Out & About #1099 | Reinventing Leftovers + Summer Errands

​Leftovers are inevitable in the days following intense periods of creation.

​The last of my strawberry jam was repurposed in the form of a latte.

Meanwhile, pancakes - both frozen and fresh - were reheated then served with melty pads of margarine and golden syrup. Baking at 375 F for 6 minutes was the preferred approach over microwaving.

The heat wave prompted frequent intake of icy treats, amongst them ice cream, Melona bars, and the supposedly rare sighting of a pupil-less SpongeBob SquarePants popsicle.

On the first day back, a snack table was arranged for sharing extras from Canada Day celebrations. My assortment spanned cider from Downey's, homemade focaccia (complete with an olive oil-balsamic vinegar emulsion for dipping!), and not-so-pretty, syrup-less pancakes. The spread was later joined by assorted baklava and cherries from a neighbourhood's backyard.

At first, I was excited. But, within a matter of minutes, my cider was transferred to the fridge for storage instead.
To my dismay, majority of the allotment remained even at the end of the day. Even the cherries persisted in place after two days. Such travesties would never take place in Toronto!

​Over lunch, I set out to claim birthday freebies at the mall. Sephora permitted pickup any time during the month, but other businesses restricted redemption to the day of. Chick-fil-A was learned to offer a complimentary cookie with presentation of ID, as the mobile app was not available in Canada.

A 20% off coupon led me towards Indigo; despite debating procurement of Claire Saffitz's cookbook, I ultimately departed empty-handed.

The same situation would arise at Uniqlo, where a $10 off $75 offer drew me into the store. Torn between the sights of new arrivals and purchasing sale items online, my footsteps ultimately led me back into the mall corridors out of in-the-moment indecisiveness.

​Alas, the staggeringly expensive Matcha Creamy Chill was merely sweetener and brain freeze without any shred of grassiness. A Small set me back $6.20 after tax; at that price, I may as well have lugged myself to an independent café.

​After conducting a series of mall errands, a second attempt was made to obtain CoCo.

​Readying myself with - not one, but two! - portable fans, I bravely undertook the exposed concrete pathways around the City Centre. The combination of a UV jacket, sunglasses, wide-brimmed Safari hat offered maximum sun protection (save my hands), while a neck fan and handheld  fan provided concentrated ventilation where areas lacked shade and breeze. It was an understatement to say that the city has failed to provide a comfortable environment that encourages active modes of transportation. Tall-ish trees are not optional in the design of a pedestrian-oriented streetscape.

I also barked at the sight of bollards, which had been installed in response to drivers hopping the curb in the absence of available parking. The decision to dramatically reduce parking and slash lay-by capacities had evidently not been received well by residents of suburbia.

A Taro Slush with Tea Jelly was acquired in about twenty minutes, perspiration unavoidable even in my strategic choice of routing. The beverage was warranted for the purposes of assuaging heat and alleviating stress.

Short weeks are meant to be interactive and fun, yet the suburban environment undoubtedly provides more stress than satisfaction. Incompetency breeds animosity and defensiveness, making corruption a natural outcome. On my quest to reinstate functionality and resiliency, it is unknown whether I'll be met with success or be exiled midway through the process. For the time being, I am faced with a boatload of trivial matters causing my blood to boil.

The solo pursuit has never been an easy one.​

​With a crippling craving for chocolate mousse, I swiftly crafted a layered concoction comprising of a gelatin-stabilized base and ganache topping. The mousse utilized a 1:2 ratio of chocolate to cream (100 g heavy cream + 200 g dark chocolate couverture) plus a sprinkle of gelatin (3 g, to be exact) for structure.
Aiming for a yielding consistency, I purposely included corn syrup in the topping. 50 g of chocolate couverture, 18 g hot water, and 14 g corn syrup made for a semi-viscous ganache-glaze that set readily. In hindsight, I ought to have used a larger amount for better coverage and improved ratios.

​The contents of the cups were a tad rigid after three hours of chilling, but eventually softened to a desirable consistency after being covered and chilling for another few hours. Being as straightforward a procedure as it was, it's probable that I'll be revisiting the formula again.

​Out of curiosity, I also decided to attempt a soft pudding, intended for use as a drink topping. The rationale was: If CoCo could do it, so could I!

Admittedly, Bird's Custard Powder was not as easy to modify for applications beyond cake and the standard custards. The powder would require prolonged exposure to heat to fully cook, ideally on the stovetop. As I opted to gradually dissolve the custard powder and gelatin in the microwave though, the result was somewhat gritty, having not dissolved completely.

For use in iced beverages, it was more than adequate. If anything, the grittiness would be masked entirely.

​For the first time in recent weeks, my browsing partner pulled through, presenting a DYAM's recent summer release of Green Grape Coconut Bloom in my hands then quickly tending to chores for which I sought assistance. The sheer appearance was unexpected, and the drink even more so. Somewhat tart, somewhat milky, and laced with the mild essence of coconut, I couldn't quite confirm whether my reaction to the beverage was positive or not. Regardless, the crushed green grapes were a splendid, refreshing topping.

​The weekend concluded with discussions in a sauna-like garage (and consequential bug bites) and the horrifying discovery that olive oil-topped focaccia must never be left at room temperature for longer than one day.

Yikes.