tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61850281627001555122024-02-20T18:25:48.350+08:00Sweets and LovesChronicles of my baking journey, my sweets and my loves...Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-37263772940652500152014-01-31T23:26:00.000+08:002014-01-31T23:27:10.016+08:00Matcha Azuki Chocolate Entremet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFSYybNJj37OMEQe3dfuTA9MaYMWzZlmAsTHtj3iGlu9KCXlXompIgtGmzOGrz1adxG920hZ8hobKEk4VZvFzu1wwEoue__vld_AcG-SSHOdJjwvjfBgs6-CcE5Dr5gqiNOHvngKlFrE/s1600/Matcha+Azuki+Chocolate+Entremet+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFSYybNJj37OMEQe3dfuTA9MaYMWzZlmAsTHtj3iGlu9KCXlXompIgtGmzOGrz1adxG920hZ8hobKEk4VZvFzu1wwEoue__vld_AcG-SSHOdJjwvjfBgs6-CcE5Dr5gqiNOHvngKlFrE/s1600/Matcha+Azuki+Chocolate+Entremet+1.JPG" height="640" width="434" /></a></div>
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Happy Lunar New Year everyone! </div>
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For some reason, I'm beginning to find a renewed interest and excitement over Chinese New Year since I got married. Somehow it's fresher and more interesting for me this year compared to the last.</div>
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I'm not posting a New Year bake today, rather I am sharing a Matcha Azuki Chocolate Entrement I made for my beloved hubby's birthday. I used the same recipe <u><a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.sg/2010/09/matcha-red-bean-and-chocolate-entremet.html">here</a></u>, added more azuki beans this time round and swapped the matcha powder amount around (10g for the whipped cream and 5g for the mousse), and it turned out beautifully well. The texture of the mouse was lovely, and my hubby and family loved the strong matcha taste coupled with the slight sweetness of dark chocolate and azuki beans. </div>
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I was heartened as they don't normally enjoy the cakes this much, but they definitely did this time round. If you're looking for a good and easy matcha entremet to put together within a day, this would be one recipe for keeps :).</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-48636204058096088722014-01-09T22:41:00.001+08:002014-01-09T22:44:11.659+08:00Matcha Rolled Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPcem19wiolFQya1R0ix38_i3VXojkU9PiVkK288WuUjBQg4z9Y_6ufcalsd23FQuKioL53nbWFdjjJl2jfRzG96HNOnPUsOixI3LnPo-H385zww9nGirpub4RuCE3gay6z7gPB_d3Dk/s1600/Green+Tea+Rolled+Cake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPcem19wiolFQya1R0ix38_i3VXojkU9PiVkK288WuUjBQg4z9Y_6ufcalsd23FQuKioL53nbWFdjjJl2jfRzG96HNOnPUsOixI3LnPo-H385zww9nGirpub4RuCE3gay6z7gPB_d3Dk/s1600/Green+Tea+Rolled+Cake+2.JPG" height="640" width="446" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year everyone! How has 2014 been so far?</div>
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For me, it's been pretty eventful. I have 2 work trips lined up for the next 3 months and I'm partially hesitant about going cause of the freezing cold temperatures in other parts of the world. But nonetheless, it's exciting as I get to travel to places I've never been to before. I'm feeling pretty positive about the New Year and hope yours will be good as well :).</div>
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Following the last rolled cake I made <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.sg/2013/12/coloured-rolled-cake.html">here</a>, I was inspired to improve on it and make an even better one. Hence here it is, a simple variation made with matcha and filled with vanilla bean creme chantilly and peach slices. The result was delicious, I loved it myself and hope my friends who shared it with me enjoyed it too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3oQOeZDl1CfiMddUpOVqGYp7jO36sLcQZs8m-_VlWmeWs7bp7l66O4SHCWued5g1KwFZ5P1w8ji5PSSlxzPBVRAoBYKoPRvcy3JT1GoK8J6sHhzZDbgvlbgd0VNrGKsENy1vNTm45dU/s1600/Green+Tea+Rolled+Cake+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3oQOeZDl1CfiMddUpOVqGYp7jO36sLcQZs8m-_VlWmeWs7bp7l66O4SHCWued5g1KwFZ5P1w8ji5PSSlxzPBVRAoBYKoPRvcy3JT1GoK8J6sHhzZDbgvlbgd0VNrGKsENy1vNTm45dU/s1600/Green+Tea+Rolled+Cake+3.JPG" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
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As usual, I'm pretty bad at cake decor hence I just piped creme chantilly on top of the cake and sprinkled it with snow sugar and matcha powder.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Matcha Rolled Cake</span></b></div>
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<i>Adapted from<a href="http://cakeletsanddoilies.blogspot.sg/2013/03/bunny-deco-cake-roll.html"> Cakelets and Doilies</a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<u>For the rolled sponge</u></div>
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<i>Part A- egg yolk mixture:</i></div>
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3 egg yolks</div>
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30g castor sugar</div>
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60ml milk</div>
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1 tsp vanilla bean paste</div>
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40ml vegetable oil</div>
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70g cake flour</div>
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10g matcha powder</div>
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<i><i>Part B- meringue:</i></i></div>
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3 egg whites</div>
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30g castor sugar</div>
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1 tsp cornstarch</div>
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<u><u>For the sugar syrup</u></u></div>
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10g castor sugar</div>
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20ml hot water</div>
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<u><u>For the creme chantilly</u></u></div>
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150ml whipping cream, chilled</div>
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18g icing sugar</div>
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1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste</div>
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Fresh fruits of your choice (I used peach)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">To make Part A- egg yolk mixture:</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (or 150 degrees celsius fan-forced). Grease and line a 28cm x 28cm flat square cake pan with baking paper.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and creamy.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Combine milk, vanilla bean paste and oil in a small bowl. Add to beaten egg yolk mixture and whisk at low speed until just combined. Sift flour and matcha powder over egg mixture, and whisk at low speed until smooth and well-combined. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;"><br /></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">To make Part B- meringue:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Combine sugar and cornstarch. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Clean and dry the whisk thoroughly, and in a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add half the sugar-cornstarch mixture and continue beating for a few minutes, then add remaining sugar-cornstarch mixture and beat until egg whites are glossy and stiff peak form.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Add one-third of meringue into egg yolk mixture from Part A. Fold in lightly with a spatula to loosen the mixture a little. Then add the rest of the meringue and fold to incorporate completely.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading the mixture evenly and smoothing the top with a spatula. Lightly tap the bottom of the tray on the work surface.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Bake for 14 minutes until the cake has risen slightly and feels springy to the touch. Remove from oven. Turn sponge straight from oven onto a sheet of baking paper. Peel off baking paper from the bottom of the sponge. Cover with baking paper, then a damp tea towel. Set aside to cool completely.</span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;"><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">To make sugar syrup:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Dissolve sugar in hot water. Set aside to cool.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;"><br /></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">To make creme chantilly:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">Combine cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste in a clean bowl. Place bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water. Using an electric mixer, whip cream at medium speed until stiff peaks form but cream is still smooth.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;"><br /></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">To assemble:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">When the cake is completely cool, brush sugar syrup over the cake, followed by the creme chantilly and fresh fruits. Roll up the cake around the filling. Wrap the cake and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.</span></span><br />
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-82589073191589592802013-12-29T19:29:00.004+08:002013-12-29T19:31:32.432+08:00Coloured Rolled Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uYRpYeHHKxXTo7AnT9rnAdOBiq8MJ6RN0vfVBu8ErM5TxqE6gmk6pdfIwh6DLKPriyJaG_w3HzVT_RpCV6dKBk4xTU5JlCTkMArPnGqgMVzWdJM74UEbYZjUQ3y6YQDERtH9gXyOM_M/s1600/Striped+Rolled+Cake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uYRpYeHHKxXTo7AnT9rnAdOBiq8MJ6RN0vfVBu8ErM5TxqE6gmk6pdfIwh6DLKPriyJaG_w3HzVT_RpCV6dKBk4xTU5JlCTkMArPnGqgMVzWdJM74UEbYZjUQ3y6YQDERtH9gXyOM_M/s640/Striped+Rolled+Cake+1.JPG" width="436" /></a></div>
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This is the season to be jolly, and I'm inspired to create all sorts of pretty and edible desserts for the numerous celebration parties that I've been going to.</div>
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For the gathering tomorrow, I'm bringing a Coloured Rolled Cake. Who else would have thought of this besides the Japanese? They make all things look so kawaii, even a simple swiss roll. I adapted Junko's rolled cake recipe from <a href="http://cakeletsanddoilies.blogspot.sg/2013/03/bunny-deco-cake-roll.html">Cakelet's and Doilies' blog</a>. This was a breeze to make and the texture of the cake was fabulous - soft and spongy, just the way I like mine to be.</div>
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I think I was a little too heavy-handed on the colouring as it turned out bright pink and green when I wanted it to be pastel in colour. Oh well, lesson learnt...next time I'll be slower to add in the colours :).</div>
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I whipped up a simple creme chantilly and lined the sponge with mandarin oranges, all rolled and into the fridge within an hour! The next I make this I'll probably opt for a custard based cream with bananas in it...perhaps with polka dotted sponge! I get excited thinking about all the various combinations I can create with a simple rolled cake :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOv9I69i67Ru6IVbDgESA-gQoU4RwB7iGvRw0kAJY7TC-h0KVqVNlzBy5O_cMO1UTYlHw2f3_wnRZoQMPBZBd1TuzcfPHayN_BfCU1f8X93XSmPfVd7wVB36EHXXJGiSfhBCGxsqyhjg/s1600/Striped+Rolled+Cake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOv9I69i67Ru6IVbDgESA-gQoU4RwB7iGvRw0kAJY7TC-h0KVqVNlzBy5O_cMO1UTYlHw2f3_wnRZoQMPBZBd1TuzcfPHayN_BfCU1f8X93XSmPfVd7wVB36EHXXJGiSfhBCGxsqyhjg/s640/Striped+Rolled+Cake+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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Here's another picture of the cake - all sliced up and ready to go!</div>
