Rosemary Bites Go Green !

While we are all into supporting all effort in a sustaining eco-systems,  but that's the the go-green effort that we are referring here.  We are going green with the 'classic pesto'.   I think first of all,  there are a lot of meals or side dishes that celebrates the wholesome, authentic goodness of fresh ingredients, and we believe the one that definitely stands out is Pesto.

Contrary to popular believe,  the green colored pesto does not taste like raw vegetables,  but it's a well blend of earthly nutty flavors, pungent parmesan's kick, with the tangy splash of lemon juice and well balanced with the all-rounded extra-virgin olive oil.   Just like all our specialty sauce,  it's the many layering of flavors that will wake up those taste buds in your mouth.

Pesto is actually a very versatile building blocks in the kitchen. We love to dress the strings of spaghetti with green pesto,  we also love to add in fresh Mint leaves and create a new Mint Pesto just for the lamb or serve your brushetta with pesto for your next entertaining party,  and see your guests in awe !
Finally,  in a whole go-green spirit, good things are meant to be shared ! Here's the Pesto Recipes for you :)

Ingredients
• ½ a clove of garlic, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
• a handful of pine nuts, walnuts and cashew nuts, very lightly toasted
• a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• a small squeeze of lemon juice

Enjoy and go-green !

Just Add Garlic

Just like a lot of you (yes you dear reader ) when we graduate from college dorm cooking and begin serious cooking involving the oven, stove, soup pots, stir fry pans, grill, broiler more often than the microwave, we all soon learn another important lesson in cooking and/or life in that matter : Garlic doesn’t come from a jar !

Buy the real stuff -- whole cloves in tightly-packed bulbs, it has to be -- and we’ve never go back. Mincing takes just a couple of minutes, or simply skip chopping altogether and roast the cloves whole.

This versatile ingredient improves the flavor of countless dishes. Slow-roast it with some olive oil until soft and it's delicious all by itself...or spread on crusty bread … or Garlic Butter Fish … or Linguine Alfredo.  Some of us in Rosemary Bites even have it raw :) it’s one ingredient that we cannot live without.

Just don't forget to brush your teeth or pop a mint after devouring.

How do you like your Garlic ? minced ? roasted ? raw ?

Snack Break: Pick the Perfect Watermelon

Stumped whether you should thump?
LIKE relationships, watermelons offer no guarantees. But a little wisdom from the experts can help you choose a good one at the store.  Find out how to pick the perfect watermelon. (NYTimes)

How Not To Use Measuring Cups: Pinch vs. Tbsp

A pinch of this, a handful of that -- we see it all the time on TV. How do professional chefs know how much they're adding to a recipe without using measuring cups and spoons?

Baking is an exact science but when cooking savory meals it's rare you'll see a measuring cup or spoon in the hands of an Iron Chef or sous chef in Kitchen Stadium. But, it wasn't always that way.


With practice, professional chefs learn to recognize what a cup of flour looks like in their mixing bowl, and what a quarter teaspoon of salt looks like in the palm of their hand. It's technically a Montessori method -- learning by visualization -- and it works perfectly for home cooks, especially when you need a half teaspoon of cinnamon and can't extract the tangled measuring spoons from the balloon whisk in your overcrowded utensil drawer.

To free yourself from measuring cups and spoons, you'll need to learn what each measurement looks like:
1.Lay out a long sheet of parchment paper across your table or counter, about 24-inches long.
2.Using flour, rice, oats or any similar dry ingredient, measure out 1 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1/4 cup.
3.Dump them onto the parchment paper in separate piles.
4.Study how large the piles are -- this represents what would be in your mixing bowl or sauce pan.

Take it one step further and see what those measurements actually look like in the bowls and pans you use most. And you don't have to do it all at once. Be observant the next time you cook, paying special attention to what that half cup of rice looks like in your sauce pan.


You can also recognize what liquid ingredients, like water, cream and oil, look like by measuring them in appropriate cups and spoons and adding them to your most commonly used bowls and pans.
Need a cup of rice? You can fit a scant 1/4 cup in the palm of your hand. Measure out four handfuls; it's that easy. If you need a tablespoon, teaspoon or similar, pay close attention the next time you measure something. First use the measuring spoon, then dump the measured ingredient into the palm of your hand before adding it to whatever you're cooking. Notice how much space it takes up in your hand, visualize it and commit it to memory. The next time you need that measurement, total recall will save you from having to wash the measuring spoons.

