Single Star Drop

 

 I'm pleased to report on my continuing adventures in aerial fabrics class - there is improvement!  If you saw my earlier post, I was just SO MASSIVELY BAD it was downright embarrassing.  As I did suspect there was a trick to getting up that fabric so since then it hasn't been so bad.  The dance training has really helped because there's a lot of things you can get away with by being flexible that's kind of like a cheat...like fixing your position when you got into it wrong.  It was kind of like in wushu when I don't REALLY have the strength to to do a kip up, or the proper height to do an aerial, but I could cheat it by being flexible enough to shorten the required air time required for both moves. Ha!

THe moves that I'm having trouble with now are probably now due to my squodgy and wimptastic core.  Since hitting the ripe old age of thirty I've noticed that portion of my anatomy has become somewhat more troublesome with the upkeep (I need that fat to hibernate!! in...California...no really). 

And despite my utter and debilitating fear of heights, I discovered today that I think I'm going to like dropping!  This is the single star drop, just one rotation down - I didn't go that high up it's pretty fun twirling down the ribbon!  It's a very secure stop at the end which is probably why it's not that scary...so secure I got some bruises in delicate areas...

Episode 1: The Interview

Our first strip is up!! (Testing the blogger button share thing.)

Episode 1: The Interview

Medusa Blues, coming soon!

 I'm really really excited to announce the upcoming launch of a new comic strip by Wei-ling and I!   We've been working VERY hard on this lately (and hence if I've been a little MIA in real life, this is one reason why), and we are so happy and proud that it's finally ready to share!  It feels a little scary to have an idea that was for so long just in my head or just a discussion between the two of us suddenly become public.  But then, how can it be a bad thing when we have so much fun working on it?


The comic officially debuts Valentine's Day - check it out!

Happy New Year! And, Egg Custard Tarts

Happy New Year!

Ages and ages ago in Berkeley, my sister and I each bought a copy of this old school, from the 80’s, Chinese Snacks cookbook.  I forget which store carried it, but it seemed like such a great find we couldn’t pass it up and we obviously each needed our own copy. (We lived at the same apartment at the time.)  The idea seemed so great.  Make your own dim sum at home!  Turns out that dim sum is something really not something the home cook can whip up due to the complicated preparation and the sheer time it takes to churn out any kind of edible amount of bite sized goodness.  (Like that time my friends and I witnessed an entire room of super fast cooks wrapping Xiao Long Bao in a futile attempt to keep up with demands.)     

But oh, egg custard tarts!  As my friend Jen is fond of calling the most exemplary item in a category as its “king” (the King of Potato chips being salt and pepper Kettle Chips), I say egg custard tarts are the Princess of Dim Sum.  They’re fun, dainty, and sweet, and the hit of every dim sum outing.  In fact, I firmly uphold the belief that these treats are appropriate at any time during dim sum, not just as dessert!  The savory of the other dishes brings out the sweet goodness of the egg custard tarts, and vice versa!  Plus, these things go fast so if you don’t get them off the cart when the dim sum ladies come around, they might not be there later!

Therefore I couldn’t resist another attempt at making these (my favorite dim sum dish, not that that was a question).  I’m on attempt number 2 or 3 now; they seem like so much effort that I usually let several years lapse in between.  The crust is the hard part; many restaurants (second rate…sniff) will serve egg custard tarts in a shortbread style crust, which is the cheater way of doing it! 

A most suitable snack for all times of the day.

This recipe book provides excellent directions in Chinese and English, with step-by-step pictures on how to roll your crust properly; it takes two kinds of dough, one encased in the other, and a lot of folding.  I think it must be similar to puff pastry or croissants, to get that layering effect.  Also, the secret ingredient is lard.  I wasn’t able to find lard when I made this attempt, but I used shortening (and damn the health consequences) and the texture is finally approaching the desired flaky ideal!  I made this on a whim, so I didn’t have evaporated milk powder or any dairy for the egg custard, so that was a touch pale.  But I feel OK about that because my mom must’ve liked them; she went out and bought evaporated milk powder the next day. :)