Sensational Night at Blancmange

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this restaurant opposite Petersham Park on our way to dinner with friends at Enmore. Blancmange, as soon as I saw the restaurant I told my husband that we should definitely try it. Booking is highly recommended as it took us two(2) weeks to get ourselves a table on a Saturday night.

Once inside you feel a warm welcoming, homey ambiance. It is a cosy, unpretentious, yet an extraordinary dinning experience.

We were immediately served by the complimentary homemade sourdough bread and a menu that is printed daily.

One of the staff kindly introduced us to the meaning of Blancmange and how it relates to the dishes that the restaurant has to offer. The word Blancmange derives from Old French blanc mangier which means "whitedish". Blancmange is a dessert made with milk or cream, sugar and often flavoured with almonds - a close resemblance to the Italian Panna Cotta. It's a French dessert, however the English do make a similar dessert using rice flour. Therefore, Blancmange menu is very much French and English influenced.

The staff advised us to be regulars as they change the menu every 7-8 weeks and recommends that we go for the three(3) course meal, $55 per person. In silent agreement, my husband & I immediately set our eyes on the menu.

Entrée $18

Top: Salad of Warm Confit Duck Leg, Fresh Fig, Olive Oil Bread Croutons, Fennel & Watercress with Fig Compote & Red Wine Vinaigrette

Bottom: Roasted Mushrooms à la Grecque with Enoki Mushrooms, Parsley & Tarragon

The word to describe the two(2) entrées is Fresh! The warm confit duck leg goes well with the fresh fig, fennel and watercress. The croutons are so crunchy - adds to the freshness of the dish and the red wine vinaigrette enhances the whole flavour. Whereas the mushrooms are roasted/cooked just enough to retain its flavour and rustic texture. The parsley and tarragon certainly spiced up the mushroom flavour.

Main $30

Top: New York Cut Black Angus Steak with Café de Paris Butter & Shoestring Chips

Main Special $34

Bottom: Roasted Fillet of Angus Beef, Sautéed Mushrooms, Wilted Baby Spinach with Pomme Puree & Bordelaise Sauce

Both mains are perfectly cooked medium rare as requested. The French butter is definitely the highlight of the New York Cut Angus Steak, and how can you not enjoy the freshly made fries. As for the Roasted Fillet, the meat is very tender and creamy. And a touch of the pomme puree & bordelaise sauce to complete the warm-hearty roast meal.

Dessert $16

Top: Spiced Red Wine Poached Pear William with Vanilla Ice Cream & Hazelnut Praline

Bottom: Warm Fig & Almond Frangipane Tart with Almond Crumble, Sweet Red Wine Glaze, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A unique poached pear that is full of red wine flavour, a light and succulent dessert that sums up my husband's meal. As for the tart - warm, rich, custardy and utterly satisfying. The pastry is thin and crunchy, just enough to hold the filling.

Blancmange, a lovely encounter that made us leave with a contented smile and a mission to return every 7-8 weeks.

Croquembouche Pâtisserie

All about France!
Love their language, wine, butter, baguettes, pastries but little do I know about their country/history. I hope the French do not take any offense on such an ignorant person like me.

Croquembouche Pâtisserie, another French Pâtisserie at Botany Road, Banksmeadow. This cafe is smaller and more like the neighbourhood style cafe than Brasserie Bread. Nevertheless, you will find yourself lost in an abundant selection of savoury and sweet pastries.

The Chicken & Mushroom Crepe is not your ordinary savoury crepe. It comes with melted cheese! It is a very rich dish for breakfast, however every single bite is bursting with flavour.

And the Chicken Baguette...divine! The baguette is crispy - in itself its tasty and crunchy. The toasted chicken, tomato and melted swiss cheese filling completes the dish as a whole. 

My enjoyable breakfast was accompanied by this cute dog, how can I resist the look on her face...

