THE CUPCAKE PROJECT № 3 | BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

This is the first time in a very long time for me to do a cupcake post. When I started this blog, I wanted to do a mini-series featuring these festive treats, but that didn't work out as planned, as I ended up taking a very long break after only two posts. (If I remember correctly, it was due to buttercream trauma.) Fortunately, I am planning to get back on track (and much more skilled at making swiss meringue buttercream than before), and I have the perfect welcome back cupcake recipe: banana cupcakes with caramel swiss meringue buttercream. And yes, these are as heavenly as they sound. The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart, adapted via the amazing and talented Linda Lomelino. You can find her blog Call me Cupcake! here.

What better time to restart a project than spring — the cupcake project is officially back . . . *

* { banana cupcakes with caramel swiss meringue buttercream adapted from : call me cupcake — banana cupcakes with caramel frosting }
— click on the images above, or continue reading for the recipe

PHOTOGRAPHY № 6 | MILLEFEUILLE AUX FRAISES

From a while ago; leftover pâte feuilletée rapide and leftover crème pâtissière turned into a spring dessert. Please excuse all the crumbly messiness . . . *

CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE & CHOUX À LA CRÈME

Once upon a time, I was not interested in crème pâtissière (pastry cream). I liked desserts which included this crème, but I had never given any thought to what a good crème should taste like, because I was far more interested in the shell, the crust, the vessel that surrounded it. But as any normal baker/food blogger/pastry addict should realize, one day it dawned on me that if I wanted to make all these amazing sweets with all my beloved crusts, I would have to learn to make the filling as well . . .

This is how my search for the perfect crème pâtissière began. And until I started the search, I didn't realize how picky I was. (Some pastry addict I am.) It seems, the pâtisserie I frequent (and sells the best choux à la crème in my opinion) uses the best classic crème pâtissière (again, in my opinion), so that was what I was looking for. And anything other than that tasted . . . well, wrong. So bracing myself for the journey, I dived head first into a sea of eggs, milk, and vanilla beans, and after quite a few egg cartons later, miraculously came up for air with the winner.
And trust me, one of the things that every pastry addict (or baker. or food blogger.) should have is a perfect crème pâtissière recipe. And even if you are none of the above, it's still good to have one, because you never know when you might want to seduce someone with a perfect chou à la crème. (Is there a better way to seduce someone than with a good sweet?)

This crème pâtissière (which is adapted from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo) is a very classic version, and once you learn how easy it is to make, you'll want to try more than just choux à la crème; strawberry millefeuilles, strawberry tartlets, strawberry trifles . . . (I'm thinking spring is a lovely time for crème pâtissière) the possibilities are endless. Just make sure that you make enough because I tend to run out, especially when I'm making choux à la crème.

* { crème pâtissière adapted from : the little paris kitchen classic french recipes with a fresh and simple approach by rachel khoo }
— continue reading for the recipe for choux à la crème

LA CRUST | PÂTE À CHOUX

Beginner's luck; that's what I had for this particular recipe.
The first batch of puffs (or "choux") came out perfectly; puffed and golden brown, just like the choux à la crème that are sold at the patisserie I frequent. Too bad I messed up on the pastry cream AND ran out of eggs. Well, I didn't have any whipping cream either, so I guess it was for the best.
2 days later, I tried everything over and ended up making 3 batches of choux just to get them close to that first batch. The key to success seems to be how quickly you work to maintain the temperature of the dough, and how much egg you add at the end.
This was one of the recipes that made me realize all over again how very chemical baking is. I was once told by a very experienced food blogger that "cooking is all about taste and adding this and that through the process, while baking is all about chemistry and following the recipe precisely". Very wise words which I always keep in mind whilst baking.

p.s. recipe for choux à la crème to be posted soon . . . *

* { pâte à choux adapted from : sadaharu aoki, via NHKテレビテキスト 趣味DO楽 パティシエ青木定治とつくるあこがれのパリ菓子 — パータ‧シュー }
— click on the images above, or continue reading for the recipe