Bag Cake- Finished!!

This week we completed our bag cakes. Tuesday I went in during my break between classes and piped royal icing onto my wand and tiara so it would have a chance to harden overnight.



I also formed the upper part of the shoes and created the isomalt jewels and broken “glass” to use for decorations on the tray. I also couldn’t help myself and made a ring for an additional item.



I think my cake turned out very well. There are always things that I would change for the “next time”, but overall I am very satisfied with my product, especially given the time constraints. I absolutely LOVE how the flower came out, though! I had fun with the colors on this cake. I used straight luster dust, as well as luster dust mixed with food coloring and, in some instances, coconut extract (which made it smell amazing, by the way) to layer the colors to get the affect I wanted. I ordered several sizes of "pearls" for the center of the flower from Sugarcraft. Then I shook them with the luster dust to give them the various colors I wanted. As a reminder, here is the bag from DavieandChiyo on Etsy that I was using for inspiration.





When shaping the heels of the shoes from rice crispies, I forgot to take into account that the fondant was going to make them even fatter. Next time I would make them a little smaller from the get go and carve them into a more feminine heel. I would also paint the underside of the overlay or use colored fondant instead of white.



I would also make more of the tiny pink sugar jewels and use them for additional garnish all the way around the base of the tiara and on the handle of the wand.
I hadn’t worked with sugar like that before and I found it really fun. I found myself wanting to keep playing with it, but I didn’t have that kind of time. I tried to fashion the upper part of the shoes from sugar, but it was difficult to keep it at the exact right temperature when it came to cutting and molding them. I also needed something to shape it OVER because it was too warm to use with the playdoh (I covered it in plastic wrap, of course.) Again, I think clay may have worked best for that.

I love the creative process when it comes to figuring out what to do for a cake. My mind goes around and around and around and all of a sudden I get inspired and the whole plan just flows out onto paper. I think that my presentation came out how I wanted it. I really wanted to make a larger, round, clear sugar “platform” to set the crown on, but I didn’t end up with that kind of time.

I think we had plenty of time to work with, but when it comes to this kind of thing, one can ALWAYS use more time to continue to improve the cake and add more details. The details are what gives these kinds of cakes their “wow” factor. The only thing that is mildly frustrating is having to wait a WHOLE WEEK to finish a cake. I would rather just work straight through and get it done than have to think about it for a whole other week!

Next week we begin our Pastillage Sculptures!

Asian- Week 6

This week we were in Thailand. As my husband was helping me write out my recipes by reading the ingredients to me, he commented, “None of this stuff sounds good.” Wow. He was SO wrong!! This week went amazingly smoothly and the food tasted and looked fantastic. I think part of the calmness of the week was that so many people were absent. This isn’t good for them, but it definitely gave the class a different feel this week.

I made the Sticky Mango Rice. This was such a warm, comforting dish. I could imagine eating a huge bowlful of this when it is pouring snow outside and being all snuggled up in a huge sweatshirt and fuzzy socks. On my first seasoning of the dish, I made it not quite sweet enough, according to Chef. If I made it again for myself, I would keep it that way. I enjoyed the mild sweetness and the subtle coconut flavor, as well as the creamy texture. I adore coconut- the flavor and the smell- so this dish was a hit with me. I think my girls would like this, too, although I’m really not sure that the “health benefits” are worth me sharing it with them at this point.


I made Fried Sweet Potatoes with Peanut Sauce. I used a mandolin to slice to potatoes into even slices and thinned out the batter a little from the original recipe. I dipped them in flour and then in the batter before frying them and draining them on paper towels and sprinkling them with a little salt. I had never made peanut sauce before but everyone commented that it was delicious. I really am enjoying the development of my palette and the ability to really discern the layers of flavors in things now.


I also fried up the rice cakes. I wasn’t a huge fan of these. Basically, it is just Jasmine rice that is cooked and baked on a sheet pan and then fried in chunks. SOOO unhealthy and not that tasty.


Thai Bubble Tea was also prepared. This is a very strong tea that is then lightened with plenty of cream and sweetened with lots of sugar. Then tapioca pearls are put in the bottom and it is served over ice with a fat straw so the tapioca pearls can get sucked up the straw. The tea was fantastic and tasted kind of like Chai tea, but the tapioca pearls were not. They had a fun texture, but I did not enjoy the after taste.






Last but not least, I made a fresh fruit plate. I love it when we do this because I get a healthy lunch! I ate the whole thing except for the grapes for lunch that day. Yum!





