Indulgent Comforts : Chocolate Cream Pie

Sitting in the fridge

Snack time.

Bah humbug. I’ve been failing a lot these days.

Okay it wasn’t a failure, it was just that for one, I’m not really into pudding based desserts and second, the graham crust kind of collapsed (but that’s what happens when you make a crust out of graham in the form of a tart).

Pardon the melancholy, but at times I wonder why I bake. Do I bake because I’m lonely- to fill up times of confusion and anxiety? Baking allows me to pour all my thoughts into a singular focus and action. With the control and ability to predict the relationship between butter and sugar when whipped, can I say that I love baking because of its expected outcome?
People say it’s good to have hobbies that don’t exist/rely on people yet I wonder if my tendency to bake is a reaction to social isolation. I’m not looking for pity, I know making friends takes time so I’m saying this as matter of factual be it the one who is reading is a family member, a friend or a complete stranger.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

Anyhow, no more contemplation.

Happy birthday, Chris! It’s my brother’s birthday today. We used to call him the ‘Chocolate Monster’ for obvious reasons. I think I now surpass him in the consumption of cacao. I guess this post will go in honor of his twenty year reign of terror- I mean ‘love’- in our household.

If watched the movie, Julie and Julia (yes it’s pretty much all I talk about these days having seen it a total of five times. I feel like it’s the story of my life minus the imaginary friend, the absence of NYC, the husband and the huge fan base. I take it back, it’s nothing at all like my life), there’s one part where she tells her husband,

“Chocolate cream pie! You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That’s such a comfort.”

That it is. May I just add that you have to add corn starch into the mix to make it thick. I guess the screenwriter thought corn starch wouldn’t sound too romantic in a script so they omitted it. =P I was perusing through the Epicurious Valentine’s Day recommended recipes and came across a recipe for chocolate cream pie. A vivid image of Amy Adams spooning dollops of chocolate pudding into a crust in a glass bowl (I should have kept it in its shell), instantly flashed up and I knew this was my next recipe of the week. And the ingredients are pretty basic so all I had to get were the eggs and the milk.

Breakfast slice

Can I just say that after finding out Brit-owned Cadbury was bought by Kraft (rah rah Americans!), I’ve been on a rampage to buy the last few bars of the real English stuff before Kraft starts substituting the one and a half glasses of cream for powdered milk. Anyhow, I bought a bar of ‘Old Gold’ which is essentially 70% intense dark chocolate by Cadbury with the intentions of making the molten lava cake with it again. However I decided to use it for the cream pie and when I melted it, it melted away into a gastronomic poetry. That didn’t make sense but what I mean was that it went from bar to liquid so beautifully: there weren’t any lumps in the pot and the chocolate had a thick glossy, mirror finish.

The only part I really messed up on was that I should have just left the tart shell in the mold rather than taking it out. I decided to substitute the chocolate wafers for digestive biscuits to balance out all the chocolate filling. The shell is too fragile for it to stand alone particularly when the pudding and whipped cream go on top and start pushing the sides over.

Weighing in

The process of collapse

I was already rather annoyed that one part split as soon as I placed it on the cutting board and then it continued to crumble as I poured the filling in. I only continued to get more annoyed as I tried to take a shortcut to sprinkling the cocoa on top which as you can see, turned into a big cloud on top rather than light and powdery. Sigh. As my aunt says, it should be 50/50. She just tried and said it was really good and suggested that I make it into a cookie pudding instead or mini tarts because this one crumbles too easily with the graham crust. If anyone likes chocolate cream pies, I’ll try a different formation, but since I don’t know anyone who does I will archive this recipe for the future.

That's how the cookie crumbles -_- Not happy. Chocolate pudding/cream set aside

If you’re a fan of chocolate pudding, this is for you. I remember as a kid I used to love those chocolate pudding cups for snack. Now I prefer mousse which tends to be less thick and ‘gooey’. This was my first time tasting chocolate cream pie and I must say, the filling is absolutely divine with a rich DARK chocolate (using milk chocolate will be too sweet). However I am uncertain of how this is a ‘beautiful pie’ according to the writers of the recipe- it resembles a glob on top of a curved cookie. I’m also not a big fan of puddings (I prefer a dense wedge of cake) so after having a slice, I felt quite full.

Chocolate Cream Pie breached!

