Journey to Paris

Where is LC?

2011-11-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

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

2011-09-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-09-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

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.

HK Cake Class #1

2011-08-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

In the past month or so, I have been reminiscing about my travels to Hong Kong, and on my last trip, I had the opportunity to attend several classes from different schools. I found most of them online through random searches, and of course, if the website was in English, then it was safe to assume the recipes/classes would be in English, as well. Most of them were taught in Cantonese, and since I'm fluent in speaking and listening, I had no problem.

The classes are very similar to those taught here in the United States - demonstrations first and individual practices later. It's interesting to learn about the cultural differences and cravings in desserts between those of Asia and those of the United States, mostly because Americans love to eat super sweet desserts (think rich, chocolate cake with layers of chocolate frosting between it), whereas Asians tend to go towards very light, yet fulfilling sweets. If you are ever in Asia or even in one of the Chinatowns in the States, go ahead and try some of their desserts. You'll taste the lightness in them, but it is by no means bland. In fact, I like to call them "healthy" desserts because you know you're not going to gain a pound just by eating them =)

Anyhow, when I was writing this post, I wanted to include all the photos from my classes, but it would be a super long post; therefore, I decided that I will have about 6 posts on these Hong Kong cake classes within the next three weeks. I hope you enjoy these posts as much I as enjoyed the classes!

To begin, my first class (at Fruity House) took place about a few blocks from the Kwai Fong mall. The instructor was quite young, and she kind of looks like one of the daughters from an old HK celebrity host, but I'm digressing... The cake we were making was the Mango Cheese Cake. Now, being this is my first class, you can imagine my excitement at finally learning "the secret" to awesome, healthy HK cakes! The sizes are great (most are 6" inches in diameter), and the sugar measurements are usually less than 1/4 cup. So for whomever that's eating it, you won't feel guilty afterward =)

This picture was taken later, but the cake pans are actually
cake rings. That's right, the bottom is empty; thus, we had to
foil wrap the sides and bottom of the cake ring.

We're about to slide these nice gold cardboards

under the cake. The instructor is showing us how to do that...

...and tada!! (Yes, she did it for me. I'll learn eventually =P)

With the nice fruit decorations on the cake and my words

(if you look realllllly close, it says something like LC's

#1 HK Cake), I succeeded in my first HK cake ever!

I must add, it was very delicious, too! =)

So, there you have it ~ an introduction to the HK cake class series. There will be more posts up soon with even more gorgeous cakes, and I promise there's no blurry words on it either =P Until the next post, yummy in the tummy! =D

Change is Good

2011-08-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

There has been a long gap since my last posting, and there is a big reason for that - I'M MOVING TO BOSTON!

I know, I know - it's not Paris, but in the past three months or so, there were unexpected encounters which led to my new position (still with the same company though) as a Regional Recruiter in Boston. After much consideration, I decided to accept the offer and embark on this journey, which will happen around December/January time frame.

As for Paris, I am still in pursuit of my pastry dreams and understand that this new position will cause me to delay my schooling for another two years. (The position is for two to three years only.) I am very comfortable with the decision that I have made because I know I'll grow personally and professionally with my experiences in the next few years. Also, because of this, I will be able to save up more $$ for Paris and improve on my French language skills. I'd like to look at time as working for me and not against me. I do feel that certain paths are meant to be taken to get to where you finally belong.

What will happen to this blog, you ask? Well, if you don't mind reading, then I will just continue to keep on posting =) I'm still looking to perfect at least the basic foundations of pastry and learn more about the science of baking - yes, I will read Alton Brown's books when my schedule cools down a bit. I'm also considering purchasing Rosetta Stone for French, especially when I'm on the road. Other recommendations, anyone?

Most importantly, I will continue to share my sweets with all of you on this blog. As I spend the rest of this summer/early fall planning things out, I will try out new recipes and post up the good and bad photos of my experiments. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer, and do keep reading (and commenting!) so we can learn from one another.

P.S. - If you're living in Boston or are very familiar with the downtown area, holla at me! I have tons of questions to ask about Beantown =)

Sweets for You!

2011-07-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

In writing this blog, I wanted to start fresh and share new baked goods with all of you. However, when I was ordering photos on Shutterfly the other day, I thought "why not share all of my baked goods with everyone - old and new?!" So, with that mentality, I hope you enjoy some of the simple creations I've made in the past and drool over them while you stare at the computer =)

I made these green tea cookies for my Aunt #4

as a Christmas present ~ one my favorites!

I had tons of fun making these thumbprint cookies with my last roommate,

Jay. What a great way to spend time indoors on a brrrrrr day!

I made these cupcakes for our summer intern's farewell

party ~ love the raspberry & mint decoration!

