Warning: This took me 5 hours to make!

Crust:

• 1-¾ cups of cookie crumbs (Ginger cookies)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Custard Base:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 7 large egg yolks

Dark-chocolate layer:

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (around 5 blocks of Baker’s chocolate)
• ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/3 Custard Base recipe
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua

White-chocolate layer:

• 1/3 Custard Base recipe
• 2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (around 2 blocks of Baker’s chocolate)
• ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon fine brandy or cognac

Milk-chocolate layer:

• 1/3 Custard Base recipe
• 7 ounces dark milk chocolate (preferably 42% cacao), finely chopped (around 7 blocks of Baker’s chocolate)
• ½ cup heavy cream, chilled

Instructions:

For crust:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan.

Crumble the cookies into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until blended. Or blend together crumbs and butter.

Press the crust evenly into the unlined, lightly coated pan. Bake for 10 minutes. When cool, line the sides with a 3-inch-wide parchment strip along the inside edge.

To prepare the custard base:

In a small, heavy saucepan, whisk together the cream, milk, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Using a paring knife, scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the mixture and toss in the bean. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the remaining sugar and egg yolks. Slowly pour approximately one third of the warm cream mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, stirring constantly.

Return to medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon, about 160F. Remove from the heat.

Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Evenly divide the base into 3 small mixing bowls. Cover the custards with plastic wrap touching the tops so a skin does not form. Refrigerate until cook but not cold.

To make the three chocolate layers:

First make the Dark-Chocolate Layer. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Remove when nearly melted and continue stirring until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool, stirring frequently. Return it to the double boiler only briefly if it begins to set up.

In a separate bowl whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Remove one bowl of the Custard Base from the refrigerator and stir until smooth and creamy. There should be no lumps. Stir in Kahlua. Fold the cooled, melted chocolate into the custard. Lighten by quickly folding in one-third of the whipping cream. Gently fold in the remaining cream in 2 parts.

To make the remaining layers:

Evenly spread the Dark-Chocolate Layer the crust in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer to set.

When the first layer is set, follow the same procedure to make the White-Chocolate Layer. Remove plastic wrap from dark layer. Spread white layer evenly over the dark layer, cover in plastic and freeze until set, about 20 minutes.

When the second layer is set, follow the same procedure to make the Milk-Chocolate Layer. Spread evenly over the white layer. Cover in plastic and freeze for at least 4 hours to set.

To serve, loosen and move the side of the pan. Remove the parchment. Serve ice cold, directly from the freezer, using a warm dry knife to cut.

Absolutely delicious and very easy to make.

Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

1 bag (2 packages) frozen chopping spinach

3 cans vegetable broth

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
2. Stir in frozen spinach and broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except cornmeal. Gradually stir in cornmeal.
3. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until soup is slightly thickened.

It all started more than a month ago, on a hot Sunday afternoon as my friend Joseph from Seattle was picking Toronto as his first sabbatical destination.

We were sitting at a park and chatting over many things including our philanthropic goals. Then we started talking about Steve Jobs’ recent post on “Thoughts on Flash.” Joseph bursted out laughing when I said “the kerfuffle between Apple and Adobe…” He thought I had made up the word. To my protest, he conveniently pulled out his brand new Kindle from his backpack, and we looked it up. So here I was, a Canadian boy, for whom English is not his first language, teaching an American an English word! I asked him if “conundrum” would be a better choice, but he agreed that “kerfuffle” is the perfect word to describe the situation. I was glad that I managed to expand a friend’s vocabulary!

Another week had gone by, and I found myself at an alumni event where my friends and I debated once again which word to choose between “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”. So I posted a question on Twitter:

productionteams: Which one is bigger “kerfuffle” or “conundrum”? …

Then Y N responded:

ynq25335: … When you modify any noun with Apple or Adobe, it becomes MUCH BIGGER! Apple Kerfuffle sounds like a pastry! Yum?

Lucy said:

Lucers: Mmm, apple kerfuffle sounds good! Could it have cream cheese, raisins & cinnamon in it? Maybe lemon zest. On puff pastry?

My Twitter friend Lucy and I have been swapping recipes and exchanging foodie tips for a while now. She has given me her infamous carbonara recipe and I’ve become her “Toronto food concierge”.

Fast forward a month, this Wednesday Lucy and I met for the first time where we each brought our very own versions of Apple Kerfuffles. We met at a downtown Starbucks and I was nervous as I waited. Having never baked any dessert pastries in my life, I had told her not to judge me by my pastries. Like a blind date, we each brought a friend to make sure the meeting didn’t go weird. Lucy brought Stuart, and they are one of the nicest couples I have ever met.

So we unveiled our creations. Lucy’s on the left and mine on the right. With plastic forks and knives in our hands, four of us sampled the kerfuffles à la Iron Chef.

