#113 - Therapy...

Every once in a while I get seized by an inexplicable attack of insomnia - which is ironic since it's usually the opposite problem.  Luckily, "therapy" consists of (almost) instant gratification.  Normally my parents hear "I didn't sleep well, I'm cooking tonight" but since I'm not home, the guinea pigs - um, I mean, beneficiaries - of my cooking adventures are now drawn from my circle of friends.

The most recent foray was for the Opera cake - yes, Intermediate patisserie strikes again!  I remember being so excited when I found out we were going to make it because I've always loved this cake - there's just something about the coffee and the chocolate combination...

I also found out that my oven needs a lot of time to warm up and it cooks unevenly.  And the oven makes my kitchen nice and warm - no heater needed, even on a cold, winter night.  Actually, winter is best because I could open the windows and let the fresh air in to cool the place as well as speed up the cooling of my ganache.

There were a few mishaps (like taking the sugar for the buttercream too high and having to fix the syrup) - you lose the touch so very quickly.  Anyway -the end result (and morning tea) - the big cake for the office and the little mini-cakes for friends who work nearby.

Coincidentally, it was also the last day for someone in our office, but I want to emphasize, it was not for the actual going away.

My perfectionist side was a bit annoyed by some things (uneven layers, forgetting the melted butter in the joconde...don't tell, but it turned out ok!) and some pathetic piping.  An ok effort but needs work.  However, it was shared and enjoyed by friends so a happy outcome.

So until next time - enjoy sharing what you love with those you love!

#112 - Ia Orana / Bienvenue / Maeva - Island hopping!

Previously I mentioned that I had been invited to a wedding in Tahiti.  Been there, done that, and now I am recovering from jetlag and a very busy week.

A whole new meaning to being laid back

Had several moments of entertainment when I arrived in Auckland (no direct flights to Papeete, unfortunately) and I had to find my connecting gate.  It wasn't up yet and it took a little while for the status of the board to sink in.



I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto
I arrived in Papeete almost completely incoherent from sleep deprivation and jetlag - sleep deprivation from 2 nights of waking up around 3:30am preceding my departure and jetlag Tahiti is 4 hours earlier the day before.

Arrived on the first night in Tahiti just in time to check into the hotel, have a quick dinner and fall into bed after emailing very important people (parents, friends, etc to let them know I got in safely).  There was a show going on at the hotel when I arrived but it felt like the actual travelling had taken days so I chickened out and went to bed instead of back to the lobby.  (View from my room.)  Too bad I was only going to be there for one night but I enjoyed it for the 90 minutes before I passed out.  

I had no idea when the ferries were for Moorea on Thursday but after speaking to the front desk when I checked in, I set a wake up call for 9am local time.  Or was it 7am?  Regardless, I remember picking up the phone and hearing it speak French before I hung up on the wake up call.  The next time I jerked up in bed was sometime around...10am.  Or a little after, it's a little hard to remember.  This was the morning view from my little lanai.  And what I initially thought was "Vahine Tahitienne" but actually "Vanille Tahitienne".

There was a mad scramble to reorganize my bags, re-pack and get to the lobby to book the ferry and taxis on both islands and then a quick peek to see what the hotel actually looked like.  So - a quick peek at the lobby view.  Wow.  I'm not sure there are sufficient words in my tired brain to describe what this was, but the water was an unbelievably blue-y / green-y / turquoise -y (insert a variation of blue or green here) and there were bungalows over them.  But I was actually on a mission:  the vanilla beans.

Scents to make anyone with a sweet tooth drool (or anyone who likes patisserie)
French vanilla is, apparently, the best vanilla in the world.  When I was at Le Cordon Bleu in London, I remember the chefs rhapsodizing over it (I have a feeling it was Chef Nicholas because his is the face I see in my mind when I think of French vanilla).  I had 15 minutes to saunter back to just outside my former room, get a lesson in vanilla and maybe, just maybe, purchase a few beans.  There was no waiting until next week because this was only on for 2 days and the next day was the last day.

You could smell the beans drying in the sun.  I had a quick run through around the entire little exhibit (so sorry I missed the coffee, I heard one of the people tell someone else that it was "exceptionnel" (I have no idea how to spell that in French).  I have no idea what this man on the right is doing.  Nor the woman, actually.  These beans have been in the drying / fermentation stage for about 2 months, with another 2 months to go before they are ready (for sale?).

