La Petite Boulangette

SHF : Asian Sweet Invasion Round-up

2008-04-25T18:18:00.018+08:00

Thanks to all who have sent me their entries for Sugar High Friday! I had a really great time hosting & having a look at all your wonderful creations! Everyone was so inventive and a few actually surprised me by using ingredients such as Pandan leaves, which are scarce outside Asia! All the photos are beautiful, and many of the entries, Lorraine's for example, made me go "awwww!".

My friend Stef and I actually made some Indian inspired macarons for SHF, but as the weather was bad, I did not photograph them. When I looked in the fridge the next day, hoping to grab some and take a quick photo, I was horrified to find out that I couldn't find one in sight! To make things worst, I was caught up in baking for Dempsey House and didn't have the time to make anymore! I guess I will just have to include it in the entries without a photograph!

Here are all the fabulous entries I received. Is it just me, or do I spot a green theme?

Kueh Klepon (Javanese Coconut Balls) by Arfi of Homemades

White Chocolate Matcha Mint Buttercream on Coconut Cupcakes by Marc of No Recipes

Matcha Green Tea Crème Brulée by Michelle of The Little Dish

Five Spiced Kabocha Creme Brulee by Manda of Asparagus Thin

Telur Gabus by Pepy of The Art and Science of Food

Chinese Five Spice Honey Snaps by Tommi of Brown Interior

Coconut Milkshake with tapioca pearls by Alexandra of Addicted Sweet Tooth

Spicy Peanut and Dark Chocolate Candy Bars by Astra of Food Laughter

Palm Sugar & Ginger Cakelets with Toasted Sesame Seeds by Linda of Make Life Sweeter

Pumpkin Puree with Mung Bean Sweet Porridge by Dita of My Culina Sanctuarium

Ginger Candy by Caroline of 18thC Cuisine

Panda Vanilla, Sesame & Green Tea cupcakes by Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella

Black Sesame Green Tea Cheesecake by Sihan of Fundamentally Flawed

Green Tea Panna Cotta with Chocolate Sauce by Gaye of Laws Of The Kitchen

Chinese Steamed Sponge Cake by Melody of Fruit Tart

Azuki Truffles by Marija of Palachinka

Chocolate Matcha Loaf Cake by Stephanie of CIA

Pandan Cake by Mindy of Mindy's Deli

Palm Sugar Cupcakes with Vanilla Rice Pudding by Sinead of Airy Fairy Cupcakes

Green Tea White Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Chocolate Ganache by Kevin of Closet Cooking

Pink Petal Crepes with Red Bean Paste filling by Inne of Vanille & Chocolat

Little Devil & Panda Cookies by Sheltie of Gluten Agogo

Matcha Tortellini by Joanna of Salute to Sanity

Coconut Milk & Banana Chunk Ice Cream by Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok

Cream puffs with Matcha Cream by Veron of Veronica's Test Kitchen

Pandanus-Chocolate Mousse Charlotte by Chriesi of Almond Corner

Coconut Panna Cotta , Warm Lemon Poppyseed Cake and Yuzu Mandarin Sauce by Helen of Tartelette

Coconut-Jasmine Ice Cream by Brittany of The Pie Lady

Matcha, Lemon and Chocolate Opera cake by Aran of Cannelle et Vanille

Vanilla, Honey and Saffron Pears by Rachel of Fairy Cake Heaven

Níngxià Gǒuqǐ Raspberry Cacao Fusion Torte by Rachel of Vampituity, An Improvised Perspective

Moffles (Mochi Waffles) by L of Asian Homestyle

Orange Iced Plum Cupcakes by Michelle of Big Black Dogs

Last but not least,

Kulfi Macarons by Amrita (me!) and Stefanie - Rose scented Macaron Shells sprinkled with pure rose tea leaves, filled with a cardamom buttercream and a hidden pistachio honey center.

My apologies to anyone I've left out. Please do e-mail me if I have forgotten to include your entry in the round up! Sorting everything out gave me a migraine!

Blogging by Mail

2008-04-14T10:17:00.002+08:00

The Happy Sorceress, Stephanie, held the annual Blogging by Mail event earlier this year. Naturally, being a blog event junkie, I signed up.

I sent my parcel off to April of Abby Sweets, and received my very own from Dayna of Vegan Visitor

When I opened my package, I was put to shame when I thought back on how I had only sent 3 items to dear April. Dayna sent me a truck load of goodies, including some Canadian Chocolate chips, Alfalfa honey, those beautiful cookie cutters you see in the photo above, a loofah, bath crystals, Cheese crackers (which my sister devoured), as well as a myriad of tiny little goodies scattered inside the box.

Thanks a bunch, Dayna. Just to let you know, I've already used those glorious chocolate chips up!

The Big Bake Off!

2008-04-09T17:34:00.002+08:00

Another day, and yet another announcement. It's as if I never run out of announcements and things to ramble on about.

Anyway, as you guys probably already know, I've been spending the past month selling my desserts over at HOUSE. To end off with a big BANG, HOUSE has organized "The Big Bake Off!".

I'm a rather lazy girl and I don't really enjoy typing, so I've included a copy of the flyer in my post. If you're free, please do sign up for the Big Bake Off. I'm not too sure about the prize you'll receive if you win, but I'm assuming it's a couple of spa vouchers (Valid only at Spa Esprit).

There will also be a Charity bake sale, so if you're interested in baking anything which you feel is worthy of being sold, do contact me. Cheerio!

SHF - Asian Sweet Invasion

2008-03-29T15:11:00.006+08:00

Hello everyone! I said I was going to be MIA for a while, but this is an obligatory blog post! See, I'm hosting Sugar High Friday for the month of April, and if you haven't already noticed, the theme I came up with for this round is "Asian Sweet Invasion".

For those of you who aren't too familiar with SHF, here's a little extract from Jennifer, The Domestic Goddess' blog, just for you! (She came up with the fantastic idea, so go ahead and click on the link to her blog!)

So what's Sugar High Fridays? That's easy. It's your best excuse to make something sweet and different, at least once a month. And to do it with tons of other people from around the world. It occurs during the last week of every month, entries due on the Monday and the round-up posted on the Friday (the Sugar High Friday that is!).

In order to participate, you'll have to make something with an asian twist to it. Rather than preparing a regular asian dessert (thai mango sticky rice, kushi dango, Dora-yaki), I recommend that you incorporate an asian ingredient into a classic dessert recipe.

For example, you could incorporate something like soy milk into a panna-cotta and top it off with some Azuki Bean Paste or something similar.

Now, the rules:

1. You must post your entry on your blog and e-mail the link to me by the 21st of April 2008 . If you fail send me an email with the information listed below, it may not be included in the round-up.