I enjoyed the flavors of the Thai dishes. I had never eaten Thai cuisine before so this was a treat. I think my favorite actual DISH was the Ma Hor (Galloping Horses.) I enjoyed the flavors and it reminded me of tacos, in a sense, that used lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. I think it was the tangerines that gave it the extra flavor that was so appealing.




Apparently, Vietnam food is even more delicious than Thai food. We will see next week!

Classical- Week 6

This week we were Southern Italy. I took dessert back over and got to make the Chocolate Almond Torte. This dish is made with finely ground almonds (almond flour) instead of all purpose flour. Egg whites are folded into the mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, and is then baked in a round cake pan. Once the edges are set but the middle is still “chocolate-y”, you remove it and let it set. After unmolding the torte, you sprinkle cocoa powder over it and you are done. Well, that’s what the recipe says, anyways. I can never just stop there, so I made a chocolate ganache to coat the entire cake with, as well as chocolate ganache hearts to put in the center. I had printed out an awesome design to cut out and use when I sprinkled the cocoa powder. You could kind of see the design, but it didn’t come out with the WOW factor I wanted. I think if I had sprinkled powdered sugar in the parts of the design that weren’t covered in cocoa powder, it would have looked closer to what I was going for. The texture came out perfectly, though, and literally the ENTIRE cake was devoured. Quickly.


I also made the Focaccia Bread. This was frustrating to me because focaccia bread is supposed to be made with a sponge that has set for 24 hours ahead of time. I MEANT to make the sponge the day before, but was rushing to get things done for my bag cake, and forgot. Somehow I managed to make the bread in 2 ½ hours instead of the day and a half that it is supposed to take. The texture turned out alright, but I know it definitely would have had a better flavor if it had had time to mature. We served the bread with the Caponata, and the mellow flavor of the bread really balanced out the spice and tang of the Caponata.

Ian’s mirror looked fabulous, and his Tuna tasted amazing. The only thing that I would have to say is that some of the veg wasn’t dressed.

My favorite moment of the week, though, was when Natane and Chef got into a battle of “Yes.” “No.” It was like a ping pong match. It started with her Stuffed Pork Bundle platter. They were made correctly and tasted like they should, but when plating them, she laid them in a line and spooned the sauce over them.

Chef tells her she should have cut them in half so you can see the pretty spiral in the center. Natane simply shakes her head and says, “No.” Chef looks at her and chuckles slightly and says, “Yes.” Back and forth it goes…no additional words being spoken, no reasons being given either way to persuade the other. Finally one of them cuts into a bundle, Natane sees how pretty it is and concedes, “Ok. Yes. I guess maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe you know a little about what you are talking about.” Highly entertaining to watch.

Arthur Murray and the Ilikai Hotel

I left early enough to get to the Arthur Murray dance party before eight. Got to the bus stop as a C bus passed with a "not in service" sign. Wow, now I got to wait for the next one. A half hour later another C bus goes by, with another same kine sign. I thought about it for a while.

Now I couldn't get there before nine. As Calvin says, "You gotta stop and smell the flowers." I wouldn't have had enough time. Phoeey, I turned around and came back home. Some other time. So we have to take the downs with the ups.

Blogger's Law No. 18G: What ever hits the fan will

not be evenly distributed.

Fortunately, I am still basking in the glow of the news of the midweek dancing at the Ilikai Hotel. The next week or so is looking good. The terrific Ilikai review by Calvin Ota in the Town Dancer blog says most of it. That is from someone who is well acquainted with the social dancing on this island and I hope all of the proper people read it.

Then we have had more comments than all the blogs since the beginning of the year. Plenty of good friendly information. Good emails, so the whole enchilada is not perfect, none of us mind as long as we know it is going to get better for all of us.

This is the kind of news we have been waiting for. The Ilikai Hotel and the midweek dancing for the dancers. It is free for now, but eventually you gotta pay or you think it is gonna be for free all time? Let's face it we gotta pay, nuttin wrong wid dat. People are providing us a service and we are not drunks. It is only how much you pay. You want to have some fun it is going to cost you.

"Because Of You" by Tony Bennett

The middle of the week dancing has been calling for all of us and this looks like the place we have been looking for, for a long long time. Now let's kokua and do our part. Remember when Rumours coulda been a contendah?

Are we dancing friends or we not? Just watch out for the seat controllers. They are deadly and will screw up the works. We will have a minimum of rootzie tootsies, that is for sure. We are going to have people dancing, and not worried about it if they got it heel, toe, toe, heel or the other way around.

