Taste of Sydney, 2012

This past Monday marked the start of university for me for another year, and surprisingly, the week seems to have flown by. Even though the work load hasn't reached critical mass (yet), I am finding it difficult to dedicate time and attention to this humble blog of mine. Therefore, my apologies for the lack of updates!

As a way of blowing off steam, and also to celebrate the reappearance of blue skies, I spent the better part of Saturday at Taste of Sydney, a festival which show-cases dishes from some of Sydney's best restaurants. Foodies are given the opportunity to sample small portions of a wide variety of dishes, essentially creating their own "dream degustation". 

This year's festival, as with previous years', took place at Centennial Park, under the blessing of a beautiful cloudless sky and ample sunshine.

The weather was simply perfect for ice cream. A pot of sweet sesame halawa ice cream from Booza cooled me right down. I've always wanted to try this 'melt-resistent' ice cream, which derives its stretchy, elastic texture from the addition of certain tree gums and powdered roots. I couldn't really taste the sesame, but this was really fun to eat, and the first time I've had to chew ice cream ;D

Stretchy ice cream laced with tree gum, from Booza

The Booza ice cream stand.

Wish I'd gotten an action shot of the ice cream being stretched!

Foxy's Premium Frozen Yogurt were handing out sizeable samples of their products, and I took full advantage of their generosity. I tried two of the four flavours - the 'Naughty Pash' (honeycomb & caramel chunks), and the 'Sassy Pash' (vanilla bean & strawberry hunks). Let's put it this way - as far as low-calorie frozen desserts go, these were pretty good. The texture was similar to that of a granita's. 

I spied the Adriano Zumbo stand from a mile off...

...and secured myself a box of Zumbarons:

I think the flavours were (from left to right): chocolate brownie, finger bun, caramel, some other sort of chocolate, something citrusy?, and vanilla bean. My favourite was definitely the caramel. So chewy and addictive!

While we're on the subject of sweet things...check out these adorable hamburger cupcakes from The Sweetest Things!

They also had plenty of other beautiful edible creations. Easily one of the prettiest stands at the festival :D

Some other highlights from the festival: Maya Sunny Honey giving out samples of honeycomb. 

Ice popsicles from Fresh Pops; I tried a sample of the fig and cinnamon one, which had huge chunks of fresh figs in it, and it was so good.

As always, the sugar-coated macadamia nuts from Morish Nuts had me wanting to inhale the whole bag.

Same with the impressive range of muesli from Farmer Jo. Did you know that there's a Farmer Jo cafe in Surry Hills now? Serving their muesli, presumably :) I tried the 'burnt fig and cinnamon almond' and the 'hazelnut and chocolate orange'. Think I may have trouble limiting myself to one serving for breakfast!

Gooseberry catering had some beautiful looking macarons:

And Manna From Heaven exuded unmeasurable charm with their range of handmade cakes:

Pairing pears with cheese: really? xP

And finally, a fun display from the RSPCA to remind us of the importance of ethical farming.

(Okay, just one more photo...with Manu! :D)

Mango and Cream Swiss Roll

Despite being on summer break from uni at the moment, I don't have nearly as much time to spend on baking and pastry-making as I would like. Yesterday evening provided a rare opportunity for me to carry out two wishes I've had for a while now: 1) try out my flashy new KitchenAid stand mixer and 2) make a Swiss roll.

I've made a Swiss cake roll only one time previously, around a year ago, and the result was not very good. There were visible lumps of flour in the cake part, and the filling made everything soggy. I am pleased to say that this Swiss roll turned out very well. Due to either a superior recipe for the sponge cake, or the use of gelatine-stabilised whipped cream for the filling, or the assistance I received from my KitchenAid, or a combination of the three, this Mango and Cream Swiss Roll had it all in terms of flavour and looks. Okay, almost had it all in terms of looks. But it tasted great, and when baking for friends and family, flavour trumps appearance, yes?

