fast to eat but!

Today's baking lesson is also danish kind of bread.




'Pain au Chocolat'



This danish bread is light snack kind
while croissant is table bread.


For this bread (or should I say danish?),
used normal unsalted butter,
and its amount is more than croissant.
(teacher said, croissant dough is consider still lean)


Process of kneading is just same as croissant,
took about 3 hours to ready for making shape.


During summer unable to make unless
make the room very cold, we said and laughed =P


Tasted not that light and crispy as croissant.
Is it I did't do well??? or because of butter???
Puzzled lor!!

Y's sweets

The building is very typical Japanese house.



It stated : Y's Tei



My mum was wondering what's the shop.
Is it restaurant? is it drinking bar?




It is cake shop.
Its main shop is near the city.


well, why don't we try their cakes since their cakes are quite popular.


We bought 3 cakes.

First is both us strongly attracted,
[Zunda Mont Blanc]


they make Zunda quite sweet. but others are not.

Zunda is boiled and grated Edamame bean.
famous in northern Japan region.
roll cake is lying under Zunda cream, and
side is coated by thin layer of whipped cream and Gyuuhi.
(gyuuhi is made of glutinous eice flour and sugar,
very soft and slightly chewy texture like mua chee)

Zunda cream still has a little bit of chunks,
quite unique taste I thought =)



and my mum choose
[Ichijiku mousse]


Jelly tasted like got liquar or something...

Now it's Ichijiku (fig) season.
This cake shop offering some fig cakes.
Tart, short cake but my mum choose this.
Refreshing taste and looks.



lastly I choosed
[special matcha mousse]


cute look! don't know it's limited peiod or not...

It was only green tea cake I found this time round.
Whole mousse covered by green tea Gyuuhi,
layer of thick but light, rich and very smooth green tea mousse,
light red bean whipped cream and green tea sponge cake.


Balance of this cake is amazing!
I and my mum found it very nice =)

looks quite heavy but not at all.
very smooth and nice bitter taste and sweet taste.
(not like sugary sweet)



I would like to have it more...hehehe =P


Y's Tei
Saeki-ku, Yahata-higashi, 3-29-45

too cute to bite

Bought a Japanese sweets.




This is peony. therer were more flower designs at shop.


It's so cute and lovely looking.
Little bit different looks from common Japanese sweets.
(like more detailed petals and gradation of colour)


This sweets, should be made of Nerikiri Paste,
which made of bean paste and some other ingredients.



All this Japanese sweets size is just about 4cm square,
but you can feel the seasons from this =)

mobile talk and then.

Feel like taking photo for my mobile phones...
First one to current one...
I think I should bring my old ones to recycle as cannot use at all.


Japan's mobile phone is really too many functions,
most of that, rarelly to use...hahaha.


For me, for the mobile phone,
phone call and email (or SMS) is most and
leaset functions.


Other than that...not really needed.


old > new. i like TOSHIBA as i feel it's GUI is quite user friendly.

These are my mobile phones
old (left) to new (right).


becomes bigger and slimmer.

Fist one was TOSHIBA C310T, first colour display or
16melody hand phone under au brand.
(there are 3 big mobile phone carrier in Japan,
Docomo (NTT), au (KDDI) and Softbank mobile (former vodafone))

I used it for about 3 years and changed to A5501T.
first 1mega pixel camera phone in TOSHIBA,
with QVGA 2.2inch display, GPS, 15fps movie, MiniSD,
Chaku uta (song ringing tone)...etc...
It was still external antenna.


I was au user for quite sometime and earned discount points.
So I changed to new one in 2006 summer.
(usually new models will be introduced every seasons)

I could not find any nice design for TOSHIBA and I choose
Sony Ericsson model W32S (sony ericsson model was new comer).
This model comes with cute illumination panel, and panel is changeable.

