Evan's Kitchen Ramblings

PAUL Bakery & Maison Kayser

2012-01-31T11:03:00.009+08:00

i was elated that these two french bakeries have opened up back to back on our shores so i couldn't wait to check them out! i first knew about eric kayser through his 'sweet and savory tarts' book and as for PAUL, with over 400 franchises worldwide, its hard not to have seen this name. having experienced very bad service on my 1st trip to PAUL, i knew better than to sit-in at the restaurant again. so takeaway it was.

with artisan breads, pastries, tarts and even macarons on sale at PAUL, i was actually only interested in their pastries and croissants so i bought several to try. the pain au chocolat was good but i didn't like the croissant. it was dense, soggy and bread-y in texture.

on the other hand, maison kayser's croissant was amazing! it was light, fluffy and very crispy on the outside.

i also bought a tarte citron. lemon aroma was light and refreshing and i actually prefer lemon tart that does not use a meringue topping to interfere with the lemony taste thus allowing the citrusy flavor to shine through.

and that is our breakfast for today! i wish i could have breakfast like this everyday, i think its time for me to dabble in croissant-making.

say, now that two famous french bakeries have set up here, i'll continue to hope that one day we'll have pierre hermé, ladurée or even arnaud larher in singapore!

Happy Lunar New Year!

2012-01-23T10:19:00.005+08:00

to those who are celebrating - wishing you a prosperous dragon year, my dear readers! have a wonderful time with your family and friends!

새해 복 많이 받으세요! 가족함께 친구들과 좋은시간 보내세요!

Gingerbread Waffles

2012-01-12T11:10:00.006+08:00

nothing beats having waffles in the morning or better yet, gingerbread waffles! i recently bought a waffle maker (brand is waring pro) and have been putting it into really good use. i tried out different recipes as well as some interesting flavors like matcha and chocolate and since i missed out making gingerbread cookies during x'mas, gingerbread waffles it shall be!

spices i used were cinnamon, nutmeg & all-spice, plus a tin of treacle leftover from 2010's x'mas. in case you're wondering, molasses and treacle are interchangeable so if a recipe calls for dark molasses you can use treacle.

tastewise, not your conventional waffles thats crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside but it was good! perhaps the use of pumpkin puree made the waffles denser and more cake-like but it was nice, the aroma is very similar to gingerbread. great simply eaten with salted butter and maple syrup.

i used rachael ray's recipe coz i really like her shows. she's funny and unassuming! i also learned from experience how beating the whites separately will result in pancakes and waffles of a fluffier texture so i did just that.

recipe source : rachael ray for foodnetwork

ingredients (makes 16) :

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsps double-acting baking powder

2 tsps ground cinnamon

2 tsps ground ginger

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (i used fresh)

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup molasses (i used treacle)

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron

Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

directions :

1. preheat waffle iron.

2. in a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. in a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. stir the wet into dry until just moist. do not overstir the waffle batter. in a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks then fold into the above. brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. serve with toppings of choice.

Mango Cheese Mousse Cake

2011-12-30T14:27:00.014+08:00

hi guys, i'm back! for now at least :p today's my hubby's birthday and he really loves tropical flavors so i decided to make him something i came across a taiwanese pastry book. this is actually the 1st time i've made an entremet using something other than japanese and french books so i wasn't very confident about the outcome. true enough, i spotted quite a few mistakes along the way and this cake is a result of some major tweaking.

from bottom : coconut dacquoise, spiced pineapple coulis, mango caramel compote, mango cream cheese mousse, mango glaçage

first of all, the serving size was indicated wrongly. recipe was actually enough to make two cakes instead of one so i had alot of leftovers. secondly i had great expectation about the dacquoise coz i expected it to be moist and chewy just like pierre herme's hazelnut dacquoise in his plaisir sucre recipe but it wasn't. it was more cake-like. it wasn't bad, just not something i had in mind. the mango cream cheese mousse used too much italian meringue and whipping cream to lighten so i cut them down by quite abit. lastly, the mango glaze was way too diluted. i had to add 3 gelatin sheets in the end but it was still watery. i also added a brandy soaking syrup to the dacquoise else it would be too dry.

all in all, i wasn't too crazy about it though i thought the mango compote was quite good. hubby loved the cake to bits and even asked for second helpings! i guess thats all it matters since he's the birthday boy but it really makes me think twice about using a taiwanese recipe in future :(

(makes two 6" round cakes)

for the coconut dacquoise :
87.5g egg whites
25g sugar
70g powdered sugar
67.5g desiccated coconut
17.5g cake flour, sifted

- whisk egg whites and sugar in a bowl until stiff peaks then fold in coconut and flour. spread mixture onto two 5" round baking tins lined with baking paper. sift powdered sugar over and bake in a preheated oven of 170C for 15 mins. leave to cool.

for the brandy soaking syrup :

50ml simple syrup

some brandy or rum

for the mango caramel compote :
150g mangoes, diced
12g sugar
10ml whipping cream
5ml brandy

- put sugar in pot and make a blonde caramel. add in cream followed by diced mangoes and cook until liquid evaporates. add in brandy then remove pot from stove.

for the spiced pineapple coulis :
100g pineapple puree
40g apricot puree
pinch of anise powder
10g sugar
6g sheet gelatin
120g mango compote

- heat pineapple puree until boiling then add in anise and sugar. stir until sugar dissolves then turn off heat. soak gelatin in iced water until softened then add into the pineapple puree. cool mixture over ice bath until 28C. add in apricot puree, mix well and pour mixture into two 5" mousse rings lined with cling wrap then scatter mango compote evenly over. freeze until firm.

for the mango cheese mousse :
50g egg yolk
85ml 30B sugar syrup
210g cream cheese, softened
150g mango puree
100g italian meringue
10g sheet gelatin
10ml passionfruit puree
200ml whipping cream, whisked til soft peaks

- whisk together mango puree, passionfruit puree and cream cheese until well combined.

- heat sugar syrup in a pot until boiling. place egg yolks in a bowl then drizzle over the syrup bit by bit. whisk until combined then return it to the pot and heat until 84C. add in soaked gelatin and whisk mixture until thick and pale.

- fold italian meringue into the yolk mixture then fold it into the mango cheese mixture. fold in whipped cream bit by bit until lumps disappeared.

for the mango glacage :
150g sugar
12.5g pectin powder
25g glucose syrup
300ml water
270g mango puree
6g gelatin sheets, soaked

- combine pectin and sugar in a pot then add the rest of the ingredients and heat until boiling. remove from heat and stir in soaked gelatin. cool over an icebath until 25C. use immediately.

- to assemble, place dacquoise at the bottom of the mousse ring. soak with syrup then add some mousse, freeze until firm then place the pineapple coulis layer on top. top up with more mousse until rim and level off with spatula. glaze, refrigerate until firm then decorate as desired.

Busy Busy...

2011-11-20T13:20:00.005+08:00

will be really busy for the month of nov & dec. orders just keep pouring in so i don't think i'll be blogging as often.

i leave you with a pic i took using the new iphone 4S. no editing at all except for applying a filter on instagram. i totally adore the camera, its fantastic! coffee macarons with coffee ganache...yums.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

2011-11-14T09:48:00.013+08:00

the first time i had storebought ricotta cheese, it was such a bad experience i still shudder at the thought of it. it was dry, bland, grainy and i had trouble finishing the whole tub. there was no way i would buy it again so when i came across a scones recipe that required ricotta, i thought i should make it my own. afterall like mascarpone, its technically not cheese and you only use that few ingredients. even though this is not a true ricotta recipe, it turned out SO GOOD. really smooth, creamy, savory and the texture is very similar to clotted cream. its even better than mascarpone i would say!

recipe is taken from the ipad edition of the donna hay magazine. if you love this australian mag and own an ipad, i really recommend downloading this 10th year celebratory issue which is free. the mag is very interactive and full of animations, short videos and this issue even has lotsa macaron recipes! i've begun to opt for digital mags and books since its easier to bookmark pages and carry around wherever i go. frankly, with so many food mags and cookbooks at home i really don't know where to start looking for a recipe so i don't have this problem with digital copies. another good thing about digital mags is that subscriptions are generally cheaper with significantly less ads. whats not to like?

ingredients (makes 1 cup/200g) :

3 cups (750ml) milk

1 cup (250ml) whipping cream

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

2 tbsps lemon juice

directions :

1. line a sieve with muslin cloth or paper coffee fliter and set it over a large bowl.

2. heat the milk, cream and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. add the lemon juice, reduce heat to low and cook for a further 2 mins.

3. let stand for 5 mins then pour the mixture into the cloth/filter and allow the whey to drain for an hour. discard the whey (or keep it to make true ricotta) and keep the ricotta refrigerated in an airtight container.

Hidemi Sugino's Charme シャルム

2011-11-10T09:00:00.018+08:00

from bottom : griotte syrup-soaked chocolate joconde sponge, griottes, dark chocolate chantilly, milk chocolate chantilly

having bought a jar of griottes cherries recently, i have been waiting for an opportunity to make this, hidemi sugino's beautiful rendition of the forêt noire (black forest). i decided to do it for my birthday, which fell on the 7th. whenever it comes to making cakes for the extended family, i'll end up choosing chocolate since this is the most readily accepted one and i don't hv to worry whether they'll find matcha too weird or berries too tart if i were to make those flavors. everyone loves chocolate. having macaron orders back-to-back during my birthday week also meant there was just this much time to churn out a cake and this recipe is really one of the easier ones from sugino's book.

the griottes i bought. they're so yum i could just eat them straight from the jar. griottes are morello cherries soaked in kirsch and apparently, the brand griottines is said to be the best (and really expensive too) but the ones i got are not bad and rather cheap as well! a 1L jar for just S$40. as you can see, i used up so much syrup to soak the sponge.

cake is really good, just not a big fan of the choc joconde. i've made this sponge like 3 times now and all attempts turned out dry. not sure what i did wrong or if its supposed to be like this but i thought the chantilly was awesome and could be mistaken for a choc mousse made using the pâte à bombe method. i made this under 2 hrs so this must be one of the easiest entremets to attempt. the only time consuming part was lining the whole surface with griottes one by one coz there must be at least 60-70 of them. i can't imagine making this in its original size!

recipe source : le goût authentique retrouvé by hidemi sugino

** this will be the last time i'm gonna post recipes from this book as i don't think its appropriate for me to keep on posting them. a max. of 3-5 recipes from a single book would be reasonable and this is already the 6th one.

ingredients (makes one 6"/15cm square entremet cut into six 7x4cm individual rects) :

for the biscuit joconde au chocolat :

46g ground almonds

46g powdered sugar

46g egg yolks

20g egg whites

86g egg whites

30g caster sugar

36g cake flour

13g cocoa powder

16.5g melted butter

for the chantilly chocolat :

135g whipping cream, whipped

73g 66% dark choc couverture, melted

for the chantilly chocolat au lait :

75g whipping cream, whipped

35g milk choc couverture, melted

for the sirop imbibage :

58ml griotte syrup

10ml water

10ml kirsch

for the garniture :

100g griottes, drained of syrup

for the decor :

griottes, cocoa powder, gold foil, choc shards

directions :

1. to make the choc joconde, combine powdered sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. add in egg yolks, 1st portion of egg whites and whisk until thick and fluffy. fold in sifted flour & cocoa powder. make meringue with 2nd portion of whites & caster sugar, then fold in two together. fold in melted butter. spread mixture on two 24x16.5cm baking trays with spatula, bake on 230C for 5-6 mins. let cool and cut into two 6" square pieces.

2. to make the chantilly choc, fold whipped cream and melted dark choc together.

3.to make the chantilly choc au lait, fold whipped cream and melted milk choc together.

4. to make the sirop imbibage, combine together griottes syrup, kirsch and water in a bowl.

5. to assemble, place sponge at bottom of the mousse ring, soak with syrup then pour in half of the dark choc chantilly. place griottes all over the surface on top of the chantilly then pour in the rest of the chantilly. smooth with palette knife then add another piece of sponge on top. soak with syrup then pour in milk choc chantilly. smooth surface then freeze until firm. cut into individual slices and dust tops with cocoa powder. decorate with choc shards, griottes & gold foil.

Sakuramochi 桜餅

2011-11-05T11:20:00.019+08:00

sakura mochi is eaten during the cherry blossom viewing festival as well as hinamatsuri (girls' day) in japan. there are generally two kinds of sakuramochi - the kanto (tokyo) style one where azuki bean paste-filled pancake/crepe is wrapped with pickled sakura leaf and the kansai style's which is made with domyoji-ko, a kind of glutinous rice flour that is steamed and filled with azuki. when a blogger friend asked if i needed anything from her tokyo trip, i jumped at the chance to request for these pickled sakura leaves. she also came back with an additional pack of pickled sakura flowers and some limited edition kitkats for me, so thank you, CY! i really couldn't wait til next spring to make these :p

oh how i adore these leaves! they're so pretty to look at and are sweet smelling as well. they actually smell like a cross between umeboshi plums and bitter almond. strong-scented but goes really well with the mochi. i do like the mochi but it reminds me of chinese dumplings. i prefer mochi made with real glutinous rice flour and not the rice itself but these are quite good and not too sweet. when it comes to red bean paste, i like using tsubu-an over koshi-an. tsubu-an is chunky which means its less sweet and also has more texture.

and its amazing how japanese tea REALLY complement their wagashi well. i had the mochi with genmaicha and it was such great pairing.

recipe source : wagashi maniac

ingredients (makes abt 10-15 pcs) :

200g mochigome (round-grain glutinous rice)

pinch of salt

300g sweet bean paste(tsubu- or koshi-an)

2-3 drops red food coloring

10-15 pickled sakura leaves

sugar syrup for mochi :

65g johakuto sugar (or other white sugar)

160ml water

sugar syrup for your hands, to prevent sticking :

50ml water

25g sugar

directions :

1. wash the mochigome rice till the water is clear. soak the rice in enough water for 8-12 hours or overnight (covered in the fridge). discard soaking water and test the softness of the rice - the grains should crumble easily between your fingers. spread the soaked rice on a piece of clean cloth, twist it and beat/crush the grains with a heavy wooden pestle (or rolling pin) until all grains are broken in half (not smaller).

2. after the rice grains are crushed, prepare the steamer. bring water to a boil, take the cloth with rice and spread it in the steamer, preferably as wide as possible. steam on high heat, it is important that the rice is steamed evenly, the cloth should also be moist as it absorbs moisture and the rice won’t get too dry. after 15 minutes of steaming, sprinkle the rice with a little cold water, and steam for another 15 minutes.

3. prepare the syrup for mochi: boil sugar and water in a small pot, and color it with 2-3 drops of red food coloring, be careful, you want a soft pink tone, not more. prepare the sugar syrup for your hands by mixing the sugar with boiling water in a cup and letting it cool.

4. add the steamed rice to the pot with the hot (colored) sugar syrup, stir and knead well and remove from heat (add a little salt here). the rice will absorb the liquid. cover with a cloth, let stand for 15 minutes.

5. brush a tray/plate with the cold syrup (for hands) and take out the rice dough (be careful here, since it’s very sticky), moisten your hands with sugar syrup and knead the mochi dough, then form a long shape (use more syrup, if the dough is very sticky). divide the mochi into 10-15 pieces, take one piece, shape it into a small ball, and then flatten it out in your palm. put one of the bean paste balls in the middle, wrap the mochi around it and seal the edges. place the filled mochi on a sakura leaf, and wrap the leaf around it (with the shiny side outside). enjoy with a cup of japanese green tea!

Strawberry Cupcakes

2011-10-26T23:17:00.007+08:00

strawberry cupcakes with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream

these are by far my utmost favorite cupcakes and i absolutely adore them! i think my cupcakes have turned out really well the past few attempts - from the donna hay's double choc cupcakes to magnolia red velvet and vanilla ones but this just tops it all in terms of taste and texture.

i got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs - callmecupcake.se. i think linda's creations are absolutely stunning and are very classy. when i saw this recipe on her blog, i just wanted to make it immediately. the first time i made these, unfortunately, they turned out too sweet for me. it also didn't have enough strawberry aroma as the chopped strawberries were simply folded into the batter and not incorporated into the cake base. the second time round, i pureed the strawberries and added them with the milk. i also added extra chopped strawberries for texture and most importantly reduced the sugar by almost half. they tasted very good like that! very very moist, fluffy, not too sweet and the cake had a pale pink tinge which i liked.

if i'm not wrong, the original recipe is by sprinkles cupcakes shared on martha stewart's website here and i wanna try using that recipe someday.

recipe adapted from call me cupcake

ingredients (makes 12 regular cupcakes) :

for the cupcakes :

75g salted butter, softened

150g sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla sugar

150g cake flour

1 tsp double-acting baking powder

85ml milk

120g strawberry puree + 1/4 cup coarsely chopped ones to fold into the batter

for the strawberry swiss meringue buttercream :

5 large egg whites

210g butter, softened

190g sugar

100g strawberries, finely chopped

directions :

1.to make the cupcakes, line one standard 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. into a medium bowl, sift together cake flour and baking powder; set aside.

2. in a bowl, combine the strawberry puree and milk together. in another bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. beat in the egg. with the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk/puree and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. fold in the strawberries.

3. divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full. bake in a preheated oven of 170C, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.

4. to make the strawberry buttercream, pour egg whites and sugar in a clean and heat proof bowl. put the bowl in a double boiler, the water should be simmering. whisk the sugar end eggs constantly so they don't curdle. the mixture should be about 65C, about 140-150F. if you don't have a thermometer, just rub some mixture between your fingers. if the sugar is melted, it is done. remove from heat, whip until white, fluffy and cool. this step can take up to 10 minutes. start adding the butter, very slowly. add chopped strawberries to the buttercream and whip until smooth. frost cupcakes and decorate with strawberry halves or as desired.

Ben & Jerry's ChunkFest 2011

2011-10-19T22:23:00.005+08:00

ben & jerry's chunkfest 2011 was held last sat at the promontory @ marina bay, an annual ice cream carnival with an attendance of 18,000 and i was happy to be part of it as a moolet. here are some pics i took.

promontory is an open field near the sea and there were lotsa booths with ice cream, games and merchandises.

this year's theme is fairness and currency used that day is faircoins which are exchangeable for money. they're so cute i had to keep some as souvenirs!

the chunkfest boasts a total of 32 flavors, 11 of which were specially flown in from the US for this event. some of them were spiced chocolate, froyo choc fudge brownie, coffee & coconut seven layer bar.

dogs gotta have ice cream too!

and on to the ice cream! 3 scoops were all i can manage and here's my favorite so far, the butter pecan. it was really good! chock full of pecans and very buttery.

i also had the black raspberry froyo and coffee. both were ok, i didn't think they were very good, the froyo didn't taste like froyo at all, just a milder ice cream.

Pierre Hermé's Rose Macarons

2011-10-10T10:04:00.006+08:00

finally, the english version of the much-awaited pierre hermé's macaron book has hit the shelves and i was elated to get my hands on a copy. it features many of his classic and signature macaron recipes like mogador, infiniment vanille, montebello, olive oil vanilla and ispahan as well as the customized ones he did for his clients like jasmine, oolong and carrot orange. there's also a section where he uses exceptional ingredients like foie gras, black and white truffles and 25-year old balsamic vinegar to incorporate into his macarons so its really fantastic.

elated about the book aside, i was actually more excited to dabble with the italian meringue method, my FIRST after all these years of macaron making. macarons are known to be finicky therefore i just shyed away from anything that would make them even more complicated.

though slightly apprehensive, i wasn't actually too worried about the outcome like whether or not i would get the right "macaronnage" consistency or if they would develop feet. i just had this 101% trust on pierre hermé coz so far i've not failed at his recipes. they turned out just like i expect and seriously, i think they bear an eerie resemblance to my own in terms of taste and texture. i gave these a nice swipe of tempered colored white choc so they'd look more interesting.

paired with french buttercream that utilizes whole eggs and yolks, it was richer and more delicious than most meringue buttercreams. also, contrary to the popular belief, macarons that didn't form a skin during drying WILL NOT crack. i baked these without drying coz my macarons just wouldn't form skins. in singapore where the weather is perpetually humid (humidity is around 60-100% everyday), it took me a good 4 hours for the skin to form. frankly, i think its a waste of time. i baked them immediately after piping and all were good - no cracks & nice feet. seriously i don't understand how macarons can dry in 30 mins to an hour. if marshmallows take 12 hrs to dry in room temp, how would macarons dry in 1? at least for me, it didn't happen.

monsieur hermé also gave a specific set of instructions in the book so pls read before you start baking :

use egg whites that have been aged for at least a few days to a week in the fridge. the whites lose their elasticity upon ageing so they're easier whipped to soft peaks without turning grainy.
the baking temp ranges between 160-180C so it depends on your oven. use an oven thermometer to determine your oven's real temperature. i burned my first batch baking them on 180C.
the macarons need to be matured after filling so leave them in the fridge for 24-48 hrs before consuming.
lastly, remove the macarons from the fridge and leave them out for 2 hrs before eating. being someone who lives in the tropics, i could not agree with this point. leaving them out for 2 hrs would turn them mushy so theres no way im gonna do that. i think 5-10 mins out is ideal as they're soft enough to eat with slightly crisp shells and moist chewy innards. i believe this should be the correct texture to enjoy the macarons.

recipe source : macarons by pierre hermé

ingredients (makes 72 macarons / 144 shells) :

for the macaron shells :

300g ground almonds

300g powdered sugar

110g egg whites, aged

abt 5g red food coloring

300g caster sugar

75ml water

110g egg whites, aged

for the rose buttercream :

200g caster sugar

75ml water

150g whole eggs

90g egg yolk

400g butter, softened

4g rose essence

50ml rose syrup

directions :

1. to make the macaron shells, line baking trays with parchment paper. sift together powdered sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. add the coloring into the 1st portion of the egg whites. pour them into the bowl of icing sugar/almond mixture but do not stir.

2. in a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil to 118C. when the sugar reaches 115C, start whisking the egg whites until soft peaks. pour over the egg whites and whisk meringue until it cools down to 50C then fold it into the icing sugar mixture until it starts to turn glossy. it should resemble a runny cake dough. spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with plain nozzle then pipe rounds of 3.5cm, with 2cm apart each other. leave to stand for at least 30 mins until skin forms.

3. bake in a preheated oven between 160C - 180C, depending on your oven, for 12 mins, briefing opening & shutting the oven door twice during cooking time. remove macaron shells from oven and baking tray and let cool on parchment paper. do not leave the shells on the baking tray as they will continue to bake.

4. to make the buttercream, bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. heat mixture until 120C. in another bowl whisk eggs & yolks until lightened in color. pour hot sugar syrup over and continue whisking until the bowl cools down. in another bowl, cream butter until thickened then add the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. whisk in rose essence & syrup. sandwich macarons with buttercream.

5. leave filled macarons in the fridge to mature for 24-48 hours prior to eating.

