Gotcha! Naughty Little Sprinkle Stealing Monsters Caught On Camera

 One afternoon last week, on a day much like any other, I was busy whipping up a batch of chocolate cupcakes at the bakery and all was well.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, cupcakes were rising and buttercream was whipping.

That was of course until the first incident...

I reached up for a piping tip and in the blink of an eye, spotted a flash of pink, as soon as I saw it it was gone.

Suddenly it seemed like every time I turned around something would disappear, jars of sprinkles would fall, apparently of their own accord, spilling on the work surface and I could have sworn I heard a few tiny giggles.

Was it a ghost?

Was I going mad?

Was the heat getting to me?

Finally I couldn't stand it any longer and I called the only person I could think of to help me, namely Rebella and her super powered, motion sensor cameras.  We set up cameras in every corner of the bakery, Rebella went home for dinner, promising to return in the morning and I continued to bake, staying especially late to make some chocolate macarons.

Both Rebella and I woke especially early the next day, eager to see what secrets the cameras held, this is what we found...

Sneaky little icing muncher, just dived right in!

Totally busted!

Now I know why the sprinkle jars were mysteriously spilling...

Gotcha!

Every time I turn my back, a naughty little creature pops out and causes a little chaos, some are naughtier than others as you can see and some don't even wait for me to leave!

Look I'm right there!

The naughty little monsters seem especially curious...

I think they're also a little greedy and must have a soft spot for chocolate.

Look at this grubby little chocolate monster!



The little monsters don't appear to be particularly clever either...

This little guy looks like he is scared of his own reflection...

...and he always seems to be falling off things.

So, it would appear Buttercream Bakery has been taken over.

 Rebella and I have decided to leave the cameras up for the time being, we're hoping to learn more about the little monsters and maybe even make friends.

 Although they do seem very shy...

...especially the pink one who only ever pokes her head out before disappearing again.

 The other, more mischievous little monsters run off at the speed of light, which is most surprising considering how pudgy they are...

◦

Gotcha! Naughty Little Sprinkle Stealing Monsters Caught On Camera

Bryant Park New York - Lunch at Bryant Park Grill

One of my favourite afternoons in New York was the one we spent at Bryant Park, the weather was beautiful and we had the most wonderful, leisurely lunch at the Bryant Park Grill.

You may have heard of Bryant Park before, in the summer the park plays host to the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. They set up a huge cinema screen and play fantastic classic movies, (you can find out more here), everyone sits on blankets or deck chairs and enjoys movies under the stars.  I'm dying to go and we only just missed it, the movie nights started on the 20th June, we were back by the 14th. 

We may have been a little too early for the film festival but at least lunch was totally scrumptious.

We sat on the rooftop of the Bryant Park Grill to eat our lunch, which was lovely, if a little hot, I can't remember the temperature on this particular day but it reached 97F during our stay. 

Anyway back to lunch, to start we shared a plate of Grafton Vermont aged cheddar, imported dry chorizo, crusty bread, crackers and apples. 

Our starter was lovely, as you can see we ate most of it before I even thought about taking a picture.  The combination of flavours in this dish was extraordinary and I'm such a sucker for a cheese plate, just thinking about this dish is making me hungry.

For the main event we ordered a Cheeseburger on Brioche Roll...

...and the Memphis style pulled pork with fennel & red cabbage slaw on ciabatta bread.

Both dishes were really lovely although I must say I think 5 Napkin Burger might have won the burger off.  Both the ciabatta and brioche roll were lovely, the red cabbage slaw was fantastic and the pickle was a brilliant addition to the burger, I'm not entirely sure what happened to the watermelon...

Pulled pork seems to be everywhere in New York, I'm a big fan but we don't seem to have it here in the U.K.  Thanks to Martha though I managed to make some last week, it was to die for! I'm making more this week so I'll take some pictures and post the recipe.

If you're visiting New York I highly recommend spending a whole afternoon lounging around in Bryant Park, sampling some of the Bryant Park Grill's fabulous food and having drinks on their beautiful rooftop.

  It was really hot so to drink we opted for frozen strawberry daiquiris, I say that as if we had one each, in reality we had a jug full, a really big jug full! Needless to say we left the park a little tipsy, happily fed and smiling.

x x x

◦

Bryant Park New York - Lunch at Bryant Park Grill

Apple Pie Macaron Recipe

You might be wondering why I've been making so many macarons of late, I've been putting together a macaron menu as part of a big new contract at the bakery. As of Tuesday next week Buttercream Bakery will be baking our very first official batches of macarons.

