Peach Mini Galettes and Hand Pies

With one recipe of my Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust and a ripe peach, I set off to create these mini pastries. 

Painting egg wash on pastry to give it shine

The Basic Peach Filling is naturally sweetened with honey making it a very healthy option to fill pastries. The combination of honey and cinnamon is absolutely divine; I couldn't stop sniffing this mixture as I was mixing it together.

Peach mini Galettes and Hand Pies

I was blown away when I took a bite of these tarts. To begin, the crust is so flaky and crisp. Go read my Vegan Pie Crust recipe and try making pie crust with a food processor, it's the fastest and most fail-proof way to make a perfect pie crust. First, I took a bite of the Peach Ricotta Mini Galette. The creamy cheese and fresh peach tasted indulgent. My mom said this variation was most impressive. Second was the Peach Melba (peach + raspberry). This variation is most tart tasting because raspberries are naturally sour. Presentation-wise Peach Melba looks the most appealing; the bright red and yellow are eye catching. For even prettier presentation, add a sprig of mint! Peach Melba would be best when you're craving a really vibrant flavoured dessert or snack. Surprisingly, my favourite of the three flavour variations is the Peach Basil filling. Although it's a common combination seen on the internet, I was a bit skeptical as to how good it could taste. But it was love at first bite. Both flavours clearly fuse together; it wasn't as simple as mixing peach + basil. It's a refreshing burst of fresh flavour and totally unexpected. Fruit and basil is a must-try pairing!

Making Peach Ricotta Mini Galette

These adorable little rustic pastries would be perfect to bring to parties or give away as gifts! They have the the look, smell, and taste needed to impress other peoples' palates. It's also a great way to incorporate summer peaches while they are still in season. I'll will be making many more of these mini pies in the future! Savoury fillings would work beautifully as well, butternut squash or mushrooms in the autumn...yum~

Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust

Wow, I really seem to be venturing into Peanut Crumpet's land of veganism. Not because I am a vegan, but simply because Coconut Crumpet enjoys the wholesomeness of vegan recipes~ I still have a lot to learn from Peanut Crumpet; she has some awesome possum recipes. Be sure to check them out in our collection of recipes!

Poor Coconut Crumpet has been admiring the summer sunshine...from indoors. After spending all day in the house, I had the sudden urge at 8pm to make pie and started Goggling recipes for inspiration. My experiences with pie crust haven't been so pleasant. Even when I follow a recipe exactly, making sure the butter is cold and cutting it in with a pastry blender, there is always something that isn't quite right. Whether it be a really hard end product, too greasy, or shrinkage, my pie-making skills are far from stellar.

Since I have already pulled out my museum-artifact of a food processor to make my family-pleasing Vegan Nutty Nanaimo Bars (YOU MUST MAKE THESE!!), I figured it'd be the perfect opportunity to try using it to make pie crust dough. After watching Chef John of Food Wishes' video on Youtube, I was convinced I needed to try it for myself. I have inserted the video at the end of this post so you can visually see the steps and consistency at each step. He's videos are super lively; his happy voice shows he actually enjoys his work. In an essence, this is the fastest and most fail-proof way I have ever completed a pie crust. Ever.

Making Peach Basil Hand Pies

In his recipe, he uses frozen butter, but since I tend to gravitate as far as possible from butter, I decided to try using frozen coconut oil. The changing states of coconut oil continue to amaze me; it can be used in place of butter in every possible recipe I can think of. Melted, softened, or frozen, just like butter. It's magical! The only difference is that since it's currently summer, the coconut oil only needed to be blitzed for about 30 seconds to become pea-sized crumbs rather than the 1 minute for butter, as it softens at room temperature. Coconut oil is a translucent white colour so you'll have to look closely to see if the pieces are small enough. Beware that coconut oil melts fast so be sure to also work quickly when molding mixture into a ball.

Although the food processor method helps me successfully put together a dough, I'm still not very good with handling it. The fact that coconut oil changes state so quickly doesn't really make things any easier either. If using coconut oil in place of butter, be sure to let the dough sit at room temperature for at least half hour after fulling chilling in the fridge to let the centre become pliable. Essentially, we're waiting for the bits of coconut oil inside to soften so it doesn't crumble once you try and roll it out. Roll the dough out between two layers of plastic wrap or parchment paper to ensure the dough doesn't stick to everything.

