So chic

There is something about a cake with a door on it that is particularly inviting, I think. This precious pink creation was commissioned by my Haligonian friend Winnifred as a baby shower gift for her brother and sister-in-law. The yummy mummy-to-be is a fervent pastry enthusiast and Winnifred had seen this silly old blog post of a greeting card which served as the inspiration for this little cake.


By little, I mean that this cake was only 5 inches in diameter and 4 inches high, meaning that all the details in each of the three scenes were tiny, the perfect challenge for an ex-ophthalmologist. At one point, I considered wearing my old pair of surgical loupes for more magnification. The chic mommy strolling along with pink pumps and matching purse was the most satisfying to make, especially because she was a mere 2 inches tall, excluding her hat.

Next, the inset window showcased four petits gateaux with rows and rows of macarons in the background. This scene, plus having a co-worker just return from vacation in Europe, has made me think it is time to return to Paris for some major rejuvenation. Meanwhile, the actual cake was chocolate cake and chocolate mousseline with a crunchy hazelnut feuilletine layer.


In addition to the gift of cake, Winnifred wanted to provide party favours for all the shower guests in the form of pink, brown, and tan macarons, packaged in sacs of three, filled with dark chocolate raspberry, milk chocolate hazelnut, and gingerbread spiced ganaches, respectively. Eighteen dozen macarons later, I decided that I really need a bigger kitchen, bigger oven, and bigger refrigerator. This was especially because there was a third part to Winnifred's order, which I will write about in my next post...

Project gingerbread

I finally got my Christmas act together over the past few days and decided to do gingerbread three ways. It seemed appropriate since there was an ancient carton of molasses hiding in my pantry that was begging to be used. Lacking an actual gingerbread man cookie cutter, I instead decided to use my alphabet cutters to spread some edible peace and joy.

Then, in reaction to my recent Costco macaron encounter, chocolate gingerbread macarons were created. I wanted them to taste identical to gingerbread but with the exact opposite texture, soft and rich. This was achieved by halving the amount of cocoa powder I usually use in my chocolate macaron recipe and adding powdered ginger, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg along with a sprinkle of gingerbread crumbs. For extra punch, the ganache included molasses and the same four spices.

Having leftover yolks and cream always makes me think of ice cream, even in winter, and so gingerbread-spiced caramel ice cream was born. Although the ice cream is just for us to enjoy, the rest will be given away to the usual suspects. You know who you are. Have a happy and healthy holiday season everyone!

Good or bad?

My absence is reflective of my recent bout of the blahs, an uninspired gray cloud which has hovered over me, resulting in stagnation. Usually at this time of year, I am already deep in my personal Christmas production and worrying about how to package bon bons and such. This year, however, I have been dragging my feet and making excuses, reluctant to even acknowledge that Christmas is just 9 days away.

But hopefully, the page has turned. Receiving a lovely gift of J. P. Hevin macarons, direct from Hong Kong, has rekindled some spirit. Admittedly, the time and distance travelled took some toll on their delicate dispositions. Yet, their mere presence was uplifting to my morale which has been weighed down by the mundanity and irritations of my current station in life.

The irony is that I went to Costco on the day after receiving these lovely macarons and discovered boxes of frozen Parisian macarons for sale. They were nestled beside the frozen petits-fours and hors d'oeuvres. I was so tempted to spend the $4.97 to purchase and try the 32 macarons (vanilla, coffee, and pistachio) out of sheer curiosity but refrained. Thus I have absolutely no opinion about their quality.


Honestly, my first reaction was born from shades of food snobbery that I try to avoid. But after more thought, I realized that Costco was smart to provide relatively inaccessible but desirable high-end items to the average consumer. This has prompted me to get my Christmas act together and erase any dreary thoughts dancing in my head. If Costco can provide macarons, then I am obligated to produce something 100x better. I am lucky to know how to make a decent macaron and it is a privilege to make delicious things that people enjoy, whether they know the difference between a baked good and a baked bad.

On learning

I just realized that this is my 101st post since the inception of my humble little blog in January 2007. It has served to document varying topics from the mundane to the intensely personal, with the new world of pastry viewed through an atypical lens acting as a backdrop to what I try to present through my writing and photography. Much of my blog focusses on my own creative output which has emerged from my home kitchen as a means of forcing myself to grow beyond what I have learned from pastry school or at work.

Before entering pastry school, my personal goal had been to gain enough fundamental knowledge to be able to understand the inner workings of any recipe well enough so that I would be able to modify, adapt, and troubleshoot with confidence and skill. There is nothing I hate more than doing something simply by rote and this is reflected in how I learn and study any subject, be it ophthalmology or pastry. In fact, I possess a surprisingly horrible memory for someone who can claim 14 years of university-based training. Instead, I have always relied on understanding something inside and out before having any hope of owning that knowledge.


