Extraordinary Cakes: Ivoire Royale

   

As many of you already know, I have a passion for baking.  So much so, I started a home baking business outside of my 9 to 5, which enables me to put smiles on faces and bring joy to the taste buds  of many as they bite into  one of my 'Edible Delights'.  

It's a purely gratifying, fulfilling experience for me, and while I have no problem whipping up a few dozen cupcakes and cookies for family, friends, clients and or special events.

I knew I needed (and wanted) to challenge myself further by baking different types of cakes, try new types of fillings/frostings and learn new techniques that would translate into delicious and beautiful desserts. 

When I heard my friend Monica from SweetBites and Raymond from Your Just Desserts were starting a baking club, based on the book Extraordinary Cakes by Karen Krasne, Chef and Owner of Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego, CA, I totally jumped at the chance!

In the book, Karen uses natural, fresh frostings (no gumpaste/fondant) for decorating special-occassion cakes that are made with mousse, praline, fresh fruits and a lot of other yummy ingredients. 

Karen's cakes are beautiful and do require a lot of steps.  Luckily the cakes are broken down into components, some of which can be made in advance, making the whole process a lot easier and less intimidating.  In addition, you're able to mix and match to customize cakes to your own liking (me like that very much!).

This month's cake was the Ivoire Royale...three layers (I made four) of sour cream pound cake, brushed with vanilla syrup, layered with white chocolate mousse, fresh whipped cream and fresh berries (I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries).

Wow! I'm not a big white chocolate, fruit filling cake type of person...for me it's all about dark chocolate (see my addition on top?) and nuts. This cake was really moist, the white chocolate mousse and fresh whipped cream, combined with the fresh fruit tucked in between the cake layers tasted so light and airy, you literally forget about calories.

With the exception of my failed attempt to get my chocolate to curl like pretty ribbons, as seen in the book...the cake and fillings were easy to make and well worth the effort. 

I'm only sorry that I didn't make it last week while my family was visiting...instead, my co-workers got to indulge, some LOVED it...this is definately worth doing again for my family to enjoy.  Until then, hopefully I'll be forgiven... yes, I'm talking to you sis :).

My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it. Boris Johnson

Sorry, my camera battery died before I could take pictures of the inside.  Also, due to copyright restrictions, no recipes from the book Extraordinary Cakes will be shared.  

Thanks and have a great day!

GCC: Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Crisps

This week's choice at the Gutsy Cook's Club was Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Crisps from Lucinda Scala-Quinn's Mad Hungry Cravings cookbook...they sounded really yummy and Sam and I were really looking forward to having a taste.

Made with sun-dried tomato paste, some olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese, this is a rather simple, quick and easy dish  that could be served either as an appetizer or as a side to either soup, salad or any meal that suits your fancy.

The recipe calls for puffed pastry sheets, but when I saw the shells next to the sheets at the supermarket, I elected to go with them instead, and stuffed them with chopped baby portobello mushrooms, garlic and pignoli nuts along with the tomato paste.

Originally I had planned on serving it alongside grilled swordfish and salad.  However, when Sam came home from his typical hard day of work, I had just taken them out of the oven and let me tell you...there was no waiting for the fish and salad.

Instead, Sam poured us some wine and we enjoyed a couple as appetizers in our backyard.  The combination of sun-dried tomato, parmesan cheese, pignoli nuts and portobello was like having a puff pastry pizza.  Yum!! Although, I think next time I'll add a bit more parmesan and or brush some olive oil or butter to the puff pastry. 

I pretty much followed the format of the recipe, with the exception of prebaking the shells for about 15 minutes.  I then removed them from the oven, removed the "tops", stuffed with the ingredients and then baked for another 5-10 minutes.

As mentioned before, it's an easy dish and as long as you've got some puff pastry in the freezer...these can be jazzed up with any number of ingredients and prepared quickly, should you suddenly have someone stop by or as a tasty snack. 

Thanks and have a great day!

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins." Laurie Colwin, ‘Home Cooking’

Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Crisps (or Shells)

by Lucinda Scala-Quinn

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste (or regular tomato paste)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• *3 cloves of garlic minced 
• *1/2 cup chopped baby portobello mushrooms
• *1/4 cup pignoli nuts, chopped
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 piece store-bought puff pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

* My additions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with oven rack in center position.

2. In a small bowl, combine sun-dried tomato paste and olive oil, garlic, mushrooms and pignoli nuts.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to 12-inch square. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Spread tomato paste mixture evenly over puff pastry with a rubber spatula. Top with cheese and black pepper. Using a pizza wheel, cut into quarters in one direction and sixths in the other to yield 24 pieces.

5. Bake 20 to 22 minutes until puffed and golden. Let cool to room temperature on cooling rack before serving....enjoy.

STS: Let Go

My nephew Spencer wrote a song titled "Let Go" that I feel is truly "Something to Share"...it's a song about love, it's soulful with a catchy beat to it...I love it already!

He's a fourteen year old singer/song writer/self-taught guitarist...he's got amazing potential and a great future ahead of him...Needless to say, we're really proud of him.

Please take a moment to listen and comment...Enjoy!

Thanks and have a great day!