MINI HOUJICHA MADELEINES

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Mini Houjicha Madeleines

MARC ET FARID
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NIKO NEKO

"We are Marc et Farid and bake french pastries. Both Marc and Farid have a background in Sciences. Dr Marc B is a researcher in Paris. Since both parties love baking, they decided to create a company in Malaysia that bakes french pastries.

Farid, while a student in Sydney Uni, also spent a lot of time working in a kitchen. His former boss, Jackie M. had taught him a lot about business and food. Being passionate for baking and cooking, he decided to change path and invest in this area, by studying pastry in Paris.

Changing career was a major challenge but passion made it easier. Marc loves making macarons. Being a biochemist, he was intrigued to understand how macarons shells could develop such a nice appearance. Baking and Science are not that much different and there are always scientific bases for the process of baking. We use our knowledge in Science to understand and analyse the baking process and the role of ingredients and conditions, especially the chemical and physical mechanisms involved in baking. That is why we enjoy our time in the kitchen, experimenting as much as in the lab.

Our motto and philosophy are to provide the best pastries with fine ingredients for customers trying to balance an exquisite flavour with a lovely design. Most importantly then, we care about the quality of ingredients, which are, for most of them (90%), imported."

Farid Tawfik

Founder of Marc Et Farid

Instagram: marcetfarid_
Email: [email protected]



Interview with Farid Tawfik of Marc Et Farid


What inspired you to start baking? What motivates you to keep baking?

I was inspired to start baking French products by  Adriano Zumbo  and Australia MasterChef. I was initially into cooking rather than baking and worked for several Cafés in Sydney, spending most of my time in the kitchen. I think seeing my former boss Jackie M so successful in food in Australia motivated me to keep baking and have my own business. She was in IT back in London before moving back to Sydney to pursue her dream for culinary arts. I can see myself in her journey. When I decided to change career, it was not an easy task, but rather a major risk, considering I was not born in a wealthy family and had been through hard times when I grew up. I believe these small things made me stronger and motivated me to become a successful person.

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What inspire you to start baking? What motivates you to keep baking?

I was inspired to start baking French products by  Adriano Zumbo  and Australia MasterChef. I was initially into cooking rather than baking and worked for several Cafés in Sydney, spending most of my time in the kitchen.

I think seeing my former boss Jackie M so successful in food in Australia motivated me to keep baking and have my own business. She was in IT back in London before moving back to Sydney to pursue her dream for culinary arts. I can see myself in her journey.

When I decided to change career, it was not an easy task, but rather a major risk, considering I was not born in a wealthy family and had been through hard times when I grew up. I believe these small things made me stronger and motivated me to become a successful person.

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What is your signature creation and why do you like to make them?

I have a few signature cakes, the simplest being "tarte aux fraises" (Strawberry tart). When I was in Paris, Spring and Summer were my favourite seasons for pastries hunting because one got to see so many fruit-based pastries in shops.

My favourite has always been the delicate wild strawberry tart. Since you cannot get wild strawberries in Malaysia, I use the normal one. I think I like simplicity. I focus on flavour and not so much on decoration.

For me, my strawberry tart is so French, simple and tasty, well balanced in terms of sweetness and sour. It is perfect for someone who loves strawberries as much as I do.

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Share with us how did you come out with the idea of your  Houjicha creation for this project?

Since I am not a green tea person, the difficulty for me was in not knowing how strong the flavour should be. I tried a few recipes with different pastries. I love to play with texture and taste. I tried few different things. But I was also inspired for my creations by French literature.

Marcel Proust is a renowned French writer from the beginning of the 20th century. His novels consistently revive the nostalgia of this period and the remembrance linked to everyday life. In one most famous part, he is in a tea room, having tea with madeleines and this instantly brings back memories and nostalgia of his joyful youth when visiting family in Normandy. 

As such, the madeleine episode is for French people a major reference for remembrance of a golden past. I thought making a green tea-flavoured madeleine was a way to both honour this author and also the beginning of the 20th century for which I am very fond of. Yet madeleines, as well as butter cookies (a slightly different version from the sablés we sell) are - as I like- simple and yet tasty pastry. And so French.

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What do you think of TSUBAKI / Houjicha? How did TSUBAKI work well with your creation?  (Handling, taste, texture etc.)

