Officially a Baker

I sold my first dozen cupcakes! The past several years, I've toyed with the idea of eventually retiring from being a cubicloid and opening my own bakery. These last 6 months, though, have shown me that this might be a tangible dream (and I might be able to reach it before retirement).

I've started to really enjoy baking - not just the reward, but the actual work to practice and perfect a recipe. I play with measurements and techniques, take notes and and add little touches until something is perfect. Then I start again and try to reach a new level of perfection. I'm the team baker at work, no matter where I work. I know loving to bake isn't the same as being able to be a professional at it, but I've gotten to the point where coworkers (my most frequent guinea pigs) are now talking about having me bake their party cupcakes and even a groom's cake.

We'll see if any of those come to fruition, but at least one glimmer of the future became a reality. Today, I sold my first baked goods! A coworker placed an order for a dozen of my Chocolate Stout cupcakes for her boyfriend's birthday and I delivered them today, tied with a sheer green bow.

Viola!

I would have loved to use a cuter container, but at least the foil had a nice paisley design on it. Next time, i want to buy pastry boxes or at least the disposable containers with lids.

I placed a "Wish!" sticker on the paper underneath one of the cupcakes and told my buyer that whoever picks that cupcakes gets to make a wish. I thought it was a cute touch and she really liked it! She actually got visibly upset when she gave a couple of the extra cupcakes away and forgot to check that they weren't the Wish Cupcake. I remembered which one it was, though, so I assured her it was still in the tin. One of my other coworkers thought I had inexplicably baked the sticker in the cupcake and yelled, "I hope that was a food-safe sticker!"

No, dear. I don't bake things into cupcakes unless it is another edible thing. Give me a LITTLE credit!

Anyway, I am really proud of myself and hope this baking thing happens. I mean, there is no reason for it not to. I don't have plans for a storefront or employees or anything - I just want to bake out of my home for now under cottage laws. I'll deliver locally, mostly to friends. If I get lucky and this get a popular following, then I can think about a small location down the line. For now, I'm happy. I already reserved the URL.

Happy baking!

Melting

I made melted crayon art! I was bored and found that I had a bunch of crayons that I really don't use, so I thought I'd give this trend a try. It was very easy and a lot of fun. All you need is:

• Canvas
• Enough crayons to line the top of the canvas, whatever color scheme you choose
• Hot glue or fabric glue
• Hair Dryer (alternatively, you could melt the crayons by leaving them out in the sun)

All you have to do is remove the wrappers from the crayons and glue them onto the canvas in a row. Some people weren't removing the wrappers and I guess that is personal preference, but I really didn't like the look.

I took the time to plan out my crayon placement first to try to maximize the rainbow look. I also wanted this little umbrella suit dude to stand at the bottom, so I drew him on first with permanent marker. I then taped a piece of cardstock, standing up, along the top of his umbrella to keep him visible.

I covered an area of the bathroom with plenty of newspaper - use multiple layers to prevent colors from bleeding through. Aim your hair dryer at the top and move it slowly across the crayons to melt them. It'll take a couple of minutes before you start seeing them melt, but they will start to sweat and look shiny.  For me, darker colors seemed to melt faster. The blues and blacks were running like crazy by the time I could get the yellows and reds to bleed.

Give it 10 minutes or so and just keep changing your canvas angle and aim to get the desired result. I think I needed a sharper angle to prevent the lumps at the bottom. I'm really happy with the result, though. It's a very interesting piece, plus I got these little neat drippings at the base of my canvas that I can probably use for another art piece.

I used a basic matte spray sealant for the canvas afterwards. I also used clear nail polish to seal any drips along the back of the canvas where it would touch the wall to prevent crayon markings on the wall.

Victoria and Albert's: A Once in a Lifetime Dining Experience

This is a long one, but it is merited. I swear it's worth your time. If not true, I'll buy you a beer (offer only applies to those who know me and where I live).

We've been toying with the idea of visiting Victoria and Albert's for over a year now. This elegant and exclusive restaurant at Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort represents the finest in dining experiences - including both the food and the service. However, along with the amazing food and service comes a lofty price tag, hence why I call this a "once in a lifetime" dining experience. You can expect to pay at least $125 per person for the general dining room, which includes a 7-course meal. You can upgrade to either the Queen Victoria room (10 courses) or the Chef's table for over $200 per person. They offer a few additions to their menu for extra money once you're there, such as caviar, so pay attention when ordering. They will be clearly noted.

