Tis the season for baking (pt2)

Christmas day.. I worked.. well, it felt like I worked. I woke up early to finish an order for my Etsy shop - 4 dozen freshly baked cookies, wrapped and to be delivered by noon. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for my cream cheese and butter to get to room temp so I can make a cream cheese frosting for a carrot cake that would be dessert at the family's Christmas dinner. Good thing Christmas lunch was cancelled this year! Actually no, I was rather disappointed there wasnt going to be lunch, but it did give me time to finish my carrot cake.

It took a lot longer than I anticipated, knowing that I only had one 8 inch round when I was going to make 2 to layer them with my cream cheese frosting in between. The batter itself took a while, fresh finely grated carrots, chopped up drained pineapples and loads of chopped up walnuts. I had to double the recipe since all the reviews said I should. It didnt take too long to bake each layer but I had to wait for it to cool down completely before frosting and covering them with walnuts. My husband actually helped me with covering the cake with walnuts, which was really nice. It took all afternoon to finish the cake, just in time to be picked up by the parents to go to the uncle's house. By that time, I was completely pooped.

What a relief to find out that it was delicious and my husband even rated it just about the best carrot cake he's had. Well, next to the carrot cake he remembered having at Just Desserts. The cake itself is very moist, light and a little nutty (tons of walnuts!). I didn't put too much cream cheese frosting, although maybe a little more would have been good. I ran out.

We left the party with only a quarter left to ourselves and I'm now wishing I had more.

Tis the season for baking (pt1)

So I've been baking away this holiday season but the reason I haven't posted anything is because I keep forgetting to take pictures of my finished products. Sometimes I wish I had a camera hung around my neck at all times like a fobby tourist. (actually not really)

First family Christmas party I made a Raspberry Napoleon. YUMMM! A napoleon is a pastry also called Mille-Feuilles meaning a thousand layers in French. It is made with layers of puff pastry filled with some kind of cream and fruit. I used puff pastry that has been pressed down during the baking process so that the layers are thin and not too airy but still has all that flakyness and crisp. I layered my napoleon with freshly whipped cream flavored with pure vanilla extract and fresh bright red raspberries, super festive! Even the powdered sugar dusted on the top of the napoleon looks like snow... The tartness of the raspberries goes great with the sweet whipped cream and is perfect with the buttery flaky puff pastry making each bite a bit of sweet, tart and crisp. It's a wonderful dessert that is simple enough to put together and it'll look like you got it from an expensive pattisserie. Unfortunately when I made it, I didnt think it would be such a hit that I didnt make a bigger one. Next time, I'd be sure to make a bigger one and maybe flavor the whipped cream with almond or maybe orange blossom.

I'm finally on Etsy!

It's been a while since I blogged. I've been so busy trying new recipes and getting all creative baking cookies for my new Etsy store. I figured I'd try sharing / selling my cookies and treats with people other than my immediate circle of friends and family. So far it's been good, I've been on Etsy for about a week and a half although competition is kinda tough! There's so many other great stuff on there, edible and non-edible.

Anyway, here's a sampler of the cookies I have on there. From top to bottom: Lime Cornmeal, Cocoa Pistachio, Chocolate Chip, Earl Grey and Apricot Pistachio. They're all shortbread-like cookies, great with afternoon tea or coffee and all very buttery and yummy.

I'm still coming up with other flavorings and mix-ins to my cookie base and so far the Earl Grey is the big favorite. I have so many others in my mind but I can really only eat so many cookies before I burst out of my seams. So I think I'll take a break from the cookies for a weekend to make other yummy things. I have a huge craving for cupcakes and been wanting to use my pastry bag to pipe beautiful flowers and all kinds of things with a delicious buttercream frosting or a swiss meringue frosting. Maybe I'll do a coconut again or a red velvet or a strawberry...

Time for tea...

... and cookies!

