Catering to lemon lovers? Try the gutsy garnish of Lemon Confit. For aficionados of citrus flavoured desserts, these candied lemon slices are a truly fabulous and delicious garnish.

*Both recipes are part of the lineup in Fruit Desserts, a demo class I'll be teaching on 13 March 2010 , 14 March 2010 , 27 March 2010 and 28 March 2010. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or 6479 8414, or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

Not everyone digs pei dan. And not everyone has access to super duper fresh fish, an absolute non-negotiable for yu juk, preferably slaughtered and filleted earlier in the day at the wet market, my personal preference for using in yu juk is either grass carp or snakehead (locally known as toman). So the recipe that follows is for gai juk. Some preliminary notes:

Rice I use a combination of two rices; one for taste, the other for texture, in a two-to-one ratio. First, a fragrant long grain, preferably hom mali. This translates from Thai to "fragrant jasmine", although the aroma (hom) is really redolent of pandan and not jasmine. Mali, the reference to jasmine, is meant to describe the opalescent sheen of the grain rather than the scent. The subtle yet distinctive hom mali perfume makes an important difference to the final flavour of the congee. Second, a glutinous rice (sticky rice), as its high-amylopectin/low-amylose constitutional makeup greatly enhances creaminess.

A cookbook should boast of at least 2 attributes (ideally one from each category) before I'll call it mine. It's hardly a tall order, but I am hoping the act of simply pausing to consider the place a said book has in one's collection will go a long way towards keeping profligate purchasing in check.

Wish me luck!

I for one am truly looking forward to 2010 for all sorts of reasons, firstly because I'll be kicking off my teaching calendar with the return of a familiar favourite - this macaron and biscotti class is back; to all the lovely ladies who requested its return, thank you very much and I look forward to seeing you. Only 2 sessions of this demo class have been scheduled, on 9 January 2010(Saturday) and 10 January 2010(Sunday) at Shermay's Cooking School. For inquiries, please call +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

Another reason, of course, is that I'm also looking forward to the week thereafter as we'd re-scheduled our break to January. While there're few cities as breathtaking as la ville-lumière in December, and I'm sorry to be missing it, January brings with it the consolation prize of hitting les soldes d'hiver like a gale moving at speeds off the Beaufort scale, not a trifling consideration if you have a bit of a retail therapy thing.

But really, that aside, I am psyched to appreciate the austere beauty of the city in late winter, far from the madding crowds. In Hemingway's soul-stirring words from A Moveable Feast,

When we came back to Paris it was clear and cold and lovely. The city had accommodated itself to winter, there was good wood for sale at the wood and coal place across our street, and there were braziers outside of many of the good cafes so that you could keep warm on the terraces. Our own apartment was warm and cheerful. We burned boulets which were molded, egg-shaped lumps of coal dust, on the wood fire, and on the streets the winter light was beautiful. Now you were accustomed to see the bare trees against the sky and you walked on the fresh-washed gravel paths through the Luxembourg gardens in the clear sharp wind. The trees were beautiful without their leaves when you were reconciled to them, and the winter winds blew across the surfaces of the ponds and the fountains were blowing in the bright light.

1. Bring the cream and milk to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
2. While the cream mixture is being heated, whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Remove saucepan from the heat and slowly drizzle about one-quarter of the cream mixture in a thin stream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Once incorporated, pour the mixture in the bowl back into the saucepan with the rest of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Place a fine-meshed sieve or chinois over a clean bowl and place this close by to the stove. Place the saucepan over low heat and immediately begin to stir the custard with a spatula, being sure to scrape the edges and bottom of the pan. Stir constantly until the custard has sufficiently thickened. If you are using a thermometer, the custard is ready when it reaches a temperature of 170 °F. Alternatively, do the “spoon-coating consistency” test – dip the spatula into the custard, withdraw the spatula, and run your finger across the spatula; the custard is ready when your finger leaves a clearly defined trail across the custard-coated spatula. If not (the custard is still runny), cook for longer and keep testing until the consistency is right.
5. Once the custard is ready, immediately take the saucepan off the heat and strain its contents through the sieve or chinois into the bowl in order to eliminate any stray strands of coagulated egg and ensure a perfectly smooth custard. Stir the vanilla extract into the strained custard.
6. Press cling wrap right against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming, let cool, then chill the custard in the refrigerator until thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
7. Churn the custard in the ice cream machine, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the ice cream attains a soft-serve consistency, add the coarsely crushed Oreos. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof airtight container and store in the freezer to firm up sufficiently before scooping/serving. Depending on the efficiency of the freezer, this will take about 4 hours.
   
   Storage: Homemade ice cream will keep well for about 1 week in the freezer if properly stored in an airtight container. However, the texture is ideal and at its best if served within 48 hours.

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the afternoon with 2 grande dames, sisters, whose nonagenarian mother passed away 2 years ago, very shortly afterwhich their father followed suit. Treasure your parents, they are priceless, you don't tell them often enough just how much you love them and are thankful for...I was all choked up, but fortunately - extremely so, I realize - for me, I could still dial home and try to articulate, clumsily, an approximation of just how much I give thanks.

I like to think of the recipe pack for this class as a collection of recipes that you can mix-and-match as you fancy by tweaking the cake flavour/finish/filling/frosting/soaking syrup. That way, you get greater mileage from playing with permutations and combinations of these component recipes.

Following up on this, here's a bit more on the Bonus Section with Extra Recipes & Ideas for Other Chocolate Layer Cakes included within the recipe pack. This section includes:

Chocolate Cake Variations such as:
*Chocolate Orange Cake
*Chocolate Lemon Cake
*Chocolate Coffee Cake

*White Chocolate Buttercream using Valrhona Ivoire 35% White Chocolate. A rich and luxurious buttercream that’s the perfect foil to an intense chocolate cake. Variations on this include:
*Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Raspberry & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Milk Chocolate Frosting using Valrhona Jivara Lactée 40% Milk Chocolate. A creamy and comforting chocolate frosting. Variation on this is:
*Mocha Frosting

*Dark Chocolate Glaze using Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate. A dark chocolate glaze if you prefer a silky and shiny finish

*Orange Grove Chocolate Cake Chocolate Orange Cake Layers Soaked in Cointreau Syrup with Orange Marmalade and Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Lemon Surprise Chocolate Cake Chocolate Lemon Cake Layers Soaked in Limoncello Syrup with Lemon Curd and Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Mocha Madness Chocolate Coffee Cake Layers Soaked in Espresso & Kahlua Syrup with Mocha Frosting