Christmas Came Early!!

This past weekend, I came into possession of something that I have been coveting from the moment I laid my eyes on it.

It is magnificent. I can't think of a word for it other than magnificent.

And its all thanks to one of my besties who knows how crazy I am and feeds my addiction :)

In fact, she was just as excited as I was was to watch me open it! If anyone is wondering how I have the motivation and determination to keep up with school AND fulfill my baking dreams, you should know by now that I'm obviously not doing it alone. I would be doing nothing without my friends and family who support me and keep me going when I feel like I have absolutely no energy left.

Okay put the tissue box away...no more sentimentally stuff.

My friend, T managed to hook me up with this beautiful beast sent down from the cake heavens:

I'm gonna give you a moment to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of everything that comes in this box.

I know most people who read my blog probably don't know what this is or the significance of it.

But to those who are staring at the computer with a glow across your face....trust me...it is every bit as good as the picture.... and better.

I will be doing a comprehensive post on the Ultimate Decorating Set soon including a comparison of the price of the set to buying each item individually. I can't promise that it will come soon but it will happen one day.

The retail value of the set is $470 but if you thought for even a second that I would fork that over, then we need to go on a few more dates because you don't know how cheap I am. Rest assured....I got this baby for a HUGE steal.

I'm getting flustered all over again... I think I need a paper bag.

Needless to say, I remain indebted for life to my friend T for hooking me up.

The next few weeks will be a bit packed as I get ready for finals and finish up assignments and have multiple crises over grad school applications where I drown my sorrows in junk food and try to convince myself that my life won't be over if it doesn't work out. I will try to squeeze in as much baking as I can.

Happy Baking!

PS: I'm wondering if I should cancel Multicultural Monday altogether. I'm always missing it and I never end up trying the recipes anyway. Thoughts?

MM: Mille-Feuille

My first French class was in grade 3. I still remember how excited I was to learn an exotic language...never mind that technically I was learning the second official language of the country...not very 'exotic' but OH WELL.

Sadly, I did not become as fluent in French as I hoped to. I just couldn't wrap my head around some adjectives being masculine and some feminine....among other things....*sigh*

http://www.tenderisthebite.com/2010/04/lady-ms-mille-crepes/

The French seem to be a classy group of people...food, wine, hot men with sexy accents...they seem to have it all down. They also seem to be quite experienced in desserts.

So last week as I was diligently studying stalking people on Facebook, a friend of mine put up a status that said; I have fallen in love...with Mille-feuille. Obviously I jumped to the conclusion that this was either
a) a movie...b) a woman...or c) food...

Upon conducting an extensive literary search (i.e Google) as well as trying to figure out how to pronounce the darn thing, (Meee-fee? Mil Fooill? Milly Fooly?...apparently its [mil fœj] which is not any more helpful -_-) I learned that Mille-Feuille (which translates to 'thousand sheets') is a French pastry. According to Wikipedia, it is traditionally made up of 3 layers of puff pastry alternating with layers of pastry cream or other fillings. They are usually topped with icing, or fondant, or various other sweet stuff.

Now if you've been reading MM religiously (you have right? RIGHT?!) you probably know by now that I haven't attempted these desserts in the kitchen...yet...ONE OF THESE DAYS....I might....but until then you'll just have to put up with mouthwatering pictures and a few recipes and my hysterical jokes...okay maybe not the last one : )

Alright so to attempt your own mille-feuille at home there are some recipes here, here, and one more yummy variation here .

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/15848/raspberry+custard+cream+mille+feuille

Hope it works out! Come back and let me know how awesome it was and that I can't have some because I couldn't pick myself up and make it myself : (

In other news...I have a few cake projects lined up...and a few product reviews I'm excited for. So check in and if you're tired of checking every 5 minutes to see if I've posted, SUBSCRIBE either with email or through GFC and you'll be the first to know...well...okay maybe the second...

Happy Baking!

MM: Tiramisu

This week is the week from the underworld. No literally. I don't know how I'm going to survive. Everything possible is going to be happening right smack dab in the middle of this week.

So obviously this post is going to be super short and to the point.