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Oooh...how I miss baking once again. There will be more posts to come...I promise! </div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-14997385306649908902013-12-25T15:44:00.002+08:002013-12-25T15:44:53.857+08:00Blessed Christmas 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW3mpGwMbNIKUbJkmVAL480hhHIO1XSA8r5jtlbsmzOEPfpMw-DZN_95UGExwnpeWcUjUrUNlFxHg2NKR1uvRHDkZcIbS4O_PaXcjdSmDXGJ9X2G3odVs_Sux9dX8b5qAAkT5-nXcOlA/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoW3mpGwMbNIKUbJkmVAL480hhHIO1XSA8r5jtlbsmzOEPfpMw-DZN_95UGExwnpeWcUjUrUNlFxHg2NKR1uvRHDkZcIbS4O_PaXcjdSmDXGJ9X2G3odVs_Sux9dX8b5qAAkT5-nXcOlA/s640/DSC_0163.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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It's been close to a year since my last post, and many things have happened since. Here are just a few to share:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">I have...gotten married! Yes, no longer single and with all the time in the world to do the things I want :). But good nonetheless!</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I have...changed jobs again! In a new role, new industry, not far from what I dreamed of doing...but it is reaaal tough >.<</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I have...grown another year! Looking forward to an exciting new season and year ahead of me, hopefully with more time to bake and photograph and eat and experiment!</li>
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This Christmas, my husband Darren has decided to whip up a sSteak as the main course, with Garlic Baguette and Minestrone Soup as the starter. And I did a simple Rose Coconut Cherry Ice Cream topped with Cocoa Nibs to finish off the meal. The grape juice we had from Montalto Wineyard of Victoria Australia was the best I've ever had. It definitely capped off a sweet Christmas meal with the family.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_swFHNMYYqGubvGd1xiyR6QRQRnXViMSCAiWZKPZWrSdK9ammG9KRTMeMgloofvXsO-h-X8Vy2IkptSf5Z0pIPtnRYA5F4cvYUt0zwv8obBMygm4lW1cZuCgdMpsDxKj74UFnH2hrlo/s1600/DSC_0166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_swFHNMYYqGubvGd1xiyR6QRQRnXViMSCAiWZKPZWrSdK9ammG9KRTMeMgloofvXsO-h-X8Vy2IkptSf5Z0pIPtnRYA5F4cvYUt0zwv8obBMygm4lW1cZuCgdMpsDxKj74UFnH2hrlo/s640/DSC_0166.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eThO9cGsQJsiZceer-mMxhH0j5jEw9rA27CDOjJFP0BP_PK_VnWX77npmGO9oj5pcrWdQHx-m6ebfcpIXxFj3-GjWHG0NGi3B7ZkonmiJTL23luyoKyDnUuz-KDH7QKBl24T7UB24Ew/s1600/DSC_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eThO9cGsQJsiZceer-mMxhH0j5jEw9rA27CDOjJFP0BP_PK_VnWX77npmGO9oj5pcrWdQHx-m6ebfcpIXxFj3-GjWHG0NGi3B7ZkonmiJTL23luyoKyDnUuz-KDH7QKBl24T7UB24Ew/s640/DSC_0175.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas. And not to forget the reason for this celebration is because we have an even more wonderful Jesus, the baby born one blessed night that gave us the greatest Gift of our lives.</div>
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Merry Christmas everyone! :)</div>
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-88999204446205287672013-01-01T21:19:00.000+08:002013-01-01T21:20:14.765+08:00To the Happiest Year Yet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>Durian Swiss Rolls</i></span></div>
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What a ride it has been in 2012 - a year that's been full of ups and downs, yet God's fingerprints are still all over it. I went for Hillsong Conference, the London 2012 Olympics, got proposed to and had opportunities to do the things that I love...what more can I ask for? :)</div>
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I ended the year with a gathering with my kingdom friends. It was a potluck party and our small group brought along some Durian, Coffee and Pandan Swiss Rolls from Rich & Good Cake Shop, as well as made Peri Peri Chicken Wings with Nando's Peri Peri marinade.</div>
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Will leave you with the pictures to enjoy while I wish you all a very Happy New Year! </div>
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It shall be an even better year yea? :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-wsG13hfAmNs8OS9NgzkTDWEOIkYh3SNXUyIXVEFhYENRDdKsoujngjYAtLEGsWNniRpz_PpEdYhCCB49g6FPPPSCqb0AtTaHMaWTvEiKMUQzKAVSPIrK7T8WNdIwA6rdB7zRc1bk58/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-wsG13hfAmNs8OS9NgzkTDWEOIkYh3SNXUyIXVEFhYENRDdKsoujngjYAtLEGsWNniRpz_PpEdYhCCB49g6FPPPSCqb0AtTaHMaWTvEiKMUQzKAVSPIrK7T8WNdIwA6rdB7zRc1bk58/s640/DSC_0118.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">Pandan Swiss Rolls</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cTbp76Xs0x46NyYiMMammhkHbR32ESGvXgIh_QjQ4vjkT8kjjtWK8fdbH62R4xONIVQ5lqMCHtM3BySxRWBAYt6Bs58fLCGQvR1OyEgm176AwJDnsUvp1SErkAwxc6vJ3mAR7G5ryp4/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cTbp76Xs0x46NyYiMMammhkHbR32ESGvXgIh_QjQ4vjkT8kjjtWK8fdbH62R4xONIVQ5lqMCHtM3BySxRWBAYt6Bs58fLCGQvR1OyEgm176AwJDnsUvp1SErkAwxc6vJ3mAR7G5ryp4/s640/DSC_0123.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">Nandos' Peri Peri Sauce</i></div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-25374753805433710912012-12-16T17:48:00.002+08:002012-12-16T17:49:54.319+08:00Christmas Cookie Pops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkGJpFFrMgS8A_cJQpbxSi5vmIQ46UGtCnKhIZvOdiFoTq-XlqxpJ8cm6dtcKh_fHpI_yaSF9HMRW5L8eWmeBbqfWkWyQNs4XVmyKHav1SvLVFPoKbr6eAdHMEXtnbyof_Gz5VoEqckQ/s1600/DSC_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkGJpFFrMgS8A_cJQpbxSi5vmIQ46UGtCnKhIZvOdiFoTq-XlqxpJ8cm6dtcKh_fHpI_yaSF9HMRW5L8eWmeBbqfWkWyQNs4XVmyKHav1SvLVFPoKbr6eAdHMEXtnbyof_Gz5VoEqckQ/s640/DSC_0104.JPG" width="435" /></a></div>
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As usual, I come back once in while when there's an occasion to bake for *grins*. How I miss fiddling around in the kitchen and creating pretty and yummy goodies for all to share. Christmas is always the season for baking. Everyone's in a celebratory mood, regardless of race of religion, gift giving happening everywhere and we are all expecting a better year of us - what more can we ask for? Such a joyous mood calls for joy inducing treats too, and this year I decided to make cookie pops!</div>
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Inspired by Happy Home Baking's <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2011/10/cookies-on-sticks.html">post</a>, I set out to look for the bakeable M&Ms...but I couldn't find them anywhere! I remember we use to see them in the supermarts and baking shops, but somehow they just disappeared when I wanted to use them again. Sigh. Anyways, I substituted them with Ghiradhelli Chocolate Chips (more yummy than M&Ms for sure!) and Roasted Hazelnuts. And boy, they turned out very yummy indeed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4j83RbU-4xg0uI8gecuum7TNNZ597w51Tgsi0HTzcj4ZnBXW9FTF3wsMJwKWyhs0UbD9RVqO0aoAqNq-j721xMTAhKtp8ACq_pK_qhRhlPrtOFxnifKRKbK-l6wrHxnddpxlBppXHv8/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4j83RbU-4xg0uI8gecuum7TNNZ597w51Tgsi0HTzcj4ZnBXW9FTF3wsMJwKWyhs0UbD9RVqO0aoAqNq-j721xMTAhKtp8ACq_pK_qhRhlPrtOFxnifKRKbK-l6wrHxnddpxlBppXHv8/s640/DSC_0109.JPG" width="432" /></a></div>
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I adapted the recipe from this <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.sg/2009/03/drop-cookies.html">link</a>, didn't search very far or wide due to the shortage of time, and I am real glad it turned out very well. Once baked, I simply wrapped them with clear plastic wrappings, put on the "handmade" sticker I bought from Japan some time ago and tied a ribbon round the stem. They look pretty cute don't they? :)</div>
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Can't wait to see my friends' reactions when they see this. I am getting very excited myself! Hahaha...</div>
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Hope you having a wonderful Christmas too, enjoy the year end holidays!</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-42262019261840051572012-09-02T22:48:00.004+08:002012-09-02T22:48:49.429+08:00Pandan Chiffon Cake - A Singaporean Childhood Favourite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw7U_ilFqvnvcTsJ7Byqi6MO9GV7BwKzVbRKLly6dAx3cpXSx5fTKNBeFBnzKtBHw2ZeSVTkZhfBPNLZOiP2T3c-IfJqpMVDOUKASvp9pO49RqLXYGc4bYj2aT3XNsiJnte10_-qA3Rg/s1600/Pandan+Chiffon+Cake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw7U_ilFqvnvcTsJ7Byqi6MO9GV7BwKzVbRKLly6dAx3cpXSx5fTKNBeFBnzKtBHw2ZeSVTkZhfBPNLZOiP2T3c-IfJqpMVDOUKASvp9pO49RqLXYGc4bYj2aT3XNsiJnte10_-qA3Rg/s640/Pandan+Chiffon+Cake+1.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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Was just watching Liverpool vs Arsenal on TV earlier, it was painful to watch (mebeing a Liverpool fan) that I switched off my TV set and decided to blog instead. Recently, 2 of colleagues departed from the company and the week seemed like a week of farewell - saying our goodbyes and well wishes to each of them. It felt sad, yet at the same time happy for them to be moving on to a new and better place. And in the midst of that, I also received a couple of requests for chiffon cakes, so here goes :).</div>
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Singaporeans first knew chiffon cakes in pandan flavour. Personally, I never knew other flavours existed till I started baking. I love its light, fluffy texture with its gentle sweetness that makes eating this feels like a treat! Having seen my mum gone through her fair share of chiffon cake failures, I never dared to try making it, though the Pandan Chiffon Cake has always been my favourite. I tried a couple of Pandan Chiffon Cake recipes following the success of my <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.sg/2010/02/chocolate-chiffon-cake-my-favourite.html">Chocolate</a>, <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.sg/2009/11/marble-chiffon-cake-cake-that-never.html">Marbled </a>& <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.sg/2010/04/yuzu-tea-chiffon-cake-loving-my.html">Yuzu Tea</a> Chiffon Cakes, but they never quite satisfied my tastebuds. Yet at the same, I had to make one by Monday...hence I picked a new recipe by <a href="http://testedandtasted.blogspot.sg/2010/06/pandan-chiffon-cake-ii.html">Chef Judy Koh of Creative Culinaire</a> and hope that it works out well eventually.</div>
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The recipe was easy to follow, but the cake batter turned out too little for my 22cm pan. I would recommend using this recipe on a 20cm pan instead, as I prefer my chiffon cakes tall :).</div>
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Guess I'll have to wait with bated breath till Monday to find out how it tastes! Since I can't cut it in advance now >.<.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQ_DbHORQ7lHo8QbP4QsxJ8W77ZI-dNPK1G1O7yAtfKGK0cogQ7IEiTYgIaQzxU0h9HnfZcPz4_IMx2HdeHf3kGuZNkiY3Z-iAlSo9b7Q7Z78-UxLSObKnzd9lK_B271yq8lqntAk0PY/s1600/Pandan+Chiffon+Cake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQ_DbHORQ7lHo8QbP4QsxJ8W77ZI-dNPK1G1O7yAtfKGK0cogQ7IEiTYgIaQzxU0h9HnfZcPz4_IMx2HdeHf3kGuZNkiY3Z-iAlSo9b7Q7Z78-UxLSObKnzd9lK_B271yq8lqntAk0PY/s640/Pandan+Chiffon+Cake+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Pandan Chiffon Cake</span></b></div>
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<b><i>Ingredients:</i></b></div>
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5 pandan leaves, finely chopped</div>
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3 Tbsps water</div>
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48g egg yolk, from about 4 small eggs</div>
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70g castor sugar</div>
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1/8 tsp sale</div>
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20ml corn oil</div>
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36ml thick coconut milk (I used the chilled version that is more suited to my tastes)</div>
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1/4 tsp pandan paste</div>
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54g cake flour</div>
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120g egg white, from about 4 small eggs</div>
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1/8 cream of tartar (i replaced this with corn flour)</div>
