Baileys Chocolate Mousse

This rich and creamy chocolate mousse spiked with Baileys Irish Cream  is fantastic. I added  more of the liquor  for improved taste and  made it a  perfect dessert for our Christmas brunch. I made it with  twenty percent bitter chocolate and eighty percent sweetened dark chocolate, freshly brewed espresso, whipped cream, icing sugar and Baileys Irish Cream. Simply irresistible! I only had a couple spoonful as I was afraid of getting a spinning sensation. Some would think it's just a little amount. I don't drink because of religious purposes so that small portion would be enough to get me drunk - for real.

Sweet Mince Pies

Learning about food is an ongoing process. One of the things on my long list of Christmas treats I had to make for the big day was this sweet mince pies. It was not a complicated recipe.All I needed was batter and mincemeat filling. I thought I had everything ready. I piped halfway through when my boss came to check on me. The minced meat I put on the batter caught her attention. I knew something was not right when she gave me a puzzled look. Then she asked what was the thing I put on top. Minced beef. I exclaimed! Her eyes widened! That's when she explained what mincemeat was. Ha! I felt  dumb. My ignorance cost me a good deal of time. I had no choice but to remove the rounded minced beef and replaced it with candied peel. Imagine how guests would react if they tasted beef in their sweet mince pies! It would be a disaster.

Chocolate Yule Log

It's nice to think of the  first stages of my culinary journey where I struggled completely in creating cakes that would pass the scrutiny of my former pastry master. (Hi Master Chef).  Making this buche de noel or yule log took me back to my culinary school days. (What an experience!) So this is the first yule log I made since I left Le Cordon Bleu. Yeah, that long!  The cake and the frosting were simple to make but rolling it up was a challenge. Well, I did a good job rolling up my first yule log at school although it was quite a struggle. This time I made a better looking cake.  Kudos to me!

Christmas Cake - Creating My Own Winter Wonderland

There would be no white Christmas for me again this year. Being in the tropics gives me the chance to enjoy perfect weather but I kind of miss having a snowy, cold Christmas. A perfect Christmas scenario for me is being all bundled up, sipping hot chocolate while watching the snow fall through an icy window. Similar to what I had experienced in China.  Oh well, it ain't gonna happen in Thailand. So with white Christmas in mind,  I decided to create my own winter wonderland with the Christmas cake I made 2 months back!

Limoncello Mousse

It's hard to believe after making a lot of stuff  last Friday, I managed to make dessert for Sunday brunch and go home right on time. (Well, I went to work earlier than my usual start time so I could get everything ready). Two staff who usually do dessert for the event  took their holiday at the same time leaving the job to me and  the demi chef de partie. Like me, she also had things lined up for the day but we had to cover for the ladies. So here's one of the three mini dessert I made for brunch. Limoncello Mousse, a sweet concoction with a mild citrusy kick.