Cake and The City

Welcome to a very exciting edition of "New Day, New Way - Kitchen Edition 2010!" This entry is filled to the brim with exciting adventures! I have a lot of sweet treats for you, but first let's talk dinner!

First up: EGGPLANT!

For those who have never had eggplant, do it! Eggplant has terrified the bojangles out of me for quite a while. I finally decided to take the plunge, and boy, I am so glad I did! The recipe I chose: Eggplant Parmesan. This recipe will be featured at the end of the blog! It is too good to keep to myself!

You begin by washing, peeling, and slicing the eggplant:

There are tons of seeds in the eggplant, but they are soft and edible. Don't worry about them!

The next step is to bread the eggplant as you would Chicken Parmesan, except I use Panko bread crumbs to add a nice crunch! Then, the eggplant was baked for 10 minutes to crisp the outside and soften the eggplant. Once done, it is then layered with spaghetti sauce and cheeses! Once layered, bake until golden brown.

All layered up!

Done!

Once done, I serve with a side of penne noodles and more spaghetti sauce! Eggplant is such a wonderful vegetable, well technically it is a fruit, but most regard it as a vegetable. It takes on the flavor of anything you put it in and has a nice texture! If you haven't done so already, try it!

Alright, enough savory, BRING ON THE SWEET!

This past week was Clean-stuff-out-of-the-cupboard-that-has-been-up-there-since-January Week! I have had 4 bags of popcorn that have just sat there for months, so I started to think of ways to use it up... I decided, after much consideration, to do CARAMEL CORN! This past December, I was introduced to Garret's Caramel Corn in Chicago... They ain't got nothin' on me! It was so easy, and DELICIOUS! You just melt butter, brown sugar, cream of tartar, and a few select other ingredients.

Then you mix and bake!

Wonderful!

Not a sweet popcorn person? How about a cookie? I finally perfected my Royal Icing Cookies! Here are some fleur de lis cookies that I made for my French class:

A girl promised to show me how to "dance big" if I brought them in, lol!

Not a cookie or caramel corn person, how about a cupcake?

My aunt challenged me to make a cupcake that she found on YouTube. Bah, I totally owned it and made many more designs for her! I also had extras that I used to sweeten my professors :p A note to all future and current college students: Teachers seem to be lighter on the grades when they are on a sugar high, lol!

The side cupcakes at the top of the picture are the design she challenged me with!

Here are the cupcakes I took to my professors :D The bottom left one is my favorite!

Not a cupcake, cookie, or caramel corn fan? Try some Hummingbird Cake! My grandmother made this cake for my sister's birthday :D It was AMAZING! It is like a banana bread and spice cake had a baby and covered it with cream cheese icing... I am getting the recipe and making it soon!

So, you're not a fan of Hummingbird Cake, cupcakes, cookies, or caramel corn? Try the newest addition to the La Boulangerie de Burgin menu: CRUFFLES! (Cake+Truffle=Cruffle) It is essentially icing and cake mixed up, balled, and covered in chocolate. I took these to school this past week. Everyone loved them! One girl bit into it, and then she yelled "OMG! Are you Jesus?" (Not meaning to be sacrilegious!)  

You have been teased enough with my TOP SECRET project! It is time for the unveiling! (Right after I preface the photo!)

My darling sister, Ashley Elizabeth Burgin-Young, turned 25 this past Wednesday. I had plans to come in on the 23rd to celebrate her birthday and my little sister's, which was on the 18th. I had to unfortunately cancel my trip due to lack of funding and scheduling issues. I really wanted to celebrate Ashley's birthday with her, so I devised a plan to surprise her on her birthday, with the help of my mother(she paid for my gas :D). My last day of classes was the day of her birthday, so I would drive straight to Maryville after class to Margarita's, a Mexican restaurant where my family was taking Ashley for her birthday. Of course, I would not show up empty-handed, so I made her birthday cake, which is my TOP SECRET project! Anybody who knows my sister knows of her "Sex and The City" obsession. So, I based her cake off the main symbol of the hit series/film: the Manolo Blahnik. Here is the inspiration:

Gorgeous, right?

I then devised my attack plan for the cake. I wanted to make a high heel modeled after this shoe out of gum paste and a cake shaped like a shoebox. I started the cake on the 18th by molding my high heel out of gum paste. For those who are interested in using gum paste, it takes DAYS to dry! 

While the shoe sole dried, I decided on the cake flavor: A hybrid of Dark Chocolate and Devil's Food Cake with an Orange-infused Whipped Cream Frosting! How delicious does that sound? 

The cake after being torted and iced, time for crumb coat and fondant!

The fondant was frozen in sheets to obtain the crisp edges of a shoebox! Here is the final product:

Now, how to surprise my sister. I arrived in Maryville right after they got to the restaurant. I called my sister's phone and began singing "Happy Birthday" as I walked in. I had my mother make sure her back was to the door. As I finished, I told her to turn around and there I was right behind her. She looked at me for 2 seconds with the most confused face and then BAWLED her eyes out! She had no clue! I wouldn't trade that moment for the world! I love me sister so very much!