Before I forget - allow me to show off my KitchenAid! Which I've already formed an emotional attachment to xD Whenever I feel depressed about having to go to work, I look to it as a reminder that only some of the good things in life are for free, lol :D

Apart from a minor incident in which I managed to electrocute myself when I touched the mixer bowl because I'd plugged the KitchenAid into an extension cord socket (which wasn't properly grounded), my first baking project involving the mixer went very smoothly. Prior to this, I've always used a hand mixer to make the meringue base for a sponge cake, whip cream for frosting, mix the batter, etc., and I was so surprised at how much effort I was saving myself by using the stand mixer. In fact, I felt kinda guilty and lazy just standing by the sidelines and watching, while my Yellow Pepper-hued beauty did all the work for me. All I had to do was clean the bowl and the whisk intermittently! And assemble the cake roll, of course.

Now, some key pointers when making the sponge cake sheet: 

• Firstly, make sure you have the correct sized pan for the recipe you're using. I've made the mistake of spreading the batter too thinly before, and I ended up with a toffee-coloured sheet which shattered when I tried to manipulate it into some semblance of a roll. I used the sponge cake recipe I found at What's For Dessert Today!, which was perfect for a 9" x 12" (23 x 30cm) pan. 

• Secondly, roll up your cake fresh out of the oven, being careful not to burn your hands. The reason for this is that, if you allow your cake to cool before trying to roll it up, you'll end up with cracks all over. So roll it up while it's still warm. Without the filling, of course. Keep it rolled up while it cools slightly, then unroll, spread out the filling, roll it back up, and put it in the fridge to chill for a few hours.

• Thirdly (and this is a general tip for all sponge cakes), I find that flour lumps are easily avoided by using the "chiffon method" when making the batter. This is where you mix the flour and other dry ingredients with the egg yolks, whip the egg whites and sugar into a meringue separately, then combine the two. This is in contrast to what I did before, which was to sift in the dry ingredients into the wet. 

I mentioned that I used gelatine-stabilised cream for the filling. This is simply a fancy name for cream whipped after gelatine had been added to it. After chilling for a bit in the fridge, it takes on a mousse-like consistency which is perfect for spreading or piping. The gelatine helps it to hold its shape, and stops the moisture from the cream from leeching into the surrounding cake. 

The whipped cream filling holding its shape, thanks to the addition of gelatine

Next time, I may puree whatever fruit I choose to use and mix it with the cream to form a pretty, uniformly-coloured filling. I do quite like the distinct chunks of mango in this roll, though :D 

Here's the recipe!

Recipe for Mango and Cream Swiss Roll

Adapted from What's For Dessert Today!

Makes one 23cm long swiss roll

Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

70g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

10g corn flour (sifted)

70g all-purpose/plain flour

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

40ml canola oil

40g milk

For the gelatine-stabilised whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons confectioner's/icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I used vanilla bean paste)

1 teaspoon powdered gelatine

1 tablespoon cold water

And, of course...:

Flesh of half a large mango, sliced into 5cm sticks

Method

To make the gelatine-stabilised whipped cream (do this first):

1. Combine the cold water and powdered gelatine, stir together, and set aside until the gelatine has absorbed the water to make a goo. Microwave this goo for 15 seconds or until liquid. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine whipping cream, confectioner's/icing sugar, and vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, start whipping the cream. When soft peaks start to form, add in the liquid gelatine mixture. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat or cream will separate and curdle. Transfer into a container, and refrigerate until needed.

To make the sponge cake sheet:

1. Preheat oven at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a 9" x 12" (23 x 30cm) sheet pan or baking tray with non-stick parchment paper, and place the baking rack towards the middle of the oven, closer to the bottom. 

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 35g of the caster sugar until light and creamy. Sift in the all-purpose/plain flour, corn flour, and baking soda and whisk until smooth and lumps-free. Add in the vanilla extract, and whisk it in well.

3. In a separate bowl (here's where my KitchenAid came to the rescue), add the cream of tartar to the egg whites, and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the remaining 35g of caster sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, and beat until stiff peaks form. 

4. Add 1/3 of the beaten egg white mixture from step 3 to the egg yolk mixture from step 2. Stir in with whisk, so that the batter is more liquid. Pour this batter into the remaining egg whites, and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Be careful as to not deflate the batter.

