Swiss Buttercream = Way of the Future

Hello?? 

… Is anybody still there?? 

My last post was written in hopes that everything would be organised & up. My website, new blog, etc. 

However, no matter how much I want to believe that I am low-maintainence, I am not. 

And I sent a long list of details that I would like done. 

So, I’m back for now. 

I don’t know what it is around here, but birthday season has arrived & I have been making more cupcakes/Tomboy cakes & getting orders for them. 

The humidity & heat of been my arch-nemesis & I’ve been so livid over my buttercream turnout. 

I was taught & have adapted a homemade basic buttercream recipe that is a winner even to my South African friends who aren’t used to the sugar-addicted American dessert world. 

I prefer cake plain… But I’m not going to lie: I lick the spatula. 

Yet, recently when I’ve made my buttercream frosting, it would immediately separate & turn into a  butter- sugar Niagra Falls. 

Utterly frustrating. 

I was at my wit’s end.

I considered a viable solution such as advertising naked & bald Tomboy Cakes with maybe some jam in the middle.

Then – on Friday – I opened up Facebook & heard the angelic choir singing. 

My beloved Epicurious shared an article entitled “Everything You Need to Know About Buttercream”. 

Folks, I discovered the cure. 

And I got to practice immediately when I told my friend that she couldn’t have a Mexican-Themed 25th Birthday party without my Margarita Cupcakes. 

Those cupcakes’ll make a bulldog hug a hound. 

And the frosting lasted the night because of blessed Epicurious & the recipe for Swiss Buttercream. 

Saved my life & the future of Douceur in this hot & humid beloved South Africa! 

“Whip it. Whip it good.” 

Picasso

The world is small.

Not only have I seen an Apache Indian in the Riverside mall of Nelspruit; but there is now a Mexican restaurant in White River.

Their chicken fajita is spiced to perfection & the waitress understood when I pronounced “quesadilla” as it was intended & not like Napoleon Dynamite’s grandmother.

“Go make yourself a dang quesadilla!”

Maybe I’ve been away from Tejas too long OR maybe these people know their stuff… Regardless, I’m always down for some Mexican food!

“Whip it. Whip it good.”

Espresso-Shot Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Yup! You heard me, correctly.

Espresso-Shot Chocolate Ganache Frosting.

It’s the best of both worlds.

Chocolate + Coffee. If you’re not a coffee drinker, that has nothing to do with it.

You can’t tell me you don’t like coffee & therefore you refuse to try this recipe.

I’ve heard it before. Yet, coffee-haters devour my brownies… & I tell them my secret: You just devoured espresso.

You see, espresso serves as a chocolate enhancer.

Remember that watery taste I described in my last post? When you bite into something & you can taste a void?

That’s what happens to a lot of chocolate desserts – especially (in my opinion) chocolate cakes & frostings.

I must give credit where credit is due. This buttercream frosting was inspired by Taste Magazine & Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Ganache.

(I promise you I don’t worship this woman. However, she (*cough* or her STAFF) comes up with some really superb ideas!)

Taste Magazine had an issue with an espresso cake which used extra light olive oil instead of butter to preserve the moisture of the cake. I decided to try it out for some dinner guests & flew with it!

I don’t believe in coffee OR chocolate flavoured baked goods that lack chocolate OR coffee, respectively.

So… I pulled out my favourite chocolate cake recipe… Googled (love Google) Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Ganache recipe… And whipped up a basic buttercream frosting recipe.

Espresso-Shot Chocolate Ganache Frosting

• 125g of softened butter
• 4+ Cups of confectioners sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp completely cooled espresso
• 1/2 – 1 whole recipe of thoroughly-chilled MS Chocolate Ganache*
• 1-2 tbsp whipping cream

~ Cream butter. Add 4 cups of confectioners sugar & salt.

~ Add vanilla, whipping cream, & espresso. Whip together thoroughly.

~ If too runny, add another cup of confectioners sugar.

~ Continue whipping & drop spoons of ganache.

~ Beat until frosting forms soft peaks.

