Hong Kong - Thanksgiving at Cafe Causette

Ooey gooey cheesy bread

San Daniele Ham, Burrata, Beetroot Crisps, Peach, Rye Croutons, Candied Walnuts

Warm Ricotta, Lavender, Honeycombs, Walnut, Wood Sorrel, Figs

Cured Beetroot Salmon, Salmon Caviar, Potato Crisp

Pumpkin Soup

 Classic Roasted Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce

Honey Glazed Ham, Roasted, Pumpkin, Potato

Slow Braised Pork Cheek, Mashed Pumpkin, Red Wine, Gravy

Roasted Potato, Creamed Brussels Sprout, Glazed Carrots
 

Salted Caramel Layer Chocolate Cake

Classic Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Chocolate Tiramisu

Apple Pie, Ice Cream

Review: A non-traditional Thanksgiving meal with my girls - thanks Yuls for picking the restaurant! Thanksgiving isn't huge here in Hong Kong, but a lot of restaurants do have Thanksgiving-themed dinners during that week. Cafe Causette offered a buffet style multi-course meal, served tableside. You can order refills for any dish, which they will bring to your table. We started with warm cheesy bread with pesto dipping sauce. The appetizers arrived promptly. The classic combo of San Daniele ham and creamy burrata was elevated by the warm caramelised peaches and the crunch from the candied walnuts. The beetroot-cured salmon was beautifully presented alongside the ricotta, lavender, olive oil caviar and fresh figs - such pretty colours! All the flavours worked well together. We also had traditional Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, honey glazed ham and sweet potato mash. The turkey and ham arrived at our table pre-carved. The turkey was surprisingly moist, and the honey ham was tender and had well-balanced flavours of sweet and savoury. As for the desserts, I liked the pecan pie with its perfect buttery crust the most. Each serving was very generous and we were too stuffed to order any refills. The leftover turkey and ham (being el cheapo of course I took everything home) made a great breakfast sandwich the next morning. I am thankful for great friends and great meals, as always.

Cafe Causette
Address: M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2825-4005
Hours: Mon-Sun 6:30am-11:45pm

Hong Kong - Mango Tree

Mango Tree (Elements location) is nestled between Miu Miu and Mikimoto at the far end of the mall, near ICC. We went there on a Saturday around noon without a booking and were seated immediately. The restaurant had a beautiful high ceiling and floor length windows which allowed a lot of natural light in. The furniture was mostly wood with silk accents, and the servers were dressed in traditional Thai clothing. For a moment I felt like I was in a resort restaurant in Phuket! That being said, Mango Tree is definitely more posh and pricier than most Thai restaurants in Hong Kong, but I think it is worth visiting for the quality of food, service and dining environment.

Thai Glass Noodle with Seafood: This dish was perfect to begin the meal with. The thin glass noodles were tossed with squid, shrimp, minced pork, onions, Thai celery and chili in a garlic-lime sauce. The combination of all the sharp and tangy flavours really opened up my taste buds. I loved the heat from the chilis and sweetness from the tomatoes. I only wish they gave us more glass noodles to mop up the delicious sauce.

Chicken in Pandan Leaves: I loved this dish. The chicken was marinated in garlic and herbs, wrapped in fresh pandan leaves then deep fried. The chicken was so moist and tender, and had absorbed all the lovely flavours from the marinade and pandan. The sweet sesame dipping sauce rounded out the smoky and slightly charred flavour of the chicken.

Crab Meat Yellow Curry in Crispy Bread: This hollowed bread was filled to the brim with succulent crab meat drowning in a rich yellow curry. The curry was divine. It was thick and creamy with a hint of umami from the crab and sweetened by coconut milk. It tasted almost buttery. There's probably a better way to eat this but when I tore into the bread for a piece, all the curry oozed out of the bread. It was quite messy to eat, but totally worth it! 

Verdict: There's something on the menu for everyone, whether you are a spice lover or not. The portions are great for sharing, so come with a group to make the most out of your meal. Service was attentive and the dishes arrived at an appropriate pace. I am definitely going back again for some gourmet Thai food.

I recommend: Chicken in Pandan Leaves, Crab Meat Yellow Curry in Crispy Bread

Mango Tree
Address: Shop 2032, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone: 2668-4884
Website: www.mangotree.com.hk

A Healthy Breakfast

I don't want to sound like a huge cliche but yes, breakfast IS the most important meal! It really helps kick start your metabolism and you will feel less tired and less likely to over eat during the day. We never ate "proper" breakfast food at home until a few years ago. I have fond memories of frosted Pop Tarts, Cap'n Crunch and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (fave!). Three years ago, Mama Bear started going to a personal trainer who was also a certified nutritionist. He set up a meal plan for her which included fresh berries and oatmeal for breakfast. He also suggested that she snack on cherry tomatoes, avocado and nuts throughout the day. Since then, our kitchen has been stocked with only healthy food items. No chips, no peanut butter, nothing. It was tough at first, but we finally caught onto Mama Bear's healthy eating habits. Recently I've been switching between having a sandwich and oatmeal with berries for breakfast. 

Here is one of my favorite breakfast combos: smoked salmon with avocado, cherry tomatoes and Greek yogurt on toasted sour dough. These things taste so good together! And you get vitamins and antioxidants from the tomatoes, Omega-3s from the avocado and salmon, and probiotics from the yogurt. You'll never want to eat plain ham and cheese again.

