A Sticky Toffee Pudding Send-Off

If you happen to follow me on Twitter, lately you have seen me gushing a lot about @darrenstravels.  The owner of that twitter handle is my hero, and lucky for me, he also happens to be my uncle.



@darrenstravels  (aka "Uncle D")  My hero

"D", as he is affectionately called by nearly everyone in the family, is my mom's baby brother - "baby" by enough that he is only 12 years older than me, and I'm the baby of all the grand-daughters.  As such, he often babysat my sister and I a lot when we were little, and he's always seemed more like a big brother to us than an uncle.  Helping cement his "brother" image in our minds, he used to absolutely torment us as kids, as brothers tend to torment younger sisters.  For example; to this day, my sister won't step on a drain of any kind - not even in a shower - for fear that she'll be sucked down the drain (she was always a skinny kid).  Me?  I have vivid memories of him threatening to put me in the freezer (geez, that looks *wayyyy more menacing on paper than it was in real life) -  it was really just one of many ways to make me squirm and scream "nooooooo!", and it was as fun for me as I think it was for him.  As much as he tortured us, I know we always looked forward to nights when our parents would go out and Uncle D would come over to babysit, because we'd laugh a LOT and even get to stay up late :)

As Darren went on to his career in radio, and later television, he moved away.  I've always missed him since he moved, but at the same time, proud of who he was and what he was doing.  When Sis and I took Mom to Paris for her 60th birthday a couple of years ago, we convinced D to come along and join us for a few days - and we had a blast.  As a television producer in Toronto, he was always working incredibly long hours, and vacations were always short, but travel has always been one of his passions.  A few years ago, he made it even more of a priority, taking short trips to New York City whenever he could, and training for life-changing treks like his climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.  Still, at a certain point in life, a handful of brave and incredibly smart individuals realize that we don't get to live forever, and decide to take life by the horns and go off to actually *live* their dreams.  My Uncle Darren is one such individual.  There is a price for all of this, however, and I don't just mean airfare.  He's purged himself of almost all belongings, ended a withering 23-year relationship, left his two beloved dogs, sold his home and quit his job - things few of us would have the guts to do - all so he can go and Live The Dream. For the first time since he was 14, he is now officially Unemployed, not to mention Homeless.... scary things to be when you're 50. Still, this is part of what it costs to follow your dreams.

(for those of you who crave a little adventure without the sacrifice, you can live vicariously through Darren by following his blog on rtwtravels.com)

So, a little more than a year ago, he began planning his Round The World Adventure, a two year journey to go around the world and see and do all of the things he has always dreamed about.  A 17-day bike tour through Vietnam, bungee jumping in New Zealand, working in an Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka, and participating in as many of the countless cultural festivals around the world as he can.... these are just a few of the things he has on his agenda for the next two years.  Thankfully, the boy who is "chasing summer" for the next two years is kicking off his journey with 10 days freezing his butt off to hang with us here in Edmonton.  (lucky for him, the -33 cold snap ended before he arrived! but he's still freezing...)

Bon Voyage!  Have some Coconut Cake!

In addition to taking a full day off work just to hang with my uncle (because some things in life are more important than spreadsheets and paperwork.  No, make that ALL things in life...), I also baked up the desserts for his Happy Birthday & Bon Voyage fête last weekend.  What were his requests?  My Coconut Cake (aka my "When Harry Met Sally Cake), because he loves coconut, and his favourite dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding. Done and done! Into the kitchen I go!

My hugs in luggage tag form

Nothing makes me happier than to bake for people I care about, so I was especially happy to see how much D loved these desserts.  Between groans of delight, he was gushing with compliments ("Oh my god, this is the *best* Sticky Toffee Pudding I have ever tasted!" and "This Coconut Cake tastes better than any Bounty Bar, and they're my favourite!") - all of which makes me grin from ear to ear.  I'm so incredibly proud of him that I just want to spoil him as much as I can before tomorrow, when he literally heads off into the world, and I don't know exactly when (or where) I will see him again.... To remind him that I love him and that I'm proud of him, I also gave him these gorgeous luggage tags from Of The Fountain on Etsy.  The quote is absolutely perfect, and they don't add too much weight to the 60 litre backpack that he will be living out of for the next 730 days.  (can you imagine?)  Hopefully, if he ever finds himself a little heartsick for family and old friends, he will look at these luggage tags and smile, and know they also carry all the love and hugs and kisses that I have for him.

