Technically, it’s not an opera, but it’s obviously inspired by the elaborate layered delicate classic. I’ve been thinking about caramel a lot lately, if you know me, I have a soft spot for this heavenly sweet gooey liquid…especially its bitter character and deep amber hue. And to me, salted caramel always sounds tempting, but I couldn’t remember how many disappointments that name brought me–a distinctive saltiness from fine sea salt could never be detected from the intense sweetness. I guess it’s time for me to give a try and be brave enough to put enough salt into the sponge, the ganache, so the complex saltiness will be clearly pronounced. Everything starts with the caramel: I’m so used to making caramel by combining a little water to moisturize the water first, and then slowly heat it up until every grain of sugar dissolved. But this time, I finally tried to make a caramel from plain sugar, adding no water. And the result is amazing…yes, i might have discovered this way too late=p This method leads to a perfect deep amber caramel without any chance of getting sugar crystal formation! Yes, it would take a longer time for all sugar gets dissolved into its own syrup, but it’s definitely  worth the time.

The opera consists a rich salted caramel almond sponge, caramel-chocolate ganache, orange chocolate mousse with candied orange zests and coffee cream, finished with chocolate glaze made of cocoa, not chocolate, and a final glaze hued with a bit orange dye.

The pictures I had in this post might look a bit different as I just started playing with a Nikon D60 instead of my old Cannon for dummies…but I guess I’m still more comfortable with using the old macro mode for my food shooting, there’s so much to learn and experiment with the new one, even it’s just another entry level gadget=)

The recipe for the caramel sponge is adapted from a Japanese cook book, written by talented Hiroshi Fujikawa. The sugar content was adjusted tremendously for a less sweet version, although it is definitely still for the sweet-toothed ones! Even if you’re intimidated by the layers of labor, do try out the sponge. It’s very flavorful on its own, could be a perfect tea cake with a cup of coffee to lighten up an afternoon.

lovely cheering yellows

Sun choke, or my preferable name Jerusalem artichoke, is definitely not one of those eye catching ingredients in the culinary world–but only, only when they are raw, with dirt on and often times with irregular little bumps sticking out which makes them such a pain to peel. But then if you’re comfortable with the skin, you can just leave it on since the skin’s actually packed with flavor. I was once watching Gordon Ramsey’s TV show, and he’s like: you must be insane if you ever peel the skin off the choke. You know, it’s probably the same thing when Jamie Oliver said one must be nuts if he throws the celery heart to the bin…sorry I do. No offence, but I guess the skin’s just got too much of a strong earthy and dominent note, that put me off a bit even I’m definitely crazy about sunchoke. Yes, every time I see sunchokes in the grocery store, my eyes would literally lit up, like a girl sees a princess dress or something. The choke season’s really short in HK, or I should say it’s not too often that I would come across these little ugly guys here, so whenever i’m lucky enough to see them, I’ll grab them home, yes, to me, they are charming=)

I’ve been on the lemonade master cleanse for a while, all I’m allowed to eat, or should I say drink…is lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, so  spending much less time in grocery shopping has led huge consequence–I ‘m sure I’ve missed out many of my choke chances this year.  And the season’s almost gone! Luckily, I still managed to get some on Mother’s day…must be the present from mom in return=D So even having been accused of ‘being too lenient’ on my cleanse, I made a little something from the precious final three packs of sunchokes on the shelf.

When it’s raw, sunchoke has a refreshing taste and crunchy texture like a Jicama does. If you don’t know what Jicama is, maybe think of the texture of a crisp Asian pear or apple. The flesh is translucently white, yet would turn into brownish in no time when meets Mr. air. I wouldn’t even bother soaking them in lemoned water as they’re supposed to look a little gray-ish after cooking in my perception–the color itself is another charm for me. In fact, sunchoke tastes really good when they are raw, and shaved thin, one of them was  swallowed down while I were preparing…shhh…don’t tell=p

I truly think the flavor of sunchoke is so subtle and delicate, too much flavoring would just take its character away, so simple approach would be enough to transform them into a beautiful little dish, and its earthy sweetness would speak up.

So this is what’s on the plate in the end: sunchoke puree, roasted sunchoke chips with its own jus.

Jerusalem artichoke two ways: puree and chip, with its own jus

If you wonder how it’s done, here’s how. But I wouldn’t even call it a recipe. Everything’s eye balled and casual plating at the end.

