Chop Chop!

I have a new toy.

Last week I finally took a bold step and bought a good, sharp knife. After almost 16 years of matrimony and making dinners with my Wiltshire Staysharp (apparently not) knife I bought a Global G-55 chefs knife. And I now wonder how I didn't go totally insane in the kitchen before now?? Or maybe I have and everyone is too polite to tell me! Anyway, I cannot believe how much of a difference it makes having the right tool for the job.

To top off the joy of my new purchase, my friend Stephanie (who is a chef by trade) came over and gave Fi and I a private knife skills lesson. You should have heard the squeals of delight emanating from my kitchen. Noone would have guessed that what was going on in there was onion chopping.....and carrot julienning.....and orange segmenting. The carrots and oranges were consumed as we went, the onions were saved and caramelised for Sunday's BBQ.

I have been practicing at any opportunity since. Yesterday I made a divine apple tart using my finely sliced apples (who needs a mandolin when you have a G-55??) and the Careme pastry that I was overjoyed to find in the freezer section at Taste on Saturday.

Does it sound like I have been watching a little too much Masterchef?

PS Oh, and my first attempt at creme patisserie for the tart was tasty, but not quite to Matt Preston's standands I fear - will have to do some more practice. Shame!

Turn down the volume, PLEASE

The kids have been on school holidays for 2 weeks. It has been busy. And noisy. The thing that has stood out most to me is the noise.

Silence is not something that can be achieved in Hong Kong, given the myriad of machines necessary to maintain a comfortable indoor living environment - dehumidifiers, air purifiers, air conditioners...... Not to mention the background soundtrack of jackhammers, crowd noise, traffic and car horns. Quietness, which is different than silence, is achievable here. Sometimes.

I have come to appreciate quietness in my middle age. When I walk the tracks of HK I do not want to listen to music on my ipod. I want to listen to the quietness. I do not often have music playing in the house because I prefer the ambience of quietness. I press the mute button on the remote whenever the program I am watching goes to an ad break. There are times when music is very good (like when I'm on the stationary bike in the gym), but more and more I'm liking the quiet.

My children don't seem to understand the concept of "inside voices". Ethan, especially, has one volume - LOUD - and no volume control anywhere to be found. I find this auditory assault quite exhausting at times.

Enter the introduction of "quiet time". While Mum and Dad have been visiting we have introduced a mandatory daily 30 minute period of solitude and quietness. Activities can be pursued, but they must be quiet and done on ones own. I like it, Matt likes it and the girls have come to like it, but Ethan DOES NOT LIKE IT! Not one little bit! He obviously needs more practice....