Hoegaarden Profiteroles in San Francisco

"Cream Puffs" at the San Francisco Ferry Market

Yes, you read it correctly - Hoegaarden profiteroles. What a fabulous and unique find at the San Francisco Ferry Market!

A bunch of we "internationals" took another trip to San Francisco this weekend, despite the ridiculously heavy rainfall (why did I leave my wellies in England?!) and found ourselves, yet again, at the legendary San Francisco Ferry Market.

A very wet San Francisco

I think it sinful whenever I am in San Francisco on a Saturday morning and do not visit the Ferry Market. It's such a fantastic market with ubiquitous free samples and I always manage to discover something new.

During this visit, I was introduced to two new ideas in the food world. The first was a "tea soup", which contained the brew of some immune system-boosting herbal tea bags and the soup ingredients one wishes to add. In this case, we sampled a tomato and onion soup. This tickled my brain into the idea of creating an "immune-boosting" soup. I may investigate this sooner rather than later as my immune system seems to have been struggling a little recently...

Puddles and brollies and puddles...

The second find was this divine beer custard cream inside a profiterole. As we dashed from stall to stall in our squelchy shoes (I could swear that there was more water inside my boots than outside!), we came across these delightful little treats. I asked the gentlemen behind the stall what each profiterole contained. They told me that the custard cream inside the plain profiteroles was made using some Hoegaarden. "That's, like, my favourite beer!" (eek - my vocabulary seems to be acquiring an American tone, please forgive me!). It's probably not my favourite beer. It's actually one of the only beers I like, thus far. I have just entered the "beer world", you see, as I am taking a brewing class this quarter, which, as an initial beer-hater, I am, surprisingly, enjoying. Within the first two of weeks of classes, I suddenly developed a taste for beer. Now, I am very intrigued.

Pâte à Choux with Hoegaarden Custard Cream and Caramelised Apple

I was so excited that my friends had to ask me to "calm down!". There was a chocolate profiterole bun with a chestnut ganache topped with a caramelised slice of apple and a plain profiterole bun with a Hoegaarden custard cream topped with a slice of pear. Such a terribly tough decision for a food enthusiast such as myself, so what did I decide?

"Okay - I'll just have both, please!"

Three for the price of two!

The very generous gentlemen gave me three profiteroles for the price of two! One with the chestnut ganache and two with the Hoegaarden. This certainly brightened up the rather dismal day. I immediately consumed one of the Hoegaarden profiteroles and was completely blown away. I don't like my desserts too sweet, so the herby bitterness of the beer with the subtly sweet cream and a delicate soft choux bun was one of the most sublime culinary combinationss that my palate has ever experienced.

Chocolate Pâte à Choux with Chestnut Ganache and Pear

The chocolate and chestnut profiterole also entertained my palate, but had a lesser effect on the chemical stimulations occuring in my brain, compared with the Hoegaarden profiterole.

If the reading of this post has left you craving for one of these stunning bites of beer-heaven, plan a trip to the Ferry Market as soon as possible! Or failing that, just head off to your nearest pub...

Soft But Not-So-Chewy Dark Chocolate and Walnut Cookies

My idea of a cookie is something that is soft, moist and slightly chewy. A biscuit is something that is hard and can be dipped into a cup of tea.

In America, it seems that the term "cookie" covers both of these descriptions and a biscuit is a savoury scone that is frequently served drenched in gravy. I find all of this this very confusing.

I assumed that in order to make a soft, moist and chewy cookie, you simply use a hygroscopic sweetener and you're there. This theory proved incorrect when I decided to make some "soft and chewy" cookies by using light brown sugar and corn syrup as the sweetener. Corn syrup is famous for its hygroscopic properties and retaining moisture in baked goods, as is brown sugar. I also refrigerated my cookie dough for a good hour before baking as, apparently, this prevents the cookies from thinning out and becoming crispy during baking.

In fact, I thought that the cookies turned out a little too thick. I don't think that I overcooked them and I certainly didn't use too much flour, yet, fresh from the oven, these were not chewy in the slightest. The next day, however, they had a slight chewiness but nowhere near as yielding as I would have liked.

Despite their lack of chewiness, they seemed to go down very well. They certainly carried the "buttery" flavour and texture. It is true when they say that there is no substitute for butter... I am glad that I decided to spend $6 (yes $6!!) on a stick of butter instead of using the so-called 'butter' in the fridge which contains 53% vegetable oil...