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<b><i>Preparation:</i></b></div>
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1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.</div>
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2. Blend the pandan leaves with water to a fine pulp. Wrap the pulp in muslin cloth and squeeze to extract the juice. Discard the pulp and set aside the juice.</div>
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3. Whisk together the egg yolks, 30g sugar, salt, corn oil, coconut milk, pandan paste and pandan juice until well incorporated.</div>
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4. Sieve the cake flour into the pandan mixture and continue to whisk till smooth. Set aside.</div>
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5. Whisk the egg whites till foamy, add the sugar and cream of tartar and whisk till stiff peak form.</div>
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6. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the cake batter, 1/3 at a time, until well incorporated.</div>
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7. Pour the batter into a 20cm tube pan and bake for 40 minutes.</div>
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8. Remove the cake from the oven and invert it on a rack to cool before removing from the mould.</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-6787018719015052842012-08-26T21:42:00.002+08:002012-08-26T21:43:10.587+08:00Alice in Wonderland Wedding Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long long time since I blogged. Haven't been checking my blog for the last few months, neither have I baked apart from what I post...haha. I miss baking, wish I can have more time to do this, and am working towards doing this more in the next couple of months.</div>
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I'm glad that a good friend of mine actually asked me to create a set of Alice in Wonderland cookies for her wedding. She sent me an image for inspiration, and the standards were just waaaay better than what I can do. Hence, I can only try, and try my best. </div>
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Ultimately, I came up with a set of 3 cookies - the TeaPot, the Ribbon & the Poker Cards. I'm glad they turned out pretty okay, though they weren't as crunchy as I would have liked. Reckoned the humidity didn't help the icing to dry well....</div>
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Nevertheless, I really enjoyed doing this! Darren even did an amazing job on creating 3D Alice in Wonderland cut-outs....they were beau-ti-ful, check this out - so cute!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXs6sZnGowPItLjACxq76RYJ240HKsBz3g8Wlxyyg1wlmWoAWW0eApXtYDP_LaOsCa3hAClCrVxx8Pen1mNF8T76eo9nhpSPRlY1DnGYo1P-21ycdpYmEsUWYll_Sg0XjM6quHn61lAs/s1600/IMG_3737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXs6sZnGowPItLjACxq76RYJ240HKsBz3g8Wlxyyg1wlmWoAWW0eApXtYDP_LaOsCa3hAClCrVxx8Pen1mNF8T76eo9nhpSPRlY1DnGYo1P-21ycdpYmEsUWYll_Sg0XjM6quHn61lAs/s640/IMG_3737.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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Apologies for the poor photo quality. I had too much to carry that day and only took these with my handy camera phone..gotta make do with these!</div>
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Will just leave you with these other photos I took...till the next project that comes along the way :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8no2iryPxg8WbfIO4aPBrM5tG6E1W_LpDTQ3FZdzWL-HhopmO-7iHh1PUWiV5_9NQ0UOpxCum7dOaZbgyQYG3QkvLII-jN3QOC9M8gZDMOCqiiIc4HP-LVznQ-IQ3VF_-NBgGk2QDD8/s1600/IMG_3731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8no2iryPxg8WbfIO4aPBrM5tG6E1W_LpDTQ3FZdzWL-HhopmO-7iHh1PUWiV5_9NQ0UOpxCum7dOaZbgyQYG3QkvLII-jN3QOC9M8gZDMOCqiiIc4HP-LVznQ-IQ3VF_-NBgGk2QDD8/s640/IMG_3731.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-45841215487587445472012-04-18T23:21:00.004+08:002012-04-18T23:21:55.627+08:00Plentitude Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T2WegcCjkk_IyYC2nj_Qnl1TzvMRliSJH63vEuJCLyanlWiqIlnV8ZzbWUr4OvrJ22RRmy9BRblYW3qVojshhUJxSoSq0fqHkWhJs5tP-vCOt5aorFGPO2OAxj7rztqBm61Wp-AvZck/s1600/Plentitude+Macarons+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3T2WegcCjkk_IyYC2nj_Qnl1TzvMRliSJH63vEuJCLyanlWiqIlnV8ZzbWUr4OvrJ22RRmy9BRblYW3qVojshhUJxSoSq0fqHkWhJs5tP-vCOt5aorFGPO2OAxj7rztqBm61Wp-AvZck/s640/Plentitude+Macarons+1.JPG" width="459" /></a></div>
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It's been a while, a pretty long while since my last post. Are you wondering what I've been up to since then? Well, after changing to my new job, the hours are long, workload's heavier and I don't have much time nor energy to dream of baking sweet treats like I do last time. When I get off work, some time is spent destressing (i.e shopping) to get my mind out of work mode and into the lifestyle mode. And after that, I'm pretty much ready to go to bed. Baking time is almost non-existent.</div>
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Well, I miss baking! Miss the days when I can dream about the goodies I can bake with my "spare" brain capacity. Miss the days when I can spend long hours in the kitchen without worrying about finishing within a certain number of hours. All that has changed, quite abit in fact. </div>
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I feel a little rusty in the kitchen, a little lost when I can't find those ingredients like I used to, a little sad when I had to throw away expired ingredients that hasn't seen the daylight since months ago. Wish I had more time to make good use of them rather than throwing them away right now.</div>
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The first thing I decided to bake when I had an off day is macarons! I have not tried any recipe from the Pierre Herme's Macarons book yet, and decided to pick a simply one - Plentitude Macarons. The description for this sounded delicious enough - caramel chocolate filling with fleur de sel dark chocolate chips sandwiched between 2 shells - I'm sold just by reading this!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQImpEqoMNKi0t8OeeLbdUqZ409cKljQH2oikX5gRNXcO-D5cXXuOobHv6muhshagOoUvXn3cm-4sN90yLsgaRSZSeWXwqZhuVmr-HsvXf2Y1EWz8VYMvawLWUuyiiSUI1I72Q4A8gYgM/s1600/Plentitude+Macarons+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQImpEqoMNKi0t8OeeLbdUqZ409cKljQH2oikX5gRNXcO-D5cXXuOobHv6muhshagOoUvXn3cm-4sN90yLsgaRSZSeWXwqZhuVmr-HsvXf2Y1EWz8VYMvawLWUuyiiSUI1I72Q4A8gYgM/s640/Plentitude+Macarons+2.JPG" width="433" /></a></div>
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Seriously, I was quite rusty. I forgot to start beating my egg whites and my sugar syrup was already reaching 110 degrees. I overmixed my batter and it turned out pretty runny. I was all set for a failed batch until I saw those frilly feet rising up high. Phew!</div>
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However, the texture didn't turn out quite right, they were wayyyy too crispy for their own good. I had a good laugh when I bit into one and heard a crunching sound HAHA. Ended up with a batch of Crispy Plentitude Macarons!</div>
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Apart from the shells, the caramel chocolate filling was super yummy! I caramelised the sugar to a deep amber and it gave this a nice burnt sugar taste which I love. The filling's a winner for sure :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3s2w5phWHp5GKPbReCpqgxfqgtnJM9G8mnKCKUJ-ABAF3UjlZrzfq9hi_tScSUoeIwUxU-NpcHslvgvv7a9AcAPPyTN3k_HhzvMJThgGD7dQJxCiljnjoEZyWXWWBX6i07EowhC-REg/s1600/Plentitude+Macarons+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3s2w5phWHp5GKPbReCpqgxfqgtnJM9G8mnKCKUJ-ABAF3UjlZrzfq9hi_tScSUoeIwUxU-NpcHslvgvv7a9AcAPPyTN3k_HhzvMJThgGD7dQJxCiljnjoEZyWXWWBX6i07EowhC-REg/s640/Plentitude+Macarons+3.JPG" width="427" /></a></div>
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I'm still in 2 minds as to whether these can be shared with the world. After all, it's kinda like a "failed" batch, though it's edible. Alternatively, I can look at this as being the "pioneer" of Crispy Plentitude Macarons...HAHA.</div>
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Oh well...</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-28087747434418935952012-01-23T12:30:00.000+08:002012-01-23T12:30:01.524+08:00A Charming Blackforest Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai8A7wA0DtH496SgzqqzypsbtO3dAFU2LTXAGfCsOdfETS8OIudw5PjqZhcJ9AkHx3f-3IBGYqkLGqh6Pfvlq5vssTobplWUBKqC5m4MLIQzuLDA28WuBAxj-4SZ1Mh2uPfBbgoM6uvs/s1600/Charmed+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai8A7wA0DtH496SgzqqzypsbtO3dAFU2LTXAGfCsOdfETS8OIudw5PjqZhcJ9AkHx3f-3IBGYqkLGqh6Pfvlq5vssTobplWUBKqC5m4MLIQzuLDA28WuBAxj-4SZ1Mh2uPfBbgoM6uvs/s640/Charmed+1.JPG" width="430" /></a></div>
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It was a case of right time, right place. I was at I12 Katong's supermarket when I spotted the jar of preserved morello cherries. Been wanting to make Hidemi Sugino's rendition of the blackforest cake, hence I grabbed a jar and made these :). It was for a good reason, my darling Darren's birthday! Haven't made an entremet in months...I hope the taste will turn out fine...haha.</div>
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I first spotted the recipe on Evan's <a href="http://bossacafez.blogspot.com/2011/11/hidemi-suginos-charme.html#more">blog</a>. Her version of Charmed (Sugino's name for this cake) is absolutely lovely. I had some problems with the dark chocolate chantilly but eventually it turned out alright. The steps were really easy to follow, one of the easiest entremets to make, but not the easiest to get it perfect.</div>
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I loved the taste of preserved morello cherries, had it with my pint of Awesomely Chocolate ice cream from Udders, which was very yummy! This particular brand had it lightly sweetened...I would have preferred it more tart though :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuyMjI_7IUZdaAbUQpp6hkEzvHlnkDTECdUtp43gdQID7vJZeOUHuWk-P8AqXB-NVF82II7Dje5xS2cwcHRGFgsqDu9sYPigikaSEpP9vntpMIybk1hlM8kJJ0irk4dxvVYm0V57V78g/s1600/DSC_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuyMjI_7IUZdaAbUQpp6hkEzvHlnkDTECdUtp43gdQID7vJZeOUHuWk-P8AqXB-NVF82II7Dje5xS2cwcHRGFgsqDu9sYPigikaSEpP9vntpMIybk1hlM8kJJ0irk4dxvVYm0V57V78g/s640/DSC_0229.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, I gotta wait for my darling to be back in Singapore before I can present this to him and celebrate his birthday. Well, at least I had a liiiitle bit of time to make a cake for him this time round!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdslwn3lUVCvPCT1k6HIVSz-1hIdqYo-8XzOPWww8uvTcTF9gXZCPFxPadR06BpL4-rogJgW1lt0dFpNofWaArghtmJa6WF7gcDBj3-fs2erBETTnZJn7J3MyjzKKG0ejGB0dj76wsr8/s1600/Charmed+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdslwn3lUVCvPCT1k6HIVSz-1hIdqYo-8XzOPWww8uvTcTF9gXZCPFxPadR06BpL4-rogJgW1lt0dFpNofWaArghtmJa6WF7gcDBj3-fs2erBETTnZJn7J3MyjzKKG0ejGB0dj76wsr8/s640/Charmed+2.JPG" width="452" /></a></div>
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By the way, anyone has experienced issues with the whipped cream hardening after folding in the melted chocolate? I wonder what went wrong with mine, as mine kinda "seized" when I folded in the chocolate, even after I cooled it. I wish the texture of my chantilly could be softer and smoother though...any suggestions?</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-50852764956143489352012-01-21T23:03:00.001+08:002012-01-21T23:05:21.211+08:00Almond Cocoa Nib Sticks for Chinese New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mIH5NJK27fYQ97gXeYPgHaT2NsUWEiRj9o-fHii9bzbV_lVV9dvLf-HIwSSqv3gYrI__QPYK5QTHL-3IH-Fb7-r3Lm6ZRTAkYfmhiP_XvUnvRl9s212PiAb1sB6E7y608KP_-F3H1kA/s1600/Almond+Cocoa+Nib+Sticks+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mIH5NJK27fYQ97gXeYPgHaT2NsUWEiRj9o-fHii9bzbV_lVV9dvLf-HIwSSqv3gYrI__QPYK5QTHL-3IH-Fb7-r3Lm6ZRTAkYfmhiP_XvUnvRl9s212PiAb1sB6E7y608KP_-F3H1kA/s640/Almond+Cocoa+Nib+Sticks+1.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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For some reason, January passed in a blink of the eye. It's now nearing the end of the month and we're heading into Chinese New Year! Gosh, where did the first month of 2012 go? I really wonder, hmmm...</div>