After they have been in the sun for about 1 - 2 hours (on a day like this) the beans are wrapped up in the fabric and put into a cooler like this.  Jean (the very nice man who was explaining to me very slowly in French because he didn't speak English and my French is no longer very good) said that this is part of the process and the insulation of the cooler keeps in the heat of the beans.  They also give off some heat (I'm not sure if it's retained from being in the sun or because of the fermentation process) but if you stick your nose by the cooler, you can actually smell vanilla and fermentation.  And see the condensation and some flecks of vanilla on the lid.  (Of course I stuck my nose in there - wouldn't you, if you had the chance???)

Then there was the covered tent where people were grading the vanilla (left).  I'm not sure if you can actually see what the writing is on the grading stick (right) - I can't see it and I no longer remember (no coffee, jet lag and different time zone - I'm allowed not to remember).  But the end result is that you have piles of vanilla beans which are roughly the same length.

Yes, size does matter
So the grades of vanilla were:  Extra, Grade 1 and Grade 2.  Extra (bottom, closes to my hand) is premium - the longest, best quality (oily, plump, etc. etc.) and is about XPF 25,000 per kilo (approximately USD$275) give or take.  Grade 1 is a bit smaller.  Grade 2 is for all the broken or otherwise unacceptable pods - they get made into things like vanilla sugar or possibly paste or extract (I've forgotten some other important things).  Anyway, there was very little time and I had some shopping to do.  Unfortunately I left my credit card with the front desk so I had to use cash - all well and good but since access to ATMs are limited on Mo`orea, this definitely limits my shopping if I want to keep enough cash on hand for tips and taxis.  (Apparently the ATM doesn't always work!)

Given Australia's strict quarantine laws, I had to ask.  And they answered - hence the yellow sticker which will let me take my vanilla into Sydney and not have it confiscated.  There are smaller beans on sale at the deli downstairs - AUD$7 per vanilla bean.  How could I possibly pass up an opportunity like this when you can store them for several years (depending on correct storage) and I got them (almost) from the source?  500g (1 lb) of vanilla beans later, I had to run for my taxi.  They smelled so good the other passengers forgave me for making them wait for half a minute.

Goodbye, Faa`a, see you next week!
Like I said, very much like home.  Similar cliffs / mountains.

Similar views of people in outrigger canoes (although we don't use them as much for transportation anymore, I don't think).

 Similar views of the canoes on the beach, ready to go.

Approach to Cloud and Mist Shrouded Moorea

It was very nice to arrive at the hotel and be greeted with a cool scented towel and fresh juice while they got the paperwork together for check-in.




Not all my ideas are good ones...
You know how sometimes you think that you won't bring something because you can buy it at the other end?  That depends on how much it's worth to you.  There aren't any shops near my hotel so I went to get some sunscreen.  The most expensive sunscreen I have ever seen...this one is approximately $36 (USD or AUD, take your pick).  It's also too big to take home - the whole reason I didn't pack my own was because I didn't check any bags.

Only in Tahiti (also known as playing tourist to the hilt)
I had one full day before the wedding festivities started so I had to pack in as much as I could.  The choices landed on things I wouldn't do at home or couldn't do.  It began with an excursion to feed the rays and see some sharks.  The pictures showed shallow water and no sharks so despite my trepidation, I went.  Well, the water was actually chest deep - deep enough for the sharks to cruise around.  Holy crap - and yet, eventually I calmed down enough not to completely freak out every time something brushed against my leg.  Like a giant ray.  Or in one case, a toddler's leg (his mom was carrying him).  Luckily I wasn't the only one who screamed when something unexpectedly came up to us in the water and it was cold enough that no one stayed in for very long.  Tanemanu (pronounced Ta-neh-ma-nu) said that normally people stay in the water about 40 minutes but it's their winter and it was windy so we all got out relatively quickly.

Poisson cru
The next stop was a motu (small island) where we could go snorkelling.  It seems each hotel seems to have a small island assigned to it or maybe they own it.  In any case, they are private and you can't go on them unless you are a guest at a hotel.  There were drinks and fruit set out for morning snack and for those who booked a lunch package, preparations were underway for lunch and some traditional cooking / food demonstrations.  Basic ingredients:  white tuna (hamachi / yellowfin?) cucumber, carrot, onion, salt and coconut milk.

Hina and Lokahi
The afternoon was spent with some dolphins.  No one else had signed up for my session so I actually got to spend time with them on my own, including several rides.  Initial meet 'n greet was with Hina (their Goddess of the Moon), then several rides on Lokahi.  Of course the wardrobe malfunction occurred while he zipped through the water - several major adjustments later, I got to have another couple of rides.  Completely exhilarating and here we are, saying "nana" which is "goodbye".

