Wedding cake trials: Part I

May 16, 2016 in dessert, spring

I'm not going to apologize for the HALF YEAR hiatus Chelsea and I took from the blog.

Let's stay positive. We're back! For now. Hopefully for longer because we just paid for another years subscription and it would be a real shame to waste all that money. What have I done in the six months since I posted about it being fall and doing fall things? I applied to grad school, ate some things, got into grad school, ate some more things, and then somewhere towards the end of all of that exciting news and consumption I agreed to make a wedding cake for my dear friends Mary and Seth! For 100 people. Am I fool? Maybe. But I have watched every video on cake assembly, baking, icing, and slicing that youtube has to offer and I'm riding on that confidence.

It started with a very innocent bunny cake on Easter, inspired by the bunny cakes of my youth. Grandma Kate would bake two round cakes and help us kids assemble the bunny head and bow tie with shredded coconut fur and licorice whiskers (see reference image below). The bride-to-be took my bunny cake making skills to mean that I might also make wedding cakes and I happily agreed before I could reconsider. She tells me Whole Foods sheet cakes are their back up plan. No pressure.

Cake Trial 1

Cake Trial 2

Cake Trial 3

I then made my hungry, sweet-toothed, and now very OLD boyfriend not one, but two birthday cakes for his birthday out of the goodness of my much younger heart, and because I was suddenly very terrified that I in fact did not know how to make cakes other than bunny shaped ones and casual birthday cake ones and so I may or may not have co-opted his birthday as cake trial runs for W-day.

The first birthday cake was a simple vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream and rainbow sprinkles using Molly Yeh's Cardamom Cake sans cardamom, and it is really the most delicious vanilla cake ever. I've been using this recipe for all cake trials since bunny cake and it has proved consistently awesome. (Note: I've been cutting ½ cup sugar from the recipe because I can't help myself, but I think it is just sweet enough this way)

The second birthday cake, an olive oil cornmeal cake with orange zest, bee pollen and a honey buttercream, was a layer taller than the last and made me reconsider driving assembled cakes to the site...

With 2 weeks left until W-day, I decided to do a(nother) test run this weekend to try out possible flavor combinations and assembly strategies. I've opted for the v trendy naked cake style because it requires far less skill than fancy, fully iced cakes, and because I prefer the aesthetic. Cake option 1 is a vanilla naked cake with fresh blueberries and lemon curd, swiss meringue buttercream and poppy seeds and blueberries for garnish. I used this recipe for the frosting and this recipe for the curd. The beauty of this is that all the yolks leftover from the frosting are used in the curd! Cake option 2 is a vanilla semi-naked cake (sides partly frosted) with fresh strawberries and a vanilla bean swiss meringue buttercream topped with more strawberries and whole vanilla bean. It should also be noted that swiss meringue is a magical thing that I have only recently discovered. It is creamier than regular buttercream, doesn't use any powdered sugar, and holds up better in heat/humidity supposedly, so I've chosen to use this instead and haven't looked back.

After a most delicious dinner of pork and date tagine prepared by Amanda, we sampled the cakes each with a healthy glass of champagne. It was a very tough decision, but naturally the groom preferred the lemon curd cake for its tanginess and visuals and the bride preferred the strawberry cake for its simplicity and structure. And so, I'm making both!

More photos to come as well as a post wedding break-down (cake-down?) from the big day that hopefully does not include any disasters, food poisoning, tears, or any of the other horrific potential outcomes I think about before bed each night.

{ Bon Appétiting, Katie }

Birthday Weekend in Aspen!

November 02, 2015 in fall, dinner, breakfast, lunch

A couple weeks ago, Michael surprised me with a weekend trip to Aspen and Maroon Bells for my birthday!

