The French Laundry

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to cross off one of my gastronomical bucket list items. The French Laundry has been consistently awarded three Michelin stars for as long as I can remember and a slew of famous chefs have emerged from its kitchens. One of those being Grant Achatz of Alinea; that blog post is stuck in the queue somewhere and yet to follow. 

Fit for a Swedish Princess

Though I've baked all sorts of pastries, cakes, cookies, and crazy complicated confections during my tenure in a pastry lab, I've always had a soft spot for Swedish princess cake. Of obvious European origin, this cake got its name from three princesses that loved the cake. A traditional Swedish Princess cake consists of airy sponge cake, pastry cream, a thick dome of whipped cream, and is covered in marzipan. There are many variations of this cake with slightly different fillings, and colored marzipan. In any case, this multi-layer sponge cake is fit for royalty.

Chocolate Heart Cupcakes

With Valentine's Day just around the corner. I started thinking of baked goods I could bring to work. Lately I've been developing and testing a lot of cookie recipes for a friend's business, and have neglected my cake tins and muffin pans. Last year, having started this new job, I decided to bring in some chocolate cupcakes to work.

Cranberry Walnut Granola Bars

When I was a child, I remember always having granola bars in our pantry. Specifically they were the Nature Valley Oat and Honey Bars. I think my mom had a thing for them and would buy them by the huge Costco box-full. In any case, they were always available for a quick after school snack, or when running out of the house in the morning.

Why Hello, Kitty!

One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the mall with my mom and begging her to let me go into the Sanrio store. What little girl doesn't like Hello Kitty? I vividly remember a "surprise gift wheel", which incidentally taught us gambling at an early age. My mom would pay the dollar or two, and I got to spin a wheel hoping to get the grand prize (usually a large sized stuffed animal). More often than not the wheel would stop, and the pointer would land on a surprise grab bag; usually containing some stickers, erasers, or candy.

I while back, I came across a Hello Kitty cake pan on sale, and couldn't resist. Though I've come across many Hello Kitty items during my travels to Japan, this pan was actually purchased state-side and is readily available online or most craft stores.

Spumoni Cookies

Lately I've been looking for unique cookie recipes for a friend's business. Sure, there's no trumping your go to oatmeal or chocolate chip cookie, but those recipes have been done 500 times in 500 different ways. Add browned butter, sea salt, refrigerate them overnight or what have you. I always am on the hunt for interesting flavor combinations or non-traditional ingredients.

Strawberry sponge roll

About a decade ago, my dad was diagnosed with type two diabetes. Mind you, he's never been a guy who ate a lot of sweets. In fact, pre-diagnosis, his diet primarily consisted of rice and bread, though technically they convert to sugar anyways. Though he was never a big fan of my desserts (or any desserts for that matter), nowadays he opts for fruit, or light desserts. 

Victoria Sponge

Lately I've been dipping into my arsenal of British baking books when I tire of the tried and true French recipes for genoise, jacondes, etc. It's interesting to see the difference in technique; many of the English sponge cakes are by proportion. The recipes remind me of a French yogurt cake, that French kids made by using the yogurt pots as the measuring device and the cake had relative proportions to the pot.