Being in the cold water and all the swimming absolutely wiped me out.  I ended up ordering dinner in my room and getting ready for bed when -

In which music makes the world go around - also known as What a wonderful (small) world!

Then the highlight of my evening - I was actually all set to go to bed but I heard music from the lobby.  There was that moment of indecision when the bed with its crisp sheets beckoned but the distant melodies prompted the question, "will I wish I had gone when I wake up in the morning?"  So I changed out of my pyjamas and wandered back to the lobby bar where Woody and Frankie were rocking out their songs.  They saw me filming them on my camera and we got to chatting - Woody is a local boy.  That is, he's a local boy from Kailua.

Music truly does make the world go 'round - and as I mentioned that their music sounded a bit like home (small wonder, given Woody's Kailua roots), they then proceeded to play a couple of Hawaiian songs.

Checking out / checking in

The religious portion of the wedding was in accordance with the more traditional ceremony which apparently only became recognized as valid a few years ago.  The civil ceremony was on Tahiti but I missed it as I had to check out of my hotel and check into the one where I would be staying for the next 3 nights.  I got there early so had time for some breakfast while the hotel got the villa ready.  And of course, it was a beautiful day with a spectacular view for the wedding.

And the main event

I did manage to get the behind-the-scenes preparation for the wedding as the flowers and decorations arrived while I was checking in.  They rocked up in a pickup truck and piles of greenery was transported into the lobby area.

I also saw what looked like haku lei in someone's hand, disappearing around the corner so I snuck around to take photos.  All the smells were so familiar that I could almost believe I was home.  The biggest difference, of course, was the language.  My French is no longer fluent so there was a lot of "um"ing on my part while I looked for words.  They were very nice and patient about it though, unlike some of the Parisians who pretend they don't understand you.

There was the ceremony which was in Tahitian and French.  They tied the plant bracelets on the bridal couple and after all vows had been spoken they were wrapped in a tapa (traditional patterned and dyed fabric made from pounded bark).  Then a blessing and congratulations followed by dancing by Tahitian dancers during cocktails and photos.

Cocktails and canapes:

And dancers danced

The reception was at the hotel's restaurant down the hill, going on into the wee hours of the morning.  I think the last of us to leave got to sleep around 3am - and then we had to wake up because there was a Maa'a Tahiti (a traditional meal) by the beach.

Maa'a Tahiti
Preparing Poisson Cru

              Porc a chou                       Poulet fafa

             Tuna heads                         My plate (2nds...)

 Then more music and dancing...

My last day on Mo`orea was spent on a motu - across from the one I had been to with the Intercontinental.  It was too cold to get in the water - yes, I'm a wuss - but it was still a beautiful day. We all continued to get to know each other better as there were people who had come from quite a few different places.  Luckily almost everyone spoke really good English since my French was still very limited.

Leaving Tahiti
My last night was in Papeete as my flight back home left at 7:30am and there was no ferry back from Mo`orea in time to make the flight.  There was an extremely rough crossing between the islands - only 30 minutes but enough to make me not want to eat until the day was mostly over.

I went to the big markets but unfortunately the shopping wasn't really exciting - it was too much like all the touristy things we see at various tourist shops in Honolulu.  I actually liked the market part much better - the butchers, the fishmongers, the fruits, vegetables and stands which would juice / squeeze fresh coconuts.  Souvenir shopping I did in stores because my ATM card didn't work in the Tahitian banks, which limited options somewhat.  There was a lesson in how to tell good pearls (colors and thing) although I'm not sure if I could tell for anything other than Tahitian pearls and a visit to the Pearl History museum.

Late lunch at the hotel's restaurant (the not-fancy one) - good drink, good bread, BAD food - bad enough that they took it off my bill after the chef and the restaurant manager checked.  (Chicken fafa was cold, then still not hot when rewarmed in the microwave - I saw the chef - the chicken was so gristly that I had a pile of cartilage at the side of my plate and the taro / plantains / something whose name I don't know were hard enough to injure someone if you hit them with them - and yes, I was speaking French.)

Eventually recovered from being seasick so I met a friend I made on the plane for a drink and dinner.  We went to the hotel's Lotus Restaurant which was absolutely stunning - it was over the water and lit so you could see how clear it was.  And of course the food was amazing - I was sorry I didn't have my phone to take photos and unfortunately I don't think I can recreate it without a lot of work.

