Ryan, Sami, and I fetched our car and drove off to Modena, leaving La Spezia and Cinque Terre behind. Sami drove while Ryan navigated over the winding hills and valleys until we got to the Emilia-Romagna region. We were in a rush, trying to get to the Pagani factory four our 11 am tour in English. I […]
Food
Rum Crème Brûlée

Kiku Corner is on a crème brûlée roll, and for our dad’s birthday I made another version: rum crème brûlée. Instead of the plain vanilla or maple-flavoured crème brûlées of the past year, this time I used brown sugar and Kraken dark spiced rum to give the creamy dessert a Caribbean twist. I’m more and more […]
Schwarzwälder Kirsch Trifle – Black Forest Trifle

I made this Black Forest Trifle for our family’s Christmas Eve dessert. A few years ago I made another trifle, but our mom said it wasn’t boozy enough. So this time, I used a LOT of rum! This recipe needs a round of day-old chocolate cake, either one from a mix, a one-bowl chocolate cake, […]
Toronto Eats: Bar Begonia

Tomiko passed her CPA exam, so the whole family went to the nearby Bar Begonia to celebrate. Bar Begonia is a Parisian cocktail bar by Anthony Rose, a restaurateur who has several restaurants along Dupont St (as well as other neighbourhoods) in Toronto. The building is a weird, almost ziggurat shape that has been empty […]
Savoury Gorgonzola Rosemary Shortbread

Gorgonzola rosemary shortbread cookies are a perfect hors d’oeuvre for the holidays. They are buttery, salty, cheesy, a tiny bit stinky, and very, very moreish.