i love earl grey, not so much of drinking (with the exception of latte) but rather incorporating it into desserts. i've tried my hands at earl grey macarons, ice cream and creme brulee and i really liked how all of them turn out. like matcha, i find earl grey pretty versatile to use in baking. i don't usually make pound cakes but given a flavor like this, its hard to resist and i can see why its so popular.

i was at the bookstore the other day and came across this book called the cook's book by jill norman. its almost encyclopedia-ish and is very informative. the book covers a wide range of topics on cooking, from step by step instructions on making various sauces to deboning a chicken to making roast lamb and gutting fish. its an amazing book, plus each chapter is written by different chefs, all famous! there's ferran adria on foams & sauces, charlie trotter on meat, rick bayless on mexican cooking, ken hom on chinese, dan lepard on bread etc. i couldn't decide if i should buy the book since i don't do much cooking, but when i came across the chapter on desserts written by pierre hermé, i was sold! the desserts are mostly rustic and is nothing like his ph10, but this lemon tart caught my eye and i especially love the decor so i just had to try it out. plus when was the last time i made a tart? it was eons ago.

something to share for a start! my matcha madeleines entry was mentioned on huffington post! and a while back in spring, my sakura roll cake was mentioned on oprah's website. super elated and thankful for the mentions. and now, back to this :)


i think the japanese must be one of the most creative people around. sometime last year i bought two japanese books on patterned roll cakes by junko. while the french may have invented the joconde imprimé, the japanese often take existing creations to new heights. there are lotsa cute and pretty decorated roll cakes in there - strawberry, rilakkuma, pokemon and even koinobori patterned one to commemorate children's day in japan. i set my eyes on this one coz i really like how the pastel dots look on the cake, plus piping dots is not any more different than piping macaron batter, hence i think its safe for a first attempt.