Also, old ones were still CDMA but this was CDMA WIN and more functions...
2.7 inch QVGA (BRAVIA technology + @), PC site viewer, Felica (like Creditcard),
high quolity sound (DBEX), 2.1Mpix camera, memory stick Pro/DUO, FM,
Chakuuta full, infarred, GPS, Barcord reader...etc...

Too many functions already...GPS is with voice navigation somemore...
I did not use much this mobile phone and I end contract with au...


Just untill recent, all mobile phones must get with contract,
no handphones can be bought without plan.
Untill they started number portability service, numbers also will be changed
if you change mobile phone carrier.

when I bought sony ericsson's in 2006,
SIM card was inside as they started number portability.


For my current one, TOSHIBA T002 is just introduced.
And much more and more functions compare to sony ericsson's.

I do not know when to use all these functions...hahaha.
3inch TFT (REGZA), Global Passport (3G), OneSeg TV (HD), 3Mpix AF,
book viwer, Felica, GPS, micro SDHC, water proof...ect..etc...
(* not able to insert overseas SIM card to use)


now Japan's mobile phone market had changed alot.
Mobile phone price became very expensive and
You can sell your old mobile phone if you finish paying your mobile phone.
T002 was about JPY45000 (SGD670) while W32S was about JPY20000 (SGD 300).
Plan becomes cheaper, starting from JPY1000/m (SGD15), half of W32 that time.

but still, there is a SIM lock, you cannot use your overseas SIM card
in your mobile phone.


I am very wondering how mobile phone market going on,
and hopping that someday my Singapore SIM card also be able to use with my
Japan's mobile phone =)



note : rate JPY for SGD is x1.5
in Japan, SMS is only for same carrier numbers. (e.g au - au, au x Docomo)
different carriers and internet emails, you can use your mobile phones email address.

87 layers or more

It's the first lesson for my advanced baking course today.


Today's menu was 'croissant'.


used special kind of butter,
(Lactic acid fermented butter, common in europ, but not really in Japan)
and it took 3 hours to finish making dough.


As the butter and dough, need to be keep
in cold for making butter and dough layers.


Rolled, fold, chilled, rolled, fold and child.


Quite difficult!!


I could not make nice shape but the taste is so rich,
very fraky, crispy, nice butter fragrance =)


really crispy and fraky! much better than bakery kind.



I think I only be able to try to bake it at home during winter, hehe...=P
(room temperature is so low...haha)




abit weird shape but got layer, at least =P

fishy?

Recently, there is a news...



Documentary movie : 'The Cove'



This movie, forcused one of town in Japan.
Showing that people there is catching dolphins for eating.


What I got to know about this town is,
for their lives, dolphin meat is not a special meat.
they are eating the meat for long long time and it's their own culture.

Just like for us eating whale meat...

I am not sure whether this movie going to show in Japan or not.
In Singapore, it will be showing from 27 Aug '09 onwards...
(tomorrow then!!)
If I got a chance, I would like to watch it.



I didn't know that whale and dolphin is high in mercury...
(come to think...they are on top of food chain...should be high in mercury...)
I only know it is high in protein and low in fat.


my mum and I prefer to eat whale meat than beef.
maybe we should eat less whale meat...



umm...



but anyway whale meat is not always able to find...



whale meat has fragrance...not like beef.

finished at this moment.

It's actually quite fast running through for this basic baking course.
All these quite fast, really fast...
Usually people take 1 lesson per week,
I was taking 2 lessons per day, sometimes 3 lessons...

From now on, I will only be going baking lesson only 2 times per month, most of time I will practice baking at home...




It will be quite fun and more relax. =)




Today, for my last basic baking lesson,
I baked 'Seigle au Fig'.


Contains rye flour half amount of bread flour.
rye flour is low in gluten, this bread mix maron paste into dough,
It was really hard to knead...

Knead knead but still very sticky...
not like normal dough at all.



After all, the bread was come out from oven with nice chestnut smell...



alot of chunks of dry fig in it too.



