Change.

So my last post was in February? Really? That long ago?
I guess I've taken time for granted. I'd think every week- 'I must post something new on my "blog" ', and procrastination having gotten the better of me, I'd put it off for the following week.
So here I am many months later, surprised that my blog's not been forcefully shut down due to dormancy! And to show my appreciation, I thought the least I could do was actually blog about something! But the problem is that I've forgotten why I started this blog in the first place. I'm a lousy writer and I can't pen down a decent flow of thoughts to save my life! And I bet barely anyone will even notice this post! (That actually might be a good thing having realised writing isn't exactly something I'm savvy with.)

If anything feels similar from when I last posted, it's probably the weather. (In spite of the seasons itself changing) After the big freeze last year, you would have thought we deserved a fair summer. I barely remember two weeks of warm summer days! Let's not even get started on the rains! That's one thing I will never miss! I will however miss autumn- my favourite season perhaps. The fiery display of colours, almost like a dusky spring- just pure genius.

As the seasons changed, I think people have too. People I thought I knew, turned out to be complete strangers and the some I was judgemental about, pleasantly surprised me. I guess that's not really unusual, but when it actually happens to you, you somehow didn't see it coming.
I think I've changed too, for better or for worse. Well for one, over the year I discovered that baking is my passion. And for the first time ever, I know where I want to take my life. I've got to say, it's a pretty good feeling! I don't completely know how I'll get there; but I do know that anything is possible. And as much as I want to run a business and live a busy and successful life, I've also realised that I actually want to be married and have children- something I would have laughed at the thought of 4 years ago! I don't quite know how I'm going to manage all of that without compromising something (I don't see why I should), but don't be surprised if you see me on the cover of a magazine as the woman who managed it all! (More like 'Spoke too much, too soon perhaps?!')
Travelling is another thing that I've gotten addicted to. I don't think anything could give me a greater high. It's a drug I tell you! And the kind of things you learn and realise just from going places, meeting new people and seeing new things is incredible. If I had it my way, I'd just bake and travel my whole life! Not sure how that would work out practically though!

And now, I'm less than 2 months away from shifting base to a new place. It's not entirely new, but I've never really lived in Chennai before in spite of it being my home town. So I guess it is a new place. I couldn't agree more in saying that change is important. At the same time it's difficult letting go of familiarity and comfort. Then I think, if I did it 3 years ago, how different can this be? Although it's meant to be a rhetorical question, it doesn't feel like one. Perhaps 3 years ago I was different; things were different. And just like seasons, we change all the time, but we don't really know it. Or maybe we don't want to admit it.
Never the less, I am looking forward to being back in my country. How long the feeling would last, I don't know. But time passes and life goes on, and before I'd know it, the change would have become my comfort and I wouldn't want it any other way.

What's your spice?

If I had to choose a spice that defines me, it would have to be Cinnamon. Of course, that makes it my favourite as well. Sweet; spicy- with an intense, distinctive, and unmistakable exotic woody fragrance, Cinnamon has always delighted my senses. Apart from being the only spice that is used often in baking in almost every part of the world, Cinnamon is also used in savory dishes. I particularly love how its used in Biryani. It would never taste the same without the use of Cinnamon. It's also used quite commonly in Middle Eastern cooking. 

Authentic Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka (Ceylon), so I learned very recently. But apparently it was valued and used in ancient times as well. It was known to have “an aroma of divine worship and of sensual luxury”. In fact, the Romans used to consider Cinnamon as a sacred spice. Nero, the fifth Roman emperor, is said to have burned a whole years supply of Cinnamon at his wife's funeral. (Who was murdered by him in the first place anyway!) In the 15th century it was so highly sought after and highly-prized, that there were wars fought over it.  A spice that was once associated with the Gods and royalty, is now being grown in several tropical countries all over the world and is not difficult to find and affordable to lesser mortals like me, thankfully!

Cinnabon was my favourite place for pastries before I knew anything about baking. I could smell their treats stores away! And there's nothing like the aroma of baked Cinnamon pastries. It transforms me into a different mood all together! Which is what happened when I baked these little indulgent muffins the other day. The entire house smelled like heaven! And the weather was perfect for it- a hot cup of chai or coffee and a hot Cinnamon doughnut muffin, on a cloudy nostalgic day.

They took very little time to bake and are quite light as well. And I have to admit- these have replaced Blueberry muffins to become my new favourite muffins! (Sorry blueberry muffins, but I still love you very much too!)

'Say, you're like that cake I had the other day!'

