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. My Tasting Palette .
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. In celebration of food and dining experiences . |
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Exploring and discovering new restaurants Dining and chilling out with my loved ones Baking and cooking over the weekends Sharing my love for food with others
Vanilla bean pods (one can never have enough) Valrhona Cocoa powder Valrhona chocolate Macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme Madelines mold Pretty cake stands (I only have one and only one) YUZU from Japan! (They taste great in almost anything) A food tour to Italy and France Opportunity to study at Le Cordon Bleu |
Sunday, October 28, 2007 Mum's birthday treat Sunday was spent in the kitchen as today's my mum's birthday celebration. In her honour, J and I took out Nigella Lawson's recipe and attempted it the second time round. Its much better than the first because of the cocoa powder from Paris and the good quality dark chocolate from Belgium. Good ingredients really make all the difference!  Chocolate cake decorating with dark chocolate frosting, strawberries and almonds  Chocolate heavenOld Fashioned Chocolate Cake
(Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson) Serves 8 Ingredients: 200g top flour 200g caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 40g best quality cocoa 175g soft unsalted butter 2 large eggs (or 2.5 small ones) 2 tsp vanilla extract 150ml sour cream For the icing: 175g unsalted butter 175g best quality dark chocolate (I used one bar of 75% dark chocolate and another bar of orange dark chocolate) 1tbsp golden syrup 125ml sour cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and lined two 20cm cake tins (I only use a tin this time) 2. Mix the flour, sugar, and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. 3. Whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat into the same bowl of mixture. 4. Divide this batter into two tins and bake for about 35minutes. (do start checking after 25mins) 5. Let the cake cool before you top it up with icing. For the icing: 1. Melt the butter and chocolate over a pan of simmering water 2. Add the golden syrup into the mixture followed by the sour cream, vanilla. 3. The mixture should be liquid enough to coat but thick enough not to drip off *** J and I also made orange sherbet. We had these light refreshing treats after our dinner at Li bai (Sheraton Hotel). It's really good and we already finished 3/4 of the tub! I decided that I shall attempt to make ice cream every weekend!! Will probably attempt lemon sorbet next weekend. =)  Presenting you the orange sherbet topped with chopped almonds Saturday, October 27, 2007 Macarons overload Sam and I were really excited to try out Chef Pang's dessert restaurant-Macaron. We have been talking about heading there for our birthday celebrations for about a month now. One day before heading there, I was actually in great anticipation. I just couldn't wait for the macarons galore.
Macaron restaurant is situated beside its better known sister patisserie, Canele along Robertson Quay. Its a rather small restaurant that is simply furnished. The service staff were really friendly. Will explain more later. I skipped lunch so that I could eat my fill at the high-tea buffet. The high tea buffet consisted of an appetiser, a main course, 4 types of macaron entremet, endless supply of macarons and 2 scoops of sorbet/ice cream. For the appetiser, I felt like having the soup just because it is porcini. Sam went for the salad with crabmeat. The soup was really lovely which took me by surprise because I didn't expect much from a dessert restaurant. The portion was small but just right to whet my appetite for the courses to come.  Lovely porcini mushroom soup  Sam's salad For the mains, I ordered the pan-fried duck breast that was served with chocolate orange sauce, hazelnuts and tiny cubed sauteed pears. The duck was slightly overcooked which made it a little too tough. However, the flavours were right and the chocolate orange sauce did complement it. Also loved the cubed sauteed pears that gave the dish an interesting twist. Sam ordered the mentaiko pasta. I actually like mentaiko pasta but having eaten pasta for lunch just the day before, I decided to opt for something different. Her pasta looks good but it seems rather queer to me that it is served with ikura (salmon roe) rather than the spicy cod roe.  Pan-fried duck with chocolate orange sauce  Mentaiko pasta After our first two dishes, we were waiting for the highlight of our meal- the Macarons. We started snapping shots of these colorful gems the moment they reached our table. We decided to share all the macarons so that we can try all the flavours. We had their signature collection- Passion chocolat, Bergamot,Guanaja, Framboise etc as well as their seasonal collection that included Marron Glace, Citron Vert,Sesame etc.  MACARONS!!My favourites were the caramel sel(salty caramel), sesame (almond macaron with sesame cream) , Fellitine (milk Chocolate and hazelnut feullutine), Matcha (Green tea macaron with green tea cream) and the Citron Vert (almond macaron with green lime cream). Caramel Sel was a unique blend. A little of the saltiness to go along with the richness, creamy and sweet caramel. Love its stickiness too. Sesame. Well, what can I say. My love for sesame translates to anything to do with seeds (whether it is black/white). Fellitine. Rich chocolatey taste reminiscent of the chocolate ganache macaron from Pierre Herme which I miss greatly. Matcha. Really a good mix really and love the creamy taste of tea in the macaron. Citron Vert. Was pretty surprised by this one because all my favourite macarons are mostly "Creamy" flavoured. However, the zesty and tangy taste of lime was a sure winner together with the almond outer cover. The weirdest flavour goes to Noisettine Truffle- Hazelnut macaron with truffle cream and roasted hazelnut. Honestly, I still feel that truffles should stay with savoury food. This reminded me of the truffle ice cream I had at La Strada that I didn't quite take too. In any case, I was extremely full after eating about 7 macarons. We were too bloated to have anymore and we were supposed to have 4 Entremets which are their selected flavours- Fraisier, Caramel Cafe, Passion Chocolat and the Le Royal. The very kind waiter allowed us to take away these four (just because we were really sweet girls and because it's the second last day of this seasonal high tea set.) We ended the meal on a sweeter note with two scoops of sorbet ice cream.Boy, the chocolate was fantastic and the citrus banana sorbet was surprisingly good too (even though it sounds like a weird blend). The two of us were on a macaron-high after the meal though I think I won't be craving for marcarons anytime soon.  