I have a logo!!!

March 1, 2017

My gorgeously talented friend Tiffany helped me design a logo because I wanted to start creating a brand around the stuff that I'm working on. I just absolutely LOVE the design and creative process and always have in all the many years of advertising I've done. Being an Account person, we're usually relegated to managing clients, timelines, budgets, etc. But me, sure I did all that other stuff but my FAVORITE part was always working directly with the creative teams to see what they're thinking, how the work is coming along and to even maybe provide some input!! (The nice creatives would ask ;) haha)

This process was super fun and given that my friend Tiff has a full time job AND lives in Singapore now, she was just the best trooper ever providing me with options, different directions, etc. I wanted something fun, approachable and with a little bear in it somewhere. This was the perfect combo of modern, cute and with a smile. I also like that you can't tell if it's a cake or pie or whatever cause I make all sorts of stuff!

I really do love it and will be using it wherever I can now and in the near future! I love it so much that I made a CAKE out of it! Art becoming function! ;) Hope you guys like it too! If not, I don't care cause I love it. Haha.

Raspberry Almond Tart

February 19, 2017

The last time I made a frangipane tart was on The Great American Baking show so it was quite nice to not have the stress of the tent on my shoulders baking these today. One thing is for sure, I really need to make more frangipane desserts because this stuff is DELICIOUS! It's such a great balance between nutty, flaky crust and since I topped it with fresh fruit there's a brightness each bite that it brings light into my day. I think the orange zest is what really makes this recipe! ;)

This recipe can be adapted so many ways with different fruit and toppings. I went fresh fruit because this is for the ultimate berry lover. I also couldn't resist these gooorgeous raspberries at the Santa Monica's Farmer's Market this week. I mean, come on. They don't get more picture perfect than this.

These are relatively easy to make but it's just more about the chilling time. I've also seen many recipes using frangipane with either blind baking the crust first or baking the crust and frangipane together at the same time. This time I used the blind bake method but next time I'll try it all together and see how I like the difference. On the smaller tartlets the crusts brown crazy fast so that's something to keep in mind while the larger one seemed to be OK.

For garnishes, on the larger tart I wanted to go more sophisticated than I typically make my desserts so I tempered chocolate to make chocolate spirals and used some gold leaf to give it that extra pizzaz. Or you can go simple and top with fresh raspberries after the tartlets have cooled to room temp.

True be told, I friggin' love this combo of flaky crust with the almond filling. The sliced almonds also give it a little more texture when biting into the bottom. I love all the textures of this recipe because you get juicy, crumbly, buttery and crunch! And, if you add on the meringue, it's even better because it that adds an extra soft texture and vanilla flavor. All in all, a great tartlet for birthdays, dinners or just cause. ;)

Raspberry Almond Tartlet w/ Vanilla Italian Meringue
Makes 1 x 8" square tartlet and 3-4 smaller individual tartlets.

Dough:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large pinches kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, small pieces
1 jumbo egg yolk with 2 teaspoons water

Filling:

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup almond flour, finely ground
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 teaspoons orange zest ( I like naval or cara cara oranges)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, blanched or skin on

Topping:

2 punnets fresh raspberries
1 batch Italian meringue (optional)
Chocolate shavings or decorations

1. Start by baking the dough. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, salt and butter. Work through the dough with your hands by pinching the pieces of butter with the flour mixture. Keep pinching and incorporating until the dough is a rough sandy mixture. This is not your traditional pie crust where you have to keep the butter crazy cold. Once the butter is well incorporated and most of the pieces have been smashed into the flour, add the egg yolk/water mixture. Knead together in the bowl till it becomes a round smooth ball. Add a teaspoon of water if it's not coming together. Flip dough on floured surface and form into a round disc.

2. Next roll out the dough to a large circle at least 2 inches wider than the size of your pan. If the dough is too soft to handle, wrap with plastic wrap and put into the fridge. Mine was fine but I just had to make sure to keep flouring my surface I was rolling on and my rolling pin. Lay the dough on your fluted 8" tart pan with a removable bottom and press it into the creases. Use any remaining dough to fix any holes. Place the pan/dough into the freezer for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Take the tart out of the freezer and dock the dough all over with a fork. Blind bake the crust in the oven for 13-15 minutes until it's lightly browned. This recipe does not require you to use pie weights or cover. Note, my crust did shrink a bit in the pan so know that in advance going on. Watch the crust carefully towards the end to ensure you don't over brown it.

