DISH: Seitan Piccata at Candle 79. “Most of the time – though not always – we like to eat vegan [...]
Tag: cake
Amuse Bouche: Links for 3/2/12
Girl Scout Candy Bars
They aren’t made with Girl Scouts, promise! Instead, Nestle has come up with a new way to enjoy those Girl Scout cookies we all love so much: By turning them into candy bars. After a picture of a Thin Mint-Nestle Crunch bar turned up on Reddit in late February, the hunt was on — and Nestle has now said “look forward to some very exciting news in June.” Start saving your calories now. [Reddit and Huffington Post]
The McRibster
Speaking of things you can’t eat yet, take a gander at the McRibster, a concoction from Austria’s McDonald’s chain: It’s a deep-fried McRib with bacon, pepper-Jack cheese and spicy sweet chili sauce. So, who’s up for a jaunt to Vienna? [Eater]
Bacon Thing of the Week
Elvis is everywhere! He’s even in your bacon. [I Love Bacon]
Baked Potato Bean Bag Chair (with Butter Pillow)
Sometimes the headline says it all. From what we can tell, this limited-edition Etsy item even seems to have scallions in the potato. Yum, and comfy at the same time. Please also note that B-Fiber & Craft have other delicious-looking soft items, too. [Etsy]
Death Star Cake
What says “happy occasion!” like a replica of Darth Vader’s planet-destroying super-star? Nothing, that’s what. Here’s how you can make your own, and note an even more awesome looking one pictured above. [Boing Boing]
Amuse Bouche: Links for 2/17/12
Food Network Plagiarism?
The now-canceled “Anne Thornton’s Dessert First” has come under fire after it appeared that some of Thornton’s recipes hewed too close to Martha Stewart and the “Barefoot Contessa.” Check out this write-up and some videos (one of which is particularly yummy). [TODAY Bites]
Most Amazing Cupcake Bite Ever
Ever see a dessert tray and realize it has too many wonderful things to possibly eat in one sitting? Take heart: This recipe for mini peanut butter Oreo chocolate fudge swirl cupcakes puts just about everything you could want together in a gorgeous teeny-weeny stack. [Kevin and Amanda]
Bacon Thing of the Week
Yes, Valentine’s Day may be over, but when it comes to bacon roses … every day can be a day of love. You can always find an excuse. And for those who don’t care for flower-shaped bacon, check out the next logical progression in raw beef roses (pictured above)! [Instructables and Hungeree]
Frankenfood: Coming to a Shelf Near You?
It doesn’t have to. MoveOn.org has set up a petition so you can tell the FDA that labeling of genetically engineered foods should be mandatory (the way it is with other consumables these days). You don’t have to buy it, but you should know what’s going into your food. [MoveOn]
Swiss Measuring Spoons
Keep all of your Teaspoon/Tablespoon needs in one handy-dandy carrying case designed to look like a Swiss Army Knife. No wonder Swiss desserts taste so awesome. [Amazon]
Brownies in shells: An egg-cellent option
Creative cookery requires a little imagination, and a little thinking outside the box. Or perhaps thinking outside the eggshell.
I’ve been stumbling across a number of sites recently that do just this sort of thing: Come up with new and interesting ways to present commonplace foods. My favorite happens to be the brownie-in-an-eggshell concept.
But bakers need to be prepared to put a little more effort in than just pouring the batter into a pan, and your batter will have to be completely free of chunks, for reasons that should become obvious shortly.
Here’s how you do it, courtesy Boing Boing:
- Poke a hole in the shell of a raw egg — use a corkscrew for a sharp, even hole that shouldn’t crack the shell.
- Let the insides of the egg drip out (this will take some time) and gently wash the insides out.
- Let everything dry. Meanwhile, make your brownie mix! (And leave out the chocolate chips.)
- Stand the shell up in a muffin tin, or even in the egg carton it came in from the store.
- Tipple the brownie batter into the hole you’ve created. Tip: Use a piping bag with a narrow nozzle, or a funnel (though it may take a long time).
- Don’t fill the egg the whole way! 2/3 should be sufficient, as your brownie will grow inside the egg.
- Cook as per usual.
This will take some practice; your first batch may simply explode your eggs. Naysayers may bemoan the lack of crispy edges on your final brownies, but the fun of cracking into the eggshell and coming up with cake-tacular chocolate perfection should make up for any grumbling.
