An Afterthought

Fail to plan, plan to fail. You must've heard of this a thousand times before. But do you believe it? I'm still on the fence.  There were many times when I had detailed, well thought-out plans, including backup plans (and backups for the backup plans) but the outcome of those plans were
simply far from what I had wanted. On the contrary, some of the best experiences in my life were unplanned; times when good things happened without any planning, when I least expected them.

Alright, take this for example.

A complete afterthought but one of the best desserts we've had in months. No exaggeration here. Smooth, creamy lychee panna cotta with a subtle hint of rose. The floral aroma is not overpowering and lends a luxurious touch. Topped with fresh raspberry coulis, the sweet and tangy flavors are simply delightful together.

Key ingredient #1: raspberries. Leftovers from the Perfect Party Cake that I baked for a dear friend's daughter's birthday three weeks ago. Frozen, of course.
Planned: Perfect Party Cake
Outcome: far from perfect. Wonderful flavors but poor aesthetics; extremely uneven layering of buttercream, cake and raspberry preserves.

Key ingredient #2: the gelatin. You'd think it's a staple in most homes but not mine, unfortunately. I did have couple tablespoons left from the Strawberry Mousse Genoise which I had baked for my brother's birthday a little under two weeks ago.
Planned: Strawberry Mousse Genoise
Outcome: below expectations. Successful genoise bake, but the strawberry mousse fell short, both in terms of flavor and texture.

Key ingredient #3: heavy cream. Again, not a usual item you can find in our house but I only used a quarter cup for this cake that I baked for party last weekend.
Planned: Opera cake - this is something I had wanted to tackle for months!
Outcome: again, excellent flavors! Loved the genius blend  - 7 layers of coffee-infused joconde, coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. My Opera Cake towered well over the 1 1/2" height and my layering technique requires much work. Much, much work.

Unplanned: Lychee-Rose Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis; key ingredients from leftovers of sorts.
Outcome: one of the best desserts we've had in months.

Well, perhaps I shouldn't compare the important things in life to baking (and yes, I suck at techniques.....for the time being) One can plan, execute to plan but then again, the outcome may not be what one had expected.
For now, I'm planning to still do some planning, but have the flexibility to roll with the punches, go with the flow, sit back, relaxed and be amazed!
~ Matthew 6:26