Zesty & Spicy

If you like food, we'll get along *^_^*

Twisted matcha tea buns (and a cinnamon version)

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I havent had good quality matcha to cook with in ages.

Call it pure laziness on my end, I just hadn’t taken the time to shop around for a decently priced alternative since my last matcha plug stopped shipping to Canada.  Luckily, the universe has been on my side and clearly heard my prayers because the Canadian company Yupik contacted me on Instagram, about a month ago, to send me some of their delicious matcha tea along with other goodies.

May I say that I’ve been happily surprised with the quality of organic products that was sent to me and their matcha is no exception!

If you’re ever shopping on Yupik.com, make sure to use the code: ARIEL12 at checkout for a nice discount.

Now, this recipe for matcha twisted buns is a nice twist (pun intended) on the classic and oh so delicious cinnamon buns but because when they are baked in a giant muffin pans, they come out with a crunchy exterior and a nice soft interior.  The brightness of the matcha, when you cut right through, is not only pleasing to the eyes but also so bursting with flavours.

Along with these gorgeous green buns, I’ve added the recipe for the classic cinnamon version (but still twisted) and baked in a regular rectangle oven dish.  You’ll noticed that both recipes are slightly different in execution than what you might be used to but, this minor extra step makes such a difference in the potency of your preferred flavours, in the end.

Obviously, both baking methods can be used for either one of the fillings, it only depends on the final texture you prefer.  As mentioned above, baking them in individual portions in giant muffin pans makes the outside crunchier while baking them in the classic rectangle oven dish will make keep them more hydrated and chewy.

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Chicken thighs with zucchini & delicata squash chutney

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This is a recipe that was featured on Twitch and you can rewatch the episode in replay if you missed it.

If you’re searching for a quick and easy dish that will for sure please most palates, this is it.  Not only that it’s close to impossible to miss the cooking on chicken thighs, your don’t even need to peel the skin of the squash which will save you loads of time.  Delicata squashes are part of the summer squashes family, pretty much like zucchinis, and they are often available at the grocery all year long depending on where you live.

You will find a great balance between the spices on the chicken and the sweetness of the chutney.  The lemon zest and the fresh mint leaves playing the role of adding extra layers of flavours to bring everything together.  It truly is an amazing dish and I sincerely hope you get to try this recipe.

Cant find a delicata squash at the grocery?  No problem.

Fresh cubes of butternut or acorn squash will be perfect as a replacement.  Just don’t forget to remove the skin and use about a quarter of the squash (because delicata are much smaller in size), prior to grill them.

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Korean chicken salad

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Full disclaimer: I havent made the Korean fried chicken in this recipe.  I’ve also use pre-made Japanese Wafu dressing which is decently easy to make but the goal of this meal was that it had to be done quick.  Both of these recipes will be done at a later time when I have cracked the code for the perfect fried Korean chicken and  the famous sesame dressing.

So, as mentioned above, it was a leftovers from a takeout of one of my favorite Korean place because sometimes, we have to jazz up the leftovers in our fridge.

At this point, to even call it a recipe is a little far fetch in my book but eh, since the Instagram post got a decent amount of attention, it must be worth posting here as well.  Hope you enjoy this entry and you get inspired to make your own colourful salad.

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Bee pollen cupcakes with jam.

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The jam part of this recipe is quite simple.  I had mulberries in my freezer that I mixed with cane sugar and brought the mixture to a boil.  After a few minutes, the berries starts to fall apart and the jam appears.  Since they have a LOT of annoying little seeds, after blending the mixture even more (I used the trust worthy hand blender for that) I’ve strained it to remove them.  What’s left is more like a coulis than an actual jam but it doesn’t matter because it’s delicious.

You may use any other types of berries or fruits as long as they have a little tartness to them.  That little tartness will be balancing the sugar of the bee pollen which is the star of today’s recipe.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than ever before, I’m mostly buying local produces or at least as much as possible.  Intermiel was the first local company I happily gave my support to as they were so generous with me in the past and still always repost my instagram stories.  Beside being total sweethearts, I like knowing my money goes to passionate people which is exactly how this apiculture company started.

Today’s bee pollen cupcakes were my way to celebrate receiving my second online order from them and the recipe was created from another recipe for vanilla cupcakes made for a friend a few weeks ago.  If you remove the bee pollen of this recipe, they stand great on their own as well without being too sweet.  The original recipe was topped with diplomat cream which you can image is sweet enough.

On this have a wonderful day and hope you enjoy this recipe.

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Roasted carrots with sumac

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Some nights where I don’t feel like cooking, roasted vegetable become my best friends.

Often, just on their own, they make an amazing lunch but paired with a soft boiled or poached egg, they become a dinner worthy dish.  Today’s recipe is for the sumac dressing which is super simple to make and taught me that old fashion mustard and sumac goes really well together.  Hope you enjoy this very lazy recipe for lazy quarantine days that never seem to end.

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Montreal’s style everything bagels

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I’ve been hoarding this recipe for a while in hope to publish it in a book instead of a blog but, one thing this quarantine has taught me is: there’s no better time than the present.  Plus, nothing stops me from publishing it later on, maybe with a few tweaks or technical adjustments.

So this is the perfect recipe if you have extra time on your hands (not looking at you stuck at home reading this) and, you miss the nice chew of a Montreal’s style bagel.  Personally, I miss walking up tp the Mile-end, on a warm, sunny, summer day, to go buy fresh bagels on St-Viateur and then just walk around the streets and soak in the sun.  At that point I’m already snacking on my purchase and the sound of the crunch from my teeth biting in to the lightly sweetened crust to is music to my ears.

Super easy to freeze, pretty much like bread.  This recipe makes 12 everything bagels and you’ll need a stand mixer.  If you’re not used to making bread, this might not be the best project to start with because you’re going to play with a VERY hydrated dough which makes it difficult to handle.  If you feel up for the challenge, make sure to keep your work space floured but not too much.  Both of you hands should be well floured at all time.

As you’re shaping your bagels, make sure to deflate the dough before shaping it.

BON APPÉTIT!

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Carrot cake with cream cheese butter cream

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My nephew’s first ever birthday cake. <3

Such an honour to have had the chance to make this for this little boy starting his life in quarantine. No worries, he’s good and well surrounded plus, he liked the cake and the frosting so it’s confirmed: he’s also pretty cool.

Cakes aren’t something I dare to make often, for obvious reasons.  Luckily this delicious experience turned out to be perfectly moist and, just as I hoped, with a strong flavour of cinnamon and a touch of sweet nutmeg.  You can manually grate the carrots for this but, my personal favorite will be to use the hand blender.  The icing is not fully solid, nor too drippy either so it’s easy to spread and won’t fall everywhere as it sits in the fridge for a few hours.  Without being too sweet, it’s a definitely noticed added sweetest that balances all the strong and subtle flavours of the cake which I hope you will enjoy.

Another important trick to remember is to FOLD the dry ingredients in to the wet ones.  As we want a crumbly texture in result, the goal is to avoid the flour having time to build too much gluten which would create a more elastic texture once baked.  Gluten development happens when we over mix the batter like when we make bread.  As when we want to make a batch of perfectly crumbly muffins, making cake isn’t much different.

Oh and guess what??  You make this beauty a good day in advance and keep it in the fridge overnight until you’re almost ready to serve.  For top notch results, leave it outside of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

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Fresh cheese

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Cant find cream cheese or simply fresh cheese at the grocery?

No problem!  You’ll just make your own and feel how rewarding it feels to create from scratch such humble product.  Personally, cheese making has always been something that excited me but I sadly havent dabbled in the process that much.  This simple fresh, spreadable cheese is my second attempt at the process after making Lebneh which is also something you will want to try.  Hope you enjoy this.

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Sweet potato & red lentil soup

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Instant pots are awesome.  I havent been talking a lot about them just yet but let’s say that mine is being use quite often and helps me eat food that would only be possible with many hours of prep and cooking.  In about one hour, instead of six, I get a perfect meal.  This soup is like the soup you’ll throw in at the last minute but will make you look like you’ve actually done something amazing.

To add the swag to your simple soup, it’s all about the toppings.  I kept it simple, for this one, and topped the soup with the thinly sliced dried peppers that you often find on a juicy bowl of ramens and a few drops of sesame oil and sea salt flakes (Maldon) – to add a fun twist.

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