AMBITIOUS BUBBLE

Tarte Au Citron

2012-01-03T22:27:00.001+09:00

Happy new year everyone! Last year wasn't exactly my best year; there were loads going on and I hardly had any time to bake or blog. This year I want to start fresh; I'm welcoming the New Year in my blog with a nice, clean and crisp tarte au citron (lemon tart).

I love lemon tarts or any lemony desserts. They're not heavy in the tummy and I always feel refreshed after having a bite.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

It's December Again!

2011-12-01T15:11:00.000+09:00

I can't believe it is December again; the festivities from last season still feel so fresh to me... It's safe to say I had an extremely memorable 2010 Christmas!

This year, I would be celebrating Christmas in yet again another city. It is definitely not easy to get into the Christmas spirit especially in a country that doesn't really celebrate this season. In a bit of positivity, China has more Christmas feel going on as compared to Korea; so if I managed to be all festive in Korea then I would definitely be able to here in China.

Last year I was giving away almond biscotti as my yearly Christmas treat giveaway. This year I decided to spice things up by making lovely festive spiced cookies. I decided to make these cookies as soon as I laid my eyes on some cute cookie cutters while I was baking supply shopping.

I kept the design of my cookies nice and simple as I want the deliciousness of my cookies to be all about the cookie than the sugary decorative icing. I am glad I made this decision because the cookies definitely taste sensational! I will be bringing a box full of these cookies later this afternoon on my Mandarin class... I hope everyone will enjoy each bite.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

I'm Baking and Blogging Again... Finally!

2011-11-23T15:37:00.004+09:00

It's been such a long time since I last blogged; I say more than two months? My blog is starting to collect dusts and creepy crawlers are starting to take notice. Fear not, I'm back! I finally have an oven! Yey yey yey! Oh, it was driving me crazy not being able to bake and blog. I have to thank everyone though for still visiting Ambitious Bubble even if there was a clear scarcity of updates.

Looking for an oven in China was not the easiest task as ovens are not common in Chinese kitchens. I did my research, searched hard and finally saw one that looked decent. The oven I finally decided to invest on turned out to have no new stock in the store, so I had to make a decision and get the display model that had little scratches here and there. I would normally try to check other shops but since it was such a quest to find an oven, I settled for the display oven; plus, I so wanted to start baking already!

Oven was not the only difficult mission I encountered. Finding baking supplies was also a nightmare since baking/desserts are not Chinese staples. I had the same experience in Korea, but was blessed with a friend who's good with her googling skills and managed to find a baking supply shop (which I totally miss). So in my mind, if Korea has one, then China has to have one especially that most things are 'made in China'! I was very determined to find a baking shop; search after search after search, alas, I found one! The shop is an hour away from where I live but I am happy to travel just so I can bake!

oven + well stocked baking ingredients + growing baking utensils and pans + my beloved mixer = baking galore! ♥

Chocolate Chocolate Cake from Sugar Bowl

While I was idle with baking and blogging, my mind was wandering and dreaming. Then came this idea - an online shop. It was, after all, part of my ambition to have my own pastry shop one day, so why not start small with an online shop, right?

So for the past week and a half I was working like a horse, getting my online shop ready for my scheduled launch date: November 20. Did I meet my deadline? Yes I did! I was editing my site to the last minute, but I did it!

Raspberry Lemon Cake Bonbon from Sugar Bowl

I named my online shop Sugar Bowl. You can check it out at http://sugar-bowl.weebly.com/ although the shop only caters to residents in Shenzhen, China. Maybe in the future I'll go global! haha I have narrowed down my product list to serving cake bonbons, cakes, bars, cookies and pies. I also decided to cater to customized orders as well! I don't know how the residents of Shenzhen would respond to my shop; all I know is I'm making my first step towards making one dream into reality. For the shop to succeed, only time will tell. I have my fingers crossed!

On a positive note, two days before my launch, I received an invite to join a cookie & muffin contest that would be held the same day as my online shop launch. I decided to attend the event even though I was so drained already; I wanted to grab the opportunity to meet people that share the same love for baking as I do. The event was fantastic; people were nice and friendly. I felt welcomed even though I was a complete outsider (most of the people who attended know each other already), I even managed to grab 2nd place in both cookie and muffin category! That was definitely unexpected!

Melting Moments with Raspberry and Peanut Butter Buttercream

Cake Bonbons (they were allowed to compete for the muffin category)

So here it is, my first blog after a long halt! My new oven was put into test by baking 4 cakes, a pie, brownies and cookies within its first week in my kitchen... I think I chose the right oven! 'Til my next post!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

China on a Shoe-String Food Budget and Mid-Autumn Festival

2011-09-16T17:36:00.001+09:00

We have been in China for three weeks now, and H and I are just about settling in. First week here was crazy! We had to find an apartment, buy the bare necessities (cutleries, plates, pots, pans, linens, toiletries, etc.), subscribe for internet, open bank accounts, get ourselves Chinese sim cards and do a full medical check-up as part of the process for our alien resident permit. Most of the time, we were assisted by a representative from my H's workplace; even so, it was not easy to have everything you want to know or ask about be translated by a middleman. After many miscommunications and lost in translations, we finally feel more at home now.

Moving to a new home is certainly not cheap or easy, let alone moving country! H and I are currently living on a tight budget since we spent a lot for deposits and fees for this and that. Good thing with China, food, especially vegetables, are cheap - a kilo of tomatoes, potatoes and carrots for just a dollar or even less! So if you know how to cook smart, a budget of $3 - $4 to feed two people a delicious meaty and healthy meal should be sufficient. Here are some of my budget home-cooked meals.

Chinese Sausage Fried Rice topped with Shrimp

Duck a l'orange served with Mashed Potatoes, Hyacinth Peas and Carrots

Lazy One-Pan Dish of Rice, Fish Fillets, Bok Choy and Tomatoes Topped with Spring Onions

Chilli Garlic Chicken Drumsticks with Carrots Served with Steamed Rice

Pork Strips Cooked in Tomato Served with Bok Choy and Steamed Rice

Chilli Pork and Onion Sausages Served with Potatoes and Carrots

Pan-Fried Chicken Breast Served with Diced Green Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Tomatoes and Onions on a Bed of Steamed Rice

Eating out is not exactly expensive either. If you look for small, almost stall-like restaurants you will be spending similar to what you would be spending when you cook at home. Down side to eating in these small cafes: they don't have English menus; you can always just point at pictures on the menu that looks appetizing for you or if you feel adventurous, you can point at a random menu item and hope for the best! So far, I have never been disappointed with my choices.

Make-Your-Own Noodles

Noodles with Liver

Zha Jiang Mian

Beef Stir-Fry served on a Bed of Steamed Rice

Duck served with Cabbage and Steamed Rice

Braised Pork Belly and Rice

If it were up to H, we would be eating out everyday, but I oppose to that. Don't get me wrong, I love eating out, but I also like to know what goes into my food. So to make it fair for both of us, we balance our meals by sometimes dining out and sometimes having a home-cooked meal by yours truly!

On a different note, we were lucky to be here in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival. I wanted to experience how locals would normally celebrate this occasion, so I did some research. Apparently, a lot of families would go to the park and appreciate the moon while eating mooncakes and fruits. So that's what we did. It was definitely a nice cultural experience going to the park for the festival. We opted to go to the less crowded Central Park, and witness families spending quality time with their kids. There were also many kids playing with their lanterns. We really enjoyed the whole moon-gazing event, but for next time, we would prepare a bountiful picnic basket that is not limited with mooncakes and fruits! Most families brought picnic baskets wafting with scrumptious aromas of yummy food that made H and I so hungry; H ended up running to the nearest convenience store to buy some food to compensate for our lack of preparation.

Riddles on pieces of papers were posted all over our apartment lobby. If you solve a riddle you get a fruit or mooncake as a prize.

We were early birds at Central Park with our fruits and mooncakes.

Families dotted around the park enjoying their picnic while appreciating the full-moon.

Full-moon

P.S. As for my baking affair, it would have to wait for a while. There are still things (more practical things) that H and I have to invest on while we are on this budget crunch. So just be patient with me, I will be baking soon!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: England

2011-09-05T23:35:00.001+09:00

After days of no access to blogger, twitter and facebook, I am finally back! Before I came to settle in China about a week ago, I was in England to visit my in-laws. As you may know, I have been baking scrumptious treats while I was there, but aside from baking, I was also enjoying good old British food.

So what is British food? More specifically, what does the English cuisine have to offer to the food industry? Well, I went for the cliché... Chips, pies and everything fried!

Fishcakes with Chips and a Tub of Gravy

Doner Burger and Chips

Classic Fish and Chips

Steak Pie and Chips with Sausage and Curry Sauce

All food from the above photos were take-aways from the good old CHIPPY!

Steak Pie... yum!

More pies...

Steak and Kidney Pie

Shepherd's Pie

Cornish Pasty

Sausage Rolls and Pasties

Sausage Roll

One of my favourite processed food - Fish Fingers!

Semi-full English Breakfast aka Fry-up (when eaten during dinner time)

It was really difficult for me to stay healthy while I was in England. I did pretty well the first three days, but the junky goodness widely available eventually took over the best in me!

So to compensate my full-fat diet...

Crumpets with Fresh Blackberries

Sunday Roast - Roasted Lamb's Heart served with Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Parsnips, Mashed Carrots and Swede, Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy (not in photo)

A popular Liverpool stew - Scouse

Fennel, which I turned into a simple orange and fennel salad

Venison with Gravy, Pickled Onions and Beetroots

Radish

Passion Fruit

For some sweet treats - Fudge

Last but not the least, I wouldn't have left England without a nice Champagne afternoon tea. My cake stand was a scrumptious spread of ham and cheese sandwich, chocolate eclair, chocolate cake, vanilla slice and a scone served with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

That's all for my great British feast!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Chocolate Pavlova

2011-08-21T04:55:00.000+09:00

A quick post about my last baking in England before I leave for China. I made this pavlova for my in-law's around three years ago and they absolutely loved it! So since I'm back for a visit, they've asked me a couple of times to make it again. Honestly, I have absolutely no objections making this pavlova recipe; it's a no-fail crowd pleaser. It has an absolutely light, crunchy, at the same time, almost marshmallow-like soft meringue base that's topped with luscious whipped cream and strawberries. This marvellous chocolate pavlova is Nigella Lawson's recipe. The original recipe actually uses raspberries, but my in-laws prefer strawberries. Again, no-fail, meaning my in-laws ecstatically devoured this scrumptious pavlova.