I will update the Buttercream Bakery website accordingly as soon as I can and you can expect to see lots of glorious macarons along with all the usual gorgeous cupcakes.

These apple pie macarons are the result of a hugely successful macaron experiment. 

 I picked up some Buttery Sweet Dough flavouring from NY, it is amazing and this was all I needed to set me off.  Surely pastry flavoured macarons would be the best thing ever? Think of the possibilities, cherry pie, blueberry pie, banana cream pie, banoffee pie, strawberry tart!!!!

My apple pie macaron shells are flavoured with Buttery Sweet Dough emulsion and a hint of cinnamon, I didn't add too much cinnamon to the batter as I wanted to sprinkle the shells before baking.  I then filled the macarons with apple sauce and custard, I wasn't sure about the custard to be honest and nearly made a crème pâtissière instead but I'm so glad I didn't.  The custard was the perfect choice, if you are worried that cold custard sounds disgusting, (I was), don't, they tasted fantastic.

I really wanted that quintessential English apple pie and custard flavour and boy did I get it! I wish you could have seen Mr. P's face when he tried one, 'I might as well be eating apple pie!' he declared, smirking.  They are unbelievably accurate and creating these macarons made me feel like a total baking genius.

Apple Pie Macarons

(Basic macaron recipe adapted from Irresistible Macaroons)

These macarons are best eaten on the day of baking though, due to the moisture in the filling they do not keep particularly well.

Makes around 50 mini macarons or 25 larger ones

200g (7oz) icing sugar

200g (7oz) ground almonds

80ml (2 3/4 fl oz) water

200g caster sugar

2 x 80g (2 3/4 oz) egg whites

1/2 tsp buttery sweet dough emulsion

1/4 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

For the Filling:

jar of apple sauce

2 tbsp custard powder

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 pint milk

1 tsp vanilla paste



Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Mix the icing sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon together and blitz in the food processor for about 30 seconds. Sieve the almond mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the water and the caster sugar to the boil. Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature of the syrup does not exceed 110C (230F). This is very important.

In a clean bowl whip the first 80g of egg whites until they form soft peaks. Decrease the speed of the whisk, then, still whisking, pour the sugar syrup over the egg whites in a thin stream. Be sure to avoid the whisk.

 Add the buttery sweet dough emulsion and continue whisking until the mixture has cooled.

 Mix the final 80g of egg whites (unbeaten) with the sieved icing sugar and almond mixture until you have a thick paste.  Fold the meringue into the almond paste using a rubber spatula. The batter is ready when it falls from the spatula in a ribbon, this ribbon should disappear back into the batter after about 30 seconds.

Use a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe rounds onto the prepared baking sheets. Lightly tap the bottom of the tray on the work surface to remove any small air bubbles. Sprinkle the unbaked shells with cinnamon and put the tray aside for between 30 min and 1 hour to allow the macarons to dry, you should be able to touch the macaron and come away with a clean finger, the macarons will be noticeably firmer.

Pre-heat oven to 145C (125F).

Bake the macaron shells for between 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately slide the greaseproof paper onto a clean work surface.

For the Filling:

Put the custard powder and caster sugar in a small bowl.  Take 2 tbsp of milk from the 1 pint and mix withe the custard powder and caster sugar to make a smooth paste..

Heat the remaining milk to nearly boiling and pour over the custard stirring well.  Return to the saucepan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat, stirring continuously.  You will want the custard thicker than usual, piping consistency, keep stirring over the heat until you are happy with the consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

To assemble:

Pair up your macaron shells and dollop 1 tsp of apple sauce on to the flat side of one of the shells, pipe custard onto the flat side of it's partner and sandwich together. Repeat until all of your shells are used up.

I have a seriously busy week next week, not only do I start making the bakery's first official batches of macarons but I also have a cupcake photo shoot later in the week.  I'm having trouble deciding which toppers to make and still haven't decided if I am going to be photographed myself, I hate being photographed and would much rather leave the modelling up to the cupcakes...

Have a brilliant weekend everyone. x

◦

Apple Pie Macaron Recipe

Cute Cone-oli Recipe

I love cannoli and have been meaning to make some for the longest time.  Cannoli however is not the simplest of things to make and I never seem to find a window of time that feels cannoli sized...

That is why this is such a fantastic recipe, all (or at least most) of the deliciousness of a cannoli with half the effort.  For cannoli fans these cones are pure joy.

