Chihuly Lounge @ The Ritz Carlton

having traditional afternoon tea in a hotel's lobby lounge is as close to heaven as you can get, no? there's nothing not to like about sipping tea and nibbling on finger food all afternoon in a classy environment, i thought naively. so despite knowing that i'll be paying 40 bucks just for that few meagre pieces of finger food, i blatantly went ahead. but at the end of the day, i came home feeling sorely disappointed, and with a gnawing ache in my heart that wouldn't go away. why? mayb becoz i had some terribly unrealistic high expectations, of what i'm not sure. maybe becoz when i entered the acclaimed 6-star hotel, i just couldn't feel anything "6-star" about it, nothing like when i entered st. regis or shangri la. or maybe becoz the food wasn't good. or simply becoz i'm not a tea person? or maybe, ALL of the above reasons! while i couldn't say it was a lousy experience, i felt it was mediocre at best. in short, nothing to shout about.

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Chunky Cream of Mushroom Soup

Chunky Cream of Mushroom Soup

didn't wanna post this intitially coz i thought the pictures suck! haven't had much inspiration on photography these days and everything just felt like a chore, esp when it comes to taking pics of my bakes & makes. having to fuss about with the lighting, props, styling...sometimes i wish i could just take a break, ask someone to do the styling for me and on my part solely concentrate on taking pictures LOL! then again this recipe is easy and good, so i reckon it'd be a waste if i don't share.

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Marmalade Pantry

figured that my "hiatus" in posting restaurant reviews is finally over so i'm back to posting one or two! meanwhile, i've continued to bake & cook up a storm in my kitchen, so i hope to be sharing more good recipes in due course ;)

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Really Good Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

i made some kickass & ridiculously good vanilla bean ice cream and i can't wait to share the recipe with you guys! it all started with a case of having too much leftover whipping cream from my previous attempt on the apricot panna cotta. nowadays i buy whipping cream in 1L carton instead of 200ml coz its alot more worth it that way. only about 8 bucks for 1L, compared to $3.40 for 200ml, but it'll also mean i get alot of leftovers, so what could be better than to make some cold comfort food like ice cream? vanilla bean ice cream is all i eat these days and i'm glad most patisseries are using vanilla bean in their ice cream coz you just can't beat the real stuff. and yes, i turn my nose up at the cheap supermarket variety, the kind that only use essence in them. i only regret not making it any earlier but its never too late! glad i now hv my stash of vanilla bean ice cream to call my own. and it also makes me wonder what i can't or won't do *chuckles*

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Apricot Panna Cotta With Mint Gelée & Apricot Sauce

if there's one cookbook that i can't stop myself from staring at the cover, this would be it - dessert fourplay by johnny iuzzini. no prizes for guessing why :p i finally got my hands on him it, dessert fourplay - sweet quartets from a four-star pastry chef by johnny iuzzini. of coz, the reason is not entirely for the man himself, but for the desserts, obviously! i'm really into plated desserts lately, in fact, i'm just too intrigued and fascinated by them that i blew 95 bucks on another one, frozen desserts by culinary institute of america & francisco migoya not too long ago. while i'm not sure if i'm ever gonna be able to make (or plate) them, these books are just too good 2b missed. pictures & recipes aside, i read them like i would an encyclopedia coz they're really chockful of useful information. anyway, back to this book. dessert fourplay is categorized into four seasons, each "major" dessert comprising of 4 mini ones in tasting portions/shooters, hence the name. everything looks so beautiful that i just can't decide where to begin. i finally settled for this coz its the easiest among the lot. no need for baking nor choc tempering, no need to hunt for difficult-to-find ingredients like maltodextrin & inverted sugar syrup, no need for bombastic equipment like an N2O charger cartridge to make espuma (the foam/emulsion thingy). the least intimidating but just as visually stunning i would say, tho' it still involves quite a no. of steps. tastewise, pretty light and not too sweet. LOVES the mint gelee that goes suprisingly well with the apricot, though it does reminds you of eating lamb. will be attempting other desserts from the book soon coz need to make sure my money is well spent :p

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Easter Eggs & A Long Weekend

Easter Eggs & A Long Weekend

while i don't celebrate easter and had never colored an egg before, i thought it would be fun to do so (at the same time give myself an excuse to meddle with abit of photo taking). i was really inspired & intrigued by chubby hubby's take on these gorgeous blue tinted eggs with brown ribbons that i had to try recreating that look. of coz i think i failed miserably, consider that the blue isn't really blue but turquoise! maybe the shells weren't white to begin with thats why. nevertheless i love the grainy texture and blue specks that look as if they've been sprayed on using a comb & toothbrush :D and basically i love eggs tinted in all colors, except red, coz thats so "baby 1st month".

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Passionfruit Marshmallows

Passionfruit Marshmallows

i've always loved marshmallows for its soft & pillowy texture, and apparently chewy, if refrigerated. they're good when folded into ice cream (think rocky road) or atop hot chocolate. unfortunately the storebought ones are always so toothachingly sweet at the same time reek of that artificial vanilla flavor, it really prevents me from enjoying them fully. therefore when i found out that marshmallows could be easily made at home, i practically jumped at the chance. while flipping thru recipe after recipe, i realized that there are basically two variations - one that uses egg whites whereas the other doesn't. for obvious reasons, i thought it would make more sense to go for the one that uses egg whites since you really want that light & airy texture. some will also dust the finished product with either cornstarch or a combination of potato starch & icing sugar (i think). i used the former.

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Brandied Berry Crepes

i'm definitely in the mood to make breakfast these days. two weeks ago, i made poached eggs with smoked salmon on country loaf, then last week i made a sausage & asparagus frittata (no pic, coz it was a failure but you can get the recipe here) and today's crepes! not having made it before just makes it all the more exciting. but i was prepared for failure since i've never had much luck flipping omelette, pancakes & all without having it land on my shoulder, or risk breaking it into a million pieces.

the crepes turned out really well, albeit a little thick due to my lack of skill but at least they didn't land on my head this time! and the aroma is really unsurpassed. buttery & fragrant, just the way i like it so i think its a very good recipe. and while berry filling is nice, i still prefer it with silky rich chocolate sauce and a decadent scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!



recipe adapted from :

ingredients (makes 8) :

for the crepe batter :

105g plain flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

250ml chilled milk

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract (i used vanilla bean paste)

2 tbsp butter (for cooking crepes)

for the filling :

250g mixed berries or berry puree

60g sugar

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 60ml brandy (i used kirsch)

1 tbsp lemon juice

250g mixed berries

directions :

1. to make the crepe batter, whisk all the batter ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, then put through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. let stand for at least 15 mins or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hrs.

2. melt 2 tbsp butter in a crepe, omelette or small frying pan over medium heat and cook until butter smells nutty and just starts to brown. pour in a small ladleful (3 tbsp) of batter and quickly tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. cook just until batter is set and golden on bottom, then flip and cook on second side for another minute or two. repeat to make 8 crepes, brushing pan with more butter as needed. stack cooked crepes on plate. if not using at once, let cool, cover with cling film and let stand for up to 2 hrs or refrigerate for up to 12 hrs.

3. to make filling, combine the mixed berries or berry puree and sugar in a medium saucepan, then cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. reduce heat to maintain a simmer, stir in brandy mixture and cook, until slightly thickened. stir in the lemon juice and add mix berries just before turning off the fire.

4. spoon onto crepes, fold into quarters and serve.