~ Serve on cakes, cupcakes, salted crackers, pizza… You’ll want it on everything. 😉

* The amount of ganache is a matter of preference. I use the entire recipe & add confectioners sugar as needed. The goal is to have airy, whipped frosting. You do not want a heavy frosting nor a runny frosting.

“Whip it. Whip it good.”

Top of the Morning || Eggs

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

We’ve all heard it & some of you might even be singing the song from Sesame Street.

I love that song.

I am passionate about breakfast & bless our adoptive “Israeli grandfather” who told me when I was a girl:

“Breakfast like a King. Lunch like a Prince. & dinner like a pauper.”

I won’t argue with that one.

Yet, I am so shocked by how many people utterly disregard & skip breakfast & somehow function throughout the day.

I am a zombie if I don’t eat breakfast. Completely worthless.

Some of my siblings are pounds of syrup on bread breakfast eaters. Others are Greek Salad for breakfast eaters.

As for me, I love eggs. No. I NEED eggs.

I was once told that eggs help optimise brain function throughout the day. They’re also an excellent source of protein.

And they’re divine in Benedict form.

Here are some of my favourites. (Do excuse the various edits since they were taken on various cameras.)

This is from my favourite restaurant in Pretoria: Cafè Berytz. They are the first to get me to eat & enjoy Macadamia nuts, which they sautéed & seasoned to perfection. Those nuts complimented the Benedict adding a lovely smoked flavour to finish off the mouth-watering blend of ciabatta, arugula OR “rocket”, bacon, & their creamy Hollandaise.

They are also the creators of a stellar Ostrich burger.

The next two Benedicts are from my favourite local Cafè, The Food Fundi.

Behold… The Smoked Salmon Benedict.

&

The Alternative.

My youngest sister turned me onto this hardy ensemble of health toast, roasted cherry tomatoes, Chorizo, poached eggs, cheese, avocado, & their special Balsamic reduction drizzle.

Superb.

But what about at home?

Sometimes we get fancy & use William-Sonoma’s Eggs Benedict Over Savoury Waffles recipe with Martha Stewart’s Hollandaise Sauce.

OR…

After a good leg workout & coming home famished with no patience for lengthy meal preparations but an insatiable craving for eggs Benedict…

I scramble 2-3 free range eggs with a sprinkling of salt & pepper, a tad of milk, some shredded Red Fox cheese & White Cheddar, & a few chunks of soft Goat cheese.

Then I mound that on a sautéed sweet potato round, OR toasted Rye, OR toasted health bread.

Of course, then you need a few avocado slices to garnish.

Healthful, right?? 😉

“Whip it. Whip it good.”

Tres Leches w/ Sopapilla & Strawberry Garnish

I like to think that I am Spanish. But my sisters remind me that I really can’t claim any heritage over another because we are such a hodgepodge.

I, however, like to think that “hodgepodge” means I can choose whatever I want.

It’s still being debated.

Growing up predominately in the southern states in America, I have had the blessed privilege of Central & South American cuisines.

Best food ever… At least, that’s how I feel in this moment.

My favourite desserts are puddings, cinnamon-sugary anythings, & fruit desserts (especially my mother’s apple pie).

My boss in Houston is the one that got me hooked onto Tres Leches. I had never had it at home & I quickly fell in love.

What did I do all my life BTL (“Before Tres Leches”)??

Then one day it occurred to me: Why not combine all of my favourites??? Pudding. Cinnamon sugar. Fruit.

That’s just what I did.

If you’re not familiar with Pioneer Woman, then you must stop what you’re doing & go to her blog! She is one of my culinary heroes & I have yet to discover a recipe of hers that I do not like.

She also lives my wildest dream: a creative diva-chef-housewife-entrepreneur-mother helping her rancher cowboy husband.

One must have a lot of stamina & a passion for what they are doing to accomplish what she does.

… I googled & compared different recipes. (Of course I chose hers.) Then I took my quick & easy Sopapilla chips recipe. And then I chose as my contrasting garnish: Strawberries.

The fruit garnish is where PW & I part ways. I’m not a fan of cherries.

Step 1: Follow PW’s Tres Leches Recipe

Step 2:

• 4 lg white tortillas
• c. 1/2 C Cinnamon-Sugar mix
• Coconut Oil

~ Preheat oven to 350 F OR 180 C.