Lucy’s was delicious and filled with cream cheese and different kinds of apples. I loved the pastry itself and colour of the kerfuffle.

Here’s a closer look at my version, made with granny smith apples and a special topping (Kit Kat).

Recipe (Makes 3):

• One peeled, ripe granny smith apple
• 2 tsp of cinnamon brown sugar
• 5 tsp of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of butter on each kerfuffle
• 1 tsp of flour
• 1 bar of Kit Kat
• Frozen puff pastry

1. Thaw puff pastry overnight. Set aside eight sheets of puff pastry and lay them on a flat, dry surface.
2. Layer three sheets and cut into 3″x3″ squares as the foundation of the pastry.
3. Layer one sheet and roll them up as a tube. Bent the tube into a 3″x3″ square as the pastry walls.
4. Fold any excess from (2) to cover the walls. Set aside.
5. Cut apples into thin slices. Add both kinds of sugar, flour and salt. Mix well.
6. Gently pour apples into the well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Use a cheese grater and grate Kit Kat on top. Brush butter all over pastries.
7. Put pastries on cooking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Take out when pastry turns golden.

Thanks to Twitter, I’ve met a new friend! Lucy and I became so inspired that we decided to start our own food revolution. Next month we will be making Blueberry Brutality, followed by Cherry Conundrum – this is our way of expressing our feelings towards what happened with the recent G20 summit in Toronto. We need a name for our food exchange!

Until then…

Serve 6:

1) Place bread in a large casserole. Whisk 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp salt together. Carefully pour over sourdough. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 and up to 12 hours. For better results, turning the bread over once.
2) Melt 2 tbsp butter in the microwave for 2 minutes over mid-high heat. Over medium heat, cook garlic in a skillet until softened but not browned. Meanwhile, squeeze spinach well to remove water. Add to the pan and stir until combined. Add 1/4 tsp salt. Cook 1 minute, then stir in 1/2 cup milk. Cook until thickened and add cream cheese and salmon over medium heat for 3 minutes. Reserve.
3) Preheat over to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bread slices on pan and stack 2 up at a time and brush tops with some of melted butter. Bake 8 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Flip bread, brush again with remaining butter and bake another 6 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
4) Divide spinach mixture among bread slices. Make a little and deep well in the spinach and crack one egg into each well. Carefully place under broiler. Broil 3 minutes or until eggs are just starting to set. Sprinkle each egg with cheese and broil another 2 minutes or until white is fully set but yolk is still runny. Eggs will continue to cook once removed from oven.

Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato
2, 7.5 oz cans low sodium wild salmon, drained
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup minced green onion
1 tbsp minced dill pickle
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 egg
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil

In microwave, cook sweet potato on high until tender, about 8 minutes. Let cool. In bowl, combine salmon, celery, green onion, pickle, dill and egg. Peel skin from sweet potato. Place in bowl and mash with fork. Gently, stir into salmon mixture with breadcrumbs. Shape into 12 patties (about 1/2-inch thick). In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium high heat. Cook salmon cakes in two batches, until golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature. Serve with Yogurt Dip: In bowl, combine 1/2 cup low fat yogurt with 1/2 cup grated cucumber, 1 tsp mint, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp finely chopped dill.

Updates: I did find some good eats in Toronto:

Meanwhile, I have come up with a few cool recipes:

Homemade Korean BBQ

1/4 bottle of Korean Shorts Ribs sauce (can get at TNT). Rinse ribs, massage sauce, roast @ 400F – 1 hour (flip at 30 mins)

Spinach and Smoked Salmon Pastry Balls

Various ways of pastry balls:

– Smoked Salmon, Feta Cheese, and Frozen Spinach

– Prosciutto, Feta Cheese, and mushroom

– Just tried this combo last night at Jamie Kennedy’s resto: Cauliflowers and Prosciutto.

Merry asked me for the recipe:

• Pastry: Frozen phyllo pastry / phyllo dough from your favourite grocer.
• Fillings: A box of frozen spinach (thawed and dried), a few pieces of smoked salmon (I usually get it from the St. Lawrence Market (or Granville Island for those in Vancouver) and get the end bits), and feta cheese.
• Thaw phyllo pastry. Layer 3 phyllo sheets and glue the sheets with egg whites. Cut into 3″ x 3″ squares. Brush melted butter to the base, then add a mush of spinach, smoked salmon, and a few clumps of feta, then take each side and glue them together with egg whites and twist top to make the package secured. Repeat.
• (Can be substituted with phyllo dough, then grab a handful of dough and flatten the dough to fit it on your palm, then add the mush, and glue the package together with egg whites.)
• Then baked them at 400F for 15 minutes.
• Keep them at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Let me know how did yours go?