So, to my darling uncle... Thank you for being such an important part of my childhood, and my adulthood,  for walking me down the aisle on my wedding day, and for every time you made me laugh until my cheeks hurt.  Thank you for being my hero and my inspiration.  I love you with all my heart.  To quote E.E. Cummings.... "I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)".  Go live your dreams......

Oh yeah - and Thank You for including one winter destination and freezing your butt off just so we can all wish you Bon Voyage in person.  XOXOX

Sticky Toffee Pudding Send Off

Sticky Toffee Pudding
from Cook's Illustrated
serves 8-10

250g (1 1/4 Cups) whole dates, pitted, cut into 1/4-inch slices
180ml (3/4 Cup) warm water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

178g (1 11/4 Cups) unbleached all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
150g (3/4 Cup) brown sugar, light or dark
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
60g (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Toffee Sauce
113g (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter
200g (1 Cup) brown sugar, light or dark
180ml (2/3 Cup) heavy cream
1 tablespoon rum
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Directions
For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8-inch square baking dish and set it in large roasting pan lined with clean towel. Bring kettle or large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.
Combine half of dates with water and baking soda in glass measuring cup (dates should be submerged beneath water) and soak for 5 minutes. Drain dates, reserving liquid, and transfer to medium bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in another medium bowl.
Process remaining dates and brown sugar in food processor until just blended, about five 1-second pulses. Add reserved soaking liquid, eggs, and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds. With food processor running, pour melted butter through feed tube in steady stream. Transfer this mixture to bowl with softened dates.
Gently stir dry mixture into wet mixture until just combined and date pieces are evenly dispersed. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Add enough boiling water to reach halfway up sides and cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until outer 2 inches develop small holes and center has puffed and is firm to touch, about 40 minutes. Immediately remove dish from water bath and set on wire rack.
For the toffee sauce: Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar until smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture looks puffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly pour in cream and rum, whisk just to combine, reduce heat, and simmer until frothy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
Liberally poke top of pudding with paring knife or wooden skewer; pour toffee sauce over pudding and allow the sauce to be soaked up by the sticky toffee sponge.   Cool for 10 minutes, cut into squares, and serve accompanied by crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream.

As this dish is best served warm, re-heat it briefly in the microwave before serving if need be.

Delectable delights in San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

For hubby and I, one of our favourite things to do together is travel - get out there and experience new places, check out the local museums, shop (ya, that might be more "me" than hubby there), take loads of pictures and, of course, taste the local cuisine.  We like to see as much as we can of a new place, and for us, that means lots of our time is spent walking - I've gotten some pretty decent blisters in some of the most beautiful cities in the world.  This year, after a summer that ended up being far more hectic than we had anticipated, hubby and I were both in need of some serious R&R.  A brief amount of surf time on the net showed there were some great deals to be had for San Francisco, which was perfect because, while it's always been on the very long list of places we want to see, it had yet to be checked off.  I made sure we could both get the time off work, booked the flight and hotel and started counting down...

Our countdown time was still busy enough that I didn't even have time to do my customary research-everything-to-death-before-we-go.  In fact, I didn't even start packing until the night before our early morning flight, which had me freaking out just a bit.  You have to understand, I come from a family of Planners, with a capital 'P' - I can guarantee you that my mom has a packing list already started for their Asian cruise next April.  So the fact that I was so unprepared meant that hubby had to take the dogs out to doggy camp on his own while I stayed home to pack.  The irony is, by leaving the packing until the last minute (coupled with the fact that it was a short trip we were headed on), meant that for the first time in my life, I didn't overpack!  I've been a member at Over-Packers Anonymous for quite a while, and I may finally have turned a corner! Woohoo!

