December 30, 2017

Portugal 2017

clothing line

I never knew how picturesque Portugal was before my visit. It was hard to take a bad photo, which made it even more unfortunate that I lost my camera halfway through my trip. (Cue the sad violins.)

porto sunset
livraria lello douro valley

Photos from my phone will have to do and the beauty of Portugal shines right through. I started up north in Porto, a city known for port wines. As a huge Harry Potter nerd, I had to make the pilgrimage to Livrario Lello, which was where J.K Rowling wrote part of her books. The beautiful staircase in the bookstore was the inspiration for the staircase at Hogwarts. I also did a day trip out to the Douro Valley, one of the oldest wine regions in the world, and drank my fill of wine. Lots of wine was consumed on this trip.

biblioteca joanina
universidade de coimbra old library books

I stopped in Coimbra to visit Portugal's oldest university but my sole target was the Joanina Library, which was stunning. It's a must visit for bibliophiles. Fun fact: university students in Portugal wear capes, just like the students in Harry Potter.

tram 28

November 30, 2017

Sneak Peak: Portugal

lisbon red rooftops

I spent the last two weeks in Portugal, a land for seafood lovers. Meat and potato eaters are also welcomed. Vegetarians - maybe not so much.

More details to come.

October 10, 2017

Creamy Corn Pasta with Basil

creamy corn pasta with basil

I have an infatuation with corn. Once summer hits, I wait in anticipation for the appearance of corn trucks that dots the city. It's the only place I buy my corn from.

corn pasta ingredients

Corn trucks, you ask? More specifically, I look for corn trucks from Sweet Ridge Farm, the last commercial farm to exist in Toronto. They produce the sweetest corn that I have ever tasted. Because the corn is picked the same day that it is sold, it's super fresh and juicy.

fresh corn

I came across this pasta recipe and was intrigued, as the corn is thrown into a blender to make a creamy pasta sauce without the use of cream. Each piece of pasta is coated with sweet, corn-y goodness.

sauteed corn

September 21, 2017

Ratatouille

ultimate summer stew

The end of summer means an abundance of ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant and zucchini. These vibrant, multicoloured vegetables go beautifully together, both visually and gastronomically.

summer harvest

Ratatouille is an easy dish to throw together - a one pot meal, which is my favourite kind of meal. I've seen recipes where you roast each vegetable separately (!) before they are combined, which seems like an unnecessary amount of dishes and time. Perhaps the flavours are more concentrated when you roast the vegetables separately, though I find this recipe makes a scrumptious stew using seasonal, ripe vegetables.

vibrant colours

August 28, 2017

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

chocolate raspberry layer cake

It's been firmly established that chocolate is my kryptonite, but do you know what makes chocolate even better? Raspberries. I love the flavour of dark chocolate mixed with the tartness of raspberries, so much that I've made a rugelach with this combination.

chocolate cake ingredients

I first discovered this complementary flavour when I was gifted a chocolate mousse cake filled with a mixed berry coulis, finished with a dark chocolate glaze. It instantly became my favourite cake and in "treat yo' self" mode, purchased it for myself on my birthdays.

cake layers

I then discovered this recipe and it was like the universe knew exactly what I wanted in a cake. Moist, flavourful chocolate cake? Raspberry filling? Chocolate ganache frosting? Check, check and check. I've made this cake several times and it has never disappointed me.

raspberry filling

July 28, 2017

Hong Kong 2017

dragon's back

I had two goals for Hong Kong: to eat as much as I can, and to do some hiking.

lion rock

When people think of Hong Kong, they think of a large, cosmopolitan city filled with skyscrapers. While this is all true, Hong Kong also has a lot of green space with great hiking trails and amazing views. I managed to squeeze in two hikes despite it being ridiculously hot and humid: Dragon's Back and Lion Rock.

sai kung

I also spent a day in Sai Kung visiting my grandfather's grave and could not believe the view. I can't imagine a more beautiful or peaceful resting place.



