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Chivaree...

Anyone know what Chivaree means?   Well, as I have recently been schooled on this, I'm happy to enlighten you.  Chivaree is an old-fashioned word for an old-fashioned tradition...although in some cultures it is still practiced today!

Friday night I went to a wedding reception that was the be-all-end-all of wedding receptions... and I've seen a lot of receptions.  Of course, I expected nothing less as the bride is an art major who studied at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and comes from a family of creative people.  The groom is no slouch either in the creative department as he is a film maker and the son of two of the most talented people I've ever known.

Tiffany + Cassidy = One Beautiful Couple and One Fabulous Partay.  (See you in Sacramento!)

Chivaree...let me use it in a couple of sentence for you:

The bridegroom was chivareed on his wedding night!   Fiddle-dee-dee!  What if they chivaree my new husband?  There's going to be some chivareeing going on after the reception!  

Before you Google it, I'll end the suspense...this is what my mother told me,

"On our wedding night as we were leaving our reception I was so scared that my husband would be chivareed!  That's where some hooligans kidnap the groom and hide him and the bride has no idea!  And sometimes they keep him overnight!  I was so afraid they would get him when he went to get the car!  As it turned out they chivareed the car and we had to walk through snow for two blocks until we found it!" 

Whew!  Glad my dad wasn't chivareed or I might not be here!

Luckily, Cassidy was not chivareed on his wedding night either!

Two Weddings and a Death...

I've been off my game lately and am now just getting things back to normal...last weekend I double booked myself.  I am horrible at scheduling things - never bothering to look at my calendar until after I've committed myself!  In my next life I shall do better.  So two weddings in the same weekend - one that only needed me to make a cake...but a very special cake...and the other needed me to do the flowers...15 table arrangements and the bridals!  It was very hectic but very fun.

Claire married a farmer...so she requested a cow cake!  She gave me the cow salt and pepper shakers to use as cake toppers - and it turned out so cute!  Oh, yes, that IS a fly on the cake!!!  The Happy Valley Grange, where the reception was held, seemed to have some sort of fly infestation!  I kept shooing them away but it was futile...but as you can see, the fly is enjoying the frosting...almond buttercream...the cake was a Devil's food cake...it was pretty dang good if I say so myself!  Claire's reception was so adorable - every little detail showed and the grange was filled with lots of laughter and love.  They were not quite finished setting up when I delivered the cake so I didn't get any pictures of how the simple little grange was transformed into a beautiful and elegant reception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel's reception was equally as pretty - above are a few shots I managed to get.  They just don't do the room justice but it was very lovely.  The bride's mom and grandma both collect white pitchers, they were the vases, all of them were different and special to the family - such a nice touch!  Both newlyweds could not have had better weather!  It was sunny and 75 in Seattle - on a weekend, no less!

Now the death...the dishwasher died.  Let me rephrase...the mister killed the old dishwasher.  He tried to "fix" it.  The new dishwasher was delivered but when the installer pulled out the old one he discovered black mold.  Black mold is toxic...so the mister was quite proud of himself that he murdered the old dishwasher, thereby allowing us to find the black mold.  Two weeks later, the mold had been removed, all dry wall cut out and replaced, along with the wood floor under the dishwasher and new insulation put in, to the tune of $2,200...so now it was time to install the new dishwasher - finally!  Five minutes after it was installed, I left for the airport, leaving the mister and boy to operate the new cleaning machine...how hard could it be?!?  Alas...I expected far too much of them...the mister turned on the dishwasher and left for work...never opening it to look inside or (heaven forbid!) actually put dirty dishes in it!  Two hours later the boy called me (I was 800 miles away) to ask me why there was water on the kitchen floor!  Turns out, had the mister opened the dishwasher he would have discovered THE OPERATING MANUAL...but since he didn't, bits of it, along with other bits and bobs that should have been removed before the maiden voyage, had clogged the drains!  ONE WEEK LATER, when I arrived home, the standing water in the dishwasher had stunk up the house like you wouldn't believe!  The mister didn't notice it...neither did the boy...so here's the end of the story...five weeks after the mister killed the dishwasher, $3,200 out the door for the new one and repairs, I had to make a service call on a brand new dishwasher that had yet to run a full cycle!