Matcha Marshmallows (Guimauve Thé Vert Matcha)

2011-09-30T20:23:00.002+08:00

having made marshmallows a few times now, this has gotta be my utmost favorite. when it comes to very sweet confections like macarons and marshmallows, i like pairing them with bitter ingredients like dark chocolate and tea to balance out the sweetness. compared to all desserts made using matcha, this one is the most apparent in matcha flavor and aroma so its really good.

apart from the wonderful flavor and texture, i like the fact that the author of the blog where i got the recipe from gave very precise instructions on how to make these, together with step-by-step photos. its also a short recipe compared to most marshmallow recipes where they're mostly lengthy and can be intimidating for the novice.

the weather's been crazy lately, often raining heavily in the morning, the time when i usually photograph my bakes. as a result, i took photos of these at 4pm and due to the shadow cast, they look a weird shade of yellowish green, really different from the real thing. i'm totally not happy with the photos and i seriously looking forward to sunny days!

recipe source : dailydelicious

ingredients :

15g gelatin powder

30ml water

15g glucose syrup

150g sugar

50ml water

60g egg whites

10g matcha powder

30g corn starch

30g powdered sugar

directions :

1. line an 8x5" baking tin with parchment paper. sift corn starch and powdered sugar together then sift over the parchment paper. set aside.

2. sprinkle water over the gelatin powder, wait for mixture to bloom, about a minute later, then microwave on high for 20 secs or until the gelatin has melted. keep warm and set aside.

3. get ready a candy thermometer. place glucose syrup, sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until the mixture reaches 100C. when it reaches 100C, start whisking the egg whites in a clean bowl. when the sugar syrup mixture reaches 117C, pour over the egg whites and continue whisking until the mixture cools down and the bowl is warm to the touch. whisk in gelatin followed by matcha powder.

4. pour mixture into prepared tin then set aside for 12 hrs or refrigerate overnight.

5. sprinkle dusting mixture on the work surface, remove the marshmallow and cut into desired pieces using a hot dry knife, rinsing well in between each cut.

Raspberry Yogurt Popsicles

2011-09-21T15:44:00.004+08:00

frozen yogurt, or froyo, is a low-fat and guilt-free alternative to ice cream. i always keep a batch or two of the storebought variety in my freezer to snack on but this the first time i've made these, or rather, popsicles for that matter. using only three ingredients, making them can't be any easier.

recipe calls for vanilla yogurt but i replaced it with greek yogurt and added a tahitian vanilla bean pod instead. it was really good! the only thing is i should have added more sugar coz together with the raspberries, they were rather tart.

recipe source : junglefrog cooking

ingredients :

500g vanilla yogurt (i used greek yogurt)

125g raspberries

1 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tahitian vanilla bean, seeds scraped, optional

directions :

1. mix the sugar, vanilla seeds with the vanilla yogurt and stir. pour the yogurt into your popsicle maker almost until the rim. leave some space to add the raspberry.

2. crush or puree the raspberries and add into the yogurt mix. take a wooden stick or something small and stir the raspberries into the yogurt so you get a nice pattern.

3. insert wooden ice cream sticks into the middle of the popsicles and freeze for at least 4 hours. to take them out leave to stand for a little while so you can pull them out or quickly dip them in warm water.

Hanami Dango 花見団子

2011-09-12T13:19:00.015+08:00

today is chinese mid-autumn and chuseok (korean thanksgiving day). i wanted to make songpyeon initially, a kind of crescent shaped korean rice cake which also has three colors but i didn't hv any pine needles so i decided to make these instead. though its not exactly a suitable time since hanami dango is made during the cherry blossom viewing season in spring where its a big event and widely celebrated in japan, i'm still glad i made these coz they're really quite good.

i think to be able to find a hanami dango recipe online is pretty rare coz i've only seen just one out there. tastewise i really like the texture of the dango. they're made with an equal mixture of joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour), mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and corn starch so unlike mochi, these are firmer and more chewy. they are also quite sweet eaten on their own but with a cup of hot green tea, they're perfect.

recipe source : sauce magazine

ingredients (makes 5 skewers) :

½ cup joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour)

½ cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)

½ cup cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

½ Tbsp. yomogi (japanese mugwort) or matcha powder

dash red food coloring & rose or sakura essence, for the pink dango

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

directions :

1. in a bowl, whisk joshinko, mochiko, cornstarch and sugar together with a fork. add 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. divide batter into 3 ¾-cup portions. in a medium saucepan, heat 1 portion of batter on low, stirring constantly until the batter pulls away from the sides of the pan to form a solid mass. set aside. this will be used for the white dango.

2. to make the green dango, add the yomogi to the next batter portion. heat it on low, stirring constantly until the batter pulls away to form a solid mass. set aside. to make the pink dango, add the food coloring, essence and vanilla extract (if using) to the remaining batter portion, blending well. repeat the steps to cook. after the dough cools, knead each portion separately in clean wet hands and roll each portion into 20g balls. Thread the balls onto skewers in order of green, white and pink.

3. bring water to a boil in a steamer basket. place the skewers on a lightly greased plate, ½ inch apart. steam on high for 10 to 12 minutes. cool.

Kimchi Jjigae 김치찌개

2011-09-06T11:34:00.011+08:00

kimchi jjigae (chigae) or kimchi stew is a common dish found in korean households and restaurants/eateries. at home, we hv korean food pretty often coz this is one cuisine i feel like i do pretty well in. i don't really like cooking chinese nor am i good in western, japanese or italian but when it comes to korean cooking, i'm so familiar with it that it almost feels like i've done it for the past 10 years (when in fact i only dabbled with it since last year or so). of coz, i get a kick out of the spiciness too.

for the banchans (side dishes) i had baechu kimchi, kaktugi (radish cube kimchi) & gyeran malri (egg roll omelette). all banchan recipes can be found on maangchi's website.

the stew is pretty foolproof to make but its important to use very ripe (sour) kimchi so the flavor will be more intense. ingredients vary and for mine i added tofu, pork belly, enoki mushrooms, imitation crabsticks & cellophane noodles.

ingredients (serves 2-3) :

3 cloves garlic, minced

200g pork belly, sliced

1 small onion, quartered

1 cup ripe kimchi + 3 tbsps kimchi juice

1 tbsp gochujang (korean chilli paste)

1 block tofu, cubed

small bunch of enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed

bunch of dried cellophane noodles

4-5 crabsticks

sugar, salt & sesame oil, to taste

directions :

1. saute garlic and pork belly in a pot until the pork is no longer pink. add onion, kimchi & kimchi juice followed by enough water to cover the ingredients. add in gochujang and simmer on low heat until the pork belly is tender, abt 45 mins. add in the tofu, enoki mushrooms, crabsticks & cellophane noodles during the last 10 mins. season to taste and serve.

Corn Panna Cotta, Lemon Madeleine & Spiced Walnuts

2011-08-26T11:17:00.005+08:00

my 1st plated dessert! as you know, i've always been fascinated with the plated/molecular stuff and hv wanted to attempt making but i was too intimidated with the number of components as well as hard-to-find ingredients like microgreens as well as the various chemicals like xanthan gum and calcium chloride. this recipe is from johnny iuzzini's dessert fourplay, a book that had been so underutilized (i've only used it once) so i'm glad i was able to find something relatively simple from it that doesn't require the use of any chemical.

i've gotten some metal cannoli tubes recently so i couldn't wait to put them into good use. this recipe has basically only two components so its pretty easy to put together. tastewise, i really love the unlikely combination of corn and lemon and i thought the lemon madeleine sponge was really quite mind blowing! its so tart and lemony it tastes exactly like lemon curd. i love it! the only thing was i wondered if there was any error on the instructions for the sponge. given the quantity it was impossible that the baking time was 6-10 mins, as stated. indeed, it took me about 25 mins to bake.

anyhow, top chef : just desserts season 2 has premiered! be sure to check out chef iuzzini, the eye candy :p

recipe source : dessert fourplay by johnny iuzzini

ingredients (serves 4 to 5) :

for the corn panna cotta :

3 ears sweet corn

42g unsalted butter

38g caster sugar

6g fleur de sel

175ml milk

1/2 tbsp powdered gelatin

120ml simple syrup (make by combining 100g sugar and 120ml water in a small saucepan, bring to boil over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. measure out 120ml)

150ml whipping cream

for the lemon madeleine sponge :

113g plain flour

4g fleur de sel

4.5g baking powder

113g caster sugar + 1 tbsp extra for caramelizing the cake

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

15ml milk

juice of 1.5 lemons

43g unsalted butter, melted & cooled

70g honey

for the spiced walnuts :

20g unsalted butter

55g walnut halves

3g mixed spice powder

for the decor :

popcorn kernels, honey, spiced walnuts, freeze-dried corn (optional)

directions :

1. to make the corn panna cotta, line 7 (1-inch diameter) cannoli tubes with acetate sheet. wrap one end in plastic wrap and secure it with tape or rubber bands. put the tubes in freezer. cut the kernels off the corn cobs. put the butter & sugar in a skillet over medium heat and when the butter has melted, add the corn and fleur de sel. cook, stirring often until the corn is tender but not browned, about 7 mins. place the corn and milk in blender and puree until smooth. strain then set over an ice bath to cool. sprinkle gelatin over the surface of simple syrup then let it sit for 1 min. microwave for 45 secs or double boil until melted. stir the gelatin into the corn puree. in a separate bowl whisk the whipping cream until medium peaks then fold into the corn mixture. fill piping bag with corn mixture and pipe into the tubes. cover the open ends with plastic wrap and secure it. freeze overnight or up to 3 days.

2. to make the lemon madeleine sponge, line a 4x9-inch baking tin with baking paper. in a bowl sift together flour, salt & baking powder and set aside. put sugar, zest and eggs in a bowl and whisk until combined. add milk and continue to whisk to combine. scrap down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. add the lemon juice, butter & honey whisk until combined. whisk until batter is pale and thick. pour batter into the baking tin and bake on 190C (375F) for 20-25 mins until lightly golden in color. let cool then cut into 1x2.5-inch rectangles.

3. to make the spiced walnuts, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. when butter foams, add nuts and cook, stirring often until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, abt 3 mins. strain then toss the nuts in the mixed spice to coat.

4. to assemble, place the madeleine rectangles on a baking sheet and sprinkle the tops with an even layer of sugar and caramelize with a blow torch. set on dessert plates. unmold the panna cotta by pushing it out and cut into 1-inch lengths. place 3 pieces of panna cotta on each madeleine rectangle. add a spiced walnut or two onto the plate and garnish with a drizzle of honey, popcorn & freeze-dried corn, if desired.

Matcha Latte

2011-08-16T11:13:00.009+08:00

there's nothing like a nice cup of matcha latte to wake up to in the morning. i frequently order this at starbucks but ever since i found out its so easy to make and so delicious as well, i've taken to making my own.

basically there are several ways to make the latte but i chose the easy way out by whisking the milk, sugar and matcha powder together. i thought it bears an uncanny resemblance's to starbucks so it was really a bonus. i also made some matcha mushi pan (japanese steamed buns) to go along which i will post in a separate entry next time.

ingredients (serves 1):

1/2 cup milk

matcha powder and sugar to taste

directions :

1. whisk together milk, matcha powder and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a near-boil. place it into a french coffee press and push plunger down a few times to foam the latte. you can also make some plain foamed milk for decor, if desired. serve!

Ambroisie アンブロワジー

2011-08-08T12:45:00.022+08:00

this is the 5th hidemi sugino's recipe that i've attempted and i think i've put this off long enough. being too time consuming to make is one thing (it has 8 components in total including the decor) but i must say that glazing cakes hasn't been my forte and it still isn't. then again, this is the entremet that won mr. sugino the 1991 world pastry cup (coupe du monde de la pâtisserie) so could i possibly miss it? no i couldn't.

from bottom - biscuit joconde au chocolat, mousse au chocolat noir, framboise pepins, biscuit aux pistache, mousse a la pistache, glacage au chocolat

truth be told, i don't think i did such a good job on this. i thought the glaze was somewhat messy and the layers weren't really that identical to what was on the book but i must say the taste is AMAZING. i don't know how with all the chocolate mousse and glaze the entremet still tasted surprisingly light on the palate. the chocolate biscuit joconde is also the best joconde i've ever had, so moist and delicious. all in all, the components just complemented perfectly with each other and the pepins provided a nice tang and contrast to the sweet layers. definitely a keeper!

i made this in a span of 2 days. i don't think its possible to complete this in a day (unless you're really diligent), plus if you're making your own mascarpone and almond/pistachio paste to use in the recipe, you're definitely gonna need more time. ugh, and im still hatin' the glaze. if you think the purpose of the glaze is to hide any imperfections, think again. this one simply accentuates, but i must say it tastes quite good and the cake wouldn't be complete without it :)

finally, after a 3 mth long break in making entremets, i feel like i'm ready for more.

recipe source : le goût authentique retrouvé by hidemi sugino

ingredients (makes five 6.5cm (H) individual entremets) :

for the biscuit joconde au chocolat (makes one 8x12" tray) :

70g ground almonds

70g powdered sugar

70g egg yolks

30g egg whites

130g egg whites

45g caster sugar

55g cake flour

20g cocoa powder

25g melted butter, melted & cooled

for the biscuit aux pistaches (pistachio sponge), refer to my entry on the sicile here

for the framboise pépins (raspberry jam) :

70g caster sugar

15ml water

40g glucose syrup

200g frozen raspberries

8g powdered pectin

45g caster sugar

12ml lemon juice

for the pistachio mousse, refer to my entry on the sicile here

for the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage :

30ml syrup (made by boiling 32.5g sugar & 25ml water together), cooled & measure out 30ml

20ml water

15ml framboise eau de vie (raspberry liqueur)

for the mousse au chocolat noir :

220ml whipping cream, whipped

30g creme fraiche (i used mascarpone), recipe can be found on my homemade mascarpone here

25g caster sugar

50g egg yolks

100g valrhona 66% caraibe or alpaco dark chocolate, melted & cooled

for the glaçage au chocolat (choc lacquer glaze) *make this at the last step after the entremet has been assembled, chilled and removed from rings* :

75ml water

125g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

75g creme fraiche or mascarpone

7.5g sheet gelatin, softened

directions :

1. to make the biscuit joconde au chocolat, combine powdered sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. add in egg yolks & 30g egg whites and whisk until pale and thick. sift cake flour and cocoa powder together and fold into the egg mixture. fold in melted butter. in another bowl whisk 130g egg whites and 45g sugar until stiff peaks, then fold in two together. spread mixture on baking tray lined with baking paper then bake in a preheated oven of 230C for 5-6 mins.

2. make the pistachio sponge.

3. to make the framboise pepins, combine pectin and 45g caster sugar in a bowl. set aside. in a saucepan, place raspberries, 70g caster sugar, water, glucose syrup and bring to a boil. turn off heat and add in the pectin/sugar mixture. stir well to combine, let cool and add in lemon juice. measure out 50g.

4.to make the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage, combine syrup, water & raspberry liqueur in a bowl. mix well.

5. make the pistachio mousse and pour it into an 15cm (6") square cake ring. chill in fridge until firm. trim and align the pistachio sponge and place it on top of the mousse, soak with syrup then spread with a thin layer of framboise pepins. chill until ready to use.

6. to make the mousse au chocolat noir, make the pâte à bombe by placing the creme fraiche/mascarpone and sugar in a saucepan. heat until the sugar has dissolved then whisk egg yolks briefly and add in the creme fraiche mixture. whisk until the yolks are thick and pale. fold in the melted choc followed by whipped cream.

7. to make the glaçage au chocolat, combine sugar, water & creme fraiche in a pot and heat until sugar has dissolved. add in cocoa powder and whisk until combined and until lumps disappeared. remove from heat and add in softened gelatin. strain and let cool until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. use immediately. if the glaze solidified too much before using, simpy reheat slightly.

8. to assemble, cut the choc joconde into 5cm rounds and cut the pistachio sponge/pistachio mousse/pepins stack into 5cm rounds as well. place an A4 size acetate sheet (or hard plastic/transparency) on a baking tray, then place mousse rings on the sheet. pour some chocolate mousse into the rings, chill until firm then place the pistachio sponge/pistachio mouse/pepins stack in the ring on top of the choc mousse. fill with more choc mousse until almost to the rim and place a piece of choc joconde on top. press in slightly, then repeat the steps for the rest of the other 4 rings. place another piece of acetate sheet on top of the mousse rings and freeze until firm. remove the acetate sheet, invert the rings and remove using a blowtorch. place them on a wire rack with a plate/tray underneath to catch the drips. pour the glaze on the cakes and decorate with choc petal decor and gold foil.

Sakura Cherry Blossom Roll Cake

2011-07-28T17:45:00.010+08:00

"you eat with your eyes first" is my belief when it comes to baking so i always aim to make pretty looking (of coz delicious) desserts and cakes. ever since knowing the existence of pickled cherry blossoms and how the japanese use it extensively in their beautiful wagashi and sweets, that came top of my most-wanted baking ingredient. so when i made the shiro-an white bean paste, i actually had this in mind already. this sakura roll uses the shiro-an both in the sponge and mousseline filling which i find it a really novel idea. having made sponges which require the use of almond or pistachio paste, i really liked the taste so i wonder what it'll be like to use white bean paste instead.

the cherry blossoms are pickled in salt so you'll hv to rinse and soak them prior to use. when i got myself a pack of this from rakuten.jp, an online japanese ebay-like site, i was surprised at its taste. it wasn't floral as i expected it to be but more like pickled plums with a sourish tang. i also used the cherry blossom essence which dear felicia so generously gave to me.

tastewise, i must say i'm really not such a big fan of the sponge coz it was way too eggy for me. it did taste better upon chilling but still. the saving grace was perhaps the mousseline filling. it was really really good, very smooth and creamy. i would think its a cross between creme patissiere and creme anglaise and i could really taste the shiro-an in there but not in the sponge. the mousseline is definitely a keeper though i would go with a different sponge in future.

recipe source : 孟老师的美味蛋糕卷

ingredients (makes one 36x26cm/14x10in sponge sheet) :

for the sponge :

40g unsalted butter, melted & cooled

50g shiro-an (japanese white bean paste), recipe here

25ml milk

80g egg yolks

15g caster sugar

150g egg whites

75g caster sugar

50g cake flour, sifted

for the shiro-an mousseline filling :

80g unsalted butter, softened

30g egg yolks

30g caster sugar

15g cake flour

160ml milk

1/2 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped

60g shiro-an

directions :

1. rinse off the salt on the pickled cherry blossoms, soak them in water for 2 hrs and pat dry with paper towels. place them on 1/2 side of the baking tray lined with baking paper.

2. place egg yolks and 30g sugar in a bowl over a pan of hot water and whisk until pale & fluffy. combine shiro-an and milk together then add in the yolk mixture.

3. in another bowl whisk egg whites and 75g caster sugar until stiff peaks then fold the whites into yolks in 3 additions. sift cake flour over, mix well and fold in melted butter.

4. pour mixture onto the baking tray, level with a spatula and bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 12 mins or until golden. leave to cool then peel off paper carefully.

5. to make the filling, place softened butter in a bowl. in another bowl whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cake flour, milk & vanilla bean then whisk in the shiro-an.

6.cook mixture on stove until 84C then leave to cool over an ice water bath. whisk butter until homogenous then add in the above anglaise mixture in 2-3 additions.

7. spread a thin layer of filling onto cake, level with spatula then roll cake up starting from the end (without the sakura) using a sheet of parchment paper as a guide. keep the cake rolled up, wrap with parchment paper and tuck the sides of the paper in. refrigerate cake for 30-60 mins until firm. trim ends and serve.

Shiro-an しろあん (Japanese Sweet White Bean Paste)

2011-07-21T12:03:00.011+08:00

i've been fascinated with wagashi (和菓子) for the longest time. dainty morsels of bite-sized japanese confectioneries used in traditional tea ceremony, they're just so beautiful and intriguing. looks aside, i really like what goes into them - matcha, purple sweet potato, black sesame, pumpkin, sakura etc. so before venturing into any of the wagashi recipes, i figured that i should start with the basic filling. since koshi-an/tsubu-an (adzuki red bean paste) is so common and readily available, i decided to make the white bean paste instead. so far i don't think i've seen shops carrying it in singapore, or maybe i just haven't looked hard enough.

lima beans or navy beans are most commonly used to make shiro-an and i used bob's red mill's lima beans for this. the reason why i chose lima beans is coz the skins are easier to remove after soaking and they taste better (more buttery). the only thing is the paste will not be very white as compared to navy beans but the taste will not be affected.

i must say its a good experience and great fun making my own paste from scratch but seriously, its ALOT of work. imagine having to soak the beans for 12 hrs, then boil them for about 1.5 hrs, put them thru a sieve and add water to the mixture, wait for the paste to settle at the bottom and pour the water away and repeat that 3x. then you'll hv to pour the mixture onto a cheese cloth to drain away the excess water and then you can cook it in sugar. the whole process is just OMG, if you ask me lol. i did notice that some western recipes like the one i saw on martha stewart's website omit the steps of soaking, straining & "rinsing" the paste with water so its less of a hassle but i wonder if the taste will be the same. im also pretty proud of myself for not using a food processor but painstakingly put the mixture thru a sieve just like how the traditional ones should be done.

tastewise, i really really liked it! even though its basically just two ingredients - lima beans & sugar and the beans isn't even an asian ingredient in the first place, i was surprised at how familiar and oriental this tastes. it feels like something i often eat in mooncakes or buns. one thing though, since making this is so much work, i recommend making a bigger batch then separate them into smaller portions and freeze.

recipe source : 我♥和菓子 by 山崎彩

ingredients (makes abt 300g) :

200g lima or navy beans

150g white granulated sugar

30ml water

directions :

1. rinse beans and soak them overnight in the refrigerator in a bowl filled with water.

2. place beans in a pot with water just enough to cover the beans. bring to a boil over medium heat then add 1 cup of tap water to the beans. skim off the foam then add another cup of tap water. do it for a total of 3 times. this is to help the beans cook more evenly. reduce heat to low then boil the beans for about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs until the beans are soft and almost falling apart.

3. set a strainer over a bowl then press the beans over the strainer. discard the skins.

4.place the bean paste in a large bowl then top with plenty of water. wait for 5 mins for the paste to settle at the bottom then discard the water. repeat the process 3 times until the water is almost clear. this is to get rid of the bitterness from the beans.

5. set a cheese cloth or paper coffee filter over a strainer and pour the paste mixture onto the cloth/filter. squeeze gently to drain off excess water until the paste is dry.

6. in a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil. add the paste and cook over medium heat until the sugar and water evaporates and the paste comes together and is dry.

7. separate the paste into 3 small portions and let cool completely before refrigerating or freezing.

