Khoo - Im just here for dessert: macarons, mini cakes, ice creams, waffles & more

CONTENTS

layer one
MERINGUE JOURNEY

layer two
CUPCAKE JOURNEY

layer three
DONUT JOURNEY

layer four
MACARON JOURNEY

layer five
ICE-CREAM JOURNEY

layer six
TART JOURNEY

layer seven
EENI MINI CAKE JOURNEY

layer eight
CELEBRATION CAKE JOURNEY

layer nine
WAFFLE JOURNEY

layer ten
COCKTAIL JOURNEY

layer eleven
POPSICLE JOURNEY

Navigating this book

Like a cake, this book has been designed and constructed in layers. Within each layer, youll find tips and step-by-step instructions to help you master key techniques and recipes. Youll also find little nods of inspiration to help you build your design skills as you go.

Ill share some great base recipes you can count on, as well as plenty of pretty and simple tips for turning those desserts into something truly memorable things that spark joy and create moments that will be treasured by your friends and family.

Each new skill you acquire can be applied to the following layers, and to completely new things as you branch out from these recipes and ideas to create designs that reflect your own unique story.

Nectar and Stone

NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS did I imagine I would write a dessert design and recipe book. It is truly an honour to be able to share my journey, creativity, knowledge, energy and the many lessons Ive learned through trial and error with you.

Even though this career came as somewhat of a surprise to me, food has always been a central part of my life. As a child, I enjoyed being in the kitchen with my mother and learning the Greek recipes she had been taught as a young girl. I never expected those experiences to form the foundations of a new career, but they did.

My Greek background has now fused with my husbands Asian background, and the result is a rich and beautiful blend of traditions and flavours. His culture is very family-focused, as is mine, and this has really instilled in me a feeling of unity and enjoyment when it comes to how I perceive food, and desserts.

My work/life history is a blend of fashion, politics and medicine, and I believe each of these areas has played an integral role in leading me to this place. My political and medical experience taught me how to connect with people and understand their needs a fundamental skill I needed to build relationships with customers and sell my products. But it is the time I spent in the fashion industry that has helped me create the platform from which I began shaping a feminine aesthetic one that would grow into a very distinct signature style.

When I became a mother to two boys, my home was transformed into a boyish world, and I found myself drawing on that feminine style from my time in the fashion industry in order to carve out my own identity. Along with the joys of motherhood came the challenges of feeding my toddlers. Finding creative ways to interest them in food became an obsession, and I soon discovered that I was most successful when I helped them eat with their eyes first. This feminine aesthetic of mine came to the rescue once again, as Id entice them to eat by making their food look beautiful.

It was after I had my second child that my obsession with desserts announced itself as more than a hobby. The energy Id been putting into making food look beautiful started to channel itself into the desserts I was baking for my friends and family. The people around me noticed something unique and special in what I was doing, and they encouraged me to explore it.

So, after a lot of research, planning and learning, I started my dessert business, Nectar and Stone. Ill admit I was very scared about failure starting something from nothing really terrified me. But, at the same time, my creative energy was in overdrive and I needed to pour it into something I could share. Something in me told me to pursue it and give it a go.

I gave myself one year