29 November 2009

Bride Wars & a Bucket of Tears

new york, i have been here for six days, and i watched bride wars twice, the show is running now as i type. bride wars is definitely a chick flick, it emphasize  on the friendship of two little girls. two little girls who share the same dream of having the perfect wedding of their lives. they grew up, as close as ever and as the big day arrives, their friendship crumbles to the strain of having their weddings booked on the same day at the same place. each went their separate ways, planned their weddings without each other, did all they could to jeopardize the other's plans but at the end of the day, they couldn't help missing one another, missing their friendship...

as i watched the show, i cried, always at the parts where they finally realized that they felt lonely without the other, the part where the song - dream is being played in the background and the part where they see each other in their wedding gowns through the mirrors. it reminds me of someone, someone i once cared for. it reminded me of the great times, times we laugh at one another, times we cried together and now, all these memories seem so far away, as if they were just a dream.

25 November 2009

Durians... definitely on my 'AVOID' list!

I dislike durians... very very much. I have absolutely no idea why since my family loves them so much especially my brother, to such an extent that he was once nicknamed as the 'durian king'. Since young, I have always shun away from all kind of strong-smelling fruits and durians have to be on the top my list. You have no idea how much agony I would be in whenever my family brings back some durians, I would be locked up in my air-conditioned room and reusing to breathe in any of the 'polluted' air till it clears up.

So you could imagine my horror when my mum and sis-in-law suggested that I use a durian filling for my cream puffs. They must be kidding, I would be crazy to do that! Indeed... I am... I have no idea how I was persuaded by my mom to agree to that and that was the start of my nightmare.

It was a saturday morning, I was supposed to bake some cream puffs for my niece birthday party and my mum told me that she bought a couple of durians the night before and I could use the pulp as the filling later when I was done with the chocolate ones. Durians in the fridge... something tells me that the whole fridge would be reeking of the horrible smell. My mum saw the look on my face.

"Don't worry, I sealed the plastic container with a cling wrap, there would be no smell at all!"

I looked at her with untrusting eyes of mine and told her that we are not going anywhere near the durians till the very end, only when we have depleted the chocolate filling. She laughed and nodded her head.

Everything went well for the afternoon, many mini chocolate cream puffs were made, many... but I got a feeling that they still weren't enough for the party itself and I have to admit that quite a number were devoured by my mum and I before they had the chance to make it into the box! *giggled*

At last it was time for the durian filling, I opened the fridge and held the plastic container at an arm's length. Trust me, if I had an oxygen tank right at home, I would use it the very moment the cling wrap left the container. It was pungent... awww. But it was now or never, so I was determined to whip up the durian filling in a record time. The durian pulp was mixed with a little honey and cream till it was partially smooth but not losing all its texture. Double cream was gently whipped till soft peaks appeared and combined with  the durian pulp. All went well since I was getting used to the smell till an old habit of mine almost killed me...

Whenever any chocolate filling got onto my finger, I would lick it (all right I know that is disgusting...) but I can't resist tasting it... and guess what happen when the durian filling got onto my finger, I licked it too! And the very moment I did that, I gagged, air was knocked out of me, it has been ages since I have ate anything with durian in it. With the high concentration of durian pulp in the filling, it was as if I was eating the actual thing. Cups of water and soft drinks followed through but the taste was still lingering in my taste buds... will I ever be the same again?

Although it was a nightmare, but I was satisfied seeing how much my mum enjoyed the durian puffs, the little wrinkles that tweak at the sides of her eyes when she ate it with a smile.


Chocolate Mocha Mousse Cups... with a kick!

Should I bake a cake, make some cookies, try my luck on the macaroons again, or maybe I should try something easy... Something which doesn't require baking. With such a condition laid, only two items popped into my mind - cheesecake or mousse. Without blinking, the list of ingredients in my store room and refrigerator started checking themselves against the two competitors. I wasn't surprised when competitor mousse won the nomination since I lacked the most basic ingredient needed for a cheesecake - cheese!

