Delicious Macarons Class

 

I have long been a fan of macarons (not macaroons), but was too afraid to try making them at home, due to their notoriously finicky nature. Luckily for me, it turns out that my local Sur la Table store offers classes on how to make these delectable dainties. Last weekend my mom and I took the Delicious Macarons class, taught by Michelle Mrkota. We had a blast, and came home with three different kinds of macarons: Chocolate with Pastry Cream and Crème Brûlée bits, Pumpkin with Maple Buttercream, and Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing.

 

 

I seldom take a cooking class, but was so glad I took this one! The instructor’s obvious experience (two and half years of making macarons daily!) and easy-to-understand tips made every minute of the class valuable. Plus, it was fun to learn alongside my mom, who taught me pretty much everything I know about baking. At the end of the class, we walked away feeling confident about our ability to make macarons at home. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Mini Cherry Pies

When I learned that January 23 is National Pie Day, I knew I had to celebrate it somehow. Since I’ve been in a Valentine’s Day mood lately, heart-shaped personal pies seemed just the thing. I called up my mom and asked her over for a Sunday afternoon session of Mini Cherry Pie making so that I could make enough to share at work. (Yes, that meant I took the pies to work two days early, but no way was I going to make pies by myself on a Tuesday evening with a toddler underfoot!)

We started with store-bought pie crust and filling, and used a Pocket Pie Mold to assemble the pies. While time-intensive, they turned out scrumptious, and were a big hit at the office. Wrapping them in wax paper bags and twine made transporting them to work simple. Many thanks to my mom for all her help!

By the way, March 14 is National Pi Day. Another good day for pie, perhaps?

Linking up with Tuesday at the Table, of course.

Minnesota State Fair: A Junk Foodie’s Paradise

This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting the Minnesota State Fair. I’ve been to fairs before, but they did little to prepare me for the awesomeness that is the Minnesota State Fair. Within a four hour time span, three of my favorite people and I wandered the grounds, stuffing ourselves with as many unusual, unhealthy delicacies as our stomachs could handle. We sampled sweet potato tots, corn fritters, soft pretzels, cheese curds, a bucket of chocolate chip cookies, old fashioned root beer, corn dogs made with wheat, and best of all, red velvet funnel cake. In addition to gawking at the plethora of culinary delights available, we also managed to see baby ducks, new lambs, horses, cows and quilts. Sadly, we weren’t able to spend much time with the quilts. Next time. We’ll definitely be back, as those sweet potato tots are calling my name.

 

Linking up with Tuesday at the Table at A Quilter’s Table.
 

Lavender Cupcake à la Mode

Since I was in the neighborhood recently, I stopped by the Ballard Cupcake Royale to try their new line of ice cream. My plan was to pick a flavor that would pair well with Strawberry 66, their cupcake of the month for August. That plan was dashed when I saw the Blueberry Lavender ice cream flavor listed and my favorite Lavender cupcakes in the case. The combo did not disappoint. The cupcake was as moist and scrumptious as I remembered. The generous baby scoop of Blueberry Lavender ice cream balanced blueberry, lavender and sweetness beautifully. If the shop had been air conditioned, it would have been the perfect pause in a hot summer afternoon. Air conditioning aside, I will definitely be back to try more of Cupcake Royale’s ice cream offerings.

Linking up with Tuesday at the {herbal} Table.

Brunch at Café Flora

Even though I have lived in the Greater Seattle Area for most of my life, there are still areas of the Emerald City that I am completely unfamiliar with. This past weekend, I ventured into one such area to meet friends for brunch. I got lost on the way there, but in the end it was more than worth it. 

Once I arrived at Café Flora, I ordered a cup of Earl La Crème tea to calm my nerves. I don’t usually order tea when dining out, but I was glad I did in this case. Instead of the usual tea bag in hot water set-up, our server brought a pot of hot water, loose leaf tea in a brewing basket, a receptacle for the brewing basket and a sand timer to time the tea. A simple presentation, but one that made my meal just a little bit more special.

For brunch, I ordered the beignets, described on the menu as “Traditional New Orleans deep fried yeast pastries, powdered sugar, seasonal anglaise and coulis.” What a treat! They were a bit denser and more uniformly shaped than other beignets I have had, but they were warm and filling and tasty. I especially enjoyed the sauce that came with them. I would definitely eat here again. Café Flora has a reputation for being kid-friendly, so maybe next time I’ll bring my sweet girl.

Linking up with Tuesday at the {picnic} Table.

Salted Fudge Brownies

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! For me, Valentine’s Day means three important things:

1.       My brother’s birthday. (¡Feliz Cumpleaños, hermano!)

2.       Traditional heart-shaped pizza with my sweetie. (It may be an unconventional tradition, but it’s ours and it’s yummy!)

3.       An excuse to eat chocolate. (Like I needed an excuse!)

This year, the chocolate has been accompanied by a healthy dose of salt. My sweetie surprised me by making these sweet treats:

But that’s not all! In honor of Valentine’s Day, I present to you my favorite salt-and-chocolate recipe:

Salted Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt, divided

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a square 8” or 9” square pan with foil. Grease.

2.       In a large saucepan, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Keep the heat low, and keep a close eye on it. Once it is good and melted, turn off the heat.

3.       One at a time, whisk in the cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and flour. Pour batter into the pan.

4.       Sprinkle half the salt over the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl in the salt. Sprinkle the rest of the salt over the batter.

5.       Bake the brownies for 35 minutes. Let them cool on the counter so an hour or so, then in fridge for another hour. Take the brownies and foil out of the pan and cut the brownies into equal portions. Enjoy!

For more Valentine’s Day treats, check out Tuesday at the Table at A Quilter’s Table.

Nutella Muffins

Did you know that February 5^th is World Nutella Day? Neither did I until I visited my parents this past Sunday and my mom announced that we were going to make Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes in honor of this illustrious holiday. Since I cannot resist anything involving Nutella or cupcakes, I needed little convincing. My contribution to this endeavor was keeping the baby occupied while my mom made the batter, swirling in the Nutella, and taking home the bulk of the batch “to share with my husband.” If you make some for yourself, I recommend calling them “Nutella Muffins” instead of “Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes,” because if you bite into one expecting frosting and cupcakiness, you might be disappointed. If you expect Nutella and muffiny goodness, you might just find yourself sneaking downstairs to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Not that I would know anything about that.

  

Speaking of my mom, if you like food, you should check out her Tuesday at the Table posts.