My first red velvet cake (my absolute favorite cake, too!)

Not too shabby, I must say =] Just a bit messy, but oh so worth it!

One of my parents' favorite ~ coconut cake from Donna Hay.

My final project from my first cake decorating class at Michaels.

My final project from my second cake decorating class at Michaels.

Fondant fun for third cake decorating class at Michaels.

My final project for the third cake decorating class at Michaels.

I made this for a colleague's work bridal shower ~ so proud of it!

My final project at my fourth cake decorating class at Michaels

~ wowza, it was a lot of work, but look at how great it turned out!

Looking back at my portfolio, I can see the growth in my baking and fondant skills. Though I still need more practice under my belt, it's good to have this reminder and know that everything takes time and effort. If I ever feel like giving up or think that I'm not "talented" enough for this field, I can look at this post and tell myself that I can do anything I put my heart to as long as I have confidence and believe in myself! =D

French I, Level I - Completed!

2011-07-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to check my mail and to my surprise, look at what I picked up!!

Mama would be so proud of this, and so am I! I definitely did not expect to receive this certificate, especially since I missed the last class due to my cold. What a way to get me to sign up for French I, Level II ~ j/k, I'm planning to sign up for the course anyway in September. Boy, do I love receiving these certificates. I wish more schools would give these out because sometimes, it really just makes students smile =*) Cheeeeeeese!!

Focus is Key

2011-07-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I'll admit that my mind gets distracted and wanders off to another place, but I always manage to remind myself of my personal goals and put myself back into the mindset of making sweets all day long for six straight months in the lovely, yet rude city of Paris.

I'm finishing up David Lebovitz' book on the Sweet Life in Paris (Part II shall be up this month, I promise), and the closer I get to the end, the more I realize that even though Paris might be the city of light, it's not always as grand as it sounds. However, this doesn't deter me from pursuing my pastry dreams in Paris because I am not going there to build a life nor am I looking to make friends with everyone I meet. No, I am going there simply for my love of creating beautiful sweets for people to enjoy and appreciate.

How do I motivate myself, you ask? Well, for starters, I love looking through blogs everyday, flipping through cake decorating magazines, and watching television shows or movies with cake in them. Just seeing the amazing work of art created by talented pastry chefs inspires me to work harder and keep on baking. Even when I travel to other cities or countries, I always gravitate towards dessert shops and love learning about how owners created their own dreams and made them into a reality.

No matter what our goals are, it's easy to lose focus once in a while, and that's ok. What's important is that you remember to remind yourself of what makes you happy and what makes you strive for greater things in life. I've found one of my main goals. What about you? What makes you wake up every morning and want to work hard because you know you'll reach your dreams one day?

Cha-An Japanese Tea House

2011-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to visit in NYC is the lovely Cha-An Japanese Tea House. My best friend first took me there about five years ago, and since then, I have always liked to bring my out-of-town guests there so they can try the different types of tea and also taste the delicious sweets.

Outside of Cha-An

Cha-An is located near the East Village in Manhattan and is surrounded by lots of great Japanese restaurants and shops, as well. Talk about competition, but since the tea house has its own niche, it has nothing to worry about =)

This time around, I decided to try one of their lunch sets, which contained miso soup, tea-smoked salmon salad, 15 grain rice, eggplants, and a scallop salad. It comes with a choice of tea so I figured I'd give the Yinzhen Silver Needle white tea a try. I love how everything is set up in the tray, and look at how beautiful the teapot is!

Lunch Set

The flower teapot contains the Yinzhen Silver Needle white tea.

My friend ordered the dessert set, which came with an assortment of sweets containing a green tea cookie, raspberry macaroon, lemon cake, blueberry pound cake, and scone. Hers also came with a choice of tea so she chose the Lavender Mint herbal tea.

Dessert Set

Lavender Mint Herbal Tea

(no refills on this one though)

Once we were finished with our meals, we each received an unexpected surprise ~ it turns out that our meal sets came with nice desserts! Look at how beautiful the sweets are:

Some sort of sweet with green tea cream and red beans to go with it!

This tasted like frozen yogurt, but it was a good

combination of sweet and tangy flavors ~ yummy!

This was voted as our favorite sweet!

It was like a meringue with delicious strawberry

filling. We devoured it within a few seconds!

So, if you're ever craving some tea and want to go to a relaxing place, you should definitely visit Cha-An. The food and customer service are excellent, and they also have a very cool toilet (yes, a bit of digression here, but you should really check it out!) There are other tea places in NYC, yet I always like to go to Cha-An because it gives me a sense of calmness and serenity that I need while being in the middle of a hustle and bustle city.

Tell me, where do you like to go to find some peace and quiet? A bookstore, a cafe, your own home, or perhaps your bathroom? =)

A Knife Class is Essential!