2. Don’t forget to mention and link to this announcement in your post and if you can, also include a link to the round-up once it is up.

3. Send an email with the following information to tuna_sushi@hotmail.com

-Your name
-Your blog’s name
-Your blog’s URL (homepage)
-The title of your entry
- A summary of your dessert (Did you like it? What ingredients went into it?)
-Your entry’s permalink (individual URL)
- A 240 x 180 image of your dessert

If you do not have a blog, you can post your write-up and picture (if any) on any website, or in the comments to this post, and I will still include it in the round-up.

The round-up will be posted on Friday, April 25 2008.

Good Luck and Sayonara!

Amrita@House

2008-03-15T19:41:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone! Just to let you know, I'll probably be missing in action for the next month or so. Don't worry, no one's died or anything!

A brief summary: Every 3 months, House @ Dempsey, (Barracks to some), adopts an artist; an undiscovered talent. Guess who's lucky number 2? Me!! Their first adoption was an Artist who showcased her artwork in a glass room dubbed the "Bette Davis Room". This time, the Bette Davis Room has been transformed into a chic and elegant kitchen for yours truly!

Basically, starting Monday, I'll be working at House from 10 in the morning till 10 at night. I'll be selling my shotglass desserts, macarons, Ice cream and 2 of my signature chocolate cakes, Gateau De Jade as well as Bridgette Bardot. There will be a press event some time next week, where 24 journalists will be able to sample some of my desserts and also take home a little handmade clay charm which I've been sweating over for the past few days.

On top of that, there's going to be a kid's baking class held on 2 different dates, for kids aged 6-12.

I've already started making trips down to House and stocking it up with almost 20 lbs of Valrhona, as well as little gadgets such as my ice cream maker and hand held electric mixer. The Kitchen Aid, fridge, blender and food processors were all kindly sponsored by Meyer and Kitchen Aid. (No WAY am I lugging my Kitchen Aid down there! I'd end up with a sprained BRAIN!)

Anyway, if you're in Singapore and interested in sampling some of my 'made with love' desserts, do hop down to House.

House

8D Dempsey Road

Glammed up Muffins

2008-03-03T21:07:00.004+08:00

Stef hopped over today (not literally. She doesn not enjoy physical activity). I saved some of the Bushman Bread and Pandora Chocolates for her and she absolutely loved them! Check my Flickr page out for more information on those little babies.

Anyway, we decided to make something that Stef had envisioned for a very long time. A muffin. Not just any muffin, though. A Rocky Road Muffin. Many people consider muffins cupcakes that aren't adorned with frosting. Wrong, I say! Going with the Rocky Road theme, I suggested using an Italian Meringue frosting instead of folding mini marshmallows into the muffin batter. The last time I did that, I ended up with hollow holes of sweet pleasure.

We used a reliable muffin base recipe and threw in some honey roasted peanuts, marshmallow oil, dark chocolate chunks and toasted coconut. I froze some freshly grated coconut a while ago and we decided to toast that instead of relying on dessicated coconut which tends to be rather dry and mealy.

All in all, a lovely muffin. A glammed up muffin, I must add...and guess what?..the frosting's fat free! Enjoy! :o)

Amri & Stef's Rocky Road Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

Muffins

- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup toasted coconut
- 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts (from the nut dudes)

- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup oil (any neutral flavored oil)
- 200mls whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A few drops of LorAnn Marshmallow oil

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius.

Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together. Toss in chocolate, peanuts and coconut. Toss to coat the latter with flour.

In another bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract and marshmallow oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in wet mixture. Fold with a wooden spoon to combine. Do not overmix, or you will end up with tough muffins!

Spoon into lined muffin tins and bake for 14-20 mins, checking at the 12 minute mark. These muffins bake very rapidly.

Let cool. Frost with meringue (recipe below). Once frosted, torch with a blowtorch to achieve a "Lemon Meringue Pie-esque" effect.

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

Ingredients

- 150grams caster sugar
- 40 grams water
- 60 grams egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 drops of LorAnn Marshmallow oil

Combine sugar and water in a pan. Boil till a candy thermometer registers 118 degrees celsius.

Meanwhile, whisk egg whites in a Kitchen Aid till fluffy and stiff. Drizzle in hot syrup with the mixer still turned on. Whisk till meringue has cooled to room temperature.

Add vanilla bean paste and marshmallow oil to meringue. Mix to combine.

Where the Larb goes Moo

2008-02-13T12:50:00.002+08:00

I seriously dread shopping in Singaporean supermarkets. I normally do all my shopping at Jason's or MarketPlace, and they don't fail to disappoint. Where in the world do supermarkets run out of Lemongrass, Cilantro, Rice Stick noodles and other basic necessities? Lynn even said that Carrefour ran out of Plain Flour 2 days ago..and Carrefour is supposed to be a French Company!

Monday saw me running around from supermarket to supermarket, trying to get my hands on all the various things I needed. I never ever have this problem when I go on vacations to other countries. That just goes to show how under-developed the supermarkets here are.

Anyway, I needed lemongrass for the promising Larb Moo recipe I had chanced upon. For those of you who aren't too sure what Larb is, here's a little reference for you.

Larb is a type of Lao meat salad. It's most often made with chicken, beef, duck or pork and flavored with fish sauce, lemongrass and lime. Although it is typically associated with Thai/Laotian street food, it seems to appeal to people of all classes.

I wanted to serve the Larb I made on some rice stick noodles, but surprise surprise, the supermarket didn't have any! I had to settle for some outlandish soy based noodles which weren't that bad according to my sister. See, the Larb was meant for her and only her, since she's still on her diet.I was pretty chuffed when she said it was better than the one she had in Bangkok last year.

Anyway, for those who would like to give Larb a shot, do take a look at the recipe I've provided.

Larb Moo
Serves 2

Ingredients

- 200 grams lean ground pork
- 1/2 stalk lemongrass, bashed and then minced (use only the lower portion)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sambal oelek
- Juice of 1 large lime

-Mint, Cilantro, Chillies and Lebanese Cucumber to serve

- 2 bundles rice stick noodles

Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a pan. Once heated through, add lemongrass and garlic to the pan. Fry till fragrant. Make sure the garlic does not burn.

To this, add your ground pork and fry till no longer pink, around 3 - 5 minutes.

Add sugar and 3/4 tablespoon of fish sauce, stirring to coat. Add stock and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat, then add sambal oelek and lime juice, tossing to combine.

Meanwhile, boil rice noodles till tender. Toss rice noodles in some fish sauce, to taste.

Serve Larb over seasoned rice noodles and garnish with sliced chilli, lebanese cucumber, cilantro and mint. (Mine doesn't have any cilantro since the supermarket didn't have any. Sheesh!)

