Dessert Week 9 :: Oat Flour Sponge Cake

Mmmm, she was right...the oat flour gives off a nice hint of butterscotch flavour!

From the book Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich, I made an oat flour sponge cake.  Right out of the oven, I had a bite and it was very good!  Just oat flour, sugar, a bit of salt, eggs, and clarified butter, this sponge cake wasn't too difficult to make.  I think the most time consuming part was making the clarified butter.  She suggests ghee can be used and I think next time I'll just get a jar to save me time.

I lightly whipped up some cream and paired it with strawberries, this became a nice light dessert!  The cake is a little more crumbly than your traditional sponge cake and although it can be eaten alone, I found whipped cream made it better.  Preserved fruits would also up the experience as well.  Looking forward to making other things with oat flour and repeating this recipe too!

My 2nd attempt at decorating the cake

Since the oat flour is the only flour used, it can be considered gluten free.  However, cross-contamination in processing the flour may make it intolerant to those with gluten allergies.  I purchased my bag of oat flour from Grain Process Enterprises Ltd in Scarborough (see pic below for address) and had to buy a 10 kg bag!  They have a retail store that sells some items in small pack sizes but the oat flour is only sold in the larger size.  They actually carry a large assortment of different grains like kamut, spelt, red fife flour and many, many organic products too!  Open Mon to Fri, but once a month they are open on a Sat from 8:30am to 1pm.  March 7th will be their next open date on Saturday (see pic below).  If you can't make it here, other locations to find oat flour include some bulk barn stores and the bulk store at Sheppard Centre at Yonge and Sheppard.

 

My 10 kg bag cost under $20

Saturday Hours

Lunch @ Green Grotto Tea Room (Warden & Steeles)

Green Grotto Tea Room is my favourite tea room to sit back and read/flip through magazines.  I love, LOVE their selection of magazines and the service has always been great when I've gone (sometimes slow during busier times though).  Nowhere else in Toronto can you get a better selection of and recent collection of Chinese/Japanese magazines!  Tea drinks are generally decent as well.  I had a chance to try one of their M-F lunch specials and I must say that I'm glad they've improved on their food selection from a couple of years ago.  I decided on the salt and pepper crispy chicken which comes with rice, 3 sides and your choice of standard tea/milk tea drink.

Unfortunately there are only 4 different choices for the lunch special.

Verdict: the salt and pepper chicken was decent (but portion size may be a little small for people) and I'd definitely order it again as a snack if I'm just there to enjoy a tea instead of a meal (which is often the case).  Sides were okay (basic cabbage salad and potato salad) but the edamame was very garlicky which is okay for a garlic lover like me but if you're on a date, you might want to steer clear of it.  I also upsized my drink to a large...20 oz, a good value.  Service during lunch was okay.

Salt and pepper chicken, lightly battered and seasoned.

And yes, complimentary popcorn for all tables!

I only wish I could have stayed longer...wish I could have spent the whole afternoon there actually.  Some might say "wasted" the afternoon away but spending time in a place I like, drinking tea, reading and enjoying the atmosphere is not a waste.  I had some errands to run so I feel like I wasted my chance to relax and enjoy.  There were a number of people on laptops doing work (or studying) and I think if I had a job that allowed me to work from anywhere, this would definitely be on my list of spots.

I'll be back to try some of the other things on the menu like the beef noodle soup.  If it's good, I'm going to have a hard time staying away from this place!

Dessert Week 7 :: Snowflakes and Lemon Tarts

Last Sunday was an extremely cold day but that cold also helped create some beautiful ice crystal formations on my windows.  They were delicate snowflake-like ice crystals. So pretty!

Almost like a forest...

In the evening

This week I decided to make lemon tarts because I had some organic lemons on hand.  The recipe (from the book Pure Dessert) was quite easy but...not enough filling was made (sad, I think I had too much cooked egg). Instead of one large 9" tart I made three mini tarts and maybe could have made four. They tasted pretty good, more on the tart side though so I would add a little more sugar for those who like it sweeter or cut down on the lemon juice.  The crust was also decent and didn't shrink so I'd definitely make again (and because it was pretty easy)!

The lemon tarts looked a bit plain though.  Inspired by the ice crystals, I added some snowflake sprinkles.  Prettier...but upon tasting, they just didn't add to the experience.  I guess that is why meringue is so great because it's soft and sweet; pairing well with the tart lemon filling.  And, you can pipe meringue into different patterns like little dollops, waves, or even a rose to make it interesting. 

A thinner crust on the side would be better and was noted in the recipe.  It fits exactly a 9" tart pan so you get the right thickness.  I'll definitely try the crust recipe with the 9" pan!

I made the lemon filling the night before and you could fill the tart shell with the filling and then serve, but if you put it back in the oven for 5-10 mins, it sets the filling, smoothing out the top. A small detail but great tip!  

Chinese New Year Cake :: Baked Nian Gao 年糕 (Mochi Cake) with Persimmon

Happy New Year!!

