Holiday Cookies!

Every year, just before the holiday season starts, I like to look through my growing stack of cooking magazines that I just can’t seem to let go of. I flip through the glossy pages, some splattered from coffee, the charming images of chocolate-dipped shortbread and sparkly cookies practically charging the air with that magical glow over the next month. Some recipes invoke specific memories from my childhood, and this is what makes holiday baking so wonderful.  No matter how busy this time of year gets, looking through old favorite recipes and thinking of new ones to create is a nice way to slow down, focus on life’s simple pleasures, and re-connect with those you love. What I love about baking and cooking is how it never fails to bring people together! Knowing that the Simmons Club of Boston will be hosting a festive cookie swap this December 14^th, the timing could not be more perfect to roll up your sleeves and get those baking sheets out.  To say that I miss Simmons, my alma mater, would be an understatement, so it gives me so much excitement to be a part of this event by sharing some of my own tips!

 I plan out my baking, cookie decorating, and candy making strategically and with purpose. I like to make a variety, and usually will stick with a few old recipes that I know well, and then add on some new ones. I’ll find inspiration from bakeries I’ve visited while traveling, or put my own spin on something I learned at work.  It’s important to think of who you will be baking for, and any events you might have, like office cookie swaps, or a holiday cocktail party with friends. Planning on making a classic gingerbread that everyone loves and trying out that savory shortbread for the more adventurous eater will ensure you brought something for everyone to enjoy.

I’ve found that buying most ingredients (flour, nuts, etc.) and any specialty items, like cookie cutters, several weeks ahead, can save a ton of stress and time when it comes to your day-long baking session, if that’s what you plan on doing. Another industry tip: measure out all ingredients for each cookie first-even the night before- and keep everything organized. Once you start working, things will move faster when you have exactly what you need in front of you.  I also rely heavily on my freezer during the holiday cookie craze. As long as you wrap the dough properly, many types can be stored up to a month. I will often do this for slice-and-bake logs of dough.

Once you’ve baked your holiday cookies, it’s fun to focus on wrapping them in unique, personal ways. In the past, I’ve stacked cookies in clear plastic tubes, fastening both ends with fringed decorative paper and shimmery ribbons, so they look like those festive party crackers. I’ve also taken a wide shoe box, wrapped the bottom and top individually in beautiful wrapping paper from a specialty store, and filled it with brightly colored tissue paper. Anyone will appreciate even the simplest wrapping. And there’s no better time than now to make a gift extra special.

I’m happy to share a few of the cookies I plan on making this season: White Chocolate Pink Peppercorn Bark , Snowball cookies, and Stained-Glass cookies.

      Stained-Glass Cookies

These beauties are so fun to make and remind me of the ornaments I decorate my tree with! I love how whimsical they are...definitely a hit among kids for sure!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
fruit-flavored hard candies such as Jolly Ranchers, about 6-8 pieces.
(makes about 4 dozen, depending on size)

Tools needed: cookie cutters, nonstick baking pad (Silpat)

1. Whisk flour and salt in bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add flour mixture at low speed until just combined. Form dough into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least an hour.

2. While dough is chilling, unwrap candies and separate by color in plastic bags. Crush coarsely with a rolling pin.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough on a clean, floured surface to about 1/8 in. thick and cut desired shapes. Cut centers from cookies with smaller cutters. Place shapes on Silpat and gently fill the center of each cookie with about 1 tsp. of crushed candy.

4. Bake on middle rack in oven for about 10-12 min. Allow cookies to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from Silpat. I lightly brushed some water around the edges of the candy centers and sprinkled more crushed candy for a different texture. The cookies should keep for about a week in an airtight container.

Snowballs

The snowball cookie is so simple and it’s the perfect addition to a holiday cookie platter for its “snow-dusted” look. The combination of dark chocolate and coconut is a classic. 