When I went through the blogs and food recipes, I was extremely delighted to find a Gordon Ramsay mousse recipe which needed mascarpone as the base ingredient. With at least 3 tubs of mascarpone stored in my refrigerator, not that I am complaining since I enjoy the fluffy and light texture of mascarpone very much myself. But I had to use them somewhere before the expiry date or they would end up in the 'big mouth' (My personal nick-name for the dustbin).

It was a fuss-free recipe and within half an hour, everything was whipped up, combined, cupped and set in the fridge. All I had to do was wait... which was really tough on me since I was really excited how the mousse would turn out using mascarpone as the base and the new addition of expresso into it. After several hours, there it was...



It was dense and creamy, heavy on the palate but surprising very smooth. Each spoonful was devoured with the aromatic scent of coffee. In a short matter of time, my cup of mousse was empty and I wonder why... =)

Chocolate Mocha Mousse Cups (From Gordon Ramsay)
Makes 4
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
125g mascarpone
2 tbsp icing sugar
4 tbsp strong expresso, cooled (I used coffee, it turned out well too)
150ml double cream

1. Melt dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Leave to cool.
2. Whisk mascarpone and icing sugar together until smooth, add in expresso and chocolate to combine. Leave aside.
3. Whip double cream till soft peaks form and fold it into the mascarpone mixture, make sure they are well-combined.
4. Spoon mixture into small cups and chill for a few hours or overnight.
5. Serve with whipped cream or crushed amaretti.

Well, I found out that amaretti biscuits wasn't to my liking, so it's a no no for me...

19 November 2009

2012... end of all times?

2012, a film about the year 2012 where a date is significant to many cultures, religions, scientists and governments. Global cataclysm which would bring much devastation to human race and one's humanity is being tested in times of adversity.



There were many moments where heartstrings were being pulled especially when goodbyes seem to come too late or they were never enough. The selfishness of human beings are portrayed clearly when their lives in danger. Indeed, in such times, but who can boldly proclaim that he/she is a saint who would stay behind and help others in need. When a human is in a tight situation, many changes and abilities are being revealed. True bravery and loyalty will pull many through such times.

This show reminds me of places and destinations I have yet to explore and the reason why I am still loving my job. Most importantly, life is short and you never know when it will come to an end so every day, every minute, every second should be spend doing the things you enjoy and the ones you love, leaving no regrets.

15 November 2009

I See Yours... But Where's Mine?



Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer... had a very shiny nose...

Christmas... the season of joy is here again! How fast a year went, time really waits for no man. It is the time for resolutions again, as if I can remember what were mine last year. * giggles*


Sadly, it seems that I might be away for Christmas, tentatively in Los Angeles but if I am given a choice, I would like to spend it with my family. This year has been a year of 'realization', many things 'hit' me in a way like never before. For example, how important my family members (including my shetland sheepdog - Tiger) are to me, the things I rather give up to spend more time with them, my interests in cooking and baking, the ups and downs of friendships, the different way everyone prioritize things or people in their lives, whether it's family, friends, love, career and so on. I have found the 'Maslow Theory' of my life, the essential people and things that keeps me going.


The simplicity of living, the happiness that I have been seeking for has always been right in front of me, but 7 years ago, I let it go. Now, it seems to be beyond my grasp, the only thing I have in control are my feelings and thoughts. I wish I had held on tight in the past to what I yearn for now but all is too late. All I can hope is for him to turn back and realize I am still here, hoping we are still seeking for the same fate.


I believe in fate, but I create my own destiny....

12 November 2009

Birthday Cuppa-Cakes

My niece's birthday is approaching, I have not seen her since her first month's  anniversary which is almost... 11 months! I am embarrassed by that fact since she will be the very first little cutie who would address me as 'auntie'. Kinda of looking forward to that but not the part which I have to acknowledge that I have aged... Enough about all these depressing details, back to what I am supposed to do for her birthday party. Sadly, I have to miss seeing her again as I would be on a flight to New York. Although I won't be there, but my gifts will be!

Profiteroles... and... Maybe I should make some mini-cupcakes too so I tested a couple of recipes. Chocolate cupcakes with bittersweet ganache and chocolate mint cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. As my dad can't take sweet stuff, I usually reduce the recipe portion to half or a quarter since only my mum and I would be the one eating them and I hate seeing the baked items going to waste.






