Posts tagged caramel
Gastronomy and Life's Other Pleasures
Follow me on my gastronomic adventures!
Truffles from Crazy4Chocolate
The husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Sue, owner and chocolate magician of Crazy4Chocolate, an Ottawa-based truffles company, at the Wed by Hand show this past February.
We got to sample a number of her truffles at the show, and we were impressed! So, when it came to choosing our wedding favours, we chose Sue’s truffles. We decided on the maple truffle (the one covered in little maple sugar bits in the photo) and the mimosa truffle, an orange flavoured white chocolate dream (the white truffle with orange sprinkles in the photo above). The foursome in my photo is a little pack that Sue gave to us as a little thank you! She is the best.
Our guests loved the truffles and so did we. Click on the photo for a link to Sue’s website.
Breakfast at Eggstyle (again)
The fiancé adores Eggstyle, so much so that he begs me to go there every weekend. Most of the time I say no, but even I have to give in every once in a while! haha
We try something different each visit, and this time we set our sights on the french toast. But not just any french toast: apple bread french toast! Two generous pieces of apple bread dipped in french toast batter, grilled and topped with hot cinnamon apples, yogurt, caramel and toasted almonds. It was quite a treat! The bread was fluffy and light and the combination of the apples, yogurt, caramel and almonds was a delightful taste and textural adventure.
This newly relocated shop has nestled itself in the Hintonburg neighbourhood (on Wellington St. West between Holland and Parkdale) which, lucky for me, is very close to my workplace. Formerly of Greenbank Road, this lovely shop is filled with all sorts of treats: cookies, custom cakes, cupcakes and other baked goods.
While browsing in the store, the boyfriend and I sampled some of their shortbread cookies, which were delicious. They have a huge wall filled with unique flavours of shortbread cookies (photos to come in another post).
But what really brought us to the shop was to sample the cupcakes. We still haven’t tired of the cupcake craze and are always up for trying out new spots! We settled on the rolo and red velvet. Both were fantastic - the cake was very moist and light. The cream cheese icing on the red velvet was fluffy and not deathly sweet and the ganache and caramel top of the rolo cupcake was perfect.
The shop itself is super funky with a modern pink theme interior and a number of tables to sit and enjoy your purchase. We will definitely be back to sample some more!
SuzyQ Doughnuts
As I was mentioning in a previous post, one recent weekend was all about enjoying the little things, including these SuzyQ doughnuts…..mmmmmmmmmm, doughnuts!
Fresh, hot, chewy and oh so delicious, SuzyQ’s doughnuts are not to be missed. We scarfed down three in the parking lot on our visit: blueberry buttermilk; lime margarita (non-alcoholic of course); and caramel skor. Our favourite was the lime margarita as it was just so flavourful - you could see the little bits of what we assumed were grated lime rind and it was sprinkled with fleur de sel, just like a salt-rimmed margarita glass! I truly hope that this little business continues to be a success so we can be treated to these little gems!
Read the story of how SuzyQ’s came to be on Ottawa Magazine’s website here. Follow SuzyQ’s Doughnut on Twitter here.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread Pudding with Candied Bacon
I had the pleasure of enjoying this delectable looking delight with the boyfriend and my sister a few weeks ago. I haven’t experienced the pleasure of bread pudding too many times in my life, but this was to die for. So chocolatey/peanut buttery and moist, topped with a heap of fresh whipped cream and candied bacon, nestled into a warm gooey puddle of caramel sauce….are you drooling yet? We sure did! This dessert disappeared in mere moments! Definitely one that will not soon be forgotten.
Banoffee Pie
For my birthday, I treated myself to something new, something I’ve never had before: banoffee pie!
I decided to check out Thyme and Again’s January dessert menu, and I was delightfully surprised when I saw they had banoffee pie available to take home.
Not knowing exactly what to expect, the boyfriend and I sliced up the pie and dove in to our ooey gooey slices. It was fantastic! The combination of the moist graham crust, the oozing caramel/banana centre, and the massive amount of whip cream was sinfully delicious! I would definitely buy this again.
Coffee-filled mornings in Barbados
While staying in Barbados last year, my friend and I found a little cafe serving up delicious coffee, lattes, and other caffeine-laced drinks, as well as delicious baked goodies. We enjoyed many a start to our day at this peaceful cafe, which sat directly near a large pond with the most beautiful aquatic flowers. I really wish I could go back every day!
Here, I am enjoying an iced banana caramel latte and my friend has her favourite, and iced chai latte. Yum.
The desserts at Play are a must. They have a fabulous selection to amuse any tastebuds. This delectable combination of ice cream, caramel and brownie was lustful! A perfect end to my friend`s birthday celebration. And the zany piece of peanut brittle was a nice crunchy boost!
