NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month, is an annual event that spans the entire month of November. It challenges the individual to take pen in hand, or to sit at the keyboard, and "write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together". It is a whirlwind of an event that brings about frustration, fear, anxiety, adrenaline rushes, and, ultimately, exultation - that is, if you actually manage to reach the goal of 50,000 words (equivalent to a 175-page novella).

I joined my first NaNoWriMo back in November of 2004. Always having loved the written word, I needed to test my mettle and see if I could actually produce a somewhat coherent and interesting tome in just over 4 weeks. It dawned on me that an autobiographical approach would be most suitable. Besides, it would be invaluable to record the significant events of my life, before I forget the minute details. So, after a harrowing 30 days of non-stop typing, I submitted my entry for review, and received my winner's certificate and icon. Woo hoo!

In 2005, I once again tried my hand at writing the requisite 50,000; but, alas, being 8 months pregnant, my energy levels were just not quite enough to reach the goal. However, come this November, 2009, I will once again throw my novelist's hat into the writing ring.

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Kueh Dadar

Kueh Dadar is one of my favourite SE Asian treats. It is a thin, pandan-flavoured crepe that holds a sweet and slightly smoky filling of shredded coconut, gula melaka, and pandan juice. It is one of the more accessible Malaysian kuehs - not too glutinous and more familiar in texture and taste.

My favourite of all kuehs, though, has to be Putu Piring, or Kueh Tutu - rice flour, coconut, and gula melaka steamed to perfection in odd funnel-shaped moulds that look like little conical hats. The best ones I have ever eaten were found at a roadside stall outside a residential street in Melaka - a place I would never have found without the aid of a knowledgeable local. They were the size of my palm, and had a subtle crunch from the slightly caramelized sugar. Amazing!

Kueh Dadar

Filling:

120ml Water
120g Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar), broken into pieces
60g Sugar
4 Pandan Leaves, torn into short strips
1 cup Coconut, shredded
Pinch of Salt

Batter:

1 Egg
130g All-Purpose Flour
50g Tapioca Flour
480ml thin Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Pandan Juice
Pinch of Salt
* Optional* Few drops of green Pandan colouring

Filling:

In a saucepan, boil together water, Gula Melaka, sugar, and pandan leaves, until the sugars dissolve. Strain the syrup, and simmer over low heat until thickened.

Add the shredded coconut and salt, and cook until almost dry.

Batter:

Whisk egg lightly in a bowl. Blend in flour, tapioca flour, salt, coconut milk, oil, pandan juice, salt, and colouring, if using. Combine well. Strain the batter to remove lumps.

Heat a non-stick pan over low-medium heat. Pour 1 Tbsp of batter into the centre of the pan. Tilt and swirl the pan to form a circular crepe. Fry for about 3 minutes until set.

Slip crepe onto a plate, and place 1 tsp of filling in a line along the centre of the crepe. Fold down a bit of the top and bottom of the crepe; then, roll up. Repeat with remaining batter and filling.

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Croissants

Mastering the art of croissant making takes patience. If you have several hours of pottering around the house, consider making a batch of homemade croissants. They are suitable for freezing, and can be easily thawed and baked on those days that you crave a splendid treat.

I adapted a recipe from foodbeam, using whole wheat flour. Just ensure that you cut long, narrow triangles that can be rolled into many layers for a more aesthetically-pleasing appearance and palate-pleasing flakiness. If you have dark chocolate, you can also opt to make pain au chocolat.

Croissants

Yield: 20

The Détrempe:

1000g Whole Wheat Flour
80g Butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp Powdered milk
150g Granulated Sugar
one Tbsp Fleur de Sel
450g Water, plus more if flour is not incorporating easily into a dough
25g Fresh Yeast

180g Butter, at room temperature

For the glaze:

1 Egg White, beaten

Make the détrempe by mixing the flour, butter, powdered milk, sugar, fleur de sel and water together until a dough forms. Knead in the crumbled yeast, then keep on working the dough until very smooth. Place in a large bowl and allow to proof at room temperature for a couple of hours, or until just doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, then roll into a 60x40cm rectangle. Spread the butter onto the far left two thirds. Fold the right end (butterless part) over the middle part, then do the same with the left part. You should have a 'book' with the spine on the left. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Next make a tour double, with an hour-long refrigeration. Make another tour double, and chill again.

