Precious Gems
I just finished a very interesting course in Gemology. Over the next months I will be posting some photos of beautiful gems. There are so many unknown gemstones. They are treasures of nature. Let’s remember some facts about them.
The emerald is a type of beryl. Very often they contain inclusions (internal flaws) or fissures (flaws that break the surface). For this reason, although quite hard (7.5-8 Mohs scale), emeralds are not very tough and must be handled with care.
The famous green color of the emerald is caused by chromium (and sometimes vanadium) impurities within the mineral structure of the stone. Often, emeralds are treated with oil in order to mask or diminish the visibility of fissures. Cedarwood oil is often used and it is generally expected in the gem trade that emeralds will have been treated with oil. However, treatment with dye in order to enhance the stone’s color is not considered acceptable. It is possible to create emeralds synthetically, but the seller must disclose the fact.
Taro Swirl Bread
I bought some taro because I was craving the taro bread I used to buy at 99 Ranch Market in Daly City. It was really yummy for breakfast!
I found a nice recipe at Malissa’s Food Blog. She had tried so replicate the 99 Ranch bread, using a Hokkaido bread recipe.
Remember that raw taro is toxic, because it contains calcium oxalate, which is destroyed by cooking.
It took me some time to use them, so they had sprouted.
Taro Paste
1 ½ cups taro, cubed
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
10 drops blue food coloring
6 drops red food coloring
pinch salt
3 tablespoons corn starch
¼ cup water
Steam the taro cubes until tender. Blend the cooked taro and 1/2 water until it becomes a puree. Mix the corn starch with water. Combine it with the taro puree, sugar, food coloring, and salt in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 4 minutes, stir after every minute. It will thicken more as it cools.
Hokkaido Bread
540 grams bread flour
60 grams cake flour
10 grams instant yeast
30 grams milk powder
80 grams sugar (3/4 cups)
9 grams salt (1 tsp)
1 large egg
250 grams milk (1 cup)
150 grams heavy cream (1/2 cup)
Heat milk and whipping cream until 100 degrees. Mix in egg. In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then gradually add the wet ingredients. Continue kneading for about 15 minutes. Shape into a ball. Cover and let rise until doubled. Divide the dough into two and shape into balls. Let rest, covered about 15 minutes. Shape into a rectangle about 6 x 12 inches. Spread with the taro paste (recipe below). Roll the dough one section at a time and crease with each rotation. The roll will spread out as you roll and will end up about 8 to 9 inches long or a perfect fit for your loaf pan. Place the rolled dough in a parchment lined loaf pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. Bake in a 175ºC oven for approximately 45 minutes. Let it cool down before slicing.
And this is the result. I didn’t have a loaf pan, so I used a cake pan with a whole in the middle. I also was lazy to knead, so the Thermomix made it for me, he, he. The only problem was that I put some food coloring in the bread, and instead of looking purple as I intended, it turned out green, like a martian! It was delicious though. Just the flavor I was going for.
Deco Spirits – Water
The Water Spirit holds in her hand an oyster with a pearl. Waves of water and a halo of light surround her. Gorgeous.
Cell phone cases
I can finally post the photos of two cell phone cases a friend asked me to make. I didn’t want her to know what they looked like before she received int he mail. Here they are: Pacman and an owl case. Pretty cute, aren’t they?
Friend, remember that things don’t last forever, and that’s even good. I’s ok to use it, and if at some point they get broken, you can replace them by new ones and enjoy new designs.
Echarpe Dog I
New finished project! A cute dog with a scarf in a blue background. It took me more time than expected, because I forgot I had to stitch the scarf using French knots, instead of crossstitch. As you can see in the photos, I had to redo it.
Deco Spirits – Fire
Here we have the second art deco spirit. It represents fire, as you can see from the golden flame he carries in his hands. Pretty soon I’ll post the third spirit –I’ve been working on it lately and I’m almost done with it.
Sashiko Pouch
I finished this gorgeous pouch using sashiko embroidery. It is a japanese kind of reinforcement decorative stitching. To master the technique is esay, and it allows the stitcher to meditate and relax. The pouch is lined with a cute japanese fabric I had at home. The most amazing thing is that I’ve had the red bias strip at home for many years. I recall I bought it to cover the perimeter of a small place mat I painted some cherries on when I was about 13 years old. You never know if you are going to need something in the future, so it’s better if you don’t throw it away. I promise I’m not a hoarder, though.
Pinecone Elves
Here they are! The pinecone elves that brought me my christmas presents!
Thanks for the gifts….they came a bit late, but they are really cute.
Felt Case
My mum asked me to make a case to store the pins she’s going to use in her new hobby: patchwork.
This is the result.
It was easier to make than it looks. Circles of felt in different colors sewn together. And the stitches look pretty neat, right?
My mum loved it, but when I said it could serve as my gift for her oncoming birthday…she didn’t think it was such a good idea. Go figure!
Matcha cake
I’m very proud of the last cake I’ve made. I found a japanese green tea powder called matcha. I only had tried matcha ice cream, and I liked the flavor.
Here is the recipe:
Matcha sponge:
• 7g matcha tea
• 50g flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites
• 60g sugar
Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Weigh the flour and the tea, mix, sift and set aside. Mix the yolks with half the sugar till pale. Mix the whites with the rest of the sugar and whip them to a meringue. Delicately mix the yolks and whites. Once homogenized, add the flour and tea mixture, mixing gently. Pour the mixture on a removable ring mold, previously greased. Bake for around 12 minutes. With a 20cm mold the sponge is 2.5-3cm tall. When done, tip it out of the mold carefully and let cool on a wire rack.
Mascarpone mouse:
• 3 gelatine sheets
• 180 g whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 60g water
•90g sugar
• 250g mascarpone
Place the gelatine sheets in a bowl with cold water. Mix the egg yolks with the water and sugar. Heat the mixture in a bowl over boiling water for 8 minutes at 80ºC. Then rinse the gelatine sheets and add them to the bowl. Stir to dissolve and let cool. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. When the custard reaches room temperature, add the mascarpone and mix it. Then add the whipped cream and mix gently. Pour it over the matcha cake and put it on the fridge.
Matcha tea mousse:
• 3 gelatine sheets
• 100g milk
• 7g matcha
• 1 egg yok
• 1 egg white
• 40g sugar
•100 ml whipping cream
Put the gelatine sheets in a bowl with cold water. Pour the milk in a pot, add the tea, stir while heating it, but do not bring to a boil. Mix the egg wolk with hal the sugar till pale. Then add the milk-tea mixture and heat it to until 85ºC to make a thin custard. Add the rinsed gelatine sheets to the warm custard, stir to dissolve and let cool. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, set aside. Then whip the egg white and the rest of the sugar to a meringue. When custard is cool, mix the cream gently. Then mix the meringue carefully, not to deflate it. Pour over the mascarpone mouse and bring it back to the fridge.
And done!
I used my family as guinea pigs. Some said the flavor was “weird”; some that the color was “weird”. The ones with the more discriminating palates asked for a second serving. Personally, the more I eat, the more I like the flavor….I think it might be an acquired taste.