They taste good but I had to think of a way to make the frosting and ganache more stable at room-temperature, guess there are still more thinking and work to be done. Till then. Ciaossu!

The Puffs of Encouragement

Through the door of my room, I could hear the voices of my parents as they got ready to leave. They were heading to the doctor's first for my dad's check up and to the office where my mum had to go for a briefing for the upcoming new surveys. It was still early in the morning, around seven, I was still sleeping quite soundly in bed, wondering how I should spend my day today. Should I try to finish my book today or should I cook or bake something?


As I laze in bed thinking, time seems to run past me and it was almost 9 when I got up. I messaged my mum asking her to keep me updated of my dad's results. And within a minute, i got beeped, she told me no change. No change in the dad's blood glucose level, I thought it was good but my mum replied saying that my dad was disappointed as he was so sure that his blood glucose level would decrease but it seems that his new diet needed some time before the results can be seen.


I knew how disappointing it can be when you thought that something was bound to happen in a certain way but turn out the other way instead. So I messaged telling him not to be disappointed and continue working on his new diet, one day, we will see the difference. And I thought it would be a good idea to come up with something he enjoys eating since he has been curbing his appetite, something to encourage him before he goes back to his diet.


Hmmmm, my dad is definitely a fussy eater (now you know why I am one too), it would be tough to make something he really enjoys... oh! Curry Puffs!!! He loves them and I could make use of the puff pastry in my freezer. 


Well, as we most Asians know, curry puffs are snacks made of pastry puffs containing thicken curry chicken, potatoes and sometimes eggs. So I made a list of ingredients I needed to buy and ran to the market just opposite my block. 


Chicken drumsticks... check, coconut milk... check, potatoes... check... onions and shallots... check, why am I checking my list so carefully? That is because it irritates me to stop what I am doing just to get the missing ingredient and I have done that a few time and it is not fun every single time.


Peel and dice the potatoes, that is easy. De-bone the drumsticks and cut the meat into small pieces, I could have made things easier by getting breast meat instead but I have no love for breast meat since it dries too easily. De-boning can't be that tough I though... it wasn't tough but it took quite awhile before I managed to have my little pieces of chicken meat since I did remove all the skin and fats as well... healthy living... hah.


Brown the onions and shallots, add the curry powder and chili paste, before I could react, my hands poured the uncooked potatoes into the mixture. Oh no... I was supposed to boil them first... now it would take me ages to cook them with the paste... After nearly 45 minutes of simmering which means I had to keep adding water and watch over the fire to prevent the mixture from drying up, I finally had potatoes that was soft enough to be digested. In goes the chicken, 5 minutes later, the coconut milk too. Smells good!


I though the puff pastry would be able to hold its shape when the curry mixture was being place in it but I was so wrong. It tore and went out of shape horribly, so I had to make my puff into a pie... a curry pie. 





Although its not a puff, but the pie was good too. The puff pastry did not taste as good as I would like it to be but the curry mixture was heavenly, the tender chicken and soft potatoes were coated perfectly by the curry giving a creamy and moist texture, every mouthful had a tinge of  spiciness and wonderful aroma of the coconut milk. It was a good pie, good enough as a source of encouragement =) 



11 November 2009

The Trio Combi

The raspberry delight was a great hit and I decided to take the suggestion from my sis-in-law and use a biscuit base instead of a sponge cake base. But there was no sight of any digestive biscuits in my store anywhere except for those coated with milk and dark chocolate which feels kinda of wrong... I had to use my oreo biscuits which I think would make a gorgeous trio color combi with the mousse. 


This time, I made raspberry and blackberry mousses coupled with yoghurt mousse. The base was the same a cheesecake base, battered biscuit crumbs cramped together with melted butter. This is how it looks:





One important tip on the gelatin, do not use more than recommended or the mousse might coagulate too fast and the texture may taste weird. It would present a gel like feel instead of the smooth and creamy texture.



