I returned to the office in an awfully haggard state. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one. There were also plenty of technical difficulties experienced with the first meeting of the year.
However, I am glad to report that, despite the undesirable conclusion of the winter holiday, seeing familiar faces made for a pleasant time. Cookies were presented and rapidly depleted by fellow floor members, while excited exchanges took place about the past two weeks. I even received a new year gift of Läderach and magnet stickers from a lovely coworker!
However, I am glad to report that, despite the undesirable conclusion of the winter holiday, seeing familiar faces made for a pleasant time. Cookies were presented and rapidly depleted by fellow floor members, while excited exchanges took place about the past two weeks. I even received a new year gift of Läderach and magnet stickers from a lovely coworker!
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The lunchtime mall walk led to several new discoveries:
- The Bakers, a Middle Eastern bakery, had replaced Bingz in the food court
- To Go Coffee advertised complimentary shots with their beverages
- Lindt was promoting gift boxes for both Valentine's Day and the upcoming Year of the Horse
- A hidden location of Hello! Photo was discovered on the top level of the mall, tucked away near Walmart and Bell in an inconspicuous area
Presumably a recent addition given its cleaner quarters, I excited flipped through the frame options. The New Year frames piqued my interest immediately, and I swiftly convinced my coworker to join me. In the absence of hooks, our winter jackets were hung on the ends of the curtain rod for the duration of the session.
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- SoftMoc taking over the former, partitioned space of PINK by Victoria's Secret by Simons
- Adorable Valentine's Day décor landing at Dollarama
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The day passed quickly, and I eventually found myself acting upon my craving for a 3 Guys from CoCo. Naturally, I took advantage of their January promotion of 2 for $10. A hot variation was bestowed upon my browsing partner.
To Go would assume my primary destination for the next day.
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A Peach Bubbly Americano was obtained for my continued exploration through the mall.
Besides furry, heart-hugging creatures, Walmart had also stocked shelves with snacks fitting for the upcoming Lunar New Year. Laying eyes on a DIY hotpot kit from Haidilao was a first.
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Shortbread (Round 2)
Ever since the fluted disc had vanished, I had been craving shortbread once more. I took to Sunday Baking's recipe once more.
Ever since the fluted disc had vanished, I had been craving shortbread once more. I took to Sunday Baking's recipe once more.
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In the absence of milk, I swapped in heavy cream. My intent had been to use an equal amount as the original formula (20 g), however a damaged spout on the carton had me accidentally using a total of 25 g instead. While an additional 5 g wouldn't have normally mattered, this was an exceedance of 25% liquid, which has the potential to alter the resulting texture drastically. (I did remember to brush on the sugar this time though!)
It did, of course, but the variance could be owed to an impromptu swig of vanilla bean paste as well.
It did, of course, but the variance could be owed to an impromptu swig of vanilla bean paste as well.
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Compared to the previous iteration, I had undoubtedly improved in terms of technicality and method. The ideal consistency of softened butter was achieved by cutting the butter into uniform chunks or pieces and microwaving in three 10-second bursts, stirring at each interval. An unfathomably flaky texture was achieved by gradually incorporating the icing sugar and cake flour into the softened butter.
Compared to the previous iteration, I had undoubtedly improved in terms of technicality and method. The ideal consistency of softened butter was achieved by cutting the butter into uniform chunks or pieces and microwaving in three 10-second bursts, stirring at each interval. An unfathomably flaky texture was achieved by gradually incorporating the icing sugar and cake flour into the softened butter.
My fault lay with rolling, oven temperature control, and yet another heavy-handed sprinkle of table salt. While the rectangular shape and surface indentations were nearly identical to the inspiration, the resulting blocks were approximately half the thickness of Walker's Original Shortbread. I had rolled the cookies too thin, consequently causing them to brown quickly. Furthermore, I had forgotten that my slab was not symmetrical, thus making for uneven browning along the length of the cookies.
My fault lay with rolling, oven temperature control, and yet another heavy-handed sprinkle of table salt. While the rectangular shape and surface indentations were nearly identical to the inspiration, the resulting blocks were approximately half the thickness of Walker's Original Shortbread. I had rolled the cookies too thin, consequently causing them to brown quickly. Furthermore, I had forgotten that my slab was not symmetrical, thus making for uneven browning along the length of the cookies.
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Extremely negative feedback was received from the household, citing a reduction in butteriness and less gratifying texture due to thinness. Personally, I found both of these elements unaltered from the last trial. The consistency had improved, if anything, and the cookies were now tinged with the sweet aroma of vanilla bean. My sole gripe was the lingering saltiness, which still traumatizes me after ingesting too-salty granola without milk or yogurt.
The office, of course, did not discriminate between the partially browned segments nor the evidently jagged edges. Others were also seen placing cookies on the "sharing table", though I confirmed that their lack of palatability fairly quickly.
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With the weather hovering about the low positives and brimming with sunny skies, I took advantage of the above-seasonal conditions and trekked to Gong Cha.
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The small space has now welcomed a vendor by the name of 90 Momo St. As the name indicates, the counter retails Momos, with weekday lunch specials available from Monday through Thursday.
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A large Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea with 2J was redeemed from my points bank. This beverage is practically my go-to from the Korean-owned franchise, however it is regrettable that its sweetness level can vary drastically depending on the barista. During this visit, the barista was friendly and efficient, but the concoction was obnoxiously cloying even at 30% sugar.
As the work week neared its end, I found myself scrambling to prepare for weekend plans. Having agreed to early dinner plans on Sunday then presented with Saturday plans immediately afterwards, I knew I had over-committed. Both of the events were regarded with anticipation, though the struggle lay with scheduling the remainder of my chores and needs into the same span of time.
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Early Friday morning saw the preparation of a pie crust. At lunch, the crust was parbaked while brownie batter was compiled. Pecan Pie was a surprise gift, while brownies a celebratory one.
Instead of SK's extra-flaky pie crust, I took to the crust in her Pecan Pie recipe. It used 155 g of AP flour for 115 g of butter; meanwhile, my preferred extra-flaky edition used 130 g AP flour and 115 g of butter. Another alteration was the inclusion of 1 tbsp of whiskey in the custard. Typically, I do not include any alcohol except for homemade vanilla extract.
Truthfully, I wasn't sure how the additional 25 g of flour would impact the result, nor the inclusion of high-proof liquor.
Truthfully, I wasn't sure how the additional 25 g of flour would impact the result, nor the inclusion of high-proof liquor.
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Brownies were constructed based off the same recipe as recently attempted. I did not succeed in achieving the wispy surface crackle of my dreams this time either. Furthermore, flaky salt was also forgotten until after the tray was slid into the toaster oven. The slab was fudgy, though a tad crumbly. Olive oil and dark chocolate persevere as a marvelous pairing though.
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