Macarons for Diner en Blanc

Another Dîner en Blanc! I am feeling like a semi-pro for these amazing events. This time for NYC I made a center piece. (See above. I was very proud of myself for the whimsical aspect of it. Also, it's been awhile since I did any arts and crafts, so it was quite enjoyable to make!)

Last year I made "Almazing" Almond Bars and this year I wanted to keep with the white dessert theme. So, I decided to make macarons. When I picked up the pieces for the center piece, I also picked up some edible glitter dust. I must say, these were pretty!

I used organic pear preserves for the filling of the glittery ones.

 

I also decorated some with edible markers which I ended up loving the look of. Nothing like marking the name of an event on food!

These ones had raspberry preserves in them, you know, to match the font color. :)

 

My guest at the diner was a really wonderful musician friend of mine who also happens to be a foodie. I had her in charge of the meal. Check out this beautiful spread!

And that was just the first course!

Here we are enjoying it and the lovely evening. Can you spot the center piece on the table?

Once again I was asked to sing for the event which I gladly did. It's always such a magical night and I'm always happy to sing in front of 4,000 beautifully dressed people. 

I sang Summertime. I thought it was very fitting for a Monday evening in August. :) Here's a video if you'd like to check it out: Youtube Summertime

 

After singing I broke into my desserts. It was kinda like singing for supper...but I sang for sugar.



The night was even more magical than last year's (which is almost impossible since last year was so wonderful as well!) I ended up sharing my macarons with many people and everyone raved over them. (I was worried they were too sweet but people said they were just right.) After dessert my friend and I walked around a lot of the tables and even ended up making our way into the packed dance floor with our glasses of wine in hand. At the stroke of 10, we all packed up and it was like Cinderella's carriage became a pumpkin again. All the fun preparation and partying...and then life as usual...but life made just a bit more beautiful!

Macaron Recipe found here: Goodfood 

Bake well and prosper!

Cornmeal Cookies with a Dark Chocolate Center

Hi dear readers! My urges to bake have been diminished this year. I have a feeling that my normal one post a week might change to two posts a month for the year. I hope you'll forgive me.

 

My urges to enjoy NYC haven't been diminished though. I thoroughly enjoyed finding eggs "hidden" around the city as part of the Faberge Big Egg Hunt. Over the course of a couple of weeks, people could find these fun works of art around the city. Then, for the last week, they were all at Rockefeller Center. Here are some of the ones that tickled my fancy:



 

 

 

Then, this past weekend I left my beloved NYC and headed to Boston for a singing gig. On my day off, I went on a Freedom Trail tour and tried to learn a little bit more about the American Revolution.

On Sat I sang the mezzo solo in Duruflé's Requiem in Worcester, MA.

It was a lovely experience but I was happy to be back in NYC. So happy that I felt like baking! So I made up this recipe.

 

These cookies are rather flat, but the texture is perfect. It's a crepe-like cookie and the sweetness of the sugar blends together well with the cornmeal. The dark chocolate is just something I added for a dollop of yuminess.

Cornmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Center (my recipe creation)

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons cornmeal

small dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix the butter and sugar together. Mix in the egg. Blend in the flour and cornmeal. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Place a piece of dark chocolate in the middle of each ball of dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool before enjoying.

Bake well and prosper!

"Almazing" Almond Bars and Dîner en Blanc NYC 2013

Have you heard of Dîner en Blanc? Well, if you haven't, prepared to be amazed. Dîner en Blanc is an all white picnic party started 25 years ago in Paris which now has parties all over the world. The event is very popular and has a long waiting list just to get an invite. For NYC, lucky people who get on the invitation list deck themselves out in white, bring white chairs, white tables, a basket of food, and then meet at different locations around the city at a certain time.  

No one knows where the event's location will be until a couple of minutes before the event. So it's like a surprise flash mob, even for the mob! 

 

And guess what. I was lucky enough to get and invite and PERFORM at the event!

I received the invite to perform because the creator of this event was at the wedding I sang at in France two and a half weeks ago. He loved my Ave Maria so much that he let his son, the current head of the dîners, know that I lived in NYC. And, well, the rest is magical history.

(Click here for a short, iPhone video of part of Ave Maria so you can get an idea of the fantastical setting I was fortunate enough to sing amidst.)

