barilla recipe for my cafe, Little White Cafe in Bandar Baru Bangi... simpler, yet as delicious as a savory starter for the Romantic Dinner Package for Two, fine dining dinner package. H

The apple juices in the bottled Aporo apple juice blends were a pleasant surprise after the first time I tasted it. We were given the "Classic Apple" and the "Apple Orange" juices to try and test at our cafe, Little White Cafe, during the fasting month of Ramadhan in July 2016. The response was very positive, with our customers commenting on the freshness and how it managed to quench everyone's thirst after a day of fasting. Not only was the juice served straight from the bottle, we even made fruit punch, adding some sparkling water and fruit bits to the mix serving it with plenty of ice on a hot day. As part of our Taste New Zealand promotion, we were able to serve our customers the very best of products and ingredients from New Zealand along with recipes so that everyone can make them at home. Ending the month was a refreshing introduction to New Zealand's freshest and juiciest apples in the Aporo bottled drinks. We would like to thank the Ne

There are a few versions of this apple pie recipe. At the cafe, I have upgraded it by adding a crumble sprinkled on top before covering it with a pie crust lattice. For this recipe, I am going classic and keep true (almost) to the original recipe taught to me by my American friend, Sue when I was studying in Arkansas. For the Taste New Zealand promotion, I am using the ENZA Jazz apples. This time I use only brown sugar for that classic aromatic sweetness, yet not sugary taste. The apples are firm and crunchy and provides its own sweetness already. I love using course brown sugar for the recipe as well as sprinkling it on top after I have egg washed the pie to give it a sparkly, delicious look. Time to eat... If you really want to indulge, serve it with good vanilla ice cream like New Zealand's "Kapiti"  Try the recipe here...

It is not often that I get to cook fish, due to a busy lifestyle and being particular about quality and freshness.  I discovered that buying good quality frozen fish does not compromise on freshness besides cutting down time for preparation, making it easy for me prepare a healthy meal quickly. It is easy to buy cut and prepped meat and chicken from the grocery store, but usually seafood is less than fresh as it sits in a shrink wrapped package on ice or in a chiller. To maintain freshness with seafood, it is better to get it frozen. The good thing about any kind of seafood is that it does not take a long time to thaw as in meat and chicken.  If I can buy fresh seafood from the market, I immediately clean it, cut it and portion them ready for cooking and freeze it. When I need it, I only need to take it out of the freezer and immerse the entire package in tap water whilst I prepare my other ingredients. By the time it is all done and I am ready for cooking, the seafood just req

With the Taste New Zealand promo at our Little White Cafe, I had the opportunity to purchase a variety of products at its participating grocers; Village Grocers and B.I.G. Supermarkets.  With a list of products in hand, I just could not resist creating only one recipe for beverages and ended up making three instead using a number of delicious products I bought from Village Grocers in Bangsar... First of all, let's define the difference between the beverages; smoothies, milkshakes and slushies. My favorites are slushies as they do are refreshing cold beverages without milk. A smoothie is basically a thick, smooth drink made from milk and yogurt or ice cream with fruit all blended together. For my Pina Colada Smoothie, I used New Zealand's Meadow Fresh UHT Milk, Easiyo Pineapple & Coconut Bite Yogurt, and Tip Top Vanilla flavored Ice Cream. I topped it with sweet dessicated coconut shavings for that extra rich coconut taste. A milkshake on the other hand is a b

Tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert is always a favorite and a grand gesture to welcome guests to your next party. It is best made and served fresh within 8 hours of making it. The most decadent aspect of the Tiramisu is the mascarpone cheese. I also make my own whipped cream and fold that into the mascarpone cream as well for that optional extra richness. My favorite brand for mascarpone cheese is the Tatua Mascarpone Cheese.  It is velvety smooth and makes all my baking luscious and rich. As usual, my dairy products are from Anchor; butter, milk, whipping cream, etc which is what we use at the cafe as well. Don't skimp on good quality ingredients, especially if you are making it for home; your family and friends. It makes a difference. When we use these ingredients at the cafe, our customers with discerning taste appreciate it.  I always believe that we should modestly indulge in good things once in a while rather than repeatedly succumb to unhealthy cravings and se

Put on your best cooking show with a whole roasted lamb leg. I love it during festive occasions as it is well enjoyed by a group of people you love. Make it the centerpiece of your table by leaving space near the host (or you) that is, so that when all the guests are seated at the table, you come in and present the roast. As you are carving, it is when conversations arise regarding how big a portion, which part of the meat.. the "crusty burnt" part at the bone or the juicy "medium juicy" portion in the middle of the lamb leg that your guests want you to serve to them. Carving any kind of meat is always a social activity. Make sure you have all the side dishes ready in the middle of the table. The plates get passed to you as you carve.. some empty and some already laden with the side dishes or rice or potatoes so that you can pour the sauce over them as well as the portion of lamb. Have fun and enjoy!... Here, I am using New Zealand's Pure South Lamb...

