Remember, during the pandemic, when we decided to grow our own scallions from leftover bulbs? Unfortunately, mine didn’t really grow, so I bought a bunch for scallion biscuits and pancake testing. While I got the technique and flavor down, the texture wasn’t quite right. I needed more flakiness. Enter: Clarice Lam’s recipe from her new book Breaking Bao. She, too, sought after flaky layers for scallion pancakes and ended up with a roti canai recipe.
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Matcha is much-loved in my family, so I look for every opportunity to bake with it. When I came across the matcha white chocolate cookies in Edd Kimber’s Small Batch Bakes, I got to work. My parents bought me culinary grade matcha in Japan, but this Matcha brand can be ordered online. The recipe came together fast, making it the perfect weeknight bake. The verdict? Rave reviews from both the adults and my toddler nephews (mmm! at first bite). I thought the cookies had the right balance of matcha to white chocolate flavor.
I had the pleasure of cooking with cookbook author Rosa Jackson at a farm in the hills of Nice, France. We had a full menu of Nicoise dishes. There was a delicious socca I couldn’t stop snacking on while cooking, herb-crusted rack of lamb, squash soup, and to finish, the French chocolate mousse. Special thanks to Rosa for allowing me to share the recipe.
I’m thrilled to share Miette’s graham crackers recipe from Pastry Chef and Owner Meg Ray. The San Francisco patisserie has been around since 2001 and truly no other shop is quite as charming. Whenever I pass by the Ferry Building location, I can’t help but look at the latest curation of candies, all perfectly packaged, but my sweet fix for candy seems to have gone away in my adulthood. Instead, I opt to go to the stand-alone freezer for one of the ice cream sandwiches, specifically the graham cracker with creme fraiche ice cream.
I was first introduced to this Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake recipe in pastry school. It was my assigned project during Cake Week. I had never heard of it before then, but it is a beloved treat that originated in San Francisco. It was invented in the 1940’s by Ernest Weil at Blum’s confectionery shop in Union Square, the first of several locations. A staff member overcooked some candy and Ernest smashed it into pieces to decorate the sponge cakes. And thus, the Koffee Krunch Cake (original spelling) was born.