2011-06-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've got to give it to my best friend for being one of the best gift-givers out there! For this past Christmas, she gave me a gift certificate to The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. The ICE has a great variety of recreational classes, and I was amazed at all the choices I had, especially with my limited times in NYC. One note I should add is that the gift certificate did not have an expiration date so if the summer schedule did not work out for me, I could wait until fall or even next winter.

With so many classes to choose from, I decided to take the Knife Skills 1 class taught by Chef Brendan McDermott. (Check out some of his videos from Brooklyn Kitchen TV!) Why knife skills, you ask? Well, even in baking, we have to use our knives for many things, such as dicing the citrus peels to decorate the sweets (if you use a zester, the zest can sometimes come out in a pureed form) or dicing ginger to add that flavor to a creme brulee. As part of my preparation for pastry school, I wanted to make sure that I learn the basic skills in baking and also speed up my processes as I tend to take my sweet time for everything. Speeding up things can cause injuries (I'm known for that =P) so I thought it would be a good idea to first take this class and learn how to dice the right away. Then, I will focus on the speed later on.

Anyway, Chef Brendan's class was very fun and safe, despite a little nervousness on my part in dealing with such big knives. He spent the first hour of the class talking about the different types of knives and its usages. Then, we spent the next two hours learning how to appropriately slice, batonnet, allumette, and julienne. If you're like me, then it was a surprise to learn that there were different terms for the size of dices.

Photo Credit - Khaki Bedford's Flickr Album

The Chef Knife is the one that's mainly used for slicing, dicing, and most cutting techniques. It's an all-purpose knife that is curved in the belly to allow the cook to rock the knife on the cutting board for a more precise slice motion. We used an 8" & 10" Wusthof Chef Knife in class, and let me tell you - bigger is definitely better! =D We also used the Paring and Serrated Knife. A Paring Knife is ideal for peeling and other small or intricate work, such as de-veining a shrimp, hulling tomatoes and strawberries, or cutting small garnishes. A Serrated Knife is usually between 6"-10", and the serrations on the blade make it ideal for cutting bread and other foods with a hard surface like watermelon, butternut squash, and pineapple. I already have a Serrated Knife that I bought a while ago, and I was only planning to use it for baking-related projects. It's good to know there are so many other uses for this knife!

Chef Knives

Paring Knife

Serrated Knife

One very important tool is the honing steel, which straightens the teeth of the blade. It is a rod made of steel or ceramic, generally about one foot long and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. It is used to hone a knife blade after sharpening in order to restore the edge and improve cutting ability. The honing steel should be two inches longer than your knife for best results.

Honing Steel

What I enjoyed most about the class, besides keeping my fingers in tact, was that Chef Brendan emphasized how everything we sliced and diced could be kept and used for future dishes. He pointed out that us Americans spend a huge amount of $$ on food each year, and a lot of it goes to waste because we throw away many food parts that could actually be used again. For instance, the tomato cores, chicken bones, and parsley stems could be saved and used for chicken/vegetable broth. So the next time you're dicing up your vegetables and meat, think about how you could use them again and save yourself some $$. Be creative and frugal, and experiment with new dishes or soups.

Upon leaving class, I had a strong desire to purchase one heck of a Wusthof 10" Chef Knife and Honing Steel for myself. I totally agree with Chef Brendan that if you have a good set of knives, it will make your life much easier, and you'll have more time to focus on other important tasks. Cooking and baking is fun, and if you're willing to invest your time and effort in it, then start off with learning the important knife skills and save yourself some time and injuries. I took this class because a colleague of mine only had praises at her local Virginia cooking school knife class. So, you don't need to shell out all that $$ to learn how to handle knifes. Even a local community class will do. The most important thing is to learn the right procedures and methods so everyone is safe and enjoying the food that you make!

Mitsuwa Marketplace

2011-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Every year or two, I try to head out to one of my favorite places in New Jersey --> Mitsuwa Marketplace! It's located in Edgewater, NJ, and only a half-hour shuttle bus ride from Port Authority on 42nd St. Mitsuwa also has locations in California and Chicago so if you live around there, check it out!

I love visiting this marketplace and seeing the great variety of Japanese foods and products. Even though I don't understand the language, the bookstore is where I spend half the time. The other half is spent perusing the aisles at the supermarket and the sweets section. There's just so many choices that it can get overwhelming at times so instead of eating everything, I decided to capture them in photos and share them with all of you!

Making the Potato Apple Pie

Completed Potato Apple Pie

These are actually candy!

I love jellies!

The circle ring cake is actually one of my favorites.

It's called the Baumkuchen, and it's very popular in

Japanese bakeries. I was first introduced to it when

my Dad's friends gave it to us as a thank you gift.