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup finely grated unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons of water
30 1/2 in. squares of bittersweet chocolate from a 3.5 oz. bar
about 1/2 cup 10x sugar
(makes about 30)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pulse sweetened and unsweetened coconut, sugar, and salt in a food processor until the flaked coconut is finely chopped. Add whites and water and pulse until mixture is moistened.

2. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make an indentation in the center of each ball and place a piece of chocolate, then pinch hole closed and re-roll into a ball. Bake for about 13-15 minutes. Only the bottoms should be golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then roll in 10x sugar, shaking off any excess sugar. These cookies should keep in an air-tight container for about a week.

White Chocolate Pink Peppercorn Bark 

While it’s not a cookie, I’ve found that Chocolate Bark is always a good idea. This recipe makes a great hostess gift, as I’ve discovered over the years, especially for a "foodie." It's a great way to incorporate some unexpected flavors and textures. You get some heat from the pink peppercorn which helps cut the sweetness from the chocolate. 

16 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup dried cranberries
About 1 Tbsp. pink peppercorn

1. Place 3/4 of chopped white chocolate over a double-boiler just until melted. While chocolate is melting, toast the pistachios in the oven for a few minutes and allow to cool before coarsely chopping. Also coarsely chop the dried cranberries.

2. Remove bowl of chocolate from heat once it's melted an add remaining chocolate, stirring often, until completely smooth and at room temperature.

3. Spread the chocolate onto parchment paper evenly, preferably into the size of an 8 x 10 in. rectangle. Sprinkle the top with pistachios and cranberries. Grind pink peppercorns evenly over the top and sprinkle a few whole peppercorns over for a finishing touch. Set aside for at least a few hours or until firm and break into bars.

Happy Holidays!

Candy Corn Petit Fours

Growing up so close to Salem, MA, it only feels natural to incorporate Halloween into my baking throughout October. I think of candy corn as the official Halloween candy and decided to put my own spin on this ultra-sweet confection!

1 cup All-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
7 oz. almond paste
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
yellow and orange food coloring

For filling:
2/3 cup apricot jam and 2 Tbsp. amaretto, heated.

Glaze:
6 oz. dark choc.
1 tsp. corn syrup
1 stick butter

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter 3 8 in. cake pans and line with parchment. lightly flour.

2. Sift flour and salt, set aside.

3. Beat almond paste, sugar, and extract.

4. Add butter until all combined, then add 1 egg at a time until fully incorporated. Add flour in 3 parts.

5. Divide batter into 3 bowls. Add yellow food coloring to one, orange to the other, and leave the third plain.

6. Bake for about 12-15 min. Allow to cool completely. After removing cakes from pan, set up on a clean work surface and brush the plain cake with the heated jam. Invert the orange cake onto the plain one, and brush the top with more jam. Invert the yellow cake onto the orange. Place foil on top of the 3-layer cake and place a heavy baking dish on top. Add a few canned goods if you have them to compress the cake even more. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

7. Transfer the cake to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Combine the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a bowl and melt over a double-boiler. Carefully pour half the glaze over the cake. Place in the freezer to set. Once it's set, remove, invert onto clean parchment, the glaze the bottom. Freeze again until set. Trim cake and cut into desired sizes. 

PB Crispy Bars

These bars are the ultimate treat! Perfect for anyone that seriously loves the combination of peanut butter and dark chocolate. This bar is the perfect treat to bring to a Halloween party where there might be both children and adults present. Kids especially love them for the gooey rice crispy treat layer, but I'm pretty sure adults would have a hard time saying no to this too. It's a bar very reminiscent of one's childhood but looks appealing enough for a foodie. If you make it the same day you need to serve it, I would suggest making it early enough so it has a few hours to set in the freezer before cutting it. This recipe will fill a large baking dish, about 8 x 12 in. but you can always double the recipe below if needed for a larger gathering.