The moral of the story is this:  Do not let your Caveman in the house, but if you must, ban him from touching anything!

How to Make Butter-Cream Frosting Smooth...

I just perfected this little tip so I thought I would pass it along...it's one of those why didn't I think of that before things.  I made a (two 10-inch layers) champagne cake with raspberry filling and vanilla butter-cream frosting (three times until I got it right!) for a friend's daughter's wedding and the Mother of the Bride (MOB) wanted the frosting to be smooth, like a fondant.  I recently read how you can use a paper towel to make butter-cream frosting smooth so I told the MOB I could do that - I'm not afraid of paper towels!  The Paper Towel Trick worked but I thought it was kind of a pain and it took forever plus bits of paper towel were left behind!  There had to be a simpler way!  And there is...

After the cake is assembled, a crumb coat (a very thin layer of frosting) is applied and then the cake is refrigerated for about 30 minutes, till it's nice and cold.  I frosted the cake as smoothly as I could with an off-set spatula, as you can see, it's not so smooth!

I used a small off-set spatula (it was easier to work with than a larger one), dipped it into very hot water for about 5 seconds, then dried it with a paper towel.  I quickly held the spatula lightly against the side of the cake and "ran it around" the sides.  Because the frosting was cold, the heat from the spatula didn't melt it, plus I didn't hold the spatula in one place - I kept it moving - ever so lightly!  I wasn't moving the frosting, I was just RE-moving the bumps and the warm spatula did all of the work!  Since you have to move quickly the cake was smooth in about a minute!  I re-dipped the spatula in hot water as needed, it worked beautifully.  And I didn't have to pick bits of paper toweling off the cake!  It helps to have a turn-table (a lazy susan) to turn the cake as you hold the spatula.

This is the finished result...smooth as a baby's bottom!  And I heard it was dang good, too!  I wasn't there so I didn't get to taste it...but I can tell you, in my humble opinion, butter-cream frosting is by far the best tasting frosting...fondant is disgusting and why anyone uses it is a mystery to me!  No one eats it - when wedding cake with fondant is served people scrape the fondant off and eat the cake...but now you can have fondant-smooth cake that tastes great!  Someone said the cake looked like a ladies hat...maybe...to which I replied, "Really?  Then I'll eat my hat!" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were some of the flowers I made (they matched the cake!) for the event...beautiful peonies, roses, hydrangea, gerbera daisies, wax flower, narcissus (smelled Heavenly!) and pieris japonica...but as pretty as the cake and flowers were, the bride stole the show and I wish her all the best!

P.S.  My FAVORITE Butter-Cream Frosting can be found here.

Flowers and Owls...

Another year, another wedding season - which is starting rather early!  My house smelled like a florist shop this weekend...hydrangeas (flown in from New Zealand as this is definitely NOT hydrangea season...why do brides always pick flowers that aren't in season?), beautiful roses and assorted greens - they made for some pretty sweet arrangements...eleven centerpieces, one bouquet, 3 boutonnieres - my kitchen went from one extreme to the other in a very fast 3 hours!

The MOG (Mother of the Groom) came to help - and we had a great time, except for the rose thorns, everything went swimmingly.

The roses, in the above arrangement, are not fully opened...but they were come "show" time.  We picked up the roses from the wholesaler on Wednesday, where they are kept in 45 degree coolers.  Once we got them home we cut their stems, put them in water and then they just hung out in my garage until Friday morning when they were put into the arrangements.  By Saturday morning they were perfect - open, flowy, flowery...just the way they're supposed to be - it takes three days.  Most roses get "worked" too soon, before they're open and then the day after the event they are gorgeous.  Just in case you ever need to work with roses - give them three days!

The MOG has a great eye for detail - she had me add these beautiful ribbons and jewels to each vase...it's all about the details!  (I think she got the little jewels at Michaels, they came in a package of 4 - and they're plastic!  They were inexpensive but they sure don't look it!)

