Chocolate Profiteroles

Blueberry Frangipane

Chocolate Mousse / Ice Cream

This is a good dessert for any party.

You can prepare in advance, chill in the fridge or freezer until you serve, no last minute hustle.

You can eat it as mousse as it is or make it ice cream to freeze it. 

Any kids will be quiet with this magic pot.

It's full of chocolate all over your mouth first, then smoothly melting cream left on your tongue at the end. 

It surely brings a smile to the end of your meal.

For Crème Pâtissière:

3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
250ml whole milk / soy milk
1tbsp cocoa powder (no added sugar)
1tbsp corn flower

For Chocolate Meringue:

3 egg whites
50g icing sugar (caster sugar is also fine)
1tsp lemon juice

150g dark chocolate
200ml double cream / thick soy milk

1. Make crème pâtissière and chill it in the fridge
2. Make meringue
3. Melt chocolate in a bain marie and cool down
4. Whip the double cream until makes soft peak (if using thick soy milk, no need of whipping up, just pour into melted chocolate)
5. Beat 1. to make it smooth. Add meringue in 3 times (don't beat too much)
6. Mix up 3&4
7. Add 6 into 5.
8. Pour into ramekins
9. Chill in the fridge for the mousse, or freeze it in the freezer to make it to ice cream.

Foody Trip to Thailand 2015

Kingdom of Thailand.

The ultimate destination for the food lovers in South East Asia.

I and my husband decided to fly to Thailand for a short holiday just a few weeks before our boarding date. 2 nights 3 days in Bangkok. 3 breakfast, 3 lunch, 3 dinners, 10 snacks were the plan. 

Day 1. Ayutthaya

Arrived in Bangkok 4:30 am. Bang into a hotel to threw our baggage, we headed to Ayutthaya.

The ultimate aim iss to eat water prawn in BBQ. 

But before heading to all Wat (temples) and Water Prawns, we encountered with the very first authentic Thai flavours in a floating market nearby. Seafoods in Egg (of course, with lots of chili), steamed in a bamboo leaf. The shop seller warned us it's spicy, but we weren't scared (because we trained with a high level of chili hotness before coming to Thailand). Sweet and Sour, and full of flavous from lemongrass and holy basil and high note of chili, then full of seafood juice running out from bamboo leaf was simply a pleasure. We were certain that we would have good days in Thailand.  

Grilled Water Prawns were worth making an effort telling our non-English speaking driver to take us to the right restaurant with gestures and pointing the prawn photos on the guidebook. 

Orange butter from Prawn head melting out, the bite of prawn meat with smoky shell all made a great harmony. It was prawn lovers heaven indeed. It's worth a try if you are ever in Ayutthaya.

Wat Yai Chai Nibgkon in Ayutthaya

Steamed Egg and Seafood with chili in bamboo leaf

Grilled Water Prawn

Som Tam

Prawn with Spinach Stir Fry

1st night out back in Bangkok was with old friends from London who works as chefs in Japanese restaurants in Bangkok. Night market was irresistible with full of Thai flavours from every corner.

Day 2. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Took a tour to a floating market in the early morning. We started our very first boat shopping with this coconut ice cream. The ice cream lady on the boat had very quick hands, served this beautiful coconut ice cream along with bright purple and green sticky rice in a coconut cup in 15 seconds. Then another take on a sweet Mango with sticky rice. Mango lady skinned off 2 mangoes in 20 seconds, and packed it beautifully all in 30 seconds. 

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Coconut Ice Cream with Sticky Rice

Mango with Sticky Rice

Boat Noodle with Seafoods

Back in Bangkok in the late afternoon, and our stomach was not  so empty, but I had to go to this place. The ultimate Tom Yum restaurant. P'Aor.

It locates in such a local tiny corner, it took us sometime to find the shop, but never ever regret the long walk in a boiling hot day. Tom Yum was so thick and creamy with so much depth from prawns that I never experienced. We initially ordered one bowl of Tom Yum each, then ended up having 3 more dishes. Everything was unbelievably delicious ( and cheap).

P'Aor, Epic Tom Yum Shop

Shrimp rolls

Tom Yum

Green Noodle with Melting Chicken

Big Prawn, Eggs on Rice

Even though our stomach was still a half full, we headed to a meeting place for my old Thai friend whoc studied with me in England for a dinner. His favourite spot in his neighbourhood restaurant. We continued full of Thai flavours and pleased our stomach for 120%.

Som Tam

Grilled Pork

Sweet Stir Noodle

Chicken Liver Soup

Vietnamese style Rice paper rolls

Day 3. Sompong Cooking School

Thai Cooking Class was the most looking forwarded activity for me in this trip. 

Sompong Cooking School was a lovely small school run by a Sompong family that I highly recommend to anybody who likes cooking or Thai Foods. 

The menu highlights the most famous Thai cuisines lineup. 

>Green Curry Paste and Green Curry (Kaeng Khiaw Waan Gai),

>Thai Spicy Mixed Fruit Salads (Tam Pol La Mai), 

>Stir-fried Chicken with Cash Nuts (Gai Phad Med Ma Muang)

>Egg Custard in Pumpkin (Sung Ka Yar Fak Tong) 

We started off with the local market tour to learn about Thai ingredients in details. Even a humble ginger has more than 5 kinds,  then the millions of combinations to imagine with variety of fresh herbs and spices. It made me dizzy. Thai cuisine dig-in my comprehension deeply and showed off a new space in my global map of cooking proudly. 

Even a simple decoration of rose flower made by tomato skin added a nobility to our daily dish. But more than any presentations on the plate, the flavours, the flavours, the flavours of each dish shut me up. So much aroma were like dancing on my tongue and never had conflict. It was such an experience.

Green Curry

Stir Fried Chicken with Cash Nuts

Thai Spicy Fruits Salad

Egg Custard in Pumpkin

The final Dinner. 

Although our time was very tight until our flight in the night, and our cash in the wallet was almost none left, I insisted my husband to eat at this place. We ran to an ATM and got 1,000THB in our hands and entered. 

Somboon Seafood. 

The unmistakably delicious seafoods on all plates guaranteed. 

The last spoil for me in Bangkok, I swore to my husband. 

Crab Curry is the most famous dish in this restaurant. We didn't speak much but each munching gazed our eyes each other. It was yummy, heavenly.

Crab Curry

Grilled Prawns

Prawn and Muchroom with Asparagus 

Spicy Rice Noodle Salad

To sum up the Thai journey, it was full of explosions, I mean the Thai foods just blew me away how deep and wide their cuisines were. I can't get over "the returned from holiday" syndrome. I keep on cooking Thai dishes at home but never be the same how the taste were in Thailand. Anyway, I love Thailand, I love Thai food.