My Blog is 1 year old and I am having hell of a rolling time.

Before I share with you my disappoinment, let me share with you my joy! My blog is one year old yesterday. I am amazed myself for being able to sustain one year blogging because I could not imagine I will have readers to want to read my posts. Like I have said before, I don't write good English nor I have any writing style, but I know I will always write from my heart. I am not shy to share my joy and my disappointments with you and be sincere in what I share. I am sure Quay Po Cooks is still here today because of all the encouraging words from you all.  Each and every comment and visit means a lot to me. I know many visited me but did not comment but I know you are there. Thanks for dropping by. I appreciate the love and support from all of you.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!  HUGZZ and LOVE to you all. 


My disappointment is self inflicted. It is the result of being stubborn not wanting to use the sponge cake recipe to make swiss roll. 

I had a lot of egg whites in my fridge and also some berries which I wanted to use up. I thought I could use them to make the swiss roll.  So, I found this meringue swill roll recipe and give it a try. The meringue sheet came out nice but then, the moment I roll it, it breaks.  Yes, another failure and I ended up with a wrapped meringue cake instead of swiss roll. My Quay Lo did not like the taste of this cake because he said it is too “eggy” for him and it is too heart"achy" for me because I failed again! My maid likes it and said it tasted good so I gave the whole cake to her after I photographed it. 

I am running out of time to send in my entry for the Apsiring Baker #9.  Tomorrow, I will give one more try and this time I HAVE to use the sponge cake recipe and keep all my fingers crossed! Looks like I am having hell of a rolling time this July trying to roll out a REAL swiss roll. Quay Po, don't give up, read this quote:

"You must do the things you think you cannot do."

by Eleanor Roosevelt

Meringue wrapped cake

Adapted from taste.com.au with modification

Ingredients:

5 egg whites, at room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

3 teaspoons cornflour

150g fresh blue berries

150g fresh strawberries

2/3 cup mascarpone cheese

2/3 cup thickened cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a 2cm-deep, 25cm x 38cm (base) baking tray. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until dissolved. Sift corn flour over egg mixture. Using a large metal spoon or spatula, fold corn flour into egg mixture to combine. Spread meringue over prepared tray. Bake for 12 minutes or until just firm and pale golden. Meanwhile, place a 40cm piece of baking paper on workbench. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Carefully turn meringue onto paper. Remove lining from meringue. Allow meringue to cool.Place one-third of the berries in a bowl. Using a fork, roughly mash. Set aside. Whisk mascarpone and cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add mashed berries. Gently swirl through cream mixture. Spread berry mixture over meringue, leaving a 1cm border on all sides. Wrap the berry mixture with the meringue. Wrap baking paper around the cake and place, seam side down, on a tray. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until well chilled. Remove baking paper from cake. Torch the top of cake and top with berries. Slice and serve.

Pictures speak a thousand words - Part 2

Tart Class Day 2 – 26^th June 2011

It's Sunday, the second day of our pastry class at the Academy of Pastry Arts in Malaysia. I must admit it was difficult to roll out of bed so early on a Sunday morning, especially as I received no sympathy from my Quay Lo, who simply rolled over with a snort. Once I got myself into gear, and still fresh from the experience of yesterday, I felt the growing excitement of another day of exploring the secrets of pastries, delicate creams, and exotic aromas. 
As it turned out I was the first to arrive at the academy and made an eye opening cup of tea in the student lounge. By the time we had fully assembled I saw that our small group had trimmed down to five from seven the day before. No matter, I thought, as it would mean more direct coaching from the Chef. After our focus yesterday on savories, today we are to learn Sweet Pastry, as in Ganache moelleuse, Almond cream, Lemon cream and Meringue Italienne. My sweet tooth was utterly engaged.

After Chef Lejuene showed us how to make the doughs and the various creams, we all headed back to our stations to do our own. Let me show you the tarts that I baked and took home. Don’t blink your eyes!

Linzer dough raspberry strawberry jam tart

Linzer dough raspberry strawberry jam tart - close up

Lemon cream peach tart

Lemon cream peach tart - close up

Almond cream fruit tart with orange slice, pineapple and strawberries

 Lemon cream mix fruits tart with kiwi and peach

Tartlettes - chocolate cream and lemon cream with peaches

Are you more keen to find out what we did on the second day of the class now?
I will let my pictures speak to you.

Chef showing us how to make the sweet pastry, once done the dough goes straight to the fridge

Preparing the ganache moelleuse

Preparing the raspberry and strawberry jam filling

Preparing the lemon cream filling

Preparing the fruits need skill too

The lemon cream fruit tart taking shape

Tarts of the day

A group photo for the album

Quay Po and Chef Lejuene

For those who are interested in a career in pastry, or simply engage more fully in pastry making at home, here are some points to ponder:

1) You might want to evaluate all options. Most important, you want to find the right school.  

2) Find out about the instructors who conduct the courses, find out about their qualifications and whether their style of teaching will inspire you.

3) Check out the school by attending a class or two to find out if you like the set up, the potential classmates you might be working with, their curriculum and how many hours of hands on time you have.

4) You might also want to know what kind of certification you will receive.

Those are just my two cents. Honestly, after attending the two days tart class with Chef Lejuene, I am thinking about attending a part time course myself.  Hopefully, my Quay Lo is reading this post and make this my 15th wedding anniversary gift this coming December! HINT! HINT!

I promise to share all the recipes with you all once I get to make those tarts on my own but I want to create some new flavors. Have a wonderful week!

Pavlova or Palova

I first tasted the Pavlova in The Ishii’s Residence on 4th July this year.  Their friend, Cheng Yi baked it.  It was really delicious and I decided to make one, one day myself.  If you want to try it, here is the recipe. Pavlova:  Ingredient: 120 grams egg white 1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour) Topping: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whippingcream 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruits of your choice. Method: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in. Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.) Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)  The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.  Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.