A TASTE OF YELLOW

I apologise for this late late submission. I had to make a last minute jaunt to london for the past few days but I hope this still counts nevertheless... LIVESTRONG Day on May 16 is an initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues. Barbara from Winos and Foodies came up with A TASTE OF YELLOW, a brilliant idea which encourages us to make a dish containing some type of yellow food as a show of support.

Gold cake

Adapted from Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book [Recipes from an American childhood]

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

8 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. set aside. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating until blended. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Turn into the prepared pan and bake about 35 minutes until the tops lightly spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan on rack about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes from the pan and then turn it out on the rack to cool completely.

He recommended a traditional double layer cake filled with old-fashioned buttercream. I chose to make mine simple, baked in a nosatalgic tinned flower mould which gave it a charmingly pretty appearance even without any slathered cream.

I didn't know it at that time but the flower I placed on top of my cake as the single adornment was a particularly apt choice. It happened entirely by chance yet turned out to be touchingly meaningful. While taking photographs of my freshly baked cake in my room, my eyes unconsciously came to rest on the flower thatI had carelessly looped around the knob of my cupboard ages ago. The cheery bright shade of its petals made it a perfect complement to my similarly flower shaped cake. with the warm rays of morning sunshine glinting in through my floor to ceiling windows, I hummed contentedly while snapping away. I was happy, confident that the pictures would turn out well. I never gave it another thought. That is, until I sat down to write this entry and looked through my folders to retrieve the accompanying picture. Only then did the unexpected significance of that lone yellow flower hit me with dizzying clarity. When I was sixteen, back in school, stints of community service was part of our required curriculum. Sometimes we would help out at special schools for chldren with mental disabilities or autism, at other times we were assigned to homes for the aged. These were learning experiences that really opened our youthful eyes to the sicknesses and ailments that others had to bravely grapple withon a daily basis. I was especially touched by a day I spent volunteering at a home for patients with dementia. There were two tiny old ladies, sisters but had such similar sweetly smiling faces that they could easily be mistaken for twins. They held hands, fingers clasped together tightly as they sat side by side. Every fifteen minutes or so, they would rise excitedly from their chairs, wave to attract the nurse's attention and eagerly announce that their schoolbus had arrived and they were going home.With an admirable kindness and patience that never wavered, the nurse would walk over to the ladies and gently say that their schoolbus hadn'tyet arrived and that their brother would come and pick them up at six o'clock when the day was over. Calmly excepting this with understanding nods, the sisters would settle down again with serene expressions only to leap up and repeat themselves when another quarter of an hour had passed. Their joy whenever they reverted to behaving like young school girls who couldn't wait to rush home after a day at school was infectious. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry to see them trapped in such an impossible predicament so I merely returned their girlishly bright smiles while blinking to hold back tears. I felt pained, acutely frustrated and soon found myself turning to look out the window in the direction of their delighted gazes hoping almost as strongly that a schoolbus would appear as they so fevently wished. The nurse, as observant as they're trained to bedidn't fail to pick up on my troubled tension and sympathetically steered me towards a white haired gentlemen with a book in hand but who was pensively staring into space. Caught up in memories of old perhaps? 'Why don't you try speaking to him instead?' prompted the nurse. Unlike many of the old folk in the home, he spoke English instead of a native dialect. 'Okay, I'll try to' I replied, unsure of how successful my attempts at conversation would be. She must have picked up on my lack of confidence for she put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and turned towards the gentleman making introductions. 'Can you do me a small favour ?' she asked him, 'This is Clarene, she's visiting us today so I'll trust you to take good care of this young lady for me while I'm busy ok?'. He smiled and nodded. 'Don't worry, he'll tell you interesting stories, he's the nicest man around' the nurse whispered as she smiled fondly at the pair of us before walking away to resume her duties. 'Hi my name is John' he offered, taking my hand and shaking it with dignified solemnity. 'I'm 68 years old, I have 3 brothers and a sister' he continued. 'Oh , I'm 16 and I only have one younger brother' Encouraged by his willingness to initiate conversation, I brightened and followed his example. 'It must be nice to have so many siblings for company' I added. 'Yes yes' he murmered and then proceeded to tell me about how he and his siblings used to go fishing and play with stones, even occasionally skipping school and playing truant in favour of their mischevious fun and games. Just when I began to relax however, he turned to me brightly announced, 'Hi my name is John', 'I'm 68 years old, I have 3 brothers and a sister'. As you might have guessed, John had completely forgotten what we had talked about mere minutes ago. And so our conversation repeated in this looped fashion until it was time for me to leave. My experience that afternoon still holds a poignant place in my memory and heart that remains special to me even today. Alright, i've digressed. The yellow flower that I talked about at the beginning was actually made for a significant cause. A bunch of us students had to take to the streets and sell the cheerful silk flowers to kind-hearted passersby for 2 dollars to raise funds for the Cancer Society. So it was really fitting after all that I chose it to perch atop my contribution to this Livestrong Day event. I like to think that the colour yellow symbolises optimism and hope so it is my sincerest wish that through this little way, I can show my support for those fighting courageously everyday against Cancer.