Finally, give the dough a tour simple before rolling out into two 80x25cm rectangles (1/2cm thick), and cutting out long, narrow triangles. Make sure the triangles weigh around 180g before shaping them into neat croissant.

Proof the croissants at room temperature until doubled in size and glaze by gently brushing a beaten egg white all over the dough. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 30 minutes, until golden.

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Cake Decorating Classes

I finally managed to complete the last of my cake decorating classes, the Gum Paste & Fondant Course, last September. Finding the time to take the last course was rather tricky; but, now that they are all done, I have been able to add the tips and tricks picked up from the instructor to my cake-making arsenal.

The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating provides a solid basis for anyone interested in learning the basics. Although not always my preferred style of decorating, it was a good chance for me to brush up on my skills. If given the choice, I will always opt for a made-from-scratch cake with real buttercream icing (Italian Meringue Buttercream being a favourite). The Wilton buttercream calls for vegetable shortening - something that I just do not wish to consume - although I do agree that it will create an icing more likely to hold its shape and withstand extremely warm conditions.

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The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart

With a big silver spoon in hand, I could consume this entire creation in a single sitting. However, being prudent, I choose instead to savour it over several days - each time in awe yet again of the perfection that is this cream. Yes, this is simply one of the most extraordinary concoctions ever. The smooth mouth feel of the butter-laden lemon cream is at once light on the tongue and richly satisfying. It is the definition of the term "luscious", and everyone needs to try it at least once.

Pierre Herme's Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (298grams; 21 tablespoons; 10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
1 fully-baked 9-inch tart shell (recipe follows)

Procedure

Getting ready: Have a thermometer, preferably an instant-read, a strainer and a blender at the ready. Bring a few inches of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan.

1. Put the sugar and zest in a large metal bowl that can be fitted into the pan of gently boiling water. Off heat, work the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs followed by the lemon juice.

2. Fit the bowl into the pan (make certain the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. You want to cook the cream until it reaches 82°C/180°F. As you whisk the cream over heat—and you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling — the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as the cream is getting closer to 82°C/180°F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. The tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Do not stop whisking and do not stop checking the temperature. And have patience—depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

3. As soon as you reach 82°C/180°F, pull the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of a blender; discard the zest. Let the cream rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 60°C/140°F, about 10 minutes.

4. Turn the blender to high and, with the machine going, add about 5 pieces of butter at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed while you are incorporating the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going — to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to beat the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

5. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and chill the cream for at least 4 hours or overnight. When you are ready to construct the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

Serving: The tart should be served cold, because it is a particular pleasure to have the cold cream melt in your mouth.

Storing: While you can make the lemon cream ahead (it will keep in the fridge for 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months), once the tart is constructed, it is best to eat it the day it is made.

Pâte Sucrée

Makes enough for one 9-inch crust.

Storing: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, it can be frozen unbaked, and baked directly from the freezer. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

The simplest way to make a tart shell with this dough is to press it into the pan with your fingers.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in—you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses—about 10 seconds each—until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Do not be too heavy-handed—press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To partially or fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

To fully bake the crust: Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust's progress—it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

To patch a partially or fully baked crust, if necessary: If there are any cracks in the baked crust, patch them with some of the reserved raw dough as soon as you remove the foil. Slice off a thin piece of the dough, place it over the crack, moisten the edges and very gently smooth the edges into the baked crust. If the tart will not be baked again with its filling, bake for another 2 minutes or so, just to take the rawness off the patch.

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Caramel Chocolate Ganache Cake

Caramel Chocolate Ganache Cake , adapted from the Pierre Hermé Faubourg Pavé recipe, is my go-to one whenever a special occasion calls for a decadent treat. The smooth caramel chocolate ganache dances deliciously on the tongue, rich with buttery and sugary goodness.

Cocoa Cakes

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon (40g) Dutched Cocoa
¼ cup (35g) Cake Flour
3 ½ Tablespoons Potato Starch
5 ½ Tablespoons (75g) Unsalted Butter
9 large Egg Yolks, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (150g) Sugar
5 large Egg Whites, room temperature

Butter 2 small cake pans (loaf pans, oval pans, or round pans) and line with parchment.