For the rice crispy layer:
100 grams rice crispies cereal
100 grams sugar
90 grams corn syrup
84 grams butter

For the PB layer:
213 grams milk chocolate
353 grams pb

For the chocolate layer:
128 grams dark chocolate
6 grams corn syrup
83 grams butter

1. First, spray the baking dish, line with parchment paper and make sure the paper hangs over the sides of the dish so you can easily lift up out of the pan. Spray the parchment.

2. To make the bottom layer of rice crispy, Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl and have a rubber spatula and offset spatula ready. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water so it has a wet-sand consistency-in a small saucepan. Cook to 235 degrees. Remove from heat and add butter, whisking to combine. Pour this mixture over cereal and working quickly, fold into cereal to combine well and then empty into prepared baking dish. Make sure to immediately spread evenly with offset spatula before mixture starts to set. Make sure layer is pressed evenly into dish and set aside.

3. In a large bowl over a double-boiler, melt the milk chocolate and pb, combining well. When completely melted, remove from heat and pour over bottom layer, again working as quickly as possible with your offset to make a nice even layer. At this point, place baking dish in the freezer to speed up the setting up process.

4. The pb layer should be completely set and hard when you pour the dark chocolate layer over. In a smaller bowl over a double-boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and corn syrup, being careful not to burn. This mixture should be very hot to touch. Again, work quickly with an offset spatula and spread as evenly as possible over the pb layer. Wrap well with plastic and place in freezer until it's very set.

5. Use a sharp knife and have hot water ready to heat the knife and cut the bars. I like cutting them into 3 x 1.5 in. but smaller squares work well too.

(If stored well in the fridge, these should keep for about a week)

~CHEWY CHAI SPICE COOKIES~

I LOVE Chai. Especially in the Fall, my favorite season. I drink it hot, iced, sometimes with milk, and usually almost always with a shot of espresso! Since I'm on this cookie craze with special orders and private parties, I thought it would be fun (and also basically genius) to make a chewy sugar cookie and give it a bold kick with spices!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/3 for rolling
2 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
a pinch of pepper
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 large egg
1 tbsp. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line sheets with parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside.

2. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the next 6 ingredients in a bowl. Put the 1/3 cup of sugar in another bowl and set aside.  Whisk the melted butter of the cream cheese mixture just to combine, then whisk in the oil. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

3. Add flour mixture. Dough will be soft.

4. Scoop dough and roll balls in bowl of sugar ad drop on baking sheets. Flatten dough balls with the bottom of a greased drinking glass. Sprinkle tops of cookies wit more sugar.

5. Bake trays of cookies one at a time, about 6 min, then rotate, and bake another 6 min. more or until they begin to brown.

~BIRTHDAY POST~

 

I've always loved celebrating birthdays, whether it be my friends', family, or my own! I usually plan a big night out every year, gather my best friends, and go somewhere fun, starting with a great dinner and usually ending with dancing. This year, I decided to keep things more low-key, as it's hard with my schedule working in the restaurant industry. And also because I just wanted to take a break from planning anything. I tend to make to-do lists every day, make plans far in advance for everything, and just try to micro-manage my life. I have to remind myself that it's important to be able to reflect on things every now and then and go with the flow.

 

I did have a wonderful dinner with my loving boyfriend and amazing parents at this AH-MAZING Steak House! Boston Chops is the perfect place to go with a group for a night out or to bring out-of-town guests. It really has that big city feel, with high ceilings and a stunning glass wine room. If you're into old-school cocktails, like me, try the Manhattan and definitely go with the NY steak and pair it with the side of herbed mushrooms. Of course, I had to get dessert because my favorite thing ever was surprisingly on their menu-Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was perfect.

 



~BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK~

A classic favorite! I always make chocolate chip cookies using the "creamed-butter' method but wanted to try a new approach by browning the butter. This produces better flavor and a chewier cookie....yes please!!!

( For about 24 cookies)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
14 TBSP. unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 325, line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

2. Whisk flour and baking soda together; set aside.

3. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and swirl pan constantly, cooking until it's a dark brown color and has a nutty aroma. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Add both sugars,salt, and vanilla t melted butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the egg and yolk, whisking to combine until smooth. Let mixture sit for 3 minutes.

5.Whisk for about 30 seconds more, then incorporate flour mixture just to combine and add chocolate.

6. Scoop dough into desired size (I rolled balls and weighed them at about 40 grams each) and drop 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

7. Bake for about 7 min, then rotate pan and bake about 7 min, more or until the edges are set and the center still looks soft. Cookies should look puffy and have a crackly surface when you take them out.

~FLAN~

On a recent lazy day, I decided to visit my boyfriend Vartan and surprise him with his favorite dessert! He loves Flan and always says that if I ever want to make something for him, it can be that. It's a pretty simple, classic Spanish Custard, that, when inverted onto a serving platter, is covered with a glossy layer of caramel sauce. It's not the most glamorous dessert, and not always my first choice but I like to think I have good reason to make it for my favorite guy, and here's why:

We were only dating for less than a month when I left to study abroad in Barcelona. I will never forgot the most amazing week when he came to visit me. We fell in love with everything about Barcelona, from the art to the eclectic tapas bars/ Spanish desserts and I like to think of it as the place where we fell for each other. So I guess making Flan has more meaning than I once thought it to be!

If done right, Flan has a tender, creamy texture, shouldn't taste too eggy, and has a firm enough structure so it can unmold onto a platter without collapsing into a mess. The main thing is to bake the custard in a water bath because it needs even, gentle heat for baking. Otherwise, it will over bake and produce a rubbery texture and look scrambled inside. And definitely add a small amount of orange zest! A little goes a long way here, and gives the custard a refreshing flavor profile. A lot of recipes I looked it didn't call for it, but I know it was common in Barcelona, especially when made by my host-family!

Classic Flan (serves 6-8)

1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs and 3 yolks
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1 (14 oz. ) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp. grated orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place a dish towel in the bottom of a large baking dish and put a 9 inch round cake pan on the towel.

2. In  a small saucepan, combine the sugar and a small amount of water to make a wet-sand consistency. Bring to a boil and cook-do not stir- until the color has a faint golden color. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until caramel is a dark amber color.

3. Pour caramel into the cake pan. Allow to cool. It will harden but this is ok.

4. Whisk eggs and yolks together with milk and sweetened condensed milk, and then add the orange zest. Pour the mixture into the cake pan.

5. Place baking dish with cake pan into the oven and carefully pour hot water into the baking dish so it reaches about halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for about 30-40 min, depending on your oven. It should look just barely set in the center. Carefully remove from the water bath and allow to cool at room temp. for 2 hours, then wrap well in plastic and chill in fridge for another several hours.

6. To unmold, take a knife and carefully run along the edges of the cake pan. Take your serving platter, invert over cake pan, and then flip it quickly onto platter.

Portugese-Style Roasted Chicken

Let's be realistic. At the end of the day, I want to eat good food. I often want to make this food myself. And I definitely want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen making it. Yes, I love cooking. I will probably love it even more when I become a millionaire and have a gorgeous kitchen with marble counters and a fancy gas stove, and I can spend the whole day getting dinner ready for friends and family and...Ok, I'll stop daydreaming now. Sometimes after working in a kitchen all day (or night), I simply don't feel like doing the same when I get home. Which is why roast chicken is my go-to dinner recipe. I love that the prep work can be done in under 10 minutes, and I can walk away for a few hours while it roasts to perfection in the oven.