Thanks to All

2008-02-03T14:01:00.000+08:00

I'd just like to express my gratitude to every single person who commented on my last post. You guys are the best and your confidence-boosting comments made me instantly feel so much butter. I'm still trying to get over the fact that my dream has been postponed (maybe it'll only happen when I'm a little older and manage to send myself there on my own?) but I definitely feel much better than I felt a couple of days ago.

During the time in which I was drowning in sorrow, I managed to cater for a party, make Luxemburgerli for the first time, produce hundreds of macarons for various requests and try my hand out at chocolate making. Not too bad for a depressed chef, eh?

The chocolate obsession started when Lynn from "To Short Term Memories" gave me a box of her homemade chocolates. Later that day I rushed down to get my hands on some Valrhona and a chocolate mold (okay, well, 2 molds!). My first attempt was a Pudding filled dark chocolate shell, which wasn't really great since I didn't temper the chocolate well and the chocolates wouldn't come out of the mold.

The 2nd time round, however, I tempered the chocolate perfectly and it was a breeze to get them out of the mold. This time I made salted caramel chocolates, pictured below. Due to the vast difference in temperature between my kitchen and the patio outside, some condensation occured on the chocolates. The shine that is normally associated with tempered chocolate also vanished due to the warm temperature of my kitchen when I was un-molding the chocolates.

After the macaron making frenzy, I had many many many extra macarons left. Around 25-30 to be exact. I decided to give Lynn some and actually just passed it to her this morning :o) She graciously gave me some cute Luxemburgerli she made, as well as some Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes.

Oh, and I just noticed that images look totally different on various computers....which leaves me wondering what other people see when they check my Flickr page out....Strange!

Next week will be an eventful one, since I'll be holding my first ever class, teaching people how to make cupcakes. If all goes well, I'm definitely interested in starting a mini cooking school in my very own kitchen. How ambitious, huh?

Till next time!

Just Kill ME!

2008-01-25T16:51:00.000+08:00

Remember how I was on hiatus etc during the exam period? The GSCE's to be exact. Well, I just got my results back yesterday and it turns out that I'm a CLASS A moron. I didn't do that well! I managed to get A's and B's in all my subjects but one particular subject had a lower B grade then the rest, pulling my score down. Most people would keep it a secret, but I see no point in doing so. I knew from the start that I wouldn't achieve fantastic results. I mean, I hardly put any effort into it anyway.

The results, however, aren't what bothers me the most. What bothers me is that after digesting such information, my father is being a real jerk. He said he isn't going to send me to Le Cordon Bleu. He says I didn't earn it.

I am distressed.

PS: To the 3 sordid peasants who said I totally FLUNKED it and deserved it, let me just tell you that you, my friends, are repulsive hawks. All you know how to do is sit on your big behinds behind a computer screen, without anything better to do in life.

I hope one of you remembers how you pathetically begged me to teach you how to make chocolate truffles, asked me what a "coulis" was, came over to MY house for a MACARON lesson and needed me to teach you the most idiot-proof things on Adobe Photoshop. Please do remember Alicia Keys' song "Karma". What goes around comes around, what goes up must come down :o)

The Joy of homemade PASTA!

2008-01-23T10:50:00.000+08:00

Yet another adventure in the kitchen! It all started out with my sister wanting pasta for lunch. I checked the pantry, and surprise surprise, there wasn't any dried pasta left! Since it was a fantastically boring day, I thought to myself, "Why not make your own pasta?". I mean, I've seen old italian women doing it on the television. Heck, even Jamie Oliver does it, so why not?

Making pasta is pretty simple and consists of only a few major ingredients. Because so few ingredients are used, it's best to use top quality olive oil etc. I made a really small batch since my sister is on her "40 lbs must go!" diet.

To make things worst, I didn't even have any tinned tomatoes or a sufficient amount of roma tomatoes to make a good sauce. That's when the thought of Aglio Olio came to my mind. "But I hate Aglio Olio!" my sister proclaimed. "Shut up." I said.

I managed to find a yellow bell pepper, some Parmigiano-Reggiano, ONE roma tomato and a white onion. "I guess this will have to do!"

In the end I made a dish which was based on Aglio Olio, with a couple of other things added in just for some extra oomph. I tried my best to roll the pasta dough as thin as possible since I don't have a pasta machine. I'm sure a pasta machine would have done a much better job, though. Do try it out sometime soon!

Homemade Pasta Dough
Serves 4

- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 - 2 cups flour

Combine the first 4 ingredients and whisk together with a fork. Add a 1/2 cup of flour and mix it in with the fork until all lumps are gone.

Keep adding flour bit by bit until a non-sticky ball is formed. You will use between 1 & 1-1/4 cups of flour, depending on the humidity of your kitchen.

Knead the ball of dough well for about 10 minutes. Dust the final lump of dough with a light coating of flour and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

Cut off billiard ball-sized pieces and roll them out flat (about 1/4 inch thick) on a well-floured board. Cut the pasta into whatever shape or width you require.

Stretch out pasta and let it dry (either hanging or on a plate) for a few minutes or up to an hour.
Cook in a pot of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes or until the pasta floats to the top.

Pasta Sauce:

- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium roma tomato, diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt/Black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan and add onions. Sautee till limp and then add in your minced garlic. Toss well.

Add your diced bell peppers and sautee for about a minute or so. Add tomatoes, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well until tomatoes are heated through.

Add your cooked pasta in and toss well. Add a little of the water the pasta was boiled in if the dish seems a little dry.

Finally, add in your grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Dish and top off with some dried parsley.

Panna Cotta Monsta

2008-01-08T18:27:00.000+08:00

I honestly have a problem. I buy things I don't even need or don't ever plan on
using. For example, I have about a thousand pairs of pants, t-shirts, shirts, dresses etc which I never ever wear and have never ever worn before. However, when I need to get outta the house, I never seem to have anything to wear.

This time, I had no reason at all to buy the hunka chunka Valrhona Ivoire that sits in my little ingredient rack. I didn't plan on making anything with it. An impulse buy, I must say. Just like everything else I own.

Finally, after about 2 weeks, I decided to make use of my hibernating chock-lit. Since it is Valrhona and everything, I wanted to use it in something that wouldn't mask the magnifiscent flavor of the chocolate itself. "Panna Cotta!" I yelled. I recalled buying a bunch of fresh apricots and looked for them in the chiller. Bingo, they were there.

That's when the real work began....I made an apricot coulis with the little sunset colored knobs. At first I had a tough time trying to peel the apricots. After 5 minutes of frustration, I decided to chuck everything into the pot, skin and all. There was no WAY I was going to injure my precious fingers which have already been through so much "abuse".

