cherry clafoutis

the wondrous thing about living in singapore is that we import our fruits from all over the world. hence even when the season for cherries in europe is over, our awesome supermarkets just flew in a whole batch of fresh cherries from canada. the stalks were so green and the cherries looked so luscious that i decided that another dessert won't hurt.

clafoutis clafoutis clafoutis as everyone will wonder, we've known about tarts and crumble but clafoutis seems foreign. fruits baked in a custard like batter, the aroma is awesome i tell you. the nice fragrance of the fruits is one thing, the eggs and cream baking till lightly brown is comforting.



while baking this dessert, i thought of the different serving methods and i decided to do both; in a pastry crust and in ramekins. the sugared ramekins gave a deep caramel taste to the clafoutis while the buttery crust of the tart added a light fragrance to the custard while giving it more crunch. and i couldn't have more fun photographing both presentation styles.

almonds and cherries are a matched made in kitchens all over. the light toasted scent and taste of sliced almonds really compliments the clafoutis.

light and a spacious bedroom

Well i have to confess; i've turned my folks bedroom into my makeshift photography studio during the day. as a matter of fact it's due to the morning curtains that hang so calmly down, the warm morning and crisp later afternoon light that shines in. and that floorspace, with just the basic room furnishing that makes the bedroom ideal for photographing food.

I simply love tables that has shelving below, and those that can be pulled out; plus points. Well this table that i've been using was used to place a sound system initally. well i guess that makes the table almost two decades old. i love vintage.

summer's sweet crumbs

Summer is coming to an end soon and with that, fruits with hearts of stone. although singapore is a tropical city that imports most of its fresh produces, we seldom get a generous variety of stone fruits all at the same time. but when the season is sweet; apricots, nectarines, and prunes are some of my favorite fruits that goes into my crumble.

the sweet light scent of nectarines in the kitchen is enough to make me feel happy and chirpy in the mornings. every bite is a moment of bliss, the honeyed sweetness and aroma reminds me the beauty of summer with her fields of green and clear blue skies. then again, the fruits usually arn't really ripe, leaving them on the kitchen counter for a couple of days and slowly picking up its sweet scent is all worth the wait.

sprinkle a little sugar and ground nutmeg. while these bake in the oven, the kitchen will be filled with its warm sweet scent. i love the scent of nectarines so much that while walking in town a few months back, i hopped into l'occitane and got myself a glass of sweet cherry scented candle; the closest to nectarines i suppose.

revisiting foret noir

I was looking back at some old photos and came across a few photos of the black forest gateau that i made more then a year ago. and with my new nikon d90 sitting on my table, i simply couldn't resist the temptation of baking them again. I'm a perfectionist in some sort of way and seeing how the older photos could have been sharper and more intense in colour; my decision was final.

A few years ago when i was backpacking in taiwan, i happen to discover black forest flavoured ice cream in their seven eleven convenience stores; what a surprise. Looks, or rather the place can be deceiving, however the ice cream was delicious. a frozen dessert with a chocolate ganache shell with bits of nuts, within a smooth chocolate ice cream with chunks of sweet liquored cherries.

when it comes to desserts, I love the use of glassware in gateau presentations as it makes the dessert look simple and classy, not to mention that it's also easier and much neater to assemble the number. With the blazing weather in singapore, baking at night has become a norm for me especially when it comes to whipping up cream; i end up sitting infront of the televison watching and assembling the dessert.

And did i mention how much i love cherries? those sweet pretty red jems are simply delicious. i was chilling the afternoon away when the light seemed ideal for some photography and in a moment i took out my d90 and went snapping away at the cherry. The ones i bought from the supermarket had a hint of bitterness and it really adds to the deep flavour of the stone fruit.

There are so many other cherry desserts that i have yet to attempt.

And a chapter ends

The place becomes a past of black and white
While the times we had together becomes a memory ever precious
And these friendships made are tied in the history of yesterdays and tomorrows

i'll miss you guys.

one thing leads to another

Last night while i was deciding what time i should head to the wet market to get those pandan leaves and coconut milk for my kueh salat, memories of making the nonya kueh in shanghai unfolded yet again in my mind. Our attempts in the chilly apartment blending and sieving the pandan leaves and steaming the glutinous rice in the wok with a make shift cover; pathetic situation, delicious kueh.

How time really flies when you're occupied with other things in life. When i mentioned making kueh salat to my friend, she was all chirpy about our cooking attempt in shanghai. it never failed to surprise me how the little things in life can bring back memories from the past, sparking light conversations and nostalgia that feels so precious i'll never forget.

Well the main reason why i love kueh salat is perhaps the use of coconut milk and pandan leaves. the rich aroma of the coconut milk and the fragrance of the leaves is good enough to make anyone feel that committing a sin of biting into a slice absolutely forgivable. Then there's that lovely hue of green that makes the day seem just comforting.



The traditional peranakans will ting the rice with blotches of indigo for colour and aesthetics, and the dye comes from the flowers of the morning glory. The flowers are dried and pounded to extract the colour when mixed with water. However since i am unable to find any dried morning glories at the market in the morning, i'll just have to make do with a simpler kueh.

With all the bunches of pandan leaves unused, i rolled them up and tie them in small bundles and left them around the house. and when i got home the next day, there was a light sweet scent lingering about the house and with the light breeze dancing in, the moment was serene.

Hong Kong once more

we talked about it, we gossip about the possibilities and we asked around. the nine of us took off for hong kong with a few sketches of hand drawn maps and it was one superb long weekend of shopping and awesome food. thank goodness for jetstar's travel light airfares, it's really a breeze traveling with no luggage.

The bowls of wanton noodles and century egg congee, those plates of roast duck and meat rice and cups after cups of milk tea, pure sinful bliss. It was practically a eat where you shop kinda experience as we were always feeling hungry. The dim sum experience at Luk Yu was unique, with decor bringing you back into the 70s. And not that any of us could have forgotten the number of egg tarts we bought.

and how could i have forgotten to write about this. we went in April/May 2010.