I (we) can’t believe there are only a mere 4 months left before our wedding day. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the news of our engagement and enjoying beautiful summer sunshine with our friends and family. I’m thankful that we have been able to pace ourselves with our wedding planning, and feeling blessed that we both still have the patience to remind each other to ‘keep calm, and carry on’. Luckily, both B and I are DIY kinds of people, and so our mini projects here and there for the wedding has helped to calm the nerves a bit (because we enjoy the creation process).

To some, it may seem stressful to do planning on your own and I won’t lie, it isn’t a breeze. But we figured we’d try to save some money, and the time we spend telling our planner the things we want/need, we might as well do it ourselves. We think it’s helpful to have someone coordinate many aspects of the wedding day though, especially the day of. I can’t imagine having to worry about when the caterer is supposed to arrive or if the cutlery is placed properly while doing my hair and makeup. :/ We decided to hire a day of coordinator (which is significantly cheaper than hiring a wedding planner for the whole thing, she even works specifically at our venue so she knows all the ins and outs), to relieve some of the day of stress.

Decor wise, we have decided to take it into our own hands to create unique and meaningful pieces for our reception. Hopefully our guests will appreciate them and they will all look good together! lol But if not, that’s just a small tidbit of a beautiful and happy day that we are so looking forward to.

One friendly word of advice though if you plan on doing most of the wedding planning yourself…. GOOGLE DOC EXCEL will be your best friend. I don’t know where I’d be without it. Thank you GOOGLE!

Anyway, we have just finished the creating our wedding invites and plan to send them out this week. If you are reading this, that is probably what brought you here to rsvp . We are excited that the final pieces are falling into place. Although there is still TONS to get done, we are fortunate to have friends and family to call on when we need a helping hand. The next 4 months are going to be crazy busy.. but we’ll try and send some updates along the way!

From this whole ordeal however, both my family and Ben’s family have been beyond supportive in helping me adjust to life with the condition. Stuff like, making sure what they cook for me does not contain mega amounts of Vitamin K (which produces more blood than I can handle right now since I’m on blood thinning meds), researching causes/effects of the medication, driving me to check ups and to run errands when I needed, staying with me at the hospital when I was admitted, cooking for me, following up with school stuff for me while I was transitioning the new teacher taking over my class for the time being and a million other things that I can hardly remember. I am so grateful for their care and love. Especially to my soon to be husband, I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. He consistently reassures me and has been doing everything in his power to make sure I am okay. To my beautiful and thoughtful friends far and wide for their positive vibes, follow ups and visits. I was telling Ben that though my condition if worse, could possibly be fatal, I was happy with all the wonderful blessings that I have in my life and SO happy with how things have turned out. BUT, thank goodness I’m getting better now it seems, so nothing to worry about.

Once I started feeling a bit better, I have been out and about (with moderation of course) doing some wedding planning. It’s been nice to get a few things checked off the list. Moving forward, I am sure I’m going to be updating more about wedding preparations and all the exciting things that will be coming our way. So far, I have found my wedding dress (that my mom loves), we have our venue, photographer, DJ, make up and hair booked. We will be finalizing our caterer and the people who will help us with our DIY and decorating soon too. So mostly just the little DIY things will be left to do. YAY!

This weekend, Ben and I got our ‘couple rings’ from back in 2007 resized so we can use them as our wedding bands. Though, a flashy new diamond ring would be lovely (haha) I love the sentiment behind doing it this way, as it’s simply more meaningful for us . Now we’ve put them away though since wearing them for so many years, it is taking some time to adjust to , but we want to keep them clean and shiny for the big day in June!

For the next several months, my girls will be busy planning my bridal shower and bachelorette parties. I’m excited for what they will come up with, as I know it will be AMAZING! I will profile each lady closer to the wedding date so you all can get to know why I chose them to be my girls!

For now, wedding stuff will be slightly on hold as we will try to enjoy all the festive gatherings planned for this holiday (Big bro is back in town too ). Happy holidays to everyone far and near, hopefully soon I can update this blog again with more cooking and recipes.. I haven’t done that in SO long!!!!! I miss it so much .. hehe.