Fennel, Orange & Nut Biscotti

2011-07-18T11:35:00.012+08:00

i'm not sure if anyone heard things like martha stewart's recipes don't work? i learned it from one of my baking buddies as well as some food bloggers, one of which you can read her story here. despite having been baking for several years now, i haven't tried martha stewart's recipes at all so i couldn't comment. then it was after i got an ipad 2 recently that i started downloading her mags, ebooks & apps and seriously thought about trying her recipes. deciding to venture out of my comfort zone to incorporate some spices into my bakes apart from the usual "safe" choices like cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger, this recipe caught my eye.

despite chocolate, cranberries & nuts being the usual ingredients used in biscotti, i thought fennel and orange is a really refreshing and welcoming change. it also tasted so good that i baked another batch the next day! basically fennel seeds, which taste and smell like a cross between licorice and anise, complement the orange zest really well. i also added a pinch of fleur de sel which made all the difference. its sweeter than sea salt and don't dissolve that easily so you could taste the burst of salty flavor in between each bite. just awesome!

i totally love this grown-up flavor and martha actually has other variations like hazelnut, ginger & chocolate as well as walnut, cranberry & orange on the app. can't wait to try them out. i'm just glad my first martha stewart's recipe was a success :)

recipe source : martha stewart makes cookies ipad app

ingredients (makes abt 2 1/2 dozen) :

3 cups plain flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt (i used fleur de sel)

2 tsps fennel seed

2 tbsps finely grated orange zest (from 2 large oranges)

3 large eggs + 1 large yolk

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup raw almonds, toasted & coarsely chopped

1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted & coarsely chopped

directions :

1. in a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, fennel seed & zest. in another bowl whisk eggs, yolk & olive oil on low speed then gradually add flour mixture into the egg mixture. raise speed to medium then mix well until combined. mix in nuts.

2. transfer dough onto lightly floured surface and shape into two logs about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. place them on baking tray lined with parchment paper and flatten logs slightly. bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 30-35 mins. let cool, and using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch thick slices diagonally. reduce oven to 170C and bake, cut side down, for 10 mins. turn the biscotti and bake for another 10 mins or until golden brown. leave to cool and store in an airtight container.

Macarons from Sadaharu AOKI, Paris

2011-07-11T16:34:00.007+08:00

my friend claire went to paris again to visit her fiancé's family and i got more sadaharu AOKI's macarons this time yay!! this is my third time having them this year (so lucky) and not just that, i got to try three cakes from there as well!

claire said she got me different flavors this time but i couldn't really tell since they looked pretty similar from previously.

the one at the top, think it was coffee and the bottom, earl grey. both were really good i felt like i just died and went to macaron heaven! i should hv requested her to get me the yuzu one :( anyway im gonna slowly savor the rest :p

the 3 cakes claire got me (bamboo, which is matcha opera, matcha adzuki dome & sesame matcha) were unfortunately toppled and squashed during baggage check by the customs officer at airport in paris (she said the parisians are really nasty & rude lol) so i didnt manage any photos. they were really good as well but unlike most japanese desserts, the ones i tried were hardly light and airy, probably to cater to the french tastebuds?

now i need AOKI desserts from tokyo! that shall be my resolution for nx year :p

Berry Pavlova

2011-07-07T18:37:00.013+08:00

ever since taking a liking on macarons many years back, i started appreciating other meringue-based desserts like pavlova, tarte citron and marshmallows as well. this is the one i usually make when i want a sweet-tooth quick fix coz its so effortless and easy to make. this time round, i came across the idea of doing red marbled swirls from a food mag and was immediately taken to it. it makes the otherwise plain meringue look lively and whimsical.

the reason why i love pavlova is also due to its contrasting textures. the whipped cream makes all the difference, giving the dessert a cool creamy mouthfeel and balances the cloying sweetness of the meringue. one thing i do not understand is the addition of the cornstarch and vinegar. any idea why they're used?

recipe adapted from donna hay's modern classics 2

ingredients (makes 3 small pavlovas) :

2 egg whites

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp white vinegar

red or pink food coloring

100ml whipping cream, whipped

berries to serve

directions :

1. in a bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy then gradually add in caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. add in the vanilla extract & fold in cornstarch and vinegar.

2. using a spatula, dollop the meringue onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. dip a toothpick or skewer into the red coloring and swirl it into the meringue to make a marbled effect.

3. bake in a preheated oven of 120C for 50-60 mins and leave the meringue in the oven to cool.

4. serve with whipped cream and berries.

Cappuccino

2011-06-30T10:45:00.005+08:00

i was *this close* to getting a nespresso machine. citiz+milk was the model i was eyeing on and i went on youtube to watch unboxing videos and demos practically all day & night. then again, was i really prepared to fork out 600 bucks for a single-serve machine that basically does nothing but dispense espresso? well, no i wasn't.

having tried frothing milk using both the wand thingy i got from IKEA as well as the immersion hand blender and yielded less-than-desirable results, i wondered if it was even remotely possible to make good frothed milk at home. not after i found out that the trick is to use a french coffee press, something that i hv stashed at the back of my kitchen cabinet. it was really simple and could just be done in a few secs. i was elated! watch this to see what i'm talking about.

i think the french coffee press does a great job and illy is good (i even get nice crema on top of the espresso!) and the cappuccino is identical to those served in cafes and restaurants. i can finally get my coffee fix right at home.

basically cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk & 1/3 foamed milk. i brew the espresso in the french press (the guide is to use 2 tbsps medium-grind espresso to every cup of near-boiling water). let it stand for 4 mins while stirring with a chopstick ocassionally, then press the plunger down. add 1/3 cup of espresso into the bottom of a cup, rinse the coffee press, microwave the milk for abt 20 secs, foam it with the plunger and top the espresso with 1/3 steamed milk then top the rest with the foam. it is kinda troublesome since i hv only one coffee press but with the fantastic result im getting and at the same time save a few hundred bucks on the nespresso machine or the aerocchino milk frother, i think its worth it!

Polka-Dot Strawberry Milkshake

2011-06-18T17:27:00.010+08:00

i've practically been living on foodgawker and tastespotting 24/7 these days. beautiful food photos aside, i can't believe how much creative ideas and inspirations i've garnered from the site. i lost count of the photos i bookmarked and the recipes i wanted to try out "tentatively". i mean, how could you say no to stuff like strawberry yogurt-covered pretzels and very vibrant-looking red velvet cake made not with red food coloring but beet puree? and then i also came across this polka-dot strawberry milkshake which involves sticking cut marshmallows onto the side of the glasses to give it a polka-dot effect. totally creative and this is something that i wouldn't think of in a million years.

so, i proceeded with the the polka-dot strawberry milkshake but it was trickier than i thought. i couldnt get the marshmallows to stay round after i cut them into half and they also refused to stay stuck to the sides of the glasses. i ended up with strawberry milkshake that wasn't so polka-dotted afterall. oh well. but it was delicious nevertheless coz i used my own homemade vanilla bean ice cream so i could easily control the sweetness and the milkshake wasn't sweet at all. in fact it tasted more like a yogurt-drink than milkshake, which is precisely why i liked it.

my stash of homemade vanilla bean ice cream, one that i've made countless times. the recipe is from david lebovitz and i've blogged about it before, over here.

recipe source for the polka-dot milkshake from the sweetest kitchen.

ingredients (serves 2):

1 1/2 cups milk

2 very large scoops vanilla ice cream

1 cup strawberries, hulled

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 marshmallows, cut in half

directions :

1. blend milk, ice cream, strawberries and extract in a blender until smooth. press the cut side of the marshmallows inside empty glasses. pour the milkshake into the glasses. serve with straws and enjoy!

Pierre Hermé's Plaisir Sucré

2011-06-13T23:03:00.006+08:00

plaisir sucré, or sweet pleasure, is one of the many pierre hermé's masterpieces that i adore. apart from the ispahan, this is another well-known creation using a lovely combination of milk choc & hazelnuts. making this again certainly brought back lotsa memories as this was one of the earliest entremets i started out attempting and it reminded me of how intimidated i was with chocolate tempering and multi-component desserts then. and now, years later, it was nice revisiting just to see how i fared.

layers from top : milk choc sheet, milk choc whipped cream, milk choc ganache, hazelnut praline feuilletine & hazelnut dacquoise

the first time i made this, i followed the recipe's instruction and made them into 10cm x 5cm rectangles. the size was not only odd (they didn't look elegant at all), it was also kinda big for an individual portion. pretty hard to finish it all up since it can be rather cloying (its afterall milk choc & nutella). so this time round i made them into 11cm x 3cm rectangles, pretty similar to what pierre herme's patisserie is selling and they look so much better! this is also the size i'm using for all my sliced entremets now and i like it alot.

though not a huge fan of nutella (i think it tastes like cheap compound choc), this dessert, i must say, tasted exceptional. i can't decide which component i liked best since they complemented each other really well but if i had to choose, it'll definitely be the really crisp and crunchy feuilletine flakes embedded within the nutella. its important to use good ingredients hence i used valrhona jivara lactée 40% milk choc and instead of rice krispies i substituted with feuilletine flakes for the praline. i think feuilletine yields the best results even though its ok to use rice krispies or cornflakes. nx time round i intend to make my own nutella by combining praline paste (i'm eyeing on the max felchlin one) and milk choc. aesthetic-wise, i noticed quite a few people who made this had their layers really thick, like this one, making the whole dessert chunky instead of elegant. i didn't want that so i used the one pierre herme sells at his patisserie as a guideline - which is, the ganache at the bottom inbetween the 2nd & 3rd choc sheet shouldn't be visible. all in all, the whole thing should be low in height, just like all other entremets. i don't think this is anymore time consuming than the rest of the entremets i've made before but you could start making the choc sheets one day before, if making everything within a day seems overwhelming.

oh, and i gave one to chelle, she LOVED it :p

recipe source : chocolate desserts by pierre hermé

ingredients (makes four 11x3cm individual entremet) :

for the milk choc sheets :

at least 450g milk couverture choc, preferably valrhona jivara lactée 40%, finely chopped

for the milk choc whipped cream :

143g milk choc

218ml whipping cream

for the hazelnut dacquoise :

35g ground hazelnuts

50g icing sugar

45g egg whites, room temp

1.5 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted, skinned & halved

for the hazelnut praline :

100g nutella or hazelnut praline paste

25g milk choc, melted & cooled til lukewarm

1/2 cup rice krispies or 1/4 cup feuilletine flakes

1/2 tbsp butter, melted & cooled

for the milk choc ganache :

95g milk choc

83ml whipping cream

directions :

1. to temper the milk choc, start with at least a pound (450g) of milk choc as it is easier to work with. get ready a candy thermometer as well. place the choc in a clean bowl, then either double-boil or microwave it in short intervals until the temp reaches 49C (120F). be careful not to let even a drop of water get into the choc as it will seize and render unworkable. remove choc from heat and continue stirring until the choc has cooled to a temp of 27C-28C (80-83F). you'll know the choc is nearing the right temp when it begins to set around the edges. reheat the choc again until it reaches 29-31C (85-88F). it is now ready for use. to test if you've gotten it right, dip a knife into the choc and put the knife in the fridge for a few secs. it should emerge coated with a shiny nonstreaked layer of choc. get ready some A4-sized acetate sheets and spread the choc onto the acetate with an offset spatula. refrigerate for abt 30 secs or until the choc is half set, then remove from fridge and score twelve 11x3cm rectangles with a knife onto the choc. refrigerate until firm, then remove the choc by peeling off the acetate sheet and breaking them along the score lines. refrigerate again until ready to use.

2. to make the choc whipped cream, place choc in bowl. bring cream to boil then pour onto choc. mix well then place plastic wrap directly onto the choc mixture & refrigerate for 5-6 hrs or overnight. before using, whip mixture until almost firm then re-refrigerate if not using immediately.

3. to make the hazelnut dacquoise, sift ground hazelnuts & icing sugar together & set aside. in a bowl whisk egg whites until foamy then gradually add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. fold hazelnut mixture into the whites then spread mixture evenly onto a 6-inch baking tray lined with parchment paper. scatter hazelnut halves on top then press down slightly. bake in a preheated oven of 165C for 25-30 mins or until browned. leave to cool.

4. to make the hazelnut praline, place nutella/praline paste in bowl then add in the remaining ingredients the order they're listed. mix well then spread the praline evenly onto the dacquoise, working from the center and spread as far as it will go to the edges. refrigerate the dacquoise for at least 30 mins.

5. to make the choc ganache, place choc in bowl and bring cream to a boil. stir the cream into the choc until the choc is completely melted. allow the ganache to cool & thicken or refrigerate until pipeable consistency.

6. to assemble, trim the dacquoise along the edges and slice into four 11x3cm rectangles. fit the piping bag with a 1/4 inch (7mm Ø) plain tip and fill the bag with ganache. pipe a zigzag of ganache over the 4 dacquoises in the middle (go easy on the ganache). place a milk choc sheet on top, shiny side up and pipe another zigzag of ganache onto the choc sheet. place another choc sheet over. fit the piping bag with a 1/2 inch (14mm Ø) tip and fill the bag with choc whipped cream. pipe two straight lines of choc whipped cream on top and top with one last piece of choc sheet. decorate with toasted whole hazelnuts if desired.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

2011-06-06T18:03:00.016+08:00

seriously i'm amazed (and somewhat appalled) that storebought mascarpone is soooo expensive when its technically not even cheese. we can make it easily at home at a fraction of the price using only TWO ingredients (whipping cream and lemon juice) so ever since i started making my own there's no turning back to storebought.

i took a recipe from baking obsession and sort of improvised my own. when i made it on my 1st attempt using the recipe it took me a long time to reach 190F (88C) not sure why. double-boiling using a skillet sure takes long! so subsequently i boiled the cream in a saucepan without double boiling then add lemon juice when the cream starts bubbling then stir it a few mins more after that. works fine that way for me.

i quickly whipped up some tiramisu from the leftover sponge fingers i had and it was delicious! seriously, homemade and storebought mascarpone are about 99% identical if you ask me so no reason why we should buy them anymore! recipe calls for a cheesecloth but if you don't hv one you could use paper coffee filters (i got them from daiso at a pack of 40 for 2 bucks). pour the mixture onto the filter, set a strainer and bowl below to catch the whey and you're good to go.

recipe source : baking obsession

ingredients (makes 12oz/340g) :

500ml whipping cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

directions :

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

Tarte Passion Framboise (Passionfruit Raspberry Tart)

2011-05-25T13:44:00.006+08:00

i just realized i don't make tarts or cookies as often as i would like mainly due to the weather. the dough gets soft and sticky really easily and i simply don't like going through the hassle of re-freezing & re-rolling the dough, but i decided i want some variety in the stuff i bake so i forsee i'll be making stuff like cookies, tarts & bread more often from now on.

this passionfruit raspberry tart is taken from the ladurée book and also one that i've set my eyes on for quite sometime. i also seen a couple of blogs with this and the reviews were pretty good so i decided to try. i trust the ladurée book anyway coz i tried the strawberry orange flower marshmallows & pistachio financiers and they were fantastic, this had to be good as well.

indeed, it was fantastic! the passionfruit curd was one of the yummiest citrus curds i made (credit goes to LOTS of butter) and the tart shell was also the crispiest i've ever made as well. it remained crisp even upon refrigeration! the only thing i didn't like is the raspberries - tons of them which did nothing to the tart except to make it look pretty. i can safely say that a meringue topping would be a better option, so i'm sticking to the shell & filling in future but with a meringue topping.

recipe source : ladurée sucré

ingredients (makes two 10cm (D) and two 7.5cm (D) tarts) :

200g raspberries

for the passionfruit curd (cream) :

125g butter, room temp

1 sheet gelatin

1 egg + 1/2 egg yolk

75g sugar

1/2 tsp cornstarch

63ml passionfruit puree

1 tbsp lemon juice

for the pate sucree aux amandes (sweet almond dough) :

60g butter, very cold, diced

35g icing sugar, sifted

12g ground almonds

1 pinch fleur de sel

1 pinch vanilla powder or few drops of vanilla extract

1/2 egg, lightly beaten

100g cake flour, sifted

directions :

1. to make the passionfruit curd, soften gelatin in cold water for 10 mins. in a bowl mix eggs, yolk, sugar, cornstarch, passionfruit puree & lemon juice. drain the gelatin sheets and squeeze hard to remove excess liquid. in a saucepan, cook the passionfruit mixture over low heat, stirring for a few mins until thickened and bubbling. remove from heat & incorporate gelatin. allow to cool slightly then add in softened butter. blend mixture with hand blender until emulsified. set aside to cool.

2. to make the sweet almond dough, whisk butter until homogenized then add icing sugar, ground almonds, fleur de sel, vanilla, egg & flour, making sure each ingredient is fully incorporated before adding the next. combine ingredients just until the dough comes together, do not overwork the dough. this will give the pastry a desired crumbly texture. form the dough in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. refrigerate at least 2 hrs before using. butter the tart tin. on a floured work surface, roll out dough to 2mm thick and press into the tin. refrigerate for 1 hr, then remove tart shell from fridge and use a fork to prick the surface of the dough all over. fit parchment papers over the tins then press down. place baking weights or dried beans on top and bake in a preheated oven of 170C for 20 mins until lightly colored. remove weights and bake a further 10 mins until browned. cool. spoon passionfruit cream over and decorate with raspberries.

Cinnabon-Style Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls

2011-05-17T00:13:00.008+08:00

if there's anything thing good about the annoyingly hot & humid weather in singapore, its that the weather is perfect for making bread. i'm not exactly a fan of sweet buns and sandwich loaves (i'm really more of a ciabatta/baguette person) but when they're made with my favorite cinnamon sugar its a different story entirely. so while browsing foodgawker the other day, i came across this recipe and immediately set out to make it. looking at the title makes me wonder about the difference between gourmet and non-gourmet cinnamon rolls, and since its said to be a replica of cinnabon's, the famous bakery chain specializing in cinnamon rolls, i just didn't wanna miss it.

despite the lengthy recipe, its actually really simple to make - just dump everything together and mix. using my kitchenaid also made the kneading task so much simpler. tastewise, it was SO GOOD i actually made a second batch on the next day. the recipe uses a lemony cream cheese frosting for the topping but i don't fancy frosting something thats already so sweet, so i skipped it. however, i believe it should be quite good with the frosting. the only complaint i hv is that there's just too much cinnamon for the filling, a good whole 5 tablespoons of it! being slightly overwhelmed with the cinnamon, it also made the filling grainy and sandy. if i make this again (which i'm very sure i will again soon), i might just cut down the proportion of cinnamon by half.

also, i'm now buying ground cinnamon from the indian spice stall coz its really so much cheaper compared to the masterfoods or mccormick ones i used to buy from the supermarket. a 100g pack just cost me $1! i bought ten packs at a go coz i forsee i'll be making these really often from now on :) the following instructions is for making the rolls using standmixer. for the bread machine's method, pls follow author's instructions on her blog.

recipe source : grace's la mia vita dolce

ingredients (makes abt 12 large or 15 small rolls) :

for the bread dough :

59 ml (¼-cup) water

237 ml (1 cup) whole milk

113.5 g (½-cup) unsalted butter

1¼ large eggs, room temperature, well beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

112.5g (½ cup) sugar

572g (4½-cups) unbleached white bread flour

7 g (1 envelope or 2½ teaspoons) Fleischmann’s quick rise yeast

for the cinnamon sugar filling :

200 g (1 cup) golden yellow sugar (light brown sugar), firmly packed

32g (5 tablespoons) cinnamon (preferably “Makara” cinnamon – available at some Cinnabon franchises)

108.5 g (½-cup) margarine, room temperature

for the cream cheese frosting :

125 g (4 ounces) cream cheese

108.5 g (½-cup) margarine

227 g (1¾-cups) sugar fondant or 10X powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably alcohol free

1/8 teaspoon pure lemon extract, preferably alcohol free

directions :

1. to make the dough, in a small-sized saucepan, gently melt the butter over low heat (do not let it boil!). add the water and milk. before continuing to the next step, allow the butter mixture to cool so that it is between 49°C and 54°C (120° F and 130°F). pour the butter mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. add the remaining ingredients, in the order listed above. beat on low speed for 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. switch from paddle attachment to dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until smooth, 8 to 9 minutes. the dough should no longer stick to your fingers or to the sides of the bowl. form a ball. lightly oil a large bowl with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. transfer dough to bowl, turn to coat. cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel. let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.

2. once you’ve started the dough cycle, remove the margarine from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (if using stand mixer to prepare dough, remove the margarine from the refrigerator once the dough is prepared and you have set it aside to rise).

3. in a small-sized bowl, using a whisk, combine together the brown sugar and cinnamon (use clean hands to break up any clumps in the brown sugar), set-aside.

4. once the dough cycle has completed, remove the dough from the baking pan and place on a clean, lightly floured work surface. let rest for 10 minutes. if using stand mixer preparation, punch down the dough, transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface. line 3 20-cm (8-inch) square baking tins with non-stick baking paper, set aside. roll out dough to a 38 cm X 61 cm (15 inch X 24 inch) rectangle. mark off a 2.54-cm (1-inch) border along the 61-cm (24-inch) edge of the dough, closest to you. using a large offset spatula spread margarine over dough, making sure not to spread margarine on the 2.54-cm (1-inch) border edge (so that you can seal the roll). sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over margarine, making sure not to sprinkle on border edge, keep the border clean. using your rolling pin, lightly roll the cinnamon sugar mixture. starting at the far edge of the dough, roll the dough (towards you) tightly into a log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up, stopping just shy of the border edge. using a pastry brush, brush a bit of water or milk on the border edge and then continue to roll dough (helps to seal the log).using a sharp knife, trim the left and right ends of the log (so you have a flush end at each end of the log). the result will be a 61-cm (24-inch) log.

4. using the tip of a sharp paring knife, mark the log every 3.8-cm (1½-inches) (for small rolls) or 5-cm (2-inches) (for larger rolls). with the seam side down, cut the log into 3.8-cm (1½-inch) long portions or 5-cm (2-inch) long portions with a sharp knife. divide rolls between baking tins, arranging cut side up, spacing 1.27-cm (½-inch) to 2.54-cm (1-inch) apart. cover baking tins with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. let rise in a warm, draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 30 mins - 1 hour. after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan. this is important for best results as this will give the rolls the soft, moist outer edge that is preferred.

5. prepare cream cheese frosting. remove the cream cheese and margarine from the refrigerator. place in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment. let come to room temperature, ½ hour. beat the cream cheese and margarine together at low speed for 6 minutes. switch to whip attachment and mix the cream cheese and margarine mixture for 10 minutes on medium speed. add 125 g (1-cup) of the sugar fondant (or powdered sugar) and mix for 1 minute on low speed. add the remaining sugar fondant (or powdered sugar) and mix on low speed for an additional minute. add the vanilla and lemon extracts and mix for 1 minute at medium speed. transfer cream cheese frosting to a container, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

6. position rack in centre of oven; preheat oven to 170° C (335° F). bake, one tin at-a-time (to obtain uniform results), until the rolls are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. transfer baking tin to a wire rack. frost the rolls while they’re still very warm and serve immediately.