Focaccia with Grapes (Schiacciata Con L'uva)

I've been wanting to try this recipe for ages.

The 'Waiter There's Something In My... Bread' event hosted by Andrew at Spittoon extra delivered the push for me to finally retrieve it from the binder where it had been languishing in neglect.

This traditional Italian bread seems so celebratory yet rustic and evokes warm feelings of home and hearth. Taken from an old issue of Gourmet magazine, the instruction lists Chianti as one of the ingredients needed.

What a perfect excuse for a new bottle of wine.

Since only three tablespoons are required, that leaves plenty to sip on while waiting for the dough to rise.

And if like me you didn't read the recipe thoroughly and only begin preparations when its way past bedtime, a glass of wine would be the perfect companion while watching the sunrise when the dough is at long last ready to be baked.

Schiacciata literally means "flattened down," and in Tuscany the term generally refers to flatbread, or what everyone else in Italy calls focaccia. During the wine-grape harvest, Tuscans make a not-too-sweet dessert or snack of bread dough and grapes, said to be of Etruscan origin. The focaccia, fresh from the oven darkly stained from the juices of the baked grapes fairly begs for one to tear off a substantial chunk andsavour it immediately, allowing the sticky jamlike syrup to trickle unheedingly down your arm.

Very often I read about how people bake bread when they're angry or in a general bad mood. Some recipes even tell you to take advantage of that rage and pent up frustration topunch down the dough and release the negative emotions. I'm the opposite, I only decide to work with yeast when I'm in a mellow and calm state of mind.

I find yeast to be rather temperamental and not always a reliable partner.

Past interactions have at times been absolutely wonderful and at times a complete disaster.

We already have such a volatile relationship that I figured being in each other's presence when I'm not at my best would only complicate our relationship further. Our history together has taught me about the importance of patience and perseverance.

I treat my bread dough very lovingly, whispering soft words of encouragement, marvelling at its texture, kneading it gently and praising it when I'm pleased with the results.

The entire process of baking bread from scratch, especially the waiting period while allowing the dough to rest and risedrives me crazy (I'm an impatient person, can you tell?) yet the results yield such joy and intense satisfaction.

When my schiacciata con l'uva emerged from the oven, golden, beautiful and sweet smelling, I danced with delirious happiness.

All the effort and anxiousness had been completely worthwhile.

[I just wanted to add that as a new participant in the blogging world, I'm still struggling with the technical aspectsso please forgive the slightly wonky formatting and problems with the fonts. I must say it was rather thrilling to finally participate in an event having only religiously read from the sidelines before.

Also, I have a small favour to ask: I'll be vacationing in Spain in exactly a month's time so if any of you have any tips or advice on things to see, do and eat naturellement, particularly in Barcelona and Madrid, please please impart your wisdom. Grazie.]

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)

3 tablespoons Chianti or other dry red wine

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 to 3 cups Italian "00" flour or half all-purpose flour and half cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 cup fine-quality extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Tuscan)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 1/2 cups Concord or wine grapes (1 1/2 lb)

1/2 cup sugar

Preparation

Stir together yeast, wine, honey, and warm water in a large bowl until yeast is dissolved.

Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup flour (mixture will be lumpy).

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 40 to 50 minutes.

Add oil, 1 1/2 cups flour, and sea salt and stir until a sticky dough forms.

Knead dough on a floured work surface, gradually adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic but still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer dough to an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn out dough onto work surface and knead several times to release air. Cut dough in half.

Roll out 1 piece of dough, keeping remaining piece covered, with a lightly floured rolling pin into a rough 12- by 10-inch rectangle.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and gently stretch to cover as much as possible of bottom (dough may not fit exactly).

Scatter half of grapes over dough, then sprinkle grapes with 1/4 cup sugar.

Roll out remaining piece of dough in same manner and put on top of grapes, gently stretching dough to cover grapes.

Scatter remaining grapes and 1/4 cup sugar on top and gently press into dough.

Cover pan with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Bake schiacciata in middle of oven until well browned and firm in middle,

Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Bake focaccia on middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until well browned.

