Petite Madeleine

Our very colurful Easter eggs with confetti in it

It's Easter weekend and LM is on spring break. To keep him busy and also to get his mind away from French Conjugaison, multiplication and also history time periods.. we did some Easter crafts.. Egg painting of course. I bake some Madeleine with the eggs and LM decorated the egg shells then we went down to the park next door and hide the eggs.. FH and MIL hunt the for those colourful eggs. Which was not difficult at all..we had fun :)



Hiding eggs



The ant is trying to carry the feather??

Madeleine are little traditional almond sponge cakes that are sold in every bakery or supermarket. It is usually baked in a baking pan which has a shell shape. Traditional recipes include very finely ground almonds. A variation uses lemon zest, for a pronounced lemony taste. We can also coat it with chocolate or make it marble.
You get what I mean.. shall we start??



To make the frangipane, mix all the ingredients below and set aside.
50g     Ground almonds
50g     Fine sugar
40g     Butter (melted)
1         Egg
A pinch of salt

Madeleine ingredients:
3         Eggs
130g   Butter (melted)
150g   Flour
1tsp    Baking powder
120g   Sugar

1. Preheat oven at 240C.
2. Whisk together eggs and sugar until mouse like.
3. Then fold in shifted flour, baking powder, melted butter and frangipane. Blend well but not overmix.
4. Prepare your mould (butter and dust with flour)
5. Spoon or pipe the batter in the mould and tap it on the counter to make it even. Which make less dishes to wash :)
6. Bake 3 min at 240C then 4 min at 180C.

This recipe makes 24 Madeleines. This is a great snacks for Quatre heures (4 o'clock) which means tea time for the French. We had it for dessert after lunch, tea time and breakfast the next day.. it's all gone now cause it is best consume fresh..

Homemade Buckwheat(Sarasin) sourdough bread

I have been busy baking..BREAD!!  FH asked why bother to even try to bake my own bread since France has millions of boulanger in every corner and turn. I so agree with him as the bread here is world famous and world best :) It's not like Lou Shi Fun or Pau.. which I can't get and need to put my hands together to make it!! But this is just me.. love to try :) want to experience:) who knows?? I might be a boulanger one day?? Since the weather is getting warmer and I have always been  making my own pizza from scratch. So bread is just another step :)

Here's what I did;
Day1
The sourdough starter/ Levain:
200g        Flour (type 55/65)
200g        Water

Mix the flour and water together to get a thick paste and leave it in a bottle with the cover ajar. Let it stay in room temperature for 24 hours. What I got was a bubbly paste with a nice sour smell. You can increase the amount of flour but always mix in the same amount of water. Use half when the starter is "hungry"/ before you "feed", meaning take out half of the content above (after 24hr) for this recipe then mix in another 100g of flour and 100g of water for your next bread..should you don't need to use it the next day then put it in the fridge after it's fed.
If you see it turn grey or mouldy, bin it and starts again. It should have a very  light brown colour and smell sour/fermented.

Day 2
300g        Flour (unbleached) or in France Type 55/65
100g        Wheat flour (in France Type 110)
100g        Buckwheat flour (Farine de Sarasin)
100g        Sourdough starter
200g        Warm water (finger test, it should feel hot but not burning)
3tsp          Fine table salt
1pkt         Dried yeast

1. In a cup dissolve dried yeast, a tsp of sugar with some warm water. Set a side for 10min.
2. In a big bowl, mix together 3 types of Flours, salt.
3. Make a well in the middle, pour in your sourdough starter and the yeast mixture which should be foamy by now. Mix it with a wooden spoon.
4. Mix in warm water bit by bit, don't stop mixing until you get a very sticky gluey paste.
5. Keep kneading in the bowl for a good 15min. This is hard work if you don't have a dough mixer but you will be rewarded with beautiful bread.
6. By the end of the 15min kneading, it should be soft and elastic.
7. Cover it with a cling film and let rise for 2 hours or until it is double in volume.
8. After the 1st rise, punch down to deflate the dough. On a table, dust with flour and take out the dough and knead for the second time for about 10 min.
9. Take out your baking tin, oil and dust it with flour. Form your dough into a ball with the smooth side up, place it in the prepared tin.
10. Let rise for the second time (another 2 hours).
11. Preheat oven at 200C (gas 8). When you open the door, you should feel the hot air rush out. Then place the baking tin in the middle of the oven and bake for 15min then reduce the heat to 180C for another 20min.
12. Don't forget to place also a little container of water at the bottom of the oven to create steam. This will give a very nice crunchy crust.
13. Take it out of the tin once it's sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool in a grill.

To conserve it, cover it with a dish towel.
We had it with a thick layer of butter, ham and salad for dinner.
p/s: FH asked me to make another one :) oh yesss

United Color of Spring

 

Oh finally the bright blue sky!! 20th March is officially Spring in France. Spring is the new beginning for the nature.

 

sign of flowers everywhere.. big tree with tiny flowers..



Springs means nature wakes up from their long months of  hibernation, each on their own time..



This is an almond tree, it is one of the first fruit tree that bloom at the end of winter months.
Filling the air with a thin sweet almond scent.