I love going to MarthaStewart.com for inspiring and cute ideas for favors and entertaining. She has so many great ideas for everything and I like how all her magazines are all on the same website. It's kinda like a one-stop shop for entertaining ideas, decorating, recipes, crafts, wedding stuff and even gardening how-to's.

Anyway I'm always looking for cute and yummy things to share with my family and friends especially during the holiday season or anytime there's a special occasion. I used to give out Christmas presents or B'day presents but now I just make something or bake for my friends, just because I think it's more meaningful but then again, sometimes it can be for selfish reasons. I get to try out new recipes and well eat them for myself too!

This past week I made 2 kinds of tea cookies, both were very yum with my mid morning / afternoon tea. Just to clarify, not all tea cookies have tea in them, they're just cookies you can eat while having tea or coffee, kinda the same idea as tea cakes or coffee cakes. The first one was the Earl Grey tea cookies that I gave away as favors, wrapped up in cellophane bags, blue ribbon and tag. I was never a big Earl Grey fan, but I wanted to try this recipe I found on MarthaStewart.com. It just looked too cute and very fitting for a afternoon tea shower. The cookie is an icebox cookie meaning that the dough needs to be chilled or frozen before you can cut them up in 1/4 inch slices and baked. This recipe uses about 2 tbsp ground up Earl Grey tea leaves which you can just get from tea bags and grounded using a mortar and pestle or just a coffee / spice grinder. The ground up leaves gives the cookie a very delicate subtle flavor and the cute little flecks. The cookie is also flavored with some orange zest, although might be interesting if I had some form of bergamot to put in. The cookie also has a great crisp to it. Next time I'll try a different kind of tea maybe even matcha, my favorite kind of tea.

The other tea cookie I made was Orange Sable cookies, another recipe I found from MarthaStewart.com. Sable cookies are French butter cookies that are kinda sandy. The texture is a little softer and a bit crumbly like sand. These are also icebox cookies, chilled for about 3 hours before cutting and baking. They have a very nice orange-y flavor and the flecks you see are from the ground up almonds. In this case, I used almond meal I got from Trader Joes. The only thing about this cookie that I don't particularly like is that the orange flavor overpowers the almond flavor, so I suppose I can sub the almonds for something else.

I packaged them 2 different ways for 2 different people (and I dont know why the pic wouldn't rotate anticlockwise). I should get one of those things that can seal plastic so the cookies stay fresher and last longer especially for when I mail cookies across the world.

Next time I'll try other shortbread / icebox tea cookie recipes. They last a couple days in an airtight container but usually they're just gone within a short while. You can also make the dough ahead of time, roll them up into whatever shape you like and freeze them until you're ready for them. And just in case you're not into tea, it goes great with coffee or just by itself.

A little less humidity please...

So I tried making meringues last week, twice! There are different kinds of meringues, some you find are crunchy, and kinda look like little cookies, and some you find are the cloudy soft white foam that's piled high on top of lemon meringue pies. The ones I made were the former, little crunchy cookies that almost melts in your mouth.

Meringues are hard to make as it really all depends on the weather and the humidity. They say you should make meringues on a dry day, not a wet day and definitely not a humid day and boy do they make a BIG difference! I wonder how hard and frustrating it would be to make meringues in Malaysia or Thailand when it's super humid all year round.

The first batch I made were almond flavored, sprinkled with crushed almonds and baked on a not super humid night. The flavor was spot on delicious but the texture - a little on the chewier side - kinda turned out like a soft nougat. Nonetheless, we gobbled them up because we love almonds and we happen to like chewy stuff.

The second time I made them, which was the very next day ended up hugely different! It was a hotter more drier daytime day. They came out airy, crunchy and they were coffee flavored. Vietnamese coffee flavored actually. I didnt have a pastry bag either times but the first time, they turned out flatter and more round and the second time, they sticked to their more peak-like shape. I guess it was because the first time round the egg whites werent stiff enough and the humidity just made the whites fall and become more dense. Both ways tasted yummy and delicious, but I have yet to make the perfect meringue with almond flavoring.

