Cooking up a storm - Macarons!

One day, as I was planning my Thanksgiving menu, I told the kids that I would be cooking up a storm that day. Of course, they were picturing in their minds what cooking up a storm would really be like! Lately, cooking has been my escape. It's so fulfilling to follow a recipe successfully and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Macarons have been my latest obsession. After coming home with a box from Laduree in Paris two years ago, I let Sophie have a taste, and she instantly fell in love. At $25HKD a pop, I fell out of my chair. Hence, the desire to make them at home.

A great place to start are these two blog posts: 

http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.hk/2010/04/macarons-101-french-meringue.html

http://www.acup4mycake.com/2013/03/15/macarons-complete-and-fully-illustrated-step-by-step-tutorial/

Obviously, I don't need to go step by step because someone's clearly done that already! A random tip that helps me is if I'm having a good hair day (meaning low humidity), then it's a good day to make macarons. It's vital that the piped macarons have time to dry and form a skin before putting them in the oven, which helps to form the feet. My biggest struggle has been figuring out oven time and temperature, which for now is 170°C for 7 minutes and then 150°C for 5 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, I put the baking paper on my marble countertop with a few drops of water to shock the macarons for about 10 minutes, and then peel them off the paper, ready for piping. I've also found that aged eggs didn't really make a difference in my end result, although the minimum I have aged is about 10 hours at room temperature. 

I've had much success with the fillings from "Secrets of Macarons" by Jose Marechal (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Macarons-Jose-Marechal/dp/1742661289). So far, I've tried the lemon filling (use 1/3 of the recipe for 40 macarons) and caramel (use 2/3 of the recipe for 40 macarons plus 1/2+ teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter), which probably needs about 15 minutes of refrigeration before piping. However, a really simple filling is making a fresh fruit coulis and adding it to butter and icing sugar for a yummy butter cream. I recently made raspberry coulis (press fresh raspberries into a sieve, straining only the juices and reducing it on low heat for about 10 minutes), and it added a nice tartness to the sticky sweet almond cookie. The next item on the bucket list will be a ganache-based filling, green tea with red bean filling, and earl grey with lavender filling. 

Here are a few pictures from each attempt:

My first try. Butter cream with rose syrup and raspberry extract. Butter cream split. Way too much time in the oven. Not enough mixing the macaronage, which resulted in nipply cookies, but the feet were amazing!

Lemon filling. Same result with the cookies in terms of nipples while playing with oven temperature and time.

Had extra lemon filling, so made another batch of cookies. This time, I made the right consistency of the macaronage, which resulted in smooth cookies. However, huge lesson from this batch: lemon filled ones need to be eaten within an hour of piping the filling.

Raspberry butter cream using crushed raspberries. These can be refrigerated for a few days without becoming mush like the lemon ones.


Second batch of raspberries (a bit too much color - haha) using fresh raspberry coulis and butter cream.

And this is what humidity does - make lemon macarons look like pineapple buns :(

Finally, my most successful batch: salted caramel. Still had some cracks due to humidity. I think this will be the last batch for a while since rainy season is starting soon. 

End of school report

It's not really the most glamorous of subjects, but it serves as a reminder for myself what I need to help the kids accomplish during the summer to prepare them for the next school year.

Yes, summer vacation is supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation, especially since I'm thoroughly convinced that Ethan has been going through a bout of end-of-school-year burnout. However, with primary school looming ahead, I'm afraid that a tsunami of homework will follow, and Ethan will fall behind pretty quickly, particularly in Chinese. Therefore, it's imperative that Ethan and Sophie keep up their Chinese during the summer so that the first day of school won't be a huge shocker.

Yes, I am starting to sound like a typical Hong Kong parent, but get this: I'm already considered low-key. No, I don't believe that kids should be tutored in every single subject because it's the school's job to teach and ensure my child is learning. If my child isn't learning, it's not a tutoring centre's job to pick up the slack of the school. And yet, that's what's happening in many local schools. I hear stories of primary one children who can't go to sleep until 11pm because they need to finish their homework. Not just the homework that the school assigns, but the additional homework that they get from tutoring centres like Kumon. Their time is also occupied by extra-curricular activities such as drawing, swimming, badminton, piano, violin, etc. which leaves little time for play.

In fact, no time for play. So many kids have had their spirit and imagination beaten out of them because parents feel the need to occupy their every minute. If they don't do this, they feel they are putting their kids at a disadvantage because it seems all the other children are learning all of these other things. Or, they don't want their children to be stuck at home with the domestic helper all day, so they use classes to fill up their children's days.