Prepping the Mochi desserts

Very pretty, but also very sticky to the leaves.

These are the hot and fluffy Taiyaki and Obanyaki
(red bean paste filled cakes) that my family loves
to eat whenever they visit Mitsuwa.

Simple, yet pretty-looking cakes.

One day, I do hope to open up my own pastry shop/cafe and have these delightful sweets! For now, I will just do my research (aka eat!) and learn the skills that I need to make a whole bunch of goodies that people will want to take photos of and eat, too =) And yes, I will bake soon once I travel a bit less on the weekends, so stay in the loop around early July ~ LC will bring you some goodies then! =D

A Cupcake Can Help Me?

2011-06-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

You betcha! A cupcake (or any type of dessert) does more than just satisfy your sweet tooth and appetite. It helps you get to many great places in life. Let me explain the "process" to you in detail...

You see, whenever you bake or buy sweets and bring it into your office, condo front desk, or even to a knitting group, connections are happening all the time, whether it's professionally or personally. Let's say you baked a dozen chocolate cupcakes one night, but you really just wanted one. Instead of throwing it out or stuffing yourself with the other eleven, you decide to bring it into work the next day, and ah-ha ~ that's when the magic begins!

Each time you share something with others, you are getting a huge gift in return - networking opportunities. For example, you might have never had the chance to talk to the accountant sitting in the corner office at work, but when he decides to take a cupcake break, the two of you chat, and it turns out that you both went to the same college. He then introduces you to his other college buddies, and your network expands. It might have seemed insignificant at the time, but because you shared your baked sweets with those around you, you opened the door to unlimited friendships and even business opportunities.

Everyone loves food, and sweets, in particular, are known to have a stronger, positive impact on people. Granted, meetings can happen at anytime and anywhere, but when you have goodies around you, it's definitely a great way to start conversations. So, the next time you think about making or buying sweets, consider those around you. Generosity/sharing can lead to many good things!

Pouvez-vous parler français?

2011-05-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

My friends and family have been asking me how my French class is going, and I'm glad to say that I'm lovin' it!

(Perhaps I should wear a beret to class

one day and bring some sweets, too?! =Þ)

I went into my first class thinking that I'll never understand this difficult language, but as the instructor explains the verbs and articles, it's starting to make a lot of sense now. Granted, I still have a lot to review on my own, but at least I have an idea of what I need to practice, and I know what resources I can use to help me.

You see, to understand the French language, it's important to know whether something is feminine or masculine. When someone speaks, you must pay attention to the articles that they use to know what they are referring to. The articles are "le, la, un, & une," and that's just the single version. It might not seem like a lot, but if you put that in front of all the words you use, that's a huge list of vocabulary you'll be memorizing!

Tonight will be my fifth class, and there are still five more to go. Then, the school is on a mini-break until September. I hope the Level II course will fit my busy schedule. I really do enjoy the "exam-free" classroom lifestyle. No pressure from students or instructors - just good old fun and mispronunciation laughters. If only college-level language courses were that easy going... *sigh*

Anyhow, time to finish up my French homework before class starts. Yes, I procrastinated again. It's ok - I could never get an "F" in this class >)

Gotta Love Those Wedding Desserts!

2011-05-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

(There's been quite some traveling done this month so I am a bit behind on my posts. No worries though - I am done with mini-vacations so posts will occur more frequently from now on.)

The wedding that I went to in Michigan had a dessert bar and Indian sweets that I'd like to share with you all. Here are some of the photos and descriptions of the desserts:

Kheer (in the bowl)

It was my first time having Kheer, and I loved it! What is Kheer, you ask? Well, I had to consult my best friend on the Indian desserts since she's more of a foodie than I am. So, Kheer is a sweet dish made with rice/wheat, milk, sugar, cardamom, raisins, saffron, and pistachio/almonds. It's prepared for special occasions and is an essential dish in the Hindu celebrations. Yes, please make this mandatory. I, for one, will definitely make it mandatory for everyone to eat if I have them again.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun are deep-fried dough balls soaked in syrup, and the brownish-red color comes from the sugar content in the milk powder. Gulab Jamun is also another popular dessert for festivals and weddings. Here is a recipe to try out from Viki's Kitchen blog.

Now, it might have been because I was full or my dress was getting tight around the belly area, but I didn't eat much of the Gulab Jamun. In fact, I probably took just one bite and gave up on it. Perhaps next time, I should try these on an empty stomach so I could appreciate the taste and flavors.

Besides the Indian sweets, there were the typical desserts that you'd normally see at dessert bars. I always love looking at sweets more than eating them. Which sweets do you think are the prettiest?

Assortment of all sorts of yummies!

