Week 34 Baking: Kinako Mille Crepe - Work in Progress

Happy Friday!

I've been humming and haaaing about posting this but I figured I should keep up with documenting each week of dessert making/baking sucesses and fails and any works in progress.  So, here you go, a kinako filled mille crepe cake. (Yes, more roasted soybean...when I get excited about a flavour I seem to want to eat a lot of it!)  This dessert was inspired by the Shingen roll cake at Neo Coffee Bar, which is filled with roasted soybean whipped cream.

I should also add that I've actually never eaten a mille crepe cake before, even with all the hype about Millie Creperie in Kensington, the Matcha Mille Crepe made by Christopher Siu of Master Chef Canada fame or any of the other mille crepe cakes in the city.  I do plan to try out Millie Creperie (or their sister shop Millie Patisserie which has tarts that I'm very interested in), but I was just a bit too eager to make kinako whipped cream that a mille crepe cake was the next thing that popped into my head. 

Oh, and just a little side reading for those that are interested in the dessert scene in Toronto, a good piece from Renee S. Suen in the Globe and Mail.

Needless to say, as you can see from the picture that it wasn't as light as it should be.  My crepes are quite thick and I will definitely need more practice making them! (I need to find that little stick that smooths out the batter.)  The photo was also taken soon after making, but when I let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge to set, the layers were much more melded together. You'll also noticed I only made half a cake. Since I was testing, I didn't want to spend too much time on this.  So, I made 5 crepes, layered them, cut it in half and topped one side onto the other.  Voila!  Half a mille crepe cake, hahaha!

Alone, the kinako whipping cream tastes great. Layering it between the crepes I found decreased the amount of flavour so I'm going to need to add more kinako next time or test if it's because of the thickness of the crepes.

I do like the taste of the kinako whipped cream and think it can be used for other things, so here is a recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup of whipping cream
35g of granulated sugar
12g of kinako flour

Instructions
Start whipping the cream and gradually add the sugar.
When thickened, sift half the kinako flour into the cream, whip lightly until incorporated. 
Add the remaining kinako flour and whip again till incorporated.

(This was just enough to layer 5 crepes.)



Brand of roasted soy flour I used, purchased at PAT supermarket.

 

A Cafe named "Cafe"

 

"Cafe"
8 Glen Watford Drive (Dynasty Centre)
Toronto, ON M1S 2C1
T: (416) 321-3354

Last weekend we stumbled upon a HK Cafe called "Cafe" and was pleasantly surprised by the overall experience.  We originally were going to have dumplings in Scarborough but the parking lot was full so we drove to the nearby Dynasty Centre plaza and noticed an HK Cafe.  In Chinese, it's called "Cousin Cafe" but there is actually no English name except for the word "Cafe". 

 

Inside the decor is pretty nice (for an HK Cafe), tables are spaced well, and they have a pretty extensive menu with dinner specials under $10.  I went with one of my usuals, baked fish with spinach cream sauce on rice ($7.95).  It reminds me of Dickens, but I think a little light on the amount of fish.  Tastes very good though.  Dinner specials come with soup and a hot beverage (coffee/tea) and the usual add extra for a cold drink.  My partner got a beef and egg on rice noodle dish that tasted good and although the portion was okay, it was probably smaller than other locations.

I had a hot milk tea and it was okay but not as smooth, more astringent than other places. 

 

Staff were friendly and service was quick.  It was also nice that they asked if we wanted our beverages at the end of the meal (as would be custom at traditional cafes) or now...we opted for now.  All and all, not a bad place and because it's near Sheppard Ave E, quite easy to get to from the 401.

  

New Tea Places in Toronto

Gosh!  Tea shops have been sprouting up in Toronto like weeds, but unlike weeds, they are very welcome in my books!!  Here is a list of a few new places:

A new Chatime opened at Yonge and College (439 Yonge St) and today was their last day of BOGO (12- 6pm), sorry, couldn't post fast enough. But, the line up was long! Cash only right now and they don't have internet connection yet.  I ordered a hot roasted tea latte and it tasted good, service was okay, and you have to expect it's a little slow since some staff may be in training.  Seating is available but because of the line, most people were taking it to go. Couldn't really take pictures of the interior as there was way too many people, but when you first walk in, you notice the very shiny and quite beautiful copper Elektra machine.  (I had to look this brand up and Elektra is apparently an Italian manufacturer of espresso and cappuccino machines.)

