We all grew up with the notion that our lives will lead to the iconic “happily ever after” – Disney can take ALL of the credit when it comes to my own history. Yet having seen that life doesn’t always brings you castles in the sky or a plethora of critters willing to clean your apartment, reality eventually kicks in and brings us to what our childhood equivalents had deemed the “real world”. Yet watching Elizabeth DeVore’s and Christopher Patrick Maguire’s wedding was about the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a fairtytale. They just married this past August in Promise City, Iowa (a fitting name) after two wonderful years together. For their Boston celebration, they asked if I could cater the dessert course with cupcakes. While I still can’t believe that I actually baked that many cupcakes, I was even more surprised at how well they went over – yet for Elizabeth and Chris, it was totally worth it.
So there were two factors that had me somewhat anxious about this task : a) I had never baked more than 40 cupcakes at once and b) where in the world was I going to find space for 120 cupcakes?! I quickly established a game plan: bake 40 cupcakes a night, make creative use of freezer space for the multitude of containers filled with the cakes, prepare garnishes whenever possible, cream the frostings the night before, decorate the morning-of…I don’t know how much sleep I actually got that week, but it all turned out beautifully (and thankfully there is no evidence of the frosting process…I was all but covered in butter and sugar by the end of it!)
Let’s start on the Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Guinness Buttercream: Elizabeth and I have been friends for nearly two years now, and I’ve come to learn that she’s always down for a good beer. This was actually the first cupcake I thought of when she had asked me to bake. The original makes a ridiculous amount of batter: I managed to get 40 cupcakes PLUS one 9-inch cake out of the batch…so for the sake and sanity of my readers, I’ve halved the recipe (but feel free to go for the full batch if you’re willing!)
You don’t have to worry about taking a bite and instantly think “college frat party” – these aren’t like that at all. The chocolate’s flavor is beautifully enhanced by the stout, while the carbonation adds an effervescent quality to the batter. Yet don’t be fooled: like Guinness, these are hearty cupcakes, rich and dense – sure to satisfy anyone who loves chocolate. If you prefer to cloak the taste of stout, omit the Guinness from the frosting and replace it with milk or cream: click HERE to see the recipe for these rich, dark treats!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a classic at any wedding – the scarlet cakes are dessert’s most popular exemplification of “true love.” What’s tricky about red velvet batter, though, is achieving that dark hue…you would be surprised at the amount of red food coloring it takes. I kept adding more thinking, ‘this just can’t be right…I must be going overboard!’ Yet the result was exactly what I had hoped for.
Funny story about these: I made chocolate hearts for garnish by melting chocolate and piping it onto parchment sheets. When transporting them to the actual event, silly me forgot to put them into a refrigerator upon arrival…so I suddenly had a mangled mess of what used to look like perfect little hearts. Though I managed to salvage most, I was at least 10 garnishes short. I ran (in heels, of course) to the nearby corner store, bought 4 bars of Hershey’s special dark, ran back and quickly made additional garnishes. How this worked I will never know, but the fact that the bride didn’t find out until later that evening proves it was a complete success 🙂 Click HERE to see the recipe for these loving sweets!
So I saved the best for last, and I say “best” because of the number of recipe requests and compliments for these Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I actually thought these would be the “leftover” flavor, but there were hardly any to be seen by the end of the reception. The cake is perfect – just the right amount of lemon with a beautifully tender crumb, with a cream cheese frosting to round it all out.
Their true beauty was thanks to the garnish: a pineapple flower. When I saw this adorable idea (a Martha Stewart creation, no less), I knew it would be perfect for the occasion. I didn’t realize that it would also be quite messy and time-consuming (though not as much as the frosting undertaking, ahem)…but the result was absolutely perfect! Aside from their visual appeal, they were also quite delicious (I’ve always against non-edible garnishes…) So all-in-all, these took the trophy for “best cupcake of the day” – click HERE to see how to make these show-stopping beauties!
The musical pairing for this was a no-brainer – as you read from the beginning of this post, Elizabeth and Chris have a love that is truly remarkable. They have both been through some really tough times, and yet their devotion has never waned. The wedding was, in a word, “magical” – both the bride and the groom were glowing, from the start of the ceremony to the end of the party. I don’t think I saw a single moment where they weren’t simply beaming. For the service itself, they asked Christopher O’Riley (host of From the Top, and a close friend) to perform. During the Sand Ceremony, he played his arrangement of Radiohead’s True Love Waits…this song is too perfect, and I couldn’t think of anything that would be better suited for this post. While I still can’t say that I believe in fairytales, Elizabeth and Chris have certainly proved that dreams can come true – enjoy!