]]> http://elliotng.com/2009/09/nuit-mange-food-food-and-more-food/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2009/04/april-2009-trip-to-arizona/ http://elliotng.com/2009/04/april-2009-trip-to-arizona/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:38:36 +0000 admin http://elliotng.com/?p=80

Close to 2,706 feet high

I’m glad I had cached The Today’s Hits of the Slacker Radio on my BlackBerry. We drove around Arizona for four days and the music certainly made the 1,775 km drive a lot more enjoyable.

I didn’t have much expectations of Arizona. I was blown away by the vast changes of rock formation and vegetation in this state. The 2,000+ feet, 3-hour hike up to Camelback Mountain in Phoenix was priceless (as seen above). Then on the same day, we drove to Tortilla Flat and quick change of altitude and landscape reminds me of the Rockies in British Columbia.

When leaving Phoenix en route to the Grand Canyon, we drove up 5,700 feet to Prescott Valley area. The vast changes of geography on highway 17 and 93 made you realize how insignificant our day to day life problems are compared to nature.




View Larger Map

]]> http://elliotng.com/2009/04/april-2009-trip-to-arizona/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2008/12/finally-made-it-to-the-mandarin/ http://elliotng.com/2008/12/finally-made-it-to-the-mandarin/#comments Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:12:14 +0000 admin http://elliotng.com/finally-made-it-to-the-mandarin/2008/12/28/ As the creator of “Forks or Chopsticks” blog, I finally persuded my friends and my old high school buddy visiting from Orlando to try out the family favourite “Mandarin” buffet at the St Catharines.

Boy oh boy, I can’t even give it either a fork or chopsticks. Can’t understand why people like it so much. The better plates are shrimp and snow peas stir fry and bean sprouts.

Suprisingly, the desserts taste much better than the entrées. I had almond biscuit, bread pudding, tapioca pudding, brownies and creme caramel. Not sure if it’s worth $26.99.





]]> http://elliotng.com/2008/12/finally-made-it-to-the-mandarin/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2008/12/getting-ready-to-hosting-a-christmas-dinner-with-17-guests/ http://elliotng.com/2008/12/getting-ready-to-hosting-a-christmas-dinner-with-17-guests/#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:31:54 +0000 admin http://elliotng.com/?p=62 I set up the Christmas tree on Friday night. It’s lid up and decorated with ornaments. Though I have injured my shoulder/back/thigh when I was lifting the heavy armchair (the brown chair as seen on the picture below) in preparation for tonight’s party.

Update: The dinner was a hit. It went well into 2am. We did have a small incidence of smoky oven. But at least we didn’t trigger the smoke detector like our neighours did (close to midnight). Otherwise the food was well done. Turkey is always juicy and tender (thanks to Brandy!), Katherine’s deep fried dumpling was fantastic. I’m glad my butternut squash soup and philo pastries turn out very well.

Thanks everyone for bringing the food!



Group picture



Roasted turkey with brandy

Tonight’s menu:

Entrees
1) Roasted Turkey (with Brandy)
2) Steamed baby carrots and green beans
3) Scallop potato
4) Collard Greens

Appetizers
1) Butternut Squash Soup
2) Flio Pastry (Smoked Salmon, Spanish, Feta Cheese)
3) Olives, artichokes.
4) Warmed Brie with cranberry focassa
5) Homemade deep fried dumplings
6) Special salad

Desserts
1) Croquembouche
2) Francois’ mean mean Chocolate Brownie
3) Carol’s rice cake



Philo pastry with smoked salmon and prosciutto

]]> http://elliotng.com/2008/12/getting-ready-to-hosting-a-christmas-dinner-with-17-guests/feed/ 0 http://elliotng.com/2008/11/day-four-of-25-challenge-we-made-dumplings/ http://elliotng.com/2008/11/day-four-of-25-challenge-we-made-dumplings/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:31:11 +0000 admin http://elliotng.com/day-four-of-25-challenge-we-made-dumplings/2008/11/08/

On day four, we need to find new ways to stretch that $25. Fortunately with the Chinese diet, we can make dumplings at home. The cost is $1.96 for the off the shelve pastry dough. We bought around $6 of the minced pork and 50 cents worth of chives from the supermarket. And we made close to 80 pieces of dumpling out of the ingredients. so it’s about 11 cents a dumpling.
We were watching Grey’s Anatomy while we were chucking out the dumplings. We finished it before the end of the episode and I even managed to go to the gym that night.

We steamed the dumpling and bring them to work for lunch. Served with a dazzle of soya sauce and sesame oil and it was quite good.

]]> http://elliotng.com/2008/11/day-four-of-25-challenge-we-made-dumplings/feed/ 0