Happy Holidays!

W and I leave for Paris shortly and will be away most of December, so I just wanted to wish everyone a fabulous festive season full of joy, love, merry-making and over-the-top feasting. Joyeux Noël et bonne année! See you in 2009...

Meringue Magic

The last 4 sessions of Holiday Baked Treats, a demo class, will be held at Shermay's Cooking School on 22 November 2008 (Saturday), 23 November 2008 (Sunday), 6 December 2008 (Saturday) and 7 December 2008 (Sunday) - the November and December schedules have all the details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

As mentioned here, getting the hang of meringue alone opens up many other possibilities, all detailed in the bonus section of the recipe pack. I like to think of it as a fun guide to some fabulous holiday ideas.

There is something magical about meringue, that a substance comprising of ingredients as ordinary as egg whites and sugar can be transformed with whisk and air into dreamy clouds of lightness, featherweight yet capable of being manipulated into virtually any shape you fancy with kit no more sophisticated than a piping bag and nozzle. Call me simple-minded, but I honestly do think it's fundamental kitchen alchemy at its essential and fascinating best!

Aside from covering techniques for meringue cookie shapes like poinsettias, shells, kisses and porcupines,

I've also included 2 recipes for filling cookie pairs - Salted Caramel Filling and Peppermint Chocolate Filling both make for scrumptious meringue cookie sandwiches.

The salted caramel recipe is the same multi-purpose and versatile one I call upon for filling everything from pastry cases to macarons to layer cakes to shortbread cookies (such as here). Caramel au beurre salé...it's as much pastry shorthand for chic as it is outrageously moreish. And I am thrilled to know I am not alone in my addiction; after yesterday's session, a very lovely lady, L, came up to me to say "I'm going home to make buckets of this tonight!" Two others in attendance, S and D - good friends, super stylish, and self-confessed Francophiles - I already know to adore the stuff as the subject is a recurring theme in all our conversations!

The fillings can also be used for meringue tartlet shells. Alternatively, the shells can be finished with preserves, marmalades or citrus curds of your choice.

And of course, there's mini pavlovas. Filled with whipped cream and red fruit macerated with framboise or kirsch and a splash of rosewater, it is as easy and festive as dessert gets.

A slightly more time-consuming project would be meringue boxes - beautiful edible holders for scoops of ice cream or sorbet.

Holiday Baked Treats - Classes at Shermay's Cooking School

Aside from this, the only other seasonal class I'll be teaching is Holiday Baked Treats, a demo class, at Shermay's Cooking School on 8 November 2008 (Saturday), 9 November 2008 (Sunday), 22 November 2008 (Saturday) and 23 November 2008 (Sunday) - the November schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

If the candy class is geared towards gifting, this baked treats class is all about the joys of the bountiful holiday table. Many of the recipes are designed for entertaining, and make for a magnificent grand finale to a festive meal.

Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Chocolate Pudding is a super easy and versatile recipe that's equally good served hot or cold. Served hot, it has a light texture, not unlike soufflé, and is delicious simply accompanied by pouring cream.

Served cold - topped with whipped cream and a shower of chocolate shavings - it becomes denser and richer in texture, not unlike a chocolate mousse.

Moist and moreish Sticky Date & Toffee Bundt, served with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream and a generous dose of yet more Sticky Toffee Sauce on the side, is a surefire crowd-pleaser.

The recipe can also be baked as individual Sticky Date & Toffee Mini Puds - you may find this a more practical solution if you are hosting a large party. The mini puds also make a wonderful addition to a dessert buffet table, allowing guests to help themselves easily.

In Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Valrhona Perles, cocoa is used subtly, as if it were a spice, adding nuance and complexity to the flavour of the gingerbread. The chocolatey kick comes from the extravagant addition of Valrhona chocolate pearls.

I personally find the cupcakes lovely as they are, and prefer to skip the frosting entirely - all that's required to finish them is a dusting of icing sugar. While very fine served at room temperature, if you do get the opportunity, try them warm - I'll sheepishly admit that when a tray of these emerge from the oven, I'm quite capable of demolishing half the batch at one go.

Valrhona Cocoa Meringue Kisses - light, airy, crisp and a snap to make - round out the recipe lineup.

Mastering the meringue technique alone opens up many other possibilities, including the ultimate Bûche de Noël decorations, these Meringue Mushrooms. Of course, you could simply enjoy them as cookies!

I'll have more details up in a separate post on the Bonus Section - The Art of Meringue: A Guide to Fabulous Holiday Ideas. These include:

Meringue Cookie Shapes Techniques for shaping/piping Poinsettias, Shells, Porcupines etc

Recipes for filling Meringue Cookie Sandwiches Salted Caramel Filling; Peppermint Chocolate Filling

Meringue Tartlet Shells How to shape and fill with preserves, curds etc of your choice

Mini Pavlovas How to shape and fill with flavoured whipped cream and fresh fruit of your choice

Meringue Boxes How to construct a beautiful edible container for holding scoops of sorbet, ice cream etc

Sweets For Your Sweet

As mentioned here, I'll be teaching Holiday Candy Shop, a demo class, at Shermay's Cooking School. Only 2 more sessions of this class will be held, on 1 November 2008 (Saturday) and 2 November 2008 (Sunday) - the November schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

It was with mileage in mind that the recipe pack for this class was designed - grasping one set of techniques/recipes thus leads to other possibilities. So in addition to the key recipes demonstrated at class, I've included a bonus section with extra recipes, ideas and serving suggestions.