Pavlova is a classic dessert made in honor of a Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. This dessert is made with a meringue base (which the creator thought resembled the ballerina's tutu) that is then topped with whipped cream and any fruits you desire. There is still an ongoing argument as to whether this lovely dessert was made in Australia or New Zealand. Regardless of where this dessert was born, it definitely is a classic because of the simplicity yet overwhelming goodness.

Click Here For Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova Recipe

Anyway, I shall end this post as I have to finish packing for China. Another country for new adventures!

P.S. Since I'll be moving to China, I would have limited access to certain websites, Blogger being one of them. So if I am a bit slow or delayed with my blog posts, you know why, but do stick around because I will find ways to keep on blogging.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Banoffee Pie

2011-08-19T22:58:00.001+09:00

It has been a busy day for me so far, doing last minute errands since we're leaving England this Sunday. Thank goodness I still managed to squeeze in some time to bake for my H's friend, K, despite running around like a headless chicken. I had a tub of leftover toffee that I made for my mum-in-law's birthday cake, so to make use of it, I decided to make banoffee pie.

Banoffee is a portmanteau word (combination of two words) from banana and toffee. Banoffee pie is an English dessert created around 1972. This lovable dessert is typically made out of banana, toffee and cream with a biscuit or pastry base. Some versions of this pudding may contain the addition of chocolate or coffee.

A photo of how I assembled my version of banoffee pie

My version of banoffee pie consists of a plain biscuit and crushed hazelnut base that was then covered with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache then topped off with bananas then with toffee then lastly with whipped cream - yummy! I wish I made extra for self-indulgence.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Fondant Cake - Vanilla Cake with Toffee Buttercream and Roasted Hazelnuts

2011-08-19T07:27:00.000+09:00

It was my mum-in-law's 60th birthday recently, and obviously, I wanted to make her a special birthday cake. It didn't take me a long time to think of a fitting cake design; she absolutely loves reading so my design naturally led towards a book themed cake.

I did have a little trouble while I was making this cake. The fondant book cover part of the cake kept on sagging down. Good thing my idea of putting a piece of paper while the fondant hardened kept the book covers sturdy. The bookworm on an apple came as an afterthought. What happened was, I had a little cake batter left in my bowl, so I decided to bake them into cupcakes. I really didn't plan to use the cupcakes, but for some odd reason a light bulb just lit with the idea of turning them into an apple; the nerdy worm was just crying to be created once I had my apple covered in luscious red.

The whole family, especially my mum-in-law really loved the whole cake design. I was so pleased and proud of it as well, if I may say so myself. I actually have two favorite parts from the cake - the page details on the books and the apple with the nerdy worm. As for the actual cake, I made three tiers of vanilla cake that was sandwiched with toffee buttercream and roasted hazelnuts. I don't really impose myself onto people to give me feedbacks on what I bake, so just by the look of things, I would say I think most of the family liked the cake.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Fondant Cake - Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes and Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Filling

2011-08-09T03:40:00.001+09:00

The cake and cupcakes all set-up for the party (name smeared)

Our friend L's mom had her 60th birthday bash yesterday. Timely enough, H and I are here in England for it. Knowing that we will be here for the partly, L asked me if I could make his mom's 60th birthday cake, and I happily obliged. L also told me he would cover the cost for the cake, thus making this cake my first ever cake sale! I know I didn't exactly gain any profit from this cake, but the bottom line is I got a free baking session, so I'm happy.

A dozen of chocolate cupcakes and a dozen of lemon cupcakes - all filled with raspberry buttercream and decorated with fondant roses and royal icing '60' scribbles

Working on this cake wasn't exactly smooth sailing. There were a few factors that made this cake a challenge for me. First, I was baking and creating this cake in a new environment, meaning kitchen's not mine. Second, I didn't have my baking equipments and utensils with me, so I had to improvise a lot. Third, I didn't really know where to get the best deal for ingredients and where to buy the exact ingredients and baking utensils I wanted, so I had to settle and cobble together what is available in the stores I know. Last, the thought of baking the cake for someone's milestone birthday, and having people that are not family or friends eat my cake was definitely nerve wrecking. Despite all these, everything came together in the end. Most important of all, L's mom was happy with her cake. Many guests on the party also enjoyed the cake, and were giving me positive reviews.

The cake and cupcakes ready for delivery

For L's mom's 60th birthday cake, I decided to make a six-inch square chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling, a dozen of chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling and a dozen of lemon cake with raspberry buttercream filling. At first I was thinking of just making all the cakes chocolate, but I figured some people would not really be partial to chocolate cake so I decided to make a lemon cake variety to hopefully accommodate everyone's palate. As for the design, I wanted something the celebrant would adore. I browsed through some of her photos on facebook, and I noticed she likes wearing purple and is not afraid of floral prints on her dresses. After that little research, I finally came up with a design concept that L's mom really appreciated.

Not only did I enjoy making the cake, I'm absolutely delighted that I was part of someone's milestone birthday. It was really a pleasure and an honor.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Lemon Cake with Blackberries and Cream Surprise

2011-08-04T01:22:00.001+09:00

My H's friend, M, invited us for dinner last night. She cooked chorizo pasta, which was absolutely delicious, and I volunteered to bring afters (Bristish slang for dessert). I made lemon cake, but it was not just a cake; it had blackberries and cream in the center. I got this idea from a picture on a magazine I was reading the other day. I got so amused by the cake because of the illusion of a simple cake, but it had more to it once you slice a piece.

Secrets behind the deceptive plain-Jane lemon cake

We all enjoyed the cake. It was a perfect light finish to a gorgeous meal. The trio combination of lemon, blackberries and cream worked harmoniously well together.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Lemon Cake
Freshly Whipped Cream
Fresh Blackberries

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: Dubai

2011-08-03T23:42:00.001+09:00

H and I are now in England to visit his family, but before coming here, we had an almost twenty-four hour stopover at Dubai. We took advantage of the opportunity, and looked around the city and joined a desert safari tour as well.

Two of my friends from university, E and M, are both living in Dubai, and they showed us around Dubai from morning until the afternoon; it was really lovely and generous of them. I don't think we would have enjoyed exploring the city as much if it weren't for them. They took us to see Burj Al Arab, Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, the gold souk, a mosque, and even took us for a boat ride along Dubai creek. It was so much fun!

We had our lunch at a Lebanese restaurant at the food court in Dubai Mall. I was completely salivating because I've been looking forward to taste authentic Middle Eastern food for the longest time!

Here are some of the salads that the restaurant offered. It looked so green and enticing.

I ordered a tub of moutabbal, which is made out of pureed eggplants. It tastes very similar to baba ganoush. The addition of pomegranate seeds to the mashed eggplants definitely gave this dip an extra yummy goodness!

For my main meal, I had lamb kofta served with parsley salad, parsley pizza and chips. Although, I'm not sure how authentic this combination of a meal is to Middle Eastern cuisine as it had chips, but it sure was tasty.

My H had lamb shawarma.

E, M, H and I really enjoyed the Lebanese feast with buckets full of interesting and fun conversation. Unfortunately, all had to end as H and I had to go to the hotel where we will meet our desert safari tour group.

While we were waiting for our tour guide, I indulged with an ashtalieh overmoze. It's a milk-based dessert with almost similar texture to a panna cotta. I'm not sure how this would traditionally taste like or how it would traditionally be served with, but this version I had was absolutely divine! The pot of milk had a nice hint of orange blossom; the honey, bananas and ground nuts gave a nice texture and flavor to this treat.

The desert safari tour was extraordinary! H and I had so much fun, and really enjoyed the whole experience. We had an hour ride of dune bashing; after which, we were taken to a campsite in the middle of the desert where we were able to enjoy different Middle Eastern culture like camel riding, henna tattoos and shisha. We were also greeted by yummy vegetable fritters, chicken shawarma, tea and coffee.

This is a picture of the campsite. We had our buffet dinner here while being entertained by belly dancers and tanoura dancers.

The buffet dinner in the middle of the desert was something I would do again. The buffet spread included salads and hummus for starters.

Rice, three kinds of curries and an array of grilled meat were also part of our dinner feast.

We definitely enjoyed our day trip in Dubai. It was just a day, but we were overwhelmed with so much cultural experience. Dubai is definitely a place I would want to visit again!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: Korea

2011-07-30T02:05:00.000+09:00

I say travel food blog, but I can't really say travel can I? I mean I lived in Korea for two years. Something I will really miss in Korea is definitely their food! Omg, I love Korean food! When I first went there, my knowledge of Korean cuisine was close to none. All I know was that they eat loads of kimchi (김치), and food are going to be crazy spicy; I was right. I do love spicy food, but Korean spicy is another level that my palate thankfully adapted to quite quickly; when we went there my H can't tolerate any spice at all, but now he's a pro! Don't get me wrong though; there are also a number of non-spicy Korean dishes that are equally as delicious as the spicy ones that any non-spicy food lover could enjoy.

Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tteok (Korean rice cake), vegetables and meat. They are usually served in the form of stews, soups, stir-fries or barbecues. Fermented red pepper paste, red pepper flakes, red pepper oil and other chilli products are very common condiments/ingredients used to make most Korean dishes. There are also non-spicy condiments/ingredients used in Korean dishes like fermented bean paste, soy sauce and sesame oil.

In a nutshell, I think Korean cuisine is not only very scrumptious, but also very healthy. It was so easy for me to incorporate my vegetable intake into my meals without them being just a side dish. Anyway, without further ado, let me present my compilation of random Korean food that I had been devouring over the last two years. Let the food parade begin!

The all famous kimchi (김치)... I didn't like eating kimchi the first few weeks I was in Korea, but now I love them. Give me a bowl of rice and kimchi, and I'm good to go.

Mulkimchi (물김치)/water kimchi also got the sour kick of kimchi without the spicy twist.

A plate of banchan (반찬)/side dishes served on the local cafeteria my H and I frequent. This plate consists of anchovies, odeng (오뎅) and kimchi (김치). Odeng is a processed fish-cake made with fish and flour, and it has a firm almost al dente like texture.