Today is Chinese New Year (or the first day of Spring Festival), year of the ram or sheep and I had planned to make something shaped like a sheep, but that plan needed more time than I had.  So, I decided to make baked nian gao (年糕), a cake that is quick and tasty.  Nian gao (年糕) is traditionally steamed and the main ingredient is glutinous rice flour but in the last number of years, a baked version has become popular.  The sticky cake is supposed to symbolize togetherness, "sticking" together.  The word "gao" in "nian gao" means cake but also sounds like the word "high" or "tall" (高) which makes it auspicious because it sounds like having a year that is "higher" or better than the last. So definitely a cake worth making at new years!

I have tried different recipes but the one over at the Craft Bandit is very good.  Unfortunately, I didn't have coconut milk on hand and didn't want to make a large batch, so I made some modifications.  As always, instead of just making one substitution I have a tendency to make multiple changes to a recipe which is not usually a good thing, but I figure I'll give it a go and if something great comes out, luck is on my side!

I used honey since I figure not using coconut milk would mean it would lose some flavour.  I also bought dried persimmons for new years and have wanted to use it in some sort of dessert.

These dried persimmons are actually stored in the freezer and have a nicer texture than some you find packaged in bags.  So, in they went as well.  But, other sweet fillings could be used like red bean paste.  I also wanted to make something with more of a crumble so I also changed the method a bit...and this is what came out!

Upclose - A more crumbly and lighter texture 

Not bad, not bad at all!  Doesn't feel as heavy or oily as other recipes and I think I can eat this whole thing myself!  However, you do lose some of the creaminess when it's more crumbly so depends on the preference and for me, the mood I'm in at the moment.  During these two weeks, I will probably make it again using the original method, with coconut milk and maybe also wild flower honey.  I would have liked the persimmon filling to be softer as prior to baking it was nice and gooey, but it's something to keep in mind for next time.


Ingredients
225 g glutinous rice flour (used Mochiko)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup oil (e.g. canola)
1 cup homo milk

Optional
3 dried persimmons (1/3 - 1/2 cup dried persimmon flesh).  You may need more if your persimmons are not that plump.

Pan size used:  7" square pan.

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Beat the eggs, sugar and honey till light and airy.
4. Add the oil and continue beating.
5. Mix in the milk.
6. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat lightly.
7, Pour 1/2 to 2/3 of the batter into a 7" square pan if adding the dried persimmons (or other filling like red beans).  If you just like it plain, pour it all in.
8. Place in oven for 10 mins.
9. Remove from oven, drop small amounts of the persimmon flesh on top.  I used 2 forks to help.
10. Add the remaining batter to cover the persimmons. Spread batter with spatula to even out the top.  11.  Return to oven for 30-35 mins or until lightly browned.  (If not using a filling, Bake in oven for 35-40 mins.)


Note: This is also my dessert week 8...I didn't have time to post my dessert week 7 with new year's preparations but I will soon.

BOGO at the new Formocha location at Yonge & Finch

Formocha

5377 Yonge St. (South of Finch)

Toronto, ON M2N 5R6

Just went by yesterday during their soft opening (had a red bean milk tea) and noticed today they are offering buy one get one free on select drinks.  Definitely worth a try if you're in the area.  I had their Formocha milk tea at the Eglinton and Yonge location and it was pretty good - they had mentioned they use real vanilla bean in their signature milk tea.

Their menu has some of the usual drinks but they also appear to offer espresso drinks and premium chocolate drinks which is interesting but little strange since it‘s a tea shop (however, cafes offer coffee and tea so not too strange I guess).  I‘d also be interested in trying the Shan Lin Xi Oolong as tea from this high mountain area is supposed to be very good.  Unfortunately there is no seating, it's only a take-out location.

Chili Chicken to Warm You Up

• Federick Restaurant
• 160 New Delhi Drive
• Markham, ON L3S 0B6
• T:  905-472-1682
• (Other location is in Scarborough but we prefer the Markham location)

One of our favourite restaurants is Federick, a Hakka Chinese restaurant up in Markham.  We go there specifically for their chili chicken which will definitely warm you up during these cold and snowy days!

I decided to post on this place because we have tried many, many different (Hakka-style) Chinese restaurants for their chili chicken and Federick's always remains our favourite.  It's the combination of spiciness, a bit of sweetness, not overly battered, and price.  For the quality of food and price, you are getting very good value here. They are seriously awesome as they give you steamed rice with your meal too!  How great is that!

Here are two other dishes we frequently get.

Kan Shue Green Beans - spicy and crisp, a must get!

Garlic shrimp (dry) - large pieces of battered shrimp

But, if you're looking for chili chicken downtown, Yueh Tung on Elizabeth St and Dundas West near Eaton Centre would be my second choice for chili chicken even though it is not exclusively a Hakka Chinese restaurant.

Dessert Week 6 :: Buckwheat Butter Cookies

These butter cookies are very, very nice...buttery, crumbly, and just the right about of sweetness.  But there is one problem - I don't taste much buckwheat flavour.  Maybe my taste buds are off or the brand of buckwheat flour I used is not very flavourful, but I couldn't taste the nuttiness of the buckwheat. I'll have to try the recipe again with another brand of buckwheat flour.

