Metaphysics in Chocolate.

The past few months have been the craziest and busiest months of my life. While everyone was recovering and getting back to the grind from the festive season, work was cracking the whip all through Valentine's Day and Easter. After the crazy season subsided, I found myself sitting with a friend of mine discussing life. Mostly over the fact that we are all so busy nowadays that we just accept and tolerate things because we start to believe that it is just a part of life.

And I agree. Life IS hard; juggling interpersonal relationships, family, work, love and taking care of yourself is really tricky especially when you try to keep things on a balance. You just can't make everyone happy and a lot of times there are so many sacrifices that you have to make in order to make things work. You know how the saying goes "Some things got to give"?  Well, they really do and the people who really want to be part of your life - they tend to stay. 

Anyway as the conversation went on, one thing that really struck me in our conversation was when he stated that "I guess that's just how work is, no one is ever really happy with work and I haven't met one person who can honestly say they love their job". 

But the thing is, I do. I love my job with all of our ups and downs and frustrations and the demands and sacrifices I have to make. Chocolates taught me a new outlook in life  and just like Fernando Pessoa said, "There's no metaphysics in earth like chocolates". But then again I guess if you make stuff like these for a living, you'd love your job too.

Bittersweet Endings..

All good things come to an end... at least that's how the saying goes.

I had been working in David Jones for a good three years or so this year and I can definitely say that it has been one of the formative years of my life. It is there that I was continually exposed to food and reaffirmed my love for fine things. It is there that I had met my closest friends that have continually made an impact in my life. It is the place where I found myself and gained confidence in myself and I owe a lot to it because I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for that. But it's also a place where you could get easily comfortable in and stuck. 

As a budding pâtissier, comfortable and stuck are words that couldn't ever be in my vocabulary. I'm continually in a pursuit of a challenge to make myself better and continually wanting to expand my horizons. Essentially, I am a dreamer - dreaming of the almost impossible and big, big aspirations. It was increasingly frustrating for me to think that my life was going nowhere and a friend's advice made it even more concrete that life will turn out once I leave. Somewhere along the way .. I just had to jump. 

                            

So as to bid you farewell. 

French Earl Grey and Lavender Macarons 

Nu- sha- what!?

"Neufchatel..."


"Right..."
*"Neufchatel...Nooo-sha-tel. ..What!?"* 


That's how the conversation in my head went when one of my dearest friend, Naima was trying to educate me about cheese that they use in cheesecakes. This just so happens when we decided to share a certain kind of cheesecake at work which was sparked by intrigue as it paraded itself on our shelves. 


THE Simmone Logue Lemon Curd Cheesecake... (can I just say, THIS should be the new definition of heaven!)


I must admit, I have never been a fan of cheesecakes so me saying that this is heaven in a plate has got to mean something... in fact I only ever really liked one cheesecake in my life and that's the Strawberry Cheesecake that Tita Cecile makes...! And I haven't even started talking about how much I fail at making it! (I've only ever had one really successful attempt in making a cheesecake which was the cold-set blueberry cheesecake that I've been making since I was 14 that my mum absolutely loves!) 


Baked cheesecakes are even more disastrous! Cream cheese and cream that have been baked in so much that it had split which turned out all greasy and oily to absolutely dried out baked ricotta cheesecakes. I began to believe that me and baked cheesecakes are just not meant to be and should be left to the cheesecake making pros! 


But all that changed upon Naima & Reika's joint introduction between Neufchatel cheese & myself. 
It's one of those days when the world as I know it - had suddenly changed!


So what did I do you may ask? 
Well after countless hours of cheesecake researching- another Simmone Logue challenge of course!! 
THE Lemon Curd Cheesecake. 


En Garde! 

Neufchatel Vanilla Cheesecake in lemon zest short crust pastry with home made Lemon Curd.

Turkish!!

One saturday morning I came in to work to realise that we have a new supplier trying to get into our shelves.. they were selling cupcakes and such but one flavour stood out for me.

Rose and Lavender cupcake.

Now I have not been so motivated to make cakes since after the competition and I have been dying for some inspiration for some new flavours rather than the usual, banana, hummingbird and mudcake that I do. So when the previous Better Homes & Gardens magazine came out to feature Mother's Day and they had a recipe for a Rose butter cake .. I simply must try it. and so I did. with some extra Turkish Delight & White Chocolate goodies!!

Rose Butter Cupcake with Turkish Delight Frosted with Vanilla Buttercream and White Chocolate

There's no other store like David Jones...!

Starting in May 2009, I had the delight of joining the Cake Department at David Jones in Market St. While working I was inspired by the numerous and the variety of cakes that we sell... one supplier more so than the others... Simmone Logue. She has got to be my hero. She has thought out fantastic flavours and combinations of cake that is absolute heaven so .... for the next series of cakes... It's Me Vs. Simmone Logue.

Chocolate & Walnut Brownies

Hummingbird Cake & Hummingbird cupcakes

This cake has proven to be the winner of them all - most of my cake orders are because of this little beauty right here... =)

Banana Cake with Passionfruit Icing