Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi everyone,

It has been a while since I have updated, it has been a crazy few weeks with post graduation stress of looking for work and all of that nonsense. I finally have some time and the mood to sit down right now to give you this wonderful classic favourite treat for all ages - Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

Jamie Oliver's Portuguese Tarts

Hi everyone,

Who doesn't like a simple and easy tart recipe? Well this recipe is definitely one for the keeps!

Easy Tiramisu

Hi everyone!

So I just been back from holidays not long ago as you all know, remember that picture of that Tiramisu i posted up on my top 5 food I had? Well even though it wasn't ranked first, the memory of that spoonful of that light, creamy and delicious home-made Tiramisu kept coming to me and I been craving for it for the past week. So I decided to do some research to look for some Tiramisu recipes that I could attempt.

Jo's Favourite Chocolate Brownies

Hi everyone!



After a long absence of recipe sharing, I am finally back in Australia in time for my graduation and short trip around Hobart and Melbourne with my family! It was great fun to be able to go round and enjoy so many different types of food. But now that I am back and pretty much settled back into the Hobart lifestyle, I am ready to continue my pastry journey. For this post, my friend ( Kenny ) is very kind enough to lend me his Canon EOS 40D to snap some photos. I really hope they are a huge improvement after getting photo editing tips as well from my other friends.  If they aren't then well I must be a horrible photographer! lol! But the main reason is to experiment with a DSLR compared to the usual compact cameras that I usually use and to try to get my submissions accepted by foodgawker.com to increase my blog traffic. Let me know what you think :)

Top 5 foods from Melb/Tas holiday trip!

Hi everyone,



Sorry that  I have been absent for quite some time. Just had a very hectic weekend with my graduation from Uni and my holiday trip with my parents around Tasmania and Melbourne. I'm sorry that I don't have a recipe to share with you all today, but what I do have is the top 5 delicious dishes that I have had during my holidays with my parents in Tasmania and Melbourne! I hope you enjoy and if you are in these areas, do visit these restaurants/cafes to give it a try.  I apologize for the very bad food photography as I am still learning the art of it and to be fair the lighting wasn't suitable at times and some of these photos are taken with my iPhone 4.

Pulut Tai Tai ( Blue Glutinous Rice Cakes )

Since I was going to have only a few more days left in Malaysia, I decided to attempt one of my favourite Kuih of all the time, Pulut Tai Tai. It is pretty much glutinous rice cakes that has been infused with the natural blue of the Bunga Telang and finished with a topping of Kaya/Coconut Jam.

Baking Class Experience

My first ever baking class was a blast, I had not idea what to expect but being able to work with Chef Danny is just fantastic. This will definitely won't be my last baking class.  I manage to get plenty great advices and ideas that will help out with my baking techniques. I just wished I could have learned bread making from him since he specializes in bread making.

Overall, the 5 hour session of macaroons, Oreo cheese cakes and hot chocolate soufflé was definitely worth it! I managed to gain some theoretical knowledge and hands on experience when it came to preparing  these recipes. The only thing that was a little disappointing was that we only made the macaroon from pre mix  instead of doing it from scratch. But Chef Danny was kind enough to provide me with fantastic advise on how to do it from scratch and he even gave me a recipe that he personally tested! :) So I will definitely attempt that recipe on my own when I feel confident enough. But anyway's enough of my jibber jabber, here are some pictures to show what I done on my baking class.  Enjoy!

A Baking Lesson with Chef Danny!

Hi everyone!

This won't be a recipe post but an update on what's to come.

I have just signed up for a baking class with Pastry Chef Danny Wan. I haven't heard of him before but from what I have heard from my friend, he has been a pastry chef for quite some time now with 30 years of experience. That is definitely a very respectable amount of experience and I am looking forward to this 4 hour session under Chef Danny.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

I got a huge treat for you all! My love for bread is one of the main reasons to why I would like to open my own bakery. Waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread is just heavenly, thanks mom for that! :)  But back to the topic, I will be presenting you today the most delicious load of bread covered in flavoured sugar. The smell of cinnamon and freshly baked bread will fill the house while  it is in the oven. The temptation of  just taking a bite out of it even before baking is strong but like my mom use to say, good things come to those that wait! So you will just need to be very patient as the bread proofs twice before it is ready to bake, by that time you should be eyeing the timer and wondering why does 30 minutes feels like forever! I hope I have gotten your appetite going, now lets get straight into it.

Pandan Chiffon Cake ( work in progress )

Hi everyone!

I was feeling a little ambitious so I thought I give chiffon cake a try. I tried it once before last year but that one ended in a disaster as the cake shrunk after it cooled down and it was undercooked. But after long consideration, I decided that it is time again that I tackle this challenge of making the perfect chiffon cake that will be light and fluffy. Being in Malaysia for another week before Ihave to head back to Australia, I decided to utilize local ingredients instead.

Mom's Apple Pie

Yesterday, I decided that since the title of my blog is The Pastry Dream, it is only fair that I present you with something that has to do with actual pastry. So in this post,  I will be sharing with you my mom's apple pie recipe that I have been enjoying since I was a kid. This would be my ultimate comfort food, a slice of  my mom's apple pie and all my Monday blues or moody winter days are gone!

Ingredient Spotlight - The Blue Pea Flower/Bunga Telang

This is a special post as I like to introduce all of you to a special ingredient that I have been searching for quite some time now. But now that I finally found it, I like to give it the attention that it deserves. For those of you that grew up under Nyonya traditions, you would be familiar with this flower and probably have it in your own gardens. The Blue Pea Flower or Bunga Telang grows as a vine or creeper, it clings on to other plans or climbs up fences.

Kaya (Coconut Jam)

For my first post, I have decided to write a post regarding one of my favourite spreads. Born and raised in Malaysia, Kaya  or Coconut Jam is an extremely popular spread among Malaysians and is made out of 3 main ingredients, eggs, sugar and coconut. It is commonly used as spreads on Toasted Breads, fillings for Steam Buns ( Pao) or as toppings for Nyonya Kuih.

Welcome to The Pastry Dream!

Hello readers!

Welcome to The Pastry Dream :)

This is my first ever food blog and after some encouragement from friends and family, I finally decided to create one.
Well here is a short introduction on me.