New Year's Day on the Western calendar prompts reflection of the past year, however Lunar New Year is anything but. Memories accumulated depict boisterous celebrations, vibrancy from every possible corner, and, undoubtedly the most pivotal aspect of a cultural celebration, scrumptious spreads of traditional dishes. Leading up to the day is a frenzy of preparatory activities, namely cleaning the house to welcome incoming good fortune; it is ̶o̶f̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶ invariably my responsibility, and this year was no exception.
Glimmering gold and regal red, embellished with splashes of yellow, pink, and green chromatically characterize the event's decorations. Contrary to the stark gaudiness of New Year countdown sparkles and streamers, Chinese New Year has always felt more structured in comparison. In recent years, the celebration has been commonly renamed to Lunar New Year for the sake of inclusivity; that said, CNY persists as the personal reference of choice.
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As opposed to our annual market visit tradition (whose streak was regrettably broken last year) and usual stopover at Summit Garden, the pandemic imposed modifications to the regular festivities.
Dining in was swapped for takeout and the market visit was eliminated. Several virtual livestreams were announced to enable celebrations from the comfort of one's home, though it would be an understatement to say that such provisions simply fell short of the spirit supply.
Given that family is few at this end of the nation, communication with the extendeds hadn't varied drastically from previous years. Nian gao / 年糕 production also remained consistent, though this iteration offered only muted undertones of coconutty fragrance. On its day of incarnation, it boasted the robustness associated with rock slab sugar, rather than the grassiness of the Matcha variation. With each passing day, it surrendered sweetness and stickiness, resulting in the optimal sticky rice cake slice on the second and third days.
Wishing all a healthy, happy, and prosperous Year of the Ox!
In the name of ensuring ampleness, I had pre-ordered several items in response to my lack of breathing periods amidst work.
Acquired from de la terre at the early hour of 8:40 AM were:
- Whole Wheat Oat and Raisin Sourdough
- Herb and Cheese Croissant (x2)
- Butter Croissant (x2)
- Vegan Lemon Cookie
- Seasonal Fruit Danish - Apple Cinnamon
The sourdough loaf and sourdough bagels from the previous order had garnered minimal enthusiasm, thus was swapped for a Whole Wheat Oat and Raisin Sourdough this time around. Embodying the grittiness of wheat, moisture of plump raisins, and reduction in sourdough essence, the loaf paired spectacularly with egg salad and crisped up nicely without rigidity.
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Added to the cart with initial doubts, the vegan Lemon Cookie warranted praise from a named cookie fanatic. The specimen comprised of a cohesive profile - in spite of egg omission - and a delightful, tangy crumb with crunchy edges. It was neither doughy nor excessively sweet, which are my general fears of animal-free alternatives. Gorgeous specks of coarse sugar were distributed about its surface for additional texture boost.
"What type of bakery is this?"
The questioned posed had me stumped at first, for de la terre's website had not announced any particular ethnic correlation. The St. Catharines-based bakery was known for sourdough specialties, without a particular association to regional pastries.
"It's not a French or European bakery." I responded, "Likely just Canadian?"
The sampling of their croissants then justified my hypothesis.
The questioned posed had me stumped at first, for de la terre's website had not announced any particular ethnic correlation. The St. Catharines-based bakery was known for sourdough specialties, without a particular association to regional pastries.
"It's not a French or European bakery." I responded, "Likely just Canadian?"
The sampling of their croissants then justified my hypothesis.
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Breadier than they were flaky, the selection before me differed dangerously from my Ark & Anchor recollection. While still cheesy, the cross section was more reminiscent of bread swirls than laminated croissant folds. The Butter Croissant possessed similar properties, yet was perhaps a tad more indulgent than the herb & cheese version. I opted to pair my re-toasted halve with an Americano and housemade fruit jelly for an effortlessly gratifying weekday pick-me-up.
Crafted from a rotating selection of seasonal fruit, the Apple Cinnamon Danish retained noticeable notes of cinnamon without being overwhelming. An adequate portion of tender apples was harnessed within the pastry, which was slightly flakier than the croissants.
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A successive Issho Bakery delivery took place some several days later, on a damp, snowy afternoon. Having tried their fixed cookie range as well as select pieces of their Holiday Cookie Tin, I immediately hopped onto their website with the announcement two limited-time offerings: the Valentine's Gift Box and Lunar New Year Gift Box. The former was exclusive to delivery between February 12-14th, while the latter would remain available for the entire duration of the holiday.
| Valentine's Gift Box
| Lunar New Year Gift Box
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Valentine's Gift Box
Tonka Bean and Dark Rum Cannelé: Extremely aromatic, essentially a taste of heaven in every bite. The French delicacy boasted a crunchy crust - even after a night of residing enclosed in a paper box - and a prominent presence of rum; the centre was custard and plush, while the body spingy and porous. It was unthinkable to find three vastly varying textures encased within a single specimen.
Tonka Bean and Dark Rum Cannelé: Extremely aromatic, essentially a taste of heaven in every bite. The French delicacy boasted a crunchy crust - even after a night of residing enclosed in a paper box - and a prominent presence of rum; the centre was custard and plush, while the body spingy and porous. It was unthinkable to find three vastly varying textures encased within a single specimen.
Cardamom-Scented Palmiers: Flaky and scrumptious, with an awe-inducing internal structure; the biscuits are best served alongside coffee, preferably black to act as a palate cleanser.
Matcha White Chocolate Sablé: Reminiscent of their other matcha cookies, particularly in their undeniably bitter-floral base. White chocolate, though, is truly not my style.
Milk Chocolate Strawberry Sablé: Possibly my least favourite of the trio, given the minimal fondness towards strawberry to start. The slickness of the milk chocolate was also found to overwhelm the fruity undertones.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Sablé: Easily the most enjoyable of the sablé cookies, this version paired a gentle snap with smooth dark chocolate, allowing the raspberry flavours to shine.