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This year, I received a big Bengawan Solo hamper plus loads of CNY goodies including Kueh Bangkit, Bak Kwa, Famous Amos Cookies, Danish Cookies etc. I reckon there was no need for me to make any, plus I didn't have much time. Hence this was the only thing I made - Almond Cocoa Nib Sticks.</div>
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I made these twice before, once very recently for Christmas Favours, and they've received very good reviews and feedback! Even mum, who's usually very critical of my bakes, commented that these were really good. Hence, I decided to make a double batch of this for the new year!</div>
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I simply love the raw crunchy texture of cocoa nibs with its full and deep cocoa flavour. It's like eating chocolate, but without the sweetness! Baked to a crispy crunch, these are especially good with a cup of tea or coffee!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApsiFbo7wKAui3WyR5pPcwbB05u7MLouYuPb98a3irqEnIoB9SqJPe7UlPRwjsdcB26pyS-zH_QCR9JqrgVw_T0Tge4o9BQSYLA0jd21dPn8GvOFbVxHpwRCxiB6O49z51s9sfodwi5M/s1600/Almond+Cocoa+Nib+Sticks+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApsiFbo7wKAui3WyR5pPcwbB05u7MLouYuPb98a3irqEnIoB9SqJPe7UlPRwjsdcB26pyS-zH_QCR9JqrgVw_T0Tge4o9BQSYLA0jd21dPn8GvOFbVxHpwRCxiB6O49z51s9sfodwi5M/s640/Almond+Cocoa+Nib+Sticks+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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A friend of mine gave me a sachet of mint hot chocolate during Christmas, hence I can't resist having them with these Almond Cocoa Nib Sticks. They were absolutely delicious :).</div>
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Before I leave you the recipe, just wanna wish all of you a very Happy Chinese New Year! May you PROSPER BEYOND MEASURE! Yippee!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Almond Cocoa Nib Sticks</b></span></div>
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<i>adapted from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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3/4 cup ground almonds</div>
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1 cup + 2 tbsp plain flour</div>
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2/3 cup sugar</div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks</div>
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2 tbsp water</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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1/8 tsp almond extract</div>
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1/4 cup cocoa nibs</div>
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<b>Preparation:</b></div>
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1. Combine ground almonds, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like a mass of bread crumbs. </div>
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2. Combine the water, vanilla and almond extract, drizzle them into the bowl and pulse just until the dough looks damp. Add the cocoa nibs and pulse until evenly dispersed. The dough will not form a smooth cohesive mass, it will be crumbly but it will stick together when you press it.</div>
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3. Turn out the dough onto a sheet of foil and form it into a 6 by 9 inch rectangle that is 1/2 inch thick. Fold the foil over the dough and press firmly with your hands to compress it, then wrap it airtight. Slide a cookie sheet under it and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.</div>
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4. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Slice the dough into 1/2 cm thick slices and place them on the lined cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart.</div>
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5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies are golden.</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-55976571186790669792012-01-08T23:10:00.001+08:002012-01-08T23:10:33.708+08:00Pink Peppermint Macarons for the New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFRohMu_xGF-FER4GIDrmkekCcSH_xSQ10qLSF_zoPPUWBA2_3fwWEF-EiRchxWTWKHYCVPn13g28GdPl19ooIJ4uyJfs0OYQApoc_3pYosGL_1w4_eop0XimUzrvMbXH_scs0iScUM8/s1600/Pink+Peppermint+Macarons+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFRohMu_xGF-FER4GIDrmkekCcSH_xSQ10qLSF_zoPPUWBA2_3fwWEF-EiRchxWTWKHYCVPn13g28GdPl19ooIJ4uyJfs0OYQApoc_3pYosGL_1w4_eop0XimUzrvMbXH_scs0iScUM8/s640/Pink+Peppermint+Macarons+1.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year! I'm so glad 2011 has passed, and that I survived it! Looking forward to an awesome 2012, which I know will definitely be a great great year of unceasing fruitfulness!</div>
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Secondly, am glad to be baking again. After surviving the last few mad and crazy months of 2011, I can finally take a short breather and indulge myself in some me-baking-time...heh.</div>
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I made these with the intention of celebrating New Year, yet the colour turned out to be more suitable for Valentine's Day instead! Well, at least they were cherry enough to bring forth the year :). I made one of my favourite flavours of all time - peppermint chocolate - and sandwiched the mint chocolate ganache between plain macaron shells. They turned out simply heavenly :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGxxMb7RoPFJ6lieYIM-Ei2EEfnDETrpWBiyDbzT9B6dEzOlW3DGPgu41NBLO-Ur2_eRJGj5E2JGFbRpTCVcK3TpKgiWytqzLSkRnLNeBEVp6OdM8-DCQqiEPaGO9QmtDgywP3-Jrwyc/s1600/Pink+Peppermint+Macarons+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGxxMb7RoPFJ6lieYIM-Ei2EEfnDETrpWBiyDbzT9B6dEzOlW3DGPgu41NBLO-Ur2_eRJGj5E2JGFbRpTCVcK3TpKgiWytqzLSkRnLNeBEVp6OdM8-DCQqiEPaGO9QmtDgywP3-Jrwyc/s640/Pink+Peppermint+Macarons+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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It's such a luxury to sip a cuppa tea, with some macarons at the side. I love these simple pleasures of life, so simple yet so enjoyable and comforting. When I have a home to call my own next time, I'll be sure to dedicate a nice tea corner by a window to enjoy a warm cup of afternoon tea.</div>
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This year, hope to explore more unique macaron flavours and move out of my comfort zone! I wonder if that will eventually materialise...haha! We'll see :).</div>
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<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-70810817084177181352011-12-25T23:57:00.000+08:002011-12-25T23:57:46.727+08:00Christmas 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-MI2FGt_KPI1_pfrQGKHOFrR7zzRPwMahbz0UjGhGgA_7VTR7Z3M-w7HlmblgXvbPA3XxHQNDx6p0I0ziUzJlgMbc5bx0pFp6hjXkOpjMdyUNXHaPx8cp-p4X3Jw7nDBbOE_I8icCDQ/s1600/DSC_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-MI2FGt_KPI1_pfrQGKHOFrR7zzRPwMahbz0UjGhGgA_7VTR7Z3M-w7HlmblgXvbPA3XxHQNDx6p0I0ziUzJlgMbc5bx0pFp6hjXkOpjMdyUNXHaPx8cp-p4X3Jw7nDBbOE_I8icCDQ/s640/DSC_0128.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
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It's Christmas time once again! Another awesome year has passed and I have many things to thank God for this year. Time to sit back, relax and count the blessings :).<br />
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Since I'm really short on time this year, my colleagues and I decided to organise a combined baking session to make cookies for all our very helpful colleagues in the office! Here's what we made:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K8iuX-CvwRfqw6KPzURMzxyfH7N71JU8p7FFMjygyu0eCBL_sdirnMehe2UCdjmm4OfoJ9d8exW5EpP_dtwhGRskw0FH2masSuuBMBxJXNPEAV2rPRouFDNvcbpo_phJtQOSwCmQrQI/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K8iuX-CvwRfqw6KPzURMzxyfH7N71JU8p7FFMjygyu0eCBL_sdirnMehe2UCdjmm4OfoJ9d8exW5EpP_dtwhGRskw0FH2masSuuBMBxJXNPEAV2rPRouFDNvcbpo_phJtQOSwCmQrQI/s640/DSC_0119.JPG" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Almond Rounds & Almond Cocoa Nib Cookies with handmade tags :).</td></tr>
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I hope our colleagues love them as much as we enjoyed making them! I love these handmade tags!<br />
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As for family dinner this year, we had turkey, roast potatoes, mango avocado prawn salad and a chocolate logcake. Here's an overview of the spread :).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw-X5b5nnI_FboJFI8UaM7uiVhj6sIEo8EZBpoJGMTyRuTnntNP2PIhEGJPHz3-WY2sUqQaLwOCpevpJi-Pkkz98p-KM2HHt1qua0-G0KOWUYZHup25ZN7DrIFwAetSLZFtwi7eQM8k4/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw-X5b5nnI_FboJFI8UaM7uiVhj6sIEo8EZBpoJGMTyRuTnntNP2PIhEGJPHz3-WY2sUqQaLwOCpevpJi-Pkkz98p-KM2HHt1qua0-G0KOWUYZHup25ZN7DrIFwAetSLZFtwi7eQM8k4/s640/DSC_0123.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango Avocado Prawn Salad with Honey Dressing</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUELLiIKk5j75qqc0D4CEt8YYNKasPhOUhshl7GL_vgMkOEaUcgb8YP0J7c2llNS_x1Chv-_2ZmdLnN0QQdI9EhccfZ5EzsXmkBFgGcZH2z_d87LZDb-QNiVA5_J_o-nz7W3ViNJaw8P4/s1600/DSC_0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUELLiIKk5j75qqc0D4CEt8YYNKasPhOUhshl7GL_vgMkOEaUcgb8YP0J7c2llNS_x1Chv-_2ZmdLnN0QQdI9EhccfZ5EzsXmkBFgGcZH2z_d87LZDb-QNiVA5_J_o-nz7W3ViNJaw8P4/s640/DSC_0125.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit Platter - Rainer Cherries, Korean Strawberries, Grapes and Longans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X5cERrsl5uqH5m3Y704tSSQuWpyyHFyj1H-stkkkwXSFfU1iWJ1yIPGJHTXXHF1wu1BL7Ua5JSz4-vEXh41nPTc3aZZlvZnhw5tsh7DTSJhAyLwy6y_qVpxtZ9VRTlUTY1ctHYbwv3I/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X5cERrsl5uqH5m3Y704tSSQuWpyyHFyj1H-stkkkwXSFfU1iWJ1yIPGJHTXXHF1wu1BL7Ua5JSz4-vEXh41nPTc3aZZlvZnhw5tsh7DTSJhAyLwy6y_qVpxtZ9VRTlUTY1ctHYbwv3I/s640/DSC_0134.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table Setting with half the dinner spraed</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpe_OM35LaQCcejgro6uKwyoVbRfwHym7mrINqB7LsUOPVNFweV0vPW2x0irtGTS8O2SuA3uD-F-mGtKT4x6WIXzRvCq48UaXI41L9llBI90h7Act4loVNflCsTfmnEb5rWBw2Q1Pe6M/s1600/DSC_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpe_OM35LaQCcejgro6uKwyoVbRfwHym7mrINqB7LsUOPVNFweV0vPW2x0irtGTS8O2SuA3uD-F-mGtKT4x6WIXzRvCq48UaXI41L9llBI90h7Act4loVNflCsTfmnEb5rWBw2Q1Pe6M/s640/DSC_0131.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini fresh Christmas Tree!</td></tr>
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I didn't have the full set of photos as I went to finish up the turkey and potatoes after taking these, hence the incomplete pics! Anyway, thought I'd share these with you anyway as I haven't been blogging much these days.<br />
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Merry Christmas!!Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-56235138684825739822011-09-04T09:05:00.000+08:002011-09-05T00:06:50.557+08:00Cookie Topped Chocolate Cream Puffs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e7PNt8YMkIpySjxgp1EokFxAvTpyKDGmG22mJ_Xtyvzhj8mgTXNpSyaRx_VQ3E6omPpOaFqknFu1qj7jrIeR_2K-PzO3ofjFyfzk9eHExJAK5hSCMhokhI4Oqs_d_HNbI-UgJNBxqxI/s1600/Cookie+Topped+Chocolate+Cream+Puffs+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e7PNt8YMkIpySjxgp1EokFxAvTpyKDGmG22mJ_Xtyvzhj8mgTXNpSyaRx_VQ3E6omPpOaFqknFu1qj7jrIeR_2K-PzO3ofjFyfzk9eHExJAK5hSCMhokhI4Oqs_d_HNbI-UgJNBxqxI/s640/Cookie+Topped+Chocolate+Cream+Puffs+3.JPG" width="462" /></a></div>
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You know, I lost my phone over the weekend. It's horrible and I hate this feeling, especially when I have no clue how I lost it...it just disappeared. Well, looking on the bright side, I got a spanking new phone that does not have the iPhone button issues like my old phone...though it burnt a hole in my pocket. Sigh...these things happen don't they? I wish they didn't though...haha.</div>
