For The Love Of Baking

Bake. For the love of baking.

Surabaya, Surabaya, oh Surabaya
Kota kenangan, kota kenangan
tak ‘kan terlupa..

Man, I dunno where to start.

I don’t want to bore anyone with excuses of not blogging for sometime. I think I got big enough blue blob for so many things. Shutter blues. That is the blue for taking photos. Writing blue. And that came in one package with blogging blue. I still twit, though.

Let me just shake this blue a little bit by remembering my great times in Surabaya. That might work, huh?

We went to Surabaya in May and November last year, and once again beginning this March. Boy, did it get better each time. The second time was better than the first time. The third time was better than the second time. And that, made it the best.

Everyday after class we hung out at a place called Zangrandi. A legendary ice cream corner similar to Ragusa of Jakarta. Nothing special about the ice cream, I actually didn’t really have a clear reason as to why we really enjoyed spending the rest of our afternoons here almost everyday. It was located right by a big street so the ambiance was rather noisy and Surabaya was always fiercely hot, even in the afternoon. Only few of the ice cream variants were good enough to make someone crave. And the snacks were so-so, except for one single delight: Kroket Saus Taoco. Translated as Croquette with Fermented Soybean Sauce. Although the croquette was good, I still think it didn’t sufficiently make up for other downsides. But why oh why, everytime we plunged ourselves into the pretty red low chairs there, I feel like the day was then bearable. The fatigue disappeared, the afternoon was full with laughter, happiness, comfort. As hyperbolic as it is, the fact that we kept coming back there was something real and strange at the same time. I think it’s because of the chair. It’s the chair, wasn’t it? Maybe it’s the chair.

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One afternoon in my kitchen, working on my buttercream roses skill.
**what is it with me and afternoons?**
 
I remember the first time I took cake decorating class. The class was taught by my baking guru, Fatmah Bahalwan, back in 2004. She instructed the class to start working on the roses, and I didn’t do so. When she inspected the class and found me doing nothing but staring at the flower nail with frowns on my rebellion face, she asked, “Riana, where are your roses?” I said, rebelliously, “I didn’t make any. I don’t like roses.” Since then, she acclaimed me as the baddest student she ever had. I love you, mbak Fat
 
Until one day in the beginning of 2008, I was forced by the obligation to teach 1-day cake decorating class. I had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. I had to face my fear. Buttercream roses.
 
I‘m glad I made it in one piece, and keep my sanity. **well, okay, not all of it**
 

 
Note:
 
If you’re looking for instruction to make buttercream roses, there are several options you can choose:

• Buy our book.
• Look over here or here. Here is a lady who did it very fast! Mine were so much easier using wafer cone instead of buttercream center.
• Buy our book again.

 
We found Honeymoon Dessert by accident. Me and my junior high friends, we were strolling along Ciwalk, Bandung, looking for a comfy spot to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, after attending a wedding ceremony and reception of yet another member of the gank. We spotted the place right away as the comfiest in the row. Or maybe it’s just the warm afternoon sun.
 

 
It turned out to be a perfect choice. Even now we still crave the food and ambiance, and of course, the Bandung afternoon sky, and really look forward to get together again right in the same place. The food was beautiful. How genius that someone opened a restaurant dedicating itself to dessert and dessert only. Adding more to that, the desserts were as healthy as they can be, yet as refreshing as they get.
 

 
They served asian desserts, where coconut milk and almond milk were the milk it is! The Durian Pancake was the star. My friends ordered it twice, and still couldn’t get enough. The fruits they used were so fresh, I wonder if they just cut it right after taking orders.
 

 
We ended up ordering everything that looked good. But my heart set on Black Sesame Porridge in Almond Milk. It was wonderful, very refreshing, you felt really good after having it. It was abundant with elements that did nothing but good to your body, cleansed your system, balanced your metabolism, while maintaining energy you usually wasted on digestion. They presented the porridge in a yin-yang pattern in the bowl. Lovely.
 

 

 

 
 
Even if you are not a dessert manic acute like me, I guarantee you will love this place. They were not excessively sweet like other desserts, but just sweet enough to make you smile and not worrying about your blood sugar. Not to mention they were full of natural healthy ingredients that function as natural medicine for you. I totally can live on this.
 