Anyhoo...I did try out some new cookies cutters I got from Bulk Barn.  They sell quite a bit of mini cookie cutters and when I saw a tea cup, I just had to buy it!  I also picked up this bunny/kitten cutter that I couldn't resist.

Butter cookies might not be the best dough to use these cutters with since the excess dough will need to be refrigerated again before using and it does spread when baking, but the shapes were luckily still recognizable (except I was told my tea cup looks like a seashell).  I think I might try an oatmeal buckwheat cookie next or I'm going to try it with oat flour.  I bought a 10 kg bag of oat flour (yes 10 kg) so more on that another time!

Dessert Week 5 :: Failed Choux Pastry and Cocoa Pastry Cream

So, this time my choux pastry did not rise!!  I was so disappointed!

I might have allowed too much water to evaporate or maybe the temperature of the oven was too high? Most recipes have the temperature high first then it is lowered after they puff up but I also have a recipe that just says to bake at 350 degrees F all the way through which I'll try next.

Over-baked outer shell, inside was still moist though...

Still edible, I ate a few smeared with some pastry cream.  The pastry cream was okay but I realized after adding cocoa powder to a basic pastry cream recipe that many others actually add melted chocolate to make a chocolate pastry cream.  The consistency would likely be a little different but just adding cocoa powder seems to maintain the same consistency as regular pastry cream.  But, I'm still tweaking how much to add and I'll probably try the melted chocolate version too!

February: I'm Dreaming of...

February is going fast and there is much to do!  A number of personal changes are happening this month and it'll be Chinese New Years in a couple of weeks too!  I also haven't forgotten about my goals for the year and they've definitely been in my dreams...

In February I'm dreaming of...

...Choux pastry and more choux pastry !!
Inspired by the a number of blogs (sugarednspiced, natalie.e for example), I've been wanting to make perfect cream puffs and éclairs.  Sugared and spiced also just posted a blog post on a recent opening of a patisserie in Taipei, Taiwan that focuses on éclairs.  I recently had some really good cream puffs from Mon K Patisserie and they made me want to make them even more!  Mon K Patisserie is a very cute Japanese French Patisserie on Coxwell Ave.  We had tried the basic cream puff and the green tea cream puff which were made with the crumbly top.  The pastry cream fillings were very good, light and creamy!

...Doing a little sewing...
One of the blogs I follow started a series called "A Photo An Hour" which I've quite enjoyed (and been quite jealous of) over the last little bit.  Pictures taken on film over the course of a number of hours during a typical day are shared.  The most recent one features a picture of a sewing project and seeing the cute fabric just made me want to sew something!  During boxing week, I bought a sewing machine, a Kenmore from Sears, but I have yet to use it.  Soon...soon, I tell myself.

Dessert Week 3 & 4 :: Choux Puffs and Chocolate Cake

So, the last few weeks have been a little busy but I managed to make pastry cream, choux pastry (or pâte à choux) and a simple chocolate cake and figured I'd make one post instead of two.  They didn't turn out great but I'm posting my pics so I can look back and say to myself, "I've come a long way!" or it'll be a reminder to keep working at it!

The pastry cream recipe comes from Alice Medrich's new book Flavor Flours and uses rice flour and a slightly different method than the usual.  The book uses a number of different types of flours other than wheat and a lot of the recipes look really good (do check it out if you're interested in gluten free baking or just wanted to try different kinds of flours).  I'm also really liking how she writes her recipes as she gives very clear instructions and provides little tips as well.  The pastry cream turned out okay but I made it a second time increasing the rice flour amount to 2 tbsp per cup of milk and the texture held better in the choux puffs, but it could be the brand of rice flour I used.  The method is also very easy which was great!!  But, my favourite recipe for pastry cream so far comes from the website The Delectable Hodgepodge which also provides great instructions and tips.

My choux puffs definitely need work!  When I had made them several years back, they always turned out pretty decent, but the last time I made them, they didn't puff up and this time it wasn't crispy enough; most were on the flat side.  So, I'm going to be making them a little more often and I found some good tips on how to make them a little better at this webpage (the photography is also very good).  It also provides details on how to make the crumbly topping which I think I'm going to try at some point.  I've always just cut open the top and filled them with pastry cream, but I think the crumbly top gives it a little bit extra something.  I love cream puffs that are filled with pastry cream and have wanted to make eclairs as well, so I think I'll be making a lot more choux pastry (or pâte à choux) in the next bit.

And finally, the chocolate cake.  It was a very quick recipe but what I've always struggled with is icing the cake.  This is a skill I need much practice in as you can tell by the picture (ugly, isn't it?).  It would be nice to bake and decorate one every week but really, what am I going to do with a whole cake every week and where am I going to find the time?!  Anyway, I've also realized that I usually try to make a buttercream icing but, each time I find it too sweet.  I think I may need to try more recipes for whipped cream icings which generally are less sweet.