Frankly speaking,
smell was more like baked sweet potato somehow...hahaha =P

Left another bread!

I almost complete my basic baking course!!
Finally!!!


Today baked custard cream bread.


One of most common bread in Japan.


This time round did not use microwave to make custard cream as quantity is much more than those that I made.


quite alot of cream inside. but quite light taste too =)


Looks a little bit not nicely shaped but taste was OK.
Cream is not too sweet. but nice vanila fragrance.




wondering why cream bread is always this shape.

I really realised that for this kind of 'snack bread' or 'sweet bread',
better use mix of cake flour and bread flour.

Cake flour make a light texture,
You will not feel too chowy.

Raisin Roll again

Weekend baking practice.



Tried to bake raisin roll again
as last time I did some wrong thing.


This time round was quite OK.



raisin quantity also OK.


I did not use egg for this but I think better contain egg for this kind of roll bread.
can be more softer and moisty texture.


While I was baking bread, my mum was doing gardening and she brought back bitter gourd.
She did not take care of that at all but it grown such a cute bitter gourd.

She was quite surprised.


size is half of normal bitter gourd, but look so tasty =P

Bitter Gourd in Japan is like this, different from Singapore's.
maybe like baby bitter gourd.


This vege's popular dish is 'Go-ya Champlu-', Okinawa's local food.
thinly sliced bitter gourd,
thin sliced pork(or any lean pork),
Tofu(microwave it 2mins to take off water well) and egg.
Just stir fry till well done. salt and pepper to taste.
Simple and nice!! =)


Cucumber, tomato is already finish harvesting.
Seems like summer vegetables season almost over.


She shoul be soon going to prepare her tiny garden for winter vegetables.

meantime we are looking forward to ripe pumpkin and persimmons =)

dare to try?

Lazy weekend.
do revision for baking.


Somehow I suddenly got idea,
'how about using mayonaise for baking bread???'



Anyway mayonaise also using egg and oil mah...



well, I should try.



Just used mayonaise instead of oil and egg.


It looked well done,
Yes, it looked well done.



Tried it, taste was quite ok.
Yes. quite ok, at first.



looks normal bread hor...



But





but after a while....






my mouth got fishy kind of after taste...
like after eat fish cake or something...




How come got this kind a taste???





Anyway my adventure is over.
'Mayonaise is not suitable for baking'




Went out for weekend shopping to
supermarket, not department store.


It's summer now, why not having
cold noodle for dinner?


Japanese summer is this and Soumen!! (cold noodles)

Had 'Hiyashi chu-ka (cold chinese style noodle)'.
got alot of ingredients till unable to see the noodle =)

bread? cake?

Stollen, this is a german christmas cake.
For me is 'Yeast Cake'. not a kind of bread.


Today somehow I learned it.


Process is just as same as bread.


Teacher also said that
'this bread is more like cake'.






Stollen is commonly seen it when
it comes christmas season in Singapore but
not really common in Japan.
(I think I rarely see or I have never seen it before...)


Anyway this is my first time to eat stollen,
So I don't know is it real taste of stollen or not...



not bad lah.



quite nutty...haha

a.k.a camambert...

It was long waiting baking lesson.


Because, I baked the bread
which my mum and shiu-chan likes....




'Camambert Noix'




Rock salt brings bread taste more better. =P


My mum used to buy camambert noix from
bakery car (drive around neighbourfood area),
but they changed baker and now no more saling
camambert noix.

Since I got to learn this bread,
I can bake this bread for them any time they want!!




Feel so happy like that! =D




another bread is my favorite kind,
contains alot of currants and raisin called
'Myrtille Raisin'.



alot of currants and blue berries in it =D =D



this look like Hot Cross bun that
you can find in Singapore near christmas.




Quite sweet but chewy and nice too =)

Revenge?!

When I bought my microwave oven,
I baked table roll (= Japanese english).


It was successed, but after that I baked and baked,
It was not successed at all.