 

 

The Mall at Langham Square in Markham has opened up a few that I'm thinking of trying soon.  Star Tea (28 S Unionville Avenue Unit 1037-1038) and Cofa Bubble Tea (1023-30 S Unionville).  But, with Cha Me Cha and ZenQ already in the same plaza/mall, it's might be tough for these places to survive.

 

And, FruiteaO tearoom is one in North York that has been open for a while but I only got to try it out last weekend.  We were eating at Haroo next door and I was interested to see if Fruiteao was going to offer anything that would make me come back.  Large selection of drinks and also serves Taiwanese dishes...(now I'm going to come back to try their food).  There is varied seating and a small selection of games.  There doesn't seem to be any restriction on board games here as many other tea places have started to enforce a no board game/card playing rule on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

Got the roasted oolong tea, less sugar.  Hmmm, still too sweet for me and the tea was just okay.  I'd give them another try though, especially because of the food.

 

FruiteaO

Roasted oolong tea at FruiteaO

 

Tea shops COMING SOON!

On one of my lunchtime walks, I came across this new place called Chachago (pictured above) that is supposed to be opening soon on Elm St, west of Yonge.

 

And just for those that like Green Grotto, they will be opening up two new locations. One in north Richmond Hill at Elgin Mills and Leslie and one downtown on St. Joseph street near Yonge and Wellesley, just east of the UofT campus. It should be interesting how well it does downtown. 

  

  

Snacks: Hmmm, What's That - Roasted Soy Melty Kiss

This box was one I had been eyeing, but waited for a sale to buy.  The flavour is roasted soybean which might sound odd but it‘s very good.

I've never actually had the "Meltykiss" line of chocolates.  They usually have strawberry and green tea which are two flavours I gravitate to but still, I've never had it.  The squares are small chocolate coated with a dusting of cocoa powder. Smaller than I expected but each bite is quite yummy. I also expected it to be very soft or "melty" in the centre but although it was soft, it was not really "melty".

So, what does roasted soy taste like?  I find it similar to peanut butter but not as strong and more umami tasting.  I've been a fan of roasted soy ever since I bought a package of roasted soy powder (kinako) to use in baking and making mochi.  You can find this at Korean, Chinese, or Japanese supermarkets.

I would purchase this again and also try the other flavours too!

 

 

Relaxing at Ste. Anne's Spa

A couple of my girlfriends were celebrating their birthdays this month and had planned a spa day at Ste. Anne's Spa, in Grafton, Ontario.  This was such a treat as I haven't been to a spa or had a massage in years!  It was definitely a splurge but sometimes you gotta do it!

First and foremost, it's a great place to relax! We were a group of 11 and our day was well organized.  The day spa package comes with lunch, afternoon tea, use of the facilities and $120 that can be used towards a spa treatment or massage.  There are quite a bit of amenities available like hot tub and cold plunge pool, eucalyptus steam room, outdoor pool and sun chairs, and a quiet lounge room with magazines and puzzles. There is also a gym but that was 1 km away...I figured, exercising was not for me today!  Some of us started by enjoying the eucalyptus steam room and then headed to the grotto area for a soak in the hot tub and a few were brave enough to jump into the cold plunge pool.  (Of course I hate the cold so none of that for me, hahaha!)  This was a great time for us to chat and gossip (and share beauty tips).

 And some of us headed to the pool...

One of the pathways...

You could have lunch and/or afternoon tea outdoors which overlooked the beautiful grounds.  But, we sat inside and because our group was so large, we were in a semi-private room as sometimes the conversation could get loud.

Loved that they have a garden supplying some of the greens and herbs for their meals, but it was a shame that extra care was not taken to provide the freshed greens. I had the kale salad which was tasty but did notice a couple of yellowing leaves; no big deal. But, some of my friends got the carrot and watercress salad and there was yellowing watercress plated, which my friends politely put to the side. Not the best impression. The other items were done well though.  I ordered the hamburger and it was quite tasty. They do raise cattle which I believe provided the beef for the hamburger which was interesting to note.

Dessert was okay, nothing fancy, 3 options available.

 

Mint chocolate cake

Spa service waiting room or just place to relax.  There is biscotti, tea, coffee and water available.

I had the swedish massage which was done outdoors in one of the gazebos (which is covered with drapes so you don't have to worry about others looking in). Loved the massage outdoors as it felt like you were somewhere tropical. I had an outdoor massage once in Bali and it had a similar feel; it was relaxing to have a warm breeze and just the sound of the outdoors was soothing.

