Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts

Monday, February 9, 2015

{MONDAY MOJO} Catching up on my blogging + chocolate macarons!


It's been a while since I last put words on Blogger! Life gets her way sometimes and the best you can do is live it. I have been taking care of a few things in the meantime, got a new job, a new home, turned 30 (!) and also been through a lot personally. I have missed writing despite not being your typical regular blogger, and sharing my thoughts and work is very cathartic to me... let's get the ball rolling!

We have entered a brand new year and I have concocted a few things to keep me afloat and let my creative juices do the work. To start off, I was really excited to jump on a train and get to my favourite city in the world to spend some quality family time for a few days -Paris has my heart the way no other cities does!

 
After a day of catching up with my beautiful nieces and keeping up with my sister's stories, we decided to get in the kitchen and do what we love doing most: get creative. She's herself an amazing artist and baker and it was our first time trying to make macarons, in fact baking altogether! We had seen a few recipes online and we decided to go for the one we already had all the ingredients for, a simple way to avoid going out in the freezing cold! The issue with our delicious treats is that there are so many recipes out there that it's very difficult pointing at the one that will give you smooth biscuits with a rich ganache in the middle. We clearly failed at our attempt but it was really fun working together, and it actually tasted really yummy! Neither of us were really bothered about the way they looked in the end, it was all about making the most out of the little time we had together. And to be fair, they still tasted delish.
Disclaimer: this, by no means, reflects our talents as bakers! There's always a time when things just don't work out and you have to be OK with that. And also, if you have a recipe that works, holla!
 
... and on to the next recipe! (or the nearest boulangerie?)

 

 
 
Family time is SO important. I haven't been lucky to start off with but I have managed to build my own and so fortunate for the people who make it. I have basking in my baby niece's smile for 3 days straight and it was a pure delight -the overload of selfies can prove it! I really look forward to my family getting bigger, hopefully soon!


Until the next time, friends...

Monday, June 23, 2014

{MONDAY MOJO} The chocolate diaries

                



If you ask me to make you a birthday cake, chances are, I won't say no. I don't consider myself a baker but I can make something decent when I put my mind into it, especially if it involves creativity!

I made this cake for a special birthday: a layered chocolate & Guinness cake with hazelnuts, finished with a chocolate ganache and chocolate sprinkles, and chocolate flakes. My take is that if balanced enough and not too heavy, one can never indulge in too much chocolate!

I adapted this recipe to my own liking and you can also add a bit of dark rum in the ganache if that's what you like! Hazelnuts can also be replaced by pretty much any nuts you feel like having, and decoration is up to the artist! In my opinion, it's a pretty delish addition to any meals or celebrations (not just because I made but because I made it!) and quite easy to bake... So go for it, why don't ya?!