The Food Site

Phew, it’s been a busy day what with all that mixing and baking for my Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 entry. As you all know, I’m a Cookie Monster through and through so it is no surprise that I submitted a proposal to Foodbuzz for the 24, 24, 24 event and it involved cookies!

I’m sure most of you are intriqued by the title: 24 cookies in 24 flavours. Well, to put it simply, I baked two dozens of cookies and every single one of it is a different flavour. Sounds daunting? Yep, it is pretty daunting. When I submitted the proposal, I thought I must have been outta my mind to want to try this feat. So, when my proposal was accepted, I went into a panic. I wasn’t sure if I was able to pull it off. So, I tested it out over last weekend first and this is what I got:

It wasn’t as good as I expected. These are drop cookies but the dough was too soft. I got the cookie recipes from an old cookbook lying around at home. I didn’t have time to bake another batch to try it out but at least I know how to tweak the recipe to suit the different flavours.

Before I know it, Dec 31 is here and I’ve to set about cooking my 24 cookies in 24 flavours. Fortunately, the results are really, really good! Feast your eyes on these:

Looks better right? Anyway, I used the basic butter cookie dough and from there, add in the different flavours for each cookie. Here’s the recipe for:

24 Cookies in 24 Flavours

Note: This is the cookie recipe adapted from the Toll House cookies recipe.

Basic dough ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 cup flour

24 flavours ingredients

1. a pinch of cinnamon powder

2. two drops of vanilla essence

3. powdered hazelnut

4. two drops of almond essence and almond nibs

5. 2 candied cherries

6. 1 tbsp chocolate chips

7. 1 tbsp raisins

8. 1 moist date, seeded

9. two drops of pandan essence

10. 1 tbsp sunflower seeds

11. 1 tbsp peanut butter

12. 1 tbsp nutella

13. two drops of coffee essence

14. two drops of strawberry essence

15. 1 tsp of 5-spice powder

16. 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder

17. two drops of orange juice / essence

18. 1 tsp pineapple paste

19. 1 tsp apple juice and bits of apple

20. 1 tbsp oats

21. 5 M & Ms

22. Two drops of rose essence

23. 1 tbsp sesame seeds

24. 1 tbsp blueberry jam

Here are some of the stuff I had to get ready to make the cookies:

Now, on to the method:

Instructions

Then comes the tedious part. I used a spoon to scoop up a tablespoon on dough and then add each flavour individually.

After each scoop, I’d wipe out the spoon to start anew for the next flavour. So, this is indeed a very time-consuming process.

10. Remember to preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F before baking the cookies.

11. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

The whole process took me almost two hours!

I invited some friends over to try them out…

My friends don’t relish the idea of their pictures being put up here so…

I’ll have to say, baking these cookies are probably the most interesting baking adventure I’ve ever tried! It is tedious and takes up loads of time and energy but heck, seeing every last crumb disappear is well worth it. (not to mention me chomping down on a few too!)

Psst…did you notice that in the spirit of 24, 24, 24, I’ve even posted 24 pictures here for my 24 cookies in 24 flavours post!

Happy new year 2009 everyone!

I’ve not been to Salsa Restaurant for lunch in quite a while and have forgotten why we used to love having lunch at this place. So, we went back recently. I’m happy to find that the restaurant has not changed much even after it has moved to the ground floor of Continental Hotel. I know they moved years ago but I did say I’ve not been to the restaurant in a while.

Here’s the restaurant review:

Now, on to the food… We ordered the set lunch (@RM15 per set) so here’s what the set has

It’s the usual mushroom soup but at least they didn’t fully use canned soup like some establishments like to do. As for the salad, I love it! Instead of any of the creamy salad dressing, it has the vinegar and olive oil dressing: refreshing and great as a starter.

The jumbo sausages are pretty basic and there is really nothing to shout about although it is pretty salty (probably due to their supply of sausages). In the end Mr Picky refused to eat it and I had to exchange with him. Anyway, he usually can’t finish whatever we ordered for him and we’d end up eating his leftovers (and I wonder why I kept growing..sideways). Now, for my grilled fish, it was lightly floured and pan fried and served with some salsa, mashed potatoes and a creamy tartare sauce with some fresh herbs. It is pretty good and not salty at all. I’ll have to say I love their salsa. Now we know why it’s called Salsas. The Food Critic’s roast chicken is pretty good too and it is served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It is covered in some slighty creamy sauce and fresh herbs.

Now, on to dessert:

I love their presentation. And yes, this comes with the set too. We get four tiny mouthfuls of different desserts. A spoonful of vanilla ice cream, a piece of carrot cake, a piece of chocolate sponge cake and a tiny glass of fruits in syrup. Yummy.

My verdict: The food is good, the price is reasonable, the ambiance is great and the choices are varied.What’s there not to like about Salsas?

Rating: 8/10

Price: $$$ (lunch sets @ RM15 each / dinner sets @ RM30 each)

Salsas Restaurant

@ Continental Hotel Ground Floor

Penang Road

Tel: 04-2633923

Opening hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 11pm.