A Day In The Life of An Uptown Girl

Despite the dream weekend trip to the city being just a fortnight ago, boy, were these last fourteen days a long, long journey till the end. Never have I in college pulled so many weekday all-nighters in a row, forced to embrace the pseudo ghastly role of a nocturnal cemetery caretaker on his graveyard shift - over and over again; the puffy eyes and slight disorientation of the mind are some unflattering evidence highlighting this accumulation of sleepless nights that just escalated out of control towards the end.

And so I finally submitted my proposal today. Fearful to admit, but I do feel oddly empty; an eerie revelation that something did consume me. And I have been purged.

Alright, that should be sufficient rambling for a blog that's supposed to be about Muscovado sugar, cinnamon spice and angel food cake batter.

So I promised updates on the weekend trip to Manhattan. And right now, I shall promptly deliver.

The Manhattanite high life begins at 10 in the morning at Gramercy Park Hotel. The stunningly chic boutique property by the ledengary Ian Scrhager. (The two doormen were outstandingly charming I have to add.) Well, Danny Meyer recently took over the Aoki Chinese restaurant to open his all new Roman trattoria, Maialino, in November last year.

We had a family-style lunch at the private dining room.

The menu featured simple, classic Roman dishes done superbly well. The bread, can I say, was marvelous.

A flaky, crisp crust just waiting for me to sink my teeth in to reveal the airily soft and moist insides. Mmmm.... And it can't be all that awful when they had a decent selection to choose from. I loved the focaccia.

Next came the Carciofini Fritti or fried artichokes. I do enjoy artichokes, often in my salad, but never had them fried before. So realizing how amazing these little nuggets of golden shards taste (dipped in anchovy sauce) was yet another enlightening gastronomy episode worthy of a diary entry. But then again, don't almost everything taste delish deep-fried...?

The Bombolotti all'Amatriciana were mouthfuls of spicy, savory al dante bliss. Thanks to that fresh homemade pasta (and hidden pork bacon...)

Finally - the entree du jour! Insalata di Spigola and Bistecca di Bue. Translation: Marinated sea bass with preserved lemons, and aged sirloin with radicchio and sunchokes. I am definitely a self-proclaimed red meat lover and these ever-so-moist tender hunks of charred beef illuminating with their crimson pink interior were (literally) a feast to my eyes and (of course) my palate.

Dolci, or desserts, were a simple but spectacular fare of fruity and chocolatey delights, of which I am not proud to admit that - ironically out of all things - my brain chooses to dismiss any signs of recollection for these divine sweet treats. And my only excuse? I blame it on the excessive food and wine that had thrown me out of focus... Right.

... But most certainly not lacking in too much focus to make it to our next culinary pit stop at the famous Four Seasons Restaurant owned by Mr. Alex Von Bidder. No seriously, we left Maialino's and all we did was to walk from Gramercy Park on 21st and Lex to The Four Seasons Restaurant on 52nd and Park. Twenty-one streets uptown but undoubtedly much needed after that midday feast fit for the Roman gods (and goddesses).

So whizzing past dinner, our next stop (yes, we did have another stop after Maialino and FS) was downtown Chelsea where I had a little evening champagne-sipping at Moet Hennessy.

How about some bubbly to round off the night? With compliments from the good people themselves.

And we tried some of their champagne-chocolate truffles specially created for the 2010 Oscars'. Again, need I speak further? If it's fit for Hollywood, I'm pretty darn sure it's more than fit for me too.

By the way - they're launching a new Belvedere flavor soon! Grapefruit - I eat, love and crave; Belvedere vodka - my ideal libation of choice at any party any time. Put them together? I trust I'll have a fabulously flirty time.

And when I thought the night was truly over, new episodes always happen to make me remember that I am, after all, in the city that never sleeps. So surprise or no surprise, I ended up in revelry at Del Posto next door. The chefs kept whipping up hors d'œuvre after hors d'œuvre, while the bartender showered us with more champagne yet again. I shall not even try to recount what I did after that fifth (or was it the sixth? maybe the seventh?) glass of sparkling... Ah, who's counting anyway?

