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Eating: Coconut Tarts

Growing up, I've had my share of visits to Asian bakeries. From the constantly bustling shops in Old Chinatown on Spadina to the quieter ones in East Chinatown on Gerrard and Broadview, to the many scattered around Toronto, they all sell the same things.

Silky, rich egg tarts with their bright yellow custard centre. Braids of sugary dough sprinkled with raisins. The special small fruit-topped cakes at the front behind the glass wall which beckon with their rainbow assortment. The stacks of boxes full of Mooncakes in time for the Mid-Autumn festival, with exotic fillings of lotus, durian, and red bean. I know each sight and smell by heart, the memories of my childhood forever lingering within the vicinity of these goods.

Here’s one of my favourites, the coconut tart.  A buttery, yellow tart of sweet coconut dotted with a small sliver of a sweet, bright red maraschino cherry.  

Eating: Curry

Just because a dish is not made exactly the way in which it originated doesn't mean that it’s not “real”. Although that may be the most authentic version of the dish, versions derived from that are just as authentic in their own cultures. It’s really interesting to notice the multiple, subtle variations on a single, loosely-defined dish. A good example of this is curry. I like curry but I dislike spicy foods. See the problem? Fortunately for me, the curry dishes I've been exposed to are not at all overwhelming. From my experience, Chinese/Vietnamese curry is usually pretty thin, watery almost. It’s not that spicy, but still flavourful nonetheless, with generous pieces of carrots, potatoes, and some kind of meat – usually chicken, beef, or duck. Coconut milk is often used, which makes it sweeter and richer. It is usually eaten with rice, noodles, or bread.

Wikipedia is always a fun read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry

  

This is how I eat curry most of the time, a small bowl with hunks of toasty warm baguettes. How do you eat curry? 

Musings: The Mystery of the Birthday Oreos

As you might have known or not or known but didn’t care, Oreos turned 100 in the March of last year. To celebrate the centenarian cookie, Nabisco introduced a limited edition flavour of Oreos – the Birthday Cake Oreo.

My first taste of this cookie came during show choir rehearsal. Somebody had brought these in for our ravenous food/water break and I was instantly intrigued. First off, these Oreos were just prettier than normal Oreos. The surface of the cookie was flat, free of its usual ridges, and imprinted with a single birthday candle above “Oreo 100”. Even nicer was the stuff between the two cookies – the frosting. The frosting was dotted with multicolored sprinkles of sweet confetti! I’m a sucker for gimmicks like these. It just makes eating so much more enjoyable.

I actually quite enjoyed the taste of these Birthday Oreos. They are sweeter than regular Oreo with a cake-y enhancement. I also liked the smooth texture of the cookies. I think they tasted better because of the sprinkles but that’s probably just me. Needless to say, I ate like 10 of them.

The reason that this is a mystery is because unbeknownst to me, the first time I would taste these cookies would be my last time (for now). The days following, I searched every Loblaws, Metro, and Shoppers near me, trying to find a box of these. Frustrated, each time I came up empty handed. WHERE ON EARTH WERE THESE COOKIES HIDING? I pictured a shelf in a store far away, stocked to the back with boxes of Birthday Oreos, gleefully mocking me. I know the flavour limited edition but I never imagined that a box of cookies could be so elusive. Sadly, I haven’t been able to locate a box since and have declared this investigation cold.   

Maybe someday we’ll meet again. Until then, regular Oreos will have to do.

Check out this hilarious review of the cookies from the AV Club aka my new favourite site: http://www.avclub.com/articles/birthday-cake-oreos,70223/

Image Source:

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2012/03/the_oreo_turns_100_with_party.php

Eating: Most Fattening Sorbet

As you can probably infer from the title, this post is about my experience with a sorbet. A pineapple flavoured sorbet in a hallowed out mini pineapple. Specifically, a pineapple flavoured sorbet that contains...700 calories?! It’s crazy and it’s possibly true. This is the story of Gooble sorbet. 130 ml of sorbet at 700 calories?  There’s only one word for this - sketchy.

My parents brought this home from the market. At first I was intrigued as I am when presented with any type of frozen dessert. I’ll confess, I have the habit of looking at the nutrition label before I eat something, just out of curiosity and interest for my health. I don’t count calories, I’m just a nutrition label enthusiast. Anyways, I looked at the number of calories and my jaw dropped. Could this be a mistake? That was possible right? If you don’t understand the shock aspect of this, here’s a little comparison. The calories in this little less than half a cup of sorbet is equivalent to the amount of calories in a McDonalds Big Mac. Besides aren’t sorbets marketed as a healthy alternative? 

