Flourless Chocolate Cake

Almost a year ago while on my Singapore trip with my mom, during one of my cookbook shopping spree, I spotted on an interesting new cookbook called Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to buy it because it's thick and huge and it wouldn't fit my luggage since it's already crammed with shoes and clothes for myself and for the rest of the family. Months has passed by and I actually forgotten about this book already until I stumbled upon Almost Bourdain adaptation of the Flourless Chocolate Cake and now my obsession to find this book has began again. Oh boy! I contacted all three of the major book chains here and no such luck. Now that  have discovered bookdepository, it's been tempting me to buy it online, however being the fickle minded person, I'm giving myself a few more months I just might change my mind specially when new cookbooks starts to come out in August - September. Ha! I'm also having a wishful thinking that I just might find it in the second hand bookstore anytime soon. They are actually getting great at having interesting cookbook selection sometimes they even have Jaime Oiliver's or Nigella, I just have to be vigilant in my visits and in my search. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, both challenging and fun at the same time.

Having no such luck in finding the book, for the mean time I console myself with finding recipes on line and the first thing I did was the Flourless Chocolate Cake. Having made Flourless Chocolate Cake before I know that what chocolate I use would be very important because that's what people would taste. Unfortunately, I didn't realized that I was low on my bittersweet chocolate supply but I really really want to do this. I mean I desperately want to try this so I went over my stash of chocolate chips, I know they are harder to melt but hey desperate time calls for desperate measures. I still couldn't find bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, I settled for my Callebaut semi-sweet quick melting chips.  Now that I found my chocolate I'm back in business! YES!

Pretty much everything went smoothly until I got to impatient I couldn't wait for the egg mixture to thicken enough until it holds ribbon, though the instruction didn't specifies it, I believe it's the main reason why my Chocolate dream came crashing down. Looking at the picture from Almost Bourdain, mine doesn't look as tall and it look too watery compared to flour less cakes I made in the past. Another bizarre thing that happens is that my new springfoarm tin leak!!! OMG! My batter looks less that it should be and getting much lesser by the second! All I can think about was that my precious chocolate and all the care and folding I did will be all for nothing if this silly tin doesn't stop leaking!!!! Getting frustrated with a supposedly easy cake, grabbed several sheets of aluminum foil and quickly wrapped the bottom of the pan with it. I even put it on a rimmed cookie sheet just in case any more unexpected kitchen disaster occurs like let's say it makes a huge mess on my oven that would drive me insane!

As predicted it didn't rise up as it should, I think it didn't rise up even a little bit! However, I did get that crisp chocolate crust and still tasted good. I would probably try this again when I get myself a proper pan!

Have a lovely chocolatey weekend everyone!

My First Macarons

I've been wanting to get my hands on a French Macaron for the longest time, I've seen and read tons of bloggers going crazy over them, I want to try my hand on making my own French Macaron but then I have no idea what they taste like so before I do any damage to my kitchen. I have to give these babies a taste, however, I often find myself out of luck in finding the time to get them. It's either I have to do some overtime work in the office or I'm to tired and lazy to go out and buy them.

My lucky day finally came when I got off from work very early and off to the mall I went. Since this is my first time to try French Macarons, I, of course went to the best patisserie in the city, Bizu. They got these gorgeous  and expensive pastries that I treat myself to during special occasions. Each macaron cost P 45.00 which is a bit steep considering they are kind of small cookie. The packaging for my 2 macarons are abysmal, the lady server just put then in little clear cellophane plastic. I mean, considering that they are a bit pricey, a good packaging would have been greatly appreciated.

For my first try I wanted to try them in their purest and simplest form, vanilla and chocolate. The chocolate macaron has a chocolate ganache filling with a crisp shell and chewy insides. Which was good however I noticed that when I bit into it, it got this off after taste and didn't like that much, I'm not sure if it wan't as fresh at it was suppose to be when I got it but it was very off putting. Huge disappointment! Next is the vanilla, inside is a buttercream filling! Uh! I hate buttercream, so that being said I didn't enjoy this flavor. Another thing that I noticed first hand is that they are very skimpy with their fillings! You can't even see them when they were sandwiched together. Another thing is are they suppose to be hallow when you bit into them? I thought they shouldn't be but here it is right in front of me a macaron with hallow inside. Tsk! tsk! and here I got them from the best pastry shop here, I mean, these are their signature product. Lastly, are they suppose to be really sweet? It's like eating candy sweet, not at all what I expected.  

I'm not sure if I just put macaron on the pedestal thinking they are one of the best pastry that I could have ever eaten but I prefer eating chocolate chip cookies compared to these. Such a huge let down this experience. Will I ever try them again? Maybe but it is definitely not going to be something that I would crave.