Exams are OVER!

Yep, this is our last week at school before a 2 week break!

We had 2 exams back to back today; cakes in the morning where I made 12 plain scones and decorated a chocolate mud cake whilst a chocolate souffle (came out like last week's pix... thank GOD) and a vanilla bavarios decorated and garnished with raspberry coulis.

Here are some photos of the stuff I made:

By the way, that person you partially see in the first photo is moi...

Have a great week guys and gals!!!

p/s - Daniel... please lar... your keyboard oledi over-flowing ler, go get bucket to contain all the excretion of liquids ler hahahaahahhaha....

Yummie... Yummie... Yummie

Welcome back folks to another edition of... 'What I Made in Class' day...

Yup Monday again and boy are my legs aching today... All I'm thinking about is stuffing my face with dinner and then snuggling up under the covers to catch a good night's rest before tomorrow comes around.

Anyway, enough about me and let's hear about today's menu:

Muffins
(apple-cinnamon, banana-walnut, chocolate chip, blueberry, raspberry, double chocolate, vanilla-almond and coffee)

Plain Scones

Gugelhoff
(chocolate-walnut, orange-almond, coffee-walnut, raisin-cinnamon, coconut-almond)

Bread & Butter Pudding

Macadamia Tartlets

All I can say about all the stuff we made today.... scrumptious!!!

For me the highlights of today was the gugelhoff, scones and the tartlets. A classmate of mine and I bought our gugelhoffs to take home. Made sure we wrote a short note to the Bakeshop telling them not to sell ours... think I did mention that our products get sent to our academy's Bakeshop that is open to the public and gets sold there.

When the scones were done, I was wishing that there was fresh clotted cream, strawberry jam, butter and a hot pot of tea around so I could have an English tea party!! We didn't make a variety of scones though and stuck to the plain normal one. You ought to try out making a batch adding apple-cinnamon-brown sugar mixture to it or just pack it full with grated cheddar cheese for a sweet and savoury type of scone respectively.... I tell you ... once 'kena' when they are fresh out of the oven.... wahlaueh... will be begging for MORE!!!

As for the bread and butter pudding, those were alright. Made 1 slab tin per bench and 3 smaller ones so that we could practise our garnishing techniques for the upcoming exams in 2 weeks. The tartlets were very sweet though. Normally one would find this made with pecans actually, therefore being known as Pecan Pie. All we did was substitute the pecans with macadamia nuts.

As soon as these two items hit the Bakeshop, they were grabbed up in a few minutes. So happened when I wheeled them into the shop, it was full of customers... drooling over the items made earlier in the day... whipped up all of these 'hot' ones too!

Let's just say the people here love their desserts; hot or cold, pastries, cakes or whatever... those who are planning visit here ought to take a ride to South Yarra and have a look at the pastry and bake shops there.... you can drool just by standing at the display window on the pathways. Once you get in I would think you might need a bucket! (let your imagination run wild....)

Have a good week y'all!!!

Monday Food Galore...

Hello everyone, it's Monday again!

This week begins the cake galore in class. Last week marked the end of pastries and our exams. We got to make the famous traditional fruitcake this week. Our lecturer had been soaking the sultanas and raisins in brandy for the past one week. When she opened the container.... ooooooo.. the whole classroom smelt like a liquor party...

We did the cakes the industrial way, with a massive gigantic mixing bowl and laser sensors in the front. The cake paddle was as big as my face! Only thing is that I didn't get to taste the end product. We actually made the cakes for another class to practise their icing techniques. The teacher set aside just 1 9inch cake for the class of 15 to taste. Let's just say the people in class have no understanding of the word taste as they decided to 'tahpau' back for their friends at home.

As for the second half of the day, we made vanilla bavarois and sticky date pudding. Heheehe... I liked the sticky date pudding.. easy and simple and tasty to make... yum yum. Ate mine like a cupcake without the topping though. Sweeeeeet...

Stay tuned for more next week....

Exam Jitters and a Lost Profiterol...

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yes today was the day where I had to do my assessment for Prepare & Produce Pastries.... and boy was I jumpy. We had to do a theory exam of 20 questions in 1hour and 10 frangipane tartlets along with 6 eclairs and profiterols in 2.5hours.

Things got on to a good start... did my theory paper in about 30mins and got started on the 'hot' stuff. Got everything weighed and measured out, made everything quite well (if I do say so myself) and got them to bake.

First in the oven was the choux pastry for the eclairs and the profiterols. Luckily I still have a steady hand and managed to get all my 12 choux pastry items in a consistent shape and size; 6 nice straight eclairs about 5 inches in length and 6 profiterols in a well rounded shape.

After that was done, I headed off to weigh and measure for the frangipane tartlets. Had to make the pastry first so that it can be rested in the fridge for about 20mins before it can be rolled. In the mean time look into the choux pastry in the oven and make the filling for the tart.

