Showing posts with label Sweet Emotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweet Emotions. Show all posts

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Bye Bye Blog—Hello Instagram

Hey Readers!

I wanted to let all of you know that for the time being, I will no longer be posting on this blog. (That's unless I get super inspired to write something super long that won't fit into an Instagram post.)

Speaking of which, I'm still writing. Except now you'll be able to find me on Instagram, @Just.Droll.With.It.

I have a weekly series entitled #𝗪𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 whereby I review wafer-centric chocolates. (It's been a bunch of Kit Kats so far!)

To celebrate Halloween, I'm doing a Giveaway!

https://instagram.fphx1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/vp/8b4665fc7558b82950020e7cb0226a28/5E48856F/t51.2885-15/e35/s1080x1080/73512649_146343819954188_2871369551351453348_n.jpg?_nc_ht=instagram.fphx1-3.fna.fbcdn.net&_nc_cat=108

Check it out here.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you over on Instagram.

Cheers,
Kevin

Monday, September 16, 2019

La Rocca Revisited Part 3—Here's the Scoop 🍦

(Note—this is the final post of a series.

1) The first review was for Mango Coconut Cheesecake.
2) The second review was for S'mores Cheesecake.)

The seasons change. The head chefs might change. But one thing that doesn’t change? La Rocca’s desserts remain breathtakingly beautiful, and their summer collection is no exception!


With summer coming to a close, I decided to try some of their summer desserts before they’re gone.


And now, for our final dessert. 

What screams summer more than a big scoop of ice cream? And in a waffle cone too! Presenting: Here’s the Scoop. 🍦


The first thing that hit me when I opened the box was a wonderful waffle cone aroma. A great start!

Although the scent was strong, the taste was milder. I find waffle cones a bit too sweet, so this was just right for me. It was softer than a typical waffle cone due the chilled nature of the dessert. However, it still gave a good crunch.

Unlike the waffle cone, the pink ribbon was over-the-top sweet. The tiny chocolate ball enclosed within actually helped temper this.

Time for the inside Scoop.

You may recall I found La Rocca’s pistachio cake from their Christmas collection extremely disappointing. Then, this particular dessert, Here’s the Scoop, also included lemon anglaise. And as you may recall from my Mango Coconut Cheesecake review, I don’t like lemon/sour things. So needless to say, I was more than a little apprehensive about trying this.

Thankfully, I spoke with Jessica, the head pastry chef, (who was wonderfully gracious 🙏) and she eased my concerns.

Regarding the lemon anglaise (the yellow triangle in the photo below), she swore that it would not taste sour because it was mixed with vanilla. And in case I still didn’t like it, the dessert was designed in a way whereby I could simply eat around it. I still didn’t like it; it tasted too creamy to compensate for the lemon. As she promised though, it wasn’t sour.


I was interested in Here’s the Scoop for the scoop part—pistachio (my favourite nut). My other concern was that it would only offer a faint flavour like the Christmas version. She proudly proclaimed that if one of her desserts is promoting a particular flavour, it would definitely come through strong. Again, Chef Jessica lived up to her words. 👩‍🍳💯

If the previous pistachio dessert had the intensity of a lazy river, this one, and in particular the praline, hit like a tsunami! 🌊

The pistachio mousse (light green) was very flavourful. They sprinkled some pistachio pieces to give it even more flavour and some added texture. It was also airy, melt-in-your-mouth soft. The mousse was creamy, but this time, the pistachio got to shine.

Somehow, the pistachio praline took the taste to another level. You’ll notice in the photo that it’s a deep green. This is indicative of its phenomenal potency. Every spoonful was intoxicating! They also added pistachio pieces in here too, so there was a terrific crunch to it. It was brilliantly balanced, with just the right amount of sweetness, also allowing the pistachio to shine. 

It’s fitting that the last component we cover is the chiffon cake. With everything else happening inside the cone, it would’ve been easy to overlook it. It was simple in its sweetness but so sublime. Also, it was fantastically fluffy, providing a different enough texture from the mousse to add some depth. I could eat this chiffon cake plain and straight as it is, so I can see why they charge $55+ for a whole cake!

