Tiramisu Mille Crêpe

Just the thought of boozy tiramisu cream (heavenly combination of Marsala, Kahlua and mascarpone) nestled between 20 layers of thin crêpes drove me absolutely insane. And when I finally turned it into reality, the actual thing tasted so good that it has found its way to the top as my all time favourite cake to make... and eat. This tiramisu mille crêpe was certainly worth all the time and effort.

Crêpes
(makes 20, 8 inch crêpes)
240g - Plain flour
60g - Granulated sugar
6 - Eggs
85g - Butter
720ml - Whole milk

~ In a saucepan, melt and lightly brown the butter over low heat. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.
~ Sift flour into a large bowl. Add the sugar and eggs into the flour, and whisk until the batter is smooth.
~ Gradually whisk in the melted butter. When fully incorporated, whisk in the milk slowly. (The milk should be at room temperature so gently heat if necessary)
~ Cover batter and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

~ Allow the batter to come to room temperature. Lightly grease and heat an 8 inch non-stick pan over medium high heat. Pour 50ml of batter onto the pan and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Cook for 1 minute till golden brown then flip and brown the other side. Allow to cool on baking paper.
~ Repeat for 20 crêpes.

Tiramisu Filling
4 - Egg yolks
80g - Caster sugar
30ml - Marsala
500g - Mascarpone
150ml - Double cream
90ml - Kahlua

~ To make the sabayon: With an electric hand mixer, whisk egg yolks, sugar and marsala over a bain marie (hot water bath) till hot to the touch and tripled in volume. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
~ Whisk cold double cream and Kahlua till stiff peaks are formed.
~ Whisk the sabayon and mascarpone together till smooth.
~ Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture in 3 inclusions.

Assembly
1. Place a crêpe onto a cake board. Spread 3 tablespoons of tiramisu filling, with an offset spatula, evenly across the crêpe.
2. Repeat for 19 more crêpe layers, leaving the last crêpe without filling on top.
3. Dust cocoa powder on top of the cake.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Banana Bread

There are many banana bread recipes out there and a lot of them claim to produce the best loaf. But just like a brownie (cakey/ chewy/ fudgy), the banana bread has its own 'texture spectrum'. On one end is a more fluffy cake like, tender crumbed banana bread; on the other is a banana bread that is much denser, reminiscent of an Asian kueh, which is why perfection is subjective.

Over the course of a few weeks, I've baked countless banana breads, made various adjustments to the weights and have settled on a winner. This recipe is a personal favourite — a nice middle ground between fluffy and dense, with the added depth of flavour from the use of coffee and brown sugar. Having said that, personal preferences may defer from person to person. I'll also include a couple of adjustments at the end to help you achieve the banana bread texture you so desire.

Tiramisu Mille Crêpe

Rhubarb White Chocolate Tart

Spring has arrived and rhubarb is finally in season! I've never tasted raw rhubarb before so out of curiosity I bit into one and it wasn't a pleasant experience. On its own, rhubarb is very sharp and tangy but when transformed (into a compote or pie etc.), it's surprisingly delicious.

Something as sharp as the rhubarb deserves to be paired up with something sweet - white chocolate. A white chocolate ganache tart can be sickeningly sweet, but the sharpness of the rhubarb from the puree in the ganache and the compote on the side helps to balance the flavours. And as an added bonus, the gorgeous natural pink from the rhubarb makes the tart aesthetically pleasing.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Pancake day last year: I made American pancakes with bananas, bacon and maple syrup for a picnic with friends, and constructed the stack out in the park just outside school. Things get a little unpredictable when you're photographing outdoors, so as I was pouring the maple syrup from a height, the winter/spring wind blew the lovely stream of maple syrup right into Yeewon's (my pancake model) beautiful long hair.

Pancake day this year: I thought I would make something different and swap out the milk for buttermilk. As a result, the buttermilk pancakes turned out slightly fluffier than the American pancakes. Since I had enough to make two stacks, I dressed up one with layers of peaches and whipped cream, topped with more cream and a peach "rose", then drowned in homemade vanilla bean bourbon caramel sauce.

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