Now that we've got the cost out of the way, let me tell you - it's totally worth it. The food is prepared with the utmost care and attention to detail. Every single element on the plate is there for a reason, and the ingredients are of exceptional quality. The servers take their time to tell you everything about the dish, and they know what they're talking about. Every dish on the menu is notated with it's alcohol pairing, whether it be wine or beer that fits the dish best. You can also take the work out of it and add a full wine pairing to your experience for about $65. The wine pairings aren't just splashes of wine, either. Every single dish will have a full glass of wine that is its best complement (so bring a sober buddy).

In addition to your amazing meal, you receive a personalized menu with your name and the date on it.

Women receive a rose at the end of the evening. The cool thing is that the servers will bring the rose out and turn to the significant other to ask, "This was the color you selected, right Mr. _____?" so if the lady didn't know about it, it'd seem like the guy planned it the whole way through. INGENIOUS. (Though I've spoiled it for everyone now, sorry guys.) It brought up an interesting discussion between my husband and I as to whether they do the same for same-gendered couples. Hopefully they do, I'm just not sure how they'd know unless they were told, this is my partner as opposed to my sister or brother or friend. I suppose it could be a crapshoot with mixed-gender couples too, though (could be friends or siblings) - though it would've been easy for us since we were listed as Mr. and Mrs. E.

I definitely worried that I would feel uncomfortable during the whole experience. Someone had told me that each person gets their own waiter that tends to your every need, which is not really true and had me thinking it was going to be awkward and snooty anyway. I was happy to learn that, while the waiters ARE exceptional and courteous, they are also friendly and welcoming. I felt I could relax in my fancy dress and shoes. I didn't feel like someone would stare at me slack-jawed if I put my elbows on the table. Oh, and your whole table has like 3 waiters, it's really more that one is in charge of food and orders, another is in charge of your drinks and another is in charge of bread. They share duties, too, all with the goal of making sure you have the best experience possible. Another thing I loved about the service, they describe the dish to you when they bring it out. I get so annoyed when I choose something that sounds delicious and by the time the course comes I wonder what the hell that sauce was made of again. By the way, the dining room is gorgeous. Check out their website for pictures.

On to the food! 
At the bottom of this post I have retyped the menu, which changes seasonally, and noted which items we selected. This was definitely the best food I have ever had. It started with an amuse-bouche of 4 tiny bites - one lobster crepe roll, one slice of bison, a little cauliflower soup and one more thing I can't remember. Of the amuse-bouche, the standout was the cold-smoked bison with a honey sauce drizzle underneath. It was amazing. I could have licked the plate.

My absolute favorite dish of the night was the Porcini mushroom soup. I'm a sucker for good soups and this was a doozie. It was so creamy and homey and flavorful. The bread pudding accompaniment was topped with white truffle cheese. I wasn't doing the wine pairing, but this was the one course I decided to opt for the paired beverage - Chimay Red. The beer brought out that mushroom flavor even more; it was amazing.

I went with the Poulet Rouge entree as I had read some hype about it online. It did not disappoint. I was presented with a few slices of dark meat and a few of white. The spring asparagus side had 3 different kinds - regular green, white, and pencil-thin ones that I didn't even realize were asparagus at first! The chicken was the juiciest I've ever had. By this time I was getting pretty full so I had to muscle through it, but this would have definitely been another plate-licker otherwise. The skin was crisp and browned and, of course, everything was seasoned perfectly. Oh, the smells. I can still smell that sweet, delicious aroma. Mr. E said his pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked and just as awe-inspiring.

The Cheese Plate! If you know me well, you know that I have an unhealthy affinity for cheeses. This cheese plate pretty much had all things I'd never tried before. Please read the full list in the menu below. It also came with wine-soaked pear slices that were divine. Throughout the entire dinner, we were served 3 different kinds of breads that each had their own specific seasoned butter. There was a roll, a wheat bread (which was my favorite - impressive considering I'm not a fan of most wheat breads) and an herb bread, I believe. The butters had simple flavors like herbs, honey and salt.