Verdict (aka Here's My Scoop on Here's the Scoop):
The pristine praline and magnificent mousse were immaculate. The first-class chiffon cake and wonderful waffle cone were lovely. Combined, they more than make up for the sub-optimal lemon anglaise and pink ribbon. To wit—this dessert was so nice that I had it thrice!

Summer may be over, but I’ll remember this perfect pistachio praline forever!


(Since this series is about summer, we're swapping out stars for suns.)

P.S. Thank you for reading this review series on La Rocca’s Summer Collection. Follow me on Instagram for more sweet content!

Sunday, September 8, 2019

La Rocca Revisited Part 2—S'mores Cheesecake 🔥

(Note—this post is the second in a series. The first review was for Mango Coconut Cheesecake.)


The seasons change. The head chefs might change. But one thing that doesn’t change? La Rocca’s desserts remain breathtakingly beautiful, and their summer collection is no exception!


With summer coming to a close, I decided to try some of their summer desserts before they’re gone.


Today, we'll be checking out the S'mores Cheesecake.

As you can see from the picture below, they've got all the s’mores components covered. The varying sizes of marshmallows is a nice touch and exemplify the level of detail and planning put into this. Bravo for yet another exquisitely designed dessert!



La Rocca advertised this as a smooth chocolate cheesecake, and it definitely lives up to it texture-wise. Although not as light as the Mango Coconut Cheesecake we looked at (few desserts are!), it's still solidly on the lighter side of cheesecakes.

As for flavour, the chocolate was a little subtler than I hoped for. It’s still on equal footing with the cheesiness of the cheesecake though. And it’s still sufficiently sweet.

Usually, I don’t like marshmallows; I find them too synthetic and too sweet. However, these hand-made vanilla bean marshmallows were more mellow, making this one happy fellow! Plus, the fact that they were roasted conjured some campfire comparisons.



From hand-made to house-made, the graham cracker was also well-executed. It supplied some snappiness to complement the cheesecake’s smoothness. And in a pleasant surprise, it was also slightly spiced. This added another dimension to the dessert’s profile. They also included graham cracker via the outer crumble and in the crust.

Lastly, the La Rocca emblazoned chocolate atop added some welcome chocolatiness. It was a good quality milk chocolate, which is a good segue for our verdict.

Verdict:
As a chocoholic, I was hoping for a stronger chocolate flavour. With that said, this S'mores Cheesecake is both a faithful and flavourful re-imagination of the signature summer treat. It works well because all the flavours get their moment in the sun! 😎

☀️☀️☀️☀️

(Since this series is about summer, we're swapping out stars for suns.)

Saturday, August 31, 2019

La Rocca Revisited Part 1—Mango Coconut Cheesecake 🥥

(Note—this post is the first in a series.)

The seasons change. The head chefs might change. But one thing that doesn’t change? La Rocca’s desserts remain breathtakingly beautiful, and their summer collection is no exception!



Avid readers may recall this previous post I wrote about La Rocca Creative Kitchen’s Christmas Collection.

With summer coming to a close, I decided to try some of their summer desserts before they’re gone.


First up is the Mango Coconut Cheesecake.

I’ve definitely consumed my fair share of sweets. So, there are times where I’ll be eating one and immediately think back to a similarly tasting sweet. This Mango Coconut Cheesecake immediately conjured comparisons of zestier Chinese mango pudding. They both burst with magnificent mango flavour and are silky smooth. Although the mango is the main attraction, the cheesecake is a solid sidekick. It provides tanginess to complement the mango's sweetness.



The glaze atop adds even more mango goodness while supplying some sourness with its hint of lemon. I’m not a fan of lime and lemon, so I could’ve done without its inclusion. For those of you that do though, you’ll like it! 

A coconut white chocolate whipped ganache crowns the cheesecake. The coconut counterbalances the typical sweetness that comes with white chocolate. And it’s airy as expected.


Now, for the one part I haven’t mentioned yet—the coconut almond crust. The mango is the star of the show, but this was particularly impressive. Admittedly, the almond could’ve been a bit stronger. However, using almond, along with some desiccated coconut, gave the crust a memorable crunchiness. It provided a welcome textural contrast to the rest of the dessert's softness. 

Also, if I’m honest, standard cheesecake crust, made with graham cracker, is a bit plain to me. So like a cool summer breeze on a hot, humid day, this coconut almond crust was a breath of fresh air! 