Into the car - off to the event - which was held at The Seattle Tennis Club.  It was so lovely - even though it was a typical rainy, cloudy, stinkin' cold day!  Inside it was...

Elegant...the centerpieces were sent on top of a cloud of tulle which was sprinkled with rose petals and little mirrors that captured the light and made everything sparkle.   Like I said, the MOG has an eye for detail!  What you can't see out the window is a white-capped Lake Washington - the Tennis Club sits on the shore and in the summer it's beautful...I mean, on July 5th, because we really only have one day of summer up here!  Everything turned out great - DeRue, give yourself a pat on the back - you did a great job!  See how the roses are open?!? Three days! 

After the reception, I came home to finish the owls...

Sunday I had to teach a lesson on homemaking to 13, 14 and 15 year old girls.  I made an owl for each girl  and told them owls are great homemakers...they have excellent vision, excellent hearing, they can hunt, feed their young, enhance their nests and fly silently...I told them it was good to be an owl/homemaker...yes, it was a stretch and basically just a load of crappola, but they seemed to buy it!  And then I fed them frosted double chocolate truffle brownies and they were happy and it was all good.  And then I came home and collapsed.  Long weekend.  I was actually happy to have Monday roll around!

On Valentine's Day I went to Gathering Fabric in Woodinville, WA - it's a very, very wonderful quilt shop - and they were having a Valentine Tea (more about that in tomorrow's post - their sandwiches were fabulous!)  The Aussie and I spied these little owls and when we asked about them we were handed a free pattern...unfortunately the name of the person who drew the pattern is not on it!  So I can't tell you who did it and I can't thank them -   Lynn from Mandie and Me Designs made the pattern and you need to pop on over to her blog to see how stinkin' cute hers are!!  Thanks Lynn!  (If you want the pattern email me and I'll send it to you.)

Get yourself over to Gathering Fabric - tell Susan, the owner, that I sent you!  You will love how warm and wonderful her shop is - plus she has great fabric!  Happy Monday! 

Prince William's Biscuit Cake...

Are you sick of the royal wedding yet?  Not me!  Not with a piece of this cake!  Although it's really not a cake...it's more of a candy bar...chocolate and biscuits - which is what the Brits call cookies.  It's crunchy and sweet and buttery - all from the shortbread cookies that are covered in rich, dark chocolate.  This is not the kind of cake that you'll want a big piece of...mainly because it's not a big cake...it's only 6-inches in diameter and it's so decadent that one little piece is enough to satisfy whatever chocolate craving you have.

 

 

 

On the wedding day, Oprah had as her guest the former chef at Buckingham Palace, Darren McGrady.  This is his recipe, one he said he made frequently for the little Prince.  In fact, Prince William loves this so much he chose it for his Groom's cake.  And I think it's safe to assume when a Princess (not Marie Antoinette!), long ago, said, "Let them eat cake!" they were referring to his little beauty!

 

 

 

 

Broken pieces of shortbread biscuits/cookies, combined with dark chocolate, butter, sugar and egg...what's not to love?  Op's kindly posted Chef McGrady's recipe on her website and there were many comments about how this cake is unsafe...because it is not baked and there is an egg in it.  People, people, people...unless you let your eggs sit in the pantry (like the Aussie!!!) or buy old eggs, or you're elderly, infirmed or pregnant, or you live in a bubble because you're allergic to everything, then one little raw egg is not going to hurt you!  But, if you're a germaphobe or have issues with raw egg, then sad to say, no cake for you!

After everything is mixed, the batter is spooned into a 6-inch cake pan.  (Chef McGrady said to use one with removeable sides, like a spring-form pan, but I don't own a 6-inch spring-form pan so I lightly greased a cake pan and when it came time to remove the cake I dipped the bottom of it in hot water for just a second and the cake released beautifully.)  The cake is then refrigerated for three hours until the chocolate is set.  And when the cake is set, it gets a second coating of chocolate...melted chocolate is poured over the top of the cake and smoothed around the sides...then the cake is left to set at room temperature, this takes about 20 minutes...then it's ready to eat!

This is really a very easy recipe - and a fun little cake to serve.  Just remember to use really, really good tasting chocolate, because that's really what you'll be eating.