4. Next, make the filling. In a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, add sugar, butter and salt and cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and continue to beat together for another 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer off. Add in almond flour, flour, orange zest and almond extract then mix on low until incorporated. The mixture should be thick.

5. Remove tart crust from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Add in the almond filling and smooth it evenly in the tart pan. Work quickly because it will start melting the mixture. Sprinkle the top of the tart with the almond slices. Quickly place the tart back into the oven. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until golden, around 25-30 minutes. If you insert a toothpick it should come out clean or press it lightly with your fingers and it should resist.

6. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes. Be very careful to remove the tart from the pan by taking off the outer rim first then the bottom. Allow to come to room temp on a rack before decorating.

7. Feel free to garnish with raspberries and chocolate shavings. If you want to make Italian Meringue, see below.

Italian Meringue Recipe:
Makes about 2 cups. Recipe from Serious Eats.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 room temp egg whites, fresh eggs
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over high heat, brushing down sides of pot as necessary with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240°F on an instant read or candy thermometer.

2. Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; alternatively, wipe the mixer bowl with cut side of 1/2 lemon before adding egg whites (and omit cream of tartar or lemon juice). Set mixer to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form (when lifted, the head of the mixer should form gentle peaks in the egg whites that very slowly collapse back into themselves), about 2 minutes.

3. With the mixer running, carefully and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. When your meringue is almost done, add in vanilla extract and salt. Do NOT over mix or your eggs will separate. If you must, stop and check as you go. Total time may be about 3-6 minutes.

Fresh Fruit Tarts

February 15, 2017

One of my go-to desserts I love to make is a fresh fruit tart! These are so versatile for lunch, dinner parties, birthdays and just about any gathering of people. People usually don't feel so guilty eating it since there is fresh fruit involved. Me included. Haha.

I had so much fun shooting these photos with my good friend, Ryan Feng, who is a super talented photographer as you can see. He came over and watched me bake. In turn, I fed him left over sweets. It's a pretty good bargain if you ask me. ;)

This fruit tart recipe is simple and just requires a few different components. Luckily you can make all these these in advance and then just assemble as soon as you're ready to eat.

The crust is a slightly sweet shortbread type of crust so super crumbly and pairs perfectly with the light vanilla bean pastry cream. Then you pile on whatever berries or fruit till your heart's content. I love strawberries and blueberries but have also gone full raspberry on this baby. Pick berries that are in season or if you're like me which ever are calling to you at your local farmer's market.

The powdered sugar is totally optional. If you're serving this immediately upon assembling, then feel free to dust away. If not, opt for the apricot jam coating to seal in the juices of the berries and especially if you laid cut strawberries.

Voila! You have a very impressive dessert all done to feed your friends and family. :)

Fresh Fruit Tart w/ Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
Makes 1 x 12 inch tart or 12 mini 1 inch tartlets

Shortbread Pastry Crust:

½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened and sliced

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream: (Recipe from Tartine Bakery)

2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, cut open down the middle, seeded
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

Toppings:

A few containers of strawberries, raspberries and blue berries
1/2 cup apricot jam

Make the Pastry Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease your tart pan with butter or with baking release spray.

2. In a food processor, combine the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and butter, and process until the mixture forms a ball. Remove and place on a lightly floured surface. With your fingers, press the dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure to pat until the crust is even and thin as you can make it without the dough breaking.

3. Place pan into the freezer for 20 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, prepare a large piece of parchment paper by crumpling it up and then opening it back up again. Spray one side with baking oil. That will be the side that faces down on the crust.

4. Remove the pan/dough from the freezer and poke holes with a fork throughout the bottom of the crust and especially in the corners. The same way you would do so when you're blind baking a pie crust. Add parchment paper spray side down on the crust then add in your pie weights on top of the paper.

5. Bake chilled pastry in heated oven for 20 minutes until the edges of the crust are lightly browned. Take the pan out of the oven and remove weights. Return back to the oven uncovered and bake for another 15 minutes or so depending on how long it will take for the bottom and edges of the pastry to be browned.