The cone-oli filling is unbelievably delicious, heavenly even but there is a lot of filling in each cone.

A LOT of filling, even from me a cannoli filling fanatic.  I could do with filling the cone partially with something else, I suggested chocolate but hubby found this rather amusing...'like a Cornetto, just with more chocolate' I tried to explain. Hubby just laughed harder, I still don't get it....

Cone-oli

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

1/4 cup milk or dark chocolate, melted and cooled

6 sugar cones

1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese

1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup icing sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios



1. Put the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.  Refrigerated for 30 minutes to drain.

2. Dip each sugar cone in the chocolate of your choice, place cones, upright in cups or glasses to dry.

3. Transfer the ricotta to a large bowl.  Add the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla paste, almond extract and the orange zest.  Beat with a mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Cover and refrigerate until thick and cold, at least 1 hour.

4.  Transfer the ricotta mixture to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice, (I used a Wilton 1M), and pipe the mixture into the cones, finish by sprinkling each cone with pistachios.

Since we're talking cannoli, check out these scrumptious looking beauties I spotted in NY...

I have so many posts to do on New York and I promise they are coming, it feels like my feet haven't touched the ground since I got back and with all the transitions happening at the bakery I'm crazy busy. I will get there eventually and besides I have to wait for Mr. P. to give me all the good stuff...like the Magnolia Bakery video!

◦

Cute Cone-oli Recipe

Cherry Macaron Recipe

I've been back for nearly a week now so I've decided it's high time I post a recipe and what better recipe than this totally scrumptious cherry macaron recipe.  

As you will all know from my NY Cake post I have recently managed to get my hands on the most fantastic natural extracts in awesome flavours like blueberry, mango and cherry.  The second they were in my possession I started to plan...oh the glorious treats I could make with these little bottles of magic!

Cherry macarons were high on my list and they didn't disappoint.  The macaron shells are beautifully cherry flavoured and I made a lovely and very speedy cherry jam for the jam and cream filling.

As usual I made both mini and medium macarons, I just love those mini macs...

I know you're probably thinking it is terribly irritating of me to post a recipe using an extract that I know full well is rather difficult to get hold of.  I hope you will all forgive me, especially since I cannot find the actual extract I used on the NY Cake website, I would enquire if I was you because they have lots of extract in store I can't seem to find online. 

 Also eBay is a brilliant place to find unusual flavourings, just be sure you now what you're buying i.e. natural extract, flavouring, flavoring oil (not macaron suitable) or baking emulsion.

Cherry Macarons

(Basic macaron recipe adapted from Irresistible Macaroons)

Makes around 50 mini macarons or 25 larger ones

200g (7oz) icing sugar

200g (7oz) ground almonds

80ml (2 3/4 fl oz) water

200g caster sugar

2 x 80g (2 3/4 oz) egg whites

1/2 tsp natural cherry extract

 food colouring of your choice

Filling:

300ml double cream

100g cherries

50g vanilla sugar

60ml (1/4 cup) + 1 tbsp water

Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Mix the icing sugar and ground almonds together and blitz in the food processor for about 30 seconds.  Sieve the almond mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the water and the caster sugar to the boil.  Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature of the syrup does not exceed 110C (230F).  This is very important.

In a clean bowl whip the first 80g of egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Decrease the speed of the whisk, then, still whisking, pour the sugar syrup over the egg whites in a thin stream.  Be sure to avoid the whisk. Add the cherry extract and continue whisking until the mixture has cooled. 

Mix the final 80g of egg whites (unbeaten) with the sieved icing sugar and almond mixture until you have a thick paste.  Add the food colouring to the almond paste and mix well until the colour is even.

Fold the meringue into the almond paste using a rubber spatula. The batter is ready when it falls from the spatula in a ribbon, this ribbon should disappear back into the batter after about 30 seconds.

Use a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.  Lightly tap the bottom of the tray on the work surface to remove any small air bubbles.  Put the tray aside for between 30 min and 1 hour to allow the macarons to dry, you should be able to touch the macaron and come away with a clean finger, the macarons will be noticeably firmer.

Pre-heat oven to 145C (125F).

Bake for between 13 - 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately slide the greaseproof paper onto a clean work surface.