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I made these Cookie Topped Chocolate Cream Puffs last week, months after my not-so-successful attempt at making eclairs. I have no idea what went wrong in my first attempt but the choux pastry really wasn't crisp nor tasty. This time round, I tried a different recipe adapted from <a href="http://vintagetrinkets.blogspot.com/2010/11/cookie-topped-choux-puffs.html">Chelle's blog</a>. The results turned out fabulous and I simply love how these cream puffs taste! They were less buttery and milky than the previous recipe I tried, perfect for my dairy-sensitive tastebuds :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCsuFRIOORJi7RR42peWzVHOUK9Dnszw_B3x991b5YBVHx66LC9BvjZf6qEHY5W_mzP92wEk5pdodLeHNwyIcT8Y_VQXEmTIoU3j7jndCt_giVVEBGaPxfSi6f2p1jGUl5s-L6Oq1nD4/s1600/Cookie+Topped+Chocolate+Cream+Puffs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCsuFRIOORJi7RR42peWzVHOUK9Dnszw_B3x991b5YBVHx66LC9BvjZf6qEHY5W_mzP92wEk5pdodLeHNwyIcT8Y_VQXEmTIoU3j7jndCt_giVVEBGaPxfSi6f2p1jGUl5s-L6Oq1nD4/s640/Cookie+Topped+Chocolate+Cream+Puffs.JPG" width="434" /></a></div>
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On the downside, I think my cream puffs turned out really ugly. The thick-skinned me still posted this up anyway...haha...simply because they were so delicious! Seriously, don't be put off by their looks. They could have looked alot better if I'd used a smaller piece of cookie dough on each of these little pastries. They would have spread a little more and looked more cute than burnt :).</div>
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Oh well, regardless of their looks, I love these nonetheless. I made a simple pastry cream using Pierre Herme's recipe and filled them with it...oooh....these were sooo chocolaty and yummy!</div>
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Recently, I also bought a new victorian style tiered plate for high tea. I'm dreaming of having a nice homemade afternoon tea with some of my friends one of these days! I hope it materialises real soon! Haha :).</div>
<br />Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com3Singapore1.352083 103.8198361.098096 103.503979 1.6060699999999999 104.13569299999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-73595753902657582012011-08-21T22:45:00.001+08:002011-08-29T21:54:00.346+08:00Stamped Shortbreads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hmc2H_Jbl56XpzGPmPvYgaB9zNaH7jq_N2VXlJQ3ALTWFNph9HDFhOqWXzE8BFxEHWJCufmpuqy4iQwCirIlVPif0sD8i21yUu60SuSucqoxiEoSbj8iyWKw17FQwCcqS6FoDaYcVyk/s1600/Stamped+Shortbreads+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hmc2H_Jbl56XpzGPmPvYgaB9zNaH7jq_N2VXlJQ3ALTWFNph9HDFhOqWXzE8BFxEHWJCufmpuqy4iQwCirIlVPif0sD8i21yUu60SuSucqoxiEoSbj8iyWKw17FQwCcqS6FoDaYcVyk/s640/Stamped+Shortbreads+2.JPG" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It was a special occasion, our 5 month anniversary, and we reached the point where we needed more grace in our relationship. Though I know "anniversary" is not quite the right word to describe it, but still, we used it used it anyway. Thought it would be nice to make something sweet and personal for him...and stamped shortbreads came up. I used a simple <a href="http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011-stamped-shortbreads.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fdailydelicious+%28dailydelicious%29">recipe</a> from Daily Delicious and the cute little wordpress I had to create these. I have to say, I think they look pretty cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Ly-78F5JLLXHfw9stSQL0NyvecPQl3aWOWsgmSOXwq9kErbk09PYBJh9aCe8gTTW34urwUr5eEkqXpiVVAboCesgljG_vXe3HBJxLUL8T6IKMMYH4SpRjYl0_AHtS6WBvNVd90qHms/s1600/Stamped+Shortbreads+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Ly-78F5JLLXHfw9stSQL0NyvecPQl3aWOWsgmSOXwq9kErbk09PYBJh9aCe8gTTW34urwUr5eEkqXpiVVAboCesgljG_vXe3HBJxLUL8T6IKMMYH4SpRjYl0_AHtS6WBvNVd90qHms/s640/Stamped+Shortbreads+1.JPG" width="422px" /></a></div><br />
These were so easy to make that I had a dozen other cookie ideas as I was shaping them before baking. I can totally visualise how people will be so happy to receive personalised cookies like this!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">To showcase the wordings, I packed them in a transparent box with a simple ribbon for the recipient. All the words that I wanted to say, prepared in the form that I know best - cookies. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And here's the recipes :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Stamped Shortbreads</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em>adapted from <a href="http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011-stamped-shortbreads.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fdailydelicious+%28dailydelicious%29">Daily Delicious</a></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">100g unsalted butter (cold and cut into pieces)</div>⅛tsp salt<br />
40g icing sugar<br />
120g cake flour<br />
45g rice flour<br />
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<strong>Preparation:</strong><br />
1. Place the butter into a bowl and sift cake flour, rice flour, icing sugar and salt over the butter.<br />
2. Cut the butter and flour mixture into small pieces (or you can use your fingers), when the mixture looks like small bits of bread crumb, pour out of the bowl onto a work surface.<br />
3. Knead the crumbs until stick together and smooth.<br />
4.Wrap with the plastic, flatten the dough into the shape of a disk, refrigerate for 1-2 hours.<br />
5. When ready to back, preheat the oven to 160°C<br />
6. Roll the dough until 5mm thick. Cut into the desired shapes, place on the prepared baking sheet and stamp the cookies with the prepared wordpress<br />
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a light golden colour.<br />
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Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-36572075131939955782011-08-14T14:26:00.001+08:002011-08-14T14:57:05.513+08:00Chocolate Mousse Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGEZmFqoabm-EEchVBqzlP4slLm8NbMwvAAJEZM5OPMHU-v6vq5cAGeX0mn-21qfBAGnuJvLSBZnKNfI4XFJI2eSqTPDzwoxrqN9Lu83PiqMSZ-LSAFUoHC2P4T2u0RtSxvMcYd9Ha_s/s1600/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGEZmFqoabm-EEchVBqzlP4slLm8NbMwvAAJEZM5OPMHU-v6vq5cAGeX0mn-21qfBAGnuJvLSBZnKNfI4XFJI2eSqTPDzwoxrqN9Lu83PiqMSZ-LSAFUoHC2P4T2u0RtSxvMcYd9Ha_s/s640/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+2.JPG" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Hey hey it's Sunday! How I love slow and lazy Sunday mornings when I can wake up at any time I want and take my time to indulge in my favourite activities. Somehow I think brunch are made for Sundays, and I kinda wish I had a long relaxing brunch today, which didn't quite happen. The next best thing will be to spend a few hours in the kitchen, baking up something sweet and pretty :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My initial plan was to make a layered cake...either a pure chocolate layered cake or a matcha chocolate version. I rummaged through the kitchen to see if I have all the ingredients I needed and found one key missing - eggs. Sigh, no cake for me today. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My thoughts went back to a lovely tart that I saw yesterday on <a href="http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/">Cannelle et Vanille</a> - a <a href="http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2011/08/chocolate-and-tahini-tart-for-mikey.html">Chocolate Tahini Tart</a>. With no tahini on hand, I decided to go for a simple, yet decadent Chocolate Mousse Tart. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Putting this together was such a breeze. The tart crust was easy to handle and I got one of my prettiest tart crust ever made! No fuss at all. However, I'm not a big fan of this crust as it's a little dry for my liking. I'd opt for Dorie Greenspan's trusty recipe or Pierre Herme's chocolate pate sablee anytime.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzcylrGr52mmtlg0QzhuNn685tvA-nRbGL4WKUVbRMjmX7DV8xyC8i9G2uNYDt6u8WCUJnCfFM_z89g_C0VqlRvRA1g0bMW8lWM9Ss-hGbrAi6rgl5G9BCM3oEqimijr3WDwSHlc6B8I/s1600/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzcylrGr52mmtlg0QzhuNn685tvA-nRbGL4WKUVbRMjmX7DV8xyC8i9G2uNYDt6u8WCUJnCfFM_z89g_C0VqlRvRA1g0bMW8lWM9Ss-hGbrAi6rgl5G9BCM3oEqimijr3WDwSHlc6B8I/s640/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+3.JPG" width="442px" /></a></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">The mousse was a simple blend of whipped cream with melted chocolate - easy and foolproof. I still love my mousse with egg yolks in this but the simplicity of this recipe rocks. Haha.</div><div align="justify"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwesabGrDbZ9J6rqJ5t00rtQ1k65aGWPL2oIMr0wDzArBGYc1Zq3oWX0HnYg1MeG8-wzizc99KV1IR39QUTwgHDppDuNYj-UPpxkZtc36jhIlOrBzpg5FHFIWy9MUPN9lLJttZnWHYIc/s1600/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwesabGrDbZ9J6rqJ5t00rtQ1k65aGWPL2oIMr0wDzArBGYc1Zq3oWX0HnYg1MeG8-wzizc99KV1IR39QUTwgHDppDuNYj-UPpxkZtc36jhIlOrBzpg5FHFIWy9MUPN9lLJttZnWHYIc/s640/Chocolate+Mousse+Tart+5.JPG" width="428px" /></a></div><br />
For the recipe, head to Aran's blog<a href="http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2011/08/chocolate-and-tahini-tart-for-mikey.html"> here</a>.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!</div><div align="justify"><br />
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</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-25422132579715410702011-08-01T22:05:00.004+08:002011-08-01T22:09:29.580+08:00Earl Grey Milk Chocolate and Mocha Kahlua Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG3ZZ4PHOFcKz8UueEe_70TWoTl17LgH-_mABay8EQVqtdWZRNi9YUVDKnCJkAIhqAr_ZRJw_EerQbT-qdd9Sz_CXzNny8DwjwLQ9WoAo4WVJRuAvMPXM_aZpfY6jRe3Vgy_qEd6B1To/s640/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+%2526+Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons.JPG" t$="true" width="434px" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A trip to Antoinette inspired me to make my own batch of macarons. I simply adore that place, its chic yet homely French decor...and its colourful array of desserts. Its well made macarons - smooth, pristine shells with sweet, flavourful fillings...I can still remember how it's Earl Grey Milk Chocolate flavour tasted with its raspberry centre. So good that I wish I can replicate the same flavour at home :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When inspiration comes, the best thing to do with it is to bake with the flow. I decided to make a batch of 2 flavours - Earl Grey Milk Chocolate and Mocha Kahlua. I went with the flow and decided on the proportion of the flavourings in an instant, without putting too much thought into it. And guess what, this eventually yielded one of my most successful macaron batches ever.