Cake Reality TV...friend or foe?

I know what you are all thinking...that this is going to be a rant about how Buddy and Duff are famous cake decorators on TV and I am not. I may be a little green with Envy but it I think they are both incredibly talented and I have to say good for them for making a name for themselves. In this business it is an extremely difficult thing to do. Yes... there are things that that both chefs do that I'm not crazy about, but if we were all alike the world would be a very boring place.

All about Editing:

Sometimes on these shows they make everything seem like a cakewalk. Like every bakery has fondant sheeter . Why do you think I have such great upper body strength from rolling it out myself. Suddenly they layout the fondant on the cake and abracadabra there is beautiful 6 tier masterpiece before your eyes...they don't always show you all the people in between. In reality most small bakeries do not have a team of artists at their beckon call.
Another editing example on cake boss they show a customer coming in for a cake consultation (that they charge $100 for, they don't mention that on TV) and 2 seconds later they are making the cake and it is out the door all within one episode. I believe for the general public this is showing a very false sense of what is really going on: At Carlo's Bakery for a "custom" or wedding cake consultation you must book that appointment 3-4 weeks in advance and your cake should be ordered 6-8 months in advance. This method is perfectly acceptable and I wish my customers would abide by this general rule. Seeing this series of events and with no explanation of the process, it leads people to believe they can just show up at a bakery without and appointment and expect samples and a consultation the second they walk in the door.


I have an excellent story as an example for this topic, this happened to me about three months ago. A customer called me on a Wednesday asking me to make them Mickey Mouse Head sculpture for that Saturday. As much as I would love to say yes to something like this I can't...I went to pastry school not art school. Even if I felt like I had the chops to do it...It was way too short of a notice for me to make it work. So I offered what we call a Mickey Mouse Face cake and she was fine with that idea. I made the cake and I was very happy with it, I thought it was super cute. Well I happened to be in the front of the store when the cake got picked up...by some guy about my age (not the woman who called me) and I asked him if he liked it. He looks at me and says..."it is no Charm City Cake but it will do" and walks out the door. Well let me tell you I cried in the back room for the rest of my shift. I put a lot of effort into my cakes and I realize he was just being ignorant and he does not know the hard work that gets put into even a simple cake.

Anyway back to reality TV editing I realize a lot of these shows do crazy things just to get people to watch. Like Buddy dumping a bag of flour all over a co-worker from a second story window or Duff making his cake's light up and blow up all for the sake of television. I guess if it wasn't interesting or exciting people wouldn't watch. I feel sometimes all this stuff makes the general public think that it isn't a serious profession when you can goof off all day making cakes, which is not the case at all.


On Occasion they show cake disasters (not sure if they are staged or not) and I think that is a good thing...because I think people need to see that things can go wrong. Sometimes these cakes are so outrageous I can't see how they can be structurally sound and then they go toppling to the ground. In my opinion you can only push a cake so far.


STICKER SHOCK!!!
These shows give no hint as to how much these cakes actually cost! Brace yourselves now...because I know when I give our customers prices on "custom" cakes I see it all over their faces or hear it in their voices. I honestly feel that our prices are extremely reasonable. I do everything I can to work with people on a budget offering them a variety of different options to make cakes more affordable. I know of many local bakeries that do not do this, they have their set prices and don't offer cheaper alternatives to customers.

Carlo's Bakery straight from their website "Any specialty cake is priced per person; basic butter cream cakes start at $8.00 per person and go up from there. A good rule of thumb is to look at cakes that are featured in any magazines or publications; they are usually priced in the $12.00 to $18.00 range per person. The more elaborate, intricate, and time consuming the cake is, the greater price range you will be looking at."

Charm City Cakes straight from their website "Because all of our cakes are priced individually by the complexity of their design, we do not have a standard price list. Due to the care we give to each cake and the one-of-a-kind nature of each order, we require a minimum of $1000 on all of our cakes.



Structuring and Cake Supports

A lot of people get on Duff's case for using pipes, wiring and rice cereal treats etc. What I think people need to realize is that some of these cake requests are so insane that yes these things are needed. I don't think they need to use rice cereal as much as they do at times...but they need to use the method that works best for them. I mean let's face it some of these customers want cakes that are replicas of buildings, animals, motorcycles and the list goes on. I have said in previous blogs I like a cake that resembles a real cake maybe with edible fondant or gum paste touches of the theme. That isn't to say I'm not totally blown away the cakes that they make, like Duff's replica of Hogwarts Castle! As a huge Harry Potter fan I can't help but love that cake even if most of it is made of rice cereal treats.