For the puree, simply slice your chokes into thins shaves, work quickly so they don’t turn into a overly gray hue. Heat up little olive oil (with nice aroma) in a small pot, saute the choke slices briefly till their earthy fragrance is released, add enough liquid to barely cover them, (I used 1/3 chicken broth and 2/3 plain water), season with pinch of sea salt and pepper, simmer for about 25 minutes until they’re very soft, and you should have a shallow pool of syrupy jus left in the pot. Drain the cooked sunchoke, reserve the jus, and blend the soft slices into puree using an immersion blender, or do it in a small food processor. Rewarm the puree a bit before serving.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F, cut the sunchoke into about 1/8 inch slices, dress with a little olive oil and touch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, arrange them in a single layer and roast till soft and edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

I used a ring mold to shape the puree, a ring of the kinda crispy chips on top, drizzle of the reserved jus. Or, make a quenelle, garnish with parsley and pink pepper. And bon appetit!

Here’s some of the other salads I had last week…you know stick with the cleanse spirit=)

Simple baby spinach salad with buffalo Mozzarella-&-Green leafy salad with pancetta, cantaloupe, roasted yellow bell pepper, toasted pecans and ripe blackberries

Poached chicken salad with raw fennel and turnip shaves, raspberry mustard dressing

Finally, finally the  server that supports my blog and web is back on alive!…yes, after couple months (which is painfully long) shipping from the States  to HK, and along with Kai’s return…I mean relocation! Oh, and I do owe you a big big apology for those constantly tried to browse my web wondering what’s going on…sorry, sorry, I know I should have let you know.

There are so many things that I want to share with you, but I guess it’s gonna take me quite a while to fill up the gap. Loads of food pictures would definitely be uploaded pretty soon, here’s a little sneak preview.

candied orange peel: coated with sugar/Valhrona dark chocolate

Chocolate mousse with burnt orange sauce

lemon cream tarts

Pan roasted scallops, truffled white asparagus puree, caramelized asparagus tips, hazelnut sabayon, and aged balsamic vinegar

I always have a thing for chestnut, especially during winter time. I guess one of the most sweet childhood memories would be getting roast chestnuts from the street carts: glistering chestnuts in brown bag with rising steam, air was filled with that sweet nutty aroma that you’d smell from blocks away. Not sure from when, vacuum packed cooked peeled chestnuts replaced the ones from the street…yes, they are convenient and you don’t have to come across those bad ones in shell, but they are just different.

I particularly like Italian or French chestnut, they’re more starchy and yummier and nuttier when roasted. I’ve enjoyed loads of roasted French chestnuts this year…of course at home=) And the leftovers were gone into this delicious cake. Oh, what’s better than the marriage between my favourite chestnut and bittersweet chocolate?

So finally, after quite a while, there’s a recipe here=) The recipe’s adapted and modified from Gordon Ramsey’s ‘Sunday Lunch’ cook book. I added some Sauternes poached French Bosc pear in the batter…so there are three of my favorite things in one, and a bit less sugar was used.

Chestnut and bittersweet chocolate truffle cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

250 bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

250 organic unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the cake tin

250 cooked, peeled chestnuts

125 ml whole milk

125 cream

4 large organic eggs, seperated

105 g caster sugar

How to:

Preheat the oven to 350F (170C) and grease the 10″ springform cake tin with softened butter.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter together over a pot of barely simmering water. Take off the heat and cool slightly.

In another heavy-based pan, heat the chestnuts , milk and cream until just boiling, then use a hand immersion blender to whiz it to a rough puree.

Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar till pale in color and creamy. Stir in the melted chocolate and chocolate puree, you’ll have a smooth and well blended mixture.

Whisk the egg whites in a grease free  metal bowl until stiff. Carefully fold 1/3 of the whites to the chocolate mixture to loosen the texture a bit, then gently fold in the rest until just combined. Then gently fold in the poached pear cubes. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, bake for 25-35 minutes. You might want to cover the top of the cake loosely with foil to prevent the cake getting too browned. Don’t worry about the cracks formed on top during baking, it’s totally normal and adds to it’s character.

The cake could be served warm or cold. When it’s warm, it’s light, soft, moosse-y, almost souffle like. Alan is definitely a fan of the warm version, 1/6 of the cake was gone right after freshly out of the oven. I like it cold though: completely set and perfectly dense. You don’t need any fancy embellishment for this cake, with just a dollop of softly whipped cream, it’s devive.

The uplifting bright color of winter.