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup corn syrup
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:
Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, corn syrup and vanilla. Mix in the sifted dry ingredients and then stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Wrap up the dough and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Roll out the dough into 1.5 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack.

This makes about 25 cookies.


I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice on how to make soft and chewy cookies?

Another issue that I found was that the bottom of the cookies cooked a lot faster than the top. This meant that a couple of the cookies were burnt, but most of them only had a browner base. I think that this was because I didn't use a baking sheet and I now know how important it is to use one! Even though I enjoyed the caramelised flavours that were produced by the browning, I will use a baking sheet in future to avoid the risk of burning!

Thyme, Orange, Almond and Chocolate Biscotti

In attempt to fully indulge myself in American culture this year, I have acquired the habit of drinking coffee everyday. I always like to accompany my daily brew with something sweet on which to nibble. Back in England, I would always have a stash of chocolate digestives, chocolate bunnies (around Easter time) and other chocolate treats to consume with my daily cup of Earl Grey. I believe that it is only fair that my coffee has a sweet companion too!

I decided to stay away from the giant cakes and muffins (as I would like to return back to England a similar size to that which I was when I left), and found out that Americans enjoy a nice chunk of biscotti with their coffee. That sounded like the perfectly-sized treat for my coffee!

Needless to say, a student life isn't the most affluent of lifestyles. I decided that by making my own biscotti, I am not only saving money, but have the ability to choose the exact flavours I like!

I decided to try out the combination of thyme, orange and dark chocolate. I was toying with the idea of dipping the biscotti in chocolate instead of adding chocolate chips but actually decided to keep the chips in the mixture. I love it when chocolate chips melt in my mouth with hot coffee... bliss!

As for the flavours, I think that they all go very well together. The thyme and orange add a refreshing aroma to the biscotti, the almonds add the perfect crunch and I have already mentioned the chocolate, above.

The beauty of biscotti is that you can add practically anything to it! Cranberries, figs, cinnamon, anise, rosemary, walnuts, lemon, pistachios, pumpkin, pecans, coffee, brazil nuts, ginger, macadamia nuts, honey, poppy seeds, coconut, raisins and the list goes on and on!

The only issue with these delighful chunks of biscuit is the unfortunate fact that they leave crumbs absolutely everywhere! I guess that'll teach me to use a plate for once...

A Beautiful Butterfly Brunch in San Francisco

I think that I have just experienced the most magical weekend of my entire life. January used to be the one time of the year that I really dreaded. It used to be filled with exams and bad weather. Everyone was depressed because they were poor, fat and/or ill.

In California, however, things seem to be quite the opposite. Winter is still here (many people from England forget that California has winters too) yet depression is far, far away!

Down The Embarcadero - The Bay Bridge in the background

The idyllic weekend started with a very chilled out dinner at my friend's place with lots of yummy food, wine and lovely friends. My Saturday involved a whole day's skiing in Lake Tahoe. This was the second time, only, that I had skied in my life and the last time was seven years ago. I was overjoyed that I managed to remember how to ski and the stunning kaleidoscopic sunset pushed my thoughts further into believing that this was all a dream. I was devastated that I didn't have my Canon with me to capture the sunset but I'm pretty sure that the camera would not have survived!

A sign outside the new Tcho chocolate shop and factory, down The Embarcadero

Sunday included a spontaneous trip to San Francisco with my fellow English friend Jennie and my photography buddy Matt. The aim of the trip was to get some great shots of San Francisco, which we did, and we also experienced an exquisite brunch in Butterfly down The Embarcadero.

Inside Butterfly Restaurant - Pier 33, The Embarcadero

I thought that I should avoid the bottomless mimosas but then thought that I would have just one. Because I can, now that I am 21!

Mimosa inside Butterfly Restaurant

I chose the Smoked Salmon Scramble with asparagus, tobiko caviar, crème fraiche and texas toast, but I asked for my eggs to be poached instead of scrambled (I just love 'em poached!).

Smoked Salmon Scramble - poached, not scrambled

The plate contained a dazzling plethora of colours. The eggs had a wonderfully soft yolk that provided a great sauce for the smoked salmon and al dente asparagus. Each forkful was a multi-textural adventure. The result was ultimate satisfaction!

