finally, i managed to make a decent loaf of bread. i didn't like how my breads used to turn out in the past. they always had this really dense and undercooked texture no matter how much i knead or proof them. i found out the culprit was actually the yeast. i used to use this french brand called saf-instant but somehow it didn't work well for me. changed to another brand and had considerably better results! the dough was so much quicker to rise and the texture was light and fluffy.

will be really busy for the month of nov & dec. orders just keep pouring in so i don't think i'll be blogging as often.


i leave you with a pic i took using the new iphone 4S. no editing at all except for applying a filter on instagram. i totally adore the camera, its fantastic! coffee macarons with coffee ganache...yums.

i was *this close* to getting a nespresso machine. citiz+milk was the model i was eyeing on and i went on youtube to watch unboxing videos and demos practically all day & night. then again, was i really prepared to fork out 600 bucks for a single-serve machine that basically does nothing but dispense espresso? well, no i wasn't.

what comes to mind when you think of eclairs? are they just vanilla custard choux puffs with a hastily applied chocolate glaze which look ugly rustic at best? to me, they're far from that boring ol' combination of vanilla and chocolate. when i think eclairs, i think fauchon, the hyperluxe gourmet food shop in paris. fauchon is definitely synonymous with eclairs and here's why. decked in all sorts of flavors and designs imaginable, from the mona lisa eyes to garden peas to leopard prints on the icing, you'll never look at eclairs the same way again. even without all these adornments i feel that an eclair should be elegant looking - long and thin and topped with a shiny fondant glaze. therefore i started by trying out a relatively safe coffee flavor and pairing them with coffee creme patissiere, coffee fondant glaze + cocoa nibs for that extra crunch.

i was totally intrigued by the coffee & chicory macarons that helen of tartelette made and toyed with the idea of doing the same too. of late i find myself being very fascinated with brush stroke patterns on plates/food etc. my first "encounter" was at 7atenine, where almost all the dishes were swiped with squid ink. then when i bought johnny iuzzini's dessert fourplay, i was even more amazed at the fluid gels on the plated desserts. i vowed to do the same. and my first attempt is with these macarons. since i was doing my macaron orders, i thought no harm making an additional batch to try out :p seriously, i think they look MUCH better than piped lines & flowers. piping is so passé. i wish i hv a dehydrator so i can make my own dehydrated fruits and then grind them into powders. a sprinkle of raspberry/strawberry powder on macarons will look darn cool too.