6. If the pastry dough is puffing up too high since there aren't any weights anymore, quickly open the oven and give the crust in the puffy parts a little jab with a fork. This will help release some of the hair that's trapped in the dough.

7. Once the dough is finished, remove from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully remove the pastry crust from the pan and place on a wire rack to complete cooling.

(Alternatively, you may also make 12 mini tartlets with this recipe. Fill each cup with the right amount of pastry dough and crumple up small pieces of foil covered in baking spray to keep from the crust over filling in the oven. Baking time will vary since you're making smaller crusts vs one large one.)

Make the Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream Filling:

1. In a small saucepan, add milk, vanilla bean seeds and salt and carefully scaled over medium heat. Have a whisk handy to stir the mixture. Milk can easily burn on the the bottom of a hot pan. Watch it carefully or you'll have to start over.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and eggs until smooth. Remember for a thicker cream, add 4 tablespoons of corn starch. For thinner cream only add 3 tablespoons.

3. When the milk is done heating, slowly add 1/2 of the milk mixture into the egg and whisk constantly to temper them. Add the 1/2 milk mixture back to the pot and return to a saucepan. Cook the mixture on a medium heat until you get your desired consistently, make sure to always be whisking. You'll want to see a couple of slow boil bubble pop up and the cream should be nice and thick.

4. Remove from heat and pour into a mesh strainer set over a bowl. Let mixture cool for 2-3 minutes and then with a spatula, incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time until smooth . The key is to properly introduce the liquid butter fat into the rest of the cream slowly.

5. Transfer pastry cream into a medium bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap directly touching the cream. Let the rest cool completely in the refrigerator and set for at least 1-2 hours before using.

Assemble!

1. I do not recommend making this more than 24 hours before eating. These are best when they're fresh if you ask me. Place your pastry tart crust directly on a plate or something you were hoping to showcase. Take your cooled pastry cream, add to a piping bag and begin piping throughout the entire shell. Use an off set spatula to smooth out the tops.

2. Grab your cleaned berries and start to place them on your tart. This is your opportunity to apply your own design to this creation! I love the look of red & blue so always want both strawberries/raspberries along with blueberries.

3. In a small saucepan heat your apricot jam and stir occasionally until the jam is more fluid and able to be brushed. Then with a small pastry brush, brush off the tops of every piece of fruit.

5. Place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating. Only remove from fridge when you're ready to eat.

After all that work you can finally enjoy a beautiful tartlet! So what do you guys think about Ryan's photography? Pretty beautiful right?? <3

Espresso Macarons

February 13, 2017

I've been experimenting with coffee macarons for a while now between doing it via French Method and Italian Method. My oven at home is INSANELY finicky so I've tested and tested and think I finally figured it out!

For this go-around, I used the French method. I also made these on a humid day so it look extra long for them to dry before baking. Definitely take my word for it and DO NOT make these a rainy day project unless you have the ability to dry out your kitchen by turning on the AC. For me, living in Santa Monica, I do not have such luxuries. If you insist on making these on a humid day, definitely go Italian method for a more stable egg white.

There are a ton of really amazing resources for macarons online but sometimes it can be VERY overwhelming to make them because these little suckers are so temperamental. Here are some of my favorite guides - Dessert First: based on the Pierre Hermé macaron... and this Misohungry troubleshooting guide.

It's important that you age your egg whites especially if you're using the French method. Crack your egg whites into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and poke some holes in it or just cover with a piece of paper towel. If you're aging only 24hrs then leave them on the counter at room temp. If you're aging longer, place them into the fridge (up to 3 days) then remove and allow to come to room temp before using.

Espresso Macaron Shells
Makes 25 macarons depending on the size

Ingredients:

70 grams aged egg whites (at least 24-48 hours)
90 grams fine almond flour
110 grams powdered sugar
10 grams espresso powder
40 grams granulated sugar
pinch cream of tartar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In a food processor, add almond flour, powdered sugar and espresso powder. Pulse on high to mix and to get extra fine. This is going to be the most time intensive so it's important to prepare first before you even whip your egg whites. Sift the almond, sugar and espresso mixture at least 2 times. If you have the strength, go 3 times. :) Toss any big bits back into the food processor to grind up more and go through the sifter.