Kimbap (김밥) is the Korean version of sushi rolls except it has less variety than its Japanese counterpart. This particular kimbap is called chamchi kimbap (참치김밥)/tuna kimbap. It is my favorite kimbap because I love the flavor combination of the tuna and perilla leaves that's in it.

Gyeran-jjim (계란찜)/steamed egg

Kimchijeon (김치전)/kimchi pancakes, I absolutely love this!

Haemulpajeon (해물파전)/seafood and spring onions pancake

Makgeori (막걸리) is a Korean alcoholic beverage made from rice. It has a sweet milky taste to it, and I actually prefer this more than the famous soju (소주). You can also get cocktail versions of this drink. My favorite would be the pineapple makgeori because it tastes very similar to a piña colada.

A typical Korean barbecue which includes banchan/side dishes and grilled meat, and of course enjoyed with a bottle of soju (소주)

Korean barbecue. What's on the grill? Makchang (막창) pork large intestines, tteok (떡)/rice cake and galbi (갈비)/beef short ribs.

When having a Korean barbecue, you are always given a basket of either lettuce or perilla leaves to be used as wrappers for the grilled meat. Yummy!

Korea also has their own high quality range of beef called hanu (한우).

Bulgogi (불고기)

Bibimbap (비빔밥) literally means mixed rice. Basically, it is a dish with rice and different toppings on top. Before you start eating the dish, you have to mix everything together first. There are many kinds of bibimbap you can try in Korea. In this case, it's the salmon bibimbap

This is a beef and mushroom bibimbap. Bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl is called dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥).

Another bibimbap picture

Tuna bibimbap

Cheyuk topbap (제육덮밥)/pork rice topping. The topping is stir-fried pork with leeks, onions, carrots and red pepper paste. Ooo, I'm craving for this at this very moment!

Donkas (돈가스) is the Korean counterpart for the Japanese tonkatsu. The one shown in the picture is a cheese donkas.

Jjigae (찌개)/spicy stew. There are varieties of jjigae from tuna to kimchi jjigae. This one is a tofu jjigae.

Haejangguk (해장국) is a popular Korean stew known for its hangover cure. I don't know about the hangover cure, but it is a comforting stew to slurp on regardless if drunk or not! It is a spicy stew that contains napa cabbage, bean sprouts and beef short ribs. Love eating this during winter.

Boshintang (보신탕)/dog meat soup is a Korean delicacy. It is consumed by some Koreans with the belief that it gives strength to the body.

Blowfish eaten in shabu-shabu style

Odengtang (오뎅탕)/fish cake soup

Jjimtak (찜닭) is a stew-like chicken dish that contains varieties of vegetables. The taste is a mixture of salty, sweet and spicy.

Galbijjim (갈비찜)/beef short ribs stew-like dish - very delicious!

Korean street food

Stuffed peppers

Tteokbokki (떡볶이)/rice cakes

Fried chicken

Varieties of skewers

Tteokbokki with fried chicken

Japchae (잡채)

Jajangmyeon (자장면) is derived from a Chinese noodle dish; its sauce is made out of black soy bean paste.

Smoked duck with loads of side dishes/banchan

Side dishes/banchan

Hwe (회)/Raw fish

Korean wedding buffet reception

One of my favorite instant noddles, cheese bokki (치즈볶이). It's like their version of mac n cheese except it uses noodles instead of macaroni.

My favorite ramyon (라면), kimchi ramyon.

Koreans do make good sandwiches.

Not exactly Korean, but it's a Korean flavored pizza. Bulgogi pizza and the other is a bulgogi bake.

Rice burger!

Korean fried chicken - they make the best fried chicken... 100% crispy-licious!

Batbingsu (받빙수) is shaved ice served with varieties of toppings like fruits, rice cakes, cereals, ice cream and red beans.

Hotteok (호떡) is a Korean filled pancake; the filling is usually a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and peanuts.

Songpyeon (송편) are sweet stuffed rice cakes traditionally eaten during chuseok (추석)/autumn harvest festival. They are usually filled with either sesame seeds with honey, red bean paste, peanuts or chestnuts.

It has just been five days since I left Korea, but I'm missing their food already! Good thing I have found a couple of reliable Korean cooking websites that could teach me how to cook the dishes I will be craving in the very near future!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Panic Farewell Baking: Vanilla Cake with Orange Blossom Buttercream Plus Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

2011-07-12T23:13:00.000+09:00

As you know, I'm leaving Korea soon, and I have been looking for a new home for my baking things. I was starting to feel hopeless in finding a new place for my stuffs, but just as I was researching for a second hand shop, heaven sent a potential buyer. After a couple of negotiations, my baking things were sold; the new owner was scheduled to pick-up my baking stuffs the following day.

"Tomorrow?!?!" My heart dropped. I was obviously aware of the reality that I will be saying goodbye to my things at some point, but the reality just hit me when an official new home has finally been arranged. There is nothing better for me to do, but to bake one last time. It was night time already, so the baking shop I frequent was already closed. Good thing my cupboards were stocked with ingredients that could create a couple of treats. I decided to bake two things: cookies and cakes.

I made a classic chocolate chip walnut cookie as well as a vanilla cake iced and filled with orange blossom buttercream and walnuts. Both treats were such comfort treats. I shared them with a couple of friends of course.

I am really going to miss baking in my tiny kitchen here in Korea. Baking has always been a hobby since I was a teen, but it was here in Korea where I really got into it. It was also here where ambitiousbubble was born; hence, Korea would always be a big part of my baking and blogging journey. It was certainly a nice way to end my baking session, Korean edition, with a totally scrumptious cake and cookies!

Components used for these dessert treats:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Phyllo Pastry Money Bag Filled with Orange Blossom Pastry Cream

2011-07-08T17:47:00.000+09:00

Phyllo dough. The word phyllo is the Greek word for leaf or sheet; this explains why this particular dough is called phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is a very thin sheet of dough usually used by piling a few sheets of dough with melted butter brushed in-between the layers of sheets. The alternate layers of butter and phyllo dough is what makes the baked pastry its distinctive thin flaky layers. Phyllo pastry is a popular pastry used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Making phyllo dough from scratch is quite intimidating for most people. In fact, most home cooks and bakers, even food establishments use store-bought phyllo dough. There is nothing wrong with that because to tell you frankly, rolling phyllo dough as thin as possible is an art that involves technique and plenty of time which makes store-bought phyllo dough a very convenient commodity.

I have, for a number of times, contemplated on making phyllo dough from scratch, but time and time again, I have pushed that idea aside. Too scared perhaps... Last month's Daring Bakers' Challenge was to make phyllo dough from scratch and utilize it to make the Greek and Turkish classic, baklava. When I read the challenge last month, I was so enthused to join, but for varies of reasons I wasn't able to participate.

shots of how I made my phyllo pastry money bag

Fortunately, I managed to find time in the kitchen again, so my baking cap was on for phyllo dough project. I scrapped the idea of making baklava with my phyllo dough because I am not really a fan of baklava, too sweet for my liking. So instead I decided to use my phyllo dough to make parcels or what I would like to call money bags! What's in the money bag? I thought long and hard for my filling of choice, and ended up with a simple pastry cream because I think the phyllo dough is yummy enough already that it doesn't need a complex filling to be devoured. Although to give my pastry cream a taste of Greece, I infused the pastry cream with a nice fragrance of orange blossom water.

My experience with the phyllo dough was pleasant. It was a bit tricky when I rolled out my first phyllo dough, but managed to get the hang of it. I'm not too sure though if I rolled it out thin enough because the end result didn't look like the phyllo pastry you would get if you used store-bought phyllo dough. The taste however is more superior to store-bought phyllo dough. So will I start making phyllo dough from scratch after this phyllo dough project? 50/50. Making the phyllo dough is time consuming, so using store-bought phyllo dough is really convenient. Maybe if I have a lot of time to spare, then I'll make it from scratch.

I shared my orange blossom filled phyllo pastry money bags with a couple of friends, and they absolutely loved it! I loved it too!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

What's New / What's Changed?

2011-07-02T21:57:00.002+09:00

I have been working hard lately trying to update and organize the recipes I have used for my blog. Hopefully you would have a more delightful experience reading through my blog.

What's New / What's Changed?

More recipes added on my recipe compilation blog http://recipepieces.blogspot.com/
All recipes found at RecipePieces are now labelled according to categories for ease of browsing (hopefully^^).
The "Recipes for Grabs" page of this blog is also now sorted out by categories; again for ease of browsing.
A search bar is now at place at both my blogs, RecipePieces and AmbitiousBubble, to hopefully help find the post you are looking for.
I have updated most of the posts here at AmbitiousBubble by adding "Components used for this dessert treat:" at the end of most posts to enchain the association of both my blogs, RecipePieces and AmbitiousBubble. It basically contains a list of links of dessert elements utilized on the specific post you are reading which is linked to the corresponding recipe at RecipePieces.

I hope these changes would make my blogs be more reader/user friendly... If you have any suggestions or comments to help improve my blogs, feel free to leave a comment. I would be glad to hear of what you think. :)

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Letting Go... Moving Forward...

2011-06-28T20:42:00.000+09:00

H and I are leaving Korea pretty soon, so I have been busy this past couple of weeks doing a little bit here and there in preparation for our big move. One of the things I have to do is find my baking soldiers a new home. It is certainly not easy to let go of the things you are used to working with, but life goes on. I will miss the baking things that I have invested here, but at the same time, I will be looking forward to start building a new army of baking utensils in my new kitchen.

Saying goodbye is not easy; people react differently towards farewells. Some people would make the most out of the time that's left and enjoy every minute, while some people would act tough and give a cold shoulder to what's about to come. I have had a fair share of goodbye experiences, and I can say I am one that would act tough, to the point that I look like I don't care. In a way, I try to hide away from reality, and let what's about to happen fade away with less fuss as possible. With that being said, I do have many desserts I want to bake, but because I know I'm going to leave soon and let go of my baking things, I don't feel like using my baking stuffs anymore. It's like I feel distant and disengaged from them. Procrastination has been my defense mechanism towards spending quality time with my baking things.

It's been a pleasure baking with you

I have yet to find new owners for my beloved baking soldiers, but hopefully I would find one soon that would have as much fun as I did with them. I feel like I'm in a Toy Story 3-esque movie with this drama... No joke though, I already went through all my baking things, and chosen which ones I would be bringing with me and which ones I'll be giving away. It was a difficult and emotional moment.. haha!