Here are some other memorable things that I ate:

roast goose lai fun noodle soup Roast Goose Lai Fun Noodle Soup from Yat Lok

I've eaten a lot of roast duck in my life but not goose so I don't have a lot to compare it to; however, the skin and meat on the goose at Yat Lok was tasty. Get the goose over rice if you don't want the skin to become soggy, though noodle soup is my jam, as you can tell from this list...

wonton egg noodle soup Wonton Egg Noodle Soup from Mak's Noodle

June 27, 2017

Top Five Desserts in Hong Kong

I just got back from Asia, the majority of it spent in Hong Kong visiting family, and honestly, there was not enough time to eat everything that I wanted to. Food was everywhere in Hong Kong and everything looked scrumptious. I could not stop stuffing my face.

As someone with a sweet tooth, dessert was consumed daily. Here are my top five favourite sweets I ate in Hong Kong:

steamed egg cake Steamed Egg Cake (Ma Lai Gao) from Tim Ho Wan

Possibly the best steamed egg cake I've ever had. The brown sugar gave the cake a depth of caramelized flavour, and the cake came out piping hot but perfectly moist and spongey. If only all dim sum places served steamed egg cake like this...!

double skin milk Double Skin Milk (Shuang Pi Nai) from Yee Shun Milk Company

I've been ambivalent about steamed milk pudding my whole life but this completely changed my mind. The pudding had a clean, smooth milk flavour, so light that it melted on your tongue. Get the original "steamed milk with two films" and you won't regret it.

hong kong-style french toast Hong Kong-Style French Toast (Sai Do Si) from a cha chaan teng in Sha Tin

May 18, 2017

Spaghetti alle Vongole

I'm jetting off to Asia for several weeks but wanted to share this before I go:

spaghetti alle vongole

I made spaghetti alle vongole for the first time. It's one of my favourite pasta dishes and while it wasn't as good as the one I had in Italy (I still dream of it), it was pretty darn close.

April 30, 2017

Quinoa Tabbouleh

quinoa tabbouleh

As spring slowly makes its appearance (we're so close to actual spring weather!), I start to crave for lighter meals.

I had a bunch of parsley in the fridge that needed to be used up and tabbouleh sprang into my mind. Instead of the traditional bulgur, I used quinoa as the grain, though I have also used couscous in the past.

beginnings of a mezze

I've never been a fan of raw onion because I found it to be too peppery. Recently, I learned the trick where if you soak your cut onion in cold water for 10 minutes, it tames the flavour and makes the onion crispier.

chopped fresh ingredients

March 28, 2017

Perfect Brownies

chocolate goodness in every bite

A confession: I'm a chocolate fiend. I cannot resist anything made out of chocolate no matter how hard I try. If someone were to ask what my favourite dessert is, chocolate would be at the top of the list.

brownie ingredients

I don't need a large portion of a chocolate treat – just something dark and rich to hit the spot. A square or two of dark chocolate usually satisfies my cravings.

chopped unsweetened chocolate

Brownies are the perfect chocolate dessert, but sometimes they can go oh-so-wrong. I don't like my brownie to be overly sweet or cakey; if I wanted cake, I would eat cake. My perfect brownie is dense, chewy and bittersweet. If that is the description of your ideal brownie, this recipe is for you.

lickable brownie batter

February 27, 2017

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

soup for the soul

While it's been a relatively warm winter, I'm still deep in my phase of soups and stews. To me, there's nothing more comforting than a piping hot bowl of soup to warm you up.

beginnings of a soup

Red lentils are perfect for soup-making – they cook up quickly and add bulk and protein to your soup.

diced aromatics

January 29, 2017

Vegetarian Chili

vegetarian chili

We're in the depths of winter and I'm constantly craving for soups and stews. Chili falls into that latter category - warm, hearty and tasty.

pantry items

There is a lot of debate about what makes a chili. Some frown upon beans in their chili, though I can't imagine the dish without it. In fact, I fall into the opposite group and say chili is delicious even without the beef.

diced vegetables