My roommate came back from Thanksgiving weekend with a tupperware full of tiramisu. Her mom is an amazing baker and likes to create fancy desserts like I one day hope to. This is the first tiramisu I have ever tried and it was pretty darn good. I asked my roommate to share her mother's recipe and she has kindly obliged. I guess that makes this a guest post.

The best kinds of recipes are those that you've tasted and know you can trust.

Before I continue on with the recipe, I'm going to go adjust my caffeine IV drip. I think it's getting low because the words on the page are swimming.

Okay back. So Tiramisu is a dessert of Italian origin. It literally means 'pick me up'. That's all I had the energy to research. I'm sure you'll find more info on Wikipedia.

On to the recipe.

You will need:

- 1 package of lady fingers...not real fingers...the cookies
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 lb of Marscapone cheese
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly made expresso coffee
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder

You will have to:

1. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until mixture is thick and a light lemony colour.
2. Add the Marscapone cheese and mix thoroughly.
3. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold the cream into the cheese mixture.
5. Dip the lady finger cookies in the expresso and line them in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
6. Pour in half of the cheese mixture.
7. Add another layer of lady fingers dipped in expresso.
8. Pour remaining cheese mixture on top and smooth.
9. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours and dust with cocoa powder before serving.

The end product was absolutely delicious. The cheese was a little tart and a whole lotta sweet. The lady fingers softened up and had the perfect coffee taste. The layers came together nicely into a mouth watering bite.

I wish I had some pictures of it but...

This is all I have. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

A huge thank you to my roommate's mom for sharing the recipe with me. One of these days I will post a recipe and review of something I actually make...one of these days.

Happy Baking!

MM: Apple Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!!

In the spirit of thanksgiving traditions, I was going to do a post on pumpkin pie. It seems to be a staple along with turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.

I thought back to the last time I had pumpkin pie and realized it was back in grade 4...or 5...

And I also remember not being a fan. I was a fan of the whipped cream on top though.

So instead, I'm going to be doing a post on apple pie. Since apples are plentiful right about now, it wouldn't hurt to have a simple and handy apple pie recipe around.

I've always thought apple pie to be part of the Canadian culture...or American culture. Actually, initially I always thought it was part of the McDonald's culture. I tried to Wikipedia what the origin is but just found out that it is 'English'. So we'll just stick with American.

We sprinkled cinnamon on top too. Don't you love the designs?

This recipe is from my sister's high school when she took hospitality and tourism. Nothing says hospitality like a warm piece of pie....and clean towels...and fluffy pillows with a chocolate on top.

I've made this recipe twice. Each time I used a different kind of apple. Unfortunately, I didn't bother to note the names of the apples so I'm going to do my best to describe them. The first apples were much sweeter and more red. The second batch were more tart, crispy, and were red and green in colour.

Personally, I prefer the second kind. The pie wasn't too sweet and mushy. It was amazing!

Okay enough talking....no wait one more thing. I used store bought Pillsbury pie crust. I know...how could I?! But I do have a recipe for a pie crust which I will include but I haven't tried it yet so your on your own there.

Pastry

Ingredients

12 oz pastry flour
3 oz margarine
4 oz vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold water
1/2 AP flour for dusting

Method
1. Make sure to measure ingredients carefully
2. Add salt to pastry flour
3. Blend the shortening and margarine into the pastry flour. Don't mix. Instead, make cutting motions until the shortening/margarine are pea sized but still visible
4. Add cold water and mix until just blended. Do not over mix as this will activate the gluten in the flour and the pie crust will not be fluffy and light but rather tough.
5. Divide dough into 2 balls and flatten with hands
6. Dust your work surface and flattened dough balls
7. Roll each ball into circles just larger than your pie plate
8. Line pie plate with one of the circles, pressing it lightly into place
9. Add filling (recipe below), egg wash rim, place top crust, and flute crimp edges
10. Brush top with egg wash and cut steam vents
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Pie Filling
Ingredients
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I didn't use any because I didn't have on hand...it tasted fine)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 peeled, thinly sliced apples (cut slices in half so you don't have giant pieces of apple)
1 tbsp margarine (for dotting)

Method
1. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl
2. Gently stir in the apple slices...go ahead and taste a few of the apples...it tastes amazing!
3. Place apple mixture into pie crust
4. Dot with margarine
5. Egg wash rim of pie crust and position top crust
6. Crimp or flute the edges. Make sure not to leave gaps or else pie filling will spill out. Not pretty. Cut away excess crust
7. Brush top with egg wash and cut a few steam vents. You can add designs with left over pie crust too
8. Back in convection oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes
9. Cool and cut. Serve with ice cream or just stick your face in and eat it as is.