Immediately loosen bread from pan with a spatula (it will be saucy on the bottom) and slide onto a rack to cool.

Drink Match: A bubbly Italian Prosecco is a good choice for brunch

Luxe Chocolates

A luxe life should never lack fine chocolates.

These are from the chic Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie , a petit “salon de thé” featuring almost everything your heart desires but your waist desires not.

The boutiques are clad in dark wood and dim lights which enhances the aesthtic appeal ofthe vibrantly coloured entremets and macarons lounging behind the glass panels awaiting your selection. Quirky french music plays softly in the background creating a perfect atmosphere for whispering sweet nothings to that special someone while indulging in their signature sweet treats. Choose a chocolate bon bon from 45 varieties that wink seductively at you ranging from the sophisticateddark chocolates with a heady filling of liquer to the milder milk chocolates pared with roasted nuts or if you please one of the more exotic flavours featuring an oriental touch. Here I present you with some of their handcrafted delights. The above 2 are the Nougattine and the Griottine. Crunchy Hazelnuts enrobed in smooth chocolate. And the other an eye catching bold red dome harbouring a secret cherry.

A very unusual pairing of black sesame with chocolate. The sense of sesame really hits you yet the chocolate is surprisingly not overwhelmed by it. This pairing is a new discovery that I really liked.

The Frambola. Doesn't the name have such a festive ring to it?

It's filled with raspberry, as always the slight tang is a perfect combination with chocolate.

A combination that I find almost always works together.

Rose and Matcha.

A marriage of the subtle scent of rose with the hint of dark chocolate that complements its delicate flavour beautifully.

We encounter green tea again which has gained great popularity in the dessert realm.

The unmistakable taste of Matcha with its slight edge of bitterness proves to be a good companion to the luscious qualities of chocolate.

Ah Exquisite. Now if only Darling Recchiuti would deign to bring his creations to our shores.

Coffee Milkshake Cupcakes

It was a hot and sunny day.

After an entire morning of trying to look awake at a torturous, inhumane 8am lecture, a half asleep student trooped tiredly into the nearest cafe for a delicious sounding coffee milkshake that would hopefully offer a caffeine induced sense of wakefulness.

A long bus ride home spent in a blissful coma-like state later, the student finally arrived home.

But wait, a nagging voice at the back of her mind reminded her of a little fact that she had apparently forgotten about. She dug into her bag only to find the neglected milkshake that once held such cold frothy promise but had now become a woefully gloppy melted puddle. [I did mention half asleep earlier didn't I]

And she decided to make cupcakes.

The End.

You need:

120g softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup coffee milkshake [thick and creamy preferably]

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted

Optional: 12 disc of white chocolate Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Add eggs one at a time and continue beating till well incorporated

Mix in sifted flour in three additions alternating with the milkshake. A lusciously creamy batter should be obtained.

BAKE at 180 degrees for 18 to 20 mins

Midway through baking, top the half-baked cupcakes with a single disc of White chocolate. Yields a dozen.

A simple batter that I assure you can be attempted even when half asleep.

It results in an unbelievably light and fluffy cupcake that would make you as happy or even happier than having drank that milkshake.

Flip 'em up

I decided to whip up some buttermilk pancakes in a sudden spur of domestic enthusiasm this morning. Quickly looking up a recipe, I haphazardly measured out what I needed (It's just pancakes!) and within 15 minutes had warm, fluffy pancakes on hand and a kitchen that was ahem, 'artistically' dusted with flour. The scent of cinnamon never fails to evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia and I was reminded of all those times I stood cluelessly in front of the small stove set, silently imploring my partner to help me out during home economics class back in school. If you asked her, she would tell you, to my great embarrassment, that I knew nothing about cooking, baking and the works. She was such a great sport too, allowing me to do the easy peasy tasks like chopping up the carrots and potatoes (after she skinned and peeled them for me) while she dealt with the nastier cold fish and bloody chicken. Oh I was so grateful, can you tell how much I loved her? It soon became our system where I would generally attend to the dry ingredients and she would take care of those that fell into the wet, wriggly, scary category.

I think I was more of a hindrance than a help to her as a partner but I had good intentions.

That has to count for something!

Anyway the point being that thankfully I have made the gradual transition toward being more adept in the kitchen. Countless numbers of knicks and burns later, I can confidently say that I am no more the helpless little lamb in the domain that I once was. That moment of reminiscing brought a happy smile to my face as i liberally drizzled golden maple syrup onto my still steaming stack of pancakes. I'm no domestic goddess, I still can't successfully flip pancakes but I'm pleased with what I've learnt from my terrifyingly large collection of cookbooks thus far.

