Food Review 1

Mushroom and Cheese Crepe $4.50

It is good that the younger generation of "hawkers" are venturing out into more international cuisines. It means that we get to eat stuff that we would otherwise find in fancy restaurants at cheaper prices.

Crepes are by no means new to Singapore. They had their day years ago when the famous Crepes Suzette were selling their crepes like, well, hotcakes. And like mosaic tiles, these tasty French fast food may be making a comeback soon.



OK, personally I like these very much. Maybe it is because my mother used to make them with ham and cheese when I was a kid. The outstanding thing about the crepe here is the quality of cheese they use and of course the tasty buttery crepes itself. I really like the chewiness of the cheddar cheese. Both Damien and I initially thought that it was Mozarella at first, but the owner confirmed that it was a special brand of Cheddar. The combination of the savoury, chewy cheese with the crisp (at the edges) buttery crepe and deliciously sauteed mushrooms has hit that "really want to go back to eat again" button for me.

Rating: 4.5/5




Apart from the crepes, they also sell a variety of French soups and bread with flavored butter. The soup I would recommend is the seafood bisque. This is probably one of the few places in Singapore where you can get a seafood (lobster) bisque for less than $4 without sitting in a restaurant. The soup is made fresh everyday from prawns and crabs and was quite good except that I felt it could do with more of that burnt crustacean taste. The soups are served in cups with covers and you are supposed to sip them like you do coffee. I still prefer to slurp rather than sip my soups.

Rating: 4/5



Apart from the savoury crepes, they also have a number of dessert crepes. Owner and executive Chef, Daphane, who trained at the world reknown Le Cordon Bleu insists on doing everything as French as she is commercially viable. So she uses Valhorna Chocolates here for the dessert crepes. The one I would recommend is the strawberry with white chocolate. Strawberry and chocolates always work very well together!

Rating: 4.25/5

Conclusion

The crepes are certainly very good and definitely worth trying. I think the ladies would be happy with the soups as they are made with your waistline in mind, and that means less than 5% cream in the soup. It's got the Singapore Heart Foundation's approval.

As I alluded to in my previous post, soon half of all our food courts will be selling this type of international cuisine! It would be interesting to see if crepes will emerge as the next fad after Doughnuts!



Saybons French Food Factory
17 Phillip Street
10am to 4pm Mon-Fri
www.saybons.com
8101 5678.

Disclosure: This was not an invited review.

Aigo Boulido Recipe

This aigo boulido, or garlic soup, recipe is the Provencal cure for anything that ails you. A traditional recipe that incorporates garlic, herbs, and water, it is known informally as “boiled water.”



Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutesIngredients:

• 4 cups water
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• Garlic croutons:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 slices baguette
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, bring the water, 10 cloves garlic, sage, bay leaf, salt and pepper to a simmer. Continue simmering the broth until the garlic is softened and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and strain the garlic and herbs from the water. Return the water to the pan.

Remove the bay leaf and sage leaves from the garlic and discard. Using a fork, smash the garlic into a paste and return it to the pan. Bring the soup to just under a simmer and rapidly stir in the beaten eggs yolks. Continue stirring for 30 seconds, until the eggs are set into thin strands.

In medium saucepan over low heat, sauté garlic in the oil and butter until tender – about 7-10 minutes total. Transfer the garlic to a plate. Place baguette slices into hot oil and sauté both sides until they are golden brown.

Place each finished crouton into an ovenproof bowl, top with the soup, and garnish with a bit of Gruyere cheese. Melt the cheese under a broiler, if desired.

This aigo boulido recipes makes 4 to 6 servings.

Soufflé au Fromage/Cheese Soufflé

Ingredients for 4 people:
- 70 gr [21/2 oz] swiss cheese
(comté or gruyère type)
- 30 gr [1 oz] butter + some for dish
- 20 gr [3/4 oz] plain flour
- 25 cl [9 fl oz] milk
- 4 eggs
- salt, pepper & grated nutmeg

Recipe:

1-Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 350°F ; butter the soufflé dishes ; thinly grate the cheese (thin wholes of grater).

2- Separate the egg whites from yolk and beat the whites with an electric mixer until they get thickly frothy.

3- Prepare the béchamel (white sauce) : melt the butter in a saucepan, medium flame, and pour the flour on it while stirring with a wooden spoon until well blended. On a more gentle flame, start pouring a bit of milk and gently stir until it is incorporated ; keep doing this way with all milk. Never stop stirring. Reckon about 10 minutes until the béchamel is ready (it must get thick).

4- Add enough nutmeg, salt & pepper, and remove from fire.

5- Add the grated cheese, then the yolks ; turn vigourously to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Gently incorporate the egg whites with a rubber spatula.

6- Pour the mixture equally into the 4 soufflé dishes ; fill them about 3/4.

7- Bake in oven for about 25 minutes ; the soufflés must rise and get golden brown. Do not open oven door for they would deflate.


You need to increase baking time if you use a large single dish, and vice versa. It would take around 40 minutes for 1 big dish...

Make sure all your guests are seated and serve immediately for the soufflé will deflate very quickly once outside.


TIPS: if you feel at ease and wish to skip a step, you can avoid stiffing the egg whites and chose to directly incorporate the whole eggs into the béchamel. In this case, do it egg by egg, beating vigourously with a fork like an omelette ; then add the cheese.