It was my first time baking.


And today, I baked table roll at baking class.


very happy and much sertisfied!

I felt like 'I have revenged to bake it successfully!'



from now on, I can bake it without worry =)



Another bread I baked Tea Orange also
nicely baked =) =)


mixed darjeerin tea and orange peel in it.

Teacher taught me how to see whether dough is ready for
proofing or not, well knead or not.

I think I keep knead and bake then I will be able to
know those well.



I will keep trying then.

mochi mochi!!

It was surprising baking class today.

I could bake very "mochi mochi" (= chewy in Japanese) bread.
The bread, named soy milk black bean bread.
It's just use soy milk instead of water.
Somemore it contains low gluten flour so I thought it must be light texture bread.



But, it is not.



It's really my first time to bake such a chewy bread.
the dough quite difficult to knead.



I was sooooo happy to bake that.




really mochi mochi! =)


My mum also likes to eat it!




cramberry and cream cheese bread. this bread is also quite nice.

Hard working day?!

Today it's first day of advanced baking course.


Because of that?
Today what I bake was all so tough to knead.

Also used a couple of flour.


My right arm a little bit feels muscleache
because of yesterday's long hours baking class.
And I did exercise after that...


It was really tough for me to knead and knead,
I used left arm to knead too.
But after tough work out, I could bake pretty breads!! =)


Honey cinamon bread. use honey for sweeten the bread.



Anchovy sauce piza. very chewy!! nice =)



grissini. soft type. reminds me of Basilico's.




What a really difficult and fun baking!!

baking of the day...

Today I was at baking class for 6 hours.
rushing to complete the course anyway.


today I baked,



something like focaccia bread.



wiener (sausage) bread with mustard cabbage.



custard cream roll. garnish with apricot jam.


teacher said these look pretty good.




really?



anyway they cannot say 'look ugly' lah.


haha =P

Obon visiting

Visited my uncle and cousin.


My uncle staying at Okayama Pref,
It's famous for peach and grapes and
we saw many those at supermarket there.
(Now it's season for those. you can smell strong smell of peach)



all these are for gift.



Because he owned photoshop,
and was photographer,
I asked him a few things about SLR camera.



Finally I understood how camera lens works
and when to adjust functions.





Thank you very much uncle!!!






My cousin, brought Octopus sashimi,
they stay where famous for nice octopus.


It's rare to find Octopus in Singapore,
Long long time I didn't have any sashimi of it I thought.


It was very tasty and chewy =)

mid august.

ya lah! I went for baking class today also lah!!!


but today, it was something different from
previous classes.




because,




I learned,




Table bread!!!





YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! =D =D =D




I am the person who always look for simple
and nice bread.



I always prefer to eat plain bread.




So, I am so excited!





Of course, first bread 'Mocha cream bread' also nice.
but in my mind is only to bake nice table bread only.


mocha cream? more like 'KOPI' bread =P


Ingredients for table bread is quite simple and
this is very common lean bread I think.
Teacher asked me to knead and knead well.




I was happy as I was succesfully baked well done bread.





table bread called 'Pain de mie'



Today, It's 2nd day of Obon,
(our hungry ghost festival, every year 13-15 aug)

visited my family's grave yard and pray.
pray pray for alot of thing...haha, I prayed too much thing =P



14 aug is another thing we are looking forward to,
It is one of famous fireworks festival at Miyajima.
about 5000 fireworks will be displayed in the sky.


big big fireworks hor, about 1 hour of show time.

they reported that more than 350000 ppl are
there to see the fireworks.


taken by pro photographer (frm chu-goku news paper)


In Japan fireworks is only able to see or play during summer.
I watched it frm quite far place but it was nice fireworks =)





Miyajima tourist info
http://www.miyajima-wch.jp/index_e.html

Chu-goku News paper
http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp

today oso baking lah

OF COURSE!
today also went for baking class.


too bad I was only be able to take one class.
it was sweet pumpkin.


mix pumpkin frakes into dough,
garnish with butter sugar, almonds and pumpkin seeds.


baked seeds are making nice fragrance

this bread is sweet dessert kind of bread.
Quite sweet but not bad for tea time I thought =)





This lesson, I learnt how to tie the dough.
very very interesting!



