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You can read the complete story and history of Mansoura on their website, because I’m realizing what a challenge it is to take it all in: Snapping pictures, keeping notes, translating, meeting the people, and more importantly, eating pastries (and getting the facts straight while trying to decipher my notes when they’re covered with honey and powdered sugar…), all at the same time. We spent nearly three hours in the bakery and a week later, I wanted to go back. The Mansoura family started making pastries hundreds of years ago in Syria, then moved to Egypt in the early 1900’s, then to Paris for a couple of years while they waited for their U.S. visas. The finally settled in the States, and opened their shop in Brooklyn in 1961. Today, Jack Mansoura, who’s 27 years old, is the baker in the…

I have made this several times now, and it is very honestly totally totally yummayyy. First, we give our Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa a good simmer in a hearty stout. While that is happening, we throw a couple things in a crockpot, let that go, and what we get is the best queso I have made yet. Yes, this actually even beats out the Bestest Best Queso of Them All HKUE amec. Can you believe it? (this is why I should stick to my own advice of never claiming a recipe is the best, because you never know what you will create down the road). Then we fire up the grill to take the beered-up Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa from yummy to perfect mask house. Serve in a tasty bakery roll or bun topped with the hoppy queso of our dreams and a side of pumpkin beer and there can only be happiness. Thi…

This sensational recipe started from a commercial on the radio {when ya say that out loud it sounds kinda creepy and gross Best Restaurants in Hong Kong, but hear me out}. I heard a commercial for Fanta (the soft drink) and they were describing their latest flavor for the summer, Mango Fanta. Well that sounds just freakin’ amazing now doesn’t it Search Engine Optimization? So then my wheels got to turning {ah crap} and I put it out into the universe that I was going to make a refreshing summer beverage that was all mango-y, but maybe a little better for ya {oh yeah… and spicy too dudes}. I played around in the kitchen {and made a hella mess while doing so} and started putting together my basic lemonade, a bit of simple syrup, lemon juice, and water Bo Ying Compound Eu Yan Sang. I then pur…

I don’t usually post two days in a row, but last weekend’s attic insulation diy project took just a tiny bit longer than expected (okay, twice as long) and threw off the beginning of our week hong kong homes for rent. On the bright side, that seems like it was a pretty worthwhile endeavor given that we spent a fifth of what it would have cost to bring in professionals. But getting the 125 pound+ insulation blower machine up (and down) a couple flights of stairs? That was no joke. We will not be sad if we never have to do that again. I’m a tad backed up on my recipe queue, and seeing as how this recipe is St. Patrick’s Day appropriate, I didn’t want to wait any longer. Also, it’s a vegan Mint Oreo Blizzard so…you want this recipe asap, trust me 24 volt dc motors. I do have to make a small…

Are there many things more comforting than a roast. From a roast beastie to a nutroast, having dinner cranking away in the oven is one of life’s most happy things. This is a true treat and one that you shouldn’t wait for a Sunday for although it will start your week off really well. It’s a one pot meal with enough for lunches the next day. I started with a base of apples, sweet potatoes, onions, a bay leaf, sage and a whole clove. Next comes a 2 lb shoulder, pork roast. Just slit it down the centre to make a pocket and fill with fresh sage and slice apples. Then to baste-apple cider. I used the alcoholic version with the bubbles but fresh apple cider would be just as nice. A good does of salt and pepper and a slosh of maple syrup and you are done dinner prep. Bake for and hour and a half…

The melon-peach jam managed to balance two seemingly incongruent fruits into a perfect pairing. I was tempted to get down on my hands and knees and worship at the alter of mamma Rosalba, who created the recipes and oversees the jam-making, but I thought better of it. I offered additional gratitude instead. And if I wasn’t traveling with just a carry-on, you can bet my suitcase would be full of her jams and preserves. (Although last time I passed through an airport in Sicily, the security officer took the bottle of water out of my sack, that I forgot I had, unscrewed the top, took a sniff, handed it back to me, and waved me through.) In a previous post, a few people asked me about the grape syrup that I’d mentioned, which confusingly goes by the name “confettura elisir” (conserved elixir),…

Lumoid let me down and I can’t trust renting from them again. My first Lumoid rental of a 5d Mark III and a Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II USM Lens on June 3rd was very smooth and I ordered one again on June 9th for a rental on the 13th. I called Lumoid on Weds the 11th after 3 PM PDT when I didn’t get a shipping notice. They said that FedEx had messed up and that they were going to pay for overnight shipping on the 12th so that I would have the camera and lens on the 13th. I received a shipping notice, but the FedEx tracking number didn’t show any progress on Friday so I started getting nervous and called Lumoid. Again, I was assured that the package was shipped and that I would receive it before 8:00 PM. I called FedEx at 7:00 PM to check and they said they couldn’t do anything until after 8:30…

The so-called "Italian Ice Cream" comes from The Notebooks of Michel Bras: Desserts. Despite containing no eggs, this ice cream has a very creamy texture. Made with only four ingredients (milk, cream, sugar and powdered milk), a stark snow white, it's a dairy purist's dream come true. Milk powder not only heightens the natural milk flavour, but serves a structural function - it adds protein a.k.a. large molecules that hinder the formation of ice crystals. By holding crystal size in check, the final texture is thus improved. Naturally, for the best taste, buy the tastiest milk you can find (I like Horizon Organic's Whole Milk). And no, don't bother with fat-free, 1% or 2%. Vanilla on vanilla, a real crowd-pleaser (who doesn't adore the flavour of real vanilla?). Classic crème anglaise-base…

The recipe for macarons au sucre cuit I've been enamored with as of late comes from Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Desserts and Pastries by Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert, the second in the Grand Livre de Cuisine series, recently made available in English (for more about the first in the series, and my compulsive book-buying patterns, see here). Delivering what in my macaron-making to date are the most delicately delicious macarons - and just as critically, ones that are consistently so batch after batch (yes, I have a bit of a thing for consistency) - has alone justified the purchase and bookshelf realty in my head. Also, the recipe does not call for powdered egg whites, a hard-to-find ingredient often specified in macaron recipes from other professional books California Fitn…

At last it feels like summer thanks to the bounty of fruit and berries I picked up at the farmers’ market last week Greeting Card Displays. With my arms full of donut peaches, cherries, blueberries, and blackberries, I felt like I won the lottery. One of the best ways to spend a summer evening is sitting on the side of the pool, watching the stars flicker through the deep night sky while indulging in an ice cream sandwich Managed UTM.

These blackberry-brown sugar ice cream sandwiches are my current treat of choice. The Soft Batch-style brown sugar cookies stay nice and chewy, even straight from the freezer. Pair those caramel notes with beautifully creamy blackberry ice cream and you’ll want summer to last forever Hong Kong work visa.