Blog Posts

Time for a visit of Portland

7/2/2018

Here we go again, it's been about 6 month since my last Portland trip, so Craig (#craigsentme) thought it was time to go check the scene. We managed to get in town for brunch, so it was fitting to start with a coffee at ProudMary.

First stop ProudMary

2 Woodblock Chocolate

Our welcome at Woodblock Chocolate, was nothing short of spectacular, Charley, the founder, was so gracious, giving us a very extensive tour of his shop and laboratory.

3 Coquine

According to a few critics, Coquine has one of the better chocolate chips cookie of the city, so we had to grab a few, and an order of rye pancakes while we were at it...

4 Cloudforest

The other bean to bar manufacturer, is Cloudforest, they are especially known, for their innovative bar flavor combo.

5 Alma

A quick stop by Alma, the wonderful chocolate shop of Sarah Hart.

6 OK Omens

After a short stop by downtown, where we discovered PARK AVENUE FINE WINES, we decided to try
OK omens. The food was delicious, and we managed to be early enough to meet the chef de cuisine, Justin Woodward.

7 XICO

XICO is a modern Mexican food restaurant... After all those years, I just can't believe Craig didn't force my hand before, what a loss! We only went there for a quick dessert, but the friendly staff and the new take on Mexican food makes me hungry for more... to be continued.

A sugar showpiece

6/20/2018

It's been quite a while since I worked on a showpiece.
After visiting my friend Yushi, at his work last week, we decided to get together to do some sugarwork.
Yushi was kind enough to show me a new pulled sugar flower.
Here is the result of our work.

Thanks, Yushi!

Blackberry cheesecake cream tart

5/26/2018

Spring is here in the Pacific Northwest and blackberries are starting to make their way to us in Seattle from California and Oregon so I thought, what about a tart halfway between winter and spring.? The cheesecake cream is a reminder of winter and a good way to introduce the blackberries of spring and summer.

The sugar dough:
sugar 250gr
butter 500gr
eggs 50gr (1egg)
cake flour 760gr
Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, and finally the flour, refrigerate for 2 hours, roll and line you sugar dough in some tart rings.

The cheesecake cream:
This recipe could be called cheesecake with a less amount of sour cream.
Cream cheese 160gr
Sugar 80gr
Egg 50gr (1egg)
Salt 1gr
Sour cream 160gr
In a mixer fitted with a paddle cream the cream cheese and the sugar together, then gently add all the other ingredients.
Stretch, surround wrap, on the bottom of 5 tart circles, pipe your batter in each of the rings, and bake your
cheesecake cream in a steam oven set on 212°f (100°c) for about 10 minutes.

Raspberry ganache:
Sugar 10gr
Raspberry purée 200gr
Dulcey (Valrhona blond chocolate) 100gr
White chocolate 100gr
In a saucepan caramelize the sugar, stop the caramelization by adding the raspberry purée in the saucepan, stir,
pour over the 2 chocolates. Emulsify until smooth with an immersion blender.

Fresh blackberry compote:
Blackberries 1 pint
Sugar 15gr
Lemon zest (1/2 lemon)
In a small saucepan, cook the raspberries with the sugar and the zest until tender.

Assembly:
Once baked reserve the tart shells and allow to cool.
Pour the raspberry ganache in each of the tarts, spoon a couple of spoonful of compote in each tart.
Freeze solid the cheesecake cream, remove them from the rings, brush them with a small amount of clear glaze for shine, and place them on the top of each tart. Allow to thaw, and serve.

General Porpoise, Pioneer Square Seattle

4/13/2018

I happened to walk through Pioneer square, yesterday, and Oh what an amazing space and a beautiful shop,
the new location of general porpoise is open!
The store offers its usual assortment of delicious donuts, as well as 2 types of coffee (Madcap from Peru, and Camber roasted in Bellingham).
But what makes this location great is its atmosphere, just 3 tones, white, fuschia pink, and light grey, the level of craftmanship that went into building this place really shows.

Vancouver BC Chocolate festival 2018

2/4/2018

This year of 2018 Vancouver's hot chocolate can be summed up as :

4 hot chocolates
1 Beautiful brunch at Au Comptoir
1 amazing dinner at Kissa Tanto
and a surprise.

First stop Lucky Doughnuts

“IL BICERIN”
Dark Chocolate, espresso and steamed milk topped with vanilla cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Second stop Au Comptoir

Welcoming and delicious, just happiness.

Third stop, Gem chocolates

Gem chocolate's team was nice enough to have us try their "“INDIANA JONES AND THE VALLEY OF THE LOST RARE CHOCOLATE" a hot chocolate made with the rare pure national chocolate from Peru and Ecuador.

Fourth Stop, La Glace

“VOLCAN DE GLACE” Hot chocolate cake made with Valrhona Caraïbe chocolate. Served à la mode with Crême de la Crême ice cream topped with a ginger meringue kiss.

Fifth stop, Koko Monk Chocolates

“STRANGE GRAVITY”
Oregano and melon dark hot chocolate with a dash of anise.

Sixth stop, the surprise of the day!
Mon Paris Pâtisserie

Russian Honey, Honey dough, honey cremeux, mousse with natural vanilla

Our final stop, Kissa Tanto

Bye Bye 2017

1/24/2018

A quick video of our beloved Seattle, all the shots are from 2017.

Trip to Mt Pilchuck WA

9/27/2017

Among the most popular hikes around Seattle, one of the local's favorite is Mt Pilchuck it offers amazing view on the region...

Homage to Washington State Ferries

9/27/2017

The Washington state ferry system is the largest in the nation; it not only safely connects Seattle to many of the surrounding island/peninsula, but also delivers amazing vantage point to take pictures of Seattle.

Slough Food, Paella Party in Edison WA

9/25/2017

The last Paella party of the summer was yesterday in Edison.
The SloughFood wine and cheese shop in Edison, hosts a range of events, among them Paella Party!
And what a delicious Paella, can't wait for next summer.

Capstone at The Art Institute of Seattle (Summer 2017)

9/22/2017

Yesterday, was student end of quarter showcase of their work (capstone), here is a quick picture summary.