vickichowder: FRESH

CAKE

My appetite tends to change when the temperature increases to 30 degrees Celsius or above. I no longer enjoy eating starchy foods such as rice, pasta, and even sponge cakes (even when they're served with fresh fruits and a dollop of chantilly cream).

In place of sponge cakes which I love to make and subsequently eat, I've been making lots of fresh fruit tarts lately.

Strawberry tart

A crisp, flaky, buttery crust is extremely enjoyable when topped with a delicate custard or cream cheese and whipping cream or meringue mixture, covered by a bed of juicy berries (or whatever fruit you like to eat).

I can really only give you the recipe for the pastry base, as the rest are all up to your creativity and preferences, and available ingredients!

This pastry base is taken from author and blogger Mercotte, who recreates Jacques Genin's famous flan parisien. I've scaled down her measurements to half because I simply didn't need to make that much pâte à foncer (flan pastry). Although on her site she called it pâte brisée, I've been told that it turns into what is called pâte à foncer upon the addition of egg yolks.

Remember to prick the pastry all over with a fork!

Here is the recipe for pâte à foncer / flan pastry:

~ Ingredients ~

180 g cold (can be frozen) unsalted butter

250 g flour

4 g salt

5 g sugar

50 g cold milk

20 g egg yolk

~ Method ~

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and process in a food processor with the flour, salt and sugar. It's fine if it's still rather chunky.

2. Add the egg yolk and milk and process. It may not come together but that's okay.

3. Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and with your hands, compress the dough into a ball, taking care to not overwork the dough because you don't want the butter to melt. There should still be bits and small pieces of butter scattered around your dough!

4. Place another sheet of plastic wrap on top and roll it to fit whatever pan you want to put it in.

5. Line your pan with the pastry then freeze it.

6. When it's fully frozen, poke it all over with a fork then place it in a preheated 350 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, you can place the cubes cold cold butter in a bowl with all the dry ingredients and cut it up using a sharp knife. Then mix in the yolk and milk. I made my pastry this way because my magic bullet couldn't handle cold butter!

Cherry tart

For the filling, I've used cream cheese mixed with a French meringue (egg whites whipped with caster sugar), sugar to your tasting, and a liberal dash of Baileys Irish cream. I also made it another time with cream cheese and chantilly cream (35% cream whipped to soft peaks with sugar to your tasting and a bit of vanilla flavouring).

I used a cream cheese, Baileys, and french meringue filling on top of a chocolate covered base

Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature because you need to beat it until creamy to mix in your meringue/chantilly cream. Of course, you can also use pudding or custard mixes which are super fast to prepare and are available readily at your local supermarket in a plethora of flavours!

I like to flavour my fillings with vanilla, Baileys, Frangelico (a hazelnut flavoured liqueur), and other liqueurs because I feel that it complements fresh summer fruits the best.

The 66 cherries I pitted, on a tart

Being slightly more ambitious than usual, I convinced myself to pit a total of 66 cherries to top a rectangular pâte à foncer base. How did I manage to do that? - I kept reminding myself of the satisfaction of biting a perfectly pitless, fresh, juicy cherry.

This recipe is my gift to you

Definitely top this pastry with whatever fresh fruits you make like: pineapple, banana, apple, pear, berries, mango... And after doing so you might like to drizzle some melted chocolate, sprinkle some toasted coconut, or just finish off with a clear glaze to make those fruits appear as though they glow underneath the bright, almost-summer sun.

MUAH MUAH MUAH

VICKI CHOW

P/S

Yesterday was Victoria Day, one of only two days where we are allowed to fire fireworks. And then it began to pour rain the moment I stepped outside the door, drenching all the hope and anticipation that had built up inside us *boo*

Cake scraps (the ends of roll cake pictured here) are all I need to satisfy my cake quota

On a very side note, I've noticed I don't like to eat my own cakes, but my friends have pointed out that the reason for that is because I eat my quota's worth from the cake scraps already!

And I'll be leaving in 2 days for my Asia trip! Since I'll be on vacation for almost 3 months, I really want to update you on my food adventures during that time so come back often to see pictures *yay*

What are you eating during this warmer season?

, by vickichowder

BAKE

RECIPE: BUTTER COOKIES

Let's begin today with the understanding that I just love going to the farmer's market in St. Jacobs. Ever since I knew that we were just about 30 minutes away by bus, I would be extremely eager to finish class and head there for some fresh fruits and meats.

