#BakeTogether: Summer All-Year Round Papaya and Longan Cake with Lime Syrup

Have you noticed that I seem to be a part of some online cooking group or another lately? I honestly can't help it... I enjoy being in the company of people who love food, who cook/bake together either weekly or monthly (or both) from the same recipe or out of the same theme. The variations to one recipe are often mind-boggling, and the warm camaraderie within each group is something I wouldn't trade for the world. 

There is also the matter of discipline. Being in a group forces me to work within timelines and strange as it seems for someone who lives a leisurely-paced life on a tropical island, I sure do like a follow a pretty tight schedule when it comes to this blog. Maybe I'm borderline OCD, who knows :-).

Princess Beatrice's Zesty Rose Pretzel for the Queen's Birthday

Truth be told, I can't even remember how I got here. Somewhere in the email banter between Gina of SPCookieQueen and I about a month ago, someone had mentioned a Pretzel Throwdown. I'd like to say it was me for sure, but since I had only made pretzels once before in my life and knowing that Gina is one of the most talented bakers around, why would I even want to put myself out on a limb like that?

Peanut Butter PieCupcake for Mikey Perillo

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. 

 ~Kahlil Gibran

I've been a Twitter absentee and I just found out about this so hopefully, I'm not too late. It's already Saturday here, but about half a world away, it's still Friday and I'm determined to get this Peanut Butter Pie post out anyway. It's for Mikey, Jennifer Perillo's husband who passed away so suddenly last weekend. I'm not the only one putting up a peanut butter pie post in honor of Mikey (who, by the way, loved to eat them), hundreds of people are. You can see how some of the pies look like over at TasteSpotting and watch this beautiful video tribute by White On Rice Couple, Diane and Todd.

To honor Mikey, Jennie requested that we make one and share it with our loved ones. 

French Fridays with Dorie - Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar

I'm just so grateful, because to feel this vulnerable means that I'm alive.
~ Brene Brown

There's a certain amount of excitement and dread experienced in the French Fridays with Dorie camp in connection with this week's recipe - Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar (well two jars, actually). The feeling for me was akin to the thrill of jumping off a bridge knowing full well that the only thing that determines whether you experience the exhilaration of an upwards tug or plunge down to a massive splat on the ground is that elastic cord attached to your body. Okay, perhaps that bungy jumping analogy is more drama than is called for but to be honest, I've never cured anything before, let alone raw fish, so I was really looking forward to the challenge!

 My first time - I'm no longer a 'savory-food-in-a-jar' virgin!

Nutella and Peanut Butter Stripe Bread

If you've perused through enough of my posts and recipes, you may have noticed my slight obsession with the creation of stripes, swirls and spirals in my edibles. As well as a borderline addiction to pinks and purples :-). As idiosyncratic as it sounds, these are the things make me happy...my brain probably swims in a pink and purple sea of swirls and stripes on a daily basis. Imagine that. I like to think that I'm quite normal; each to his own, wouldn't you say?  

Peach and Violet Ice Cream

“Deep violets, you liken to The kindest eyes that look on you, Without a thought disloyal.”

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Flowers in food, have you ever given it a second thought? In the East, flowers are more commonly used in cuisine than in the West. This harks back to the olden days when food was scarce, so enterprising housewives started experimenting by adding blossoms in their cooking. I'm quite sure there were several tragedies along the way, just so that we are able to enjoy eating the flowers we know to be safe today.

Over here, you will find Thai and Chinese food are often the ones infused with a variety of flowers. The dishes range from sweet to savory, but flowers are found in beverages and herbal remedies too. A few of the most used flowers off the top of my head are chrysanthemum, jasmine, cherry blossoms, peonies, chamomile, ginger flower, osmanthus, hibiscus, rose and many others. Growing up on predominantly spicy (but flower-less) Malay cuisine, I've had to slowly get used to tasting flowery flavors in my food. Now, however, it's an acquired taste I couldn't possibly live without and I make sure there's always some dried edible flowers in my pantry for hmm... cravings and experimentation.

Coconut-Rose Agar Agar Dessert

It's the first day of Ramadan over here, and I decided to break the ice cream posts somewhat because well, monotony is boring. And if, like me and many others worldwide, you're fasting for 12-13 hours a day under the scorching sun (okay, more realistically in the house or in an airconditioned building somewhere), the dehydrated mind becomes a bit dull and needs to be stimulated with variety. By that, I mean food-wise. Let's face it, for a huge chunk of the day, that's all the person abstaining from food thinks about - food. And drink. And all the other lovely goodies they get to eat when it's time to break the fast, or iftar. I'm not generalising about everyone else here, that was me thinking about myself, quite indiscreetly. God, this is only Day 1...