Warning: do not leave empty handed after your breakfast/lunch! Ensure to treat yourself to at least one (or as many as you want to indulge) of the sweet pastries. I could not resist their delicate little treats! 

My love for desserts has always been towards the less sweet side, hence the Mango & Passion Mousse is my favourite. The mousse is so fine and soft, and the contrasting sweetness of the mango compliments the sourness of the passionfruit. As for the Milk Chocolate Mousse, initially I was a little bit skeptical. However, this cake was highly recommended by the staff. Surprisingly, the mousse is not as sweet as I anticipate it to be and the texture is very light.

Mango & Passion Mousse

Milk Chocolate Mousse

Tiramisu

The Tiramisu was a tricky one for me, I cannot decide whether to like or dislike it. The taste is quite bland, mild coffee flavour and the sponge is not as soft. Overall, it's very different to the traditional Italian tiramisu. My guess is: this is the French style tiramisu?

Well...

Bon Appétit !

Sweet Belem for a Sweet Saturday Afternoon Fix

Sweet Belem Portuguese Custard Tart, what's not to love about it? The pastry is ultra-crispy, the custard is not overly sweet and the top is sprinkled with a generous amount of cinnamon. You can easily cut through the soft-flaky-crispy tart without losing the original shape. A touch of cinnamon definitely adds a twist to this spectacular treat.
Located in the heart of Portuguese suburb, Petersham, it is one of the most visited Pâtisserie in the neighbourhood. Once inside the shop, you are welcomed with a painted ceiling of clouds in a blue sky and dangling chandeliers. Not to mention the wall decor and the beautiful display of the cakes, tarts etc.

Sweet Belem's Tart $3 each

Look at that crispy/flaky pastry!

If you are in the neighbourhood and looking for an original portuguese chicken, head across to the Petersham Charcoal Chicken. The chicken is grilled long enough to have the meat still soft and not too dry.

Upon chatting with one of the staff, he recommended Honeymoon if I want to try a more common portuguese tart. The custard is too sweet to my liking and I struggle to cut through the tart as the pastry is not as soft as Sweet Belem's. Personally I prefer Sweet Belem's tart, the custard has more of an egg/milky taste to it.

Check out my blogger buddy's entry on Petersham Charcoal Chicken and Honeymoon Portuguese Tart at mydatewithfood.blogspot.com

Petersham Charcoal Chicken, famous for its Portuguese chicken. You can dine-in or take away.

Honeymoon's Portuguese Tart, $1.50 each

Not to be confused with the Sweet Belem's tart, this is the more traditional portuguese tart which I bought from Honeymoon, located next to the Petersham Charcoal Chicken.

Sweet Belem

35B New Canterbury Rd

Petersham NSW 2049

(02) 9572 6685

Passion Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée, French for "burnt cream". It has always been one of my favourite all-time dessert, simply consist of rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel.

I was introduced to passionfruit crème brûlée a couple of years ago when a close friend invited my husband & I over for dinner. She bought mini passionfruit crème brûlées from her local Pâtisserie and I feel in love with it ever since.

Over the weekend, I decided to treat myself with a homemade passionfruit crème brûlée. Why passionfruit instead of the classic vanilla crème brûlée? Well lately I have been very obsessed with passionfruits. The flavour is so intense that as you cut through it, the sweet & sour aroma immediately fills up the room.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
250gr of good quality thick/double cream
30ml of full cream milk
2 egg yolks
1 passionfruit
1 tablespoon of caster sugar (you can put an extra 1-2 tablespoons if you prefer it to be sweeter)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (for the caramelized top layer)