The light in Tahiti was amazing - hence so many landscape shots but it seemed that the view would change within a matter of 5 minutes or so.  This is the view from the hotel lobby as I was checking out and waiting for the taxi to the airport.  I got to try the coffee which was indeed "exceptionnel".

No troubles through Australian customs - the man laughed at me when I told him I bought Tahitian vanilla and waved me through.  Much faster than having nothing to declare!

Until next time, may you share memorable and happy moments with your friends and loved ones.

#97 - It all begins to come together...

I thought it was too good to be true when the delivery company said that the boxes from London would arrive between 12:30pm - 1:30pm yesterday.  I should have listened to the doubting voice but as always, it was shouted down by the unbridled enthusiasm of my hopeful side.


Let's just say that any intentions I had of going to the office after said delivery were scuppered when I called them at 2:30 to ask where my boxes were since I hadn't received any phone calls or emails re status.  Very apologetic, etc. etc.  I suggested that perhaps they ought to give the more realistic time frame of "between 12:30 - 4:30pm".  The man said maybe that would chase away customers and I told him it would help them plan better because it wouldn't mess with any plans they may have made.

Anyway - boxes eventually arrived and I started looking for the essentials:  my winter coats and the coffee maker.  Thank goodness I haven't actually put anything in the spare room other than drying laundry and the bookcase...


However, it feels like the disjointed pieces of my life are finally coming back together as the various elements gather back into one physical spot.  No longer do I have the excuse of "the [recipe/Kitchen Aid/tarte rings" are somewhere between London and Sydney/sitting in customs/quarantine so I can't cook".  Most of the things are now either put away in the kitchen or in one of the boxes in the spare room.


Also finally discovered that one of the hard to reach corners in the kitchen...actually pulls out for easy access.  I only  moved in a couple of years ago so it's nice to know that there are still things I am discovering.

And the reason I was late to work this morning (besides hunting out more winter clothes because it's freezing...I think I accidentally used the cappuccino attachment for the milk so I am going to try the other one tomorrow.  In the meantime - my first real coffee at home in eons.  Or at least in longer than I remember.  The unused French press has gone to the office where it will actually be appreciated and used, instead of languishing in the back corner of a cupboard where it's too high for me to reach without a chair.  I have managed to resist buying a stepladder thus far but am afraid the height which I can reach in the various cupboards may require that I buy one in the near-ish future.


Until next time - may you find the things you are looking for without too much difficulty.

#52 - Bath & Harrods

aka "In which Bath does not include a tub and No One goes inside Harrods"

First - Bath
On Saturday morning LM and I went up to Bath.  She said she hadn't been there in years (not since a trip during an exchange in high school) and I had never been there.  I didn't get my coffee from the place I like when I have time (Sensory Lab, 75 Wigmore Street, W1 - http://www.sensory-lab.co.uk/) because - oh, the horror! - they don't open until 10am on weekends.

I suppose that's a civilized hour but I had a train to catch.  The cafe doesn't open early because most normal people have been out the night before and only start to venture into the streets a bit later.  I suppose there's no point in opening early for a lone early bird.  So feeling quite sorry for myself (but not too sorry) I had a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks instead.  It bore testament to my oft repeated phrase "put enough milk, sugar and other crap in it and it won't taste anything".  Anyway, there was the usual quick walking to the trains once we arrived at Paddington Station, then waiting for our platform to flash up on the screen.  No, it wasn't Platform 9 3/4.  I guess they rounded up, it was Platform 10.

The train ride passed quickly, then it was a meander around town.  LM already had a couple of places in mind so by the time we hit all of the things on the list and the things that caught our eyes as we passed, it was dark.  There was the Pump Room and all the Bath Spa things (Temple of Sulis Minerva), then what were the Assembly Rooms (think Jane Austen times) which is now the Fashion Museum.  One of the things I love about the old buildings is that they have these really high ceilings.  There's something about the height which gives such a light feeling.  Even if there isn't much space horizontally, the vertical space always makes it feel like you're in less of a shoe box (or tomb or whatever).  The age of the stones here reminded me a little of Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome.  There was even a similar wet stone smell in some of the rooms as we went through.

Second - the Fashion Museum
High ceilings were also a big part of the upstairs rooms at the Fashion Museum.  The ceilings to the rooms where the exhibits were were a bit lower, unlike upstairs which I assume used to be the public gathering rooms upstairs - I associate with them with older (but not old) buildings.

I think I must be even more fashion challenged than I ever thought - there was a wedding dress display (yech), then fashions up to the 19th century (ooh, fun - think period dramas). Then there was the more recent fashion stuff (20th century and on) - most of which I didn't understand and most of which I couldn't picture anyone wearing.

