Amy's Food Adventures

Mother’s Day Specials

amylu7 — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:42:31 +0000

Hello everyone!

As some of you may know, I’ve started my online dessert shop called Charming desserts :) Thank you to everyone’s encouragement, I’ve finally got this going and the official website with all the content will be done soon! For the time beginning, please subscribe to the newsletter and keep up to date with any new happenings and promotions (just enter your email and hit the “notify me!” button).

Although this is the case, I’ve already started taking orders and would like to introduce what special creations I’ve come up with specifically for Mother’s Day. Feel free to place an order and impress your mothers, as well as support my new business :D

- – -

Berry & Vanilla Mousse Cake | $40 | Serves 8-10 people

Strawberry & Lychee Macarons | $25 per dozen

Orders can be placed via email (hello@charmingdesserts.com) or through the website (when you click on the green bar, it will take you to an online form). Please place your order 3 days in advance of pickup date. Currently pick-up location is in Markham, and specific address will be provided once the order is confirmed :)

Stay in touch with Charming desserts:

website | charmingdesserts.com
facebook | charmingdesserts
twitter | @charmingdssrts
instagram | @charmingdssrts

Thank you!

Green tea button cookies

amylu7 — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:21:21 +0000

Last weekend’s SWAP x SHOP event went well and it was a lot of fun! Met some pretty awesome people and there were many great clothing and accessories available for swapping! I will be posting some photos up in my next post.

Aside from macarons, I made green tea shortbread cookies in the shape of buttons to sell at the event. I got the inspiration from the event poster where the “o” in the word “shop” was a button! These were a bit more labour-intensive compared to other cookies but so worth the time – they’re as cute as a button ;)

After rolling out the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick, I used a big piping tip to cut out the circles. For the inner circle, I used a slightly smaller sized piping tip and gently made an indent. As for the 2 small wholes in the middle, I used the back of a skewer for them.

Regarding the recipe, I used the one posted on Kirbie’s Craving’s blog because I’ve tried it before and it’s fantastic! They may be on the bitter side for some, but you can always reduce the amount of green tea powder (or matcha if you’re using it) added. These cookies last for a long time because no eggs or milk is used, just lots and lots of butter! :D

Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons high quality matcha (green tea) powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat butter, matcha powder and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add about half of the flour, then mix on low speed. Gradually add remaining flour, mixing just until blended. The mixture should look crumbly; but if you squeeze it between your fingers, it will come together. Gather the dough into a large ball.
4. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Peel off top parchment paper.
5. Cut out as many cookies as possible using cookie cutter and place on cookie sheets 1-inch apart. Re-roll remaining dough and repeat until all of the dough is used up. Decorate with sprinkles
6. Preheat oven to 325 F. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the cookies are dry and firm to the touch and the edges are just starting to turn brown.

*slightly adapted from DeDe Wilson’s recipe found on Project Foodie

Charming desserts’ debut giveaway!

amylu7 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:04:40 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! (update: lol oops, today’s Thursday, not Friday. When you’re working from home, everyday seems like a Friday!)

I’m extremely excited to announce that I have my own online dessert shop now! My friend is still in the process of developing the website for me (thanks Chrissy!), but I already have my business name and logo done! I will be writing a more detailed post about my product offerings once the website is finished, but do expect French-style pastries combined with my favourite green tea, black sesame, and lychee flavours! Occasion cakes as well as sweet tables will also be available! I’m so excited that I can hardly contain myself right now as I’m typing this, haha.

Please follow Charming desserts via the following social media channels:

website | http://charmingdesserts.com
facebook | Charmingdesserts
twitter | @charmingdssrts
instagram | @charmingdssrts

Now.. let’s talk about the giveaway! While my friend is working her magic, Charming desserts will be holding a debut giveaway! Simply visit our website at charmingdesserts.com and enter in your e-mail address! You will automatically be added to the mailing list, but we promise you we won’t be sending you any spam emails! 2 lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive one box of a dozen macarons, valued at $24!

Here are the deets!

- – - – -

Prize | a box of one dozen macarons, valued at $24
Contest duration | April 11 at 9am – April 24 at 9am
Who can enter | if you can pick up the prize in Markham, Canada, then you’re in!
How to enter | subscribe to our newsletter via our website

Good luck!

Food Porn [part III]

amylu7 — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:54:38 +0000

This is sort of the izakaya edition of my food porn posts as 3 of the following restaurants serve izakaya food. There are still several izakayas in Toronto that I need to visit, but I honestly can’t keep up anymore! Especially now that I no longer work downtown, I don’t dine out as often and am missing out on a lot of new, good restaurants. Since the weather is getting warmer and the days are longer, hopefully I’ll be eating out more often!