I googled some White Chocolate Panna Cotta recipes but the common thing most of the recipes I found had was that they all use a very minimal amount of chocolate. "Forget it!" I thought. "I'll make my own recipe!"

I boiled some cream and made a ganache with my Ivoire. "No milk?!?!" you must be thinking. Well you're right! Since I planned on setting these lil' babies in shotglasses which don't hold very much at all, I figured that ultra fatty richness was the way to go.

Oh, and don't you just love the silver leaf on top of the chocolate drizzle? Most of you guys probably think that silver leaves normally accompany sugar saturated indian sweets. Well, you're right. My ex-tutor got this from me on his trip to India, since he knew that I'd been hunting all over for it. (I didn't check Little India, since that's not the kind of place you'd find me in.It's just not my thang)

Anyway, enough of my mindless rambling. The panna cottas aren't silky like their original cousins, but that's the way I intended for them to be. They are rich, creamy, and have an almost ganache like consistency. I'm sure you'll love em'!

Valrhona Ivoire Panna Cotta with Abricot gelée
Serves 8

Abricot Gelée

- 5 apricots, halved, stoned and chopped into pieces
- 3 Tbsp sugar (or more depending on the tartness of your apricots)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 gelatin leaf (softened in ice water)
- 1/2 tbsp Apricot Schnapps or Apricot Brandy

Place apricots, sugar, water and lemon juice into a small pan.

Stir over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Let mix come to a boil and remain boiling for 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Turn off heat.

Pass mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of the skins. Make sure you squeeze the life out of the remnants in the sieve to extract as much flavor as possible. Set aside.

Valrhona Ivoire Panna Cotta

- 270g heavy cream
- 200g Valrhona Ivoire (Use fèves or chop up into fine pieces)
- 2 gelatin leaves (softened in ice water)

Bring cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate as you would when making ganache. Stir with a rubber spatula to dissolve the chocolate. Try not to get too much air into the mixture.

Squeeze gelatin leaves and add this to your "ganache". Stir till dissolved. If the ganache is too cool, you can heat it above a bain marie before adding the gelatin.

Pour mixture into individual shotglasses. I managed to fill about 8. Don't fill it to the brim, though. Leave enough space for a thin layer of gelée.

Let set in the chiller till firm.

Finishing touches

Reheat your apricot coulis over a bain marie. Squeeze gelatin leaves and add them to the coulis. Stir to dissolve. When the coulis is cool, add in your Schnapps or Brandy.

Pour this mixture over your set panna cottas. Let set in the chiller till firm.

Finally, if you wish to, drizzle some good quality melted dark chocolate on top of the gelée, or top with sugared apricot bits.

Gâteau de Jade

2007-12-28T18:22:00.000+08:00

Pistachios.Warm middle eastern days and mystical Indian dances float through my mind when I see this nut, with its almost cartoon like shade of jade. Hence, the name Gâteau de Jade.

It all started yesterday, when I made a trip to the baking supply store, just for the fun of it. $70 dollars later, I was accompanied by a large bag of luscious green pistachio nuts, a kilo of Valrhona Equatoriale, dried apricots, ground almonds, an artery clogging load of butter, as well as some lovely straight to the hips heavy cream.

I decided to make a Jaconde sponge, encased in pistachio mousse, studded with tart macerated apricot bits. I made my pistachio paste last night, with great disappointment. Apparently food processors of the 21st century are incapable of grinding pistachio nuts to a fine powder. I also stewed my apricots in some hot water, diced them after they cooled, and macerated them in lemon juice, a teaspoon of liquer and lemon juice overnight.

Anyway, I proceeded with making my Jaconde sponge this morning, afterwhich I made my pistachio mousse. Unfortunately, a massive lump of evergreen pistachio paste managed to completely bleach itself of its glorious color and turn into a cream colored mousse. Also, the mousse was a little too soft set, making it rather disgusting, appearance wise, after I glazed it with my chocolate nappage.

I managed to make a mini version with extra mousse/jaconde/nappage, which definitely saved the day (photography wise, of course). The larger cake looked a mess. To make things worst, for some reason, my food processor was being a bitch today. The lid jammed up before I could even finely chop up my pistachios as a garnish. I had to literally bang and beat the life out of it to remove its lid. It did not end there, though. The lid then decided that it would not lock into position, which meant that my food processor wouldn't turn on and do what it was meant to do. Finally, I burst out into tears and wanted to just throw the entire food processor into the bin.

I guess the lord Almighty decided to spare me from further punishment, and voila, the food processor's lid suddenly just snapped on in a jiffy. Sigh.

As for the recipe, I'll have to tweak it a little before giving it to you. I'll be making this again, this time with a more stabilized mousse and will also have to blend the pistachios with a little cream to fully liquidize it. Do wait for it!

Plaisir Sucré - My Chocolate Foe

2007-12-20T12:08:00.000+08:00

I've finally risen from the dead! I've recieved numerous e-mails lately, from visitors who haven't seen any recent posts. Some even asked if I had died..*chuckles*. Well, to those of you who did ask, here I am! Alive and well! I've been extremely lazy lately, and not in the mood to make anything besides some of the orders I've recieved. I finally decided to not sell any Xmas items..However, I did agree to providing only friends and family with christmas treats, upon their requests.

Anyway, in the past week, I've been slaving over one of Pierre Herme's Signature desserts, Plaisir Sucré. A couple of other floggers have made this time consuming, anger inducing dessert. By the looks of it, mine doesn't look as good as theirs.

It all started off terribly last week, on my first gutsy attempt. I had tempered my milk chocolate perfectly. However, disaster struck when I spread the chocolate too thinly over my acetate. The next day, the chocolate crumbled into a million glorious pieces when I tried prying it off the acetate. *Sigh*

That was not the only problem I encountered, mind you. My milk chocolate ganache was way too runny, more like gazpacho than ganache! It turned out a complete mess, and I promised myself that I'd attempt it again, with better results.

The next day, I decided I'd take it slow and easy. I tempered the now thicker sheets of chocolate at night, and made the ganache, as well as the chocolate chantilly mixture. That would leave me with just the preparation of the praline and dacquoise, followed by the assembly, for the next day.

The ganache was a litte better, as I upped the chocolate to cream ratio. If I were to ever make this ever again, I'd probably up it even further. This also isn't something I'll be making frequently, unless people ask for it. For those who don't already know, Plaisir Sucré is a plated version of PH's legendary Cherry On The Cake. It consists of a hazelnut dacquoise base, crackly praline layer, followed by tempered milk chocolate disks which are sandwiched with both whipped milk chocolate ganache as well as milk chocolate ganache. Heart attack in a mouthful, in my opinion. I honestly think those who aren't very experienced in dessert making should give this recipe a miss.

