Le Big Mac

Vincent Vega: "And you know what they call a... a... a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris?"
Jules: "They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?"
Vincent Vega: "No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the **** a Quarter Pounder is."
Jules: "Then what do they call it?"
Vincent Vega: "They call it a "Royale" with cheese."
Jules: "A "Royale" with cheese! What do they call a Big Mac?"
Vincent Vega: "A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it "le Big Mac"."
Jules: ""Le Big Mac"! Ha ha ha ha! What do they call a Whopper?"
Vincent Vega: "I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King."

That's possibly one of my all-time favourite scenes from my all-time favourite movie - Is Tarantino a genius? Or is Tarantino a genius? I watched it for the nth time recently.

OK, enough preamble.
A tall, big (relatively speaking) macaron-inspired dessert. I'd made a batch of salted butter caramel macarons - hands-down my all-time favourite flavour, incidentally - and thought it would be fun to work a composed dessert around the caramel au beurre salé theme, featuring my all-time favourite ingredient quartet. Much beurre d’Echiré, fleur de sel de Guérande, crème fraîche d'Isigny and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla later...

Friable salted chocolate sablés are layered with caramelized milk chocolate ganache (I used Valrhona Jivara, which has beautifully pronounced burnt sugar notes. So rather than simply heating cream, the cream was combined with a deep amber caramel before pouring over the Jivara fèves. Once this mixture cools, it's emulsified with a goodly lump of softened salted butter). The macaron perched atop this crisp-creamy, sweet-salty tower is the business. I find the salted butter caramel filling utterly moreish. And will sheepishly admit to being capable of demolishing whatever is leftover from filling the macaron shells neat, straight from a spoon - no wonder my enthodontist loves me. A small scoop of crème fraîche ice-cream, a smidgen of vanilla-infused caramel sauce, and shards of macadamia-studded nougatine round things out.

The best part of it all? Leftover components to make simple-yet-scrumptious, spin-off treats, such as these sandwich cookies (salted chocolate sablés plus caramelized milk chocolate ganache, topped with a flake or two of sea salt).

I had a fair bit of extra ganache, discovered that it made for a magnificient macaron filling, and have been amusing myself at teatime the last couple of days trying to decide if I like the salted butter caramel macarons or the caramelized milk chocolate ones more.

PS: Speaking of macarons, this macaron and biscotti class is back! I will be teaching only 2 sessions of this demo class, held on 24 May 2008 (Saturday) and 25 May 2008 (Sunday) at Shermay's Cooking School. The May schedule has all the details; for inquiries, please call +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

Extra, extra

I've received the occasional note over the past year from a few concerned folks asking me to return to "regular" blogging. Thank you very much, guys, for taking the time to write and express how you feel, but as every waking moment I spend in the kitchen these days is typically either in planning or preparation for a class - not that I'm complaining, because I am extremely fortunate to be doing what I love, elbow-deep in butter, eggs, sugar and flour - it's virtually impossible not to let my excitement and anticipation about the classes spill over onto these pages. Pages of what, to me, is essentially an online food journal, and the answer to the question of what one has been up to lately food-wise, what is foremost in one's food-related thoughts. From my perspective, I have to confess it's all "regular", if by "regular" we mean conforming to the most prevalent pattern in one's kitchen. Of course, that's not to preclude the this-is-what-I-cooked-last-Sunday-for-dinner variety of rambling altogether - believe you me, I'll happily and long-windedly get to that whenever I'm not otherwise preoccupied!

Anyways, in keeping with the most recent prevalent pattern (read: this particular Spring/Easter-themed affair on 15 March 2008 and 16 March 2008), I thought I'd put up a bit more detail about the handful of bonus recipes.

The Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Cupcakes are moist little keepers thanks to the generous inclusion of raspberry puree in the batter. They're at their best when topped with a Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Ganache - while I've specified Valrhona Equatoriale 55% in the recipe (because this versatile bittersweet is what I know most home bakers always have on standby in the pantry), and it works just fine, if you wish to go the extra mile, do try the recipe with Manjari 64%; the red fruit savours inherent in this particular gem from Valrhona really do pair beautifully with the raspberry puree.

And I simply had to include a recipe for Simnel Cupcakes - I couldn't resist the idea of a Mini Me version of the traditional fruitcake served on Easter (and also on Mothering Sunday). Much lighter than its dark, boozy Christmas cousin, Simnel cake has a generous seam of marzipan running though its centre, is covered with marzipan, and is conventionally finished with 11 marzipan balls representing the 11 good disciples. As much as I adore marzipan, I prefer to skip the last bit (which I think is overkill on a cake this diminutive) in favour of 11 gold dragées. The crowning touch is a yellow marzipan rose in full bloom (the petals edges have been finished with pink luster dust; I was after a tea rose effect).

Egg-ceptional

I'd crafted this sugar egg case for the weekend just past. Easter Sunday falls on 23 March 2008, so the last 2 sessions have been scheduled for the weekend prior, on 15 March 2008 and 16 March 2008 (for all inquiries, please call +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg). Besides cupcakes and cookies, the session also covers sugar moulding. It being a Spring/Easter theme, there was no question as to the chosen shape of the cases!

Whilst planning for this, I had initially toyed with the idea of chocolate egg cases. In the end, I decided to go the sugar moulding route instead - chocolate eggs are aplenty at the shops come this time of the year, so if you are going to spend the time and effort making something from scratch, why not make it something unexpected? And despite appearances, sugar moulding is one aspect of sugar art that is actually very easy to do, and is based on ingredients readily found in the pantry.

I can't think of a more charming addition to the Easter basket, absolutely occasion-appropriate. And it's not just purely ornamental (while theoretically edible, I really wouldn't suggest it!), because it makes for the ultimate handmade bonbonniere - the perfect receptacle for holding your choice of sweets, candy or chocolates. Me? I'm partial to sugar almonds, not least because they just so happen to be egg-shaped and come tinted in the most delicate of pastel washes.

The sugar egg case can be dyed any colour you fancy, and decorated any manner you please. The specimen here is edged with violet shells and topped with pansies, both piped from royal icing.

In terms of presentation, a nest is best...Pretty coloured raffia works a treat.

C is for Cookie

As mentioned here, I thought it might be a good idea (not to mention an excuse for me to indulge in a spot of decorating!) to put up a post featuring the cookie component of this Spring/Easter class I'll be teaching (held on 1 March 2008 , 2 March 2008 , 15 March 2008 and 16 March 2008 - for all inquiries, please call Shermay's Cooking School at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg).

The recipe for Rich Chocolate Cookies (flavoured with Valrhona cocoa and Nielsen-Massey's awesome chocolate extract) makes an easy-to-handle rolled dough that's perfect for decorated cookies. As for Royal Icing, I've used a recipe based on egg white powder - I've used a meringue powder royal icing and classic royal icing (based on raw whites) in previous classes before and thought it would be nice to show another alternative that works just as well.

Beyond the basic decorating techniques (like outlining, flooding, drop-in flooding, overpiping, flocking and gilding) that allow you to craft one-of-a-kind cookies, I just couldn't resist adding cookie pops to the line-up.
These treats-on-sticks let you arrange the most unusual edible bouquets – such as this cluster of Tulip Cookie Pops - be it as a memorable hostess gift or party table centerpiece.

Learning how to use a petal tip or drop flower tip to create 3-D piped icing flowers opens up a whole wealth of decorating possibilities; I think these Flower Baskets show off the royal icing blooms to sweet effect.

And of course, no celebration of Easter or Spring would be complete without

Chicks

and Bunnies.

Putting together an Easter basket for a child? It amuses me to think of these Carrots as accompanied by an Eat Your Veggies label - for once, the recalcitrant little one won't need much persuasion!

