The Sims 2 – Love Potion #8.5

I’ve posted this weeks Gourmet Gaming a day early so you can enjoy it on Valentine’s day!

Is Valentine’s Day usually a total failure for you? Are you left bitter and alone, ranting about the commercialism and inherent flaws of the day to faceless people on the internet when all you really want is a hug? I know how you feel (I really don’t). If you’re looking to captivate a boy or girl this evening or you simply need someone to play co-op with because sometimes achievements demand you play a game with another person, then this is for you. Allow me to be your Gypsy Matchmaker. One sip of Love Potion #8.5 will ensure love at first sight and will only set you back a meagre §350! Can you really afford to put a price on true love? Fruity, fizzy and optionally intoxicating there’s no better drink to enjoy with the Sim you love this Valentine’s.

What you will need: A tall glass.

Ingredients:

8 Raspberries

Crushed Ice

10ml / 0.33oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur (Or Raspberry Juice)

50ml / 1.5oz. Raspberry Lemonade

100ml / 3.3oz Champagne (Or Tonic Water)

Top Up with Lychee Juice

Mint Sprigs

Fresh Lemon Juice

Making Love Potion #8.5:

1. Crush the raspberries and press them into the bottom of the glass then pour the crushed ice on top.
2. Pour in the Chambord, followed by the raspberry lemonade, champagne then top it off with lychee juice. If you do it right you can create an impressive ‘layered’ look to the drink.
3. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a twist of lemon juice.

I’m not sure I could have picked a cornier thing to make! While I think Valentine’s Day can be a bit shallow I do enjoy the excuse to be overly romantic and indulge a little more than usual in treating my significant other. In saying this, every relationship faces hard times. Ours was definitely when we played Borderlands together and he earned the name “Loot Hoover”. It nearly ended in divorce. 

Like this? You might also enjoy the Diablo - Health Potion.

Request: Persona 4 – Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl

Back in the initial days of Gourmet Gaming I made the Steak Skewers from Persona 4. It was one of my earliest requests and the first popular post that seemed to strike something within the incredible Persona fan-base. I thought it was only fair that after a slew of new requests for the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl that I repay their kindness and revisit Persona 4 as a game that’s helped make Gourmet Gaming what it is today. To be honest the thing that sold me on making this dish was the idea that this “bowl is a portal to the meat dimension”. A meat. Dimension. Let’s think about that for a moment… Do you think you have enough understanding, knowledge, courage and diligence to face this challenge?

What you will need: A large wok, a frying pan and a large bowl.

Ingredients:

250g / 1 Cup White Rice

500g / 17oz Frying Steak

4 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Cornflour

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

100g / 1 Cup White Onion (Sliced)

1 Teaspoon Garlic

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger (Grated)

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli (Chopped)

2 Teaspoons Chinese Five Spice

200g / 1 Cup Brown Chestnut Mushrooms (Quartered)

50g / 1 ½ Cup Pak Choi (Sliced)

150g / 2 Cups Bean Sprouts

2 Teaspoons Dark Soy Sauce

250ml / 1 Cup Beef Stock

1 Egg

Preparations:

1. Boil the rice as per the instructions; usually 1 part rice to 2 parts water.
2. Slice the steak into strips and place them in a bowl. Add the light soy sauce, cornflour and mix well. Leave the beef to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Making the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl:

1. On a high heat, heat the wok then pour in the olive oil and sesame oil. Add the beef and fry until browned (about a minute or two) then remove from the wok and set aside.
2. Add the onions to the wok and fry them until soft. Add the garlic, red chilli, ginger, Chinese five spice and lightly fry.
3. Add pak choi, bean sprouts and mushrooms and stir fry for several minutes. Once lightly cooked return the beef to the wok.
4. Pour in the beef stock and dark soy sauce. Allow the mixture to reduce for about 5 minutes.
5. Heat a little oil in a separate frying pan and fry the egg until lightly crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside for later. Feel free to poach the egg or leave it raw for authenticity.
6. By now your rice should be cooked; spoon the rice into a bowl then layer on the beef and top with the egg. You’re now ready to face the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!