I had unknowingly almost ruined the surprise a few weeks earlier when I had demanded that we drive Independence Pass from Vail to Aspen to see the colorful leaves. After grabbing lunch in Aspen, I tried to convince Michael to stop by Maroon Bells on our way home. I had wanted to go to Maroon Bells for awhile now, and the leaves would look sooo pretty this time of year. Lucky for him, we had dinner plans and didn’t have time to gallivant through the mountains, stopping every minute to snap a pic… which was devastating news, because the 222 that I had taken on our drive over the Pass really weren’t enough.

So the weekend before my birthday, we drove to Aspen and spent a night at The St. Regis. I know – baller status. I felt like Harry and Lloyd from Dumb & Dumber trying to fit in.

Before hitting the road to Aspen, we stopped at Café 163 in Edwards, CO for some breakfast. I had a latte and the Bacon, Spinach & Tomato Benedict on gluten-free bread. I was trying to be healthy, but a normal English muffin would’ve tasted much better. I hate when that happens.

Next up: Maroon Bells... finally! It was everything I hoped it would be.

We happily spent the $10 to drive up to the picturesque base, where we were promptly yelled at (twice) by a parking attendant for apparently not parking straight enough on the side of the road. We then hiked to Crater Lake, which was less lake-y than we expected but was still a beautiful trail with a variety of terrain and some gorgeous views.

I’m always STARVING after a hike (and pretty much always), so we stopped for lunch at Su Casa before checking into the hotel. We demolished a basket of chips and salsa as soon as they hit our table, and I ordered the Rellenos Frescos. I didn’t even know chile rellenos that weren’t deep fried existed! They were deliciously cheesy, and I immediately regretted eating so many chips when I could barely look at the second pepper on my plate.

Next stop: the hotel! A butler showed us to our suite, where a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and some chocolate truffles were waiting, courtesy of The St. Regis! I think I could get used to this..

We had some afternoon cocktails on the patio of Jimmy’s Bodega (I had a Dulce Caliente, made with suerte blanco tequila, st. germain ginger liqueur, lime, cucumber, jalapeño), and, after finishing the bottle of Veuve, we headed to the hotel bar, Shadow Mountain Lounge, for a beer and a glass of wine – Delas Frères "Saint-Esprit" Côtes du Rhône to be exact.

Dinner was at a delicious Italian restaurant called Acquolina, where we shared Rosmarino (thin homemade focaccia, rosemary & extra virgin olive oil), Spagnola Pizze (tomato sauce, mozzarella, chorizo, avocado, red onions, jalapeño & cilantro), and a bottle of Morellino di Scansano Lohsa. They sung me happy birthday, and we ate some of the best tiramisu I've ever had!

The next morning, a tray of build-your-own Bloody Mary's appeared at our door. Aaah... just what we needed to stave off our impending hangovers.

We then toured around town, taking in the crisp mountain air, and stopped for breakfast at Victoria’s Espresso. I got a latte and a Sunnyside Avo Tomato Sango. I love when lattes are served in clear glasses :) So European of them.

We ended our stay at the hotel's luxurious Remède Spa. It was voted the #1 Spa in the World by Travel + Leisure, and, after our short visit, I can understand why. The relaxation room offered way more than just spa water (they served brussels cookies - my favorite!), and the amenities were incredible. They had a shared waterfall room with a warm pool and colored lights, and a steam room, hot tub, and even a polar plunge attached to each changing area.

The not so lake-y Crater Lake.

Katie's delightful birthday card!

What a weekend!

{ lovin' from the MOUNTAINS, Chelsea }

Pretzels and Cheesy Buttercup Squash Dip

October 26, 2015

Do cheese stuffed Super Pretzels still exist or did they disappear with the green ketchup and dunkaroos post Y2K? I found myself thinking about these cheesy pretzels the other day and then dreaming about how I might recreate them. I remember "making" them after school, popping a few from the freezer into the microwave and sprinkling the salt packet on top, which made me feel like I was cooking or something. Then I'd turn on the TV and watch Degrassi with Aubrey Graham (aka Drake) in Canadian high school. These were formative years.