With the season of gifting round the corner, my personal favourite in the lineup of ideas is a S'mores Kit (pictured above) - the difference being that both the Graham Crackers (made from nutty wholemeal flour, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon) and Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows have been crafted from scratch. Packaged together with tablets of Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate, I can't think of a more fun and delicious DIY gift.A thoughtful touch is including in your gift tag instructions for assembling and toasting the S’mores – these nostalgic snacks are the perfect marriage of crisp and gooey, molten chocolate and vanilla perfume...the ultimate luxurious spin on a comforting and familiar treat.

A proper cup of Hot Chocolate, rich, thick and smooth with Valrhona Araguani 72% Dark Chocolate, deserves nothing less than to be topped by a Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallow.

Rocky Road Fudge (Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Fudge studded with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows & Pecans) combines the best of 2 recipes – the ease of the “instant fudge” method as illustrated by the Mocha Walnut Fudge, and the scrumptiousness of homemade marshmallows.

Homemade Graham Crackers are yummy all on their own, as the bases for S'mores, or given a dressier finish by being dipped in a Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Glaze.

Likewise, the Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Glaze smartens up shards of Honeycomb Crunch – think of it as the uptown cousin of that supermarket candy aisle guilty pleasure.

Honeycomb Crunch Sundaes are yet another fabulous use of this addictive candy. The Valrhona Araguani 72% Dark Chocolate Sorbet is intense and potent - made without dairy products (which can obscure the complex savours of an excellent dark chocolate), it is a chocolate purist's frozen dessert dream. To cut the bittersweetness, I like it served with Butterscotch Sauce and Honeycomb Crunch.

Holiday Candy Shop - Classes at Shermay's Cooking School

I'll be teaching Holiday Candy Shop, a demo class, at Shermay's Cooking School on 18 October 2008 (Saturday) and 19 October 2008 (Sunday) - the October schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

I think the awesome thing about candy and confections is that they really lend themselves well to gifting. Many recipes keep nicely and can be prepared in advance, giving one ample time to have a little think about packaging, making them a joy both to present and to receive. The other awesome thing, of course, is their old-time charm - it is likely many recipients of your handcrafted candies will be utterly amazed; it's simply not something most folks think of as do-able at home!

But the truth is, candy recipes can be beautifully simple. One road leads to many; mastering one particular technique or recipe very often opens up other possibilities. It was with this in mind that the following line-up was designed. In addition to a comprehensive recipe pack detailing the key recipes demonstrated at class, I've included a bonus section with extra recipes, ideas and serving suggestions.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows are not only delicious, but are terrific in everything from a luxurious cup of hot chocolate to S'mores to Rocky Road fudge. Because the mixture is set in a large sheet, there's nothing to stop you from cutting out stars or any other shape instead of standard cubes.

My favourite variations flavour-wise are Peppermint Marshmallows, and Rosewater Strawberry Marshmallows. The latter, in particular, are stunning presented as laniards, inspired by the guimauve that's a ubiquitous fixture on the candy trolley of many a chic Parisian fine dining establishment and purveyed by the very best confiseries, lifted out of heavy apothecary jars with silver tongs and cut to order with a flourish.

Adore the crunchy centres of a certain famous candy bar? Here’s how you can make Honeycomb Crunch. Apart from enjoying alone, these candies can also be dipped in a dark chocolate glaze, or treated like nougatine and crushed over scoops of ice cream or sorbet. I especially adore it with darkly seductive chocolate sorbet, brought over the top with rich butterscotch sauce.

Conventional recipes for fudge tend to be complex operations – a candy thermometer is a must so that the mixture does not overcook. Unless a certain amount of care is taken, the mixture can turn out overly grainy – not a desirable trait. And after cooking, the mixture needs to be beaten very well. This Mocha Walnut Fudge with Valrhona Jivara Lactée 40% Milk Chocolate is an unconventional “instant fudge” recipe that's extremely simple and fast to prepare yet turns out exquisitely creamy fudge – no need for a candy thermometer, and certainly no need for elbow grease! It's also a great template for experimenting with different milk or dark chocolates, extracts, nuts and dried fruits; a wonderful variation on the theme is Rocky Road fudge.

Spiced Fig, Pistachio & Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate Logs are loosely based on an Italian number known as lonza di fichi. It tickles me to no end to think of these as “fig salami” – the fruit, nut and chocolate mixture is shaped into logs before being sliced, and the slices really do look like salami! Subtly spiced, intriguingly fruity and studded with pistachios, this not-too-sweet little bite is an elegant accompaniment to a postprandial digestif or espresso.

I'll have more details up in a separate post on the bonus section. Recipes, ideas and serving suggestions include:

S’mores – Toasted Homemade Graham Crackers topped with Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate and Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

Rocky Road Fudge – Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Fudge studded with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows & Pecans

Hot Chocolate – The ultimate hot chocolate with Valrhona Araguani 72% Dark Chocolate, topped with Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

Honeycomb Crunch Sundaes – Valrhona Araguani 72% Dark Chocolate Sorbet topped with Honeycomb Crunch & Butterscotch Sauce

Chocolate Honeycomb Crunch – Honeycomb Crunch dipped in Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Glaze

Chocolate Graham Crackers - Homemade Graham Crackers dipped in Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate Glaze