TV host and baking guru Magdalene See on her favourite pastry spots in Paris

SINGAPORE — Serious foodie and Fly Entertainment artiste Magdalene See has a new love in her life — grilling. The actress and host, who was last seen on Channel 8’s The Journey: A Voyage and Food Wars Asia 2 as a guest judge, is now an ambassador of American grill maker Weber. The avid baker, who also hosts her own cooking show on web channel Food For Life TV, even made a trip to Adelaide to attend a training programme at the Weber Grill Academy to learn the finer points of cooking on the barbecue.

“It was like a two-day long barbecue party filled with food, fun and friends,” she said, adding how she learnt that charcoal grills are not necessarily better nor do they produce more flavour.

Her trip to Vancouver next week will also involve a lot of food, as she visits friends — including award-winning pastry chef Thierry Busset whom she used to work with — while shopping for food items to cart home.

“I usually buy local food and snacks for my family and close friends as souvenirs,” she shared.

Q: Are you as big a fan of grilling as you are a baking enthusiast?

A: I am more of a baker than a cook, and part of the reason is because I like being able to put my food in the oven, walk away and let it cook. Weber Grills allow me to grill exactly that way, because all the grills come with lids and you’re supposed to grill with the lids closed as much as possible.

I’m also very excited because I now have the option of grilling pizzas and baking bread in a fire “oven”, as a grill can get to very high temperatures, which an oven can’t, so it is good for baked goods that require high cooking temperatures.

Q: How do you ensure a good meal during your travels?

A: I like to try foods and dishes indigenous to the region and eat what the locals recommend. That usually requires a little research online and asking locals to figure out the best places to go.

Q: As you’re such a huge fan of pastry, where are the best places to have some?

A: Paris is my pastry Mecca. I love Pierre Hermes’ macarons, Eric Kayser’s baguettes, Angelina’s croissants and hot chocolate, Sadaharu Aoki’s Jap-French fusion creations and Patisserie des Reves for pastries that are so futuristic, they look out of this world.

Q: Does your best trip abroad also have something to do with food?

A: It was a short excursion to San Juan Island, which is off the coast of Washington state in America. On that trip, I saw from the shore wild orcas breaching and swimming just 25m away, and I had the best lavender ice cream ever from a lavender farm. SERENE LIM