Julie/Julia... FINALLY

Before i start on the subject matter, i just wanted to tell you readers a story of a strawberry tart which i made a couple of months ago. I think i have put off making tarts and pies for as long as i can and i finally plucked up the courage to try making one. As predicted, the mess created just trying to roll the dough at this humidity and heat was infuriating! Especially when i have an OCD for neatness and an unrealistic aim to get things right the 1st time... i cant help it!

Anyway, I tried rolling the dough in between parchment paper but couldn't get it into the pie pan in 1 unbroken piece so i was patching up holes and getting angrier by the minute. Finally, i popped it into the oven to blind bake it before pouring the delicious vanilla anglais which i made earlier into the tart shell, topping it off with red strawberries. I was SO PROUD of myself. I had to fight back temptation with every ounce of my being to chill the tart for about 2 hours in the chill chest. After 2 painful hours, i took the tart out with trembling hands, admired it for another 10 secs before slicing into it. Suddenly, i began seeing scenes from The Blob unfolding in front of my eyes... the custard became so runny, it could not support the strawberries after leaving the tart pan. It was sloshing all over the counter top and i had to scoop custard, crust and strawberry like mud from a swamp! SO ANGRY!!!! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?! I followed every stinking step didn't i?! Must be the freaking WEATHER!!! After this, i dumped the entire tart into the refrigerator and did not want to see it again. My mum threw it out a few days later, in the dead of the night, for fear i might accidentally see it again. So that's that... I'm pretty sure i'll try tart/pie making again but the wounds are still healing, perhaps in a decade or so.

Ok, back to the subject matter, Julie/Julia... i finally watched the movie and it has inspired me to try something similar but with baking instead so i am in the midst of deciding on a book and the challenge so watch this space!

My New Pets

I can't believe it's been more than a year since i last blogged! A lot has happened over the past year, some good, some bad but mostly it has given me a direction which i am ready to pursue and hopefully will come to fruition in the near future.

In any case, as the title suggests, I am here to introduce a very exciting project which i am embarking on and it has to do with new pets i've been growing, to be exact, millions of them! This project is definitely not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the factory-processed, generic and tasteless white sliced bread munching generation. I am attempting to make the king of all breads... the SOURDOUGH. It is a bread which has started and ended wars and one can clearly understand why with just a taste. But i must warn you, given its reputation, the process of creating it is by no means a simple task. Nurture, care and dedication must be shown and in return, the rewards are great and bountiful!

In the next few days, weeks, months and hopefully years, i will carefully document the process of growing a seed culture into a mother starter. I will also hopefully be able to have a mother starter that will continue to grow and refresh for many many years. This is the pride of all artisan bakers which i strive to become one day.

Ok enough of chatter, here goes a couple of pictures of the seed culture i've been cultivating for the past 2 days. I'm so excited, they are like my babies! I love all 2 million of these yeast-y smelling, bubbling & frothy bacteria. I can't wait for them to all grow up... sniff sniff. I'm proud of them already...

Strawberry Poke Cake & Chocolate Fudge Bundt

I know I was meant to publish my new menu for orders last month but due to unforeseen circumstances, this will need to be put on hold until i find another avenue to launch it officially so do bear with me for a little bit. Also, with the current economic situation, one has to be prudent with spending. Keeping up with baking each week is not a problem but to do this professionally and at the quality which i am comfortable with, cost is a big consideration.

Anyway, enough with the boring stuff, suffice to say, i am determined to make this work!

Ok, so what have i been up to for the last few weeks? Firstly, i finally spent the vouchers which my colleagues gave me for my birthday last year. I spent it on 3 baking books (surprise surprise) of which the 2 cakes which i have baked last week and this week have been taken from.

The Strawberry Poke Cake was a recipe originally found on the Jell'O boxes but has since become an American classic. The interior is 2 layers of vanilla sponge cake separated by a thick filling of strawberry puree, slathered with chill whipped cream, topped with slices of red, juicy strawberries and silver baubles for that bit of bling :-)

The next cake is a Chocolate Fudge Bundt. For those who have followed by posts, I did swear off baking another bundt cake but everyone deserves a 2nd chance. Learning from the previous mistake, i buttered and floured the bundt mold like there was no tomorrow, before pouring the chocolatey mixture in and it turned out PERFECT! Don't take my word for it, check out the pictures below.

I'm BACK!

It's been quite a while since I last posted anything on the site. The family home is being renovated for 3 months so baking has been kept at a minimum but good news, I am moving back in a couple of days and I'll be able to start with more delicious posts again.