You can also make a vegetarian version of this dish by replacing the beef with tofu and the beef stock with vegetable stock. I don’t know if it’s because it was 11PM by the time I got to eat this after a horrible mix up with my food delivery or if it actually is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Either way this wasn’t much of a challenge for me as I practically inhaled the dish. I’ve had egg fried rice before, but I had no idea how awesome a fried egg on top of a stir fry would be - all this time I’ve been missing out! It’s a rich, spicy and sweet dish that would, funnily enough, be a perfectly reinvigorating meal on a cold or rainy day. So the next time it rains, why not make this dish and set yourself a challenge of your very own! It’s sure to improve some aspects of your personality (your friends can thank me later). Aiyaaaaa!

Request: EarthBound – Peanut Cheese Bar

I was pretty much oblivious to EarthBound until I was introduced to the curious character Ness in Super Smash Bros; having never owned a classic Nintendo console growing up I was subject to the gaming tastes of whoever owned the console I was playing (I was not beyond using a fellow classmate and neighbour to sate my need to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). When I decided I was going to make this recipe I tried to source EarthBound from a friend who has an extensive retro games collection, but the fact he didn’t have it just instilled it’s cult status even more for me. However, I’m not without my EarthBound knowledge; I’ve read about it enough times in articles titled ‘gaming urban myths’ and ‘ultimate screwed up games’. Everyone kept asking for these Peanut Cheese Bars - I’d see the requests in my inbox and all I could imagine was some peanuts with cheddar cheese on top - melting and a little greasy… Then I remembered that cheese can be sweet and delicious too, I think the Mr. Saturns are definitely onto something!

This recipe makes 8 - 10 Peanut Cheese Bars.

What you will need: An 8x8 inch square spring-form or lose-base cake tin, a whisk, two mixing bowls, greaseproof/baking paper, cling film/saran wrap and a rolling pin.

For the Cookie Base:

175g / 1 ¾ Cups Flour

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

110g / ½ Cup Butter (Softened)

85g / ¾ Cup Caster Sugar/Superfine Sugar

85g / ¾ Cup Soft Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Egg

For the Chocolate:

150g / 1 Cup Chocolate

55g / ¼ Cup Butter

40g / ¼ Cup Crushed Salted Peanuts

For the Peanut Cheese Topping:

225g / 1 Cup Cream Cheese

170g / 2/3 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter (Skippy)

100g / ¾ Cup Icing/Confectioners Sugar

120ml / ½ Cup Whipping Cream

Making the Cookie Base:

1. Prepare the tin by greasing it with a little butter and lining the base and sides with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 190C/370F.
2. In a large bowl beat the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Slowly add the egg and continue to mix.
3. Gradually sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix well until a dough forms. If it’s very soft pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Place the dough between two large sheets of cling film/saran wrap and roll the dough out to roughly fit the base of your prepared tray. Transfer it to the tray and lightly press it in until the entire base is covered and even.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Leave to cool while you prepare the chocolate layer.

Making the Chocolate Layer:

1. Over a bain-marie melt the chocolate with the butter until smooth and shiny. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Once cooled pour the chocolate over the cookie base and spread it out until even. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts and with the back of a spoon, gently press them into the chocolate.
3. Place in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes while you prepare the peanut cheese topping.

Making the Peanut Cheese Topping:

1. In a large bowl gently mix together the cream cheese, smooth peanut butter, sugar and cream. Once combined whisk it until pale and fluffy.
2. Spoon the peanut cheese mixture over the now chilled chocolate layer and smooth it out.
3. Sprinkle on top a few more crushed salted peanuts if you like, then place in the fridge for several hours until firm and chilled.
4. Once chilled remove the combination from the tin carefully and cut it into bars.

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Pokémon – Poffins

Oh, Pokémon. How many times can you essentially release the exact same game over and over and how many times will I relive the experience, just to be bitterly disappointed by any new species that isn’t the original 150 (or 151 depending on who you ask). I mean, apart from Girafarig who is the best Pokémon of the new generations. Shut up. Anyway, Pokémon love Poffins. They can make them smarter, better, faster, stronger… As a combination of the words Pokémon and muffin I figured this had to be something soft and slightly sweet (just like the Pokémon themselves). I did a lot of research into cakes and breads and came across the delightful anpan from Japan - a type of sweet, milky bun. The classic anpan recipe was the perfect base to create the well known light and fluffy Poffin.

