And I said, "What about Breakfast At Tiffany's?"

Lavenders are such sexy flowers. Their seductive perfume scent... feminine lilac hue... and feathery petite petals... all seem to marry beautifully. They carry with them an aura of sensuality and placidity that somehow makes us feel magically at ease. Some like them freshly bundled into a flower girl's bouquet, some prefer them dried in a porcelain vase, and others love them bottled into essential oils...

...But I? I want to eat them.

I've been having this peculiar urge to make something lavender for quite a while. Lavender honey, lavender sugar, lavender tea... But I've decided to go with a recipe that I've bookmarked for almost a month now because... procrastination got the better of me. (Not proud about it.) 

So. Lavender Shortbread Cookies.

They are sexy, sensual, feminine and elegant - all in a bite.

Have them with a flirty Cosmo. Or maybe some tea and honey. You can even pair them with milk. But not milk in a mug. Milk in a martini glass. Just like how Holly Golightly had hers in Breakfast At Tiffany's.

Such elegance and poise. Sigh.

So, back to the cookies. I started with an equal part ratio of dried lavender blossoms and granulated sugar, and ground them together with a pestle and mortar until it became a fine perfumed powder.

In a separate bowl, I creamed two sticks of unsalted butter with a cup of sugar, added 2 1/2 cups of AP flour and a pinch of salt. To that, I mixed in the lavender sugar until everything came together to form a moist, slightly crumbly dough.

Wrapped it in cling film and gave it some down time in the fridge. Once it's firm enough to work with, I rolled it out and cut mine into 1 1/2 inch circles before pricking them, brushing them with beaten eggs, and dusting just a tad of demerara sugar on these circular mounds.

 Pop these beauties into the oven at 180degC for 14 minutes until the sides are just turning golden.

While waiting, brew yourself a petite pot of fancy tea. Mine was called Paris, Mon Amour (or Paris, My Love) from Fouchon. I bought it during my Halloween weekend trip to Hong Kong... And no prizes for guessing who I dressed up as...

But I'll give you the answer anyway. xoxo.

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.

Scones With Your Tea, My Darling?

I was invited by my girlfriend to a tea party on New Year's Eve. So I thought I'd have a share in the festive spirit and bring over some of my own high tea creations. And what's a lovely English afternoon tea without some classic cream scones?

They actually came out better than I expected. The light and flaky crust glistened with shades of amber and gold (thanks to the double egg wash), and the interior was moist, crumbly and specked with shriveled nuggets of burgundy-colored raisins - the slight tanginess complementing the rich cream crumbs perfectly.

Hmm, I think I will bake this more often.