Bright lights of the urban landscape

Why, hello.
Thought I haven’t see you for quite awhile. 

Honestly, I had every intention to blog about summer in New York, but…

And yes, so I guess I’ve been 12 months too slow.

In a nutshell, my summer of 2010 was absolutely amazing. New York gives you a tan that never seems to fade away. And 8 months after, the stories collected from the big city are still beautifully haunting, and I find myself flipping the pages over and over like an evergreen classic.

And I had every intention of relinquishing my self-appointed role of updating this blog ever since summer ended and work found itself as a replacement. But I think I made a mistake by doing so. So here I am – 365 days later – running back to my canvas where I can paint my idealistic world of sugar creations, smart people, and pretty things.

Living A Dream... With Compliments from Daniel Boulud

Last weekend was special. Very special.

I had the greatest honor of dining at Daniel over the weekend. With compliments from the chef himself. Yes, Chef Boulud.

I shall not go into the nitty gritty of how I landed myself with that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I was definitely star-struck when I first had a phone conversation with Chef Boulud. He was in Florida that day for the Citymeals on Wheels charity event, but graciously offered to set up a dinner reservation that evening at his celebrated four-star restaurant on the Upper East Side... with his compliments.

I could not believe my ears.

It was by far the most spectacular dining experience I had ever had to date. Ever. The service was impeccable. Beyond outstanding, I dare say. Witnessing how guests were attended to was like watching a symphonic orchestra. From the dashing young man going around with the bread basket, to the charming maître d that greeted us warmly and ushered us to our table - everyone worked in harmony; every server moved in synchrony. I was in awe at how much passion each person had for their craft, no matter what it was.

And the food... the wine... Oh, where should I even start?

The maître d brought us a tasting menu and told us we could have anything from it.

Oh no, all of you are too gracious. Extremely gracious.

So then, we decided to leave our meal entirely up to the chefs. And I wondered if that was a mistake... but then again, who's complaining at all? If I have to say, it was a glorious mistake indeed.

MY DREAM MENU

(Some courses are accompanied with photos, but do pardon me for the unflattering lighting - the room was dimly lit)

♥

KATAIFI CRUSTED MAINE LOBSTER

Broccoli Mousseline, Ricotta Salata, Lemon-Pine Nut Gremolata, Harissa Coulis
♥

MAINE PEEKYTOE CRAB SALAD

Celery, Walnut Oil, Granny Smith Sauce

♥

CEDAR WOOD WRAPPED KAMPACHI

Eggplant Caviar, Garbanzo Beans, Sauce Diable

♥

BLACK SEA BASS WITH SYRAH SAUCE

Leek Potato Parmentier, Roasted and

Tempura Celery

♥

SLOW BAKED ARCTIC CHAR

WITH SWEET MAINE SHRIMP

Cipollini Onion Marmalade, Glazed Salsify,

Dijon Mustard Chicken Jus

♥

FOUR STORY HILL FARM VEAL TRIO

with Louisiana Crayfish

Roasted Tenderloin, Spring Garlic Confit

Crispy Sweetbreads, Artichoke Barigoule

Braised Cheeks, Young Turnips

♥

DUO OF WAGYU BEEF

Red Wine Braised Short Rib

Chanterelle Marmalade

Seared Tenderloin

Chestnut-Potato Gnocchi, Swiss Chard

♥

ASSORTMENT OF AMERICAN

AND IMPORTED CHEESES

♥

WARM GUANAJA CHOCOLATE COULANT

Liquid Caramel, Fleur de Sel, Milk Sorbet

&

LYCHEE AND CRANBERRY VACHERIN

Candied Rose Petal, Crème Chantilly

♥

MANJARI CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

WITH NOUGAT FOAM

Milk Chocolate Biscuit, Rwanda Coffee Ice Cream

&

ROASTED BANANA WITH BROWN SUGAR TUILE

Caramelized Macadamia,

Passion Fruit Banana Sorbet

♥

(& THE SWEET FINALÉ...)

♥♥♥♥

I have to say that the photos don't do justice - though they'd have to suffice. The maître d and his team knew how much I simply adored the citrus madelines served with the tea. So much so...

...they surprised me with a box just before I left the restaurant.

How's that for four-star service? Let's not forget the absolutely beautiful wines that were paired with every course. Every dish worked in perfect synergy with the wines, and every mouthful was truly a mouthful of bliss. Complete. Utter. Bliss. Words can never describe how amazing that evening felt. I was living a dream.

And did I mentioned I had the chance to meet Chef Boulud when he returned from his charity event that weekend? I was almost speechless. Almost.

Pssst...! And I'm definitely looking forward to doing pastry at Daniel this summer!

P.S.- Will share more of my weekend gastronomic adventures in my upcoming posts... XOXO ♥

Taking My Pâtisserie Adventures To Greater Heights (Literally)

"The end of a journey marks the wonderful beginning of a new one."

Winter greetings from the 'gorges' town of Ithaca in upstate New York! It has been slightly more than a week since I've arrived, and the weather conditions here are a stark contrast to the abundant sunshine I've been basking in for the last month-and-a-half. School has been decent thus far, and I'm actually enjoying most of my classes this semester (despite the arduous workload that lies ahead of me).

