M&Ms Custom Printing, Colors for Any Event 79

Chocolate in bar form, from it's humble production years at the turn of the century, has gone hand-in-hand with military rations throughout history. From the America's first World War^W , when soldiers were given chocolate bars in abundance, as a cheap source of energy and nourishment. The unfortunate thing about chocolate is on it's own is most definitely guaranteed to meld into a puddle of chocolaty goo in the palm of your hand, or if carried close to your body too long.

During the Spanish Civil War , an innovator of Mars candy company saw Spaniard soldiers had been given chocolate encased in a sugary coating, which kept the chocolate from liquefying in the hot sun - which led to the development of the first M&Ms and a patent filed March 3, 1941, with actual production of the first M&Ms sold to consumers in paper tubes . M&Ms have been known the world over.

...Order
Custom M&Ms

22 Colors

Recently M&Ms have launched a very cool site,
so that you can create a campaign of custom
m&ms.

From birthdays to weddings - you choose from
22 colors and a variety of fonts to get your
perfect message on that candy coating.

The ordering process is very simple you choose
your colors,font and type in your message.

Once you have selected all the custom info,
you can see a dynamic demo in flash giving
you an idea of what your m&ms will look
like, featuring your colors & message.

Not only is there custom printing options
for the home consumer - But for businesses
as well.

I went ahead and ordered some for my husband's organization. He holds an elected office position and using the faces-on-m&ms option, I chose the organizations colors, then put his face on one side and his office title on the other side. The process is just as easy as the basic custom message - Upload your picture, crop it if you want a closer image, then their site techs will get the image resized so that it has the best appearance on the m&ms. I also ordered some basic m&ms with my personalized message.

I really liked the interactivity of m&ms site. It's a really neat service. Great for making an event even more special, or for advertising your business or organization. http://www.mymms.com/

Chocolate Landing on The Floor - Not In Your Mouth 97

When I am working with chocolate - be it chocolate sauce, tempered chocolate, ganache or chocolate buttercream I have a tendency to slob the stuff around. Somehow I end up with it all 0ver the sleeves of my chef jacket or apron. When you are in a time crunch to get a product prepped, there is a delicate balance between artfully creating and efficiently creating, and sometimes things get sloppy, better yourself and not the product.

As a mom I realize that the possibility of chocolate getting totally consumed is a dream in theory. When children get a a hold of anything remotely edible, watching them consume and having the high expectations that they will be good and not make a mess - well let's just say they cannot help themselves and right it off as a disaster in the making.When I was chosen by Mom Central to review WD40 Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner, I thought this would be something pretty useful to have in my household.




Product Specs:

• 22oz spray bottle

Can Remove:

• Old Stains
• Dirt/Grime
• Cola/Colored Soda
• Tracked in Mud, Dirt and Oil

Safe and Permanent Removal of

• All kinds of new and old stains
• Dual-odor eliminators absorb and neutralize odors
• Anti-Resoiling agents protect carpet
• Approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute for product performance

Safe for Pets, Kids and the Environment*

• Non-Toxic
• No Phosphates
• No Volatile Organic Compounds
• Recyclable Packaging
• Certified Biodegradable by Scientific Certification Systems

Official Website: http://www.spotshot.com/

Cleaner Characteristics: I am always worried with cleaners about fumes and their ingredients because I am very sensitive to everything and can have pretty major allergic reactions, plus I don't want my children exposed to toxic chemicals. When I read the back of the Spot Shot bottle I was amazed to see that there were no warnings about accidental ingestion or inhaling the fumes. The label states that Spot Shot is non-toxic in both instances. The spray is not over powering and similar to Febreze in scent.

How To Use Spot Shot: The directions on the bottle say to use on both new stains that are still damp and older stains that are dry. It says repeat as necessary.

While using on a fresh stain:

• Blot the stain with a dry cloth to wick up any moisture
• Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray
• Wet a clean rag or sponge and start blotting the area to remove the stain.
• Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
• Allow carpet to air dry

While using on an old stain:

• Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray, allow to soak in.
• Wet a clean rag or sponge and start rubbing the area to remove the stain.
• Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
• Allow carpet to air dry

The Performance:

My daughter had a spill with some chocolate sauce on the carpet.I used a rag to blot the remainder of the chocolate that hadn't quite soaked in. I followed the above noted steps for use with a fresh stain.