Yippee ... was I glad that my choux pastry items came out of the oven nice and very deliciously golden in colour. Left that on the wire rack to cool and continued with the frangipane tartlet filling and rolling out of the pastry for that 10 to bake.

What I didn't notice is that someone had the nerve to pinch one of my profiterols from the wire rack!!! OOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhh.... I was so angry when I went to collect it from the rack and told my instructor. I asked her if she was going to pinalise me for that and she said no. It's not like I didn't make 6, the evidence of a profiterol being there in the first place can cleary be seen by the baking mark on the tray!

Oh well... after all was made and done for I brought the completed products up for judgement day. Nicole (my instructor) said I missed by 1 mark to get an A for my theory test and gave me a B... shucks. And for my products she gave me a C.

So I guess my overall should be a B?

This closes the chapter in pastries and next week sees me in cake production, my favourite! Stay tuned for more mishaps, calamities and yummie stories next week!

p/s - Second half of the day we made caramel cream and creme brulee.... yum yum yum....

Bombe's Awaaaay!!

Hello Hello... yes it's Monday!

My tales from the kitchen today incorporates the following:

Apple Strudel (with the dough made from scratch and NO we didn't use filo pastry)
Sausage Rolls
Mango & Raspberry Parfait
Raspberry Coulis
Brandy Snaps
Bombe Alaska

We had a wonderful time stretching our strudel dough over a flour-covered table cloth!

Yup we used a table cloth to make sure that the thin pastry didn't end up with multiple holes and be called 'Holy Apple Strudel'. I assumed that the pastry would end up like the roti canai dough and it was but slightly different as the ingredients were slightly varied.

What a heavenly feast my late Great Grand-Uncle would have had... enjoying every single bit of that lovely dessert served with fresh cream or ice cream.... ooooooohhhhhh.... bless his soul!

As for the sausage rolls, I thought biasalah... bakery pun ada what. Just make the dough and put a sausage inside and bake right? Nope... the dough was a type of puff pastry just not so complicated filled with a mixture of minced meat, chopped sausages, onions, garlic, eggs, spices, salt and pepper made into a paste and piped onto the pastry and egg-washed to bake. Nice...

When it came to the Bombe Alaska the even layers of the 3 ice cream flavours from last week were yummily done (had to abstain from licking the spoon everytime each flavour was done though...). Then John (a classmate from South India), Harolf Firth (our lecturer) and I had another go at the champagne sorbet! (and no we are not alcoholics..) Ohhhh.... I tell you that is one heavenly dessert! You guys who are reading this ought to get the recipe and make em! You will not ever regret it trust me...

Overall, it was another exhausting day for my poor feet standing from 8am right up to 5pm just now. Next week will be our practical exams for "Prepare and Produce Pastries". I have to prepare 6 profiterols and chocolate eclairs along with 10 frangipane tartlets.

Wish me luck!

The Yummies Keep Coming!

Hellooo.....

Yes it's me Maggie and I'm here to tell you what Week 3 at practical had instored for me. I'm afraid my camera will be out of service until spring comes along when it feels more warmer and 'geared up' to take shots of my tempting creations in the kitchen.

This week we had the pleasure of making:

Profiteroles
Chocolate Eclairs
Fruit Rings
Vanilla, Chocolate & Raspberry Ice Cream
Champagne Sorbet

Ahhhh.... the wonderful devilish creations one can get from choux (pronounced as shoe) pastry... as soon as our handiwork hit the Bakeshop (where the desserts made are sold to the general public), you should have seen the ogling eyes of the female patrons!

"Arrrrrggghhhhhhhh CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!", that was what I heard from a girl and her friend. Guess how many eclairs she bought off the rack?? She bought 3 chocolate covered heavy creamed gorgeously filled eclairs all for herself!! Should have heard her in the hallways after.... "Mmmmm...mmmmm these are like soooooooo goooooooooood". Mind you that her friend didn't get any of those 3 she bought....

As for the ice cream and the sorbet, well those were not for sale as we were preparing them for next week's class where we will make the famous dessert called Bombe Alaska. A pretty tricky thing making ice cream... have to be careful not to get a 'scrambled egg' mixture on the fire to get a lovely smooth and creamy ice cream.

Ze sorbet was as one would say... positively magnifique! The taste of the bubbly in the ice that melts in your mouth.... mmmm.... no words can express....

Oops... erm... sorry... please stop drooling over your keyboards. It kinda gets a little nasty trying to clean it later....

Stay tuned for the next kitchen adventure... brought to you every Mondays by moi!

Cold Camera = Zero Pictures

Hello folks... today is my second day in practical class. Yep.. this is where I get to stand from 8am in the morning and sit at 5pm in the evening... not that I'm complaining of course...