Portuguese Roast Chicken

1 Chicken
4 cloves of garlic
Tbsp. coriander
Handful of cilantro
1/2 cup of olive oil
4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 limes, halved
1 lemon
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Sweet peppers-cut the tops off and hollow out the center

1. Throw the garlic, coriander, olive oil, juice of the lemon, paprika, red pepper flakes and oregano in a blender to make the marinade. Pour this over the chicken in a baking dish. Stuff the chicken with the limes. Make sure there is room for the sweet peppers but don't put them in with the chicken until the chicken has been roasting for about an hour. Continue roasting after you put the peppers in, maybe about 30 or 40 min more, depending on the size of your chicken. Spoon the extra juice from the pan all over the bird and serve with some Greek yogurt on the side. I added a splash of lemon juice, black pepper and drizzle of olive oil for an added kick. It also just looks better. Enjoy!








Recipe adapted from The Londoner.

Summer Sides for Al Fresco Dining

Don't you love it when you make something for the first time and think, "Where has this been all my life?" These two recipes are a few of my favorite things when it comes to summer cooking.

The Strawberry Arugula Salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Just a few ingredients go a long way here, and the colors together are lovely. I like the pea tendrils because they give the salad an unexpected layer of something green and crunchy.

The vinaigrette, packed with flavor, is so fast and easy to make. I love it's versatility, too. I use it as a topping for crostini or serve it alongside grilled fish or steak. You will probably decide after your first batch that you need this condiment in your fridge more than anything else. And don't worry, no one will judge you for eating it straight from the jar with a spoon. At least I won't!

 

 

  

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pint cherry tomatoes (cut half of the tomatoes in half)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt/pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1. Heat some of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened.

2. Add the halved and whole tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally about4-6 min. Mash some of the tomatoes with a spoon.

3. Add the vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add the chives just before serving.


The Strawberry Arugula Salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Just a few ingredients go a long way here, and the colors together are lovely.   

Strawberry Salad
1/2 cup slivered almonds (preferably toasted)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 cup shelled fresh peas
3 cups baby arugula
8 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved.
1 cup pea tendrils
1 oz. parmesan, shaved

1. Whisk the first 5 ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook peas in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain.
3. Add arugula, strawberries, pea tendrils, peas, and almonds to the dressing and toss. Top with parmesan.

Orange Mascarpone Layer Cake

Having a friend over for dinner on a recent rainy evening gave me the perfect excuse to make a cake. Seriously though, I find any reason to bake a cake! Cake reminds people of celebrating a special occasion, so having cake "just because" makes any day extra sparkly.

 

 

 

 Simply make your favorite cake recipe and cut into 3 layers when completely cooled. I made a chiffon cake because I wanted something airy yet still rich in taste. I followed a recipe from one of my favorites, The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book.  You can also find it here

After cutting my cake into 3 layers, I arranged berries in even circles and alternated with the mascarpone filling.  I whipped heavy cream and just covered the cake in a thin layer with an offset spatula.

Mascarpone Filling:
 2 Ibs. Mascarpone
Zest of 2 oranges
10x sugar (to taste)

Wedding Cookies

Last Saturday, one of my best friends, Kayla, tied the knot! The ceremony and reception were held in her backyard at her new home. It was a very sweet and special day! I was happy to contribute to the dessert table and make Kayla's favorite, French Macarons (raspberry and almond). I'm all for making things personable and unique, so I also made monogrammed  and painted sugar cookies. Guests seemed to love the cookies as they disappeared within minutes. I should have made more! I think anything monogrammed at a wedding is just the perfect little touch. And the luster dust I used to paint designs added an unexpected pop of color.

Painted Cookies that sparkle!

To paint the cookies, add luster dust to a small bowl and add a few drops of either lemon or almond extract to get the right consistency. Using a clean small paintbrush, (found some at Michaels that are appropriate for pastry use) paint stripes or other designs across icing. Make sure your royal icing has set for at least 2 hours or more before painting on it.

Note: I used gold luster dust which can be found at NY Cake. I just added a few drops of pink coloring until I found the right color.