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

2011-05-09T14:25:00.004+08:00

i'm kinda clueless when it comes to choosing grapefruits. i don't know how to determine which ones hv got ruby red flesh and which are the ones with yellow flesh. so the other day while randomly picking up grapefruits and then later on discovered that i've got some really beautiful ones with flesh almost as deeply colored as that of blood oranges, the 1st thing that came to mind was to make grapefruit marmalade!

since this is my 1st attempt at jam i made a few mistakes. i didn't shred the rind finely enough and i added too much of it. i also forgot to remove the membranes (?) that cover the flesh so i ended up with lotsa hard fibrous bits. lucky thing was that it was still very good and super easy to make. i only used two ingredients - grapefruit & sugar and didn't even use lemon or pectin since i read that citrus fruits already contain natural pectin and whatever thats cooked with that much sugar would surely reduce so there's no worry about the jam not setting. so yum its hard to go back to storebought again.

credit goes to eatdrinkchic for the lovely jam labels.

ingredients :

300g grapefruit

300g sugar

directions :

1. sterilize jam jars and lids by washing them in hot soapy water. put a pot of water to boil then place the jars and lids in for a few mins. leave the jars in the hot water until ready to use.

2. wash and peel grapefruit then blanch the rind in a pot of boiling water for a few mins. rinse under running water then then cut the rind into thin slices. remove the fruit from the membranes and roughly chop them. place the grapefruit in a blender and blend for a few secs.

3. in a saucepan add the grapefruit, rind and sugar and cook until 2/3 of the liquid has evaporated. ladle into hot jam jars, screw on lids and invert the jars until cooled.

Nominated for SAVEUR MAG 2011 Best Food Blog Awards!

2011-05-03T01:20:00.002+08:00

i am really really thrilled and honored to be nominated by SAVEUR mag, a very well-known gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine in new york for the best food blog award. i didn't know about this nomination until i logged on to my sitemeter and saw there were many referrals from a voting page on saveur.com. i subsequently received a congratulatory email from helen, the editor of SAVEUR, informing me that out of 45,000 nominees, i had been shortlisted as one of the 6 finalists under the 'best baking and desserts blog' category! definitely a very very pleasant surprise and a very big deal indeed!

i don't know who nominated me but thank you, whoever you are :) and if you like my blog, pls vote for me under the 'best baking and desserts blog' category. to vote, you'll hv to sign up for an account and specify country as 'US'. closing date is 12 may. thank you!

Purple Sweet Potato & Sesame Marble Cake

2011-05-01T02:01:00.006+08:00

for as long as i can remember, i detested chiffon cakes and pound cakes alot. i used to associate them with local old-school kinda bakeries where the only flavors available were pandan and chocolate. but ever since coming across them in french and japanese cookbooks where the flavor combinations and decor wise were anything but boring, i started looking at them in a different light.

purple sweet potatoes are kinda like pantry staple these days. there are so many things i can do with them (think wagashi, mont blanc, chiffon) but currently on top of my to-bake list is this, the purple sweet potato & sesame marble pound cake from one of my favorite japanese cookbooks by junko fukuda, the same author of the chiffon cake book. so far i've only tried one other recipe from the book, the jasmine tea roll cake, it was good and i'm glad this one is too!

even tho' this is a pound cake, the whites are beaten separately hence the texture is not as dense. the cake also tastes and smells really awesome of sesame which in my opinion could be mistaken as peanut butter coz the two are pretty identical. the sprinkle of sesame seeds also provided a nice crisp crunch to the cake. definitely a keeper! only thing is, i must not be very skilled in making marbled cakes coz i couldn't really swirl the batter nicely. i just gave it a few brief stirs coz i was afraid to overdo it but i ended up underdoing it instead :( making cakes like this also means there would be double the utensils to wash up since you hv to separate the batter into two equal portions but its well worth the effort, thats for sure.

recipe source : 我♥和風洋菓子 by 福田淳子 (wa sweet recipe by junko fukuda)

ingredients (makes two 8 x 17cm x 6cm loaf tins) :

120g butter, softened

80g white sesame seed paste

100g sugar (i substituted half with vanilla sugar)

4 egg yolks

2 tbsps rum

2 tbsps milk, omit if using purple sweet potato puree

4 egg whites

100g sugar

20g cake flour

100g purple sweet potato powder (or puree)

100g cake flour, sifted

white sesame seeds, for topping

directions :

1. whisk butter briefly then add in white sesame paste & 100g sugar and whisk until pale & fluffy. add in yolks one at at time, beating well between each addition followed by rum.

2. separate batter into two equal portions and add in milk (if using) into one of the portions.

3. whisk egg whites and the other 100g sugar until stiff peaks.

4. in one of the portions with milk, fold in 1/4 of the meringue, followed by purple sweet potato powder/puree, 20g cake flour & another 1/4 meringue. mix well to combine.

5. in another portion of the cake batter, fold in 100g cake flour followed by the rest of the meringue.

6. line loaf tins with parchment paper. pour the batter (without purple sweet potato) equally into the bottom of the tins, then pour the other half of the batter (with purple sweet potato) on top. swirl batter then sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

7. bake in a preheated oven of 170C for 35-40 mins until skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Sous-bois スーボワ

2011-04-25T07:46:00.006+08:00

i bought a tub of cassis puree almost a year ago and it was basically left untouched. frankly there really aren't many dessert recipes that use cassis so when i saw this from hidemi sugino's book, i jumped at the chance.

there were a few concerns this time round. first of all i was pretty reluctant to make the joconde with jam again coz the 1st time i did, it was really messy. the jam piping sank in after baking and i just didn't really fancy how it looked nor tasted. this time using blackcurrant jam, i decided to give it another shot, it was better but i still didn't like it. in future, instead of using jam, i might just color another portion of joconde pink and then pipe them alternately. i was also not familiar with two of the components - the cassis mousse which uses two portions of the puree, one that cooks together with the creme anglaise while the other portion added after cooking. luckily i consulted my lovely friend claire and she told me it was supposed to be done this way. then there's the garniture part which i didn't know what it was but after some research i found out it was actually some kind of berry sauce, not unlike a pie filling or one that you pour over pancakes.

from bottom : biscuit joconde sans beurre avec confiture de cassis, garniture, mousse au cassis, bavarois au kirsch, glacage au cassis

alas, i didn't hv any creme de cassis liqueur and i read somewhere that i can substitute it with equal amount of blackcurrant syrup. big mistake, it turned out TOO sweet, or rather, too sweet and tart at the same time. i really liked the kirsch bavarois insert tho', it was smooth and creamy. i believe if i had followed the recipe to a T, it should be really nice, as with other hidemi's desserts.

recipe adapted from le goût authentique retrouvé by hidemi sugino

ingredients (makes abt 10-12 4.5cm (H) x 7.5cm (W) hexagonal rings) :

for the butterless biscuit joconde with blackcurrant jam, follow my recipe for the fruits rouges and replace raspberry jam with blackcurrant jam. same for the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage.

for the bavarois au kirsch :

160ml whipping cream

180ml milk

1/5 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped

60g egg yolks

60g sugar

5g sheet gelatin

15ml kirsch

for the mousse au cassis :

220ml whipping cream

120g cassis puree

1/4 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped

60g egg yolk

30g sugar

7g sheet gelatin

80g cassis puree

60ml creme de cassis liqueur

130g italian meringue (50g egg whites, 50ml water, 100g sugar)

for the garniture (berry sauce) :

180g raspberry puree

30g sugar

10ml lemon juice

50g blueberries

50g raspberries

for the glacage au cassis :

100g mirror gel

10g cassis puree

for the decor :

assorted berries & mint leaves

directions :

1. make biscuit joconde and soaking syrup.

2. to make bavarois au kirsch, heat milk & vanilla bean in a saucepan until boiling. combine egg yolks & sugar in a bowl then slowly pour milk over. return mixture to stove and cook until 84C. add in softened gelatin, followed by kirsch. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks then fold into the above. pour mixture into a 24cm x 16cm tray & refrigerate until firm then cut out rounds using 5cm round cutter.

3. to make the mousse au cassis, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla bean & 120g cassis puree then boil mixture until 84C, strain then add in softened gelatin, creme de cassis & 80g cassis puree, followed by whipped cream & italian meringue.

4. to make the garniture (berry sauce), cook raspberry puree & sugar on low heat in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. add in blueberries & raspberries and stir while breaking up the berries. stir in lemon juice and cook for a few more mins until thickened.

5. to make the glacage au cassis, mix the mirror gel and cassis puree together and stir until well combined.

6. to assemble, cut and line sponge to fit mousse rings. soak bottom of the sponge generously with syrup then add in 1 tbsp of the garniture followed by mousse au cassis to come up to half the height of the rings. freeze until firm, then place bavarois au kirsch on top then top up with more mousse au cassis until rim. level with spatula then freeze until firm. glaze then remove mousse from rings and decorate.

Balsamic Strawberries

2011-04-21T17:31:00.004+08:00

i don't think there was ever once i would polish off a whole punnet of strawberries in one sitting but ever since i discovered eating them with balsamic vinegar & sugar, it was all too effortless to do so. basically i think the strawberries we get in singapore are pretty sucky so they need some dressing up. macerating makes the berries extra juicy as the process draws out the juices and enhances its natural sweetness.

i made some pancakes to go along the strawberries and it was a lovely combination. i simply topped the pancakes with syrup & strawberries and i didn't even eat it with butter. simple and delicious. i used my trusty pancake recipe and you know what, this mommy from a particular forum tried my recipe and said her husband doesn't even eat mcdonalds' hot cakes anymore after trying mine. best compliment ever! :)

ingredients :

1 punnet (250g) strawberries

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

directions :

1. wash, hull & slice strawberries. in a bowl combine strawberries with sugar & balsamic vinegar and macerate for up to an hour.

2. serve on its own or with ice cream, pancakes, yogurt etc.

Black Sesame Chiffon 黒ゴマのシフォンケーキ

2011-04-15T01:50:00.012+08:00

apart from matcha, goma black sesame would perhaps be my 2nd most favorite japanese-inspired flavor. having made a few chiffon cakes now (rose, pistachio raspberry, matcha, purple sweet potato), i can't believe i waited so long to make a black sesame one coz this is by far, in my opinion, the best chiffon cake i've made.

in terms of recipe, this is rather different from the others i've come across. it doesn't contain any oil, just water. the black sesame paste i used was also somewhat dry but the cake was anything but. texture-wise this one is smooth and more compact, very much like a japanese souffle cheesecake but i love it that way. some chiffon cakes can taste really foamy and you can actually hear bubbles bursting when you bite into it. the black sesame aroma was light but i could taste it, tho' i wouldn't say no to a stronger black sesame taste. i totally dig the color too, a very cool greyish black. when mixing the batter the color was a very light grey, who would hv thought it would turn so dark after baking? i thought it was a very pretty hue!

and this is a pack of ground black sesame seeds from daiso which i added into the cake. aroma's quite good and saves me the trouble of grinding my own. seriously, i swear daiso sells everything! new surprises every visit, i always look forward to shopping there. anyway i'm gonna make either yuzu or royal milk tea chiffon nx time!

recipe source : 好吃戚風蛋糕輕鬆上手 by 福田淳子 (chiffon cake book by junko fukuda)

ingredients : makes one 17cm chiffon tin (measurements for 20cm cake in brackets)

3 egg yolks (5)

70g sugar (110g)

50g black sesame paste (80g)

50ml water (80ml)

80g cake flour (130g), sifted

1 tbsp ground black sesame seeds (1.5 tbsp)

4 egg whites (7)

directions :

1. in a bowl place egg yolks, 1/3 sugar, black sesame seed paste & water & mix well. add in flour & ground black sesame seeds then whisk until combined.

2. whisk egg whites & the rest of the sugar until stiff peaks to make meringue, then fold into the yolk mixture in 3 additions.

3. pour mixture into an ungreased chiffon tin and knock it against the countertop to release some air bubbles, then bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 30 mins (40 mins). remove cake from tin and invert immediately until cooled.

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes

2011-04-12T13:27:00.020+08:00

i never knew i would hv craving for a simple vanilla cake with a glass of cold milk since i've always thought i had "complex tastebuds" but i did so i went hunting for a recipe in the middle of the night. i didn't wanna spend an hour baking a cake therefore i opted for cupcakes instead. i had really good results with magnolia bakery's red velvet cupcakes sometime back so i just wanted to try their famous vanilla cupcake recipe this time round.

i felt slightly apprehensive initially coz you wouldn't believe how bad some of the reviews for this recipe were. comments like "dense", "too sweet", "horrible", "middle sunken in" and "fit for the trash" were plagued all over the net so it was kinda demoralizing. same kind of reviews for the red velvet ones but since the recipe turned out pretty good for me, i went ahead with this. i'm sooo glad i did coz this is definitely the BEST vanilla cake i've ever had! as evident from my photos, none of those negative things happened to me, it was an extremely good cake!

it was buttery, had fine crumbs and the vanilla scent was apparent. perhaps it was becoz i substituted vanilla extract with bean paste + used half of the sugar with vanilla sugar. i didn't hv self raising flour so i made my own by combining plain flour, baking powder & salt together (substitution recipe courtesy of joyofbaking) and i feel that homemade self raising flour is definitely better than storebought. i also recommend using double-acting baking powder coz ever since i started using that, all my bakes turned out very nicely with light texture and fine crumbs. for the frosting, i used cannelle et vanille's vanilla buttercream. you can also follow magnolia bakery's old fashioned butter + confectioners sugar frosting but be forewarned, it will be very very sweet. in all honesty, i feel that the cupcakes are good enough to be eaten on their own, no frosting required.

recipe adapted from magnolia bakery via foodnetwork

ingredients (makes approx. 20) :

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (to make yr own, add in 1 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder & 1/4 tsp salt to every cup of plain flour & mix well)

1 1/4 cup plain flour

220g butter, softened at room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar (i substituted half of it with vanilla sugar)

4 large eggs, room temp

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract (i used vanilla bean paste)

directions :

1. combine flours in a bowl.

2. in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. sift the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. with each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. bake in a preheated oven of 170C for abt 20-22 mins or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

3. leave cupcakes to cool then frost if desired. they're best consumed on the day of baking. upon refrigeration, the texture will become denser like pound cake.

Vanilla Sugar

2011-04-09T11:53:00.008+08:00

i wouldn't actually hv thought of making my own vanilla sugar since i feel that using new pods for this is just too extravagant. old ones hv all gone into my homemade vanilla extract so there wasn't any opportunity to make this until i found some unused ones in my fridge. due to my carelessness i had forgotten to wrap them tightly so they had dried out, which is just perfect for the task if you ask me!

making your own vanilla sugar is super duper easy and you can just about use it in anything. i like to replace normal sugar with this in baking and also add a little into my morning coffee. my previous entry of the b-caraïbe uses this as well. some people like to just stick used pods into the sugar and let it infuse for a week or so before using, i prefer grinding the beans and sugar together so the aroma is stronger (and i'll just use lesser as a result).

ingredients :

4-5 vanilla beans

2 cups granulated sugar (1 used just 1 cup)

directions :

1. chop the beans into four parts, split them and add together with the sugar in a blender. pulverize until fine and strain with a fine sieve.

Crunchy Apples & Peanut Butter

2011-03-30T12:30:00.020+08:00

i'm not sure if anyone has tried this combination before but the moment i did i was hooked! i think its even better than nutella & banana. i hadn't then coz i really couldn't visualize how the combination would work, since i've always associated apples with cinnamon at most.

the sweet & salty combination is awesome! almost like eating salted caramel, only healthier :) for best results, pair crunchy apples (like fuji) with chunky peanut butter (like skippy's roasted honey nut).

B-Caraïbe　ベー・キャライブ

2011-03-22T10:06:00.013+08:00

loosely translated as the bananas of caribbean, this entremet has been on my to-bake list for a long time since i got the book.

components from top : rum mirror glaze, vanilla chantilly, rum-soaked biscuit joconde, banana sauce (actually more like gelee), chantilly orange choc

breezing through the whole baking process without any major difficulty, the hiccup was that the choc brush strokes came off the the vanilla chantilly abit. from the 1st glance, this didn't look like an easy cake to attempt but it actually is. two of the components, the vanilla chantilly & choc mousse were basically just whipped cream + whipped cream folded into the melted choc. even though the choc mousse didn't require a pate a bombe base, it was still good. tastewise i really really liked it coz like the other hidemi sugino's cakes, this is not too sweet. i've never knew the pairing of rum, bananas & orange choc would be so good. we've all heard of rum and raisins, rum and bananas but rum with orange choc? definitely something new to me but it was superb. the bananas we used were somewhat unripe and the biscuit joconde wasn't soaked enough so it was kinda dry. i believe the nx attempt will be better.

ingredients (makes one 8" square) :

for the biscuit joconde, refer to my fruits rouges recipe here but double the amount & omit the jam

for the soaking syrup :

130g sugar

100ml water

120ml rum

for the orange zest confit :

100g sugar

100ml water

zest of 2 medium oranges

for the chantilly orange choc :

250ml whipping cream

150g orange flavored chocolate (we used a mix of dark and milk chocolate, and freshly grated zest from one orange)

25g orange zest confit

for the banana sauce :

475g banana puree (we used fresh bananas)

25ml lemon juice

10g sheet gelatin

35g caster sugar

10ml rum

for the vanilla chantilly cream :

266ml whipping cream

26g vanilla sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

for the choc decor :

35g dark choc

4ml vegetable oil

for the glaze :

100g mirror gel

7.5ml rum

directions :

1. make the biscuit joconde.

2. to make the soaking syrup, mix the sugar and water in a saucepan over the stove and cook till sugar dissolves. remove from heat, leave to cool before adding the rum.

3. to make the orange zest confit, heat water and sugar in a saucepan. add the zest and cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent & syrupy. remove from heat, cool, strain the syrup and store in container.

4. to make the chantilly orange choc, melt the chocolate in a microwave for a few minutes, stirring every 20 seconds. add the orange zest (if using). set aside to cool slightly.whip the cream till soft peaks, gradually fold into melted chocolate. add in the orange confit and fold together.

5. to make the banana sauce, combine banana and lemon juice together in a saucepan, blend together using a hand blender. add in the sugar and place on stove. cook over low heat till thickened. remove from heat, add the presoaked gelatin sheets and whisk to mix. add the rum and stir to mix.

6.to make the vanilla creme chantilly, combine the whipping cream, vanilla sugar & vanilla bean paste in a mixing bowl, whip till soft peaks form.

7. to make the choc decor, melt the chocolate in the microwave. stir in vegetable oil.

8. to make the glaze, combine the mirror gel and rum in a small bowl and stir to combine.

9. to assemble, cut out three 8" square pieces of the biscuit joconde. place one piece into the ring mold and brush rum syrup liberally on it. pour the chocolate orange chantilly cream into the ring and smooth flat. place second piece of cake above the chocolate layer and press down to remove any empty spaces in between the layers. brush with rum syrup. pour the banana sauce into the ring, place third piece of cake on top of it and brush with rum syrup. pour the vanilla chantilly cream into the ring. using a scraper, smoothen out the top so that the layer is even. freeze until firm. brush the chocolate over the top, freeze for 10 minutes before pouring the glaze over. unmold and slice into individual 3.5cm (W) x 7cm (L) x 4.5cm (H) portions. Decorate with gold foil if desired.

Afternoon Tea @ The Courtyard, Fullerton Hotel

2011-03-17T08:25:00.003+08:00

the other day, the gf and i spent a leisurely afternoon having tea at the courtyard, fullerton hotel. while there were hits & misses (loved the scones but hated the dried-out sandwiches), it was definitely a better experience compared to the one i had at chihuly lounge @ ritz carlton two years ago. the good thing is they serve TWG tea and the items are refillable so i think rather worth it. ambience is nice too! and to be frank its been a million years since i brought my camera out while dining coz i virtually don't blog restaurant food anymore so i hope my pictures haven't deteriorated much. the refillable tiered set is priced at S$42++ btw.

tiered set; assorted sandwiches

TWG's geisha blossom tea

warm scones with jam & clotted cream

honey

a lazy afternoon well-spent :))

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

2011-03-09T10:12:00.006+08:00

i was craving for something salty sweet the other day so i decided to make some salted caramel ice cream from the numerous egg yolks i've got from macaron-making. i bookmarked this recipe quite sometime ago and i was really confident it would taste good since its from david lebovitz, the ice cream guru. plus it doesn't use that many yolks and cream so i was enticed by it. unfortunately this wasn't what i expected it to be.

the flavor was good but it was wayyyy too sweet. omg. i couldn't stomach a mouthful without reaching for gulps of water. the sweetness irritated my throat and there was no way i could eat it. the original recipe also makes a praline mix-in but i thought it would make the ice cream even sweeter so i forgoed it. using 300g sugar for just a mere liter of ice cream, i should hv seen it coming but i really trusted david's recipes as the ones i tried from his perfect scoop book were really good, especially the vanilla bean ice cream. i guess it was also due to the fact that the ice cream did't really firm up alot even after freezing so the sweetness was even more apparent. oh well, maybe i'll just use the rest in a milkshake or something.

recipe is from david lebovitz's blog.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

2011-03-03T18:30:00.003+08:00

my version of the garlic & olive oil pasta. i had it with anchovies, cherry tomatoes & a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and its really simple and yum!

i'm posting the basic recipe which is from here, feel free to add yr own ingredients like shrimp, mushrooms etc.

ingredients (serves 4) :

350g spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1-2 large red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

directions :

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Stir well and boil rapidly for 8 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.

2. Meanwhile, combine the oil, garlic, and chilli in a small saucepan. Cook over a low heat for 7-8 minutes to allow the oil to absorb all the flavors. The garlic should become golden brown but don’t allow it to burn.

3. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the large saucepan over a very low heat. Make sure it’s not a high heat because you don’t want to dry out the pasta. Pour the oil mixture over the pasta and add the parsley. Mix thoroughly so all the pasta is well coated with the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Homemade Almond & Pistachio Paste

2011-02-25T13:55:00.011+08:00

in my previous entry of the sicile, the very fantastic pistachio biscuit sponge uses both almond & pistachio paste in it and some of my readers hv been asking me where they can purchase or make their own so i'm gonna post the recipe here. obviously nothing compares to the commercial ones in terms of texture coz even with my decent 600W blender i couldn't really get a really smooth paste but this is a good alternative to buying. unless you frequently use the pastes, i would recommend making your own if you just require a small quantity as the pistachio paste especially is not cheap.

using the same recipe, i also made the pistachio version and it came out great. here are the two for comparison on the left pic - the left one is homemade and the right one is storebought. i'm currently using sevarome's pistachio paste and it cost me $60/kg tub. its definitely cheaper to make your own though with the blanching and removing of skin, its a painstaking process so i might still continue using sevarome's as i really like the texture and aroma. removing the skins of the pistachios is entirely optional but if you don't, you'll end up with results similar to this, which is a pierre herme's recipe no-less but i prefer mine to look greener and finer.

of all the paste recipes i've tried, this is by far the best. not surprising since its from jacques torres, the famed french pastry chef and chocolatier. hehe, i was really happy to see him on top chef as a guest judge.

recipe source : jacques torres for food network

ingredients (yields approx. 200g) :

62.5g sugar

20ml honey

25ml water

125g ground almonds or pistachios, blanched & skin removed

few drops of almond extract & green food coloring (for the pistachio paste), optional

12.5g butter

directions :

1. place the sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a strong boil. remove the boiling sugar from the heat and pour over the almonds/pistachios. add in the almond extract & coloring, if using and blend until smooth. this may take 10 minutes or more, depending on the strength of the food processor. remember, food processors are not usually strong enough to yield the same consistency as the almond paste that you can buy. if your mixture is too thick and the food processor is straining, you can add a little Kirsch or simple syrup to the processor. add the liquid slowly and stop when the processor is moving more freely. the quality of almond or pistachio paste is determined by how smooth the consistency is. wrap the almond paste in plastic wrap and allow it to cool. when you are ready to use it, knead in the butter. the butter makes it smooth and not so sticky. refrigerate in the chiller compartment of your fridge for up to a month.