I used this recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle,

a review by Chronicle's food editor Michael Bauer:

Bette's Buttermilk Pancakes Rise a Stack Above the Rest

Several people in the Food department thought they had the best recipe for buttermilk pancakes until they tasted this version from Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley. Owner Bette Kroening has been making these pancakes there for nearly 20 years.

They have become so popular that she even started a line of packaged mixes that can be bought all around the Bay Area, including in some Safeways. What makes these as well as all of the all-American specialties at the diner so good is they are made fresh. The baking soda, baking powder and buttermilk work to make these lighter and fluffier than just about any you'll find.

Bette's Oceanview Diner, 1807 Fourth St.

(between Virginia Street and Hearst Avenue), Berkeley;

(510) 644-3230. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.

The secrets are apparently

-The ingredients. The baking powder, baking soda and buttermilk work together to make these the lightest pancakes possible.

-Stirring the batter. The batter begins to react the minute the wet ingredients are added. Stir quickly and don't overstir; there should still be lumps in the batter.

BETTE'S BUTTERMILK PANCAKES INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

sliced bananas(optional)

Oil for griddle

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk, milk and melted butter.

Just before you are ready to make the pancakes, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just long enough to blend.

The batter should be slightly lumpy. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat

(375 degrees on an electric griddle).

Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet, spacing the pancakes apart so they do not run together. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and the undersides are lightly browned, turn and cook for about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned on the bottom.

Serve immediately on warmed plates with the topping of your choice.

Serves 4 (yields about 24 four-inch pancakes.)

PER SERVING: 445 calories, 15 g protein, 58 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (9 g saturated),

145 mg cholesterol, 816 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

The original recipe is given above but I switched to self raising flour and left out the baking soda. After feeling poisoned when I bit into a CLUMP of baking soda in a commercially manufactured cookie, you can understand why I'm not particularly found of the product. Never has the importance of sifting your flours been more glaringly obvious.

They actually look more like egg crepes or rosti in the pictures because I quartered the recipe and couldn't proportionately reduce the egg. They were still fabulous, trust me.

'Nana Nut

What you can do with those charmingly sweet overripe bananas.

'Nana Nut Individual Bread:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup crushed maple oat cereal

3 Tablespoons castor sugar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 and 1/8 cup chopped walnuts

[I would probably use only a 1/4 cup cereal if I make it again for

a less stiff batter and a lighter texture]

Preheat oven to 180 degreesC

Whisk together flours, cereal, sugar and baking powder. In a bowl, whisk together canola oil, banana, egg and vanilla extract until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in chopped walnuts. Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until golden about 13 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Makes 8.

You'll appreciate this only if you like granola or abit of crunch.

This is by no means a sweet, fluffy cupcake, more of a sturdy bread.

Still, I had two for dinner... Who said banana and cereal was only for breakfast?

Kiddy Chocolate Cake

An 11 year old wrote in to our local newspaper asking for a simple chocolate cake recipe and I can only wish I was 11 year old again but here it is. This recipe doesn't actually use any real baking chocolate but kids probably wouldn't complain when faced with cocoa cupcakes. It was fun to make and took barely any time to put together.

You'll need:

150g unsalted butter

150ml water

35g cocoa

170g cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

200g castor sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the butter and water in a small pot. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is about to boil Add 35g cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180degrees C

Sift 170g cake flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder into a bowl Add 200g castor sugar and stir to combine Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the pot of cooled cocoa mixture Beat until smooth, add flour mixture and continue beating. Scrape the batter into cupcake baking tin Bake for 22 to 25 minutes

I halved the recipe since, well, I wasn't going to be hosting a kiddy birthday party and didn't need too many cupcakes. Preparing my mise en place proved to be a tricky affair when I didn't have enough butter! A couple of deep breaths later, I decided to make up for the missing 25g of butter with oil. Complicating matters is my forte and so water was substituted with soy milk. I mean if you're going to change things you might as well go all the way right? The rest remained the same. Here's mine:

50g butter

25g oil

75ml unsweetened soymilk

20g cocoa powder (2 sachets hot chocolate mix)

85g cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100g castor sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

I made 6 bigger cupcakes so it took about 30 to 35 mins. These really do rise. If you need a quick distraction from the daily grind or if you've never baked a cake, give this a try. In the words of the columnist, 'Don't worry, the more you do it, the easier baking becomes'. Ahh encouraging words for the little girl... Advice we can all take to heart especially when dealing with the occasional baking disasters!