baking – The Concordian

The Multi-Faith and Spirituality Centre bakes for Resilience Montreal

An enticing aroma filled the hallway of Concordia’s Multi-Faith and Spirituality Centre (MFSC) as brownies baked in the communal kitchen on Nov. 15. Students worked together to make baked goods for Resilience Montreal.

Resilience Montreal, located at the corner of Atwater and Sainte-Catherine, serves as a non-profit day shelter, offering essentials such as food, clean clothes, a place to sleep, and supportive assistance to those in vulnerable situations.

Leading this gathering was Yamile Torres, the interim interfaith facilitator at Concordia, extending a friendly invitation for all to partake in the collective experience.

“At the MFSC, we work to create spaces in which we can not only learn from the communities around us but also to give back to them,” Torres said.

The MFSC hosts monthly volunteering events at the Z-Annex on Bishop St., aiming to actively engage students in their community. This was their second cooking workshop with Resilience Montreal, and they are hoping to offer more in the future.

As the brownies cooled down, students gathered around the dining table, adorning delivery bags with messages and drawings. Conversation and music filled the room as volunteers chatted amongst themselves.

Torres explained that the food is delivered the next day by the MFSC staff, and Resilience Montreal distributes it among the people in need of their services.

Torres hopes that the space and tools available to the MFSC will inspire and encourage their students to pursue their mission of forging connections with organizations that contribute to the Montreal community.

“It felt very community-oriented, and I felt very safe and welcomed there,” said Gloria Raphael, a volunteer and business student at Concordia who participated in the workshop.

Sadath Roshan, an engineering masters student at Concordia, works as the Office and Program Assistant of the MFSC. “I live close to Atwater and I’ve seen Resilience Montreal and the struggles they have on a daily basis. Cooking food for them was definitely something that resonated with me,” he said.

Elie Houde, another engineering student, explained that the volunteering experience fostered an atmosphere for learning and cultivating connections, all while contributing to an important cause. “The combination of service activities, creative tasks, and social games created a unique and enjoyable experience,” he said.

Volunteers shared their appreciation for the sense of belonging that was cultivated at the event. Houde described the atmosphere as “warm and welcoming.”

“We are very aware that our students are busy people that have many responsibilities, so it is very beautiful to see how many of them give a good amount of their time in helping others,” Torres said.

Torres expressed that one of the benefits of these events is the aftermath of our actions. She explained that while the repercussions of our actions may not always be immediately evident, it is crucial to understand that what we do leaves an impact on others and our environment. “And that is a great skill that can allow us to become more responsible for our actions and more active in our decision-making.”

Weekly events are hosted by the MFSC, and the Z-Annex is open on weekdays for students to use.

Sorry to my gluten-free friends, this one might not be for you.

So… Who else has been obsessed with the Great Canadian Baking Show (GCBS)? Just me?

As an amateur chef myself, I like to watch cooking and baking competitions while picturing myself as one of the contestants. I ask myself what I would do for a certain challenge — and I make sure to tell whoever is watching with me.

But realistically, I do NOT have that kind of skill.

I’m in no way good enough to be a contestant on GCBS, but I like to think that I’ve mastered a few basics that are great gateway recipes to a baking addiction. These tips and cooking guides have allowed me to feel as if I was following along with the contestants. All three “bakes” I am mentioning are done in the show, so now you can follow along too.

These aren’t Linzer cookies like those featured on episode three of this past season, but any cookie is a crowd-pleaser.

Molasses cookies are my unusual favourite — the bitter and rich sweetness from molasses cookies, combined with my favourite seasonal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger create the deepest fall-flavoured cookie you will ever eat. I will say these tend to be an acquired taste, but I adore them, and encourage you to try them!

To reiterate: I am not talented enough not to use recipes. However, I have gotten good enough to know what I want, and apply my own tricks to the recipes I use. For example, I recommend killing two birds with one stone and turning your baking into a workout routine as well. Simply mix your butter and sugars together by hand, and incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet batter with a spatula, using a “folding” motion instead of an electric stand mixer.

“Folding” motion = folding your batter over into itself and gradually adding in dry ingredients. This slow-motion will stop your dough from becoming too tough — or as the pros would say it — “overworked.” Pour in your dry ingredients in three batches and FOLD to give your cookies a much more ooey-gooey chewy texture.

My favourite recipe to follow is Alison Roman’s rendition on Bon Appétit.

One of my personal favourites to impress your guests — Focaccia bread was featured in episode three of season four.

I find if you dedicate the time and effort (and maybe an entire jumbo bag of flour) to baking focaccia a couple of times, you can perfect it and make a delicious, crispy-but-soft bread that wears more than one hat.

Whenever I make focaccia, I use it for everything. It makes delicious sandwiches — think roasted eggplant, zucchini and roasted garlic hummus smooshed between the two slices of bread — or even toast. To create slices of bread, cut it in half to expose the beautiful air-bubble bread guts — or even that classic student meal of cheese with add-a-lil-jam-to-make-it-fancy and bread.

For this, it’s important to have good yeast. No yeast means our focaccia won’t rise, and you will be left very disappointed… and hungry. To test your yeast, it’s important to bring it to life by putting the required quantity of warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl, and letting it rise for five minutes.

Maybe this is a baking faux-pas — and to be honest, I don’t care — yet no matter the type of sugar a recipe calls for, I will use honey. Not that plastic bear that has been in your pantry since you moved in; invest in a jar of some delicious, fresh honey. Just a weird bit of knowledge but honey literally does not go bad! Honey has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs! #Honeyfactoftheday.

Some of my favourite recipes to refer to are Gimme Some Oven’s version of focaccia, but if you’re looking for a more advanced recipe try Claire Saffitz’s recipe from the book Dessert Person, or watch this YouTube video.

I will not be attempting a two-tone garden dumpling dough from scratch like the ones featured in the GCBS’s episode five of season four — I won’t even be making the filling.

I could try, and one day I am determined to, but as a contestant Sheldon Lynn said during the garden dumpling technical challenge, “Why make dumpling wrappers when you can buy them?” I like to go a step further, and just get them frozen.

Frozen dumplings are elite freezer food, but you have to know which ones to get. I will never stop recommending that you take yourself down to Chinatown to the G&D supermarket and browse their many options, but if like me you are sometimes too lazy, there are some places to find great frozen dumplings in the Plateau.

My favourite brand of dumplings to look for is O’Tasty. It’s packaging depicts a picture-perfect plate of pan-fried pot-stickers. My all-time favourite is the pork and black mushroom, followed by the chicken and vegetables.

To cook these, I normally get a non-stick pan and a little bit (two tbsp) of sesame oil, or another neutral oil. Next, once I’ve allowed my oil to get hot enough that it moves easily in the pan, I add a dozen dumplings with their seams facing up. I let them get slightly golden brown on the bottom (five-seven minutes), and now comes the fun part: cornstarch slurry! Mix one-quarter cup of water with two tbsp of cornstarch to create a thick liquid, and pour into your hot pan, getting it in between the dumplings.

Cover and lower your heat to medium-low, and let simmer until the top of your dumplings seem cooked (i.e. your dough is soft and shiny). Take off the lid and let the rest of your liquid evaporate — you should be able to tell once your cornstarch slurry turns into a giant crispy chip connecting each dumpling. Flip onto a plate, top with chili oil and scallions and serve.

We all know you can’t eat dumplings without sauce, so try Pickled Plum’s dipping sauce recipe to elevate your dumpling experience.

Feature graphic by Madeline Schmidt