Raving about Cakeman Raven

I had a birthday a few weeks ago and my husband got me an outrageously delicious and special birthday cake - made by famous Cakeman Raven - the red velvet cake expert. And I got to watch him - Cakeman, not my husband -  decorate it before my eyes; he worked effortlessly and within a few minutes - viola!  -beautiful. And it gets better because when it melts in your mouth you cannot believe you waited this long to try the original red velvet cake. My suggestion: go get some - he makes over 5000 cakes a month!

What does red velvet cake taste like? Some say like chocolate cake - well there is some resemblance but it is not just a red chocolate cake. For me - it is the texture that makes it stand apart.

"A real "southern treat", described as an aphrodisiac dessert, deep in its bright redness and buttery crumb texture accents the sweet cream cheese frosting, mellowing out the pecan oils from the crusted pecan garnish.


After the first bite, you're hooked!"


Here are a few shots on location in Brooklyn with JUMA execs and crew - watch for upcoming TV show. I will keep you posted but in the meanwhile, let them eat cake!

Yes You Cannes Frites

Pastis, Cannes

What can I say, pommes frites are on my mind and there is way too much serious news in the world this week to even think of something else to comment on. So, whether in Cannes or NYC, this is a no brainer - all diets out the window - order them. Not only are they fried, but they are TWICE fried.

In fact, get a double. That's what I did a few weeks ago while in Cannes with my husband. I couldn't stop eating them long enough to take a simple photo. But the menu is nice, right?


(I am afraid this is becoming kind of a theme with me, see photo of "regular" fabulous SALTY fries here.)

And here are a few photos from our trip...

The Marina - drinks with friends

I call this purple "boat" the Lakers Yacht... maybe it is... what's up with the NBA season?

View of Cannes

World Premiere of Upcoming ABC Show Missing (well, it was a business trip!)

Yum Yum

I always travel in color.

Okra on Vacation

Oh, the summer... we are taking a break for the month of August.

But, before I go - just tried it - and I LOVE fried okra ( just saying).
Enjoy the long days and come back soon!

Not Quite Honeysuckle, But Truly Pink with Raspberry Cupcakes

Pink Cupcakes

So girly

On one of last week's snowy days we made some yummy cupcakes. Below is the recipe we used from More magazine, February 2011 issue.

Yummy Snow Day Snack

Someone could not wait to have a bite!

More Magazine's Pink Cupcake Recipe
Prep time: 32 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes 12

Cupcakes

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup), softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk

Glaze
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (and more if needed)
• Pink or red food coloring
• 12 small red raspberries for garnish

1. To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 12 cupcake cups with liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk in three additions. Beat until just combined. Fill cupcake papers ¾ full, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on rack.

2. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Slowly add food coloring with a toothpick until desired pink shade is achieved. Top each cupcake with 1 teaspoon glaze. Spread decoratively toward the edges to create a scalloped, just- dripping effect. Top each with one small raspberry.


WE USED BRIGHT PINK CUPCAKE BAKING FOILS

Isn't White Luscious?

When I am not thinking of red these days - be it Xmas red (for obvious reasons) or blood red (due to various injuries and wounds we happen to be nursing at the moment in our home) or tomato red (due to the bottles of juice in which we had to bathe our skunk encountered Golden Retriever) - I am thinking a lot of white.

Is white a color? I say yes. And in additive color theory it is, in a nutshell, said to be the merging of many colors. So, loving color, I love white. White is often said to convey purity, innocence, simplicity and new beginnings (weddings, even funerals to convey sympathy and life celebration).

Some of the reasons I love the WHITE at this time of year:

Snow  - see last post on one of my favorite spots on the planet - Deer Valley, Utah.
White Sherpa fur (not real) - cozy hoodie - my favorite from Barefoot Dreams Cozychic.
Marshmallows - fluffy, simple and reminiscent of youth.

All so yummy and luscious this time of year.

Straight from Orrganics' home kitchen:
Homemade Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

Easy and fun to make. Perfect for s'mores and great for topping hot chocolate. They melt in your mouth. And, this morning they were also a breakfast food. 

Recipe:
Marshmallow Batter:
3 packs of unflavored gelatin
1 cup of light corn syrup
1.5 cups of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla (not the imitation extract)
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

Toppings:

bag of sweetened shredded coconut, toasted*
confectioners' sugar
optional: cayenne pepper/red pepper flakes - a topping for some added HEAT which I love (and of course, here is that red color again)

To make the Marshmallow Batter:

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle half the toasted coconut* in an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal pan. Pour in the marshmallow batter and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Sprinkle on the remaining toasted coconut (and do the same with the cayenne/red pepper if you are using it). Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan and cut into LARGE squares. Use a pizza cutter. Roll the sides of each piece carefully in confectioners' sugar. Store uncovered at room temperature.

ENJOY!

* To toast the coconut, sprinkle evenly on a cookie sheet or jelly roll and bake at 350 until lightly browned - toss frequently. This takes 5 or so minutes - watch so you don't burn. Time could vary.

Next time I will be adding a dusting of graham crackers and choc for instant s'mores yummmmmmmmm!

Please know that the recipes for homemade marshmallows out there are all quite similar. The one I use is adapted from The Barefoot Contessa, Family Style by Ina Garten - someone I feel especially close to although we have never met.

all photos by Jackie

Exploding Vegetables!

Martin Klimas, a German artist, sends a projectiles into vegetables and the result is explosive! To see more of Klimas' exploding veggies and fruits (a statement about "our" growing interest away from junk and toward health foods), please visit Feature Shoot where I had my first taste of his work. (Sorry, that was really bad!)