Playing the stacking game to ease the bloated feeling  The Entremets that I took home to share with my family- The Frasier (Strawberry macaron with mascarpone cream and fresh strawberries) and The Caramel Cafe (Milk chocolate coffee chantilly, salty caramel, hazelnut feullitine  Delicious sorbet Friday, October 26, 2007 D for decadence J commented that we lead a decadent lifestyle. I asked him why and he said that because we overindulge in (good) food. That I got to disagree with him. Both of us took a day off from work to spend some much needed quality time together, without feeling any rush or tiredness. After a morning walk at the reservoir, we made our way to the Red Dot Museum at Maxwell Road for lunch at Le Papillon. Being unfamiliar with the Tanjong Pagar area, we took pains to find out how to drive there without getting lost. We made it there just in time to fill our grumbling tummys. Set lunches are always great deals and since when we are working, we can hardly make use of such offers. Today we could so it was a great thing. For starters, I ordered a simple dish because I just cannot resist grilled vegetables of any form- Char-Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Salad with Blue Cheese Sauce. It was done perfectly. The blue cheese sauce complemented the grilled veges really well. So did the slightly bitter rocket salad that came with it.  Char-Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Salad with Blue Cheese Sauce J ordered Mussels with Spinach and Herb Crust. It sounds really promising and it was actually really flavourful. The only pity was that it was slightly cold when it was served.  Mussels with Spinach and Herb Crust Soon after, our mains came. I'm so proud of myself for being slightly less boring with my choice. Instead of choosing meat, I went for pasta. My Rigatoni Pasta with Basil Pesto and Sautéed Prawns was really good. My first bite made me feel like the pasta should have been more al dente. However, on subsequent bites, it was fine. I loved those prawns. They are huge, and they are flamed- Juicy and with very strong smoked flavours. As J would say, the prawns reminded us of Japan's Daiwa Sushi where our sushi meal ended with a flamed piece of prawn.  The pasta that pleasantly surprised me Grilled Beef Flank Steak with Mushrooms, Spinach and Mashed Potatoes J had the Grilled Beef Flank Steak with Mushrooms, Spinach and Mashed Potatoes. It looks pretty good and it's not bad too but I'm not a big fan of flanks. Just don't particularly take to that cut. Dessert was the Cassis Cheese Cake. That was the only disappointment of the meal. The cheesecake already failed the mark of appearance. In the taste department, it was lacking too. There wasn't a distinctive cassies flavour and the biscuite base wasn't done well either. That being said, I realised that desserts aren't the strengths of many restaurants so in a way, I try to be more forgiving and give an opinion on the restaurant's other dishes. In any case, I'm pretty excited to head back to Le Papillon for a meal. I have already a few dishes in mind: Escargot with Herb-Garlic Butter Crust on Button Mushroom Gratinée Basil Oil and Rocket Leaves Pistachio Crusted Chilean Sea Bass with Tomato Relish, Basil Oil and Olive Mashed Potato Baked Brie with Phyllo Pastry and Maple Syrup Vanilla Bean Ice Cream  Multigrain bread with whipped cream-shaped butter *** After our filling and satisfying lunch, we headed back to bake. Since we were too lazy to go out to get ingredients. We made do with the ingredients we had at home. we decided to go for something not so fanciful but something that everyone would enjoy- the Victoria Sponge Cake Love the way the aromas fills the kitchen with delicious buttery smells. I feel like taking some baking classes. Just out of interest. Hopefully, there will be some classes held on Saturdays. And so that's how J and I spend our day off- surrounded with FOOD! Will be going to Macaron with Sam tomorrow for high-tea. I can't wait!  J and I spreading strawberry jam (would have been better if we have some homemade ones) and little slices of grapes) TA-DA! A slice to reward ourselves
(The cake was not bad but maybe I should put a teeny-weeny bit less milk) Sunday, October 14, 2007 Saturday night out and Paris treats It's been a long while since I met one of my favourite girls at school. Kai and I headed to Tom Ton at the Central for dinner. Thank goodness we made reservations if not we might end up queuing. It's pretty crazy how the Central is so packed! Snaking queues lined outside all the eateries even for those that are not at all great. We both had katsu for dinner after all Tom Ton is known for its 'Black Pig' . I had the premium loin cutlet which was juicy and fatty but really yummy. I enjoyed my dinner as much as I did the first time. =) We had a good chat before we headed to walk around The Cannery .  Yummy katsuThe Cannery was bustling with people because of the Oktoberfest. I 'm not a person who can down pints after pints of beer especially in the evenings. Beer makes me too full and bloated and I dislike that feeling. We spotted a pretty dessert patisserie- Nectarie. Actually both of us have seen this tiny but appealing shop many times but we never did step into it. We ordered the Chocolate Terrine with Coconut mousse to share. This is really my fault because I THOUGHT I saw "Chocolate mousse" so I assumed that the white layer was white chocolate. It was only after we sat down that we realised that actually both of us don't eat coconut stuff. But thankfully, the coconut mousse was rather light so the coconut taste did not overwhelm us too much. It complemented the chocolate ganache which was smooth, intense and creamy. I really like the mousse like texture so it wasquite a good experience. Will probably head down to try their Opera cake soon. The night just whizzed by as we chatted about our work life and plans to meet up more frequently. Hopefully we will manage to do just that.  Chocolate terrine with coconut mousse Shared over pomegranate ruby tea and caramel latte*** Paris treats...
