Arlettes

unctuous wagyu, and probiotics

Arlettes, recipe below

Food news of the week:

Already missing Singapore and all the joyous food she has to offer. Mainstays for me include: laksa anywhere, Da Dong prawn mee, Fei Fei wanton mee, and Scissors Curry Rice, because I’m a simple gal who needs pork belly in a thick sauce. Other faves: meats and the apple crumble (modelled after my grandmother’s own recipe) at Bedrock, and the oozing saffrony osso buco at Pietrasanta. Now, here, London welcomed me back with Layla’s glorious apple miso number, all sweet and salty in just the right amounts.

Science of the week:

Bacteria in probiotics can be put on ‘standby’ mode while still remaining alive, until reaching the gut where its full metabolic capacity can be reached. This is done by freeze drying, where the cells are frozen at low temperatures (-40C), then the frozen water is removed by sublimation, which is evaporation at low temperature and pressure. But not all the water is removed, because a little is still needed to keep them alive. That’s why these bacteria can remain dormant for its shelf-life.

Insight of the week:

Did anyone else know this? Reasons why coke from McDonald’s tastes different/better: The water and sweetener are pre-chilled before entering the dispenser, the water is filtered, and unlike our usual cans that are pre-carbonated, at the restaurants, the drink and gas are mixed as they are poured from the dispenser, boosting the sweetness and fizz. Wow.

Recipe of the week:

Arlettes are these wafer-thin caramelised sheets of puff pastry; so easy to make with ready-made puff pastry, but this rough puff is easy enough.

Arlettes (makes at least 20; you can bake half and store the rest in the freezer for whenever else you want to consume them)

Ingredients

For the rough puff pastry:

250g flour

250g unsalted butter, reaching room temperature but not entirely soft, cut into cubes

pinch salt

100-120ml cold water

For the filling:

30-40g flaked almonds

1 tablespoon cinnamon

300g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

Directions

In a large bowl, add the salt to the flour, then rub the butter into the flour. The cold butter will warm up overtime and the bits will meld easily into the flour. Once the butter has been rubbed fairly evenly into flour (there will still be chunks of butter streaked through the mixture), add a quarter cup of cold water and mix. Add tablespoons of cold water until the dough just comes together. Roll the pastry into a shape that somewhat resembles a sphere or ball, put into the bowl, cover the bowl with foil/cling film and leave in your fridge to rest for a half hour.

Take your dough and place it on a slightly floured work surface. Roll the dough until it’s roughly 20x50cm, then take the top third and fold it down to the centre, and do the same with the opposite third, so you end up with a book with three layers. Roll this out again until its three times the book’s original length. Then fold the same way as before, and put back into the fridge for another half hour.

During this time, preheat your oven to 177C (350F). Grease a large pan, then sprinkle over a small handful of icing sugar (part of the 300g), then shake the pan so it coats it. Put this aside.

Liberally dust your work surface with flour and icing sugar. Roll the refrigerated pastry out on this surface until it’s 4mm thick. Brush the top with egg yolk, followed by the flaked almonds, cinnamon, and half of the icing sugar. You will need the rest for later. Roll the pastry from the long edge until your get a swiss roll-like swirl. Cover and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes (you can cut the log into half or in thirds to fit your pan, or to stuff half in the freezer if you don’t want to bake a whole batch right there and then).

Take out the log and cut it into discs around 4mm thick. Dip your fingers in icing sugar and press the discs on your work surface until they’re around 1 mm thick, then place them onto your pan. Don’t worry if some parts are thinner than others, it just means they will be crisper and easier to break for a more pleasurable mouthful afterwards. Bake for 6-8 minutes, then flip over with a spatula (or something that resembles that particular shape) and bake for another 2 minutes, before removing. They should look very crisp and golden-brown, especially around the edges.

Serve with ice cream and more flaked almonds.

Restaurant of the week:

I was impressed in different ways by this Piccadilly Circus hideaway, on all three accounts. Like most other ‘Japanese’ restaurants in London, there’s a soft element of fusion here, surreptitiously squeezed in between bits of seaweed and fish.

starter variety box with accompanying condiments