Prince Williams' Biscuit Cake ~ Adapted (barely) From Chef Darren McGrady via Oprah.com

1/2 teaspoons butter, for greasing cake pan

8 oz. rich tea biscuits (I used Walker's Shortbread cookies)

4 oz. butter, softened

4 oz. granulated sugar

4 oz. good quality dark chocolate, for the cake

1 egg

8 oz. dark chocolate, for coating

whipped cream for serving, optional

To make cake: Lightly butter a 6"x2" cake pan or spring-form pan.  If using a spring-form pan, place on a tray covered with a piece of parchment paper.  Break each of the biscuits/cookies into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten. Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate (in a microwave heat in at 30 second intervals and stirring in between until chocolate is smooth) and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring.  Beat the egg into the mixture.  Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan/ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the pan/ring because this will be the top when it is unmolded.  Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

To coat and decorate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate in the microwave.  Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cooling rack with paper underneath. If you used a pan, dip the bottom of the pan in hot water for just a second and then invert onto a rack with paper underneath.

Pour all but about 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate over the cake (excess will drip through wire rack onto the paper underneath) and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife.  Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck to the cake rack and lift it onto a tea plate.  Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate over top of cake to decorate.  Cut into small wedges and serve.  Serves 8.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Hurry on over to Ruby Slipperz, Annie is having a most wonderful giveaway for Mother's Day...she's giving away a signed copy of MY book, Wrapped in Memories!  I don't know Annie but she emailed me and told me how much she loves my book and about her giveaway - so very sweet of her!  Now run along and enter!  Thanks Annie!

Gabby's Wedding...

The week before the wedding I went picking...in my friend's yards.  I picked laurel, jasmine, japonica, salal, heather, azalea, and mini-rhodies...all the greeney I would need to make 10 table arrangements, 2 large arrangements, 1 book table arrangement, 1 bride bouquet, 8 bridesmaids bouquets and 1 toss bouquet - it was a lot of greenery!    I put it all in buckets of water overnight and the morning I left for Salt Lake City I wrapped it in a big plastic garbage bag and stuffed it all into a huge suitcase!  (I threw in this pic of Mt Rainier because I wanted to show our recent house-guests that it does exist!  The day I flew out the sun broke through and I was able to capture this rare sight...and as the natives say, "The mountain was out that day!") 

By taking the greenery with me I saved my sister about $150...so it was worth the trouble.  (I purchased all of the flowers at DWF in Salt Lake, a wholesale florist that was wonderful to work with...they ordered everything in and had it all wrapped and ready to go when we arrived - and they had a fantastic selection of ribbon, tulle and vases.  I know Costco is now in the wedding biz but buying from a wholesaler is still cheaper and you can order what you want.)

 

 

 

 

Gabby and Mike got married at The Old Meeting House in Salt Lake - a beautiful old building that was once a church.  Everything looked great - the flowers were beautiful and the greenery I picked a week before still looked wonderful!  The morning of the wedding it snowed...of course, it's Utah!  The bride, who at the 11th hour turned from Bridezilla back into her sweet self, could not stop smiling.

 

 

 

Gabby's colors were Tiffany blue, pale pink and brown...Gabby ordered lollipops for favors and I stuck them into heads of cabbage, hidden in silver bowls, it worked like a charm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six of the bridesmaids are in the pic above - the other two were always wandering!  Gabby's cake was amazing and was nothing short of a miracle.  The lady who made the cake was given a picture of the cake that Gabby wanted - it was, in a word, hideous.  So the cake lady, who could not bring herself to make the cake in the picture, changed it a bit and this is the cake Gabby ended up with - and she loved it!  And it was the best wedding cake I've ever tasted - as in, it was really, really good!  The bottom layer was chocolate with German Chocolate filling.  The middle layer was white cake with the same filling...and the top layer was chocolate...can you tell the bride loves chocolate?  Gabby's pretty shoes - which spent more time off her feet than on.

 Such a beautiful bride!  (So sad I didn't notice that coat hanging in the background - but alas, I am not a photographer!  That job fell to the girl, who is an excellent photog, so I know they'll have beautiful wedding pics.)