We had lunch at a little cafe called Cafe Rouge (a chain, but not a bad one - I love their fries!), then a certain amount of time at a store called Kitchens.  Given that LM has finished Patisserie and I am (hopefully) finishing it, there were a lot of things we wanted in the store.  Somehow having managed to curb ourselves (we would have been pretty happy to have most of everything in the store - I told her I would need to have a house with a very large kitchen one day) we then ended up at another kitchenwares shop (Lakelands?).  It was a bit more pricey than Kitchens.  Having exercised a bit more self control, we had a look at some shoes (I bought comfy boots - on sale), then more Starbucks.  It really is insidious...

We were exhausted after such a long day so the chatter was a bit more subdued on our way back to London.  However, we did get to enjoy some of the fireworks for Guy Fawkes Day.

Actually studying...
Sunday required some work.  I met up with one of the girls who is taking a little break before finishing Superior Cuisine next term.  Then it was study time with AM in South Kensington.  It was kind of a drizzly and cold day so pretty good for studying if you couldn't curl up in front of an open fire with a cup of hot chocolate (yes, corrupted by Patisserie!) a good book and a warm, fuzzy blanket.  Instead, we were ensconced with our laptops in front of us and discussing (having a difference of opinion) over some of the methods / procedures.  Got the braised lettuce sorted out today but it was cause for a little discussion yesterday.

Then LM and I had dinner at this funky little sushi bar / club in Knightsbridge.  It was so funky that we couldn't find it.  We approached from different directions as she was coming from work and I from studying.  The result:  wandering up and down the street.  I happened to be passing when a couple in front of me happened to stop in front of a couple of bouncers and I heard the name of the restaurant.  I followed them in and down these stairs - it was dark and dimly lit with a mirror facing the stairs as you came down from the street level.  Enough to make you check your step a bit.  We forgot it was supposed to be kind of clubby - until the music turned up all of a sudden near the end of the meal and we could no longer hear each other talk.  The people over by the bar loved it though - they were having a little boogie as we were leaving.

Avoiding the Labrynth known as Harrods
There had been discussion of doing the tourist-y things we hadn't done yet (or hadn't done in a while).  The result:  a stop for photos by Harrods's windows.  Luckily Harrods was closed but the windows are still very pretty.  A lot of the stores have put up their lights - although I find the different songs at each window at Selfridges off-putting because you can hear the song from the next window when you are standing at a different window and since they are all audible, more often than not you are hit with a cacophony of sound.

I say "lucky" about Harrods being  closed because last April, a girlfriend and I had gone to do a little bit of shopping and to do a lot of gawking.  Shopping accomplished, no gawking took place because we kept getting lost when we were looking for the exit.  There were a couple of stair cases and doors which became awfully familiar and I think we passed the Diana and Dodi memorial at least 7 times.  It was an almost inescapable loop - perhaps Harry Potter's moving stair cases were inspired by an inability to find one's way out of a shop.  In any event, I am now afraid to set foot into Harrods if it involves leaving the sight of the street for fear that I will spend the rest of my life returning to Diana & Dodi's memorial.

Tea Party (Minus the Mad Hatter)

Tomorrow is our Tea Party.  We spent today making the majority of the desserts and the decorations for them.  It was one of those days - I kept spilling things and ended up wearing a great deal of chocolate.  I must have been splashed more after the break at the 3-hour mark (when we took this photo).  The second 3-hour session found me wearing quite a lot of raspberry (from making the jam) and looking a bit "disheveled".  Not surprising, given that I got a recipe where I had to make an anglaise with just egg yolks and raspberry puree.  Not having done one like that before, I went on autopilot and ended up with sugar in my egg yolks.  Only thing is, there was no sugar in that component of the dessert, so I had to start again.  FYI, 480g of egg yolk is about 24 eggs.  Now imagine separating 48 eggs (because you messed up the first 24) and knowing the mousse has to be spread on a cake, then freeze for a while.  First big screwup in a while...but it got fixed and all seems well.

Some of the desserts will require some last minute tweaking (i.e. filling the eclairs, glazing some of the cakes, etc. etc.)  We finished on time and the decorations don't look terrible.  Photos tomorrow (or possibly the next day) - in the meantime, it's time to go to bed.  Laundry is making noise as I wash off the dirt from the dirtiest practical ever.  Must remember - clumsy and neat don't always go together.  Am falling asleep so...

Until next time, may you also have a nice tea time.  And good night.