Just an update on what has been happening on the baking front; I have decided that it is time I took concrete steps, albeit very tiny ones, towards my dream of owning my own bakery one day. Thus, the official 'The Vanille Bean' menu for home orders will be out within the month! I would say the menu is a list of comfort food packed with big flavours and wholesome ingredients. All are made to order and by hand, from scratch. so quality and freshness is assured.

Another big plan which I have will be revealed when the time is right. All the planets need to align on this one for it to come true :-)

Ok, enough said, check back the week after with pictures of the new kitchen and delicious bakes!

P.S. 'The Vanille Bean' menu will be posted on the website temporarily until I find out how to get an official site up and running.

No more bun(dt)s for now...

A couple of months ago, i went to my favourite place, Pantry Magic, at HV, with a sole purpose; to purchase a beautiful deep blue silicone bundt mold which i have had my eye on for the past year. The reason why i haven't bought it earlier is because of a previous attempt which left a deep gashing wound in my side. Ok ok i exaggerate but felt similar to that. 

Take a walk with me down memory lane to 2 years ago, i had an urge to bake a chiffon cake which is essentially a bundt cake except it is much lighter but still has its trademark hole in the middle. Anyway, i decided to make a lemon chiffon cake with a conventional chiffon tin. It was a total wipe out, catastrophic, thermonuclear FAILURE! Firstly, when i inverted the cake, the middle portion got stuck on the tube of the tin, thus causing only 3/4 of the cake to detach from the tin. One thing you need to know about me is that i am a perfectionist. I demand the look and the taste to be perfect. When this does not happen, i get extremely angry with myself, it doesn't matter if that was my first attempt. So, obviously at this point in time, this is not looking good. Fortunately, nobody was near me when this happened because i was emitting copious amount of 'steam' from my ears! Secondly, the glaze that i made to be drizzled over the cake was so sour, it ruined the entire cake!

Fast forward to the present, i finally decided to attempt to make a bundt cake, thinking that the same thing would not be repeated since it has been said NOTHING sticks to silicone. Fine, i thought, this is going to turn out great! I decided to bake a walnut and chocolate bundt cake, drizzled with a chocolate glaze. Sounds yummy doesn't it? I followed the recipe to a T. As i took the bundt mold out of the oven, due to the flexibility of the silicone mold, the cake started to look like it was going to split. I quickly place it on the table, hoping it would get structurally stronger when it cools down.

15 minutes later, placing a cooling rack over the bundt mold and inverting it, i carefully tried to get the cake out of the mold. I thought the entire cake came out fine since nothing sticks to silicone right?? WRONG!! 1/4 of the cake was stuck onto the mold thus ruining the entire shape of the cake!!

So, here i am, posting pictures of the beautiful blue silicone bundt mold instead of the bundt cake because it is absolutely too embarrassing to be seen. Please use your imagination when eating the bundt cake tomorrow and picture what it would have looked like perfect. I think i would retire my bundt mold till another time, when i feel strong enough again to attempt this. In the meantime, it will always be my Achilles heel.

Spinach, Feta & Dried Tomato Bread

You might be asking yourself why this week's bread looks exactly like the cheddar bread i baked 2 weeks ago. No, i did not bake it again this week although i am sure nobody will be complaining if i did :-) This week's bread has got lots more ingredients in it than just cheddar cheese.

I was actually doing some research online and found a recipe for spinach and feta bread. However, i wasn't too comfortable with recipe as it was a non-kneading recipe. Being a purist, i find the notion of not kneading bread rather offensive. However i did like the combination of feta and spinach so i kept these 2 main ingredients and formulated my own recipe. I had a couple of bottles of dried tomatoes knocking about in the refrigerator so i thought perhaps i'd include these as well (a special treat for those of you who have been asking me to bake my sun-dried tomato bread again). The result is a soft savoury bread jam-packed full with ingredients. I couldn't find the feta cheese anywhere tho... wonder where it went...

Cheddar Cheese Bread

Finally got down to making bread again, i know i have been slacking off for the past few weeks :-) This bread originally contained sesame seeds as well but i don't like sesame seeds so i excluded it. This cheddar cheese bread is different from the ones you can purchase outside because it comes in a loaf and there is a marbling effect in the bread so every bite you take would definitely have a bit of cheddar cheese in it! 

Cinnamon Crumb Surprise

Hi peeps, i'm finally back on blog after several weeks of rest. Actually, i baked quite a bit over the xmas holidays but unfortunately, the camera ran out of batteries so i did not get a chance to post any pictures.

Anyway, for those of you who got my 'Christmas Delights', which my darling Linz so wonderfully named it, below are the items which were in the box:

1. Peanut Butter Fudge

2. White Chocolate Raspberry Brittle

3. Butterball cookies

4. Lemon Candy

5. Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Below is a picture, courtesy of Linz as well!