It’s an easy recipe so you have my blessing, try it, but make sure to keep the crust in its bowl/shell/mold. Here’s the link to the recipe I used: Epicurious Chocolate Cream Pie

** Edit: actually after letting it sit for a few hours in the fridge, the moisture of the pudding locks into the crust so it fuses into one dessert rendering it easier to cut and of a better presentation than when I first tried it.

Hearts All Over the World Tonight

Whew! I’m finally done writing this. It took me three evenings to compile, edit and write this one entry! Get ready for some image-heavy review/recipe.  And get ready as I stuff this entry with a lot of cheesy puns. I actually, sad to say, chuckle as I write them.

Comic-cute entrance on the 15th floor

I thank my Chinese-reading cousin for introducing me to this upstairs cafe called ‘Hit the Road’ located in Causeway Bay. Upstairs cafes are popular here in HK due to lack of space and astronomical rental prices of pedestrian level units. From what I gather, they predominantly target the youth who want a place to hang out, have a few drinks and snacks, play board games and chat without being hurried/driven out like a typical ‘cha chan teng’ (HK local cafes where the old women start asking you if you want the bill when you’re about 3/4 through your meal and persistently ask until you finally consent).

Kitsch cute

Hit the Road is an upstairs cafe located in Causeway Bay with the charm of a Korean drama (the happy ones that is). Painted in antique white, every edge is highlighted in black to give the interiors a cartoon, graphic effect. ‘Staircase walls’ act as dividers between the various tables. The seating is spacious with few tables and a bar area which faces the cupboards/kitchen area where the concoctions are prepared. The furniture, polka dotted couches, sailboat-print armchairs and cushiony backyard chaises are clustered around the periphery with tilted windows overlooking office buildings.

E.T. and too-cool-for-school Spongebob

The beauty (and I am speaking pure aesthetics right now) lies in the details that are seen in every nook and cranny. Tin Tin and his dog are perched along the ledge divider where a white board is suspended above that serves as a TV through the projector that broadcasts old black and white films. Along the window ledge, camel stuffed animals, Miffy potted plants and miniature whitewashed lanterns rest next to the customers (interestingly enough, the cottage-cuteness of these are juxtaposed by the pop culture toys such as Spongebob and ET) . Both magazines and books are available for perusal as you enjoy a fresh cup of joe. An austere canopy of snowflakes in the same linear aesthetic as the interiors overlook the customers and the walls are punctuated with text in a hand painted script font that read ‘Sweets’ or ‘Cakes.’

Home is where the Heart is.

If I were to comment on anything, the cottage-country kitsch of this cafe has its charm and a must for anyone who loves fairy tale Korean chick flicks movies like ‘The Naked Kitchen’ or ‘Antique Bakery’. The decor is definitely geared towards girls and reminds me of many neighbourhood cafes in Korea, but  you’ll see an equal number of guys trying to impress their girlfriends by wooing them with cute interiors and sweet treats. Not a bad idea.

my mom! This is where we sat- except it was hard to eat with that type of furniture

Perhaps I should start speaking about the food.
We booked a table for 7pm (that’s when they open for dinner). I recommend reserving as this is a new establishment and when I first tried to get in with my family, they didn’t even look at us because they were so busy. Turnover is slow due to the social nature of an upstairs cafe and the sparse seating. To make it comfortable, the tables are quite far apart thus the place is busy practically every night.

reminds me of France.

Cream soup in a cup

I can only speak for dinner: Hit the Road offers set dinners that include a soup, tea/coffee and main course. We ordered a slew of desserts after. Appetizer was a cream-based soup served in a large mug and wooden spoon to my mom’s delight because if it came in a bowl, we’d have to bend over the low tables to slurp. Now, we could simply hold it by the handle and eat away without hunching over. For savouries, my mom ordered a spicy cinnamon pork leg that came with fries and salad. The dish itself was extremely dry because they literally give you a few drumsticks. My friend had clams in pasta with tomato sauce. According to her it was really good. I had chicken with a cream sauce base pasta. Mine was quite delicious- the pasta was perfectly al dente and the chicken was thick but tender (my biggest beef with chicken is when it’s dry and thick) and the sauce to spaghetti ratio was right without making the meal too heavy.

Fresh Clams served with Spaghetti in White Wine and Cherry Tomato Sauce $98HKD

Honey Grilled Chicken served with Spaghetti in Cream of Garlic $98 HKD

Spicy Cinnamon Pork Legs served with French Fries & Salad $106 HKD

Add $9/$16 for a drink upgrade.