Sicile ツツリー

2011-02-11T18:00:00.009+08:00

pistachio biscuit sponge, blackberry mousse, pistachio mousse

this is a second recipe i tried from hidemi sugino's book and its nothing short of amazing. during the lunar new year, my family requested for a cake (as with every year, or rather, every occasion) so i decided to make this coz its one of the easier recipes from the book. in terms of appearance, its similar to the fruits rouges but simpler to make and better tasting.

mr. sugino is famous for his mousse cakes and i can see why. both the blackberry and pistachio mousses were light, not too sweet yet bursting with flavor and were very very creamy. mom liked it so much that she said she's gonna visit his patisserie in tokyo but i thought the highlight wasn't the mousses but the pistachio biscuit sponge. i can safely say its the BEST sponge i've ever tasted coz biscuit sponges (where whites/yolks are beaten separately) are usually drier and firmer compared to genoises. not this one. perhaps its the use of cornflour instead of regular flour and the addition of almond paste that makes the cake really really cottony soft and fluffy, or perhaps its due to baking on very high heat for a short time that result in this wonderful cake texture, i'm not too sure. now i can't wait to try out other recipes from the book!

ingredients (makes six 4.5cm(H) x6.5cm(Ø) individual mousse rings) :

for the pistachio biscuit sponge :

90g almond paste

37.5g pistachio paste

45g whole eggs

40g egg yolks

25g egg whites

80g egg whites

50g caster sugar

45g corn flour

20g melted butter

for the blackberry mousse :

90ml whipping cream

90g blackberry pulp

4g sheet gelatin

18ml raspberry liqueur (optional)

25ml water

50g sugar

25g egg whites

for the pistachio mousse :

225ml milk

25g pistachio paste

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

50g egg yolks

50g caster sugar

5g sheet gelatin

225ml whipping cream

for the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage :

30ml syrup (made by boiling 32.5g sugar & 25ml water together), cooled & measure out 30ml

20ml water

15ml kirsch

for the nappage neutre :

50g neutral glazing gel, warmed & strained

fresh blackberry halves & pistachios for decor

directions :

1. to make the pistachio biscuit sponge, combine almond & pistachio paste in a bowl. add in egg yolks, egg whites & whole eggs gradually and beat until thick & fluffy. fold in corn flour and melted butter. in another bowl whisk 80g egg whites and 50g caster sugar until stiff peaks then fold in 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture, followed by the rest of the whites. pour mixture into 12" shallow tin and bake on 230C for 5-6 mins. leave to cool and cut out six 5cm (Ø) rounds. the recipe yields a rather large batch of sponge so if you'd like you can also scale down the recipe by half and pour the mixture into a 6" tin instead.

2. to make the blackberry mousse, heat blackberry pulp until boiling, add in softened gelatin and mix well. leave to cool, add in raspberry liqueur (if using) then whisk whipping cream until soft peaks. fold into the puree. make italian meringue by boiling water and sugar until 117C. whisk egg whites until foamy then pour in sugar syrup and whisk until stiff peaks. measure out 30g then fold into the puree mixture. pour mixture into a 6" square tin, refrigerate until firm then cut out six 5cm (Ø) rounds.

3. to make the pistachio mousse, combine pistachio paste, milk & vanilla bean paste together in a pan and heat until boiling. in another bowl combine egg yolks & sugar then pour milk mixture over. return mixture to stove and heat until 84C. add in softened gelatin, strain & leave to cool. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks and fold into the pistachio mixture.

4. to make the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage, combine syrup, water & kirsch in a bowl.

5. to assemble, place sponges at the bottom of the cake rings lined with cling film. brush generously with syrup, pour some pistachio mousse over and refrigerate until firm. place blackberry mousse on top and top up with the rest of the pistachio mousse. level the top with a spatula and refrigerate until firm. glaze tops with neutral glazing gel and loosen the sides of the rings with blow torch. decorate with blackberry halves & pistachios.

Sadaharu AOKI's Macarons

2011-01-19T09:40:00.010+08:00

remember the last time i said i was really lucky coz i got to try pierre herme's macarons from both tokyo and paris just two weeks apart from each other? this time i'm even luckier coz i got to try sadaharu AOKI's macarons from both taipei & paris on the same day, thx to my two lovely friends angela and claire! since claire returned from paris for almost two weeks already, i ate the macarons straight without taking any photos :( here are the ones from taipei that angela got me.

there's matcha, cassis, salted caramel, citron, violette and i can't remember the last one. i also had the earl grey, pistachio & sesame noir from paris.

the macarons are TO DIE FOR, SERIOUSLY! they're really really good and is probably one of best i've had so far. they sandwich the macarons with white choc ganache (i think) and i was surprised that they're totally not sweet at all, i wonder how they do it. normally when i eat macarons i hv to hv sips of water in-between each bite but this one, i just ate 6 at a go! simply amazing stuff. my favorite flavors would hv to be the matcha, violette, earl grey & sesame noir. and the thing is, there's virtually no difference between the taipei & paris ones, unlike pierre herme's where i felt the paris were better than the tokyo's. im so getting my lovely friends to buy more the nx time they travel again :p

and so, having tried some of the big names - pierre herme, sadaharu aoki, laduree...i feel like i can die happy now. also, i think obolo's macarons come close to sadaharu aoki's in terms of taste and texture, so i'm getting my fix at obolo if i ever crave sadaharu aoki's. my favorite is their chocolate salted caramel.

Jasmine Tea Roll Cake

2011-01-15T10:30:00.007+08:00

i've never really been much of a tea drinker but i still find myself buying lotsa tea for baking nevertheless coz i think they taste better in cakes and desserts than just drinking them alone. i've been eyeing on this recipe for quite sometime but i wasn't sure how it would turn out coz this is actually a fatless sponge as it doesn't require the use of oil or butter. i was pretty doubtful intially coz i've not made cakes that didn't require butter but ever since i made the butterless biscuit joconde from hidemi sugino's fruits rouges entremet i realize it actually tasted pretty good. the original recipe uses sencha (i think) but i decided to be adventurous and use gryphon's pearl of the orient instead. its actually jasmine tea infused with rose and its really really nice!

the texture is lovely, very soft and cottony and not too sweet. i thought the tea bits would get in the way but they didn't. in fact, it provided the cake a really nice contrast both in terms of appearance and taste. the filling is made with a mixture of whipping cream and condensed milk and i thought it tasted like whipped white choc ganache, so good! you can also use any kind of ground tea leaves for the cake and i think french earl grey or darjeeling would be nice.

recipe source : 我♥和風洋菓子 by 福田淳子 (wa sweet recipe by junko fukuda)

ingredients (makes one 11" roll) :

3 eggs, room temp

65g caster sugar

2 tbsps milk

45g cake flour, sifted

10g ground tea leaves

for the filling :

120ml whipping cream

50ml condensed milk

directions :

1. place eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl over a pan of hot water and whisk until the mixture reaches body temperature (abt 37C).

2. remove the pan of hot water and continue whisking mixture until ribbon stage.

3. fold in milk, flour & tea leaves and mix well to combine.

4. pour mixture into an 11" jelly roll pan/shallow baking tin lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven of 190C (374F) for abt 12-15 mins until golden. leave to cool completely then peel off paper carefully.

5. to make the filling, whisk whipping cream and condensed milk together until stiff peaks. spread mixture on cake and roll up, using the paper as a guide as you roll.

6. refrigerate or freeze until firm before slicing.

Kkaktugi 깍두기 - Korean Pickled Radish Kimchi

2011-01-05T16:43:00.004+08:00

while making a fresh batch of kimchi yesterday, i decided to make some kkaktugi as well using the same chilli paste. this is really easy to make and very yum! all you hv to do is just cut the radish into cubes, sprinkle with some salt, leave it on for 30 mins and give it a good rinse afterwards then proceed as usual like how you would make kimchi. the recipe for the chilli paste is from maangchi. enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies

2010-12-24T17:20:00.019+08:00

i'm just in time to make something for x'mas. i was down with a flu and i still had to fulfil some insane macaron orders for the past few weeks so i really lost my interest for blogging and photography. i don't know when i'll get the enthusiasm back, hopefully soon.

there were a few x'mas bakes i singled out but i decided on gingerbread cookies in the end coz i've not made them before. i couldn't really find the right recipe initially coz most of them are either just sugar cookies decorated christmas style or those that don't use treacle/molasses therefore not traditional enough. i finally found the one i was looking for, right on my own bookshelf. this one is by peggy porschen. in case you haven't heard of peggy porschen, she's like the goddess of fondant cakes and decorated cookies and in my opinion the BEST among all professional fondant cake designers out there. i hv all her books and this gingerbread is found under the base recipes of every single one of them. the recipe is also pretty unique in a sense that it uses a hot liquid mix whereby you boil the treacle, spices together then stir in melted butter & flour.

i was surprised at how easy it was to handle the dough consider that the recipe uses melted butter but it was firm enough and didn't require additional flouring or anything. tastewise they're very good, like a cross between a softer version of ginger snaps and my favorite lotus caramelized biscuits aka. speculoos. too yum! i also made some really delicious eggnog from the leftover yolks and the recipe can be found here. eggnog is basically a creme anglaise spiked with alcohol, exactly like your ice cream custard mixture so you can also churn it into ice cream if you like. but if you intend to do so, you'll hv to hold back on the liquor coz alcohol don't freeze.

this is the lyle's black treacle i used. they're not available everywhere and most of the time, the golden syrup version (in green can) is more common. i got this from naturally marketplace by cold storage at vivocity but i believe all upscale supermarkets should carry.

lastly, hv a very blessed christmas and happy holidays everyone!

recipe source : romantic cakes by peggy porschen

ingredients (makes 20 medium or 10 large cookies) :

125g cold salted butter, diced

1/2 tsp baking soda

280g plain flour

for the hot mix :

2.5 tbsp water

105g brown sugar

1.5 tbsp treacle

1.5 tbsp golden syrup

1.5 tbsp ground ginger

1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves (i used all-spice)

directions :

1. place all the ingredients of the hot mix in a deep heavy saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. once boiled remove pan from heat and using a wooden spoon, stir in the diced butter. once well combined, add in the baking soda and whisk the mix through briefly.

2. pour mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool until just slightly warm. once the mixture has cooled, sift the flour all over and start combining on low speed using the paddle attachment until it forms a dough.

3. wrap dough with cling film and chill for a couple of hours or overnight. place the chilled dough on floured surface and knead briefly. place the dough between two 5mm (1/4 inch) guide sticks and roll out. use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes and place them on tray lined with baking paper. freeze for 30 mins then bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 8-12 mins, depending on cookie size until just firm to the touch.

4. leave to cool completely. wrapped in foil or cling film, these will keep well in a cool dry place for up to 3 months.

I'm A Ben & Jerry's Moolet!

2010-12-15T13:40:00.018+08:00

i feel extremely honored to be one of the few bloggers selected for the ben & jerry's moolet program. i always feel happy to receive invites but more especially when its from a well-known company. basically as a moolet i get to enjoy 3 pints of ice cream every month for a year, be the first to receive ben & jerry's news and to try new flavors. i also get to go on chunk-meets and receive exclusive premiums, most of which are directly imported from the US. heres what i received on my 1st day.

ceramic pint mug, a very pretty metal ice cream scoop, ice cream & dessert recipe book.

iphone 3GS & iphone 4 jacket, apron, pencils and a notebook. i also hv a snake & ladder sort of board game & a pint-lock, supposedly to stop others from stealing yr ice cream (LOL!)

there will also be goodie giveaways for my blog readers in time to come, so watch this space! thank you daphne of goodstuph for the opportunity to be a moolet :)

Strawberry & Orange Flower Marshmallows

2010-12-06T03:17:00.012+08:00

i'm not sure if anyone has seen or heard of the ladurée sucré book. i didn't know about its existence until the lovely felicia very generously loaned it to me (she bought it on her recent trip to paris). the book is unlike all other books i've seen - velvety suede cover with gold trimmings and delicately packed in a ladurée's signature pastel green box with lilac tissue paper (hubby commented that it looked harry potter-ish lol). i fell in love with it at 1st sight but was even more fascinated with the recipes as i flipped the pages. i don't think i've ever classified any cookbook as totally "my type" but for this one...YES! the book features lotsa dainty and feminine desserts like rose petal ice cream, pistachio financiers, vanilla eclairs, raspberry rose verrines etc.

and one of them that caught my eye was the guimauve fraise et fleur d'oranger, or strawberry & orange flower marshmallows. the name itself is very lovely and it was after i made it that i realize what a fantastic pairing it was. the orange blossom water is both floral and fruity and is a great complement with the strawberry puree. really delicate. i also felt it was about time i made marshmallows again since i wasn't exactly satisfied with my previous attempt on the passionfruit version.

and what could be better with marshmallows than hot chocolate? weather is rather chilly these days so this is just perfect.

wasting no time, i got myself a copy of the book from amazon as well. contrary to what i thought, the book is actually pretty cheap (US$26) and after freight charges & conversion to SGD, i paid about S$45 which is pretty reasonable! also, the book is originally in french and i ordered it without realizing there's actually an english version but they actually sent the english one by mistake afterall, to my delight. how lucky was i? :p

recipe source : ladurée sucré

ingredients (makes thirty 3x3cm square pieces) :

6 gelatin sheets (or 1.5 tbsp/10.5g powdered gelatin)

75ml water

250g sugar + 1 tbsp sugar

37.5g glucose syrup

3 egg whites

50g strawberry pulp

2.5 tbsp orange flower water

50g powdered sugar

50g potato starch

directions :

1. line a 5 inch square pan with parchment paper.

2. place the gelatin sheets in cold water, soak until softened and squeeze water out to remove excess liquid. if using powdered gelatin, sprinkle it with some water until bloomed then microwave for 10 secs until dissolved. set aside.

3. put the 75ml water, sugar and glucose syrup in a saucepan. bring mixture to 130C (266F). when mixture reaches 120C (248F), beat the egg whites in another bowl until bubbly. add in 1 tbsp sugar and whisk until white & frothy. incorporate the sugar syrup a little at a time into the egg whites, continue whisking until stiff peaks.

4. add the gelatin into the hot meringue and thoroughly combine until the gelatin is fully incorporated. using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the strawberry puree & orange flower water.

5. pour the marshmallows into the square mold to a thickness of 3cm. allow to cool completely and harden overnight in a cool place. you can also place it covered with cling film in the fridge.

6. the following day, combine the powdered sugar & potato starch on a plate or tray. sprinkle some over the work surface. remove marshmallows from mold and place on the work surface. using a hot dry knife, slice the marshmallows into 3x3cm squares, wiping the knife clean in between each cut.

7. roll the marshmallow squares in the powdered sugar mixture to coat, shake off any excess and allow to dry uncovered for 6 hrs.

Purple Sweet Potato Chiffon

2010-11-28T16:38:00.017+08:00

i bought some really beautiful purple sweet potatoes during the weekend and immediately set my eyes on this. i've seen this on several blogs and the violet amethyst-like cubes embedded within the cake really caught my attention. i guess i just hv this weakness for pretty desserts (and purple sweet potatoes).

the cake turned out fluffier than i thought, consider that the purple sweet potato puree was rather thick and heavy. tastewise its pretty mild since the sweet potato doesn't really hv much taste/aroma to begin with but i do like the subtle sweetness and the contrast of the cubes with the cake. i also think that they're better eaten fresh from the oven coz that raw eggy smell will be more apparent upon cooling.

recipe is adapted from here and the original yields a 17cm cake but i scaled it up since i only hv a 22cm tin. also, i don't like the idea of using cream of tartar when whisking egg whites coz i don't see a difference in the results. japanese pastry chefs don't use it in their recipes either so i'll usually omit. sugar and egg whites alone will give you a beautiful meringue so you don't need cream of tartar, or vinegar, or lemon juice.

ingredients (makes one 22cm/8.5" cake) :

130g purple sweet potato

4 tbsps milk

4 egg yolks

25g brown sugar

65ml canola oil

4 tbsps water

110g cake flour, sifted

5 cold egg whites

65g caster sugar

80-100g raw purple sweet potato cubes, lightly coated with cake flour to prevent from sinking to the bottom of the cake

directions :

1. peel and chop purple sweet potatoes, then steam until cooked. lightly mash with fork, add milk and puree with hand blender until emulsified.

2. in a bowl whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar, oil & water until well blended. add in sweet potato puree and mix well. fold in flour until well combined.

3. in another bowl whisk together egg whites and caster sugar until stiff peaks, then fold the whites into the yolk mixture in 3 additions. fold in the purple sweet potato cubes.

4. pour mixture into ungreased chiffon/angel cake tube pan and knock the pan against the counter top to remove some air bubbles.

5. bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 40 mins or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. remove tin from oven and immediately invert it until the cake has cooled completely.

Hidemi Sugino's Fruits Rouges　フリュイ・ルーヅュ

2010-11-24T11:39:00.023+08:00

biscuit joconde sans beurre avec confiture framboise, gelee aux fruits rouges, mousse aux fruits rouges, glaçage framboise

my first recipe from hidemi sugino's le goût authentique retrouvé and i'm really happy with it. i think i must be crazy to purchase a japanese book when i don't understand a word of it but i just couldn't resist coz first, he's a famous pastry chef, secondly the recipes are all so fantastic! some of my friends were really kind to offer help to translate but i just don't wanna impose on them. they can afterall help translate one but not the whole book, which is frankly what i need. you would wanna fully utilize the book too if you had spent close to a hundred bucks on it. so while half-heartedly trying to memorize all the hiragana & katakana characters, i gave up in the end and went ahead with this recipe. luckily the ingredient portion was written in french as well so i could understand a little. it was not all that difficult since this is not the 1st time i've attempted to make a cake without the given methods/steps.

this recipe has just 3 components so its considered one of the easier ones in his book. while im very familiar with the mousse & gelee, i encountered some problem when making the patterned joconde. the jam is piped on the cake batter before baking but i was horrified to see that the jam lines hv sunken into the cake after baking, making them look like deep slash wounds, really ugly! wasn't sure what went wrong, perhaps the jam i used was too watery or maybe the oven temp was too high. if you've made something similar or are planning on making this, do let me know if you encountered a similar problem like mine.

overall taste is really good, in fact one of the nicer berry entremets i've had. tho' the gelee is rather tart, it complements the mousse well. the joconde, which is butterless, doesn't taste very different from the one that uses butter. i can't taste the difference actually. this is definitely something i'll make again but perhaps next time scale it up to make a big one, which i think will be just as elegant.

and since i don't understand japanese, the steps are based on my experience working with similar recipes. don't think there should be much difference if i had followed the recipe to a tee. mr. sugino also used a combination of groseille (red currants) and raspberry puree in the mousse & gelee but i used ravifruit's mélange de fruits rouges which consist of a medley of red fruits like strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries & blueberries. it tastes wonderful and is really apt for this recipe.

ingredients (makes six 4.5cm(H) x6.5cm(Ø) individual mousse rings) :

for the butterless biscuit joconde with raspberry jam :

50g ground almonds

50g powdered sugar

40g egg yolks

30g egg whites

45g cake flour

100g egg whites

60g caster sugar

storebought raspberry jam, strained

powdered sugar, for dusting

for the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage :

30ml syrup (made by boiling 32.5g sugar & 25ml water together), cooled & measure out 30ml

20ml water

15ml kirsch

for the rouges fruits gelee :

150ml red fruit puree (use a combination of any two red berry puree)

25ml lemon juice

25g sugar

3g sheet gelatin

for the rouges fruits mousse :

150ml red fruit puree

15ml kirsch

50g egg whites

50ml water

100g sugar

5g sheet gelatin

150ml whipping cream, whipped til soft peaks

for the raspberry glaze :

60g neutral glazing gel

few tsps of raspberry or red fruit puree

strawberries & mint leaves, for decor

directions :

1. to make the butterless biscuit joconde, combine powdered sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. add in egg yolks, egg whites and whisk until thick and fluffy. fold in flour. to make the french meringue, whisk egg whites and caster sugar together until stiff peaks then fold into the yolk mixture. spread a thin layer of mixture on 13cm baking tray lined with silpat with spatula, pipe raspberry jam diagonally on sponge and bake on 230C for 5-6 mins until golden. leave to cool then slice sponge into six 2.25cm(H) x 20cm long strips that will fit 1/2 the height of the mousse rings and cut out another 6 pcs to fit the bases of the mousse rings. dust the long strips with powdered sugar. this is to prevent them from sticking to the sides of the mousse rings.

2. to make the 30°B sugar syrup imbibage, combine syrup, water & kirsch in a bowl.

3. to make the fruits rouges gelee, warm half of the red fruit puree with lemon juice and sugar. add in softened gelatin and add the rest of the puree. pour into 14cm round tin and refrigerate until firm.

4. to make the fruits rouges mousse, boil half of the red fruit puree, add in soaked gelatin followed by kirsch and the rest of the puree mixture. to make italian meringue, boil water & sugar until 117C. whisk egg whites until foamy then dribble in syrup and whisk until stiff peaks. measure out 60g. fold whipped cream into the puree mixture followed by the meringue.

5. to make the raspberry glaze, combine neutral glazing gel and raspberry puree in a bowl.

6. to assemble, line sides and bases with sponge, then brush the bases generously with syrup. pour in some mousse into the rings, refrigerate until firm then use a 4cm round cookie cutter and cut out gelee into 6 rounds. place the gelee on top. pour the rest of the mousse into the rings to the rim and level with a spatula to neaten. refrigerate until firm. brush the tops with raspberry glaze, remove the cakes from the rings and brush the rest of the glaze on the strawberries. decorate as desired.

