Tuesday, December 20, 2005 

egg custard tarts

i'm not crazy about chinese egg custards tarts (dan tat), the kind that you buy in chinese bakeries. they look like little tarts with a yellow custard filling. some of my friends are very fond of these but i've never been a huge fan. however, i tried one from the Golden Gate Bakery today and it completely changed my opinion about them.

i was in SF Chinatown today, hanging out with my friend Leanne. she mentioned this little bakery on grant ave. that is famous for their egg custard tarts. apparently, our friends Nette and Ada rave about the egg custard tart from this shop. i've never heard about this place and i was very skeptical since i'm not a big fan of egg custards. but since we had some time to kill, we decided to go.

the egg custard tarts were warm when we took our first bite. the custard was perfect - soft warm custard, not too dense or eggy. the custard was so light that it was on the verge of falling part. and the crust is one of the best i've had. instead of a crumbly texture like a pie crust, it was crisp and flaky, like a puff pastry. it was an eye-opening experience: egg custard tarts can be this good!

Golden Gate Bakery
(415) 781-2627
1029 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133

10:59 PM | |

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 

current cookbooks

Eating Korean : From Barbecue to Kimchi, Recipes from My Home

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764540785/qid=1134012902/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6822488-6115326?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

The Baker's Dozen Cookbook : Become a Better Baker with 135 Foolproof Recipes and Tried-and-True Techniques

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060186283/qid=1134013239/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-6822488-6115326?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

many well known people contributed to this book. the recipes are supposed to be tried and true since they've been developed by bakers who troubleshooted many common problems encountered while baking certain beloved favorites. there's an "ultimate" chocolate chip cookie recipe i'm dying to try. it's so difficult to bake the perfect choc chip cookie - crunchy at the edges and chewy in the middle. their recipe promises such a cookie. =)

7:35 PM | |

 

afternoon tea

ever since i've heard about having afternoon tea from some friends, i've been wanting to go. tea, scones with clotted cream, etc. served on fine china... the idea of it sounds appealing - so refined and old-fashioned. a ritual that harks back to another time, more peaceful and slower paced.

the two places in Boston i'd like to check out:

Upstairs on the Square
91 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
617-864-1933

http://www.upstairsonthesquare.com/about.html

the decor looks very romantic and pretty - sort of what you'd expect a little girl's doll house would look like inside.



Ritz-Carlton
15 Arlington St.
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
617-536-5700

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/boston/dining/venues/the_lounge/menu.html

5:00 PM | |