The flaky layers of Vegan Pie Crust

So how does this pie dough turn out when baked? I used this dough to make Peach Mini Galettes and Hand Pies. The result was phenomenal. An definite improvement from my previous attempts at pie crust. The crust is sturdy, fragrant, and just as crispy and flaky as the video shows. It is a tad bit greasy to the touch because the clumps of coconut oil melt as it bakes in the oven, but it is unnoticeable when eaten. I normally don't care much for flaky pastries but this was so. insanely. good. Worth every second of my time to shape, chill, and put together the pastries. Never again will I use butter in my pie crusts.

Easiest & Fastest Vegan Pie Crust

Adapted from Food Wishes

Yield: 1 layer pie crust

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• A few grinds of Himalayan pink sea salt
• 6 tbsp ice water

Directions

1. Put measured coconut oil into a silicon mold and place in freezer until completely frozen. Remove from mold and cut into half-inch cubes. Keep cubes in freezer until ready to use.
2. In a food processor, pour half of the flour in. Add the cubed frozen coconut oil. Pour other half of the flour on top. Your frozen coconut oil should now be sandwiched between two equal layers of flour. 
3. Add sugar and salt into the food processor. Pulse in short intervals until coconut oil becomes pea-sized pieces. This took about 30 seconds.
4. Drizzle ice water over crumbly flour mixture in food processor. Pulse in slightly longer intervals until mixture becomes fine crumbs. Like the texture of almond meal.
5. Thoroughly scrape down the mixture, making sure to scrape off any wetter parts from the S-blade and bottom of food processor. 
6. Pulse a few more times just to incorporate. Press mixture between two fingers to see if it becomes a dough. If so, pour mixture onto a clean surface (I used a silicon baking mat) and press with hands to make a ball. Flatten slightly into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour, no more than that or, due to the characteristics of coconut oil, the dough will be rock solid to the core. You want it to still be soft enough to roll out. Use this versatile pie crust for both sweet or savoury pies, galettes, or tarts.

Video instructions on Food Wishes

 
Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Simple Blueberry Sauce

These will be the fluffiest pancakes you will ever put into your mouth. They are cloud-like and will take you on a field trip to heaven. Really.

Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

My family has been consuming blueberries at record amounts; the 40lbs we picked at Krause Berry Farms just a week ago has pretty much been consumed as is. Being a cook, I wanted to make something with fresh blueberries, as it is very rare I have them at hand to use in a recipe. Frozen berries turn my baking into disasters...it's very unfortunate. So I saved a small box of blueberries to create something magnificent. And I managed to reach my goal.

Time to take a bite of Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes smothered with Blueberry Sauce

I remember Peanut Crumpet telling me about her mom's uber fluffy ricotta pancakes. With that inspiration in mind, I searched the Internet for a blueberry version. Blueberry + lemon + ricotta appealed to me the most; the light and fresh flavours were perfect for a summer brunch. My mouth started salivating as I scrolled through all the photos, I was so eager to make them!

Admire the fluffiness of these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Tung Sing Chin 東昇村海鮮酒家

Needing to find dinner somewhere on the way back from Downtown, we met with my dad at Tung Sing Chin on Hastings street. Both friends and relatives have raved about the good prices and portions at this restaurant, so we decided to see for ourselves.

When we arrived at around 6pm, there were not very many people in the restaurant, but I didn't expect there to be because it was a random Monday night. The lack of customers usually makes me wonder if business is always this dim, but since I've seen the long line ups for dimsum before, it didn't bother me much. I believe many people that visit this restaurant are 'usuals'; waiters greeting them and chatting about random things with them, already knowing what food they want etc.

Tonight our eyes were slightly larger than our stomachs, so we ordered a three dish set meal, despite my aunt telling us that a two dish set meal can feed four people. That's because all set meals come with a 'free' extra dish of either lobster, crab, or chicken. So our three dish meal became a four dish meal. 

After ordering, we were served a complimentary soup. All set meals come with soup. I didn't snap a photo of the soup, but it was a lotus root duck broth. It was okay, flavourful without the overuse of MSG. (I'm sure there is some in there....)
 

Lobster in a Butter Cream Sauce

Since I was craving lobster, my parents allowed me to pick lobster as our 'free' dish. We chose to have it cooked in a butter cream sauce. Usually people will pay a few extra dollars to have noodles added to the base that will soak up all the rich sauce. But since we already ordered more than enough, we skipped doing so. This dish was pretty good; there were enough large chunks of meat to share amongst the three family members that actually eats seafood. The sauce is a bit heavy, but that's expected from cream and butter. The raw shredded lettuce helps balance that. Although the lobster was tasty, my mom says the 'free' chicken probably would've tasted better and been a better value.

Quick as a Wink Pizza (Yeast-free, V, GF)

I have always loved homemade pizza. But I never liked making the dough because it just hogs up all your time. Here's an example: "Let sit for 2 hours. Once dough has doubled, punch the middle, and let rise for another 3 hours" ... you get what I mean?