How's that for an epic start to a great weekend in the Big Apple?

The official time now stands at 3:19AM. I think I'm getting accustomed to working on overdrive. No need for Redbull to give me wings. Neither do I need that disturbingly potent 5-hour energy drink to beat the 3PM (or in my case, 3AM) snooze time. But what I do need is some peace and shuteye. And definitely more than forty winks. So goodnight world, as I sign out from my deeply modest and humble abode along a nondescript street up in dear ol' Ithaca.

Chocolates in Spring

The weather has taken a turn. Finally! Apart from the weekend (which just had to rain when our house had visitors over), sunshine has reigned again and warmth is all over the slopes! I started running outdoors last week - something I was longing to do since Jack Frost decided to visit five months back. I almost forgot how beautiful Ithaca is without that thick quilt of snow blinding everything in sight.

We had another weekend cookout last Saturday - a Tuscan-inspired seafood pasta special (I ♥ angel hair!) and some sesame-honeyed spinach greens tossed with cranberries, roasted almonds and clementines - a wonderful meal to usher in the long-awaited springtime. And seeing that I have had one gourmandizing episode after another for the past couple of weekends, I decided to cut back on the sweet treats and go for something savory instead. Cheese is always a favorite.

We decided to roast some red and bartlett pears with walnuts, fresh gorgonzola and brie. I just love those candied walnuts, roasted and gleaming in its glossy cloak of clover honey and vanilla. The pears were a little underdone, I must admit. A little longer in the oven would have made those voluptuous pears perfectly soft - but a watched pot never boils, so we all settled for something a little crunchier.

And the cheese... mmm... 
Simply satisfying, nonetheless!

I had a HSI networking session two Tuesdays ago, and I know I promised some Nanaimo chocolate bars for the event. Nanaimo bars - for those unsure - are no-bake chocolate bars that originated from Canada. They're basically layered with a waffle crunch bottom, a white custardy middle layer, and a dark top coating of milk chocolate.

So I intended to swap the base for a brownie batter, then top it off with a layer of milk chocolate (I don't fancy white cocoa that much), then finish it off with a blanket of deep, dark cocoa spread. However, the middle layer didn't harden as quick as I thought it would, so I ended up with a chocolate truffle swirl - which I actually preferred just because the textured surface makes this sweet confection so pretty.

They're really rich, so one-inch cubes would be ideal bite-sized portions at a party. Don't you just adore those pastel-colored paper cups? It makes everything look so floral and feminine. It's like a springtime chocolate bouquet - what could be more perfect than that?

Spring break is just two days away! I can almost smell the salty ocean breeze and feel my toes wriggling through the moist sandy beaches, all framed beautifully under the sublime Caribbean sunshine.

I'll definitely keep my promise of sharing postcards from the Caribbean when I get there! XOXO!

The Week I Was Spoiled With Food (Part 2)

Blog Post Interruption: An Emergency Alert Message

Welcome to Ithaca's unimaginable snow storm!

Slushies are refreshingly delicious in a cup, but a complete (inedible) slippery pain when I'm late for class...

...And I wonder why school wasn't closed on Thursday.

Alright, regular blog entry resumed.

Last night, after yet another stay-in (i.e. let-us-shun-the-snowstorm) weekend feast - which I am about to share in a moment's time - I was flipping through the last blog entry I had written the day before flying back to school for the Spring term, and it was me sharing about some delicious miniature raisin-studded cream scones and homemade blueberry jam I had made for Aunt Rosalind's birthday...

...And I can't believe almost half the semester has gone by already! I remember dreading that departure day so badly thinking that it was going to be "the same crap, different semester." I was dreadfully homesick the first week of school, living in the absence of my family, my highly entertaining cable TV, the warm tropical sunshine, Singapore's fantastic fare of local food, and of course, baking.