For this week's bakes, i've made a Cinnamon Crumb Surprise. What's the surprise? It is tart Granny Smith apple slices in the middle of the loaf which nicely balances the sweet crumb at the top. Enjoy!

Potato Rosemary Bread

As promised, here are pictures for Potato Rosemary Bread. It is a pity you can't be in the kitchen now, the smell of freshly baked bread is just heavenly. I must say making this bread has been quite a long and tedious process. The taste i am sure will be worth all the effort. A point to self, the bread didn't quite rise as i expected it to, i must find out the reason why. On the bright side, you will have many more versions of my Potato Rosemary Bread in future!

Cookbooks Galore!

First and foremost, i would like to thank my dear colleagues for the wonderful present. You can be sure there will be more delicious bakes coming your way real soon! Also, my dear brother and friend who bought me a blow torch with a set of ramekins!! I am seeing caramel creme brulee, cheese souffles in the near future :)

Secondly, sorry for not being able to whip anything up last weekend. I almost died at the Standard Chart marathon and got meself a horrid, red, half baked burn on my shoulders and neck. For the benefit of those who don't know me, no, I DID NOT RUN in the marathon. I find the concept itself utterly ridiculous and insane. I was there doing something else just as torturous and we went without sleep for 30hours straight! I would probably not mind doing that if i were younger but at this age, it would take at least a week to recuperate and that is not even taking into account the damage to my skin!

So to make up for my week of silence, i will be dishing out 2 items from the oven. They are Potato Rosemary Bread and Rugelach. Rugelach is a cookie that is popular throughout central Europe, particularly in Russia and Austria. They look like mini croissants stuffed with pecan nuts and chocolate. This week's items will be a hit for both the savoury and sweet tooth.

Watch this spot for pictures tomorrow and Monday!

Chocolate Marble Bread aka Zebra Cake

This week's bake is especially easy to make but still very delicious and very moist. It is actually categorised as a quick bread. However, the texture is more of a cake rather than a bread. It is such a fundamental cake, any amateur baker should try it at least once. My grandmother has been baking these for years and every Chinese New Year, she would give each of her children's families a portion to bring home. We lovingly call it the Zebra Cake.

I also realised that my brother's colleagues are checking out my blog faithfully, thanks for your support too! In recognition of your appreciation of my homemade bakes, i will from today onwards apportion my weekly baked goods for you as well. I welcome all your comments even if i do not know you personally. I hope my baking has brought to you as much joy as it has for my colleagues and myself.

Cappuccino Chocolate Marshmallows

Finally, my first attempt in making marshmallows, not too bad i must say. The texture is light and airy, flavour is just right. What could be more perfect than to have a cup of hot chocolate and a few marshmallows dunked into it. Please send me your comments and suggestions of other marshmallow flavours i can attempt the next time round.

Also, my birthday is round the corner. I would like to request that we dispense with the 'surprise' (which includes the cake) and save the money from my cake (& prezzie?) to buy me a voucher from 25 Degrees Celsius (25 Keong Saik Road) so that i can purchase more baking books and bake more stuff for all of you!! YIPPEE!!! ok ok ok??

Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate crinkles are fudgy in the middle but crispy on the outside. I've included dark chocolate and white chocolate chips into the cookie as well for that extra chocolatey kick! Send me your comments tomorrow! Enjoy...

Sundried Tomato Bread

TA DAH!! Here's the 1st recipe of my blog and going by the popularity vote, i have baked the sundried tomato bread as my debut on this blog. Not to worry for the rest of you who voted the Chocolate Crinkles, i will be doing that next week!! Enjoy the pictures, i'm sure it'll be whetting some appetites before the grand appearance tomorrow!

This is before proofing the 2nd time. It's a pity i haven't been able to find the sundried tomato which i usually use. For some reason, it has been tremendously difficult to find it. 3 Cold Storages were visited and none has sundried tomato in olive oil! I had to settle for sundried tomatoes (literally shrivelled and dried) and rehydrated them in hot water for 15mins before i could use it. It really doesn't taste as good as the oil version.

After baking for 30mins, the above picture is fresh from the oven! You can almost smell it!

Lastly, I would like to thank my brother for generously 'donating' his camera for my unlimited use for all future bakes! YIPPEE!!

PS: I just had another slice and decided to put it in the toaster and slather with butter. It was divine!!

The Perfect Steak

I was watching my usual dose of culinary programs on TV tonight and i was struck by 2 very important lessons which were uncannily linked to each other.