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaHSjqTil6NUnHi7_kLjOEmRpVCluRw0Xf5etCF3-6fca2lvLAa1TAi2S5qy52ftbJJBGcNIDLlD_4SnF0utLv2w2dD2wqPi4WKZIW6O9PrqPVEShpCVYX_FXO8jBqMVCDD6DaLpUAsY/s1600/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+%2526+Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaHSjqTil6NUnHi7_kLjOEmRpVCluRw0Xf5etCF3-6fca2lvLAa1TAi2S5qy52ftbJJBGcNIDLlD_4SnF0utLv2w2dD2wqPi4WKZIW6O9PrqPVEShpCVYX_FXO8jBqMVCDD6DaLpUAsY/s640/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+%2526+Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons+4.JPG" t$="true" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Taking into account my previous experience with using Twinings earl grey tea in baked items, I bumped up the flavour in the macarons by using 3 full tea bags in the shells...to the point where I can smell the prominent earl grey scent even prior to baking them. The cream for the milk chocolate ganache was infused with another 3 tea bags, before mixing it into a ganache. Eventually, the earl grey flavour was very prominent, though I felt it could do with a little bit more balance and a softer texture. I'd be sure to increase the proportion of cream to milk chocolate the next time round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_MMAqOYmGD1XJrFOrYIRdiRZWeQQ1q7f4jVtrd02G-Rfov0ms1soS_MFIoiz6ZmfDdzY8S6mlB3zSZnQu4mvAgGBYtIyLpLbCAsQd_CfZmiPkibF-qydBI2KHPg2Gv_tHV-kAy473rA/s1600/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+Macaron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_MMAqOYmGD1XJrFOrYIRdiRZWeQQ1q7f4jVtrd02G-Rfov0ms1soS_MFIoiz6ZmfDdzY8S6mlB3zSZnQu4mvAgGBYtIyLpLbCAsQd_CfZmiPkibF-qydBI2KHPg2Gv_tHV-kAy473rA/s640/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+Macaron.JPG" t$="true" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Earl Grey Milk Chocolate Macarons</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The second flavour is inspired by the new bottle of Kahlua my brother got me earlier last month. And I thought, how nice it would be to have Kahlua in my macaron fillings! I stumbled upon <a href="http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/89332/chocolate-kahlua-mocha-buttercream-macarons/">this</a> lovely recipe for Mocha Kahlua Buttercream and decided to give it a good shot. This eventually turned out to be absolutely delicious! Imagine chewy dark chocolate macarons shells sandwiching a light coffee cocoa flavoured buttercream with a hint of Kahlua. Given another chance, I would add a tsp more Kahlua so that the liquor flavour is more prominent. But nevertheless, this was an instant hit with everyone who tried it :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhqnuQqbsbn7vHcffrR-mzYh0zTNhZWN5bEslSGoDKE9XkHy4LJoxje8kDPeCruwpn00WkG7dXsb5nHPRNFuvpdr9w9Mtyi7nmCSXERgA6MLxtxdvh3Tv2YmmBBidgW11DWPaAvyD6iQ/s1600/Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhqnuQqbsbn7vHcffrR-mzYh0zTNhZWN5bEslSGoDKE9XkHy4LJoxje8kDPeCruwpn00WkG7dXsb5nHPRNFuvpdr9w9Mtyi7nmCSXERgA6MLxtxdvh3Tv2YmmBBidgW11DWPaAvyD6iQ/s640/Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons.JPG" t$="true" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mocha Kahlua Macarons</span></em></div><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yummy! I love both these flavours tremendously. Pretty sure I'll be repeating these flavours in the days to come, possibly with one or two minor tweaks to the recipe combination. Alright, I shall leave you with a final image of the macarons' innards. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ghswnVf9arzZkTHo3fDhOGjIi8FD8a6pjt1yjaLnGCxvaIaOfojylKh6yQ49BixdpkN_rXRMfBoF86eUlhyphenhyphenrwhI0znRDIWo3MiFEDcKN_ztwBDcL_WMZEFkwr__ohA8b2DHRPDKtLo/s1600/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+%2526+Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47ghswnVf9arzZkTHo3fDhOGjIi8FD8a6pjt1yjaLnGCxvaIaOfojylKh6yQ49BixdpkN_rXRMfBoF86eUlhyphenhyphenrwhI0znRDIWo3MiFEDcKN_ztwBDcL_WMZEFkwr__ohA8b2DHRPDKtLo/s400/Earl+Grey+Milk+Chocolate+%2526+Mocha+Kahlua+Macarons+2.JPG" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Macaron innards</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</em></div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-91621706400897441082011-07-24T01:46:00.003+08:002011-07-24T01:50:03.624+08:00Fruit Rouges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsr6AREfCOjDWQZeVJ0aVeb_AlxFGGcVl4seAhuUTRp3uR4HcvxaGoZKjtdj809I0USRKDVV1FMGinvMNwDVlgUNi9G4q9mlzp8QHM-Db-N_sKg1E-JMPg08tIOKxn3zpxMzu_3Y1Gqs/s1600/Fruit+Rouges+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsr6AREfCOjDWQZeVJ0aVeb_AlxFGGcVl4seAhuUTRp3uR4HcvxaGoZKjtdj809I0USRKDVV1FMGinvMNwDVlgUNi9G4q9mlzp8QHM-Db-N_sKg1E-JMPg08tIOKxn3zpxMzu_3Y1Gqs/s640/Fruit+Rouges+1.JPG" t$="true" width="426px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On one of the rare days I have a day off, I decided to bake a cake...a REAL cake. Meaning, with layers and frosting and all. After 2 months of time-strapped baking, I can finally devote half a day completely to baking a good cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I've been eyeing this Fruit Rouges <a href="http://bossacafez.blogspot.com/2010/11/hidemi-suginos-fruits-rouges.html#more">recipe</a> by Hidemi Sugino for the longest time but haven't gone on to make it as the fruit puree I was eyeing was pretty expensive in my opinion. But thanks to my darling, who gave me some vouchers to spend at the baking supplies store, I get to buy a tub off the shelf without paying a single cent, weeee! Finally, I can bake this cake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWDd5X97FRmMkfZv8a3TYZHTeNW8bCTX0g1oHnVEL_VDOGicGQE_ENiAq7ObOPEk4kaCDStnH9iTvz3qTlwGCjHUq2IJybPd6tdhMjH24HCTaQa0my-JyaaZZz9tiT3S48oxO8zPrKBM/s1600/Fruit+Rouges+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWDd5X97FRmMkfZv8a3TYZHTeNW8bCTX0g1oHnVEL_VDOGicGQE_ENiAq7ObOPEk4kaCDStnH9iTvz3qTlwGCjHUq2IJybPd6tdhMjH24HCTaQa0my-JyaaZZz9tiT3S48oxO8zPrKBM/s640/Fruit+Rouges+3.JPG" t$="true" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As you can see, my jaconde ended up plain as my attempt to pipe jam onto the jaconde batter failed terribly. The jam sunk into the cake and looked like deep slashes instead of pretty stripes. Anyone experienced the same problem? I gave up after a while and went with a foolproof plain jaconde instead. Nevertheless, the jaconde tastes really good! I'm amazed how it turned out even without using any oil or butter. It's one recipe for keeps!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Taste-wise, I love the tartness of the raspberry gelee and the mousse. As a result, the cake doesn't feel heavy at all...and I kept picking at the leftover pieces of the gelee as they were delicious! I'm not sure how this cake will go down with the men...but I'm pretty sure the ladies will love it...with the raspberries and pretty pink layers and all <3.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrKxaIvEe9nWk1NHM3-1gCszSwx5oniFdCU-Fm446rKMbzZ0cl_95wZ6FS6X855X9Ih9m8Qu6SV50geHsE8F3_TLCWXIuazyzwM7T1HYDHtK1oyzY1ZlUjbEQfJBSWEK-pCu1zUM1fYI/s1600/DSC_0193+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrKxaIvEe9nWk1NHM3-1gCszSwx5oniFdCU-Fm446rKMbzZ0cl_95wZ6FS6X855X9Ih9m8Qu6SV50geHsE8F3_TLCWXIuazyzwM7T1HYDHtK1oyzY1ZlUjbEQfJBSWEK-pCu1zUM1fYI/s640/DSC_0193+%25282%2529.JPG" t$="true" width="428px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Since it's a ladies' cake, I packed one of these for my girlfriend in a simple white box decorated with pink ribbon. I hope she'll love this as much as I do :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-47156138864790764672011-07-10T10:46:00.000+08:002011-07-10T10:46:06.027+08:00Earl Grey & Orange Chocolate Sables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ekxGeeCNc2jRXRIXX_7sicNJJ-fbDw4C5Jc-E4ny-J4wSniHETLTh3QQsKM0BLWjOJ_YieLvyXL97OYTzIPzwm1mF2X5KWhuUJ1ojH-2-rce0NJpY51Mw3K2fTPFFXIvfrGUjy4dxHg/s1600/Earl+Grey+Sables.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ekxGeeCNc2jRXRIXX_7sicNJJ-fbDw4C5Jc-E4ny-J4wSniHETLTh3QQsKM0BLWjOJ_YieLvyXL97OYTzIPzwm1mF2X5KWhuUJ1ojH-2-rce0NJpY51Mw3K2fTPFFXIvfrGUjy4dxHg/s640/Earl+Grey+Sables.JPG" width="442px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Earl Grey...my love affair with it started more than 3 months ago at a chocolate buffet with free flow of tea. I picked Earl Grey then and the flavour endeared to me ever since. There are so many possibilities with this variety of tea, I can imagine making entremets, chiffon cakes, cookies and macarons with it...all bearing its signature intoxicating scent. For a start, I made Earl Grey Sables - a buttery, crumbly cookie with a light Earl Grey scent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I love the texture of these cookies, and how it's not too oily nor too sweet. The Earl Grey scent was really light, you can smell it, taste it, but to me it's a little faint. On my next try, I'll be sure to bump up the amount of tea used in here. Nevertheless, my darling loved the cookies, and I felt instantly reassured by that sweet remark :). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgse_o-RKBoe6EhkwYTL9urailfKsKURV8Nr3TPmdKdaUshPLKtOAN1KDVbJrQdlouuEPWLqHIkmTnipirt-egIbYWa_BsIvlqEuIK0-npXqIUSshiyO49ujo9ud0q8e9RhVVkS2kSsSc4/s1600/Orange+Chocolate+Sables.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgse_o-RKBoe6EhkwYTL9urailfKsKURV8Nr3TPmdKdaUshPLKtOAN1KDVbJrQdlouuEPWLqHIkmTnipirt-egIbYWa_BsIvlqEuIK0-npXqIUSshiyO49ujo9ud0q8e9RhVVkS2kSsSc4/s640/Orange+Chocolate+Sables.JPG" width="418px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Inspired by a previous trip to Antoinette (which has a good selection of French sables), I decided to whip up a batch of Orange Chocolate Sables as well. This batch has an irresistible citrus scent! I love how the addition of orange zest and a few drops of lemon extract made the citrus flavour really pop in the cookies. Coupled with Valrhona Caraibe chocolate bits, I totally adore this flavour combination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Both flavours were made using the same basic recipe from the <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.com/2010/07/rose-cranberry-cookies.html">Rose Cranberry Cookies</a> recipe. I made some simple tweaks, by adding ground Earl Grey leaves and orange zest with chopped chocolate for the respective flavours. I'm thinking of doing a Lemon Lavender as well as a Chocolate Fleur de Sel version to fill up my cookie jars too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNJ-JmT3-dh5uxZvX60LJ2gUpv_9TTdDS8FWSvNbGzJ9guKQkCnYyZTce4hHo93zvJ7jsz-hbHRU7JsrhSs1BI6E4BanhCjx9bFwvdXdTi1EGvi4qzP2CuFJv9rTGOL3a0ToPUPqzsfY/s1600/Earl+Grey+Sables+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNJ-JmT3-dh5uxZvX60LJ2gUpv_9TTdDS8FWSvNbGzJ9guKQkCnYyZTce4hHo93zvJ7jsz-hbHRU7JsrhSs1BI6E4BanhCjx9bFwvdXdTi1EGvi4qzP2CuFJv9rTGOL3a0ToPUPqzsfY/s640/Earl+Grey+Sables+2.JPG" width="430px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In the meantime, I have one FULL cookie jar worth of sables to enjoy for now :). Can't wait for the next opportunity to bake again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-91318419083274883952011-06-25T13:58:00.002+08:002011-06-25T14:00:37.413+08:00Caramel Madeleines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieg3a5ijCGs_7x8iTKnTfQbyXZoH3nVhTttmZU5G3leHi4QWsmuQTtHFYJ5UdkO7ZHxROUhmd-vyiG8NUQIYhAj8ihfQ54__fKzqhKO4_wvU8-5uwm4j4V2pLyPyaMe6y73ubiL9RdWw/s1600/Caramel+Madeleines+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieg3a5ijCGs_7x8iTKnTfQbyXZoH3nVhTttmZU5G3leHi4QWsmuQTtHFYJ5UdkO7ZHxROUhmd-vyiG8NUQIYhAj8ihfQ54__fKzqhKO4_wvU8-5uwm4j4V2pLyPyaMe6y73ubiL9RdWw/s640/Caramel+Madeleines+2.JPG" width="436px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Time flies when you're busy. It's been more than a month since my last post and I miss my blog! I miss baking and conjuring up sweet treats in my kitchen. I did a short clean-up of my baking supplies stash and found many expired items...no choice but to throw them all away...feels kinda wasted, oh well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When there's no cocoa powder or lemons in my house, the next best flavour for madeleines would be caramel. Came across Shirley's post on <a href="http://kokken69.blogspot.com/2011/06/madeleine-cbon-pierre-hermes-apricot.html">Pierre Herme's Caramel Apricot Madeleines </a>and decided to give it a try. Just like how she described it, the recipe yielded moist and fluffy madeleines with a nice burnt sugar taste that I love :). I have to agree that this is an excellent madeleine recipe!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimhLtWcDr-EXUsw4HVIl4hvmXvn8fnjCZS5Pzg3MhSJIq7VY0758bUPMrCPLyruEVoI_f3b8zjpbNVrss3yebJNLbMRvcxSlRwHyO4h3I_bkVIDt-CIJ0WEGnZOZZ7zeftvXAfqKbhPQ/s1600/Caramel+Madeleines+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimhLtWcDr-EXUsw4HVIl4hvmXvn8fnjCZS5Pzg3MhSJIq7VY0758bUPMrCPLyruEVoI_f3b8zjpbNVrss3yebJNLbMRvcxSlRwHyO4h3I_bkVIDt-CIJ0WEGnZOZZ7zeftvXAfqKbhPQ/s640/Caramel+Madeleines+3.JPG" width="442px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">These were so yummy that I had 2 at one go straight out of the oven, no kidding! My madeleines were alot darker in colour that Shirley's, which I think is due to the colour of the caramel I used. Mine was so dark it's almost black...hence I had brown coloured madeleines as a result, not as pretty as those Shirley made!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In any case, I'm happy with how these turned out. More pictures and the recipe below :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL40shhCKC1YtMk_DFcrHkV1XPFWpn3VeAa7kcIgn-xgX79g1VtbtjqgsIyQk3xtopYFcgL3ekn6HBhNuHy8FCNaBSsJ20cK221alYMCQT_3WUuXxAIWujpJPlCqDQlUiOjquRU0F-gMc/s1600/Caramel+Madeleines+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL40shhCKC1YtMk_DFcrHkV1XPFWpn3VeAa7kcIgn-xgX79g1VtbtjqgsIyQk3xtopYFcgL3ekn6HBhNuHy8FCNaBSsJ20cK221alYMCQT_3WUuXxAIWujpJPlCqDQlUiOjquRU0F-gMc/s640/Caramel+Madeleines+1.JPG" width="428px" /></a><strong></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Caramel Madeleines</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>adapted from </em><a href="http://kokken69.blogspot.com/"><em>Kokken</em></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">36g castor sugar</div>10g glucose<br />
