"You need to reserve time for rest and repose." my fellow baking enthusiast of a coworker had urged. "I learned that you cannot take care of others when you are not in a good state yourself."
And she was right. It wasn't that I ever disagreed with the need for rest - Heck, I even spoke highly of the importance of recovery when discussing the qualms of others! While I try not to be hypocritical, it's difficult to exercise the same type of recovery-based discipline at a personal level.
And she was right. It wasn't that I ever disagreed with the need for rest - Heck, I even spoke highly of the importance of recovery when discussing the qualms of others! While I try not to be hypocritical, it's difficult to exercise the same type of recovery-based discipline at a personal level.
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Undertaking adventures throughout the GTA is an activity I enjoy immensely, but there are times when being a homebody is absolutely necessary. This is, of course, not to say that I'm merely lazing about at home. Rather, it is quite the opposite: I am, once and for all, catching up on much-needed maintenance/administrative activities I had pushed aside for too long and carrying out weekly chores in a (comparatively) more leisurely manner. Frankly, a weekend at home imparted a sense of relief in me.
Being left to stew with a mind full of food pairings with my entire collection of baking equipment within proximity made for another hazard, however. Naturally, I'd be eager to realize these conceptual ideas, and possessed the means - be it access to information or tangible tools - for their materialization.
Being left to stew with a mind full of food pairings with my entire collection of baking equipment within proximity made for another hazard, however. Naturally, I'd be eager to realize these conceptual ideas, and possessed the means - be it access to information or tangible tools - for their materialization.
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Over the previous week, my social media feed had acquainted me with the Pistachio McFlurry, a McDonald's dessert item exclusive to Italy. Alas, its construction appeared straightforward enough. "I could probably just make it." I recalled telling the Thai ahgase.
"Let me know it goes!" she responded with anticipation.
A heaping handful of pistachios were shelled, toasted, then chopped. Originally intending to reserve the chopped nuts for later, I caught sight of the soon-to-expire carton of heavy cream in the fridge, which paved the way towards two-ingredient ice cream within milliseconds. The ratio of sweetened condensed milk to heavy cream was: 170 g condensed milk to 450 g heavy cream. Scaling the amount proportionally, I emerged with a ratio of 151 g condensed milk to 400 g heavy cream. Opting for a milder profile, I further lessened the amount by 37% , yielding a final ratio of: 95 grams sweetened condensed milk to 400 grams heavy cream.
Aerated, sweetened cream infused with the teensiest amount of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt were alternately layered into a plastic container with spoonfuls of pistachio paste (from Costco) and generous dustings of toasted, chopped pistachios. A delectable Pistachio Ice Cream would emerge several hours later.
"Let me know it goes!" she responded with anticipation.
A heaping handful of pistachios were shelled, toasted, then chopped. Originally intending to reserve the chopped nuts for later, I caught sight of the soon-to-expire carton of heavy cream in the fridge, which paved the way towards two-ingredient ice cream within milliseconds. The ratio of sweetened condensed milk to heavy cream was: 170 g condensed milk to 450 g heavy cream. Scaling the amount proportionally, I emerged with a ratio of 151 g condensed milk to 400 g heavy cream. Opting for a milder profile, I further lessened the amount by 37% , yielding a final ratio of: 95 grams sweetened condensed milk to 400 grams heavy cream.
Aerated, sweetened cream infused with the teensiest amount of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt were alternately layered into a plastic container with spoonfuls of pistachio paste (from Costco) and generous dustings of toasted, chopped pistachios. A delectable Pistachio Ice Cream would emerge several hours later.
My DIY Pistachio McFlurry would also see success!
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Given that the storebought pistachio paste was exceptionally sweet and thick like Nutella, it is advised to warm the paste in advance of drizzling on top. This would improve ease of consumption, for room temperature paste would harden upon coming into contact with the chilled Vanilla Cone.
Beyond an endless stream of chores and impromptu creations, a Too Good To Go pickup from Daan Go had wedged its way into my schedule. The remainder of my needs were arranged accordingly: a brief treadmill session at LA Fitness's Hurontario location (while watching BamBam on Monstop) and dinner delivery from thairoomgrand.
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It suffices to say that Daan Go hadn't impressed me from the moment they landed in the GTA. Prior to their brick-and-mortar locations and expansion into Vancouver, the pastry chef himself had taken to pop-up events and festivals to introduce his products to the public. From the moment I sampled the eight-dollar matcha mille crêpe cake at Sweetery, my reservations towards the franchise and its various spin-off concoctions had skyrocketed. The price tag had been viewed as atrocious in the pre-pandemic, pre-inflation era and utterly unwarranted for the quality received.
Fast forward six years to today, the dessert shop has adopted a number of virtual platforms, including a spot on the Too Good To Go app. Seeing as a Small Surprise Bag would set me back just $5.99 plus tax, I willingly undertook the risk and hit the "Reserve" button.
Fast forward six years to today, the dessert shop has adopted a number of virtual platforms, including a spot on the Too Good To Go app. Seeing as a Small Surprise Bag would set me back just $5.99 plus tax, I willingly undertook the risk and hit the "Reserve" button.
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