nothing lasts

cawfee muffins drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts. i miss baking, i seriously do. and it's kinda sad to know that for the next one month plus or so i will not be able to bake due to my busy ns schedule. oh how depressing can life get but thank goodness it's all gonna end in two years.

on a rainy night as i was on the phone, i caught sight of a triple seven approaching the airport and suddenly i got all sad and depressed. i remembered well the feeling of home coming after a journey. and in the light of the day, i see planes flying overhead into the clear blue sky heading to some destination. in my mind i wonder where they're off too and i tell myself how i wish i was on board.

i miss my friends.
i miss the lifestyle i used to have.
i am counting my blessings.

Chocolate and Raspberry

i simply adore this little number and the colours are just wonderful. for the base i used a genoise recipe, reducing the flour and using confectioner's suger instead of the usual castor ones. and yes, melted valrhona caraibe dark chocolate. filled with rich chocolate mousse and made sinfully beautiful with red luscious raspberries.

the genoise was enjoyable to make especially when you drizzle in the melted chocolate, the swirls of dark against the lightly browned batter. and when its baking i could have sat beside the oven taking in the aromatic scents of cocoa. but no it's to hot in the kitchen and the weather is not helping either.

the number is somewhat lacking a bite and i believe something crispy will heighten the gastronomic delight. i made two different types of chocolate snaps as i will call them, one with feuilletine and the other with cranberry almond crunch cereal from post. i love tempering chocolate as the kitchen will be perfumed lightly with its scent.

but oh my gosh, i screwed the mousse recipe. one accidental step and my mousse is a little too soft. i doubled the cream and that one sheet of gelatin lost its power to hold the mousse more firmly. i am pretty disappointed in the photos too as you can observe, the mousse is way too soft and the sides of the cake are kinda messy.

but looks can be deceiving and this little number here is a head turner.