Gooey and delicious!!! We didn't wait for it to cool completely which is why it's falling out...oops.

MM: Baklava

I missed MM last Monday. And I almost missed it this Monday. But I decided that I just couldn't let down the 5 people who read my blog and sit at the edge of their seats waiting for MM :D

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be writing much...now that I think of it, this might be good news for some of you.

Baklava, I have heard, is awesome. Here are some awesome pictures and links to people who have blogged/tried/have recipes/pretty pictures of some.

These people are clearly all on their game...me on the other hand...not so much.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2008/03/baklava.html

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baklava/

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e55065f261883400e551fc32728833

I hope this made your taste buds tingle!!!

MM: French Toast the Tamil Way

It's still Monday!!! I may be late but better late than never!

This post will be very short. And I don't think this counts as a dessert technically but who cares really?

You don't right?...kay good.

Being a university student and living on a very humble budget, I can't really afford to waste food. But we're all guilty of forgetting something at the back of the fridge or back of the cupboard or under you bed...wait thats not normal?...never mind, moving along.

So picture this; you open your fridge or bread basket to find an almost complete loaf of bread that is past its expiration date, not mouldy or gross, but not soft enough that you would eat it.

Do you:
a) throw that sucker out, you're not risking a deadly bread virus
b) put it back in the fridge so that you won't have to actually throw it out and hope that your roommate will
c) eat it! OSAP ain't paying you enough to live the luxury life
d) fashion a new recipe out of it!!

If you chose d), welcome to the club.

My grandmother used to make this recipe all the time and I didn't think until recently that it's a good way to be resourceful.

Ingredients:

Bread
Milk
An egg
Sugar

I didn't include any measurements because both my grandmother and mother eyeball it and I guess I do too. The recipe is quite forgiving.

Directions:

- Make sure the bread is in slices
- Whip the egg slightly
- Mix in about 3/4 cup of milk for 3/4 of a loaf of bread. Use less if you have less bread and more if you have more bread
- Add sugar, just enough to sweeten the milk. If your worried about tasting it with the raw egg in, mix the sugar and milk first and taste. Once its sweet enough, add to the egg and mix it up.
- Heat up a saucepan on the stove. Keep the heat between low and medium.
- Spread a dollop of butter or margarine on the saucepan.
- Soak a slice of bread in the milk concoction. Make sure to coat both sides and lay it in the saucepan.
- Wait a few minutes and flip. It should be golden brown. If it sticks and looks burnt, your heat is too high
- Repeat for rest of the slices

I don't know what the name of this recipe is. It is quite similar to french toast although my roommate says it absolutely is not like french toast. I usually just call this sweet bread. Whatever its called, it tastes pretty good and gets rid of a loaf quick.

Hope you try it out :)

MM: Moon Cakes

I recently saw an article in the Toronto Star on moon cakes. I've heard of moon cakes before and always imagined them to be round pale but slightly brown sponge cakes. I didn't really know much and so I decided to do a MM post on them. I'm disappointed with myself because I wanted to actually make some, but c'est la vie and I didn't so lets move on.

But they look yummy!!

The article starts off by stating that the 'Chinese make the worst desserts ever'. Pretty brave statement but then the author is Chinese so I guess he can get away with it. From my very professional experience of Chinese food which consists of Mandarin, Asian Gourmet, and Manchu Wok meals, I don't think I have ever tried any authentic Chinese desserts. I've had a bit of green tea ice cream but I don't think that really counts.

Moon cakes are salted egg yolks which are surrounded by a pastry like exterior made from bean paste or seed paste. They are compressed and often are circular or square. Newer forms of moon cakes have different fillings and they are usually baked.

Moon cakes seem to be a widely known Chinese dessert, mainly because they are part of a Autumn celebration or Moon Festival and given as gifts. The article in the Star takes the opinion that moon cakes don't taste good. They have become more of a commercialized product and given for tradition rather than taste. People rarely make homemade moon cakes now since there are so many varieties available in fancy gift packaging at the grocery store.

