Kracie Popin'Cookin - Ice Cream Kit

The box :)

The back of the box

The box has a pop-out cut-out!

Close-up of the ingredients + materials

Pouring the strawberry ice cream

Strawberry side

Pouring the vanilla side

Strawberry + vanilla

Putting the icing in the bag

Fill waffle treats with icing, add some sprinkles and....Tadaaa! Cute right?

The Verdict:
This candy kit was relatively easy to make as most of the pieces are already pre-made (waffle cones, wafers) so it would be great to make with young children. The icing tasted like diluted strawberry and vanilla icing. Much like the other Popin'Cookin kits, the texture of the icing was cold, wet and mushy. Once added to the waffles, it turned the waffles soggy and unpleasant.

Conclusion: These candy kits are high in entertainment value but pretty awful to eat. Nevertheless, for approximately $5 CAD a kit, it's worth giving it a try and the end results are usually adorable. Good to look at; not so good to eat ｡◕‿◕｡

Afternoon Tea at Soirette Macarons & Tea

Soirette Macarons & Tea
1433 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2S3
Phone: (604) 558-3308
Inquiries and Reservation: hello@soirette.com
Website

This past weekend, Cera and Wish visited another cute afternoon tea place. Originally a macaron boutique, Soirette now opened its door to the world of afternoon tea on the weekend. Since the place is super cute and small, you need to make your appointment ASAP as space is VERY limited.

The interior of Soirette
Small, yet super cute

The wall of different tea-leaves and big menu

Soirette's logo on the back wall
Christmas decoration since we went in December :)

Our teacup and plate

With our tea~

The three tiers of desserts and savories

Bottom Tier: Delectable Savories
Roasted Mediterranean vegetable sandwiches
Salmon and dill quiches
Tandoori chicken cucumber cup
Prosciutto "P.L.T."

Middle Tier - Scones and Pastries
Mini cranberry scones
Rose scented butter
Soirette rasoberry jam

Top Tier - Delightful Desserts
Lemon meringue tartlet

Chocolate pâté

Mini éclair

Mousseline triffle

Lavender Macaron
Rocher Macaron

And the cute menu card the waitress provided us :)

The macarons!

Aren't they adorable?

They have so many different flavors!

The Verdict:

We loved the afternoon tea! The savories were scrumptious, the scones moist and fresh, and the desserts were adorable. The menu also changes seasonally so you won't be bored! However, in terms of pricing, at $36 per person, it is slightly on the higher end. 

Things that could be changed?
Since the store is so tiny, there was very little table space for everything necessary for afternoon tea and we JUST barely managed to fit everything. In addition, we were somewhat squished when another big party came for their appointment (There were only 4 tables in the ENTIRE place! We took one table while the other party took the remaining 3!) Also, while the afternoon tea was delicious, we cannot say the same for all the macarons due to inconsistencies in quality. Some macarons were great with a crispy outer shell, and fluffy, soft centre while others were overly hard and chewy. For a store that specializes in macarons, that really should not be an issue. Also, soirette has relatively small macaron compared to some other bakeries around town.

Do we recommend afternoon tea at Soirette? 

Definitely. It's worth giving it a try and we're planning on visiting again to try their adorable spring/summer menu. Hopefully, their macarons will all be well made the next time we visit!

Kawaii Panna Cotta

Usagi-chan & Kuma-chan Panna Cotta with Fresh Blackberry Sauce

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Made with teddy bear/bunny molds bought from Daiso.

Panna cotta with fresh blackberry sauce.

A little side project: Cera was craving panna cotta today, and since it is super easy to make, she thought she'd make some, and put her new animal molds to good use! Aren't they super cute?? Cera changed the original recipe a bit by adding an extra packet of knox gelatin so that the panna cotta would not break when removing from the molds. She also made blackberry sauce instead of strawberry sauce. The panna cotta was delicious! Nice and creamy but light at the same time. The last time Cera made panna cotta, it turned out way too sweet! We highly recommend this recipe.