Out & About #680 | Week #38 Quarantine Update Feat. Green Tea Scones + Lemon Dill Salmon

​The last month of the fiscal year had previously meant nothing more than frigid fingers and the end of another school semester for my studying acquaintances. Holiday hangouts were customary though not events typically associated with the arrival of winter. Upon boarding the bus of full-time employment, December equated to an entirely different experience - one characterized by endless evenings of physical and mental exertion.
These happenings also have a tendency to creep into one's subconscious state, where its side effects conclude a psychologically taxing state. (Have you ever dreamed of being chased down via emails?)

In the face of COVID-19 though, there are few things deemed more critical than stable income and general health and wellbeing. Working from home may not offer the most ideal circumstances, yet it allows for the isolation of issues that probably weren't granted much attention in the past. Moreover, it encouraged the development of new skills, a silver lining in the midst of widespread pandemonium.

Creations of the week included:

1) Green Tea Scones
Continuing the pursuit of the perfect scone, I progressed onto a green tea variation sourced from the ever-dependable Sunday Baking.

​Egg was swapped for additional heavy cream and Mediterranean yogurt (10%) as to keep them moist and adhere to the egg-less formula of traditional tea scones. The dough was fairly easy to construct and binded together without excess dampness. I didn't re-roll the dough, but instead separated the disc into triangular segments as illustrated in the original recipe. Just as advertised, the sections exuded rich green tea flavour and was ideal paired with sticky matcha-white chocolate drizzle. Utilizing an egg wash of only whites helped to preserve the luscious colour - a 끌팁indeed!

​Albeit misaligned after baking, the pieces bore only a single crack around its midsection, as scones ought to.

The scones were delicious, and best enjoyed a milk-enhanced espresso beverage. All hail the timely arrival of my Black Friday Balzac's package!

2) Homemade Rice Krispie Squares Two Ways
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​As like many North American children, tri-colour Rice Krispie squares were an essential element of every end-of-year school potluck. I wasn't able to locate the holiday edition of the puffed rice cereal, but instead made use of the Brown Rice variation for this nostalgic Christmas treat.

​The first batch followed the original recipe of margarine, marshmallows, and, of course, Rice Krispies cereal. Its result was stringy and satisfying, but I wanted an added degree of crunch. The delayed desire to add in toasted nuts led me to resort to leftover melted chocolate and an icing sugar-water blend. Too sugary was the outcome

​For the second batch, I ran out of marshmallows. Sweetened condensed milk was substituted, though I was unable to achieve the trademark thread-like strands of stickiness. There was also less structural integrity (read: crumbliness prevailed).

Nonetheless, they were fantastic. I reduced the puffed cereal quantity, added in roughly chopped toasted pecans and walnuts, then finished with squiggles of semi-sweet chocolate for the ultimate socially-distanced sweets swap, which ultimately never took place as the squares were devoured well in advance of any non-personal interactions.

3) Steamed Tofu with Minced Honey Garlic Sausage
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​The random creation resulted from lack of meat-defrosting time and an availability of scallions and fresh ginger.

The texture of the sausage mixture was, admittedly, quite offputting and entirely dissimilar to that of seasoned ground pork. In the very least, the dish tasted decent with (canned) tomato chunks; one can also never go wrong with steamed soft tofu.

4) Pizza Two Ways

This edition of pizza involved SK's 24-hour - or rather 22-hour - pizza formula, canned tomatoes, honey garlic sausage slices, and pineapple rings. On the morning of, I proceeded to drain the tomato chunks; a total of two hours passed before assembly. 
Two versions were produced: one in a pizza pan, the other in cast iron. The latter offered a thicker, chewier crust. Larger air bubbles had formed within the dough, likely a result of air entrapped in the heavy-duty pan. Meanwhile, the pizza pan guaranteed a thin, crispy crust of even thickness via uniform heat permeation. Tip: Bury sausage slices underneath the cheese to prevent blackened rounds of unidentifiable matter.

​5) Kale, Celery, and Conpoy Broth

6) Baked Pork Chop w/ Caramelized Onions and Egg (Oyakodon-style topping)

Drawing inspiration from HK diner-style baked pork chops, the dish bridged a guideline from Mama Cheung and existing knowledge on Western cooking techniques. 

​The endeavour entailed caramelized onions, which had been pre-sliced and for minimal tear-jerking, and a two-part cooking process. First seared in a smoking hot pan (literally smoking), then transferred to a baking dish lined with aluminum foil, the pork chops were topped with caramelized onions and a beaten egg mixture with teriyaki sauce, dijon mustard, and a sprinkle of sugar. Being bone-in, they were baked for 25 minutes, then covered with foil and baked for an additional 15 minutes. Achieved was a stellar result of supple flesh cooked all the way to the bone with an impeccably silky egg topping boasting the sweetness of caramelized onions.

7) Raisin Bran Bread

Wheat bread was attempted for the first time. Needless to say, the undertaking could not be completed without consultation of the bread master herself.

​I swapped golden raisins for a mix of dried blueberries, wheat bran, and chia seeds, which was great to ensure fibre and minimal sweetness. That said, I ought to have sustained (or even prolonged) the recommended baking time with an aluminum foil covering; the yield was too damp and, frankly, a bit too dark.

