Eating My Way Through California

The most FANTASTIC food exists in California... more specifically in Santa Monica, California where I visited last weekend for my sister's wedding. Not only did the excitement of the wedding make it a great vacation, but also the charm of the area as well as the vast variety of great cafes, bakeries, restaurants, and wineries.

My mom and sister and I went to California early so that we could check out the area and visit local hotspots. Unfortunately because I'm still under 21, I wasn't even allowed to enter the winery my sister and mom were so excited to go to so none of us went :( That day improved drastically though when we went out for lunch at The Lobster (a local seafood restaurant right next to the water. I ordered fish over butternut squash and sauteed spinach. The picture is all I need to put in this blog to tell you how delicious it was; I've never experienced a meal so light and so rich in flavor at the same time.

After lunch, we walked through an outdoor mall (The first time I've ever seen one!) and that led us to a gelato/sorbet cafe that serves over 100 flavors!!! I got banana-peanut butter gelato and it was worth every penny :) From their we decided it would be a good idea to visit a bakery my mom had seen near the wine-tasting place we had planned on visiting; The Vanilla Bake Shop was its name and it provided us with 6 delicious mini-cupcakes for that evening.

The last stop of the day was C&O Restaurant, an Italian food restaurant that serves individual and family style. I got the gnocchi and my mom and sister (appropriately) ordered a seafood pasta dish to share. Oh! And I cannot forget to mention the killer garlic rolls they served fresh all through dinner (hot and fresh from the oven). For dessert we all split a piece of tiramisu and then headed back to the hotel to eat our cupcakes :P and watch The Killers with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.

My sister's food at her wedding was another highlight of the trip, not to mention getting to meet the chef that prepared it all. He made these mini-burger-like things with duck and appleslaw that blew me away.

I'm so happy because I know my sister is happy now and to top it off, her wedding gave me the chance to experience California, a place where everyone should go at least once...

A Rope to Lasso a Groom's Cake

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE weddings! The music, the way everyone rises when the bride shows up at the back of the church, the way the couple looks at each other as they say their vows, and most of all the playfulness of the bride and groom as they share their first bite of cake as a married couple!

This past weekend I went to a friends wedding in Austin and was fortunate enough to get to work on a real wedding cake. The bride's mother asked if I would make a fondant rope to go around three tiers on the grooms cake. I was ecstatic and slightly nervous because this was a big deal. After surfing the web to find a credible fondant recipe I ran across a recipe from whatscookingamerica.com:

Marshmallow Fondant

16 oz white mini-marshmallows (choose a good quality brand)

2-5 tbsp water

2 pounds icing sugar (preferably C&H brand Cane Powdered Sugar)

1/2 cup of Crisco Shortening

*For chocolate, add 1 oz of melted (high quality) chocolate to the melted marshmallow mixture and add 1 tbsp of cocoa powder to the icing sugar.

Method:

Using a double boiler, melt the marshmallows and 2 tbsp of water in a large bowl. Once the mixture is all melted, add 3/4 of the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix gently. Grease a large area of your counter or butcher block with Crisco (be generous). Then, grease all over your hands GENEROUSLY and take the bowl of marshmallow mix and powdered sugar and scoop that mixture onto the counter. Knead everything together and add the rest of the powdered sugar in stages until the fondant is no longer so sticky, but it shouldn't be cracking too much. If you feel like it is too dry just add a 1/2 tbsp of water and knead again. Repeat that process until it is the right consistency. (Don't be scared about messing it up because you can always add more icing sugar if it becomes to sticky again)

The fondant can be colored using gel food coloring and it can be stored in a plastic bag (remove as much air as possible) in the fridge for several weeks. I really like this fondant because it actually tastes good compared to store-bought fondants.

Let me share with you one thing I did wrong when I made the rope: I twisted the top and middle tiers rope the same way, however, I twisted the bottom tiers rope the wrong way and it didn't match the other two. Luckily, the cake designer, Hope, was able to place the groom's chocolate-dipped strawberries over the bottom tiers fondant rope so that no one even knew there was a mistake. What a weekend!

Cheesecake... Cupcake Style

A few days ago I was surfing the net for sweet cupcake recipes and I ran across a good sounding recipe on Martha Stewart's website. The recipe is called Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes. I LOVE graham crackers and I LOVE chocolate, so I knew that this was a winner before I even began baking. Here is the recipe, however I used chocolate soy milk instead of whole milk which in my opinion may have made the cupcakes have a richer flavor.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes (Martha Stewart's recipe... with a twist)

(Makes 2 dozen)

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup chocolate soy milk or whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.

Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.

Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.

Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass or your finger tips to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.

Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely before frosting.

*To finish my cupcakes, I made a basic cream cheese frosting from cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. I had so many great comments about these cupcakes, and in my own opinion they are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever eaten. Light as air and tasty!

Fresh Fig and Pistachio Bread

I have been doing more experimenting with fig recipes thanks to the giant fig tree behind my parents house. I swear that thing is out of control, which is perfect because I used 8 figs to make a super moist fig and pistachio bread last week.

After searching the net for a healthy banana bread recipe, I ran across the perfect one on Banana-Bread.biz. The recipe is called Oatmeal Banana-Nut Bread and I added my own personal touches (like using figs instead of bananas) make it my own:

Fig and Pistachio Bread

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup oats (I just used one pack of instant oats from the box of individual portions)
• 1/2 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup apple sauce (I used sugar-free)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 small figs (peeled)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (DONT LEAVE OUT! ...It adds so much to this bread)
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted, unsalted pistachios

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease your bread pan. Mash the figs and mix with the egg, yogurt, agave nectar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, oats, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine until just mixed. Last, Fold in the nuts and transfer batter into loaf pan. The bread will bake for about one hour. Check for doneness ahead of time by inserting a knife or toothpick into the bread. If it comes out clean the bread is done.