 Belgium and Paris goodiesMy sis, mum and I woke up at 6 plus to drive down to the airport to pick my dad up. We were anticipating his return for he went to Belgium and Paris- the land of chocolates and macarons. I wrote down a list of food stuff for my dad to buy and he managed to buy them all. That makes me a very happy girl! I finally got my Fleur de sel so I can bake my langue de chats! Dad was complaining that this small bag cost 8 Euros and he didn't understand how come salt can cost so much!  Fleur de selHe also bought me cocoa powder from Maxim's. My first contact with Maxim's was when my aunt bought us a box of Maxim's chocolates. They came in a pretty tin box featuring french caricatures of dancing ladies and waiters. I am so excited to bake again and again with all my new ingredients.  Cocoa powder from Maxim's de ParisNot only that, my dad bought chocolates from belgium. Handmade chocolate pralines and ganaches as well as bars of dark chocolates. I'm a chocolateholic! I ADORE chocolates. Can you imagine how my eyes gleaned with joy when i saw the many, many boxes of chocolates that he brought out from his bag.  Handmade chocolates flown direct from Belgium Le Macarons from Amiens- J peeling the wrapper off gingerly The last item which I tasked my dad to help me find are macarons from Laduree or Pierre Herme. I was wishing and hoping that he will find the salt caramel ones, or the dark chocolate ganache ones or the vanilla bean ones. But alas, my heart stopped for a spilt second when he brought out a bag of Le Macarons from Amiens. Well, they are also macarons as I discovered. The macarons that I have contact with are the Laduree-styled ones where two smooth almond shells sandwiched a praline creamy center. These are also known as macaron parisien. However, macarons can be found across many French cities and towns. These offer slightly different variations but they are made using the same ingredients- ground almonds, sugar, egg whites.  Lovely rich almond stuff So the ones that my dad bought are macarons from Amiens. He wasn't wrong at all and he claimed that each piece cost 1 Euro. I tried one this morning and it is slightly different from the Laduree-styled macarons. They are denser, moist on the inside, has a much stronger almond flavour. Pretty good stuff cause I like almond stuff but can I still have my macaron from Pierre Herme? Fly me to Paris now! Or to Tokyo where I can visit the Pierre Herme boutique once again. Saturday, October 13, 2007 Of last weekend's baking Baked our favourite Harumi's Baked cheesecake. Got reminded of our sure-success recipe when SY emailed to ask for the recipe.
Love this cheesecake especially when it is fresh out of the oven. It is moist, soft, warm and light. Really nice tea time/after dinner dessert. I am also always delighted to pull it out of the oven; I'm glad to gaze at the golden brown top layer and to slice it up to find the light yellow, almost fluffy center. I think that the only thing bad about this cheesecake is that you need to wait for it while it takes its time to slowly bake through for a whole 50 minutes. Usually by half and hour, I'll be so tempted to open my oven because of the aroma from my oven.  Loveliest cheesecake *** Over last weekend, I also attempted to bake the classic french cookies- Langue de chats not once but TWICE! On Saturday evening, I was making the matcha ones together with my sis and Grace. On Sunday evening, I made the classic vanilla ones. Langue de chats are also known as "cat's tongue" because they resemble the tongue, being oval in shape. I love langue de chats for they look pretty with their slightly browned edges and golen centers. I was delighted when I found the recipe for Matcha Langue de chats on chocolateandzucchini's blog. Matcha Langue de chats sound like a match in heaven because matcha is just so delicate and unique in flavour. Plus i still have not use the matcha powder that I bought from Japan. The cookies turned out looking pretty, with crispy rims and a chewy center. But because I substituted sea salt for fleur de sel, it turned out too salty. I was so sad. The strange thing about these cookies is that they turned soft the next day. Wonder what went wrong because it happened to my classic vanilla langue de chats too. Can anyone tell me why?  Classic langue de chats  Lovely green mixture  Sis hard at work  Matcha langue de chats |
