Where is LC?

For those of you who have been viewing my blog the past month or so, thank you for your continued support.  Currently, because of all the transitions going on (new job, moving to Boston, training/traveling), I will have to put a slight hold on this blog as I focus on these big changes.  I will definitely HAVE to do some baking in the meantime, and when I do, I will post photos up on this blog to share with you all.  Once again, thank you and I'll see you soon.

Expected return date for writing regular posts --> mid-January.

Fruit Tart Cupcakes

This past Monday was my first day at work, and besides dressing to impress, you know I had to bring in my sweets, too =Þ  I decided to make these cute fruit tart cupcakes which I got from this new book.  Of course, it was a hit with my new Recruiting colleagues, and the big boss even had two!  I am happy with my new fans, and now I know I can easily bribe them with macarons and eclairs, too >)  Muahahahaha... j/k  =)

After baking the cupcakes, I had to cut out 

1/2" of the center to put the custard into it.

Very neat, don't ya think?

The apricot gel was put over the top of the fruits.

Perhaps this kept the fruits from changing color?

Apricot gel is not usually found in the United States.

I actually ordered this from Asia a few months ago

for another recipe so I just happened to have it!

And THIS is what was presented to the colleagues!

Now, you see why they love me?  =]  I bring lots of goodies wherever I go!  "Don't you wish your girlfriend was a chef like me?  Don't ya?"  =D

What's Holding You Back?

I am always inspired by other peoples' stories and dreams, and I like to learn from their successes and failures.

When I think about all the changes that has happened in the past two years, I always think back to other people saying that you are what you make of your life.  If you sit back and wait for something big to happen, you'll end up sitting forever.  But, if you stand up and make the move to see what's out there, you'll realize all that potential you have and what you can build in yourself and for the world. 

Sometimes, people think that it takes a lot of effort and time to do what they like, but even baby steps towards anything plays a great role in the future.  It is true that not all of us have the privilege to spend a few hours a week (or a month) to dedicate time to what interests us, but even fifteen minutes a day can be fulfilling if it's used towards something you're passionate about. 

Often, when I ask my friends or family members what they enjoy doing or what they'd like to do, they usually list at least one or two things; however, when I ask them why they don't pursue it, they just shrug their shoulders and think of any reason(s) to "justify" keeping their dreams a dream.  More often than not, lack of confidence is a recurring reason here.  I know it's competitive out there, and there are lots of talented individuals, but if you don't even try, how would you know you're not any better than the rest of them?  What makes you think they didn't work just as hard to get to where they're at?  There is no easy road, but there is always a starting point, and it's up to you to take that first step.  So... what are you waiting for?

HK Cake Class #4

Here's to Coup Kitchen again!  Most of my friends have seen the cake photo on my Facebook as a profile picture in the past, and I am still blown away by how such a simple creation is like a piece of artwork.  This Pomelo and Mango Mousse Cake is my absolute favorite from Alfred's class, and you'll see why when you scroll down, too...

Alfred starting the demonstration... 
Look at all the girls in the class!

One of the assistants melting the chocolate to put it into a pastry bag.

It turns out that it's so easy to do this ~ what a simple 

way to make sweets look more beautiful!

Basically, he sprinkled some gold powder onto the transfer sheet.

Then, he poured some chocolate over it, and he used one of those

cake decorating stencils to create the straight lines.

As the chocolate starts to dry up a bit, he wraps the chocolate

around the roller to create the circular effect.  See below...

Skipping some steps here because I was too busy making my

mousse cake to take photos =P  Here is the Pomelo and Mango

Mousse cake straight out of the refrigerator though!

Alfred putting the fruits on the cake for decoration and then

topping it with some apricot gel to set it into place.

Here comes the cool chocolate designs!

Voilà!

Que c'est beau!  (How beautiful!)

Perfectly packaged for you to present to others =)

And yes, the cake tasted amazing!  Now, if only I could find some of the ingredients that he used, then I'd be able to practice making this delicious cake for all of you, yah?!

Additions to Blog Content

For those who know me well, they will tell you that I love reading self-help books and browsing through tons of inspirational and motivational blogs on Google Reader.

In the past few weeks, I have considered starting a separate motivational blog, but when I gave it some more thought, it just makes sense to have that as a part of my Journey to Paris blog since this is about following your dreams!  Therefore, in addition to posts on sweets, learning French, and preparing for Paris, I will be posting some pick-me-uppers and share inspirational and motivational stories and articles with all of you.  I hope you will find them insightful and that it would lead you to pursue the path(s) that you truly want to be in, as well.  =)

The picture above is one of my favorite posters, and I have it up on my wall at work.  I love looking at it once in a while to remind myself that life is full of opportunities, and you have to create your own future.  You never know what will happen in your life and whom you will meet, but if you make an effort to put yourself out there, the rewards will be more than satisfying.  Live life to the fullest, and the world will love you for that!

