A Taste of Finland with Sara La Fountain

A Taste of Finland with Sara La Fountain at Royale Chulan Hotel

American-Finnish celebrity chef Sara La Fountain struts the streets of Malaysia to cooking up a storm for the fourth edition of the Celebrity Chef Series, jointly presented by American Express and the Asian Food Channel (AFC). From 28 May to 29 May 2012, Chef La Fountain will play host to a series of exclusive dining-related experiences as part of the tour titled, A Taste of Finland with Sara La Fountain.

Following the success of previous installments of the Celebrity Chef Series that were hosted by renowned chefs such as Chuck Hughes, Adrian Richardson and Mark McEwan, the series returns once again, this time showcasing Chef Sara La Fountain. Fans of Perfect Day and New Scandinavian Cooking will be enchanted by Chef La Fountain at a series of cooking demonstrations and ticketed dinners that are open to the public. American Express Cardmembers will also enjoy exclusive and specially-organised sessions with the Scandinavian Celebrity Chef.

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I am the lucky few ones who were invited for a special food tasting session with Chef Sara La Fountain at Royale Chulan Hotel. She will cook three special Finnish dishes. It is the Goat Cheese Salad with Beetroot, Dark Sweet Bread Croutons, Marinated Red Onions and Blueberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette, Fried Fish with Summer Potato Vegetable Salad and Summer Pavlova with Passionfruit Cream served with Strawberries and Pistachios. Yes, the names are too long to remember. I can only remember a few such as summer potato and beetroot.

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She was too formally dressed in my opinion. I thought she would be in a stylish uniform since she is a model. We were well entertained by the chirpy chef as she enjoys sharing her stories and experiences while she cooks for us. In a way she is a perfectionist, she designs her own her plates so her food looks good and presentable.

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Goat Cheese Salad with Beetroot, Dark Sweet Bread Croutons, Marinated Red Onions and Blueberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette …

The first dish is the Goat Cheese Salad with Beetroot, Dark Sweet Bread Croutons, Marinated Red Onions and Blueberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette. In short it is a Goat Cheese Salad. The dark sweet bread croutons are from Finland, she brought it all the way from her homeland.

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Goat Cheese Salad with Beetroot, Dark Sweet Bread Croutons, Marinated Red Onions and Blueberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette …

The Goat Cheese Salad with Beetroot, Dark Sweet Bread Croutons, Marinated Red Onions and Blueberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette might sounds complicated but the taste tells a different story. The salad was fresh and it went well with the rest especially the goat cheese. For the first time, I fell in love with beetroot and not mentioning finishing the whole salad. This was not just colourful but it was definitely one of the memorable salads.

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Fried Fish with Summer Potato Vegetable Salad was next. She gets really excited when she mentioned summer and according to her, potatoes are only available in Finland during summer. Hence, it is named it as summer potato.

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Fried Fish with Summer Potato Vegetable Salad …

To be frank, it is one of the best potato salads ever. The fried fish was well cooked and it compliments well with the Salmon roe (not listed). You can note the missing mayonnaise or tartar sauce usually compliments with fried fish as her version of fried fish has the right combination of flavour.

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Summer Pavlova with Passionfruit Cream served with Strawberries and Pistachios…

Lastly we have the Summer Pavlova with Passionfruit Cream served with Strawberries and Pistachios. She told us that she had this secret recipe with her pistachios and it will be one of the highlights of the dessert. Do you notice the name Summer Pavlova, she loves summer indefnitely!

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Summer Pavlova with Passionfruit Cream served with Strawberries and Pistachios…

Like the first two dishes, the dessert was not as sweet as I could imagine. Her food in general tastes lighter as she loves to incorporate fruits and vegetables into her dishes. The summer pavlova was simply beautiful.

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Chef La Fountain is the epitome of brains and beauty – a chef, model, entrepreneur, author, columnist and blogger embodied in one. The cooking sensation received training at the world-renowned culinary school, The Culinary Institute of America, located in New York. Now
based in Finland, she is a popular media personality who hosts her own cooking show, Avec Sara. She also stars along with other chefs in Perfect Day and New Scandinavian Cooking, which will air on the Asian Food Channel, Astro Channel 703 beginning early July 2012. Fans looking to gear up for Chef La Fountain’s visit can also look forward to a week-long special, featuring Chef La Fountain’s episodes from both shows from 14th to 18th May,
7.30pm on the Asian Food Channel.

About Sara La Fountain

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Not just a pretty face, American-Finnish cooking sensation Sara La Fountain works hard in the kitchen as well as the runway. Currently starring as one of the hosts on New Scandinavian Cooking airing on the Asian Food Channel, Sara trained at The Culinary Institute of America, the world-renowned culinary school in New York. Besides being able to whip up delicious meals, Sara is also a fashion model, and has represented brands such as Marrimeko and Puma. It is no wonder why she captivates the hearts and tummies of AFC viewers.

Wilson Ng