Highly recommended. Must come, must taste. And I’m not their sales person.
 
 
 
 
Good friends. Lovely food. Bandung. Perfect.
 

 

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Honeymoon Dessert
Bandung: Ciwalk
Jakarta: Taman Anggrek Mall, Kelapa Gading

 
In flat-broke time like this, I never knew how I managed to go on a vacation and had a great time on impossible budget. But I did. I sure had a blast, God forgive me.
 
Poppiah. Poppiah is definitely my food. Poppiah is the first food I was looking for the minute I arrived and settled all my bags and belongings at the house. Off to poppiah’s stall!! Ow.. yea baby…
 
I was never good in Singlish, if not terrible. So, often times, the locals couldn’t understand my english and I couldn’t understand their Singlish. And it always took some time before we realized, hey, we could talk in Malay, duh!
 
So, when I was ordering this poppiah, my face beaming with happiness, I couldn’t help myself to chat with the seller. Yes, I was that happy. Easy to tell that it ended up with confusion on both sides.
So I was like, “oh, here we go again, the singlish curse!” But I was that high I couldn’t care less about such thing.
 
When I started taking pictures of the man in action, the lady beside him immediately waved her hands gesturing a disagreement. I apologized right away, but one picture was done.
 
I’m sorry, uncle and auntie. But I love you.
 
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Phewh..
 
It’s been so long since I left this kitchen empty. The classic dilemma naturally surfaced when a passion becomes a job had gotten over me and I gave in. When your hobby turns into what you do for a living, better watch out for some changes that might make you lose your freestyle touch. The “it” factor that had made you shine in the first place. That independent soaring bird inside you who might not be the same anymore. Basically you’ll lose huge amount of your time, that’s what I’ve been trying to say.
 
So.. what is up?
 

 
First of all, the donut brownie tower I posted a couple of months ago was featured by The Pastry Channel, a new foodie website to feature great desserts by Tim Fonseca, the Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. I sure hope to see some videos by the chef soon in the future.
 

 
 
Pastry and Baking Asia Pacific magazine is now in digital format, shaping up its website to make it more enjoyable to the reader. Still, I would suggest you read the actual magazine, though. ‘Coz my article is not there
 
 
 
 

 
The annual jakarta food expo just ended a couple of weeks ago, and I had a blast. The tendency was changed from last year where mostly everything was about mass production, now almost every booth boasted more premium products in opposite to the cheaper solution that sacrifices quality. You got to taste oh so many product samples, including the wholewheat pastry produced by Corman, which immediately became my favorite. I mean, who on earth could ever think that wholewheat pastry can be that good?!
 
What else..?
 

 
In a not so fortunate event, I had a surreal opportunity to try a very very nice cafe in Kemang area, on Kemang Raya street to be precise, called Les Classiques. The ambience was Europe in late 40’s to 50’s, the cafe swept me of my feet with its homemade ‘just like mama used to make’ baked goods and… its hot chocolate! Man, you have to try this before you die. The chocolate was not coming out of chocolate powder or chocolate bar, it came from a few generous spoons of classic rich french ganache. the ganache was sitting in the bottom of a tall glass of hot milk, waiting for you to spoon it and lick it with your craving tongue. Beautiful.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Anything else..?
 
Well, I just came back home from Surabaya last week where I was lucky to have a chance to visit Arvian, a renowned baking shop where NCC classes were held for 4 days. A shop with an attitude, I fell in love in a matter of seconds. Nadrah and I were too busy browsing the pretty patterned tissue rolls we couldn’t care less to take pictures of the shop *regrets*. Aaargh, I should’ve taken at least a shot of those colorful mini baskets on the floor!!
 
Enough about me. How have you been?
 

 
What can I write about her? Too much we had in 4 years, too small vocabulary there is to tell all stories, all sweet memory she left behind. Four years are short, yet it felt like we’d been friends for so long. I don’t have the words to say the least of her quality. Kindhearted, reliable, meticulous, soft and firm at the same time, .. it’s just too many.
 
For me and my NCC friends, Ruri was our biggest inspiration in showing us what it meant to be a strong woman. Never give up, no time to complain, keep up the faith, and laugh merrily in the process! Life goes on, smiling never hurts, no matter how heavy the world on your shoulder.
 