8) Baked Salmon Steaks with Lemon-Dill Béchamel Sauce

I can't deny that I had a Red Lobster moment with this recipe. Except it was tastier and far, far more economic.

In terms of a rough recipe: the salmon steak was seasoned with olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, and dill. It was then baked at 400F for 15 mins, then an additional 10 mins for doneness.
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Simultaneously constructed was a béchamel sauce. An olive oil and margarine blend, a few pieces of lemon rind, a handful of dill, a few lanky scallion strands were combined in a saucepan, subject to low heat to encourage infusion. Once fragrant, roughly 3 tbsp of flour was added in and whisked thoroughly. Upon observing a distinct increase in viscosity, milk was incorporated and then stirred on medium-low heat to prevent burning or bubbling.

Pair the fish with homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits for the ultimate at-home Red Lobster meal.

9) Apple Pie Minis

A spur-of-the-moment decision, Apple Pie Minis materialized from an inclination to test out my newly-acquired pastry blender (tip: use a larger bowl than I) while using up too-soft Red Delicious slices.

The tarts' appearances were reflective of my thought process: disorganized, unplanned, and irregular. Quite frankly, I hadn't retained high expectations: it was merely a pairing of pie dough and near-bruising apple chunks that had bathed in a molasses-apple cider vinegar-brown sugar blend overnight and simmered down with a cornstarch slurry.
Alas, the edges were flaky and the insides satisfying. The pre-cooking process had also removed majority of the liquid from apple filling, leaving minimal mess despite shrunken shells.

10) Everything Bagel Cookies (Attempt)

Prompted by orangecane's observation of the selection on the Big Fat Cookie's menu, I took upon the mission to formulate my own rendition, despite having tried neither the infamous seasoning mix from Trader Joe's nor the bakery's original cookie. The Everything Bagel seasoning was a cinch to prepare; attaining a soft cream cheese centre was more difficult.

I was quick to deem this attempt unsuccessful and far too sugary for my liking. The base cookie, copied from SK, emerged too sweet of a dough, perhaps due to the use of light brown sugar aka the consequential increase in granulated sugar. ​Consumption in conjunction with a shapeless, cream cheese-icing sugar filling made a terrible headache.

​Other meals of the week ranged from Galleria kimbap and soondae to Cape Seed Loaf with coconut Mediterranean yogurt.

​I also took the opportunity to appreciate Timmies' Hot Chocolate - the only thing they do right! - with mini marshmallows, Big Rock Brewery's decidely delicious Winter Spice Ale, and some microfoam art near-successes.

​Behold Balzac's diner mug with star-shaped ice cubes, for my ice-maker shall remain dysfunctional until lockdown status is lifted.

We concluded the week with Dim Sum from Summit Garden, namely:

• Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce / 排骨
• Steamed BBQ Pork Bun / 叉燒包 
• Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun / 流沙包
• Pork Siu Mai / 燒賣
• Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls with Minced Beef 牛肉腸粉
• Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls with Shrimp 鮮蝦腸粉
• Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf / 糯米雞

The venture simultaneously marked my first step out of the house in eight days - I kid you not.

​After scalding my tongue on ​lau sha bao, we proceeded with an afternoon outing for ​Gong Cha's highly-anticipated arrival in the city.

​As part of their grand opening BOGO promotion, we opted for the Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea w/ 2J (Tapioca, Coffee Jelly) and Wintermelon Milk Tea w/ Grass Jelly. Both were spectacular, with the biggest bonus being the availability of wave-to-open accessibility pads of the Sussex Centre location. 

​The trip was concluded with a mail run at Square One and a stroll through The Food District.

​For the first time this season, I laid eyes upon the shopping centre's Christmas tree display.

​A stroll through The Food District made us aware of just how few vendors were open. In-store shopping had been eliminated with Peel Region's lockdown status, its impact evident on local businesses. We pursued an Uncle Tetsu classic of Japanese cheesecake before heading home.

Finally, allow me to bring this entry to a close by addressing Breath of Love : Last Piece, GOT7's fifth full-length album.

Similar to Flight Log: Turbulence and Present: You, the format strays not from individual member albums. My own copies have yet to be received at this point in time, however I've taken the liberty of preparing myself for their arrival via ceaseless Spotify streaming.

​It would be an understatement to say that I become more and more impressed with each release from the septet. From the conception of the title tracks to the degree of depth forming the foundation of each track, the album draws attention not only to GOT7's growth as a global artist, but also the immeasurable creativity and potential harnessed within each member.

​Despite having played the ten-track album on repeat during nearly every waking second, I've yet to determine a favourite track. Each listen finds newness, profound discoveries within the melodies themselves.

​Breath is a reminder to thrive as opposed to merely live.
LAST PIECE pays homage to the unbreakable bond that is the GOT7-IGOT7 relationship. "You guys raised us." and, in turn, we grew with you.
WAVE illustrates the striking scene of tides colliding - a snippet of my own tween memories of a gusty summer evening, seemingly perpetual ocean waters against a ship's edge, and the shimmering sapphire cloak of the night sky. The image prevails as one of my favourite moments in time, and it is truly beyond me how Jinyoung had seemed to translate the intangible into a concrete work of art.
1+1 is simple yet lovely.
We Are Young is reminiscent of Forever Young, post-graduation.

These are my boys, and I've never been prouder.