The temperature of the oven when baking also makes a difference. Some recipes say 200 F, and some say 300 F. When using 200 F, it takes about 2 hours for all the moisture to be released and again if the air is humid leave it in the oven for longer. but watch it so it doesnt burn! When baking at 300 F, it takes about half an hour. And then in both cases leave in turned off oven to dry with the door propped slightly open with a kitchen glove or a wooden spoon. This takes about another hour or so, making meringues can be very time consuming!

I think it's time to buy a pastry bag. I'm always finding new things to buy for my baking whether it'd be pastry bags or cake pans or loaf pans. And I'm always looking for new ways to package my goodies as gifts - boxes, cellophane bags, ribbons, metal tins etc. I think this hobby is getting to be quite pricey but still cheaper than say.. mountain biking..

A surprise...

... afternoon tea baby shower

My friends and I threw a baby shower for our soon-to-be mom friend last weekend, and boy was she surprised! It was an afternoon tea kinda theme with just the gals drinking tea and eating miniature size foods... dainty? not so much.. but heres some pics of the setting and spread.

We did a navy blue, tangerine and white color theme because we wanted to stay away from the typical pastel baby blues, yellows and pinks that are most common at baby showers. We each made a couple different foods, some savory and some sweet. They all had different textures and colors and all very rich in flavor, which went well with the teas we had served.

The menu:

English raspberry scones w/ honey butter
Pumpkin spice cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting
Lemon tartlets w/ strawberries
Coffee meringues
Green tea cheesecake

Bacon and zucchini quiche
Spinach and feta spanakopita
Roast beef and dijon tea sandwiches
Garden salad
Gorgonzola bruschetta

Assorted hot teas
Peach iced tea

Earl Grey tea cookies and tea for favors.

(everything homemade... except for the green tea cheesecake)

Planning this baby shower was a lot of fun. I love planning the details and the menus and trying out different things that I think would go together very well. Maybe I should become a party planner or something like that. The afternoon tea baby shower turned out really well and best of all, the mom-to-be had a fun afternoon with just the gals.

A different kind of cake...

... it's a diaper cake!

My friend is having a baby boy and since the last baby shower I went to had a diaper cake, my husband and I decided to make one. We filled it with all the necessary ingredients to keep the baby smell good and squeeky clean - baby shampoo, baby wash, baby lotion, baby powder, baby wipes, diapers.. you get the idea, and then just a cute plush for the baby boy. I think it's such an ingenious idea, although a little on the cheesy side. I figured the momma-to-be wont have more than enough diapers and im sure they'd appreciate the clean smelling baby. next time, I'll have to make a more colorful one. short post, will blog more later on the afternoon tea baby shower!

Is it too early...

... for Christmas?

So I've started to think about what I'm going to bake and give away for Christmas this year. I know it's not even Thanksgiving or Halloween yet but I always get really excited for Christmas way in advance. This is especially as I have to start thinking of Christmas cards to design and treats to bake and how I'm going to package them.

Last year I made these Italian Wedding Cookies although sometimes it's called Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cookies. Sometimes they're shaped into crescents, and sometimes they just come round and sometimes they're different sizes. No matter what shape or what they're called they taste delicious. My husband came home with some a while back that his co-worker had made and so I decided to try it out.

I used ground almonds instead of the regular pecans which I like since almond is my flavor of the year. I sifted the dry ingredients an extra time to make them even more melt-in-your-mouth and powdered them with the confectioners sugar twice - once right after you take them out of the oven and once again after they have cooled down. I made them into little bite-sized (1 tsp) balls and ended up with over 90 pieces. I packaged 8 little bites into each cellophane bag that I had leftover from my wedding and then tied them with pretty bows and a handmade festive holiday tag. It's quite a bit of work for these cookies, making them uniform size, rolling them out and coating them in the sugar twice. They are very delicate because they're melt-in-your-mouths and quite brittle so when making these cookies you have to be careful not to break them.