Add $20/$25 for a dessert.
Now the fun part. Desserts we shared: apple crumble, earl gray cheesecake and molten chocolate cake. The first was somewhat forgettable: our American palate wants a scoop of vanilla ice cream to complement the heat of the crumble. The earl grey cheesecake had the fragrance and taste of tea which I really liked although perhaps it could have been a little less dense. On to the last dish….

Apple Crumble

Earl Grey Cheesecake (polka dot chocolate sauce!)

According to Open Rice, the latter was considered by some, the most amazing chocolate lava cake they had ever tasted. Now although molten chocolate heart cakes are extremely popular in Asian fusion restaurants, I seldom order it because:

1. It’s a classic, therefore not really exciting. I like trying new desserts and new ideas. New flavors.
2. Since it is a classic, it should be made properly: the shell should be a little crunchy but when you sink your teeth into it, the exterior should quickly give away to to the warmth of the inside that overflows outwards. Like the human heart, the beauty of this cake is, in essence, its vulnerability. It should have a tough exterior, able to withstanding anything, but once acquainted, you perceive its fragility. Oh yes, dessert can be purely philosophical.  Anyhow, I’ve had my share of bad molten chocolate cakes to realize, if I am to eat dessert, I want something new that’s been badly done rather than something badly done that I have certain expectations for because I already know what it should taste like.

Melting Heart Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Bomb

And that is the reason why I never order melting heart cakes (I use the names interchangeably: molten,lava,melting,heart,cake). Back to Hit the Road, we didn’t see the cake on the menu. Apparently you have to ’special request’ it (I guess it’s the ‘insiders’ thing. I feel like we’re part of the cake club now!). It was quite well done: rich and thick, it reminded me of my times well spent in NYC’s Max Brenner’s. Although the ‘lava’ wasn’t piping hot, the shell gave away beautifully, spewing out ribbons of dark chocolate. Drool. People hate feeling full after dessert, but I love that sinking feeling as I swallow it. It means the chocolate is rich and thick and positively worth eating.

As I leave the review to go onto the recipe, I will leave these last remaining remarks on Hit the Road:
1. Make reservations
2.If you don’t get seated on the comfy couches, be prepared to hunch over these awkward round tables like we did at the back.
3.Allot two hours for dining. We only saw about three people working there and they wait tables, cook and make the drinks. Anyhow, just enjoy the atmosphere and take it slow. The old woman downstairs won’t like it if you sit and chat with a friend rather than asking for the bill.
4. Request for the melting heart chocolate cake.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

No I’m not done yet. Are you still alive? =P

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Melting Hearts

Although it’s still two weeks away, consider this an early Valentine’s Day post. I once was looking at a fashion editorial spread with a title that caught my eye: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Though the clothes had nothing to do with the title, it was so beautifully put. If only that could be expressed through food: the bittersweetness of love, the fragility of the heart, the intensity of a relationship, the fullness of connection, the surprise of a spark, the mystery of chemistry and the richness of romance.

An army of cake cups donated graciously by my aunt!

What could be better than dark chocolate and attempting what I just ate for dessert? For a while now, I’ve actually wanted to dabble in making a molten chocolate cake. This tale is not really of success but more of experimentation. I followed this recipe by flagrante delicia called This is not a Coulant!.

Sadly no Wonka ticket.

Melting chocolate in a self-made double boiler. Make sure none of the water gets into the chocolate or else it'll seize!

For one thing, I bought the wrong butter. Note to self: NEVER EVER buy Ambassador’s butter ever again (this only really applies to me in HK). It’s crumbly to the point I can’t even whip it to break it down.
Second: I accidentally bought 52% dark chocolate rather than the required 70%. Apparently, only the finest chocolate would do. I guess any heart would require the best (sorry I’m really full of cheese, I mean, chocolate. Time for a fondue party.)
Thirdly, BUTTER your cups (and sprinkle cocoa inside instead of flour which may whiten the cooked cake) so that you won’t have grief when you try to coax the cake out of the womb. Whenever I turned mine over, the fragile tops burst and let out all the goodness that was stored up inside. I’m still unsure about whether you should bake the cake right out of the freezer OR let it sit until it becomes room temperature before putting it in the oven. That is my question out to the void, because I am concerned that the temperature shock of removing the cakes out of the oven, causes the tops to collapse and therefore, allow the insides to come out. How to solve this???