With goodbyes there are hellos; I will be visiting UK this coming July, and one thing I am really excited for is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I miss my Kitchen Aid so much, two years of not seeing and using it is extremely strenuous. There are tons of occasions where I reminisce about my mixer in the middle of whipping up something; most of the time is when I am making an Italian meringue wherein using a stand mixer would be a lot more convenient than a hand-held mixer. Mmm, can't wait to see my mixer!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Recipe Clutter

2011-06-19T09:59:00.000+09:00

Having a recipe with very descriptive and detailed instructions is not my thing when I’m actually in the process of baking (it confuses me). What I would normally do when I’m going to bake is read different recipes that are somehow related to what I want to make; then, I would get a sheet of paper and write down my own recipe. My recipes are not the most baker friendly recipe that exist because my recipes just normally consist of a list of ingredients with random brackets and lines plus a word or two. Thus, if you notice my recipes page is not the most updated; I have a bit of difficulty expressing my instructions into sentences that I think would be clear and understandable for readers. Forgive me if I have neglected my recipes page, but I swear I have intentions of giving my extension blog, recipepieces, a massive update. Massive… yes!

Since I have been writing my recipes on random sheets of papers (A4 papers, tissue papers, back of receipts, post it notes, last month’s calendar, etc.), I have managed to build up a pile of unsorted recipes. These recipes are starting to become such a clutter on my table, so I promised myself to sort them out by the end of this month – nicely compiled at my recipepieces blog. I always tell myself to be more productive and efficient with my recipe compilation; hopefully, this time around I would stick with my plan.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Mystery Fruit... Help!

2011-06-16T20:01:00.002+09:00

Ok, same story with the mulberries; I was on my way to yoga when I saw these lovely red fruits. I've never seen fresh red gooseberries or red currants before, so I assumed those fruits would most definitely be one of my guesses. I was wrong. The fruits I bought have pits, and it tasted very similar to grapes. In fact, if you have your eyes closed, you would think they were grapes.

Currants.. Gooseberries.. No? What are they?

Inside the Mystery Fruit

I took the fruits to my H's workplace to ask his colleagues what they were. Yes, my H has very helpful colleagues, but none of them could tell me what they were. The only answer they could give me was wild grapes. So did I buy a bag of wild grapes? I'm not so convinced. I've been also doing some research over the internet as well as books, but no answer. Can anyone tell me what these fruits are?

Update: Thank you to all my readers who were trying to help me figure out this mystery fruit. I got different responses as what this mystery fruit might be (red choke berry, goji berry, jujube, aratilis, dwarf burford holly, etc.), but in the end my Korean friend confirmed that this fruit is simply a Korean type cherry. Mystery solved!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Mulberry Project - Layers of Vanilla Mousse, Pastry Cream, Fresh Mulberries, Toasted Walnuts, Homemade Mulberry Jam and Banana Cake

2011-06-11T21:11:00.001+09:00

I was walking my way up to the yoga studio as I saw a street vendor selling what seemed to be blackberries. My heart was beating really fast, "OMG this is the inspiration I need - fresh lovely ingredients to work with!" I swiftly bought a bag from the vendor, and as I was paying I noticed that the berries were oblong shaped. "What the heck did I buy?" No way those were blackberries. I was already getting changed for my class, but I was so curious of what I bought, so I opened the bag and got a berry out to taste. One of my classmates saw me, and asked what was in the bag. I told her I have no clue. She peeked into the bag and said, "ah, 오디 (odi)!" Alright, I have a bag of odi on my hands, but still got no clue on what it was. I got my phone out; thank goodness for kor-eng dictionary, so that's when I figured I had a bag of mulberries.

Oh, forgive me for my ignorance, but I honestly didn't know a berry called mulberry existed. All along I thought Mulberry was just a made-up berry to name a British high end luxury brand like Burberry! haha! Umm, or is there a berry called burberry? Please enlighten me if there really is a burberry berry.

Mulberries

The mulberries tasted similar to grapes, a subtle version of grapes in my opinion. I was searching cyberspace to find what people normally do with mulberries. Disappointed with the information available, I just decided to follow my instinct with my mulberry project.

Berries are often times turned into tarts or jam. Grape jelly is perfect with peanut butter; PB&J with bananas are yummy. A simple cake sandwiched with jam goes a long way; it is also one of the key components of an English trifle. Am I making any sense? Probably not, but those are the things rambling in my mind when I was thinking of what dessert to make out of my mulberries. So with those mash of things in my mind, my mulberry project is a dessert carrying layers of vanilla mousse, pastry cream, fresh mulberries, toasted walnuts, homemade mulberry jam and banana cake.

How I assembled the cake using a loaf pan. Top left corner: Pastry cream layer embedded with mulberries and walnuts; top right corner: banana cake covered with mulberry jam; bottom left corner: last layer of banana cake; bottom right corner: the cake inverted out from the loaf pan (I used a torch to slightly warm up the pan to loosen up the mousse, so the cake would slide out easily).

The verdict: it's an ok dessert. Since the mulberry has a very subtle flavour, the two layers of banana cake were overpowering. I tried eating it with just one layer of banana cake, and it tasted better. Although I think a more lighter flavoured cake would work better, something like a lemon sponge cake would be a really nice alternative to the banana cake. Nevertheless, I'm happy with what I came up with.

Thanks to these mulberries, my chemistry with baking is back; it's sizzling and sparks are flying. Until my next baking affair!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Vanilla Mousse
Pastry Cream
Fresh Mulberries and Walnuts
Mulberry Jam
Banana Cake

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Baking Spirit... Lost?

2011-06-02T21:27:00.001+09:00

My urge to bake has been running dry lately... I don't know why I'm giving baking a cold shoulder. My mind is constantly reminding me to whip up some sweets, but there is a sheer dominance of sluggishness towards the idea. Where's my drive gone? I really wonder. I am going through food blogs, recipes, books, pictures, pretty much everything and anything with the mission of finding my baking spirit. I do want it back; I know it will come back.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Egg Tarts

2011-05-22T02:29:00.002+09:00

I'm going to meet up with my friend for lunch tomorrow, and she mentioned before that she had never eaten an egg tart. Egg tarts are one of the most simple yet irresistibly scrumptious dessert/snack out there, so for her not to have tasted one... Hence I've decided to surprise her with some!

I wanted to make Portuguese egg tarts for her, but I couldn't get my hands on frozen puff pastry here and I didn't really have time to make puff pastry from scratch. So to make my tarts as close to Portuguese egg tarts, I used pate brisee, which gave my tarts the flaky and buttery feel. As for the filling, I'm really really delighted by it! I managed to get the silky creamy custard feel of a Portuguese egg tart.

I know I made these tarts for my friend, but I had to have a bite to make sure it's of good quality!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Fondant Cake - Spiced Apple Cake with Maple Buttercream Filling and Toasted Walnuts

2011-05-18T00:15:00.001+09:00

I always enjoy making fondant cakes; it challenges my artistic side, assuming I have that gift... This fondant cake though is extra special as it's my birthday cake! I was quick to decide what flavour profile I wanted for my cake, but it took me quite some time to design my cake. I wanted a cake that reflects my personality. So after many sketches, I ended up with this beauty.

My birthday cake is a sassy topsy turvy cake that has an elegant black cornelli lace made of royal icing gliding up and down the lusciously red bottom and top tier. The center tier is then whirled with bold yet classic stripes of two shades of purple, black and white. The finishing touch to my cake is a pair of very simple black peep-toe sandals made out of gum paste. Isn't it just so me?

Oh, a little detail on my shoes, something I'm not concealing... My age!

As for the cake itself, I made an apple cake that was spiced up with cinnamon and ginger. The apple cake was then filled with maple buttercream and toasted walnuts. I was a little worried that the cake would come out too sweet, but I'm glad I went on with my instinct to just go ahead and make the cake because the sweetness of the cake turned out just right. The flavour of the apple, maple and walnuts merrily complimented each other.

My cake was the 'icing on the cake' for my already fantabulous escargot-filled birthday celebration!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Kit Kat Cake

2011-05-14T13:01:00.001+09:00

I told my H about the Maltesers cake I made for my sister N’s birthday, and he was salivating over the cake as I was describing it to him. He wanted me to make him the same cake, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to buy Maltesers while I was in Manila. You see, Maltesers chocolates are not easily available here in Korea. Instead, I bargained and sold him the idea of a Kit Kat cake.

The components of this Kit Kat cake were similar to the Maltesers cake – mousse and brownies. Although for the Kit Kat cake, I made chocolate mousse instead of malt chocolate mousse and vanilla crème chantilly in place of the ganache that was used for the Maltesers cake. All went according to my plan and vision; I wanted clean layers of the Kit Kat base and brownies sandwiched with chocolate mousse; the combination of vanilla crème chantilly, chocolate mousse, brownies and Kit Kat was indeed a very scrumptious delight. There was however some room for improvement for this dessert. Getting a bite through the cream, mousse and brownies were heavenly, but when it came to the Kit Kat base, the cutlery had a difficulty slicing through. So even though the flavour profile was good, I conclude this Kit Kat cake is still under product development!

Next post would be about my birthday cake. I’m currently in the process of hopefully creating a work of art... Wish me luck! So until then…

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Hibernation Over

2011-05-02T22:45:00.001+09:00

Three months of idleness... I feel bad for abandoning my blog for so long, and I've missed three Daring Bakers' Challenges. I have good reasons though; I went back to Philippines, but not for a holiday. Majority of the time I was on duty at the hospital taking care of my dad. No worries though, my papa is doing well now! Ugh, but those precious months taught me so much. If you were to ask people close to me, they'll tell you how ~~low~~ nil my medical knowledge was. After this whole medical episode of my life, I may well be a doctor. Kidding!

Despite having such crazy 'toxic' schedules, I did manage to squeeze in some treats.

First treat: I bought this ready mix here in Korea, but my H doesn't like cinnamon, so I took it to Manila as I know my family would love it. It's called hoddeok (호 떡); hoddeok is a popular street food snack here in Korea. It's a sweet pancake made of sweet yeast dough that is stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and nuts (usually peanuts) that are then flattened while it is being pan-fried. This is one of my favourite food here in Korea; I'm glad I was able to share this with my family. Next time, I'll try making hoddeok from scratch!