Verdict:
The Mango Coconut Cheesecake was a very refreshing, tangy and tasty treat. Perfect for summer!

☀️☀️☀️☀️

(Since this series is about summer, we're swapping out stars for suns.)

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Jumped Through Hoops For These Froot Loops ⭕


(The title is in reference my two and a half hour commute (!!!) home from SanRemo Bakery.)

Froot Loops Donut +
Apple Fritters

You’ll notice there are only two different donuts in the box. That’s because at 3:38 pm on a Friday, that’s all that’s left. To wit, this was the second last Froot Loops donut.

(I decided not to review the Fritters because mine contained considerably fewer apple pieces than usual.)

The Froot Loops donut was one of the new items that I was dying to try. (The other was Zeppole but all the good flavours were sold out.) Along with Corn Pops, Honeycomb and Honey Nut Cheerios, Froot Loops formed the foundation of my childhood cereal consumption.


This colourful creation takes the same signature stellar SanRemo donut and garnishes it with a generous helping of Froot Loops. I went in expecting the donut to have a generic glazed icing. So it was a shock to my system to discover that it was Froot Loops flavoured!

It is also possible the shock was actually a result of the icing’s intensity because it was super sweet! Its potency was equivalent to the endmilk of a bowl of cereal comprised of 80% Froot Loops and 20% milk. In fact, it was so sweet that half a donut was more than sufficient for a single sitting.

I did enjoy how the crunchiness of the cereal pieces brought an added dimension to the donut. On a related note, I think that’s probably the source of sugar overload. Having both the cereal and the icing likely led to its loopy levels of sweetness.

So as the title of this post ponders: was it worth it?

For the Froot Loops donut alone, no.

However, when you factor in the fritters (still superb), cannoli and cookies which are not pictured (excellent and good), and the opportunity to catch up with an old friend (invaluable), then yes it was well worth the two and a half hour commute home.

Froot Loops Donut:
3.5 Added Dimensions out of 5



Wednesday, January 2, 2019

La Rocca-ing Around the Christmas Tree 🎄



One of my birthday gifts this year was an assortment of seasonal sweets from La Rocca Cakes. These were purchased from their Creative Kitchen retail boutique in Richmond Hill.




The phrase “too pretty to eat” gets thrown around with more force and frequency than a re-gifted present. In this case however, it is absolutely apt.

It all starts with the pristine packaging. The vibrant colours and kaleidoscopic design are extremely eye-catching.

Since we’re La Rocca-ing Around the Christmas Tree, let’s start with the Evergreen Tree:



This cake does a fantastic job of visually living up to its namesake. Pistachio mousse makes up the tree's foundation. Then, white chocolate slivers and spheres represent ribbons and ornaments. And to top it all off—a gold star!



Texturally, there was a nice contrast between the decorations and the tree. The white chocolate ornaments and ribbons provided crunchiness, while the pistachio mousse and strawberry jelly provided smoothness. Unfortunately, the strawberry jelly also stole the show for the wrong reason. It was tremendously tart, to the point where it was the dominant flavour, when the pistachio should have been the star of the show.

Christmas Comparison Verdict:
The Evergreen Tree is like when you get the Christmas gift you wished for, but turns out to be completely different than what you expected.
⭐️



Chestnut Tart


The Chestnut Tart was another appealing dessert. The candied chestnut and its connected chocolate ribbon helped give it a more memorable look.


The berries were bearable this time, enjoyable even, as they were not too tart, and slightly sweet. This was further balanced by the refreshing vanilla mousse. As for the pastry part, the surrounding tart and underlying base were buttery and flaky.

Ultimately, this Chestnut Tart suffered from a similar fate as the Evergreen Tree—the flavour with top billing failed to shine. Although it wasn't washed away by the other components, it also did not provide a punchy enough chestnut flavour to live up to its name.

Christmas Comparison Verdict: 
The Chestnut Tart is like that sweater your Aunt gifts you; it's fine, it's functional, but it doesn't possess the pizzazz to be regularly featured.
⭐️⭐️⭐️



Chocolate Orange Pyramid


La Rocca even managed to make a jet-black pyramid look picturesque. This is the result of the candied orange, chocolate orange sticks, hazelnuts and golden flecks garnished on top. They helped give great contrast and an added dimension to the devilishly dark dessert.