I also sang an aria from Carmen and threw some white roses at the end of the aria. :)

Now, let's talk about my table. My guest was the bride from the wedding in France. Without her, I wouldn't have been at this dîner. We had to lug our table and chairs just like everyone else and then we set out our salads and sushi (and wine...of course!)

I told my friend that I would supply dessert. I wanted something somewhat white and had the good idea to modify this recipe into an almond bar. I switched the milk with almond milk and switched the peanuts with sliced almonds. I loved these so much that I, being the goober I am, called them "almazing!"

They were the perfect dessert to pair with this amazing evening! All I needed to do after singing was sit back, relax, enjoy the pary, and eat dessert.

"Almazing" Almond Bars (adapted from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C almond milk

1 T butter

1 t vanilla

1 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

Ingredients for Frosting:

half and half (or almond milk)

powdered sugar (at least 2 cups)

1/2 cup of almond milk

Cake:

In a small saucepan, scald almond milk, turn off heat and add butter. In a mixer, beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in vanilla and milk mixture. Bake in greased pan (about 7 1/2 by 10 inches) for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool well. Cut in narrow bars.

Frosting:

Frost sides and bottom with frosting made by mixing a little bit of powdered sugar and a little bit of thin cream at a time. (Use half & half or almond milk. Half and half won't be as sticky as the almond milk. Both work well). Roll in slivered almonds and enjoy. 

Bake well and prosper!
(And here are a couple of more photos from the event.)

 

Mini Cinnies - Bite Sized Cinnamon Rolls

Here's another quick and easy recipe that's sure to please this holiday season.

Wait, what? You're wondering why all of a sudden there's a bunch of "quick and easy recipes"? Well, it's because I have a whirlwind of a schedule leading up to Christmas. I figured everyone was as busy as me and would enjoy quick recipes. Maybe not everyone was singing the mezzo solos in Handel's Messiah (Christmas Part) like I was, but probably equally as busy.

Yep, you heard right. That's me "all dolled up" for the concert. It was a blast! So was eating tons of these mini cinnies!

Mini Cinnies - Bite Sized Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from You Made That?)

Recipe:

Ingredients

1 can of Pillsbury crescent rolls

4 T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1 T butter

1 T flour

1/2 C powdered sugar

2 t milk

Directions:

Use half of package at a time so the dough stays cold.

In a small bowl mix together a tablespoon of slightly melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour. Open crescent rolls, take half of dough and separate at the vertical seams. Press the diagonal seams of dough together so that the dough is smooth. Spoon half of the cinnamon mixture onto dough, roll short side up then continue with the remainding dough. Cut 2 inch slices and place all the rolls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

When rolls have cooled, mix powdered sugar with  milk. Add more sugar/milk to get frosting to the consistency of your liking. Drizzle the sugar over the rolls then let dry. 

Erika's Extras: I found that this made a lot of brown sugar/cinnamon filling, so add according to taste.

Bake well and prosper!

Gluten Free Cookies

I can't always be cutesy wootsey. I don't have kids, a dog, a husband, a huge kitchen, or a perfect life. And I'm sure not going to pretend I have a life all neatly packaged with a bow on top. Quite frankly, I'm tired of seeing that blogged about constantly. I'm not trying to be the next Betty Crocker or on the next cover of Good Housekeeping. Is there a Messy Housekeeping magazine I can be on instead?

Oh, and did I mention I'm in a bad mood today?

Well, I will try to look on the upside. At least I don't have to eat a gluten free diet. That means I couldn't enjoy this, this, or these. But, if you're a celiac like my friend from the opera I was in this past weekend, there's good news! Yummy gluten free cookies!

This is the first gluten free dessert I've made for a gluten-free eater and I was a little scared when the dough smelled like burnt peanuts after blending in a mixer. Do not fear, they turned out amazing!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter and Nutella Thumbprint Cookies (from bell'alimento)

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg – beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 teaspoons Nutella

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Into your stand mixer add sugar, peanut butter, egg, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

3. Measure approx 1 tablespoon of dough. Roll dough into a ball and place onto cookie sheet. Gently press dough ball down using the palm of your hand. Continue forming balls until dough is gone. Space approx 1″ apart.

4. Bake for approx 8-10 minutes. CAREFULLY remove tray from oven. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, GENTLY make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. Fill each cookie with a dollop of Nutella. Return tray to oven and continue cooking for 2-4 minutes until golden.

5. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool before enjoying.

Bake well and prosper!