Next, I made red velvet cake. My sister J had been bugging me for a red velvet cake for a long time, so I gave in. Given the limited time, I was thinking of a cake design that would be easy to assemble and fuss free. Then I remembered Donna Hay's 'Four Tier Chocolate Layer Cake'; it's as simple as it gets - four layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Very simple cake design, but absolutely seductive. Easy? Not! There's no further explaining to do; simply look at my cake! Hot mess... Note to self: never underestimate.

Then it was my sister J's birthday. She absolutely adores rose flavour, so I planned to make her some Marie Antoinette worthy rose macarons. I don't know why I thought I would be able to pull this off considering my macaron history... Alas, my zillionth attempt was... surprise surprise, a bust! Although, the last shell that I piped came out perfect! Thus, I got a shot focusing on it... Yes, I'm lame! Oh, it's not actually a complete fail because the taste was impeccable; it was, in the end, still a wonderful birthday treat.

Lastly, another birthday treat; this time, for my sister N. She had a special request for her cake that I took as a challenge. She wanted Maltesers cake. I've been looking for inspirations over the internet for the cake; unfortunately, most of the cakes are simply chocolate cakes then decorated with Maltesers. I wanted something that would highlight Maltesers, so I came out with my own. The cake I came out with was a dome shaped chocolate malt mousse with Maltesers disc center and brownie base that is covered with chocolate ganache then garnished with a swirl of Maltesers. I was really happy with how everything turned out, but more importantly, the birthday girl absolutely loved her cake!

It was so nice to be able to bake a little while I was back home. Now, since my medical mission has finished, I will resume baking and blogging. I already have a couple of things in mind that I want to make. Plus this month is my birth month, so expect a fondant cake. Glad to be back.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Egg Pie

2011-02-07T21:50:00.001+09:00

My grandfather loves anything that's custard or flan base like Portuguese egg tart, leche flan and creme caramel. So for this year's Chinese New Year, I made an egg pie for him. This egg pie is a favourite Filipino dessert/snack. The filling is made with eggs, condensed milk and evaporated milk, which makes a very rich and creamy pie. It's so easy to make, yet so delicious.

My grandfather was very happy when I told him I made one for him. He gave me two thumbs up without even tasting it. He was even happier after having a slice. Homemade is definitely better than store-bought.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Rose Cupcakes with Light Raspberry Cream and Raspberry Jam Filling

2011-02-07T20:37:00.001+09:00

I've been longing to bake rose flavoured desserts for the longest time, but I couldn't find anyplace in Korea that sells rosewater. So when I was in Australia, a bottle of rosewater was at the top of my to buy list. It was around 2005 when I started to hear about baking with rose flavour. I was really hesitant in trying or tasting it at first because the thought of flowery food doesn't appeal to me at all. I eventually had my first glimpse of how beautiful rose flavour tasted like around 2006; it was during a buffet dinner with my family, and part of their dessert spread was a rose flavoured ice cream. I really contemplated long and hard if I would have a taste or not. Alas I did, and I was surprised on how good rose actually tasted like. So that was that.

2009 was when I officially had my love affair with rose. It was my sister J who was behind it all; she was raving about Laduree's Ispahan so much that she even bought me one as a surprise for me to indulge. My oh my, she was right! It completely blew me away. Pierre Herme's such a genius for creating a perfect harmony between rose, raspberry and lychee.

"So why rose cupcakes as the first rose dessert project?", you might wonder. Well it's simple. When I was in Australia, my Aunt R's neighbour J lent me her Planet Cake Cupcakes book by Paris Cutler, and that book inspired me enormously. There was a design in the book that I absolutely adore; it was the babies in animal suits design. I was so amused by the design that I swiftly decided to make them as soon as I got the chance. So I hit two birds with one stone... Bake with rosewater: done! Make the cute babies in animal suits: done!

Babies in Animal Suits from Planet Cake Cupcakes by Paris Cutler

It took me a day and a half to finish this project. Why? Number one, because I had to alternately do household duties and baking. Number two, I only have primary coloured food colouring. It was hard work mixing colours and getting to the right shade. Good thing my sister J was there to help me with the colour development stage! I also decided to cover the entire cupcake with fondant instead of just covering the top, which wasn't a good idea. It was too much of a fondant for a cup-sized cake. Note to self: follow what the book says! Everyone at home found the babies too cute to eat, so I got a knife and sliced each baby in half. I know it sounds brutal, but there's a lovely blush of cake that's waiting to be admired too!

I also decided to make my own design for the rose cupcakes. I wanted something that is more 'rose related'. With much thinking, I ended up going for bugs theme. It's not as adorable as the babies, but it's my own design, so I'm absolutely delighted by them too.

This project required a lot of manual labour, but was all well worth it. It made everyone at home giddy by just looking at the cuteness that was all over the cupcakes. At the same time, everyone merrily tucked in into the scrumptious rose cupcakes.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Orange Poppy Seed Pound Cake

2011-02-03T23:37:00.001+09:00

I needed to bring something for a small family event, but I just had a short notice for it. Plus, I had some errands to accomplish. So I wanted a treat that was quick and simple to make. There was a bountiful supply of oranges at our home, and that brought me back to memory lane where I used to sell orange pound cakes ancient Christmases ago... So I decided, orange pound cake it is! I also bought some poppy seeds from my trip in Australia, so I decided to incorporate those tiny dots into my pound cake.

I wish I discovered how poppy seeds can add magic to a simple cake earlier. Not only did the poppy seeds add prettiness to the cake, it definitely infused a very fragrant taste into the orange pound cake. I loved the light crunch it contributed to the cake as well.

My family definitely indulged in this simple treat. It's a lovely feeling baking for them; I almost forgot what it's like. I love that I have more people to share my baking with, and I like that I got my family to give me straightforward feedbacks (compliments/criticisms). So while I'm here in Manila, my family will be my food critics!

Component used for this dessert:

Orange Pound Cake

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Daring Bakers' Challenge - January 2011: Biscuit Joconde Imprime/Entrement

2011-01-27T00:00:00.037+09:00

The Daring Bakers' Challenge started with a bang this 2011! Our host gave us a challenge that I couldn't resist making. It's a type of dessert that I love creating. When done with planning, patience and practice it's an elegant masterpiece - entrement!

Blog-checking lines: The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

Entrement is a composed French dessert consisting of different components from dacquoise to mousse to creme brulee, anything you can think of, all put together in one showpiece work of art. For this challenge, one of the components we need to put on our entrement is a patterned joconde used as a lining. Joconde is a sponge cake that is made with almond powder, flour, eggs and powdered sugar. Patterns such as stripes can also be added to the joconde sponge by using a joconde decor paste. The decor paste has a very thick consistency, so it is really manageable to make all the patterns you can think of.

I've always wondered how pastry shops make lovely designs on their sponges especially those sleek stripes and perfect swirls. In the past, I've attempted to make my own sponge design by marbling different colored sponge cake batter; it worked out really nice, but my curiosity on how to make perfect lines still remained. Alas, this month's challenge came; answer to my long time mystery solved!

For my entrement, I made an Orange Cognac Mousse Joconde Cake with Dark Chocolate Mousse and Hazelnut Meringue Disc Center. I was so happy with how everything came out. The sketch I made translated to the finished cake. The only thing I wish is for a better pattern, but since I really didn't have much time to execute this challenge, I had to make use of what I have at home/body (I used my fingers to create my pattern). As a whole I love my cake; looking at my finished cake makes me so giddy! The taste of the whole cake was fabulous too; all the flavour components blended well perfectly. I mean what's wrong with an orange chocolate combo, plus the addition of cognac and hazelnut? The cognac and hazelnuts really heightened the whole cake's flavour profile. For me, the aesthetic of the cake looks close enough to be displayed in a pastry case in Paris. Pardon me if I'm self-complimenting, but I never thought I would have made a cake like this ever in my life.

I can't wait as to what's in store for the February challenge!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: Australia

2011-01-21T14:54:00.001+09:00

Way long overdue post... I've been quite busy sorting out random things since I came back from Australia, so I finally found some time to squeeze in my 'travel food' post. My trip to Australia was alright; I mean all the activities I've done were amazing and worth cherishing, but due to an unexpected twist of fate, I spent most of the trip visiting my dearest P at the hospital. I won't go into details anymore... So where am I? Ah yes, 'travel food' post!

Australia has an amazing food culture. I was simply blown away with the diversity of cuisines available. Their groceries have a wide range of produce, meat, dairy and other ingredients. It was certainly inspiring; it makes a person want to cook and love food. Their ingredients are of good quality; their carrots are so sweet, and their potatoes are packed with flavour. I really had an overwhelming food cultural experience.

As I was sorting out my photos, I realized I have taken loads of food photos. So I've decided to just pick some of my food encounters to share with you guys. Warning: some might mean a lot! Shall we start?

Xiao Long Bao from our stopover at Shanghai

Fish and Chips

Chinese food chugged down with some iced milk tea! Yum!!

Noche Buena... Small feast on Christmas Eve: homemade ham, potato au gratin, buttered carrots, duck liver pate, cheese platter, and some wines and bubbly. This feast was prepared by my sister C, oh carrots by my sister Z!

Tiramisu made by my sister J for Noche Buena. Super yummy!

Wasabi peas

Christmas feast begins! Seafood and salads... I love salads!

My aunt R's homemade ham

Roast pork

Desserts: croquembouche, gingerbread house, bombe Alaska and orange chocolate cake (not in picture).

Cousin L's eggnog!! Delish! I drank quite a few... Sigh... such a lovely Christmas feast!

Gorgeous chocolates given by S

Donar kebab - couldn't resist this junkie goodness.

Baklava

Wine tasting and wine tour at Hunter Valley.

Indian for dinner; tikka here korma there, my belly was so satisfied!

Corned beef - not processed, taste so much better!

Kangaroo! Surprisingly good; it has a gamey taste, which I love.

White, milk and dark chocolate dips for churros.

Churros in the making... interesting contraption.

Yum yum churros

Pies, pies and more pies! Oh, and don't forget the sausage rolls!

Peppercorn steak pie... mmmm...

