Hibernation Over

Three months of idleness... I feel bad for abandoning my blog for so long, and I've missed three Daring Bakers' Challenges. I have good reasons though; I went back to Philippines, but not for a holiday. Majority of the time I was on duty at the hospital taking care of my dad. No worries though, my papa is doing well now! Ugh, but those precious months taught me so much. If you were to ask people close to me, they'll tell you how low nil my medical knowledge was. After this whole medical episode of my life, I may well be a doctor. Kidding! 

Despite having such crazy 'toxic' schedules, I did manage to squeeze in some treats.

First treat: I bought this ready mix here in Korea, but my H doesn't like cinnamon, so I took it to Manila as I know my family would love it. It's called hoddeok (호 떡); hoddeok is a popular street food snack here in Korea. It's a sweet pancake made of sweet yeast dough that is stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and nuts (usually peanuts) that are then flattened while it is being pan-fried. This is one of my favourite food here in Korea; I'm glad I was able to share this with my family. Next time, I'll try making hoddeok from scratch!

Next, I made red velvet cake. My sister J had been bugging me for a red velvet cake for a long time, so I gave in. Given the limited time, I was thinking of a cake design that would be easy to assemble and fuss free. Then I remembered Donna Hay's 'Four Tier Chocolate Layer Cake'; it's as simple as it gets - four layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Very simple cake design, but absolutely seductive. Easy? Not! There's no further explaining to do; simply look at my cake! Hot mess... Note to self: never underestimate.

Then it was my sister J's birthday. She absolutely adores rose flavour, so I planned to make her some Marie Antoinette worthy rose macarons. I don't know why I thought I would be able to pull this off considering my macaron history... Alas, my zillionth attempt was... surprise surprise, a bust! Although, the last shell that I piped came out perfect! Thus, I got a shot focusing on it... Yes, I'm lame! Oh, it's not actually a complete fail because the taste was impeccable; it was, in the end, still a wonderful birthday treat.

Lastly, another birthday treat; this time, for my sister N. She had a special request for her cake that I took as a challenge. She wanted Maltesers cake. I've been looking for inspirations over the internet for the cake; unfortunately, most of the cakes are simply chocolate cakes then decorated with Maltesers. I wanted something that would highlight Maltesers, so I came out with my own. The cake I came out with was a dome shaped chocolate malt mousse with Maltesers disc center and brownie base that is covered with chocolate ganache then garnished with a swirl of Maltesers. I was really happy with how everything turned out, but more importantly, the birthday girl absolutely loved her cake!

It was so nice to be able to bake a little while I was back home. Now, since my medical mission has finished, I will resume baking and blogging. I already have a couple of things in mind that I want to make. Plus this month is my birth month, so expect a fondant cake. Glad to be back.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

Travel Food Blog: Australia

Way long overdue post... I've been quite busy sorting out random things since I came back from Australia, so I finally found some time to squeeze in my 'travel food' post. My trip to Australia was alright; I mean all the activities I've done were amazing and worth cherishing, but due to an unexpected twist of fate, I spent most of the trip visiting my dearest P at the hospital. I won't go into details anymore... So where am I? Ah yes, 'travel food' post!



Australia has an amazing food culture. I was simply blown away with the diversity of cuisines available. Their groceries have a wide range of produce, meat, dairy and other ingredients. It was certainly inspiring; it makes a person want to cook and love food. Their ingredients are of good quality; their carrots are so sweet, and their potatoes are packed with flavour. I really had an overwhelming food cultural experience.

As I was sorting out my photos, I realized I have taken loads of food photos. So I've decided to just pick some of my food encounters to share with you guys. Warning: some might mean a lot! Shall we start?

Xiao Long Bao from our stopover at Shanghai

Fish and Chips

Chinese food chugged down with some iced milk tea! Yum!!

Noche Buena... Small feast on Christmas Eve: homemade ham, potato au gratin, buttered carrots, duck liver pate, cheese platter, and some wines and bubbly. This feast was prepared by my sister C, oh carrots by my sister Z!

Tiramisu made by my sister J for Noche Buena. Super yummy!

Wasabi peas 

Christmas feast begins! Seafood and salads... I love salads! 

My aunt R's homemade ham

Roast pork

Desserts: croquembouche, gingerbread house, bombe Alaska and orange chocolate cake (not in picture).

Cousin L's eggnog!! Delish! I drank quite a few... Sigh... such a lovely Christmas feast!

Gorgeous chocolates given by S

Donar kebab - couldn't resist this junkie goodness. 

Baklava 

Wine tasting and wine tour at Hunter Valley. 

Indian for dinner; tikka here korma there, my belly was so satisfied! 

Corned beef - not processed, taste so much better! 

Kangaroo! Surprisingly good; it has a gamey taste, which I love. 

White, milk and dark chocolate dips for churros. 

Churros in the making... interesting contraption. 

Yum yum churros

Pies, pies and more pies! Oh, and don't forget the sausage rolls!

Peppercorn steak pie... mmmm... 

Pumpkin tortellini 

Chicken and Chips. To be honest, I just ordered this kiddie meal because I wanted the tweety cup! Yes, I am a tweety fan. 

Corndog

Pineapple float

Aunt R's kiam peng rice. She was so thoughtful cooking food for my family while we were at the hospital. Thank you! 

Cousin L's lamb moussaka. Absolutely delicious, couldn't stop eating it! Thanks L! 

Lamb sausages (my favourite sausages next to bratwurst) served with caramelized onions and salad.

Butterscotch madeleines that L and I  baked for a very nice lady at the hospital.

Hot Dog de Wheels from Harry's Cafe de Wheels - Continental Frankfurt, on soft bread roll with mushy peas, chilli con carne, garlic onions, chilli and cheese sauce. The best hotdog I ever had! 

Tiger from Harry's Cafe de Wheels - mash, mushy peas and gravy on top of a pie! oooo.... 

Ricotta cheese pancake with fresh strawberries 

Deep fried prawns 

Pad Thai 

Thai duck curry 

Ribs from Hurricane's Grill & Bar 

First salad that I made that's actually good - hake and prawn with avocado, dill and lemon vol au vent salad. 

Crocodile burrito; the croc looked like chicken and had a texture of overcooked fish. Nothing really special I'd say. 

Seared yellow fin tuna served with pineapple rice. Not that good; I'm still on the hunt for my perfect pepper crusted seared yellow fin tuna.

That's one hot hot hot chili sauce. 

German pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and mash. 

Assorted German sausages 

Swiss schnitzel 

Sukiyaki 

Pork cutlet ramen 

The last food photo: my very own blanquette de veau served with buttered dill carrots. I rarely excel on cooking, so when I do, I'm proudly happy!

Whew... done! I would love to go back to Australia to eat more food! I love how there are different cuisines in one country. I'm definitely head over heels with the Australian food culture!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte