The hunt for baking supplies

I love living in Canada but it is difficult to get baking supplies that are from Canadian suppliers. I've ordered from the States which works but the import tax and be a killer. I've also ordered more specialized items from Ebay, this is also easy but the shipping can add up. If I could find a Canadian company that supplied a good selections of baking and pastry supplies I would be on happy girl. What I have found is Golda's Kitchen, www.goldaskitchen.com. I've made several orders from Golda's, they're priced reasonably and ship within two days. If anybody knows of any others please share.

I know this is a baking blog but I cook as well and am leaving a Parmesan Flan recipe. It's easy and very tasty!

Parmesan Flan

• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Clove peeled and cut in half Garlic
• 4 Eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 200 g finely grated parmigiano reggiano
• Salt
• White pepper
• 750 ml milk & cream

1. Bring the milk, cream, bay leaf and garlic to the boiling point in a saucepan.
2. Add cheese, turn off the heat, cover, and leave to infuse 15 minutes.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Temper into the cream mixture
4. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Strain into a baking dish or into six ramekins.
6. Set in a bain-marie and bake until just set, 30 to 45 minutes.

Tiers or Cupcakes?

Are cupcakes the new "in" thing of is it just me? In the past year, I've made several cupcake cakes for a variety of occasions from weddings to baby showers. I personally love them, not only are they fun, they are somewhat practical. In regard to wedding cakes, cupcake cakes present a different feel from the more traditional tiered cake. They have a relaxed feel with regards to their look and to their service. Once the cake ceremony is done, guests can indulge as they see fit. I will guarantee you that by the end of the night, every single cupcake will be gone. Another bonus of the cupcake is that it's easy to incorporate several flavors to suite a crowd. I'm not taking anything away from the beauty and grandeur of the tiered cake, cupcakes are just something cool to think about when considering cakes. One pet peeve I do have about cupcakes is too much icing! Relax on the icing and make sure the balance between icing and cake is just right! That's just me though, I know everybody has their own idea of the right balance of icing to cake.

MMMMMarshmallows!!!!

Recipes are some of the best gifts to give. When I give a gift I try to make it homemade, time permitting of course. I also like to include the recipe I've baked with the goodies. Like a mini recipe exchange, as I pass on my recipes, I receive a few in return, it's great!! Because I specialize in sweet stuff, my gifts are usually something baked. This can be tricky when the goodies have to travel. For this reason, I'm passing on my marshmallow recipe. They can be made ahead of time and last for a long time. Another great thing about them is that they are a blank palate for the flavor of your choice. Some yummy ones to try are mint, coconut, strawberry and toffee. Try to use extracts as you don't want to add too much moisture to the mixture but for the fruit ones, add a couple of tablespoons of thick compote to give the marshmallows a great coloring.

Marshmallows

• 3 pkg gelatin
• ½C water
• 1 ½c sugar
• 1 c light corn syrup
• ¼tsp salt
• 1T vanilla extract

STEPS

1. Combine the gelatin and water in the bowl of a mixer
2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and salt with ½ water in a saucepan and cook until dissolved and reaches 240 degrees. Remove from heat.
3. Place the bowl with the gelatin and water over steam to dissolve gelatin
4. With mixer on low slowly pour the syrup into the gelatin.
5. Turn the mixer to high and mix until it is very thick about 8-12 minutes.
6. Add flavorings and vanilla. Add as much extract as you want to achieve the desired taste. Try peppermint and put them in spiked hot chocolate, yum!
7. Press into a pan lined with parchment paper and pan spray. This step gets messy!
8. Allow marshmallows time to set at room temperature. Cut and roll in icing sugar. Keep in airtight container.

Beautiful Tofino Wedding

I've just returned from a beautiful wedding in Tofino and believe it or not, the sun was shining most of the weekend!! That in itself is a success! There was another great success accomplished this past weekend, a wedding cake travelled from Victoria to Tofino sans problem! The mission, to transport the three tier cake in the heat of summer. The mode of transportation, an 1982 Westfalia minus any modern form of AC. The terrain travelled, hilly, bumpy and hot! The outcome a nerve racking success!! Suggestions to others who attempt this mission are as follows:

-keep the cake untiered

-keep it low profile, close to the floor of the vehicle

-keep it covered.

-do not use a Westy as your delivery method. As much as I love my van, it's a tad more stressful then something that has AC and shocks!

As soon as I have photos uploaded, I will post one.

Cheers,

Meaghan

To blog or not to blog? That is not a question!! I'm finally entering the world of the blog! Welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy the reading and find some of the information useful. For today, I will introduce myself to give you an idea of who I am and why I've started to blog.

As you may already know, my name is Meaghan O'Brien and I live in Victoria, BC. I've been baking since I can remember and completed my culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Recently, I have decided to put my love and efforts into my business, Cake My Day. Through this, I am able to express my love for sweets while adding an important piece to any occasion. I'm looking forward to reading other blogs as well as sharing my thoughts with others with like interest as well as people who are new to the word of cakes and need questions answered. Thank you for your time and we'll chat later.

Meaghan

Cake My Day