Though it takes a lot of patience and work, the results will not disappoint. Everyone who tried it fell in love with it and even asked for seconds.

Plaisir Sucré
Serves 8

Chocolate Chantilly

- 285g milk chocolate
- 435g heavy cream

Put chocolate into a mixing bowl while you bring the cream to a rolling boil. Pull the cream from the heat and immediately pour it over the milk chocolate. Mix energetically with a rubber spatula till perfectly homogenous.

Cover the cream with cling wrap, pressing the plasting against the surface of the mixture. Chill overnight, or for at least 6 hours.

Chocolate Ganache

- 190g milk chocolate (I used 260g, and will use 300g next time)
- 165g heavy cream

Put chocolate into a mixing bowl while you bring the cream to a rolling boil. Pull the cream from the heat and immediately pour it over the milk chocolate. Mix with a rubber spatula till perfectly homogenous. Try not to get too much air into the ganache.

Chill until ganache is thick at room temperature and easy to pipe.

Hazelnut Dacquoise

- 70g hazelnut meal
- 100g icing sugar
- 3 large egg whies
- 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 140g halved hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 165 degrees celsius.

Sieve icing sugar and hazelnut meal together; set aside. Whisk egg whites till soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar and whisk till glossy and stiff.

Fold in hazelnut meal mixture and spread out into a 10 inch square onto a large Silpat. Scatter halved hazelnuts onto the mixture and bake for 25 - 30 mins. Let cool once baked.

The Praline

- 200g nutella
- 50g milk chocolate, melted.
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup Rice Krispies

Mix everything together in a bowl. Set Aside.

The Chocolate Sheets

- 260g milk chocolate, tempered

Spread tempered chocolate onto acetate sheets which measure 2x4 inches in length. You will need 24 of these chocolate plates.Let set and peel off. You may choose to set them in the refrigerator if your kitchen is too warm or humid.

The Assembly

Spread Praline onto cooled dacquoise. Chill for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, cut dacquoise into eight 2x4 inch rectangles. Set aside.
Take a chocolate plate and pipe ganache onto it in a zig-zag fashion. Sandwich with another milk chocolate plate.

Pipe another zig zag of ganache onto the cut dacquoise. Place sandwiched chocolate plates on top of this. Repeat for the remaining 7 portions.

Let set in the refrigerator for 10 mins. Meanwhile, whip Chcolate Chantilly with an electric mixer, or by hand. It should stiffen and be firm enough to spread.

Pipe chocolate chantilly on top of the milk chocolate sandwiches. Top with one more chocolate plate. Dust with cocoa to serve.

ps: It's best to use Valrhona or any other fantastic chocolate you have. This is not something you want to be stingy with, as it will definitely affect the taste of the final product if you use a cheaper variety of chocolate. As for myself, I used Sharffenberger.

Christmas In A Cup

2007-11-28T20:53:00.000+08:00

Christmas is just 'round the corner, so it's only natural for me to make cheerful and happy treats to sell on Le Petite Boulangerie, right? Wrong!

Pictured above are the 2 Chrismas items I wanted to sell this season, along with some gingerbread cookies, Christmas macarons, and whimsical Christmas Tree shaped mini chocolate cakes. As you can see, progress has been slow, and these are the only 2 things I've managed to etch into my busy schedule.

As I was having my french manicure done today, it dawned on me that I really am not in a mood to sell things this season. But of course, there is that little elf living in my brain, urging me to sell sell sell, which in turn, leaves me bewildered on what to do.

On top of that, comments such as how my Frosty The Snowman cupcakes look phallic really aren't very encouraging. Tomorrow I plan to make and photograph my gingerbread cookies, but I still doubt I'll have the energy to make all the other things I plan to sell. First of all, I have a massive birthday cake order, along with birthday macarons and other amuse bouche. Very energy draining indeed!

On top of that, I've been extremely busy doing research on accomodations in Sydney, since my dad has decided that April will be the month he ships me off to Le Cordon Bleu. Hell yeah! I've got my eye on a large colonial style house which is just 10 minutes away from campus, has free wireless internet, televisions, and all that jazz.

It's really exciting, the thought of going to Le Cordon Bleu. Finally, after 3 years of waiting to get out of school, I've reached my desired destination...which brings me to think that I'll eventually have to shut down Le Petite Boulangerie, and discontinue sales...so, why not just shut it down now?

I honestly do not know what to do, but if anyone is interested, my 2 cupcakes up there are for sale now, I guess. Perhaps I'll find the inspiration to make all my other treats for sale. We'll see.......

Risking taking Risks

2007-11-17T17:02:00.000+08:00

Why would someone intentionally sell a cake without any prior experience in making that certain cake? Well, because that someone, who just happens to be me, is stark raving mad.

In a frenzy of delicate macaron making for the sudden rush of orders I recieved, I also recieved an order for a birthday cake...and it proved to be a tough one! I had many restrictions. The cake had to NOT include any nuts, coffee, chocolate, or cheese. Bummer!...hence, I had to surrender to the goddess of Flora and Fauna. It took me about 5 minutes of deep thought to come up with something which would taste fabulous, yet not contain any of the taboo ingredients.

Roses, Lychees, Strawberries....All delicate flavours, which would compliment each other perfectly, I thought. Well, the stars were aligned perfectly this morning, as the cake turned out to be orgasmic!

I started off early in the morning, preparing my rose sponge cake...followed by 5 minutes of sheer delight, listening to my liquidizer blend up some fresh and fated for death lychees as well as some insanely sweet strawberries I managed to stick my claws into on a trip to the supermarket.. Oh, the harmony!

Anyway, the rest, as they say, is history. If my crystal ball is telling the truth, this cake will definitely be a hit with this client, and many more to come. Hopefully not this week, though! I've been rushing through a mad frenzy of orders this past week...one of which includes an order for over 300 dark and white chocolate truffles. Thank heavens Stef came over and helped me roll those little moreish morsels of euphoria. She is a life saver!

I'll be posting the Strawberry Vodka Jam recipe which Stef and I made last week. All credit goes to her, the Empress Dowager of jammy goodness.

Strawberry Vodka Jam

Ingredients

- 250g Strawberries
-Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
-1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
-130g Caster Sugar
-2 tbsp Vodka
-1/2 tsp Butter
-Dash of salt

Sterilise a jam jar,wash with boiling water, wipe,then place in a pre-heated 100 degrees celsius oven to dry completely.

Place a small glass dish in the freezer. Wash the berries hull them, and choose 2 or 3 of the softest,reddest ones. Mash with the lemon juice and zest to release natural pectin which helps to set the jam.