The famous San Francisco Cable Cars

Even though our trip was only 4 days, it felt like longer and was exactly what we needed.  Even better, the weather was perfect - sunny and 19˚C the whole time, which the locals told us was a nice change from the foggy and colder-than-usual summer they'd had.  We did a lot of sightseeing, a bit of shopping,  mile after mile of walking (of course), rode the famous cable cars and ate some absolutely incredible meals. Gastronomically speaking, here are some of the highlights:

Our first night, we decided to check out Café de la Presse, at the recommendation of Stephanie over at Desserts for Breakfast (I like the way she thinks!).  A charming French restaurant not far from Union Square, it has a simple but thoroughly French menu.  From start to finish, the entire meal was very good:  soupe à l'oignon, salade aux petit lardons, cassoulet and poulet rôti, all accompanied by the most authentic and delicious baguette I have tasted this side of the Atlantic.  For dessert, we shared a classic tarte tatin, even though we were both full from dinner (I, of all people, should know better!).  The only flaw in an otherwise evening was that the restaurant was quite warm that night, and right about the time we were waiting for our café & dessert, it became uncomfortably so.  Had it not become such a sauna, we likely would have stayed another 30-40 minutes and ended the meal at a more leisurely pace - but thankfully, the cool evening air on the walk home was the perfect fix.



Alcatraz shrouded in fog

 The next day, after returning from our obligatory-but-not-disappointing visit to Alcatraz, we immediately hopped on the ferry to Sausalito, just in time for lunch. It seems that the restaurants along the main street experience a huge surge once the ferry docks, and after passing huge lineups at a few restaurants that weren't all that enticing, we decided to wander further afield - in only makes sense that there would be more restaurants that the locals prefer, a block or two away from the touristy main drag. Sure enough, we happened upon the only restaurant that didn't have a lineup (normally, not an encouraging sign) Piccolo Teatro di Sausalito. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why there wasn't a huge wait for this place - the service was excellent, and the meal was superb. I had the Pulled Porchetta Panino, with a fennel & basic pesto, but I still had to have a taste of hubby's Lamb Burger. We capped it all off with really really good, authentic cappuccinos and sharing a strawberry panna cotta do good it made me want to weep. Sharing it was a huge mistake... I applaud Chef Amey Shaw and her staff for a lunch so good, it eclipsed our meal from the night before.

Sausalito

Since we were "conveniently" so close, we took a cab to the neighbouring town of Mill Valley, for a bit of shopping at the culinary boutique, Tyler Florence Mill Valley.  It is a gorgeous little shop, and the mix of elegant kitchen antiques and vintage silverware that they offer in addition to the high end cookware, tableware, and cooks tools adds a lot of charm and personality into what could have been "just another cookware store".  I read that Tyler's Mrs, Tolan, actually does a lot of the buying for the shop and she has a sharp eye for very pretty things.  I left the shop with a bag of goodies, but sadly I couldn't quite justify the price of the gorgeous cook's apron and towels that seem to have been made exclusively for the shop (of course, that hasn't stopped me from coveting them).  Mill Valley also has a number of home decor stores, antique shops and one hilarious card shop - it's a lovely town to spend an afternoon in.


Tyler Florence ~ Mill Valley

Saturday, we walked down to the SFMoMA for a dose of art and somehow managed to get back onto desserts (I'm as shocked as you are!).  We stopped at the MoMA Rooftop Café for something to drink and discovered the ingenious dessert creations of Blue Bottle Coffee Co's pastry chef Caitlin Freeman; a stunning display of desserts inspired by current exhibits featured at the museum.  Hubby had already ordered me what turned out to be the best affogato I have ever had, but I'm sure that every one of the sweet treats are as delicious as they are beautiful.  To support my thesis, I present the following mouth-watering evidence....

Dessert imitates Art....