Conclusion
In recent news Duff's show on food network Ace of Cakes has been canceled, and food network is in the works with him to develop a new show. The Cake Boss is growing... Buddy is even developing a new show called "The Next Great Baker". All I can say in regards to this is that I hope they pick someone with legit talent and not just an over the top personality. Buddy and Duff are all television producers dream in that aspect, since they both have over the top personalities are very talented. When I look at the big picture I'm going to say it is mixed bag of feelings but overall I think these shows are more friend than foe. I enjoy learning new techniques from them and the popularity of these shows brings in customers who are willing to try out a new fun design.

Thanks for reading & Sweet Regards,

Carol

Florida top 3!

Florida top 3!
So Jared & I went to Florida for our first vacation in 3 years and we had an amazing time! We ate a lot of excellent food on this trip so I’m going just go over my top 3 meals. First I have start out with Columbia Restaurant in Sarasota in St. Armand’s Circle. I got the half Cuban sandwich and the half Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad…okay the sandwich was good…but that salad was out of this world good! I’m pretty picky when it comes to my salads…hands down this is the best salad you will ever eat! Here is the description on the menu: The Columbia's legendary salad tossed at your table. Crisp iceberg lettuce with julienne of baked ham, natural Swiss cheese, tomato, olives, grated Romano cheese and our famous garlic dressing (our 100 year old family recipe of fresh garlic, oregano, wine vinegar and Spanish extra virgin olive oil).
This salad is a show in itself since they do it table side, here I am resisting in a restaurant not to whip out my camera and video tape I was so excited! I regret to say I did not get a photo of this delicious garlicky, crunchy, fresh, splash of acidity amazing salad…I hope I’m not going to overboard with the salad but it was THAT good…so go now to Sarasota and get one…I wish I could!

We stayed in a wonderful hotel called the Loews Royal Pacific and in that hotel is Emeril’s new restaurant called Tchoup Chop (chop chop). Let me say how beautiful the ambiance is, the lights are dimmed but have shimmering stained glass-like flower chandeliers hanging all over the room. In the middle of the restaurant stretches a large Koi fish pond…I couldn’t tell you if there were real fish swimming around I wasn’t quite close enough. It looks so beautiful I thought it couldn’t be real; the colors all around the room were so saturated, warm, romantic and still cozy. Anyway on to the food…after all that’s why we are here! We ordered an appetizer of the: Steamed Pork & Asian Vegetable Dumplings served with Sake Soy Sauce. I’m a huge fan of steamed dumplings I order them at every Asian/fusion restaurant who has them. These dumplings were tender not too doughy the filling was meaty without being heavy, the dipping sauce was like pure rich soy sauce reduction pure Umami.

For a few years now I wondered…what does Umami taste like? I had seen commercials with this new word and even watched a whole Iron Chef battle with Umami as the secret ingredient and I still couldn’t think of a time where I had ever tasted something this complex. After I took a bite of this dish it just clicked…rich, savory, earthy and meaty… Amazing! Jared who isn’t much of an appetizer person loved them too. For my main course I ordered the: Mongolian Barbeque Grilled Pork Tenderloin Caramelized Sweet Onion-Orange Confit, Stir Fried Lomein Noodles. The pork was perfectly cooked tender and juicy; the Lomein sauce had a molasses depth but still had a refreshing zing from the onion-orange Confit. Let’s just say I was too full for dessert and with the help of a large “Dwight Schrute” glass of wine I was feeling quite content.

The last meal I will describe came from the Emeril’s restaurant in City Walk. We opted to do lunch instead of an expensive dinner. They started us with some delicious sweet potato rolls unfortunately Jared was unable to enjoy because they contained lactose, but they were very accommodating in finding things he could eat. They made up traditional shrimp cocktail for him even though it wasn’t listed on their menu and he ordered turkey burger with homemade guacamole. I didn’t get to try the turkey burger he said was very tasty and had a sausage type flavor. My first dish was the Burrata Mozzarella & Kumato Tomato Stack Micro Basil, Aged Balsamic and Herb Vinaigrette. The creamy Mozzarella ball rested on a bed of the freshest tomatoes I have ever tasted. The balsamic vinegar brought out the acidity and was finished with the fruitiness of the olive oil and the micro basil. Next I had the New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp Served with Petite Rosemary Biscuit. The Shrimp was perfectly cooked with a hint of smokiness in the background and served in a creamy, savory barbecue sauce possibly a mustard base, (not your typical sweet sticky barbecue sauce.) I ended my meal with chocolate gelato it was made with a dark chocolate so it wasn’t overly sweet. Jared ended his meal with the banana sorbet; the dairy wasn’t missed because the bananas gave the sorbet a creamy texture. I ate a lot of lovely meals on my trip but those were my top 3. As you can probably tell my favorite part about vacation besides relaxing is the anticipation of where my next meal will be and then I revel in it.

