With the Christmas holiday and my move to Los Angeles, I somehow neglected to mention that I am currently in Sydney, Australia to celebrate the New Year. This means no baking for the time being, but I will attempt to make up for that by posting a couple of reviews of Sydney restaurants.

Yesterday was my first day here, though I have been to Sydney before, and my friends and wandered over to Sel et Poivre in Darlinghurst for breakfast. I wanted to go to bills, but we were hungry and didn’t want to wait in line. Sel et Poivre is an adorable little french cafe on a quiet street with both indoor and outdoor seating.

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On Christmas, in addition to my marshmallows I wanted to make something to munch with coffee while my family and I opened our presents before breakfast. Often these pre-breakfast munchies take the form of coffee cake or cranberry-orange bread. This year I decided to try and make a babka in honor of my grandmother, whose family was originally from Eastern Europe.

I used this recipe for Cinnamon Chocolate Babka (minus the chocolate filling) from Dianna’s Desserts, but I won’t reprint it here because I wouldn’t make it again. While my grandmother liked the bread, I don’t think that it could properly be described as a babka. I feel that the filling should have been crisper and that the bread should have been more moist. That said, it did taste good but it wasn’t anything exceptional.

You may notice that the bread in my picture does not have a trational, upright babka shape. This is because I decided to bake it on a sheet pan instead of in a ring pan. Big mistake. The filling ran out all over the pan because I couldn’t manage to properly seal the ring. My meringue seemed to make the whole dough wet as I was rolling it up, which might be why I couldn’t get anything to stick together. Next time I will definately go for a ring or loaf pan.

*sigh*

Mediocrity is such a disappointment.

Really, what could be better then a nice big mug of hot cocoa on Christmas Morning? How about a nice big mug of cocoa topped with a homemade marshmallow?

As willing as I am (once a year) to purchase the dollar a piece marshmallows that they sell at some fine retailers, I thought that it might be a bit more practical to make my own. Not to menion more fun.

I am a big fan of marshmallows and don’t need much of an excuse to eat one or two whenever I get the opportunity. They’re sweet, delicious and fat free, all of which are things that you can’t get from just any dessert! When I first set out to look for a recipe, I didn’t know where to start. You see, for the longest time I had assumed that you really needed a machine to “jet puff” the marshmallows and make them fluffy. It turns out that you do need a machine: an electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer). I found this recipe from the French Laundry, made it once and never looked back. Countless batches later, they’re still one of my favorite treats.

The marshamallows can be stored in the freezer if you can’t eat the whole batch at once. Just toss them into a large plastic bag and pull out what you need later. They will compress slightly in the freezer, but will defrost in about 1 minute.

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I didn’t take my camera with me to the French Laundry, but I wouldn’t need it to remember the dinner. It was easily the best dining experience I’ve ever had. I also saw Thomas Keller, who came out of the kitchen to sign a book for some people having the special, seasonal truffle-themed menu.
For my recap, I’ll keep this short and sweet and just recount the menus to the best of my ability. I can’t remember exactly what was in each course, but honestly it doesn’t matter. It was that good. We ordered two vegetarian tasting menus, of which I had one, and two regular tasting menus. And yes, if something looked particularly good, we tasted it off each other’s plates.
The French Laundry may only be a once or twice in a lifetime dining experience, but it is worth every cent and all the effort to get a reservation.

Amuse bouche: salmon and tomato cones

Vegetarian Tasting Menu
Celery soup with truffle cream
Carmalised Onion tart
–Breads, baguette
Artichoke salad with shaved truffles
Sunchoke and cauliflour salad
Braised Endive hearts with poached apples and red wine reduction
Corn and Cheese risotto with myer lemon infused olive oil
Cheese – local with cranberry/currant toast and cinnamon poached figs
–Coffee
Spiced pear sorbet with valhrona chocolate
Pistachio and almond torte

Regular Tasting Menu
Pearls and oysters, Sabyon of pearl tapioca and oysters with caviar
Pumpkin agnilotti
–Breads
Dover sole stuffed with raisins and topped with grapes
Scallop with chestnut sauce
Capon with poached apricots and onion
Steak – 2 kinds – with potatoes and asparagus
Cheese – crisp with fresh sheep’s milk cheese (runny) and walnut toast
– Coffee
Cranberry sorbet with honey and vanilla crème
Rich chocolate tart with caramel and caramel cream

Mignardises: Panna cottas (for the guys) and crème brulees (for the gals, though I traded for a panna cotta)
Assortment of truffles, miniature citron tarts, shortbread, candied fruit, macaroons (caramel and allspice), financiers

… also know as baking with leftovers.

As I cleaned out my freezer, I found some leftover butter cookie dough, shortbred dough and gingersnap dough. I did what any normal person cleaning out their fridge would do: I baked them. Ok. Maybe not any normal person, but certainly a foodie or a food blogger who is likely to have the remnants of several batches of cookie dough lurking in the depths of cold storage.

The swirls are made with sugar, cinnamon and cloves in the centers.  Delish!

Isn’t this sunrise gorgeous? I took it at the SF Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. *sniff* The last time I’ll be there for a while, I imagine as I am moving to Los Angeles this week!

Negatives: No more bay area foodie eats.
Positives: Discovery of LA foodie eats.
Ultra Positive? Goodbye dinner at The French Laundry tomorrow night!

I cannot wait.
But I will because it’s inappropriate to stake out a restaurant the night before your reservation.

Update: Read about my dinner at the French Laundry!