I couldn’t bear to eat more than a spoonful but it was surprisingly good. The sorbet was creamy and had a strong pineapple flavour. However, my common sense tells me that I shouldn’t be eating more of this sorbet anytime soon...

I conclude that the amount of calories is attributed to the amount of glucose syrup in this. Have you had any weird food experiences lately? 

In the Kitchen: Chocolate Lava Cake

These few weeks, I’ve been on a major chocolate binge. I attribute this to the stress of January but I really do love chocolate, probably a little too much for my own good. These are pictures of the chocolate lava cakes I attempted a while back. Bought some ceramic ramekins on sale, looked up a random recipe on the web, and I was on my way. Chocolate Lava cakes sound and look daunting but it's actually one of the easiest recipes I've ever made. It's essentially an under cooked cake. That's where the lava part of the cake comes into play. The batter is pretty thin compared to regular cake batter because of the large amount of eggs and melted chocolate/butter. Simply pour it into individual ramekins and off it goes into the oven. The only tricky part of the cake is the time. It's really easy to over/under cook it and you want it perfect. If it's under cooked, it becomes a liquid mess. If it's over cooked, it'll be too dry and you'll compromise the lava part. 

You'll want to make this because it's simple yet impressive. Since it's already individually portioned, just dust with powdered sugar and garnish with some fruit and you're set.  

Here's a link to a recipe (not the one I used) that looks decent: 

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/molten-chocolate-lava-cakes-with--caramel-sauce/recipe.html?dishid=5769

Chocolate is good. Have fun! 

Readings: Blog Inspirations + Misc.

Hey y'all,

This is a jumble of a post. I hope everyone had a good holiday. It's the start of the new year but honestly I won't be able to breath again until January is OVER. 

ISUs
EXAMs
UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONs

Needless to say, I'm a little behind on posting so here's a little something something.

Back when we had to submit a proposal for our Work in Progresses,  I went on a hunt to find the best food blogs for inspiration to my own blog. Combing over award lists, I narrowed it down to my three favourites of the lot.

buttermeupbrooklyn.com

sevenspoons.net

and

lottieanddoof.com

Check them out! (but don't compare them to mine)
Can you spot the things they have common?

On a non-foodie note, does anybody still watch Ugly Betty and The OC? I've been watching reruns of Ugly Betty and it's actually very-well written. And I used to be obessed with The OC during middle school (Looking back, The OC seems pretty heavy for a 12 year old). I think I'll watch them in their entirety after exams. I like tv.  

p.s.

To my Writer's Craft class,

I love you all for coming on to comment because you're all busy and great people but seeing as how I haven't been updating in a while, come back on the weekend for new material (My law ISU will be good and done with after Friday).

Thanks again and keep on eating. You'll need the calories to get through this month. 

Happy?

UPDATE:

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!

HOW TO COMMENT ON BLOGGER

Out & About: Chipotle

Holiday tabasco! 

Carnitas, white rice with lime and cilantro, black beans, sour cream, cheese. and mild salsa...in a BOWL.

Today I had the pleasure of spending some time downtown - skating, eating, and shopping, with some cool people of course. Skating and shopping was the easy part but deciding on a place to eat proved to be a challenge...When you’re in the heart of the city, especially Toronto, there’s literally every type of food available within walking distance. Finally, we settled on Chipotle. I've eaten at Chipotle many times before and I keep coming back (some might say I'm obsessed) because it's...awesome? 

The food is delicious and simple. I really detest places with huge menus and that doesn't happen at Chipotle because they basically sell one dish that is customized to your liking. That means that deciding what you want is a breeze and you can be guaranteed that whatever you end up with will be good because they make it every single day. Chipotle also prides itself for creating 'Food with Integrity', focusing on using naturally raised animals, supporting and sustaining farmers, and using locally sourced ingredients. The atmosphere is great for good conversation and eating. Most importantly, you get a good quality, filling meal inexpensively. There's a reason why Chipotle is so popular with university students...

Please check out the website for more information: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/Default.aspx?type=default

Keep on enjoying the break! It'll be over before you know it...

...can I help you?