HK Cake Class #3

Towngas Cooking Centre is a very popular cooking school in Hong Kong.  In fact, you see some of their chefs on the television shows, and they're really thorough with explaining their cooking techniques.  Mom and Dad love the shows so when they found out (after the fact) that I was taking a baking class there, they were quite envious and wanted to sign up for next time, too.

The sweets that we made in class were the Singaporean pineapple rolls and tarts.  Pauline Wong was our instructor, and she's actually the manager at Towngas.  The classrooms were very spacious (of course, they need to fit the camera crews in there, right? =D), and there were at least ten people in the class.  See below for photos and descriptions from the class:

This is how a Singaporean roll looks like.

Pauline is preparing the fillings and 

dividing it up into small portions.

Making the pastry dough - it had custard 

and milk powder in it, too.

Rolling the pastry dough...

Making stencils via the cookie cutters.

A sample of the pineapple rolls.

More samples... very nice and yummy!

The pros of going to any cooking/baking class - leaving

with a full and happy belly =Þ

After the demonstrations, we headed to our own

workstations ~ I love my big space!  (You can see

how messy of a chef I am =P)

Ok, so my rolls and tarts weren't all exactly the same

size and shapes, but they were definitely edible =)

Didn't want you to leave this post without

a better memory of how Singaporean rolls

and tarts are suppose to look like!

I enjoyed the class, but I have to admit that I was expecting bigger rolls... hehe, and I mean that literally!  Like my last cake class #2, I was hoping to make big Singaporean rolls so I was surprised we made these tiny pastry treats.  I wished mines came out prettier like the instructors, but I guess practice makes perfect?  Overall, I will be taking future classes at Towngas, and I'll make sure to look for classes that teach you how to make different types of cakes.  I like presenting "bigger" sweets to people versus tiny little treats (note - macarons are the exception!)  Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this post.  See you again in a few days!

HK Cake Class #2

Two words for you, folks --> COUP Kitchen!

I cannot emphasize how GREAT Alfred Cheung's classes were!  He made everything look so easy and so beautiful.  Every dessert that came out of his class was like a masterpiece.

To start off, I loved how his website was in English, and if you check out the gallery, you would understand my love for his classes.  You can be a beginner in baking and still make the exact some dessert as you see in the gallery!  (Yes, it's extremely delicious, too =P)  Granted, there were two assistants, but they were there to simply help you speed things up.  Not to brag or anything, but if I weren't so slow in class, I could take care of things myself, too =)

Anyway, for my first class (out of three) with Alfred, we made the Red Bean Green Tea Roll and the Chestnut Cream Roll.  Mmm ~ I could have me some of those everyday!  The instructions were clear, but boy were there tons of steps.  It's manageable if you're making this at home yourself; however, keep in mind that some of the ingredients used in Asia are not available in the U.S. so you'll have to do some research online to find substitutes.  For these sweets, though, there's nothing that you can't purchase in your nearby supermarket.

I'd also like to add that everywhere else besides the U.S. follows the metric system.  Therefore, when I was in Hong Kong, I did purchase some measurement products to make things easier for me.  If I make any sweets that I find in my HK cook books or on blogs, I whip out my nice scale and measuring cups to tend to the metric system needs.  (If you want to try using the U.S. measurement products, don't tell me I didn't warn you =) It's just not the same at all!)

Here is the amazing chef pouring the chestnut

puree onto the sponge cake. 

The chestnut puree is spread over the sponge cake.

 The whipped cream is spread on top of the chestnut puree, 

and if you look closely, there's no need to fully spread the 

whipped cream on both ends.  The reason for this is because 

when you start rolling the cake, the cream will come together so

it would be oozing out if you overdo it on the spread.

Rollin' away!

This seems to be the trickiest part for beginners because we're

always worried the roll won't come together like how it does here.

Alfred said that we just have to have confidence because it always does

come together.  Ok, Alfred - if you say so.  Everything's easy for you, dude!

Once you're done rolling it, you would need to give the

bottom a little push so that it would shape into a circle.  

Alfred used a rolling pin to push it in. 

And look, he's finished!  Then, it goes into the refrigerator

so it sets in, and it'll be easier to cut later on. 

About a half hour later, it's ready to be trimmed.  I thought

we could just go ahead and start eating, but if you're trying to

make this look presentable, then it's best to trim off the sides

first to make it look neat.  Ahhh... there goes the difference

between the thought process of a hungry woman and a

professional chef/business person =P 

Ready to be sold!

Adding the extra chestnut puree for design.  You could

be creative and do whatever you'd like... 

 Final products = one happy student/customer!

All I can say is - when I brought that to dim sum for my relatives to eat that afternoon, they were all trying to finish it despite having really full bellies already =)  I rest my case.