For the Love of Food...

Lemon Lavender Lollies

I love food. I luuuuurve food. It is the thing that brings us together, consoles us when we're alone, challenges us for our health's sake and inspires us to be more adventurous.

It's the adventure that I love most. It is a thrill to come up with something pretty and new and unusual but compatible in flavor. It's even more exciting when someone who has resisted unusual flavors decides to take the plunge and try something they'd never thought they'd like.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the farmer's market season in my wee little town. It is at this market where my little baking venture can reach the most palates.  I have plenty of classics on my table: chocolate chip cookies (with Belgian chocolate chips), cinnamon twists, croissants, scones, artisan breads. But I also like to add a touch of the unexpected.

This week's surprises were lemon and cracked pepper artisan bread, dark Belgian chocolate and cherry cookies and lemon lavender lollies. You might be thinking, "those seem like rather orthodox choices where I'm from," but in a town that is largely fueled by prefab donuts, coffee and pizza chains I definitely get the "she must be bonkers" looks from some of my patrons. I don't mind it a bit. Because there are many whose eyes widen and feel the call to something different. Call me crazy, but I think there is movement toward tantalizing and unexpected cuisine in this town and I am pleased as punch to bring my tiny contribution to it.

LEMON LAVENDER LOLLIES
These delightful, pretty little numbers were inspired by artist/baker Heather from SprinkleBakes. She used edible flowers, which I will attempt for a wedding in the summer, but I wanted to try the candy making part before launching into it at the time of the wedding.

I had on hand lemons and culinary lavender, two of my favorite flavors, so I gave it a whirl and what transpired was a little taste of heaven...or the aroma of walking in a field in Provence...they taste like what I imagine pretty to taste like.

Here's what to do:

1. get a lollipop mold...you want the kind that can withstand heat up to 350 degrees 
2. Gather:
   2 cups sugar
   2/3 cup light corn syrup
   2/3 cup water
   1 dram bottle candy flavoring oil (such as LorAnn, I used lemon oil)
   flowers, or rind or whatever you wish to put into them
   Candy thermometer 
   canola oil spray (for the mold - trust me, if you want to get the lollies out of the mold, you'll need this)
   

Spray mold with oil.
Bring water, sugar and corn syrup to a boil and let boil until it reaches 302 degrees F, the hard crack stage, on your candy thermometer. Make sure said candy thermometer is working. Mine was not and I ended up with a black mess on my first round. I asked Heather from SprinkeBakes and she said to test the thermometer by placing it in boiling water and it should read 212 degrees F. Mine had a hard time moving past 200 degrees F.

sugar caramelizes at 350-ish so if you're getting a golden hue, you're well past the hard crack stage!

boil to hard crack stage, about 302 degrees F

  Once it's reached the hard crack stage let it settle down a minute and then add a few drops of the flavored oil (and food coloring if you'd like).

Spoon into molds about half way, add your bits and then spoon a little more candy on top to cover the bits.

lemon rind and culinary lavender

lollipop mold that can withstand heat up to 375 degrees F

Let stand until hard about 10 - 20 minutes. The candy in your saucepan will thicken and harden, but I was able to reheat it and melt it to the right consistency again. Mine caramelized a little more each time I heated it, I didn't mind as it made for a beautiful yellow hue so I didn't need to add food coloring. Next time I'll try to reheat it a little slower or keep it on a low heat setting while I fill my molds.

Can be consumed as a lollipop or try stirring it your earl grey tea.
Enjoy!

I'd love to hear about your adventures into the culinary world. The first 3 people to tell me about their interesting or unusual flavor combinations will get a lemon lavender lollie!


cheers!

It's a Rainbow Song for You!

White chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream filling and frosting.

 My firstborn is turning five. This is both exciting and troubling as I scour the recesses of my mind to remember the cherub cheeked infant who used to call me "Mimi" instead of mommy...the toddler who, when she found her legs, ran belly first and head back at such a clip I was sure she was channeling Chariot's of Fire. Troubling how these memories are fading.

She's not a baby anymore. She's innocence, discovery, independence and attitude. She's a good fighter. I secretly like this about her when it doesn't exhaust me. She's brave. So brave. I'm secretly jealous of her courage when it doesn't send my adrenals into shock or add to the grey at my temples.

Resilient but fragile. Strong but would crawl back in the womb if she could. Desirous of constant attention but easily distracted. A total ham and ridiculously dramatic. That's what my little girl is made of.

Happy Birthday my sweet Madelaine Grace. A rainbow cake for you in honor of all the color you've brought into my life.

 The Cake:
Inspired by two fabulous cakes I first spotted on Pinterest:
Sprinkle Bakes
Rainbow Cake

The cake recipe is adapted from Anna Olson's White Chocolate cake. The measurements below yielded five 9" layers of cake and enough buttercream to fill, crumb coat and final coat the cake: 

White Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
• 32 ounces belgian white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

In a stand-up mixer or in a large bowl with electric beaters, beat butter until fluffy. Beat in cooled melted chocolate on medium speed. Reduce speed and beat in icing sugar, vanilla and salt (icing will be a little soft). If needed, chill for about an hour to set before using.
 
White Chocolate Cake

• 1 1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 8 large eggs at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream at room temperature
• 16 ounces white belgian chocolate, chopped
• colored food gels

• Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Grease and flour 9" cake pans with 2-inch sides and line bottom with parchment paper.

• In a stand-up mixer or in a large bowl with electric beaters, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and stir in vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour to butter mixture in 4 additions, alternating with cream, blending well after each addition.
• Melt chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, stirring until almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until melted. Pour warm chocolate into cake batter while blending.

• Pour batter into 5 bowls in even amounts. I use a kitchen scale to get as close to the same amount of batter as possible. Add color to bowls one at time and in small amounts. Stir and add until you get the desired color. You don't need much and the batter is slightly yellow so you may need to play with color variation to get as true to the color as you want. 

• Pour colored batter into each prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool 30 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely. Wrap cake and store in fridge (or freeze) until ready to assemble.

• To assemble, slice cake tops horizontally to get a flat, even top. Spread  buttercream on bottom layer and repeat with the next layer. Crumb coat outside of cake on top and sides to cover and level. Chill for about two hours - until crumb coat is firm.

• Cover with the rest of the buttercream and decorate anyway you wish!  

I usually do 6 layers, but I didn't have yellow gel colour when I made this...