In the Kitchen: Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Since the sea salt trend exploded on the baking and sweets front, I'd always been curious about it. It just sounds so darn fancy, doesn't it? When I decided to "launch" this blog for my Writer's Craft class, I wanted to make something fancy, you know, to show that I was serious. Interestingly enough, I had actually planned to make Salted Caramel Macarons. But because macarons are made with ground almond, I was concerned about the risk of allergic reactions, and therefore had to switch it up. Salted Caramel Cupcakes seemed like something a 'foodie' would eat and make, so I decided to try my hands at it. This is what I ended up with.

These cupcakes took me about four hours to make. From the cake batter to the fancy sugar - it's a buttload of work. This recipe is perfect for a relaxing afternoon and tastes pretty great if you make them correctly (which I half did). The recipe I used was from Sprinkle Bakes. The pictures of the cupcakes make me want to faint with their beauty. Keep in mind that this recipe is for 15 regular sized cupcakes. I used it for mini cupcakes but nothing should change except the cooking time. I also modified some parts of the baking instructions to fit what I did. I baked them for 18 - 22 minutes, but of course, that differs based on the temperature of your oven, etc. Basically, just use common sense. When you think they're done, poke one with toothpick right at the centre. If it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, you're set.  

Ready, set, bake. 

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2010/05/triple-salted-caramel-cupcakes.html

Batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt 
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.  Add vanilla.  Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full.  Bake for about 18-25 minutes. When done, let cupcakes cool before doing anything else. 

Creaming butter and brown sugar

This batter was the nicest I've ever made. It was probably because I actually sifted the dry ingredients (combining all the dry ingredients and pouring it through a tiny sieve, and shaking the sieve as if you panning for gold as you do so, until the flour is all nice and velvety.) for the first time in my baking career. I never bothered before because I didn't think it'd make a big difference. BOY WAS I WRONG.  It actually does make a big difference. Batter has always been the easy part for me but I was nervous because I didn't want to screw it up. I don't think I did, although the buttermilk seemed sketchy. It was my first experience with buttermilk and it was thick and smelly. Do people actually drink buttermilk? Oh and halfway through, my hand mixer from the early nineties BROKE. I was like, "OMFG THE BATTER IS GOING TO BE ALL LUMPY BECAUSE I'LL HAVE TO STIR IT BY HAND!" But fortunately, my mom figured out that all you have to do now is press and hold the switch to get it working. Crisis somewhat adverted. My right arm got a nice workout. 

Lessons: 
-If you can, pre-measure and combine ingredients. You will save time, something we all need more of. 
-Sift your dry ingredients for a silky smooth batter and cake! 
-Treat elderly mixers with care because they WILL have their revenge at the most inconvenient times. Or save up for a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer in Apple Red.  

Oven Time!

As I said before, the oven time depends on your own oven's temperature and other variables. Just keep an eye on the cupcakes and use common sense. 

Caramel Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium  high heat in a large pot.  Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Pour in the heavy cream (mixture will foam) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps but keep stirring until they have melted.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in caramel.  Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.

This was probably the most frustrating part of the entire recipe. The original recipe just said sugar, so I thought I'd use the brown sugar from the batter because I believed that the brown sugar would give a richer colour and flavour to the caramel. I literally stood at the stove for about 20 minutes, poking at the sugar and wondering what was taking so long. Finally, with a huff, I dumped the brown sugar in a container and restarted with white sugar. Hallelujah! 

Lessons: 

-Don't try to cook brown sugar. You will be standing at the stove for a very long time and risk becoming angry at sugar. 

-Also, don't over stir the sugar. Just let it melt on its own but keep an eye on it. Once the sugar starts to change colour, it will do so very quickly and you don't want to overcook it. It’s better to take the pot off the heat early because the sugar WILL continue to cook. 

Salted Caramel Buttercream

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color.  Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth.  Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel.  Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes).  Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration.  If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny.  If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. 

Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting.

The buttercream was doomed from the start. I had some leftover caramel filling so I thought, "Since the buttercream calls for more caramel, I might as well not waste this." That was a really bad decision. Also, you'll notice that the recipe calls for one stick of salted butter and one stick of unsalted  butter. Do you really expect me to buy two different kind of butter? BUTTER IS EXPENSIVE! With that rationality, I just bought unsalted butter and figured that I'd just add some salt to compensate for the salted version. No beuno. I The caramel filling combined with the buttercream recipe contained too much salt. In the morning, I had people taste-test a few cupcakes before I give them out en mass. THE BUTTERCREAM WAS TOO SALTY!!!The buttercream actually tasted fine when I was piping it but I think that for the time it sat in the fridge, the salt just infused everything...like when you pickle meat.