The last four months brought many wonderful blessings, which I will forever be grateful for. Who would have thought that last August when I was all set to leave and teach in Korea for a year, that I would be back in one month’s time, supply teach at the school board of my choice, land a short 4 month 1/2 day job teaching at the school board with the same class everyday (LTO), and then a full day LTO (which lasted me until the end of the school year).

As if that rush of opportunity wasn’t enough, I also had an interview with York Region District School Board for a full time permanent job towards the end of June, and was later offered the job at a school close by that will start in Sept 2012 (the bonus is that it’s a school that I have worked at before, and teach a grade 3/4 class with a little French ). For those of you familiar with the teaching industry, over the last several years, it has been tough finding permanent work in the field due to a surplus of teachers and declining enrolment. Lucky for me, I was able to secure something shortly after finishing teacher’s college which looking back was quite a risk, quitting my corporate job.

Then came mid July, and after 6.5 years of dating, Ben decided to propose and I said yes! (The exact date was on July 20th in case anyone was wondering ). I have to admit the recent ride has been pretty nice. My goals from the past year have been achieved, and my wishes for the year 2012 have so far been granted. I could not be happier with how my 27th year has unfolded.

I feel as though I have won the life lottery! With hard work, perseverance and optimism anything is possible. I thank every single one of my family and friends for their unconditional support. Though I don’t get to see each and everyone of them everyday, they have given me the security and sensitivity that I needed to take risks, explore and focus on what I was trying to do. So, from the bottom of my heart… THANK YOU!

Now, I know most people reading this probably want to know the “Proposal Story”. Let me just start with, whatever Ben has told you is an inaccurate account. He only wishes it happened that way.

So rewind to Friday, July 20th, 2012. Probably like over a month ago, Ben had suggested that he take a day off to spend some time with me since the whole summer, every weekend was basically either helping friends with their weddings or attending a wedding. Sounded like a good plan to me! So he had taken the day off way in advance and we had talked about going to pick up an eye piece for his telescope (I was going to buy it for him for his birthday which is this coming Saturday.. so to me, everything made sense). So when he came to pick me up from the condo, he knocked on the door and walked in with a bag that we had seen before downtown near Kensington Market. He said he bought it for me to use on our upcoming trip to France and also as a ‘school bag’ for when I start teaching in the Fall. Everything still made sense. He told me open the bag and inside was a polaroid camera and some film. He knows I love Instagram, so in my mind, it still made sense that he got me a polaroid, to snap pictures all day!

OK fine, a guess a little part of me was thinking, what is with all the gifts??? It’s not my birthday….. then at the bottom of the bag was a mahogany square box. I gasped a little inside and didn’t take the box out. He told me to take it out.. but I did and then threw it back to him without sneaking a peak. I was feeling really shy and nervous for some reason and put my arm around his arm and hid my face behind him. He insisted I sit down, but I didn’t budge and just kept laughing, giggling, saying random things like.. “Imagine it was a pair of earrings inside and I’m getting freaked out for no reason?” He didn’t answer me but continued to ask me to sit down on the couch. lol

Finally, I obliged. Then he got down on one knee and opened the box in front of me and asked me to marry him. At this point I still did not look him in the face. lol I was shy and all I could think was… this is really happening…I tried to pick at the ring but he made me say yes before he took it out of the box and put it on my finger.. so of course, I said YES!

After some hugging and looking at my new pretty piece of jewelry, he said, “Pack your bags! We’re going on a overnight road trip.” For those who know me, I usually live my life with a plan. So definitely this unexpected trip caught me off guard and I was frantically packing away. lol He then pulled out a dress that he had bought me from BCBG that he said I could wear that night for dinner. It was very pretty, and perfect for the occasion! (white and long).

At this point I’m a bit overwhelmed already with all the presents and excited about our trip away. He called my grandmother in HK for me and told me to tell her the good news! Everything started to sink in.. I also called my mom to tell her the news and told her I’d be leaving town for a night for this surprise trip away and would see them on Sunday.

We then went to grab a bite before our drive. Meanwhile I’m texting and calling friends to let them know the good news . I’m also using my new polaroid camera to snap pictures as our day progresses (Ben mentioned that he got the camera because he remembered I wanted to have our proposal documented, and though we were too frazzled during the actual ‘popping of the question’ to take any photos.. this was just as good ). On our way, I realized we were headed to Niagara-On-the-Lake, one of my favourite places in Ontario. Last time we went was during the winter time, when we stayed at the Pillar and Post. It was such a great trip, so Ben I guess decided that we should come back. He turned into the Queens Landing Hotel and I was quite impressed. I was still talking on the phone mind you to my girlfriend and insisted that he let me finish the call before I went inside to check in. He continued to motion me to go inside so I kept chatting and walking.

Once inside, we walked through the restaurant towards the back patio, and in a flash, I saw the backs of his parents, my parents and his brother. I could not believe it. They were all there waiting for us to arrive. lol I immediately told my friend, “Umm.. I’ll call you back”… lol

It was a happy moment, and I couldn’t believe Ben had planned for them to stay and join in on the fun! He told me we said we wanted to bring our parents here eventually, and so he did. Thank you to my parents and his brother for taking the day off, and to his parents for coming to join us! Too bad my brother is in HK and couldn’t come back to join us, but I’m glad we were able to share the happy moment with most of our families. For the rest of the day, we talked and walked around the streets of Niagara and got ready for dinner at Canary Restaurant inside Pillar and Post.

For dinner, I put on my new dress and realized I didn’t bring a necklace since it was a sweetheart neck line. As soon as I said it out loud, Ben said he had prepared a last surprise for me, a new pearl necklace to go with this and my other outfits. It was really just perfect. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out at the pool/hot springs there after dinner and then spent the next day touring wineries before heading back to Toronto.

It was a great two days and the perfect proposal in my mind. He had everything planned and back up plans for his plans and I’m glad we can now look forward to the day we officially tie the knot! It has been an amazing month so far…. and in a couple days, we will be off to France and Switzerland for 10 days for an engagement honeymoon/pre-wedding-honeymoon.

The last two weeks have been a blessing. Actually, life is a blessing and the last two weeks were a great blessing. To make a long story short, I finally have the chance to teach in my own classroom!!!!! Who gets excited for work?!?! I DO! So, until the end of the school year, I will be teaching Grade 3 in an amazing school (yeah I already know this, because the first impressions of it were simply so wonderful!), and although I am crazy nervous that I will be finally the lone person in front of the class teaching these kiddies, I am really excited for the new learning experience (for both me and my kids)! Thank you to my wonderful family, b and friends for their endless support during my journey since leaving the corporate world back in 2009. I can’t believe it already has been so many years since then. Seems like just yesterday…

Anyway, thank goodness for March Break this week! The extra week will give me some extra planning time as I start a bunch of new units with the students. I have already been warned that once we are back to school after March Break, it’s full speed ahead until the end of the school year. I KNOW the weeks will just fly by! I am excited though and hopeful that I will have another opportunity to have my own class in the upcoming school year, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I will focus on doing really well for this school year and see where life will take me. Things will be OK. I know it. I hope things are going just as amazing for everyone else. My mom sent me this today which I think is a good reminder for all of us, even if you are not a religious person. It puts life into perspective. If things get rough, talk to someone and keep pushing forward with positivity. You can only go up from here. xoxo

It’s been a while since the last time I’ve made/had tiramisu so here is another simple recipe sans alcohol (since I didn’t have any on hand) that you can try. It took less than 30 mins to whip up (with all the ingredients on hand) and basically if you can resist, let it sit in the fridge overnight for maximum deliciousness. I found this time I didn’t soak the ladyfingers as long in the coffee because I prefer a bit of a ‘bite’ to my cake instead of it being so soggy. Anyway, just a personal preference, you can soak for longer if you wish!

Recipe is from the back of the Savoiardi Lady Fingers packaging that I found at No Frills.

Tiramisu (serves about 12-15 people)

Stuff I used:

475g of mascarpone cheese (the original recipe says 500g but one tub was 475, I wasn’t going to buy an extra one for that 5 grs lol so this amount was totally fine in the end )
6 eggs
150g sugar
500mL of 35% cream (heavy whipping cream)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 lt. of espresso coffee
2oz of alcohol (I didn’t use any in mine)
unsweetened cocoa powder to sprinkle

Putting it all together:

1. Whip the cream with the mixer and add 100gr of sugar until it becomes whipped cream consistency. Place in fridge as you prepare everything else.
2. Boil water and prepare your espresso. Set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl, crack open 5 eggs, using only the yolks and 1 whole egg. Mix well with a whisk, then add the mascarpone cheese, the remaining 50gr of sugar and the vanilla extract. Mix until everything is combined and smooth.
4. Take out the whipped cream mixture and add the cheese mixture to the bowl. Whisk until everything is combined well.
5. Dip each lady finger, (sugar side) into the coffee (and alcohol mixture if you are using) and count to 10. Place dry side down on your tiramisu pan and line the up side by side. Once you have a layer of lady fingers, spread on a layer of the cheese and cream mixture. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Then repeat the process of lady fingers, cheese and cocoa powder. I like to arrange the lady fingers in alternate ways at each layer. So, if I started with lining them up vertically, I will continue horizontally the next time.
6. Place the whole thing in the fridge to settle for at least a few hours or overnight.

Over the holidays (I know this post is SO delayed.. lol), there are always many dinners and parties to attend to. This past year, I wanted to try something different. Since the bf loves beer, and I’ve heard before about using it in cooking, I decided to make Beer Can Chicken, then Beer Can Duck. Though most recipes online feature Beer Can Chicken, after making it, I felt the same procedures and principles would apply if I were to cook duck instead. The end result was equally delicious (or maybe even better! But I could be biased, since I like duck more anyway )! The purpose of the beer really was to give meat that slight ‘beer taste’ but essentially to keep the meat moist while roasting. Served with some cranberry sauce and gravy… yum!

You can buy whole young ducks from your local grocery store. I went to Longos and picked up one which serves about 5-6 people. (Maybe 4 people if it’s your main dish).

The bf and I decided that Guinness Beer would best go with the duck so we pick up a can for our roast. (You can use any kind of beer, no specific one is required, as long as it’s in a can!)

Because Guinness Beer has a ‘ball’ inside, we had to cut 1/3 of the top of the can, to take the ball out. For other beers, simply open it and you are good to go! We were worried the ball inside would not do well in the hot oven.

Beer Can Duck (adapated from this)

Stuff I used:

1 whole duck (It was medium sized, I forgot how many pounds it was )
1 beer can
4 cloves of garlic
(spice/flavour rub: oregano, orange juice, olive oil, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper)

Putting it all together:

1. It’s best to marinate your meat overnight or for at least 6 hours before roasting. Clean the inside and outside of your duck using running water, removing the head and neck from the insides (you may need a little tug to clean everything out)
2. Coat the duck with the spice/flavour rub inside and out. If you can, add some of the rub to the layer just underneath the skin. Tuck the whole peeled garlic cloves just underneath the skin layer as well.
3. Set it to marinate.
4. When ready, preheat the oven to 350F. Meanwhile, prepare your Guinness can of beer.
5. You may need a second pair of hands for this, but place your beer can upright inside a roasting pan, and lift your duck vertically and place the can inside the bottom opening of the duck so it stands upright.
6. I covered the duck with tin foil (just gently, don’t need to seal) and bake for about 2 hours.
7. You can check the ‘doneness’ of the meat since I didn’t have a thermometer, by poking at the thigh part to see if the meat is still raw or if the liquid that comes out is super pink.
8. After the 2 hours, I removed, the top tin foil and let it bake at a slightly higher temperature (say 375F) for another 15 or so to brown the top.
9. Remove from oven and let it cool before cutting, and removing the beer can (about 10-15 minutes).

** I made a simple cranberry sauce using frozen cranberries, some sugar and gelatin as a dipping sauce along with some gravy.

Crunchy. Sweet. Light. That’s how I would describe dacquoise. It sounds so fancy but it’s actually really easy to make! Today, the bf was craving something sweet, and I just happen to have bookmarked a recipe that I’ve been wanting to try. Needless to say, I was very excited to make this yumminess, especially since he loves the chewy/crunchy texture of macaron shells (he always picks at it when I make it!) and this is very similar to that taste/texture. I decided instead of almonds, to use pistachios (since I love them) and see if the results would be similar. Tasted great to me! I then layered and topped the dacquoise with some strawberries and mango whipped cream filling. Delicious! (as my friend Eugene would say) haha.