After the class, I suddenly felt like eating red bean ice cream.
Just like sometimes I suddenly felt like eating Potong in Singapore.

while eating red bean ice cream, it reminds me of that...
hubby, shiu-chan will accompany me to buy potong and
sometimes eat together.






just jalan jalan for awhile to down stairs but it was kind of sweet moment.











little shiu-chan, this is not using coconuts milk eh. you want?










....Just a small red bean ice cream,
but it's enough to makes me feel miss hubby alot ='(

Again, baking

Of course, today I went baking class.

todays breads are :


Spicy Tomato bread & Orange Custard.



Spicy tomato bread is mix tomato paste into dough.
rolled bacon and dried tomato into dough and bake it.

Nice panch of black pepper=)



Orange custard is just as same as berry cheese cream.
dough is more rich as contains more butter and skimmed milk,
with quick made custard cream and orange comport.


if you do not want to make custard cream so much,
you can use microwave to make it. very easy =)
It was my first time to make custard cream...I think so.


Anyway those very opposit bread,
One is table bread, while another one is dessert bread,
both tasted not bad.


luckily I still no mistaken bread yet...=P




teacher good in teaching mah~~~

By the way there is one thing I think Singapore should have
kind of service.

it is...



When we buy sliced or prepared fruits,
we can see how sweet it is.



12-13 degrees is sweet for watermelon.


in the picture, there is a sweet level label placed on it.

That lavel shows sweet level and how much is sweet for the fruits.
this mostly appears on sliced watermelon, melon and pineapple.
So that we can choose sweetness of those and will be able to get
your sweet level preference.


Since there are so many sliced / prepared fruits in Singapore,
this will be able to provide better service for customers.



maybe I only think so.

baking of the day 2

Today also went for baking class.

I baked,

Sesame bran & Berry Cheese cream.




Sesame bran, mix wheat bran into dough.
garnish with alot of sesame, so flavourful bread.


Berry cheese cream uses cream cheese in it.
more like danish kind of dessert bread I thought.




What will I be learning next?? =P



I am already dreaming of opening small bakery cafe in Singapore...hahaha

baking of the day

Baking class, today too =)

There were two kind of bread I baked.

Curry Cheese onion & Pain au lait.


Curry cheese is mixed curry powder into dough,
with chunks of cheese and onions.


Pain au lait is use milk instead of water,
use brown sugar so that bread taste more mild and chewy.




After the class, I went to supermarket and find
limited edition Pepsi.







>>>








Imagine...







>>>









*note : pepsi nex is Japan market original pepsi.


I think every year they making this kind of limited edition pepsi.

I remember there was a cucumber flavour.
I wonder how's the Shiso taste...
Shiso is common Japanese harb.


I feel like trying, but scared...=P
(you may seen it before when you eat Sashimi)

meeting w nice green tea

It's sunday today!!
I tried to bake raisin bread as my mum requested.

I did wrong timing to do gas release so
bread became smaller and look harder.
However, bread was still chewly and not so hard.


Luckily my mum still liked it! =)



looks like pong piah!



After the brunch, we went for cake shop
as my mum wanted to buy dacqoise.


I found rich green tea mousse,
So I just tried it.

Bitter rich green tea with light and smooth texture mousse.
it was my favorite kind of mousse and taste.

yappari got chestnut on it.


inside. whole sweet cooked chestnut in it.

their dacqoise also bitter & rich green tea taste with
green tea butter cream and black bean.



Dacqoise got 3 flavours.

The cake shop, I seldome pass by the place but
I hope to visit there and try more their desserts =)