After being frozen overnight.

Why is one forming a bellybutton?

I don’t know but since I had eight cakes, I tested six thus far.
The first two went in right away from freezer to oven. One was okay (it ran a little) and the other, we had to give a blood transfusion because the top cracked. In other words, we literally spooned all the guts back into the cake. Not pro at all. It was really delicious though.
The third time I made it, there was still a chunk of butter inside. Never again will I buy Ambassadors. Presidents or pricey Horizons.
The fourth and fifth time, I left the cakes to set to room temperature before putting them in the oven. I also dropped the temperature by a half and let the oven door open so they could adjust easier to the cooler environment. They set faster but they didn’t flow as nicely as the first two tries.
The sixth one, I did another freezer to oven except tried to take it out earlier to avoid cracking. Unfortunately due to not buttering the sides of the cups, I accidentally pierced the side and tried to save it by sticking it in the oven hoping that it would just ‘heal over’. However while we were taking pictures, the melting heart cake turned to normal chocolate cake with an extremely gooey center. ARGH.

Ok, slight collapse. Apparently it's natural.

I wasn't lying when I said the bellybutton fell out and we scooped it back in somehow.

I’d also like to know how to make the insides piping hot without having it form into a solid. I guess that is where the ganache of a coulant can provide a better result as opposed to the cheater’s way of doing it with one recipe. Then again flagrante delicia could do it. DANG IT. Back to the drawing board. It looks alright here but I want it to be effortless: easy, simple therefore a classic. I will make it again with better butter, darker chocolate and greasier cups.

The first two tries.

FINALLY. It looks decent with a little powdered sugar on top and on a Vera Wang plate

She's a heartbreaker!

Guts and Glory!

None of the recipes I have seen thus far, have techniques and tips on how to REMOVE the cake without the cracking and the spewing. I would like to learn this final step. I have two more tries. What next?

Victorious Agnes

So... full...

Oh but they’re delicious. A lot of eggs, but delicious. Agnes ended up doing ten minutes of hamster running inside the apartment. Perhaps I’ll try making them again for our Valentine’s Day party. =D

Now when I think about it, the melting heart cake could be the best physical realization of love. What a deep dessert.

Mango Mania: A Tart of Leftovers

So my parents bought two cartons of strawberries and five mangos the day I had to make the cake. I was planning on stuffing the Napoleon with mango but decided not to in the end thus we had a lot of fruit leftover.

The dilemma was that though we had eaten one mango, the three leftover ones that were bought from the ‘upscale’ grocery store were incredibly small and sour while the remaining good one was from the street market. I decided to slice up the mangos and make a tart using a hybrid of recipes that I like.

A Work in Progress

I need to learn how to slice mangos nicely or find a mango that tastes as good as it looks. So far the Filipino one are the most fragrant with the sweetest taste while Mexican ones are large (easier to slice) but down in scent and flavor.

Sorry I know the tart isn’t pretty because I was dealing with overripe mango that turned into blobs as soon as I sliced its tender flesh, or they were so unripe that they looked yellow compared to the orange of the ripe one. But it did taste really good. Next time: more mangos and less cream (although I could eat that with a spoon). I will also practice slicing mangos.

Please take a slice

MANGO TART

Crust

I consider the crust I made for the Poached Pear Wine Tart as my standard recipe now. It’s got that buttery shortbread taste that feels like you’re eating a cookie but bette. I won’t post it again, so refer back to here: Poached Pear Tart Crust

Filling

Seriously the BEST filling I’ve ever had.  I’d use this to pair with any kind of soft, sweet sour fruits. A little lemon and ginger counteract the creaminess and sweetness of the medley of cheeses. Omg, I could eat it by the spoonfuls. And it’s so easy! Taken from this recipe: Nectarine and Mascarpone Tart in Gingersnap Crust

1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese*

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger

Beat first 6 ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in crystallized ginger. Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Assembly

Fill tart with cream and slice mangos. Arrange as you like. You can dice the mangos into cubes or try slicing them. Eat.

The mini- we ate this one while watching HK dramas as soon as it was assembled

Wedgwood in daylight

Wish Upon a Star

Welcome to my beloved bakery!

