Dessert First 2011

Peach & Yogurt Parfait 

Yellow Peaches // Basil Gelée // Basil Meringue Sticks  

Chocolate Macarons 
Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Filling


















So the same weekend as the ♥ K&R Wedding ♥, I had a huge event at my new job called Dessert First to prepare for.  It's actually an annual event that raises money for San Francisco's Project Open Hand and it is definitely a Sweet Tooth's Paradise!  Some of the Bay Area's top Pastry Chefs donate their time and sweets for the attending patrons to indulge.  I've participated the three years prior with my former employer, but this year I got to make my own desserts.  The only downside - I literally just started at my new position and I had to make 400 portions of each!

 

My sweets appeared to be well received - the 450 macarons flew off the shelves and bunch of people came back for 2nds and 3rds of my parfait.  Call me bias, but my favorite item at the event was definitely the Corn Bonet (an Italian Custard) from Suzanne LaFleur of Perbacco.  Sweet, savory, rich and creamy - everything I LOVE!

♥ K&R Wedding ♥

K&R post "First Kiss"

Congratulations to our family friends, K&R who were married last weekend!  They had an intimate ceremony in Carmel, CA. 

And guess what!?  I was asked to make their wedding favors!  What was it that the soon to be Mrs. wanted?  Macarons of course!  K&R's wedding color was orange - R's favorite color, so I made the macaron shells a pastel orange hue.  The filling K and I decided on was Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel.  Each guest received two macarons packaged neatly in a little bag and finished off with an orange ribbon and cute little stickers with their names and date.

Post-nuptials, I was happy to hear that the macarons were received well by the guests.  I was just honored to do my little part to help make their big day as special as it was. 

Once again, Congratulations to the gorgeous bride and lucky groom - all the best as you begin your lives together! ♥

What is Urbandig?

"It's handcrafted 'off the beaten path' city experiences delivered right to your phone."

Basically, it's an iPhone app launching this month that I'm happy to be a part of!  Bloggers have created "tours" in major cities for you to explore.  For instance, I'm the author of the SF Frozen Scoop Tour and my friend Rebecca of BexBites is the author of the Spotted Dish Tour.  I'm pretty excited for this since I haven't seen the app yet and it's such a great idea to have YOUR interest mapped out for YOU right at your fingertips.  So, what are you waiting for?  Find out what my favorite Ice Cream places are in SF, WHAT I love about them and WHY I love them.

Add your email address to the list by clicking the following link and you'll be the first to know when it launches!

==========>  Urbandig  <=========

♥ S&B Wedding ♥

(photograph courtesy of James Hall Photography)

My former Pastry Chef Sarah intrusted me with the ceremonial cake and cupcakes for one of the most important days in anyone's life and I was truly honored.  Sarah was the complete opposite of a Bridezilla - she just trusted me to deliver.  And, I felt that I knew her well enough to deliver something that she would love.  (It did help of course that for 3 years we spent 8 hours a day side by side.)

Table Number, Floral Arrangement, Favors and Place Cards

(courtesy of Sarah, S&S Brand)

The Couple - Sarah & Brent, two of the nicest individuals and one of the most stunning couples around.

The Theme - classy, full of glamour, yet somewhat rustic

The Backdrop - a movie set, can't you tell from the first photograph by James Hall above?  Actually, it's the Russian River Vineyards off Highway 116 in Forestville, CA, but dreamlike nonetheless! 

The Weather - sunny and warm, in other words perfect. 

The Ceremony - dramatic, romantic, full of laughter and genuinely heartfelt, what more could you ask for?

The Company - lively and fun!
 


So now it's time for my part...

The Dessert -

Cupcake Table

I literally baked my butt off for the big day - 180 cupcakes, but it was definitely worth all the hard work when I saw Sarah's reaction to the cupcake table.  I mean, dessert is very important to girls like us. 

(photograph courtesy of James Hall Photography)

The Ceremonial Cake -
Lemon Chiffon
raspberry jam, vanilla buttercream 
quilted yellow fondant with gray accent, candy pearls, fresh flowers

The Cupcakes - 
Triple Chocolate
devil's food cake, salted chocolate frosting, chocolate monogram cookie 
Lemon Passion Meringue
lemon chiffon, passion fruit curd, toasted meringue, macaron
Cherry Amaretto
amaretto cake, cherry amaretto jam, vanilla buttercream, cherry 

I hope everyone, including the bride and groom enjoyed the cupcakes.  It was great to share in such a special day - thanks so much for having Robert and I.

Also, special thanks to James Hall of James Hall Photography and Sarah, President of S&S Brand for allowing me use of their photographs in this blog.

Once again, Congratulations to the happy couple!  Only the best to Sarah & Brent! ♥