Dessert By Candy

I look forward to eating panettone EVERY holiday season but I’m too cheap to buy them at regular price. I’ve been stalking my neighbourhood grocery store since beginning of December, patiently waiting for these delicious sweet bread to go on sale. On the last day of the year, they finally are! Reduced from their regular price of $15.99, this 1kg loaf is now only $9.44. In a couple of weeks, they will probably go down to under $5….

There are many brands of panettone available in Toronto but Tre Marie is my personal favourite (for commercial panettone anyway). They are made with real butter! The list of ingredients reads like a normal list from a baking recipe. Delish!

If there are any pandoro left, I would love to buy a couple of loaves for making bread pudding. However, for panettone, I usually can’t resist just eating them plain out of hand. According to Wikipedia, a good traditional accompaniment is crema di mascarpone and hot cocoa. I can imagine them going very well with the eggy sweet yeasty bread. Argh, why am I dieting????!!!!

This is a mildly spicy cake which is very tender. When it is fresh out of the oven, it is frankly quite tempting to me to wolf down piece after piece. If you can resist this temptation, however, this cake keeps well at room temperature for about three to four days.

Ingredients

• 480g all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp ground allspice
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 168g unsalted butter, melted and cool to room temperature
• 280 mL molasses
• 225g granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 large egg, beaten
• 187 mL sour cream
• 187 mL milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including flour, cocoa, spices, salt, and baking soda. Stir to mix well.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, molasses, sugar, sour cream, milk, and eggs. Beat until homogenous.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 50min. The cake is done when it shrinks away from the side of the pan and it bounces back when pressed lightly on top.
6. If you want neat cuts, cool to room temperature before cutting. Otherwise, just tear into the cake and enjoy.

I am not a fan of Boxing Day shopping but after a couple of days hiding in my house, I decided to venture out for grocery. Well, my usual haunt is actually located inside a mall so what did I do? I went for a bit of shopping. It was already late so there were barely any shoppers. I didn’t find much deals either. Little did I know I would come back home with the most ridiculous purchase in a long time.

When I saw them in the store, I just couldn’t help myself but to try them on. Ooh, they look so adorable and I look so cute in them (haahaa)! Alas, they weren’t even on sale….what to do, what to do? Frankly, they are really too expensive for what they are…but, but, BUT…I like them soooo much! I finally gave in after 15 minutes of struggle.

Behold, my matching monkey hat and mitts.

You can’t see it too well in the picture but the hat actually has monkey ears sticking out on both sides for that extra wind resistance. With the two little monkeys on my mitts, I am my own walking puppet show. AL challenged me to wear them on my next snowboarding outing and ride down the hill making monkey noises. I think I may just have to rise to that challenge!

Hat and mitts are designed by local Toronto company deLux.

For the past several years, it’s become somewhat of a tradition for me to go to Mont Tremblant at this time of the year. I don’t recall going to this trip with the same group of friends yet with all the skiers and snowboarders out there, of course there would always be friends to hang around with. However, the novelty of riding non-stop and make the most out of my time on the slopes have somewhat worn off recently. My trip this year was really more vacation-like than all of my previous ski trips.

I had a good time snowboarding-wise. It seems not too long ago when I looked at the blue runs on the trail map with trepidation. These days, I just go wherever comfortably (except for moguls and double black) and feel quite in control of my board. Speed no longer scares me like it used to. It’s just so much more relaxing.

I actually spent a lot of time enjoying the resort. My friends and I went to watch the movie I Am Legend on Saturday evening. I went for a therapeutic massage at Amerispa on Sunday. Stranger still, we actually didn’t bother to cook our own meals and ended up eating out most of the time. Meal planning for ski trips is usually a big hassle and for some reasons or another, I usually end up with that responsibility. The fact that I did not need to worry about meal planning on this particular trip really made the difference between stress and total relaxation. Between BeaverTail, smoked meat sandwich, poutine, bavette de boeuf, and an antipasto plate, I did some real damage to my diet. However, to balance things off, I packed my usual "power food’ of bananas, peanut butter, cottage cheese, homemade granola, almonds, and dried apricots for breakfast and lunch. Those food gave me lots of energy and they were absolutely wonderful fuel for workout. On day one, I unwisely ate a McDonald’s breakfast of Egg McMuffin, hash brown, milk, and yogurt parfait before hitting the slopes. Although I felt full at the time, I burnt through those food so quickly and had to snack around 10am. In comparison, eating my usual breakfast provided me with energy for hours and I did not feel hungry until 2pm. Never had the word "junk food" take on so much meaning to me.