Yolky center

This makes me a bit sad. Food is part of traditions and celebrations for a reason. It should be made with love and care at home and gifted with a smile of pride and a tinge of humbleness. You can only bask in the joy on someones face when they eat something you've made with your hands and not something you bought with your money (although you probably bought the ingredients...well that just killed the poetic flow of the sentence -_-)

Anyway, I found a recipe online and it seems pretty complicated to make but with fairly simple ingredients. I cannot attest to how authentic or tasty they are since I have never had a moon cake in my life nor have I tried aforementioned recipe. I will someday...its on my bucket list...as soon as I get around to writing down the bucket list...that's on the list too. I also have no idea why the egg yolks on this site are reddish/orange. Maybe its a different kind of egg? They cook to a beautiful colour though!

mmmm...Starbucks...droolz

There are literally tonnes of recipes online for many variations of moon cakes. The above recipe link was the simplest and most basic I found. If you find an even simpler one, I'd love to see it. I figure its easier to start off with simple stupid and work my way up from there.

Hopefully I can actually MAKE something for next weeks MM post...pshhh who am I kidding :)
In other news, I'm making a cake for a friends birthday this week...yayyy..always looking for excuses to bake. Look forward to pics later in the week :)

Multicultural Monday!!!! A Taste of the East

My first MM post is going to be dedicated to my very favourite sweet originating from India; GULAB JAMUN....my mouth waters just saying it. It is pretty much a round ball of milk dough deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup. I'll simplify that for you....milk, deep fried, sugar syrup. Too good to be true right?

According to Wikipedia, which obviously is the most reliable and truthful source of any piece of information, the name gulab jamun comes from the Persian word gulab which means rose water and the Hindustani word jamun which is a South Asian fruit about the same size and shape as the sweet.

Gulab Jamun is made with milk products. This includes milk powder and whole milk as well as cream and condensed milk depending on the recipe. So if your looking for an excuse to eat gulab jamuns, they're awesome calcium supplements....but I don't think you'll need an excuse :)

The best part of gulab jamun is the sugary syrup. No wait...its the rich sweet interior....no wait its the soft but crispy exterior...okay I can't choose!!!

The first time I made Gulab Jamun, which I shamefully admit was the only time, I made it out of a box. I know this is cheating. Please don't hate me. I promise I turned over a new leaf since. I had no idea how to make it from scratch and I was much younger at the time. Most Eastern/ Indian grocery stores have box mixes. Throw some milk or water into the batter, form little balls out of it and deep fry them until a little darker than golden brown. I didn't know that the balls would expand once you soak them in the syrup...I doubted the instructions the whole time but stuck to it, and boy was I glad. I left them to soak and came back in an hour to find the bowl brimming full with round juicy sweet balls of bliss....okay that sounded a little dirty....

If you want to try to make it from scratch theres a recipe here or here and even here. All of them are slightly different but very comprehensive recipes. You can also watch a video tutorial here. The recipe from scratch seems simple enough but you would probably have to play around with a few different ones before you settle on one that works for you. 


Dress them up with sweetened coconut shreds or serve with ice cream...or just gobble them up as is! Hope you try it out and let me know how it goes!!

Making Mondays a little more bearable...maybe

I've decided that in order to make my blogging a little more regular in my life, I'm going to start writing Multicultural Monday posts.

Being Tamil and living in Canada has taught me a few things about multiculturalism. Probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of any culture is food. Food brings people together in a way that other things can't. Perhaps it's because you don't have to convey in words how good something tastes...it will be written all over your face. Food is fun,  but desserts especially vary widely among different cultures.

Every Monday (at least....I hope every Monday) I will be doing a post on a dessert from a different culture that I made or a link to a recipe that seem deeeelish. I may also post some mouthwatering pictures or just some info on the role a certain type of dessert plays in its respective culture.

I should probably be honest and say that I was supposed to start this up this past Monday...and failed miserably. BUT I've added it onto my calendar for every Monday from now till infinity.

I'm excited to learn about and try out new recipes....I hope you are too!!

And a comic because I have no pictures of food...this weird ugly comic monster is showing up everywhere!