But as much as I whine, sulk and moan the whole way through the departure terminal, I eventually find myself always having the wildest and most enjoyable time - and it just keeps getting better and bolder every semester. This final one, however, seems to be a tad bit more extraordinary than the previous three. And in all honesty, I would have to attribute that to baking. Despite living amidst the unearthly snow storms and arduous college workload, spending some alone time in the kitchen creating sweet treats is somehow my form of escapism. In some unexplainable way, I find it immensely soothing just completely immersing myself in the activity at hand, be it simply swirling a bowl of stunningly sweet cake batter, melting a pool of buttery dark chocolate, or watching plush cupcakes swell into beautiful airy mounds... Mmmm, definitely easy on the eyes...

I think the $6 whisk I bought at Wegmans last week was hands down the most satisfying purchase I made thus far. The first dessert I used it to prepare was a delightful tray of cheesecake-marbled brownies for the Sangria & Asian Tapas house party we threw on Friday night. I had a sudden urge to bake the night before during the witching hour, and while my housemates were fast asleep, I was floating around the kitchen turing ordinary cocoa batter into an intense chocolatey glory.

I swirled some cream cheese filling in and around the thick cocoa-laden liquid, and dotted it with some semisweet chocolate morsels I had remaining since I last made a batch of those banana cranberry cupcakes. Tossed the tray into the oven...

...Viola! A gorgeous batch of fudgy and creamy marbled squares that did turn out to be a hit with the party crowd. Not one was spared for weekend leftovers.

CHEESECAKE-MARBLED BROWNIES

Gourmet Magazine, June 2007

The Ingredients:

For brownie batter-

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter-

• 8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

The Directions:

Make brownie batter-

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies-

1. Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.
2. Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature.

So Friday went and Saturday came, and Ananth had prepared a Southern Indian feast for the six of us (my housemates, Ming and Yong Kai). The menu comprised of homemade naan, raita, murgh makhani, masala masoor, and basmati rice. I have to admit that it was a rather lip-smacking meal indeed. We paired dinner with a couple of bottles of Vinho Verde and Riesling - an almost perfect match. I decided to whip up a simple dessert to put a sweet ending to the weekend feast, and since Ananth made a special request not to have anything too heavy or chocolatey, I decided that my Peach-Pineapple Upside Down Cake (a la mode) would do the magic.

And boy was it magical. The baked fruit came out perfectly caramelized - sweet, toasty and tangy all in a single bite - and the cake was fluffy and light, and yet so moist... It was hard controlling ourselves from wiping out the entire plate.

Alas! We all gave into temptation - and that includes Shihao, who firmly insisted initially that he wouldn't be able to eat the whole thing. (Tsk, he finished it faster than I did.)

So that's all folks, to this yum-mazing weekend that I was spoiled with food. This definitely calls for a run at the gym.

What's Bakin' Next? Nanaimo Brownie Bars for my HSI finale event, Hotelies Sharing Information, March 2nd at 4:30pm, SR445. And of course, you're certainly invited!

The Week I Was Spoiled With Food (Part I)

Indulgence is definitely the theme for this week.

So it all started on Saturday with a cosy dinner for five. I've been having a recent odd craving for salmon, so I persuaded my friends to stay in on a Saturday evening to whip up a satisfying meal of our own.

On Our Stay-In Saturday Night Menu

~ Caprese Salad ~

Thyme-Infused Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Buffalo Mozzarella

- Whole Filet of Salmon -

Roasted Asparagus

Dill-Butter Sauce

~ Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables ~

Garlic & Rosemary Butter

Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Fingerling Potatoes

~ Cheese, Fruit & Nut Platter ~

Gruyere Cheese

Fresh Fruit

Ghirardelli Chocolate

Oh by the way, we ended it with some chocolate brownies too.
Talk about being stuffed. And this is just the beginning.

Sunday was sublime. We drove to Philadelphia to watch John Mayer live.

Definitely worth the 4-hour drive there and back (and arriving home only on Monday morning at 430am). Love his guitar skills, love his guitars, love him. I told my Dad about it, and he basically thinks John Mayer is the younger version of Eric Clapton. Yea-ah, Agreed. By the way, I totally took my hat of to Ethel who had class at 8:40 that morning (!!)

