Wedding Cake v.2015

This past weekend, I made a wedding cake for 225 people in my 300 square foot apartment! The challenge became sooo real as I realized that I only have one usable counter space and a dining room table for all of the preparations. However, with a little creative thinking and using all possible surfaces in …

Cakes

I realized that we’ve been a little slow in putting up posts this fall so I figured I’ll put up some Cake Porn while we get our stuff together. These are pictures of a few cakes I’ve made in the past year. It does seem as though flowers were the theme for most of them …

The desserts of Spain

Being completely obsessed with anything dessert, I took advantage of our European adventure to visit some pretty neat pastry shops in Spain and enjoy their traditional and not-so traditional treats. I can honestly say that given better ingredients, North American desserts would be on par with what I tried in many of these places. However, …

Ma Maison Cakes and Macarons – Spring 2013

Just another series of drool worthy cakes and macarons from Ma Maison…

Gordon Ramsay’s Desserts

“Pastry chefs occupy a very special place in the pecking order of a high flying restaurant kitchen, so…I take my dessert skills as seriously as I do all my cooking” – Gordon Ramsay Desserts by Gordon Ramsay is not a new book by any means, but definitely one that needs to be a part of …

MMM (Ma Maison Macarons) continued

So here’s my monthly update on the macaron flavours available at Ma Maison (4243 Dundas St. West, Etobicoke). I’ve been drooling over the pictures for a few days, hope you guys do too! – Apple Pie = Caramelized apples and Cinnamon ganache – Apricot = White chocolate ganache, apricot puree with Peach Schnapps – After …

A journey around Toronto’s pastry world (2)

So here we go again, more pastry talk from our epic journey around Toronto. Last post I talked about Frangipane Patisserie, Nadege, Patachou and La Bamboche. This post will bring us to the east side of Yonge and all the delicious treats that can be found around that side of town. Rahier Patisserie (Bayview and …

A journey around Toronto’s pastry world (1)

So it’s Saturday afternoon, the sky is grey and depressing, our stomachs are growling so what are we to do?!?! Well, most people would make lunch, but here at Notes On a Meal, we don’t find that to be enough so we embark on a French pastry shop journey. Equipped with a sneaky camera (well, …

Cakes at Ma Maison, Toronto

So with summer being here and wedding season beginning, I figured that posting a few pictures of the amazing custom creations of the Ma Maison pastry team won’t hurt anyone… Enjoy

Moroco Chocolat, Toronto

Let’s just say, that if Willy Wonka and Alice in Wonderland had a baby, well, it would look a lot like Moroco Chocolat!!!! Located just behind the store fronts of Yorkville Avenue, this venue calls out to every adult’s inner child while still allowing them the sophistication that the neighbourhood endorses. It’s cute, whimsical and it will …

New and exciting at Ma Maison

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated the Ma Maison cake and pastry line-up, so here goes…. Also, drooling over the pictures is a good way to pass time on excruciatingly long Mondays!

MMM (Ma Maison Macarons), Spring 2012

Here’s the new macaron line-up for the 2012 Spring season: Dark Chocolate – Valrhona’s Nyangbo dark chocolate ganache Wild Strawberry – White chocolate and wild strawberry ganache Carrot Cake – Cinnamon cream cheese with a carrot and cinnamon curd Lemon Basil – Lemon and Basil infused white chocolate ganache Salted Caramel – Smooth and silky …

The Grizzly Project, Barcelona

This is a very interesting clip on the design and making of a chocolate grizzly bear by the Barcelona Pastry Guild School for the World Chocolate Masters competition this year. Enjoy!    

Ma Maison’s Macarons, Toronto

If you’re not familiar with French Macarons, well, you should head out there and definitely try them. Two crispy yet chewy almond cookies sandwiched together with a velvety ganache, or a delightful jam or even better a smooth and subtle buttercream…. what’s not to love?!!? There’s plenty of places around Toronto doing them well but …

Tasty European Travels – Part 1

I know it sounds very silly to consider a place like the Amsterdam Airport a worthwhile point on our European culinary journey but it was definitely an eye opening experience. It was our first encounter with the food culture present on this continent and how different it is from what we’re used to in Canada. …