Pumpkin tortellini

Chicken and Chips. To be honest, I just ordered this kiddie meal because I wanted the tweety cup! Yes, I am a tweety fan.

Corndog

Pineapple float

Aunt R's kiam peng rice. She was so thoughtful cooking food for my family while we were at the hospital. Thank you!

Cousin L's lamb moussaka. Absolutely delicious, couldn't stop eating it! Thanks L!

Lamb sausages (my favourite sausages next to bratwurst) served with caramelized onions and salad.

Butterscotch madeleines that L and I baked for a very nice lady at the hospital.

Hot Dog de Wheels from Harry's Cafe de Wheels - Continental Frankfurt, on soft bread roll with mushy peas, chilli con carne, garlic onions, chilli and cheese sauce. The best hotdog I ever had!

Tiger from Harry's Cafe de Wheels - mash, mushy peas and gravy on top of a pie! oooo....

Ricotta cheese pancake with fresh strawberries

Deep fried prawns

Pad Thai

Thai duck curry

Ribs from Hurricane's Grill & Bar

First salad that I made that's actually good - hake and prawn with avocado, dill and lemon vol au vent salad.

Crocodile burrito; the croc looked like chicken and had a texture of overcooked fish. Nothing really special I'd say.

Seared yellow fin tuna served with pineapple rice. Not that good; I'm still on the hunt for my perfect pepper crusted seared yellow fin tuna.

That's one hot hot hot chili sauce.

German pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and mash.

Assorted German sausages

Swiss schnitzel

Sukiyaki

Pork cutlet ramen

The last food photo: my very own blanquette de veau served with buttered dill carrots. I rarely excel on cooking, so when I do, I'm proudly happy!

Whew... done! I would love to go back to Australia to eat more food! I love how there are different cuisines in one country. I'm definitely head over heels with the Australian food culture!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Daring Bakers' Challenge - December 2010: Stollen

2010-12-27T00:00:00.001+09:00

Christmas has just gone by, but I still have one Christmas-y thing to do - post my DB Christmas challenge.

I only used a quarter of the recipe given by our host, then made two small Stollens.

Blog-checking lines: The 2010 December Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie's Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers' to make Stollen. She adapted a friend's family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart's book.........and Martha Stewart's demonstration.

Stollen shaped like a wreath using kitchen scissors to form the segments as written in the challenge recipe.

Stollen is a German Christmas bread that contains dried fruits, citrus peels, nuts, and sometimes marzipan, and heavily dusted with powdered sugar. It is similar to fruit cake except it's a fruit bread. This was my first encounter with the Christmas Stollen, so I was really happy I was able to participate this month's challenge despite the busy season. Once I got my dough done, that's when I got excited for the Stollen. The aroma alone of the dough makes you want to eat it. Unfortunately, I had to be patient proofing the dough; all the waiting was definitely worth it.

My version of making a wreath shaped Stollen; I made tiny balls then arranged them alongside each other to form a circle.

I quickly took a bite as soon as I finished snapping some photos. Honestly, I wasn't so impressed at first bite, so I thought maybe if I left it to cool down then eat it the next day instead. Alas, my hunch was right. Stollen is one of those desserts better eaten when it has time to cool down. It goes so well with a hot cup of coffee. It does have a similar taste with fruit cake, but in a bread-like texture.

A photo of the inside of my Stollen; I don't think the yeast worked it's magic as it should have been fluffier.

On a different note, I'm still on my Christmas / New Year getaway in the 'land down under'. I'm really having a blast here with my family. I have many things to share with you guys, so I will definitely be blogging about my trip once I get back.

So how did you spend your Christmas? I hope you all had a very merry one!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Mum-in-Law's Fruitcake

2010-12-20T00:15:00.001+09:00

My H has been yearning for his mum's fruitcake this Christmas. I offered to make him my version of fruitcake, but he wants his mum's. So what else can I do, but ask my mum-in-law for the recipe.

When I got the recipe, I became excited to make it. Why? Mainly because it doesn't use butter; all the fruitcake recipes I encountered in the past so far has a butter cake base. Another reason is her recipe uses tea to soak the dried fruits. A completely different and new fruitcake recipe I was really looking forward to make.

Result: success! My H was so glad to have his mum's fruitcake again. Sometimes with food, regardless of how a dish was made or what kinds of ingredients or techniques were used, it's what you are used to from your childhood that would always do the trick.

The fruitcake was quite addictive I must say. The texture has a bit of a soft bite and is a little chewy. The cake has a distinct taste of nutmeg, and the fruits didn't overpower the flavour of the entire cake. As for using the tea for soaking, well I didn't really taste the tea on the actual cake, but I guess it contributed to the taste of the finished cake. I'm not a fan of fruitcakes at all, in fact I was once anti-fruitcake, but this is one that I can actually enjoy eating. So far, with all the fruitcakes I have tried in my existence, this is probably just the fourth one I liked. I'm really happy to have inherited my mum-in-law's fruitcake recipe.

Speaking of family, I will be spending my holidays in sunny Australia with my family. I'm really excited to see them, and I'm also thrilled to be experiencing Australian and Modern Australian cuisine!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Almond Biscotti

2010-12-16T19:18:00.000+09:00

I love sharing what I bake with people. So whenever there is a special occasion like Christmas, I definitely have the urge to make special treats to give away. This year I decided to make almond biscotti (recipe from Joy of Baking). Biscotti, which means twice baked, are classic Italian cookies that are dry and crunchy in texture, perfect to accompany a nice cup of coffee.

I gave these lovely cookies to my H's colleagues, and they were really delighted. There's nothing better than spending the Christmas season through sharing and giving!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Follow Me on Twitter

2010-12-09T15:42:00.000+09:00

So I've decided to enter the world of twitter... I wanted to have a more casual extension of my blog; at times I often have spur-of-the-moment food related thoughts or encounters that I wouldn't necessarily blog about, so twitter is my outlet for those tidbits.

So to my dearest readers, follow me on twitter - http://twitter.com/ambitiousbubble. See you there, tweet tweet tweet!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Spirit of Christmas

2010-12-07T21:48:00.000+09:00

The sound of Christmas songs, bald trees encrusted with dazzling lights at night, shops packed with people buying Christmas presents, Christmas themed shop windows... it's this time of the year again!

What is it that makes you feel the festivities? For me, there's five things: Christmas gifts shopping, setting up the Christmas tree, Christmas songs, Noche Buena (Christmas Eve feast) and baking something Christmasy. Last Christmas season, I made my first gingerbread house, and I also made some gingerbread bells to give away to my H's colleagues. I can't believe that was already a year ago!

I'm done with my Christmas shopping, our Christmas tree has been set up and definitely been listening to Christmas songs. So there's two more things on my list to make my Christmas complete!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Louis Vuitton City Guide

2010-12-03T00:54:00.000+09:00

Do you use travel guides when you visit a new city? Why not travel in style with the Louis Vuitton City Guide? LV has been publishing their own city guides since 1999. Their city guides covers numerous cities from Mumbai to New York to Tokyo to Thessaloniki; there are bountiful cities to explore with LV.

photo from Louis Vuitton website

I've been reading reviews about the Louis Vuitton City Guides, and so far all write-ups were fabulous! What got me sold for the LV City Guides is this mouth-watering clip:

English Version

French Version

"Je ne comprends pas le français, mais j'aime écouter c'est beau son!" (google translate) I don't understand French, but I love listening to it's beautiful sound!

Yes, Paris! I have loads of dream destinations, but Paris is at the top of my list. Not only is it very rich in culture, but oh... the pastries! I could spend all day nibbling in patisserie after patisserie, heaven!

photo from Louis Vuitton website

Though I have no plans on visiting Paris YET in the near future, I think I would be investing on a Louis Vuitton City Guide Paris 2011 edition. No harm in doing some advance research!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Daring Bakers' Challenge - November 2010: Crostata

2010-11-27T00:23:00.000+09:00

A little update before blogging about my DB challenge: My left hand is still recovering from the burn; it means my hand is still bandaged although not as bad as the picture in my previous post. I now have four of my fingers out of the bandage, and the bandage just goes up to my wrist instead of my arm. I still can't use my left hand normally though because my thumb is positioned in a certain way by the bandage therefore not allowing it to move. Good news is the doctor is happy with the progress of my burn, so pretty soon, I shall be back in the kitchen baking more sweets!

In the meantime, I had my H acting as my sous chef for this challenge. At first I decided to miss out on this month's challenge, but the thought of pastry cream tart alone made me salivate, so I kept on pondering how I could make it happen. Good thing my H volunteered to be my second hand, although I did have some hesitations because my H and I don't work so well in the kitchen arena. His quirks and my quirks don't mesh well in cooking/baking. I'm quite strict, focused and theoretical, while he's more easygoing and experimental. Anyway, despite all that, we gave it a go; everything worked perfectly. He was a good support; he wanted me to make most of this challenge myself, so he was just quietly watching me bake and assist on things he knows I cannot do with one hand i.e. slicing the butter into cubes, scraping the dough that has been stuck on my hand and putting in/taking out the crostata from the oven... oh, and the dishes!

Blog-checking lines: The 2010 November Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers' to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

Crostata is basically an Italian version of a tart, but what makes it a crostata is the use of a specific sweet pastry called pasta frolla. I've become loyal with Martha Stewart's pate brisee recipe when I'm making any sorts of pies and tarts, so to try a new kind of pastry is refreshing. I have to admit that I do kind of like the pasta frolla better than pate brisee. Just a simple reminder for me to not get stuck in my own ways; always try to explore new possibilities of using something else other than what I'm used to, so I have much to thank for from this challenge.

I've thought long and hard as to what filling I should make for my crostata. In the end, the most simple choice warmed my appetite - pastry cream filling; in Italy, this specific crostata is called crostata con la crema. The pasta frolla recipe that our host, Simona, gave us had lemon zest incorporated in the dough, but I decided to use the kiss of orange zest instead. As for my pastry cream, a very classic vanilla pastry cream. So could you just imagine an orange tang of crust topped off with a flow of incredibly creamy vanilla pastry cream? I say that's utter deliciousness!

