A Wedding Shower!

My sister is getting married! 

We had a great time throwing her wedding shower.

For the decor I piped with royal icing and also used a paint brush for some of the flowers.

Less than two weeks and it's a done deal!

Congratulations T & Roberto!

Cream Scones and a Haircut.

Scones are wonderful to make on a whim!

I got this recipe from The Art and Soul of Baking, a book put out by Sur la Table. The picture on the cover pretty much sold me. I am really enjoying the book, it is very informative. I can tell I am going to learn a lot from it, and that's the whole point!
It recommends using a food processor to keep the dough cold, and minimally mixed. It seemed like it took  60 seconds to make these and get them in the oven. Awesome. Still, there is something to be said about getting your hands dirty and mixing it yourself.  : )

So cold butter and a hot oven are the key to flaky scones.

The oven needs to be hot (425 degrees in this case) so that the dough quickly bakes around the pieces of cold butter forming little pockets and flakes in the dough.
Also, the less you knead the dough, the less the gluten is "agitated", resulting in a tender crumb.

I also used parchment paper and my baking stone to make the bottoms nice and crisp.

Butter and Lemon Curd?

For sure!

Well, it was time for a haircut... sadly.

The situation was beginning to get a little... hairy. 

Happy Haircut!

He looks like a little man now.

Next on the list... walking!

Cream Scones - The Art and Soul of Baking

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 T. sugar

(I added dried cranberries and lemon zest. I wanted orange zest but didn't have any oranges in the fridge this day.)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a thin silicone mat. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 1 seconds to blend well. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times at 1-second intervals, or until the butter is cut into medium pieces. Add the cream and pulse another 21 times, or until the dough holds together in small, thick clumps. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze the clumps together until they form a cohesive dough.

2. Pat the dough into a circle 7 inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick. Use a chef's knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

3. Brush the tops with a thin coating of the lightly beaten egg (you will not use all the egg). Sprinkle evenly with the sugar. Bake the scones for 14 to 16 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature.

A Salty Sundae!

Oooooooh Caramel... I'm addicted!

In the past I would always reach for the fudge before the caramel, but now I just can't get enough of it! This "salty sundae" has salted caramel, salty peanuts, salted pretzels...

but it is soooooo sweet!

Growing up my dad always sprinkled a little salt on his watermelon and I thought he was crazy.

Now I salt my watermelon and love things like "salty sundaes"!

It's amazing how it brings out the flavors and sweetness.

Caramel was a far too difficult a journey for me. It's supposed to be as easy as pie!

The first time I tried to make it was about 5 years ago, and I ended up with a crystalized white clump of sugar. And all of the future attempts also failed miserably.

I'll tell you what I did wrong so that you never have to put yourself through that turmoil!  : )

To make caramel  add water to sugar, and heat it on low until the sugar dissolves, then raise the heat to medium or medium high so that it boils. As almost all of the water evaporates the sugar will start to caramelize. Next you add the cream. The point of adding the water is to slow down the process so that you can control what color of caramel you get.

My mistakes were :

I followed a recipe that told me to wash down the sides of the pan with a pasty brush and water. So I kept adding water to the mixture when it was supposed to be given a chance to evaporate. I sat at the stove forever wondering why it wasn't progressing.

Next, you should never stir the mixture once you raise the heat to boiling. Do not introduce anything into the mixture. I probably touched the mixture with the pastry brush while I was adding water... it was doomed from the beginning!

It really is SO easy if you avoid these mistakes.

I will never brush down the sides of the pan again!

FYI- If you want a thicker caramel sauce use less cream.

So that's the low-down on my caramel journey, which I am happy to say has finally ended in success!

Hooray!

Caramel Sauce - The Art and Soul of Baking

1/4 cup water

1 T. light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream (14 oz. ) * I used 10 T. which was about 10oz. and I was very happy with the consistency. Needs to be warmed slightly after cooling.
( I add salt and vanilla to taste in the end once the caramel is done. )

1. Pour the water and corn syrup into the medium saucepan. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, allowing each addition to moisten before adding the next. In the small saucepan, heat the cream just until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Place the sugar mixture over medium-low heat and stir with the wooden spoon or the spatula until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear ( I don't stir it at all. ) Increase the heat to high and boil rapidly ( I go to medium-high ), swirling the pan occasionally (don't stir) sot that the sugar cooks evenly. Cook until the caramel turns a deep golden brown.

3. Immediately turn off the heat and add the warmed cream. (Be careful here- the mixture will rise dramatically in the pan and sputter, so you may want to wear an oven mitt on the hand holding the pan.) Stir with the wooden spoon or the spatula to blend. If any bits of caramel have solidified, set the pan back over very low hear and stir gently until they melt. Cool the caramel to room temperature.

May be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.