17 | October | 2008 | A Whiff of Lemongrass

I have always admired the likes of Fatboybakes and the Just Heavenly duo. Witty, good looking, multi-talented and really amazing bakers. Just throw a bunch of ingredients at them, and they’re able to whip up something probably unpronouncable with Zs and Qs (notice how the more amazing the cake, the more the obscure consonants in the name?…which reminds me of this episode of Family Guy where Peter takes a shot in the dark at a Wheel of Fortune gameshow…the clue is Actor & Show and he comes up with Z, 4, Q, Q, Q and the batman symbol(!), then correctly guesses Alex Karras in Webster…hehehe).

And on the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s me. I am a reluctant baker. (And talking about reluctant bakers, Bald Eagle calls me a reluctant PJ(Petaling Jaya)-driver ‘coz in all my years of driving (and mind you, I have an excellent sense of direction), I have refused to learn my way around PJ….but in my defence, PJ roads are stupid…they’re numbered but not in sequential order and I cannot embrace anything so illogical). Anyway, back to baking, my palms get clammy, and I start sweating the small stuff. To overcome this fear, I persuaded Aunt in Oz to teach me how to bake.

The first lesson was the Pav. I was worried that my success in baking a pavlova was merely beginner’s luck, so I embarked on another baking project immediately after that.

“This one’s easy,” Aunt said.

Of course, “easy” is relative. I’m the type of girl who can kill a cactus or guppies (longkang fish) effortlessly.

Step 1:
Chuck 200g dark chocolate, 150g castor sugar, 150g butter, 1 tablespoon strong espresso coffee and 1tablespoon rum/brandy in a bowl.

Step 2:
Sit the bowl in simmering water (i.e. double boil) until all the ingredients melt.

Step 3:
Remove from heat and stir well to combine 100g ground almonds/hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Then beat in 5 egg yolks, one at a time.