Close-up

Cheesecake

Of course, I must include the grand finale - the wedding cake! Isn't it amazing?!

I loved the cake toppers and also the flower petals surrounding the cake at the bottom. I had a piece of the cake towards the end of the wedding, and from what I recall, it should have been either an almond or vanilla cake (leaning more towards vanilla.) It was very moist even though it probably was sitting out for a while, but it was a good way to end the night. I had an great time at the wedding and even made some new friends who are just as crazy about baking as I am! A celebration of two is a celebration for all. I L-O-V-E parties!!

Zingerman's Deli

2011-05-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

In this past week, I went on my mini-vacation to my best friend's sister's wedding in Michigan. We were around the Ann Arbor/Detroit area so I was able to go to the famous Zingerman's Deli and their Next Door Bakery.

Zingerman's is known for their exceptional array of great foods, such as cheese, olive oils, vinegars, coffee, desserts, and much more. I was lucky enough to taste and see the goods myself. At the Deli, there were generous samples of everything. The customer service was superb, as well - something that is very important to me. The salespeople took the time to explain the different types of wine vinegar and olive oil that they had in the Deli.

Bread is made fresh everyday with a great variety for customers to choose from. On that Wednesday, I had a sample of the Rustic Italian Round bread, which was so soft and delicious that it made me want to purchase a whole loaf. (I knew I shouldn't only because I was getting home-cooked meals almost twice a day and I couldn't afford to eat those carbs all at once!) Anyhow, here is a look at all the choices Zingerman's offers:

Of course, what made my day was finding the homemade curds. It's not often that I find passionfruit-flavored items so you could imagine my excitement when I saw this at the Deli:

When I headed to the Next Door Bakery, I was more than overwhelmed with all the couverture chocolate selections. Never in my life have I seen such a broad display of chocolates, and there was a huge range of couverture percentages for the chocolates, too!

Last, but not least, here are the sweets that made me drool even more! Keep in mind that there were actually more sweets in the store, but since there were lots of customers blocking my view, I didn't want to take photos of backs and butts. I'm sure you all get the hint of what kind of goods Zingerman's offers by now.

Madeline has told me about Zingerman's for the longest time, and in my previous visits to Michigan, I never bothered to go because I wasn't "into" baking as much as I am now. Times have changed, and I am looking forward to my next visit to Michigan when I can spend more time exploring the rest of Ann Arbor and perhaps other cities near there, as well. All I can say for now is that I'm excited to look up recipes that will allow me to use my Passionfruit curd in desserts! Can you say "yum-mee?!!" =)

Book Review - "The Sweet Life in Paris" (Part I)

2011-05-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for my trip to Paris, I try to read as many books, blogs, and articles as I can to understand the culture and lifestyles of Parisians. The first book I am currently reading is David Lebovitz's "The Sweet Life in Paris."

So far, I have read half the book, but there are so many interesting quirks that I found it essential to start sharing them right away.

Dress like a Parisian. It's true that Parisians are always dressed up, so if you want to fit in, it's important to pay close attention to the styles, whether it's preppy or trendy. The reason for this being is because: 1) you'll be judged by the way you dress, and 2) you'll be hounded by hucksters selling you items that you don't want or need since they'll know you're not a local person.

Always say "Bonjour!" There are reasons as to why the Parisians dislike Americans, and I can tell you this is one of them. When walking into a store, for example, you will find a salesperson greeting you. What some of us Americans tend to do is ignore the salesperson and walk right by him/her without giving a care in the world. In Paris, if you behaved in the exact same way, you can be sure to expect unpleasant stares and even bad customer service. For your sake and those around you, just be polite and greet those who serve you. Besides, it's better to have a smiley day vs. an angry day! =)

Be patient. This could explain why the French live longer than Americans, but French people are very slow. Whether it's repairing your windows or exchanging your returned items, be expected to spend a day doing each errand. I'm not sure if I can handle this one in Paris, but I'll do my best to prepare everything for my trip. In the event that I do forget something and need to deal with the slow service, at least I'll know to bring a good book to read and wear comfortable shoes.

Drink now and forever hold your pee. Yup, you heard me right! If you have a bladder problem, don't drink anything while you're in public. Restaurants are ok, but according to David, even friends' bathrooms are off limits. It seems that the loo is one place you don't usually frequent as a guest at someone's house. Of course, this sounds absolutely absurd to me, but I'll do my best to improve my bladder before my trip.

I think this gives you all a good sneak peek into the Parisian lifestyle. For more detailed and hilarious stories, pick up a copy of David's book. You might even find it at your local library (like I did.)