2. Prepare your piping bag with a round piping tip and prep your baking sheets with parchment paper or lined with silicone baking mats. If needed, apply templates to the size of the macaron you want to pipe then set aside.

3. Clean your stand mixer whisk, stand mixer bowl with a couple drops of fresh lemon juice and a paper towel. This will get rid of any fat or gunk that might mess with your egg whites.

4. Add your egg white and start to mix with the whisk attachment on medium low. When your egg whites are nice and frothy, add the pinch of cream of tartar. Now increase speed to medium high and stat to slowly add in the granulated sugar little by little. Increase speed to high once all the sugar has been incorporated.

5. Beat egg whites until it reaches a very thick, stiff peak. If there is any sort of softness to the peaks then beat again on high for another 10 seconds.

6. Now the macaronage process begins. Start by taking all the egg whites into a large mixing bowl. Add in 1/2 of the dry mixture and start folding the dry into the egg whites. Careful not to deflate the egg whites too much. Once that is practically all mixed in, add the rest of the dry mixture and continue folding until the batter looks like molten lava and creates a ribbon effect when you lift it out with a spatula. Do not over mix. It's better to have a slightly under mixed batter than over. In total, you're looking at 40-50 strokes. Any more and you might have over macaronaged your batter and remember adding to the piping bag is a few extra strokes. :(

7. Fill your piping back with the macaron batter. Pipe macarons by holding your bag upright and keeping your piping tip slightly higher than the parchment paper. The goal is to get as little air in them when you're piping as possible.

8. Once you're done piping the batter on the sheet, bang your sheet on the counter or stove top multiple times, keeping the tray level. Turn the sheet around and repeat. This will hopefully raise any air bubbles to the top.

9. Dust the tops of each macaron with cocoa powder.

10. Set aside for 40 minutes -1.5 hours so macarons can properly dry. Mine took closer to 2.5 hours cause it was humid. If you see any air bubbles pop up, take a toothpick and pop them. You'll want the shells to not feel tacky anymore. They should not stick to your finger when you touch them.

11. Preheat oven to 285F to 300F. It depends on the oven and how hot it runs. I've found that 285F worked for me and I had to DOUBLE LINE my sheet pans. But my oven runs hot with heat coming from the bottom. Make sure you play around with this on your oven.

12. Bake for 18-20 minutes total on the middle to higher rack. If macarons start to brown then turn the oven temp down or crack your oven door. Check macarons by lightly pushing the shell. The feet and top of the shell should feel stable and attached. If you used parchment you can try to peel a corner macaron off to check the bottom.

13. Wait for the macaron shells to cool completely on the sheet pan then remove from the parchment paper/silicon mat. From here you can fill these babies with any kind of buttercream to your heart's content. :)

Chocolate Hazelnut Strawberry Rosé Cake

February 10, 2017

In celebration of Valentine's / Galentine's / LOVE Day, I made a little sweetheart cake to bring more love into our lives. I don't know about you, but the news has been especially weighing on me and seems to just get heavier and heavier as the days go on. This year I'm not looking at February 14th as a romantic holiday to celebrate with my hubby. I see Feb 14th as a reminder to give more love to everyone on that day and every day.

This recipe is a variation of that classic combo and playing with texture and other complementary flavors. I'm a pretty big fan of chocolate and strawberries as a combo if it isn't clear already. Haha. Promise I'll come up with more recipes that aren't chocolate and strawberry ;)

This chocolate cake is much lighter than my other recipe and I love the addition of hazelnuts since it gives it a little crunch and the nuttiness goes nicely with the chocolate. As for the buttercream, I added rosé wine to give it a little bite to the sweetness of the strawberry. I gotta say I'm definitely using this buttercream recipe for other desserts in the future! #roseallday

I think a 6" cake is the perfect sweetheart sized cake for a small dinner party. I'm also not opposed to using a little fondant and sprinkles to add those finishing touches but they're definitely not crucial to a beautiful and delicious cake. I've included below if you're interested in learning how to make fondant hearts without a cutter.

Color and roll out small balls of fondant.

Using a scissor, cut a little slice 1/3 of the way through it.