5. Pour batter into the lined sheet pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Place in oven, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the surface is a light, golden brown. 

6. Remove from oven, and straight away, cover the top with a pieces of parchment paper and roll up the cake. Allow to cool slightly, for around 5 minutes, then unroll and fill with the whipped cream and mango. Roll back up, wrap with cling wrap, and put in the fridge to chill for a few hours before slicing and serving.

A (very SPECIAL) pound cake

A few days ago, I attended the 2012 Food Bloggers' Picnic, organised by Grab Your Fork and Chocolatesuze. I feel slightly embarrassed admitting just how excited and honoured I was to have been invited. Although I've had this blog for over a year now, I'm still slightly hesitant to introduce it to people as a 'food blog', simply because I see it more as a mish-mash of random tid-bits from my life. But since I was invited, I bloody well was going to attend! I spent the week leading up to the even brain-storming what I wanted to bring, and decided on some form of cake. A few more clicks around the net for inspiration, and I came up with...a pound cake!

How was that for an anti-climax? In one moment of madness, I did consider whipping up this awe-inspiring meringue and mango construction that I saw on the cover of one issue of Delicious magazine. And then the voice of reason took over - I mean, whipped egg whites and fresh fruit in the humidity of the Australian summer? It's a virtual recipe for disaster (pun intended!). But the pound cake - good, ol' trusty pound cake with its dense, dense crumb and seemingly interminable shelf life - was perfect for the occasion by contrast.

Not that there's anything wrong with vanilla, or chocolate, or even orange and poppyseed, but since this was to be a very SPECIAL picnic, it was obvious I had to deviate slightly from the well-trodden path. I did this by substituting the butter in the recipe for browned butter, an ingredient that seemed all the rage a while back but has somewhat disappeared from the foodie scene lately. In addition, I incorporated some stewed apple into the batter, and topped it all off with cream cheese frosting spiked with real maple syrup.

What is "browned butter"? The "browned" bit refers to the fact that the butter is heated until the milk solids and butter fat separate, and taken off the flame when both components acquire a nutty aroma, and a deep, oaken-brown hue. It is also known as beurre noisette. In this case, "noisette" (literally: "hazelnut" in French) obviously derives from the scent of roasted hazelnuts that appear when the butter is done browning. 

Solidified browned butter, bearing a striking resemblance to a golden iceberg!

When I took my first bite of the cake at the picnic, my heart sank in disappointment. The crumb was very dry, and for all intents and purposes, it appeared that I had over-mixed the batter. The saving grace was definitely the cream cheese frosting. The maple flavour was not prominent, apart from adding sweetness, but the soft, sweetened cream cheese mixed with a dash of cinnamon made me want to lick the whole surface off of the cake.

Tasting a slice of my cake at the picnic.

HOWEVER, when I tasted it again the next day, when I took over some of the leftovers (and trust me, there was a lot) to a friend's tea party, the cake was unbelievably moist. Whereas the previous day I'd been reluctant to finish even that tiny square I cut for myself, I couldn't help but go back for forkful after guilty forkful at my friend's party. My theory is that the time it spent chilling in the fridge overnight somehow helped it to develop moisture, or because that first slice I tried at the picnic was an edge piece, and was dried out from being in contact with the cake tin. Whatever the reason was, I was wrong to dismiss this recipe. I only hope that some of my fellow bloggers got to try a bit that was closer to the middle :D

A visibly moister crumb. Picture taken the day after the picnic, two days after baking.

Before I move onto the recipe, I would like to direct your attention to the pattern over the frosting. Pretty, is it not? It's obvious that I used a stencil for it, but did you know that I carved out the stencil by myself? After I copied down the pattern by hand from a picture I saw on the internet? Without tracing paper? Okay, okay, I'll stop bragging. I am awfully proud of it, though.

Okay, so moving onto the recipe! There are quite a few separate steps, but they're all very straight-forward. Hopefully you'll find this tutorial useful, and have a go at making this (very SPECIAL) pound cake yourself! Click the "Read More" link below for a full tutorial on making the cake.