Colors of the rainbow ~ ~ maCarOOns

1 day, that is all I have in Zurich. Cold and rainy, not the best weather for getting out of bed. Although I was quite determined to get some macaroons from Sprüngli and Ladurée when I found out I was due for a trip to Zurich. Clean and comfy in my pyjamas, I knew it would be a fruitless attempt at persuading myself to change and head out. Every time I attempt to crawl out of bed, I sinked further into the warmth of the comforter. I was destined to lose the battle against the comforter. I sulked at the though of missing the chance to taste some great macaroons. 


But I was pleasantly surprised when I found a Sprüngli counter somewhere near my boarding gate, nothing was going to stop me from buying the macaroons this time. Without a though, I bought the largest box of macaroons I found find, a hefty 33 swiss francs for 36 small macaroons but I knew it was going to be worth it. The moment I got home, I shamelessly indulge in the macaroons, oblivious to the happenings around me except for the decision of picking the next macaroon to savour.








10 November 2009

Movie 1... Movie 2... Movie 3...

10th November 2009, 1 A.M. in the morning, flying over the land between Pakistan and New Delhi. After 4 hours in the aircraft, 1 movie, 1 lunch, 1 Baileys on the rock, 1...

I needed something, something to distract me for the next 8 hours... As I scroll through the movie titles, Julia & Julie! How could I have forgotten!? It was my kind of movie, all about food, cooking, recipes and happiness. What am I waiting for?

My finger hit the 'PLAY' button and I was transported into both their worlds. The SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY BOOKSTORE in the movie looks so familiar... I gasped, I was there... in Paris... in the bookstore itself! It was a dear little bookstore, one that looked as if it has walked out of a blog page with its yellow heading and green frames. Memories... =)

Butter.... I love butter... Absolutely love butter.... Just like the way Julie describes it.

"Is there anything better than butter? Think it over, any time you taste something that's delicious beyond imagining and you say 'What is in this?' The answer is always going to be butter!"


"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH BUTTER."


So true! I once blurt out that butter is the best invention in the world and that somebody was so amused, he never imagine that any person would think that butter was so... important... and so satisfying... Well, that's me. What can I say? =)


I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Julia Child's cookbook!!

A Pink and White Sweetie




This sweetie was based on a great recipe by Lushlee, it is a great raspberry and vanilla yoghurt dessert known as raspberry delight. It was a great timing for raspberry dessert since I bought a few packets of it from the United States and it was awfully cheap there compared to the ones sold here!


It actually taste like ice-cream but a tad bit creamier. The cold and creamy mousse melts in your mouth, giving a burst of tanginess, refreshing your whole being. I am excited to try this recipe with some other fruits!


Here's the recipe for Raspberry Delight (From Lushlee)


Makes 12-2"x 2" ring molds (I used bigger molds)

Raspberry Sponge
90 grams egg whites
45 grams sugar
75 grams almond flour
30 grams powdered sugar
15 grams flour
20 grams raspberry puree, strained
Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar and flour. Combine and set aside.
Whip the egg whites till foamy, slowly sprinkle in the sugar and fully whip.
Fold in the sifted dry ingredients gently. Add the raspberry puree and mix gently.
Line a 12"x7.5" sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread batter evenly over the sheet pan.
Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until top is lightly golden. Let it cool completely.


Raspberry Mousse
250 grams raspberry puree, strained
25 grams sugar
2 sheet of gelatin
250 ml heavy cream
Whip the cream to soft peaks and set aside.
Soften the gelatin in ice water for 5 minutes, do not leave gelatin in the water for too long as it will disintegrate.
Warm the raspberry puree with the sugar until sugar dissolves. Squeeze out excess water from softened gelatin and add it to the warm puree. Mix thoroughly and let it cool slightly.
Fold in the whipped cream when puree is cool. Place the mousse in a pastry bag and pipe into the ring molds on top of the sponge disk. Fill half way. Place in refrigerator or freezer until mousse hardens.


