Simply Eclair

I am finally back to updating my blog. Not that I have stopped baking. It's just ....the usual busy, tired kind of stuff.

Back to the main topic - Eclair.

I am not a big fan of ready canned powered custard. It could be just me. I like the smell and feel of real vanilla pod with loads of seeds in the pod infused into the milk and with egg yolks made into fresh smooth textured pastry cream.....i dont get tired of this stuff but of course weight is something to watch!

These eclairs are also wonderful to watch as the choux pastry starts to rise in the oven. It is literally light and empty in the middle. I feel extremely happy as it rises...you must be thinking I am nuts!

Serious! I am not nuts at all. It just tells me that everything that I have done is right and fine.

I will always prepare the cream first and store it in clean, dry and properly sealed container in the fridge to keep it cool....since this is made with fresh milk, I do not want any contamination.....yup!

Chocolate ganache is prepared next and while it is cooling, I will start pipping the pastry cream into the choux pastry. Finally, dip the top of the eclairs into the chocolate ganache.

Back into the cold fridge again. It is nice when the chocolate ganache hardens and they are consumed cold.

One thing about these eclairs - they takes up lots of space. Can't stack them on top of one another. But, well .... trust me. It is just worth it.

Making this Saturday again for Sunday Easter Get today.

What's next....yes, Laura's Orange Cupcakes....makes me a proud and happy mom!

Spagetti

I have so many recipe books that at times I will read and go wow...yum....would love to get my hands on them but at the end - a moment of inspiration that dies off.

Anyway, I was so tired of eating the usual chinese food and decided to put my hands into cooking Spagetti. My family loves Italian food and spagetti is something that is fast and everyone has to be at the table before the food is served. It is always yummy, yum, yum when it hot.

Have been keeping this Italian cookbook for the pass 14 years. Bought it in Norway back then. Strange - Italian book bought in Norway!!

Well, decided to make good use of it finanlly.

Cooked Carbonara with funghi porini (present from my girlfriend who went to Italy). Did not take any pictures as we were all hungry, excited and ate it up before I remembered my usual photo session before each meal I make. ; (

Well, not all lost. It gave me the inspiration to cook once again and this time....REMEMBER THE CAMERA!! cooking because of a photo...aiya, ya!

Decided to have different ingredients but similar steps with the Carbonara....cream base. I have salmon, watercress, fish roe, bacon bits and lots of parmesan cheese....its nice but still prefer the Carbonara with funghi porini. It is so, so nice... really the porini is just so flavourful, earthy. I can still remember how it taste.

Will definitely have to do 1 more Carbonara with Funghi Porini......and this time with a picture!!

No Monday Blues!

Do you get Monday Blues?

I did not today. I know I will not because I have some pastry cream that I had made on
Sunday sitting in the fridge waiting patiently for me.

Pastry cream is wonderful. It can be used to made fruit tart, cream puffs ......

With some strawberries and blueberries in the fridge, it will just do. It could have been better if I have peaches as well.

Usually, I would put the flour and cold butter in the freezer overnight before making but since it wa a last minute thing, I combine the ingredients and left it in the fridge for about 2 hours before rolling it to fill the flan tin. I also left it in the freezer for 5 minutes before blind baking.

It turned out well. Ate the whole tart for dessert after dinner.....not alone.

so cute....Macaroons!

Yes, I did it...my very first Macaroons!

I was full of attention and concentration when I was making these Chocolate Macaroons. It was fun looking at them in the oven. I was all excited, wondering how my first try is going to be.

Of course, not all turned out well....I made about 50 pieces but about 10 pieces of them cracked on the top. It could be due to impatience and I was not careful with my scillicone sheets. I piped them onto a slightly bigger sheet and when I tried to slide it onto the tray, it kind of folded....it could be that. Not too sure!!

Pipping took me awhile to get a hang of it. Practise makes perfect is definitely true.

Anyway, overall, it turned out well. Looking at them gave me the confidence that I can do it. Looking forward to making more. Perhaps, venturing into coconut, lemon, who knows, green tea?

Besides the look for presentation....the TASTE is the most important. Macroons have to be kept in the fridge for at least a day to two before consumption. Well. we couldn't wait that long.

Not to praise myself but it did taste great - according to my critics...yo hoo ; )

Gordan Ramsay - Chef's Secret

I have been thinking lately that the kitchen has been a stranger to me....so sad!

I have not been indulging myself in the kitchen except for making creme carmel for New Year's Eve. Did not take any photo as it was the same ones that I made the last time. It's some where in this blog.

Sitting here and looking at my range of cook books are giving me some ideas and inspiration to do something new.

There is this one thing that I really really like to put my hands on - Chocolate Macaroons.

If all goes well, I will be making them next Saturday! keeping my fingers CROSS xxxxxxx.

Have anyone of you out there tried Gordan Ramsay - Chef's Secrets recipe?

There is this Sourdough recipe that he add apple and sage. The picture looks really delicious. It is also what I will be putting my hands into soon.

As I continue to indulge into this book, this list of things I would love to do is getting pretty long....homemade puff pastry, banana and rum tatins, chocolate tuffle ravioli.....I am going to do one receipe every weekend.....a promise for myself!

See ya.....soon!!