Dear Members,
As cooking classes seem to be in high demand among Members, I will soon prepare a class for home cooks and food enthusiasts to improve their culinary skills in an entertaining and relaxed environment.
The idea is to start with something that connects the cultures of East and West – Pasta
Pasta dough at the beginning is a mixture of flour and water, dried and cut into various shapes, usually cooked in boiling water and seasoned with various sauces. It’s called the queen of the Mediterranean diet and is known and appreciated throughout the world.
Here are some classifications of pasta that can be found on the market:
Pasta of durum wheat
Dried pasta
Special Pasta
Made with semolina and adding more ingredients to the dough such as vegetable puree (tomato, spinach) or fish (squid ink)
Egg Pasta
Prepared with wheat flour and eggs, used especially for long pasta like spaghetti and noodles
Wholewheat Flour Pasta
Semolina pasta enriched with wheat bran and fibre to ensure a higher amount of dietary fibre
Dietetics pasta
For particular subjects like diabetic, gluten intolerant, heart patients.
Here’s how the Pasta is classified according to its characteristics:
- short pasta (penne, farfalle, fusilli, macaroni, orecchiette, etc)
- long pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, linguine, noodles, angel hair, etc)
- stuffed pasta (tortellini, ravioli, gnocchi, agnolotti, etc)
- lasagna (normal, green)
- pasta for soups
Each pasta has its sauce of choice, however, there are some famous pairings, such as Penne Arrabbiata, Bucatini Amatriciana, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, and Trofie with Pesto.
Cooking time depends on the type and thickness of the pasta. Also important is the balance between the salt and water, usually for each litre of water are needed 10/12 grams of salt and every 100 grams of pasta needs one litre of water, plus some drops of olive oil.
Attend a demonstration, enjoy a glass of wine, ask questions and feel just like you’re in the audience of a live cooking show!
Let’s spend some time together!
Dear Members,
We’re continuing our Culinary journey around the world . . .
As we say goodbye to Chef Tussanee from the Shangri-La Bangkok, we’re about to welcome for the first time in the Club two guest chefs from the Shangri-La Abu-Dhabi to delight you with a wide array of Middle Eastern delicacies such as Lebanese mezzes, shawarma and traditional baklavas.
I hope some of you are familiar with the 2004 documentary film Mondovino (Italian: World of Wine) that focus on the impact of globalisation on the world’s different wine regions. Two of the main characters of the documentary will be joining us for two exclusive wine dinners in The Dining Room. First the influential Bordeaux-based oenologist Michel Rolland in May 23, and then on June 3 the Marchese Piero Antinori who is visiting Hong Kong for the first time in more than a decade.
And for a change we will have at a German Riesling wine dinner at Balcony on May 27. On that night our guest speaker Christian Witte from Schloss Johannisberg will demonstrate to our members that no other wine matches spicy Thai food better than his Riesling with its ripe fruit flavor.
I’m looking forward to telling you more about other exciting F&B news in the month to come, so stay online!
Matthias
Dear Members,
With summer is just around the corner we have opened the Tropical Pool for the season. It was great to see so many members enjoying themselves in the sun on Mother’s Day. The new cushions on the sunbeds are proving very popular.
Two weeks ago I joined members for a trip to Xili Golf Club. The Club’s resident PGA Pro Richard Fern joined us for a round and passed on plenty of tips on how to improve our games. The course was in great condition and everybody remarked what a fun day it was.
I am now looking forward to our next S&R event which is the Ice Gala on May 30. I really enjoy seeing our young ice-skating students, who practice so hard, competing in front of their family and friends. It gives them something to look forward to. If you are in the Club on May 30 during the day please drop by the Ice Rink and show support for these young skaters!
Best regards,
Andrew West
Director of Sports and Recreation
Dear Members,
I hope you had a wonderful time during the last weekend and are still enjoying the nice weather and the summer breeze in the air.
The new Information Technology (IT) Centre is coming along according to schedule, and we aim to complete the refurbishment in the coming days. Since our IT coach Gavin came onboard in April, he has already conducted a few IT talks covering topics like parental control, built-in software application on PC or Mac, iPhone vs Android vs Blackberry, and security awareness. So far, feedback has been very positive, with Members showing interest in digital photo editing, video making, and training on Mac OS.
Based on all this input, Gavin has planned a series of group and private lessons to address members’ needs and other IT hot topics, such as basic orientation of Mac OS X (Macintosh Operating System), operation of, and editing with, iMovie, use of iPhoto for organising your own photos and so forth. Besides group lessons, there will be one-on-one lessons also available by appointment.
I look forward to seeing you at the IT Centre soon!
Best regards
Matty Lam
Director of Membership and Marketing
