Khamis, 24 Januari 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Macaron creator opens first chocolate boutique in Paris

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:35 PM PST

The 18th century-inspired Les Marquis de Ladurée.©Ladurée

PARIS, Jan 25 — Luxury tea house and creator of the airy French meringue cookie the macaron, Ladurée, has expanded its sweets repertoire with the opening of an opulent chocolate boutique in Paris.

Les Marquis de Ladurée opened the doors to its 18th-century-inspired chocolate boutique at 14, rue de Castiglione near the famous Tuileries Gardens in the city's stony first arrondissement.

Here, instead of macarons and classic French desserts such as millefeuilles and éclairs, the display window reveals rows of ganache-covered bonbons, pralines and truffles.

Gourmands will find both classic and unexpected flavours such as rum, violet, rose, black tea and fruit or sesame.

Truffles are flavoured with raspberries or wine spices. Macaron lovers can still get their fix with chocolate-covered cookies or chocolate-flavoured macarons such as white chocolate and passion fruit and chocolate yuzu.

In the tradition of Ladurée's tea houses, the chocolate boutique in the affluent area of Paris near the Tuileries Gardens and Place de la Concorde is a den of opulent but elegant extravagance.

The colour palette alternates between ivoury and grey, embellished stucco ceilings, Italian white marble counters and a Murano crystal chandelier centrepiece of the boutique.

Ladurée in Tuileries Gardens adds to an already rich and spoiled city for fine, premium chocolates and master chocolatiers.

Bonbons from Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Génin and Michel Cluizel, for example, inspire pilgrimages by chocoholics from all over the world. — AFP/Relaxnews

A box-set of chocolate bonbons.©Ladurée (left), the silhouette of a marquise graces the chocolate bonbons.©Ladurée (right)

Where garlic takes centrestage

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 05:19 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — My favourite order at any Japanese restaurant would have to be Garlic Fried Rice. Eat it on its own or accompany it with the delectable Japanese dishes such as Teriyaki beef or Teppanyaki chicken.

Of course the main ingredient for this dish is garlic, the breath-stinking ingredient that every chef can't live without! It's almost like a love/hate relationship with this plant. This species of the onion family has gained immense popularity.

From being a regular ingredient for seasoning during cooking, the garlic is now having its useful oils being extracted and encased by small capsules to be consumed by health-conscious people.

The "stinking rose" has been known to be a natural antibiotic with antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. They are said to be able to lower down high blood pressures and reduce the buildup of harmful plaque in our arteries, thus reducing the chances of a heart attack.

Besides that, garlic has the ability to help manage high cholesterol levels and they contain antioxidants too. Stronger tasting garlic are said to have more medicinal value compared to those with a milder taste.

The strength of the garlic taste depends on the sulphur content in them; the higher the sulphur content, the stronger the garlic tastes, and thus the medicinal value is higher.

To prepare this dish, or any fried rice dish in fact, there is one rule you have to follow — use old rice. It doesn't really matter if it is a day old or has been stored in the refrigerator for a few days. They should not be freshly cooked rice.

Old rice would have lost some of its moisture, so the rice would not stick together much, allowing the ingredients added to it to coat each and every grain of rice evenly. Of course it isn't garlic fried rice without heaps of garlic, so be generous with them.

The initial spiciness of the raw garlic will mellow and slightly sweeten when cooked, giving the rice a pungent, irresistible aroma and an addictive, garlicky taste. You could also add other ingredients, like scrambled eggs to top it off before serving. Quick, easy and tasty; just what a plate of home-cooked food should be.

Garlic fried rice
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 2

2 cups overnight cooked rice
2 garlic bulbs, skin peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoon teriyaki sauce
1 chicken egg
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
pepper and salt to taste
spring onions, finely chopped for garnish

1. Heat oil over high heat.
2. Add chopped garlic and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes over medium heat until golden brown.
3. Remove garlic from the oil and put aside.
4. Using the same oil the garlic was cooked in, add cooked rice, teriyaki sauce and stir fry over high heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add eggs and continue stir frying.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with spring onions.

* For more recipes, go to www.chopstickdiner.com

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Grumpy Torres gets another vote of no-confidence

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 07:04 AM PST

LONDON, Jan 24 – With Chelsea needing to score twice to level up their League Cup semi-final against Swansea City, it should have been safe to assume that US$79 million (RM240.26 million) striker Fernando Torres would be a central part of manager Rafa Benitez's game plan on Wednesday.

