A Dash of Magic

Arthur's pet monkey: after some cognac-soaked berries 

During a team building workshop at SunRice Culinary School, my hubby stumbled upon a more luscious way to make laska: he’d cheekily poured frothing beer, instead of water, into the brewing pot. Not surprisingly, laughter from the other teams abruptly stopped when they tasted his concoction. The gravy was richer in flavour and colour. And they didn’t need to place the steaming hot noodles into a gravy-laden porcelain spoon either: the splendidly thicker soup clung seductively to the mee streaming down their ivory chopsticks. A snifter has worked its magic in the kitchen yet again.

Just as red wine can cast its spell over a pasta dish. With just a dash, depth to the tomato sauce is added, which in turn intensifies the savoury bacon and marinated olives. The sauce isn’t liquefied either, so every succulent ribbon of spinach fettucini is deliciously coated. The cheese is only there to lift the enchantment from witchery to fairy kingdom. 

Now, you don’t need a cauldron to work sherry’s mystical charm too. The faithful frying pan will do in caramelizing the onions and sautéing the blood-dripping sirloin. As the dry, tart sherry soaks up the juices still coyly clinging to the pan and potently concentrates its herb-infused flavours, culinary wizardry has come into a new age.   

And even Merlin will approve a liberal splash of cognac beyond your mains. Imagine a generous icy cold serving of lush sugary sweet cherries and sun-kissed ripened strawberries oozing with my father’s priced XO cognac. Add a soft, buttery scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream, and Arthur would have drawn Excalibur from its stone “shackles” a lot sooner.