Work catering #28: Inspiration from desserteries - Zumbo Patisserie and B&P sweet studio

I've been eating wayyyy to many sweets recently >____<" but all in the name of research ;P haha! Adriano Zumbo has opened up a pop up shop recently selling his "Chouxmacas - choux pastry topped with a macaron" and I've somehow become a regular customer =p" 

Pina coloda chouxmaca! so cute ^^

taking a look inside the Banana cheesecake chouxmaca! my favourite one~~~

Masterchef has also made Burch & Purchese sweet studio quite popular too! So went to visit (again) and the desserts were AMAZING!!! =D =D =D!!! Oh and I met a former Masterchef contestant -> KYLIE :) she was lovely ^^

Delicious desserts!! love all the layers and textures and flavours! <3

Kylie! super nice :) Has the dream job at B&P!

So those desserts have given my inspiration for this week's work catering =) I made lychee and coconut pannacotta - inspired by B&P's multi-layered desserts; and chocolate macarons - inspired by Zumbo's macarons!!
Lychee and Coconut Pannacotta

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups thickened cream
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 tsp gelatin
1 can lychees 
1 packet (85g) create-a-jelly (Aeroplane brand)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

1. Place cream, milk and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Stir till sugar dissolved.
2. Add 3 tbs boiling water to gelatin in small bowl and mix to form a gel. Add gelatin mix into cream mixture and stir till gelatin dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Pour into jug and pour into plastic shot glasses (~3/4 full). Drain canned lychees (reserving 200ml lychee juice) and cut each in half. Place lychee half into each glass and refrigerate for around 1 hour or until set.
5. Empty jelly powder into separate jug, and add 1 cup (250ml) boiling water. Stir and dissolve well. 
6. Add 200ml of lychee juice and stir well. Remove pannacotta from fridge (once set) and pour lychee jelly into each shot glass. Return back to fridge and allow to set.
7. Place shredded coconut on lined baking tray. Bake for around 10 minutes at 200oC or until toasted. Sprinkle coconut onto pannacotta and serve.

I wanted to create different textures (creamy pannacotta plus crunchy toasted coconut) and also add an element of surprise (the lychee in the middle). I'm really happy with this one! The flavours complimented each other really well, no ingredient overpowering the other (HAHA! sounding like a Masterchef judge). I was really happy because many people gave great comments ^___^" Like "this is the best thing you have ever made" - whoa... and "who bought these?" =D The only complaint was "you should make the glasses bigger" hahaha

Since I was making a an order of macarons, decided to make extra for work! Haven't made them in a while and glad they turned out well! No strange/creative flavours like Zumbo does, just simple chocolate :) You can find the recipe for my Chocolate Macarons here. Still my most visited recipe ^_^"

Oh and EXCITING NEWS! ADRIANO ZUMBRO TRIED THESE MACARONS!!!! Yes!!!! He came to his pop up shop for the last day and so i brought some of these for him to try XD XD while most people were asking for a photo and autogtraph, I stood there holding my box of macarons and asked if he would try one! XD XD! He said "a bit too crunchy, they should be softer..." i think because they weren't freshly made and dried out a little! but happy to get some feedback from the Macaon Master himself!! hehe... oh and I did get a photo too ;P

with the macaron master Adriano Zumbo!

Macarons finally making an appearance for work catering =p

close up of macarons! see the "feet" hehe

High Tea at home and other (non)baking sweets

I had the opportunity to use my cake stand a few weeks ago =D I had some relatives over from Malaysia so wanted to make something special :) I've also always wanted to go to high tea ... but its always been so $$... so why not do it at home ^_^"

I made chocolate macarons and berry and nut brownies. Glad that my relatives liked them~ I even had to "replenish" the levels xD hahaha!!

Other non baking sweets I've made are Tiramisu and Blackforest cheesecake. The weather had been so hot lately to actually use the oven.. but thank God it cooled down and I could use it today for catering!

I've also just recently come back from Sydney for a friends wedding but also took a day off to explore and eat around Sydney! And I finally got to go to ADRIANO ZUMBO PATISSERIE: Balmain lab! YAY!!!! got to try Adriano Zumbo's yummy pastries and cakes!!! However I didn't get to meet him or see inside the kitchen because th glass was frosted due to renovations :(... next time next time... So I'll end off with some of his yummy pastries, cakes and ZUMBARONS!!!!

The famous graffiti!!! =D outside the zumbo lab~

delicious crossiants!

CAKES!

PEPTIO: Puff pasty filled with raspberry and white chocolate.. a healthy brekky =p

Mocha, almond crossiant and peach ice tea macaron

Berry brioche! Just exploding with berries!

Assortment of ZUMBARONS

CAKES!!!! so many choices~~

fancy tarts

Mr Tom Brown - milk chocolate coconut mousse, mango compote, milk chocolate ginger cremeaux, coconut ginger cake & milk chocolate glaze

Jun and Jill - pistachio & mint creme chantilly, apricot compote, apricot & saffron creme, pistachio dacquoise, pistachio crunch & pistachio glaze 

Eric is a bananaman3 -chocobanana mousse, lemon & banana creme, flourless chocolate cake, caramelised almonds, salted dark caramel plaque

Taking on the ZUMBO!!!!

I'm not a firm believer in packet mixes... much rather do it from scratch.. however there are some exceptions =p So excited to see that Adriano Zumbo now has his own cake packet mix.. including his famous MACARONS!!! :D 

So what do you get in the box you ask?
1. Meringue mix (all you need to do as add water!!)
2. Almond mix (probably a mix of almond meal and icing sugar)
3. Passionfruit filling (it's like a GEL! so yum! I could eat this on its own!)
4. 2 pipings bags
5. Macaron stencil - to trace a perfect circle!

Contents of macaron mix

Piped macarons.. not as "round" as I would have liked...

*pop* macaron feet!

filling the macarons!!

Haha! just like the store bought!!! ^___^ 

So my verdict!!! Definitely worth it! The flavour was intense! As soon as I opened the packet mix I could smell passionfruit! The gel filling was awesome too!!! :D It took me a third of the time I would normally make macarons. The only downside would be that they were a little soft (but just for my liking...). I really want to try the salted caramel flavoured one now :D

NOW SELLING @ BakingTray $5 per box of 5. See "macaron menu" for ordering details.