Butterflies

and Dragonflies are just as full of fun and frolic.

Need something a little more seemingly grown-up? May I suggest some Gilded Eggs? While a touch of gold works its magic on designs far simpler, faster and less fussy (as will be shown during the sessions), I thought I'd show a sample here of the more ornate numbers possible should one be of the school of thought that more-is-more when it comes to decorated cookies. Admittedly, I was having a bit of a moment when icing these, having just re-watched Marie Antoinette recently (in case you're wondering, not so much for Ms Coppola's revisionist re-telling...is it just me, or are those props - heaps of Ladurée pastries and piles of Manolos - completely show-stealing?). But what with the flurry of scrolls and swags and flourishes, the results might just as well have been inspired by a jewelled Fabergé imperial Easter egg, no?

The Art Nouveau-inspired motif on the right is based on Émile Gallé's design of swirling anemones, as seen gracing bottles of the Belle Epoque cuvée.

I was really thrilled at how these Jasper ware-inspired cookies turned out the last time, so wanted to try a few left plain white-on-blue.

Spring/Easter Class at Shermay's: Cupcakes, Cookies and Other Treats

I'll be teaching a Spring/Easter demo class at Shermay's Cooking School on 1 March 2008 (Saturday), 2 March 2008 (Sunday), 15 March 2008 (Saturday) and 16 March 2008 (Sunday) - the March schedule has all the necessary booking details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

I didn't want to limit a theme so rich with possibilities to just cupcakes, or just cookies. So the solution was obvious - the class covers both areas, and a few other treats besides. This post features the cupcakes and some of the cupcake decorating ideas; I will put up a separate post soon featuring the decorated cookies.

The cupcake and cupcake topping recipes are:

Super Moist Carrot & Orange Cupcakes with Walnuts

If anything is worth perfecting, it is a classic like carrot cake. My idea of a well-made carrot cake, a carrot cake worth eating, is ultra moist, gently spiced, lifted with a touch of citrus zest and generously loaded with shredded carrots and chopped nuts - all in all, a lavish mouthful of comfort. The recipe I will be sharing is the same tried-and-tested gold standard I often turn to when I need to produce a sweet treat that will make a memorable impression at tea.

White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Frosting

A lavish carrot cake deserves a lavish frosting. Good white chocolate (I use Valrhona Ivoire) puts a luxurious spin on cream cheese frosting, lending mouthfeel and richness.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Cupcakes with Cherry Topping

A buttery crumb base is topped with a luscious cream cheese filling extravagantly flavoured with vanilla bean and finished with a tart cherry topping.

I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for decorating the cupcakes, from the fuss-free (like these candied carrot curls),

to the fabulously frou frou. Given the seasonal theme, coming up with the latter was virtually like playing a word association game. If there're carrots involved, the Easter bunny simply must put in an appearance.

Delicate little eggs, tinted a variety of pretty pastel washes, demand a basket,

a nest,

or a bed of grass.

And if there're eggs, a chick

or two can't be far behind.

And that's just the cherry on the cake, so to speak. I'll put up details on the decorated cookie component of the class soon; an easy-to-handle rolled dough (Rich Chocolate Cookies), plus familiarity with the ins and outs of working with Royal Icing (using a recipe based on egg white powder that's an alternative to meringue powder royal icing and classic royal icing) and core decorating techniques (from the basic like Outlining, Flooding, Drop-in Flooding, Overpiping, Flocking and Gilding to the slightly more challenging like Piped Icing Flowers), allow you to craft one-of-a-kind cookies and cookie pop bouquets. Sugar moulding techniques (for creating sugar cases and shaped sugar cubes) will also be covered.

On top of the above, the recipe pack includes a handful of bonus recipes - Simnel Cupcakes with Marzipan Centres; Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Cupcakes; Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Ganache. I won't be demonstrating these extra recipes during class so will be elaborating on them shortly as well.