Out & About #794 | Week #104 Quarantine Update Feat. Genmaicha Japanese Cheesecake

Snow arrives when you least expect it, just like the influx of work requests robbing me of hard-earned periods of spec and drawing familiarization time every Friday.

​The despair ought be apparent in my utterances: Week 104 (aka 52 x 2) has arrived. While a multitude of COVID-19 restrictions have been eased - and continue to be eased - there remain several aspects unchanged since its first appearance:

• My work-from-home situation persists, upholding my title as an involuntary homebody
• My professional license remains unattained, despite the tremendous degree of hell I've somehow survived and lived to tell the tale of
• My next concert has not yet happened, nor have I seen GOT7 since the summer of 2019

I've debated continuing with these titles as the world gradually regains its pace. No longer is every day a quarantine day, masked with fear of the scientific unknown. These thoughts hinder us from moving forward as individuals, as a society, and as a global community. Inflation and supply-demand issues prevail, their impact undeniable in our daily lives, but, if anything, I hope for these comparatively minor struggles to be less daunting than the past two years endured by the Earth and its inhabitants.

Can we possibly leave it all as pawprints in the show? Let's learn, digest, and forge ahead.

Creations of the week included:

1) Genmaicha Japanese Cheesecake

​In an effort to redeem the first cake by introducing the virtue of patience, I sought out the guideline from the non-Sunday, non-SK source once more. Instead of cocoa powder was my (truly limited) genmaicha powder from Paragon Tea Room and instead of melted Surfin was Blanco (white chocolate, essentially). Upon observation of fine lumps, the mixture was sieved into the 6-in pan rather than directly poured. I had qualms of overflowing, but, interesting enough, the mixture stayed put, just like the last time. The water bath was positioned in the lower third of the oven this time, should that have impacted results previously.

Temperature control remains to be the most challenging as far as the compilation of Japanese Cheesecakes go. Too high of an oven temperature induced cracking before the rest of the cake had set. Meanwhile, I had also omitted the portion of the recipe depicting a residual cooling process that involved turning the oven off and leaving the door open for ten minutes to prevent a drastic temperature drop.

I also learned the importance of soft peaks. Adding the sugar all at once to room temperature egg whites instead of in increments had not been made in error: it was to promote soft peaks rather than the extremely stable meringue used in sponge or macaronage.

​Cracking was inevitable once again, though a thorough cooling procedure ensured intactness and a clean circumference. The interior remained too damp to slice, even after a few hours of refrigeration. Less crumbly was its cross-section this time around, yet persistent was the depth of flavour and overall aromatic qualities of the cake. Regardless of in batter form, post-steam-bake, or post-refrigeration, its nutty, smoky properties did not diminish in intensity.
The yield earned impressive praise, even on the third day of consumption. That said, I shall strive to achieve better results in both visual and taste departments, most specifically a clean slice and uniform moistness.

2) Mango Jam

​Tangy and sweet with plump little chunks of mango, the creation came together with minimal effort in my breadmaker. Approximately 500 g of frozen mango chunks was utilized to fill four cups' worth. Other ingredient quantities were kept consistent with the strawberry rendition: 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of lemon juice, and 2 tbsp of gelatin. While the 2 tbsp of gelatin works perfectly for strawberry, it resulted in a mango jam too rigid for spreading. A reduction in gelatin will be used in the next batch, along with a reduction in sugar.

​​3) Mango Yogurt Mousse

Layered mousse cups served as an extension of the mango jam, with plain yogurt and jam folded into chantilly whipped cream. The consistency of the mousse was soft, structure-less really, but nonetheless delicious.

4) Ube Crinkle Cookies

My first foray into the sweet, dense morsels had not seen much success. The chocolate crinkles I had sampled after a precipitation-free boxing orientation had been plush, soft, and essentially brownie-like. They had also donned a thorough coating of icing sugar - the signature finish omitted from my trial.

​A member of the Gen Z tribe sent a tried-and-true recipe my way, noting that it had earned him sales after sales. I was excited to commence the project the following day, knowing that ube extract had been added to my baking supply roster long ago. Inspecting the recipe further, I found a note regarding ube halaya jam. Initially, my spirits were crushed - I would not be embarking on an early morning grocery trip in search of it. Shortly afterwards, I recalled one of my past experiments: sweet potato paste I had constructed from Hawaiian Purple Yam, dolloped, and frozen (for lack of a better use at the time). Well, it was now the day to thaw.

​Thankfully, I had more than the required amount on hand, and proceeded to compensate the additional moisture with a tablespoon of cornstarch. Sugar was reduced from the original quantity of 198 g (nearly a whopping 200g!!!) to 120 g, with the hope that impacts to cohesion would be unaffected.
They were fine. Roughly one hour of refrigeration later, the dough was ready for shaping and plopping into an atrocious amount of icing sugar. Beyond messy was the shaping process, though the powdery bits were decently easy to clean up.

The cookies emerged a spectacular royal purple and retained their icing sugar coating. Sampled while still warm, the cookies were moist and quite delicate: soft and fluffy at its core but crisp on the outside due to the icing sugar layer gathering moisture and drying to form a thin cloak of crunchiness. Warm or cooled, they were very fragrant and seriously addicting. Furthermore, the coconut milk utilized in the jam had accentuated the ube nicely without overwhelming the overall flavour profile.

​​It is a slight shame that there is insufficient purple yam jam to quickly assemble a follow-up batch.

​A mid-week meal of Congee Queen ensued. It was a rare instance of dining with local friends, and those that were willing to congregate on a weeknight nonetheless.

< Pictured above and below:

• K13 豆腐班腩煲 Garoupa & Fried Bean Curd in Hot Pot
• A7 皇后大粥 House Super Bowl Congee (One Size - Large)
• K41 咕嚕肉 Fried Sweet & Sour Pork
• K59 郊外油菜 Vegetable with Oyster Sauce
• 白飯 Steamed rice >

​Several favourites were revisited; blanched veggies were requested as a result of a deficiency in my own household.

In response to my suggestion for Halo Halo, we strode next door to Seafood City in assumption of the food court being operational. In we entered, and dimmed did we find the cafeteria-style display of Noodle Street. The surrounding aisles were perused for some sort of resemblance to the classic Filipino dessert. Themed packaged ice cream were observed at a steep price, with local and international snacks even more costly than their downtown counterparts. (Honey Butter Chips were spotted at a startling $7.49!!!).

Reluctant to resign for the evening, I proposed a not-so-nearby alternative: Nani's Gelato.

View the full album HERE !

​With roughly twenty-five minutes till closing, I zoomed off with two anxious passengers in tow. They knew not the indulgent array that would welcome them, yet stayed patient nonetheless.

​The independent gelato parlour's flavours have undergone countless iterations since my last visit. New names were spotted, but the fan favourite of Pistachio remained. My easygoing companions took to Pistachio and Hazelnut in a Waffle Cone and a Toasted Coconut Ganache pint respectively, nods of acknowledgement heard all around. A few spoonfuls of the cone informed of a saltier take on the crushed pistachio bits than previously, and a ridiculously smooth Hazelnut to contrast. Superior to other establishments was the Waffle Cone, which radiated vanilla and boasted undeniably crunchy satisfaction.
The Toasted Coconut was a tad firmer than the scoops, as pints often tend to be. Encased in the paper container was a smooth, aromatic base; nestled within were shards of toasted coconut. I dared to declare, "I can make this!" between nods of approval and eager gulps of sweet, coconut milk-y goodness.

As we eased into Friday, I wanted no more than an early departure for social activity and Gong Cha's Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea w/ 2J, with tapioca replaced with coffee jelly. ​Snowfall is prevalent once again, though this time to a far lesser degree of depth and frigidity.

​Next up was a leisurely walk about the mall, ultimately ending with Chicken Nuggets and Honey to dip.

​A high-sodium supper ensued, followed by the long-awaited viewing of "Turning Red", a Disney Plus exclusive from Pixar.
The story uses downtown Toronto as its background, with notable appearances of the TTC, CN Tower, and since-renamed Sky Dome.

"Turning Red" tells a tale of an only child from an immigrant Chinese family, who has lived in a temple for generations, embracing their ancestral roots to the red panda. The content is very realistic, and, most importantly, relatable: From the intruding attitude of the mother to the (presumably) first generation teenage daughter struggling to balance familial expectations with her own happiness, it was the first Pixar production to truly strike a cord from within.

​The 107-minute film is suitable for children and adults alike, and perhaps best enjoyed by those with young families. Beyond fluid inclusion of multiculturalism and bestowing a vibrant, glorified perspective of the Dundas and Spadina district, it serves to best identify the internal challenges of an immigrant child navigating modern Western society. In reality, the red panda acts as a metaphor for freedom - a physical incarnation of the more liberal alter ego suppressed within. Certain scenes had caused tears to wallow in my eyes, for I too have experienced (and continue to experience), the complex emotional battle undergone by the main character. Though the act of rebelling for concert attendance was not directly relatable, there were aspects that could be empathized with as strongly as Mark's My Life.
Themes of acceptance, broadened perspectives, consideration, and responsibility are displayed throughout, hinting at the need for open communication between tiers of the hierarchical family tree to foster a sense of understanding and collaboration.