 

 

Went to look at their garden and it was interesting to see the kale that they would have picked for my salad.  It's not very big but they do grow a number of vegetables and herbs.  On Mon, Wed, and Fri they do offer tours where the gardener is on-site to answer questions and highlight some of the items.  You can also read more about their greening practices here.  I also thought it was interesting that the water used at the spa comes from the natural spring that the spa is built on and the water is "recycled through the natural reedbed septic system".

 



The day was quickly going and soon it was time for our afternoon tea.  Afternoon tea was okay, but I I miss-read. There is a dessert plate, a savory plate, a fruit plate, and a sampler plate. My impression of a sampler plate is that you get a bit of each plate to sample. Since I'm big on desserts, I requested the dessert plate because I wanted to have all the desserts on offer. Well...I wish I got the sampler plate because the sampler plate is actually all the items in one plate!  So, what I'm saying is, get the sampler plate!  (On a side note: the gluten free bakery is actually quite a distance from the main building.  I would have loved to visit but unfortunately I wasn't in the mood to walk over a km to get there.)

 

Service was excellent though, and I think if I wanted to get any of the savory items, they would have provided a plate for me. Many of my friends ended up ordering 2 drinks without any fuss.  (The pepper hot chocolate was a hit!)  But, I was full and content so I didn't need to order anything extra.  Oh, yes...forgot to mention my tea.  I had a mixed Chinese white and green tea that was pear flavoured - average tasting.  But, earlier in the day, I tried their chocolate tea in the quiet lounge room and thought it was pretty nice.  Teas are available for purchase in the gift shop.

Sampler plate

Dessert plate

Overall, a lovely experience and definitely would go back!

  

De La Mer at the Ryerson Farmer's Market

 

De La Mer is a fish market/caterer that has several locations in Toronto and I've read good things about them but haven't gotten around to visiting.  When I saw they had a pop-up stand at the Ryerson Farmer's market, it was a surprise so I decided this could be a good introduction.  They only had 2 food options, a salmon burger or salmon sausage...salmon sausage?

 

My curiosity got to me so I ordered a salmon sausage.  It was good but different.  The salmon seemed cured and was a bit briny; different from your usual beef and pork sausages.  I got my sausage topped with tzatziki sauce and a type of mustard that I can't remember the name.  The mustard was a little too strong for me though, I couldn't really taste as much salmon.

 

Only $5 for a salmon burger or sausage, it's not a bad deal.
  

  

Petit Nuage - The cutest LITTLE patisserie ever! Plus interview with Stephanie, owner and pastry chef.

Petit Nuage
707 Dundas St. W.
Toronto, ON
https://www.facebook.com/petitnuagetoronto

Ok, this is definitely the cutest LITTLE patisserie in Toronto!  Only about 80 square feet, Steph (the owner) offers a good selection of macarons, other pastries, and beverages at this little shop.  Located at Market 707 in the Scadding Court area, Petit Nuage ("little cloud" in French) is housed in a shipping container turned shop.  Yes, shipping container!  From the look of Petit Nuage you'd never know.

My first visit, I stopped by for an iced matcha and macaron.  The iced matcha was made first by whisking the green tea matcha using a traditional Japanese chasen or bamboo whisk.  Sugar is customizable but I liked it the way it was made.  Strong matcha flavour, but not strongly bitter.

The macaron I selected was her signature macaron called "Nimbus" which is a marshmallow and elderberry macaron.  It ended up being a flying nimbus in my case (so embarrassing), flying right off the table due to the wind and Steph graciously offered me another one - so sweet.  It was very light, like a cloud and the elderberry is unique; really reflects the patisserie!  The macaron had a nice crisp shell and was not too sweet which I enjoyed.

I was quite impressed with this patisserie that I knew I had to ask more questions than usual, and so here is a mini interview with Stephanie, the owner and pastry chef at Petit Nuage.

When did you decide to open this space?

I was working part-time at a hotel, for two years, and it was always part-time work so I started to consider my options.  The next best thing was to open my own space and I came across this little spot.  When I first started, the space looked really different.  Last August, they gave me the unit very suddenly as my first application didn't get accepted.  I only had a few weeks to buy a fridge and set up!

In the last 3 or 4 months I reconfigured the space.  I used to have a bit of seating across one side, but it was a bit awkward because it was so small.  Got rid of the seating so I could add in more prep space and offer drinks.