Oh, I got some leftover pasta frolla dough as well as vanilla pastry cream, so I decided to make it into an empanada. Empanada is a semicircle pie with either savoury or sweet stuffing, which is popular in Spain and Portugal, as well as countries that has been colonized by both countries i.e. Philippines and most Latin countries. Anyway, my empanada was not stuffed but rather filled with vanilla pastry cream; an absolute treat.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Baking on Hold

2010-11-12T22:11:00.000+09:00

Accidents do happen. Unfortunately second time around for my poor left hand... First time, burnt by a fireball that exploded from my gas oven; this time, hot wax got splattered around the skin between my thumb and index finger.

The bandage the hospital wrapped on me makes my burn look so tragic (it's not as bad as it looks), but I guess it would help give a speedy recovery. Until then, I have to pause my baking sessions... :(

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Banana-Coconut Centered Chocolate Mousse

2010-11-11T20:26:00.001+09:00

I've been meaning to make this cake for the longest time; finally, I've got around doing it. I encountered this concoction from a chef who once worked at one of my favourite patisseries back home. Unfortunately, I managed to loose the copy of the recipe, so I had to search hard on memory lane as to what components are in the cake and give my own take on this creation. I'm not sure if I got everything on my cake, but regardless, the cake was fantastic!

The cake is composed of layers of dacquoise, coconut jelly, caramelized bananas and milk chocolate mousse; it is then coated with a nice blanket of white chocolate ganache, then decorated with chocolate panels and chocolate curls. Yes, it seems like it has so much flavours going on, but it does come together nicely. Imagine a chocolate banana smoothie on a cake, but a lot lot better!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,
Charlotte

Mango Mousse Cake

2010-11-04T23:49:00.003+09:00

Ok, so I have been carried away lately with fondant cakes, but I'm back to my, sort of, comfort zone. I was, at first, thinking of making some kind of chocolate banana mousse concoction dessert; however, as I was about to purchase the bananas I saw a glowing yellow bargain... mangoes! Mangoes here in Korea are really pricey, like around $3.50 for two pieces, and being a cheapskate, I'm not willing to pay for it. So when I saw the lovely offer on the reduced rack of the fruit section... I thought, "I've got to have it" - $1 for two pieces, a tad over riped, but perfectly sweet for the dessert I had in mind!

This is what I have come up with - mango mousse cake. So it's a basic mango mousse that is semi-encased with sponge cake. I had a little fun with the sponge cake by marbling some fun tropical colors that still screams 'mango' into it. For a simple finish, I just made a small flower out of sliced mangoes.

This mousse cake is really really light and refreshing; absolutely perfect to finish off a filling meal. There are two main components for this cake: the sponge cake and the mango mousse.

First, the sponge cake.

Make a >Basic Sponge Cake Recipe<, then divide the batter into the amount of different colors you want in your cake then add food coloring in the respective batters. So in my case, three - pink, orange and yellow; note that I have more yellow than pink and orange because I wanted yellow to be the dominant color in the marbled sponge.
I poured the pink, orange and yellow sponge cake batter on a stripe vertical pattern on a lined square pan. Then, I used my spatula to swirl around the batter to create the marbling effect.
After baking, you would notice that the top of the sponge turns into golden brown, but don't worry. Simply use your fingers and gently rub it off, then you will see the lovely marble pattern you have created.
Slice four strips from the sponge cake, this would be used to ring around the inside of your mold. Make sure to measure how thick you want your strips to be. I had mine measured two-thirds of the height of my mold. Place the sponge strips inside each mold.
Cut out circles from the remaining sponge cake to serve as base of your cake. I used the sponge-lined mold to use as a guide for the size of my circle base.
Now you have your sponge case ready to be filled with mousse. Cover the molds with cling, and put them in the fridge while you make your mousse.

I used to think making mousse is the most complicated thing ever, because when you read recipes of it, it's usually very long. As I make mousse desserts more often, it occurred to me that it's actually quite simple. Like there would be different ratios or mix of ingredients in different recipes as well as different procedures, but when you come down to it, it has almost like a 'generic' way of making a mousse. You just need a lot of mise en place (having all the ingredients needed prepared and set in place) to do.

I have made a mini documentary of how I made my mango mousse, and hopefully I can translate to you how I perceive making a mousse. For me, mousse is a four part dessert: part 1 - whip yolks and sugar, part 2 - add the flavour of your choice and gelatin (if your using), part 3 - fold in the whipped egg whites and part 4 - fold in the whipped cream; et voila! It is simple when you look at it that way right?

Anyway, here's a more detailed guide. For this mango mousse, I opted not to use gelatin.

Mise en place. In picture number 1 there are four bowls, clockwise from top bowl, 2 egg yolks with 34 g sugar, 2 egg whites with 15 g of sugar, 150 g mango puree and 90 ml whipping cream. Now you're ready to whip and fold, whip and fold, whip and fold!
Place everything aside on room temperature except for the cream, put that in the fridge. Get the bowl with the egg yolks and sugar, and place it on top of simmering water. Whip until thick and light in color (ribbon stage).
Mix in the mango puree. If you're using gelatin, this is the part where you add it in as well. Remove from simmering water. Set aside.
Whip the cream, and return it back to the fridge. The reason why I whip the cream before the egg whites is because egg whites deflate faster, so I want to whip the whites as close as possible to when I will use it.
Stir the egg whites with sugar on top of simmering water until the egg whites are warm to touch. Remove from simmering water.
Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Fold a third of the egg whites into the egg yolk-mango puree mixture. The purpose of this step is to lighten the yolk mixture to give it a closer consistency to the rest of the egg whites.
Fold in the rest of the egg whites. Notice I use a whisk to fold, this is just my preference; I find that it incorporates mixtures faster than using spatula.
Fold in the whipped whipping cream.
Voila, mousse is ready!

Now that the mousse has been made, it's now time to fill the sponge cakes.

Clockwise from top left picture:

Fill the sponge-lined molds with the mango mousse; level the mousse to the top of the mold using an offset spatula to give a smooth finish. (Try to fill the molds neatly, don't be messy like me..) Cover in cling film, and let it chill overnight or until it's set.
Once it's set, Take of the cling film. One by one push the bottom of the cake gently to unmold. I used the help of my rolling pin to give a flat support in pushing up my cakes.
Voila, the cake can be served as it is or you may add finishing touches.

These dainty creations really made me happy. It looked good and definitely tasted good! I'm in bliss to have found those mangoes. I've never really yearned for mangoes even if it is a very common fruit from where I grew up, but I guess not having it readily available made me miss them.

I got some left over mousse, so I just filled them on a wine glass and topped it off with a flower made from the rest of the mango slices.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Daring Bakers' Challenge - October 2010: Doughnuts

2010-10-27T16:59:00.000+09:00

I have never been comfortable with making breads at all, and this month's DB challenge got me facing my fear. Our challenge this month - doughnuts! Yes, doughnuts are delicious; one of the best comfort foods ever, but I would rather buy from a shop than make it myself because I'm not confident in the arena of any yeast product.

However, there's a reason why I joined DB. It's to push my boundaries in baking, and face making pastries, desserts or bread that I wouldn't normally do. So here I am... baker!

Blog-checking lines: The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

Since our host provided four recipes to choose from, I've decided to choose Kate Neumann's bomboloni recipe. Bomboloni is a Tuscan version of filled doughnuts, except that the filling is piped on the top of the doughnuts instead of the sides, which we normally see with filled doughnuts.

I've psyched myself for this challenge; I wasn't anxious at all when I was making the dough for the bomboloni. I was also following the recipe down to a tee. I guess even if I was mentally ready to face the doughnut challenge, I was subconsciously nervous. Hence, it showed on my doughnuts. When I bake, I normally use my instinct to see if things are going smoothly, but in this case, I was so glued in with the recipe. I didnt' trust my judgement when I saw that my yeast might not have foamed up the way it should. I just continued following the recipe.

As a result, my doughnut was a flop. I was only able to make half of what the actual yield for the recipe should produce. My doughnuts came out really dense and heavy, but the taste was still good. So I decided to still continue filling and glazing my bombolonis.

So for my bomboloni, I dusted their top with powdered sugar, then filled them with pastry cream. For the glaze, I piped alternate circles of dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache. The taste of the final bomboloni was really really good! The only down side was how heavy the actual doughnut was. I guess practice makes perfect; I would definitely be making another batch at some point. This time, I'll trust myself when I think something is not right before it becomes too late.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Fondant Cake - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Filling

2010-10-20T16:34:00.003+09:00

I got a good news from my friend recently; she's going to tie the knot this December! Oh, I could see her eyes glow as she was telling me the news over coffee. I was so made up for her, so I decided to make a cake for her (she does love her sweets) to send my best wishes.

This cake is a 2 layered 5 inch chocolate butter cake with chocolate buttercream filling. For the chocolate cake itself, I made use of a third of my Lemon Cake recipe. Then to change it into chocolate cake, I substituted 28% of the amount of flour with cocoa powder, and scraped off all the lemon components in the recipe. As for the buttercream, I used a third of my Swiss Buttercream recipe, and simply added 30g of melted chocolate. You got to make sure though that the melted chocolate is not too hot that it could melt the buttercream, but at the same time not so cool that when added to the buttercream, it would just solidify into tiny clumps.

For the fondant, I used a third of my Marshmallow Fondant recipe. I actually picked out pink marshmallows for this one to give my fondant an instant light pink hue.

So another fondant project, another 'over the moon' amateur fondant cake decorator! I'm really getting so enthused with this; I'm even thinking of buying myself some playdough to practice molding!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisous bisou,

Charlotte

Skoda Fabia Advert - Humongous Car Cake!

2010-10-16T00:59:00.001+09:00

I just want to share this extremely amazing car advert. I think this could be my favourite advertisement of all time. When you're feeling sad... you simply tune in to this wonderful ad, and then you won't feel so bad! Enjoy! :)

Behind the scenes.

I hope that one day I could be part of a project like this!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Fondant Cake - Purple Yam Cake with Coconut Cream Filling

2010-10-07T19:54:00.004+09:00

So I went into the realms of the artistic side of baking again... My 'July fondant cake project' has completely overwhelmed me; the satisfaction of finishing a work of art was addictive. I have been constantly gushing over my fondant cake for the past two months... I know, I know, self-praising! But hey, people who know me knows I'm very critical of myself, so self-complimenting is a rarity. So I think I have a free pass on being self-absorbed occasionally! Anyway, I've moved on. I've created my new obsession, my teacup cake project!