Sadly for the Spaniard (picture), that was not the case.

As votes of no-confidence go, it was about as emphatic as it gets with the former Atletico Madrid and Liverpool goal machine left kicking his heels on the bench for 81 minutes.

Chelsea began the second leg in south Wales 2-0 down and desperate for goals, yet Benitez refused to unleash Torres on Swansea's defence until the game was almost up.

The manager bemoaned his side's lack of firepower in their quest to overturn a first-leg deficit, a complaint completely undermined by his failure to trust Torres to partner new signing Demba Ba in attack.

Since Chelsea signed Ba from Newcastle United, Benitez has refused to start the pair together.

A cup semi-final appeared to be the perfect moment to veer away from his policy yet Benitez, who has been at pains to defend Torres from the criticism that regularly comes his way, refused to bend.

When Torres did finally get on the pitch he hardly got a kick as Swansea proved that the best way to defend a lead is to stop the opposition having the ball.

"We knew we had to score three goals, but we didn't take the chances we had, especially in the last 20 minutes of the first half," Benitez told Chelsea's website.

"We had pressure, they were dealing with it well and we have to congratulate them, we cannot change the situation again.

"I was convinced that we could score. We were on top of them and pushing and pushing, but we didn't take our chances. This was the same as in the first leg.

"We knew we had to score first to change things."

It is two years since Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich broke the British transfer record to sign Torres from Liverpool.

Three managers, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, all struggled to consistently inspire the off-key striker, and Benitez appears no closer to sparking the player into life.

Torres has not scored since the 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa on Dec. 23 and he cut a grumpy figure on the bench on Wednesday.

With his reputation tarnished it is hard to see any of Europe's leading club offering Torres a way out of Stamford Bridge while his wages and the fee Chelsea would demand also make a transfer window move unlikely.

So it seems that Benitez, an interim manager who may not even be at Chelsea next season, must find a way of reviving Torres if Chelsea's season is not to fizzle out completely.

Out of the Champions League and effectively out of the Premier League title race, Chelsea travel to third tier Brentford this weekend in the FA Cup clinging on to their last realistic chance of silverware this season. – Reuters

Mercedes seem hungrier than McLaren, says Hamilton

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:45 AM PST

BRACKLEY, Jan 24 – Lewis Hamilton rejected talk of Mercedes being a team in turmoil today and said his new Formula One employers seemed even hungrier for success than McLaren.

Before addressing Mercedes employees at the team's factory near Silverstone in central England, the 2008 world champion told reporters he had seen or heard nothing to cause him any concern.

"There is a great spirit here. The guys seem hungrier than any group of people I've seen before. They seem seriously hungry to win and excited they have another shot at it this year," the former McLaren driver (picture) declared.

"Every year there was always a great atmosphere at McLaren. But it's a different environment to come to and a different feeling because it's new and fresh. The guys seem to be just as on it if not more."

Mercedes have made some sweeping changes since Hamilton signed for them last year, with Austrian Toto Wolff coming in as a shareholder and executive director in charge of all Mercedes motorsport activities.

Norbert Haug, the previous Mercedes motorsport boss, has gone while retired Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda has joined the top management as a shareholder amid speculation about Ross Brawn's role as principal.

Reports have indicated that McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe will follow Hamilton to Mercedes, a team that already has several former team technical chiefs on the payroll and is desperate for success.

Hamilton, who has cautioned against expecting too much from the team on the track this season after their disappointing 2012 with the now-retired Michael Schumacher, saw no turmoil.

"Everything feels really positive for me... I think it's important that they (the team) are always analysing and seeing what can be improved and what adjustments need to be made because they want to win," he added.

"That's a big positive for me, to see that they are not scared of making changes, they are not scared of doing whatever they have to do to win. It seems like they are making some positive moves, I think."

DODGY CARS

The Briton, who turned 28 this month, denied any knowledge of plans to bring in Lowe.

"There are lots of good people here and I've obviously had great experiences with Paddy but he works with McLaren as far as I'm concerned," he added.

Hamilton said he had driven the 2013 Mercedes GP car, which will be unveiled at the first test in Jerez on Feb. 4, on one of the team's three simulators and had a good impression.

He promised "to be flat out all the way" but still saw no reason to change his opinion on the challenge ahead.

"I think it's important to be patient and it's important to be realistic," said the winner of 21 races for McLaren, including four last year, who grinned when asked whether he had the patience.