My sweet mom, my beautiful sister and the bride...it was a wonderful day!  And then there's Max...he and I spent quite a bit of time in the Bride's room...where I could corral him for a bit instead of chasing him around in high heels - he's so much faster than me!  It was a long week and now I'm home getting ready for the next adventure...Disneyland with Max!  WoooHoo!!

Gabrielle's Bridal Shower...

My niece Gabby is getting married...in three days...apparently she is old enough to do that but I don't know how that's possible!  Several weeks ago I flew down to Utah and helped to give her a family shower - it was great fun!  The morning of the shower we woke to TEN INCHES OF SNOW!!!  I was so worried that no one would come and insisted that my dad not leave the house as I feared he would be our only guest!  But then I remembered that Utah has snow plows - unlike Seattle - and by the time the shower started the roads were clear and dry!  Everyone came!  It was nothing short of a miracle in my book! 

The day before the shower we went to Macy's to pick up a few items from her bridal registry...she is always willing to pose, such a cute girl!

 

   

 

 

 

Those three little boxes held three little "nasty numbers" for the bride...she was tickled pink!  Sadie Ann Marie, mom's beloved dog, wore her veil with panache...alas, she is always the bridesmaid and never the bride!  We feasted on fresh fruit, mini muffins and cinnamon rolls, Ham and Cheese Strata, Sugared Bacon, Glazed Strawberries, Cherry-Chocolate-Almond Pie Bites and The Girl's secret-recipe cupcakes...it's secret because she does something different each time and never writes it down!  

 Callie (who could not be bothered to put on a decent pair of pants!) and Gracie, the bride's younger sisters, were talked into (okay, forced) telling the story of how Gabby and Mike met...holding up face masks of the bride and groom, with their lips pushed through the masks so they could talk.  It was hysterical!  Of course, they told their own version of how "Babe" and "Babe" met and the bride kept correcting them, which only made it funnier.  I love how Gracie's fingers are placed on Mike's mask...making him look rather sweet!  (To make a face mask, print out a full-page size, front facing pic, laminate it, cut out the lips- hold the mask up to your face and push your lips through, then speak away...let the lies fun begin!)

 

 

 

Mike proposed to Gabby by taking her to the library...he told her he wanted her to pick out her favorite book - it was something like Green Eggs and Ham (she'll never be accused of being a rocket scientist!) and then he pulled out HIS favorite book...one he made just for her.  He wrote the story of how they met and had pictures from all of their dates...

 

 

 

 

 On the last page of the book he wrote, "Mike said, "Princess Gabby will you marry me?""  (He thinks calling her Princess Gabby is a sweet thing to do...which it is...but what he doesn't realize is Gabby actually thinks she's a princess, and she expects to be treated like one for the rest of her life!  Hahahahaha!)   Isn't that a wonderful way to propose?  I thought it was very sweet and clever...

 

 This is the back of the book...and I hope he always does.  Gabby's shower was wonderful, she received beautiful gifts to help her and Mike start their life together.  Mom's house looked beautiful, filled with all of our family and friends!  And now she's getting married...congratulations Aubby, I love you! 

 

 

Eclairs...

After taking care of my domestic chores, the mister and I set out Saturday for a bit of shopping.  I forced him to take me to one of my favorite antique shops...vintage Christmas decorations were on my list.  We're strolling through the shop and I have my reading glasses on to see the prices - why they are all so small is a mystery to me!  Between looking down through the readers and over the tops of them to see things my vision was a bit blurred...that's my excuse...blurry vision.  So when I bumped into the mister, I just did what ANY spouse would have done, I reached down and pinched his behind - squeezed it really...twice...only IT WAS NOT THE MISTER!!  Horror of all horrors!!!  It was some old man, who just stood there and let me squeeze him!!  When I realized what I was doing - TWO squeezes later - the old man looked at me and said, "Well hi there, happy to meet you!"  Of course I could do nothing but blather about how sorry I was, while his wife looked on, laughing!  The old man put his arm around me and said, "It's okay, want to give it another go?"