 The spray bubbled once it was applied. It worked better to blot at the stain as apposed to rubbing. The total cleaning process was repeated 3 times. I am able to say that Spot Shot did a pretty good job at removing the chocolate sauce, which tends to be a very hard stain to completely remove. Spot Shot is not an instant fix - it won't take all the work away for you, you will have to use a little elbow grease, but the time it takes to remove a stain is minimal. Compared to other spot cleaning products I have tried on previous carpets, I would say this does an excellent job. I wish I had had it when my daughter was a toddler, it might have saved my husband and I, hours of frustration. Overall I would say Spot Shot does what is advertised, with minimal effort and with a solution that is safe for kids and pets. It is biodegradable and has recyclable packaging. Eco-friendly solutions are always a plus.

The view expressed here are mine & mone alone. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of WD40. In addition, I received an bottle of Spot Shot in exchange for my honest feedback.Please read more about Renaissance Culinaire's Disclosure Policy

Tutorials 16

Here is a list of popular tutorials on Renaissance Culinaire. Here you can learn step-by-step instructions on a variety of foodie related things. This page will be updated as more tutorials are added.



Learn How TO:

Reverse Macro w/ A Digital Camera

Procedure For Tuile Stencil Cookies

Make A Simple Proofbox for Home Use

Use Greasemonkey Scripts for Culinary

Make Shortbread Tarts

Shape Croissants

Make Chocolate Croissants

Make Great Pate a Choux

Be A Successful Baker

Find The Sex of a Dungenous Crab

Maintian Your Rolling Pin

Sheet Croissant Dough

Eliminate "Black Holes" in Food Photography Pics

Make your own Praline Paste 

Beat Cooking Anxiety!

Beat hunger in America ~ Find a Food Pantry in your area!

Women: Learn how you can be awarded a photography scholarship of your dreams!

How to find Edible Mushrooms in Oregon

Get your face or company logo on M&Ms

How to get the best food shots with a basic digital camera

Groups to join if you love food or are a foodie

Turn your kitchen into a licensed home bakery Part #1, and Part #2

These tutorials are written by me and are original content. These tutorials may not be reproduced without my permission.

Commercial Baking Formulas 29

Here is a list of commercial baking formulas that have been featured on Renaissance Culinaire. These formulas are meant to be used in a professional kitchen or bakery. These formulas include step by step procedure notes with the aid of pictures. The formulas have instructions for reducing the volume for home use. This page will be updated as new formulas are featured.

Americanized Pumpernickel Bread

Croissant with a starter

Wussel Bread

Seven Grain Bread

Lemon curd /Lemon Tarts/ Authentic Scottish shortbread

Callebaut Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

Pumpkin Crunch coffee Cake

Pate A Choux , Éclairs & Cream Puffs revisited

Tuile Cookies Curls

Short Dough Cookies

Praline Paste

Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte

Scratch Italian Puff Pastry

Commercial Cinnamon & Sugar (for cinnamon rolls, breads etc.)

These formulas are not to be republished or distributed without my permission. All images are copyrighted.

Recipes for Cakes and Tortes 22

Here is a list of cake & torte recipes featured on Renaissance Culinaire. This page will continue to be updated as new recipes are featured.

Black Forest Cherry Gateau

Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte

Recipes for Souffles 4

Here is a list of recipes for souffles featured on Renaissance Culinaire. As time goes on this page will be updated as recipes are added.

Gruyere and Asparagus Souffle

Chocolate Souffles w/ orange white chocolate sauce

Recipes for Muffins Scones and Pastries 7

Here is a list of muffin and pastry formulas that have been featured on Renaissance Culinaire. Some of these formulas are commercial baking formulas that can be reduced for home use. This page will continue to be updated as more recipes are added.

Thanks Darwin Bell For Use of his Photo.

Fresh Fruit Napoleons with Blackberry Curd

Banana - Rum Napoleons

Croissant with a starter

Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter

Gulab Jamun | Indian Sweets

Pate A Choux , Éclairs & Cream Puffs revisited

Callebaut Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

Crispies (Italian puff pastry based, similar tasting as American Elephant Ear)

Scratch Italian Puff Pastry

Recipes for Frostings, Fillings and Icings 3

Here are variety of formulas for frostings, fillings or icings that have been featured on Renaissance Culinaire. This page will continue to be updated as recipes are added.

