Black Forest Chocolate was the more preferable of the two. The harmony of chocolate and strawberry was unmistakable, yet again fell victim to poor execution. It was with disappointment that I learned of the concoction's cherry-less ingredient list, despite its celebrated name.
A first bite into the pajeon delivered sadness: it was neither as fragrant nor crunchy as Maangchi's recipe had provided. That said, I had neither the energy, time, nor constituents to produce a version deemed satisfactory.
The Jjajangmyeon also took us by surprise, offering a flavourful sauce with sizable chunks of pork (not ground!) and even zucchini bits. Admittedly, the noodles could use room for improvement - soggy and starchy they were, adopting cohesiveness and fragility. Refrigerating the noodles for later consumption earned them some structure, but broken strands were inevitable.
1) Candied Ginger Banana Bread
"How do you come up with these ideas?" I was once asked. Honestly, it's not as extensive and thought out as you may imagine:
It commences with a concept - the taste and profile I'd like to achieve in reality. Then, I proceed with a guideline. I have a few go-to sources, as avid readers may have observed, and rarely stray unless I'm looking to investigate beyond their array of recipes. Over the years, I've grown accustomed of their formulas, and, more importantly, have established a sense of faith in their processes and corresponding productions.
I settled on SK's Marbled Banana Bread as the foundation of my experiment. The original intent had been to swirl the banana bread with a gingerbread base; a lack of energy and time persuaded me otherwise. A single batter (in a single bowl!) was adopted instead. Atypical add-ins began to fly in: orange extract, black pepper, and nutmeg in addition to pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
On the side, a small saucepan was retrieved. In it would brew a ginger syrup - my makeshift, sporadic attempt at candied ginger without ̶p̶a̶t̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ proven articles.
Further images of the loaf failed to be captured, for the slices vanished, one by one, from its foil-covered container, in a matter of 48 hours.