Has this goal been fulfilled? Yes, partially. Three years ago I would not have been able to pay homage to Pierre Hermé's Arabesque macaron (Eric's favourite) and successfully play with pistachio paste. I hadn't even heard of Pierre Hermé! Yet, there is so much more to learn and explore and I am not quite sure how and where to find the knowledge I seek. My insatiable appetite for learning has never ceased. I wish there was a pastry equivalent to weekly grand rounds or continuing medical education at a non-existent world-class pastry institution nearby. You would find me in the front row, notebook in hand, with coloured pens ready for action, guaranteed.

Gold and green

The traditional colour central to all Chinese weddings is red. From the invitation, to tablecloths, to the bride's dress, everything is red, representing love and happiness. Equally important in Chinese culture is prosperity which is represented by gold. Put red and gold together you have the obligatory Chinese wedding colour scheme. Personally, I do not think I have ever owned a red dress (I'm shy) and instead wore a ivory and gold cheong sam during my wedding reception.


For the unconventional Chinese bride who loves French pastry and citrus, lemon macarons with lemon curd and a sprinkle of edible gold dust were perfect. Although I have seen red macarons before in Paris which would have looked spectacular with a splash of gold dust, an unpleasant amount of artificial colouring is required to achieve an intense red that does not appear pink. As you may guess, I am not a big fan of red velvet cake either (sorry!).


As a nice pairing to the lemon macarons, there were also green tea macarons with white chocolate coconut ganache filling which received a light silver lustre. The flavours were very complementary and appealed to the Asian palate. Matcha powder is becoming easier to find in stores these days and gives a lovely earthy green hue to the final product; however, it does have a strong flavour which can be overpowering and if you use too much like I did in a pastry cream once, you end up with something that resembles algae!

Diversion: glass

The legendary designs of Arthur Erickson and Dale Chihuly intersect at the breathtaking Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. These two giants of design, each in his own medium, were featured in documentaries recently aired on television here. This prompted us to make a short weekend trip south to experience the architecture and glass exhibits at the MOG. The current exhibition features Lino Tagliapietra who is one of the world's preeminent glass artists. His work is astoundingly beautiful and fluid (no photography was allowed in the exhibition hall, but no photograph could do them justice anyways).


Connecting the MOG to the city of Tacoma is the Bridge of Glass, a 500 feet long pedestrian bridge in which three separate installations of Chihuly's work are contained. The centre of the bridge showcases the Crystal Towers, two 40 feet tall monuments created from large glacial blue sculptural crystals cast from a material called Polyvitro. They reminded me of giant blue sugar crystals. In fact, throughout my visit to the MOG, I kept wondering what would happen if a glass artist collaborated with a sugar artist? The ability of sugar to be cast, pulled, and blown to create endless forms mirrors the characteristics of glass but to a limit. Sugar has an impermanence and fragility unlike glass but their qualities in response to light and colour are alike.


Speaking of sugar, we headed to Bakery Nouveau (on the recommendation of my boss), a patisserie in West Seattle owned by William Leaman, an award-winning boulanger. As expected, there was a short line-up out the door; the unbelievable duck sandwich, croque-madame, macarons, passionfruit chocolate tart, and croissants which Eric and I shared (over a period of 24 hours, not at one meal) were simple yet superb.

Tasty hiatus: Part 2

Besides eating my way through Pierre Hermé's showcase, I did venture to other eateries in Paris in search of novel eye-catching items such as Sadaharu Aoki's bon bons maquillages, a rainbow assortment of enrobed ganache sticks. Flavours included yuzu, matcha, wasabi, and black sesame in addition to more traditional fare. Having been obsessed with rainbows as a child, my first impulse was to buy every flavour so that I could arrange them in the correct prismatic order, but I controlled myself and instead, purchased several pre-packaged boxes.


The main reason for visiting Paris this year was to attend Europain 2008, a massive trade show featuring 644 exhibitors representing the baking, pastry, chocolate, confectionary, and ice cream making industries. La Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie and Le Mondial des Arts Sucrés competitions were also held concurrently at this event. As a relative neophyte in the world of artisan pâtisserie, the experience was overwhelming due to the sheer size (80,000 sq. metres of exhibition space) and scope of Europain.