In terms of texture, the pyramid was:

✔️ Soft but not mushy
✔️ Rich but not heavy



And as the video above illustrates, it is real sturdy. It took a concerted effort to break off a piece. And it still stood strong afterwards. La Rocca definitely did the pyramid name proud!

Most importantly, in terms of taste, it was:

✔️ Sweet but not sickly
✔️ Bitter but not biting
✔️ Orangey but not overpowering

Finally, a dessert that lived up to its billing! All the elements worked together in perfect harmony.

Christmas Comparison Verdict: 
Like Santa and his Reindeer on Christmas Eve, I will be dashing through the snow this weekend to get a second helping before it flies off the counters!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Newest Krispy Kreme Fiend 🍩


This was my first time trying Krispy Kreme,
This fact alone is extremely obscene!
Having lived all these years in this world,
Never bothered to give it a whirl.

I have a good friend who will always go nuts,
At the mere mention of Krispy Kreme donuts!
He was the one always bugging me to try them,
So it’s no surprise he ended up buying them!
He kept raving about how they were so delicious,
His Krispy Kreme devotion almost seemed religious!

In case you were wondering, I did not eat all of these! 😛


I started with the Original Glazed;
Krispy Kreme’s classic, the one that trailblazed.
It also provides the critical foundation,
For most of their other circular creations.
It is the one that is most recommended;
I concur, I definitely commend it!
The first bite was heavenly, like a christening
The hype was for real; I regret not listening!
Yes, the donut was sweet but not too overwhelming,
I was able to eat much more, that’s the most telling.
My main gripe? All the artificial colours and flavours.
But when it tastes this sublime? Just forget it and savour!

The next two were Original but with some wrinkles:
Both glazed with chocolate, the second was dipped in sprinkles.
Although they were both still good in their own ways,
They masked the taste of the Original Glazed.





Cake Batter was topped with confetti bits,
So many textures—a certified hit!
The donut itself was soft and chewy,
While the Kreme filling was soft and gooey.
The colourful bits then added a crunch,
A triple threat of textures in each munch.

The plan was to save half of it for later,
It wasn’t something my body could wait for!
So I devoured the rest of it in that sitting.
Krispy Kreme is so satisfying and addicting,
It is a new habit that I won’t soon be quitting!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Friday, August 31, 2018

(Ragusa) Blonds Have More Fun

Ever since I first heard about it a couple of years ago, the idea of blond chocolate has intrigued me. On the one hand, I am a white chocolate connoisseur, so almost any decent variation will pique my interest. On the other hand, I am generally averse to caramel. I find it to be superfluously sweet and overpowering, even when accompanied by chocolate and nuts.

I recently met with a friend for a “Sweets Swap,” where we exchanged and sampled a smorgasbord of sweets. We both raved about the Ragusa Blond, and it inspired me to write this review.


An interesting aside - “...Bloch discovered blond chocolate during a trip to Quebec at the beginning of 2013. Impressed...Bloch asked his team in charge of innovation to produce a Ragusa Blond.” Go Canada Go! 🇨🇦

👀 Appearance



The version I purchased was entitled “For Friends” (no relation to the classic TV show). This name is derived from the fact the chocolate has been conveniently split into 12 individually wrapped bite-sized pieces that are perfect for sharing with one’s friends, which is exactly what transpired during my Sweets Swap. The bright, bold packaging is definitely eye-catching and is helped by the enlarged product photographs that show off its terrific texture (more on that later).


🍽️ Taste



The richness of the Ragusa Blond is the first thing that hits me. This richness is probably also the reason why despite registering “only” 48 grams of sugar per 100g on the sweetness spectrum, it tastes noticeably sweeter than that. It ventures very close to being too sweet although luckily it doesn’t quite cross that line.

In terms of flavour, while white chocolate can sometimes taste synthetic, Ragusa Blond tastes authentic (the website promotes the product as being "100% Natural"). The caramel infusion is incredible and elevates the white chocolate to heavenly heights. The simplest way I can describe the Ragusa Blond is that they took the best attributes of white chocolate and infused it with the optimal amount of caramel flavour, conceiving a truly unique tasting confection. 

The hazelnuts were not flavoured at all but given the fact that the chocolate component was sufficiently sweet, this was definitely the right decision.


