My Baby Evan

It was great to see my son again, this weekend. I have not seen him for a good few months. I know I am not a perfect dad material, actually I am, but I cannot afford him at the moment. He has two sweet mums to look after him, I have nothing to worried about.

Some of you might ask, what is this all about? A puff, has a son? No, Evan was not a mistake, he was planned, and we all love him very much. Well, I start to be a sperm donor about 2 years ago. I always want a child when I am not too old. It might be easy for you, but not for me. I knew Z was on this website that is called http://www.free-sperm-donations.com/ , he told me I can set up a profile and there will be couples to contact me, straight or gay, so I did. About a month after, T and L contacted me. They are Chinese (L) and German (T) lesbian couple, T was the one who want to carry the baby, so they will have a Chinese and German half cast baby and look-a-like them.

Anyway, I went to Belfast to see them all with Z. We arrived at early evening on Saturday. T picked us up at the airport. The day was very nice and dry, bright warm sunshine, you wouldn’t think that was the end of summer. Evan was in the car looking at me suspiciously. Last time he met me was half a year ago, he was only 2 months old. He probably didn’t remember me at all. Instead of greeting me, the second I got in the car and said hi to Evan, he started crying, no matter what I did, he just kept crying. It was very embarrassing to be honest, people around might think it was child abuse.

Finally we arrived at T & L’s place. Once Evan back to his throne, had his food, he was full of beans again. For a 7-month old baby, he can walk with help from us. In no time, he will walk around the place and wreck it.

We stayed in and caught up on things. I had 2 and a half bottle of wine, very insensible. The next morning I woke up with hanging headache, anything I drank from then I threw up straight away. It was the worst hang over ever. After an hour struggling in bed, Zoran gave me some painkillers and then emotional blackmail me that they were going to this food festival in the park. I have to say the blackmail worked beautifully. I suddenly had this momentum to get myself out the bed, went to the shower and got out the house.

It was a beautiful day, even tho I was still half pissed, I managed to have some food and had a good time with Evan and all. I was very nice to have an outing with the girls, my son and Zoran and we get on very well. I m sure Little Evan had a good time too, he giggle all the time when we were in the park. I can see he really wants to walk on his own, he never stop turning here and there when I was holding him.

After that, it was about time to go to the airport. I would love to stay a bit longer. Before we went, I gave T & L my calligraphy of Evan’s name in Chinese. They were delighted. I also leave a life casting kit at them, so next time, we can cast Evan’s baby foot and hand, that will be good fun.

White Truffle

Last weekend, I was planning my birthday dinner at Lance’s (my bro). One of the starters will be butternut squash risotto with white truffle oil. I have had truffle oil in dishes in several occasions, I found it not as special as people describe, or may be the restaurant I went to was stingy about, so I have not had a good analysis on the taste of it.

For those who have not heard of truffle, I am here to give a little intro for these ugly and unappetizing but precious fungi. Truffle is a type of edible fungi that grows 3 to 12 inches underground, often near oak trees. They are not as visible as their conventional counterpart. Truffle farmers train pigs and dogs to sniff truffle out in forests. Because of its labour intensive harvesting method, thus their shelf life is only a few day in refrigerator after they have been exposed, these make truffles extremely expensive.

To make sure I put what I want to taste in my dish, there is only one way to find out. I bought a little bottle of this white truffle oil in Morrison. It costs me £3.50, it is not cheap but it is cheaper than I expected. The taste of oil actually tastes like one of the Chinese medicinal herb, Dong Quai – Chinese angelica. It has a very pungent aroma. I tried it on some scallops, it goes very well. Although, I do not know is this truffle oil good or not but we like it.

I did not take the oil back to Manchester with me, I thought I could get them in Waitrose, and so I did. However, it is from a different brand and the smell of it is different to the one at Lance. The smell is more gasoline, a lot more earthy. I cannot say I am very keen on the smell of it. Actually they both taste similar, but I prefer Lance’s to the one I bought. Nevermind, I have spent good money on this little bottle of oil, I just hope it will go well with my risotto.

Viva Piñata: A Game form of Heroin

Most of gamer what am I talking about here. The second game of the sequel has just been out. I have not tried it yet, there are still a few things I need to do on the first one. It was a year or so the first game launched. I have seen it in shops, quite frankly, the cover of Viva Piñata is not something could attract serious gamer. The game targets a wide age range, basically, 8 – 80 can play the game in a different manner, but still have their own way to enjoy it. When Z bought it 3 months ago, I was not sure about the game. Z asked me to give it a go, and I was hooked straight away. Now, I am the Master of Piñata in the house.