Method:
1. Cut the passionfruit in half and, using a teaspoon, scoop the fruit & seeds out and put it through a sieve. Keep the seeds if you want to put them in the custard for a crunchy texture or else you can throw them away.
2. Put the passionfruit juice in a large mixing bowl together with the egg yolks and caster sugar. Using an electric hand mixer whisk on a medium speed until the mixture is frothy and pale in colour.
3. Meanwhile, heat the cream and milk in a saucepan over a small heat. Whisking now and then, until hot but ensure not to boil it.
4. Now with the whisk on a slow speed, slowly add the hot cream into the passionfruit mixture and blend well.
5. Fill the custard into two(2) ramekins, put the ramekins into the roasting tin and fill the tin with boiling water to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Cook them gently in the oven for 40 minutes in 150 degrees C. They are ready when the custard is set but still wobbles when you move them gently.
7. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool, then cover them with cling wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.
8. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle each ramekin evenly with the brown sugar. Feel free to sprinkle more brown sugar if you prefer a thick layer of caramel.
9. Now use the blowtorch to melt and caramelize the sugar. It will start to bubble and melt, and ready to serve once it turns to a dark brown colour.

Spoiling myself with Tiramisu

Another spoilt night of homemade dessert, tonight its the tiramisu. A simple yet delightful dessert that will leave everyone smiling in their sleep.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
6 savoiardi biscuits sponge fingers
1 tablespoon caster sugar
200 gr mascarpone
1 cup of freshly brewed coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon of Kahlua (optional)
1 teaspoon cocoa powder to serve

Method:

Beat the mascarpone and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.

Cut the savoiardi into smaller pieces to fit into the glass.

Dip each savoiardi in the bowl with the coffee (or mixture of the coffee and Kahlua). To get the right amount of coffee on the savoiardi, pull it out before they become too soft.

Arrange a layer of dipped savoiardi across the bottom of the glass. Then spoon a layer of mascarpone mix across the layer of savoiardi.

Dip another layer of savoiardi and lay them on the mascarpone mix. Put the remaining mascarpone mix on it.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably overnight.

Once you are ready to serve, dust top with cocoa powder.

This is an easier method compared to my Orange & Green Teamisu which uses cream cheese mix instead of mascarpone. 

Naughty Melted Chocolate Puff Pastry

Not content with just having main for dinner last night, I made this quick & super easy chocolate puff pastry (hand down recipe from my sister-in-law). Seriously its so easy, you don't even need to memorize or write down the steps.

All you need is a good dark chocolate or milk chocolate (I used the 85% Lindt chocolate), ready made puff pastry that you can easily find from the frozen section at your local supermarket, one(1) egg to brush the top and vanilla ice-cream.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Place frozen pastry sheet on the kitchen bench and leave it thaw for 5-10 minutes.
3. Draw two(2) circles in one pastry sheet (they usually come in 25x25cm) using a small bowl or any other shape according to your preference, be creative!
4. Put three(3) pieces of dark chocolate on top of the sheet and cover them with the second sheet.
5. Pinch the side of the pastry all around to combine the top and bottom layer. This is to ensure that the melted chocolate does not leak through.
6. Combine the egg with one(1) tablespoon of water and whisk using fork. Brush the top of the pastry to give that golden finish look.
7. Bake at 180 degrees C for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

It is so dangerously easy to make and very addictive!

Rekindle my love with Strudel Baron

After our delicious breakfast at Rosebud, we dropped by Strudel Baron (only a few doors away) to stock up for our Sunday night desserts.
Studel Baron at 172 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, used to be our occasional breakfast/dessert place when we lived around the area. I was delighted to see that they have ventured out to the neighbouring suburb, Balmain.

Freshly made pastries...

Plum Tart $4.90

Lemon Roulade $4.50

Passionfruit Tart $4.90

I can definitely taste the freshness of the pastry on both the tarts, soft and crunchy at the same time. The plum was more on the mild side, however my favourite was the passionfruit tart. The passionfruit flavour was very strong and the seeds were not only for decorative purpose but added that playful crunchy bite to the tart. The lemon roulade was soft and light, unfortunately missing the sharp lemon taste. 

Overall, I am glad to have stumble upon Strudel Baron again.