So moving on, the new week greeted me with a sumptuous 4-course dinner at the all new Taste of Thai Express. We had a pleasant visit from the people in the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU), who flew over 10,000 miles across the Atlantic ocean and brought along with them none other than the highly entertaining Guest-of-Honor Hossan Leong - all in the name of building stronger bonds with Singaporean communities abroad. The event definitely exceeded my expectations (honestly, they weren't that high to begin with). I thoroughly enjoyed the food; I had fried ice-cream for dessert! Finally, a dish that reminds me of happy days back home. It wasn't outstanding, I have to admit, and nothing close to the real McCoy - fried durian ice-cream at the New Majestic Restaurant, a definite "die-die-must-try!" on any foodie's list.

I ended up having a fantastic conversation with Avinash, Ming and one of the OSU representatives: From National Service and un-men armies... to immigration laws and the possibility of raking up dual citizenships - Certainly not in the near future, I must say.

Wednesday was Ling's 21st, and I baked birthday cupcakes - a choice of vanilla or chocolate! Blanketed those babies with some freshly whipped frosting, and topped off with a marshmallow and Ferrero Rocher for some added sweetness.

Though everyone enjoyed them, I thought the chocolate cupcakes could have been a tad bit more chocolatey. Lesson Learnt: Stop being lazy and melt real chocolate! I thought I could get away with an easy recipe that only called for cocoa powder to give it that chocolatey flavor...

...The Verdict: Nothing beats real chocolate chocolate cupcakes.

And as for tonight's gourmandizing episode, I was spoiled by a fabulous food and wine dinner pairing by the Johnson School Wine Club. A decadent 6-course meal accompanied with fine wines from Castello Banfi. The Best pairing of the night?

Dark Chocolate Tart

Strawberries, Aceto Balsamico di Modena

accompanied with Rosa Regale

The B.E.S.T. Ever

A Banana Bread Story: An Ode To The Good Life... Yet Again

I stepped into the kitchen this morning to find a bunch of brown-spotted (clearly overripe) bananas sitting on the sill - Hmm, they definitely weren't there five minutes ago. Shihao (one of my two most awesome college roommates) responded, "I brought it out. They're too ripe, so let's turn them into banana bread tonight."

I just adore this Banana Banana Bread recipe from Shelly Albeluhn. It's superbly popular simply because it's effortless, and it works. Needless to say, we threw in some semi-sweet chocolate morsels since as we all know, chocolate and bananas are definitely best buds.

BANANA BANANA BREAD 

Shelly Albeluhn, allrecipes.com

The Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Before hitting the oven...

Oh. How. Glorious.

And that's basically one thing I love about baking: Converting overly ripe fruits into a sweetened pastry dessert (compotes, crumbles, muffins, jams... the list goes on). I mean, who would ever complain about a moist, dense, and freshly-baked loaf of bread filled with intense, fruity sweetness? Nope, I know I wouldn't.

This actually reminds me of how I was desperately craving for salad over lunch today. I never understood how people living in this country could ever 'grab' a mealtime salad on a borderline daily basis and feel satisfied with it. But contrary to (my) popular belief, the Americans actually do do salads outstandingly well. With the surprisingly endless array of toppings you can dress your leafy greens with - ranging from beets, asparagus tips and bulgar wheat, to cranberries, peaches and pineapples - I genuinely do look forward to eating my veggies... Well, I suppose when you're living in the absence of 24-hour kopitiams that whip up a whole spectrum of hawker fare to taunt your tastebuds, those salads of yours better taste pretty damn decent. Overripe bananas to banana bread, and boring leaves to fancy salads - as Daddy always say: "It's all about making the best with what you have."

Interesting Fact of The Day:

Coincidentally enough, my housemates and I were actually baking the same bread the same night one year ago while booking our Spring break trip to Vegas. And presently as I speak - or type - we just booked our 7-night Carnival cruise around the Caribbean. Departing from Miami, Florida this March (oh yeah!), and the ports of call? Half Moon Cay Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Grand Turk Island. And to add a crimson cherry on top of an already all-star vacation, we're spending a night in Miami before setting sail. Yea-ah, tell me about it...!