Where did you study?

I studied at George Brown College (the pre-employment baking program) for a year to give me solid basics and the rest was creativity, experimental, and my hotel experience definitely gave me the bulk of my experience as we did a lot of production which allowed me to dabble in a lot of different work.

What inspired you to go into pastry work?

I was actually studying psychology for a couple of years but hated it! So I thought, why am I wasting my money and time? I decided to drop out, work for a year to save up, and enrolled in George Brown. 

What have you really enjoy about opening the patisserie?

Creative freedom.  I have no restrictions. If I want to make something new for the day, I'll make something new.

Advice for wannabe entrepreneurs?

Do lots of research!!  Don't go jumping in willy-nilly.  You've got to look at everything from every perspective; financial, design, marketing - marketing is very important, can't stress that enough!  The look and design will dictate your clients.  Good design is important and you need to invest and hire the right people. 

Evaluate yourself too.  Are you talkative?  Can you multi-task?  You'll be at the back and front of the house so you'll need to be a people person.


The nimbus macaron, how did it come about?

I thought it would be cute to have a macaron named after the store or relating to the store.  I grew up watching Dragon Ball Z and Goku's cloud is named Nimbus so I thought it was cute.  The elderberry is from a family that makes local jams and they had elderberry jam which I thought was unique.  I like to offer flavours that are not too common. 

How do you stay creative?

I like to do things based on season so I'll offer items based on seasonality.  Everything is also based on my personal taste and I create flavour combinations that I would want to try.

On your facebook page, you mention artistic services, can you elaborate?

Oh, yes.  Last year I made Christmas and birthday cards and I would also sell other artists' work, like the artist that designed the macaron boxes. (Me: love them!)  I'll do custom cards but need advance notice. 

I really enjoyed my first interview.  Thank you Stephanie for sharing!

The packaging is so cute!  Luv the artwork.

Afterwards, I treated myself to more macarons and a matcha cream puff.

I really enjoyed the jasmine apricot, the jasmine flavour really stood out and paired well with apricot.  The yuzu honey, strawberry basil and key lime pie are seasonal and out of the three, the yuzu honey was my favourite.  The basil was really strong in the strawberry basil macaron which I thought was great because this was the first time basil strong enough in a dessert, but my sister who had the other half thought it was too strong for her.  Key lime pie was also nice and the pie crust flavour was really incorporated in the macaron.  The HK milk tea macaron also had great flavour.

These French style cream puffs were coated with an even layer of the crispy pastry crust coating and filled with creamy matcha pastry cream.  I ate this very, very quickly!

Enjoyed the flavour of the cream puff, the matcha is light and won't be as strong as the iced matcha.

Macaron display (half of it anyway) - the macarons are all beautiful pastel shades which I luvd!

All the colours and decorations are so well thought out and really give you a feeling that you're in for some very good desserts.  I CAN just imagine the lovely space that foodies and dessert aficionados would flock to if she ever opened a larger store front with seating.

Decor - sooo cute.

This shipping container houses multiple shops!  Petit Nuage is in the centre.

Follow her Facebook page as selection varies by day and sometimes she'll post specials or have a special dessert available that day.  Most recently is a matcha roll cake!!

Week 33 Baking: Blueberry Scones

Basic Blueberry Scone Recipe

I made these blueberry scones for breakfast on the weekend.  Even though there is a plethora of scone recipes out there, when I looked at this picture I thought it needed something so added the recipe (sorry it's so tiny, thought it would be very short when I started typing).  Recipe is adapted from one I received from George Brown College when I was taking a tea and food pairing course.  Sometimes I like to cool the mixture in-between to ensure the butter remains cold but sometimes I skip this step if I'm more rushed.

Love eating freshly baked scones! 
(And, of course I had tea with these scones, paired them with an iced Alishan GABA black tea.)

Week 32 Baking: Kamut Pound Cake

A little late but anyhoo...made this Kamut pound cake because I had purchased some Kamut flour from Bulk Barn a while ago and it's just been sitting around.  I like to try out recipes that include healthier ingredients so eating cake daily (or for breakfast) isn't too bad of a thing (haha!).  Not sure if I like Kamut in cake though, there was still a bit of graininess to it; would be better in breads and cookies I think.  The recipe did suggest peaches and whipped cream to go with it and I think that would have been a good combination.