Hahha, I jest. I was in Disneyland on Boxing Day and thought it would be funny to take it next to their cake display stand on Main Street.

No recipe today but expect one by the end of the week: an old favorite.

A Surprise Birthday: Napoleon Cake

Napoleon filled with vanilla custard and diced mango. Topped with cream and strawberries.

Okay…. and we’re back!
Well after having a week of stomach flu, I’ve returned with two and a half days and three recipes!
My parents are in town and they brought me the dvd I requested: Julie & Julia.
I watched it last night- it gives you those warm, fuzzy feelings: the romance that food brings people together, the joy of cooking and creating and the reality of relationships and jobs and using food as an escape. Although when Julie wrote her blog, she was ahead of the blog trend and now there are hundred thousands of food blogs, this film reminds me of why I should write: for the pleasure of baking for the people nearest and dearest to me and not to gain a faceless fan base. Anyhow, onward to food:

It was my aunt’s birthday (coincidentally her name is also ‘Julie’. We were joking we should do a chinese version of the blog) this past Saturday so a few of us, including my parents, decided to surprise her at home with a cake. However when I was trying to figure out what cake she would like, the only answer I could come up with was: Napoleon.
The Napoleon is a flaky puff pastry base cake sandwiched between layers of custard cream and dusted with powdered sugar sold near the cash register at your local Chinese bakery (I am speaking solely from Hong Kong, I am aware that its roots are not from China)

Lighting the Candles

The problem with puff pastry is that making it from scratch takes literally hours and hours. Butter is rolled into the dough, chilled for three hours, another wedge of butter goes in, is chilled and so forth, until the dough becomes layers upon layers of delicately flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry. Its why Parisian croissants are so decadent. It’s why Chinese egg tarts are so sinful. Now, with ‘modernization’ we have pre-made, frozen sheets of puff pastry:

Pre-made puff pastry

And it comes organic too.
However I have to conclude that this project was a semi failure.
First and foremost: there weren’t any instructions. Nil. Nada. It just read ‘perfect puff pastry every time’. Except there weren’t any steps on how to prep it (I read online that you had to prick it with a fork prior to baking) nor was there even a suggested temperature. Bad design.
Organic=healthy. Puff pastry was never meant for the health conscious but since my aunt likes organic, we got it for an additional $20. The problem? Tough, chewy pastry. I felt like I was eating a hybrid of gum and croissant.

One day, one day, I will make my own puff pastry. My grandmother said she used to know how to make it. I am in awe:

A midnight snack whilst baking. Now this is the real deal when it comes to flaky pastry (using pig fat of course- that does not faze me from eating my egg tart)

The initial design

Since this was a surprise party, I had to make the puff pastry layers at my other aunt and uncle’s place in Causeway Bay. My friend brought all the telltale components back with her such as the pastry sheets and the fruit while I brought back very standard fare such as flour, cream and vanilla so that the birthday guest wouldn’t guess what we were up to when she opened her fridge. On the day of her birthday I flew back home after work, met up with my friend’s mom and got the custard and puff pastry back and proceeded to build the cake. The first custard was a failure- I’m not sure why. I guess it’s my unfamiliarity with a new kitchen plus following a recipe I’ve never done before. The second one was fine which I did at home in the comfort of a kitchen I know. The above image shows the initial design of the cake: layers of vanilla custard and dollops of whipped cream with icing sugar dusted over a lace doiley. I didn’t really like the 2d effect so I wiped it all off and opted for more dollops of cream and sliced strawberries.

We surprised her while she was out for dinner with my other two friends at a Shanghainese restaurant. As they returned from the dinner, they called us and we lit the candles and dimmed the lights. I’m happy to say that when she came in to the obnoxious voice of me trying to belt out ‘happy birthday’, she was surprised.

The birthday girl and her gifts of Wedgewood x Vera Wang

My aunt once mentioned that she wanted dessert plates, cups and saucers to enjoy my desserts on. We decided to give her the full experience by purchasing her two cups and saucers, six dessert places and a tea pot from Wedgewood in collaboration with Vera Wang. The best thing about the gift? A two year warranty: smash a cup, bring the pieces in and they’ll give you a new one free of charge. That’s service. Now, to find room to place all these things in the kitchen. I can already foresee some precarious stacking.