Because I do not own my own pastry shop or bread factory and happen to be Canadian, not European, the majority of exhibits were irrelevant to me from a commercial standpoint; however, seeing the range of innovative products and technology available to the smallest artisanal pâtissier all the way to the largest industrial bread producer was fascinating. I will know where to come whenever I am in the market for a mixer large enough to fit six people with two whisk attachments that are each taller than me. Only some exhibitors were actually selling items direct to visitors, mainly half-price Easter chocolate molds, Flexipans sheets, and colourings.


To my amazement, my attention was drawn more towards breads and Viennoiserie because of how refined, beautiful, and diverse these yeasty products could be. Baguettes may have outnumbered humans at Europain but the other creations from the simple origins of flour, yeast, and water were most impressive, making my jaw drop on multiple occasions in wonder and awe.


My favourite two things at Europain were two dresses, one constructed from Flexipan bakeware and the other from bread. Complete with fedora, the little black silicon dress would be useful in any sticky social situation whereas the yeasty couture creation, France's bread showpiece for La Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, is a feast for the eyes and stomach.


Speaking of fashion, Milan proved to be a formidable destination for the couture-challenged person that I am today. Every Milanese woman was dressed right off the runway, complete with the big trophy purse and 4 inch stilettos. I, on the other hand, dressed in comfort flats and the chicest travel clothes I possessed, was more appropriately suited for window shopping and frequenting a renowned gourmet store, Peck Deli, which was steps away from our hotel. The Peck community also includes a lunch bar and the very upscale Michelin two-star Cracco Peck restaurant.


I could have spent many euros at Peck Deli but not having my own kitchen in Milan nor sufficient gastrointestinal capacity limited me from indulging in the many tantalizing terrines, pastas, salads, meats etc. The singular item which I fancied the most was a union of two things which I hold dearest to my epicurean heart, the macaron and gelato. There were small and large gelato-filled macarons as well as piped gelato roses on nougatine bases. I chose the large chocolate macaron with chocolate gelato and was impressed with how it was packed on dry ice within its own styrofoam box. In my haste to consume my hybrid dessert, I did not let it thaw enough and consequently, the macaron was not as soft as desired. Regardless, just when I thought macarons could not get any better, they do!

Tasty hiatus: Part 1

The first and last place I visited in Paris was Pierre Hermé. In fact, over the four days we spent in Paris, four visits were made, once to the rue Vaugirard boutique and thrice to the flagship rue Bonaparte boutique which was merely a short five minute walk from our hotel (not a coincidence). Unlike our 2007 visit, I streamlined my pâtisserie exploration to just six locations and concentrated the majority of my sucrose exposure to just 5 pastries and 17 macarons from Pierre Hermé, all shared equally with Eric, of course. We even had to wait patiently in queue this year on two occasions but the anticipation made it even more satisfying.

There is an air of formality in the boutique, as customers shuffle along, intently inspecting their choices, ooing, aahing and pointing, while the staff are bustling efficiently to help you. Larger entremets come first, then the individual sizes, followed by the macarons, with Viennoiserie, confections, and chocolates along an opposite wall. Let me introduce to you the spectacular items which graced our tastebuds after intense dissection. Excuse me if I sound like I am gushing, but it is truly indescribable how magnificent the balance of flavours and textures and the execution of Pierre Hermé's creations are.


Ispahan. The classic, often copied, pink beauty which features the signature triumvirate of rose, raspberry, and lychee. Strangely delicious even though I do not actually like rose or lychee very much individually. So gorgeous to look at, it was slightly tragic to have to stick a fork into the pink exterior, but after one bite, we had no reservations and dove head first into the rose macaron, rose cream, raspberry and lychees.


Plaisirs sucrés. This delicious marriage of milk chocolate and hazelnut is masterpiece which must be fun to assemble. By stacking a chewy hazelnut dacquoise base with fine milk chocolate tiles, praliné feuilleté (mixture of hazelnut paste with crisp wafery flakes), ganache, and milk chocolate cream, the result is actually very light on the palate with a pleasurable crunch.

Carrément Chocolat & Tarte au Café. The dark chocolate cube is minimalist in design but deceptively complex in texture, filled with the obligatory soft chocolate biscuit and rich mousse, but also fine shards of cocoa bean (much finer than cocoa nibs) for the most delicate crunch. A tart unlike no other, the coffee essence captured in this almost plain looking creation was unparalled. It was like drinking the best cup of espresso but in creamy ganache and chantilly form, finished with a buttery sandy pâte sablée crust and coffee fondant glaze.

2000 Feuilles. It's not an exaggeration. Millefeuille's big brother has the flakiest puff pastry, caramelized and buttery, sandwiched with hazelnut mousseline and praliné feuilleté. Anything between this puff pastry would be worth eating. I do not envy whoever has the job of cutting this fragile creation.


