use real butter

We left Whistler (finally) and headed for dim sum in Vancouver. Dim sum was very good, although I think my parents ordered too much (they kept saying they weren’t hungry, but then they ordered so much food!). Unfortunately, we had to wait a half hour to be seated, and by the time we headed for the US, we were behind schedule. That was quite unfortunate because the border crossing (a different one, as we thought we’d be smarter) took 3 hours. It boggles the mind how people and systems can be so poorly implemented, but it happens on a daily basis. So all you can do is creep along in the very slow line (400 meters in 2 hours).

After the border crossing, we dropped my parents off at their friend’s house in a woodsy Seattle suburb where they were spending the weekend. Then Jeremy got us to downtown Seattle where life and the city were hopping on a Friday night. We managed to park the car at the one spot that opened up and changed in the front seat from our grubby clothes into something more presentable for our reservation. Cascadia was just around the corner and an absolutely beautiful restaurant inside. We felt so hungry and thirsty! We agreed to order a really nice meal and just *breath out slowly* relax – or rather rejoice. The food here was fantastic. Caroline said Kerry Sear is one of the best chefs in Seattle. Oh man…

**Jump for more butter**

When I said I was done baking until I returned from Canada, I did not lie. But I decided to whip up (literally) some chocolate espresso mousse tonight. Jeremy finished his proposal and sent it off to the university grants office for review before submission. He said he was in the mood for some sort of celebratory drink or some such yummy. I love being able to think of a dessert on the fly and make it on the spot. When I was a kid and I wanted to make something like meringues, I couldn’t because we never had enough sugar (a cup!) in the house. My mom did not bake and the cupboards told that tale time and again. Not in my house, not in my kitchen. Shazaam! Like that – chocolate espresso mousse!

I’ve had matcha on my mind lately. You just can’t make real green tea any pastry without matcha, the finely ground green tea. I even dreamt about what I was going to make, but this morning I changed my mind and opted for an opera-like cake. I could use up my earl grey infused ganache and turn some other chocolate ganache into glaze. All I needed to make was the matcha spongecake and the buttercream.