David's book also includes some great recipes. I have my hands itching to make more of his chocolate desserts so keep up with this blog if you wanna see some of David's sweets baked by me. You might also be one of the lucky ones to try them out, too!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Mothers sacrifice so much for their children, and we spend this time of the year honoring and appreciating them. Of course, we always show our love to them throughout the year, but on this particular day, mothers have bragging rights and get to see who has the biggest bouquet of them all =)

Every year, I purchase my Mom's favorite flowers - yellow roses; however, last year, I definitely felt the love when she said "oh, yellow roses again?" =/ To change things around a bit, I opted to get pink and purple roses, which were actually very beautiful. See below for yourself:

Still Wrapped Up From Store

Put In a Lovely Vase By Mom and I

We had the usual family dinner at my Grandfather's place, which my cousin and I each brought desserts for. My cousin was very creative and made these lovely chocolate-covered strawberries as a Mother's Day gift:

The strawberries were a huge hit at the dinner, and we all craved more of it! As for my dessert, I came back to NYC late last night so time was a bit tight. I ended up purchasing (yes, how crazy is that?!) a Chestnut cake from a Chinese bakery. I thought it was good, but some family members said it was too sweet. Hmm, does that mean I've been eating too much rich sweets lately? =P

Cake Reads "Happy Mother's Day"

I do love being home and seeing my family members, but sometimes, I find it really hard to leave NYC. I miss the daily interactions between my parents and their furry grandchild (my brother's puppy). I miss the random gossips between family members during dim sum and/or weekend dinners. Mostly, I miss spending time with my Mom. She's my best friend, and even though I can be a pain-in-the-neck to her at times, I know she still loves me unconditionally. I always find myself at tears when she says "I miss my baby." *Sigh* - I love my Mama.

As the rest of the world celebrates Mother's Day, I wish each and every mother a great time with their family and hope that they have memorable moments together. Do make an effort to reach out to your mothers more often, and cherish the love that they give to you everyday. A mother's love should always be remembered.

Classe de Français 101

2011-05-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

For someone looking to spend quite some time in Paris, it's best to know the French language so you can still eat, drink, and poop.

The DC area has a good number of French courses for adults, and of course, most people tend to choose the ones that's best in price and location based on their busy work schedules and the horrible rush hour traffic. Upon my research, I found these two schools - Alliance Française of Washington and Graduate School. I did register for Alliance Française's Beginners Course in February 2011, but due to my dissatisfaction with their customer service, I canceled my registration. I was quite upset that I had to wait for another term at other schools, but it's ok. My colleague then told me about Graduate School, and he had a great time taking the Russian courses there. Both Alliance Française and Graduate School are in DC, and it was roughly $400 for a 2.5 months course. I decided to wait it out and see if I could find other options and used Rosetta Stone instead.

A few months later, I received a catalog from the Arlington Adult Education Program. I have received these catalogs in the past and from other local community colleges, too, but the schedules just didn't seem to work for me. I travel to NYC once or twice a month so weekends weren't good. Plus, the classes on some weekday courses were too early so I'd have to leave work super early. Anyhow, I found a Beginner's French Course 101 in the spring catalog and decided to give it a try. The price was way lower ($180) than the other two schools, and it was only three miles away from home! I bought the textbook three weeks before class started so you can imagine my excitement for tonight's class!

Yes, you heard me right. I just completed my first French class ever two hours ago, and I'm ready to learn more! It was great to be "in class" again, and each student had their own story for why they were learning French. Some were there to learn another language so they could become more marketable, and some wanted to improve their French from their high school days. What made me smile was that there was a girl and her parents who were learning French because she was getting married to a Belgium-American guy. The father intends to make a toast in French at his daughter's Spring 2012 wedding, and the parents and daughter want to be able to converse with their future in-laws. I find it so cute and sweet that this family is making such a great effort for the two families to come together. Talk about love and support =)

Then, it was my turn to tell the class why I was learning French, and as soon as I told them my goal, everyone turned their heads and went "wow/ooh!" It was definitely easy for me to make new friends. Anyhow, the instructor went very slow with the class, and we started off with alphabets and numbers. We then went through the first eight pages of the text:

I definitely learned a lot of vocabulary and a few verbs in my first class. Though I won't be in class next week (flying to Michigan for a wedding), the instructor did show me how far to study in the text so that I won't be behind when I return to the third week of class. By the way, class is on Tuesdays from 7pm to 9pm.

Right now, I can't wait to crack open my book again and re-read the words/sentences in French. I'm also excited to see what other new material I will learn, and I know I'll get the hang of things very soon. Though Rosetta Stone starts off with just vocabulary words, I will still review it every weeknight because it focuses so heavily on pronunciation. Hopefully, within the next few months, I can understand some conversations or gossips amongst people and be able to speak a few sentences here or there. It's a good thing I'm starting early because I've still got a long way to go! For now, I'm off to bed to dream about French verbs, alphabets, and numbers. Sweet dreams, everyone ~ au revoir!