What do my kids do? Gymnastics, swimming, theater and tutoring in Chinese. The Chinese tutoring is a must because their primary language is English, and their level of Chinese falls behind kids of equivalent age. Other than that, I am hoping that they won't require tutoring in other subjects. And most importantly, I make sure they have time to play. It's easier for me because I have two children. There's no need to arrange special play dates, but I still do arrange them as much as possible as we love hosting people at our place - easier than going out!

But I digress - onto the reason behind the blog post: the kids' school report.  We'll start with Ethan.

Classroom teacher: The biggest issue to deal with is his crying. When he doesn't know how to handle a situation, he cries. He's apparently the only kid left in his class who still does it, and this needs to be addressed before he enters primary school. Considering his father used to be a cry baby until he was 12 years old, I have this summer to nip this in the bud. He has really progressed in his Chinese, considering he didn't speak of a lick of it when he started K2. English is his strongest language, but he's picking up more and more Cantonese and Putonghua. He's even teaching me :) The only other issue was his fine motor skills - Miss Chan suggested that he cut more curved items. I plan to teach him how to hold chopsticks - if he masters that, his fine motor skills should improve. Otherwise, Ethan is Mr. Congeniality - friendly with everyone.

English teacher: The teacher is cognizant that Ethan can get bored easily and rushes through his assignments so that he can play. Apparently, she asked him to write his name on a notebook, and it took him three times to write it correctly. When she asked him the second and third time to write it over because what he wrote was unacceptable, he called her crazy (hanging head in shame)...but she was cool with that. During the year, Ethan has become more comfortable with his classmates and developed real friends. The turning point seemed to be right after Easter holiday where all of the sudden, things came together for him. He seemed more confident in his Chinese, and this confidence had a spillover effect in other subjects. She's really proud that Ethan rose to the challenge.

Sophie's turn:

Classroom teacher: Sophie still likes to take her time with doing assignments, but she's slowly progressing and understanding that together as a class, they finish their tea time and move onto the next activity and that the teacher will not wait for her to finish before moving along. Sophie latches onto the thinking that, "Oh well, if I didn't finish at school, I can finish it at home," but this obviously won't work as she gets older. After being moved to a table of all boys who are very chatty and finish assignments quickly, she has a bit a peer pressure to also move quickly. She knows when it's appropriate to chat with her neighbor and when it's time to pay attention. Despite a subject that might be review for her (i.e. counting to 15), she is still as enthusiastic about volunteering to do it again. She also has a tendency to ask a teacher repeatedly if she's doing something right. I think the last two things have to do with her desire for affirmation and attention. Otherwise, she is a model student and is more than ready for K2.

Can't complain really. I'll still have my work cut out for me this summer, but it'll be great to have my parents around to help too. Next blog post, Baltimore! Well, here's hoping anyways.

Inspiration in the middle of the night

Well, not really...but I'd rather be blogging than editing my PPT for Saturday or starting my final exam PPT for Sunday.  And to think I was also supposed to run a half marathon in between those two presentations.   

It's been a disappointing start to the new year, but as the eternal optimist, I can honestly say the year can only get better from here.  I'm looking forward to quite a few things that 2012 will bring.  For one, I will be heading to London and Paris with my MBA girlfriends for a much needed break during Easter, as long as I muster the courage to put my kids in the hands of my husband and in-laws.  Shortly after that, we will be moving to an apartment above where my in-laws will be living, and Sophie will finally have a twin bed and a room to share with Ethan (sadly, she is still sleeping next to me).  As corny as this sounds, I am so excited to have a walk-in closet where my options for accessorizing are endless because I can finally see everything that I own!  Most importantly, I'll be graduating from the MBA program this fall and possibly reentering the workforce.

I stress the word "possibly" because according to many local parents, now is the time for me to stay at home to help with homework and tutoring and taking the kids to extra-curricular activities.  Unfortunately, that's not what I'm made of.  I'm not the type to stay-at-home, and this is most evident from my graduate degree.  But at the same time, I have working parents who tell me that I'm so fortunate to be able to stay at home and watch my kids grow.  Is the grass always greener on the other side?  A part-time arrangement would be ideal, and my former employer is keen to chat with me once I'm on the job hunt.

But before that, I need to finish those presentations.  Oh, look at the time...way past my bedtime... 

Negligent cannot begin to describe this blog

It's sad that it's almost Ethan's birthday, and I have yet to write Sophie's birthday post from May.  However, so many things have happened lately, and this seems to be the best forum for it.  I won't be as diligent as before, but I also hope that I won't be as negligent as before. 

Tomorrow is Ethan's birthday party that will be shared with two of his friends as all three birthdays are within eight days of each other.  For once, I'm not dealing with last-minute to-do lists a mile long.  I'm just hoping that Mother Nature will cooperate, although we will have indoor areas if the rains decide to come.  26 kids, three birthday cakes, and lots of food and activities.  Should be lots of fun =)  I'll post pictures...on Facebook.  Hopefully we can get a nice family photo to update the blog one from June 2010...