Macarons. The best for last. Undeniably the best in Paris, in my humble opinion, bordering on ridiculous how delicately thin the outer crisp skin of the macaron is, without any hint of chewiness or excessive sweetness, just a soft flavour implosion. My favourite is a tie between Arabesque (apricot & pistachio) and Mogador (milk chocolate & passionfruit). I could have eaten 3 dozen in one sitting if given the chance but I did need to leave room for salt and protein in my diet.


On the morning before our flight to Italy, we managed to squeeze in our final visit to Pierre Hermé and saw a Pierre Hermé delivery truck just outside our hotel. The temptation to hijack the truck was fleeting but did exist. Everything else we did in Paris, including Europain 2008, was eclipsed by the sheer delight I had in choosing, buying, inspecting, photographing and finally consuming the entremets and macarons shown above. Gushing now complete. Stay tuned for adventures at Europain and impressions of Milan and the Amalfi coast...

Merry Christmas!

When you think Christmas cookie, macarons do not usually come into mind, unless you are me and have accumulated way too many egg whites. These pink and brown beauties are strawberry macarons with strawberry passionfruit ganache and chocolate macarons with dark chocolate mint ganache. Packaging macarons is always a challenge since they are quite delicate and do not possess any flat surfaces. I must admit that I had a stroke of genius when I realized that the three toilet paper tubes awaiting the recycling bin (cut in half and covered with clean parchment paper, of course) were the perfect holders for six rows of macarons.


In addition, Christmas must include chocolate. Dark chocolate truffles filled with my leftover strawberry passionfruit ganache are sparkling from edible copper dust. I also knocked out some molded bon bons which were filled with a gianduja ganache. So now, my home kitchen is quiet and closed for the season. Luckily, my busy work schedule will help me burn off the many calories which are headed my way in the very near future.

Macarons (version 5.0)

Last week, I received a box of Sébastien Bouillet macarons from my fabulous dental hygienist, Martin, who returned from a trip to Japan. He and I share a love of food which causes my biannual dental cleanings to be somewhat lengthy due to conversations interrupted by polishing, flossing, and fluoride. The macarons were a complete surprise and an unexpected act of deliciousness.


The six flavours were chocolat orange, pistache, citron, fraise, framboise, and myrtille. All except for pistache and citron were jam-filled and most were very sweet and incredibly soft. I cannot wait to return to France, and Lyon in particular, where Sébastien Bouillet is based, in order to taste his other macarons, including flavours named Barbe à Papa rose and pop-corn. In fact, heading to Tokyo may be an equally exciting pastry destination!

Bearing gifts or children

For anyone counting, this is the fourth photo of macarons that I have posted on my blog since its inception seven months ago, a reflection of how enormously I love them. The key difference between these and previous macarons, however, is that these little beauties are homemade by yours truly. This recipe is from Alain Ducasse's Grand Livre de Cuisine: Desserts & Pastries and despite not having a convection oven at home, they turned out exquisitely. One of my last assignments at the Pan Pacific was to make macarons and because of my surprising success in producing macarons beyond everyone's expectations, I was requested to make almost 700 for several functions.

These macarons are filled with a chocolate-passionfruit ganache, customized for my friend Ramona who just gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Friday. It is my theory that the passionfruit bubble tea which she consumed earlier provoked the subsequent labour and delivery. Combined with the undeniable fact that she is one of the biggest chocoholics who I know, these macarons are a perfect sweet treat for her.

Back to reality and salt

It is good to be home. Despite an enjoyable holiday filled with cultural and gastronomical adventures, I will always be a homebody at heart. Our travels took us from Nice, through Arles and to many smaller towns in Provence by car, up to Montelimar and Lyon, onto Amboise in the Loire Valley, and finally to Paris - where the vast majority of caloric intake began. The list which I assembled (on spreadsheet of course, with accompanying GoogleMap for each location) included approximately forty pâtisseries/chocolateries/boulangeries and in the 4.5 days in Paris, we managed to visit twenty-six. Visit did not always mean purchasing or eating; in fact, I discovered that Eric gets physically ill after eating too many sweets and had to resist buying more pastries in order to prevent turning him off pastry forever.

With so many choices and such great variety of sweets, it was hard to decide what to taste and which were favourites. The complexity and quality at Pierre Hermé made his creations my absolute favourite. The macarons were unbelievable, in texture, complexity of flavor and eye appeal. At almost 2€ per mini-macaron, they better be that good. For more photos of our trip, including non-gastronomical sites, some stealthily taken shots of pastry shop interiors, and many course-by-course dinner photos, please click here.