  Unfortunately this is NOT the guy who's behind I pinched...pinching Santa Claus is perfectly acceptable, especially if you're on his GOOD LIST...which I fear I might not be if I'm labeled a geriatricophile...Now speaking of Santa, this year I will be leaving eclairs for him and not cookies...and I suggest you do the same, especially if you want him to leave you something you've always wanted! 

I made 50 eclairs for an friend's wedding open house - actually I made 75 but somewhere along the way 25 got eaten, or dropped and then eaten!  They were small, three-biters, so it's not like I gained FIVE pounds - or thereabouts!

 

 

 

 

Eclairs are easier to make than you might think...the cream puff pastry recipe whips up quickly in the food processor - scooped into a plastic Zip-lock style bag it pipes nicely onto a baking sheet.  They puff up as they're baked...making them a cinch to fill.  But they do take time...time to bake, dry and cool - they're not something you can rush through so allow plenty of time - it's SOOOO worth it!

The cream filling is a snap to make, too...and once cooled (about 2 hours) and scooped into another Zip-lock bag, filling these little babies is the most fun you can have in the kitchen!  Then there's the chocolate glaze...ooo-la-la-sis-boom-bah...that's French for Yeah BABY!

Eclairs - Adapted From Baking Illustrated

Make the Pastry Cream recipe first so it can be cooling while you make and bake the puff pastry.  Recipe for the Pastry Cream is below.  Make the chocolate glaze last, recipe below.

Cream Puff Pastry:

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces

2 tablespoons whole milk

6 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Beat the eggs and egg white in a measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard the excess).  Set aside.

Bring the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice.  When the mixture reaches a full boil (the butter should be fully melted), immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until combined and the mixture clears the sides of the pan.  Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until the mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on the bottom of the saucepan, about 3 minutes. 

Immediately transfer the mixture to a food processor and process with the feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly.  With the machine running, gradually add the eggs in a steady stream.  When all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. 

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set aside.

Fill a large Zip-lock style bag or a pastry bag with the paste.  Push the down, twist bag so top is sealed and snip off the corner of the bag.  Pipe the paste into 3-inch by 1-inch strips, spaced about 1-inch apart, onto the baking sheet. 

Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown and fairly firm.  (Eclairs should NOT be soft and squishy.)  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and with a paring knife, cut a small slit into the top of each eclair to release steam; return the eclairs to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon.  Dry the eclairs in the turned-off-oven until the centers are just moist (not wet) and the eclairs are crisp, about 30 minutes.  Transfer the eclairs to a wire rack to cool. 

Pastry Cream:

2 cups half-n-half

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

5 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat the half-n-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds. 

When the half-n-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk a little bit of the simmering half-n-half into the yolk mixture to temper, gradually adding a bit more, about 1/2 cup total.  Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan, over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds.  Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.  Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.  Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Glaze: 

3 tablespoons half-n-half

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup powdered sugar

Place the half-n-half and chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until the mixture just begins to steam.  Whisk together thoroughly, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until completely smooth.

To Assemble Eclairs:

You can either cut each eclair in half and fill, then replace the top or you can scoop the filling into a plastic Zip-lock style bag or a pastry bag, fitted with a metal tip, and squeeze the pastry cream into the eclair through the slit you made earlier.  I used the plastic bag method and it worked great - you'll know when the eclair is full of cream as it will begin to come out the top - just scoop off any extra with a spoon (try not to eat it!)  Once the eclairs are filled, make the chocolate glaze and dip the tops of the eclairs into the glaze, shaking off any excess and transfer to a wire rack to set.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.  Makes about one dozen 3x1-inch eclairs.

 

 

Trying to make perfect-looking eclairs was the only tricky part...but what they lacked in appearance they more than made up for in taste! 

I forgot to take pictures while I was filling and dipping them - and later at the open house I remembered in time to snap a pic of some on the silver tray...pictured at left are two "rejects" that didn't make it to the party...happily so!

 

Nichole's Wedding Flowers...

This is what I started with...Flowers from the wholesale floral market, greens from friends' yards, and more hydrangeas picked from yards to supplement what was purchased...and wouldn't you know it RAINED while I was out scavenging - it always does!