Milk Chocolate Strawberry Sablé: Possibly my least favourite of the trio, given the minimal fondness towards strawberry to start. The slickness of the milk chocolate was also found to overwhelm the fruity undertones.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Sablé: Easily the most enjoyable of the sablé cookies, this version paired a gentle snap with smooth dark chocolate, allowing the raspberry flavours to shine.
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Earl Grey Tea Caramels: Solid caramel as far as the confectionary goes, without a shred of stickiness. I greated appreciated the simplistic yet sophisticated packaging of wax paper and tissue paper, trimmed to different widths and layered purposely to expose both hues. The only fallback was the indiscernible taste of earl grey.
Assortment of Mini Chocolate Hearts: As one would expect of tempered chocolate; though not necessarily anything noteworthy, the teeny hearts were cute finishing touches to the box.
Assortment of Mini Chocolate Hearts: As one would expect of tempered chocolate; though not necessarily anything noteworthy, the teeny hearts were cute finishing touches to the box.
Lunar New Year Gift Box
Lucky Golden Chocolate Ox: Adorable and appropriate for the approaching year of the ox, with the lovely addition of edible gold.
Crispy Sesame Coins: Equally as heavy on the palate as the Palmiers, with greasiness seemingly owed to oil or a butter-oil blend as opposed to strictly butter. Nutty sesame seeds are always delicious.
Lucky Golden Chocolate Ox: Adorable and appropriate for the approaching year of the ox, with the lovely addition of edible gold.
Crispy Sesame Coins: Equally as heavy on the palate as the Palmiers, with greasiness seemingly owed to oil or a butter-oil blend as opposed to strictly butter. Nutty sesame seeds are always delicious.
Pineapple & Almond Linzer Cookie: The undeniable favourite of the set, the revelling rounds were a beautiful amalgamation of Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes (鳳梨酥) and Issho's trademark Houjicha Sando cookie, which also happened to be adorned with the golden sheen of egg yolk brushing. The pineapple jam was of ideal consistency, not too runny with adequate strands of chewiness; the sandwiching components were cohesive but friable, with a delicate nuttiness owed to the addition of almond flour.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Caramels: Did not taste much differently from the Earl Grey edition, actually. Packaging and construction were near identical if not identical.
Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Red Pomelo Peel: Zesty in aroma, however excessively sweet; could not will myself to ingest.
Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Red Pomelo Peel: Zesty in aroma, however excessively sweet; could not will myself to ingest.
The inclusion of an item sheet shifted the experience closer to Bokksu than I had anticipated. Both gift boxes were priced at a premium, yet it is with favouritism that I announce the Valentine's edition as the superior of the two.
A Grilled Chicken McWrap from McDs and BOGO deal at Shuyi that cost me a delay upwards of twenty minutes (really, what are you doing?) were amongst the scarce escapes from my deskbound daily. Stiff Haribo was obtained on a separate errand run.
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I predict All Dressed Nuggets in my near future.
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I've been pestered about the beef brisket chunks in the freezer on countless occasions now. Alas, there is a time for everything. Without dedicating sufficient time for research and preparation, diving into unfamiliar territory is highly unrecommended. Uninformed decisions rarely yield fantastic results, especially in the absence of intuition. For this very reason, waiting is deemed the efficient route - relieved from high risk and loss of capital expenditure.
Concluded from my findings was the need for Chinese pantry staples, non-negotiable in many recipes, and the key point that the Cantonese edition does not employ spices in the formula.
While assembling the various sauces required for the recipe, it dawned upon me that, while I can recall the precise individual profiles of each condiment, I am unable to distinguish the exact constituents of these kitchen staples, nor suggest viable substitutions. Attempting a recipe with Chinese origins in the absence of dark soy, white pepper, sweet cooking wine, hoisin, and oyster sauce proves tragic in my mind. Exchanges by way of vinegar and lemon juice, sugar and honey, along with salt and soy are not uncommon, however maintaining consistency with tradition is the sole method of success for this recipe.
2) Taro Paste
Circumstances seemingly repeat themselves week after week: The root vegetable was on sale, and had been slowly disintegrating in the fridge as I slaved away at duties later proven entirely unnecessary.
Circumstances seemingly repeat themselves week after week: The root vegetable was on sale, and had been slowly disintegrating in the fridge as I slaved away at duties later proven entirely unnecessary.
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Cubed, soaked, and blanched, half of the cubes were reserved for a later savoury usage, while the remainder was mashed with coconut milk and sugar for a later sweet usage. The aromatic properties of coconut milk were well received, though the quantity of sugar could have been reduced slightly.
Concluding this entry shall be Chinese New Year Eve activities. As the kitchen filled with odours familiar and foreign, I commenced the de-cluterring process.
Preceding the grueling, three-hour-plus endeavour were a brief series of errands. Needless to say, I excused myself from the rancid realm of natural environment studies to tend to these tasks. Despite the physical toil, the undertaking was quite pleasurable once evaluated against its comparatively despicable alternative.
Dinner comprised of homemade jai, otherwise known as Buddha's Delight, and shiitake mushrooms stewed with conpoy and fat choy, an ingredient representative of wealth accumulation.
The remainder of the spread was sourced from none other than Summit Garden, who nearly refused our request in the face of larger, heftier orders:
- 發財豬手
- 紅燒元蹄
- 京都肉排
- 家鄉蒸肉餅
I discovered a liking towards the braised pig's trotters / 紅燒元蹄. With a consistency akin to pulled pork, elasticity of collagen-containing jokbal, and suppleness of slow-cooked meat, it was a dish witnessing countless revisits throughout the supper.
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