Dr. Jekyll’s experiment...

While I was browsing though the internet for new movie trailers, I stumble upon a movie that I truly love. The one you could watch over and over and over. Beautiful storylines, great cinematography and not to forget watching one of the handsomest man alive! The movie........... Chocolat.

I totally fell in love with Johnny Depp..... his scruffiness, messy long hair, mesmerising eyes....... *sigh*. But besides Mr. Depp I was captivated and curious watching one of the scenes where Juliette Binoche cooked up a dinner meal using chocolate as its main ingredient. Since then, I’ve been looking around, searching for restaurants that serve a main course which has chocolate as its ingredients. But alas, no luck. Well there is this one particular restaurant called Schokolart in Solaris Mount Kiara, they serve roast lamb fillet with Chocolate-Caramel sauce and Chocolate Chicken Satay. Went there once but not for the main course rather the dessert.

So, I decided to try and cook up a descent meal using chocolate. I was lucky coz I had my brothers and their wives coming over for dinner. They the guinea pigs when it comes to this kind of cooking experiment and not to forget my mom and dad (I’m doing the Dr. Jekyll evil expression).

The menu, comment, final verdict!

Chocolate chicken

“For a 1^st time effort I’ll give it a 6/10” – 2^nd brother

I can honestly say this recipe was an utter failure. The cocoa powder overpowered the spices that were use in this recipe and causes the chicken to become rather blend. I seriously have no idea how to amend it. Soooooooooo this recipe is going into the bin!

Prawns in Chili Chocolate Sauce

“mmmmmmmmmmmm (simultaneously licking the chocolate sauce off his fingers, plate and the table)” – 1^st brother

I’m so proud with the outcome. I’m assuming my brother gave this dish a 9/10. For this dish I use semisweet chocolate. The hot green chillies mix with the spices and chocolate was such a great combination. But I did modify slightly the recipe, it still tastes awesome!

Roast Buttered Herb Corn

“Should’ve steamed it!” – my dad

On Monday night I was watching Anna Olson cooking TV show on Astro with my dad. She was making this bbq buttered herb corn which looked interesting and before I could say anything, my dad told me to do this for Tuesday night dinner. So I did. Personally, I prefer to steam the corn rather than roasting it in the oven. The corn came out quite dry. Though the herbs gave it a good taste but I still like the ‘pasar malam (night market)’ version. Steam and swab the corn with butter and salt..... NICE!

Pecan Pie

“It has the Pecan Pie taste but not the look” – 1^st and 2^nd brother

It’s true. The taste was fantastic! Sweet caramelised pecan, eating it with vanilla ice-cream.. what a combo! But the presentation was bad. Seriously! I have a problem making food look presentable. FYI, I do not make my own short crust pastry, I got the frozen-made ones. Easy-peazy-lemon-squeazy! Less hardship.

Conclusion, the prawn and pecan pie was a success but not the chicken and corn. Still need to do a lot of research and experiment. So while I’m working on that, I would like to share the recipes that received the most votes from the guinea pigs (so cute!).

Prawns in Chilli Chocolate Sauce

This chili chocolate recipe serves 5 - 6 as a main course

24 raw large prawns shell-on or tiger prawns (the plumper the better)

20 ml plain flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika)

1 Orange (juice) or 1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock

20g chopped dark or semisweet chocolate

40 ml olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 small green chillies, de-seeded and chopped

Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

To serve: salad leaves of your choice or jasmine rice

Peel the prawns, leaving just the tail on, devein and butterfly. Coat the prawns in the seasoned flour and set to one side.

Heat the orange juice or stock over a gently heat in a small pan. When warm, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted. Just keep warm on a very low heat if using now or set aside until ready to finish the dish.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic, ginger and chilli, cooking for 2 mins until golden. Remove mixture with a slotted spoon and keep on the side. Add the prawns, cut side down and cook for 2-3 mins until the prawns have pink edges. Turn over the prawns and cook for 2 mins. Return the garlic mixture to the pan and add the chocolate sauce. Cook for 1 minute, coating the prawns in the aromatic glossy sauce. Season and serve hot.

Pecan Pie

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp molasses

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread pecans along the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. The pecans will rise to the surface of the pie.

2. Bake at 375°F for 45 – 50 min until the filling has set. About 20 min into the cooking you may want to use a pie crust protector, or tent the edges of the pie crust with aluminium foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning.

3. Remove from oven and let cool completely

Serves 8