Cut the rest of strawberries up into even chunks. (Not too small as you want chunks of fruit. )

In a heavy based pan over medium heat, place mashed berries with sugar and cider. Stir, then place chopped berries in with pinch of salt. Pour in vodka (you may choose to ignite to let alcohol burn off right away---if you don't ignite...it will evaporate eventually anyway.)

Keep stirring, and occasionally dab down pan sides with a wet brush. Allow 5 to 7 minutes of rapid boiling and stirring. To test if jam has set , place a little on your dish from the freezer.

If jam forms a skinvand wrinkles when pushed, it is ready. If it slides down like a sauce, continue to boil for a further 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in butter to remove any foam that has formed on jam.

Ladle carefully into your hot, sterilised jar, and place a square of baking paper over the cap. Seal immediately and store in the fridge.

Jamming Session #1

2007-11-07T14:53:00.000+08:00

I'm officially back! Sorry for being so awfully quiet!

My friend Stef came over yesterday, and since she's the Empress Dowager of Jam, we concluded that a Jamming Session was obligatory. In return, I would teach her how to make the ubiquitous MACARON. It was then, that "Jamming Session #1" was born.

Stef and I first made macarons, but I'll get to that later on. After piping them, we headed out to get my yeti eyebrows waxed and trimmed. Ouch. I managed to convince Stef to get her's done too. Bad move...now she wants to have me assassinated due to all that pain I put her through.

After about 20 minutes of torture, we headed out to the grocery store to get some strawberries and blueberries for our jam...

When we got back, we quickly baked our macarons and got started on our jam. I love how stef doesn't use any pectin in her jam..I always thought that pectin was essential in making jam, but I was and have been misguided up till now.

Stef also indulged me in the fact that the apples for our blueberry apple jam had to be par-boiled, as cooking it in its raw state would wreak havoc due to its extremely high water content, giving me apple soup. After making jam, we made some lemon curd as well..which I didn't photograph..yeah, so shoot me :)

Onto the macarons now...

Empress Dowager brought along her "Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream" oil...which turned out to have a really addictive smell..I went around sniffing the contents of the little bottle like a crack whore.

We added the oil into the chocolate shells, giving it a unique flavor, unlike the previous chocolate shells I have made. We also made a mint ganache...which I accidentally poured coconut extract into. OH NO! THE HORROR! Well, it didn't matter since we poured in even more mint extract, which seemed to consume the coconut flavor of the ganache. (Stef could still taste it, but I couldn't)

Due to my lovely new oven from the depths of hell, I ended up with lemon macarons which had "baby feet" once again.

Suddenly, inspiration hit us! Why not make large macarons? Smaller than Ispahan macarons, yet larger than regular macarons! We filled them with some berry buttercream which I just happened to have on hand, along with a dollop of luscious lemon curd in the center. After sandwiching them, we studded the edges with our blueberries. And voila, a new creation was born!

We decided to name it Kristobelle, and she will now be a sister of my popular Isadore and Bethanie macarons! Oh joy! Who knows what we will come up with next week, in Jamming Session #2!

Breaking the Curfew

2007-11-02T15:11:00.000+08:00

Okay, so technically, I'm supposed to be on hiatus.

But oh, what the hell! Here's the lowdown of what's been going on recently. My once not so amazing kitchen is now really really out of this world. Well, at least to me, it is.

We re-furbished the kitchen, got rid of everything that was malevolent, installed new built-in cabinets, another new oven, new hobs, a new sink, and practically new everything!

Finally, I have a constructive work triangle, which doesnt make me just want to scream in rage everytime I cook or bake something. As you guys know, I am supposed to be on hiatus, studying for my examinations and all that jazz. However, since the exams will be over by next week, I decided to test out my new oven! I could be compared to a child, yearning for a kaleidoscopic lolly, hung right in front of her face, but just far enough for her to not be able to grab it and lick away. My father told me last night, "Do NOT make anything till the exams are over!!".....But hey, he's at work, and he'd never know, right?

I just had to use my new oven. I just HAD to. I had to "consummate" it. Anyway, as evident in the photo above, you've probably realized that the macarons are a little flat, and have baby feet, as my friend Stefanie likes to consolably say. Was it the oven? Or was it just a case of an overmixed macaron batter? Rather puzzling. The bottoms of the macaron shells were also much softer, compared to the ones made in another oven. Perhaps they need a little extra time in this new oven?

The only time I actually ended up with baby feet and soft bottoms was when I accidentally overmixed a Lemon Macaron batter a couple of months ago. However, I'm pretty sure I achieved perfect macaronage today. So was it the fault of the oven? Perhaps I'll just have to try again. There's always an excuse to make more macarons, mind you.

Onto the flavor now...The macaron shells were flavored with just a tad of strawberry extract. As for the filling, it is a concoction of carefully proportioned ratios of buttercream and Strawberry Vodka Jam, which was a gift from Stefanie. She makes great jam! Still, the buttercream was lacking a booze factor. So I added a generous splash of Absolut Raspberri. Heavenly.

As for now, it's just a matter of me trying to perfect my macarons yet again, in this new oven. Wasn't perfecting them once in a different oven enough? I guess not. I'll probably have 2 methods of macaron making now...One for the ancient oven, and another for the brand spanking new one. My only worry now is that my father sees the macarons in the chiller. Oh well, what's done is done!

2007-09-14T17:26:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone! I'm going to be on hiatus for a while!

Basically, I have the GCSE examinations coming up, and hence, will not have enough time to regularly update the blog with recipes etc till Mid November, when all the hoo-haa ends.

I've also taken down a couple of things from the boulangerie temporarily...Macarons, Large Cakes and Fudge...Reason being they take too long for me to make, compared to the other stuff, like cupcakes and bars.

After a quiet period with only a few orders, I suddenly find myself in a huge frenzy of orders, which are making me dizzy! A friend's friend has ordered a fondant covered anniversary cake for her parents, another customer has also ordered 24 snowskin mooncakes. On top of that, a bank, which I will not name, has ordered a cake for their 20th birthday! How cool is that?

Also, on the 27th, 28th, and 29th, I will be catering for a high end bag boutique in a hotel, for one of their fashion shows or whatnot.

Phew!!! And guess what? All this has to be done by the end of September!!! Im going to go nuts, I think!

Anyway, like I said, I will not be updating till mid november...After my exams,you'll be SURE to see practically DAILY updates, with this being my last year in school and all. (No more school next yr!! Yeah!)

I'll leave you with a collage of some of the stuff I've been up to recently. Toodles for now! XoXo

I've been tagged!

2007-09-09T15:41:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged by The Culinary Princess! . It's time for me to bare it all!