Last week we whipped up a few items in the kitchen:

Frangipane Tartlets
Poached Pears
White Wine Jelly
Chocolate Sauce

This week we managed to not burn our hair with:

Quiche Lorraine
Crepes
Banana Flambe
Creme Sabayon
Some melted sugar pieces (for decoration)

As you can see I have no pictures of my masterpieces from the kitchen coz my seeetooopid camera is frozen solid!!! And my wonderful brother laughs his heart out saying I shouldn't have bought a cheapo camera that doesn't work in cold conditions ... and he had the cheek to say it when it was his recommendation that I buy it!!! Of all the nerve!

Anyhow my friends, rest assured we managed to do all of today's items without causing any casualties especially when we did the flambe... I have all my eyebrows and eyelashes in tact the last time I looked in the mirror...

The end result = the quiche was excellent, the crepes with the banana flambe filling and creme sabayon sauce was gooooooooood!

For those that wanna know what these items look like, please go Google it and you'll know. My apologies to all that are drooling for I have no pictures to show you.. therefore you will just have to imagine what it's like...

Mmmmm.......

Xmas Around the Corner...

Christmas....A time for merry making, sharing and spreading the joy of giving.

This is the time of the year where I kinda get in touch with my soppy side. Not really sure why, but I tend to cry at every single thing... trust me! Sometimes I tend to relate it to missing my grandma during this time of the year. She passed on the 26th of December 1989... I remember that day very clearly; the family had just finished attending midnight mass in church and we all headed into hospital to wish grandma a happy and blessed Christmas. Once that was done, she gave us 3 kiddies a peck on the cheek, some 'angpau' and shooed us all home requesting that my mom stay with her. Of course dad took us home and we spent the whole day opening presents and eating. Later that evening, mom called and told us she suffered from complications and sucumbed to her illness.

I actually miss all the preparation of goodies and food she used to do for Christmas. Grandma always started at least 2 months before just to get everything right. She would always start with the sugee and fruit cake along with the home made pineaple jam tarts.

Nowadays, people find it troublesome to make those 3 items from scratch resorting to purchasing them off the rack or ordering it from others that do. We at home prefer to make those goodies as it brings the young and the old together for the season's cheer and of course the older generation get free labour from us youngsters in helping them make those yummie stuff.

During the next few articles, I would be putting up recipes for the famous Christmas Fruit Cake, Sugee Cake and Pineapple Tarts just the way we at Casa Perez used to do it.

So do look out for the recipes and let me know if you succeeded. Let me warn you that it's more work compared to the easy stuff you find in the recipe books now....

Food? Dance? Food? Movie? Dance? Food?

Ok.. so I've started my very own blog - YAHOO!!!
Well folks, welcome to the world of MY favourite things... and nope this is not from "The Sound of Music" where Julie Andrews sings to the kids during the thunderstorm in her room... Nope, No, Nada... this is where I start serving you with what I personally love to do.
Think I would like to start off with the wonderful world of FOOD...
In this modern day and time, 'people' tend to indulge themselves with a variety of cuisine just to satisfy their cravings whatever the dish may be. I for one am a sucker for my mom's cooking; be it the simplest devil curry, stew or my favourite pongteh. Let me tell you my mum is a wicked wizard of food when she steps into the kitchen... she beats any of those cooks down in Melaka anytime or those who proclaim to cook authentic Portuguese food but fail to bring out the essence and taste of the dishes made.
I know.. I know.. I'm shooting my mouth off claiming the above but what can I say? If you were to see me in person, mannnnn .. you would agree I am one over-fed daughter!! My mother's motto: Cook as you were cooking for yourself. Never be stingy on the ingredients and always cook with LOVE... Guess all her love went to the right places... (snicker.. snicker..snicker)
Besides my beloved mum, there is this one person who's very famous for his cooking methods, recipes and personality. My mum watches his show and criticises him and his 'messy' way of handling his 'food'. I'm speaking of the ever famous Mr Jamie Oliver... yup, yup.... The Naked Chef. He just recently published his new recipe book - The Naked Chef 2 which is currently in the market for about RM80.00 or more. Not only is Mr Oliver creating a massive wave in the gastronomical world of food but he also gives a hand to help get rid of those ghastly goop that some school kitchen tuck shops serve to kids... (thank god!!) Well... flipping through some of his recipes, I found this simple yet yummie drink :

Mango Lassi
(This Indian drink is like a mango milkshake and is delicious. )

9 fluid ounces (255 millilitres) plain yoghurt
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 millilitres) milk
4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 millilitres) canned mango pulp or 7 ounces (200 grams) from 3 fresh mangoes, stoned and sliced
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste, or feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Give this one a try and see... personally I splurged on fresh, big and juicy Indian mangoes instead of the canned pulp!!

Stay tuned for more recipes!!