1g vanilla extract<br />
65g egg<br />
65g plain flour<br />
2g baking powder<br />
65g melted butter<br />
37g caramel <br />
<br />
<strong>Preparation:</strong><br />
1. Preheat oven to 200C. <br />
2. Sift flour and baking powder together.<br />
3. In a mixing bowl, mix eggs, sugar, glucose using a hand whisk until well blended. (do not whisk)<br />
4. Add in caramel and mix well.<br />
5. Add in sifted flour in 3 additions mixing well after each addition.<br />
6. Add in melted butter in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition.<br />
7. Leave to stand for 20mins.<br />
8. Place batter into a piping bag and pipe into a buttered and floured madeleine pan.<br />
9. Bake at 200C for 8 minutes.<br />
<br />
<em>Yields 12 madeleines.</em>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-25831392866013944412011-05-22T14:18:00.000+08:002011-05-22T14:18:09.236+08:00Orange Chocolate Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTv_J01EQOC1sj3O8BOhaqlqWSkvNyH-Wtk_vQptue_MumdSo_RF8CurXkUR6z4PYETWLukbIYg64JQgq7DQuUsy5x6zk64XY3NwJPaOGN0GzwGTnVav2-lUEiZBZuTYE6bbgQWk-OJM/s1600/Orange+Chocolate+Macarons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTv_J01EQOC1sj3O8BOhaqlqWSkvNyH-Wtk_vQptue_MumdSo_RF8CurXkUR6z4PYETWLukbIYg64JQgq7DQuUsy5x6zk64XY3NwJPaOGN0GzwGTnVav2-lUEiZBZuTYE6bbgQWk-OJM/s640/Orange+Chocolate+Macarons.JPG" width="434px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Phew, what a first week of work it's been for me. I'm glad I survived when I could have potentially drowned in that mountain of work and new things to learn. Though I've been busy, I'm really excited and happy with the things I'm doing at my new place. I get to dabble with my favourite sports and the major sporting events that are being shown on television, something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. It's getting reaaally close to my dream job and I'm all excited about it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On the other side of the spectrum, things have been soooo hectic it really takes some getting used to at this point. I pray that it shall get easier as the days go by :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I made these Orange Chocolate Macarons just before I started work this week. A friend of mine wanted to come over to my place for a baking session and I happily obliged. I always felt that I had to prepare in advance for such baking sessions hence I don't always say yes when such requests come in, just so that I won't feel too stressed out by the amount of preparation work I had to do beforehand. But recently, the requests are coming in at a much higher frequency that I decided to make an extra effort to accept more of them instead. Receiving these requests are definitely compliments to my baking and also encourages me to step out of my comfort zone to do something different for a change.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">These Orange Chocolate Macarons were a such a breeze to make, yet yielding delicious macs all the same! I used my trusty Italian Meringue recipe and sandwiched the shells with a orange chocolate ganache made from Lindt's orange chocolate bar. I love this particular chocolate bar because of its lovely orange fragrance and the little chewy bits that are incorporated into the chocolate...very delicious! So far, the reviews I received were all positive, hence this is definitely a recipe for keeps - to reproduce again in the days to come :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Okay, it's time to get a little more rest before work starts again tomorrow. Happy Weekend to you all!</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-84930653683057813832011-05-12T11:40:00.000+08:002011-05-14T04:57:50.324+08:00Marbled Matcha Peach Tea Chiffon Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLO6GLoXDV5WjTyuZge-M_RuXnWLcN_NV8-vR3eWrow4cQyutmgM8UiyPDAFdl29_Jkd3SuToDUcTKq7yEDMowNBPmj6fIeF7Slb_EN9R3Ll5DM7uaoXK8WYsb7IxBCapvyQjTlIiW44/s1600/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLO6GLoXDV5WjTyuZge-M_RuXnWLcN_NV8-vR3eWrow4cQyutmgM8UiyPDAFdl29_Jkd3SuToDUcTKq7yEDMowNBPmj6fIeF7Slb_EN9R3Ll5DM7uaoXK8WYsb7IxBCapvyQjTlIiW44/s640/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+1.JPG" width="428" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I never quite had a fascination for tea like the one I had for chocolate. I have now amassed enough varieties of chocolate at home to fill up one entire shelf of my baking supplies collection. Anyways, this all changed after an outing with my bestie to TWG Tea Salon & Boutique to celebrate her birthday. I always thought that their selection of teas were confined to the sole shelf of packaged teas they have, until I opened their full tea menu.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Gosh, there were soooo many varieties of tea that I didn't even know where to begin. Spoilt for choice, we decided to ask the service staff for recommendations instead of getting lost in all the different varieties available. We settled for Snow Needles Tea, a light, floral tea perfect for the evening to accompany our macaron selection. Yes, macarons...I do love TWG's macarons for their lovely texture, balanced level of sweetness and the alluring tea-infused flavours. They were oh so goood! I decided there and then that I have to try my hand at using tea in my baked goods.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Up till now, I've only dabbled with using matcha powder in cakes and cookies. I've always wanted to posess a good variety of earl grey tea to use it in madeleines, macarons and tea cakes. So far, I haven't bought one yet and am looking for a nice one to try. Any suggestions?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I scanned my tiny tea collection for inspiration and spotted my Twinings Peach Tea. An idea came to mind and I decided to incorporate peach tea and matcha into a marbled chiffon cake. The fruity tea flavours melded perfectly and I love the resulting sweet smelling fragrance of the tea leaves in this chiffon...lovely :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBDEABObApR6Y7Bb-1atZJjW4jGECMnR3VoT9944Km1bbAGdqpBfLCZQH_Onb8h-I1ERHgjHbapkqA3wdML0OubvFhZgiZNdeQppHewLjLDZDPBLPifk0wQbrPYQFHKcJYeVP12BR-mY/s1600/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBDEABObApR6Y7Bb-1atZJjW4jGECMnR3VoT9944Km1bbAGdqpBfLCZQH_Onb8h-I1ERHgjHbapkqA3wdML0OubvFhZgiZNdeQppHewLjLDZDPBLPifk0wQbrPYQFHKcJYeVP12BR-mY/s640/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+Collage.jpg" width="431" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I left the tea leaves in the chiffon instead of filtering them out. Reviews from my friends on that were alright and they didn't feel it tasted weird or awful, which was a relief to me. This cake is so light and soft that I finished close to half a cake at one go - perfect to enjoy with a good cuppa tea on a cool, rainy day :).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr0tvWWUsBuVtAUuWuqxPsrX2ZlBj5twoduJvocJskeI5f15ictBWneDaZ_P3YAhSeV1uT1VYlvmIrQy0BxR2xgs59XYSSmPQgbY42VNg3cnuRu9cG2vmK2Mx9G-mTgEkNOaiuBeJJTg/s1600/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTr0tvWWUsBuVtAUuWuqxPsrX2ZlBj5twoduJvocJskeI5f15ictBWneDaZ_P3YAhSeV1uT1VYlvmIrQy0BxR2xgs59XYSSmPQgbY42VNg3cnuRu9cG2vmK2Mx9G-mTgEkNOaiuBeJJTg/s640/Marbled+Matcha+Peach+Tea+Chiffon+Cake+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Marbling cakes is one of the best ways to get 2 of my favourite flavours into the same cake, and it produces a pretty swirly effect too. I love looking at such pretty marbled cakes...somehow it cheers me up instantly...haha. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I used the base recipe from my last <a href="http://sweetsandloves.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocolate-chiffon-cake-my-favourite.html">Chocolate Chiffon Cake</a> and made slight adjustments for the replacement of cocoa powder with matcha powder and peach tea. I'm a little lazy today to post up the recipe but do drop me a note if you would like me to share that alright? I'd be happy to type them out in a while :).</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-29893502318785457932011-05-05T16:50:00.000+08:002011-05-05T16:50:36.581+08:00Breakfast Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ2JcN6m719FCOUKBNb7FCL971Ul03aMUw_U_hWUp1UpG3ZqdWnGZovJ43iLBOXqObZVjy0mHfEOTB2phDc-_HKKHEemJ9MqHbVzWvQYqkVn192KQpcY-mcwIw8LG6wZRDTP142sTi8g/s1600/Breakfast+Pancakes+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ2JcN6m719FCOUKBNb7FCL971Ul03aMUw_U_hWUp1UpG3ZqdWnGZovJ43iLBOXqObZVjy0mHfEOTB2phDc-_HKKHEemJ9MqHbVzWvQYqkVn192KQpcY-mcwIw8LG6wZRDTP142sTi8g/s640/Breakfast+Pancakes+1.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Election fever has taken over most, if not all Singaporeans. With such an unprecedented political environmental unlike that we've seen in preceding years, this year's elections is set to be a fiercely fought battle on many fronts. Somehow this got me thinking about the Singapore of older days (not that I have that many years under my belt), and how much Singapore has changed and transformed to become the modern city it is today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I can honestly say I love being here, staying here and I love my country, as this is the place I call my home. This is family, this is Singapore, a place that I've grown up in and grown to love. Much of my adult years have been spent either in university or working in the corporate world and I have to say, this is a remarkable place to live in. There are many areas in which we can do better, without a doubt, but it is still one of the best places to live in - clean, comfortable and safe. I don't wish to take any of these for granted given the very exciting and volatile world events that are happening all around us. It's probably not the time to take a chance with the cards we have on our hands and take a risky bet on the future of our country. These are exciting times for us indeed, scenes that we'd love to see since years ago and now we are seeing it happen right before our very eyes. Now that it has happened, what do we do next? What do we want next? These are questions that have been weighing on my heart in recent days...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">That aside, today is my first day of freedom from work! Years of working at the same company caused me to have an emotional attachment to the company and my colleagues, hence a teary and emotional farewell was inevitable yesterday. It feels good to be able to not work for the time being, yet at the same time, I feel sad that the place I call my second home is no longer that to me now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On the other hand, this frees me up (finally) to have a slow, homey breakfast all by myself. I've been meaning to have homemade pancakes for the longest time and finally made them today! After reading <a href="http://bossacafez.blogspot.com/2009/11/fluffy-pancakes-finally.html">Evan's post</a>, I decided to try out this recipe that I've bookmarked for the longest time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And the result? I love them! They are light, fluffy and very delicious with some whipped cream on the side :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Looking around the kitchen for further inspiration, I topped these with some citron tea concentrate and they tasted even more awesome. I love these pancakes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9j8zN-pNf2gE17KZG4aPSJtBvorMobdax51rCT6r0MVSs-G6q6wTePnluMBkku2unlRsqn_lP5HiGZOwjrbI1FYTDBQCxY8Ixf7S2B0jwFVshJV8d_-ztufg_Ma8qZxWazruu96Mn8M/s1600/Breakfast+Pancakes+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9j8zN-pNf2gE17KZG4aPSJtBvorMobdax51rCT6r0MVSs-G6q6wTePnluMBkku2unlRsqn_lP5HiGZOwjrbI1FYTDBQCxY8Ixf7S2B0jwFVshJV8d_-ztufg_Ma8qZxWazruu96Mn8M/s640/Breakfast+Pancakes+3.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Haha, I was overly ambitious and I doubled the recipe when I made the recipe. It yielded me soooo much batter than there's no way I can finish them even with my family of four. I'll just have to keep them for tomorrow's breakfast, and perhaps try them out other alternative flavours :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Breakfast Pancakes</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">adapted from <a href="http://bossacafez.blogspot.com/2009/11/fluffy-pancakes-finally.html">Evan's Kitchen Ramblings</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