And every time I go, I get my girlfriends to come along with me, just so I don't feel as guilty when eating the delicious pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We like it so much that we ordered the exact same thing - twice.

The milk we buy is pasteurized, so you can drink it right away! The first time we bought it, we found it to be quite light tasting - as the label on the bottle indicated that it was indeed 2%, but it really did taste much more like the 1% kind of milk. But I would still say that it tastes much better than the bagged milk in grocery stores.

But the second time, the milk was incredibly creamy and smooth~

Advertising their milk so maybe they will sponsor me with more (:

I think the difference lies in the after taste of the milk: upon drinking just a sip of bagged milk (because I think Lactancia carton milk is good), I get this milky breath (which I hate), that can only be eliminated if I eat some non-dairy based foods. However, upon drinking cups of the milk from the market, there isn't any milky after taste at all! My guess is that the difference is due to the freshness of the milk. Please let me know if you happen to know why (:

I've been meaning to post this up: sautéed mushroom, grilled beef, on a bed of broccoli.

Milk from the market is now one of the things I buy almost every time I go, and grapefruit is another. After my lovely European friend (I'll have to use lovely every time I describe her because she's just so goddess-like) introduced me to grapefruit, I bought five for $2 whenever I go to the market.

In fact, I happen to go purchase grapes and grapefruit from the same stall so often that the man at the stall would sneak in an extra fruit or round down the price for me *yay*

Oatmeal, oatmeal-raisin in the back, and green tea butter cookie. The peanut butter ones are baking!

Last week, a day after our farmer's market trip, we I suggested that we make cookies despite the fact that it was one in the morning. And we didn't just make one type of cookies - we made three.

But I'll only give you one recipe today! They are one of my favourite cookies because they are super variation-able, and the dough keeps in the freezer very well. Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures of the process - but the recipe for butter cookies is simple and straightforward (:

I put a crushed hazelnut on it prior to baking

~ Ingredients ~

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 egg

2.5 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

[Additions]

Green tea powder*

Salt*

Cocoa powder*

Extracts (almond, vanilla, bourbon...)

Chopped/ground nuts

~ Method ~

1. Mix the flour and baking powder, and the addition if it is labelled with *

2. Beat the butter and sugar for 4 - 5 minutes using an electric beater.

3. Beat in the egg and 1 - 2 teaspoon of extract (if using) for 2 minutes.

4. Sift in the mixture from step 1, into the butter, three separate times, mixing it with a spatula.

5. Mix in the nuts if you are using them.

6. Now you can roll it into a log (to get round cookies upon slicing), roll it into a sheet (so you can use your favourite cookie cutters) - and wrap with plastic wrap to put into the freezer for 15 - 20 minutes.

7. When you dough is frozen, take it out and cut into slices or use your cutters! Place it either on a non-stick baking sheet or a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet.

8. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes on 350 F. The temperature and time varies with each oven, so keep a closer watch on your cookies after the 12 minute mark!

9. Let them cool on a rack when their done.

I hope you will make these cookies personalized to your own liking!

My very first croquembouche - hopefully its golden colours will brighten this gloomy day.

MUAH MUAH MUAH

VICKI CHOW

P/S

I've been feeling rather under-the-weather recently. It first started on Monday morning when I oddly had no appetite after a few spoonfuls of oatmeal (and I typically really like to eat oatmeal in the morning!). So I thought,

"Hey, maybe my stomach shrunk!"

and

"I guess I just ate a lot last night and I'm still full from it!"

I just want to cuddle in bed - but the gym is calling

But I was wronged. After going to the gym on Monday afternoon, my appetite didn't come back ):
And I didn't want to eat after yesterday's gym session either, and when I did eat, it's no longer a pleasant feeling like usual. *missing the enjoyment of food consumption*

In addition to this, I'm starting to feel my forehead heat up.

Hopefully my twice-daily vitamin C boost of lemon water and lots of fruits will counter the growth of this sickness!
And lastly, something I've been wanting to say:

Every time I look at the stats of my audience, I feel so happy that to see that there are so many of you outside of North America! Thanks for reading (:

, by vickichowder

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RECIPE: CHESTNUT MANGO MOUSSE

RECIPE: SUMMER SALSA

RECIPE: FRUIT TARTS

RECIPE: BUTTER COOKIES

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RECIPE: CHESTNUT MANGO MOUSSE

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