Lemon Chocolate Salt

Choux, Pichet Ong

Yan Bing — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:31:31 +0000

These are supremely puffy. They expand with exuberance and zero sense of decorum. They are also obscenely delicious warm from the oven. Maybe I had plain choux for dinner… Who knows? They’re a different bird than Migoya’s choux… Migoya emphasis is in appearance. I tried cooling half this batter to see if there was any …

Green tea red bean roll v. 2

Yan Bing — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:07:31 +0000

I adapted from PH’s genoise recipe this time, leaving out the milk. The cake is softer and more moist than the previous one. It is slightly harder to roll as a result, cracking more easily. It is also slightly sweeter, almost too sweet. I’d add a little salt or cut the sugar next time. The …

Choux puffs, Franscisco Migoya

Yan Bing — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:31:35 +0000

Two things I learnt from this recipe: - Transferring the choux batter to a piping bag and using that to pipe into another piping bag eliminates air pockets - Misting the choux with oil before baking will eliminate ripping and create evenly shaped choux - Cooling the choux dough allows it to be piped neater …

Pastry Cream, Lenotre’s recipe

Yan Bing — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:44:16 +0000

In preparation of choux in the near future… Pastry cream, from Lenotre. The use of Nielssen-Massey Vanilla paste transformed the cream from acceptable to unforgettable. The only change I made is an additional step from Pierre Herme’s recipe which adds the butter when the hot cream has cooled to 60C. One of these days I’ll …

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels, with almonds and without vanilla

Yan Bing — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:49:17 +0000

I’ve made caramels twice before this, and this might just be my favorite. The golden syrup gives it a hint of smoky flavor that’s quite enchanting. Remind me again what this recipe is called? Because I completely forgot to add the vanilla. But guess what, the caramels still tasted awesome! I topped each caramel to …

Banana shortcake aka droopy stars

Yan Bing — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:05:29 +0000

First ever whipped cream frosted cake! With droopy stars! Lesson: Whipped cream softens rapidly in sg’s unforgiving heat, so move fast. I could see the stars falling as I photographed them. This cream contains carrageenan, which gives the whipped cream a smoother texture. However, carrageenan-laced cream doesn’t taste as good as pure cream so that’s …

Pierre Herme’s Genoise v. 2.1

Yan Bing — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:37:06 +0000

The middle of this cake sank halfway through baking while the top got more and more brown. This cake is sweet, and rather sticky. The center column of the cake was more tender and had smaller air pockets than the sides! It’s almost as if there were 2 different cake batters (Isn’t that an idea). …

Low sugar genoise, v. 1

Yan Bing — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:20:06 +0000

Genoise is a basic cake, it is a little dry and sturdy enough to be soaked with flavored syrups. Genoise recipes generally share these basic steps – Eggs and sugar whisked over a bain-marie until lukewarm and the sugar dissolved, then whipped to a pale fluffy foam. Flour is folded in, followed by melted butter, …

Green tea red bean roll

Yan Bing — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:56:21 +0000

This is really tasty! The cake, flavored with matcha, is rolled up with red bean cream. There are versions that use adzuki straight up, or cut with a little yoghurt, but the red bean fresh cream combination is so delightful cold from the fridge, and the drier genoise pairs well with the extra moisture of this filling. …

Roasted Banana Galette

Yan Bing — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:45:34 +0000

Bananas take on a lovely deep flavor when baked, releasing their juices and caramelizing on top. There is nothing quite like a house perfumed by sweet roasting bananas. Too bad they look like they’ve emerged on the losing end of a fight, all soft, bruised and black in places. My gracious guests’ only comment was …