They're perfect little treats to given away as gifts or favors because they're kinda fancy but really easy to make. And they look really cute in the packaging! Perhaps I'll make them again as favors but not for 2 Christmas' in a row, maybe for a different occasion. I do have an idea of what I'm giving out for Christmas this year, but you'll have to wait and see. I'm excited!



PS. I'm thinking of setting up shop on Etsy. So check me out there soon! same name, ThreeSweetTiers

Baking Slippers...

... as in the Italian slipper bread, Ciabatta.

I had my first try at Ciabatta yesterday. Even though I love my desserts, I have decided to expand my skills in other areas of baking - breads, savory tarts, pastries, appetizer stuff and anything that pops into my head.

So anyway, I made the sponge / starter for my Ciabatta yesterday. A sponge is used in many artisan rustic breads to create a slightly sour, more flavorful and textured bread. It also helps the bread rise quickly which was exciting to see when it doubled and tripled in size as it smelt wonderful. This particular recipe called for the sponge to sit for at least 12 hours. I realize that baking bread needs a lot of pre-planning, thought and time management, which I suppose can be really worth it if the bread turns out great. This time it turned out pretty good, maybe next time I'll try different recipes, add other flavorings (such as herbs and cheese) and work at it.

I used the Ciabatta bread for a grilled turkey burger with cheddar and smoked aioli, in this case a turkey sandwich. The bread has the right amount of crust, perfect for sandwiches although a lil dense which I dont think Ciabatta is supposed to be. The lean turkey patty was juicy and full of flavor from the Hungarian paprika that I subbed for the smoked paprika. Overall it was a really good somewhat healthy lunch minus the fries on the side, although half of them were sweet potato fries. My husband loved the sandwich and is now a fan of turkey burgers! One day at a time I'm changing his mind for certain more healthy foods.

Gone bananas...

... for banana bread / muffins

I found this banana banana bread muffins recipe a couple months ago and it turned out great just as I had hoped for since there were over 4000 - 4 1/2 star reviews. I've been baking for a while now and probably even more now since my husband and I got married last year. So... I have a ton of recipes and pics backed up that need to be posted. Anyway, he loves desserts but not as much as I love baking and mixing them. So his suggestion one day was banana bread and since I didnt have a loaf pan then, it turned out to be muffins! All I did extra was I added some chopped walnuts that I had lying around which naturally goes well with bananas.

So the other day I had a craving for banana banana bread and you gotta say the banana twice as theres just soo much banana (just about 5 or 6 overripe bananas) which makes this bread really moist and amazing if you like bananas. There's always an anticipation for any banana bread, just because you have to wait till the bananas get overripe. To make the bananas ripe faster put them in a paper bag with an apple or two, something to do with the gases the apples emit.

Anyway, this time I added chocolate chips into the banana banana bread loaf and disgarded the walnuts. (yup! i finally bought a 9x5 loaf pan) It turned out really good, chocolate-y, dense and as always very moist from the banana. I think the brown sugar definitely makes the difference in this loaf. And as always, serve warm and all the anticipation and waiting becomes just so worth it!

MIX...

... the Bakery

I was in Vancouver BC a couple weeks ago and I stumbled across (not on purpose) a wonderful homey neighbourhood bakery type cafe hidden on West 10th just right by UBC. As a side note, when we're on vacation, my husband and I usually tend to go out of the way to seek out bakeries, patisseries and other dessert places the locals love. I suppose we're always on a hunt for great treats no matter which part of the world we're in.