After my batch of YURI / Matcha powder was finished, I started to play with TSUBAKI / Houjicha. In comparison to matcha, I like this one better. I love the texture, the taste and the smell. When I created the madeleine, I thought this was perfect for me. I like it very much and so does Marc, who is attempting to create Houjicha-based macarons too.

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Motivational message to inspire people out there to start baking.

Baking is real fun!. When I started baking, during my Uni years back in Sydney, it was just to release my stress, then it became a hobby. I slowly developed my interest and passion towards baking. I love to experiment things- perhaps due to my training in Science. Just enjoy yourself. Try different recipes, attend baking classes and never ever give up. If you are afraid of burning your cakes, try to bake the simplest one first.  The first successful one surely will make you bake even more.

Bon courage...

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What is your signature creation and why do you like to make them?

I have a few signature cakes, the simplest being "tarte aux fraises" (Strawberry tart). When I was in Paris, Spring and Summer were my favourite seasons for pastries hunting because one got to see so many fruit-based pastries in shops. My favourite has always been the delicate wild strawberry tart. Since you cannot get wild strawberries in Malaysia, I use the normal one. I think I like simplicity. I focus on flavour and not so much on decoration. For me, my strawberry tart is so French, simple and tasty, well balanced in terms of sweetness and sour. It is perfect for someone who loves strawberries as much as I do.


Share with us how did you come out with the idea of your Houjicha creation for this project?

Since I am not a green tea person, the difficulty for me was in not knowing how strong the flavour should be. I tried a few recipes with different pastries. I love to play with texture and taste. I tried few different things. But I was also inspired for my creations by French literature. Marcel Proust is a renowned French writer from the beginning of the 20th century. His novels consistently revive the nostalgia of this period and the remembrance linked to everyday life. In one most famous part, he is in a tea room, having tea with madeleines and this instantly brings back memories and nostalgia of his joyful youth when visiting family in Normandy.  As such, the madeleine episode is for French people a major reference for remembrance of a golden past. I thought making a green tea-flavoured madeleine was a way to both honour this author and also the beginning of the 20th century for which I am very fond of. Yet madeleines, as well as butter cookies (a slightly different version from the sablés we sell) are - as I like- simple and yet tasty pastry. And so French.

Image
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What do you think of TSUBAKI / Houjicha? How did TSUBAKI work well with your creation?  (Handling, taste, texture etc.)

After my batch of YURI / Matcha powder was finished, I started to play with TSUBAKI / Houjicha. In comparison to YURI / Matcha, I like this one better. I love the texture, the taste and the smell. When I created the madeleine, I thought this was perfect for me. I like it very much and so does Marc, who is attempting to create Houjicha-based macarons too.


Motivational message to inspire people out there to start baking.

Baking is real fun!. When I started baking, during my Uni years back in Sydney, it was just to release my stress, then it became a hobby. I slowly developed my interest and passion towards baking. I love to experiment things- perhaps due to my training in Science. Just enjoy yourself. Try different recipes, attend baking classes and never ever give up. If you are afraid of burning your cakes, try to bake the simplest one first.  The first successful one surely will make you bake even more.

Bon courage...

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Recipe

Mini Houjicha Madeleines

by Marc Et Farid



Ingredients

4 eggs
160 g caster sugar
165 g flour T45
5 - 15 g  TSUBAKI / Houjicha powder*
7 g baking powder
150 g melted butter



Method To Assemble

  1. Mix eggs can caster sugar. Heat the mixture to get it warm.
  2. Sieve flour, baking powder and TSUBAKI / Houjicha together and blend with egg/sugar mixture.
    *Reduce the matcha content by 1 to 5 gram if the batter is too thick (in order to get the right viscosity).
  3. Fold in melted butter.
  4. Allow to rest in the refrigerator.
  5. Dispense in madeleine mould and bake for about 9 - 11 min at 180°C (ventilated oven).



SHOP TSUBAKI / HOUJICHA POWDER HERE



TSUBAKI / HOUJICHA POWDER


Start Baking Your Mini Houjicha Madeleines Today With TSUBAKI / Houjicha Powder. 


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Start Baking Your Mini Houjicha Madeleines Today With TSUBAKI / Houjicha Powder. 


SHOP NOW