These rose cupcakes are a new standard in the store.  We started the cupcakes around Valentines Day –  thinking some people may like to gift an edible rose, instead of the traditional version.  They’ve been selling ever since.  A simple yellow or chocolate cupcake is topped with a buttercream rose and leaves.  The rose is piped directly onto the cupcake using a large rose tip.

We recently had a large order of these cupcakes (this is just half the order) and I just thought they looked so striking all lined up together.  It certainly warrented a picture.

Because I work on Sundays, Saturday mornings are my special time with Scott.  We used to love to go to brunch, but since most local restaurants do not offer a Saturday brunch, I decided to create my own.  I try to think ahead and grab a couple of ingredients on Friday at the grocery store, but I have to admit, a lot of mornings I am trying to create something from our pantry.  Luckily, there are a lot of breakfast foods that can be “thrown” together to create quick, delicious breakfasts.  I love cooking in my pjs, sitting down to a real breakfast, and then relaxing after in those same pjs (can’t do that at a restaurant brunch, now can you?)

Usually presenting pancakes, scrambles, or french toast for our Saturday brunches, I was looking for a change.   I had half a bag of left over spinach that I needed to use up.  Browsing the internet for breakfast recipes that included spinach, I came across this “spin” on eggs benedict.  (Florentine refers to dishes that are presented on a bed of spinach and topped with morney sauce – a cheesy white sauce.)  While this particular breakfast choice is not the quickest of preparations – relax, enjoy the cooking process, and create a luxurious breakfast for yourself – it’s the weekend after all.   (more…)

Basketball Hoop Cake

Here is my latest cake creation.  My husband works for ESPN and every year, at the beginning of the NCAA tournament, they throw a small party (they are ESPN after all).  I sent in basketball cupcakes the first year, then a basketball court cake the second, and here is year three!  (I have ideas for next year’s cake already…).  Anyways, the backboard of the cake is a half sheet cake, and the ball is a dome of cake sculpted from two 10″ round cakes.  (This means I started with a cylinder of cake and then slowly shaved off pieces until I had a rough dome shape – a good coating of buttercream and voila! – a basketball)  I pipped the red border with buttercream, made the hoop from fondant, and pipped the net with royal icing.

Check out my latest Basketball Cake “2.0”

This cocktail came about simply because of what I had on hand in my pantry.  I was in the mood for a cocktail (usually martinis are my cocktail of choice), and decided that I should be able to scrounge around my house for the ingredients.  I  zested a couple of lemons earlier in the week and knew I had to use the juice soon.  I also had a bag of frozen cherries sitting in the freezer, so I thought I would combine the two.  My first thought was to make an “electric” cherry lemonade (aka spiked lemonade).  However, then I remembered that I really don’t love sweet cocktails, although I love fruit based cocktails.  I find that more often than not, fruit based cocktails end up being sickeningly sweet, so I opted to focus on the cherry and make it “sour cherry” by added fresh lemon juice.

Here is my secret to great cocktails – simple syrup.  An easy ingredient, simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil, then cooled.  This allows you to add sweetness to cold drinks and assures the dissolving of all the sugar.  (This is great in iced tea and fresh lemonade…so sugar reservoir at the bottom of your glass).  I find that while I don’t enjoy sweet cocktails, a lot of drinks benefit from a splash of simple syrup.  Another great way to get creative with cocktails is to flavor your simple syrups.  In this case, I made a cherry simple syrup – and that became the base of the cocktails.  I filled each martini glass with a couple of tablespoons of the cherry syrup.  I combined my lemon juice and vodka in a martini shaker and then poured the alcohol over the syrup.  Even though this cocktail has some sugar in it – don’t expect a sweet drink.  The lemon juice really helps to balance the sweet cherries and you end up with a fruity, yet tart creation.

Cheers!

Recipe: Sour Cherry Martini

Scott keeps advising (as a member of the wiskthis.com board) that I should write about what I do all day at work.   (I am the pastry chef at The Crown Market in West Hartford, CT)  So, I thought I would share with you a new cake that we are offering at the store.  This Charlotte is comprised of a layer of yellow cake, topped with a layer of fresh blackberries, filled with a fresh orange mouse and then wrapped with delicate lady fingers.  An orange ribbon adds the finishing touch.  I was very happy with the way the cake turned out and look forward to creating other seasonal varieties as new fruits come into season.  Because we are still technically in winter, I wanted to utilize the great citrus available…I find that the slightly tart blackberries make a great compliment to the silky, sweet orange mousse.  The 7″ cake retails for $14.99

Its cold and rainy outside, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to sneak in one last “comfort food” recipe before we are officially into the fresh flavors of Spring.  Even though I welcome the abundance of fruits and veggies the warmer weather brings, there is a part of me that misses the excuse to curl up with a piping hot bowl of noodles, or a hearty stew.  Luckily (for my waste line) the winter only lasts so long, and with that, so does my “heartier” cooking.  Yet, here is one last good “chilly night” recipe: Veal Paprika.

My mother made a version of veal paprika when I was growing up.  Her grandparents were originally from Czechoslovakia and her grandmother used to make veal paprikash for her as a child.  The dish was nostalgic for my mother, but unfortunately it must have lost something through the generations….this dish was not nostalgic to me.  While I have always been an adventurous and never a picky eater, my mother’s veal paprika was one of the few meals I passed up as a child.  I actually didn’t eat veal until recently because I had judged veal on her  paprika recipe. (more…)

I hadn’t made this dish in years, until just the other night.  Having my left over dill from the Veal Paprika, I was determined not to let it go to waste (as so often my bunches of dill do).  I remember liking the recipe very much, but for some reason, it fell out of my regular repertoire years ago.  What a shame that was!  I forgot how wonderfully light and flavorful this dish is (and healthy and quick too!).  The salmon is grilled with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and lots of fresh dill.  The fish is then beautifully presented over “pickled” cucumbers, which marinate while the salmon is cooking.  All in all, this could easily be a 15 minute meal.   With a short ingredient list, easy preparation, a low calorie count, and refined taste, this meal is certainly a winner.  I vow to keep it in the rotation from now on.

Recipe: Dill Encrusted Salmon with Pickled Cucumbers

Have left-over dill?  Try:

Recipe: Veal Paprika