Sawing at the layers

I’ve learned my lesson: use the real deal puff pastry. Use a puff pastry that has instructions.
Google ‘napoleon custard’ if you want the recipe for the filling. I wasn’t a huge fan of the custard so I won’t post it here. Expect a new recipe very soon! ^^

A slice of cake looks best on beautiful porcelain

One big mess

Review: Nadege Patisserie, TO

I thought I ought to take some time, now that this blog has been pretty much integrated with my daily life (because sweets are really a part of me already) , to step up the ‘review’ side of my blog. Yeah, I intended this blog to be recipes AND reviews and for the most part, it has been just recipes. I liked the idea that this portfolio was just Sam as the baker but I really do believe that the things I’ve tasted and experienced in chocolatiers in New York to rose-flavoured pastries in Paris have really shaped and formed my way of perceiving baking. I realized, what I love most about going into a new cafe is the ability to experience something new. A new visual aesthetic paired with the philosophy of the bakers that is literally baked into the heart of the danishes and cakes. You are not only tasting butter, sugar, flour, but also a core concept, a passion and a system of thinking that is entirely not your own.
——————————————-

I don’t really like the word ‘review’ because it connotes the idea of critique. Not that I think judging is wrong, but I for the most part, do not have much of an opinion that I’d regard as highly valuable. I’d rather inform people that this cafe exists and that I tried cake x and tea y and let other people have a taste themselves. Taste is rather personal so my own understanding of ‘yum’ may be totally different from what you may find ‘yum’.

Anyhow, I do have a slew of places that I have tried all over the world, particularly this summer after having traveled the most typical parts of Asia. Yet I’ve mentioned very little about my other home, Toronto, that I may start there. NYC I miss the most, but once the people are gone, I would not consider it home anymore.

Toronto, for the most part, is a relatively sleepy city compared to Manhattan and Hong Kong. It’s not a bad thing- I am learning to love it for all its idiosyncracies now that I am residing in the financial giant we call Hong Kong that I consider its total opposite. Once in a while, you’ll find a gem in Toronto: a cafe opened up by a Japanese/French couple who make killer croissants and jewel-like macaroons. The great thing about these once-in-a-while gems, is that you know they’re good. I would like to say that Torontonians are a little more cautious in their approach to the new (not to be mixed up with conservative which is what I consider HK to be), but when they get going you know it’s going to be good. My mom has found a few really good cafes, bakeries and a gem of a vintage shop in the middle of nowhere called Elora, thanks to the Toronto Star/Globe and Mail. These places are definitely keepers so if you’re in town, take the TTC and spend an afternoon there:

This past summer (sorry I talk a lot but this is actually the review part), my cousin and Torontonian friend, Josh, embarked on a downtown excursion. I think it was our goal to go to the ROM but we ended up detouring on Queens Street West when we found a bunch of indie bookstores and toy boutiques. I found a review of this patisserie called Nadege online and decided to check it out.

That's my cousin in the way of my picture of the bakery. Kidding.

The beauty of this patisserie really was in the cool, minimalist white backdrop that showcased the saturated hues of the jewel-like pastries. It was comforting for the eyes to stare into the white emptiness and then be suddenly confronted by an explosion of confectionary eye candy. I’m sorry I didn’t bring L, my slr, for our culinary adventure so we must resort to grainy Powershot pictures. Sorry Nadege!:

Delectable Morsels of Beauty

What did we have? Robyn and I shared two pieces. I forgot what they were (sorry!) save that one had a peach theme to it. The taste- this is where uncertainty steps in. The modernism of the whole patisserie was evident in the sweets as well. I wasn’t certain whether I liked it or not- perhaps if I went with a chocolate cake which would have been of a more familiar flavor for measure, would have been more accurate. If Laduree, the Parisian genius for inventing the macaroon, is the equivalent of the Metropolitan Museum (MET), then Nadege would be its contemporary peer as the Modern Museum of Art (MOMA) with its more streamlined approach to baking. What attracted me the most was how they boiled down cake decorating to its most simplistic, geometric shapes: a sphere sliced into two by a square. Or  a teardrop that resembled a Chinese longevity bao. The austerity of the interior is beautifully balanced out by the textural and colorfully graphic quality of the pastries and the wood flooring. I’ll encourage you all to try and, you be the judge of what Nadege has to offer.

Nothing like white space

what is a French patisserie without the macaroons? I purchased one of each

Flaky, buttery goodness

Cannibal Critics. Rawr!