And, however tempting this might be, I wouldn't recommend using projectiles at the dinner table.

Yes, I Love Orange

If you don't already know, orange is one of my favorite colors. It presents itself in so many ways, especially this time of year on the East Coast. While the orange exterior color below is not as vibrant as I usually like, I do wonder if they painted the building during the fall - it is such a perfect match of canvas to the trees.

Yes, I did pull over to photograph this building mirroring nature

A close up of Fall in action 

And, speaking of orange, pumpkins are not just for Halloween -

Pumpkin Soup  - Yum Yum

Recipe from The Mayo Clinic:

Ingredients
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 cup unsalted vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup fat-free milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green onion, green top only, chopped

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Don't let the onion dry out.

Add the remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook until hot. Don't boil.

Ladle into warmed individual bowls and garnish with black pepper and green onion tops. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories 72 Cholesterol 1 mg
Protein 3 g Sodium 241 mg
Carbohydrate 12 g Fiber 2 g
Total fat 1 g Potassium 199 mg
Saturated fat < 1 g Calcium 78 mg
Monounsaturated fat < 1 g

Now you see 'em, now you doughn't

I am not really a doughnut girl but I have to say that the "famous" homemade doughnuts we had at Lola in Seattle are not your ordinary doughnuts. Our waitress suggested - rather insisted - that we order them with our breakfast.  So, we got one order to share between the four of us. Mistake. They were gone in about 2 seconds flat. Nothing can quite compare to these handmade doughnuts; airy, not too sweet and a perfect amount of sugared crunch with each bite. There are definitely no Kinks in these little guys. So, while I highly recommend the doughnuts at Lola when you are next in Seattle, I must caution against sharing - you absolutely must get your own order.

(Another attraction for me was the font - on the plate/logo. Seems to fit just right.)

Going

Going

Gone

And, speaking of doughnuts - I am so proud of my friend for publishing her first novel : Life, Death and Doughnuts. (It is her 5th book.) Yes, I am giving her a plug right here.

Please let me know if there are any other doughnuts that might compare to Lola's.

A New Oeuf!

So we recently did this sweet baby announcement (via Luscious Verde), it's fuchsia and wasabi green with chocolate ink and the little birdie is an additional layer of paper, providing more texture (which I love). And, it is all recycled paper to boot. Yummy. A new little baby, a chickie ... eggs. Yes, this announcement made me think of a fabulous dish - of eggs - that I had when we were in Paris last May. And, I don't mean for breakfast.

We were out for a true Parisian dinner at a little neighborhood spot near the Eiffel Tower with our friends, Natalie and Tom. They live in Paris - Natalie is French born and Tom very well could be given his gift for the language and the ease in which he lives life there.  Tom recommended to me a dish that I never would think to order - oeufs meurettes. What? Eggs at night? Cooked in red wine? Lots of butter? Are you kidding me? It sounded so heavy and so not my style. But Tom assured me that I would love it despite my claims to the contrary and, honestly, he challenged me. Never one to back away from a (reasonable) challenge, I ordered it in butchered French. Well, he was right; I was practically licking my plate - how "Ugly American" of me. Here is a link to make these fine oeufs yourself. Bon Appétit*

*To be clear, in no way am I suggesting eating our offspring and I probably would not be cooking or eating these in the current 100 degree summer weather we are having - have some cold grapefruit sorbet instead.

So Salty

I love salt. I love crisp. So when the 2 are so beautifully blended together I am a happy camper. I was traveling across the country the last few days and, while waiting for my delayed flight in Phoenix,  I had the most fabulous fries. I can't remember the name of the place but it was right next to the Southwest gates. They were so perfect in fact that I didn't even realize my flight back into Burbank was more delayed than I thought and I could actually just jump on a flight to LA that was leaving in about 2 minutes and get to my husband a few hours sooner... Well, I had choices to make - I left my drink untouched but finished every last fry and made the flight. Happy camper. Happy Hubby.

Another great way to enjoy salt is the following, made with organic English cucumbers and smoked hickory salt - easy, crisp and refreshing:

1. slice the cucumber into 1/4-1/2 inch think circles

2. put on tray and sprinkle with hickory salt.

Done.
See easy step by step below...

Think you can do that?

And, thinking of salt -
Salted paper photographic prints are pretty cool to look at if done well. (Visit salted paper images on flickr.) Invented by a British photographer around 1840 and used primarily until around 1860 or so, the process uses a salt solution on paper whereby the resulting image is embedded in the paper instead of on it and the images are usually lacking in crisp detail, which I think creates the beauty in them.

Do You Want Some Cheddar Caulifower? No Cheese Added.

Our local Farmer's Market here in New Hope is something I look forward to every week. We try to get there early - right after school as they are still setting up. Yesterday we were all over the cheddar cauliflower and the lush looking beets. Of course, we couldn't resist these HUGE and decadent chocolate yogurt cupcakes from Comfortfood by Chef Kim Quay. (We like her Granola too!)

Roast the cauliflower with extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt - yummy. 

The New Hope Farmers' Market is on Thursdays from 3:30 to 7, located at the High School. Rain or Shine.

Fish Food

"Please join us for dinner as Chef Theo creates delicious Salmon Papillote..."


Koi letterpress note cards, bamboo paper (photo, Smock Press).


Chef Theo Petron of A la Maison at work.


Assembling with fresh fennel...


I love orange.


Ready to go.


It's a wrap.



Voila!