Unfortunately, in my case, only one applies. (Hint: It's not the former.)
However, the downsides of the new position soon became evident.
For starters, the workload was beyond imaginable. The team comprised of just four in total, myself included. The transition of responsibilities would ensue before I was even fully onboarded. Worst of all, I'd be left in the dark about IT equipment, benefits, mandatory training, and more.
A lengthy morning meeting eventually led into noon. I departed for the mall for errands, not knowing it was just a five-minute walk away. The trip between Square One and Celebration Square always averaged at least ten minutes by car.
A tad hungry and extremely fatigued, I deemed it appropriate to venture towards T&T for snacks instead of heading home for exercise.
One of the parting gifts bequeathed upon me by coworkers was a Saint Germain gift card, its $20 value was to be depleted in one transaction. Consequently, I was able to choose a handful of items that would otherwise never make its way to my kitchen table.
- Whole Wheat Loaf; $3.98
- BBQ Pork Bun; two at $2.98 each
- Sea Salted Butter Roll; $2.75
- Coconut Cocktail Bun; $2.75
- Chicken Bun; $2.98
- Sea Salted Cheese Crusty Bun; $2.98
- Twin Palmiers; $2.98
The Coconut Cocktail Bun was bland, while the Whole Wheat Loaf similarly lacklustre in both taste and texture. Adopting a near-identical appearance to Korean Salt Bread, the Sea Salted Butter Roll was a decent interpretation with an irresistibly crispy top and salted butter interior; that said, it lacked the plush properties that LUNA had boasted.
I was truly questioning my decision, but also constantly reassuring myself that things would become better with time.
Stress reveals itself unconsciously though, and my frequent inclination to reach for buzz-inducing beverages was a dead giveaway.
Referencing the ever-reliable Sunday Baking, I altered not the sponge recipe for her layered Strawberry Mousse Cake.
Ingredients:
- 3 egg yolks
- 20 g honey
- 3 egg whites
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 45 g ̶c̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶f̶l̶o̶u̶r̶ AP flour
- 18 g canola oil
In hindsight, the first leg of baking could have been reduced to 5-7 minutes to prevent excessive browning and rapid travel of heat, as indicated by the larger air pockets in the upper half. Nevertheless, the sponge emerged splendidly: impeccably fluffy and subtly sweet.
The mousse would also originate from the same recipe, but with minor modifications:
- Increasing the amount of heavy cream from 110 g to 250 g
- Adding white chocolate couverture to stabilize and sweeten the added cream
- Swapping in a stabilized raspberry jam in place of strawberry puree, sugar, lemon juice, and gelatin
- 121 g white chocolate couverture
- 250 g heavy cream
- 148 g homemade raspberry jam *
- 1.8 cups frozen raspberries (2 cups is fine)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp gelatin
To finish, I'd prepared a stabilized whipped cream the evening prior and allow the formula to thicken overnight. Transferring the mixture to a piping bag in advance helped to facilitate the final steps of decoration.
Ingredients:
- 68 g heavy cream
- 13 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp gelatin
- 2 tsp freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
It is worth noting that the freeze-dried strawberries should be added just before serving as to prevent bleeding into the whipped cream and becoming sodden. Consuming immediately after decorating allows the pieces to preserve their shape and resist accumulation of moisture, as my excess portion had.
There is, truthfully, no surprise to this element. The remainder of my homemade raspberry jam (unmeasured) was warmed to restore its fluidity. Then, it was allowed to cool to room temperature, as to prevent dissolving of the mousse later, and poured on top of alternating layers of sponge and mousse.
As evident in the cross-sections, this layer was hardly uniform. In its defense, the uniformity mattered minimally to the overall consumption experience. The tart jam lent a well-warranted dose of tanginess to the otherwise primarily sweet compilation.
- In order to keep damage along the circumference to a minimum, I had allowed the cake to come to room temperature before removing either the mould or acetate strip. While this approach worked well for the unmoulding process, the prolonged time on the countertop caused the mousse layer became incredibly soft, therefore difficult to cut. As such, it is recommended to serve the cake straight from the fridge for optimal taste and texture.
- This exceptionally airy sponge needs no syrup for moistness, as it contains a decent amount of oil. Syrup was naturally omitted due to this very reason.
- Over the course of several days, I observed a compelling surge in sweetness with each progressive day. While I'm uncertain of the cause, I recommend consuming the cake within 48 hours for maximum enjoyment of the textural variance and peak sweet-tangy contrast.
In exchange for a later departure (aka driving myself), I earned much-needed respite in the form of pilates, but later suffered a grueling 75 minute weekend commute to the east end.
We were served a hefty slice of chocolate cake, which appeared to comprise of several layers. Between the OREO base, feuilletine, two layers of sponge, and three cocoa-tinged layers of unidentifiable texture, I regarded the specimen as being inappropriate as a pre-dinner snack.
And wrong was I not. A single forkful was sufficient in confirming its satiating nature, beyond flavours that melded together as opposed to inviting its audience into a heavenly world of chocolatey glory. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to make of the creation, for it appeared to be cocoa-based, but was otherwise bland.
I'd barely be able to lift my elbows for the entirety of the night. Furthermore, it grew increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open for the duration of the meal as fatigue crept up once more.
Traditional platters of shrimp, chicken, scallop, etc. were swapped with never-before-seen alternatives. Intestine with pineapple chunks, stir-fried beef with mushroom, and battered-braised fish replaced jellyfish and cold cuts, stir-fried beef and broccoli, and steamed whole fish respectively. Noteworthy were the stalks of veggies, which weren't swimming in grease as I had expected.
Win's supposedly signature fried rice also incited a look of astonishment: witnessing such sizable chunks of beef in fried rice was revolutionary.
While located in one of the oddest corners of the GTA, Win's Eatery had left a memorable impression. Service was friendly and fare was unique. The bathrooms, which later became clogged with feces, would never be forgotten either.
Driving back, we learned of York Region's lack of comprehensive municipal infrastructure. Despite not having ventured into the rural areas of the neighbourhood, many stretches were devoid of streetlight. In addition, many of the lampposts, if present, were merely crafted of wood without any reinforcement.
The first thing I realized was the deterioration of my cycling gloves. Second was my lack of fear to riding on the road, in mixed traffic. Having biked in Toronto, I wholly knew no fear.
No rash maneuvers were made, of course. Vigilance is critical with weekend drivers and reduced visibility periods such as sundown.
Operating with one lane in each direction, Mississauga Road is incorrectly listed as a "bicycle-friendly route" on Google Maps. I was thankful to have witnessed lower vehicular volumes than usual given the Easter long weekend, for the uphill venture would have been aggravated under the influence of speeding vehicles and a corresponding amount of exhaust.
The ride would prove easier upon reaching Eglinton, where the MUP would guide me all the way back west until Credit Valley Hospital. Existing on-street cycle facilities on Credit Valley Road and an MUP along the west side of Erin Mills Parkway would compensate for the lost connection on the north side of Eglinton. Needless to say, though, I am hopeful that the arrival of Kith condos at the NE corner of the intersection will result in improvements for the municipal boulevard as well, just like the Arc.
And, soon enough, Monday was upon me yet again.