Granita di Caffè con Panna "Ti Amo"

I love making my own granitas with various flavours; such as Red Wine Granita, Strawberry & Chardonnay Granita, Rose Granita, Raspberry Granita, Plum Granita, Rambutan Granita, Roselle Granita and a classic Coffee Granita, Sicilian style! I really enjoy mixing those lovely ingredients, available in the kitchen e.g. Thai herbs & spices, red wine, white wine, rose, strong coffee, earl grey, honey as well as seasonal fruits. 

A syrup with a rich flavor is essential to make tasteful granita with a perfect combination of fruit juice, fruit puree, or wine is used with, or instead of, water. Herbs and spices can give crunchy ices interesting flavour twists, while aromatic teas such as jasmine or earl grey can be used to make refreshing light granitas. My most favourite of all is strong and sweet espresso coffee granita (Granita di Caffè), serve with fresh whipped cream, Sicilian style!

Espresso Granita , Sicilian style (Granita di Caffè con Panna)
...made y'day for my own pleasure! ...I sometimes substitute caramel sugar with homemade ginger syrup which gives a pleasantly delightful taste and exotic yet well-married blend to my taste bud & tummy! :)
...Granite (plural for granita) are the quintessential Sicilian breakfast, especially in summertime....and my most fav. of all is strong yet sweet Espresso Granita, s/w whipped cream (Panna Montata) and a freshly-baked (traditional) round (dinner rolls-sized) brioche (a.k.a Panino al latte), with a little extra ball of dough on the top & a hint of orange...hmmmm

another yum-mi-li-cious idea for coffee lovers:
it's layered espresso granita with bigger portion !!!

Granita di Caffè (from Rosemary and Bitter Oranges, by Patrizia Chen):

4 cups Strong Coffee

1 cup hot water

Caster sugar or Caramel Coffee sugar (measurement as per your taste)

2 cups Heavy Cream or whipping cream

• Combine coffee and water, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour the coffee mixture into a stainless steel container. Freeze for about 30 minutes, or until firm. 
• Remove from the freezer, using fork to crush the ice crystals. Return to the freezer; Repeat this process several times, until the mixture is sorbet-like in small crystals. (The mixture can be frozen and scrapped off in crystals when it is served.) 
• Whip the cream until soft peak form. 
• Scrap the coffee granita into crystals and spoon them into the chilled glasses. 
• Serve with whipped cream and dust with a pinch of cinnamon powder on top, if desired.

Portions of granita should be modest, so small glasses are ideal. 
Chill serving glasses in advance. 
If possible, frost them in the freezer. 
Granita di Caffè con Panna (crème chantilly) 
and Sicilian's Lemon & Orange Bread are Match Made in Heaven!!!
...
Listening to the God Father’s Sicilian love songs as background music, 

with sepia flashback of Michael (Al Pacino), wandering around with his Sicilian bodyguards 
and found the love of his life, Apollonia hmmmm what else would one ask for?....:)

"I think you got hit by the thunderbolt!!!"

In Napoli or Sicily! ;) where love is king, when boy meets girl... here's what they say... 

When the moon hits your eyes, like a big pizza pie, that’s Amore. When the World seems to shine, 

like you've had too much wine, that's Amore!!!

Did you know ... that today is International Moment of Laughter Day?
The objective of this day is to get people to laugh, and to laugh more often.
To celebrate this special day, simply tell jokes or do funny things that cause people to laugh.
Not a smile, but pure, whole-hearted laughter!
...Oh how I love it...and so do my niece & nephew! kiki emoticon

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"Come on", Passion Fruit Sorbet {no milk, no sorbetière}

(¯`v´¯) 

   `.¸.´

¸.•´

(¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿ 

Heart-Made Passion Fruit Sorbet {Sorbet aux Fruits de la Passion},....made of Thai wild flower Honey... and beautiful Passion Fruits.... from The Doi Kham Royal Project, ...under the patronage of His Majesty King Bhumibol of Thailand...
.....s/w a scoop of my left-over raspberry sorbet, frozen raspberries, organic Thai Mulberry, (from my aunt's garden)... and a lovely bouquet of Pigeon Berry Flower for garnish....

kiki emoticon
hmmmm.... suddenly Barry White's "Come on"'s chorus... pops up in my head...
[...] I'll love you day and night
I'm with you wrong or right
I'll keep you satisfied
'Cause satisfaction's guaranteed[...]