Pistachio Dacquoise with Strawberries and Mango Whipped Cream

Makes about 6 palm sized dacquoise pieces

Stuff I used:

Dacquoise
1/3 cup of pistachio meal (ground pistachio)
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 egg whites
1/3 cups sugar + 1 tablespoon of sugar

Whipped Topping/Filling
1 1/4 cup of heavy cream (35%)
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (or however much you like depending on how sweet you want your whipped cream)
1 mango (peeled and chopped)
1 cup of strawberries chopped

Putting it all together:

1. Start by preheating oven to 225F.
2. Ground pistachios in a food processor until fine. (Optional: you can toast the whole pistachios first)

3. Once you obtain pistachio meal, add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and incorporate. Set aside.
4. Next, using a mixer, beat the egg whites on low until it becomes foamy (about 1 minute). Add the 1 tablespoon of sugar in, and continue to whisk, increasing the speed until you see soft peaks. Finally, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of sugar into the egg white mixture and beat until firm peaks.
5. Once the egg whites form stiff peaks, incorporate the pistachio meal mixture by folding. For those of you unfamiliar with how to ‘fold’, basically using a spatula, cut down the middle of your mixture, scoop around the edge, rotate the bowl and repeat!
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment. You could trace circles, but I was lazy and just decided to pipe free hand.
7. Since I did not have a proper piping tip, (large round tip) I simply used a ziplock bag and cut a hole in the corner. Pipe your egg white mixture out in the shape of discs or whatever shape you like for that matter!
8. Bake in oven for about 70 minutes. You want to ‘dry’ out your dacquoise but not burn them! I like mine a little brown though.

9. Finally, whipped cream time! I like to put my mixing bowl in the freezer before I use it to make the whipped cream. I remember reading somewhere it makes it whip better and holds the cream better . Start whipping the cream, add the vanilla extract and gradually add as much powdered sugar as desired. Whip until you feel it looks firm enough to be whipped cream (some people prefer lighter and fluffier, some people prefer stiffer).
10. Fold in the mango and strawberry pieces and assemble your tower!

11. Dust with icing sugar as garnish.

My friends all know I love to cook/bake and eat. haha. So a dear friend gave me this Porcini Mushroom Balsamic Glaze as one of my birthday presents (along with many other goodies from PC’s black label line of products) because she wants me to make her dinner! haha She had first tasted it when another one of my dear friends recommended it when they enjoyed risotto made with it. These girls definitely did not lead me astray. Though my friend didn’t get to taste it this time, I’m excited to make this dish for her using this glaze next time when she’s over!

Here’s what the bottle looks like. She loves black, so maybe that’s what enticed her to buy it… o.O lol

Egg White Pasta with Cream and Porcini Mushroom Balsamic Glaze

Makes 2 portions

Stuff I used (I eye-balled everything so the ingredients may be a bit off, adjust according to taste):

1/2 bag of PC Yolk-less Extra Broad Noodles (Egg white pasta)
1 cup of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of the porcini mushroom balsamic glaze
2 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 shallot (or 1/2 an onion)
2 cloves of garlic
4 king mushrooms cut into slices
bunch of spinach
salt and pepper
cheese (optional)

Putting it all together:

1. Boil water to cook the pasta in a medium sized pot. Season with salt as soon as it boils and throw the pasta into the pot. Taste to see when they are cooked through.
2. As the pasta is cooking, cook the garlic, onion/shallot until fragrant on medium heat. Then, add the chicken and mushrooms to the pan and cook until the chicken meat is no longer pink and mushrooms are tender.
3. Pour heavy cream and mushroom glaze into chicken and mushroom pan. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
5. Drain the pasta from the pot and add directly to the chicken/mushroom/spinach sauce pan.
6. Sprinkle with cheese if desired

A light cream based mushroom sauce is perfect with egg white noodles. Yummy!~

You can find Chinese paper wrapped sponge cakes in many local chinese bakeries. They are light and fluffy with a gentle ‘crust’ on the top. Encased within parchment paper and ‘taller’ than a typical cupcake, they are a nice afternoon treat.

Over the holidays I received these red cupcake liners from a friend, which are not meant for your regular cupcake pans as they are much ‘taller’ than average and require a separate cupcake pan as indicated on the packaging. However, I wanted to experiment and see if they would work with my mini-cupcake pan along with a Chinese sponge cake recipe. After all, these taller cupcake liners would be perfect for the taller Chinese paper wrapped sponge cakes anyway!

source

In most cases, Chinese sponge cake usually looks like this when you buy them at Chinese bakeries. Though mine doesn’t look as authentic, they definitely look more eye catching with the colourful liner. The cake itself definitely lived up to the expectation too!

