Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

The world became a better place when hazelnuts met cocoa powder. It became better when hazelnut paste was mixed with cocoa and poured into a jar. It became better when jars of Nutella became bigger, a “bulk” size if you will. In reality though, it’s only a single portion. Nutella is not just a spread. It’s not just refined deliciousness. It’s magic. It can be eaten with a spoon, a fork, or with a finger. It can be eaten with bread, in a tart, or in a frosting. It is the definition of midnight snacking; it is bliss.

Chocolate-hazelnut sponge torte with praline chocolate crunch, nut ganache, and a hazelnut mousse.

How then can one function, or even survive when their Nutella supplies are depleted? How can one not break into tears when only grams of the chocolate-hazelnut spread are left? After all, I would climb a mountain for another jar of the delicious spread. Ferro Rocher is even filled with Nutella, as they’re made from the same company, and they’re delicious as well.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Churros

Witches, goblins, and elves are not what makes Halloween exciting. For me, it’s the pumpkin harvest. For about six years now I’ve been trying to grow a pumpkin in my backyard. I’ve tried fertilizers, all types of seeds, and different soils but nothing ever seems to work. The furthest I’ve ever gotten is a vibrant yellow flower that eventually shrivels and dies. It’s upsetting when you put so much work into something and then it fails, but year after I year I keep on trying to grow a pumpkin.

Cinnamon-sugar churros with strawberry and chocolate dipping sauces

That’s why when I see pumpkin growing competitions around Halloween I stare in awe at the television, wondering how the farmer grew such a heavy, beautiful pumpkin. What I find even more fascinating is how carvers can take these orange wonders and create three dimensional sculptures from them. So long jack-o-lanterns, meet puss in boots with life-like whiskers.

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Mango-Chocolate-Coconut Cake

Every spring my mother goes to the store and buys pretty much a crate full of mangoes from a tropical fruit store in Toronto. As soon as she gets home I run to the car, get the box, and feast on the juicy yellow flesh. So sweet, so good.

Coconut-mango chocolate cake with a lemon glaze

When I was in Panama two years ago I went to visit this fabulous tropical fruit market and saw piles of juicy, colourful fruits that I never saw before. There were guanabanas, prickly pears, and jackfruits! Sure, it was nice looking at them in the market (and it was quite fun buying them while sipping on sugar cane juice I saw squeezed before my eyes) but when I got back to the apartment I was perplexed on how to eat them. Eventually, I figured it out but I was hungry for more. I wandered to a convenience store and bought two coconuts (I wish Canadian convenience stores sold coconuts!), which both looked different.

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