Sweet Dream's Review: Burgoo, Vancouver

A good friend has stated numerous times that this particular establishment is delicious. On a hungry Sunday evening we decided to venture into Burgoo. Knowing it is a busy place, we called to make reservations. Interestingly, if reservations are made day of the meal, you must call in the morning, they do not take reservations after. No worries, so we asked how long the wait would be. Approx 20 minutes around 8pm.


So we arrived at 8. Busy with lineup. The waitress said it would be approximately 30-40 minute wait. I was a bit shocked because she said 20 minutes when we called at 7:40 but i don't blame her. It's hard to estimate with so many walk ins.


A great feature they had was the heated patio. Not only was there heat for the diners, but there is also a few seats (5 to be exact) in front of the door which are also heated. Very considerate in my opinion. The wait really was what she had stated earlier. About 30 minutes.


The crowd died down and the 2 of us sat at a booth which was really for about 5-6 people. I'm very picky about seating (I like isolated areas, also roomy seating) so I was feeling pretty good about the experience so far.

Sweet Dream's Brownie Bites with Fudge Frosting

Had an image today on how I would make a perfect brownie consisting of brownie + fudge. If you like eating a mouthful of sugar you've come to the right place! I'll write a slightly different post today showing step by step instructions as well as pros and cons of the recipes. I think this will provide a better understanding for the lovely readers on the recipe results!

Review: Afternoon Tea at Empress Hotel, Victoria BC

Seemingly one of the most famous afternoon tea locations is at Empress Hotel in Victoria. I was there with a few girlfriends for a couple days and interesting enough, no bakery around downtown Victoria that serves afternoon open on Sunday and Monday. Would Sunday not be the most busiest day of the week? 


While Fairmont may be famous for its afternoon tea i'm sure they're also famous for charging extravagant prices. At $59.99, I only went because their competition was closed for the day. 

We ordered 4 sets of afternoon tea, although it looks small in portions we were very much full at the end. 

Chewy Cookies with Chocolate Shavings

I'm sure many people have tried Jacque Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe! 4 years back I saw it on Martha Stewarts website. Every time I make a batch, people can't stop raving about them!! I do slight variations of the recipe. Hope you enjoy.


Important things to note:

• Use COLD butter straight out of the fridge. Cubed. Using butter at room temp spreads the cookies. Even putting the dough in the fridge to chill doesn't help reduce the spreading.
• I make mini cookies using a cookie scoop, or approx 1tablespoon. Bake at 10minutes in gas oven for a nice chewy texture
• I find the amount of chocolate chips used is too much for my liking. I reduced it to 1/4 and used shavings. I probably used way less than an average person would though. Any amount from 0-2pounds still works for these cookies. Adjust to your own taste! :)

Giant Chocolate Cupcake

Finally had a chance to test out the giant cupcake pan by Wilton that I've bought for quite some time. These are sure popular! Three orders for this style in the next two months! Better get testing!!

Important things to note:

• Wilton pan has instructions and also a recipe. Perhaps their recipe works with what they stated; however, it DID NOT apply to the recipe i used. 
• Fill the pan for the bottom portion of the cake, leaving approx 1 inch room at the top instead of 2/3 full
• Fill the pan for top portion completely FULL. I made this mistake and the cake didn't spread to the edges of the pan
• Cake most likely takes longer than 1 hour and 10 minutes. I used a gas stove, took approx 1hr and 25 minutes and the bottom portion couldve still been cooked a little bit longer
• There will be scraps left over as the cake does dome. I've cut off the tops and can be used for cake pops!

Strawberry Lemonade Vodka

1/2 lemon squeezed
5 strawberries
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
ice
1 shot of vodka (I used Grey Goose)

combine sugar and boiling water. Place lemon juice and strawberries in a blender. Then add the sugar liquid and vodka. Blend. Fill the cup with ice and pour in the liquid. Enjoy :)

Matcha ShortBread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 2 tablespoons Chinese green-tea powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or granulated sugar

Directions

1. Sift flour, tea powder, and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar; continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture; combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
2. Place a piece of parchment on a clean surface; dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; chill in refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut chilled dough with 2-inch leaf cutters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to baking sheets. Chill until firm. Gather scraps together, re-roll, chill, and cut shapes. Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack; store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 weeks.