I am feeling the imminence of bad tidings. Last time I felt this way, I was in a similar situation when I learned of a pending nuptial. I am bracing for the worst now. For some reasons, I see images from the movie Good Luck Chuck flashing through my mind. This is as good a reason as any for me to get out of the whole dating game, though of course my decision was based on much more sound reasoning.

Anyone with any intelligence knows that what’s done is done. I am heartbroken about all that happened but I am not foolish enough to think that I have the power the change the past. The past are lessons to be learned so that I can build a better future, a future which is within my power to change.

No more sorrow, no more pain. Given enough time, I will get there.

Despite my recent spluttering of doom and gloom, I am alright. Yes, I am still very sad because of him. However, more than anything, I hate to butt my way to a place where I am not wanted. And I know exactly where I am not wanted.

My recent resolution will lead me to live my life the way I want to live. I know that I am doing something positive, something that is good for my wellbeing. Romance and its trouble will be far behind me soon. For the time being, this is only a stumbling block that I am sure to overcome. My emotions will no longer be tethered by people who do not care about me. I am surrounded by people who do care and I am one fortunate girl.

I am very sad. I was never more than a negative experience to be forgotten and left behind. However much I wish that he would ask me back, it never even cross his mind. After all this time, it still hurts so much because I still care very much. After all these months, I am still crying.

I think I’ll go shovel my driveway now. I think tears freeze in the cold.

It’s just come to my realization that I repulse him. How else to explain the recent string of happenings? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear if he threw away the Christmas gift I gave him too. Haahaa. This is certainly an interesting turn of event.

I learn my lesson. Asking the object of my affection out and be totally honest about my feelings are both very bad ideas. Good thing those kinds of worries are behind me now.

Thank you to everyone who supports my 2007 Holiday Cookies Fundraiser. The cookies are done and a good number of boxes have already arrived at the hands of the recipients! If you did not pre-order but you’re still interest in getting a box (oh c’mon, who can resist?), no worries, I have set aside some extras just for you. Give me a shout and we can arrange the details for delivery.

Enough with the introduction…let’s see what’s in store for this year’s assortment! After I finished baking, I realized that I do have quite a few varieties and coincidentally, there’s enough to make up the face of a clock. So this year, the theme is "Cookie Time, All The Time". Starting at 1 o’clock in the clockwise direction, here are the cookies:

1 O’Clock: Pierre Herme’s Hazelnut Sable

This two-toned butter cookie has a crunchy crumbly texture studded with toasty hazelnuts. The golden top and buttom have a hint of almond which is the secret to the delicate texture.

Baking Notes: Recipe can be found in Chocolate Desserts By Pierre Herme. Although this cookie is labour-intensive, it is one of my favourites so it is a staple in my holiday cookies collection year after year. A good rolling pin and a ruler are essential tools to shape this dough into the perfect shape.

2 O’Clock: Shortbread Sandwich Cookies With Dulce De Leche

I haven’t been making sandwich cookies for the holidays for a few years. However, I recently fell in love with dulce de leche and I just can’t resist getting all my friends to have a taste too. The buttery shortbread is a good foil for the caramel. This cookie is somewhat a more North American version of alfajores.

Baking Notes: Recipe available here from Martha Stewart. I skipped the green tea powder though to make this a plain shortbread. This dough is very easy to work with. After the cookies are baked, I sandwiched them with a tiny dollop of dulce de leche. The cookies would slide a little until the filling sets.

3 O’Clock: Gingerbread

This is a mild gingerbread that even kids will love. The sweet smell of spices in the kitchen just gets me into the holiday spirits.

Baking Notes: Recipe from Rose’s Christmas Cookies. I prefer the soft texture of this gingerbread. The best part? This cookie is sturdy enough to build gingerbread house!

4 O’Clock: Pecan Brownies & Peanut Butter And Jam Squares

Soft fudgy chocolate brownies made with 72% dark chocolate and loaded with sweet pecans. The PB&J square is a more streamlined way to enjoy a peanut butter cookie with a tart raspberry jam.

Baking Notes: Brownie recipe available here. PB&J bar recipe available here.

5 O’Clock: Blueberry Lemon Thins

Blueberries and lemon is one of those flavour combinations that go hand in hand. Since we are still a half year away from blueberry season, this cookie is like a reminder of summer with dried blueberries and zesty lemon.

Baking Notes: Recipe from The Good Cookie. The dried blueberries made this refrigerator cookie log hard to cut. This recipe is good for everyday munching but I don’t think the finished product is pretty enough.

6 O’Clock: White Chocolate Chips Fudge Cookies

You can never have enough chocolate cookies, right? This soft fudgy cookies is made with bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, and white chocolate chips for that 4-dimensional chocolatey goodness!