• Mocha Icing
• Vegan Mocha Icing
• Vegan Chocolate Ganache
• Banana Scented Marscapone
• Praline Paste
• orange white chocolate sauce
• Kirsch Scented Whipped Cream
• Spiced Brandy Caramel and Brandy Simple Syrup
• Vegan Spiced Brandy Caramel and Brandy Simple Syrup
• Meringue Mousseline buttercream.
• Heirloom Lemon curd
• Orange-Maple Butter

Vegan & Vegitarian Friendly Recipes 8

These recipes have either had vegan/vegetarian conversions or have notations on how to create vegan / vegetarian friendly versions from the recipe provided.

This page will continue to be updated as I add more recipes.

• Sassy Sunflower Cookies (Peanut Butter)
• Tomatillo - Avocado Salsa
• Pear Chocolate Belle - Helene
• Spiced Brandy Caramel and Brandy Simple Syrup
• Watermelon Gazpacho
• Mocha & Chocolate Cake
• Mocha Icing
• Vegan Chocolate Ganache
• Wasabi Asparagus Shitake Spring rolls
  
• Lime-Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
  
• Green Tea Sesame Sauce
• Banana - Rum Napoleons
• Vegan Meatballs

Summer Bursting with Strawberries 20

Summer brings with it an array of many fruits ,vegetables and herbs - each plant basking and feeding off the warm glow of seemingly endless days. With such an abundance of life giving light - is it any wonder that strawberries thrive in these months?

‌
picture courtesy of Bahadorjn

The fleshy sweetness invokes heavenly sighs when coupled with special desserts. Biting into the firm, juicy flesh, your tongue first experiences a tang, but that is overcome by the beautiful sugary blast of flavors.

Strawberries hold a special place in my taste memory. To me they equal the unbridled innocence of childhood - memories of summers long ago , when the sun was ablaze. Summer days as a child with my friends, I would run out into the hills and forests, and creeks or ponds - never a tricky thought clouding my mind, only a determination to experience and cover as much ground as humanly possible - before the sun set below the purple hills. Strawberries were a staple in my house, and more often then not desserts like strawberry shortcake, or just the simple act of dipping a berry into fresh whipped cream, were enough to satisfy a craving for sweetness.


Below is a weight to volume ratio chart for strawberries in their different states:

weight to volume ratio changes if berries are halved, quartered, sliced etc.
(See below)

1 (16 oz.) clamshell package equals approximately:
Whole Unstemmed	18 each 17.2 ounces 3 to 3 1/4 rounded cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Whole Stemmed	15.5 ounces 3 to 3 1/4 rounded cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Halved	15.5 ounces 3 to 3 1/4 rounded cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Quartered	15.5 ounces 3 to 3 1/4 rounded cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Sliced	15.5 ounces 3 rounded cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Chopped	15.5 ounces 3 cups 1 cup = 6 or 7 strawberries
Pureed	15 ounces 1 3/4 cups

If you would like more info on strawberries, California Strawberry commission offers recipes, health and nutritional info.

They also have a really cute site just for kids aged 5-12 yrs , with lots of kid friendly recipes you and your children can make together, and fun activities on strawberry education, called Strawberryville.

The University of Florida also has a great page outlining different varieties of strawberries and where they can be grown, plus illustrations on strawberry shapes - very interesting.



Related Posts:

• Food Photography: Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Sauce
• Dessert Costing: Banana Strawberry Torte
• Food Photography : Banana Strawberry Torte

Food Photography : Banana - Midori Strawberry torte 12

An oval cookie cutter was used to cut out 3 layers of French sponge. I used a slightly larger size of the oval set and lined it with an acetate strip. I used sliced strawberry to line the acetate , point upward and then added banana mousse. I pushed a layer of the French sponge into the mousse, which distributed the mousse into the areas that weren’t filled by the strawberry. I continued to add mousse then a layer of sponge, and then used a small offset to comb the top smooth. I let this set in the reach in for several hours, then peeled the acetate off.

The dessert was placed on the upper left side, off center. It was garnished with a chocolate design and a half kiwi slice following the line of the chocolate design.

A tempered chocolate fern design was piped onto the plate. It was filled with honeydew-Midori sauce. Descending circles were piped of chocolate on each side of the dessert and strawberry sauce was used to fill the circles.