My favourite from below is Chou Izakaya. I miss Chou so much! The 5 of us were like hungry monsters back in.. July. Yes, these photos were taken 9 months ago (as you can tell, I haven’t really been updating my blog lately). The amount of food we devoured was somewhat overwhelming.

The reason why I like Chou is that it’s not as loud as other izakayas. It’s true that one of the main attractiveness of izakayas is their lively atmosphere, but sometimes you just need a break from all that – not to mention the food at Chou is freakin’ amazing. I know they’re supposed to be more well known for their izakaya food, but their sushi is mouth-watering goodness too! Their gunkan sushi is especially delicious and memorable. They range from ika, oba & ikura to corn & butter to nato, quail egg & scallion. If anyone wants to try Chou Izakaya with me, I’m down! Wuahaha.

Chou Izakaya

556 Church Street
Toronto, ON M4Y 2E3
(416) 923-1010

Hapa Izakaya

602 College St
Toronto, ON M6G 1B4
(647) 748-4272

Yakitori Bar

1 Baldwin Street
Toronto, ON M5T 1K5

WOW Sushi

1 Charles Street
Toronto, M4Y 1R4

urbanebloc presents SWAP x SHOP event

amylu7 — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:51:36 +0000

Hello!

I’m excited to share that I’ll be a vendor at “urbanebloc presents SWAP x SHOP” event happening on April 21st! Macarons and shortbread cookies are on the list, and the others will be a surprise! Perhaps you can let me know what you’d like to try and I’ll put that into consideration ;)

Please RSVP here!

Thank you & hope to see you there :)

Details below via urbaneblock

[When] Sunday, April 21, 2013
[Time] 12:00pm until 5:00pm
[Where] 37 Bulwer Street (Queen & Spadina)

[Description]

Spring has finally arrived! It’s time to shed our winter coats and bring the floral, paisley prints and colours back into our wardrobes!

SAVE THE DATE for our first clothing SWAP x SHOP event ever!

Date: Sunday, April 21st
Time: 12pm – 5pm
Location: Manifesto Building, 37 Bulwer Street, Lower Level (near Queen & Spadina)
Entry fee: $5 if you bring 5 items to the clothing swap, $10 if you bring 0 items.

___________________________________________________________

BUY YOUR TICKET HERE: http://bit.ly/urbaneblocSWAPxSHOP
___________________________________________________________

* * * S W A P * * *

Never been to a clothing swap before? Here’s how it goes down:

1. Pick out 5 (or more) items (clothing/ shoes/ accessories) from your wardrobe.
2. Drop off your items with one of our awesome volunteers at the event.
3. Take home 5 brand new (to you) items that you find!
4. Anything left over at the end of the night will be donated to charity.

Tips: All clothing items should be clean, free of rips and/or tears, and gently used. You’re welcome to bring more than 5 items if you’d like! Clean out that closet!

* * * S H O P * * *

In addition to the clothing swap, we’ll have other local vendors selling goodies including clothing, jewelry and treats. Stay tuned as we update our vendor list! Make sure to bring some extra cash with you!

Charming desserts | http://charmingdesserts.com/ | @charmingdssrts
RUNE | http://www.rune-rune.com/ | @hello_rune

* * * S P O N S O R S * * *

BIG THANKS to our generous sponsors!

* * * K E E P . I N . T O U C H * * *

http://www.urbanebloc.com/

http://www.twitter.com/urbanebloc

http://www.facebook.com/urbanebloc

* * * H A S H T A G * * *

#SWAPxSHOP

Easter Macarons

amylu7 — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:00:20 +0000

Happy Easter everyone!

I spent this year’s Easter at my cousin’s place for her engagement party (Congrats Michelle & PJ!). I made a couple jars of pastel meringues with 3 flavours: orange blossom, coffee & green tea. What I’d like to feature in this post though, are the Easter-themed macarons above!

I didn’t really come up with the idea, so I can’t take credit for it. As for my source of inspiration? Instagram. I was searching photos from a specific hashtag (think it was #macarons or #easter) and came across a photo of baby blue macarons with cocoa powder sifted on top to resemble spotted Easter eggs! Genius, right? I wanted to use pastel green & pink instead and applied gold luster dust on top for the decorations. Lately I’ve been using it a lot to decorate my baked goods because it gives off a more refined look to the final product.

To apply gold luster dust, simply place a few drops of vodka (or lemon extract) into a bowl and sprinkle some luster dust on top. Mix and then apply using a small paint brush.

Have fun!

