For the love of art.

Growing up I never really thought of myself as the 'creative type'. All my life I have been very "academic" as they would say it. However, University was very confusing for me as I would always get distracted from my studies to get lost in painting, drawing and looking at the wonderful photos of food in recipe books and often found myself researching the next recipe for a culinary challenge. It was only after I had graduated from Uni that I really pursued my passion for food and explored the wonderful world of Art.

Art became an extension of myself. It was altogether a source of motivation, inspiration and an emotional outlet. Baking and cooking wise I found myself delving into exploring different flavours and finding ways  for them to compliment with each other. In my free time,  you'd find me wandering about museums and impulsively going into exhibitions gathering some form of inspiration. On the train ride to work, I'd be drawing on my book of anything that caught my eye on that particular day and other days with camera in hand, you'd see me wandering about Surry Hills and Darlinghurst taking shots.

Art made me who I am today. I'm lucky enough to know who I am because of it and a lot of people I know are still going about in their lives trying to find themselves. If only they had known of George Bernard Shaw that they would know that "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself". 


So when I find the same people who share the same insight in life and in art as I do, I feel a certain connection with them. One of them is Maie of maiden threads, an upcoming artist/designer whose creative genius is humble, interesting and inspiring. In her upcoming exhibition - FRIENDSofMAIDEN, they are showcasing a collaboration of different forms of art from illustrations to photography to videography to design to jewellery and fashion. She described the concept of the exhibition as an awakening, in which it illustrates a renewed perspective in life brought on by the people from all ranges of creative loci who has inspired her to develop her work, life and art.

In supporting this exhibition I had asked Maie to make her some cakes and just like in delightfully weird fashion and a little inspiration from the exhibition & Mr. Heston Blumenthal, I present to you...

hatched.

White chocolate & Raspberry swirl egg cakes

Tea Inspiration ...

A few weeks ago, I found myself wandering about the Queen Victora Building while waiting around for one of my friends. I always like to wander inside the T2 store as I find its entirety to be aesthetically pleasing... the aroma of teas, the dainty little tea cups and tea pots and the strategically placed multicoloured tea boxes that are stacked on top of one another. Everything about the store is just a delight to the senses... well at least for me anyway. So as I reached the counter ready to make my purchase with the amazing (& ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.. may I add) box of Sencha Quince tea, something from the corner of my eye stole my focus --- French Earl Grey Chocolates.

image by Fractal Theory

These were in fact tea infused chocolates, I thought they were quite interesting so I picked up the thongs and tried the delightful treat. It was as if a lightbulb moment happened and I was obsessed with this wonderfully crafted delight. However, as I was running towards the really rusty side of poverty with only $20 left I was faced with a dilemma on choosing between the tea and the chocolate. I had to go with the tea and promised myself to bolt to the nearest T2 store once pay day hits.

To my demise and disappointment they were gone the next week when I finally had the money to buy it. And to make everything else worse, they were out of stock for the next 5 weeks!!!! OUTRAGE.
So as to satisfy this craving, I thought I could probably make them myself and off I went with some couverture chocolate in hand and some amazing French Earl Grey Tea (which you REALLY must try, It's a MUST. A MUST. As in get it here.. NOW) off I went to some amazing chocolate venture.

Et voilà!!

French Earl Grey Chocolates. 

Inspirations from Paris...

In the last week I came into some pretty devastating news about my career path.
I'll never become a trade qualified chef. 

Shocking news. For some reason, I got into the wrong course and TAFE told me that the only way you would become a trade qualified chef is if you do an apprenticeship and certificates in hospitality just don't really cut it and even if you have experience, you would only be a Pastry Cook. And frankly, I don't want to be just a Pastry Cook - I want to be a Pastry Chef.  So I called the Apprenticeship body and they told me that I was 'too qualified' to obtain an apprenticeship. 


How can you even be too qualified when you haven't had enough experience or training to begin with?! 

Confused and depressed as I was with this news, I didn't really know what to make of it and so I sulked on the idea that my entire plan for my life is going down the drain. Goodbye Switzerland, goodbye travelling, goodbye to the dreams of actually becoming a Qualified Pastry Chef. It even got to the point where I went through the same mental path as I did when I quit my Commercial Cookery Apprenticeship.

I just didn't want to do anything anymore.

But I guess the funny thing about passion is that it's just like an itch that you cannot help but scratch. It's a compelling feeling that just motivates you even more to go beyond the norm, explore ideas, tap into your creative side, gives you that feeling of enthusiasm and that desire to just do.