Lesson: 
-Don't be frugal and follow the recipe exactly. This applies especially for buttercream because you don't want to OVER SALT IT!!!  


Piping

I found a piping set at the dollar store but it was two dollars. My first thought was. "Great, I won't have to spend whatever nice piping bags cost (probably more than two dollars)." My thought when I started piping was, "DAMN THE DOLLAR STORE!" Let me explain. A piping bag has three main parts; the bag, the coupler, and the tip. 

The bag is where you put the frosting in.

The tip is where the frosting comes out in a nice pattern.

The coupler is the part that connects the bag to the tip.

I did not have a coupler. *screams* I should have just gone with using a ziplock bag...

I made it work although I had to sacrafice the nice swirls I would have gotten with  a coupler.

Lesson: 
-Just use a zip lock bag. Or even forgo the piping bag all together and just use your fingers.

Sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup water
2-4 tablespoons of large-crystal sugar

Lay out a large piece of parchment on your work surface and spray with cooking oil (such as canola). Fill a large tub (or your sink) partially full of ice water.

Put sugar, salt and cold water in a heavy pan; stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat and bring syrup to a boil.  Lower heat slightly and swirl the pan once or twice as the syrup caramelizes so it will color evenly; do not stir.  Once the sugar is done, take it off the heat and design away! 

The making of this sugar went well because well... you're just melting sugar. I used a spoon in an attempt to create intricate webs of spun sugar but that didn't work out, so I ended up pouring the sugar into the pan, creating a thin layer. You'll notice that the recipe says to spray the parchment paper with cooking oil. I didn't and I had a minor heart attack when I thought that the sugar wouldn't lift. Running to the fridge, I tentatively lifted a corner and fortunately, the sugar didn't stick. I don't think that the cooking oil is necessary but you've already done all this work - might as well air on the side of precaution. By the time I got to this it was late in the evening and I was tired. If you are too impatient like I was, just stick the sugar in the fridge and it'll harden right up. After that I started to crack the sugar  up with my hands to create shard-like pieces.

Lesson:
-Read up on how to create lovely decorations with sugar before you melt the sugar. 

In conclusion, other than the salty buttercream and the wrong sized pan/liner, this first attempt wasn't bad. Not too bad at all.  

Happy Baking! 

All photos, except for 3 were taken by me with a Canon Powershot A530, first edited on Windows Live Picture Editor and then on http://pixlr.com/o-matic/. The other 3 were taken and edited by the lovely Whitney Van. 

Out & About: Ten-Ichi

Sashimi and sushi boat!  

Mango smoothies photobombed by an overeager child.  

I like my fish raw.  

Watermelon juice. Yum.

First off, three cheers for the winter break and snow! Even though there are still ISUs and Work in Progresses (ahem) to complete and exams to study (and in my case, practice piano) for, I do hope to enjoy the moments when I'm not schooling because it is still my break and I'll be damned if I've waited four months for nothing. 

This evening, I accompanied my parents and their friends on a holiday dinner. Ten-Ichi is one of my favourite restaurants. It serves Japanese food in an all-you-can-eat style...seriously, what can top that? Basically, you order a lot at a time and the food gets brought to your table. The waiter usually comes around four to six times before you start to feel bad or they start to get annoyed (you know they are but they'll never show it!). One of the main reasons I love this place so much is a little something called Rose-Maki. This is an inside out (seaweed on the inside) sushi roll with avocado and crab meat with a mango puree and fish roe on top. The mango puree turns this ordinary roll into one of the most delicious things you'll ever eat. 

Overall, the menu is large and varied and is good for trying new foods. The desserts also come in cute shot glasses. The service is also really good and the manager seriously deserves an award. Needless to say, I highly recommend this place if you've never been. If you've been, you already know what the hype is about. It is advisable to place a reservation one or two days in advance especially if you're planning to go on the weekend. This restaurant is EXTREMELY busy. Every time I've been (too many to count), the place had been packed. 

Website: www.ten-ichi.com

Thanks for reading and I hope y'all have had a good start to your holidays! 

On a side note, I finally got Pixlr-o-matic to work. I think these crappy pictures taken on my cell phone are considerably improved with a quick filter. The salted caramel cupcakes post should be posted tomorrow...hopefully.