Pierre Herme's Chocolate Eclair

It has been a long time since I updated my blog. So sorry about it. I'm without a domestic helper for some months now. That explains my tardiness in baking and updating blog. Baking has taken a backseat as I have to allocate priority for mundane household chores & preparing meals for the family. I will now most likely bake for special occasions like birthdays, gatherings and requests from family and friends. And if I really want to bake, it will be simple fuss-free types like muffins, cookies and cakes without any frosting.

Japanese Cream Puff

When I first tried the cream puff at Tampopo Deli in Liang Court, I fell in love with it. It's even better than the famous Beard Papa that attracted long queuesvwhen it first made its entrance many years ago. The Tampopo puff was so good that each customer can only buy 4 at any one time. These puffs were only available on every hour due to the small kitchen. Queues will start forming before the puffs were out from the oven. Don't worry. The kitchen and deli has been expanded and you now no longer have to wait in long lines anymore. Puffs are available most of the time and there's no more quantity restriction. Great! Isn't it?

Durian Puff

Can you smell the aromatic and yet pungent durian in the air? Durian season is here again. I love the creamy and buttery 猫山王 aka Cat Mountain species. I love my durian bitter with a little sweetness. When you get to eat a really good durian, a few is enough to make you euphoric and satisfy your insatiable craving. I like to patronize this stall called Combat Durian at Balestier. Though it may be a little more expensive, you never get disappointed. I also realize that not all D24 durians are the same. The taste and texture of the cheaper ones are not as good as the more expensive ones. I guess there's different grades for D24.

Durian Puffs & Chocolate Eclairs

Doris has so kindly requested me to bake durian puffs and chocolate eclairs for her grand nephew's 6-yr old birthday. Thank you Doris. It was quite a huge job for a real first order. It took me 3/4 of a day to complete everything. Although it was tiring, it was very satisfying.
Making the durian puffs was easy. Just need to remove the durian flesh and mix it with whipping cream. The making of the chocolate eclairs was much more tedious. First, I have to make the chocolate pastry cream (from Pierre Herme's recipe), followed by the chocolate sauce and chocolate glaze. But the result was fantastic. The chocolate cream and glaze were simply divine. Well worth the effort. But I need to work on glazing the puff better.