Many people would just buy the unbaked or pre-made pizza dough, but what's the point of eating a home-made pizza when you didn't actually make the dough? You more or less just put toppings on and stuck it into the oven.

So the solution to solve my problem for never having the motivation to make pizza is to create my own yeast-free, vegan recipe. For those with gluten sensitivities, this recipe is also for you!

Quick as a Wink Pizza (Yeast-free, V, GF)

makes one large pizza

Dough

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Topping Ideas

• Vegan Pesto
• Walnut Cheeze (crumbled walnuts + nutritional yeast)
• Zucchini chunks
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Red peppers
• Avocado
• SUNDRIED TOMATOES!! 

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2.) In a large bowl, combine together all the dry ingredients.

3.) Add your water and mix with a plastic spatula. This will seem like a lot of       water, but it will be absorbed!

4.) After water is absorbed, your dough should have the consistency of a drop         cookie dough, a bit of a contrast compared to your good ol' fashioned dough.     Dump your dough onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet. 

5.) Spread the dough evenly on your pan. I found it easier to wet my fingers         first so the dough stick less.

6.) Put in oven for 15 minutes, until the top of crust is no longer doughy.

7.) Now it's time to pile up your pizza! Remember to stack it up high with           nutrient dense veggies!

8.) Bake for another 20-30 minutes until crust is perfecto, slice and indulge!

 Lots of Nuts,
Peanut Crumpet xo

Bakery 101

Entrance to Bistro 101 and Bakery 101

Some of the greatest value food can be found at culinary schools. Students use quality ingredients and cook up fine-dining dishes and bake pastries and cakes that look like they belong in a high-end bakery. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is one of the best culinary schools in Vancouver. Their students run a bakery and a restaurant, both with exceptional prices. Every time I pass by Granville Island, I always make sure to pay a visit to Bakery 101 to pick up a chocolate croissant or a packet of macarons for Papaya Crumpet. Compared to the vendors inside the Granville Island Public Market, Bakery 101's baked goods are much more friendly to our wallets. Students supporting students, that's the way it should be~


I had originally wanted to take my mom and aunt to have lunch at Bistro 101 next door, but it was completely booked full. Instead, we found brunch at Twisted Fork Bistro and ventured to Granville Island in the afternoon. A sign outside the culinary school advertised all desserts were 3 for $10, so we stepped into Bakery 101 to grab some sweets for an afternoon snack.

Display counter at Bakery 101

Selection varies everyday, but there weren't as many desserts to choose from when we arrived compared to usual. The woman at the cashier explained that since the bakery is closed on the weekends, people tend to stock up on Mondays. 

Desserts from Bakery 101

Twisted Fork Bistro

Twisted Fork Bistro on Granville Street

While vising my aunt in Downtown Vancouver, she took us on a private walking tour around Burrard and Davie street. As it was almost noon, it made sense to also find some place to eat lunch. Twisted Fork Bistro was a lot closer than I thought so I suggested to try their brunch. It's been on my wishlist for a looong time!
 
Currently, Twisted Fork Bistro serves brunch every day of the week instead of lunch. I have no complaints as breakfast is the best meal of the day. Since the restaurant doesn't take reservations and I hear there are often long line ups, I prepared my mind to wait a for food. However, there was no line up trailing out the door and we were seated within five minutes. I guess because it's a Monday and many business people are at work. The man that greeted us was very enthusiastic, smile-y, and chatty; I love it when people's personalities lightens the atmosphere. 

Brunch Menu

After being handed the menu and the waitress serving us drinks, we decided to share three dishes among four people. At first I wasn't sure if the servings were that large but let's just say I'm so glad we only ordered three. The menu isn't extremely vast but everything sounds really good! Most look like a very balanced meal with lots of wholesome foods like eggs and vegetables. The 'twisted fork' that decorates the clipboard is really cute too~ 

Seating and Wall of Canned Goods

If you're looking for a quick lunch, this is not the place to go. The food took a really long time to come. I didn't time exactly how long but even while chatting with my family and examining the interior, it felt like a long time. This isn't too big of a bad thing for me since I do appreciate having some time to really enjoy being at the restaurant.

We were seated at the very last table. There are roughly ten or so tables in the entire restaurant, which, in addition with the long wait for food, creates long wait times (if there is one). The restaurant has dim lighting, it was only bright when we were there due to the natural sunlight coming in from the opposite side of the restaurant. During dinner the dark lighting probably creates a 'expensive French restaurant' type feel.

