• Collaborations,  Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life

    A day with Enderun’s Ducasse Signature Series: Introduction to French Cuisine, Part 2

    Jason and I made our way to Enderun on a very dreary Saturday morning, but I could see only sunshine on the faces of the students waiting for classes to start at the lounge area. We weren’t late this time around, thankfully. It was the last session of the Ducasse Signature Series ‘Into to French Cuisine’ 5-Day Bootcamp, and to be honest, it felt bittersweet.

  • Collaborations,  Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life

    A day with Enderun’s Ducasse Signature Series: Introduction to French Cuisine, Part 1

    I have never cooked French food before. Yes I’ve made some French desserts like soufflés and macarons, but I’ve never touched upon French cooking. It just feels incredibly intimidating for some reason. I feel like I would’ve stayed within this mindset for a long time had Enderun Colleges not invited me to attend one of their ‘Introduction to French Cuisine’ classes. This class is under their Ducasse Signature Series, and it teaches bits and pieces of the techniques and recipes that have turned Alain Ducasse himself into a Michelin-decorated chef.

  • Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life

    It’s a Turkish Bread Baking Party! 

    It’s no secret that I love bread, but admittedly, I love making bread a wee bit more than eating it. There’s so much magic in the way that powdery flour and yeast and eggs and water transforms into that beautifully golden on the outside, soft on the inside creation that we call bread. To me, there’s also something soothing in kneading the dough and forming it into the shape I desire. Which is why when I got an invitation to a bread-baking class sponsored by the Turkish Flour, Yeast, & Ingredients Promotion Group (TYFI) I was more than happy to say yes! I mean we’re only going to learn about Turkish breads; and Turkey just…

  • Baking Recipes,  David Lebovitz,  Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life,  Frozen treats,  I scream for ice cream (I do),  My favourite things

    My first candied bacon creation: Candied Bacon Ice Cream

    I find this whole candied bacon phenomenon quite fascinating. I think it’s rather nice that people are beginning to become more playful with their palate, opting for combinations of flavours instead of just straight sweet, or straight salty or spicy or sour. Sometimes it really pays to be a bit more adventurous with the food you eat, and it doesn’t even have to be as extreme as eating fried bugs or any of those “exotic” stuff. My satisfaction in making things like these comes in the form of being able to introduce them to my family, my parents especially, to help broaden their views on how food is changing these…

  • Baking Recipes,  Bouchon Bakery,  Choux pastry,  Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life,  From the books

    My continuing struggles with pate a choux that led to delicious Chocolate Eclairs

    If I ever wrote a baking memoir, there would be a whole 50-page chapter devoted to my roller coaster-like ride in learning the pate a choux. I had thought that the hard-fought success after my first gazillion trials would help me nail the eclair rather easily. Turns out there is more to it than knowing technique and what the batter should look like at certain points. I mean, these are the things I have already truly learned after all my previous failures. No, this time I really have to chalk up the “rough” appearance of my eclairs to my lack of proper equipment. I now realise I do not have the piping tip appropriate enough to squeeze out the…

  • Autumn baking,  Baking Recipes,  Experiments & experiences,  Foodie Life,  J'adore macarons

    {Kitchen Diaries} Autumn Edition

    It’s November, which means I am officially starting my countdown to Christmas! Since we don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving holiday here, we’re jumping right into festive, Christmas-y baking before the last week of November arrives. It’s my favourite time of the year and I’m super excited to make the recipes I have planned for Christmas already, but before that, I wanted to share some of the autumn recipes that did not make the cut. I’ve actually been pretty busy in the kitchen even though it’s not as apparent on the blog. Poor planning, crazy whims, and the desire to use ingredients screaming at me in the fridge have led me to…