~Sweet & Savory Regards
Carol

EGG-cellent!

Hi Everyone,

Well we just got back from our Vacation on Sunday...I'm working on Florida Food Special blog but I won't be able to post that until later in the week. So in the mean time I wanted to try something new. I successfully poached my first egg on the first try! It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I admit after watching Julie & Julia I was a bit intimated because she had so much trouble her first time. So after watching video after video on YouTube I came up what I thought would be the easiest way. I hope it works for you like it did for me!

In a medium sauce pan I boiled 2 1/2 - 3 inches of water and then lowered the heat so it is down to a simmer. (If you are poaching more than one egg you will want to use a bigger pan so the eggs have more room). To this water add 2 cap fulls of white vinegar and swirl that around with my slotted spoon. I crack my egg into smaller bowl and GENTLY place inside the hot water...take your slotted spoon and keep your whites as close to yolk as possible by gently nudging the whites over. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you want your center. *Just to warn you...when you first drop the egg you might see some scary stringy bits floating around, don't worry this happens it is not ruined just keep on going.* When your egg looks set gently scoop up with your slotted spoon (try to avoid the stringy stuff). Place on plate a with a paper towel and dab off some the excess water and carefully slide on your serving plate and add some salt and pepper and enjoy anyway you want.

*If you are making many eggs at once have a bowl of ice water on the side and you can place finished eggs in there, when you are ready for them carefully place them back in the warm water for about 20 seconds until warmed up and serve.

So what kind of dishes can you have with poached eggs:

*Plain Jane is always good a little S&P and a hunk of bread...great breakfast, lunch or dinner

*Eggs Benedict

*Poached Eggs served over baby spinach and crumbled hot bacon strips and lemon vinaigrette

*Huevos Rancheros

* Serve over your favorite hash or home fries

Have an EGG-cellent Day!

-Carol

Cupcakes + Beer = Delicious

So as some of you know my husband Jared home brews his own beer...I am not a big beer drinker and I wanted to find a way to enjoy his home brew. I found this recipe inside Martha Stewart's Cupcake book, but what makes my recipe unique is adding Jared's Irish Stout. If you want to check out his recipe his website is http://www.scarletbrewery.com/

Home brewing is becoming such a popular thing now, if you know someone who does it this is a great way to use it other than the obvious. If you don't know anyone that does the home brewing you could always use a Guinness Beer to substitute. This rich,moist cupcake has a hint of warm spice with a slight kick from the beer. This is one cupcake that would be welcomed at just about any party!

Ingredients: Cupcakes

3 3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp. baking soda

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 3/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 1/4 c. molasses

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

2 large whole eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 tbsp + 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest (about 4 oranges)

1 1/4 c. Stout Beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line standard cupcake pan with paper liners (recipe makes a little over 2 dozen). Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & spices and set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-low speed beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs and yolk, zest, stout beer until combined. Reduce speed to low and in 3 stages add dry ingredients, after each addition scrape down sides to be sure all ingredients have been incorporated.

I use an old fashioned ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners with batter (only fill about 1/2 -3/4 up the rim of pan). Place cupcakes in the oven and they will bake for 15-20 minutes. Insert a toothpick in center if it comes out clean it is done.

While cupcakes are baking make your Icing:

Whisk together 2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar and 1/4 c. Stout Beer.

When cupcakes are cooled pour some glaze on top of each cupcake...yum!

~Sweet Regards,

Carol

Well this week is my first case of blogger's block...I had planned on writing about a quiche recipe I was making but it didn't come out as tasty as I would have liked. My husband Jared is lactose intolerant so I have to make everything lactose free...which can be quite the challenge...no heavy cream, butter or cheese etc. Well he is lucky I'm always up for a challenge. I'm sure by the end of fall I will have come up with a formula I am happy with and I will share it with all of you!