The wall of canned goods is right outside the bathroom near our table. Some of the jams are sold for $8 a jar while others were labeled for restaurant use such as "for cheese platter" or "for scallops". It's very neat that they can their own ingredients!

Bacon Fritatta

When the food finally arrived, it arrived all at once. Heated plates of large portions.

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

When the mid-afternoon low blood sugar level hit as we strolled around Downtown Vancouver, my best friend's mom suggested we find something sweet for a snack. Walking along the streets until the afternoon sun made us crave ice cream so we headed towards Bella Gelateria. But from two blocks away, we saw the line up curving around the corner and went for plan B, waffles. Since Cafe Medina just closed at 4pm, I recommended we try Nero Belgian Waffle Bar as it has been on my wish list for a while now.

Those four blocks we walked felt like the largest four blocks that existed in downtown. Located at 1703 Robson Street, Nero Belgian Waffle Bar is a small restaurant that could easily be missed if one wasn't paying attention. The three tables outside were all full with customers enjoying their sugary treat. With a bit of tree shade and a light breeze, it is an impeccable environment to relax and chat with a friend over a plate of waffles. Being a dessertatarian, my eyes sparkled with excitement. My fancy waffle experience was about to begin!

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar's Summer Specials Menu

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh Restaurant

Finally, it is my turn to try this famous restaurant in Chinatown. It's probably in every Vancouver tourist recommendation book, popular to both locals and tourists. I rarely ever venture into that area as it's rather sketchy to do so without some guardians. I followed my best friend and her mom Downtown after a morning church service and we needed to find lunch somewhere on the way. Phnom Penh is located very close to Main street so it was convenient for us to pop by. My best friend has been hailed the Queen of Chicken Wings, so it was a must to bring her here.

Phnom Penh's awards

We arrived at noon on a Sunday and were told to wait 20 minutes for a table. Good thing we arrived a tad bit earlier than the lunch crowd; by five minutes later people were told to wait half hour to 45 minutes for a table. Just by seeing all the proudly framed awards covering the wall and stickers on their entrance door, and the long line up of hungry customers, one would be curious to find out why they have been famous for so long. But is worth waiting to have a taste of their raved-about chicken wings? To put it simply, YES.

Cactus Club Cafe at Coal Harbour

Cactus Club Cafe at Coal Harbour

Cactus Club Cafe opened it's newest location sitting on the edge of Coal Harbour at the beginning of 2013. The spanking new interior and fancy design create fantastic ambiance. 

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Torch

I usually have quite the bad impression on chain restaurants, but since my aunt was in town and spontaneously invited us to have lunch with her in Downtown, a foodie can't say no. 

'Indoor patio' with windows that completely open to Coal Harbour

This particular Cactus Club is situated right beside Vancouver's Olympic torch at the Vancouver Convention Centre, making it a great tourist magnet. The restaurant is extremely large with outdoor seating lining the exterior and tons of tables inside. We arrived at noon on a summer Saturday and were seated promptly. At first, we wanted to grab a seat under their signature yellow umbrellas outdoors, but I'm so glad they were all full. We ended up sitting at the section facing Coal Harbour. There were huge windows on one side and the roof above, allowing tons of the warm summer sunlight to shine on us. What awed me the most is how the windows could open. The entire side facing the water was now completely open, creating an 'indoor patio'. The seabreeze freely blew in; it really felt like you were outside. If you have the chance to be seated in this area, it is just like the outdoor seating but even better because it has a view! Just the seating alone is worth the visit. The open-air windows was the best part of my experience here.

Cactus Club Menu

Now, I didn't have high hopes for the food, despite what others have said. I've always viewed these 'higher class' chain restaurants like Earl's and The Boathouse as over priced for what you get. Items from fancy sablefish to simple spaghetti and casual tacos can be found on the menu. While examining their menu, I found a lot of dishes to be Asian inspired. Which usually turn out really good or really bad. Since I was dining with my grandparents, we didn't try any of the Asian-esque food. Also, there seems to be some special dishes by Rob Feenie from Food Network Canada which sounds exciting. Do remember that these dishes are not made by the celebrity chef's own hands but mass produced. It makes all the difference.

The Burger

Getting on to what we did eat, both my brother and aunt ordered The Burger. It comes with Sea Salted Fries but you can substitute that with a salad or yam fries for an extra cost. By the way, the yam fries are really good! Fried till crunchy on the outside but still soft and meaty on the inside, yum~ This is probably worth order on the menu as my brother finished this in five minutes flat and my aunt continuously commented on what a great burger it was. When I was chatting with my dad at home, he said when he went to another Cactus Club, he remembers it being really good too. The beef patty is what makes this burger so good. It's juicy and tender. The numerous toppings also make this burger much more exciting. Every traditional burger topping is added, cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, pickles, tomato, lettuce... Which is why this burger is called The Burger. The with a capital T. As a side note, I would avoid ordering the mini burgers because the patty may not be as juicy as the full size.