Recipe

For 1

Ingredients

1 thick slice of sourdough, toasted
1 slice smoked salmon
1/2 small avocado
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons low-fat or non-fat Greek yogurt

Method

1. Lay the salmon on the sourdough. No butter or mayo needed!
2. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the avocado into chunks.
3. Add the yogurt and cherry tomatoes.
4. Finish with black pepper.

Grilled Sardines and Tuscan Bread Salad Part 2

This is the perfect summer salad and a great accompaniment to the grilled sardines. Panzanella is a Tuscan salad made with crusty bread and tomatoes. The addition of feta and roasted red peppers gives it a Mediterranean flair. The original recipe called for anchovies in the dressing, but I didn't have any on hand so I just added a tiny bit of sea salt. The dressing came out perfect. I really liked this salad because it was super easy to make and very delicious. The sweet cherry tomatoes went well with the fragrant basil/balsamic dressing, and the creamy tangy feta was a boost of flavour. The only thing I didn't like was how the toasted ciabatta absorbed the sauce quickly and became soggy. When I make this salad again, I will be sure to add the ciabatta last. Enjoy!

Oops the pancetta was for the sardines, but here are the main components for this salad: feta, roasted red peppers, capers, cherry tomatoes and ciabatta. 

Blend together a clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spring onion, basil and 3-4 cherry tomatoes. The original recipe used 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, but it was such a waste of the beautiful tomatoes, so I used only 3. It was enough to create a dressing-like consistency. 

I followed the original recipe and added the toasted ciabatta before the tomatoes. The bread absorbed a lot of the sauce and became soggy real fast. I have altered the recipe below to reflect this.

Recipe - adapted from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals 

For 2

Ingredients

½ small ciabatta loaf

1 clove garlic

extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 cups mixed color cherry tomatoes, halved

½ bunch spring onion, ends trimmed

½ bunch fresh basil

1 tablespoon capers

1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks

Handful feta cheese

Method

1. Cut the ciabatta into 1 inch thick slices and toast them on both sides on a pan.
2. Peel the garlic and put into a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon olive oil, balsamic, 3-4 cherry tomatoes, spring onions and basil. Blend until it becomes smooth. Pour into a large serving bowl.
3. Halve the remaining tomatoes and add to the bowl, along with the capers and peppers. Toss.
4. Tear the toasted ciabatta into thumb-sized pieces into the bowl and toss once only to coat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil to finish.
5. Garnish with torn basil leaves and feta.
6. Serve immediately with the grilled sardines.

Focaccia with Rosemary, Thyme and Red Onion

Focaccia is one of my favourite breads. It is soft, moist, with a nice crust on the outside. Gold by Harlan Goldstein in Hong Kong serves a really good focaccia which comes with a pesto dip. My brother, who is usually really particular about not eating bread before dinner as not to ruin his appetite, would have at least 3 pieces of this focaccia everytime we went to Gold. Each piece was about the size of my fist! It was that delicious. But bread was something I never thought of making myself. It just seemed so hard and time-consuming with all that kneading, yeasty stuff, and having to let it rise.

Then came my study break, and I had a week off from school. I was lazing on the couch one day catching up on my TV shows when my brother walked past, complaining that we had run out of bread (he wanted to make a sandwich). So, being the nice big sister that I am, I offered to make him fresh homemade bread! I looked online for the easiest recipe I could find, tweaked it a bit, and the focaccia came out amazing. My brother loved it (yay!) and I brought it to school to let my classmates (aka guinea pigs) try some. I'm sure they were being polite, but everyone gave positive comments.

This recipe is versatile. You can omit the red onions, switch herbs, and add other toppings. I made another version with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, which worked really well too. Or make it with just olive oil and garlic, and make your own pesto!

Mix the yeast, honey and warm water together and let it sit for about 5 minutes. During this time, the yeast will be "activated" and begin to froth.

The key to this tasty moist focaccia is the herb infused olive oil. I used thyme and rosemary in mine. After simmering the herbs in the oil, I put the oil and herbs into a bowl to cool down. Then my mom asked me to help her with something and I totally forgot that I was going to make bread. The oil actually sat on the kitchen counter for two days (covered) before I remembered it, so it had been “infusing” all that time and in the end it came out more flavorful and intense.

Bake until golden. The focaccia will be moist and fluffy inside and crunchy on the outside. This bread is so tasty on its own - you won't be needing any dips!

Recipe – adapted from here

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

¼ teaspoon honey

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ red onion, sliced

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Method

1. In a small cold saucepan, combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary and the black pepper. On low heat, stir the mixture occasionally until aromatic, for about 8 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Pour into a bowl and let it cool.
2. Using the same saucepan, cook the onions on medium low heat until they begin to soften, but not yet translucent. If they are cooked through, they will catch in the oven when you bake the focaccia. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast and honey. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. Add 1 cup of flour and ¼ cup of the infused oil mixture. Using a spatula, stir a few times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead the dough 10 to 15 times until smooth. Here is a great tutorial on how to knead dough.
6. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let it rise for 1 hour. Make sure the bowl is in a warm area without air conditioning or draft, as this will affect the rise of your dough.
7. After 1 hour, heat oven to 230 C/450 F.
8. Use 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture to oil a 9 x 13 inch rimmed baking sheet. If you are using a non-stick pan, then you can skip this step, as the dough itself is oily enough.
9. Transfer dough to the baking sheet and press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture. You can save any remaining oil as a marinade, like for lambchops.
10. Let the dough sit for 20 minutes uncovered then bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer focaccia to a rack and cool.