Of course, I can not forget to mention other culinary highlights of our trip including a fine lunch at a small bistro L'Epicerie in Avignon, an unbelievably good concept restaurant/wine cave Les Papilles in the 5th arrondissement, and our exciting venture into Michelin starred restaurants Le Gourmet de Sèze in Lyon and Hélène Darroze in Paris. Our VISA card is still recovering from the latter.

Returning home has also meant embarking on my Pan Pacific practicum. The environment is very different - bigger, busier, male-dominated, more hierarchical, and more personalities to learn to interact with. I knew that the inevitable question "what did you do before pastry?" would be asked by every new person I met and that every response would be a version of "are you crazy?". My answer is still very awkward as I find it very difficult to translate my feelings about ophthalmology to anyone who has not been in clinical medicine. One person, after hearing my reasons, stated that there is no such thing as the perfect job. I certainly do realize this fact; however, to remain in an unhappy situation just to please everyone but yourself is also not a healthy choice. I am just grateful that I do have the opportunity to take this time to explore a new path and undoubtedly, I would have deep regret in life if I never did.

À bientôt: Goodbye Ganache, Hello France

I am sad. Today was my last day working at Ganache. Despite some initial anxiety and the usual self-doubts, the experience was a very significant milestone in my professional life. These three months have reinforced my belief that pastry is the right path for me. Being satisfied and happy after completing a day's work has long been a foreign feeling. In contrast, even without pay and being physically exhausted, my experience at Ganache was so rewarding.

I have gained an enormous amount of insight into my own pastry-related strengths and weaknesses and learned many lessons about how to improve. For those of you who are currently in pastry school or considering a career change into pastry, perhaps my reflections will somehow benefit you.

1. Be clean...very clean. I always believed that I worked cleanly at school but once I arrived at Ganache, I quickly realized that my version of clean was not as clean as clean could be. When everyone else working around you is spotless and you look like you were attacked by chocolate mousse, it does not leave a positive impression. Luckily, I improved significantly after this was made apparent to me.

2. Being efficient is impossible when doing something for the first time. This lesson was hard for me to accept because I have always thought of myself as an efficient person. When I realized that I took up twice as much space or used twice as many bowls or took twice as long to complete a task, I was very distressed and disappointed in myself; however, after the second and third repetition, I was able to streamline my technique and recognize how much time each step was required in order to eventually be more efficient.

3. Things are heavy. Being only 5 feet 3.5 inches and with very little muscle mass, the physical demands of the pastry kitchen were astounding to me. Everything is in larger quantities than at school and consequently, everything is heavier. It seems like a very simple and obvious fact but in reality, the impact on my back, hands, and especially wrists were quite severe when I was working 5 days a week in the kitchen.

4. There are many ways to do the same thing (be open-minded). For example, the first time I was asked to make a sauce Anglaise at Ganache but to use a whisk on high heat, my jaw almost dropped to the ground. But in time, I learned that there can be many ways to do things without compromising quality as long as you do it right. There have been many other instances in which alternate methods are used and I have accepted all these new techniques as part of my repertoire.

Ultimately, I feel quite prepared for my next practicum with Chef Ted Hara at the Pan Pacific Hotel. The environment will be very different, with more people and a different pace. Shiftwork will also present another challenge for me because as a creature of habit, I do not adjust well to changing schedules. Nonetheless, I am up to the challenge!


Meanwhile, please enjoy this photo of beautiful Parisian macaroons which I found in Flickr. The list of pastry destinations which I intend to visit is enormous and I hope that I can still fit into my uniform upon return. À bientôt!

Mindless macaroons

Macaroons 005, originally uploaded by CharmChang.

When working out front at Ganache, I also have some assembly and packaging responsibilities. It is all very mindless work and it gives me time to reflect on how different my life is now compared to before when I was in medicine. In the past, I always craved time when my brain did not need to be active and thinking. This actually did happen occasionally during ophthalmology (for example, when seeing the 10th patient of the day with blepharitis and dry eyes). Nowadays, there are times when I have a surplus of mindless time and I am unsure of how I feel about it.

Yesterday, I took over 700 macaroons and paired them up (by size) so that today, I could sandwich them together with filling. Ganache makes four flavours of macaroons (strawberry, lemon, coffee, and chocolate) and they are sandwiched together with flavoured buttercream (or lemon curd for the lemon macaroons). The work is repetitive and not difficult. My days out front are typically mindless, interrupted occasionally by bursts of activity. Although I have absolutely no regrets about my decision to leave ophthalmology, I do find the contrast of my old versus new life quite astounding at times.