Texas toast with butter and jam

Delicious salty residues

I had never had Texas toast before, but this gorgeous thick yellow fluffy bread was just perfect for mopping up all the delicious salty residues.

Not a trace left!

The meal was delicious and the picturesque dish was a shocking $12. The three of us almost keeled over with ecstasy after we had completed our meals. It is the experiencing of moments like these that remind me why I am studying abroad.

I thought that I would share a few of my favourite photos of the day. What's the point in taking photos if you don't share them?!

Fog at Lands End Trail

Rusty post on China Beach

The Golden Gate Bridge from China Beach

This photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge was taken from China Beach. When we arrived at China Beach we could not see any resemblance of the bridge. Within minutes, the fog slowly lifted to reveal what my friend calls "The Statue of Liberty of the West Coast". It was as if the Golden Gate Gods were there yesterday. It was a truly memorable experience.

Market Street, San Francisco

This photo of Market Street was taken from a friend's apartment on the top floor of the complex. I could have sat here and stared for hours.

This emotional weekend of bliss and enchantment will remain in my heart forever, California - you're the best!

Peppermint Bark - a little late!

Yes, Christmas is behind us now. However, I bought the ingredients to make peppermint bark in California before I flew back to England for Christmas and, unfortunately, amongst my birthday and end of quarter celebrations, I did not find any time to make it!

So now I am back in California for winter quarter, and lo and behold, the ingredients were still in the cupboard. I finally found some time to make it, with the few remaining candy canes, so here it is!

This peppermint bark is made from a layer of dark chocolate followed by a layer of white chocolate laced with peppermint oil, topped with a little swirl of red food colouring and a generous helping of crushed candy canes.

My father bought me lots of interesting bars of chocolate as part of my Christmas present (along with my new macro lens, thank you Daddy!) yet none of these chocolate bars included peppermint - a flavour I am rather fond of. I have been nibbling at these random chocolate bars every day with my cup of Earl Grey - salted hazelnut milk chocolate, dark chocolate with pink peppercorns and my personal favourite; Montezuma's orange and geranium dark chocolate (so in love with the taste of flowers!). Now I have another chocolate to add to the collection - some beautiful peppermint bark!

I guess you could say that this recipe isn't late and is actually a way of using up any leftover Christmas confectionary! I'm sure you could add any type of chocolate or candy to it, or make a completely different type of bark with whatever you have leftover. The only remaining confectionary I had from Christmas, however, were the candy canes and some very unpleasant chocolates from my $1 advent calendar, and I was most certainly not going to include those!

A Merry Christmas in Woking

I hope all my fellow friends, family and food bloggers had a wonderful Christmas filled with a stupendous amount of exquisite food and tipple!

This year my father went that little bit further with his lobster and king prawn cocktail; dusting it with cayenne pepper, dill, sesame seeds, rocket, beetroot and a drizzle of lime juice. Perfect with a glass of Champagne!

My father also creatively designed some Cognac and Coca Cola jellies to accompany our flaming Christmas pud. They were the most incredible-tasting jellies I have ever eaten! The Coca Cola was added for fizz, however, the fizz did not really set with the jelly. Instead, the flavour of the Coca Cola went overwhelmingly well with the Cognac, well done Daddy!

And here is one of our flaming pud! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. Someone let the cat in!

21st Birthday High Tea at Ciocolat

The day of my 21st birthday finally arrived on Friday December 10th 2010. What better way was there to spend my birthday afternoon other than with a luxury mini tea party at my favourite cafe in Davis - Ciocolat?

We sat down to a beautifully laid table with floral gold-rimmed cups, plates and saucers. We were offered a selection of fine teas to choose from. We were also generously offered a complementary bottle of Champagne to make the afternoon that extra bit special!

The four courses included cranberry and white chocolate chip scones with raspberry preserve, savoury croissants and sandwiches, an assortment of miniature desserts and fresh berries with chantilly cream to finish.

The savoury croissants and sandwiches included wholemeal bread with tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil, sliced cucumber and herb cream cheese on white bread and warmed baby croissants with black forest ham and Provolone cheese. Delicious little bites!

The mini desserts included black decadence cake and mini tropical and milk chocolate mousses. The chocolate decadence cake was a definite favourite!

Thanks for a lovely day my beautiful American/International friends!

Cheers!