Wayne Thiebaud 70 Years of Painting July 28, 2009

Bakery Case by Thiebaud

I wish I would have known that the 70 Years of Painting Exhibit featuring the American painter Wayne Thiebaud is at the Loveland Museum.  If I did, I so would have been there this past weekend when I was in Colorado to admire his remarkable paintings, especially the ones of cakes!

I take pleasure in Thiebaud’s immeasurable passion for painting and his willingness to teach those who want to learn.  I hope to catch my next opportunity to see his 70 Years of Painting Exhibit when it visits the San Jose Museum of Art Tuesday, February 16, 2010 through Saturday, July 3, 2010.

Here is an interview of Thiebaud about his passion as an artist and teacher.

d Bar desserts July 27, 2009

d Bar desserts Denver, CO

It’s 11:00pm on a Friday night and here I am, navigating our way to 17th street in Denver’s uptown area to experience my first-ever dessert bar.  Mind you that this is my second time to the Mile-High City and when I mentioned navigating – there’s no GPS involved!  Alas, our cost-cutting measures paid off when we finally arrived with thirty minutes to spare before closing time.

Here we are, d Bar Desserts.  Created by Keegan Gerhard and Lisa Bailey.  Ever seen the Food Network Challenge Series with talented pastry chefs competing with each other?  Well, Keegan is host/MC for the must-watch tv series and I got to visit his very own culinary sanctuary.  Although, I am not so familiar with Lisa Bailey’s background, I read her bio and she is just as accomplished.  Plus, she’s from Texas and attended the Art Institute of Houston.

Ok, so now I’m peering through the glass doors to catch dessert making action.  All the while entertaining the thought of tasting pastry heaven outside, in what would be for me, an unusually cool summer evening.  Yes, I’m from Houston and your skin would would win this debate, too.  However, I do suggest sitting at the bar to watch the pastry chef create delectable wonders because what our waitress brought out gave dessert the refinement that a Rolex does for your wrist.  Take a look!

Strawberry Shortcake

Looks scrumptious, eh?  Well, it tasted scrumptious, too!  Here are the donuts listed on their plated dessert menu.  These are not your ordinary Dunkin’ Donuts but definitely donuts to dunk in that creamy sauce.

Not your Dunkin' Donuts

Overall, I enjoyed my first-ever experience at a dessert bar and I’m glad it was at d Bar Desserts in Denver, CO.  Looking forward to visiting more around the world!

Gel food colors July 26, 2009

I have to say that I am pretty satisfied with Betty Crocker’s gel food colors.  First, they are pretty affordable.  For about three dollars and some change you can purchase a set of four in basic colors such as red, blue, green and yellow or neon colors.  Surprisingly, these tiny tubes are packed with color and have lasted me for quite awhile.  I suppose it depends how often you use them but I’m still surprised at the amount I still have.  Also, in my experience, these have been great with tinting marshmallow fondant.  I haven’t had much trouble with the gel changing the texture of my marshmallow fondant, either.

Try them out, they’re easy on the wallet, too!

Paula Deen’s sweet adventure July 25, 2009

A few days ago I tweeted about discovering Paula Deen’s kitchen gadgets at WalMart and I just had to add her to my list of inspirational bakers because of her story.  I really didn’t know much about her until recently when my sister and I were watching her show.  This was our conversation:

me:  I would love to be a guest in Paula’s kitchen.  She’s so warm & fuzzy.

my sister (her name is Paula, too!):  She is!  Did you know Paula got into the catering business at a later age like in her 40′s and with a few hundred dollars?

me:  Really?? Her 40′s?  You mean she went from rolling dough to really rollin’ in the dough?!

Paula (not Deen, my sister):  I know, we can be like her.  It’s never too late to do what you love.

So Paula Deen is on my list that seems to be growing.  I love finding out about cool people and their stories!

Free Cakes for Kids July 24, 2009

I was at me parents house and of course, my mom has magazines of all sorts laying around.  Well, I picked up an older copy of People magazine and read a very interesting article about a generous woman who bakes cakes for children who normally wouldn’t have one for their birthday.  Her name is Toni Poulos and she has started a wonderful non-profit organization called Free Cakes for Kids.