Sift cocoa, cake flour, and potato starch.
Melt butter and set aside to cool until barely warm to the touch.

Beat yolks + ½ cup + 2 TBSP (75g) sugar on med-high speed until pale (5 minutes).

Whip whites on medium speed until soft peaks. Gradually add in remaining ½ cup + 2 TBSP (75g) sugar and beat until firm and shiny.

Fold sifted dry ingredients + ¼ of whites into the yolk mixture. Stir a few tablespoons of the mixture into the cooled melted butter, stirring to incorporate the butter as much as possible. Then, add butter and remaining whites to the yolks. Fold together.

Pour into pans (3/4 full). Bake at 350F (180C) 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool 3 minutes in pans, then unmould onto racks. Cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

Caramel Soaking Syrup

¼ cup (50g) Sugar
2 teaspoons (10g) Salted Butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt)
6 tablespoons (100g) warm water

Put sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
As soon as the sugar starts to melt, stir with a wooden spoon.
Keep heating and stirring until a rich brown colour.
Standing away from the pan, drop butter into the pan; then, as it melts, stir it into the caramelized sugar.
Stand back and add the water. When the mixture comes to a boil, pull pan from the heat. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature. Syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Caramel Ganache

6 ½ oz (185g) Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 ¼ oz (120g) Milk Chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (140g) Sugar
1 ½ tablespoons (20g) Salted Butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt)
1 cup + 2 TBSP (275g) Heavy Cream
12oz (335g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature

Mix the 2 chocolates in a heatproof bowl.
Set a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over med-high heat and sprinkle 1/3 of sugar over the bottom. As soon as the sugar starts to melt and colour, stir with a wooden spoon until it caramelizes. Sprinkle ½ of the remaining sugar over the caramelized sugar, and, as soon as it starts to melt, stir it into the caramelized sugar in the pan. Repeat with the last of the sugar, and cook until deep brown. Stand away from the pan, and, while still stirring, add salted butter. When the butter is incorporated, add the cream. (If the mixture seizes and clumps, keep stirring and heating until it evens out). Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat.

Pour ½ of the hot caramel over the chocolate, and stir gently, starting in the centre of bowl and working your way out in concentric circles. When the chocolate mixture is smooth, add the remaining hot caramel, stirring from the centre out. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes, or until slightly warm.

While ganache is cooling, beat unsalted butter, using a paddle attachment or spatula. You want to soften the butter until the consistency of mayonnaise, but you do not want to beat air into it.

Using a spatula or whisk, gently stir butter into the ganache.

You will need to have the ganache at a creamy frosting consistency. Refrigerate for 5 minutes intervals, stirring frequently so it does not become too firm around the edges.

Assembly:

Cut each cocoa cake into 3 layers. Soak each cake layer with Caramel Soaking Syrup and slather on a layer of ganache. Cover entire cake with ganache.

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The Trifle

Time seems to flash by quicker these days. The years appear to meld into one big blur; yet, we must endure and try to seek purpose in things.

After indulging in too many rich sweets recently, I decided that a lighter, fruitier treat would be in order for tonight's dessert. Not made exactly as the original recipe, this is my take on the Anglo-Italian Trifle.

Nigella Lawson is the queen of trifles, and, indisputably, the Anglo-Italian Trifle is one of her most stellar. Having to make it a non-alcoholic trifle, I substituted a simple lemon syrup for the soaking liquid. Although Mascarpone would have been delightful to use, the price tag was rather steep; so, cream cheese was used in its stead, and performed admirably!

I have also made a raspberry version that was also very delicious and refreshing. That time, I splurged on the Mascarpone which leant a distinctly tart nuance to the trifle.

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Salted Butter Caramel Goodness

My obsession with getting an ice cream maker into my possession was bubbling over until I finally took the plunge and snapped up a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment. It turned out to be a rather monumental undertaking, as it took days of pre-planning before taking the plunge: scouring numerous American magazines for a current Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon, booking a trip to Las Vegas, and figuring out a way to convince someone else to drive me around Sin City to the nearest BBB. Of course, when I finally get to BBB, I was told that that particular store did not have the desired item in stock. However, due to an extremely helpful sales assistant, one lone box was found in the back storeroom, and I gladly handed over my credit card.