Before I begin, here are the rules:

- Players must list one fact, word or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of their first or middle name.

- When players are tagged they need to write their own blog-post containing their own first or middle name game facts, word or tidbit.

- At the end of their blog-post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.

- Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here it goes!..

A - Arrogance! I have to shamefully admit that I come off as very very very arrogant 70% of the time! Its not that I intend for people to think of me in such a way, but I guess it has to do with the way I was brought up, the people whom I was exposed to etc.....As a child, I never got much attention (not like I get much attention now, anyway) and that was probably the main foundation of the "arrogance" wall I built around myself. Oh well!

M - Mischievous, oh mischievous. Physically, I may be 16, but I act like a 5 year old most of the time. I was surprised the other day, when a comedy didnt amuse me. Instead, the Pink Panther which was showing on television made me laugh till I felt like throwing up. Strange, I know. Ever since the age of 9, I never did want to grow up. I hated having to take on resposibilities and giving up my comfort blanket for maturity. I guess it's still evident in my current state of still not wanting to grow up...sigh.

R - Red! Yes! I really really really dislike all things red, because the color reminds me of blood! I fear blood like the plague! I remember, a couple of years back, when the headmistress talked about teenagers slashing their wrists, I just fainted right there and then. Plop. Even during the disection of a sheep's heart during my biology lesson, I REFUSED to take part in anything at all. The teacher eventually gave up and let me sit in a corner!

I - Irresponsible. I am sooooo irresponsible! At this current moment, I haven't been able to find my housekeys. They've been lost for about a week now. Its probaby the 5th time I've lost my keys. I also throw stuff around the house and inevitably, they will go missing. This is most evident in my constant purchases of baking supplies and tools.

T - The Simpsons. I LOVEEEEEEE watching the Simpsons. The television show, that is. NOT THE MOVIE, which was an utter disppointment and a waste of 2 hours of my life. "Eat my Shorts!"...Another disturbing thing is that I find Bart Simpson hot. Haha!

A - Anti-social. I'd rather watch a movie on my own, alone, than with someone else. I love shopping on my OWN, and just doing about everything on my own. I shy away from social gatherings. Now you know what a psychotic freak I am :)

My targets to be tagged are......

Patricia from Technicolor Kitchen
Jef from MyFoodGeek
Kristen from Dine and Dish
Jen from The Barmy Baker
Peony from My Culinary Journal
Jen from Milk & Cookies

TGRWT#5 Round-up

2007-08-31T20:34:00.000+08:00

Well, its time for my much awaited round-up!

Chocolate and Meat turned out to be a rather classic yet difficult pairing. I mean, who would think throwing a nugget of milk chocolate into your mouth along with a piece of steak would taste great..? Get what I mean?

Anyway, I am ecstatic that I recieved over 11 entries for the first flogging event I've ever hosted! At first, I did not seem to recieve any entries at all! That seriously worried me and got the nerves kickin'. However, as Martin predicted, most of the entries started pouring in a few days before the deadline. PHEW!

Anyway, here are all the fantastic entries which I recieved from so many different people in different parts of the world. Enjoy!

PS: Click on the participant's highlighted name to view their blog entries. He he :)

Andrew over at Blinded By Science decided to do something unlike what many did. He
created a dish where chocolate was the main component and meat was the flavoring agent. I love how Andrew rationalizes about how things are going to taste based on science!
His verdict: The recipe tasted great. I found out that raisins and rum shared the same number of flavor chemicals for chocolate and beef, leading me to believe that their inclusion in the dish would be tasty....the whole thing paired really well.

Caroline over at A Consuming Passion created something that looked absolutely mouth-watering! She made a pasta sauce that was otherwise much like any other bolognese sauce, a hearty one with the addition of pinenuts and raisins as well.
Her verdict: Tasting the pasta for myself, I had to agree with him. The first sensation of flavour that I got when I took my first bite was the lingering aroma of the red wine, and although the sauce was sweeter and slightly thicker than most bolognese sauces, I wouldn't have guessed there was chocolate in there either. Despite not being able to pick out the chocolate flavour, we both agreed that the chocolate added to the richness of the sauce

Papin from Flavor Alchemy made something that looks just as interesting as it's unique name, Koko KeeBee. At first, he thought the challenge simple, but he was wrong. While making a traditional Mole with cooked beef and unsweetened chocolate, he tried adding a variety of flavors to create something interesting. That turned out a disaster!He then decided to use the chocolate as a condiment instead.
His verdict: Beef and chocolate do go well together, in the right proportions.

Dennis from Kookjegek made a not so classic Beef Wellington, of course, due to the addition of chocolate. His was a Beef Wellington served with a chocolate sauce, inspired by Gordon Ramsay. You should also check out his blog, it's very cool.
His verdict: The result was pretty nice. Unfortunately my beef was too well-done. But the chocolate definitely added some nice contrast to the sauce. Although 10 grams was probably still too much. Next time I will use some real red wine instead of red wine vinegar, I think this can also benefith the sauce.

Martin himself, from Khymos, combined Pork and Chocolate, along with a beef stock cream. Talk about creativity! His photo of his masterpiece also makes me turn green with envy. Superb photography skills, Martin!
His verdict: The chocolate beef stock cream has very meaty and almost nutty flavour. Honey is important to round of the otherwise slightly bitter taste of the chocolate. Chili oil gives it a bite, but can be omitted.

Cara and goat's cheese.from Cara's Cravings decided to make eggplant caponata . I myself am not too sure what a caponata is, but after looking at Cara's version of it, I most definitely will be trying this out sometime soon. She used a lovely combo of ground turkey
Her verdict: The wonderful thing is, I am not the only one who loved this - my fiance declared it absolutely fantastic!

M was fantastic and made 2 dishes for the event the first one, (not pictured), was a Liver Soup with Almonds, Cinnamon and Chocolate. The second one, pictured above, is Chorizo Con Chocolate. He first came accross the idea online, and then started googling for information on chorizo & chocolate That brought him to Tia Pol, a tapas bar in New York 's website, where they serve among other tapas 'chorizo con chocolate'. The rest, as they say, is history.
His verdict: The chocolate I used was too sweet [30%] for the combination with chorizo & I didn't like it. Less sweet chocolate should be used or the sweetness of the chocolate should be suppressed.

Sarina at Trini Gourmet made a fiery Texas Chili. Instead of using beef chuck, she very intelligently used ground beef to cut the cooking time by a substantial amount. I love how she shows the different steps she took in preparing the dish.Her verdict: I loved the warmth that the ground coriander added to the sauce and also was quietly amazed at what an effective thickener cornmeal was (why hadn’t I thought of that before?!).