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

350 ml fresh passion fruit juice & pulp

a good pinch salt

2 tablespoons orange juice 

1 tablespoon Cointreau or Triple Sec 

4 tablespoons drinking water

4 tablespoons organic honey (wild flower)

1. Sprinkle a good pinch of salt into a bowl of passion fruit pulp. Set aside.
2. Dissolve the honey in warm water, stirring until it has completely dissolved.
3. Add the orange juice, liquor and passion fruit pulp stir well.
4. You can***Churn in an ice-cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. 

Alternatively,... 

• Pour into a plastic freezer box, cover and freeze. 
• Stir every 30 minutes with a whisk during freezing to break up the ice crystals and give a better texture.
• Freeze overnight with a layer of plastic wrap over the surface and the lid on the container. 
• Keep in the freezer until ready to serve. 

Voilà! Nothing beats naturally refreshing homemade sorbet to cool down the heat of March here in Thailand... Enjoy!  :)

The responsibilities of adulthood often cut people off from the sheer pleasure of childlike curiosity and lightheartedness of our youth. Rediscovering a sense of wonder and playfulness periodically can help us regain our balance...While in the company of others, we may find it easier to enjoy a good laugh and engage fully in lighthearted conversations...that our interactions are much more energizing...Keeping our playful nature positive could make our interactions not only lively and upbeat, but also encouraging and constructive. 

...............

I believe there are three tenants 

to live by in this apartment 

called Life: 

Love is empowering,

Fear is motivating, 

and Passion is fruit.

--Jarod Kintz

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A Cup of Tea @Café Kantary & Fishy New Year's Greetings!

““One strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones.
All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong,
but like it a little stronger with each year that passes.”
--George Orwell...
How would you like you tea, dears?

I ordered a pot of Earl Grey and a Strawberry Mousse Cake,
to be matched with my fuchsia sack-dress w/ creamy vanilla elbow-sleeves ;)

“The very act of preparing and serving tea encourages conversation. 

The little spaces in time created by teatime rituals call out to be filled with conversation. 

Even the tea itself–warm and comforting-inspires a feeling of relaxation 

and trust that fosters shared confidences.”
--Emilie Barnes, If Teacups Could Talk

A cozy & comfy corner for two @ our favourite rendezvous café :)
Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude 
and the pleasures of company. ~Author Unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. 
The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, 
the fountains are bubbling with delight, 
the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. 
Let us dream of evanescence, 
and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things. 
~ Okakura Kakuzo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and...how about "Something fishy"!!! 

It's one of listed first-time activities of mine in 2015!!!

Anne (on your right) and her lovely cousin, Jim Parichat.

How was my very first feeling once dipping my feet in the fish tank?
Wouldn't you like to know, huh? ;)

...
It was such a tingling feeling...not the kind of electric shock but rather like your feet are lightly poked with needles...so lightly that you feel no pain at all...like a fine vibration all over your feet...grrrrrrr
...
Those foreign passersby stopped by the fish tank to take a close look at how those so called doctor fish work on our feet... There was a Swiss couple, making fun of us by asking if we would put sugar in the tank...
My cousin said <<no>>
...Then I followed <<We'd definitely feed them with coffee later...they look oh-so sleepy!!!>>
Oh...Poor fish! ;)
health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/problems/treating/doctor-fish.htm

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Profiteroles Chérie...For me Formidable

Heart-♥- Made Profiteroles w/ pastry cream (or crème patissière) s/w fresh strawberry, dark chocolate ganache and whipped cream topping.(or ice-cream of your choice).

I also love Praline filling, like Paris-Brest's. :)

The most common dessert presentations involve ice cream, whipped cream or a pastry cream filling, and are served plain, with chocolate sauce, or with a crisp caramel glaze. They can also be topped with powdered sugar, frosting, or fruit. Filled and glazed with caramel, they are assembled into a type of pièce montée called croquembouches, often served at weddings and during the Christmas Holiday in France. Profiteroles are also used as the outer wall of St. Honoré Cake.