Using a shaping tool with the ball at the end of it, press on one side to flatten out and get the heart shape.

This was a fun cake to make since I'm usually making cakes with 6 layers vs. 3 layers and soo much easier. Ahhh those even layers are also so calming for my OCD need for perfect layers and cake. The other new technique was to have the top of the cake a different color from the sides of the cake.

The key to this look is to pipe and nearly finish smoothing out the top layer first. Then pipe and smooth out the sides of the cake. From there, as you smooth out the top edges, make sure to clean your spatula or flat surface after every swipe.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake + Strawberry Rosé Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes One 6" sweetheart love cake

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake:

1 cup roasted unsalted hazelnuts, finely ground
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup whole milk, room temp
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Rosé Swiss Meringue buttercream:

7 egg whites, room temp
pinch of cream of tartar or a couple drops of lemon juice
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 sticks butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree
3 to 5 tablespoons dry rosé
1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries (They sent good ones at Trader Joe's.)
couple drops of food coloring
sprinkles, fondant and any other decoration finishes

MAKING CHOCOLATE CAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 3 6" round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. If you didn't buy roasted hazelnuts then make sure to roast them yourself either in a pan (no oil) oven then let to come to room temp. Place roasted hazelnuts into a food processor and grind until they become small crumbs but not too much where they are a paste! Measure out ¼ of the hazelnuts and set aside. This can be used either on top of the cake or for other recipes.

3. In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, add the processed hazelnuts, sugar, all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Mix until incorporated.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract. (All but the water.) Then slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the stand mixer bowl with the dry ingredients. Batter will be on the thicker side so this is where you stir in the boiling water. After incorporating it will be a very thin, wet batter. Total process shouldn't take long and make sure to not over-mix the ingredients.

5. Divide the batter evenly into prepared pans. I use a kitchen scale and think it might be time for a new one! Then tap the baking sheets against the table to remove the air pockets.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Give the cake pans a turn halfway through the baking (after 8 minutes).

7. Let cake cool on a wire rack until ready to frost.

MAKING SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

1. Cut/clean fresh strawberries and place them into a food processor to puree then set aside. Will only need 1/4 of the puree for one batch of buttercream. Add wine to the strawberries In a food processor blend the freeze dried strawberries to a fine powder and set aside.

2. Add whisk attachment to stand mixer. Wipes down the electric bowl mixer with some lemon juice to ensure no fat/oil contamination. Add in egg whites and granulated sugar.

3. Create a double boiler with a medium pot filled 1/3 of the way with water. Ensure that the mixer bowl does not touch the water.

4. Add stand bowl with eggs & sugar and place over the boiling water with a medium heat. Lightly and constantly whisk the egg whites to avoid any eggs cooking. After 4 minutes or so, check temperature of eggs and ensure it reaches 160°F / 71°C.

4. Place bowl back on stand mixer and begin to mix on medium high for about 10 minutes. Will want your egg whites to be at a stiff peak. Check your bowl at 8 minutes and see how much more is needed.

5. When bowl is cool to touch, remove whisk attachment and switched to the paddle attachment. Start adding in butter one tablespoon at a time and incorporate all the butter on the slow setting.

6. After butter is incorporated, add vanilla extract. Keep mixing until light, creamy and airy.

7. Set aside 2/3 of the batch in a bowl since that will be the buttercream used for the outside of the cake. The other 1/3 of the buttercream, add in 1/4 cup of strawberry puree, strawberry powder and 5 tablespoons of rosé. Continue to mix in the stand mixer. Taste this as you go! If you need more strawberry, add more powder. If you need more rosé, then add another tablespoon. Careful not to over add on liquid. Always make sure you mix fully before adding more when you're tasing.

8. Of the remaining 2/3 batch of buttercream, divide to two bowls again 1/3 in one bowl (light pink for top of the cake) and 2/3 in another bowl (darker pink for the sides of the cake).

9. Apply light pink buttercream to the top of the cake and smooth out as you would normally do. THEN apply the darker pink buttercream on the sides. Carefully smooth out buttercream and when working on the edges of the cake on the top, wipe every time you swipe with your spatula/straight edge.

10. Decorate with sprinkles and fondant hearts.