Anyway, I was waiting for a friend to show for lunch and being such a sunny day, I walked down the block to check out the cute stores on this 2 block shopping area. A couple whiffs of the freshly baked bread and pastries invited me into MIX the Bakery where I find racks of all kinds of baguettes, focaccias, ciabattas and loaves along the wall. In the counter there's lots of sweet desserts, savory pastries, morning buns and a selection of cookies. It took me a while to finally decide on my purchase as I read every small description tag of what everything was while sampling the homemade artisan jams. I would have bought a jar but the lady in front of me snagged the last one! The place is crowded with the mid-morning rush of high school students in uniform, college students from UBC, moms and their babies and a couple small tables packed on the side. I finally made my purchase of an oatmeal currant cookie and a ambrosia cookie, alongside a bag of cracker treats just made specially for doggies for my baby girl Peanut.

If you're ever in Vancouver, check this place out! (you can find their addy on their website)Things that make this place special - just a homey mom and pop kinda place with great quality artisan stuff, lots to choose from, friendly staff and they give some of their profits to a charity organization called the WINS Project. Ohh and I also appreciate and love that they bake stuff for your dogs!

The next time I'm in Vancouver, I'd definitely get more than just cookies.

Oh for the love of...

... lemons!!!

I love lemons - a little tart yet a little sweet, super refreshing and its puckering quality gives desserts an amazing zing. I like using lemons as the main attraction (yes, I said attraction because I always tend to have some magnetic attraction to desserts). I've made a couple different things with lemons that I'd like to share.

First up, lemon souffle. They're creamy, egg-y, light and in this case, lemony! Souffles are one of those desserts that's a little fancy but quite easy to make at home. So this is a great recipe to impress guests or your special someone but unfortunately, it's not foolproof. A good trick is to separate the eggs when they're cold and have the whites at room temperature before the beating and whipping. This is because egg whites incorporate more air when at that temp. Another trick is to butter the souffles and keep them chilled until you're ready to fill and bake them. This helps the souffle rise straight upways. I've actually tried making chocolate souffles because my husband loves chocolate, but for some reason it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so no recipe for chocolate souffle here.. yet.. I'll have to try that one again.. and post it when perfected, stay tuned!

Another yummy recipe I found is Giada's Nonna's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits. They're more like muffins, but I can see why Giada calls them biscuits. Theyre a little drier, not as moist as maybe a banana nut muffin, but nonetheless, these are super delicious. I'd never thought of putting ricotta cheese in a muffin but the combination of the lemon, almonds and ricotta work. Like most muffins, serve warm with a cup of coffee. Btw Giada has some great Italian recipes that are so easy and delicious, which is great when thinking of date nights at home or just easy entertaining.

And finally, my most recent mixings, Thomas Keller's tarte au citron. It's a delicious tart lemon sabayon or if you like, zabaglione over a pine nut crust. Sabayon is a French version of the Italian zabaglione. It's a very light custard that's whisked to incorporate lots of air, making the filling creamy, airy and silky smooth. I think the juices of the 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed juice) brings the perfect amount of zing and tartness and the 3/4 cups of sugar makes just the perfect amount of sweet. Think perfect hot summer day and refreshing lemonade in a tart. The pine nut crust itself is melt-in-your-mouth, buttery and a little nutty and so I was super excited when I found the recipe, eventhough I was hesitant because of how much pine nuts cost! but... lemons are lemons and if you love dessert as much as I do and/or making them, it doesnt matter how much they cost. It's about getting my husband to buy in on the idea of how wonderful it will taste and he did love them, all 2 tarts I made (and shared). Btw you can get these tarte au citrons at Bouchon bakery and other Thomas Keller restaurants, of course depending on what the chef has in mind for the tasting menu. At the French Laundry the tart is accompanied by a honey mascarpone cream, which next time I'll have to try when serving this tart. I'm definitely going to make this again!

Nothing smells better...

... than freshly baked Brioche!

My apartment smells like a bakery. I started my Bubble-Top Brioche project last night with making the dough, letting the yeast do its magic and then deflating it a couple times to give it the lacy strands when pulled apart. What I didn't realise was how long I had to wait before I took my first bite of this buttery, luxurious-textured treat!