I will post the full dessert costing presentation tomorrow.


Related Posts:

• Food Photo : Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Sauce
• Photography : Blackberry Granita w/ Banana Mouse
• Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte
• Food Photography : Banana Strawberry Torte

Guest Post With Kate Jacobs : On Food Memories From Childhood 4

I got a chance to ask Kate Jacobs, author of The Friday Night Knitting Club; And her most recent foodie geared novel Comfort Food , a very personal question.

RC: How do you feel food memories from childhood shape us into adults?

Image © Kate Jacobs.

KJ: We all have wonderful memories of meals shared with families, sitting around the table with the Thanksgiving turkey and summer barbecues eating corn on the cob.

I love birthday cake,

just like the main character Gus in my new novel Comfort Food, and I remember my sister decorating a cake that looked like a pizza with all the toppings for my fifth grade sleepover party. That was the birthday I got a puppy, Pepsi, who was my first Springer Spaniel and one of my dearest friends ever.

It’s all connected for me: the cake, the friends, the puppy. That was one of the best days of my life!

And I love to recall having fresh fruit pie at my grandmother’s house

Made with cherries that my brothers and sisters had just picked off the trees in her yard. Amazing. Those are the meals you wish you could fly back in a time machine and savor again and again, and also enjoy the company of family who aren’t here anymore.


But sometimes food isn’t just about family. Sometimes it’s about culture and identity.

I remember how, growing up in Canada, I always thought of S’mores as being particularly American, and as such I was fascinated by them. Now, I was never a Girl Guide (that’s Canadian for a Girl Scout) and so I didn’t go camping and so on. Instead, I saw Archie & Betty talking about them in the comics: It was just this American cultural go-to that seemed so different to me. Well, this was something I had to get in on, you know?

I recall trying to make some in the microwave on July 4: I was always a very pro-American Canadian. (And now I’m American and Canadian, so it’s really worked out for me.) But, anyway, back to my little experiment, which even involved a trip biking to the corner store to use some allowance money to invest in some very American Hershey chocolate. I took some graham crackers from the cupboard, put on several squares of chocolate, little mini marshmallows because that’s what we had at home, and topped it off with another graham cracker. I wrapped up the whole thing tightly in waxed paper and cooked the hell out of it the microwave. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Definitely gooey, definitely sweet. Though a S’more lacks a certain something something when it doesn’t have the roasting from the open fire.

I must say my early culinary tastes were quite influenced by comic books

I read a lot of and all types of comic books as a kid. I also saw a Dennis the Menace that had an activity page that included a tip on pickling carrots. The whole gist was that if you put carrots in a jar of pickles and let them soak overnight, the carrots would taste pickled. Well, duh: That’s what my 34-year-old self says. My 8-year-old self was utterly entranced as though Julia Child herself had made the suggestion. I would get very upset if my mother did not save the juice when we finished a jar of pickles. After all, I needed that for my Dennis-the-Menace carrots! Making those pickles felt like a sign of independence and worldliness: I had my own special “thing.”

Food is so much more than just calories and nutrition.
It’s also captures a moment, an emotion, with taste and aroma. And feel. Think of the sensation of a melting Popsicle running down your fingers on a hot summer day and try not to smile. Food can be good times, you know? And that’s what I wanted to capture in Comfort Food. This feeling of laughter and celebration and happiness.










Related Posts From Renaissance Culinaire:

• Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter
• Blurb on Big Small Plates : Recipe for Tomatillo - Avocado Salsa
• Recipe: Italian Turdilli
• The things that shape us - Grade school incidents
• Bread or Dead
• Tommorow is my birthday...At 4:10 A.M Feb. 8 th

Croissant Madness 1

Here are a list of Croissant related posts from Renaissance Culinaire:

Renaissance Culinaire Related Posts:

• Baking Theory Notes: Fermentation Chemistry
• The Story of The Croissant
• Technique: Shaping Croissants
• Technique: Chocolate croissant
• Walnut croissant & French turn overs
• Formula/recipe: Croissant with a starter
• My first competency has come and gone...
• Quotes from a pastry master...
• baking 101
  

Soul Search : Saturday Food Poetry 15

In an effort to reawaken my poetry writing, I will be featuring a food photo that inspires me, then let the words that stem from that image fall onto the page. Enjoy! Comments welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks ericmcgregor for use of this photo.