The eight-course Christmas dinner on the table:

-Parma ham, fig, mache salad with hazelnut, pomegranate seed and 15 year Balsamic vinegar

-Iberico ham, Parmigiano Reggiano

-Smoked salmon fillet on blini, chived creme fraiche

-Foie gras, toasted brioche, spiced peach jam

-White sea bass, parsnip puree with vanilla-saffron cream

-Iberico pork chop, golden Chanterelle, fingerling potato mash, sour cherry with port reduction

-Dry aged black Angus rib-eye,  thyme roasted young potato, Bordelaise sauce

-fresh fruits

There are still tons of pictures waiting to be sorted, edited and posted, I definitely left so much behind schedule..and I seriously need to devote a bit more time in this place meant to share every single bit of my cooking life.

These are the wedding favors made for one of my dearest friends. One hundred and twenty macarons in two flavors: chestnut with chestnut cream, and hazelnut with Earl Grey tea ganache. I have to admit that I’m not yet an expert in making macarons as you probably know I got into these little treats just a little while ago, but I’m actually pretty proud of what I came up with at the end of the day, although I put way too many hours into them, including couple batches in failure.

So here’s the ultimate tip that i think would yield a perfect macaron, you know those macarons with clean raised edge, the perfectly thin crispy skin which cracks into almost crumbs once you bite into it, and the nicely chewy moist inner layer separates from the outer crispness with a gap of air pocket. It’s just amazing that a batter could bake into these magical three layers, the heat, the air trapped in the meringue, the skin formed on the surface of the batter…transformed into the delicate goodness–that we call macarons. Ok, back to the tips: the most essential point is that you have to be patient enough to leave the piped macarons at room temperature until it really dries out and there’s a skin formed on the surface–this is crutial! If it still sticks to your finger when you touch it by the time you slide the baking tray into the oven, the air would expand to any crack it would find…which mostly would lead to puffing up from the top other than the formation of the foot with a lifted cap. Having said that, of course the consistency of the batter also largely determines the success of the final product–too much of folding leads to runny batter, and you will end up with flat macarons; but being too scared of the risk of over folding, will result in thick batter baked into footless ones. So for this particular pastry, I will say, practice makes perfection. You do have to go through failure to really get the click.

Pretty little favors in lacy bags

This is definitely a month filled with excitement, tension, chaos and joy. Weddings, Christmas fairs, charity fair…all cranked in the same month, same week. Working around the clock for straight 18 hours without sleep is definitely (seriously) not something too enjoyable, especially when there’s two consecutive events and almost 300 cupcakes need to be done in a home kitchen–I guess, it’s more of a physical challenge, and of course, mentally, in a way. But the result is always the sweetest fruit you could ever savor from your own hard work and dedication–people’s smile and appreciation, kids’ naive responses with a simple word like ‘delicious’ while wandering around my cakes longing for more…and all the sudden, it’s reassured that all the efforts are so worthwhile, and I feel like back in the kitchen cooking up another storm again.

The wedding cupcake tower, made for lovely Miranda turned out absolutely beautiful, cupcakes looked dreamy with the pastel colored buttercream and the whole cupcake tower looked so chic and elegant with rose petals in creamy white and pink, and the subtle pinky purple and green from the hydrangea. The baby pink one with specks of red is strawberry’n cream, the pale yellow one is lemon cream, with bit’s of candied lemon zest.

The Cedan Chair Bazaar took place right after the wedding event, with probably the worst weather condition over the last decade in HK–it was freezing cold up on the Peak, wind was so strong trying to blow everything off the table, heavy fog made everything wet and soggy in no time…it was definitely a hard day. But again, like I just said, I was glad I was there and made it through. (what a shame though! Everything happened in such a rush, didn’t get any shot of the mad mass home production of the cupcakes!)

Another fair’s just around the corner…better to get more sleep before that.

Persimmon’s in season…a fruit that I absolutely adore since I was little girl. The jelly like flesh, the intense sweetness, the color of fall and harvest, and oh, the dear old memories eating them. Not sure what to do with them yet…persimmon pudding would be nice…or another creation with my cupcake–spiced chiffon with persimmon Bavarian? Yup, check it out later!

Rhubarb is one of my favorute ingredients to cook with, too bad that I don’t often come across them here in Hong Kong. They’re so lovely when baked with orange juice, a little sugar and a touch of aged Balsamic vinegar, served with old custard and British shortbread crumble, which came out so wonderful with [...]