Walter Bagehot once said that "The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do".
And so just like in ordinary fashion of classic retaliation, what better way to say 'up yours'!

Desperate to seek some form of inspiration and motivation, I stumbled upon a French Cookery book section. I started scanning through the pages of a particular book that captured my eye: Sweet Paris by Michael Paul.  Filled with photographs of Parisian aesthetics, a familiar sight caught my eye: The Mont Blanc.

image from Bonjour Paris

Earlier this year my friend Leon, travelled all over Europe and told me about a dessert that he had in Paris at Angelina. It was described to me as one of the best desserts he has ever eaten called the Mont Blanc which is a meringue base with cream and topped with chestnut purée. It was something that I was not really familiar with or actually have never heard of and when I was fortunate enough to be given a Mont Blanc from Becassè, I finally got to try the dessert. While it was nice, apparently it wasn't like the one from Angelina's and with tasting the flavours and the textures I gained an idea of the entire concept of the dessert. The meringue with a sweet and almost powdery, crunchy & chewy texture with a light and fluffy crème chantilly centre and a smooth, nutty chestnut finish.

So as a next challenge I seeked out to attempt the Mont Blanc.

First challenge was to find a recipe which resembles that of the Mont Blanc in Angelina, luckily enough I happened to find one on the internet by Chef Sebastian Bauer.

Next challenge was to find a particular piping tip used for a Mont Blanc, which I found in Chef's Warehouse in Surry Hills while casually having a stroll around the area after brunch with my friend Mikki (and if you're a music photography enthusiast, you should really check out her site!).

The final challenge was to find some chestnuts. Seeking all over Sydney for fresh chestnuts with my friend Elly as they are supposed to be in season, I found myself in an Asian grocer instead where they sold ready to eat roasted chestnuts and off I went to produce this enticing dessert.

Meringue, Cream & Chestnut. Done. 

Jumping on the bandwagon!!

For the past few months I have seen a common flavour of cupcakes that seem to pop up everywhere.

Red Velvet.

They are the classically American cake whose characteristic red tint comes from a chemical reaction between vinegar and pure dutch cocoa powder. These days however, the red colour of the cake is achieved through food dye... not that it really matters, the effect is just stunning.

The first time I had Red Velvet cupcakes it was done by my dear friend, Meibo. The cake was dense and moist with the rich flavours of dark chocolate and raspberries with an added touch of rosewater cream cheese frosting for a touch of delicateness. It was absolutely beautiful, but she has since gone back to Hong Kong along with my Red Velvet fix.

It's only until recently did I dare try to explore the realms of Red Velvet. After a hard week of working it only took my sister's persistence and babysitting a couple of cutiepies for me to be convinced to do some fun loving baking session!

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Red Velvet Cupcakes 

with a Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

My Japanese baby

Everytime I go to Asian bakeries I come across a specific spongey cheesecake that I just couldn't get my mind off. I couldn't really decide for myself if it was just a special sponge cake or if it even has cheese on it. It is something trully amazing. So as I was chatting to Brittonie about cakes and pastries as per usual one lunch break, she mentioned the Japanese cheesecake!

Alas! I know what it was exactly .. it was a spongey cheesecake! Finally a confirmation. It didn't take long until I googled the recipe and was lucky enough to have the first recipe to pop up actually work! It's almost like a cross between a soufflé and a sponge. It's something you just have to make at least once in your life or maybe a million times, It's a sure winner!

So I present to you, my beautiful Japanese baby. Silky, soft and moist Hokkaido Cheesecake with a hint of lemon flavour.

Hokkaido Cheesecake with Fresh berries and topped with snow sugar

Sillooooooooooooooo's 21st ...

Silloo or Charlie as we know her is one of my dearest Pastry girls from Stage Two. She's different and at hind sight you'd think she's a little crazy. But that is something that you would love about her, she is creative, she is loud, she is fun, she is beautiful, she is talented and she is an incredibly colourful character - both literally and metaphorically.

The girls were happy to have been invited to the Carnival Buffet we held with Megan in Stage 3. The cake that stood out the most for her was the Baileys Flan Cake. The cake was a cloudy and moist Tia Maria Sponge base with Baileys cream flan on top lavished with silky crème chantilly and fresh fruits, it was a perfect epitome of "heaven in a cake". Something about it just stuck to Charlie and was somewhat of an unforgettable experience. So as she tried it, had it and loved it - she asked for it to be her birthday cake for her 21st this year. She also asked for a sugar daddy Afro man made out of fondant for her birthday, so teaming up with Kimmy who made the sculpture... we gave Charlie the biggest surprise of her life!