Nichole wanted purple hydrangeas but they were expensive (since their season is almost over) so pale blue hydrangeas were ordered and then sprayed purple with a florist spray - it worked like a charm!   After making a huge mess and 8 big arrangements in the garage...I moved my "operation" inside where it was warmer and a little more pleasing to the eye!  

Eighteen table arrangements with river rock, ferns, baby's breath and hydrangeas were made (thanks to the Good Doctor for helping me with the flowers and the Blond Bombshell who did an excellent job on clean-up!)  Just so you know, hydrangeas are VERY tempermental - they have to be IN water, not oasis, the wet foam that is used to hold everything in place, so it was a bit tricky to have "set" arrangements without putting the hydrangeas in oasis...they turned out great, though, and I only "lost" two before the big event!  Baby's breath was the ONLY purchased flower in all of the big arrangements!  The hydrangeas and greenery came from friends' yards - pretty cool, huh?!

It took one Suburban, one Van and one SUV to move all of the flowers to the reception hall - and everything arrived safely!

After everything was set up I left - feeling a bit like Nanny McPhee - my job was done, everyone was happy, it was time to go home.  I popped into the reception later on, just to see the bride in her dress, she was gorgeous (I forgot to take my camera back with me!) - and everything was perfect.

The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Kurz asked, "How can we thank you?"  Well, here's how:  Promise me you'll live happily ever after...that would be thanks enough.  

Hearts of Cream and Berries...

Summer = weddings.  So far this year I've only received TWO wedding invitations - usually I would have about a half dozen by now!  Can't figure out what's going on - has the wedding business shrunk like every other business?!?  This past Saturday I hosted a bridal shower for Nichole - a former piano student of mine - now she's all grown up, beautiful and terribly in love!

 

It was such a beautiful day!  The sun was shining and the mister decided he would work in the yard...he went out to reclaim the jungle just as the guests were arriving!  I had visions of him walking past the living room windows - shirtless - thereby scarring the young bride for life - so he was banished to the back forty and told he could NOT come in until everyone had left...but the mister, dripping wet with sweat and looking like he'd been beaten by a band of merry magpies couldn't stay hidden in the bushes forever so just as the shower was ending he waltzed in and started "mingling" like it was HIS party!  Fortunately I was able to get him upstairs before he did any damage to anyone's psyche!

Here's a pic of Nichole as she is watching a video of her beloved...He was asked questions about Nichole and she had to answer like he would.  Nichole started this little game wearing a "custom-made" veil that was quite long - for every wrong answer a chunk of it was cut off...as you can see, her veil was rather short when the game ended!

She is such a darling girl and she's going to make a beautiful bride!

For the shower I served Brazilian Lemonade, fruit and my favorite bridal shower dessert...heart-shaped Butter-cream scones, light and sweet, split in half and spread with vanilla pastry cream and sweetened, mashed strawberries...it's every bit as good as it sounds!  

   

Hearts of Cream and Berries - Pots and Pins

This recipe makes 24 servings, but you can cut the ingredients in half to make a dozen. 

3 batches of Butter-Cream Scones, recipe Here.  Instead of cutting scones into wedges, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

1 batch of Vanilla Pastry Cream, below

3 pints of fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut into small pieces.  If berries are sweet then add 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix well.  If berries are still a bit tart, add up to 1/4 cup of sugar.  Allow to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

24 plastic (or real) diamond rings, optional!

Vanilla Pastry Cream - Adapted from Baking Illustrated

4 cups half-n-half

2/3 cup sugar

2 pinches salt

10 large egg yolks

6 tablespoons corn starch

1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 teaspoons vanilla

Heat half-n-half, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  Whisk in the remaining sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds. 

When the half-n-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-n-half into the yolk mixture to temper.  Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds.  Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.  Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.  Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set.  At least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

To assemble:  Cut heart-shaped scones in half.  On bottom half spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of Vanilla Pastry Cream.  On top of cream, spoon 2 tablespoons of the strawberries.  Top with other half of scone and gently press a plastic diamond ring into the center.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, optional.