The origin of both the pastry and its name profiterole are obscure. However many sources suggest northeastern Italy. The word profiterole (also spelled prophitrole, profitrolle, profiterolle) has existed in English since the 16th century, borrowed from French. The original meaning in both English and French is unclear, but later it came to mean a kind of roll 'baked under the ashes'. A 17th-century French recipe for a Potage de profiteolles or profiterolles describes a soup of dried small breads (presumably the profiteroles) simmered in almond broth and garnished with cockscombs, truffles, and so on. The current meaning is only clearly attested in the 19th century. The "cream puff" has appeared on US restaurant menus since 1851, if not earlier. (Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profiterole )

Ingredients:

250 ml water
3 eggs

80 g butter at room temperature, chopped

150 g plain flour, sifted

For Creme Patissiere:

(small portion)

3 egg yolks

55 g caster sugar

15 g cornflour

5 g plain flour

280 g milk

1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

10 g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Amaretto liqueur (optional)

════════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════════════

Artistic expression can happen in many ways.

It isn't always about drawing a picture, singing a song,
playing music, or acting.
The way that you arrange your home or work-space
is an artistic expression.
So are how you dress...how you talk...your smile...your writing...your personality...your grocery list...how you make your food...how you drink your tea...how you decorate your dinner table...and the way you feel...etc etc. Each thing you do is an expression of you and your choice of style.
Life is Art...and so is Love.  Ooh la la!
...
This old school French love song suddenly pops in my head while writing my journal and enjoying a cuppa devil s/w heavenly green tea mousse cake...and I feel forrrr me forrrr me forrrrrrrr-midable!  `·.¸(¨`·.·´¨)
(¨`·.·´¨)¸.·´
.`·.¸.·´ 
......Seek out the beauty & magic that surround us….
...and make every day the most beautiful day of our lives...
...
May the month of December fill your heart with Joy, Peace, Blessings, Warmth and Love. 

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From Hong Kong with Passion & Sweet Bossa

Somewhere in Time
October 23rd, 2014

Hello dears, 

How have you all been doing?
I cannot believe it's October already! October is one of my favourite months...It's Autumn, Harvesting... an opportune time to turn over a new leaf in life with New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, a plus!
...

Since my messy kitchen is temporarily closed due to renovation and that I have been buzzing here and there lately, it is such a lovely idea to hand over my October's special post to a dear friend of mine, Jaime...to share with you her favourite 3-in-1 sweet corner (patisserie, boulangerie and confiserie) in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. I hope you enjoy this very special tour with her...

Keep smiling...:-)

Cheers!

Anne x

p.s Merci beaucoup, chère Jaime!!! 

Please enjoy your cuppa passion, infused with sweet, sensual & soothing voice of Coralie Clément...and feel free to refill your cup, of course! :)

My favourite pastry from my favorite Patisserie : PASSION BY Gérard Dubois

Once pop in this shop, I'm always amazed by their full display of desserts. I cannot resist each time to buy something, it is hard to pick just one...as they all look so good and delicious.

{Cake Selections (water-coloured mode), photograph by Jaime}

Cup cakes, Chocolate mousse, Crème brûlée , Tiramisu….to Milles Feuilles & Tarte au Citron, 

please tell me...how to choose…???!!!

One of my best favorite pastry there, that I fall in love with : Mon Chéri. Chocolate & Raspberry Macaroons are both my favorite and now they do have them combined together: The “Mon Chéri” with Grionttine cherries & custard filling inside the Raspberry macaroon...

how delicious and  amazing it is for me!

“Passion Chocolat” is my 2^nd selection, creamy dark chocolate mousse outside with sour passion fruit creamy stuffing are perfect matching. 

Lastly, I cannot resist the temptation of their homemade “Orange Cake loaf”, 

and feeling great to share it with friends or family as our high tea pastry.

...

Passion by Gerard Dubois

Passion, the latest venture by "La Rose Noire” opened its first shop in June 2012. The name of the shop echoes the lifelong passion of owner Gérard Dubois, a Swiss-born pastry chef, for delivering top-quality products. Here, patrons seeking a traditional French café experience can sit back to savour a crispy oven-to-plate baguette with a rich chocolat chaud, in a homey country cottage décor and the aroma of freshly baked bread. 

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Cherry Blossom & Green Tea Cheesecake (no bake)

Sayonara August...Ohayo September!
Fond memories came flooding back... as I listened to this song today.
Its melody & lyric reflect life's inevitably changing seasons...as a sad breeze blew away cherry blossom flowers...leaving their branches behind...

Everything
that we're
going through
is preparing us
for what
we asked for.

