Monthly Archives: September 2015

Fredericksburg

I will be featuring a lot of food (and wine) experiences from this quaint, but absolutely gorgeous city in the Texas Hill Country. I don’t have enough writing prowess to describe it with justice, so just Google it, and you will be flooded with such delightful information, you will want to go, like, immediately!

My husband and I fell in love with  Fredericksburg two springtimes ago, when we wanted to get away from Houston without having to go through airport security. Good wine, good food, amazing people! The next thing we knew, we were up to our ears with real estate info on this place and found the most perfect Fredericksburg home — a French Villa on top of a hill. We snatched it up and spent Valentine’s Day 2015 in our dreamy vacation home. Nothing says true love more than two mortgages….I’m just saying… Haha!

Barbecuing has become our thing. We live in Texas, so it’s not really a novelty. But since grilling offers a relatively “healthy” way of preparing food (as opposed to frying, which is another Texas thing), it’s pretty much “if it fits the grill, its going down!” Weather in Fredericksburg is barbecue-friendly, unlike Houston when one can easily get as cooked as the food on the grill. So when we come down here, we try to do one meat, one veggie and one fruit on our weekend barbecues. And of course, one “wine of the day”. Happy weekend ya’ll!

grilled brussle sprouts, season with salt and pepper, grill, add parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar
grilled brussle sprouts, season with salt and pepper, grill, add parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar
NY strip, seasoned with coffee, salt and pepper. We tend to go for rare, so rare a skilled veterinarian can resuscitate it!!!
NY strip, seasoned with coffee, salt and pepper. We tend to go for rare, so rare a skilled veterinarian can resuscitate it!!!
mushroom, assorted peppers and cherry tomatoes
mushroom, assorted peppers and cherry tomatoes
Figs! my favorite fruit! just slice in half, grill, add balsamic glaze. Delicious!
Figs! my favorite fruit! just slice in half, grill, add balsamic glaze. Delicious!
Yup. Bad Ass Blush. This is from a winery down the street. If you're into sweet dessert wines like I am, this is a winner!
Yup. Bad Ass Blush. This is from a winery down the street. If you’re into sweet dessert wines like I am, this is a winner! Available at Chisholm Trail Winery

Kopi Roti Buns

I first had these coffee buns in Singapore. I did a lot of travels there and despite the fact of having so many hotels to try and choose from, I always pick Pan Pacific, for the sole reason that it’s walking distance from Kopi Roti. I would take dozens of these delectable buns no matter how squished they get in my suitcase. To my delight, a branch opened in my neighborhood in Davao, which sort of curtailed my everyday need for these buns with my breakfast coffee.

 

I have gotten over my cravings when I moved to San Francisco and eventually Houston, with all the other delicious new cuisine that I was partaking. It wasn’t until I was in Vancouver last summer when the beast was awakened. My husband and I were walking along North of Vancouver Pier when I smelled the distinct aroma of these coffee buns. We followed my nose (and GPS;  I Googled it, like I do with everything else), and there it was, my long forgotten love, my coffee buns. True to form, I hoarded a couple of dozens and froze them as soon as I got back home.

 

Alas, my stash was gone in a few short days.  I turned to Google and there is not a single store in Houston offering such delectable buns. What I found, however, were a gazillion recipes on how to make them. Most of the recipes have measurement in grams, not cups and tablespoons. Contrary to the popular reference as Mexican coffee buns, these actually originated in Malaysia, hence the measurements. I have been to Malaysia 15 years ago, these were not popular then. Had it been, I would have found reasons to go back and visit. The Petronas Tower, as magnificent as it is, does not warrant return trips…sorry.

 

I tried several recipes until I found one that worked for me. I have tweaked some of it to the best recollection of my palate.

 

 

pre-oven pic
pre-oven pic
buns in the oven, y'all !!!
buns in the oven, y’all !!!
it's as good as it looks! three hours of slaving away in the kitchen was totally worth it!
it’s as good as it looks! three hours of slaving away in the kitchen was totally worth it!