Georgetown French Market

2011-05-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous présente la belle marché Georgetown français!
(Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the lovely Georgetown French Market!)

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day to be outdoors. I was fortunate to spend some time with good company walking around the market and eating great food. With Parisian-like music playing from the accordion, it felt like I was in France already!

Anyhow, take a look at some of the food and street vendors who partook in this fun festivity:

Crepes at Cafe Bonaparte

(one of my favorite restaurants in Georgetown)

Look at that crepe in the air!

I got the Montmarte Crepe

Nice Music on a Lovely Day

My friends got the Lobster Roll...Mmmm!

More Music

The Well-Known Patisserie Poupon in Georgetown

Patisserie Poupon's Macarons

View from Book Hill Park (those buildings from

far away in the middle is where we started walking

from - Rosslyn metro station. What a good workout!)

Last, but not least, my friend got the Strawberry
Shortcake Sundae from Thomas Sweet Ice Cream Co.

Overall, it was a perfect day for the market, and I would definitely go again next year. There were also some great deals on vintage clothing and antique goods. Not bad for a sunny Saturday, I must say! =)

LCB Application Procedure

2011-04-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

During the month of January, I went onto the Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) Paris' website and requested some application information. I finally looked thoroughly at the process two weeks ago and started to organize and prepare the documents that I needed.

Here's the list of requirements for a completed LCB application:

Application form (you can download this on their website, as well),
Curriculum vitae (résumé including background, education, and special interests),
Letter of motivation (300-500 words) detailing your short and long term culinary goals, career objectives, and reasons for choosing LCB,
Passport photocopy,
Two (2) passport photos,
Non-refundable application fee (1500 € for Diploma, 500 € per Certificate) that will be deducted from the tuition fees, and
If applicable, evidence of attending and attaining prior LCB Certificates or Diplomas or other related diplomas.

Most of this is pretty straightforward, and the only thing that you will need to do some research on is the exchange fees when paying for the application fee and tuition. In order to send in the non-refundable application fee, you will need to send in a check (in Euros). Right now, I've looked at Bank of America and XE Trade. Bank of America charges about $35 per check, and I haven't found out how much XE charges, but I'm going to look at more places just to keep my options open. There's also Walmart and Wells Fargo (charges $15 per check).

I'll keep doing my research on this since I have some time before I apply, but let me know if anyone of you have had any experience with this before, and if so, what bank or company did you use?

The Good and the Bad

2011-04-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of my work quarterly, I volunteered to make tons of baked goodies so I could market my skills and receive lots of compliments (j/k, but I do love making them!) I was so excited about the sweets I could make that I started planning my grocery list and menu since last Thursday afternoon. However, due to poor judgment of time and lack of skills on some sweets, I made four different goodies as oppose to the seven I had wanted. Yes, I strive to be an overachiever sometimes and often whine when I do not meet my goals. Oh wellz... life goes on so I suck it up and just hope to make things better the next time around. Anyhow, let me share with you my goodies...

These blueberry muffins were a last minute decision on Monday morning because besides making some new/complicated French pastries, I wanted to make something simple that would be a guaranteed success. Yes, call me a wussy if you'd like, but my blueberry muffins were way better than the store-bought ones that management decided to bring in. Shame on them... thinking that they could beat me at muffins. Hmph! =)

I made a total of twelve blueberry muffins.

Close-up of Blueberry Muffin

Next off are the pignons (pine nut Almond-flavored cake). These were the most difficult for me to make since I'm not use to rolling dough. I made a huge mess in the kitchen, but luckily, these were one of the popular ones amongst my colleagues!

Twelve Pignons, as well.

Close-up of Pignon

Of course, I also made my almond macarons! Those were such a huge success in the past so it would've been perfect, right?! Well, let me just say that more practice is still required. The macarons came out fine; however, something didn't look quite right with the buttercream. The taste was there (Madeline loves to say "the taste is always there, Lee Ann =P), but it was quite crumbly and not as smooth as the first time when I made it. This only means that I need to make more macarons in the future if I expect to perfect them.

I'm actually improving on my macaron

piping skills. *patting myself on shoulder*

This is my absolute favorite photo.

It's true that when you have great lighting,

your photos will most likely look amazing!

Last, but not least, I share with you my failed cinnamon eclairs. That's right, folks! I'm going to show you my successes and failures because no one's perfect! I guess I should have known something didn't look right when the eclairs turned out so flat the other night. How would I have been able to pipe in the yummy cinnamon pastry cream if there were no holes in the eclairs? Stubborn Lee Ann decided to give that a try last night and only ended up having the cream spill out =/ So, no, I did not even bring these to the work quarterly.