The "Life-Changing" Breakfast

October 01, 2015 in breakfast, gluten-free, paleo

As you can tell from the name, this breakfast changed my life; not in that I’m a different person now that I’ve eaten it, just in that I’ve actually found a meal that I could happily eat every. single. day. And I’m not one to say that lightly considering I get bored relatively quickly eating the same foods over and over again. But this one is different…

California Part IV: San Francisco

September 28, 2015

A list of all the food consumed and places visited in no particular order, excluding (approximately) 64% of it due to negligence and/or laziness:

A winding, foggy road to Point Reyes where we found empty beaches, highly aggressive miniatures crabs, sea cows that didn't comprehend how spectacular their surroundings were and much needed pilsners at the most random Czech restaurant called Vladmir's. Sadly we were too full on shitty sandwiches for goulash.

California Part III: Heath Ceramics

September 11, 2015

Heath Ceramics is an institution in San Francisco when it comes to trendy tile and dinnerware, which are both, naturally, in high demand in SF. I knew very little about Heath before visiting the factory except that I knew I loved all of it and wanted to drink everything out of one of those sweet taupe colored mugs with the single finger handle. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito to get a tour of the original factory and to buy some rumored seconds pieces on the cheaps. The seconds, as it turns out, will still set you back $25 a mug, but I managed to find a few adorable brown speckle stacking mugs that were supposed double seconds (not good enough for Heath but good enough for me) and only had to suffer mild judgement from the pretentious cashier who reminded me they were "not returnable."

Acai Bowl + Spicy Watermelon Juice | roux studio

Summer Refreshers: Spicy Watermelon Juice + an Açaí Berry Bowl

August 31, 2015 in breakfast, gluten-free, paleo, summer, vegan, vegetarian

I’M A REEEEEEEEALLY BAD FOOD BLOGGER.

Actually, “really bad” – even with all the extra e’s – doesn’t do it justice. You’ve probably noticed, but I haven’t posted a thing since JANUARY. That’s much worse than “really bad”.

I’ve been trying to make excuses for myself for my unforgivable hiatus. The lighting wasn’t good. I was away for a few weeks for work and visiting my family. I was busy watching OITNB. None of them are any good, except maybe the lighting one.

Katie should’ve banned me long ago. Luckily, she’s a doll (or maybe she just forgot that I was supposed to be a co-contributor because I disappeared for so long) and I’m still here, so I’ll try to make it up to you.

the second annual moving day pasta:
RYE GNOCCHI WITH CRISPY PURPLE SCALLION

August 05, 2015 in dinner, fall, spring, summer, vegetarian, winter

I'm interrupting the week long interruption of the California series to celebrate the second annual moving day pasta post. The moving day pasta is so much more than just pasta, it is the means by which one can procrastinate the inevitable packing or unpacking by using only the cooking utensils that haven't been packed and the ingredients that haven't totally rotted in the back of the filthy refrigerator cheese drawer to make some semblance of a last supper. It's kind of like Chopped (a show on Food Network that I DEFINITELY don't binge watch when I get my paws on cable) except that at the end no one gives me $10,000 and I still have to move all my shit.

California part II: Highway 1

July 19, 2015

In college, I used to have this east coast/west coast battle with my roommate where I told her all of the reasons why New York was so much better than California. There are droughts, I would tell her, and forest fires that consume mansions, and earthquakes, tsunamis, and chihuahas in handbags. Plus the weather is comfortable all the time, which makes you soft! But the truth is that California is like a highly addictive drug that makes all other landscapes boring an inferior. It was alarming and sad to come home and find that the Blue Ridge was less impressive than I originally thought.

California part I: San Diego

July 14, 2015 in dessert, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, summer

San Diego was the first stop on our week long trip up the west coast, and while we did stay with friends I only have photos of the dog--sweet, patriotic, popsicle-loving Carrol. Really, we only flew to California to see Carrol.