Immediately upon my return from Las Vegas, I knew the exact recipe that I would use to enter into the realm of ice cream making. It simply had to be a David Lebovitz recipe, and it simply had to be the Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream.

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Shanghai Duck

Oftentimes, the simplest recipes yield the most impressive results. The Shanghai Duck recipe given to me by one of my aunts is such a dish. The dish almost makes itself as you only need to add all the ingredients, toss the bird into a dutch oven, and leave it alone for a few hours. The only thing you have to do is skim off excess oil at the one hour mark, and flip the duck over. A magical transformation takes place, and the resulting dish is one of aromatic star anise, garlic, and soy sauce goodness.

This dish is such a favourite that we attempted it with other types of fowl. Chicken failed miserably as it is not a 'strong' enough meat to withstand the long oven time. A successful try was with goose: its meatiness and pronounced flavour was perfect for the cooking technique.

Shanghai Duck

(Cooking time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours)

1 Young Duck
Green Onions, a few stalks
White Pepper, as much as you like
2-3 cloves Garlic
2 slices of Ginger
3 whole Star Anise
1/4 cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Sherry or Chinese Cooking Wine
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 cup Water

- Put duck breast-side down in dutch oven, and add all of the above
ingredients (mix sugar into dark soy, sherry/cooking wine, and water, and
pour over duck; shake white pepper all over skin; put some of the green
onions, garlic, and ginger inside duck). Cover and cook in 365F oven for 1
hour.
- After 1 hour, take duck out of the pan, and skim off the
excess oil.
- Put the duck back into the dutch oven breast-side up, cover, and cook for
another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until duck is tender.

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The Green Comb

There are some things that one tends to hold onto - things that remind one of a simpler time, a gentler time. Such is the power of the green comb. It was something practical that was bought for me by my parents when I was a child, and has been in my keep for over 30 years. The green comb has an elevated place in the hierarchy of my possessions, and has traversed the globe with me on various adventures. With its sleek 70s ergonomic shape (well-suited for being slipped into a back pocket) and vibrant lime green hue, the green comb is both iconic and outlandishly dated. However, my love for this little piece of plastic, this slice of the past, will endure... Read more...

Paris

Venturing back to Paris after more than 20 years was fantastic. The patisseries and boulangeries have no rival, and our taste buds were treated to the most extraordinary flavours and textures. Pierre Hermé sits atop my list of most influential and amazing patissiers, and a pilgrimage had to be made to his shop on rue Bonaparte.

The lustrous beauty of Hermé's macarons was sublime.

The Ispahan, with lychees, raspberries, and rose buttercream, had a balance of flavours that delighted our senses, leaving us wanting more. The fresh rose petal topped with a single glycerin dewdrop lent a whimsical charm.

From our apartment on rue Geoffroy L'Angevin, it was but a short stroll to one of the most fabulous patisseries in Paris, Pain de Sucre. The square tarts with beautiful raspberries and the array of marshmallows in large glass jars beckoned. However, we settled on their vienoisserie: a gigantic brioche, pain au chocolat, and the most amazingly flaky and buttery croissants to ever pass our lips. These are the croissants of which dreams are made...

My search for a croissant similar to the ones in France here in Canada almost appeared to be futile. Nothing seemed to compare to the beauteous creations in Paris, until I ventured to Thomas Haas in North Vancouver. These come extremely close to the real deal - delicious, flaky, and buttery. The plain croissant with its myriad of swirly layers and the double-baked almond one are favourites.

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Inspired by the Faubourg Pavé

Some may scoff at the idea of one baking one's own birthday cake; but, to truly get what I wanted, I simply had to do it myself. It was a 'milestone' celebration, and only a Pierre Hermé creation would do. My take on the Faubourg Pave, with its six delectable layers of caramel syrup-soaked cocoa cakes slathered generously with decadent caramel chocolate ganache is my favourite indulgence. Read more...

Time to start again...

It has been far too long... Time has moved at such a speed that I often have to stop to think back on all the things that have happened since 2005. It was at the end of that amazing year that the most incredible little person entered my life - a person who has reshaped my entire being and my outlook on the universe.

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And So It Begins...

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