Observations

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while - a few things that I've observed in the eight years I've been here. I've even lived here long enough to get permanent residency!

My MIL and Ethan both can’t take no for an answer and keep asking until I’m worn down.

Hong Kong bathrooms are great – each stall has concealing panels on the doors to seal any cracks in the stall. And yet, the floors are black, shiny, reflective marble…

My minibus driver has tattooed eyebrows and a grown out dye job, and he’s a man!

Locals are never happy with the first table you assign them at a restaurant.

Buying clothes off the rack at a store is not common. Shoppers always ask for a brand new item that hasn’t been open and is still in plastic wrap.

Outfit can be bargain basement, and yet totally justified if you’re carrying a Louis Vuitton with it.

The boyfriend usually carries the handbag – what’s the point of buying a Louis Vuitton if you’re not carrying it? Then again, the boyfriend is buying the bag and carrying it, he might as well pick it out too…

Moo Moo at 16 months

Our dear little Sophie is 16 months old, and already so demanding! While her limited vocabulary consists of mama, yaya, nai nai (milk in Chinese) and goh goh (Chinese for big brother), she is very good at conveying what she wants. She will point and grunt until you give her what she wants. If she doesn't like something, she will shake her head so fast that her hair whips around everywhere, or she'll stomp her feet in dismay, much like Ethan does when he doesn't get his way.

I also think she's a magnet for trouble - always trying to play with Ethan's toys. Makes me wonder if she will attract the wrong type of boyfriend when she's older! She does fight back when Ethan pushes her around, and she'll cry extra loud to get us involved when she's being picked on. I've warned Ethan in the past that someday, Sophie will learn how to fight back, and I think that day has already come.

She is good at feeding herself, but we still need to keep her entertained during the process. Half way through her meal, she will want to get down from her chair and play, but she'll also come back for bites of food and eventually finishes. Seems like the start of bad habits, but at this point, I just want to get some food in her. During her last well baby checkup, she was in the third percentile for weight =(

She can climb up onto Ethan's bed, but not yet onto ours. Still sleeping next to us, and this will be our arrangement until we either move or they invent a triple bunk that can fit where the double bunk currently is. We've thought about getting a trundle, but where the door swings open is a bit problematic.

She has perfected monkey see, monkey do. Basically, whatever Ethan does she wants to do too - problem is, she can't physically do everything that big brother can. She growls very much like a lion, but also growls when she sees a cow. She loves watching Eric Carle cartoons based on his books and especially loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Little Cloud. She can blow flying kisses, wave high, and give high-fives. We're still working on winking, but that's also the case for Ethan ;)

Happy 16 months, Moo Moo! Picture to come soon!

Piglet turns 3!

Dear Ethan,

Happy Birthday to our little Piglet! What a character you have become. We hope that we have seen the last of the Terrible Twos and the tantrums that come with them. At the same time, you can be the sweetest little gentlemen =) You still pick on your little sister, but as a big brother, that comes with the territory. You're learning to share your toys and keep her out of trouble, but your impulsiveness definitely gets the best of you when you find her playing with one of your toys!

Your vocabulary just keeps growing, and we can actually have a conversation with you, although sometimes, Mommy still needs to translate for you. Your Cantonese Chinese sounds much more accurate than before. Your teacher thinks that you can understand Mandarin fairly well, but you choose to respond in English. This just might be an incentive for Mommy to learn Mandarin with you =)

You can be quite a ham too. Your latest feat at school was getting all your classmates to parade around the room with their instruments and singing 'Nobody nobody but you'! You absolutely love Buzz Lightyear and are forever going to infinity and beyond, blasting your lasers all around the apartment. Every week, you're asking whether we can go to Disney, and your wish just might come true on Friday when Mommy checks the weather =)

Food wise, you're still pretty difficult when it comes to sitting down and properly eating a meal, but then again, maybe we're expecting too much from you, seeing that you did just turn three years old...you love pasta more than rice, and you love the quirkiest foods - mushrooms, garlic, and broccoli! You can't get enough of fish, chicken and roast pork, and you still haven't met a fruit you didn't like. We should introduce you to durian sometime soon!

You're also pretty good at dressing yourself, when you're in the mood to go out, that is. You can be very particular about whether you want to do something at that moment. For instance, you like to over-dramatize your sleepiness when we've set lunch out for you. You'll even go so far as wiping imaginary tears to add to the theatrics. We usually struggle to stop from laughing out loud...even your nanny thinks you're too dramatic...

We can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you and for us. Happy Birthday Piglet - we love you!