The addictiveness of the game can compete with Facebook©. Of course it depends on individuals, but if you are like me, having a collector’s gene, then please prepare to lose your social life for a couple of months. 58 in total, the number of species of Piñatas, to meet them all, then make them visit, live and romance in your garden is not as easy as you think. On top of those, every Piñata has 3 colour variants, to get everything done could be a long journey.

Thankfully, regardless of my late start, I will soon finish the game and Z will buy me the sequel, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise. Apparently, this time they have more mini game and fun factor. I so look forward to it.

Popping Rosy White Chocolate Mousse Cake

I know sooner or later I have to post something related to my blog title. And yes, finally, I am going to post this recipe that I have tried on my lovely landlady, Em’s birthday. 20 of us in the party were so impressed about the cake that I made. That cake was a show stopper, I am not flattering myself, the cake looks great, taste great and absolute ladies’ cake. The cake weights nearly 4 pound, a twelve inches cake, not a piece left over.

I cannot say the cake is easy to made, you do need some experience on cake making, otherwise you will find it very difficult to get a light fluffy texture. With white chocolate rose mousse, popping candy praline base and strawberry, this cake is something to die for. On here, I have to give courtesy to Heston Blumenthal. He is a cock in lots of way, I’m sorry, but he is. However, this recipe of his popping candy base, it is very interesting, and not as crazy as his usual fancy experiment. The combination of this cake is my creation, and I'm proud of it. On Emma’s birthday cake, I covered the cake with light Chantilly cream, and sprinkle of violet petals round the edge. If you are up for the challenge, please tried to do so, it makes the cake looks even more professional. However, you need a good pair of plastering hands to get a nicely smoothed cream cake. Practice makes perfect, I have been a novice too.

Popping Rosy White Chocolate Mousse Cake

Preparation time: 2 hrs
Cooking Time: 1 hr

Serve 8

Ingredients:

For Chocolate Sponge:-
2 medium free-range eggs, separate
3 ½ oz self-raising flour (preferably good quality sponge flour)
¾ oz cocoa powder
4 oz spreadable butter
½ tsp baking powder

For Popping Praline Base:-
85g whole hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100g popping candy/ space dust (preferably strawberry flavour)

For Rosy White Chocolate Mousse:-
150g white chocolate
3 medium free-range eggs, separate
½ cup icing sugar
250ml whipping cream
½ tbsp rose water
2 ½ tbsp rose syrup
½ tbsp/ ½ sachet gelatine powder
200g Strawberries, chopped

For Toppings:-
15 fresh strawberries
3 tbsp good quality strawberries jam

Methods:

1. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Beat the egg yolks and suger to pale and creamy. Whisk in the butter until well combined, then sieve in the self-raisng flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well. Beat the egg whites to soft peak in a clean mixing bowl, fold the egg white into the cake mix. Double line the side and bottom of an 8” cake tin with greasproof paper, pour the cake mix in and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. To check the sponge, lightly press the sponge with your finger when it is near the finish time, if the finger print springs back, the sponge is ready. Take the sponge out of the oven, remove it from the cake after 10 minutes and peel off the greaseproof and set aside until cool down completely. Remember! Don’t put the sponge in the fridge, it will make it dry and absorb the smell from your fridge. You can bake it the night before, cover it with tea towel and cool down in room temperature.

2. To make the base, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mark 4 and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in water bath (put a bowl over a sauce pan with simmering water — take care that the water does not touch the bowl) and then stir in the ginger spice and popping candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut purée. Place the 8” ring mould on a serving dish and gently press in the base mixture to a depth of about 1cm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.

3. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate for the mousse and set aside. In the mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and suger until pale and creamy. Put the chopped chocolate in another bowl, place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir the melted chocolate gently, but not too much. Pour the chocolate into the egg mix and mix well, the mixture is very thick. Whip the cream until stiff and set aside. Beat the egg white in a clean bowl to soft peak then pour in the rose water and syrup and whisk until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mix until well combined, then fold in the egg white. Heat up 4 tbsp of water in a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine powder to the water, leave until it goes spongy. Stir until all the gelatine is dissolved, make sure there is no lumps. Stir the gelatine into the mousse mix.

4. To assemble the cake, place the popping candy praline base in an 8” cake tin, then pour half of the mousse mix into the mould. Evenly distribute chopped strawberries on top. Trim and slice the 8” sponge to 7” diameter and 1cm thick. Place the trimmed sponge on top pour the rest of mousse mix into the tin, smooth the surface and place in fridge until set, it takes at least 4 hours, preferable over night.