So it's ode to the good life, once again, with a little slice of delish Banana Banana Bread, and a satisfying chomp! to yet another spectacular, fun-in-the-sun sojourn. I promise postcards from the Caribbean when I get there! XOXO!

Fancying Cupcakes With Your Glass of Chianti?

This evening was our first wine tasting session of the semester, and so, I decided to whip up some of Nigella's banana, cranberry and chocolate chip cupcakes to usher in this final 6 months of spring in Ithaca.

Well, then again, you can just say it's just an excuse for me to satisfy my cuisson cravings.

Nonetheless, the crimson-studded medallions came out rather decent and were a hit with my friends at the wine session. I was initially worried that they would be inedible just because the oven in my apartment didn't seem to be working as efficiently as I hope it would. The original recipe called for a baking time of 20 minutes (till amber golden and springy on the top) at a moderate 350-degree oven, but it took more than double the time to get these miniature sweet sponges to the required texture.

Faulty ovens aside, what I love so much about this cupcake recipe is the fact that I can do it without the use of a mixer - which is awesome since I don't own one in my college apartment. I know - a definite pâtisserie sacrilege! But on the bright side, it brings challenge and sparks creativity in my recipe searching sessions - plus, I'm graduating in 3 months time, so I deem it to be a slightly unworthy investment that I believe I can live without for the time being. Alright, let's move on to the recipe.

BANANA, CHERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Nigella Lawson, How To Be A Domestic Goddess

The Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons dried cherries, chopped
• 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or chips
• 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups

The Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then, off the heat, add the sugar, vanilla, and soft bananas, mashing them with a fork in the pan.
3. Stir in the sour cream and the eggs and - still using your fork or a wooden spoon if you prefer - beat to mix. Add the baking soda and the baking powder, and stir in as well, then finally stir in the flour, cherries, and chocolate.
4. When the mixture's just blended, divide among the 12 muffin cups and cook for 20 minutes or until golden and springy on top.
5. Remove the cupcakes in their paper cups to a wire rack and leave till cool.

Max actually recommended that I throw in some walnuts or pecans into the batter, and I actually think he's right on that. Those fruity-chocolatey sponges are actually good the way they are, but embellishing it with some nutty crunchiness may just boost its sugar ratings up a notch.

I thoroughly enjoyed my intimate wine evening - it's just so wonderful to immerse myself amongst fabulously talented people who are undeniably passionate about food and wine. I'm making a resolution to whip up sugary treats for our future wine sessions - a perfect excuse for me to satisfy my whimsical confectionary wishes and temporarily neglect that never-ending pile of assignments due the following week...

It's My Birthday & I'll Bake If I Want To!

I'm actually a year older now. Wow. Time does fly.

After pampering my stomach with a carbo-laden dinner and polishing off almost the entire bottle of red, I'm not exactly in the right state of mind to present a comprehensive entry on my birthday festivities. Nonetheless, I thought I had to post something on this special day just so that it'll go into my blog archive. (Yes, go ahead - roll your eyes)

So it all started with a lovely surprise by my most awesome housemates and bestest Cornell buddies ever - Miss Malika and Swati - who all simply barged into my bedroom past midnight with a video camera, a titanic Triple Chocolate Cake (credits to Cornell Dining), and an a cappella performance to the tune of 'Happy Birthday'. There I was, lying on my bed chatting with Matt on my cell phone in pitch black darkness, dressed to kill my most *ahem* (un)fashionable PJs ever, and hair tangled in the fanciest knots imaginable.

I was shocked.

And to make things worst - It was all caught on tape. So much for blackmail, huh.

But of course, I was thoroughly happy with the intrusion. We ended up enjoying a bit of that gorgeous chocolate cake - which explains why it looks so much like a Pac Man when I took the picture of it - and almost finished up the bottle of sparkling left over from the previous wine night we had. I'm actually impressed at the quality of cakes supplied by Cornell Dining. It was amazingly rich and dense, but not cloyingly sweet, which made it such a delectable midnight treat.