Honestly, shifting gears and assuming a brand new semester of college life after being back home wasn't an easy switch. I was missing home dearly the whole of last week, and being the complete foodie that I am, sought refuge in the simple comfort foods that reminded me of the pleasures of home. I was completely satisfied with waking up to a steaming mug of Milo (filled to the brim with chocolate-malt goodness) and jam with bread, and ending my day with a hearty bowl of herbal chicken soup decked with bok choy, Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts. And to add on to that, I am extremely grateful for the Lunar New Year tidbits that my Mom made me pack along.

So the week came along and went, with me ending up at Mont Tremblant in Quebec during the weekend with my three other girlfriends. We planned for this winter ski trip since two months back, and I am thoroughly glad we did it since it did alleviate my spell of homesickness. Mont Tremblant was beautiful and intensely cold, and though we had our fair share of explorations, retail therapy treatments and snow-laden adventures (tubing was absolutely thrilling, by the way), surprise surprise - eating was by far the top activity on our list.

Entering this quaint little crêpe cafe, La Crêperie, on a Saturday morning just made me feel like I stepped into a typical Parisian coffeehouse. I was warmly greeted with wafts of sweet crêpe batter sizzling gently on an open pan, bright blue wooden furniture, and an eclectic collection of country-style paintings and chef figurines displayed proudly all over the cosy interior of the restaurant. Moreover, the French-speaking Canadians just made the seemingly European atmosphere all the more believable. I settled for a Mediterranean-style crêpe loaded with aromatic flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, olives, feta cheese and the likes.

Scrumptious.

And finally, the highlight of the meal: Dessert was simple, comforting but exceedingly satisfying. I took a amateur video documenting the works of our banana split crêpe à la mode covered with a blanket of golden caramel sauce and a thick glossy chocolate glaze.

After our drooling Brittany dessert, we wandered around the ski resort and stumbled upon an interesting maple syrup store that sold Maple Taffy On Snow. The owner basically pours strips of melted maple syrup on a barrel of ice and you simply roll it up into a taffy stick after 15 seconds of freezing.

Just when I was convinced that Durian Ice Kachang was the best thing you could use shaved ice for...

I guess there's always room for innovative frosty ideas when you are constantly living in 50 feet of snow.

Anyhow, moving on again, my awesome girlfriends surprised me with an early birthday treat during our final Mont Tremblant dinner together. How could I resist a huge slice of this gorgeously moist multi-layered chocolate confection? (Though amusingly, it did remind me of Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake-eating scene in Roald Dahl's Matilda...)

But of course, I wasn't at all aiming to pull any sort of Bogtrotter chow-down scene any time soon. Mmm... just look at the rich and moist interior glistening in all its pleasurable chocolatey glory. A definitive sweet ending to our girly weekend getaway, I'd say.

...And as Julia Child would exclaim, "Bon Apétit!"

A Sweet Summer Ending

"Change is the only constant."

Change is always a challenge, and my recent globetrotting journeys have made these challenges all so tangible for me. And as much as I always like to think that every next trip back to school would be slightly easier for me to stomach than the last, I admit that I can't seem to get over this initial inertia every time I walk through those departure gates.


Well, it's a season finale for my pastry escapades back home. I spent the final day in my pastry lab whipping up some mini cream scones spotted with cranberries and raisins - a homemade birthday present for Matt's mother. (Tsk, gone are the days of using 'brownie points' to keep score.) The scones came out perfectly - a light, flaky crust exuding rich amber hues, and a moist, fluffy interior studded with the sweet berries. And I even made cream cheese and blueberry jam (also from scratch, by the way) to compliment those miniature golden medallions.

I'm starting to miss home even before I have to leave. My winter holidays were embellished with an array of rich, joyful moments spent with people that I truly care about - especially my family. Living away from home, I have to endure the occasional bouts of homesickness, but at the same time, it has made me cherish them so much more.

So till I begin my new patisserie adventures halfway round the globe, let me wander off one final time in this tropical world of sugar, spice and...

...yeap, you've got it - everything nice.

When The Italian Meets An Oriental Beauty...

Just as I've promised, here's an update on the signature Italian dessert done two ways: The Classic with a heavy dose of fine espresso and Kahlua, and the Asian inspired, which I'd like to aptly name as The Jade Beauty. Infused with herbal green tea and my all-time favorite Azuki beans, it is a treasure trove of decadent pleasures hidden under those emerald sheets of cream cheese...


I actually have to admit that I am rather pleased with myself. Both tiramisus came out exceptionally divine. The night of chilling did well for melding all those wonderful ingredients together - the lovely lady fingers had ample time to soak in all those fine booze while resting amongst the silky layers of ivory Mascarpone cream, creating this explosion of sublime flavors for a rapturous tastebud awakening after my 8-hour eating hiatus.

The green tea tiramisu was purely an experiment that turned out to be an oriental beauty. I was wondering around my neighborhood baking store and the little bottle of matcha caught my attention. "Hmm, if Starbucks' Green Tea Frappuccino can taste so good, I wonder how green tea would taste in a tiramisu..." And for those who know me well enough, I simply adore Azuki beans, so it was without question that I'd throw those miniature roseate nuggets in for some extra goodness. A jade beauty indeed... Mmm-hmm...

Tsk, all this sugar talk is getting me high. It's time to channel my sugar spike towards a midday jog around the park. I'm trying to soak in as much sunshine as I possibly can before winter strikes again in three days time. School's starting on Monday!