Cotton Cake and New Years Eve

all photos was taken by dee at sweet scarlett

Its less than 5 hours to 2009 (West-Indonesian time) . Im planning to go nowhere. Since a lot of bad things just happened in my life ... i guess i need a little intropection and quiet new years eve. All i wanna do just spend this new years eve with families. I need some warm athmosphere. Far away from crowded.
No. I dont say that going outside and have a lot of fun on new years eve is bad things. I onced have the most loud, crowded n craziest new years eve back to 2002 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, at Star Hill area. So much fun, so much craziness, so loud, so young and free ... ^_^
But, as i mention before, now i need intropection. I need warm atmosphere. I need to be quiet. I need sincerely smiles and conversations. I just need it all. I just want it all.

So... for my warm new years eve, i have made vanilla cotton cake with rum swiss ganache. I got the recipe from one of Indonesian culinary magazine. With some retouch. I will post the recipe later. This is new years eve's treat for me and my families. Eventhough still unperfect ... yes, see the unsmooth texture. Lots of "buble" area. Need more practices in this kind of cake. But, for tonight i guess this is just enough.



Hope all of you, my dear readers will have your own prefered new years eve and Best wishes to enter 2009 ... See you all again on 2009!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 PEOPLES !!!!

Its Choux Time!!!

All photos taken by dee at sweet scarlett

2 days to 2009 and i am craving for choux ...
This is one of my fav pastry ... all time fav.

I used to ate them since i was a little kid. who are not?
Choux or kue sus/soes (in Indonesian word) are so famous here since a long long ago.
Even all of us now it was one of Pastry from -the country i am so adore-France but most-everyone in this world wide world - i guess- had allready got seriously affair with.
And I am one of that people.
And i am so proud to say i am a choux lover also.
Please be notice that i love that classic creamy custard filling.
Vanilla flavor, please.
I can eat 2 of them, medium size, in 1 time.
better pass the dinner... ^-^



Choux Shell

250 g water
100 g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
150 g flour
5 eggs

Method

1. Bring to boil water , unsalted butter and salt.
2. Add flour , mixed well until it become solid. i guess many of you had allready know that you have to make sure that the flour has cooked enough.
3. Put the dough inside the mixing bowl. Mixed the dough -with beater fitted on- about 7-8 minutes (adjust time depending of your dough quantity) You have to make sure its no longer hot, because it will cook the eggs.
4. Add eggs 1 by 1 . Dont add the next eggs before the dough become solid with the first egg.
5. Now you have the choux batter. Its time to pipe them. The classic one is rosette round. Just be creative. Have some fun with your baking process.
6. After that ... bake them in allready heated -high temperature- oven. 200 C for 25 minutes and so.
7. And you guys know ... Dont ever open the oven door while the baking time .. so hold your self ^_^
8. Wait untill the shell has cool enough and you can fill with the yummy creamy vanilla custard or your fav filling.






















Vanilla Custard

375 ml fresh milk
50 g sugar
1 vanilla pod / or 1 tsp good vanilla extract
35 g corn flour
3 egg yolks

Method

1. In the pan, bring to boil-low heat- fresh milk, sugar and vanilla pod (if you used vanilla extract. add while mixing process)
2. Meanwhile mix the yolks and cornflour with hand whisk until well blend.
3. Back to Milk... Before it reaching the boil time, put out the vanilla pod, scrapped and put the vanilla beans inside back to the pan. Add more attention in this process.
4. After boiling, turn off the heat. Add some hot milk liquid to the bowl with yolks and cornflour inside. Stir. Add it steadystream back to pan. Cook with low heat until thick. Add from stove.
You got your custard.
5. I was noticed that to get the best result of custard -shining and good creamy texture- you have to put the - still hot- custard to mixing bowl - whisk attached- and mix until cooled enough.
(Yes. This is the right time for you to add (if you use) vanilla extract. I got this method while i was worked in one of the cake shop here in Jakarta -the pastry chef was French man- And untill now i always apply his method. Thanks Chef ^_^
6. And...Your custard is ready ... ^-^

Baked Caramel Peach and Butter Cookies

All pictures was taken by dee at sweet scarlett

















I wanna start to blog again with my deeply thankfull.
this post i dedicate to a very nice French Lady , Sandrine at La Table de Sandrine
A couple months ago she was introduce me through her lovely blog to her readers on this post.
Go check her blog.
For pastry lovers ... i tell tou... you gonna fall ...
B'coz this food blog is awesome!!!
you can get -a good- of bunch of info from salons culinaire was held in France.
The plated desserts was faboulus. not just pastry, she also good in cooking.
Yes. She's a great cook.
Her blog was in French. But from a couple months ago its allready had the English version.(See the sidebar)
So, Sandrine ... go grab This Baked Caramel Peach and Butter cookies... i hope u'll like it.








































This Baked Caramel Peaches was served with caramel sauce that i was made from caramel sugar, butter and cream. Maybe sprinkle with good quality sea salt will be nice for some people. I dont much adore, so i stick with its natural taste. Unfortunately, i cant found fresh peaches here in Jakarta. Its kinda rare here. So, i just use canned Peaches...yeah, i know its not fresh. so try to found the good quality one.
I baked the peaches with a glaze of caramel, just a little to make those yummy colour. Since canned peaches allready sweet, dont use caramel sc glaze to much. You dont wanna eat sugar, dont you. If you use fresh peaches you can adjust the glaze.You can add some liquer too, if you want. I baked untill it slowly coloured...i love to see those peaches get browning. I serve it with a little of caramel sauce and butter cookies that i shaped just like those cats tongue. Just the usual recipe used Unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and flour. Here are my Butter Cookies. Delivered to French through my blog ^_^

Flower From Hiatus

frangipani's picture was taken and edited by dee at sweet scarlett

First ... i'am sorry for my long hiatus. 3 months without posting anything. Honestly, i got so overwhelming life lately. And got me into those -very deep-what people say- baking blue. But, after the blue slowly disappear,, suddenly the urge to baking come. And here i am ... starting to bake again!
And please accept my fav frangipani to you all for my apologize.
Gosh... i miss baking!
Yes.
I really miss those eggs, sugar and flour.
Also the milk, the tempting chocolates and creamy whipped cream. The smell of fresh strawberry and green tea.
And butter.
And vanilla.
And now... i am back.