Kamut (which is actually a trademarked name) is a brand of khorasan wheat, an ancient wheat varietal that is quite nutritious with higher protein and higher amounts of minerals such as selenium, magnesium, and zinc than modern wheat flour. 

Update: I've read here and of course on Wikipedia that the term Kamut was used in ancient Egyptian to mean wheat.  But, it was later trademarked (apparently to preserve the integrity of the grain) because it belonged to a dead language.

Pearl Diver - Fish & Chips

Pearl Diver
100 Adelaide St E
Toronto, ON M5C 1K9
T: 416-366-7827
http://pearldiver.to/pearldiver/

Had lunch at Pearl Diver last week and it was pretty good.  Moreso because service was so friendly but it really had a nice vibe to the place. 

This will be a quick post as I only had one item on their menu.  Ordered the fish and chips which tasted good, fish was nice and light.  But, the batter of the fish could be crispier; seemed like there was a bit too much oil absorbed by the batter (possibly oil was not hot enough) on one piece but still tasty.  Tarter sauce looks homemade and it had the addition of dill which I love.  Side of coleslaw was good, tasted different from your usual. I think the vinegar used might be a rice vinegar...enjoyed it and I think I would have preferred more coleslaw and had less fries!  (But, that's just me.)

Pearl Diver offers a pretty good special on oysters so I hope to be back to try the fresh oysters which are on special from 12pm -6pm Sunday - Friday, $15 for a dozen - pretty awesome!

Toast Delight - HK Egg Waffles

Green Tea Egg Waffle

Toast Delight
Unit 2659- 8339 Kennedy Rd (Langham Square)
Markham, Ontario
(416) 856-3026
https://www.facebook.com/toastdelight

We recently visited this non-descript shop at The Mall at Langham Square that serves flavoured HK style egg waffles and curry fish/beef balls.  But, these are not like your typical waffles, they‘re more dense but also more crunchy.  A different experience and I would say if your a fan of the Dong Dong brand, you won't like these, but if you're up for something a little different, do give them a try!

 

Ordered two for $5 (one for $3), we had the green tea and sesame flavoured ones.  They also had other flavours like red bean, chocolate, 3 cheese, and pork floss & seaweed (maybe my next visit).  I like the crunch and although I'd prefer a stronger green tea taste, it was enough so you could also taste the egg.  It's funny, I kinda expected the sesame egg waffles to be filled with a little bit of black sesame paste...somewhat like how a red bean waffle would be.  So although the sprinkled sesame seeds were good, it wasn't as good as the green tea.

 

But, do eat warm, they will be too hard if you wait a few hours.  The batter somewhat reminds me of Taiwan (I know, another way to fit Taiwan in another post, haha)...a lot of people say that the waffles in Taiwan cafes are made more dense, and it's similar.  The only thing is, I didn't have a scoop of ice cream or medley of fruits to go with it.  And...just as I was thinking this, if you check out their facebook page, you can add ice cream to your waffle.  Hmmm, I didn't see this when I went last week.  Oh well, I guess more reason for me to go back!

 

Also had the iced milk tea which was a really good size for the price and tasted pretty good.

 The shop is not too hard to find.  It's located on the 2nd floor. As you come off the elevator and head towards the shops, look towards your right and you'll see the store front pictured below.

 

 

Fortune Stone - Hidden Right Under My Nose!

Fortune Stone Restaurant

7010 Warden Ave

Markham, ON L3R 0L9

905-475-0099
 

Fortune Stone is an HK Style Cafe that has been around for a number of years and only now, only now did I know it existed.  Located in the same plaza as T & T Supermarket on Warden and Steeles, I can't believe I didn't see it earlier since this is one of the T&T's I frequent.  The building is the one closest to the Steeles and Warden corner, but is on the opposite side to Ajisen Ramen.

 

First impression, huge menu!  Not sure if they do everything well but it was pretty good eats so far.

Fish with spinach cream sauce

 It was hard deciding what to get as there were so many options and all at reasonable prices ($5-10).  I opted for a fish in spinach cream sauce dish and it tasted pretty good.  The cream sauce is also not as creamy as western cream sauces (which is typical for HK cafes) but still tasty albeit a little on the salty side.  Portion size was right for me, however could be a bit on the small side for others.  My meal came with a soup and drink (had an iced milk tea) which were both decent.

Baked chicken and cream sauce.

Service was friendly and the space is quite clean and bright.  Will definitely be coming back to this place since it's fairly close to where I live and I can stop by T&T for groceries right after, haha!