Jacintha in soft pink, smell fantastic




Jacintha in hot pink



 Spring is a good way to "see" time. As each day, different type of tree wakes up by showing us beautiful, colourful flowers before their leaves.



Doesn't want to be left out, this tree trunk is showing it's colour too.





Busy at work





LM call this "shooting stars". It really looks like shooting stars when there is a breeze.



A close up look at the "shooting stars"



This is a "Pie Vert" a green woodpecker. I have been waiting for it since January..
Worth the wait, isn't it?

Chinese bake pork

This is a quick, simple and easy one-pot pork dish. Good for those who have no time to cook. I usually cook a lot, eat half and mince the rest to make Chinese steam bun stuffing which you can find in any Chinese dim sum menu. Or if it is pork belly, I will wrap it in pie pastry and bake. Et voila! another dim sum dish :)



Ingredients:

4  1-inch thick Pork chop (with some fat in between) / pork belly

4 tomatoes chopped

2 carrots wedged

1 onion wedged

1 head of garlic (bruised and skin-on)

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp of salted soy bean (mashed)- Yeo's is a good brand which any Asian grocery carry
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

1. In a bowl mix soy bean, salt, pepper, ketchup, light soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine. Set aside.
2. Marinate your pork with the mixture above.
3. Place your carrots at the bottom if your baking dish, then layer your pork on top of the carrots.
4. Next, place onions and garlic on top of the pork.
5. Sprinkle sesame oil all over the dish.
6. Bake at 220C for an hour. It might appear to be watery at first but it would reduce. 
7. Put on the grill 10 min before to grill the pork on all side. This will give it a good caramel colour as well as to reduce the sauce further.

Note:
If you don't have ketchup at home, you can replace it with 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of sugar.
If you are using pork ribs, you might have to increase the sauce and baking time.

This dish is best eat with plain rice and some fresh lettuce leaves for the extra crunch. My french family gave it a 3 thumbs up :)
Hope you like it as much as we like it!   
Bon Appétit  













The Maldives

Today, let's "go" to Maldives.. I'm missing the 3 Ss as in Sun, sand and sky. Also 3 Ts as in Turquoise, tranquility and tequila for a frozen Margarita..



Just 4 months ago The French Nyonya were running bare foot as free as the crane above in the Maldives. Yes!! I can understand how you feel when I say we were in the Maldives and we were not holidaying but living there for.... awhile. Jealous?? I can understand..

I just love it whenever people asked about where we lived. Once the word Maldives left my lips..most people would give us the envy, disbelieve, oh-you-so-lucky kind of "look".

Our front yard..

I don't blame them for that "look". Oh! no.. I don't blame them at all cause Maldives is not a country you would migrate to. People go there for their once-in-a-life-time/honeymoon/retired kind of holiday and before we are all too old to move about...






So Maldives and its many high end, ultra luxurious resorts is truly a place one should visit before it is totally submerge by the effect of global warming. Have a look here.

Island crane

I did count my blessing

Each and everyday.

Even though, I have to be very honest that I was moaning of no shopping malls, can't drive, can't go visit or hanging out with friends who live on another island as and when I wish.. can't just walk to school, can't just cross the road to buy say.. toothpaste. Can't find things that I want/need all in a shop but have to do a "treasure" hunt around Male, the capital island. 

For as beautiful as paradise it is, it can be difficult to be isolated for an extended amount of time. Depence of which island you are on.. as there are as many as 1190. Some big, a good example would be Male.. some small.. just enough to set up a table for two.

We were on a good size island.. when describe how big is the island, I like to measure it with time. Say in Velassaru, we need a good 30min to walk one round around the island with a few stops to feel the sand and to smell the air but in Velavaru, it took us only 12 minutes to the max.

Despite all the minus above, I do miss this piece of paradise on earth. When there is no shopping malls to pass my time, no time waste at the traffic, no way to go, can't get all things needed..

We spent time well admire the many colourful sunsets..

We swam with fish of rainbow colours..while cotton clouds floating by..





We saw dolphins on our way to school..
Once, I was so lucky to be greeted by three pilot whales on my way home from school island..

No shopping malls, no play parks..

but the turquoise blue sea and sparkling-powder-white sand

No Eau de vie..

but fresh-from-the-tree coconut juice..

and/or a Pina Colada to call it day..

Mon petit chou / mes choux

The title translate as my little cabbage / my cabbages but no I'm not talking about cabbages here. And yes,

Chou in English is cabbage but these little puff pastries is call Chou as it does look like cabbage. So this is what I made today..Mes choux.. but "mon chou" is also what we call someone dear to us in France.

The first year when LM went to kindergarten here, often I heard mothers called their child "Vien, mon chou" ("come, my cabbage..") Wait!! what's on earth mothers here call their babies... CABBAGE??? My eyes was as big as ping pong balls when I heard that. Oh! poor cabbages..

In fact, French as wierd as they are..haha.. I know I love them but they can be odd sometimes. So this is the perfect example to show how funny it can be..

Actually, Mon petit chou is a term of endearment. Here's a few example;

 

Ma puce = My Flea = in Malay would sounds even worst Kutu ku..

