March: I'm Dreaming Of...

Mashion Bakery Steamed Pork Buns...so good!  This picture does not do it justice.

March is well on it's well to being over and only now I've slowly gotten around to this post.  This winter has been extremely bad in terms of health for our family...one cold or flu virus after another.  I've been waiting for all the runny nose, coughing, and general un-wellness to be over.  Waiting, waiting, waiting...

The past few weeks I've been dreaming of...

- waking up rested (I think this is a very common dream for all parents, lol!)

- homemade soup...we had pots of great Chinese broth soups over the winter while we were sick...I guess that's the one good thing about being ill

- buttery briocche breads...I had a nice light one at Duo Patisserie a while back and have been wanting to make briocche on the weekends so I could eat it all day long

- the steamed pork buns at Mashion Bakery in Chinatown.  Very juicy, savory, and an amazing value!  How can you beat $2 for 3 buns?!

 

  

Oat Scones & Preserved Figs

 

I haven't been baking much due to the flu but here are some oat scones I baked up before I got sick so I could ONE, use some oat flour and TWO, so I could try the fig preserve I made last year.

 

The fig preserve turned out to be pretty good, recipe from here.  Whole chunks of fig slathered on the scones complimented the oats and eased the slight dryness of the scones.  Preserving fruits or making jam to eat with warm homemade scones was something I've wanted to do ever since I wondered about a pineapple and red peppercorn preserve I saw in a movie (one of my favorites I might add) and I quite like the feeling!  Popping open the jar and scooping out the figs was like a little present to myself.  I had put away a little bit of last year to enjoy this year. 

I recently had a conversation on what fruit we would grow if we could grow any type without much work.  Because I could never just say one, persimmons, lemons, and avocados are at the top of my list.  I think I'll add figs too.  After a quick google, you can actually grow figs in Toronto.  Read here.  No growing stuff for us though, lack of space and passion for it but for those that have the space, consider figs (hint, hint to my friend with the new backyard!).  Imagine the desserts and salads that could be made with fresh figs!

Book Review :: The Trouble With Brunch

Brunch is not only a concept in North America.  I recently was reading a magaine showcasing a number of brunch places in Taiwan where locals and expats (with money to spend) can enjoy a slow and relaxing meal.

The Trouble With Brunch
Work, Class and the Pursuit of Leisure
Author: Shawn Micallef

Part of the Exploded Views Series
Essays longer than magazine article but shorter than full length book.
www.chbooks.com/explodedviews

This is a post I've been working on for ages!!  After seeing a post in Toronto Life on some "blasphemous" brunch dishes in Toronto, I was reminded about this post.

This little book sure packs a lot of information in it! There were times where I wanted to go to brunch so I could share some of this info or have a discussion about the thoughts presented.  Only about a hundred pages long, it didn't take me too long to finish it when I carved out some time.
 

Micallef first paints a picture of brunch that he finds unappealling and yes, I see brunch could be as he described.  He also makes a note that it has been popular to brunch in places that are cramped and rustic to give the illusion of a working class environment but, patrons are usually not of the working class.  My brunch experiences have been mixed and I generally love having brunch but don't do it very often. 

• I don't like to line up so I too will avoid places where there is too long of a wait.
• The menu is important.
• Price also has to be fair.  Brunch can be expensive but sometimes it's just a little more expensive than lunch but you are taking a seat for a long time.  This concept is not too foreign, longer the stay, pricier the meal.

As mentioned, there are lots of thoughts packed into this book.  The book discusses "brunch" in Toronto and elsewhere. It is enjoyed by a certain group of people and is associated with class, whether it be middle and upper or "creative class" or "leisure class", it is for those with time and extra money.  And how we may see brunch as a means of defining ourselves.
 

I came from a working class family and we rarely ate dinner out.  But, when my grandparents were alive, my family and extended families would get together every Sunday morning for dim sum.  One, to socialize and two, so my relatives could spend time with my grandfather (who lived with us).  Dim sum is Chinese brunch; the meal lasts long and there are a multitude of items to eat that could be classified as breakfast, lunch, or dessert.

In the end, brunch is simply a time to connect and relax.

What I enjoyed....

Discussion on what brunch means to different people.

Discussion on the emerging "creative class". 

I also liked that there were many Toronto references and the comparisons made between his hometown Windsor and Toronto were interesting.
 

Interesting conversation piece but does it belong here...
There was a little section on farmers' markets and how different people of differing classes might view them. In some ways I have felt the same way...are farmers' markets really doing what they intend to do? I walked to my local farmers' market over the summer and had intensions to visit others but often I would think to myself, if I'm driving to another, does that make any sense? So, I just stuck to the one nearby and every so often would pick up stuff like "heirloom" tomatoes or fruit that was in season. I could not bring myself to buy corn for a dollar a cob though, knowing that supermarkets near me would be selling Ontario corn 5 for a dollar.

Anyway, I think this section may have strayed a little from the intent of the book, but it still is interesting to note.
 

What I would have liked more of...

The conclusion seemed a bit rushed.  Personally, the ending would have improved if all the thoughts were pulled together a little bit better, so in the end you can really say...yes, he's said a lot but points a, b, c really resonated.

Throughly enjoyed the book and would recommend if you are interested in the social aspect of food in our society.

Dessert Week 10 :: Recipe testing - Double oat banana muffins & Chrysanthemum tea jelly

L:Double oat mini banana muffin, R:Chrysanthemum tea jelly with strawberries

I've been experimenting...

I made double oat mini banana muffins of the low sugar variety so my little one could have some too.  Needless to say, it didn't go over well with adults.  Because I'm trying different things with oat flour, I made my muffins using oat flakes and a bit of oat flour.  I used sweetened yogurt and bananas to add sweetness and moisture.  It wasn't too bad and the ratio of 1 cup oats, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup oat flour made a nice textured product - but, I'm still working on the recipe.

Because Chinese New Year Celebration or Spring festival ended last week (it lasts 15 days), I also made chrysanthemum tea jelly.  I've made it with agar before but decided to use gelatine this time around simply because it would take less time to make.  Flavour was great, but I had most of it in flower moulds (flowers are auspicious during Chinese New Year) and they did not come out of the moulds well (sad!).  So, I'll be refining that recipe too. If you're looking to buy dried chrysanthemum flowers, the one I used is packaged in a canister and was purchased at Pacific Mall, one of the dried herbal-stuff stores.  I've used the larger flowers found at supermarkets but like this one much more(plus, they're prettier, lol!).


Dried Chrysanthemum Flowers

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!