All difficult tasks always went into her hand. Being an admin for almost 5000 members, taking care of all tools and equipments in cake decoration competition with more than 100 participants, managing almost all tasks that required a super detail mind in every NCC event, although at times she could not even be there.
 
When the cancer started to beat her, we gradually lost one of our strongest hands. Seeing her fighting the battle, not once she backed down, has brought mixed emotion: broken hearted, yet inspired.
 
Ruri, I still remember everything. And I miss every single thing.
 
So, here is to you, Ruri. May Allah have mercy and return your good deeds million times bigger. I miss you already.
 
 
**To honor our good friend Ruri, NCC Admin, owner of Kueh Ruri, who died of battling against cancer on August 5, 2008.**
 
 
 
Photo by Dez Pain & Velda Christensen

Gosh, it’s been too long I haven’t been posting anything here. I never stop baking –like I could do that!!–, but just was too unorganized to post, that’s all.

I received this I Love You This Much award from Eliza, and I was, …well, …touched. **don’t laugh, Liz**

I really really appreciate every single expression of love conveyed to me and feel so lucky to have received it. There are people who don’t get enough love, unable to love, so when love comes your way, embrace it and count your bless. You’re one of few luckiest people in the world.

Thank you, Liz. I never knew you before if not from this food blogging thing we do. Through time you let me get to know the kindhearted person you are. We had fun, and I just hope this will never end between us. Thank you for the award, and for the love. I love you that much, too. **again, don’t laugh, Liz**

:)

I‘ll tag one person:
Nadrah. Because I love her this much.

 
From Vania, the muffin lady, as Eliza always refers her
 
Beautiful indeed, it was packed with all cardamomy things: cardamom tea, cardamom incense sticks, the cardamom itself, and an addictive sweet nibble called Soan Papdi for my sweet tooth.
 

 
I never knew Soan Papdi before, so this is my first time ever. To my surprise, who at first expected it was some kind of biscuit or so, it was arum manis, a.k.a. rambut nenek! You know, the hairy cotton candy we used to nibble when we were little?
 

 
The rambut nenek was packed in squares, and.. –this is the best part– was blended with cardamom, almond and pistachio. The result was superb. I never expected cardamom can go to such extent, lifting up the sweetness into another divine level that contains your brain with such excitement and energy. Oh well, maybe that’s just the sugar.
 

 
But the flavor was seriously divine, that I couldn’t resist to take another square after another square after another. I could feel my blood sugar jumping happily along with the excitement in my head. Gosh, Vania, you’ve successfully made me happy!
 

 
The tea was just as wonderful, I couldn’t be happier. How can I thank you, my gorgeous Muffin Lady? Gorgeous package from a gorgeous lady!
 
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Ow, yea baby! I was in Bandung last March and happened to visit Nasi Bancakan, a rustic restaurant in Bandung. The photo above is Kue Balok, or translated as Brick Cake, and a cup of thick hot tea. All food were served in rustic tin plates and cups. How lovely.
 
The brick cake was good. The taste and texture were rather similar with those of Brudel’s, but brick cake was baked in a copper pan on charcoals. Yes, charcoals. How lovely!!
 
Visit there. You will never ever, ever, regret it. I mean, EVER.
 
Some reviews (Bahasa Indonesia):

• Nasi Bancakan Bandung on Wisata Kuliner ‘No
• Nasi Bancakan on Shinjiru Koto Ga Subete
• Nasi Bancakan Mang Barna & Bi Oom on Fast On The Slow Lane

 
Take me! We’re gonna have fun, for sure..

Update April 22, 2008: I went back to the supermarket and finally bought it. Gosh..
 

 
Today, I found my fettish.
 
About a week ago I was at a supermarket, when I realized I had this thundering urge to buy a set of measuring cups. It’s a cheap kind. Plastic, white, not that fancy steel or creamic in bright colors Nigella style or premium glass cup. But I felt my blood rushing wanting to grab and throw it into my trolley. A couple of seconds later, my head yanked at me, “Aren’t there already 2, sorry, 3 sets of measuring cups in your cupboard?”
 
She’s right.
 

one-eighth teaspooon
 
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