Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Grazing Plate: Brie-Topped Baguette

Two of my favorite things in the world, aside from chocolate, are cheese and bread. Warm, toasted baguette with creamy cheese…there are few pleasures in the world that are quite like the taste of bread and cheese together. This is why I seriously think in another life I was French. Not only can I totally imagine myself skipping through the gardens of Versailles, but I can also easily eat bread and cheese all day and be happy. I like to think I was Marie Antoinette’s bff in my past life. You may like to think I’m delusional. Either opinion is completely possible.

In any case, cheese and bread make a great pair for parties or gatherings. Most people enjoy both foods, so they are good items to distribute before you serve any entrees. But instead of putting out a basket of baguette and a wheel of cheese, why not make an appetizing dish that people will be curious and eager to try. After all, isn’t that why they call them “appetizers”?

That doesn’t mean you have to create some elaborate dish that is going to take up more time to make than your main dish does. In fact, this brie and baguette plate I created took less than 10 minutes to make. It’s easy, creative, pretty to look at, and yummy to eat!

Ingredients:

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 wheel of Brie (although you won’t use all of it)
Honey, to drizzle
A jar of berry preserves
1/4 c of toasted walnuts or pecans, cut into fourths

Directions:

Preheat your oven by turning on the broil setting.

Place your slices of baguette and your choice of nuts onto a baking sheet. Set your baking sheet on a medium rack in the oven, and with the oven door slightly open, broil your bread for 2-3 minutes, or until it’s golden. Make sure to watch your bread carefully since ovens are different and your bread could easily go from toasted to burnt. When they’re toasted, take pan out and let them cool for a minute or two.
With a butter knife, spread your berry preserves over half the amount of baguette slices. Then cut brie into thin wedges, much like you would do with pie or cake. Place one wedge on every single baguette slice (even the ones without the berry spread).
On the baguettes without the berry spread and only cheese, place a few nuts on top of the cheese. Then drizzle honey over them with a spoon.

And that’s it! Ready to serve and be devoured.

Print Recipe

Monday, June 17th, 2013

Mixing & Matching Jewelry: Wearing Gold and Silver

One trend that I’m really loving lately is the whole silver and gold layering that’s been happening. I’m a huge fan since I love both types of metals and often have a hard time choosing which one I want to wear. For instance, I have this silver Michael Kors watch and Tiffany’s bracelet that I love, but I also have these gold bangs I got on my trip to the Middle East which I also love and have sentimental value to me. I feel like before it used to be such a fashion faux pas to mix the two metals, but looking at this combo on me now, I have no idea why!

Here are some ideas for mixing and matching some fabulous pieces that are out there right now:

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Sunday, June 16th, 2013

Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Let me first start off by saying Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads out there! I feel so blessed to have an amazing man like my father in my life. There are a lot of sappy Hallmark cards I could use a few words from, but I’ll keep this post short and sweet (pun intended).

My family and I like to do the traditional Father’s Day brunch with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and lots of assorted pastries. This year, I decided to do a blueberry cake as an alternative to blueberry muffins. I frosted the cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting, applying the frosting to just the top of each cake layer and not the sides (similar to the way you’d frost a traditional carrot cake). For a breakfast cake like this, I like my cake frosting to look a little imperfect to maintain that homemade, authentic feel. I also added some lemon zest to the frosting (aside from the fresh lemon juice) to further emphasize the all-natural look. I topped off the cake with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar and my own little arrangement of blueberries.

Ingredients:

3 c of cake flour

1 tbsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 c of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 c of sugar

1 egg + 2 egg whites

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 c sour cream

3/4 c of whole milk (or 1/2 c of skim + 1/4 cream)

1 c of fresh blueberries

1 tsp of lemon zest

powdered sugar for sprinkling

For the frosting:

1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)

2 c of powdered sugar, or more to taste

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of lemon zest

1 to 3 tsps of heavy cream or milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch pans and cover bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Wash blueberries and set aside to dry.

1. In a large bowl, sift your flour, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl , crack open your 2 egg whites and whisk them well. Set aside.

2. In your electric mixer’s bowl, beat butter until it’s light. Add in the sugar and beat together until both are light and fluffy. Add in your 1 egg with yolk and mix until combined.

3. Follow with the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream. Pour in your flour and milk, alternatively in 3 batches, until both are mixed in well.

4. Fold in your egg whites with a spatula in 3 batches, until it is completely blended in. Pour batter into greased pans, equally dividing the batter. Drop in blueberries throughout each pan, using your spatula to gently push the blueberries into the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

For the frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese in your electric mixing bowl on medium speed, until cream cheese takes on a “whipped” texture.

2. Sift your powdered sugar, breaking apart any clumps, and add the sugar into the cream cheese, 1/2 a cup at a time. Add in your vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

3. To make your frosting less stiff, add in heavy cream or milk, 1 tsp at a time, as needed.

Once your cakes have cooled, apply frosting to the top of your bottom layer cake. Then place your second layer of cake on top and proceed to frosting the surface of the cake. Arrange your blueberries as you wish and sprinkle with powdered sugar.