To make the filling:

Remove the stones and stalks from 100g of cherries, roughly chopping them into quarters or smaller.  Place the cherries in a small saucepan along with the vanilla sugar and 60ml water, bring to the boil and simmer until thickened and syrupy.  Remove from the heat, add the 1 tbsp of water, stir and leave to cool.  It will thicken considerably whilst cooling.

Whip the double cream until thick, piping consistency.

Remove macaron shells from the greaseproof paper using a palette knife.  Pair macarons together and add 1 tsp of cherry jam to the flat side of one, pipe cream on the flat side of the other and sandwich together.  Repeat until all your macaron shells are used up.

Yum Yum!

 Everybody loved these, the intense cherry flavour was such a novelty and the jam and cream filling beautifully surprising but also somewhat familiar and very summery in flavour. I honestly couldn't believe how delicious the cherry jam was!

The Mac Tweet challenge is conveniently fruit themed this month so mango or blueberry?

◦

Cherry Macaron Recipe

NY Cake - A Cake Decorator's Heaven

As soon as Mr. P. told me we were going to New York, I located NY Cake.  There is no way, I said to Mr. P. that I am leaving New York without visiting NY Cake! 

With a fantastic reputation as a cake decorators heaven, I had long since heard of NY Cake, ironically just before I left for NY I discovered they now ship worldwide!

Upon actually visiting the shabby looking store, I think I may have gone into shock, I can honestly say I have never seen so many cake decorating goodies all in one place.

The sanding sugars and sprinkles went on forever, somehow I managed to leave with just two boxes of sprinkles, promising myself I'd place an order the second I got home.

I found an amazing miniature playing card chocolate mold in the store, so sticking to a theme grabbed some playing card symbol sprinkles and then some micro hearts for good measure.  The chocolate mold is amazing, I can't wait to have a play with it.

I grabbed a few colouring pastes, Teal was one of my favourites and I chose some lustre dust in peacock, a beautiful shade of blue/green I haven't seen before.

The sugar flowers in store were beautiful...

I loved the roses but definitely prefer to make my own.

There were cake tins galore, millions of molds, veiners, cutters, sugar diamonds, fondant, gumpaste, stencils, boxes, boards, toppers, separators, I even spotted some strange looking cake mix, (cake mixes scare me, I've never used one and this one looked like cornflour).

There were so many cookie cutters my eyes went funny!  Again I was very good and only nabbed two miniature cutters, a love heart with an arrow through it and a miniature wedding cake cutter.

I'm not big on iced cookies but if you are then this is the place for you!

The best part for me was the flavourings and extracts.

Again I was very well behaved and only left with a small selection.  I opted for natural blueberry, cherry and mango extracts as well as a partially natural baking emulsion in Buttery Sweet Dough flavour! 

The emulsion is really potent, I've used it twice in the last couple of days, once in a batch of chocolate chip cookies and once in the apple pie macarons I made earlier today.  All I will say for now is oh dear god yum!

I've also tried the cherry, making some glorious cherry macarons (all of my post NY bakes will be posted asap).

They also stock lots of flavouring oils, I'm not overly familiar with these but will certainly be investigating, they have some amazing flavours.  I do know flavouring oils are not suitable for making macarons, anything oil based will effect the texture.

Looking on their site, there are a million and one things I'm dying to order, I really wanted this cake tin...

..but with all the shoes I brought I was worried about the weight of my suitcase, so that's definitely first on my list.

 x x x

◦

NY Cake - A Cake Decorator's Heaven

5 Napkin Burger - New York

Hi!

I'm back. New York was unbelievable! We had an amazing time and I have so much to share with you but it'll take me a while to organise all the photos and videos so I thought I'd start with something simple.

Hubby and I stumbled across 5 Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen New York.  5 Napkin Burger was on one side of the road and the equally lovely looking Southern Hospitality on the other.  It was a toss up between the two and a rather difficult decision I must say.

In the end 5 Napkin Burger won because I spotted that they had a Salted Caramel Milkshake on the menu! Sold.

The restaurant was packed with people but didn't feel overcrowded, there were meat hooks hanging from the ceiling, old fashioned hanging scales decorating the far corner and sections of the room were covered in white tiles.  The restaurant had a slightly industrial look that I really liked but despite the butcher shop style decor the restaurant still managed to feel warm and inviting.  5 Napkin is definitely more sophisticated than your regular burger joint but still had that breezy, grab a burger feel.

The Salted Caramel Shake was unbelievable, utterly scrumptious and totally unforgettable.  Mr. P. ordered a Root Beer Float but after trying my shake, he swiftly ordered one for himself.  It was gloriously thick and ice creamy, with the most beautiful caramel flavour and just the right amount of salt to stand up against the sweet.