 Change is part of life.
Life is fleeting.
We are taking yesterday's inspirations to build tomorrow's dreams...
Recycle energy in the direction of healing and loving in creative ways.
Let go of emotional baggage and enjoy the peace we feel when we free ourselves of inner conflicts.
The past is ancient history that nothing can change...
and healing is in the form of the personal weeding and pruning that shows
old conditions have passed away in order to allow new things to grow.
...
We are free to open up to opportunities that are presenting themselves in front of us.
We are free to love, and love in all of its abundance.
We are free to feel as good as we want to and to grow in the ways that most suit us.

Opportunity dances
with those who are
already on the dance floor.
--Jackson Browne

So I dedicated my Sakura-Matcha Cheesecake to the month of September, 

with peace & love :)

It's layered cherry blossom & green tea cheesecake with Oreo-Coffee butter base and a Nutella Surprise!

Ingredients:

for Oreo Coffee-Butter Base

30 g Oreo biscuits

30 g Coffee-Butter biscuits

(or digestive biscuits of your choice)

75g butter, melted

for Cherry Blossom Cream cheese layer

1/3 Cream Cheese Blocks (or 85 g), softened

2 tablespoons sweet condensed milk

1 teaspoon gelatin powder,

dissolved in 1/2 coffee cup hot water

2 tablespoons whipping cream

2 teaspoons Cherry Blossom Essence

for Nutella layer

85 g cream cheese block, softened

2 tablespoons Nutella

1 tablespoon condensed milk or Dulce de Leche

1.5 teaspoons gelatin powder,

dissolved in 3/4 coffee cup hot water

for Green Tea layer

80 g cream cheese block, softened
1-2 tablespoon(s) Matcha Green Tea,

dissolved in 3/4 coffee cup hot water
1 teaspoon geletin powder

2 tablespoons condensed milk

2 tablespoons whipping cream

How to: 

• Using food processor or a rolling pin to make biscuits crumbs. Combine the biscuits crumbs and butter with a fork until well blended and press in the base of a 16-cm spring pan; chill for about 10-15 minutes.; 
• Beat the cream cheese in a bowl using electric mixer until smooth. Beat in condensed milk, followed by gelatin mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the cream and cherry blossom essence and continue beating until smooth.
• Pour the mixture over the set Oreo base; refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
• Combine Nutella and condensed milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the mixture has melted and is smooth; remove from heat. Leave to cool. 
• Beat the cream cheese in a bowl using electric mixer until smooth. Gently fold in Nutella mixture, continue beating until smooth, then followed by gelatin mixture until just combined. 
• Pour the Nutella cream cheese on top of the set cherry blossom layer and refrigerate for another 3 hours or until set;
• Beat the cream cheese in a bowl using electric mixer until smooth. Beat in condensed milk, followed by green tea-gelatin mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the cream and continue beating until smooth.
• Pour the mixture on top of the set Nutella layer and refrigerate for another 3 hours or until set;
• Transfer the cheesecake onto the serving plate, decorated with preserved cherry blossom flowers, edible gold leaf and/or piped your favourite signature/words with dark chocolate ganache. 

Special Thanks to my lovely cousin, for preserved cherry blossom flowers 

and cherry blossom flavour, from Japan.

Arigatou Gosaimasu!

& Enjoy! 

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#TakuapaMyHome Photography Exhibition

Photo taken by Jai Wongkittiwimol for #TakuapaMyHome

Photo taken by Tanadol Tom Sungthong

Photo taken by Jai Wongkittiwimol

Photo taken by Jai Wongkittiwimol

Dear Friends & supporters,

You are cordially welcome/invited to be our host & hostess for the forthcoming#TakuapaMyHome Photography Exhibition, which will be held in Takuapa Old Town between September 27th - October 2nd, 2014 (Vegetarian Festival)...with following steps:

1. Take pictures (B&W) in Takuapa 

2. Post your pictures on Facebook with hashtag #TakuapaMyHome

3. Your pictures will be presented as a part of the exhibition

p.s 

1. Kindly be noted that I am not the exhibition committee, nor the fund raising team. (who apparently worked behind the scene and... deserved all the credit, accordingly). 

The main objective of the exhibition is to promote Takuapa' s charm with a linkage to its glorious past, for being one of major seaports for the maritime spice trade... Geologically situated at the heart of one of the world's richest tin deposits, Takuapa, has also long been known as the "Tin capital" of the country for over a century. 

(The public library at Takuapa town has photographs on display of the dredging and sluicing operations of the mining heyday in the 1920s and 1930s.)