Chefs recommend you continue to use standard dry, wet and weight measurements when baking to ensure perfect results. But when you're freestyling a sweet or savory recipe, do it like the Iron Chefs do and keep the measuring contraptions in the drawer.

Do you like to cook with or without measuring utensils?

Have you tried Classic American Cuisine ?

We are glad to share with you that Rosemary Bites is the First and ONLY restaurant in Malaysia to serve Classic American Cuisine.

What is Classic American Cuisine you might ask ? Well, pls allow us to tell you more here :)

Though the United States expresses its culinary culture in many types of regional and ethnic cuisines, there are certain foods that can be found on family dinner tables and restaurants in every region of the country; these dishes make up what may be called standard or classic American cuisine.
They tend to be hearty, filling, and simple. It may be a joy to sample these dishes at the table or restaurant of a fine cook; it may be a chore to attempt to navigate these same dishes if they are not lovingly prepared. Let us do all the hard work here in Rosemary Bites so that you can sit back and enjoy :)

American classic meat main dishes tend to be based on beef, pork and chicken with some seafood. Pot roast is made from a usually inexpensive cut of beef oven-roasted in liquid with onions and other vegetables. Chicken is roasted or pan or deep fried. Steaks, chops, and fish fillets are pan-fried or broiled. Turkey is prepared for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Common American side dishes are French fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, green salads with a wide array of dressings, and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, or green beans. Corn on the cob is typically American.

Among American classic desserts, apple pie has a deep connotation in American culture: mom, grandma, the doting aunt, home, warmth and family love. Pecan and pumpkin pies may be served for occasions and holidays. A simple chocolate cake and ice cream will round out the meal.

All this said, given American food trends today, these classic American dishes may well share the table, or share ingredients with, exotic foods and ingredients from around the world as well as with regional American staples. The influence of Mexican and southwestern American cooking is particularly strong. That's why you can see we use Miso or even Mexican chipotle in our sauces !

Wanna know more about our culinary inspiration ? click here.

Thus, in Rosemary Bites, you can see that all our dishes are prepared with love and served with passion ! We make no compromises when it comes to preparing and composing our family of products. In everything we do, our philosophy is simple: We want to surround ourselves with food that we love. We will not present you a meal we wouldn’t serve for our own family and friends. We also wanted to inspired warmth, coziness and laughter shared across dinner table. After all, that's what a good meal is all about !

Bon Appetit !

Rosemary Bites Kitchen Unveiled : Real Homemade Salad Dressing.

The easiest and fastest way to eat the greens is of-course a bowl of salad.

Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads.They include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.

Green salads include leaf lettuce and vegetables with a sauce or dressing.  Here's a quick and easy homemade salad dressing from the kitchen of Rosemary Bites :)  Do try it out and be creative in your salad bowl.

Honey Lemon Dressing

Ingredients
    * 1 tablespoon(s) plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
    * 1 teaspoon(s) finely grated lemon zest
    * 1 tablespoon(s) honey
    * 1/2 teaspoon(s) chopped thyme
    * 1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
    * Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
   1. For any great dressing, always starts with the best quality ingredients that you can.
   2.In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey, and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Tips & Techniques :  Great with watercress salad, carrot salad, fennel salad, mixed green salad, and citrus salad.  It's fresh, it's economical and it's really delicious !

Ta-da ! This is also a great side dish for any meat or fish meal that you enjoyed or whipped it up in 3 minutes when you're having party or entertaining guests.  They will be so impressed :)

How about a Rosemary Drink ?

Feeling exhausting after long hours of work ? It has been a demanding day ?
Head over to Rosemary Bites for a cold, refreshing "Ice-Rosemary Lime" drink.  This is an exclusive drink only available here.

To make 2 quarts, pour 3 cups of fresh lime juice (from about 20 limes) through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Steep 100 grams of Rosemary Herb in Hot-boiling water for 45 minutes and add it into the lime juice. Add 2 cups of superfine sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Stir in 4 cups of water and some ice, and then garnish with lemon slices and rosemary sprig. Ta-da !

Wholesome-goodness you definitely can taste ! :) Cheers !