Yogurt Mousse
250 ml heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
50 grams sugar
2 sheet of gelatin
160 grams vanilla yogurt
Place the gelatin in ice water for 5 minutes to soften.
Whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla seeds until soft peaks form. Take 2 Tbs of the whipped cream and mix it with the softened gelatin (make sure to squeeze out excess water from the gelatin). Melt the gelatin with the cream in the microwave for about 10-12 seconds.
Add the gelatin mixture to the soft peak whipped cream and mix quickly to incorporate it and to avoid the gelatin from setting too fast. Fold in the yogurt.
Place the yogurt mousse in a pastry bag and pipe into ring molds. Level out the tops with a spatula.
At this point, you can either refrigerate or freeze the mousses. If they are frozen, they are easier to unmold.
Thaw out in refrigerator and top with fresh raspberries.

A Japanese Dinner With A Flip & A Flop

"Can you think of some Japanese dishes?"

My mum asked me out of the blue one day, and I nodded my head and told her that I would come up with something. At that moment, the image of the new cookbook that I just bought from Los Angeles floated into my mind...

Well, it certainly proved to be quite useful. We finally decided on vegetable tempuras, chicken yakitori, beef wraps, salmon tofu balls...etc. Japanese dishes are not that easy to cook, lots of preparation work and everything has to be eaten right after they are cooked, when it turns cold, it is a flop.
Here are the flips and the flops:

Prep-work:
Beef and asparagus wraps


Pork and golden mushroom wraps


Crispy Salmon Tofu Balls


Chicken Yakitori (the sauce was a tad bit too sweet)


Beef and Pork Wraps

06 November 2009

Sakura Rock

I luuurve this song!! It's by the Japanese group - Cherry Blossom. Perks me up ANYTIME ANYWHERE!!

05 November 2009

Macaroons

Macaroons... Something that I thought of baking for quite awhile but been putting it off as I had no time to age the egg whites. I know... excuses... excuses... Finally, the day has come for me to face the challenge and I was excited to know if I would be lucky to achieve the highly sought after "feets" that all macaroons are supposed to have and without these "feets", it can't live up to its name of being a macaroon.

True enough, it was a challenge, and my first batch of macaroons was destined to fail miserably with no "feets" and a bubbled surface as you can see below... *sigh* but still delicious with the chocolate hazelnut ganache.



The second batch came out with "feets"! Hooray!! But the temperature of the oven was too hot and browned the pretty pink macaroons... Another failure...



The task of achieving the purr..fect little macaroons will never cease...

04 November 2009

Halloween @ Magic Mountain of Six Flags

Halloween... last year I spent it at home although I did struggled with the decision of whether to join my friends at Zouk, I was glad I decided to snuggle in bed instead as the 'monsters of the night' whispered in my ears that the place was over-crowded and packed to the brim. This year, I would never have imagined that I would be spending my halloween at an adventure park full of thrilling rides, haunted houses and mazes prepared just for that very night. And it was a eventful day after all, sunny weather in the day as we took the rides and chilly at night as the halloween night starts.





I am not a very big fan of roller coaster rides, but it wouldn't hurt to tag along. And I am ashamed to reveal that I have totally forgotten how to drive... to the extend that I have no idea which pedal was the brake pedal... *embarrassed* Luckily, my driving skill was not needed, we do get to live another day *lol*


Tatsu was my first ride of the day and here is the description of the Tatsu: 3602 feet of blazing track. 62 miles per hour. 263 feet in plunges. Ready to take on Tatsu? Aboard the wings of Tatsu, you'll fly at speeds in excess of 62 mph through deep plunges, huge spirals and sharp dives that send you flying through the Park's mountainous terrain.





To be frank, I was so not ready for Tatsu... I screamed... and screamed....





Fools of the day... =)





Can you survive this?





Nothing beats a great day with great companionship...



Break-Fast... Anyone?

Breakfast is known as the most important meal of the day and I totally agree with that. Why is that so? Breakfast can set the mood that I will be in for the rest of the day, it may sound weird but I can't deny the numerous grumpy mornings due to an unsatisfying breakfast especially if I am having one at a cafe or restaurant. That is why I enjoy making my own, no one knows what I am craving for that very morning better than myself. So why not take some time out and prepare a delicious breakfast which will start your day right!

Chocolate-chip pancakes topped with frozen blueberries



Grilled ham and cheese sandwich coupled with raspberries garden salad



Breakfast... Anyone?