Masterchef LIVE, 2011

Greetings, all! Yesterday, I attended Masterchef LIVE (I don't know why I keep capitalising it; well, that is the way it appears on all the promos :D) at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. It was a fun, fun, FUN day, filled with exciting and educational demonstrations, lotsa free food samples (FREE FOOD FTW), and celebrity-chef sightings. Oh, and a delightful face-to-face encounter with the charming Vincent Gadan, pastry chef of Patisse, which left me blushing and flustered for the next half an hour.


Star-struck by Luke Nguyen:

Managing to seize a photo opportunity with Luke Nguyen, of Red Lantern, before he was rushed off to his next demonstration.

Getting to Hordern Pavilion was simple enough. For those friends travelling in by public transport - just take the train to Central Station, cross the road to the bus stands on Eddy Avenue, and take the 391, 339, 374 or 376. Ask your helpful bus driver when to get off to reach Hordern Pavilion, or simply follow the continuous tide of people making their way there :D

There was some initial lining up, but I managed to get in in time for the first session of the Cheeky Food Group Flambe School.

This was one of the Masterclasses that was relatively easy to get into, mainly because it was so early in the day. I was not able to get into any subsequent Masterclasses due to the limited spaces available and the ginormous queues; more on this later. For now, check out my Flambe work station!

We pan-fried some chorizo sausage over high heat, then added the sherry and set the whole pan on fire! Too bad I was busy trying not to BBQ my face to take a picture of my glorious flame. No need to be scared - there's a professional literally holding your hand during the whole flambe. We added in some kumato, parsley and sun-dried veggies once the alcohol had burned off.

The final product, which we got to eat! Pretty good :D

Unfortunately, this was the only Masterclass I attended on the day. Getting into any of the other ones (especially cake-decorating with Vincent Gadan) proved to be near impossible. I overheard the staff member overseeing the Patisse Masterclass saying that some people, including mothers juggling young kids, waited in line for more than 2 hours just so they could get a ticket into one of the later sessions for the day. As a result of this, all the sessions were booked out way before the actual session times. Whilst I understand the logistical difficulty of organising enough places in the classes for every single person that comes to Masterchef Live on the day, I have to say that I was very peeved at the fact that the Masterchef LIVE website made minimal mention of the limited spaces available. For example, I was under the impression that the bread-making sessions would accommodate a lot more people than it did.

Oh well. No used crying over spilt milk. All the free time gave me the opportunity to roam around more, and try more free food samples. Here are some of them:

Absolutely loved this pumpkin bread made from spelt flour, courtesy of Agape.

Black sesame ice cream from Serendipity. Wow, this was so creamy. Wish I'd brought home a tub.

A slice of VERY cheesy pizza from Dr. Oetker.

A ricotta-filled pastizzi. Apologies to the stall I got it from - I didn't note down the name!

Appletiser.

Coffee from Caffe Moda.



There was heaps more to drool at. The pastries and cakes from Patisse and Croquembouche Patisserie, for example!

"Food porn cabinet" from Croquembouche Patisserie :D

Macarons, also from Croquembouche Patisserie.

This is going to make me sound like a total cheapskate, but due to filling up on all the sourdough and cake samples, I only ended up purchasing two food items, hehe. I got a small tub of Mini Melt ice cream:

And satay chicken and coconut rice paper rolls from MissChu to take home for dinner:

Hmm, what else? Oh, that's right, the celebrity chef sightings! There was Dan Hong, of Ms. G's and El Loco fame:

Jay and Michael from Masterchef Australia 2011:

VINCENT GADAN!!!:

I was blushing badly, can you tell? :P

Mr. Adriano Zumbo:



And, of course, Luke Nguyen, demonstrating how to make fish sauce-based dressings and assisted by Dani Venn of Masterchef:

Overall, this was an awesome experience. Never mind the missed Masterclasses; just walking around and being surrounded by amazing looking food made this foodie a very happy lass. And, I shall leave you with a picture of the gorgeous cake creations from Sweet Art:

(And one more picture of Vincent Gadan):