I have always been fascinated with teacups, or tea sets for that matter. So I took that as an inspiration for my cake. At first, I was being ambitious, and I was thinking of making a floral porcelain like teacup cake. But after some reality check, I settled on a simple casual teacup design.

As for the inspiration of the cake itself, it came from my recent trip from the Philippines. One of my favourite cakes is ube cake (purple yam cake), so when I was back home, I purchased a bottle of purple yam flavouring. The filling, I chose coconut cream filling simply because coconut compliments purple yam really well.

Now for the baking side of this post, you'll need:

Three inch round purple yam cake; I used a third of the Lemon Cake recipe, and took out all the lemon related ingredients, then replaced it with about 1/2 tsp purple yam flavouring.
Coconut cream filling; I made pastry cream, but used coconut milk instead of milk.
Swiss buttercream.

For a quick run through on the cake assembly (Detailed version --> 'July fondant cake project'):

Put the filling in between layers of the cake. Make sure to pipe the perimeter of the cake with buttercream as a guide of the thickness of your filling, and as a protection to stop the filling oozing out of the cake.
Spread the filling, and make sure it's level with the buttercream guide.
Now you have your filled cakes. I suggest chilling the cake for at least 30 minutes to make the whole cake less delicate, but if you're saving time you can skip the chilling part.
Carve the cake to your desired shape; in my case teacup.
Coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream; this will help keep the crumbs intact (hence, crumb coating). Chill the cake until the buttercream doesn't smudge on your fingers when touched; maybe around 30 minutes.
Do the second coating of buttercream. This time thicker, and the purpose is to shape the cake as perfect as you can, so as to make a nice smooth silhouette once the fondant is draped over. Make sure to chill the cake until the buttercream is set before covering with fondant.

So cake is now done. Time to decorate! I used Marshmallow Fondant for decorating for two reasons. First, it's hard to find the ingredients to make a proper fondant here in Korea; second, I think marshmallow fondant has a nicer taste compared to a proper fondant. Decorating with fondant is almost like playing with playdough. Now I wasn't exactly good with sculpting playdough when I was a kid, so fondant cake decorating isn't exactly an easy task for me. However, I really like playing with fondant; just too bad I don't have many people to feed so I can't really attempt to make three tiers of cakes.

For now, I'm happy with making mini fondant projects. Plus, I have a long long way to go, and loads of improvement to do. I know my teacup cake is not the most polished art, but for an amateur starter, I'm happy with what I've created!

Now I have to consider if I'm going to do more fondant cakes in the near future, because if I am, I have to start thinking of investing on cake decorating tools. Trust me, I don't have any sorts of cake decorating tools in making this project as well as my first fondant cake project; I just made use of whatever I have in my tiny cozy kitchen.

Components used for this dessert treat:

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: Philippines

2010-10-02T18:39:00.000+09:00

Like most travelers, visiting famous landmarks is almost mandatory for me when exploring new places. Aside from that, I really associate food with travel. For me, food says a lot about a place's history and culture; there are reasons behind classic dishes as to why they are cured, pickled, shaped in a certain way or served in a certain way. It's not just about the taste; although taste is important to enjoy any feast! When I travel, I do make a little research of what traditional food there is or what food is a must try on the area I'll be in, and I make a little list of must eats! Food is definitely just as important as the beautiful sites, sceneries and activities there is when traveling. Plus, who doesn't like yummy authentic food!

Food, food, food...

I recently visited my homeland, Philippines, and one thing's definite - I've indulged myself with some good old Filipino food! For some reason, Filipino food hasn't been able to make it's name globally unlike Thai, Chinese, Japanese or Indian cuisine. But one thing's for sure, Filipino food is really really delicious; it's prone to get anyone to over eat. Philippine eating culture involves varieties of meat and vegetable dishes that we call ulam, and these could not be well complimented other than RICE... and lots of it!

Unfortunately, I'm not an avid shutterbug, so most of the time I've forgotten to take pictures of the food especially when I'm so engrossed in devouring the feast set before my eyes. Actually, I was just able to manage to take pictures on one occasion because I saw one of my friends do it first...

Crispy pata - deep fried pork leg usually served with vinegar, soy sauce, chili, and garlic dipping sauce; very similar to German pork knuckle

Chicharon Bulaklak - deep fried pork intestines

Bopis - pork lungs and heart (sometimes liver) sauteed in garlic, onions, chilies, and bell pepper then seasoned with vinegar

Bicol Express - spicy stew dish made with coconut milk, chilies and shrimp paste

Kare-kare - stew made with peanut sauce that may have oxtail, beef, tripe, large intestines and different vegetables; always served with shrimp paste

Sisig - pig's head and liver sauteed in garlic, onion and chili, then seasoned with vinegar

Turon served with ube ice cream - banana jack fruit spring rolls served with purple yam ice cream

Polvoron with pinipig - made with toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar and melted butter then flavoured with pinipig (immature rice that has been pounded to look like flakes); I brought this snack back to Korea intending to eat it sparingly... finished in 2 days!

Of course going back home won't be complete without paying homage to my Chinese roots by devouring a succulent Chinese feast (courtesy of my friend's wedding reception)! Lack of photos... blame my hungry tummy...

Suckling Pig and Assorted Cold Cuts; I spy century egg, yumm!

Steamed Garlic Prawns

Winter melon Stuffed with Scallops

Seafood Noodles

Steamed Garlic Crabs

Almond Jelly with Mango Puree

Lastly, disregarding authentic and traditional food, food is food, and I love delicious food. So for some miscellaneous food from different cuisines...

Sirloin steak grilled at our backyard; after eating this, I understood what it meant when they say the steak melts in your mouth!

Keftedes; was on a beach, and I was just craving for a nice Greek food to accompany the sea breeze

Oddly, there was a deli by the beach. And since I love my cheese and my H loves his cured meats, we gave in to a sandwich lunch. Prosciutto Gruyere cheese sandwich for me, and salami Milano Edam cheese

sandwich for my H.

Cocktails by the beach... what more can I say? Not exactly food, but food and drink does go together, yeah? Piña colada and margarita.

Coconut Seafood Pasta

Baked Ribs, sooo tender!

Pizza margherita - my absolute favourite pizza!

Well, enough of food blogging... it's making me so hungry! Good thing it's dinner time; perfect timing!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Scone

2010-10-02T12:53:00.000+09:00

My H has been persistently asking me to make scones like forever! So I have finally gave in. I made a plain scone though because I'm not so much a fan of scones with dried fruits.

Scone is quick bread of Scottish origin, but is now synonymous with the whole of Britain. It is usually eaten at breakfast or afternoon teas served with clotted cream and jam. The shapes of scones may vary from round, square, triangle or diamond. Originally, scones were made with oats and cooked on a griddle, but nowadays it's made with flour and baked in an oven.

For my scones, I used the recipe from joyofbaking. It came out really really good. I just used half of the recipe and I was able to produce four scones.

Now what is scone without clotted cream? I know finding clotted cream here in Korea is impossible, so I didn't even try looking for one. Instead, I decided to make my own. Although, I'm not sure of the quality of Korean creams, I still gave it a go. There's not much variety or shall I say no variety at all of creams in Korea, or at least in the city I live in. They only have whipping cream, and I pretty much use that cream whenever a recipe calls for any sorts of cream. This is when I do miss England where there are single cream, double cream, half and half and the list goes on. Anyway, my clotted cream didn't turn out the way it should have. The color was immensely pale and anemic, and the taste was so sweet. I ended up discarding the clotted cream, and had to settle for butter.

my uber pale and sweet clotted cream :(

Despite the mishap, my H and I really enjoyed our scones with a nice cup of tea. Just remember to eat the scones fresh out of the oven! If not, you can always throw the scones back in the oven for like 3 minutes to warm it up, and it would go back to it's soft yummy state!

my scone with 'clotted cream' and raspberry jam

scone from The Orangery at Kensington Palace with really silky scrumptious clotted cream and blackberry preserves; had this at my bridal afternoon tea last year

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Mooncake...Not!

2010-09-27T19:24:00.001+09:00

This is a delayed posting because I was on my holiday visiting family and friends in Philippines. I wanted to bake something for my family because I do miss having my family appreciating/criticizing my work! Baking in Korea is different; I only have my H to taste my baking. At first, I thought of making a fondant cake, but I have hesitations if it would travel well. Should I or shouldn't I go for fondant cake...?

Well, I didn't. Since Mooncake festival was coming up, why not make mooncake?! This is not your ordinary mooncake; it's an apple pie mini mooncake!

Mooncake festival also known as Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated every fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar in China, and basically all Chinese community around the globe. It is believed that this time of the year is when the moon shines at its brightess. Legend has it that in the thirteenth century, Chinese used mooncakes as a medium to hide messages to spread the plan of revolt against the Mongolian rulers. There's actually other legends behind the Mooncake festival, but I won't go into it anymore.

molded mooncakes before baking

my cookie stamp mold

Mooncakes are pastries that are as big as a human palm that is filled with sweet dense fillings. Traditional fillings are lotus seed paste with salted yolk on the center, sweet black bean paste, and mixture of pickled melon and nuts. There's also another version of mooncake, which is called snow-skin mooncake. This was created around the 1980's. The snow-skin mooncake has a soft outer cover that is made from glutinous rice. There are now loads of modern versions of mooncakes from durian filled to ice cream filled, basically more choices now to choose from especially in countries like Singapore and Indonesia.

Back to my version, I used pate brisee for my pastry and apple walnut cinnamon for the filling. I don't think the pastry was the right choice though, because it didn't hold the engraving from my cookie stamp. Yes, I used cookie stamp instead of a traditional mooncake mold. I was actually optimistic to find a wooden mooncake mold here in Korea because they have a similar dessert that uses a similar mold. Indeed I found a wooden mooncake mold, but the price made my heart drop! About $90 for a wooden mold! I wasn't prepared to pay that, so I improvised with a $10 cookie stamp instead, and I was lucky to find a stamp that has the Chinese character for lucky engraved on it. It actually worked really well, for my apple pie mini mooncake project!

filling and molding the mooncakes

I'm really happy how this project turned out. Next Mid-Autumn festival I'll try to use the traditional pastry for a mooncake, and try to hunt down a reasonable priced wooden mold!

Components used for this dessert treat:

Pate Brisee
Apple Walnut Cinnamon Filling

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte