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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Danish pastry dough (3 ways)

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Here’s for a fun little threesome of danishes that I think you might like.  😉

Once you can make this simple danish dough, the sky is the limit in terms of fillings.  Here’s what was created on Twitch two weeks ago and approved by my friends and neighbors.  If you’re planning on making this dough in advance, it’s totally fine too as long as you keep it in the freezer and just thaw what you need when you’re ready.

Personally, since I like spending my Sundays in the kitchen, I would prepare a bunch of danishes/croissants in advance and freeze them once they are cooked.  It’s just so easy to pop one up in the oven when needed and they are an absolute must to your next lazy morning in bed with a coffee or a hot chocolate.

Hope you enjoy these recipes and feel free to come post on my foodie discord what you’ve made with this dough.

much love to you foodies <3

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Choux au craquelin

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The result of my second stream on Twitch!
Oh my, oh my… this is what heaven is made of; pastry cream, pâte à choux, sugar and vanilla aroma.

I sincerely hope you get to try this super fun to make French pastry which translate to cream puff crack buns if I may borrow the title from chef John (food wishes).  It was so fun trying this recipe for the first time, last night, surrounded by so many of you.

Pastry cream and choux pastry dough was something I was familiar with but the craquelin part on top was new to me.  Let me just say that it adds such a fun and crunchy dimension to the regular pâte à choux.  Definitely something I’ll be making again for my friends and family once we can gather again… like in the good old days.

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Apples & sweet clover extract scones

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Yesterday was my first day back on Twitch and may I dare to say that it was a blast.

Talking to everyone again and meeting new awesome peeps really made my Wednesday afternoon magical.  It had been over a year since my last Twitch stream and I was a little nervous to get back on the horse, manage the chat and make sure the recipe I’m making isn’t a total disaster.

Luckily, everything went great and I’m already looking forward to the next stream.  Here’s the recipe that was created yesterday which turned out incredible!  Not that I expected it to be bad but, it was created on the spot and it took two hours to make it because of all the talking and probably a bit of the nervousness of being live.

In normal time, this is a recipe that will take you a maximum of 20 minutes (beside the rest needed for the apples) to make and I really hope you get to try it because it’s a strong 8-9/10 in my book.  A nice mix between a flaky savoury biscuit and sweet scone with the tartness of the apples (Cortland & Lobo) and the delicate aroma of my new favorite extract: sweet clover flowers.  If you ever come across this product, buy it right away.  If you don’t have any, don’t worry.  You can use vanilla extract instead but try to seek that sweet clover extract because it will be making a world of difference in these delicious scones.

Sending a huge thank you to everyone who came to the stream yesterday, I’m looking forward to next Wednesday 3pm eastern time for the next one.

Now let’s get to the recipe…

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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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Spring gardening in isolation

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This is something every bloggers didn’t expect writing… ever.

First gardening article post pandemic and obviously isolated at home, I’m looking forward on this upcoming gardening season with a bitter sweet taste.  Now more than ever, I’m extremely happy and grateful to be able to garden.  Playing in dirt and watching plants grow while collecting delicious produces to make recipes with will make this social distancing easier to cope with.

The sounds of the birds are getting louder and louder every day which announce the sweet beginning of Spring.  Most often then not, the balcony door is wide open.  Spring is a season I’m always looking forward to because it means that I’ll be gaining some extra square feet in my apartment, as half the jungle will most likely be moved outdoor.  Moving everyone around will also mean extra square feet to start new seeds for the fall, winter and year round jungle.  Overall it’s an exciting season for it’s new beginning.  It gives us a false sense of new and often gives me a boost to start implementing new habits…. like blogging more XD

So, after over a month of quarantine, I don’t know about you but, anxiety is rising a bit.  Luckily, not enough to render my will power to do things absolutely useless 100% of the time but high enough that some days I drink tea, watch the jungle growing and do something creative but nothing more.  Talking about this feels like I’m complaining for still having a job but that’s not it.  These times are weird for everyone and I often feel a weird feeling of obligation and failure realizing that I’m just aren’t as productive as I wished.

This is why making art has been a sanity saver and it’s making me jump from cooking to painting during the work week to balance the rush of emotions.

Lucky for this blog, it only means more content.

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