Archives of BAKING

Rye Sourdough

I made the most terrific rye sourdough I’ve made ever since I began making my own bread. Arjun and I made our first starter in Paris last year to be able to recreate the fantastic breads we’d become so used from the many boulangeries near where we lived. I’ve been feeding it since and even […]
10 years ago

Vanilla Brown Butter Madeleines

I think madeleines go down as my favourite little French cakes. They are pretty, they are small, and they can be eaten in two bites. That makes them just the right size for me and my reduced sugar cravings (strange how the more I work with sugar, the less I like consuming it.) And what’s […]
10 years ago

Heavenly Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

This is quite simply the best chocolate dessert I have ever had. Pierre Hermé calls it Plaisir Sucré. Maison Landemaine calls it Jivara. Le Cordon Bleu calls it Douceur Chocolat. There might be many more versions of it around Paris, but at its core it’s the most delicate chocolate and hazelnut cake  built over several […]
10 years ago

Financiers

While at a vide-grenier, the French equivalent of a car boot sale/garage sale, I stumbled upon a set of shiny new financier moulds. They were still in their original packaging and had a faded price tag from when Francs were still in use and Le Bon Marché was called Au Bon Marché. On my return, […]
10 years ago

Apricot and Rosemary Crumble

I have found my dessert fix for the summer – an apricot and rosemary crumble that is dolloped with heaping spoonfuls of maple cream. I first made it a last week when we had friends over for dinner. Ever since, I’ve made it twice more, and am on my way to make it again right […]
10 years ago

Brioche Parisienne

I’ve been fascinated by brioche even before I really knew what it was. I think it was the unusual shape of a brioche à tête that charmed me at first. It wasn’t until I moved to France more than 2 years ago that I got a taste of the real brioche Parisienne. My first brioche was from […]
11 years ago

Lavender Milk Cake

I bring to you this cake as a good reminder of how lovely and versatile the milk cake can be. It’s soft as a pillow and moist and buttery. When it’s baking, the house is filled with the fragrance of summery lavender that’s just coming into bloom. To make the lavender milk cake, I rubbed […]
11 years ago

Breakfast Scones

I like Thursday mornings because that’s the day I get to have breakfast with Arjun after a week  of rushing out of the house at 7AM. I take the time to make a lovely little breakfast for us as we sit at the table and slather whatever we’re eating with butter and watch the boats […]
11 years ago

Meeting Pierre Hermé + Chocolate Macarons

I met my culinary hero. Live, in the flesh. I took a photo with him and he signed my book! I do look up to loads of chefs, and even stalk some of them (which may or may not have to do with their good looks), but when it comes to Pierre Hermé, it’s undying […]
11 years ago