This recipe makes 6 Poffins.

What you will need: A large mixing bowl, a sieve, a baking tray and tin/aluminium foil.

Ingredients:

75ml / ⅓ Cup Milk

1 ½ Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Sugar

½ Teaspoon Salt

190g / 1 ½ Cups Strong White Bread Flour

1 Egg (Beaten)

½ Teaspoon Fast-Action Dried Yeast

Variety of Food Colourings (Optional)

For the Filling:

High Quality Berry Jam/Jelly

Use any variety of berry or berries you like; cherry, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry etc.

To Garnish:

Icing/Confectioners Sugar

Water

Sprinkles

Preparing the Poffins:

1. In a pot on a low heat warm the milk, butter, sugar and salt together until the butter melts.
2. Pour the liquid into a large bowl, sieve in half the flour and mix well. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir until well combined.
3. Add the remainder of the flour and ¾ of the egg, continue to mix with a spoon until the dough comes together then use your hands to form it into a ball. (At this point you can split the dough up if you’d like to add any colouring. Do this by adding a few drops and following the next step.)
4. On a lightly floured surface tip the dough out and knead for about 10 minutes. This will warm the dough and make it firmer and smoother.
5. Split the dough up into evenly shaped portions, these will become your Poffins. Place them in a large, clean bowl and cover with cling-film/saran-wrap to rise for about 50 minutes, they should double in size.

Filling the Poffins:

Feel free to leave your Poffins plain but if you’d like to add a filling follow these steps;

1. Take one ball of dough at a time and gently flatten it out a little. Spoon some jam/jelly into the middle.
2. ‘Pinch’ the dough around it, making sure it’s completely sealed. Turn it over and gently shape the dough into a Poffin shape, which is similar to an American football, and place on a baking tray.
3. Repeat this step for each of the potion of dough and feel free to fill each one with a different berry jam/jelly filling.

Making the Poffins:

1. Whether or not you’ve added a filling, leave the prepared Poffins somewhere warm to rest for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Gently brush them with a little of the remainder of egg on top then place in the oven to bake for around 10-15 minutes. (If your Poffins are coloured, you might want to cover them in tin/aluminium foil to stop them from browning after a few minutes).
3. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Make some icing by mixing the icing/confectioners sugar with a little water, this will act as a glue.
4. Dip the sprinkles of your choosing in the prepared icing and carefully stick them to the Poffin for the finishing touch.

There’s no need to invite 4 of your friends over to help you stir these Poffins, I assure you. Feel free to create your own mini-game though. Maybe get your mom to shout “Left! Right! Slower!” at you while you make them, it’s totally up to you. These Poffins remind me of doughnuts but with all the pleasure of freshly baked bread; they’re certainly lighter and healthier. If Poffins can make a Pokémon more beautiful, I see no reason why this isn’t true for humans - I’m expecting to see Z-list celebrities selling these on shopping networks in the coming months. 

Request: Fallout: New Vegas – Wasteland Omelet

Oh my, is it Wednesday already!? I’ve recently started a new job working full-time and I’ve been so busy I’ve not had a moment this week to even play Fallout: New Vegas which has been sitting on my shelf for several months now. So when I get in from work or you settle down after a long day roaming in, well, nothing, you want something quick and nutritious (plus you really have to use up those Deathclaw Eggs). I’m personally a big fan of Omelets (Omelettes? What an odd word) and I love that New Vegas has Hardcore survival style gameplay. It’s this mode which has attracted me to the game and I’m excited to see how well it’s been implemented – for games like Fallout it’s an aspect I really miss! So stoke your fire and follow this very simple but delicious recipe.

What you will need: A large non-stick frying pan, a bowl, a spatula and a whisk.