Here we are at Margarita's :D

One last picture! Here is a picture of one of her birthday presents. He is a Chorkie(Chihuahua/Yorkie)!

Adorable!

Well, if I type anymore, my fingers may just runaway! Thanks for reading and have a great night and tomorrow! Check back next week for an all new culinary adventure!

Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan:

Ingredients:

1 Eggplant, Peeled and sliced 1/4" thick

2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs, or regular

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 jar/can Spaghetti sauce

1 package Mozzarella cheese

1 cup Parmesan, grated

1 tsp dried basil

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Peel and slice eggplant to 1/4" thick slices

-Dip eggplant in egg then roll in breadcrumbs, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

-Bake for 10 minutes 

-Remove from oven and layer pie dish with a coating of sauce, then a layer of eggplant, then cheese. Repeat and end with cheese on top. 

-Sprinkle basil on top

-Bake for 20-30 or until golden brown

-Serve and enjoy!

The Lazarus Effect

Break out your best champagne! "New Day, New Way" is back! Excuse me while I do my happy dance...





What have I been doing since the last blog that has kept me away?

Well, I am glad you asked! Starting a business, working, and being a full-time student takes up quite a bit of time. Since the success of my tractor cake, the orders are steadily starting to come in! My most exciting order is for a wedding this summer. The bride wants a 3-tier cake covered in white fondant with a pink ribbon around each tier base. Her flowers are the Stargazer Lily and Pink & White Orchids, she wanted these incorporated, too. Here is what I came up with:

Gorgeous, right? 

I have also been contacted to do a groom's cake of a Boba Fett helmet, lol. This is going to be an interesting challenge. I know I can do it, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to pull it off. The real challenge is the flavoring. I asked for a flavor, I got blueberry as my answer. This stumped me, so I asked my fellow foodies. We came up with a lemon cake and blueberry cream cheese icing... I'm sorry, I think I just drooled all over my laptop. What a great combination this will be :D 

Another cake I did was my first sheet cake. I bought the pan over a month ago, so I have been looking for a chance to use it. The Dean's birthday was coming up, so I was hired by his office to make his cake. This was a challenge, for sure. Getting buttercream smooth and even on a cake is a challenge! Also, making buttercream roses is no easy task, too. Here is the final product:

In my last blog, I made mention of a cupcake order for 100 of my Chocolate-Coconut Cupcakes! Well, I did it. My client wanted the coconut inside of the buttercream, so I had to pipe out cream cheese icing with a crap ton of coconut for 100 cupcakes. My arm hurt for a week.

100 Cupcakes All Boxed Up!

Now, on to my newest culinary endeavors: 

This past weekend, I swear to goodness that I had the strangest cravings... I blame it on "16 and Pregnant!" They were filming at my office on Friday, lol. What were my cravings you ask? Cookies(and not just any cookie, the Keebler Chips Deluxe Rainbow Cookies) and hushpuppies. I told you they were random... I gave in and went to Kroger. My goodness, those cookies were amazing. While stuffing my face with cookies, I started making my hushpuppy batter and heating the oil. I used a Paula Deen recipe, which was fabulous (I will place the recipe at the end of this blog). I started by chopping my onion. I normally hate onions, but you can't achieve the flavor of hushpuppies without them. You then mix your flours and corn meal with baking soda and salt. After mixed, you throw in the onion to coat them in your flour. In a seperate bowl, mix buttermilk and an egg, and then add to mix. Once oil is ready, you just plop tablespoon sizes of dough in and fry.

 After about a minute or until golden brown, they are ready! They beat the heck out of any hushpuppy I have had before. 'Twas wonderful!

I could only eat two or three of them, so I froze the rest! They freeze very well, I reheated a few of them a couple of days later :p 

Chocolate and Fruit, my new favorite thing. Today, one of the advisors I work for, who is also a loyal reader, received a gift from Edible Arrangements. I received the gift while she was at lunch and told her it was from MTV, lol. I also told her they wanted to start a new show with her called "Advise'd," which is like "Punk'd" :p I think it made for a more interesting story than it was from two professors. Anyway, the gift was chocolate-covered strawberries. I have never eaten a strawberry. I know. Shameful. She offered me one, and I was very hesitant, at first. They have always scared me because of the way they look on the outside. I finally took one, and oh my goodness... I may have a new favorite fruit. It was so juicy and flavorful with a nice texture. It was totally not what I expected.

So delicious!

I have another new culinary adventure to post, but it is top secret for now! It will be revealed April 30th! Only myself, my roommate, and one other person know of it's details. Be sure to check in on that day for a full pictorial and vlog!

Well, that is it for this edition of "New Day, New Way - Kitchen Edition 2010!" I am off to the grocery store for special new ingredients for the next blog! Until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!

Hushpuppy Recipe:
1 1/2 c Self-Rising Corn Meal
1/2 c Self-Rising Flour
1 Small Onion - Chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Egg - Lightly Beaten
1 c Buttermilk
Oil for frying

-Mix together dry ingredients
-Add onion and mix
-In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk and egg, then add to dry mix.
-When oil reaches 350 degrees, drop tablespoon sized balls of batter into oil
-Fry for 1 minute or until golden brown