Mondrian Cake... definitely on my "to-do" list!



if only the wrapper were edible...



AKA "Eat Your Own Richard Serra"

I want this cup of million dollar hot chocolate!



the Ellsworth Kelly Fudgsicle




the blueprints for a cool, caffeinated treat



BEST. AFFOGATO. EVER!!!

On Sunday, we started out towards Golden Gate Park, but got sidetracked by a shoe sale - which I left empty handed, but hubby scored two new pairs. This meant we would have been pretty rushed for the rest of the afternoon, so we just walked and wandered: making our way through Chinatown and several shops on Market Street. In Westfield Centre, we found a fantastic and ingenious chocolate boutique called Cocoa Bella. It's unique because they don't actually make any chocolates of their own - instead, they source high quality, delicious chocolates from artisanal chocolatiers from around the world. Averaging about $2 apiece, I could have spent a *lot* of money on chocolates that afternoon, but after about 10 minutes of drooling on the display case, I finally selected a handful of flavours to try: Rosemary Caramel, Strawberry Balsamic, Crème Brulée, Key Lime, Lemon Cup and Rose Caramel.... every one of them, exquisite. Had we found this shop on day one instead of 4, we'd have brought home even more of them to try. With only two shops, both located in San Francisco, I'm not sure when I'll get back to try some more. Sure, they have an online store, but they only ship overnight within the US. Maybe I'll get some shipped to Sis's place when we're there for Christmas...





San Francisco's Chinatown

For our last meal in the city by the bay, we made reservations at Tyler Florence's brand new restaurant, Wayfare Tavern.  From the moment you enter, it's clear that a great deal of thought went into absolutely every detail of the restaurant.  From the decor of the room, right down to the etched glass water bottles, napkins and cast aluminum charger plates, sugar & cream set - not a single thing has been overlooked.  My only hope is that is stays this way... I tend to be a detail person, and hubby and I are always surprised when we go out to a nice restaurant only to find the handle on the cream pitcher is broken or the table is wobbly, etc.  It's pretty clear that Tyler and his team spared no expense on elegant touches like custom dishes and linens, so it would be shame to see that aspect of the restaurant go downhill as time passes and things naturally start to wear or dishes get broken - our server told us the restaurant only opened at the end of July, so it's all still shiny and new. As for the food (because let's face it, that's really why we were here)  the food was absolutely fantastic: the popovers served for bread were perfection - crisp and puffy with a custardy interior... so good that hubby actually enjoyed seconds before our appetizers arrived.  Dinner itself was off to a great start with the Salt Roasted Bone Marrow for him, and the Figs on a Plate for me.  Just writing this post, I am craving another taste of that creamy burrata cheese with fresh figs, onions & dressing (soooo good - I want to eat that every night).  For dinner, I went with the incredibly moist and tender Fried Chicken & Fries, while hubby had the Smoked Pork Chop - incredibly tasty with grilled peaches, almond butter and fennel.  The entire meal was impeccable, so of course we had to make sure dessert was equally good.  Hubby had the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, and tried to sway me from my choice of the Fig Semifreddo, since I had the figs as a starter.  As good as his cake was, I did good by going with the figs again - it was incredible.  We were absolutely stuffed, but the entire meal had surpassed my expectations, so it was a pleasurable pain... right up until our server delivered two warm, soft ginger cookies to our table - the customary treat they serve at the end of a meal at Wayfare Tavern.  Of course, I couldn't say no but hubby couldn't eat another bite, so I tucked his cookie into a napkin for him to enjoy later, and to the hotel we waddled to pack for our early morning flight home.

Four days in San Francisco proved to be the perfect remedy for our summertime exhaustion, but we're already itching for another get-away.... guess we'll just have to hang in there until Christmas, when we head back to California to spend the holidays with Sis & her family.  For now, I'll leave you with a couple of shots of the fabulous vintage trolley cars of San Francisco, still in operation but living in the shadows of their cable car cousins....





San Fran's super-cool trolley cars



Very retro and still running!