Muscular and artistic hands -
weaving the magic we call presentation.

I see the art,
fashioned of edible sculpture.

Your formulations
are
the
holy scripture.

you are profit of the palate,
to
your
unwavering congregation.

cutouts of cake, bases;
the pulpit
from
which
you preach
your decadent wisdom.

Dripping, oozing
thinning sauces.

Prepping, squeezing;
till heavenly visions
are realized.

Tuiles, chocolate decorations;
An offering
of snap,
of crispy symmetry;
Oh lovely visual revelations.

Is it enough to paint those lines,
to chase perfection
to gain
culinary
holy ground?

© All Rights Reserved. 2008

Review: Sweet Melissa Baking Book 2

On first glance, this book is a slightly smaller than the average
glossy cookbook, you know the kind - almost ready to feature as
a coffee table book, rather than a cookbook that goes on your shelf.
That kind of cookbook has really become a standard trend.

Unlike allot of other cookbooks, The Sweet Melissa Baking Book gets right to the point. There is no lengthy forward, just a few pages mentioning Melissa
Murphy's schooling and where she has gotten her restruant experience.
She explains her love of baking and why she bakes certain items at her bake shop - Sweet Melissa Patissarie in New York, which has been going strong for 10 yrs .

Reading the forward is enough to make you love this cookbook even more. The forward really sets the tone, and you began to see Melissa's thoughtfulness shine through in each and every recipe she features in this book. The recipes are all easy to follow and have detailed instructions from the procedure, through baking of the final product.

When it comes to cookbooks the trend is to have a glossy full size picture on every other page. This sometimes can deter the purpose of a cookbook - to showcase the recipe it's self. The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is mainly recipes, with a short insert of assorted glossy pictures, but the pictures in noway detract from the main purpose of this cookbook.

As for skill level, I would say that this book is great for all skill levels --- just pack a love of baking and an attention to details, so your recipes will come out just as yummy as they sound in this book.

As you start to delve into the contents, you will notice throughout the book Melissa offers her commentary with personal antidotes on how she feels about the baked goods, she features in each chapter. Also throughout the book there are special notations with instructions to "do it like the pros".


Highlights of this cookbook by Chapter:

01 The first section offers a fine selection of Quick breads, muffins, scones and other breakfast fare.

"...I've realized that it may seem odd to some of you to to eat dessert for breakfast...so I disguised it. But who are we kidding? You love sticky buns first thing in the morning just as much as I do!" - Melissa Murphy on Dessert for Breakfast.

My favorite recipes from this section include: Hot Pepper Muffins with Orange Maple Butter ; Guinness Gingerbread; and Raised Waffles with warm brown sugar bananas.

01a Prefaced with a story of her childhood involving her older brothers tricking her into eating creme donuts that had the least amount of creme, and her disappointment in the lack there of . She devoted this section to creme filled sweet buns - spawned from her love of donuts, but lack of equipment in her bake shop to fry them, she ingeniously created a great formula to bake in the oven.

" I Love the resulting compromise - sweet tender brioche style buns filled with pastry cream then dipped in honey caramel...Mm-mm-mm-yummy!" - Melissa Murphy on Bee Stings.

She outlines the formula for both the sweet buns and the pastry creme.

02 Devoted to yummy after school treats cookies and brownies - such as Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies, Black Bottom Brownies, and Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints.

"..The highlight of my day I remember was ...just baked batch of my favorite cookies. "- Melissa Murphy on After School Snack

03 Features a Step by step guide to assemble, crumb coat and frost a layer cake. Filled with tantalizing layer cakes , complete with lovely frostings and the fillings to accompany them.

"..one thing is for sure: You have to start with a great cake. This is essential, and to me, the best part." - Melissa Murphy on Special Layer Cakes

These recipes can all be used for wedding cakes, without any special formulation, just double or triple the recipes for more layers.

04 This section has many crust recipes. Your mouth will water when you read the titles of these recipes for various pies, tarts and and a master recipe for preserves. Examples are: Pear Cranberry Pie with Ginger Snap Crust, Strawberry-Ruby Grapefruit preserves.

05 Luscious recipes for puddings, Specialty Pies, Cheesecakes and more. Just read some of the titles : Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Cornmeal Crumble Crust, Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake with Blackberry Glaze, Pumkin Bread Pudding with Caramel-Rum Glaze.