Paper Wrapped Chinese Sponge Cakes

Stuff I used:

5 eggs (separate yolks and whites)
50 grams of melted unsalted butter (just a little less than 1/2 a stick)
60 mL of milk
100 grams of cake flour (3/4 cup)
80 grams of sugar (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar

Putting it all together:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl, mix melted butter, milk and sifted cake flour until smooth. Don’t over mix.
3. In another bowl, using a hand held whisk, whisk together egg yolks with vanilla and add it to the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth. Don’t over mix.
3. With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until they get foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk. As it gets more foamy and creamy looking add the sugar gradually and beat until soft peaks form.
4. Gently fold egg whites into the flour mixture, in batches, probably takes 3 rounds.
5. Line your mini cupcake tin with the paper liners, and ladle batter into the liners to about 3/4 full.
6. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I turned on the broiler at the end so that the tops would brown more (you can choose to do this if you wish, but make sure you keep an eye on it!)
7. Once you remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let them cool in the tin for about 2 minutes before removing.

They are ready to be shared and enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.

Look at how light and fluffy they are! ^.^

Happy, happy year of the Dragon to all my Chinese friends and family. Chinese New Year (CNY) usually falls in between the months of January and February according to the Lunar Chinese Calendar. Other than the good cheer, festive decorations and friendly gatherings, my FAVOURITE part of celebrating CNY is the delicious food that my parents prepare to welcome the beginning of a new year!

My favourite CNY dessert (or snack) is definitely Nian Gao (or Sticky Brown Sugar Cake). We have always bought the cakes at the local grocery store or restaurant, but this year, we decided to make our own! The chewy, sweet and yummy in your tummy cakes are usually pan fried with egg in my household. I love the crisp crust that forms when you pan fry it, and the savoury egg that it is dipped in beforehand. A super easy recipe that comes from my 婆婆 (Grandma on my mother’s side), that you definitely should try out (even if it’s not CNY!).

Brown Sugar Nian Gao

Stuff I used:

400g glutinous rice flour (1 bag)
6 sticks of brown/black sugar sticks (‘peen tong’)– really just depends on how sweet you want it. (I like mine medium sweet)
500mL of water
sesame seeds & red date for garnish (optional)
1 egg (for serving)

Putting it all together:

Melt the sugar with the water in a small pot and set it aside to cool. Maybe 30 minutes.

Pour the glutinous rice flour into a big bowl and pour the liquid sugar into the flour slowly (bit by bit). Meanwhile, use your hands (I wore a glove) or a spatula to mix the flour and liquid sugar. Keep adding the liquid until all is incorporated and you have almost like a caramel consistency. If you need a bit more water, add a bit more. Adjust your ‘batter’ as needed. Make sure all the clumps are gone and your batter is nice and smooth.

Use vegetable oil to coat the baking pan LIBERALLY. Pour the batter into a baking pan (like this one). It needs to be stainless steel for best results!

Get your steamer ready and once the water boils, place the cake into the steamer and let it steam for 2 hours. As it’s steaming, make sure to check on it often to make sure there is enough hot water in the steamer so that it doesn’t dry out and burn your cooking pan. (I kept a kettle of boiling water and refilled the steamer with water as needed)

Once the 2 hours are up, take the Nian Gao out of the steamer, use paper towel to pat dry the top (there may be some condensation and excess oil) and put a red date and some sesame seeds on top to garnish. Set out on the counter or refrigerate overnight before taking it out of the pan (this part may be tricky since it’s quite sticky, but dampen your hands and use the spatula to flip the cake out of the pan. Finally, it’s ready to eat!

Serving:

I like to pan fry nian gao as I said earlier. Cut slices of the cake to about 1 inch thickness. Beat 1 egg and dip each piece of the cake slices into the beaten egg and coat. Heat a medium sauce pan with some oil and pan fry the little cakes until golden brown. If you use a spatula to ‘poke’ at the cake, it should feel soft and bounce back at you. That’s when it’s heated and ready to eat!

MMmMmmM. :d