I had the Grand Marnier souffle for dessert. I can't say no to souffles and Grand Marnier isn't too shabby, either. It was everything a souffle should be - hot, sweet, fluffy, balanced, etc. The sticky sweet sauce was delicious. Mr. E's banana gateau was damn impressive. Obviously, plating is like artwork at places like this. I wish I could have taken photos of everything, but I really didn't want to be "that" person.

Please please get the coffee service if you like coffee. It was like a mad scientist stopped by our table. (I grabbed the photo below from the Internetz, but this is the setup that was on our table.)

A flame is lit under the coffee pot full of water. The Cona cup was placed above and filled with grounds. Something about pressure and a vacuum happens and viola! Coffee in like 10 minutes.

Okay, okay, you deserve a better explanation. I found great info about the history of siphon coffee makers like the Cona above and how it works at CoffeeGeek.

TL;DR - Loved, loved, loved Victoria and Albert's. Pricey, but worth doing it at least once in your life. Go there. You need a reservation. Prepare to have your mind blown.


Menu June 2, 2012 (Our selections denoted by Mr. and Mrs.*)

Cold App - I may not have gotten the course names exactly right, but there were so many!
Chiogga Beet Carpaccio with pickled Peaches and Burrata Cheese (Mr.)
Roasted Long Island Duck with pomegranate, Pistachios and Hearts of Palm (Mrs.)

Seafood
Diver Scallop and Gulf Shrimp Cioppino with Maine Mussel and Fennel Nage (Mr.)
Onion Ash Crusted Alaskan Halibut with Sauce Soubise (Mrs.)

Hot App
Porcini Mushroom Soup with Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding (Mrs.)
Roasted Quail with Asian Pears and Serrano ham Jus
Herb-Crusted Ocala Rabbit and Sausage with Carrots (Mr.)

Meat Entree
Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Verjus-Bacon Vinaigrette (Mr.)
Poulet Rouge "Oscar" with Alaskan King Crab and Spring Asparagus (Mrs.)
Niman Ranch Lamb with Baby Tomatoes, Artichokes and Olive Pesto

Cheese or Gelato
Colston Bassett Stilton, Sottocenere Al Tartufo, Gouda Reypenaer XO and Flagship Reserve Truckle Cheddar (Mr., Mrs.)
White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings

Dessert
Tanzanie Chocolate Pyramid with Champagne-Chambord Truffle
Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Purse with Blackberry-Violet Sherbet
Caramelized Banana Gateau (Mr.)
Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
Grand Marnier Souffle (Mrs.)
Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle

"Celebes" Coffee, Tea and Friandises Service


*As proof that I was 100% engrossed in my own awesome food, I had to ask my husband to remind me what he ate.

Hunahpu Release Party @ Cigar City Brewing, Tampa

Yesterday we decided to head down to Tampa, FL for Cigar City's release of Hunahpu, an Imperial Stout that only comes out once a year. This was their third year doing the release, but you'd think it was their 50th with the huge crowd that showed up. People came from other states to check it out. We drove about 1 hour... and it was definitely worth it.

We arrived just as they started letting people into the lot at 11 am. The line (more of a crowd) went around the block. I would guess there were about 200-300 people just standing in line to get in. We grabbed our folding chairs and went inside. They blocked off their prking lot for the event and brought in a bunch of food trucks and beer tents, including opening their taproom, of course. Many people brought in lawn chairs, coolers, food and other beers. There was even a homebrewer's tent where homebrewers were welcome to trade and sample out their beers. This is apparently a huge beer trading event. I didn't realize this before, but there is a beer trading movement going around where folks will trade their regional beers with others in order to try some rare finds. It seems like a great way to share favorites with other beer lovers.

We set up shop next to a food truck and my partner in crime headed into a line. The lines for each beer truck were a minumum of 50 people deep. I stayed and watched over our spot. I was battling a cold, so sitting seemed like a good idea. The Hunahpu was everything expected. It was sweet, strong alcohol taste, good coffee notes, nice lingering aftertaste. It was definitely a beer we'd like to age because it would probably be out of this world. Those flavors just popped.

