A L O H A

It's finally time - leaving for Hawaii tomorrow morning and I absolutely CANNOT wait!  A relaxing vacation is definitely long overdue.  To get in the spirit of things, I made a Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Sherbet.  I LOVE the flavor of lilikoi - sweet, sour and refreshing.  I can't wait to have lilikoi flavored everything in Hawaii.  The only down side is that I can't bring any home! 

Passion Fruit [06.26.2010]

Lilikoi Sherbet [08.18.2010]

I personally love the exotic look and vibrant colors of passion fruit.  I also like the crunch of its seeds.  The sherbet is so easy to make and had an amazing texture.  A few simple ingredients - passion fruit concentrate, sugar, milk, cream and passion fruit seeds (if desired). Easy and delicious!

End of a Season

Even though it's been shorts and sandals type of weather the past few days, summer officially ended about a week ago.  To say farewell, my last project with summer's harvest...

Nectarine Cheesecake w/ Blackberries [09.03.2010]

Usually cheesecake is rich and heavy, but using nectarines as a flavor base allowed me to lighten this one up both in flavor and texture from its tang and juice.  The crust is made with brown butter and infused with sage.  It's finished off with fresh blackberries and blackberry glaze.  My boyfriend really ate this one up!

Now let's see what autumn has to offer!

Fun with Fondant

 Lauren Decorating Cupcakes [08.26.2010]
 



















Our family friends were visiting from Vancouver last month.  Lauren (12 years old) wanted to play with fondant.  I thought of two mini projects we could decorate together.  Ahead of time, I baked two dome cakes and a dozen cupcakes.  I showed her step-by-step how to make a ladybug out of one dome and she decorated her own.  She is awesome - you could barely tell the two apart!  Most of the people in culinary school aren't as good at following an example as she is...we should hire her at the restaurant for sure!  :)  We also decorated some cupcakes with flowers - she picked and created the colors herself.  


Unfortunately I don't have any hi-res photos of Lauren's work since it was night time, but here are my finished products...


Ladybug Cake [08.27.2010]

 













Fondant Flower Cupcakes [08.27.2010]

 



















I had an amazing time working with Lauren in the kitchen.  I can't wait for her next visit - hopefully she'll still be into baking!