We spent July 4th doing the typical stuff: knife sharpening lessons, watching the Grateful Dead final final show, or rather listening to it while watching Mad Max. That was weird. We also ate veggie dogs and made cherimoya popsicles. Classic independence day. There was endless Modern Times Oneida thanks to Andrew, until the keg was tapped, and two ripe cherimoyas that Brenda described as some weird banana pineapple strawberry fruit fusion, so naturally we made made popsicles. In the spirit of popsicle week, I've shared the very simple recipe below!

(Me n' Peter Chang at the first Homestyle dinner with Champion Brewery when I shamelessly pretended it was my birthday for the sake of a polaroid relic of this mystery man.)

Peter Chang X Champion Brewing Company

June 29, 2015 in dinner, lunch, summer

For the second time in a seemingly short period of time I had the extreme pleasure of attending a Peter Chang and Champion brewery dinner pairing bonanza. If you are unfamiliar with the mystery that is Peter Chang, as I was until moving to Charlottesville, just skim this NY times article and you will understand. Peter Chang, not to be confused with PF Changs, is doing something revelatory in the world of Asian cuisine: he's making authentic Chinese food. True, he does offer the concessional lo mein on his dinner menu, but it pretty much ends there and takes off into foreign Sichuan food territory that is slightly intimidating and amazing beyond expectation. His spice-driven, complex, numbing "homestyle" dishes, predominately recipes from his childhood, go amazingly well with craft beers. This is not terribly surprising, but again it seems the obvious is missed by the masses and capitalized by Mr. Chang and his coconspirator Hunter Smith, founder/brewer of (my favorite bar) Champion Brewing Company.

buckwheat pear banana bread | roux studio

Buckwheat Pear (feels-like-spring) banana bread

April 13, 2015 in breakfast, dessert, gluten-free, spring, vegetarian

Spring is officially here. I know this because I ate two hamburgers and a hot dog and ice cream cake this weekend, and I had a beer before noon and quite possibly spent more time outdoors than in. Perhaps you do all these things during the winter months and a weekend of meat and beer binging is just the same in January as it is in April. But for me, it was revelatory and cleansing (in the way that nitrites and sugar are cleansing), and it marked a turning point in my mood, skin tone and otherwise, although I could have used at least one more snow storm or a few more below zero days. This gentle spring feels terribly undeserved.

pi(e) day

March 23, 2015 in dessert, vegetarian

It's been a while, but finally here is a belated pie post (and pi puns) post pi day potluck 2015. As you may know it was a big year for pi day being that it was 3.14.I5. (I know, thrilling!) and it seemed only natural to commemorate this centennial occasion by hosting a party devoted to gorging on pies with friends. The request was simple: bring a pie, savory or sweet, the definition of "pie" being anything with a crust OR alternatively any dish with the word pie in it. Had I more time and stamina and ovens I would have made this deep dish pizza pie and these oatmeal creme pies, and something with a pretzel crust, but I'm only one girl! Three pies in one day seemed excessive yet attainable.

Flødeboller and other Danish food reflections

January 21, 2015

Rødgrød med Fløde. It's nearly impossible to pronounce save for the Danes with their natural gift for the guttural R's. I garbled and stumbled over this phrase and many others during the months I spent in Copenhagen in the fall of 2011. I could write a hundred posts about my love for Denmark; for Danes and their humble, self-effacement, for the seamless public transportation system, for the language's absence of the word "sorry," for the subtle ways in which good design is present in most every place and thing, BUT I will limit myself this time (mostly) to food, particularly Danish desserts.

oatmeal brûlée

January 14, 2015 in breakfast, gluten-free, winter, vegetarian

I finally had some time this weekend to unpack all of the kitchen and photography toys I received over the holidays. Well, most of them anyway. There are a lot. They have been stacked in a neat tower up to my chest in the corner of my apartment, taunting me to skip work every morning and to stay home and play.

First up: the crème brûlée torch.