5. To decorate the cake. Quater the strawberries, arrange them from the edge of the cake towards the centre until it is covered with strawberries. Melt the jam in a sauce pan on low heat, stir in 1 tbsp of water, leave to cool slightly. Brush the strawberries with the jam mixture, place in fridge until serve.

Savina - The Transforming Mexican

Z (my BF) was so sweet and considering recently, probably because I was a bit upset and feeling unsettle. We have been together for 3 years, I moved to Manchester a year ago because it is closer to work. He lives in Liverpool, seeing him every weekend could be a chore when my schedule is packed and work is stressed. Sometimes I wish he lives closer to me (but not with me), we can meet up for lunch or just pop in for tea in week nights. In some weekend, I would rather be alone. Anyway, today, we are not talking about that, it is about Savina - the posh Mexican.

Z’s dad came over last week, usually I would be the cater for them. Z’s dad, Mick loves good food, apparently his wife is not a brilliant cook, in that sense, I am confident to say, Z is a lot luckier than Mick. It was a Wednesday night, I went over to Liverpool from Cheadle Hulme after work. Z insisted to dine out as a treat. I have not dinning out since I got a proper job, my parent stopped funding me, so even I'm earning more than when I was a student, I also spend more on basic expenses.

We went to this Mexican restaurant called Savina. He has tried them twice and he likes it. Although, I'm sceptical about it, he is a very appreciative person and anything taste semi-decent he would say that they are good. There were a few diners when we arrived, the receptionist was nice, non-English by her accent, kindly showed us a table with a nice window view.

We did not ordered wine, Z was driving and I was too tired to get tipsy. The décor of the place is trendy, red in colour, a bit too red I would say. In my mind, Mexican restaurant would be more down to earth, not pretentious, cosy and simply no fuss, Savina has not got these boxes ticked.

The main menu was not full of choices, but that is not the problem. A limited menu means stocks gets used quicker and fresher most importantly. There were about 5 starters, 3 of them are Nachos with different amount of toppings. 5 grilled steak dishes in Mexican Style, of course those special term appeared on the menu, like chipotle, aioli, cilantro to make these basic dishes sound authentic. There are a few more fish dishes, they sound nice but not interesting enough. At the point I was thinking, ‘grilled steaks can’t be their major diet, can it?’ I read further down of the menu, the 5 chef specialé were the ones I was looking for, I’m sure there are plenty more down to earth, hearty dishes in Mexican cuisine.

We started with Nachos Supreme which we quite enjoyed. Main course arrived straight after we finished the starter. Me and Mick ordered Cochinita Pibil, a stew dish, with braised pork, in tomato, onion, garlic, cumin orange and cilantro (coriander) sauce. A flavourful dish with a warm welcome, it is a perfect comfort food for week evening. The sweet and sour from the tomatoes and orange, with a hint of smokiness I would think that’s from smoked paprika, and coloured by chipotle, with coriander’s fragrant underlined. Even though, the traditional way is served in banana leaf parcel, I did not care much. Z had a chicken dish in a spiced cream sauce, served in similar way but with sautéed potatoes with chorizo, they are tasty too.

The only last criticism about the food is, the portions are small, and the warm, simple, rustic, grounded presentation does not match the attitude of the restaurant’s décor. There was a crashed when they tried to get a balance of both worlds. I do not mean Mexican cuisine cannot be trendy and posh, even so, a harmony between the taste and visual pleasure is needed. Price-wise, three of us shared a starter, a main course and a beer each, the bill came at 60 quid. I could not say it was a rip off, but for a 12 quid main course, they could have done more than that.

Like a Virgin...

Hmm....my first blog, what should I write on here? To be honest with you, I don't exactly know what kind of thing I should post on here, but I always like the idea having a blog. In this boring (at work), stressful (I'm skint) and dull (English weather) afternoon, I couldn't bear to sit on my ass and drag myself into the dungeon of boredom. That's the reason why this blog exists, it's not very convincing isn't it? I know. I'm not here to be a famous blogger/ blog author, my English is not perfect, I have not got a huge passion on blogging like the others, BUT I have a LIFE, a life full of weird things and people, a life I enjoy and I grunt at the same time. I'm sure most of us have similar kind of life, but I decided to share it.

So why puff patisserist? I’m not a professional pastry chef, an amateur one may be. I love baking with passion, I make good cakes and desserts and I’m a puff, doesn’t need much more explanation I guess. If anyone had question about baking, cooking, party planning, or even being gay, send me an email, I'll try my best to help.

My blog bascially all about food and a bit of gayness. Picture about Gok Wan as a chef.... oh yes, you got it!