⚖️ Execution
As awesome as it is taste-wise to eat a Ragusa Blond, it is an equally enjoyable experience texture-wise. The super soft, creamy chocolate melts in your mouth like butter. Meanwhile, the hazelnuts' crunchiness provide the perfect compliment to the chocolate's smoothness.


💰 Cost
I purchased this on sale for $3.99; the regular price was $7.99. The best compliment I can pay is that I would pay the regular price without any hesitation.



🏆 Verdict
Correction from the previous sentence – the best compliment I can bestow Blond is that it is one of the best chocolates I have ever eaten in my entire life! (My friend wholeheartedly agreed – he bought his own pack right afterwards!). The only reason I docked half a star is because of its richness. After about three pieces, I'm sufficiently satisfied. Although that is probably a good thing, since these are so sublime that I want to savour them until the end of time!


4.5 Sweets Swaps out of 5




⏩ Epilogue
Not to be outdone by my friend, I was so bedazzled by (this) blond chocolate that I have ordered seven other variations to try out. It’s safe to say there will be (more) blond (reviews to come)!

Monday, July 9, 2018

SanRemo's Stellar Donuts 🍩

Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


SanRemo's name is esteemed,
From them I tasted three donuts:
Chocolate Chip Banana Cream,
Nutella and Maple Walnut.

Fluffy like pillows and light like a dream,
Then filled with cream or glazed with icing.
Portion sizes were borderline obscene,
Justifies their premium pricing.

The maple was glazed, the walnuts were chopped;
A classic with some added crunch.
Once I started, I did not want to stop,
I savoured each and every munch!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For fans of banana: this could be compelling;
Quantity and flavour both bursting at the seams.
For me: the bad memories were overwhelming.
I did not like the Chocolate Chip Banana Cream:
Tasted like banana-flavoured penicillin!
⭐️⭐️

The crowning achievement was Nutella;
So addicting, I was losing my moorings,
Like a twisting-and-turning novella.
It caused the release of endless endorphins,
Would have thought that it came from Coachella!
Shoutout to Paul who got them, I endorse him:
He’s a great friend, a real stand-up fella!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Maple Mille-Feuille 🍁

For the complete (emoji) experience, it is recommended that you view this review on a mobile device.

The Village Grocer is renowned for its 
weekly themed bakery specials. As this last (long) weekend was Canada Day, they went with one of the most certifiably Canadian ingredients: maple! As a patron of almost anything puff pastry related, I purchased their maple mille-feuille.




👀 Appearance
The mille-feuille was enormous enough that I was able to split it into two still-satisfying portions.

Presentation-wise, it did not have a great first impression. Upon taking it out of the box, the slab of icing sugar that was dusted on top was missing about 20% of what should have been there. After closer examination, I was disappointed to discover that there were only two layers of puff pastry: the top and bottom. There was always a third middle layer in all of the mille-feuilles that I’ve had in the past. In place of this third layer was a collection of candied pecans in the middle, which was ensconced by whipped cream above and a massive maple custard layer below.


🍽️ Taste
I have almost always found maple-flavoured desserts to be superfluously sweet for my palette. As such, I was pleasantly surprised that the custard component of this mille-feuille offered the optimal amount of sweetness and a perfectly pronounced maple taste.

Conversely, the candied pecans and puff pastry exterior were both muted, missing the requisite candied and buttery profile.


⚖️ Execution
After trying it however, I was glad that this mille-feuille did not have a third layer as it was fairly forgettable. It sorely lacked the trademark flakiness characterized by a high quality puff pastry. Meanwhile, the candied pecans did not provide the classic crunch that fresh nuts offer.

Luckily, the cream component had terrific thickness and consistency, as it did not melt or become runny even after an hour and a half out of the fridge.


💰 Cost
This mammoth mille-feuille cost only $2.99. Considering I’ve had slices of cake that were about a third of the size and cost three times as much, this was superb value!


🏆 Verdict
I would strongly consider buying this again the next time it is available, if only for the maple custard/cream.

Maple Custard/Cream ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Puff Pastry and Pecan portions ⭐️⭐️



Overall: 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 Day Long Weekends out of 5.

Bye Bye Blog—Hello Instagram

Hey Readers! I wanted to let all of you know that for the time being, I will no longer be posting on this blog. (That's unless I get s...