Have no fear, though! I am not giving up. Yeah, you heard me ~ I'm going to make these cinnamon eclairs again! (I still have a lot of cinnamon pastry cream remaining because I couldn't pipe them in last night.) Once I make them, which would be sometime tomorrow or Thursday, I'll make sure to let you know how the second try goes. *keeping fingers crossed*

This is how all of them should look like.

This is how 95% of them looked like.

I also had to burn some, too.

These were the rest of the burnt ones that

I had to throw away. *sigh*

Overall, it was a great experience spending almost 1.5 days at home baking 24/7. I still wished that I had made seven desserts, but that's ok. I know I'll improve and eventually speed up on my baking process (and not burn or mess anything up.) Perhaps if I find a rich husband, I can just stay at home baking all the time? =)

Easter Brunch

2011-04-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. As for the roommate and I, we made reservations for Easter Sunday brunch at the Roof Terrace restaurant in Kennedy Center. It was my first time at the restaurant, and the food was delicious, especially the desserts!

Being a vegetarian and all, I still found lots of food options available and had no problem stuffing myself. (It's ok ~ I'll work out harder at the gym this week...)

Spinach Egg Benedicts, Asparagus, Mozzarella Cheese, & Fresh Fruits

More Delicious Asparagus & Green Beans

Grand Finale: Really Yummy Desserts!

Fruit Tart, Red Velvet (Green Frosting), Carrot Cake (Purple Frosting),

Lemon Macaron, and Cream Cheese Flavored Cake Pop

I've seen better looking desserts (re: Afternoon Tea at the Mandarin Oriental) in the past, but I must say that despite not "wow-ing" me with their looks, all five desserts I had yesterday were absolutely delicious. So, with that said, if you're ever watching a show at the Kennedy Center and are considering restaurant options around the area, why not just be super close to the theatre and eat at the Roof Terrace? They have a pre-fix theatre menu, as well, and you'll see the entire beautiful Washington, DC view just outside of the restaurant. Talk about great photo opportunities!

Tada!

Absolutely Grateful

2011-04-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

The amount of support I have received in the past two days via e-mail/Facebook postings have been amazingly breathtaking! My heart is filled with happiness knowing that my friends, family members, and colleagues are giving me their full enthusiastic support of my chosen path. I am also thankful for all the website advice and photography shooting that my friends are offering to me!

Some people have been asking me on what I intend to do with my current job when I leave for Paris. Fortunately, the Government has a program called Extended Leave Without Pay (LWOP), which entitles employees to no more than one year's leave. During this time, some of your benefits will either continue or be on hold as you take your time off. This program allows employees to return to work once their year is up. You do not have to take the full year off. I'm actually only take 6 months off because I know I will need to save up some $$ once I return from Paris.

So, with that said, how many of you want to work for the Government now? =) I would love to have more family and friends in DC anytime!

Where I Come From

2011-04-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have not always been a baker. In fact, I didn't discover my passion and happiness until a few years ago...

Coming from a Chinese family, we only use the oven once a year. I think we were even one of those rare Asian families who actually cooked turkey and ham on Thanksgiving Day. The oven is used mainly for storage, which consisted of other pots and pans and maybe even some bowls.

The first time I ever used the oven was when I baked a cake with my high school friend, Lili. Though we only used cake mix, Lili instilled in me the significance of sifting the flour. I might not have known how to make cakes from scratch, but throughout my college years, I remembered that sifting was one of the top priorities, along with exact measurements of ingredients.

After college, my best friend, Madeline, took me to a new dessert place in NYC called Amai's Tea & Bake House. Their sweets, especially the Green Tea Cookies, were so delicious and memorable that I still talked about it to my friends in DC. A few days later, Madeline had found the owner's (of Amai) blog and sent it to me. Within minutes of looking through the blog, I was already preparing my shopping list to make the cookies that the owner oh-so-generously shared with the rest of the world.

I don't know what it was, but ever since making those first batch of cookies, I fell in love with baking. To this day, I still find great happiness and satisfaction when I open up the oven and smell the fresh sweets that I make. Baking is like yoga to me - slow and calming. I find comfort when I bake and enjoy sharing sweets with my family and friends.

Shortly after Christmas 2010, I realized that I wanted to pursue a diploma in a Pastry program. I did some research and made a goal to apply to Le Cordon Bleu Paris's Intensive Pastry Program, which shall start on July 2012. This blog shall document the experiences and lessons learned as I prepare for this exciting journey in my life. I hope to share with you, my readers, all the moments of the process, and should you or someone else you know decide to pursue this route, please spread the pastry love and let them know about this blog.

Happy baking to all!