If not, take away their brownie!
The writer of the Boing Boing post refers to making Jell-O in eggshells as well — that could be quite amusing if done right, and is probably much easier than brownies, due to the viscosity factor of batter vs. liquid. Chocolate is another option, allowing you to make your own chocolate eggs come Easter.
Finally, always remember food safety: Not every fun container could, or should, come in contact with high heat and food items.
Terra cotta flowerpots must be designed for food use — the ones you may buy at the local Home Depot, for example — are not meant to be combined with consumables, according to the NDSU.
Happy baking, happy cracking, and happy eating!
Amuse Bouche: Links for 1/20/12
Average American Worker Spends $1,100/year on Coffee
Want to save money while purging yourself of a raging caffeine addiction? Based on this article, it seems clear you can pocket over $1K a year by simply not drinking coffee. [Consumerist]
Food Fight! The Game
Love throwing food around? Hate the mess? “Food Fight” is the answer. Lob food projectiles at fellow players for points, and never have to hear mom say you’re wasting your meal. [Kongregate]
Bacon Product of the Week: Frosting
Vosges makes a wonderful chocolate bar with bacon bits inside, so maybe Bacon Frosting could actually work atop a chocolate cake. Give it a whirl, and let us know. We’ll wait. Also, we’ll want samples. [Amazon]
Girl Scout Cookie Locator
We’ve all had cravings for Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs that won’t go away. Mine last for 365 days at a time. Here, you can find out where to buy those lovely, lovely Girl Scout Cookies year ’round; additional links for mobile phones, iTunes and Android. Modern! [Girl Scouts of America]
Chicago Metallic Non-Stick 9″ Split Decision Pie Pan
Everyone loves pie, but having a choice of pie makes things even more wonderful (and fattening, because you’ll want two pieces). Never mind all that: Here’s a pie pan even the most wishy-washy can get behind, as it lets you cook two flavors at once. (And bonus: Extra crust in the middle parts! [Amazon]
Above: Unicorn Poop
OK, not really. Because, you know, unicorns aren’t real. Sorry about that. But if they were real, their droppings would be just as sparkly and yummy as these here confections. Recipe at the link. [Instructables]
Building blocks to make your cakes even better
How do you do that?
By now, you may have realized that I’m obsessed with cakes of all sizes and shapes. (I promise, different kinds of sweets in the new year!) But for my taste buds, cake is hard to beat: Lots of textures all at once, great mouth feel … which sounds dirty but isn’t … and there are so many ways to make the cake even more fun!
I love designing cupcakes and finding interesting ways to make them appropriate to the occasion, and so often I get asked: How do you do that? Well, it’s about re-thinking what cake can do, and how you can disguise and camouflage it to surprising effect.
That’s why I was so thrilled to stumble across Betty Crocker’s funky cake page and find step-by-step instructions on how to make your own adorable, hilarious shaped cakes. My favorite is the incredibly simple Lego cake (called “building blocks cakes,” no doubt to avoid a copyright issue, but trust me you’re making edible Legos). Thanks to BC’s web page, you get not just a recipe, but a lot of easy ways to print, save and email the instructions, as well as review it. While you’re on the page, you can get designs for princess cakes, a pirate cake (arr!), a dinosaur cake — even a train cake! These designs may not make you the next “Ace of Cakes,” but you’ll be well on your way to dazzling your friends and family with the concoctions.
Yes, Betty Crocker has a vested interest in your wanting to make more cakes — they sell the ingredients — but the details of just how to construct the final product can apply in a number of situations; what about fudge blocks? Cupcake pirate heads? That stuff doesn’t require that you use Betty’s ingredients, and it’s all a matter of using your imagination to come up with fascinating new concepts to make an already awesome thing (cake) into a stupendous awesome thing (a space shuttle you can eat!)
So head on over to Betty Crocker’s website today — and make sure to check out their recipe page, which is extensive and covers much, much more than cakes. There’s even a “Health and Diet” section for those who need to watch their waistlines or sugar intake — diabetic recipes included, for example. So once you finish pigging out with pure cake for the holidays, just change your bookmark slightly and keep using the pages; they’re chock-full of great information, suggestions and ideas.
And let us know once you’ve made some great cakes of your own, whether thanks to Betty or otherwise. Send in photos and we’ll run the best ones we see!