After standing in a couple 20-minute lines, we decided it was worth the risk to leave the chairs behind and go stand in line together. It turned out we had nothing to worry about. No one messed with our unsupervised stuff at all. We even met some great people in line. We split up to hit a couple lines at once. My partner, E, went into a shorter line while I held our spot in line for the very hard to find Dark Lord, available at 1pm. In his line, E found himself in front of a homebrewer. After some friendly chitchat, the homebrewer offered him one of his IPAs from his cooler while they waited in line. My line had a nice group of folks talking about animals, which is right up my alley. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord keg blew within about 5 minutes, so we didnt get to try any. However, I got to try an Acidife, which was the sour style I enjoy. E had the Older Viscosity, which was pretty tasty. It looked like motor oil and had a syrupy taste, so it lived up to its name. Another good thing about leaving our chairs behind is someone's pet pug found a nice shady spot under one of them.

At the end of the day, we realized we had 4 leftover drink tickets (tickets were used for the beer trucks so they didnt have to deal in cash, which definitely sped the lines up). E went to the group of folks camped behind us and figured he'd ask for 3/4 the value and we'd be happy. The first guy offered 1/2 the value, but a woman in the group immediately spoke up and said that we should get our full money back. We were so surprised. We told her we'd accept 3/4 value but she insisted on full. The atmosphere was so relaxed. I really learned that beer lovers are generally great people.

Along the way, we scored a bottle of El Murcielago, a double cream ale aged in tequila barrels with cumin and lime peel. It was awesome. You could taste all the different flavors and the warmer the beer got, the better the flavors got. It had a beautiful nose and is probably one of my favorites now. All in all, an awesome event that we will definitely hit hard next time around.

Recipe Box: Peanut Brittle

Making peanut brittle for the first time can be very frustrating. My first try a few years ago took 3 batches before it even began to resemble brittle. My biggest mistake was under-cooking for fear of burning, resulting in a chewy, salty mess that never reached the deep caramel color and flavor brittle should have. If you're going to make brittle, go balls-out. Don't fear the brittle.


Shirley's Peanut Brittle - Makes a little over 1 lb


Ingredients

• Vegetable oil spray
• 4 oz unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 10 oz dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts or mixed nuts (depending on the saltiness of the peanuts you get, adjust the added salt)

Method

1. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with oil. A silicone mat works, too.  Don't use a wax or paper liner of any kind. You need the surface to be about 10" x 15" with edges to help scrape extra peanuts off your spoon. Prepare all your ingredients now. There won't be time to measure later. Mix the salt and baking soda together in the same bowl and set aside with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Melt butter over very low heat in a large-bottomed, metal saucepan. Do not use a nonstick pan. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Mix until all the sugar is wet.
3. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently with a whisk to prevent burning or boil-over. Once the mixture starts to bubble and rise, whisk constantly. Continue until mixture turns a deep golden brown, the color you expect the brittle to be.
4. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in baking soda/salt blend.
5. Switch to a wooden or metal spoon and fold in the peanuts. Work quickly, as the mixture will seize within 1-2 minutes. Pour onto the sheet pan or silicone mat and spread out as evenly as possible with the spoon.
6. Let the sheet pan of brittle cool completely, about half an hour to an hour, before breaking apart by hand or with a blunt object.

Clean up: Immediately drop empty saucepan, used spoon and whisk under screaming hot water. Continue running water over it until the hard brittle remnants melt away. Use a scrubbing sponge to help the process, just don't burn yourself. 


Happy cooking!

Holiday Food Gifts!

It's that time of year again! I've made my various lists and my friends are (hopefully) getting ready for some delicious holiday treats to arrive in their mailboxes!

A few years ago, we started the tradition of sending food to most of our Christmas gift list. Some people are notoriously difficult to shop for and some people just live far enough away that paying shipping seems like a HUGE waste of money. Besides, I refuse to pay shipping for anything. It's entirely too easy to find free shipping online these days to waste the $5-$6... Lord help you if you try to charge me upwards of $10! To be honest, though, our main reason to start the food gift tradition was that we were relatively poor college students. Food shows you care, while not causing a drastic hit to your wallet. If I buy a friend anything less than $20 I seem cheap, but if I make them something delicious, they'll know I care.

Here's the best part; After that first year we realized that people LOVED our food gifts. We got tons of thank-yous and even a request for more the next year, so it became a tradition. It shouldn't be surprising... I mean, who doesn't love delicious treats that magically arrive at your door?