As for my latest cake adventures...I drew a motorcycle cake for first time, it came out nice. Then I spent Saturday morning making a two tier sweet 16 and the woman that ordered it the sent her elderly mother in a pick-up truck to get the cake. Does this sound like a recipe for disaster or what! First she picks up the cake box and crushes the whole side...my co-worker is trying to instruct her on how to handle the cake and she couldn't have cared less. She attempts to put the cake in the bed of the truck but decides it will slide around too much....then she plops it on the floor of passengers side crushing the whole other side!!!! Sometimes I wonder about people. I don't even know who to be more angry with in this situation the woman who ordered the cake who sent her elderly mother....or the elderly woman for not giving a crap. On another note this weekend I became a first time godmother to my beautiful niece Evelyn! I am going to post a picture of the cake I made for the occasion.

Sorry for the short blog!

Sweet Regards,

Carol

Tearfully Delicious French Onion Soup

Seriously…isn’t cutting onions the worst! Overtime I’ve definitely built up a tolerance to cutting them but man…making this soup always gets the waterworks going. This is a great soup to make if you are having a bad day because it at least gives you an excuse to have a good cry. The best part is when the soup is done it is the most comforting dish to eat. Granted I made this recipe last week…in the middle of the hot humid weather, not my brightest idea to date but it was worth it. I hope you enjoy it, let me know how it comes out.

Recipe:
I cut up 1 red onion, 2 Vidalia onions, 1 yellow onion first I cut them in half then in thin slices. In your big soup pot add 2 TBSP of butter or Margarine and 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive oil and let melt together and add in onions let them cook for 2 minutes and add ½ tsp kosher salt, 3 grinds of black pepper, 1 bay leaf and ¼ tsp of dried thyme leaves and let cook for 10 minutes stirring everyone now and then. After the first 10 minutes add 1 ½ tsp of granulated sugar and stir (this will help caramelize your onions). You want this to cook for another 35-45 minutes stirring occasionally, when onions are caramelized add 1 clove of minced garlic and cook on low for about 5 minutes until garlic is soft and not burned. Remove bay leaf and add 2 tsp of flour and let that cook into the onions for 1-2 minutes and add 1 box of *Kitchen Basics Beef Broth *bring this to a boil. Then let soup simmer on low for 30 minutes taste your seasonings to see if you need more salt & pepper depending on your preference.

There are some dishes in this world that just taste better reheated…well this is one of them. Let soup cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to eat it bring it to a boil again ladle into your oven proof soup bowls, top with a slice of baguette & 1-2 slices of Swiss Cheese then pop under the broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly...yum!

Ok so you might be wondering why Kitchen Basics Brand because it is made from all natural ingredients…words you can actually pronounce like beef broth, onions, bay leaf etc. I use it for almost everything and it doesn’t taste like canned or artificial soup. If you are feeling super ambitious feel free to make your own beef broth it will be even more amazing…but if you are short on time this is a great alternative.

Another thing I love about this dish is that it is cheap…I made this recipe from all things I had in my pantry…If I had a bottle of red or dry white wine I also would have added a ½ cup to this recipe…but if you don’t have to. Serve with your favorite salad and you have a complete meal. This dish also only serves about 4 people (unless you are me and Jared because we ate the whole pot in one sitting) so you might want to double the batch if you want leftovers.

Savory Regards,
Carol

So we recently celebrated my Mom's 60th Birthday! I just wanted to share a quick a picture of her cake (pink ruffled one). Everyday I make a lot of cakes at work...but sometimes they can be a little boring...because we have signature style a the the bakery...typical flowers...balloons...etc. So When it came time to do my Mom's cake I thought it would be fun to incorporate my style cake! If I had my own cake shop I would have a more modern approach to decorating...not that that there is anything wrong with a butter cream rose, I think they look beautiful on any cake...I know of some snobby bakeries that say that butter cream flowers look cheesy or like grocery store cakes...I think the opposite if you can't make a beautiful butter cream flower you shouldn't own a bakery hahaha.

My other cake thought for the day....I know fondant is all the rage right now with cakes with the shows Cake Boss & Ace of Cakes...and people want sculptures and all sorts of crazy things...but what about a cake that just looks delicious? Don't get me wrong again...There is something to be said for beautiful 6 tier fondant wedding cake with string work and sugar flowers or a cake sculpted in the shape of the Millennium Falcon...but it doesn't scream I taste good.... I mean it is totally incredible edible art. I love an interesting project but sometimes I think a lot can be said for a cake that looks yummy. Just some cake for thought....I will also post a picture of my Dad's 60th Birthday Cake....which to me screamed I look delicious..but that was a cake disaster...a story for another day :)

Sweet Regards!

Carol