Lesson 1
Certain foods are suitable for your blood type and certain foods aren't. Apparently, chicken is not good for my blood type (B) but red meat is! Which is great news because i love a good steak any time. It needs to be medium rare, cooked just right such that it is still a little bloody. You know what they say, medium rare is the ONLY way to eat a steak.

Lesson 2
I continued to watch a British culinary program on how to cook a perfect steak! Talk about coincidence! This program is excellent! I think the tips in the program are so important that it would be a sin if kept secret so i've decided to share it with you:

1. A good piece of beef has to come from the best cattle (duh!) but apparently, aged meat tastes so much better as it creates a marbling effect whilst aging.
2. The best part of the cattle is the rib eye and if it is a good source, it will have a marbled effect.
3. Do not cook steak by slices. Instead, take a portion suitable to feed 5 to 6 persons with the ribs still attached. Grab a heavy duty blow torch and brown the steak on a rack. BIG TIP: it is not true that if you brown your meat on a pan, the juices are sealed inside because the moisture actually evaporates!
4. After the meat is suitably browned, pop it into the oven and bake it at a really low temperature for 24hrs! This would intensify the flavour and cook the meat without actually cooking the inside.
5. After 24hrs, slice the meat off the ribs and into steak size. Heat a heavy pan till extremely hot and pour in enough oil to just lightly coat the pan.
6. Put the steak into the pan. It would immediately sizzle but make sure the meat doesn't stay in the pan too long, it should stay inside just long enough to brown both sides without cooking too much of the meat.
7. Slice the steak into smaller pieces and you will notice how even the colour of the steak is.

I've definitely got to try this. Now where can i get a blow torch....

TOUCHED

YAY! I've got 6 followers already and it's only the 1st day of my blog! Thanks peeps! Although, the last i counted, there should be 13 of us! Where are the rest of you guys?!

As an early bird prize, i have decided to shortlist some recipes which i would like to invite my 6 dearest followers to send me their vote on what they would like me to bake over this weekend! I think it would be the most appropriate to make the 1st baked product in this blog, an item that has garnered the most yums and ahhs over the past year and a half so here goes:

1. Sticky Buns
2. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies - this is a fudgy bite sized chocolate cookie, with a cracked exterior made out of icing sugar
3. Sundried tomato bread
4. Carrot cake
5. White chocolate vanilla cupcake

You may post your vote here and if there is another recipe that you would prefer, do let me know as well, i will surely work it into the schedule soon!

Some of you might be wondering why the name 'The Vanille Bean', simple... vanilla is my favourite spice and it is a necessity in almost all desserts and sweets. You simple cannot do without vanilla and the humble vanilla seed is where it all begins. I've had several suggestions on what the name of my future bakery should be:

Ronald - Cookie Monster
Sheryl - Jaime's Hot Buns (she literally means it :-P)
Alfred - Ah Pow's (poser version: Le Pow; Middle East version: Al Pow)

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I promise you if i do get a chance to have my very own bakery, i will DEFINITELY take these names into account.

Also, good news guys, my brother has a good digital camera that has been known to be able to download pictures so i guess i am all set there for mouthwatering pictures every week.

I would like to state some disclaimers though:

1. Baker reserves the right NOT to bake for extended periods of time if baker is:-
a) Not in the country
b) Not in a good mood
c) Broke
d) All of the above

2. Baker accepts no liability whatsoever for the following:-
a) Gaining of weight and extra inches due to overeating
b) Emitting of suggestive noises due to feelings of ecstasy derived from baked goods

So, please proceed at your own risk because once you sink your teeth and take the first bite, there is no turning back :-)

HOW TO

I would like to clarify at the onset that this blog does not serve to provide beautifully shot food pictures with exquisite plate ware and flawless presentation... yet. This is however a goal which I hope to be able to accomplish in due course.

Most of the items posted on this blog would be desserts, cakes, pastries etc, mainly foods I like and would like others to share in my joy. I think the most fulfilling part about baked goods is cooking for people you love and knowing they would be happy just eating what you have baked. I think putting enough love and tenderness into the baking process is the secret to good baking.

Anyway, you might notice in time to come that recipes are repeated, simply because i seek to perfect each and every recipe that i attempt. Feedback is most important so do feel free to drop me comments.

Finally, I hope to be able to titillate and tantalise some taste buds each weekend with my freshly baked produce for the perfect start to a gruelling and gloomy work week. So watch this space starting this Sunday... perhaps something sweet, something stylish and absolutely delicious is in order... :)

DEDICATION

This blog is dedicated to the people who have been encouraging me to make my dream a reality. Thanks for being my most loyal and eager fans. This blog is for you. It would act as a record of my progress and hopefully in time to come, the beginning of a realisation of a dream.