Le POM, Le Quail and Le Award

Hello everyone. I'm finally back on Australian soil after several weeks away. I have plenty of overseas food memories to share with you, but thought I should get this post out first. That is, before pomegranates (hereinafter "POM") go completely out of season.

Firstly, a confession - I've never tried a POM until recently. My only previous exposure to it was a clip of Nigella Lawson saying "This will change your life forever" (sensually, of course) before teaching her viewers the most effective way of extracting seeds from a POM. By bashing the poor fruit with a wooden spoon. Like a mad woman.

Mad bashing is not the only way to do it though. A guy called Google taught me to submerge the fruit in water before separating the seeds from the husk and membranes. I find the latter reduces the likelihood of pomegranate juices shooting in all directions.

The extracted seeds are served with pan-seared quails that have been marinated with cumin powder, coriander powder, fresh chillies and the usual salt and pepper. The quails are slightly charred because I got distracted during the cooking process. Sorry, I'm only human.

I also make a sauce by deglazing the pan with plum sauce and pomegranate juice. The combination works quite well and The Engineer (previously Mr Foodwink) and I finish all six quails in no time.

The remaining seeds are blended and then strained for juice. Light, refreshing and having a good balance of sweetness and sourness, The Engineer and I have developed a new found love for POM juice.



And finally, thanks to the lovely Renita of The Raw Noodle, I've received an Over The Top Blog Award (cue fireworks please). This also means that I have to answer 35 questions with ONE word each. Ok, I cheated a little.

1.Where is your cell phone? Around
2.Your hair? Straight
3.Your mother? Intelligent
4.Your father? Respected
5.Your favourite food? Egg-related
6.Your dream last night? None
7.Your favourite drink? Soymilk
8.Your dream/goal? Happiness
9.What room are you in? Livingroom
10.Your hobby? Eating
11.Your fear? Underachieving
12.Where do you want to be in six years? Contentment
13.Where were you last night? Makan@Alice
14.Something that you aren’t? Patient
15.Muffins? TheSource (a cafe in Mosman)
16.Wish list item? ArneJacobsen
17.Where did you grow up? Ipoh
18.Last thing you did? Eating
19.What are you wearing? Shorts
20.Your TV? 60Minutes
21.Your pets? Jolly
22.Friends? Karaoke-crazed
23.Your life? Blessed
24.Your mood? Calm
25.Missing someone? Sometimes
26.Vehicle? Volkswagen
27.Something you’re not wearing? Glasses
28.Your favourite store? SABA
29.Your favourite colour? Snow
30.When was the last time you laughed? Today
31.Last time you cried? Unstoppable
32.Your best friend? Unconditional
33.One place that I go to over and over? Bakery
34.One person who emails me regularly? Spam
35.Favourite place to eat? Cafe

Now, I would like to pass the award to the following talented bloggers. Please head over to their blogs to witness their over-the-topness. 

Foodiepop
Fat Belly Club
Sydney Shop Girl
Missklicious
Phuoc'n Delicious
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Over to you, boys and girls.