Wednesday, November 25, 2009

"Tau Huay" - Canadian Size

tau huayI'm so glad there is "tau huay" in Vancouver or soy pudding as they call it here. In Singapore, I eat a tub of tau huay for brekkie almost everyday. Here, I'm lucky if I can finish a tub in a week! and that's a medium size :)

It is already sweetened but you can also buy extra sugar or ginger sugar to add to your snack

Excellent Tofu and Snack Ltd
160-4231 Hazelbridge Way Rmd
(near Aberdeen Centre)
Tel:604-232-0268

Monday, November 23, 2009

Caramel Macarons

Brownie and Toffee eying the scones and macarons.

I was apprehensive trying out the macarons as there seemed so much room for error. I used the recipe from Girl Cook in Paris where she had described everything methodically so that I could follow it step by step easily. I wasn't sure how long I should have whipped the Italian meringue and caramel buttercream but it turned out alright. Apparently Italian meringues are much more stable and easier to work with so that must have helped my batch! I'm also happy that it worked out relatively well on the first try and am encouraged now to try new recipes. Thank you Girl Cook in Paris!

My first batch which I stuck into the oven directly after piping them out spread too much and they kind of just blended together into a mass, didn't have much feet and cracked on the surface. I then piped the next batch further apart and left it to rest for about half and hour so that there was a layer of skin before baking and they turned out smooth and nice. I will endeavour to pipe more regular meringues as most of them turned out quite a few sizes :) The next time I try it I'm also going to go for much smaller ones so that I don't get that sugar rush and high after just one macaron.

Yippeee! I'm definitely going to be trying out more recipes to satisfy my macaron cravings.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Chocolate Torte

It was supposed to be a simple recipe using a box of chocolate brownie mix, some nuts, butter, milk and eggs, stick it in the over at 325F for 35-45min and viola the simplest chocolate torte - ever. I did everything the recipe called for, I couldn't figure out why the centre was still so wet after 45min. So I put it in for another 5min, then another 5 min - after which I decided to take it out regardless. Oh well, even though the sides were a bit dry, it still did taste good. Afterall, with so much butter and the box of triple chocolate Ghiradrelli brownie mix - how could it not?

I was still perplexed - what did I do wrong?

Finally, as D was helping wash up he said, " Did you know you had 2 baking pans here?" OOOHHH

Monday, November 16, 2009

Ultimate in Late Night Snacks - Roast Pork Panini


Want to satisfy those late night cravings for something savoury? Then you have to try this. It is simple to make if you just happen to have a panini press and some fatty roast pork and applesauce on hand. YUM.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Mango Waffles

mango waffles
Mango Waffles
The lovely red and yellow leaves are all falling. Yesterday, there was some snow, if you can call it that - not the lovely snowflake shaped ones that you imagine, they just look like salt crystals and melt once they hit the ground. D tried to convince me that I was seeing things...

Anyway this morning, it was cold and I craved hot steaming waffles. I decided to try my hand at it - didn't have any baking soda and added baking powder right at the end, might be why it turned out a little heavy. The finished product still looks yummy especially topped with mango- peach jam, maple syrup and vanilla and white chocolate ice-cream.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Scones

This is the first time I'm baking from scratch. I realize there is a whole new vocabulary I have to learn...baking tray, parchment paper ... I used the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen and it was simple to follow though for a beginner like me, instructions like cut the butter into 1/4 inch pieces had me scratching my head. Was it 1/4 inch cube or just 1/4 inch cut right from the block of butter I had in front of me? Plus being used to the metric system, I had to convert the recipe from ounces/cups to ml and g. After all that, I think it came out rather well.

I was flipping through the recipes looking for my next project and chanced upon one for macarons. Having just come back from Paris and tasting those delectable Pierre Herme macarons in every flavour... dare I try to make a macaron as my next project? I think I need a KitchenAid Mixer first and more experience trying to bake but I will try to make a batch before the year is out :)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Spa

Abby and Bob are excited to be off to the spa today.

Nice and warm soaking in the bubbly bath and under the fountain.

Into the steam room and

Out nice and fluffy :) and can't see their toes

Official Announcement



We had a pot luck at our place with D's close friends - to officially announce our engagement and popped a 1990 Pol Roger magnum to celebrate. By now all of them had already heard but it was a good night :)

Vancouver is host to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Olympics torch relay has started across Canada. We also realised that the Olympics logo was lit up and could be seen from our kitchen window.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Brownie and friends

Brownie and friends up to mischief again ....


(Left) Brownie and Scruffy goofing around with my pressie

(Right) Coffee Toffee enjoying a hot steaming mug of coffee

Fall

Fall in Vancouver
My first fall - leaves turning lovely reds, browns and yellows. It is cold for early November I hope...Coming from a tropical climate when it is a humid 30 degrees all year round, this will take some adjusting to.

Not having to work makes me lose a sense of time. It is a luxury which I am enjoying. I will learn how to cook and bake. I will also continue my line of jewellery with new inspiration.

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