"I'm pretty sure that I do. You have got to remember that I had a couple of half dodgy cars, 2009 in particular, but it did get better. So perseverance is going to be key for all of us," he said.

Hamilton pointed out that Mercedes, despite winning in China last year, were up to two seconds off the pace in the later grands prix and it would be hard to make that time up in a year without major rule changes.

"But I know that the guys are working as hard as they can and every little bit counts," he added.

The season starts in Australia on March 17 with Mercedes hoping to improve on their overall fifth place in the championship last year.

"This is a marathon not a sprint. It's the long haul. I hope that this year we can be competitive," said Hamilton. "If we arrive at the first race and we are in front, it's going to be spectacular. But if we are not, we know we just have to keep working at it." – Reuters

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

‘jOBS’ will be in cinemas from April 19

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 04:38 AM PST

LOS ANGELES, Jan 24 — Open Road Films, the distributor of "jOBS," the biographical film about Apple's cofounder, Steve Jobs, has announced that the film will be released in North American cinemas on April 19.

The biopic will focus on Steve Jobs's youth, with Ashton Kutcher playing the entrepreneur (picture). At the time, the young man with a passion for electronics experimented with LSD and embraced Eastern spirituality before working at Atari and creating Apple with Steve Wozniak.

Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") is in charge of this independent production with a screenplay by Matt Whiteley.

"jOBS," which was previewed at the Sundance Festival, will be going head to head with another project about Steve Jobs's career. The movie was written by scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin, which also wrote "The Social Network" about Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. He is seeking inspiration in Steve Jobs's official biography by Walter Isaacson. — AFP/Relaxnews

Ron Howard sets his sights on a ghost story for Disney

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:37 AM PST

[unable to retrieve full-text content]NEW YORK, Jan 24 — American director Ron Howard is in talks for "The Graveyard Book," an adaptation of a children's fantasy novel. The novel by British author Neil Gaiman was published in 2008 and tells the story of Nobody Owens, a two-year-old raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his parents' murder. Years later, the hero will be pursued by ...

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

Nokia axes dividend to save cash for Lumia push

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 07:22 AM PST

A man holds a Nokia smartphone in this photo illustration taken January 23, 2013. — Reuters pic

HELSINKI, Jan 24 — Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia plans to axe its annual dividend payment for the first time in over 20 years to shore up its cash position against falling sales.

The company, which has fallen a long way behind market leaders Samsung and Apple in the smartphone race, said today that the suspension of the dividend, which cost €750 million (RM3 billion) last year, would give it "strategic flexibility".

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop, who was hired from Microsoft in 2010 and promptly tied the company's fortunes to the untried Windows Phone operating system made by his former employer, said the company was "still moving through a very challenging transition", but had "removed the cloud of liquidity concerns".

Nokia ended the year with net cash of €4.4 billion, down 22 per cent on a year earlier, but up on the previous quarter and above the market estimate of 3.4 billion, mostly due to a turnaround at Nokia Siemens Networks, its telecom equipment venture with Siemens.

The company has also been making better use of its rich portfolio of technology patent, winning royalty payments from other technology companies. It also received US$250 million from Microsoft in the quarter in return for using Windows Phone.

While Nokia, which this month flagged a return to underlying profitability on cost cuts and stronger sales of its new Lumia smartphones, appeared to gain some breathing space through cost cuts, analysts said it was too early to call a recovery as it was still a long way behind smartphone rivals.

Tough turnaround

Elop is under intense pressure to show he made the right decision in February 2011 to drop Nokia's own operating system in favour of Windows Phone. He has said it would take two years for a successful transition, and that period is almost over.

"It is too early to say that they have definitely made it,"

said Alandsbanken analyst Lars Soderfjell, though Nokia's cash flow was stronger than he had expected.

Many see the new Lumia 820 and 920, which use the latest Windows Phone 8 software, as make-or-break models for Nokia.

Nokia said it sold 4.4 million Lumia devices in the fourth quarter, but analysts estimate Nokia's market share in the high-margin smartphone business is only around 5 per cent.

And while Apple's results overnight fell short of expectations, it still shipped a record 47.8 million iPhones in the December quarter.

"It doesn't look like Apple would start losing their volume strength in any remarkable way," said Pohjola analyst Hannu Rauhala.

Nokia shares were down 4.9 per cent at €3.32 at 1245 GMT (2045 Malaysian time). They had risen 70 per cent over the past three months, but were also the most shorted among the euro zone's blue chips ahead of the results. — Reuters