Culinary Algorithms

Pot-Cooked Chicken

With the gastronomical retreats into the city temporarily put on a rest, due to the increased experimental concoctions in my own kitchen, here's a simple recipe (though it takes a while to cook) that turned out a really juicy and succulent dish. You could substitute white wine with just water, but I found the wine somehow subdues the strong salt/pepper and gives a nice taste altogether. Here's what we did:

var fullChicken, oliveOil, whiteWine, thyme_rosemary, salt_pepper, onions, carrots, garlic;
var cookedChicken = null;

fullChicken = fullChicken + salt_pepper; // Generously apply all over
for sideOfChicken = top then bottom
    ROAST-ON-HEAVY-BOTTOM-VESSEL(fullChicken, oliveOil)
REMOVE-CHICKEN(anotherPlate)
var sauteedVeggies = SAUTE-VEGETABLES(garlic, onions, carrots)   // On the same oil/sauce used for the chicken
for timer = 0 to 60*60  // takes an hour
    cookedChicken = cookedChicken + COOK(fullChicken, sauteedVeggies, whiteWine)    // With lid of vessel closed
return cookedChicken;

Once, the chicken's done, let the liquid at the bottom heat up and thicken into a sauce and pour all over the chicken.
If the dish is left over after lunch, you could, like us, de-bone it through and make a Chicken sandwich with cheese slices for dinner. Yum ^.^

Chocolate Truffles

And here's a heavenly dessert for the Chocoholic!

var milkChocolate, darkChocolate, cocoaPowder, freshCream;
tableSpoons unsaltedButter = 3;
var chocoTruffle;

chocoTruffle = HEAT(freshCream) until bubbling
chocoTruffle = chocoTruffle + MELT(milkChocolate, darkChocolate, unsaltedButter)
chocoTruffle = REFRIGERATE-UNTIL-FIRM(chocoTruffle)
ROLL(chocoTruffle, cocoaPowder)
return chocoTruffle;

It comes out with such a beautiful consistency that's absolutely creamy and melts in your mouth, that we're still looking for alternate dishes this yummy, delightful chocolate concoction could be turned into.

Recipes courtesy : A Friend, who 'prolly googled them up

Experimenting at the Chocolate Laboratory

Sandy's at Wallace Garden. A restaurant, the Crazy Chocoholic in me's been longing to visit, roused by the irresistible pics from the FB page. The Wallace Garden stretch should be a heaven for fellow foodies, 'cos it's lined with posh restaurants. Opposite Sandy's was Jacob's Kitchen and a few yards away, Tuscana Pizzeria. Spotted a Subway close by. I also spotted a Harley - Davidson showroom. Should have taken a look.

I arrived for lunch, as usual running for cover from the scorching heat. But, the interiors were quite disappointing when compared to the pretty pics from the page. Maybe it'd have looked nicer at night under the lights. Being called The Chocolate Laboratory, the water was fittingly served in a beaker and adorning the walls were chemical symbols, along with their numbers (whatever they're called! Oh my! Can't believe I forgot my chemistry!). The realisation dawned only later that the chemical symbols were nothing but random and spelled out C-Ho-Co-La-Te!

Ah..! I just love the white crockery!

I so... wanted to have a good pizza, being tired of the dry pizza served at Dominoes. Having heard people rave about the pizza here, we ordered one. They've a separate menu for their Fresca pizzas, so you gotta ask them for it. It really was HUGE, juicy, cheesy, absolutely yummy with a super-thin crust! The menu had a choice for normal/thin crust. Wondered how thinner the crust could be. While the Pizza order was on, wondered we, why not try something else different. Having had a bad Hummus experience at another restaurant, I thought I should rectify its taste in my memory and went for Hummus with Pita Bread. (Ok, I later discovered to dismay that hummus just wasn't my thing.) It was already too heavy and too filling a meal, but our gastronomical trips are never complete without a yummy chocolate dessert and leaving behind one at a place calling itself the Chocolate Laboratory seemed like the biggest sin! So, after numerous flicking of the menu card, we zeroed in on That Tiny Chocolate Cake. Should be a light, tiny treat. When the waiter placed the order in front of us, I couldn't help sitting there with eyes widened completely stricken with shock, at which the waiter, I believe, silently chuckled at. It was the complete opposite of TINY! People who look at my picture with the cake placed in front, always go, 'What?! You actually had something that Big all by yourself?'. Of course not! We took a few bites and got it packed, to be hogged in afterward, at which time, we didn't even notice it disappearing while we devoured and wanted more after it was all gone. Umm... Yummmm.... Anyway, be assured that you get to experience the best chocolate here. And here's an almost nauseating/tempting close-up of the Chocolate Cake we had :P

Is this decadence....?