Montel Mama and the French Chef

Since I seriously started baking, I always had a dream to learn from a French Chef or Baker. I know it will always remain a dream of my going to France to learn, or even to the United States, considering the money I have to spend on logistics alone, not including tuition. The sum of which would cost more that what I could ever afford.

I have been baking/cooking since I was 7 or 8 (Actually, I was the lazy one - but that's another story). I have been greatly influenced by my mother who used to bake buns for the family. She would knead the dough and shape them into small balls and then cram it in a round pan. When baked,the smell was indiscribable.

When I started to work and could afford to pay for classes, I would be driving all over KL, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya and Kajang to go to classes. All my salary went to my love for baking. Either in the form of classes or books.

A few years ago, I attended a Cordon Bleu class for petit-four in Taylor's College. I was in love! A English speaking French man teaching pastries...what more can I say? It was a half-day class, which was not enough for me. But I still couldn't afford to go to any of the Cordon Bleu school ( the nearest would be in Australia). Nearly a year past when I recieved a call about a French Cooking School in Kuala Lumpur. So that was the start of my love affair with HTC - The French Culinary School in Asia and the Year was 2004 ( April 2004).

Back to present. Last Sunday a class with my favourite Master Pastry Chef : Chef Jean Francois Arnaud. If you look closely at the photo, you will see a black shadow behind me. That's Bruno trying to be funny.
The French Flag on Chef Arnaud's collar means that he is Un des Meilleurs Ouviers de France Patisserie (in simple english, The Highest Award Winning French Pastry Chef). In France they have a competition every 4 years to see who is the best chef and only a selected few will recieve the honour of winning this coveted awards.

At least now, I don't have to go to France to learn to bake like a French Pastry Chef. Cest Bon!

Following are some of the things I learnt from the 1-day class in The French Culinary School in Asia with Master Pastry Chef Jean Francois Arnaud MOF

And it's already...

March!!! Time really flies! It seems like it was just yesterday when the year turned new and now, it's already the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. I have been extremely busy with work and also with things that have been happening on a personal level.

On 1st March, hubby dearest started work with a new company. And for that he did something that I never thought he would do...shave his moustache. God, was I suprised! I thought he looked totally different. Actually he looked different than what I thought he would look without his moustache. But now after three days looking at his 'naked' face, I am getting used to it, and he is starting to look like his 'normal' self to me. A good friend of mine who came for breakfast this morning declared that hubby looked younger. Egad! Now he decides to keep it shaved for a while. A monster created I have!

Add 38 years to this photo and Viola!

Happy Birthday!

It was my Birthday on the 6th February 2007. I counted everyday from January to that day. Everyday I crossed out the date on the calendar. I told Mak I wanted a book cake with powerpuff girl picture on top. The one with sugar paper. I like the one with sugar paper. It looks nice like the cartoons.

But that morning, Mak said I had to share my birthday with Redza in April. So I cried and I wrote on the calendar "Tak da benda" on that date. I cried again in the bathroom when kakak Imah help me bathe. When I went to school I had to tell my friends that there is no party today. I told them that they can come to my house but Mak said "No, there will be nothing today".

I was talking to my friend in class when I saw Mak. She was carrying a box of cupcakes! There was no teacher in the class. The boys in the class were making noise and being naughty. The girls were talking and making noise too. I was a good girl. I was sitting down playing with my friends. Mak became the class teacher. She said everyone is to be good or not she will not give the cupcakes. Puan Normah the headmistress came to the class. She made all my friends sing Happy Birthday and say Thank You to Mak for giving them the cupcakes.

I was still sad because there was no party...until I came home and saw that Mak actually invited the neighbours for a SURPRISE Birthday Party!

by Iman Syafiqah

Chcocolate Cupcake

I tried the one-bowl chocolate cupake from Martha Stewart's Baking Hand book (see my previous post). The batter was very liquid and I was a bit worried about the end result, but I needn't worry. The cupcake came out 'perfect'; moist and delicious.

Here is the photo of the crumb I took recently.

I changed the recipe a bit, in anticipation that the buttercream would be extra rich. I added 2 teaspoon of Instant Coffee. The cupcake was less sweet with the addition but sort of added a deep note especially if eaten by itself. But if eaten with the buttercream icing, it was excellent. The coffee-ness negated the richness of the buttercream making it a good combination.

I added some cute sprinkles I had. It was actually cute and nice to eat. A must do again!