Ddeokbokki 떡볶이 - Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

2010-11-20T17:18:00.014+08:00

ddeokbokki is a popular snack food that is commonly sold by street vendors in korea. i've tried them a couple of times in korea but didn't really like it coz i find it kinda bland and not sweet enough for my liking. i like mine really sweet and generously doused with lotsa sesame oil and sesame seeds, something which i find lacking from the ones in korea so i love making this at home coz its so easy and i can tweak it according to my own preference. the authentic recipe uses cabbage and spring onion/scallions but i didn't hv both so i omitted.

this is the ssal ddeok (rice cake) i used. fresh tube-shaped rice cakes are preferred when making ddeokbokki whereas the thinly-sliced ones are usually used for making soup.

they're really good and satisfying on their own and some ppl like to add it to korean ramyeon (instant noodles) and they call it 'rabokki' which is ramyeon + ddeokbokki combined. cute. but i find the combination strange coz its like eating double carbs. then again, wouldn't know until i tried it.

also, if you reside in singapore and love shopping for korean groceries like i do, you may like to check out harin mart, a korean grocery supplier in singapore. they're not a supermarket but a warehouse located at marsiling industrial estate. i checked it out some weeks ago and the main attraction is that their prices are alot cheaper compared to korean supermarkets like solmart. the rice cakes are $3.80 a 600g pack whereas solmart is selling $6.80, the shin ramyeon is $1.20 per pack and gochugaru (korean chilli powder) is amazingly cheap at 1kg for $12 whereas i used to buy it from solmart at $14 for 200g! they also hv lotsa fresh produce and deliver islandwide, so check it out! and no, i'm not advertising for them, i just think no one should pay for overpriced korean groceries from now on :p

recipe for the ddeokbokki can be found here.

iPhone Love

2010-11-16T17:06:00.019+08:00

i've just gotten an iphone three weeks ago. i know i'm very behind-times coz lotsa people hv used it for like 2-3 years already but im just not willing to splurge on a phone so i was patiently waiting for the price to go down. for my love of photography especially the lomo/medium format/cross processing/film/toy camera type of photos, im really elated that there are lotsa apps that allow me to simulate that "look". my favorite are the hipstamatic and instagram apps.

berrylite froyo with strawberries & mochi, view from my bedroom window at dusk

cookies on a supermarket shelf, pearl milk tea

compared to the lomo ones with funky colors, i prefer the former. they're not really suited for most food shots tho', would look weird and unappetizing. can't wait to take more pictures!

Éclairs au Café (Coffee Eclairs)

2010-11-10T01:02:00.010+08:00

what comes to mind when you think of eclairs? are they just vanilla custard choux puffs with a hastily applied chocolate glaze which look ~~ugly~~ rustic at best? to me, they're far from that boring ol' combination of vanilla and chocolate. when i think eclairs, i think fauchon, the hyperluxe gourmet food shop in paris. fauchon is definitely synonymous with eclairs and here's why. decked in all sorts of flavors and designs imaginable, from the mona lisa eyes to garden peas to leopard prints on the icing, you'll never look at eclairs the same way again. even without all these adornments i feel that an eclair should be elegant looking - long and thin and topped with a shiny fondant glaze. therefore i started by trying out a relatively safe coffee flavor and pairing them with coffee creme patissiere, coffee fondant glaze + cocoa nibs for that extra crunch.

once again i can't help but use another pierre herme's recipe. his recipe for the pâte à choux is really really good its the only one i ever use these days. using a combination of milk and water for the dough, the puffs came out really nice and buttery. much better than recipes that use water alone. while i feel that the taste is close to perfection, i can't say the same for its appearance. still not happy with how they look so i still hv lots to improve on when it comes to piping the choux.

recipe sources : chocolate desserts by pierre herme (pate a choux), paris sweets by dorie greenspan(creme patissiere) for fauchon

ingredients (makes 10 eclairs) :

for the pate a choux :

125ml water

125ml milk

115g butter

pinch of sugar

1 cup flour

5 eggs, room temp

for the coffee creme patissiere :

2 cups milk

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup corn starch, sifted

3 & 1/2 tbsps unsalted butter, diced, at room temp

1/3 cup espresso, cooled

for the coffee fondant glaze :

commercial pouring fondant, as desired

sugar syrup or water, as desired

instant coffee granules, as desired

directions :

1. to make the pate a choux, bring milk, water, butter, sugar to boil in a saucepan. when the mixture is boiling rapidly, add flour all at once then reduce the heat to medium. stir mixture with wooden spoon until it comes together and is dry. remove pan from heat and whisk in eggs one at a time, beating each egg until thoroughly corporated. put mixture into piping bag fitted with 1-inch wide plain piping tip and pipe 12cm lengths onto baking tray lined with baking paper. bake on 190C for 20 mins or until puffed and golden.

2. to make the creme patissiere, bring the milk and vanilla bean (pulp & pod) to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. cover the pan, turn off heat and allow the milk to infuse for at least 10 mins or up to an hour. reheat the milk before proceeding if it turned cold.

3. whisk together yolks, sugar & corn starch together in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. while whisking constantly, drizzle 1/4 of the hot milk into the yolks followed by the rest of the milk. discard vanilla pod.

4. put pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil while whisking vigorously. keep at the boil while whisking, for another 1-2 mins. remove from pan and put cream through a strainer. cool the cream and set it over a tub of ice water until it reaches 60C.

5. remove from the ice-water bath and whisk in butter. refrigerate until cold.

6. lightly whisk the espresso into the pastry cream. carefully cut the eclairs horizontally in half. lift off tops and pipe the pastry cream and fill each eclair. refrigerate the eclairs until firm.

7. to make the fondant glaze, heat the glaze, syrup and coffee granules over medium heat in a small saucepan until melted and thoroughly combined. dip the eclairs into the glaze and smoothing the tops with a palette knife if necessary.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-11-05T13:04:00.010+08:00

lemon chocolate - chocolate biscuit joconde, hazelnut praline brittle, lemon curd, lemon praline mousse, chocolate mousse, chocolate lacquer glaze.

my birthday falls on the 7th and i had an early celebration with the family yesterday. as usual i was expected to bring a cake so i decided on this, a lemon choc cake. the unfortunate thing is that it collapsed on the long journey to my aunt's home so i didn't bother taking a pic of the insides. should hv added some gelatin to the choc mousse :( the good thing is, everyone raved about it, including the gf whom i shared a slice with. she said my cake tasted like canele patisserie's so its really a huge compliment :)
to give you an idea of what the insides look like, the recipe is from here and i followed everything except for the caramel glaze. i used a chocolate lacquer glaze instead. this is a really really good recipe and being the usual fan of the orange + chocolate combination, i'm now a lemon + chocolate convert as well. the combination is just as gorgeous as the orange one. the only thing is its alittle on the sweet side since i used 55% equatoriale chocolate, if i were to make it again (which i'm very sure i will), i'll use a 70% or above chocolate.

Pistachio & Raspberry Chiffon

2010-10-29T12:46:00.007+08:00

something i tried from a new chiffon cake book i bought last week. i realize i don't look at chiffon cakes like the way i used to in the past coz they're made in so many exotic flavors like earl grey, black sesame, yuzu, purple sweet potato, rose, matcha etc these days. no longer are they just limited to boring flavors like pandan and chocolate. decided on this cake coz i wanted to put my really expensive $60/kg sevarome pistachio paste into good use. the cake turned out really soft and fluffy and is probably the softest chiffon cake i've ever tasted. was really good! and chiffon cakes aren't exactly the most photogenic subjects around so i only hv this pic.

recipe source : 好吃戚風蛋糕輕鬆上手 by 福田淳子 (chiffon cake book by junko fukuda)

ingredients (makes one 20cm cake) :

130g sugar

65g pistachio paste

5 egg yolks

80ml canola oil

80ml water

65g cake flour, sifted

7 egg whites

25g freeze-dried raspberries, chopped (i used fresh)

directions :

1. whisk 1/3 sugar with the pistachio paste until well combined. add in egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition followed by oil and water. whisk until mixture is incorporated then add in cake flour and mix well.

2. in another bowl whisk egg whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff peaks. fold 1/3 of the whites into yolk mixture followed by the rest of the whites. fold in raspberries.

3. pour mixture into chiffon tin and bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 40 mins.

4. remove tin from oven and immediately invert it to cool completely before loosening the cake.

Emotion & Macaron Ispahan

2010-10-25T13:10:00.009+08:00

i seriously cant think of anything more delicious, pretty and feminine than this, the ispahan. unless you dislike rose, it would be a crime to skip this. with some red rose petals and raspberries leftover from the weekend, i just HAD to make these again.

macaron ispahan - dissected. components are rose macaron shells, rose buttercream, juicy lychee center and fresh raspberries. for the equally delicious emotion ispahan verrines, the recipe can be found here.

if pierre herme isn't a genius, i don't know what he is.

Rose Petal Jam

2010-10-20T11:40:00.008+08:00

i can't believe i've not heard of rose petal jam, or jelly until i saw this as one of the components of a verrine i intend to make. given my love for rose there was no way i could miss this out so i went ahead and bought the reddest rosiest red roses i could lay my hands on. i knew the color was gonna turn out pretty and striking and true enough, it was a blood red hue not unlike raspberry jam.

using only ingredients like rose petals, pectin, sugar and lemon juice, it was a pretty easy process though the prep time was slightly longer than i thought as i had to rinse every single petal and cut off the white bitter base of each one. it was also quite expensive to make since about $10 of roses could only yield me, say, a cup or less of jam. then again it was totally worth it. the jam was sweet-smelling and mildly floral, totally like fresh roses without that artificial heady scent of rose essence found in syrups or bath products. very nice! i had them with marks & spencers almond biscuits and it was really good!

recipe source : allrecipes

ingredients (makes 8 servings) :

55 g fresh rose petals (abt 6 stalks roses, preferably organic and unsprayed), rinse thoroughly and white base trimmed off

100 g white sugar

180 ml water

squeeze of lemon juice

10 g powdered fruit pectin

directions :

1. toss the rose petals and sugar together in a bowl until evenly coated. cover, and let stand at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

2. bring the water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. stir in the rose petals, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. stir in the lemon juice & pectin, and boil for 1 minute. pour the jam into a sterilized half-pint jar, leave to cool and refrigerate.

Macarons for Occasions

2010-10-15T16:45:00.008+08:00

i had macaron orders for two consecutive days. first one was a wedding order, from the bride to her bridesmaids as thank-you gifts. flavors are rose, pistachio & dark choc.

second one - birthday gifts. flavors are matcha adzuki, passionfruit milk choc, caramel fleur de sel & dark choc.

** edited to add : one more last minute order. rose, caramel fleur de sel, black sesame.

i made 200 macarons these two days and the aftermath is extreme dark circles under eyes and aching back, hands & feet. so so tired and desperately need some sleep now *yawns*

Lumiere by Toshi Yoroizuka

2010-10-11T09:18:00.014+08:00

from bottom : compote exotique, lemon souffle cheese sponge, white choc mousse, creme chantilly, tempered white choc sheet

apart from sadaharu aoki & hidemi sugino, i was told that toshi yoroizuka (鎧塚俊彦) is another prominent pastry chef in japan and if i were to go to japan i must visit his boutique at midtown tokyo. frankly, i've not heard of him so i googled and found out that this website has quite alot of his recipes (i think its his official site). the only thing is they're in japanese and apart from ingredients used, the method & steps are not stated at all. this is actually not surprising consider that if you can attempt professional level cakes and entremets, you should hv already memorized the steps by heart. i wouldn't say i was very confident but i was up for the challenge. imagine, i had to rely solely on google translate to translate the text from japanese to english + make this without any written steps, its a little like playing with fire.

basically i chose this recipe for a couple of reasons. first of all, despite the fact that tropical fruits are so easily available in singapore, i've not tried making entremets with them...at least not with a medley of 2-3 fruits. the last time i made something tropical was the mango panna cotta verrines early this year so i just wanted to give it a try. secondly, it looked simple enough so the chance of me botching things up would be minimized. so i went ahead but i tweaked the recipe a little. the recipe uses an all-egg yolk lemon sponge but i thought it was too much yolks for a cake so i used a japanese souffle cheese sponge instead and added lemon zest to it. for the pineapple in the compote, i used canned pineapples instead of fresh for fear that it wouldn't set due to the bromelain enzyme.

tastewise i'm not sure if it would be appropriate to say that its not too bad but not mind-blowing enough. i feel it could be better if i were to add spices like cinnamon & nutmeg to the compote. and since this is a tropical fruit-based dessert, perhaps an additional layer of coconut dacquoise or mango/passionfruit mousse would really do the trick. luckily i did add some malibu coconut rum to the imbibage (soaking syrup) and i will definitely improvise if i were to make this again. on a positive note, i'm glad that hubby is a bigger fan than i am, he finished 3 slices all on his own :p

ingredients (makes one 6" square entremet) :

for the mousse chocolat blanc :

110ml milk

20g sugar

45g egg yolk

5g sheet gelatin

100g white choc couverture

150ml whipping cream

for the compote exotique :

38ml orange juice

5ml lime or lemon juice

22g demerara or brown sugar

90g pineapple

80g mango

60g banana

2.5g sheet gelatin

for the cake citron, refer to my entry on japanese souffle cheesecake, divide the portion by two and add some grated lemon zest in the batter.

for the imbibage (soaking syrup) :

100ml water

50g sugar

some malibu coconut rum (optional)

whipped cream, halved pistachios, diced mangoes & tempered choc sheet for decor

directions :

1. to make the mousse chocolat blanc, melt white choc & set aside. whisk egg yolk & sugar together, boil milk then pour over. cook mixture until 84C, add in gelatin, followed by white choc & whipped cream.

2. to make the compote exotique, finely chop fruits. in a saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce heat and cook for 5 mins. add in gelatin and leave to cool.

3. make lemon souffle cheesecake sponge.

4. to make the imbibage (soaking syrup), boil water and sugar, leave to cool then add in malibu coconut rum.

5. to assemble, place compote exotique at the bottom of the mousse ring lined with cling film. refrigerate to set, place souffle sponge on top, brush with syrup then pour mousse chocolat blanc over. refrigerate until firm then cut into 10x3cm slices. pipe whipped cream on top then decorate with chocolate sheet, pistachio & diced mangoes.

Chinese Cookbooks

2010-10-07T15:13:00.010+08:00

my collection of chinese cookbooks, mostly on french patisserie and translated from japanese. i hv alot more chinese than english ones coz its really difficult to find english books on french/japanese patisserie and entremets. most french or japanese books would usually be translated to chinese, seldom are they translated to english so i'm really glad i can read them. i spent a small fortune on these but its still much cheaper than going to pastry school :p

i usually buy my books from books kinokuniya, pageone @ vivocity but recently i've taken to buying them online from books.com.tw. they're really efficient and i usually receive my books within TWO days via DHL express. most books are usually cheaper but some would be more expensive. my latest buy is pierre herme's le larousse des desserts and le goût authentique retrouvé by hidemi sugino (in japanese). can't wait to put them into good use!

Anise & Orange Weekend Cake

2010-10-05T00:39:00.015+08:00

as i was browsing through my chinese cookbook collection, i came across this cake recipe which i found very enticing. a weekend cake, or gateau de voyage is a traditional french pound cake thats rich and buttery. i don't fancy butter/pound cakes much coz i find they use wayyyyy too much butter and take wayyyyy to long to bake. plus they're just too rustic for my liking. but perhaps its the lovely combination of spices, rum, nuts and candied peel in this one that makes me wanna go ahead... and there's just something really christmassy about it too.

this is another cake i like and i'm glad it turned out nicely. despite it being a butter cake of sorts, its surprisingly light on the palate! i was expecting it to be really greasy but it wasn't. the crumbs were fine and texture is inbetween a banana bread and christmas fruitcake. definitely a keeper tho' i would be more generous with the spices, nuts & peel nx time. i glazed the top of the cake with a commercial fondant glaze but you can also do it with an icing sugar/water mixture. since the cake isn't too sweet to begin with, the glaze is a nice complement.

my precious stash of homemade candied orange peel, made using pierre herme's recipe. not sure if you can see the specks of vanilla bean but this is good stuff coz lotsa spices go into them and the aroma is unsurpassed. after making these i realize the storebought variety is crap, especially the ones found along the baking isle in supermarkets and in baking supplies store.

recipe source for anise orange cake : 精致蛋糕慕斯 by 上优文化

ingredients (makes two small loaf tins) :

165g unsalted butter, room temp

115g icing sugar

165g eggs (abt 3 no.s)

165g cake flour

3g double-acting baking powder

3g ground anise (i used allspice)

3g ground cinnamon

10g pistachios

25g homemade candied orange peel (recipe below)

25g walnuts

50g honey

25ml rum

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of fleur de sel

directions :

1. sift together cake flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and ground anise/all spice and set aside.

2. whisk butter briefly, sift in icing sugar and whisk until pale and fluffy, scraping down the bowl at intervals if necessary. add in eggs one at a time and whisk until combined between each addition then whisk in honey, flour mixture & fleur de sel. fold in nuts, candied peel then add in vanilla extract, rum and mix well.

3. grease and line baking tins then pour mixture into tins until 3/4 full. bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 35-40 mins until cooked or skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

recipe source for candied orange peel : chocolate desserts by pierre herme

ingredients :

5 oranges

4 cups water

470g sugar

60ml lemon juice

10 black peppercorns, bruised

1 pc star anise

1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped

directions :

1. put a large pot of water to boil. cut off a thin slice from top and bottom of each orange then cut off wide bands of peel of about 2.5cm across, making certain that as you cut you include a sliver of fruit as well. toss the slices of peels into the boiling water and boil for 2 mins. remove the peel from the water with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold running water for 2 mins then repeat the boiling process twice. set peel aside for a moment.

2. put all remaining ingredients and water used to boil the peels earlier in a large casserole and bring them to boil. add the peel, cover pot and simmer for about 1.5 hrs while stirring occassionally. the peel should be soft and completely candied. remove the pot from heat and allow the peels to macerate overnight.

3. the next day pour the peel and syrup into a canning jar and store in the fridge.

Matcha Black Sesame

2010-09-30T20:53:00.026+08:00

i've been doing alot of sliced cakes lately. not that i'm terribly fond of them but i'm trying to practice on my cake slicing. slicing cakes may be a simple thing but to do them evenly and neatly? not easy! i seriously could use more practice but i can't possibly be baking everyday so its a shame really.

matcha sponge, matcha mousse, black sesame mousse & sesame nougatine

anyway i was craving for a matcha cake and i decided to come up with my own "creation". each component is taken from a different recipe and for a moment i couldn't really decide what to pair it with. matcha is rather versatile and it goes well with either chocolate, adzuki bean, chestnut or black sesame but i decided to go with a black sesame mousse in the center coz i've not made it before.

overall taste is good and much better than i anticipated! i really like this cake alot even tho' its put together using four different recipes and i had no idea what the outcome would be like. the sweetness is just right and the sesame nougatine gave it a nice buttery crunch. you can even crush the nougatine and add it in one of the layers if you like. i hv a liking for extremely strong matcha so that means i can add as much matcha as i want when i make my own cake. i must say that so far, all matcha cakes i've tasted outside are just really disappointing coz they just aren't potent enough. glad to hv found one right in my own kitchen. coupled with a good book and homemade matcha latte, life just can't get any better!

recipe sources : crave - cheese desserts to die for by mac woo & june lee (matcha sponge & syrup), seiji tada for patisserie igrekplus (sesame mousse as adapted from hazelnut mousse), kanae kobayashi for patisserie kanae (matcha mousse), le cordon bleu tokyo (sesame nougatine)

ingredients (makes one 6" square entremet) :

for the matcha sponge :

2 tsps matcha powder

1 & 1/3 tbsp hot water

50g cake flour

2 eggs, separated

60g sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 & 1/3 tbsp butter, melted & cooled

for the matcha mousse :

160ml milk

5g matcha powder

50g sugar

6g sheet gelatin

120ml whipping cream

for the black sesame mousse :

50g black sesame paste

20g butter, softened

90ml whipping cream

2 egg yolks

18ml water

6g glucose syrup

12g caster sugar

2g sheet gelatin

for the matcha soaking syrup :

1 & 1/2 tsp matcha powder

1 tbsp warm water

45ml water

45g sugar

for the sesame nougatine :

25g glucose syrup

5ml water

65g unsalted butter

75g sugar

25g black sesame seeds

25g white sesame seeds

pinch of fleur de sel

directions :

1. to make the matcha sponge, dissolve matcha in hot water. sift cake flour & set aside. whisk yolks with 2 tsp sugar & vanilla until pale and fluffy then whisk in matcha mixture. in another bowl whisk together rest of sugar & egg whites until stiff peaks. fold in whites & yolks together, followed by cake flour & melted butter. pour mixture in 7" square tin and bake on 180C for 20 mins or until skewer inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean.

2. to make the matcha mousse, mix together matcha powder & sugar together in a bowl. heat milk over stove until boiling and pour into matcha/sugar mixture & whisk until smooth. add in softened gelatin and leave to cool. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks and fold into above.

3. to make the black sesame mousse, make the pate a bombe by heating sugar, glucose syrup and water until 121C. lightly whisk egg yolks and pour in hot sugar mixture and whisk on high speed until pale, fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch. meanwhile, microwave black sesame paste until warm, then add in softened butter and mix well. add the black sesame mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then heat on stove until 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water and add into the above mixture. strain mixture and leave to cool. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks, add in 1/3 of the cream into the above, followed by the rest of the cream.

4. to make the matcha syrup, combine matcha powder, sugar and water and heat until sugar and matcha powder has dissolved completely. set aside and leave to cool.

5. to make the sesame nougatine, melt glucose syrup on low heat then add in water, butter and fleur de sel. when completely melted add in sugar and heat until boiling. remove from heat then stir in the sesame seeds and mix well. quickly pour mixture on silpat then put another silpat on top and roll out thinly. chill in fridge until set, remove the silpat on top and bake on 170C for 10-15 mins until bubbles appear. leave to cool and break into pieces.

6. to assemble, slice the sponge horizontally into two layers. place one slice of the sponge at the bottom of a 6" square cake ring, then brush generously with syrup. pour half the matcha mousse onto the sponge and refrigerate until firm. pour the sesame mousse on top then place another slice of sponge on top. brush sponge with the rest of the syrup then pour in the rest of the matcha mousse. freeze cake until firm. release cake from ring, trim sides and slice into desired size and decorate with the sesame nougatine.

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-09-26T09:21:00.024+08:00

i made a strawberry shortcake for my friend huiyi's birthday and this is by far my best attempt. i've always shyed away from anything to do with whipped cream mainly for two reasons - i tend to overwhip the cream to the point that it splits and secondly, i just don't hv the talent in frosting whole cakes. when i found the solution to these two major problems, i jumped at the opportunity to make one again. with regards to overwhipping the cream, my pastry chef gf told me to whisk it on high speed, never mind that the bowl and beaters are not chilled. it worked! secondly i read that instead of frosting the cake painstakingly, you could pour the cream into a mousse ring like you would an entremet. that worked too!

no innard pics this time as i'm giving the cake away. as much as i'm happy with how the cake looks, the only complaint is i don't really like the genoise sponge (i used the recipe from okashi treats). i'm still on the lookout for a really soft and cottony one like canele's or bakerzin's but i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the birthday girl will like it anyhow!

Banchan 반찬 - Korean Side Dishes II

2010-09-22T20:35:00.011+08:00

콩나물 무침 (kongnamul muchim)

kongnamul muchim, or korean seasoned soybean sprouts is another banchan that i'd often go for second or third helpings at a korean restaurant. i think this one is an acquired taste since it can taste rather raw and grassy to some people but i love it coz its like eating veggies and beans together. i like using soybean sprouts rather than the smaller mung bean sprouts for the crunch and texture but they're actually interchangeable for this dish. if you use mung bean sprouts, the name for it would be sukju namul (숙주 나물) instead.

김치전 (kimchi jeon)

i also made kimchi pancakes using the leftover kimchi juice i had from a previous batch of my homemade kimchi. i prefer this to the scallion ones coz the kimchi lends a sourish tang to the pancakes, making them very appetizing!

close-up of the kongnamul muchim. its been a long while since i used my macro lens and i've forgotten how close i can go towards the subject. i don't particularly fancy doing close-up shots of food like this but its just for fun.

and banchans i've made so far. closewise from top : kimchi, kongnamul muchim, kimchi jeon and myeolchi bokkeum.

i'm not sure what i'll be making next but there will definitely be a part three sometime so stay tuned for it :D recipe for the seasoned soybean sprouts can be found here and the kimchi pancakes here. i must say i really really like maangchi's recipes coz not only does she make cooking seem so easy but i'm always amazed when people could put measurements for cooking in writing. since everything is based on estimation and there would always be an opportunity for error, i'm really glad that it hasn't happened when i use maangchi's recipes. all her recipes are good and hv turned out well for me!

Chilling Out @ Arteastiq Tea Lounge

2010-09-17T01:58:00.007+08:00

the concept of a shop-within-a-shop, or rather cafe-within-a-shop seems to be all the rage now. think hairloom & caramel, a cafe within a hair salon, jams cafe inside prologue bookstore and tea cosy inside eclectic attic, a furniture shop.

arteastiq is the latest one to jump on the bandwagon. also nestled within a furniture shop that sells modern baroque/roccoco and neoclassical-inspired pieces, the gf and i decided to hv tea there on a lazy weekday afternoon. the place reminds me vaguely of the cookie museum but i like it better here, more modern and chic and a really cosy place for chillaxing.

the gf's pomelo tea ($11). i didn't try this but it smells really nice of jasmine green tea and citrus.

these two items i wish i never ordered! the whisky cioccolate with whisky cinnamon gelato ($14) was really lousy and overpriced. the drink wasn't smooth but icy with lotsa large ice crystals. i'd rather go starbucks at 1/2 the price. the curry chicken prata wrap was also not good, it tasted abit off.

the smoked salmon prata wrap was much much better! i can't believe they ran out of EVERYTHING on the small bites menu except for these two wraps. was really looking forward to try their crab salad & wagyu beef slices.

interior of the place with really good ambience. but lazy weekday afternoon...NOT. look at the crowd! i think the ambience will be much nicer on a rainy day or at night. will go back to try their floral and alcoholic teas nx time, i think their tea sets are too pretty! definitely one reason to entice people to drink tea and i really love their plush cushions and oversized armchairs.

--------------------

ARTEASTIQ TEA LOUNGE BY MARXX
333A Orchard Road
#04-14/15 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore
website : http://www.arteastiq.com/

Cream of Carrot Soup

2010-09-13T09:13:00.006+08:00

had a bunch of carrots and potatoes that needed getting rid of and i really couldn't think of any way to use them up. i didn't wanna cook any chinese style soups with them coz that means i'll hv to buy meat just for that. i decided on a cream of carrot soup and while googling aimlessly and striking off some of the carrot puree soups that needed crystallized ginger and curry powder, i came across this recipe by ju of thelittleteochew that didn't require any of those. having made cream-laden soups like clam chowder before, i very much prefer this kind that uses very little cream but is instead thickened naturally with potatoes. the soup is sweet, flavorful and satisfying!

i also made a batch of savory muffins to go with the soup. these bacon cheddar and chive muffins were from an old recipe that i posted when i started baking four years ago. these i feel, were even better than my first attempt coz even tho' i don't make any muffins these days, i must hv mastered the art of folding the batter somehow! with the use of double-acting baking powder, they turned out very light and fluffy fresh from the oven and when cooled, the texture is denser and resemble somewhat between a scone & english muffin. i thought i was being quite the joker to use chinese chives last time coz i didn't know what english chives were lol.

recipe source : thelittleteochew

ingredients (serves 4) :

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, peeled & finely chopped

1.5 pounds (abt 700g) carrots, peeled & sliced thinly

1 large potato, peeled & sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup whipping cream

salt, to taste

chopped chives for garnishing

directions :

1. in a large sturdy soup pot, melt the butter on medium heat. cook the onions, carrots, potato, and garlic in the butter for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the chicken stock and pepper and bring the soup to a boil. turn the heat down so that the soup is just barely bubbling. cover the pot and cook the soup for 30 minutes.

2. remove the soup from the heat and puree using either a food processor or blender (i used an immersion hand blender).

3. stir in the whipping cream, salt & more pepper if needed and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Mid-Autumn Treasures From The Fullerton Hotel

2010-09-08T01:28:00.003+08:00

i was both elated and excited when chloe from the fullerton hotel wrote to me about their new mooncake creations for the mid-autumn festival and that she would like to send me some. i was really looking forward to receiving them coz they feature some of my favorite flavors from their floral snowskin series.

i received two boxes and the first box contained 8 pcs of mini traditional mooncakes, four pieces each of dainty baked morsels of black sesame and custard.

the mini custard traditional mooncake

innards of the mini black sesame and custard mooncakes. i thought this one is very apt for the festival coz their rich black and gold colours portray the resplendent mid-autumn sky. i love how soft the skin were and that the custard smells really nice and milky it reminds me of pineapple tarts. best thing is, they're not too sweet though i would prefer them with more melon seeds.

the second box contained 4 pcs of regular sized floral snowskin mooncakes. the pastel shades are really pretty and i love love love the print of the molds!

flavors from top : lavender macadamia green bean, hibiscus strawberry, osmanthus white lotus and rose red bean.

i thought i would like the rose one the most since its my favorite floral flavor but i ended up liking the osmanthus white lotus one best. the floral flavor of the osmanthus really shone through and complemented the white lotus paste really well. my second favorite would hv to be the rose red bean but just for the rose part actually. for the hibiscus strawberry, i couldn't really taste the hibiscus (not sure how they're supposed to taste/smell like anyway), same for the lavender but i really like the crunch of the macadamia nuts embedded within. the mooncakes are really soft and fresh without the artificial banana scent and hubby said they're so soft he feels like he's eating ice cream lol.

and, did i mention how much i love the boxes? when i received the mooncakes i was surprised to see how big and roomy the boxes were. they're like the biggest mooncake boxes i've ever seen! each snowskin mooncake gets its own compartment and the mini ones are shared between two larger compartments. so cool really and they'd be good for storing knick-knacks and accessories afterwards ;)

the mooncakes shown here retail at S$55 per box and are available for sale from 16 aug - 22 sept at the hotel. for more flavors & info, pls visit this page. lastly, i would like to thank chloe, the assistant marketing communications manager for the complimentary mooncakes :)

--------------------

THE FULLERTON HOTEL SINGAPORE
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
Telephone: (65) 6733 8388
Facsimile: (65) 6735 8388

Sadaharu Aoki's Valencia

2010-09-04T11:19:00.014+08:00

sadaharu aoki is undoubtedly one of the world's most recognized pastry chefs. when i visit tokyo next year, not only am i going for pierre herme and laduree but i'm gonna visit sadaharu aoki (and hidemi sugino) as well. so far, i've not been able to find any of his recipes (not even in books) therefore i was elated and somewhat surprised to come across this recipe for one of his best sellers, the valencia entremet. orange chocolate, as you know, is my favorite dessert combination and probably one of the widely used as well when it comes to entremets, so i couldn't wait to try it out!

components from top : light orange mousse, almond cocoa sponge, milk choc mousse, hazelnut praline feuilletine & hazelnut dacquoise.

of coz, my rendition is nothing compared to that of the pastry chef's. i thought i could slice the cake better when its frozen, turned out that i was wrong. the feuilletine & dacquoise layer at the bottom was really hard and i couldn't make a clean cut. i ended up with jagged edges and bits of nuts flying here and there :( nevertheless this is a good cake though i would say its more chocolate than orange compared to this one that i made for my mom's birthday. i used grand marnier instead of cognac which was originally stated for the orange mousse and i find it too overpowering that i couldn't really taste any orange at all. i guess this is one time where the substitution didn't work out well so its better to stick to the recipe in future. one thing for sure, making entremets is really easy now! having made it so many times, i feel that the steps and components are pretty predictable and i could breeze through each component without any difficulty. if you approach it step-by-step, its really quite simple!

recipe source : eG forum

ingredients (makes one 6" square entremet) :

for the light orange mousse :

50g orange marmalade

30ml cognac

105ml orange juice

25g orange puree/blended orange flesh

5g orange zest

2g lemon zest

3g milk powder

15g sugar (A)

45g egg yolks

5g gelatine (2.5 sheets)

20g egg whites

30g sugar (B)

10ml water

for the almond cocoa sponge :

115g almond paste

65g icing sugar

52.5g egg yolks

50g eggs

82.5g egg whites

23g sugar

26.5g butter, melted

25g cocoa powder

13g flour

13g corn flour

for the orange cognac syrup :

75ml water

50g sugar

50g cognac

for the milk choc mousse :

31g milk

31g whipping cream

13g egg yolks

6g sugar

112.5g milk choc

125g whipping cream

for the hazelnut praline feuilletine :

30g milk choc

125g hazelnut praline paste or nutella

12.5g butter, melted & cooled

25g roasted hazelnuts, chopped

62.5g pailleté feuilletine (feuilletine flakes)

for the hazelnut dacquoise :

125g egg whites

50g sugar

90g ground almonds

30g ground hazelnuts

100g icing sugar

10g roasted hazelnuts, halve

directions :

1. to make the light orange mousse, mix marmalade & cognac together in a bowl. strain & freeze. to make the creme anglaise, combine orange juice, concentrated orange puree, orange zest, lemon zest, milk powder in a saucepan and heat until boiling. in another bowl lightly whisk together sugar (A) and egg yolks and pour the orange mixture into egg yolks while stirring constantly. pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook until 84C. soak gelatine sheets in cold water for a few secs until soft, squeeze off excess water and add into the above and mix well. to make the italian meringue, cook the sugar (B) and water until 120C. in another bowl whisk the egg whites until foamy then pour in the hot sugar syrup and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks. mix frozen jam into the custard, then fold in the meringue.

2. to make the almond cocoa sponge, sift the cocoa powder, flour & cornflour together and set aside. beat the almond paste and the icing sugar in a bowl until well combined, then add the egg yolks and the whole eggs and whisk until pale and fluffy. in another bowl whisk together egg whites and sugar to make the french meringue, then fold the two mixture together. add the melted butter followed by the flour mixture. pour it into a 7 inch baking tin and bake in the oven of 200°C for 15 minutes.

3. to make the cognac syrup, boil together water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved completely. leave to cool then add in the cognac.

4. to make the milk choc cream, make the creme anglaise by boiling the whipping cream & milk in a saucepan. in another bowl lightly whisk egg yolks & sugar together then pour the cream/milk mixture over while whisking constantly. return mixture to pan and cook until 84C. pour mixture into milk choc, mix well and fold in whipped cream.

5. to make the hazelnut praline feuilletine, melt the milk chocolate in a double boiler and mix with the hazelnut praline paste or nutella followed by melted butter. add in the hazelnuts and feuilletine flakes and mix gently.

6. to make the hazelnut dacquoise, whisk the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks. sift together ground almonds, ground hazelnuts & icing sugar and fold it into the egg white mixture. pour mixture into a 7 inch baking tin, smooth the surface and scatter the chopped hazelnuts. bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 15 mins or until golden.

7. to assemble, trim the dacquoise to fit the base of 6" square mousse ring or removable baking tin. it should be 1cm in height. place it at the bottom of the ring, then spread the praline feuilletine evenly onto the dacquoise. pour the milk choc mousse over and smoothen the top with a pastry scraper or palette knife. trim the sponge and slice it into 1cm in height and place it on top of the milk choc mousse. brush the sponge generously with the cognac syrup until the sponge is damp and well-soaked. pour the light orange mousse on top and smoothen the top. refrigerate until firm. to remove the cake, heat the sides of the mousse ring with a heat gun, hair dryer or blow torch, then slice and decorate as desired.

notes :

- start by working your way from bottom to the top ie. make dacquoise first.

- ingredients are in precise measurements so for best results, get ready a digital weighing scale and candy thermometer.

- feuilletine flakes are dried french crepes laced with rum. they can be purchased in baking stores like sun lik. for substitution, you can either use cornflakes or crushed love letters though the taste will not be the same.

- instead of cognac, you can use cointreau, grand marnier or any other orange-flavored liqueuer. i used grand marnier but i find the scent too overpowering.

Macarons

2010-08-29T10:25:00.005+08:00

was doing macarons for my latest order and was really happy with the outcome for this batch. the feet looks pretty consistent and this batch has got such pretty colors! from left : rose, dark choc, caramel fleur de sel, matcha & coffee.

yum. wish i could devour everything.

Butternut Pumpkin Risotto

2010-08-25T01:52:00.007+08:00

i just had a painful tooth extraction a week ago and i've virtually been surviving on semi-solid food. that means porridge oats or cookies dunk in milk. really boring actually. i wanted something for a change and came across this butternut pumpkin risotto recipe which looks really really delicious. it uses vanilla bean in the pumpkin puree and it makes me wonder how vanilla could find its way into savory dishes so i was curious to give it a try.

prior to this i've never had butternut pumpkin/squash and i really love its orange hue and sweet nutty flavor. albeit expensive, its worth every penny. this risotto is actually more sweet than savory and its really very delicious! hubby and i wolfed it down within two seconds :p with the vanilla bean it feels more like a dessert than main so i added more cheese to make it extra savory. and i think i still need more practice when it comes to making risotto, mine always turn out somewhat dry. this one is definitely better than my last but i really want one thats creamy, wet and with grains still intact. i'm getting there (i think).

recipe source : trissalicious

ingredients (serves 2-4 as a starter) :

for the risotto :

50ml olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped (i used regular white onion)

150g risotto rice

500ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (i used whipping cream)

4-6 tbsp butternut squash puree (recipe below)

50g diced butter

salt & pepper to taste

parmesan shavings, english chives & toasted walnuts to serve

for the butternut squash puree :

1kg butternut pumpkin

150g butter

1 vanilla pod, split

sea salt

directions :

1. to make the butternut squash puree, peel, deseed and dice the butternut squash. melt the butter in a pan.

2. add the squash and cook for about 15 minutes over a medium heat until very soft.

3. whiz in a blender until smooth.

4. scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir them into the puree. season with salt to taste.

5. to make the risotto base, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the shallots for 5 minutes to soften.

6. add the rice and cook, stirring for a minute.

7. add the stock, a cup at a time.

8. once the rice starts to absorb the liquid, continue to add more stock until the rice is plump, and al dente. this will take around 30 minutes.

9. stir in the parmesan, cream and squash puree until evenly combined.

10. finally, add the butter cubes, stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.

11. to serve, divide among warm plates. scatter with parmesan shavings, toasted walnuts and chives.

Pierre Hermé's Infiniment Vanille Tart

2010-08-22T10:01:00.039+08:00

i've put off making this tart long enough and i'm finally glad i made it. having bookmarked this recipe for almost a year, each time i look at it i just feel like i don't hv the courage to go ahead coz i don't hv so many of the ingredients called for, things like titanium dioxide, tahitian and mexican vanilla beans as well as trimoline (inverted sugar) used for the biscuit cuillere (sponge fingers). in the end i decided to make do with whatever i hv and cut corners whenever possible and luckily for me, the tart turned out glorious still. so far i've used a couple of pierre herme's recipes, from the complicated ones like the emotion ispahan verrines and this vanilla tart to some of the basic recipes like candied citrus peel, pate sablee tart crust, choux pastry, passionfruit milk choc ganache for the mogador macaron etc, i must say his recipes are nothing short of amazing. it really makes me wonder - if my homemade renditions could be this good, what more for those coming out of his own hands, the picasso of pastry himself?

some of the essential ingredients i used for the tart - madagascar bourbon vanilla beans, nielsen massey vanilla bean paste, my homemade vanilla extract and rum.

components from the top : vanilla glaze, english vanilla mascarpone cream, sponge fingers soaked in a vanilla rum syrup, vanilla white choc ganache and pate sablee tart shell. not the most flattering pic but this tart made me go OMG. the mascarpone cream is so silky smooth i've never tasted anything like that! the overall taste is really good - crisp tart shell, sponge fingers perfumed with a vanilla rum syrup, creamy silky smooth custardy vanilla mascarpone cream and the glaze is so yum. i'm in vanilla heaven! definitely making this again. soon.

recipe adapted from veronica of kitchen musings

ingredients (makes about four 7.5cm Ø tartlets) :

for the pate sablee tart crust :

pls refer to my recipe for the tarte aux fruits rouges here

for the vanilla glaze :

96g white choc

36ml whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2g glucose syrup

5ml water

72g neutral glazing gel

1-2 drops of titanium dioxide paste or wilton white icing color

for the english vanilla mascarpone cream :

166ml whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

2 small egg yolks

41g sucrose or pure icing sugar

2.5g sheet gelatine (about 1.5 sheets)

125g mascarpone cheese

for the vanilla ganache :

45ml whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

50g white choc couverture

for the vanilla rum syrup :

250ml water

125ml glucose syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

5ml vanilla extract

12ml rum

storebought sponge fingers

directions :

1. make the pate sablee tart base.

2. to make the vanilla glaze, melt the chocolate. boil the cream with the vanilla bean paste and pour into the chocolate. in another pot, boil the neutral glaze with the water and glucose. pour this sugar mixture into the ganache then add in titanium dioxide/wilton white color and blend the mixture to obtain a smooth and homogeneous texture; avoid incorporating air. keep chilled until ready to use.

3. to make the english vanilla cream, mix the egg yolk and sucrose/icing sugar together. add the scraped vanilla seeds into the cream, bring to a boil and pour half of it on the egg yolk/sucrose mixture. pour this mixture back into to the remaining cream and cook until 84C. add the gelatin sheets that have been softened in water and blend. strain mixture and add in the mascarpone cheese and mix well. divide mixture equally among four mousse/tart rings and chill in fridge until set.

4. to make the vanilla ganache, mix vanilla bean paste and cream together. bring to boil. pour cream over choc and let stand for 1 min. mix well and blend the ganache to a smooth consistency. add vanilla extract and mix well. store in cool place before using.

5. to make the vanilla syrup, boil the water with the glucose syrup and vanilla bean paste until the glucose has dissolved completely. let cool before adding the vanilla extract and rum.

6. remove the chilled mascarpone cream discs either by running a knife along the insides or by warming the outside of the rings with a blow torch. place the discs on a cooling rack with a tray below to catch the drips and pour the glaze over the discs. leave to set in the fridge.

7. fill the cooled baked tart shell with a little vanilla ganache. then place a piece of sponge finger that hv been soaked in the vanilla syrup on it (you may need to break the sponge fingers to fit the size of the tart shell). fill the rest of the tart with vanilla ganache. let cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour. place the mascarpone disc on the tart then dust the left side of the tart with some cocoa powder before serving.

notes :

* before proceeding, please go through the recipe carefully and plan your steps ahead. i recommend making the mascarpone discs first since they need to be chilled in fridge to set anyway so you can proceed with other components after that.

* titanium dioxide is to whiten the glaze. you can replace it with wilton white icing coloring or do away with both entirely if you don't hv them.

* ingredients like glucose syrup and neutral glazing gel can be purchased from baking supplies stores. i got mine from phoon huat.

Purple Sweet Potato Dessert

2010-08-16T09:32:00.007+08:00

i made purple sweet potato mont blanc again last week upon hubby's request and got some leftover puree from it. its not easy to find purple sweet potato recipes out there especially dessert ones (so far i only came across a few blogs using the same purple sweet potato chiffon cake recipe). i wanted to go for that at 1st but the thought of having to use 5 eggs in a cake just don't appeal to me. and having to work with egg whites all day while making macarons, the last thing i wanna do is whisk more egg whites so i decided on something simple and i made this without a recipe. drawing my inspiration from the korean hobakjuk (sweet pumpkin porridge) and the chinese black sesame seed paste, i decided to make a paste/gruel of sorts and then topped it with glutinous rice balls and sesame seeds. surprisingly it tasted quite good.

as with all my trials & errors, i don't hv a recipe for this but a rough guide would be to steam the purple sweet potatoes, mash/puree them, add sugar, cream/milk to taste and if you like it even smoother, put the mixture through a strainer. for the glutinous rice balls, mix glutinous rice flour, some icing sugar and water until you get a soft dough (it should not stick to yr fingers). bring a pot of water to boil, form the dough into little rounds, drop them into the water and they're ready when they float.

lastly, trivia time! contrary to the popular belief, did you know that the purple sweet potato didn't orginate from japan despite the japanese use it extensively in their desserts? they originated from hawaii and were only introduced to japan some 300 years ago. interesting huh?

Breakfast

2010-08-13T09:45:00.012+08:00

ever since i bought a nice wooden table from IKEA which was meant to be a proper table for photography at my balcony area, i realize i like having breakfast there as well. my balcony is breezy and well lit in the morning and its just so calm and serene sitting there having a leisurely breakfast. that was part of the reason for this entry. another reason was coz i woke up this morning feeling the need to practice on my food styling, something which i'm always very lazy to do coz i just simply suck at it (read : no talent) and the idea of having extra things to wash up just don't appeal to me. but with all the props that i'm constantly purchasing, i think i might as well just make the best out of everything.

so yea, here's breakfast - coffee, milk and my favorite cinnamon raisin bagel from NYC bagel factory. i didn't used to hv the habit of having bagels for breakfast until i had one from starbucks recently. it was so good toasted and lavishly slathered with lurpak butter and philly cream cheese. from then, bagels became a staple breakfast food at home :p

yum!

Sticky Date Pudding With Butterscotch Sauce

2010-08-11T10:16:00.013+08:00

finally i've waited long enough for dates to be on the shelves again so i jumped at the change to try my hands on another recipe. my previous attempt last year was too cakey and i really wanted a pudding-like one this time. when i saw felicia's entry on it, i told myself i HAD to make it. hers look really really good! the truth is, this one is cake-like too but better than my previous. i'm wondering if i shd hv underbaked it a little but nonetheless its really delicious, with or without the sauce and ice cream. and OMG, i finally succeeded in scooping a one-spoon ice cream quenelle, much to my delight :D i've always wanted to scoop a quenelle coz its really elegant but the two-spoon method don't quite cut it for me. after much practice, i can safely say - i'm getting there!!

this recipe is definitely a keeper consider its not too sweet and that its pretty low in fat (uses only 60g butter) if eaten without the sauce and ice cream. love it to bits! and despite hearing raves about the really expensive medjool dates, i decided i didn't wanna splurge so i bought the mazafati dates instead. they're really really good, very moist and sweet and most importantly, cheap! i'm getting more boxes of these dates to last me til next year.

ingredients :

200g chopped pitted dates

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

60g butter, at room temperature

165g caster sugar (i used 100g brown sugar)

2 eggs

150g self raising flour, sifted

vanilla bean ice cream, to serve

for the butterscotch sauce :

185ml whipping cream

165g firmly packed brown sugar

150g butter, chopped

directions :

1. preheat oven to 180C. grease and line a 20cm round cake pan.

2. heat dates in 1 1/4 cups water. When starting to boil, add bicarbonate of soda.