Moving on, I had a dinner celebration with Bern, Shihao, Yong Kai, Ethel and David at Joe's Restaurant, which served Italian food (though the name doesn't give it away that easily). The food was decent, and we continued devouring that quarter-eaten chocolate confection (but failed miserably and again, leftovers are presently lying in my refrigerator). Nonetheless, the company made it all the more spectacular.

And when you're 10,000 miles away from home (I mean it literally), friends become family. And that's what I call Food For The Soul.

P.S.- Now, it's definitely time to hit the haystack. Sugar kisses and chocolate dreams people!

Taking My Pâtisserie Adventures To Greater Heights (Literally)

"The end of a journey marks the wonderful beginning of a new one."

Winter greetings from the 'gorges' town of Ithaca in upstate New York! It has been slightly more than a week since I've arrived, and the weather conditions here are a stark contrast to the abundant sunshine I've been basking in for the last month-and-a-half. School has been decent thus far, and I'm actually enjoying most of my classes this semester (despite the arduous workload that lies ahead of me).

Honestly, shifting gears and assuming a brand new semester of college life after being back home wasn't an easy switch. I was missing home dearly the whole of last week, and being the complete foodie that I am, sought refuge in the simple comfort foods that reminded me of the pleasures of home. I was completely satisfied with waking up to a steaming mug of Milo (filled to the brim with chocolate-malt goodness) and jam with bread, and ending my day with a hearty bowl of herbal chicken soup decked with bok choy, Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts. And to add on to that, I am extremely grateful for the Lunar New Year tidbits that my Mom made me pack along.

So the week came along and went, with me ending up at Mont Tremblant in Quebec during the weekend with my three other girlfriends. We planned for this winter ski trip since two months back, and I am thoroughly glad we did it since it did alleviate my spell of homesickness. Mont Tremblant was beautiful and intensely cold, and though we had our fair share of explorations, retail therapy treatments and snow-laden adventures (tubing was absolutely thrilling, by the way), surprise surprise - eating was by far the top activity on our list.

Entering this quaint little crêpe cafe, La Crêperie, on a Saturday morning just made me feel like I stepped into a typical Parisian coffeehouse. I was warmly greeted with wafts of sweet crêpe batter sizzling gently on an open pan, bright blue wooden furniture, and an eclectic collection of country-style paintings and chef figurines displayed proudly all over the cosy interior of the restaurant. Moreover, the French-speaking Canadians just made the seemingly European atmosphere all the more believable. I settled for a Mediterranean-style crêpe loaded with aromatic flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, olives, feta cheese and the likes.

Scrumptious.

And finally, the highlight of the meal: Dessert was simple, comforting but exceedingly satisfying. I took a amateur video documenting the works of our banana split crêpe à la mode covered with a blanket of golden caramel sauce and a thick glossy chocolate glaze.

After our drooling Brittany dessert, we wandered around the ski resort and stumbled upon an interesting maple syrup store that sold Maple Taffy On Snow. The owner basically pours strips of melted maple syrup on a barrel of ice and you simply roll it up into a taffy stick after 15 seconds of freezing.

Just when I was convinced that Durian Ice Kachang was the best thing you could use shaved ice for...

I guess there's always room for innovative frosty ideas when you are constantly living in 50 feet of snow.

Anyhow, moving on again, my awesome girlfriends surprised me with an early birthday treat during our final Mont Tremblant dinner together. How could I resist a huge slice of this gorgeously moist multi-layered chocolate confection? (Though amusingly, it did remind me of Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake-eating scene in Roald Dahl's Matilda...)

But of course, I wasn't at all aiming to pull any sort of Bogtrotter chow-down scene any time soon. Mmm... just look at the rich and moist interior glistening in all its pleasurable chocolatey glory. A definitive sweet ending to our girly weekend getaway, I'd say.

...And as Julia Child would exclaim, "Bon Apétit!"