~ Slice tortillas into 5ths.

~ Brush both sides of tortilla slices with Coconut oil.

~ Press both sides of coated tortilla slices on a plate of Cinnamon-Sugar.

~ Place on a cookie sheet & bake for 10-15min or until golden brown.

~ Remove from oven & immediately place into a bowl to cool.

~ Rinse & slice strawberries (I use whole strawberries because I LOVE the taste; but this is at the discretion of the chef).

~ Cut & serve your completed & chilled Tres Leches. Garnish with strawberries & place one Sopapilla chip per serving.

Bon appetit!

“Whip it. Whip it good.”

Happy New Year!!

I’m not one to really make resolutions for the new year. However, as I get older & begin to honestly examine myself, I find that there are goals or challenges that I am writing down.

I love to journal & it can put the pressure on because I have documented proof of what I did & where I was.

Yesterday, I was thinking about time thieves & how easily I get caught up into practices that steal even more time. Then I ran across one of my favourite quotes that I had written in my “Quotes Journal”.

“If a man has any greatness, it comes to light, not in one flamboyant hour, but in the ledger of his daily work.”

– Beryl Markham

So this year, I would say one of my challenges for myself is to redeem the time & seize the opportunities afforded to me.

Entrepreneurially.

Physically.

Spiritually.

Mentally.

Relationally.

• • • • •

On another note… My grandfather, the “Master Chef” visited us with my grandmother for the month of December.

From Day 1, I was writing down business ideas for Douceur that he was giving me.

We had baking sessions learning how to make his famous pizza or “Bombizza” & the secrets of his mouth-watering cookies!

All of which was photo documented… And then something tragic happened which reminded me of how much faith I put into technology.

Our camera decided to malfunction & delete the hundreds of photos.

I’m ok with that now. Some things just need to be cherished in the heart & the people with you.

“When life gives you lemons. Make lemonade.”

Happy New Years! I would love to hear some of your resolutions/challenges/goals for 2015!

“Whip it. Whip it good.”

Potjiekos

Potjiekos– Pronounced: (in the Yankee tongue) “poi-key-kos”. Literally translates: “little pot food”

To describe potjiekos as a South African “stew” is rather uninspiring, unimpressive, & unfabulous. But, stew it is – & what a redemption to the ho-hum existence of poor, prosaic stew.

I gave stew a second chance when I tasted potjiekos, & it rose well to the occasion & represented its class splendidly.

Whether having dinner at home on a Monday night, or cheese & wine in the Rue Montorgueil Market in Paris, or Eref Shabbat in Jerusalem: Food. Should. Taste. Good.

Some people eat to live. I live to eat.

Upon our (my & my family’s) arrival in South Africa, enthusiastic new acquaintances would zealously urge us to try the country’s favourite traditional meals. Almost invariably, our new friends would invite us to a braai or Sunday lunch to experience South Africa’s fine cuisine.

“Boerewors” make you feel that you’re assimilating well. Tough, manly, & meaty, their taste is like a gamey sausage (in the most pleasant way), but you really only need to try them once.

“Pop-tart” is not a PopTart®™. It is a savoury “tart” made out of “paap” (or grits) and layers of cheese, tomato, mince, olives, etc.

Meal after meal, South Africa greeted our palates with an offering of flavours.

But the day I experienced potjiekos, all my senses sang! My friend’s boyfriend made the dish – a blissful jumble of root vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms, one or two or five different kinds of meat… Sound cliché?

Well, every chef has his secret. My guess is, the mouthwatering goodness of this dish is owed to the stone “potjie” in which it is meticulously layered. Or the braai over which it is cooked for hours… & hours… & hours…

Or the spices I can never catch them adding. Or just the fact that it’s South Africa; & it’s a good day; & the sun is shining. Whatever that “thing” is about potjiekos, my advice is this: set aside – for a moment – your taste for the “delicate”, the “subtle”, or the “beautiful”, & roll up your sleeves & dig in!

“Mushrooms!” – Peregrine Took

“Whip it. Whip it good.”