Both the hubs and I ordered the Original 5 Napkin Burger, a 10oz. custom ground beef burger, with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, rosemary aioli, soft white roll.  It was glorious and certainly lived up to the 5 Napkin name, the gruyere was a beautiful addition and I loved caramelized onions.

Our waiter was lovely and honestly couldn't do enough to help, he giggled at me when I told him, perfectly straight faced that the Salted Caramel Milkshake was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  Apparently it is rather popular.

This wasn't the only burger I had in N.Y. but it was certainly the best and that Milkshake is the stuff dreams are made of...

That night I planned my own Salted Caramel Shake recipe.

◦

5 Napkin Burger - New York

Lemon Meringue Pie Macaron Recipe

Words cannot describe the deliciousness of these macarons, they couldn't taste any more like Lemon Meringue Pie if they tried and all the components come together beautifully. The meringue shells are gorgeously lemon flavoured and the vanilla meringue frosting is to die for, especially when combined with the sharpness of the lemon curd.

I came across a feature in this months GoodFood magazine on Ed Kimber's (aka The Boy Who Bakes) macarons. He had made Chocolate and Raspberry and Blueberries and Cream Macarons, both sounded divine but I fancied something a little different. 

I adapted the basic macaron shell recipe slightly but not too much. I obviously added fresh lemon zest to the shells and I prefer to add my colouring at a different point.  I used my own meringue frosting recipe for the filling and a glorious locally made lemon curd.  I have increased the quantity of egg ever so slightly, because as I mixed the unbeaten egg into the almond mixture it was way too dry and wouldn't come to a paste.  I added a few extra tsp of egg white and all was well.

Lemon Meringue Pie Macarons

Makes 35

170g icing sugar

160g ground almonds

zest of 3 lemons

4 large egg whites, separated into two equal batches -

(original recipe used 120ml egg whites from around 4 medium eggs)

1/2 tsp yellow food colouring

160g caster sugar

For the filling:

1 egg white

100g caster sugar

40ml cold water

1/2 tsp golden syrup

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla paste

  lemon curd, good quality

Place the icing sugar and ground almonds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fully combined.  Sieve this mixture into a large bowl.  Add the first batch of egg whites (unbeaten) and the lemon zest to the almond mixture, mix to form a thick paste.  Add the food colouring and mix until well combined. Set aside.

Tip the second batch of egg whites into a heatproof bowl and have an electric whisk at the ready.  Place 50ml water and the caster sugar into a small saucepan on a medium heat.  Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup registers 110C, using a sugar thermometer, at which time start beating the egg whites on a high speed. Once the syrup has reached 118C pour it slowly down the side of the mixer bowl, avoiding the whisk. Continue to whisk on high until the mixture has cooled slightly and you have a shiny peaked meringue mixture - the bowl should no longer be hot to the touch, but still warm. 

Tip the meringue onto the almond mixture and gently fold together.  It is important not to over-mix the batter - it should fall in a thick ribbon from the spatula.  The ribbon should fade back into the batter within about 30 seconds - if it does not, fold a few more times.

Heat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/ gas 3-4.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.  Pipe rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, (I like to do two sheets of big macarons and one sheet of mini macs. If you'd like to sprinkle your macarons with lustre dust or sanding sugar, do so now before baking), leave to rest for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter, or until the macarons have developed a skin.

Bake the macarons for 14 minutes (around 10 minutes for mini macarons).  Once out of the oven immediately slide the parchment onto a work surface and cool for a few minutes before gently peeling off the paper.

To make the filling:

Combine the egg white, sugar, water, golden syrup and salt in the top of a double boiler and place over rapidly boiling water.  Beat on the high speed of an electric mixer for around 7 minutes or until the icing reaches soft peak stage.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Beat for a further minute or until the frosting reaches desired consistency.

Pair up your macarons and spread a little lemon curd onto the flat side of one, pipe or spoon meringue frosting on top of the curd and top with the remaining macaron.  Repeat until all of your macarons are used up.

You can also decorate your macarons....

...with white chocolate...

...or glittering lustre dust...

...or pretty flowers..

...or even sanding sugar.

This really is my last post before I leave for New York but I couldn't not share this brilliant recipe with you before I go.  Have a brilliant weekend everyone. x

◦

Lemon Meringue Pie Macaron Recipe