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon Butter

40g / ¼ Cup Red Delicious Apple (Finely Diced)

3 Large Eggs

1 Tablespoon Milk

Salt & Pepper

30g / ¼ Cup Emmental Cheese (Grated)

2 Thick Ham Slices

Making the Wasteland Omelet:

1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and milk, season to taste and set aside. Then heat the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat.
2. Add the apple to the frying pan and warm through, once the apple begins to soften remove it from the pan and set aside.
3. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the frying pan and allow it to cook. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn underneath and move the pan to help any liquid on top cook.
4. Once the top begins to look firm and cooked, sprinkle half the omelet with the apple, followed by the cheese and then the ham slices.
5. Add a little bit more cheese on top of the ham and carefully use the spatula to fold the omelet in half – the cheese should help it seal once folded.
6. Allow everything to melt and then serve!

The ingredients and inspiration behind the recipe are pretty self-explanatory; the combination of BlamCo Mac & Cheese, Crunchy Mutfruit, Deathclaw Eggs and Lakelurk Meat are simply the ham, cheese and apple which go so well together. Only with less radiation. Maybe. Before anyone mentions those bizarre claw/feet – I know. I tried sculpting some out of chicken, ham and even attempted fish but it just looked ridiculous. Lakelurks don’t even have a piece of anatomy that looks like that. If you’re really distressed I think the closest real-world representation would be a chicken foot. I bet you’re glad I kept it out now, huh?

If anyone would like to re-create this recipe and actually use chicken feet or create a convincing version of the claws – send it to me and you’ll get a special reblog. Because you’d be a braver person than I.

Dragon Age – Found Cake

When I had a read through Game Rant’s “Most Disappointing Games of 2011” I wasn’t surprised when I saw Dragon Age II among the expected movie tie-in games of the year. Although I know a lot of people loved it, it was a saddening shadow of the awesome that was Dragon Age and an even greater festering husk of Baldur’s Gate for me. I was so involved with Dragon Age and so attached to Alistair (I don’t even find blond men attractive) I once drunkenly reprimanded a guy with the same name at a party for sacrificing himself at the end of my tale. I’m not sure how he felt when I declared my love and explained the impending grief for both me and the people of Ferelden but thankfully I still had my trusty dog (Bucephalus) who once brought me this cake. Personally, I don’t know what the hell Tycho was complaining about – I’d eat a “found cake”. Cake is cake, after all.

What you will need: Two 8inch (20cm) round sandwich tins, sieve, 2 mixing bowls and a whisk.

Ingredients:

175g / ¾ Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Caster/Fine Grain Sugar

3 Eggs (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Self-Raising Flour

70g / ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder (High Quality)

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

To Garnish:

250ml / 1 Cup Whipping Cream

Icing/Confectioners Sugar (Optional)

2 Strawberries (Halved)

Dog Spittle (Optional)

Making the Found Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Grease the cake tin with a little butter, line it with greaseproof paper/baking parchment and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy. While continuing to mix, gradually add the eggs and whisk well until light and fluffy.
3. Sieve in half the flour, gently fold it in then sieve in the rest of the flour along with the cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the vanilla extract and stir.
4. Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The top of the cakes should spring back when softly pressed if ready. Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Once cooled, remove the cakes from the tins. Whip the cream (with a little sugar if you wish), spread half the cream on top of one layer then turn the other layer upside down, place it on top and cover with the remainder of the cream. Place 3 of the strawberry halves on top to decorate.
6. Optional: Place the cake on your kitchen floor and get your dog to serve it for that final, authentic touch.

I’ve based the recipe for the Found Cake off the traditional Victoria sponge. This is a simple, fuss-free cake that wouldn’t be out of place in a Ferelden setting. It’s incredibly light and fluffy which means you can eat four slices for each slice of normal cake, ideal for any New Year dieters, because I’m pretty sure lack of cake is what turned Flemeth into that dragon.

Request: Kingdom Hearts II – Sea Salt Ice-cream

You’ll notice the addition of hearts on this post and they will be added to past posts too - it’s to give you an idea of the level of difficulty the recipe is so you can pick a recipe to suit your ability should you wish to make something. Anyway, I can’t tell you the amount of requests I’ve had for Sea Salt Ice-cream - Kingdom Hearts certainly has an incredible fan base! So I thought I’d treat you all with the first post of 2012 because I’m just that good to you. I’ve learned that this is (or was) actually available at Tokyo DisneySea and that Tetsuya Nomura’s love for the treat explains its appearance in Kingdom Hearts II. Kingdom Hearts has a lot of delicious looking ice-creams in it, I feel like I’ve missed out now by not playing it when it first came out which upon reflection seems crazy considering one of my favourite games is Mickey’s Castle of Illusion for the Sega Mega Drive and the Disney-Final Fantasy combination sounds right up my alley. Though I have no idea what it should taste like I was excited by the prospect of flavoured salts and creating a twist on the classic vanilla ice-cream.