Newcomer Megan from Megan's Cookin made a Rib Eye Steak with Chocolate Port Sauce. Keep up the great job, Megan! Her steak looks good enough to be put on the menu of any top notch restaurant in NewYork.
Her verdict: The sauce was kind of sweet, with a slight chocolate flavor in the background. You could definitely tell there was wine in it. It felt like velvet on the tongue.

Laurel, all the way in Sweden, decided on a Beef Carpaccio with Chocolate Balsamico Reduction. Her final product was so fantastic that she didn't even have enough left to photograph! You go girl!
Her verdict: The nutty/peppery argula really adds something to this dish and seems to marry the chocolate balsamico with the savory truffle and cheese. The beef just melts on your tongue. Delicious! Chocolate and meat DO go really well together if I am to judge by this dish.

Swaha over at Miller Kitchen made an appropriately named Chilli Con Cocoa. Her recipe is very flexible, and any meat can be used as the main component. She only had turkey in his pantry, and that is what he used!
Her verdict: Cocoa adds a very appetizing earthiness and depth to the flavor of the chilli; it also gives it a rich terra cotta hue which makes a great presentation.

Anders from Aleph wowed me with his artistic shot of his Chili Chocolate Elk and Beef Jerky. He was inspired by chocolate coated candied orange peel. He even used Lindt Chilli chocolate! I never knew Lindt made such a flavor! Amazing!
His verdict: While interesting, I don't think this simple combination works on its own. It is too tricky to be just a snack, it has to be processed mentally to be enjoyable. The meat taste and the chocolate do go well together. It is a strong, slightly hot and quite savoury tone. The problem is the texture: the yielding chocolate doesn't work together with the fibrous and strong meat. They need to be combined more firmly, likely as part of the jerky preparation process.

Inge over at Vanielje Kitchen made a Wild Rabbit, Prune & Chocolate Tagine. I myself have never tried rabbit before, so I'm not too sure how it would go with chocolate. According to Inge, it really was lovely! She also rushed to meet the deadline, and luckily, she did! Good job!
Her verdict: Delicious, but I forgot how rabbity rabbit is when not grilled. Dakota - 'I'm not so keen on this'. Fair enough, she's not so keen on Jemima Puddleduck either...

Evelin from Bounteous Bites was one of the few who paired pork with chocolate. She was also irked at the idea of pairing her dish with pasta, due to it's sweetness, and paired it with rice instead. Did you know that she's only 17 too? She's even teaching her mom how to cook!
Her verdict: My parents liked meat in chocolate sauce!

Last but not least, Klaus, all the way in Germany, made a delicious looking dish. However, I don't quite understand german, so you'll have to read his entry yourself!

Thanks to all who participated for making my first hosting event a very memorable one indeed.

When your hands feel clammy, have some Clam Chowder

2007-08-09T13:28:00.000+08:00

Take a little trip to Wikipedia, search "Clam Chowder", and this is what you will eventually end up with:

Clam chowder is any of several chowders containing clams and broth. Along with the clams, potato chunks are common, as are onions, which are occasionally sauteed in the drippings from salt pork. Vegetables are uncommon, but small carrot strips might occasionally be added, primarily for color. A garnish of parsley serves the same purpose. Bay leaves are also sometimes used as a garnish and flavoring.

Ah, and the one I decided to make, was the good ol' New England Clam Chowder. Usually, its loaded with cream and bacon drippings, but hey, not everyone wants to go up 2 sizes overnight, or at least I don't think so!

My mom's new habit is to frequent a joint called "The Soup Spoon". Im guessing that by the name, you know what they specialize in. She bought the clam chowder home for my sister and herself the other day, and they were RAVING about how good it was. The jealous cooking monster in me naturally came out. I know, I am weird.

"I am going to make BETTER clam chowder. BETTER I TELL YOU!!!!" I screamed in my head.

Since fresh clams of high quality are rather difficult to find over here, I settled for canned baby clams. And since most New England Clam Chowders start of with a roux, I ended up using milk instead of cream, since the roux would thicken it up and make it seem like cream in the end, anyway.

I also didn't intend on putting carrots in my chowder, but for some reason, I reached for some carrots in the refrigerator and started dicing them for no apparent reason. "Oh well, I guess they've gotta go in, then"

PS: My mother still has NOT replaced my camera's charger, so I had to use my sister's camera again. I have to admit, I have NO idea on how to use her camera properly, and hence, my photo didn't turn out as good as it could have :(

New England Clam Chowder
Serves 6

-2 10 oz cans of Baby Clams
- 1 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- 1 cup diced celery

For the roux,

- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 litre of whole milk
- 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

-Salt/Pepper to taste

In a large pot, combine ingredients and all the liquid from the tinned clams. Reserve clams for later on.

If there isn't enough 'clam juice' to cover the vegetables, top it off with either bottled clam juice or just good ol' water. You don't want to SUBMERGE the vegetables, though.

Bring to a boil and lower the heat, leaving it at a simmer. Cook till the vegetables are barely tender. Turn off heat.

In another large pan, melt butter. Add flour all at one go, and whisk for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour. At first, gradually add the milk and whisk whisk whisk, in order to prevent any lumps from forming. After about 1/2 of the milk is incorporated, you can speed up the pouring process.
Continue whisking the milk mixture till it has thickened substantially. To this, add in the undrained vegetables, clams and red wine vinegar. Let the clams heat through, being careful to not overcook them, or they'll go all rubbery and nasty.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle the tops of individual portions with dried parsley flakes.

Announcement: Chocolate and Meat - TGRWT #5

2007-08-03T15:10:00.000+08:00

Chocolate and Oranges, Chocolate and Bananas, Chocolate in Risotto...Chocolate in..MEAT?

Some may be appalled by the very thought of adding meat to chocolate, or vice versa. However, science tells us that the two were just MADE for each other! Don't believe me? Well try it out for yourself and join TGRWT! (Hosted by yours truly!!)

This is how you can participate in TGRWT #5:

1. Prepare a dish that combines chocolate and meat. You can either use
an existing recipe (if there is any) or come up with your own.

2. Take a picture of the dish and write an entry in your blog by
September 1st with TGRWT #5 in the title. Readers will be
particularily interested in how the flavour pairing worked out, so
make an attempt at describing the taste and aroma and whether you
liked it or not.

3. A round-up will be posted here (with pictures). Please send an
email to tunasushister@gmail.com with the following details:

Your name, URL of blog, URL of the TGRWT #5 post and a picture for your
entry in the round-up. If you don't have a blog, email me your name,
location, recipe and a brief description of how it worked out and I'll
be glad to include it in the final round-up.

PS: All credits for the cow go to Cadbury!