I first learnt how to make baklava when I was studying in Arkansas, USA.  One of my neighbors was a housewife accompanying her husband whilst he was also studying at the same university there.  Her name is Ummu Salamah, if I can recall. It has been such a long time since. But, I do feel that I should give her credit for teaching me this wonderful baklava recipe. I only remember the basics of this recipe, having just watched her demonstrate it from her little kitchen, unfortunately not having the sense to write it down. It was lucky for me that I had the opportunity to see the techniques of assembling the baklava as now I realize that by just reading the recipes, it takes some time to comprehend the steps and techniques that make this dessert "one of a kind" and why the recipe calls for doing what it tells us to do. It is only during these last two years, I have "discovered" a recipe demonstrated by Food Network's genius, Alton Brown which replicated almost the

This recipe was given to me way back in 1986, when I was attending a class for a Master's degree. As it was a class on the subject of Education Technology, it was held at night so that the class could be taken by part-time students and working individuals as well. I was 22 at the time and I met a mature mother of 5 children taking the class. She was such a happy person, always smiling and I looked forward to having her in class. Along with her happy personality, she would bake cookies and bring them to class to share. My favorite were the peanut butter cookies and I asked her for the recipe. Here's what she wrote on the recipe... Thank you Imogene! I am using Pic's Peanut Butter for this recipe, not just because I am promoting the product for Taste New Zealand at the cafe. I have discovered that this particular brand of peanut butter does not have sugar in it, which is always good. Most peanut butter brands are sweet, to cover up any taste flaws. This is pure crush

Every Ramadhan I am concerned about the wastage of food.  During my "nine-to-five" working days, we would treat ourselves to at least a meal from the available Ramadhan Buffets during the fasting month.  Regardless whether the buffet was held at a 5-star hotel or a local restaurant, I noticed the amount of food that people would pile up onto their plates prior to the "Azan Maghrib" for the breaking of fast. What would be worse than the amount of food piled onto those plates is the amount of good that would go uneaten. The "last straw" for me regarding this selfish, gluttonous habit was at a local restaurant when I saw how much everyone was piling, not only onto plates, but also piling dishes onto tables prior to breaking fast. It came to a point that all the food was on individual tables rather than in the buffet. Those who had also made reservations but came in a few minutes prior to the Azan, went to the buffet and there was no food left! Just leftover

Recipe #1 features the New Zealand Greenshell Mussels, also known as green lipped mussels.  We created our Seafood Olio Spaghetti using the Talley's Greenshell Mussels. Prepare the ingredients... Ready to serve... Here's the recipe.

The use of New Zealand products is not new to me, as it has always been our dedication to use the finest quality ingredients we can afford to get to serve to our customers. In living a #healthylifestyle it is important to me to make sure that what I put into my body will continue to keep me healthy now and as I grow older. I simply believe that we may have to spend a bit more for good, quality ingredients in order that we do not spend more on healthcare later on in life. I am not one to go visit the doctor every time there is a so called "ailment". I prefer to fix my diet and lifestyle so that I get rid of whatever ailments I am experiencing in the long term. There simply isn't a short term fix for any ailment. Taking a pain reliever for a headache is not the same as finding out why I have a headache in the first place and change my ways so that I no longer have the headache. I only take the pain reliever when I just need to function immediately and have to withstand

Another quick and easy meal that takes no time at all to prepare.  Before leaving work, you can marinate the chicken with the BARILLA Pesto Genovese sauce and seasonings and chill it in the fridge. When you get home, just give the chicken a sear on both sides before putting them in a baking dish and cooking them in the oven for 12-15 minutes.  The chicken breasts will come out juicy and tender. Serve with your favorite vegetables or salad, or the potatoes and green beans in the recipe here...

A salad is always the best complement to a meal.  Of course, you can create your own combinations and add your favorite protein for a meal in itself...

Casseroles are great when you don't have time after work, yet you want to make a home cooked meal for the family.  This recipe is easy with these ingredients.  After boiling the pasta, mixed it all up with the cheeses, parsley, egg and seasonings. After that, assemble everything in the baking dish and bake. Meantime, mommy can take some time to take a shower before serving up dinner. Here's the recipe...

I find Fusilli an interesting pasta due to its "corkscrew" shape.  I personally love this pasta as the sauce finds it way in between the spirals making the pasta really flavorful taking up much of the sauce. The ingredients are shown here... I like to add plenty of fresh basil for this recipe. Here is a vegetarian recipe using the eggplant or aubergine, as some would call it.