Summertime Treat



Hello, Summer! There's nothing quite like a summer in New England. Long beach days followed by chill backyard get-togethers... Lobster rolls, strawberry festivals, fireworks, sailboats....love it all.

Looking for a summer dessert that's fast, simple, and healthy?

Utilizing what's in season makes summer entertaining easy and of course, delicious. I'm a pastry girl, but I'm all about healthy living first. It's all about balance. And it's definitely possible to enjoy your dessert without the guilt! This cobbler is great because the ingredients are simple....probably have most of them in your pantry already.

                  Blueberry Peach Cobbler
For the Biscuits:

1 2/3 cup Flour
3.5 Tbsp Sugar
1.5 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate evenly. Add cubed butter and with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until butter is lentil sized. On low speed, slowly add the 2/3 cup of heavy cream. Dough will be very soft.

2. Place dough on floured surface and gently knead into ball. Divide dough into small pieces and shape and flatten into rounds, about 1 1/2 -inch thick. You should get about 8 or 9 rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill while making the filling.


For the Filling:

1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
about 8 peaches, peeled, and sliced
about 1 1/2 pints blueberries
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract if you don't have vanilla beans)
2 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a large bowl until combined, then add the fruit and combine to coat with the sugar mixture.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the fruit mixture and simmer. Stir occasionally for about 5 min, until the sauce thickens.

3. Place fruit filling in a baking or casserole dish and top with the biscuit rounds. Brush the biscuits with the remaining cream and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown  and the fruit is bubbling, about 45 min. Allow to cool before serving.

I served this with Haagen Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream.

Simply Sweet

In the pastry world, it can sometimes seem overwhelming with all the new trends, brilliant ideas popping up all over Pinterest, and of course, the classics that you always find yourself craving, like the perfect tollhouse cookie. I want to make it all! But, with a full-time job plus the private parties I cater, reality sets in, and finding the time to make that beautiful ombre macaron tower seems impossible. So, I was very excited when I had the recent opportunity to make my first Naked cake, one trend I've been trying to incorporate into my work.

I first saw a cake with exposed layers when I lived in New York and was sort of obsessed with Milk Bar. Christina Tosi, the owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, is credited with starting this trend. I will admit that at first sight, I was not crazy about a cake that was...unfinished. But, seeing that this style was making its way into weddings and incorporating fresh flowers and berries, I grew to appreciate the style more.  It may not be for everyone, but if done the right way, it will certainly add a touch of sweetness to any occasion. Sweet, Simple, and Pretty....what's not to love?!

To make the layers of frosting a bit more polished and delicate looking, I piped along the edges with a pastry bag. I sifted 10x sugar over each tier before assembling, and placed fresh cut flowers in a few spots to dress it up. Making sugared flowers for a cake like this is probably not necessary, as the cake itself has a "rustic feel" so I like to keep everything within the same sense of style. I think I may even have to make another naked cake for my next party. I ADORE a simple pound cake layered with fresh whipped cream, pink flowers, and sugared berries!

More Inspiring Naked Cakes:

 

 

Vintage and Cake

 

Milk Bar Wedding Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridal Shower Brunch

I created this menu for a Bridal Shower Brunch I catered for a family friend. Catering an event, small or large, takes a lot of time and planning but I honestly love every part of the process! I'm a planner-I like spending weeks making outlines, itineraries, testing recipes, working with the client to finalize the menu, and then see all the planning become a reality. I especially love working closely with a client to help personalize their event. It's all about the details!




Savory Madelines

Tea Sandwiches

 

Mini Cupcakes

Scones

Macarons

 

The Menu:

Currant Scones
Seasonal Fruit Platter w/ Greek Yogurt, Caramelized Pistachios
Savory Madeleines
Open- Faced Tea Sandwiches
Quiche Lorraine & Spring Vegetable Quiche


French Macarons-Vanilla Bean, Raspberry, and Chocolate Ganache.
Mini Vanilla Cupcakes