Happy 21st Birthday Sillllllloooooooooooooooooooooo !!!!

Tarts...

It's difficult to find a sweet paste pastry that actually resembles those of a French patisserie. Lucky for me, I managed to find one that works like a dream. Perfectly crumbly and buttery with a hint of sweetness and saltiness to carry any sweet filling you can possibly want.

Tried and tested for baked treats or just a a ganache filling .. it is just amazing.

The first tart is inspired by the gorgeous raspberry and dark chocolate tart by The Westin Hotel.

Crushed raspberry based with dark chocolate ganache 

and topped with fresh raspberries

The following tart is tried and tested on a French style baked Lemon and Lime Tart.

Baked Lemon and Lime Curd Tart topped with crushed pistachios

and  caramelised julienned lime and lemon rind 

The following tart is inspired by the beautiful Anne who managed to give me a boxful of fresh figs organically grown in their garden! 

Fig and Almond Tart infused with Tia Maria liqueur 

and baked with brown sugar

The Chocolate Mudcake

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”

― Charles M. Schulz


Now I know I have covered mudcakes before but let's look at it as me levelling up and taking this mudcake into new heights. Since the post in 2010 Trial & Error, I think I may have managed to actually perfect the mudcake.

This cake is moist and although quite rich it has the perfect balance of sponginess of a cake and a density of a mudcake that makes it quite easy to devour. The chocolate is bittersweet, further enhanced by the aroma of coffee and Tia Maria with a nice glossy dark chocolate ganache finish and swirled with couverture white chocolate to create a sweeter component. Perfect with a quenelle of cream, poured with crème anglais or eaten with vanilla ice cream.. it's something that you would not regret eating.

Chef Gert quoted that "he has never eaten a better mudcake than this"... and for me that has got to be the best compliment to be ever given to a cake.

As an aspiring student, you always try to find ways to improve cakes or discover different flavours for a dessert. When I came across hazelnut praline crunch bites at work, I couldn't help but grab a bottle and test it out.

With extra mudcake batter in hand, extra espresso pastry cream and hazelnut praline in hand, this little beauty was conceived...

Espresso creme mudcake cupcake

Dark chocolate mud cake with espresso creme patissier topped with whipped ganache and hazelnut praline crunch.

Little Miss Teapot ..

This was one of the most challenging cakes to date.. A teapot cake.

The body had to be carved entirely out of 2 x 8" square pans to get the shape, the flowers, teapot handle and spout had to be made from scratch. I cannot deny that it has been fun to make though. It took me back to the artist in me, playing with colour and capturing the realism of a flower and the actual construction of a teapot cake.

Elly ♥ Stephen

Elly is a dear friend of mine from work. Days leading up to her boyfriend's birthday, Elly asked me if I can help her with Stephen's cake - specifically a Panda cake. So a little workshop we did over at her place and this is what we came up with ...

Journey to the Dark Side...

Journeying to the dark side of commercial cookery is never a bad thing... if delivered in small dozes that is. Late night finishes and long hours are exactly what working in Hospitality and Retail consists of. Add to the mix the busiest season of the year, Christmas and it can only equate to one word - exhaustion.

So in the midst of it all, I thought to spread a little Christmas cheer and host a few dinners showcasing Italian food for the first and French food for the next one.

And with vino in hand...

Menu: 

Pan fried Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil and Fetta Pasta drizzled with Lemon oil.

Fetta and baby spinach stuffed chicken wrapped in Prosciutto

Fresh Oysters & Baguettes

And for a second session, this time a French inspired menu ...

 

MENU:

Selection of cheeses

Marcel Petit Gruyère

Rouzaire Truffle Brie 

Fromage D'affinois

Saint Agur blue cheese

served with baguette

Entrée:

Marinated asparagus beets, toasted hazelnuts, goat cheese and hazelnut emulsion

Main:

Ratatouille and roasted potatoes with stuffed chicken with lemon thyme and herb butter topped with beurre blanc & speck

Dessert:

Apple Tart Tatin with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel

Christmas 2011

Christmas always holds a special place in my heart. It's the time filled with family, love, joy and happiness! What other better way is there of course but to share the love and joy to everyone else!

 

And there's no better way to share them but with some edible gifts!!