Perfect Madness Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lasagna

Lasagna is a layered pasta dish, the name of it is based on the wide flat pasta used. This dish comes from Naples in Italy, and depending on the region, it may have different ingredients added in the mix. In Naples, they like to add in hard boiled eggs, which give a nice texture contrast and richness from the yolk. You need to alternate those layers well to be perfect!

Answer: Reuben Sandwich

Many tales of the origins of this sandwich vary, with one story going back to a 'Reuben's Delicatessen', where the owner created a 'Reuben Special' in 1914. But whatever it's origins, we know it is a good sandwich, no wait, a PERFECT sandwich. In delicatessens, corned beef is always left in steamers to keep it hot and tender for service.

Another thing about corned beef: it is usually left in a cure for between 15-30 days, giving it a tender texture and slight sour tang. My Russian dressing is a mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, chives and pimentos. My personal touch to it is to add some coriander for an added kick. Now it's truly perfect!

Answer: Noodles

Chow mein was adapted from the Chinese gold fossickers who would utilise all their food in a combination meal and this recipe was to use up leftovers. Adapted to Western taste, chow mein was a typical Sunday night meal using up all the leftovers and consisted of either chicken or beef, green vegetables, carrots and of course the noodles would be added in last.

It surely had no recognition of being a Chinese meal. But it doesn't matter, because it's perfect!

Answer: Hollandaise Sauce

This is one of the French Mother Sauces. Hollandaise is an emulsion of egg yolks, melted clarified butter, lemon juice or shallot-infused white wine vinegar and a little cayenne pepper for an added bite. It's an emulsion, which means it combines water and fat to create a single entity.

When whisking the butter into the egg, be gentle with it, otherwise it will split and your sauce is ruined. It should be rich yet acidic, a great combination with that Eggs Benedict, perfect!

Answer: Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny soup is in fact an English invention, and is based on a Madras soup called Mootoosamy, which is a spicy concoction on its own. Mulligatawny uses tamarind juice with vegetable or chicken broth, chilies and many spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and clove.

It is a major staple in British Indian cuisine, a great opener to a meal as the heat can open up your taste buds. It's perfect to me!

Answer: Chocolate Fondant

Similar to a chocolate souffle, this cake is just made with four ingredients, chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs. You need to melt the chocolate with the butter and the eggs get whipped with the sugar, or for extra effort, whip those egg whites to get stiff peaks for a lighter cake. Be sure to bake them in small ramekins, they will be a lot easier to manage. You could even freeze them and bake for another time. That is a perfect cake, still missing my garnish though.

Answer: Virgin Mary

A Virgin Mary sees tomato juice, celery salt, lemon juice, a hint of Tabasco and Worchestershire sauce. This healthy mix combined with vodka, the Bloody Mary, is often hailed as the great hangover cure, but it's not perfect for that. It needs more salt to help with getting those electrolytes back, and don't get me started on the vodka, because once my barkeep starts, he may not stop.

Answer: Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a mix of bulgar wheat, tomatoes and parsley, occasionally pomegranate seeds are added. This is from the area called Levant, which consists of Greece, Cyprus, Turkey amongst others. It is common to see them in mezzes, small platters sort of like Spanish tapas. It's simply perfect!

Answer: Cloves

Most of us use cloves in an apple pie recipe but be adventurous and try star anise. A mixture of spices does the trick and you can include cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise for a different tasty palate especially if you use a tad of vanilla bean. A variation that will really delight the taste buds. It truly is perfect with our cinnamon toast ice cream!

Answer: Hangi

Hangi is done by burying food into a hole consisting of stones. The fire heats the stones and those in turn cook the food. This method takes time, but low and slow is the way to go for a spectacular meal. A whole pig roast, stuffed with plantains and herbs, isn't truly Maori I know, but to me, it's truly perfect.