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

not too long ago, i finally plucked up the courage to try blue cheese and i fell in love with it immediately. i wished i tried it earlier but i just didn't hv guts to. while extremely strong & pungent and definitely an acquired taste, it's really addictive. i love the savory scent and the yeasty beer-like aftertaste that lingers in my mouth. while good on its own, i love them with crackers, grapes & dried figs. i must try it with wine one of these days and perhaps come up with my own antipasti & cheese platter :p and then, i've been dreaming about making a creamy, chunky soup for a long time now but never really gotten around it. i actually had a few options in mind - cauliflower, pea & ham, clam chowder, mushroom, pumpkin & carrot etc but when i came across this recipe, i knew i had to try it.

a continuation from the previous topic on ice cream, this is something i made quite sometime ago. i promptly forgot all about it (actually its more like i didn't wanna post it coz this pic is really ugly). one blogger commented that it looks like century egg on 1st glance :( well, i hv to agree! the shape & color i guess, plus i couldn't really get a good picture in this sweltering heat. that is why i hate to photograph ice cream coz i can't take my own sweet time! then again i must post this coz its a really really good recipe. i've seen some black sesame ice cream recipes that use just ground sesame seeds but i think the flavor would be very mild, judging from the looks of it. whereas this one, it uses black sesame paste so its really potent & concentrated, as u can see! i like to order this whenever i'm out for japanese, or when i visit meidi-ya. so yes i think it comes very close to the japanese version.