On a normal day, that would not sound flattering to me at all! Of course, that's not the case for the Gâteau Reine de Saba! (Queen of Sheeba cake) Apparently the legend of the Queen of Sheeba is found both in the Old Testament and the Holy Qur'an. She was said to be so beautiful that King Solomon of Israel was in awe of her; as was she, of his wisdom. Not that he named the cake after her! But never the less, today the cake refers to her beauty and is named after her-- dark, rich, sophisticated and sensual.

Right. So once I discovered the explanation behind the name, I bravely attempted this gâteau today- straight off Julia Child's original recipe from her book- "Mastering the art of French Cuisine". The reason I use 'bravely' is because according to Julia Child, this is supposed to be the 'best chocolate cake you ever put in your mouth'. I don't think my armature skills have brought me anywhere close to being able to make such heavy promises! So I am not going to. But I can tell you that the perfect combination of almond and chocolate in this recipe makes it way better than any regular chocolate cake.

This french cake (Gâteau, if you may!) has a slightly undercooked batter towards its center- giving it a brownie like texture. And it's definitely one of those cakes that you can only indulge and enjoy one slice at a time because of its creamy and rich texture. For the icing I used a cocoa butter icing rather than the dark chocolate and coffee one because I ran out of chocolate. But the icing still seemed to complement the cake because of the bitterness in the cocoa.

So all in all, I thought it was a good day for baking! It certainly de-stressed me, and of course- there's nothing more fulfilling to a crab than feeding the people around her and watching them enjoy her creation that was made with 100% TLC :)

What's your flavour?

Taking my dear friend/house-mate Sheetal's suggestion, I thought why not share some of my recent amateur cake creations with everyone and get some feedback on it as well.
I've probably not mentioned it earlier but this is my new love :) Baking. Well, patisserie more specifically and cuisine in general. And I'm actually seriously considering it as a career. Hopefully within 5 years I' would have established my own little bakery/pastry-shop in some wonderful part of the world, making people happy with my home baked pastries , known not only for its unparalleled taste but also it's creativity and uniqueness!
But I still have a whole lot to learn and so much to experiment. So to start with, I'm using my blog to be benchmark my creativity!
This is just a start. But at least it's a start :)

Fairy cakes
These were an assortment of chocolate, vanilla and marble cup cakes with strawberry/ chocolate/ butter cream icing that I baked for Sheetal's birthday.
Took hours to complete, but only minutes to disappear!

Vanilla Sandwich cake with blueberry whipped cream topping
This was a simple yet classic cake that I baked for Shelly's Birthday. The best thing about vanilla cake is that any flavour, fruit or otherwise, goes so well was it as the topping. So you can boldly experiment away!


 
Mahogany sandwich cake with Vanilla icing
This was baked for Bijeta's birthday and was by far one of my worst ever! The cake was a complete disaster and looked like someone had sat on it! But the icing, and decoration made the cake slightly presentable. However, on whole the cake actually tasted really good!

Strawberry cheesecake
Our new year treat :)
This one didn't turn out as good as I expected it to. I thought it looked quite nice though!



Apple pie!
I'd wanted to try baking one 'em for ages! It doesn't look very tempting because I realised it needs to prepared in something smaller for it to look like a proper apple pie. But I served it with some brandy cream and it was a huge hit! And oh, I made the pastry myself too, so I learned something new! :)


'Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.'- Julia Child.

Bring it on, 2010!

As I do every year, I sit here at the start of a new year, wondering how it is that a year goes by so fast that it literally leaves you with a confused after taste! Judging the discontinuity and irregularity of my posts, it could seem I might have had a fairly uneventful year! But that's just me being comfortable in my lazy zone really! But seriously, 2009 was a quick year. I can't account for where all that time was spent! (besides my laziness!) I have to admit, it has been the fastest year of my life. And a year that has been a complete roller coaster ride, so to say.

To me, the past year has definitely been a mile stone. A year of realisations and a year of transformations. A year where a down turned economy and poor prospects helped me discover my true career interest. A year for new friends and a year of old bonds strengthened . A year of love lost; a year for finding new love. A year of awareness and a year of discovery.
Then again, every year may take you through the same thing. But the difference lies in how it may have changed you and people around you when you stop to take a look at what you've just experienced- for better or for worse.

There's nothing new that can be said that hasn't been said before about what a year could mean in terms of personal experiences. It really is subjective and could never mean the same to any two people. But I think if you've made it through what ever it is you went through the past 365 days, then that's just given you an edge in your life. So whether you need to give thanks to or swear at the year gone by- then do it! But don't forget to stop; look back; take a deep breath and smile- 'cause here comes another one to take on!

Happy 2010!