In the charming neighbourhood, there are also a lot of small boutiques and stores. I highly recommend Magic Pony (toy concept store like Kid Robot,NYC) as well as the local bookstore across the street from Nadege. Quaint, charming and of its own.

Exiting Magic Pony

Please Eat with Milk: Baileys Oreo Cheesecake

Retro chocolate: also the bottom cake shows you what happens when you don't use a bain-marie

Oreos and Milk is like Bread and Butter

Oreos.
They’re America’s favourite cookie.
The chocolate chip cookie, or should I say the Chips Ahoy is Oreo’s fierce competitor.
But Oreo’s advantage is that chocolate is its name. Unlike chocolate chip cookies which exist as vanilla batter which just so happens to have a sprinkling of chocolate on top for goodwill, Oreos ARE chocolate (forget artificial flavoring for a minute). Not only are they chocolate, but when they open up to you, they reveal their vulnerable frosted innards.
The Oreo is a cookie. But more than that, the Oreo is a cookie sandwich. How could the chocolate chip ever compete with a cookie that is also a sandwich? You take a bite: the surface splits like cracked earth in the desert, A split second later your teeth sinks down into an oasis of frosting like sugary snow, and sinks deeper down until it hits another sedimentary layer of chocolate cookie. Oh did I mention the poetic beauty of a black and white cookie? It’s simple, it’s understandable, it’s graphically compelling and it’s so easy to digest, you can’t help but pop a few too many into your mouth in one sitting.
And who could forget the Oreo commercials? It has been permanently embedded into my mind that you must drink a glass of milk and dunk your Oreos in until the surface resembles cookies and cream ice cream:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stvn6hdEtg8&NR=1

The 'bain marie' which consists of a large pot of hot water to prevent the surface from cracking

The Oreo is not only a snack. It is a childhood snack embedded with nostalgia, sunbathed memories of sitting in mom’s kitchen with legs dangling from the wooden stool. And childhood memories are the most powerful selling point of the Oreo.

My ode to the Oreo came recently after a request for an Oreo cheesecake from my host’s goddaughter whose birthday was fast approaching (this was Dec 22). She liked the crunch versus cream element of the Oreo especially combined with the density of a cheesecake but I decided to kick it up a notch by adding one extra ingredients: Baileys.
While I don’t drink because I have yet to develop a taste for the bitterness of alcohol, I do love a little wine in my dessert (see poached pear tart for ref). Baileys transforms a kid-oriented dessert to one that could be accepted at a fancy dinner party in the Upper East Side. The bitterness of baileys balances out the sweetness of the cookie.

Hot Pot Extravaganza (this picture looks like an ad for a restaurant)

Here’s the Oreo Cheesecake recipe that I used and tweaked. Just add Baileys and lessen the amount of sour cream. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas! Cookie Cutter Chaos

J is for Jesus ^^

Merry Christmas!

Oops I neglected this blog for a couple of weeks. I took a break last week in preparation for a lot of Christmas baking. I’ll be posting three recipes I did- one new cake I concocted at the request of a friend, and the other two are cookie recipes for gift giving.

Setting them Free

I’ll keep the text short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking. Last year I really wanted to find an easy recipe for cookie cutter cookies. The majority of my frustrations stem from dry, crumbly dough that doesn’t seem to hold its shape. I then found this recipe that was so easy to make without hindering my creative juices on what shapes to make. Stop worrying about the dough and start focusing on the person.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I decided to make a batch for my coworkers. It makes about thirty cookies (another reason why I love it- mass production). I used a bird cookie cutter I purchased last year to make cookies for my cousin, Robyn (get it… hehehe) in addition to two Miffy cartoon cutters that another friend donated and a heart my aunt gave me.

War Paint

All Feathered Up

I also used a royal icing recipe for the decorations. Note: it chips off easily so handle your finished pieces with care! Royal Icing Recipe

What I love most about this recipe is my ability to experiment with packaging:

For the Content Team:

In a Basket

For a single coworker:

Birds in a Gilded Cage

For Design Team:

The top of this box has a cutout leaf window so the 'design team' cookie is seen

For Korea Team:

In a cardboard cake box

Group Picture featuring other boxes as well:

All the cookies ready to be sent off!

Design Team sent this to me as a note of thanks. I thought it was really cute.

My favourite part is when I see people delighting in the whimsical nature of these cookies. It makes me so happy.