Tips

A few key things I follow when choosing food gifts:

1. Don't pick anything too difficult. You'll be making several batches of these and if it takes you a week of baking in the evening, the first batch will be stale before you get them to the post office.
2. Choose a mix of items rather than just one and remember that there is only so much that fits in flat rate boxes. You only need to include a few of each treat. If you don't have to mail them, then you can include as much as you like in a gift bag, but it really isn't necessary.
3. Choose 2-3 simple items and one impressive item. Still stick to something simple, but not every piece has to have that "wow" factor. It just needs to be delicious. A phenomenal chocolate chip cookie beats some super-fancy layer cake with tons of decor any day. Another bonus is that if your impressive items turns out terribly wrong, you know you can fall back on more of the simple stuff!
4. People love classics. If it reminds you of childhood and home memories, your friends will feel the love in your cooking.
5. Choose things that SHIP WELL! No cakes. No cupcakes with frosting.

Ideas

Here are some of our favorite and most popular food gifts.

• Chocolate chip cookies
• Peanut brittle
• Biscotti (try a duo of flavors, I've made almond, cinnamon, pumpkin and chocolate)
• Polvorones (simple Puerto Rican butter cookie)

This year's selection will include:

• Peanut brittle (if I don't send this, there will be a riot)
• Lemon drop cookies dipped in white chocolate and nonpareils (sprinkles, why not?)
• Homemade peppermint marshmallows with crushed candy cane decoration

... assuming they all work out. Always have a backup plan!


Planning

You definitely don't want to jump head first into this without a plan. I start by making a list of everyone I'm doing food gifts for instead of other gifts. This usually includes anyone I have to ship to, anyone I have no clue what to buy for, sometimes coworkers, sometimes family even if I plan to buy them something else - it's nice to use bags of treats to fill out a gift bag in place of tissue paper.

After I make my list, I note who will be shipped and who I will hand the gift to. This tells me how many gift bags or flat rate boxes to buy.

Then, I list about how much of each item will fill the boxes. Multiply by number of people and there is my total of cookies/brittle/whatever I need to make.

The final and most important step is to get your recipes in order. How many batches do I need to have enough for everyone? Scale up your recipes to match and make your grocery list based on that.

It seems like a lot, but you'll be done in 15 minutes, I swear (assuming you followed my advice and didn't go with a crazy recipe). Oh, and don't worry about making a recipe you've never made before. Just make a smaller batch first and then adjust and go from there. Nothing is worse than the wasted effort on making a ton of something terrible. Just make a little of something terrible, then it's called a "learning experience" rather than a "massive failure."


Okay, people! I'm off to spread some butter under my eyes like a football player. Game on!


Happy cookies... I mean cooking!

Recipe Box: Potato Gratin with Mushrooms and Gruyere

Here is one my favorite find from Thanksgiving this year! I got it from the November 2010 issue of Bon Appetit, which is actually a very useful (and cheap!) magazine for foodies.

This recipe is a creamy, cheesy side with a deep rustic flavor from the baby bella (cremini) and shiitake mushrooms. Read about Brave New Kitchen's first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner (and special tips on this recipe) here!

Potato Gratin with Mushrooms and Gruyere

Prep: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours
Feeds: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups finely chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 3 leeks, wash after chopping)
1 1/2 lb assorted mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (such as cremini and shiitake)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp or more of salt
1/2 tsp or more ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, saute until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until soft and liquid evaporates, 7-8 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  

[BNK reminder: Always taste for seasoning along the way. If one of your components doesn't taste good, how will your whole dish taste?]

DO AHEAD: All steps above can be done 4 hours in advance. Let stand at room temperature.

[BNK tip: Keep potatoes in a bowl of cool water so they don't turn brown.]

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Pat potato slices dry with kitchen towel. Combine cream, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large pot. Add potatoes. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer covered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid. Simmer until cream is reduced by about half and potatoes are partially cooked, stirring often and watching closely to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush 13x9x2-inch (roughly) glass or ceramic baking dish with oil. Transfer half of potato mixture to dish, spreading out in an even layer. Spoon mushroom mixture over in even layer. Spoon remaining potato mixture over, spreading in an even layer. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil, tenting in the center to prevent cheeses from sticking to the foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender and top is brown. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

[BNK notes: This recipe reheats well, so don't worry if you have fewer to feed than 8. It also hold its form pretty well, so you down have the sloppy-lasagna look going on.]

Happy cooking!