Finally.... Kitchenaid...

I have been considering getting a stand mixer for quite some time.  I finally got one two weekends ago.  Some of my friends were quite surprise that I was actually baking with just a wire whisk and a small hand-held mixer all these while.  When I first started baking, I was not too sure how long this interest would last, so I thought I should really hold back on buying a bulky machine to take up precious space in my kitchen.  It has been close to a year since I baked my first batch of cupcakes, and I have come to realize that the initial interest has since developed into a passion.  There are so many interesting yet challenging recipes that I have been wanting to try... and I know a simple hand-held mixer is no longer adequate.  So I started my research on stand mixers... reading all the reviews on the different brands that are available, both locally as well as overseas.  If I am residing abroad, I would have consider Cuisinart, but since this model is not available locally, I figured servicing this in the future might be difficult.  Therefore my search was narrowed down to just Kitchenaid and Kenwood, the two popular stand-mixer brands we have here.  After many weeks of further research and comparison, I finally set my heart on Kitchenaid Artisan stand mixer.  The main reason is because this model looks less bulky on the countertop, and comes in the color I wanted to match my kitchen.  Yes, it does occur to me that this is all very ironical that I eventually based my decision solely on aesthetic factors when I had spent so much time reading up on the features, functions and capacities of the mixers.  Well, I guess I followed my heart yet again and I certainly hope it is not a mistake!  I will be using my new machine a lot going forward... so maybe I will do a review on this product in a few month's time, for the benefit of those might be going through the same decision-making dilemma as me.  So far I have made some chiffon cakes, italian meringue buttercream, and these chocolate cupcakes with my new mixer. 

So far so good, and I am so glad that I now have my hands free to do other preparation work while the mixer is doing the whisking and beating on its own!  

Birthday Cupcakes for my Dad

This coming Monday will be my dad's 66th birthday.  I made this set of orange and passionfruit cupcakes to wish him a very happy birthday.  The golden coins on the cupcakes denote longevity.  The chinese words came from the chinese idom "福如东海长流水, 寿比南山不老松", a blessing used commonly on elderly's birthdays and it can be simply translated to mean: (May your) happiness be as boundless as the eastern oceans and your life as long as the long lasting southern mountains.  

Thirty four years ago my dad became a first time father when I was born.  He was about thirty-two years old then.  He devoted the next thirty over years taking care of his family.  He worked hard to provide for us and never complained no matter how tough things were.  A calm and steadfast man is what I known him to be.  Strict but never loses his temper or raise his voice on me except on instances where I went way over board.  I respect my dad a lot and I love him so much.  But ever since I started my own family, I tend to neglect him a bit due to the busy life I have now.  Many times, I took him for granted, and always procrastinate in making that phone call to check on him.  I do understand that for elder folks like my dad, material things no longer weigh as much as compared to the love and concerns from family and children.  I must constantly remind myself to always be there for my folks... 

Today, I spent a whole afternoon with my dad.  We watched F1 on TV, enjoyed the company of my sons, his grandsons, and we had a good meal together.  I feel really happy, and i think my folks are happy too.  So once again, 生日快乐, 老爸!  

Macarons: Second Attempt

This is my second attempt at baking french macarons.  My first attempt produced some imperfect looking macarons with pointy shells.  Took some tips and advice from my friend and so this time round, I gave the batter a few more stirs to make sure that it is more runny.  I used the same recipe as the previous time just for experimental sake.  This batch of macarons definitely turned out with smoother shells after having paid more attention to the consistency of the batter.  I did not add any food coloring to the shell this time since it was meant for own consumption.  I filled them with dark chocolate ganache again... cos that's just the way I like it.  Yum!  

Easter Cookies

I was in the mood for cookies today, so I baked some easter cookies for friends and relatives.  These are just simple vanilla sugar cookies, but I added some whole wheat flour to the recipe for additional nutrients and texture.  Happy Easter everyone!  

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I love drinking tea, and one of my favorite blend is Earl Grey tea.  I like it for its very distinctive flavor and scent that is derived from the addition of oil from the rind of the bergamot orange.  I usually like to drink one cup of Earl Grey tea every afternoon, and one day while I was having my tea, an idea came to mind.  I should bake some Earl Grey tea cupcakes!  One of the method to incorporate the Earl Grey flavor into the cupcake was by infusing the milk with the Earl Grey tea.  The other option was to simply add the tea leaves directly into the cupcake batter.  I chose the latter.  I used 3 tea bags of Earl Grey tea for 2 dozens of cupcakes.  The Earl Grey flavor in the cupcakes turned out to be rather subtle.  I think I will use more tea bags the next time round and maybe I will infuse the milk with more Earl Grey tea too.  I topped the cupcakes with lemon buttercream and fondant flowers.  A nice afternoon tea delight that goes perfectly with Earl Grey tea.       

Macarons: First Attempt

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macarons

I love everything French, therefore I thought I should try to figure out how to make the traditional french pastry, macarons.  This delicate dessert is made up of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar.  Although the ingredients are simple and few, the techniques and skills involved in making a perfect macaron, are not.  I have yet to taste an original macaron from its native country, thus I do not actually know what exact texture I am aiming for in this project.  I did some reading up from the internet on this subject, and after gathering all the information and tips I needed, I proceed to make my first batch of macarons based on a recipe I got here.  I did not have much of an expectation on the final outcome.... in fact I had even mentally prepped myself for a possibility of total failure.  Thank God that that didn't happen.  I managed to produce more than 2 dozens of macarons, and non of the shells collapse/crack in the oven.  However, I do not think I did a very good job still...my shells are not in a smooth dome shape, and they all have a little peak that do not fall back down after I pipe them on the baking sheets.  My guess is that I have under-mixed the batter... so I will try to make adjustment on that for my second attempt.  Taste wise, they are crisp on the outside but tender on the inside.  The dark chocolate ganache compliments the sweetness of the shells, and even my husband who does not have a sweet tooth says he likes them.  And for that reason alone, I give myself a pat on the shoulder!  LOL.  

Lemon Curd Tartlets

I made some tartlets today and filled them with lemon curd topped with candied lemon zest.   Lemon has always been one of my favorite flavors when it comes to baking.  I like it for its appealing color, aroma and tangy taste.  In fact, I usually have a lemon or two in my fridge all the time.  For the tartlet shells, I used a sweet tart pastry (recipe adapted from carolwalter).  Lemon curd can be store bought or you can make some yourself.  I used this recipe.  Refrigerate the tarts overnight or 8 hours before serving.