Monthly Archives: September 2012
A Stress-Free Indulgence
Make-ahead: a term that ANY host loves to see in a recipe. No stress, no mess – just the simple task of cutting or baking, and you’re done. Desserts, thankfully, often fall within this category (an exception would include bananas foster, but those are sooo worth the added effort). Avoiding the use of an oven at a party is alway a great idea – you don’t want a bunch of sweaty, hungry guests…trust me, it’s not a pretty picture. So when I discovered these Lime Meltaways and Supernatural Brownies, I all but jumped at the opportunity to make them…and trust me when I say that my friends all but jumped onto the plates these were served upon.
Let’s talk chocolate for a moment – there are few things more beautiful than a 9×11 block of dense, fudgy brownies. This recipe is a true winner – two types of sugar create a moist texture, while melted bittersweet chocolate permeates the batter with a rich and palpable taste. The recipe for these had gone “blog viral” – in other words, a number of baking blogs and recipe platforms had showcased these, with endless praises; I decided to take the hint and give these a shot.
The baked result has a delicate crust, beneath which is the gorgeously tender brownie. Surprisingly, they don’t have the typical dark hue common to brownies – they are somewhat lighter, but trust me when I say the flavor has just as much depth. While these do take a while to bake, it is absolutely crucial to NOT overbake these – nothing is worst than a chalky brownie 
Click HERE to see the recipe for these showstopping treats!
If I had to list my favorite type of cookie, it would have to be shortbread: not too sweet, with a buttery crunch that never fails to make you “melt.” These cookies were just that – lime + sugar = awesome. The best thing about this cookie is that once you roll the dough into a “log,” it can refrigerated up to a week or frozen for up to three months! This gives a major boost to the convenience and flavor of these cookies. You can find the recipe for these zesty treat HERE.
For the musical pairing, I thought it would be nice to showcase a minimalist work (given the simplicity of prep work). Yet their flavors and overall complexities demanded something more, and that led me to John Adams. He is defined as a minimalist composer, yet he is constantly exploring the limits to which he can take the genre, leading some to go so far as calling his music “maximalist”. The piece I chose is his work for piano called Phyrigan Gates – the title refers to the fact that the piece is composed in the Phyrigan mode, with the “gates” alluding to the constant shifts from Lydian to Phrygian (while moving in line with the circle of fifths). The below image illustrates the Phyrgian mode on C:
At the same time, I felt the music to be aesthetically appropriate – the modal shifts present a wealth of flavors, yet it’s complexity is never overbearing. It is one of those pieces you can imagine listening to on rainy day with your eyes closed, savoring each moment as though it were a delicious treat. The following video is with Gloria Cheng-Cochran (it has been separated into three separate videos by YouTube, so this is only part of the work – I have included links for the second and third installments below the embedded video.) Enjoy!
Sources Cited:
“Phrygian Gates,” Wikipedia.com
An Inspired Creation
Cooking vegan has a requisite for creativity – it’s never been as easy as throwing a steak on the grill with some salt and pepper. Quality ingredients used in an imaginative way are what makes a vegan dish…so you can imagine the amount of research and prep I devote to meatless cooking. The other day I had two dear friends, Tim Wilfong and Rachel Roberts, over for dinner. After deferring to countless Pinterest inspirations, I found the perfect fit: Black Bean Quinoa Meatballs with Avocado “Alfredo”
I had run seen a number of actual meatball recipes that get a healthy boost from nutritious, fiber-packed ingredients, such as resistant starches and whole grains. When considering what to include in a vegan meatball, I thought I’d give them the whole package with nothing BUT these fillers: black beans, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, quinoa…a health nut’s dream.
The result was a nutritional, affordable, and ridiculously good meal. Forming the meatballs can be a little tricky, but I found that running my hands under water every several minutes helped prevent them from sticking too much. You can get really creative with these, using legumes like lentils or navy beans, or vegetables like eggplants and spinach. Regardless of what you choose, these will surprise your taste buds and are sure to be a hit – click HERE for the recipe.
I knew I wanted to pair these “meatballs” with pasta, but couldn’t picture pairing black beans with marinara. The solution was pure genius: an avocado “alfredo” sauce. I was extremely skeptical at first – it’s basically pureed avocado with some salt, lime, and seasoning. Yet when tossed with hot pasta, it makes a beautifully creamy sauce that is much MUCH healthier “alfredo” than anything you could have imagined. Surprised? I certainly was – click HERE for this unique pasta sauce.
For the musical pairing, I wanted a piece that could highlight the creative edge of this meal. That led me to Gaspar Cassadó and his Suite for Cello Solo. As a cellist who studied with the revered Pablo Casals, Cassadó knew how to write for the instrument. This piece is an ingenious fusion of the conventional Baroque style (taking inspiration from Bach’s own Cello Suites) with his own native Spanish. The three-movement piece is under 15 minutes in length, with a colorful variety of animated dances and lyrical refrains. The inspired weaving of genres and generations into an aesthetic whole make this piece the perfect complement to this creative meal – enjoy!
Sources Cited:
Parloff, Michael. “Gaspar Cassadó – Suite for Solo Cello.” Parlance Chamber Concerts.
THE CLASSICAL KITCHEN 