"My mom made dessert to end our meal, but she always made it on Sundays...you could smell it at the end of the driveway...she knew how to get her children to the..table" - Melissa Murphy on Sunday Suppers Grand Finale

06 The Last section deals with gifting of homemade candies, brittles and truffles.

" ..recipes in this chapter are even more special for gift giving because these are things people rarely make themselves. Honey Cream Caramels, Butterscotch Pralines, Peanut butter Truffles, Chocolate Peppermint Meringues---You can't buy these presents." - Melissa Murphy on Favorite Gifts

I think that The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is a purchase well spent. It will become a favorite addition to any cookbook or baking library.



Related Posts:

• Hot Pepper Muffins with Orange Maple Butter
• Contest : Cookbook For 5 Lucky Random Winners

Recipe Carnival : Popular Recipes Revisited 1

These are some of the most visited recipes this blog has to offer:

Click on any of the links to read the original blog post.

1.)Recipe & Procedure : Tuile Cookies Curls 2.)Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte 3.)Blogosphere blurb / Recipe: Pear Chocolate Belle - Helene 4.)My Recipe : Curried Asparagus 5.)Recipe : Gulab Jamun | Indian Sweets 6.)Oregon Hazelnuts + Recipe : Praline Paste 7.)Recipe: Italian Turdilli 8.)Formula :Lemon curd , Lemon Tarts , Authentic Scottish shortbread. 9.)Seduction by Savory souffle... 10.)Formula : Chocolate Souffles w/ orange white chocolate sauce 11.)Recipe: Orange marinated Fish Fillets w/ Carrots 12.)Formula : Pumpkin Crunch coffee Cake 13.)Recipe: Green Tea Sesame Sauce 14.)Recipe: Mango-Ginger Salsa 15.)Formula : Americanized Pumpernickle Bread 16.)Formula: Short Dough Cookies 17.)Formula : Pate A Choux , Éclairs & Cream Puffs revisited 18.)Giddy Over Oregon Crab...| Recipe : Fresh Mango - Crab Spring Rolls 19.)Formula : Black Forest Cherry Gateau 20.)Recipe: Watermelon Gazpacho 21.)Formula : Callebaut Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Scones 22.)Cake Recipe: EDITED Mocha & Chocolate - Vegan Style. 23.)Formula/recipe: Croissant with a starter 24.)Blurb on Big Small Plates : Recipe for Tomatillo - Avocado Salsa

Food Photo : Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Sauce 3

Choc. Mousse in a White Choc. / Dark Choc. Cup w/ strawbery sauce & fresh strawberries, originally uploaded by Amber *.

Food Photography : Banana Strawberry Torte 24

kyung of David O'Conner & Lee Photography, in Portland, OR, graciously agreed to set up shop (i.e portable studio) one day after class, to photograph some of my plated desserts --- which were awaiting in the reach-in to be photographed. This was Kyung's first dabble into foodie photography --- as their company works capture more of the traditionally human element.

This dessert was my for my final presentation. It consists of French sponge, brushed with strawberry syrup, filled and finished with banana scented marscapone cheese, then garnished with fresh fruit and a chocolate screen, than drizzled with mango syrup. The plate design was given a stained glass effect , piped on first with tempered chocolate and then filled with honeydew melon -Midori syrup, Strawberry syrup, and mango syrup.

The flavor combination was very good --- the marscapone is so velvety, and it offset the banana wonderfully, and it didn't compete with the buttery layers of the sponge, just enhanced them.

I made all the components from scratch (with real fruit) and used my own recipes and calculated the per plate cost etc. I will post more of this experience in a post to come.

I really like plated desserts --- they are soo fun :)


Related Posts:

• Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte
• Food Photo : Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Sauce
• Photography : Blackberry Granita w/ Banana Mouse
• Food Photography : Banana - Midori Strawberry torte

Blogosphere blurb / Recipe: Pear Chocolate Belle - Helene 2

Culinary Revival --- That is what Renaissance Culinaire translates into to English. Now that my template is updated in "new" blogger, and it looks o.k I can now get down to the business of baking. After recoding the html and going through each post to label them individually, I realized that 2005 was the "golden" year of this blog. That this was a model for the blog that you readers loved so much --- and in all fairness I plan to deliver my posts in that spirit, once again. ---lets say VIVA BLOG CONTENT!