Every Wednesday sounds like the berries to me and I will make every effort to be there to check them out next Wednesday.

Rock-a-Thigh Baby Eco-Giveaway: Congrats Tara Parsons!

Congratulations Tara Parsons! You are the winner of our Rock-a-Thigh Baby Eco-Giveaway. Please send your shipping address, size and patterns of your choice to EcoLogicalMom (at) ymail.com.

Please hurry because if we don't hear from you by February 25, 2011, we will have to pick another winner.

Paper Lemon Cookies

My sister Sharon is, and always has been, crazy for lemon desserts. Aside from lemon meringue pies (our mother and grandmother were absolutely the best pie makers ever) and lemon angel pies, she also loved our Aunt Mar's lemon cookies. Crisp, buttery and lemony, Sharon and I attempted to replicate them, but had no success......we both finally came to the conclusion she left an ingredient out of the recipe when she passed it on.

Our Aunt Mar (who was my father's mother's sister and lived across the street from us our entire childhood) had a serious relationship with lemon flavoring. It found its way into nearly all her desserts. Cookies, cakes, muffins and puddings. Didn't matter what, she added lemon flavoring. Not extract and never real lemons, mind you, but that old fashioned lemon flavoring. I'm not complaining, she was a fine home cook. She made everyone in our family (and probably the entire neighborhood) her famous sponge cake with 7 minute frosting for every birthday. Lemon flavoring in that cake too, along with vanilla. I make it to this day, but use lemon extract. (Can you even buy lemon flavoring any longer?) Aunt Mar's little house even smelled like lemon inside. 

Anyway, our Mother used to bake some meringues, fill them with her version of lemon curd and top them with whipped cream. I also recall something called Lemon Sunshine that consisted of lemons, gelatin, sugar, eggs with the whites beaten and added last. I have the recipe someplace. An airy lemon parfait, sort of.

My sister and I. (I'm the one with skinned knees.)

So recently when Kim from My Kentucky Home posted a recipe for Lemon Meringue Muffins, you better believe I copied it and emailed it to my sister in Michigan immediately.  She's probably made them already. I'll make them for company the end of the month.

As is the way, just because I seem to be thinking lemon everything right now,  I was reading through one of Marion Cunningham's cookbooks and came across this delight: Lemon Paper Cookies. I couldn't resist. Thought I'd try them first before I sent the recipe on to my sister. She's really going to like them and her sewing group will want the recipe for sure. They turned out delicate, lacy AND lemony. Perfect with tea or coffee for an afternoon treat.

Bench notes: The recipe suggested cutting them less than 1/4 thick. I found that next to impossible so settled on 1/4 thick and they turned out perfectly. 
Also, 2 hours in the refrigerator was not enough. It's a very fragile dough. I ended up putting it in the freezer for a bit and then cut my slices quickly with a very sharp, thin knife. Otherwise they tend to break into pieces. But never fear, you can push them together and they still turn out beautifully.


Joyce's Paper Lemon Cookies
From The Supper Book by Marion Cunningham

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons grated lemon rind

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups allm purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional: raw sugar for sprinkling on top (I did not use)

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar. Add then vanilla, zest and lemon juice. Beat until smooth.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.

Turn out on a piece of waxed paper and form the dough into a cylinder about 12 inches long 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly and refrigerate 2 hours, or freeze until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350. Don't grease the cookie sheets. (I used parchment paper)

Cut 1/4 inch slices with a sharp knife and place about 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Place unused dough back into the refrigerator. Bake 7-8 minutes, watching carefully the last couple minutes. They should be lightly golden. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then remove to racks to finish cooling.

Crispy Chicken and Potato "Fake" Fries Anyone?

This healthy version of Crispy Chicken and Potato "fake" Fries is awesome! Two icons of "unhealthy fast food turned into delicious dishes without the fat, thank you...

Crispy Chicken and Potato "fake" Fries

Servings: 4 portions

• 3 large baking potatoes (about 2 pounds total)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• Salt
• Black pepper 
• 1 table spoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425°. Slice the potatoes into 1/3-inch-thick fries. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss to coat, then arrange in an even layer. Bake in the upper third of the oven until crisp and golden, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard the skin from the chicken, except for the wings. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, flour, black pepper, oregano and paprika; season with salt. Coat the chicken with the crumbs and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken pieces and cook, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and 4 pieces chicken.
On the bottom rack of the oven, bake the chicken until cooked through and crisp, about 22 minutes. Season the fries with salt and serve with the chicken.

Source: Based on recipe from Rachel Ray Magazine