Baking Notes: Recipe available from The Good Cookie. The cracked appearance is with the white chocolate chips peaking out is very appealing. In order to get this perfectly round shape, I made this drop cookie with some slight shaping. First, I used a small ice-cream scoop to portion the dough. Next, I flattened each cookie with the bottom of a drinking glass covered with parchment paper. This additional shaping helps the dough to spread in a more even way.

7 O’Clock: Mint Chocolate Pinwheel

Mint cookies always remind me of girl guide cookies. But having another dark cookie is so boring so why not a swirling mixture of gold and brown?

Baking Notes: Recipe available here. I modified the recipe to use peppermint extract instead of vanilla. Last year my misadventure with pinwheel cookies left me rather dismay. However, Gale Gand’s recipe is very easy to work with. Instead of making four 6-inch logs, I made two 12-inch logs to save on some work.

8 O’Clock: Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Hearts

This is essentially the same cookie as the sandwich cookies except that I dipped them in chocolate. The two-toned appearance is so striking, isn’t it?

Baking Notes: Making rolled cookies is a bit more time-consuming but the whimsical shapes are inviting to the eyes.

9 O’Clock: Walnut Chocolate Chips Cookies

Cakey and soft chocolate chips cookies are delicious in my books. They are especially good fresh out of the oven! To replicate this taste, you can microwave the cookie for a few seconds just to get the chocolate chips a little melty…mmmm.

Baking Notes: Recipe available here. Omit the ground espresso.

10 O’Clock: Lebkuchen Bar

Don’t let this unassuming looking cookie fool you, it is packed full of flavour! The mixture of candied orange peel, pine honey, almond, cardomom, cinnamon, and ginger results in a very mellow flavour. I would enjoy this with a strong cup of steaming Earl Grey tea.

Baking Notes: Recipe from The Good Cookies. I skipped out on the glaze but I think the cookie tastes marvelous as is.

11 O’Clock: Pistachio Cranberries Icebox Cookies

The red of the cranberries and the green of the pistachio are absolutely festive! The sugar edges add sparkles and you have one shortbread cookie with crunch. However, it is the hint of orange and cinnamon that makes me reach for "just one more".

Baking Notes: Recipe available here.

12 O’Clock: Espresso Biscuits With White Chocolate Drizzle

This melt-in-your-mouth cookie has a deep chocolate flavour enhanced with ground espresso. I decided to make it a little fancier with a drizzle of white chocolate. I would enjoy it with a cold glass of milk or a warm latte.

Baking Notes: Recipe available here from Martha Stewart. I made this recipe one batch at a time because my 4.5qt standmixer is not large enough to handle a double-batch. I first scooped out the dough with a small ice-cream scoop (1 1/2 inch diameter) and then shaped each piece of dough into a ball with my hands. Lastly, I flattened each ball using the base of a drinking glass covered with a small square of parchment paper. The parchment paper prevented the dough from sticking.

Beauty on the inside is important but of course a gorgeous appearance never hurts. I chose a hot pink and chocolate brown colour theme in modern clean lines. For a more interesting visual impact, I trimmed the edges with pinking scissors to have a lacy look. As usual, keep the soft cookies and crunchy cookies in separate bags.

I went to my company’s holiday party last night and had quite an amusing time. After a week of frantic holiday baking (Woohoo! All done!), I was on a tight schedule to get ready for the party. I first had my hair styled straight, went for a makeup session at Christian Dior, got dressed, and then rushed to the venue with only a few minutes to spare. I was quite happy with my outfit, particularly the accessories. It doesn’t leave me self-conscious or fidget with uncomfort which turned out to be rather important because it was a long night out.

A year later, still stylish, still goofy. Picture courtesy of Danny Ng.

Not long after the dancing began, a bunch of us left the party to go to Circa. I had the following, hmm, interesting conversation with a girl in my group.

[thumping dancing music]

Girl: So, what colour do you prefer?

Candy: Huh? Dark…I guess?

Girl: No, white/yellow/brown/black?

Candy: Huh? You totally lost me…

Girl: You know, for guys? What colour do you prefer?

Candy: Oooooooh, that’s what you meant….

There is a time and place to explain my current stance about dating guys but a loud dance club where I can barely make out what the other person’s saying is definitely not it. So for the remainder of the night, DN joked to see if I could get picked up by any girls. Haahaa. Somehow, I don’t think Circa is the place for that either.

Sometimes, I do appreciate being girl. When we were in the line-up to get into the club, the guy in front of me asked if I want to be his date because he had a no-cover pass for two. When we got to the entrance, the bouncers just waved me past the line where they pat you down. Yes, there’s definitely some perks about being a girl.

Me and the guys at Circa. Gotta love 4 inches heels. Picture courtesy of Danny Ng.