O.k I haven't a picture for this dessert... But I plan to bake it next week, so I will update the post with some assembly & finished dessert pics later.


Pear Chocolate Belle - Helene
This was adapted from an editorial in The Columbia.

Cake Ingredients:

¾ Cup butter or Margarine+ , softened
2 ½ Cups flour
1 Cup Brown Sugar+
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking Soda
4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate , melted
1 Egg , slightly beaten+
1 cup milk+
4 small, ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut in half. (or substitute for canned halves --- drain, and pat dry w/ paper towels)

++For Vegan/ Vegetarian :

Substitute Earth Balance (( in the block form)) in place of the butter.
Use 2 oz of Extra Firm Silken Tofu in place of egg.
Soy or coconut milk can be substituted for milk.
Substitute your natural sweetener ( I.\e Turbinado) in place of sugar --- adjust accordingly, more or less depending on the sweetener.


Cake Mix Directions :Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.
Add flour and sugar; beat on low speed until crumbly. Remove 1/3 cup of
the butter mixture; set aside. Add baking powder, baking soda,
chocolate, egg and milk to remaining butter mixture in bowl. Stir just
until dry ingredients are moistened.

SPREAD one-third of the batter into greased 9-inch spring form pan. Place pear halves,
cut sides down, in a circular pattern over batter. Drop spoonfuls of
remaining batter over pears; spread to evenly cover pears. Sprinkle
with the reserved crumb mixture .

BAKE 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

Cake Finishing:
Using a pastry brush, brush the cooled cake with *Brandy Simple Syrup. Spoon slightly cooled **Spiced Carmel sauce onto the cake, allowing the caramel to drip over sides.



*Brandy Simple syrup
2 cups water
1 cup white sugar ( Or vegan sugar)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup brandy

DIRECTIONS:
In a saucepan, combine water, sugar and lemon zest. Bring mixture to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Strain into airtight container, removing the lemon zest. Allow to cool, then cover and store in refrigerator. When ready to use, mix in brandy. Brush onto cake

*Spiced Pecan Carmel
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ nutmeg
Toasted Pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:
Put granulated sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and crumble brown sugar over. Melt sugar, undisturbed, over moderate heat until granulated sugar is mostly melted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until a deep golden caramel. Carefully pour in cream (mixture will bubble up and caramel will harden slightly) and stir in nutmeg, cinnamon . Simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is reduced to about 1 cups, about 10 minutes. Cool to just warm.

++Vegan Spiced Carmel Sauce:

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
½ Cup soy milk
½ Cup vegan sugar
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Cinnamon
¼ Cup water + 1 tsp water
Toasted Pecan halves

DIRECTIONS: Stir cornstarch into soy milk and set aside. Place Vegan sweetener , spices and one tablespoon water in a non-stick saucepan. Over medium heat, stirring constantly color will appear light brown, add 1/4 cup cold water, allow the syrup to come to a low boil. Reduce heat and add soy milk while stirring. Once incorporated , gradually return to boil, stirring constantly until thickened & glossy / smooth. Add vanilla and remove from heat. Add toasted Pecans. {if too thick/sweet, add additional soy milk , stirring constantly.}

JUNE: What a Foodie Month it is....... 1

Photo : Egg Washing oat loaves on a proofing board.

June is :

Candy Month (National), Dairy Month (National), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month (National), Iced Tea Month (National), Turkey Lovers Month, and Papaya Month (National) . First week of the month is National Fishing Week.

June 1: National Doughnut Day (always the first Friday in June)

June 2: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day

June 4: Applesauce Cake Day

June 5: National Gingerbread Day

June 6: Hunger Awareness Day (US National)

June 7: First day ice cream was sold in the US, June 7, 1786; National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

June 10: Iced Tea Day

June 13: Kitchen Klutzes Of America Day

June 16: Fudge Day; Fresh Veggies Day

June 17: Father's Day; Eat Your Vegetables Day

June 18: Go Fishing Day

June 20: Ice Cream Soda Day

June 21: Summer Solstice - First Day of Summer

June 22: National Chocolate Éclair Day

June 25: National Catfish Day

June 26: National Chocolate Pudding Day

June 29: Waffle Iron Day