My love for ties

amylu7 — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:50:13 +0000

Yes, you can already tell that this is going to be a fairly random post ;) Aside from food & baking, I’d like to share with you another obsession of mine – ties! Whether it be neckties or bow ties, I’m in love with them. Although ties are more often worn by guys, the ones I own are definitely more feminine. I’ve always had a soft spot for all things plaid, although it has toned down a bit during recent years. The very last thing I need would be a plaid shirt!

Let’s start off with the neckties. The first one I ever purchased was the black one; quite versatile and very common. The purple with white polka-dots and the plaid were both from H&M. Back when I was in university, I was into Japanese Rock (and Visual Kei) and my favourite designer was Vivienne Westwood. I guess those who are familiar with J-rock will know that Vivienne Westwood’s designs are extremely popular among J-rock enthusiasts due to her famous plaid designs and rock-inspired pieces. We were all crazy about her armour ring and orb necklace (both which I do have, lol).I don’t really shop anymore now that my $ goes towards food. But as I was saying, these two neckties reminded me of her designs and I really like them. These ones are chic & sophisticated compared to my other ties.

Moving onto what I like to refer as the “uniform collection”. The majority of these were bought when I was living in South Korea a few years ago. I’ve always liked the “Asian uniform look” with the bow ties, v-neck sweaters, cardigans, and blazers. I guess dressing like that kind of stands out here in Toronto, but everyone has their own style right? ;)

The black bow tie with ruffles and the lady pendant underneath was actually put together by me. I love ruffles and the whole 19th Century fashion (Victorian period). Top hats are another one of my favourite items. But no, I’m not bold enough to just walk down the streets of Toronto dressed like I was from a different century – it was only for a Halloween costume from 2 years ago ;)

Is there anyone else who loves ties as much as I do? Do you wear them casually or only for formal events?

PS. I hope this random post wasn’t too random.. haha.

Handmade Marshmallows

amylu7 — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:56:32 +0000

Marshmallows bring me back to my childhood. So light, fluffy, and sweet – they were so fun to eat. The marshmallows we get now are usually from grocery stores which are mass-produced. I haven’t had marshmallows in a very long time, but during my trip to Paris in October, I rediscovered my love for them.

Marshmallows can be found in many of the pâtisseries I visited, and they were typically shaped like a big cube. They’re gourmet (’cause they ain’t inexpensive) but the best part is that they’re artisan and come in such a wide range of flavours. Pistachio, vanilla bean, rose, and orange blossom were just a few among the list of flavours available.

By using Ladurée’s basic vanilla marshmallow recipe available here, you can add food colouring to create gorgeous pastel marshmallows or even add fruit purée or extract for different flavours. The above photo consists of mint, passion fruit, strawberry & blueberry marshmallows. They’re so additive that it won’t take you long to finish an entire batch!

Cake Porn II

amylu7 — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:00:12 +0000

From Le Neuf Café

From La Bamboche

From Nadège

My latest creations II

amylu7 — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:24:18 +0000

I used to find petits gâteaux and entremets very intimidating to make, mainly because of the amount of work required. To create all those layers and textures, it can take up to a few days to make just one cake. Once the sponge cake, fruit gelée, and other inserts (like mousse or fruit purée) are ready to be used and assembled, the mousse component must also be ready and used immediately. Don’t forget the mirror glaze or shiny chocolate glaze that goes on top or over the entire cake in the end. Cut fruit and chocolate decorations are then arranged neatly for the final presentation. As you can see, these French-style cakes are quite labour-intensive and call for much experience.

I’ve been experimenting and testing out recipes for these beautiful cakes since the beginning of this year, and I’m pretty happy with my creations so far. Of course it’ll always be a work in progress when it comes to baking, but I’m definitely going in the right direction.

Blueberry macarons

Part of the macaron batch for the Kick It For Japan Charity event

Passion fruit glaze, mango mousse, apricot jam & green tea sponge

Strawberry mousse, lychee gelée, blackberry & raspberry mousse, genoise

Cake Opera (dark chocolate glaze, hazelnut dark ganache, joconde, coffee buttercream & coffee dark ganache)

Matcha opera (green tea powder, green tea joconde, matcha buttercream & dark ganache)

Aside from tackling a higher-level of pastry making, you’ll notice from my recent posts that I’ve been spending some time on cake decorating as well. Working with fondant to create flowers, teddy bears, or anything that you can imagine, is a whole different ball game from baking. I can’t wait to create more of these lovely cakes in the near future!

Mini fondant cakes for Cat’s birthday

Same designs but in a rectangular shape

Cake for an engagement party

Moustache cake