A brioche is a viennoiserie, French for Viennese specialties. As Dorie Greenspan describes, a brioche as part bread, part cake. The yeast makes it a bread, but the milk and eggs make it cake-like, which essentially gives it such a wonderful character.

This was the first time I've made a viennoiserie or any kind of bread for that matter. It's tough work! There's just so much care, time and patience that goes into making them. But it's definitely worth it! I think I have a new found respect and love for people who make them for a living. Next time, I'll try putting pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts, chocolate chips and maybe some dried fruit, like the ones you can get at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery.

Although a brioche is not necessarily a dessert, every now and then I'll blog about breads, pastries and other savory baked treats.

Serve the brioche warm with a cup of latte as a breakfast or afternoon tea treat, or save some leftovers for the perfect French toast or a decadent brioche bread pudding.

Goodbye blueberries...

... hello apples

The beginning of fall means the end of almost all summer berries, no more strawberry tarts, no more blackberry crisps. Granted you can get berries almost all year round in California, fall's not the season for them.

This past June, I made Blueberry Crumb Bars for my friend's birthday when blueberries were ripe, sweet and in abundance. I packed them up in parchment paper and tied a purple ribbon to match the beautiful blueish purpleish jam the berry oozes out when baked. What a surprise it was to her. She absolutely loved it, every last crumb..

And so here comes Fall. Tis the season for all things apple, pear, and pumpkin - crisps, pies and tarts.

I have a thing for tarts, a more elegant and delicate version of pies, in my opinion. Last weekend, we went to a bbq at Tomales Bay Oyster Company, and of course I had to bring something - something light, crispy and in season! I looked up my latest issue (oct 09) of Bon Appetit and found a wonderful recipe for a Crispy Braeburn Apple and Almond Sheet Tart. Perfect! The combination of phyllo, almond cream and apples and the sweet glaze was a perfect intro to fall desserts. In this tart, I subbed the Braeburn apples with Golden Delicious, which turned out just as delish.

If it wasn't for the heat, I'd serve it with a dollop of fresh cream or just plain vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

A night to affogato...

... and of course chocolate-dipped pistachio biscotti.
















Last Friday I broke in my KitchenAid mixer... the first stick of butter creamed, the first cup of sugar poured in, the first dust of flour mixed in and a sprinkle of perfectly roasted pistachios, all into my beautiful bowl of stainless steel. The theme - simple Italian dolce.

We had friends over for our version of affogato, simple vanilla ice cream drowned in a rich hot espresso. We havent used our espresso machine in a while and a friend of mine decided to make a night of it. So earlier in the day I had my first attempt in making biscotti, an Italian twice-baked cookie. The reason for baking it twice, interestingly was so they could keep for longer, but that doesnt stand true for my house or friends. And of course I first looked up one of my go-to's FoodNetwork and found Tyler Florence's pistachio biscotti and the raving reviews. The only thing I tweaked, I added a half teaspoon of almond essence, my favorite flavor of the year, and I dipped some of them in some melted semi-sweet chocolate. My husband who wasnt totally convinced of the yumminess of biscotti or a fan of espresso for that matter immediately wanted his very own glass of the beautiful marriage between the warm bitterness and the cold sweet ice cream.

Now, if only I had a nice clear glass to give justice to this beautiful cream and dark colored after-dinner treat. Maybe I should look into getting more barware, just for nights like this.

Cheers to new beginnings...

.... and a brand new addition to our family, a KitchenAid mixer!!!



I first thought about what I would blog about and it came to me... what do I spend most of my time doing... looking up recipes to try and discovering new and old bakeries in the San Francisco Bay Area with my wonderful husband.


This blog will be all things sweet though sometimes savory, it'll be about the yummy treats that'll make any tummy happy.