3. remove from heat. stand for 5 mins, then blend until smooth.

4. using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

5. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addtion.

6. fold in flour and date puree until just combined.

7. pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 mins.

8. meanwhile heat all the ingredients of the butterscotch sauce in a saucepan and heat for 5 mins, until sauce is smooth & heated through.

9. Serve pudding with icecream and drizzle with sauce.

Banchan 반찬 - Korean Side Dishes I

2010-08-08T11:52:00.015+08:00

멸치볶음 (myeolchi bokkeum)

having made quite a few korean dishes now, there's no way to leave out the banchans. out of the so many varieties, one of my favorite would have to be this - myeolchi (myulchi) bokkeum or spicy anchovies. doused with a sweet, spicy and sticky sauce, i would be happy to have it with rice alone without any other dishes to go along. its that addictive! its also very easy to make, usually under 10 mins and i've made this quite a couple of times now. there's the non-spicy version as well but gimme the spicy one anytime!

배추 김치 (baechu kimchi)

baechu kimchi, or white cabbage kimchi is a must-have on the korean dinner table. i posted this before, together with the bibimbap and i'm so addicted to this recipe. having tasted so many storebought kimchis i'm glad to hv this one right on my first attempt on homemade. i don't know why so many people like fresh kimchi but i prefer them just a little fermented with a tinge of sourness.

i can't find baby anchovies anywhere so i used the regular ones ie. ikan bilis. i believe it would be better if baby anchovies were used and i'm thinking if silverfish (not the gross ones found in the dusty corner of the cabinet!) could be substituted with. hmm.

recipe source for myeolchi bokkeum : maangchi

ingredients :

1 cup dried baby or regular anchovies

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp gochujang (korean hot pepper paste)

1 tbsp corn syrup

1 tbsp sugar

4 tsp water

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sesame oil

directions :

1. heat oil in pan then stirfry anchovies for about a min until almost crispy and brown. set aside.

2. in a bowl combine the garlic, gochujang, corn syrup, sugar and water and stir until combined. pour mixture in pan and heat until the sauce is bubbling and the sugar dissolved. put the anchovies back in and toss to coat well. remove from heat and add in sesame seeds and sesame oil.

3. this can be keep refrigerated for 2 weeks and bring to room temp before serving.

Fruit Salad With Mint & Grand Marnier

2010-08-06T01:04:00.007+08:00

i've got some leftover mint from the tarte aux fruits rouges so i decided to make something simple. not sure when it started but i actually liked eating mint just like that. i used to use them solely for decor and if mint has to find its way through my food, they're only limited to jelly ie. with lamb, or in teas and drinks. so when i saw this recipe i knew i had to try it. fruit salad is common but the moment i read that it uses grand marnier, my favorite orange liqueur, i was sold!

this salad is really good. very refreshing and you don't really hv to worry about the fruits being too tart or anything coz they're flavored with honey. i also like the fruits suggested in the recipe so this is definitely a keeper. i'm gonna make it so very often from now on!

my bottle of grand marnier since...forever. its been so many years since i bought but i hardly ever use it. really happy that i can not only use it as a imbibage (soaking syrup) in my entremets but in fruit salads too! recipe from here.

Tarte aux Fruits Rouges

2010-08-03T01:29:00.013+08:00

tarte aux fruits rouges, or red fruit tart is a simple summer berry tart thats hard to go wrong with. while i'm not sure if there's a fixed recipe to it but i think the most common version would be to use a pâte sucrée (sweet crust pastry) and crème pâtissière (pastry cream) or custard. in here though, i used pierre herme's pâte sablée crust, a really nice, rich and buttery crust with ground almonds hence the name 'sandy dough'. i then filled the tarts, or rather tartlets with creme d'amandes, a baked almond cream traditionally used in frangipane tarts and brushed with a generous a layer of raspberry jam before adorning them with berries.

tastewise i think its one of the best fruit tarts i've eaten. the tanginess of the berries and the sweet crust + filling complemented each other beautifully and made my effort all worthwhile. i was actually feeling pretty frustrated when lining the dough on the tart rings coz it was too soft, kept tearing and i was too lazy to re-refrigerate the dough repeatedly. despite that, the end result was still ok, you can't really tell the dough has been patched here & there. it also makes sense to make a larger batch of the dough and then freeze the remaining portion for later use so you don't hv to go thru the process of refrigerating it for 2-3 hrs again.

a closer picture of the innards. i just can't resist!

and i think my tart resembles a cake instead coz the tart rings i used were too deep, need to get shallower ones in future!

ingredients (makes nine 7.5cm Ø tartlets) :

for the pierre herme's pâte sablée crust :

250g flour

100g icing sugar

1 large egg

150g butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste

30g ground almonds

2 pinches of salt, omit if using salted butter

for the creme d'amandes (recipe from tartelette) :

115g butter, softened

115g honey

100g ground almonds

2 eggs

60ml whipping cream

raspberry jam for brushing

berries and fruits of your choice, for decor

directions :

1. to make the pâte sablée, sift the flour and icing sugar separately.

2. in a mixing bowl fitted with the flat beater attachment, whisk together eggs and butter and vanilla extract until just combined. add in the icing sugar, followed by the ground almonds. whisk until the mixture is well corporated, about 3-5 mins.

3. add the salt, if using and flour and mix until the dough is roughly combined and leaves the side of the bowl. do not overmix.

4. form dough into a ball and wrap in cling film (saran wrap) and refrigerate for a min. of 1 hr.

5. roll dough out to about 0.5cm in thickness, line them in tart rings and refrigerate for 30 mins. prick holes at the bottom of the dough with a fork and fill them with baking weights and bake blind on 180C for 15 mins. remove weights.

6. keep the oven running and prepare the creme d'amandes. place the butter, honey, ground almonds and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. add the cream but stir in it instead of whisking so as not to emulsify it or it will rise while baking.

7. pour mixture into the tart crust and bake for another 25-30 mins until the tops are browned and filling cooked.

8. let cool and brush with a layer of raspberry jam and decorate with berries and fruits of your choice.

Lemon Curd

2010-07-30T06:02:00.001+08:00

i hv a weakness for lemon curd. when i first tasted a jar of waitrose organic lemon curd, i knew i had to make some myself. that was many years back and it (homemade, not storebought!) became a pantry staple ever since. i like having it with scones, tarts and as a filling for macarons. and this time round i decided to try out a lemon curd recipe from cannelle et vanille's blog coz i got curious after seeing the recipe. first of all it doesn't require any cornflour and secondly the way its cooked is exactly how you would a creme anglaise or ice cream. the one i frequently use is actually good enough but there'd always be some annoying bits of cooked egg whites in there and i'd often end up picking them out or blending them back in.

tastewise, this one is more liquidy and very tart since it uses only 35g of sugar and no cornflour but i really like how smooth and creamy it is. the texture is almost like creme patissiere and the color pale like mayonnaise! i used them to fill some leftover tartlet shells from my previous order, sans meringue topping this time.

recipe adapted from cannelle et vanille

ingredients :

100g eggs

35g sugar

100ml lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

10g butter, room temp

directions :

1. in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest. cook this mixture in a double boiler until it thickens (84C).

2. strain into a clean bowl and chill it over an ice bath until it is about body temperature. add the room temperature butter and mix with a hand blender until an emulsion is form (it will turn a bit lighter in color). refrigerate until ready to use.

Berry Yogurt Smoothie

2010-07-28T00:01:00.006+08:00

i've been making smoothies rather frequently these days. i see it as an alternative to eating something i don't like and in this case its plain yogurt and strawberries.

you may think that its understandable that many people will not like plain yogurt but strawberries? afterall they're sweet, juicy and aromatic. well, not if you live in this part of the world where strawberries either come half ripened or even as they look red and inviting, they're usually anything but. its almost an impossible task to get really good strawberries if they're between $2-$5 a punnet. of course, the $19.90 ones from japan would be a different story altogether. but i still find myself buying yogurt and (cheap) strawberries often coz they're good for health and i even read somewhere that strawberries can actually whiten teeth!

this is a really simple recipe that uses just a few ingredients. i'm intending to level it up by adding protein shake powder and wheatgerm next time.

recipe adapted from here.

ingredients (serves 2) :

8 strawberries, hulled

a handful of blueberries

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 tbsps sugar

2 tsps vanilla extract

6 ice cubes, crushed

directions :

1. in a blender combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. pour into glasses and serve!

Desserts I Made III & A Pistache Noisette Entremet

2010-07-23T13:29:00.054+08:00

finally i feel like i've made enough desserts to compile them into an entry. read my previous instalments of desserts i made part I here and part II here. my momentum for making them this year has dropped to an all-time low. apart from family birthdays and some practising in order to prevent my dessert making skills from getting "rusty" i haven't been making very much. on average i'm making just one every month, i wish i could make desserts every other day but sadly, the waistline just cannot afford it!

clockwise from top left : purple sweet potato mont blanc, opera tiramisu verrines, strawberry shortcake, orange choc cake, pistache-abricot entremet & almond raspberry financiers.

pistache noisette. from top : pistachio bavarois, choc hazelnut sponge, hazelnut pistachio praline, hazelnut mousse, hazelnut dacquoise

this is something i tried few days back, the hazelnut pistachio entremet and i'd like to share the recipe with you. this is the 1st time i'm posting a recipe of a multi-component cake and i didn't do it in the past coz the recipes were really really long, i hv to translate them from chinese to english and i don't think anyone would be as crazy as i am to spend 4-5 hrs to make a cake. but this is a good cake with some really interesting textures - moist sponge, crunchy praline and aromatic pistachio bavarois all in one.

recipe source : seiji tada for patisserie igrekplus

ingredients (makes one 33x48cm rect tray) :

for the choc hazelnut sponge :

150g egg yolks

60g caster sugar (A)

84g hazelnut paste or nutella

150g egg whites

96g caster sugar (B)

84g cake flour

30g cocoa powder

for the hazelnut dacquoise :

266g egg whites

106g caster sugar

160g ground hazelnuts

80g icing sugar

for the hazelnut mousse :

140g hazelnut paste or nutella

60g milk choc

90g unsalted butter, softened in room temp

360ml whipping cream

130g egg yolks

70ml water

24g glucose syrup

50g caster sugar

8g gelatin sheets

for the pistachio bavarois :

198g egg yolks

93g caster sugar

116g pistachio paste

583ml milk

18g gelatin sheets

653ml whipping cream

for the hazelnut pistachio praline :

105g caster sugar

35g pistachios

150g whole hazelnuts

10g unsalted butter

for the simple soaking syrup (imbibage) :

100g sugar

250ml water

neutral glazing gel & cocoa powder for decor

directions :

1. to make the choc hazelnut sponge, whisk together egg yolks, sugar (A) and hazelnut paste/nutella until pale & thick. in another bowl, whisk together sugar (B) and egg whites until stiff peaks. add 1/3 of the whites into yolks followed by the rest of the whites. sift in the cake flour and cocoa powder and mix well to combine. pour mixture into baking tin lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 25 mins. trim cake to fit the size of the cake tin/ring and it should be about 1cm in height.

2. for the hazelnut dacquoise, sift together ground hazelnuts and icing sugar. in another bowl whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks, then fold in the hazelnut mixture and mix well. spread mixture in baking tin lined with baking paper and bake on 170C for abt 20 mins or until golden.

3. to make the pâte à bombe for the hazelnut mousse, heat sugar, glucose syrup and water until 121C. lightly whisk egg yolks and pour in hot sugar mixture and whisk on high speed until pale, fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch. meanwhile, microwave hazelnut paste/nutella and milk choc until melted, then add in softened butter and mix well. add the nutella/choc mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then heat on stove until 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water and add into the above mixture. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks, add in 1/3 of the cream into the above, followed by the rest of the cream.

4. to make pistachio bavarois, combine egg yolks, sugar & milk in a pan. heat mixture over stove until thickened, abt 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water, add into the above followed by pistachio paste. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks then add in half into the above mixture, followed by the rest of the cream.

5. to make hazelnut pistachio praline, chop the hazelnuts and pistachios and dry roast in pan until aromatic. caramelize sugar over stove in a heavy-based pan then add in the nuts, followed by butter and stir until the nuts are well coated with the caramel. spread mixture on baking paper, let cool and tear into pieces.

6. to make the simple syrup, heat sugar and water over stove until the sugar has dissolved. leave to cool.

7. to assemble, cut the dacquoise to fit into the mousse ring, place it at the bottom of the ring then pour in the 1/2 of the hazelnut mousse. scatter praline ontop of the mousse then top up with more mousse. place choc hazelnut sponge on top and use a brush to generously soak it with syrup. pour the pistachio bavarois on top. all components should be about 1cm each in height. freeze cake until frozen. brush frozen cake with cocoa powder and seal with a layer of neutral glazing gel. torch the sides of mousse ring, remove it. trim the sides of the cake, cut into 10x3cm slices and decorate as desired.

Flor Patisserie By Chef Yamashita

2010-07-18T00:04:00.009+08:00

it was through word of mouth that we found out that chef yamashita of the famed patisserie glacé (read : gla-say) has left and opened his own shop. i don't think many people knew this at all. having heard good things about glacé, i've been wanting to visit for the longest time. but since chef yamashita has his own patisserie now, its only natural we visit this one first (and maybe glacé next time) :p

the green tea opera. i was kinda expecting this to taste more macha than chocolate but suprisingly (and somewhat disappointedly) it was the other way round.

waguri millefeuille (mont blanc with flaky pastry) was really good and easily the best among the lot in my opinion. even though the chestnut cream was on the sweet side, the whole thing actually tasted very pleasant. i love love love the millefeuille coz it was really buttery, fragrant and perfectly caramelized. this is also the first time i've tasted japanese chestnuts! yum.

the strawberry souffle was good too. it was actually kinda hard to make out if it was a souffle cheesecake or just a normal sponge cake but i did taste cheese (and the girlfriend said lemon as well).

i think i've very fortunately been having rather good desserts lately (k ki, the sweet spot @ marina bay sands as well as this) and flor is a place i wanna go back again. there are so much more other desserts to try from there. service is impeccable and chef yamashita himself is really friendly and courteous! definitely made the whole dining experience very pleasant. the only thing is perhaps me being used to seeing really modern and beautifully decorated entremets and i feel that the cake decors here are rather normal and "down to earth".

--------------------

FLOR PATISSERIE
2 duxton hill
#01-01
S(089588)
website : http://www.cakeflor.com.sg/

Bibimbap 비빔밥 & Homemade Kimchi

2010-07-15T12:29:00.009+08:00

dolsot bibimbap, or korean hotstone mixed rice is one of my favorite korean dishes and i like it for both its color & taste. despite not being the easiest thing to make (lots of chopping, boiling & frying), i think its worth the effort consider how good it is. theres virtually no difference between homemade and those from the eateries/restaurants so this is something i will never order when i'm out in korean restaurants. ingredients i used are carrot, japanese cucumber, large bean sprouts, chinese spinach, dried shiitake mushrooms, ground beef & korean hot pepper paste (gochujang). served on a bed of japanese rice of course!

from left : bibimbap all mixed up and right : the bulgogi marinade i used for the beef. traditionally a raw egg is cracked in the middle of the ingredients (like on the pic above) but thats not how i like to eat mine. i prefer mine with a sunny side up :D as for the bulgogi marinade, its really good. i got it from fairprice finest at $2.80 a bottle. with the marinade you can simply just saute some minced garlic, add in the beef, pour in some of the marinade together and u don't really need to add in other seasonings like sugar or soy sauce. i'm glad i bought it!

and finally, onto my 1st ever attempt on homemade kimchi. i must say i'm a big fan of korean side dishes (banchan) and albeit expensive, storebought kimchi hv always had a permanant place in my fridge. then it dawned on me that its about time i make my own coz homemade is like 1/10th the price of storebought! with a 1kg cabbage, you'll be able to make a large container of it which is enough to last you for weeks! definitely economical. unfortunately this isn't the best kimchi i've tasted. i don't like the graininess of the garlic and all but it does taste pretty authentic. i'm totally hooked on making my own korean food and i'm gonna make more banchan soon!

recipe for the bibimbap from here and kimchi here. do note that the recipe for the kimchi uses 10 pounds/4.5kg of napa cabbage (gasps!) so i scaled down and divided the ingredients by 4.

A Simple Japanese Lunch

2010-07-12T14:19:00.013+08:00

when i want something simple (and most importantly low fat), i'll invariably choose to cook simple japanese food at home. i usually hv chawanmushi and miso soup as well but since i was feeling lazy i just whipped up sushi and cold soba noodles.

its a good thing that daiso is bringing in more stuff like nori sheets in a pack of 5, various sauces and dressings, a whole wide range of furikakes and canned mackerel so i don't hv to hunt for them in supermarkets. this is also the 1st time i've tried making the inside-out sushi and i was feeling pretty apprehensive at 1st. i definitely need more practice but the mess could be minimized if you place two layers of cling wrap (saran wrap) at the top and bottom so its easier to flip the whole thing over. i also managed to achieve the right fluffy texture for the rice. it used to be either too mushy or undercooked for me in the past and after reading up on some tips on how to cook sushi rice, i found out the guideline is to use about 2.5 cups water to every 2 cups rice.

slurp!

Avocado Coconut Ice Cream

2010-07-07T15:04:00.009+08:00

despite not being a fan of local/nyonya food, i actually adore coconut quite alot! and what better way to make ice cream with it. i think avocado and coconut is an ingenious combination, its even better with a drizzle of gula melaka (palm sugar). given the success of my pulut hitam ice cream, i decided to give a flavored coconut ice cream another go. this recipe is from poh ling yeow, the runner-up in masterchef australia. indeed, its very good. cool, creamy and very coconutty. this is also the first time i'm using single pouring cream instead of whipping cream as per recipe instruction. seriously, i don't see any difference! its still very creamy so i'm sticking to single cream in future since its lower in fat.

recipe source : poh ling yeow for ABC delicious. mag (march 2010)

ingredients (makes 750ml) :

250ml coconut cream

250ml single pouring cream

3 pandan (screwpine leaves), chopped

4 egg yolks

110g firmly packed brown sugar

110g caster sugar

1-2 ripe avocadoes, seed/skin removed and blended

directions :

1. place the cream, coconut cream and pandan leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. remove from heat and set aside to infuse for 30 mins.

2. whisk egg yolks and sugars together until thick & pale.

3. discard the pandan leaves and whisk in the cream mixture into egg yolk bit by bit, then return the mixture into the saucepan and heat until about 85C or until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. remove from heat, let cool, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until cold.

4. add avocadoes into the custard and mix well to combined. churn ice cream in a maker according to manufacturer's instructions. alternatively, if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can place the mixture in a shallow metal tray and freeze, whisking every couple of hours until frozen and creamy.

Cannelés de Bordeaux

2010-06-30T00:40:00.013+08:00

ahh, there's just so much to say about these these little cakes which originated from the bordeaux region in france, my (and i'm sure many others') love-hate affair with them. using relatively simple ingredients which resemble a crepe batter, the end result after baking on high heat for a considerable length of time is a thick chewy caramelized crust and soft custardy innards perfumed with rum & vanilla. bittersweet, aromatic and addictive would be the perfect adjectives to describe them.

traditionally baked using copper molds that needed to be treated with beeswax prior to baking, many bakers these days opt for the easier (and cheaper) way out by using silicon molds. i'm no exception. you might too if you knew how much these little copper molds are. one tiny two-inch mold costs about US$20 on amazon. i could easily afford one for sure, but not 16 or 20 thats usually required to make a batch of these babies. so silicon is the way to go.

basically the bad thing about using a silicon mold is the browning. the cannelés were so difficult to brown on the surface despite the fact that the bottoms were already charred. needless to say, my first attempt last year was less than desirable and i gave up after the 1st try. then it was only i read up on some tips that i was ready to give it another go. it seemed like the trick is to leave the silicon mold directly on the baking rack instead of a tray so the browning would be more apparent. we tend to like putting the mold on a tray so its easier to carry around. i also baked these for a longer time than what was originally stated - 1.5 hrs instead of an hr.

and you bet these were worth the time and effort put in! had them for breakfast the nx morning and easily popped ten one after another. oh there goes my diet! i really like the contrast between chewy exterior and soft spongy interior and despite the fact these weren't very aromatic while baking in the oven (i actually smelled burnt plastic coz of silicon), they actually smell good upon cooling! so happy i gave these a second go, now i can finally say i've baked madeleines, financiers and caneles before, which is rather important consider i wanna try attempting all kinds of french bakes, be it rustic or modern. and despite feeling pretty satisfied with this attempt, i would one day still like to experience baking them using the traditional copper molds coz the use of beeswax as i read, would help give the canneles a firm crust.

recipe adapted from here

ingredients (makes abt 20 small canneles) :

250ml milk

50g butter

1 egg

1 egg yolk

50g flour

80g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp dark rum

directions :

1. heat milk and butter in saucepan until butter has melted.

2. in a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, egg and yolk. pour in the hot milk and keep stiring with a spatula until well blended.

3. let cool and stir in vanilla and rum. cover the bowl with a plastic film and chill in fridge for 12 hours.

4. stir batter lightly and spoon onto silicon molds until 3/4 full and place the mold directly on the baking rack, not tray.

5. bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 1 hr 30 mins. after 1 hr, check if the canneles have browned. if they haven't and the bases have browned too quickly, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking for another 30 mins.

6. unmold and let cool before storing in fridge 1 day before serving.

note :

i separated the batter into two portions, chilling one portion for 30 mins then bake and another for 12 hrs as required. the one that has been chilled for 12 hrs actually shrank alot, i wasn't sure why! in terms of texture there was no difference so you might like to experiment it yourself and see if there's any difference.

Cherries

2010-06-28T12:17:00.009+08:00

cherries are in season now as well as some other lovely stone fruits like nectarines and white peaches. i was pleasantly surprised to spot some really fresh (check out the glossy sheen!) and cheap ones so i just grabbed without thinking about what to do with them. i'd really like to eat them fresh yet at the same time bake something with these too. what should i make? cherry clafoutis? or maybe griottes (kirsh-soaked cherries).

Macarons

2010-06-26T15:06:00.001+08:00

i realize i haven't been taking pics of my macarons for a long long time. i'm taking on larger orders now so after i'm done everytime, i'd feel too pooped to take any pics. during moments like these i wish i hv a personal photographer to do the job for me!

anyway here are some pics of a latest order. my current favorite is this - the passionfruit milk choc macarons. i really like how the sweetness of the milk choc complements the tanginess of passionfruit. and a not-so-new flavor is the orangette which is another of my favorite. i've declared my love for anything choc-orange a thousand times i think! basically my orangette macaron is made up of orange shells dusted with cocoa powder and filled with orange zested dark choc ganache and my homemade orange peel. homemade makes all the difference coz i added lotsa spices and cooked the peels for 2 hrs. really like the flavor alot. i intend to come up with somemore new flavors when i'm not so busy, one of them would be another pierre herme's inspired montebello - two-colored shells with pistachio ganache & raspberry pâte de fruit (read : paht der fruee) center :)

mental note to myself : take more pics of my orders in future!

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