What you will need: A pot, a large bowl and 2 small bowls, a sieve, a wooden spoon, a medium container, a whisk, ice-cream moulds and wooden ice-cream sticks.

Ingredients:

½ Vanilla Pod

2 Tablespoons High Quality Sea Salt Flakes

125ml / ½ Cup Milk

75g / ⅓ Cup Sugar

250ml / 1 Cup Whipping/Heavy Cream

3 Egg Yolks

Blue Food Colouring

Ice

Preparing the Sea Salt Ice-cream:

1. Add half of the vanilla seeds to the salt. Rub the vanilla into the salt until well mixed – seal and leave to infuse.
2. If you don’t have an ice-cream machine (like me) place the container you’ll chill the ice-cream in into the freezer.
3. Warm the milk, sugar and rest of the vanilla pod together in a pot on a medium heat. Cover, remove from the heat once warmed through and leave the vanilla to fragrance the milk for about 30 minutes.
4. While the milk cools set up an ‘ice bath’ – half fill a large bowl with water and ice and place a smaller bowl inside. Pour the cream into the smaller bowl and set aside.
5. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks. Rewarm the now cooled and infused milk, gradually add the milk to the egg yolks whisking constantly. Once combined return the milk and egg to the pot.
6. Heat the mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and forms a custard. Do NOT let it boil! If bubbles or foam appear remove it from the heat immanently.
7. Sieve the custard into the bowl of cream over the ice bath. Stir well until it begins to cool, add the blue food colouring until the desired colour is achieved then place the bowl into the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight.

Making the Sea Salt Ice-cream:

1. Pour the chilled ice-cream mixture into the prepared frozen tray then return it to the freezer or use your ice-cream maker.
2. After about 40 minutes add the vanilla salt to taste and vigorously stir or whisk the mixture as it begins to set. Check on it every 30 minutes after this, continuing to mix well. Repeat this for about 2 – 3 hours every 30 minutes.
3. Once solidified take it out and allow it to soften. Once soft spoon it into the ice-pop moulds, be wary of air bubbles forming – it’s a good idea to mix the ice-cream around in the mould to try and remove as many as possible. If it’s too soft, pop it into the freezer for a bit before sliding in the wooden sticks and placing in the freezer to set.
4. To remove the ice-cream from the mould sit it in a bath of warm water until the outside begins to melt then carefully slide them out.

Feel free to keep this ice-cream in a tub or for a more authentic look use the moulds and wooden ice-cream sticks. For any doubtful British fans this sweet yet salty mixture means the ice-cream tastes less like a full dairy, or cream laden Cornwall style and more like an ice-cream van ‘99’ taste. For Americans I’d imagine the equivalent is what you’d call ‘soft-serve’ (if America is devoid of the classic 99 cone with a Flake – I feel sorry for you). And I don’t know what it is, blue is apparently an appetite suppressant but for me bright blue foods simply means “more delicious”. Cute and quirky Sea Salt Ice-cream is a surprising balance with a wonderful texture. Also if you have any left over vanilla salt it apparently goes wonderfully with certain fish.

Bastion – Leechade

Bastion was the impressive and visually stunning Indie hit of 2011, if you’ve not played it yet I recommend you pick it up right away on Xbox Live, Steam or Google Chrome! One of the most awesome things about the game is the Distillery where The Kid can choose all sorts of interesting potions to help him on his journey. Each one has a unique effect, taste and appearance – I just wish I had the amazing bottles to do each spirit justice. “Leechade’s so sour, it’ll perk you right up when you’re feeling low”.

Ingredients:

1 Measure Advocaat

1 Measure Dry London Gin

0.5 Measure Triple Sec

0.5 Measure Blue Curaçao

Top Up Cloudy Lemonade

Lemon Wedge Garnish