Photo taken by Nopparit Morasut for #TakuapaMyHome

The exhibition is not-for-the-profit event in collaboration with local youth volunteer association, local and private organizations alongside community contribution. I only translated the original Thai message into English and passed it on to wider audience...

2. Attached (below) is one of my (homey) collections, taken a few years ago...(as example)...

Ahem ahem...I know that I'm just a toddler in this field  And of course, there will be more collections, taken by leading Thai photographers, exclusively for the exhibition.

So...please feel free to join us or come visit our peaceful old town and experience "old school feelings" by yourself...(and/or) with your loved ones...(make yourself at "HOME")...

Thank you for your kind attention. We look forward to meeting & greeting you there!

Thank you & Enjoy!
here below is another link, dedicated to my hometown with love & fond memories...
by me.
Takuapa My Home - Yesterday When I was Young

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Siam Ruby Granita

"Siam Ruby" Granita,
made of 3 edible reds: Beetroot juice, frozen strawberries and mulled wine... served in frozen long stemmed glasses and decorated w/ frozen blueberry + a sprig of mint.
I call it "Siam Ruby Granita" because it is made here in Thailand and that its beautiful colour reminds me of our precious "Siam Ruby".

  it!

Ingredients:

(serving 6)

150 g caster sugar

100 ml fresh beetroot juice

2 tbsp lime juice

100 g frozen strawberry

100 ml water

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

1 star anise

1 orange peel

350 ml Burgundy or Bordeaux or other red wine

mint sprigs for garnish

• Place the sugar,beetroot juice, lime juice, orange peel, strawberries, cinnamon, clove and star anise in a heavy medium saucepan. Pour in the water and wine and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. 
• Bring slowly to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Set aside until cool. Using a fine sieve to strain the syrup into a shallow freezer container. (Discarded strawberry purée can be kept for the making of jam, sorbet or ice-cream, if you prefer.) 
• Freeze the syrup until half frozen. Then using a fork, crushing the ice crystals and mix them with the unfrozen syrup. Repeat this process several times, until the mixture is evenly frozen in small crystals. 
• I frost the long-stemmed glasses in advance in the freezer before serving. Spoon the granita into the frozen glasses and decorate with frozen blueberries, mint sprigs, orange rind or lime twists. Et voilà!

กรานิต้า "ทับทิมสยาม"... ทำจาก น้ำคั้นหัวบีท, สตรอเบอรี่แช่แข็ง และไวน์แดงเบอร์กันดีที่เหลืออยู่ครึ่งขวดค้างปี...
ใช้วิธีการต้มผสมน้ำเชื่อมและเครื่องเทศ (อบเชย, กานพลู, เปลือกส้ม และ โป๊ยกั๊ก) ...กรองเนื้อและเศษสตรอเบอรี่ออก... รอให้เย็น... จึงเทใส่กล่องพลาสติก ปิดฟิล์มพลาสติกก่อนปิดฝา แช่ช่องแข็ง...
... หลังจากนั้น ครึ่งชั่วโมง... ให้ใช้ส้อมขูดตอนที่กำลังเป็นเกล็ดน้ำแข็ง...แล้วแช่แข็งต่ออีกครึ่งชั่วโมง...ทำซ้ำสักสามสี่ครั้ง แล้วแช่ช่องแข็งตามปกติ....จนแข็งตัว แล้วจึงใช้หางช้อนแกงจืด...ขูดให้ทั่ว
...ก่อนตักเสิร์ฟในแก้วก้านยาว ที่แช่แข็งเตรียมไว้... ตกแต่งด้วยใบสะระแหน่ หรือ มะนาวฝานบางๆ...ตามชอบ

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Candied Orange Peel

Candied Orange Peel (Navel Oranges)

 : another delicious & straightforward way of making the most of our favourite oranges,
besides homemade marmalade and orange peel in syrup for traditional x'mas fruits cake... 

Candied Orange Peel is made by boiling the peels in a sugar syrup, then rolling them in granulated sugar and allowing to dry. How to make candied Orange Peel:

p.s Some people skip the sugaring process and dip those syrupy orange sticks into dark chocolate instead...

My preference: I also skip the sugaring process, and keep the peels together with the syrupy juice in a glass jar....in the fridge... 

I love that feel-good aroma each time I open the lid...then using a fork to pick some of them to be mixed into homey soy yogurt, oat flake & nuts for my breakfast.

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