chocolate chip cookies

Happy Canada Day!!  I love having a break mid week to celebrate our national holiday.  To make the most of my mid week break, so far, I read through three quarters of my June issue of Monocle magazine, the best magazine on the planet, practiced an hour of yoga and slept in!  Next up, baking for a family get together tonight in the backyard.

This is what I am baking today.  I was inspired by a post I read on blog, Some Say Cocoa:

via nytimes.com

Recipe here.

chocolate raspberry layer cake

I made a chocolate raspberry layer cake this weekend out of the new Bon Appetit magazine.  Recipe is here.  It was a hit with the guests.  There were six adults and the ate half the cake by the time I returned at the end of the evening.  Comments were that the cake was moist, dense but not overly sweet which is nice.  The ganache, raspberry jam layer which I changed to a blackberry jam layer and the raspberries all worked nicely together.  No flavour overpowered.  The end result- a very satisfying piece of cake and I would make it again because it was easy.  The only thing I will forewarn, my ganache was not thick to begin and I had to refrigerate and freeze (as per recipe instructions) to get it the consistency of something spreadable (like a butter cream).  The first layer of icing, there were lots of spaces/gaps between the cake and I was strategizing that I would have to turn this thing into some sort of deconstructed chocolate raspberry shortcake or something.  In the end, the ganache reached its desired consistency and spread like a dream as you can see in my pictures below.  

As an aside, I have to admit, it’s been a while since i’ve made anything out of bon appetite with all the wonderful recipes available on blogs.  I guess magazines really do have some serious competition now that everyone and their mother is a chef, decorator, event planner and designer. 

Here is what the cake looks like in the magazine:

via bon appetit

Here is what I made:

sift dessserts HK

via sift desserts hk

via hong kong hustle

via the marriage

via next stop

chicago: eating

I had a fabulous weekend away in Chicago.  It was my first time visiting the city and I have nothing but positive reviews.  I could not believe how many times a stranger would walk up to me and ask if I needed directions.  So friendly.  It made me reflect on how unfriendly Toronto can be in comparison to the midwestern hospitality I was shown. 

My trip basically consisted of walking for eight hours a day, eating and taking photos of as much modern architecture as I could!  Thankfully I had good, windy weather on my side last weekend which made the aforementioned activities a pleasure.  My notable stops around the city included pizza at Quartino, Mexican at Zocalo, breakfast (aka amazing granola and a solid chocolate, almond ricotta coffee cake) at Milk and Honey cafe, drinking cupcakes (and a special tasting from Patty Rothman herself (*thanks Patty!!!) of the Valrhona chocolate, salted caramel (my favourite), red velvet and chocolate cupcakes) at More, a slice of apple rhubarb pie at Hoosier Mama Pie Company, brunch at Cafe Selmarie, a lite snack at Brasserie Jo, and a pillow (home decor) from Homey.

Here are some shots- architecture shots coming soon:

Inside More Cupcakes - best cupcakes ever in Chicago

Amazing coffee cake from Milk and Honey Cafe

Signature granola from Milk and Honey Cafe

Hoosier Mama Pie Company Freshly Baked Pies

Buckwheat Pancakes from Elly's Pancakes

Argo Tea Love the Earl Grey Creme

fru and gu

These products just crack me up.  I was flipping through some old Living Etc. design magazines this past weekend in search of some interesting kitchen designs for my condo when I paused at an advert for fru and gu (both have two little dots over the u’s but I can’t do that on my keyboard, so use your imagination).  Just like me to divert to food when I was supposed to be concentrating on interior design!  A one track mind, I swear.

I think it was the packaging that stood out for Fru Puds, or maybe it was the product names (super witty), but these mini desserts aka “posh ramekin puds” aka “lively pots of gudness” aka “nibbles and naughties”  aka “chocs” as indicated on the corporate website, are hysterical and look delicious. 

The company based out of the UK, makes mousses, souffles, cheesecakes, tortes, brownie cakes and other items that are “strictly for adults.”   They even have a statistic that estimates that a gu pud is eaten somewhere in the world every two seconds.  Gu puds are one popular snack if that is the case.  From what I can see, their major distribution channels are in the UK and France although apparently you can find them elsewhere.  Anyone in Canada selling these?

via the lovely room

via frupuds.com

via frupuds.com

via daily mail

via frupuds.com

serious cake talent: nine cakes

It is not very often that some serious cake talent emerges. 

I first read about Nine Cakes in Brooklyn on blog, Inspired Bride.  I was so captivated by the cake shots that I saw, I had to do some digging to find out the story behind these super sophisticated, confectionary structures.  Two years ago, Betsy Thorleifson, baker and owner of Nine Cakes started out doing cupcakes at the Brooklyn Indie Market.  Their spot on the TODAY show gave Betsy and Nine Cakes the visibility it needed and was picked up by the taste makers of the online world a la Daily Candy, Wedded Bits and Martha Stewart Weddings. I think the rest is history when you have exposure like that. 

The other interesting fact that made me smile is that Nine Cakes is located in Red Hook, where my other favourite bakery is located, Baked Bakery (I blogged about Baked here.)  What is up with that?  A serious baking talent cluster is emerging in Red Hook.

Not only will you be in complete and utter awe of the designs coming from Betsy’s bakery, what is equally impressive is her innovative flavour combinations in the cakes that change seasonally.   For example for spring there are lemon lavender, chocolate raspberry rosewater, chocolate earl grey and chocolate caramel fleur du sel cake combinations.  I like her strategy, change the flavours everymonth and keep customers coming back for more.   I really think the pictures speak for themselves.  It’s too bad that her desserts are limited to the tri-state area.

via Nine Cakes Flickr

via Nine Cake on Flickr

via Nine Cakes on Flickr

via Nine Cakes on Flickr

via Nine Cakes on Flickr

via Nine Cakes on Flickr

via Nine Cakes on Flickr