Red Velvet Roundup

Pac woman eats her babies. XD

Ah ha!

Try HK #3 amongst the other two Red Velvet casualties from past failures

I finally conquered the Red Velvet cake!

I take no prisoners. Dessert photography is always so rewarding XD coughdioncough

Being the third and final round, I finally obtained the red hue without sacrificing the taste or the texture. This time the cream wasn’t salty and the cake wasn’t too dense. I decided to make a smaller cake and use the leftover batter for cupcakes which are easier to divide and give away to certain individual.

Cupcakes!

=============================================================

Only in HK will you find setting fireworks off the tallest financial buildings NOT a fire hazard (back right buildings). Welcome to China.

In light of the East Asian games which commenced today in Hong Kong, here are some photos of the fireworks. Hong Kong hosts the East Asian Games of 2009 that brings together countries such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taipei, China and Guam together to compete in the name of ’sportsmanship’.

Traffic with the LED 'junk' boats crowd around the IFC in anticipation of the fireworks show

Reminisce: One Girl Cookies, Brooklyn

One Girl Cookies

I am feeling so incredibly homesick right now.

I’m not really homesick for the place as I am homesick for the people. Though the majority of us can’t say that ‘New York City is my home,’ at the time, I really never considered it to be a place I’d really miss. But as many Americans come together to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I feel somewhat left out. There will not be a 30lb turkey to celebrate over with my cousin and roommate, no brisk strolls to visit the stunningly beautiful Christmas window displays at Bergdorf Goodman.

The Goods: Cupcakes, cookies, fruit pie, pumpkin whoopie pies

But what am I thankful for? I’m thankful for having such a wonderful Thanksgiving memory. Last year’s was truly a gem of a memory: the day before Thanksgiving, a classmate invited my roommate(s) and I to her place in Brooklyn where she graciously cooked a 30lb turkey and made the gravy and stuffing to go with it. We washed it down with Calpico and a pumpkin cheesecake my roommate and I made and sat around looking at our hosts’ truly crazy closet of thigh-high silver boots and Betsey Johnson heels. The day of Thanksgiving, David invited us to his house in New Jersey so the five homeless Canadian orphans were adopted into his family. I remember him driving us to his house and us crammed in his SUV listening to ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz. Every time I hear that song now, I think of that day. We celebrated alongside his family which included two turkeys. The following day we went Black Friday shopping and then returned to the city for ice skating at Bryant Park, Kunjip and Max Brenners. There is much to be thankful for.

Signature Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Post Thanksgiving a few of us sleepily ventured out to a bakery/cafe my cousin recommended me (she said something along the lines that it was really cute and how Japanese tourists would love it) in the outskirts of Brooklyn called One Girl Cookies. I remember it was a cool but sunny morning- the perfect weather to nourish a post-turkey body. Tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood, we ‘broke bread’ together for a morning meal over sugar-laced goods. Yes, we had cake and cookies for breakfast. That’s how we roll. What I love about One Girl Cookies is the way they deliver their goodies: the cafe is spacious and painted in eggshell blue highlighted with the warmth of the wood tables and chairs. The five of us shared a handful of assorted cookies while individuals went with fat slices of chocolate cake, foamy hot chocolate topped with a generous handmade marshmallow slowly dissolving into creamy cacao and crumbly fruit pie. Betty graciously bought us each a pumpkin whoopie pie, a signature dessert at One Girl cookies. After experiencing that, I went and found a sandwich cookie recipe that was reminscent of the ones at One Girl Cookies. I will share that recipe in the next couple of weeks. Anyway, their site is also absolutely adorable so all you NYCers, get your butt out of Manhattan and in to Brooklyn!
Click here for the One Girl Cookies website!

Dessert Fiends

Yesterday friend asked me what my favourite dessertS were (emphasis on the plural form of the noun to ensure that I wouldn’t be torn between two or more desserts). I blanked out. If you ask me what my favourite is, the dessert is intrinsically tied in with the emotional bond I have with the place and the people. For this baker, finding something new to satiate the epicurious appetite is greater than a slice of pie, sharing a moment with someone over Italian thick hot chocolate more valuable than its taste. Dessert was never only about enjoying the taste but enjoying it with someone.
And that’s why, this is a blog about the social form of sweets.

The set of photos that defined our later shoots that often revolve around catching a little air.