Ma poule = My hen

Mon carnard = My duck

Ma Biche = My Doe (female dear)

Ma minette = My pussycat 

Of course there are a lot more "normal" or nicer terms of endearment, here's a few example;

Ma Belle = My beautiful

Mon ange = My angle

Mon amour = My love

Mon Coeur = My Heart

Mon Cher/cherie = My dear

 

So now that you know what the french call their love ones.. let's make some cabbages  Choux..and  Creme patisserie for our choux...

It is actually not hard to make, once you know the Dos and Don't:

Creme Patisserie

(recipe adapted from Rasamalaysia)

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 Tbsp cornstarch

a pinch salt

1/2 tsp unsalted butter (for shine)

1. In a mixing bowl add in yolks, 1/4 cup milk, vanilla essence, salt, sugar and cornstarch. Mix till sugar dissolved.
2. Meanwhile bring the rest of the 3/4 cup milk to a scald in a saucepan.
3. Pour hot milk in small stream into the egg mixture,  whisking consistently with a balloon whisk as  you pour. Once incorporated, pour everything back into the saucepan.
4. Whisk the mixture over medium heat until it thickens and firm up. Remove the heat and whisk in butter.
5. Place a piece of cling film directly on creme to prevent it from forming a skin.
6. Once it reaches room temperature, scoop the creme into a piping bag or container. Refrigerate until ready to use

 Choux Pastry

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Put butter and and water into saucepan on low fire. Turn off the fire once butter has melted.
2. Add in flour and salt all at once. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon  until a dough it formed and does not stick to the saucepan.
3. Leave to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time on a cake mixer (low speed) till mixture is stiff.
5. Using a ice cream scoop or teaspoon, scoop the dough onto a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 Celsius for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 170 Celsius and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat. Leave the puffs to cool in the oven for another 20-30 minutes without opening the oven door. ( I know this is the hardest part but it pays or else your puff would deflate in 5 minutes)



"Ma Minette"

This is the same chou pastry for the famous Profiteroles, Croquembouches and Éclair. Don't worry about these fancy names, they are just in different shapes. Piped with cream and dip in chocolates.

I learnt this from Ma belle Isa. We added some cheese into the pastry dough and there we had some quick savoury puffs. Great for aperitif. Add a pinch of curry powder in the chou pastry and there you have a curry flavour choux.

And what if you fried the choux pastry??  Et Voila!! you get the famous Spanish/Latin America's Churos. Roll it in sugar and dip in a cup of hot chocolate.. and you are ready to conquer the world.

Have a nice weekend. In France, spring is in the air.. Birds are chirping happily as they build their nest, flowers pop out of the ground, kids cycling.. what about you?? which part of the world are you from??

I know there are some readers from Russian, Germany, States, Of cause Singapore and Malaysia/France.

What do you call your love one??
Tell me in the comment section and 3 of you will win a post card from France.

Beret



Look! Mr. with his Casquette Beret and Mrs. with her Classic Black  Beret.

 

Another beret (look at how she stand,
 the french just has it in their blood.)


A beret ( /ˈbɛreɪ/^[1] BERR-ay or /bəˈreɪ/^[2] bə-RAY; French: [beˈʁɛ]) is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt,^[3] or acrylic fiber. 
The Basque style beret was worn by Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees, a mountain range that straddles the border between southern France and northern Spain. The colors originally varied by region (red in Gipuzkoa, white in Álava, blue in Biscay), but eventually the Basques settled on blue berets, and the people from Navarre adopted red berets as part of their folk costume while the black beret became common headgear in France and Spain. ^[3]

  

So chic, isn't she?





 

This is a Basque Beret as there is a little knot on top.

The black beret was once considered the national cap of France in Anglo-Saxon countries and is part of the stereotypical image of the Onion Johnny. It is no longer as widely worn as it once was, but it remains a strong sign of local identity in the south west of France. When French people want to picture themselves as "the typical average Frenchman" in France or in a foreign country, they often use this stereotype from Anglo-Saxon countries. There are only two manufacturers left in France (the world-famous Hoquy family among them). (source: wikipedia)



In my opinion, Beret is more a hat for the older generation but getting more fashionable these days with it's large selection of colours and materials in shops. As for the men, I see more Casquette Beret then the Basque Beret. I have yet to spot any hot pink beret or animal print beret on the street.. A little advise for the tourist, if you want to experience the everyday french life and don't want to look ridiculous while visiting France then don't wear a beret unless you are Sarah Jessica Parker who can pull off wearing bizarre headwear.

Even the winemaker wear a beret

A better option is.. go to the Boulanger (Bakery) pay 1 Euro for a Baguette (french loaf) which is wrap and twisted in a little piece of paper. Please just carry it in your hand, don't put it in plastic bag.. only fish and salads are allow to be in plastic bags. Next,  go to a near by supermarket, grap a bottle of wine and some cheeses..oh yes! do not forget your wine glasses and cutleries. Nobody drink wine from bottle, unless you want to look like alcoholic. If you want to be show that you have class, a napkin (not paper napkin) would be great.

Next, go to any green and cheers!!