So many other woman have joined Toni in her mission to reach out to the children of our future.  There are chapters nationwide with volunteers working together to help continue the love, care and devotion that our community needs in order for our children to grow.

If you would like to help kids in need and enjoy baking, you can volunteer.  I’m sure the story has touched your heart as it did mine.

Room temperature eggs July 23, 2009

Ok, I know July is almost over but I couldn’t wait to start MoM (Method of the Month)!  I will keep a log roll of all the postings that have to do with each MoM so there’s no missing out.

Baking with room temperature eggs

I’ve decided to start with room temperature eggs for baking.  Have you ever wondered why baking recipes call for this?  Or did you learn the hard way after a giant crater attacked the center of your cake (me! me! me!)?

First, let’s understand the parts of an egg.  Common knowledge would be shell, egg white and yolk, sometimes two yolks if you’re lucky!  Haha, this is rare so don’t worry about having twins.  Anywho, the role of the egg in baking is defined like this:

As an ingredient, egg yolks are an important emulsifier in the kitchen, and the proteins in egg white allow it to form foams and aerated dishes.

So depending on what the recipe calls for, either for a fat such as egg yolk or a protein like egg white, understand why it’s important to use room temperature eggs.  For example, my crater cake (the butter cake disaster) rose in the oven and when it cooled, the center sunk in.  Then I realized that I’ve been using eggs straight from the fridge!  Cold egg yolks just won’t mix well or emulsify with your sugar or liquid batter.  Fat and liquid don’t mix folks!  So the trick is to introduce the two at the same temperature so that it doesn’t curdle.  Whew!

As for egg whites, you want these at room temperature in order to get the most volume from them.  Ever read a recipe when it says to beat egg whites until stiff and glossy?  I got the stiff part (volume) but glossy, whaa?  Well, they are referring to how the protein molecules in the egg whites become elastic when you beat them and therefore look glossy.

So there you go, don’t forget to bring those eggs to room temperature before baking that cake!  For more information, visit these articles.  They are very useful.

Baking 911

Eggs from Joy of Baking

Solving problems with “method of the month” July 23, 2009

Baking and cake decorating are indeed sweet adventures when you have fun with it.  There have been times when I felt like throwing in the apron, if you will, because my cake came out too dry or the the fondant would constantly tear.  And these problems would randomly occur so I never understood why.  Well, I’m beginning to learn why baking can be considered a science.

You see, basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, butter all serve an important purpose from exact measurements to the order you mix them.  There’s a certain chemistry that goes on.  And if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking, “Yikes!  Science… chemistry… uh, not subjects I really excelled in school so, ummm… baking, really?”

To help me understand this mad science, I have decided to do a “method of the month” regimen.  Each month I will post a method that can involve a certain ingredient or a particular adjustment with the intent to explain why it is important in baking.  Through research and advice from others, this will help me and hopefully others understand as to why certain problems may occur and become a more knowledgeable baker in the process.

Please join me and let’s begin this new sweet adventure:)  Happy baking!

Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show Oct. 3-4, 2009 July 21, 2009

Another cake show & competition to look forward to!  The theme for their wedding cake competition will be “Of Sea and Shore”.  I hope to compete in my second competition and see more fascinating cakes at the show.  To find out more about the event, visit the Oklahoma State Sugar Art show website.

Baking with style July 21, 2009

Must-have kitchen wear

Adorable aprons

Protect your hands from burning and ingredients at bay while baking with style in the kitchen with cute, must-have kitchen wear.  You can find these at Anthropologie.

Yummy cupcakes for our four legged friends July 19, 2009

cupcakes for dogs

These scrumptious looking cupcakes caught my eye when I attended the dog show in Houston.  I’ve heard of gourmet dog treats and the bakeries that sell them but I’ve never actually been to one.  I would imagine that this is what I’ll see if I did though.

One of these days I’ll have to try baking some for my lovely dog, Paloma.  She was able to attend the dog show with us on our search to find her a sturdy collar.  Here she is waiting to go with us until she was all smiles at the dog show.

Paloma waiting and thinking

Paloma enjoying the dog show