The Cooking Ninja

Have you ever been served by rude waitress, cashiers or customer service people? I did, not just once or twice, but many times and I'm sure you did too. Sometimes they were so bad that you'd think they are suffering from a bad case of constipation. Perhaps they are lacking prunes or dried plums in their diet!

Prunes or dried plums? What is the difference? None at all. Dried plums is just a new name for an old classic name of prunes. I'm sure not many of us know that they are also high in antioxidants. The fruit and its juice are well-known for its natural laxative effect, thus making it a common home remedies for constipation. So next time if you get bad service, give them a packet of prunes. Maybe that will help them give better service and look less constipated. LOL!

As for me, whenever I get bad services, I always remember the stories from my ex-Management professor on how he dealt with such situations. First he would kindly enquire after the well-being of the said person, much to the said person's surprise and unease, then he would ask if he/she had a rough day at work or is having some personal problems, etc. And if all answers came to a 'NO', he would then politely tell that person: 'If you aren't happy with your job, QUIT. Why make yourself and others miserable? If it's not the case, then why the bad mood?' I can assure you that teacher was truly capable of it. LOL! Would I dare do it like he did? To this date, I haven't mustered that kind of courage. Perhaps I'm a product of how my parents brought me up - the old fashion Asian culture way. So how would you react to such bad treatments? Do you remain quiet and suffer it through or do you tell them off?

Like many, Pierre and I aren't a big fan of dried prunes but what if I tell you there is a way to encourage the young and old to eat it? Eight years ago, when I first arrived in France, my mom-in-law served me this delicious French classic appetizer made of bacon wrapped prune, baked to a nice crisp. Pop one in your mouth, you will be sent on a delicious taste trip. Try this appetizer today, you will love it. Everything taste better with bacon, right?

This is my contribution to this Weekend Herb Blogging #217 hosted by lovely Anna from Anna's Cool Finds.

Crispy Bacon Wrapped Prune

Ingredients

• 12 strips bacon (thin slices)
• 24 dried prunes (pitted)

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 230°C (450°F - gas mark 8).
2. If the bacon strip is long, cut it into 2.
3. Lay a strip of bacon on a plate or board, place a dried prune at the beginning edge of bacon strip. Roll, wrapping it tightly around the dried prune until end of strip.
4. Using a toothpick, pierce through centre of wrapped prune to hold it in place.
5. Bake it for about 15 minutes or until bacon is grilled slightly crispy on both sides. Flip and grill the other side at mid way.
6. Serve warm.

The Conclusions

I never thought that this combination would this oh-heavenly-delicious. The taste of sweet-slightly sourish flavour of prune mix with salty crispy taste of bacon all rolled in one bite. Once you starts eating them, it's hard to stop as we are forever chasing after that 4 flavour, bite after bite. And it's obviously super-easy to make, which doesn't hurt.

Notes

You can also cook them under grill mode of your oven or pan-fry them without oil if you don't have an oven.

This is another French recipe from my mother-in-law, Michèle. This big potato pie is rather delicious, and as often in this case, not the best thing for your diet ! It goes well as a side with some meat, but we also like to eat it as a main course (with salad) since you are unlikely to end up hungry after downing a portion

Tourte aux pommes de terre

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (peeled and sliced in thin rounds using a vegetable slicer machine)
• 1 big onion (sliced)
• 200 to 220 g bacon (cut in match sticks)
• 2 puff/flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée dough)
• 1 egg yolk slightly beaten with a bit of milk
• 40 cl sour cream (crème fraîche)
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg for seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat your oven at 170°C (325°F - gas mark 3).
2. Stir-fry the sliced onions with a bit of oil till they are a bit transparent and soft.
3. Lay 1 puff/flaky pastry in a deep pie dish or round baking pan laid with baking paper.
4. Spread a layer of sliced potato in the pie, then spread some bacon and onion on it. Season it with a bit of salt, pepper and nutmeg powder.
5. Repeat the above step till all is finished.
6. Fold in the side border of the dough (towards the potato) and brush it with water (this helps to seal the two pastry). Then cover it with another puff pastry, pressing on the border a little to make sure it is sealed to the bottom pastry. Fold in whatever is left on the side.
7. Cut a tiny hole in the middle of the pie to make a chimney and place a small cone on the chimney.
8. Brush the surface of the pie with the beaten yolk-milk mixture.
9. Bake it at 170°C (325°F - gas mark 3) for about 60 minutes or till the potato is cooked.
10. Once the pie is cooked, cut a bigger circle on the top crust and put aside the cover. Pour in the crème fraîche. Put back the cover on the pie and leave the pie inside the warm oven (switched off) for a few minutes to let the cream melt and spread down the pie.

The Verdict

Well my first attempt at it turned out to be a masterpiece, although a bit by accident: I added a bit more bacon then normal (the "official" recipe use only 150 g) to finish a box, and the potatoes were well cooked to the point of melting in your mouth. With the cream, the result is a very delicious (and rich) texture, smooth in the mouth and with that tasty smoky bacon flavour. Yummy ! The crunchy crust around makes the whole experience even better. This is definitely one of Pierre's favorite recipe as well

Note

Some variants skip the bacon but use a lot of parsley to enhance the flavor. We are not a big fan of parsley but if that's your thing, you might like to have a go at it.