Rosti w/ Cordon Bleu

Yesterday was my mum's 59th birthday. I had originally wanted to make Tiramisu (her fav) for her as the birthday cake. However, it was a tradition for Penang-ian not to celebrate birthday years ending with -9 (I didn't really ask why ... some sort of a taboo) & she requested to keep it simple. So, I offer to cook lunch & decided to do a dish we had while we were travelling in Europe - Rosti with Cordon Bleu.

Rosti is a rather popular potato dish & are considered by many a national dish of Switzerland. But in Singapore, the only places I have come across it so far are at Marche@Vivocity & another 2 Japanese-themed restaurants located at Raffles City Shopping Centre basement & Bugis Junction Level 1 (I cant recall their names). For a potato lover like me, it is THE ITEM I'll definitely order everytime I go to Marche.

I have several trial & error before finally getting the hang of cooking Rosti. It was great - pan-fried with butter till crisp on the surface yet soft on the inside, lightly seasoned with salt & freshly ground black pepper. I can still taste the natural sweetness of the potato. A simple yet delightful dish ...

Rosti w/ Chicken Cordon Bleu & Salad (see the cheese oozing out?)

I coupled the Rosti with Cordon Bleu - chicken breast fillet (I also use pork loin slice) with cheese & ham wrapped in the middle, then coated with breadcrumbs & deep/pan-fried till golden brown. Sinful but truly yummylicious ...

This one with Pork Cordon Bleu

To make myself feel less guilty & to make it a well-balanced meal, I had it served with garden salad of my own creation - toss of butterhead lettuce, cherry tomatoes, jap cucumber, blueberry & kiwiberry. KIWIBERRY ?!?! Yup, it's not a typo error. I was so fascinated when I first saw it at NTUC I just had to get it. It looks like a 'hair-less' Kiwi & taste like a kiwi fruit - sweet with slight hint of sourness BUT with the size of a grape! It would be a great decorating fruit for dessert & cakes. I hope I can still find it the next time I need it for my baking.

Cross-section of the Kiwiberry. Diameter is only abt 2cm


Side by side with Blueberry & against my fingers

It was a simple & quiet birthday but felt great spending time with my mum & family. Happy Birthday Mom !!! (^.^)