Raincoast Greens Salad

Mosaic Bar and Grill 3

Yes, we crumpets have been to Mosaic Bar and Grill three times now! Things are looking good for Mosaic Bar and Grill! As my family haven't used up one Vaneats coupon from last time (see Mosaic Bar and Grill 1), and the expiry date was emerging, we made a reservation to go to the restaurant for another delicious meal at the Hyatt Regency.

We actually went on the second last day of the expiry date, and it turns out that they have a new summer/mid-summer menu! I was thrilled, as I love eating seasonally and what's better than summer produce? No surprise, the service and ambiance were both great and we were given ice water and some complimentary sea salt scones to nibble on upon ordering our dishes. See our previous blog post for the scones' review.

To my surprise, Chef Heinrich really wanted to make use of the fresh ahi tuna and we each were brought complimentary mini appetizer! I can't speak for the ahi tuna, but my company both gobbled it up! Along with the tuna was a little side of pickled radish and corn salsa. I loved the freshness and tangyness of the radish. It really helps kickstart your appetite!

I love how they put the dish in a dainty sardine can, so adorable!

There's not much to say about the Vaneats menu, as I have already reviewed it. However this time, the portion of the A La Minute Salmon was so much smaller! I decided it was because Vaneats was almost over and they are running out?! I'm not really sure, but as least the presentation and taste remained the same.

See the size difference from the first post? Ah, well that's okay; it's not too much of a big deal. (I'm not the one eating this anyway) ;)

Let's move on to the new menu. 

Kimbap Cheonguk 김밥천국 - with photos!

Dad: Where are we going for lunch?
Mom: Let's go to that little Korean restaurant on North Road.
Dad: You mean the 'four colour words' one?
Mom: Yes, see you there!

So, my family is back at this 'four colour words' restaurant for some cheap and tasty Korean eats. The logo of Kimbap Cheonguk has each Korean character placed in a red, green, yellow, and blue box, respectively. My parents can't read Korean so that's the little nickname they've given this restaurant. It has quickly become one of our favourite places to grab a quick and cheap lunch besides going for local dimsum. Although the menu is small, there are quite a few amazing dishes to be found. Please read my first post for additional details of some of the other dishes we've tried on previous occasions.

Regular Kimbap ($2.99)

The restaurant is called 'Kimbap Heaven', and thankfully the kimbap here certainly does live up to its name. I usually order the Regular Kimbap which is filled with egg, pickled radish, picked cabbage, carrots, and fishcake. But, it is the crispy seaweed that sets this simple dish apart from other similar rolls. It is also the cheapest kimbap around, only $3 for the regular roll! Definitely a winner in Coconut Crumpet's book, I come back just to have their crispy-seaweed rolled kimbap~ However, after my recent discovery of the super stuffed kimbap from Miga Korean Food, Kimbap Cheonguk's isn't 100% perfect. The crispy seaweed is perfect, but Miga's kimbap has better stuffing ingredients. Each has their own strong points and both are worth trying. 

Ddukbokki ($5.99)

My brother really wanted spicy rice cakes, so we got a ddukbokki just for filler. Ddukbokki is a common street food in Korea, also a comfort food. Sticks of chewy rice cakes are simmered in a red hot and slightly sweet sauce. Some fishcake, cabbage, and onions are thrown in this dish here. It gets pretty spicy as you eat more and more of it, probably not the best option for those that can't take the heat too well. The dish is okay, but not the best I've eaten. Therefore, I don't think it's worth $6. 

Al Bap ($7.99)

This, THIS, is the best item on the entire menu. I present to you, the Al Bap.

Saint Germain Bakery 新之美餅店

Cakes from Saint Germain Bakery

My mom finally went to redeem her tattered wedding gift certificate for a few pieces of cake at Saint Germain Bakery's Metrotown location. When I think of Chinese-style bakeries, things like sponge cakes, 'Mexican' buns, coconut tarts, wife cakes, and 'pineapple' buns come to mind. All of which are part of my childhood memories~ So deep, yes I know.

The gift certificate was good for $12 worth of goodies, and we decided it would be best used if we purchased special items we couldn't normally buy. We got six pieces of dessert for just over $13.

Desserts from Saint Germain Bakery

Let us get on with reviewing each dessert! I'll be going from left to right following the photo above.