<div class="ingredients"> <div class="list"> 1 cup flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 egg, separated<br />
2 tsps caster sugar<br />
1 tbsp oil<br />
<div class="list"><br />
</div><br />
<strong>Preparation:</strong><br />
<div class="directions"> 1. Combine flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl and mix well.<br />
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk followed by oil. Mix well and add in the flour mixture and whisk to combine.<br />
3. Whisk egg white until foamy and gradually add the sugar and whisk till soft peak form. Fold the meringue into the mixture above. (the batter can be refrigerated overnight to prevent it from spreading too much when cooking)<br />
4. Heat griddle or a non-stick frying pan on medium low heat then scoop batter, about 1 ladleful onto the pan. cook until bubbles appear evenly on the surface, flip it over and cook until golden.<br />
5. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate sauce or maple syrup according to your personal preferences.</div></div></div><br />
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</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-74757690391771378492011-05-02T12:06:00.002+08:002011-05-02T12:11:55.168+08:00Black Bottomed Banana Squares<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW6w3hgqkCyONblExbHyMrBr_uSvoJ_9W7izhHmoEETwwSleluNWqdx5NWX5Z8YVgAOy_0vPfX-ZaiS_7sjJM7SoAc5Y8XUJuVBn7Tr8eZai2GJZ987VB_juRrcwIdusK7H0E2WKcUBg/s1600/Black+Bottomed+Banana+Squares+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW6w3hgqkCyONblExbHyMrBr_uSvoJ_9W7izhHmoEETwwSleluNWqdx5NWX5Z8YVgAOy_0vPfX-ZaiS_7sjJM7SoAc5Y8XUJuVBn7Tr8eZai2GJZ987VB_juRrcwIdusK7H0E2WKcUBg/s640/Black+Bottomed+Banana+Squares+1.JPG" width="427px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I'm back! I can't believe how long I've been missing in action when it comes to baking. Life has been extremely hectic for the past month I barely had time to breathe. Now that the majority of my work is completed and I'm looking to move on in my career, it's time to take a short breather and prepare my mind, body and spirit for the exciting journey ahead! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I have around 1.5 weeks before I start my new job...scary, but at the same time, I feel excited! Some of the spare time I have will be used to churn out some desserts, just so that my oven won't feel too neglected...haha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I came across this lovely recipe on <a href="http://sze-min.blogspot.com/2011/04/chocolate-bottom-banana-square.html">Min's blog</a> for chocolate bottomed banana squares....couldn't find a more delightful chocolate banana combination in a banana cake format than this! Love the pretty contrast between the white and black layers, and the speckled crust with dark chocolate chips...looks sooo cute! Tempted, I set out to bake this yesterday and here are the results...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ4w5VQNT2bFA_z8ZAYvJBzYaxHh6L6neLIg7zIgngMWWehmeWIClCvyxapmlaUIaPqr8jhVHwbhRCTOfMxLlv4JFkyQttOtYv734451dcgaWLZsft_F-uUJGI11qs_ngQRykPIvgQyY/s1600/Black+Bottomed+Banana+Squares+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ4w5VQNT2bFA_z8ZAYvJBzYaxHh6L6neLIg7zIgngMWWehmeWIClCvyxapmlaUIaPqr8jhVHwbhRCTOfMxLlv4JFkyQttOtYv734451dcgaWLZsft_F-uUJGI11qs_ngQRykPIvgQyY/s640/Black+Bottomed+Banana+Squares+3.JPG" width="425px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Pretty cute aren't they? I do find the chocolate layer a little dry for my liking. I'd probably cut the amount of flour in the chocolate layer the next time round so that it's easier on the palate. Otherwise, I love this cake! The sweet banana fragrance and the deep chocolate flavour makes it a winning combination in any case :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This bake came at a timely moment too, in time for <a href="http://testedandtasted.blogspot.com/2011/05/aspiring-bakers-7-chocolate-delight-may.html">Aspiring Bakers #7 - Chocolate Delight!</a> I'm submitting this for this month's challenge!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Black Bottomed Banana Squares</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">adapted from <a href="http://sze-min.blogspot.com/2011/04/chocolate-bottom-banana-square.html">Min's blog</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">113g unsalted butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">60g castor sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">1 egg </div>1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
3 medium bananas, mashed<br />
180g cake flour, sifted<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
30g cocoa powder, sifted<br />
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Preparation:</strong><br />
1. Cream the butter with sugar till light and fluffy. <br />
2. Slowly add the egg, vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Beat till well incorporated.<br />
3. Add the flour in 3 additions and fold into the mixture with a rubber spatula.<br />
4. Divide the mixture into half and add the cocoa powder into one half of the mixture.<br />
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into an 8" by 8" square pan, followed by the banana mixture. Top with dark chocolate chips.<br />
6. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185028162700155512.post-90486242830581357582011-03-28T22:06:00.003+08:002011-03-29T11:41:00.665+08:00Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT46g4x43yW36_Fzvm-yuSfFjo7rZbXVqbe6aGBAuF1IZ3V-w7vgjQ9aBM-6WnBMpLDbbOyaskvT7lzVmSEa7h-Yhy-kdupoT5wxWrPYrLau8O24c9g0mVs1uv7I2KWool2G5ung1PGhU/s1600/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT46g4x43yW36_Fzvm-yuSfFjo7rZbXVqbe6aGBAuF1IZ3V-w7vgjQ9aBM-6WnBMpLDbbOyaskvT7lzVmSEa7h-Yhy-kdupoT5wxWrPYrLau8O24c9g0mVs1uv7I2KWool2G5ung1PGhU/s640/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+1.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Haven't been able to bake much this month, I really miss baking. I miss dreaming about the different flavour combinations and concoctions, shopping for ingredients and putting them together into pretty and delicious desserts. There's something about baking that makes it a highly therapeutic activity and gives me a sense of accomplishment every single time. I wish I'll have more time and opportunities to bake in the months ahead...I have so many more things to accomplish still!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I saw a bunch of bananas sitting at the kitchen counter and decided at a whim to make this Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll. I'm pretty sick of the overly sweet desserts outside and was craving for a rustic and homely cake. Besides chiffons, swiss rolls are the next item on my list of homely cakes...and plus, they are quick to put together and easy on the palate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobzAAqt4-peBlTKADEmZ8OcBO0wuwxwtB5uvZRZu0SrYhQpp6tLgsv-aZiDXulq5fS4r2wxDXFEDZzYYBDIZt3zzfll9B38P5NsGmZhdX479Dw6VnxvZHGLT52XEaCKvdWiJDbDwyzgY/s1600/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobzAAqt4-peBlTKADEmZ8OcBO0wuwxwtB5uvZRZu0SrYhQpp6tLgsv-aZiDXulq5fS4r2wxDXFEDZzYYBDIZt3zzfll9B38P5NsGmZhdX479Dw6VnxvZHGLT52XEaCKvdWiJDbDwyzgY/s640/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+2.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I was undecided on whether to use my leftover Van Houten chocolate chips or opt for the more luxurious Valrhona Caraibe for this. Eventually, I decided to use the latter...no point using the cheaper chocolate especially since it's for my loved ones' consumption. The cake turned out pretty tasty, not too sweet! Though I'd like it more if the sponge was more moist and the bananas more sweet and ripe. Perhaps brushing some sugar syrup over the sponge will help? Any other suggestions ? Else I might just try that next time :).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Ooooh...I am also submitting this to <a href="http://bakericious.blogspot.com/2011/03/aspiring-bakers-5-fruity-march-march.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Aspiring Bakers #5 - Fruity March (Mar 2011) hosted by Jess from Bakericious</span></a>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMTIeMQ_IMO-Hy5xf1XeKwY6lf9Nae-UDZq5SfxCJt9zUjKMCRen8O2A4RlL5tby9txbtG4PQO17LTp8hkoxHMH4AUZ4LMK_VZghC5Lj8FCKZ1Ppekcv6eZyoSv2cfC_K7oP1vMV35RM/s1600/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMTIeMQ_IMO-Hy5xf1XeKwY6lf9Nae-UDZq5SfxCJt9zUjKMCRen8O2A4RlL5tby9txbtG4PQO17LTp8hkoxHMH4AUZ4LMK_VZghC5Lj8FCKZ1Ppekcv6eZyoSv2cfC_K7oP1vMV35RM/s640/Chocolate+Banana+Swiss+Roll+3.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Am digging into a slice right now...will leave you with the recipe in the meantime :).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Chocolate Banana Swiss Roll</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em>adapted from <a href="http://eggplant10.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post_09.html">Eggplant10</a></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em>[Sponge]</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">25g unsalted butter, melted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">45g cake flour, sifted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">80g egg yolks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">25g castor sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">20g cocoa powder, sifted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">10g cold water</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">120g egg whites</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">60g castor sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">10g corn flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><em>[Chocolate Whipped Cream]</em><br />
160g whipping cream<br />
90g chocolate, chopped<br />
4 tbsp milk<br />
<br />
<strong>Preparation:</strong><br />
<em>[Sponge]</em><br />
1. Whisk egg yolks with castor sugar over a double boiler until it becomes a pale and thick mixture.<br />
2. Add sifted cocoa powder and cold water and whisk till well incorporated.<br />
3. Beat egg whites in an electric stand mixer till foamy, slowly add the castor sugar and corn flour and beat till stiff peak form.<br />
4. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk and cocoa mixture until there are no more traces of egg whites left, then fold in another 1/3, followed by the last 1/3 of the meringue.<br />
5. Fold in the sifted cake flour, followed by the melted butter. <br />
6. Pour the batter into a line sheet pan and level. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 13 minutes. Cool on the wire rack until ready to use.<br />
<br />
<em>[Chocolate Whipped Cream]</em><br />
1. Whip the cream until soft peak form.<br />
2. Melt the chocolate and milk over a double boiler and mix till smooth.<br />
3. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and chill till ready to use.<br />
<br />
<em>[Assembly]</em><br />
1. Spread a layer of whipped cream onto the sponge. Line the bananas on top of the whipped cream and roll.<br />
2. Chill in the refrigerator till ready to serve.<br />
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</div>Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05616854334451945799noreply@blogger.com14