Sugar Pie's Blythe Experience

2 days, a root canal and restless nights sleep

What a pleasant trip it was to the dentist this afternoon.....went in for a root canal and prep for a crown but after a few failed attempts to set the post for the crown I was sent away with just the root canal and now have 2 more appointments to finish the (expensive) job instead of one.

But painful swollen face aside, I started the first level of prep for saturday night with the blending and freezing of the first set of 'ices' for the surprise bubbles. These ones are Sambucca with a sage flower. You'll just have to wait for the photos to see the pretty pale lilac sage flower suspended in its liquefied, gel coated bubble of licorice liqueur. in the morning I will make the next batch - Cherry liqueur with a suspended garnish of edible red glitter then tomorrow evening the last batch made with coffee infused vodka (a small bottle of vodka has been in our fridge today slowly turning a golden coffee shade thanks to a generous handful of freshly roasted whole coffee beans) with a suspended coffee bean. If I am feeling particularly daring then early saturday morning I may put a 4th flavour in to freeze in the form of a Pina-colada flavour.....not sure yet.

Plan for tomorrow is to get up early, hit the green grocers at Westridge and then pick up the prawns from Bernies. Then home to make a batch of rice paper wrapped 'Fluer de Sel Caramels' (salted caramels). Then pop the chicken and lamb cutlets (which I will be french trimming myself) into their marinades.

After lunch it's on to a bit of baking whipping up a batch of small eclairs ready for filling saturday morning and a nice batch of Persian Macaroons ( Pistachio macaroons with Rose Cream). These will be made and filled tomorrow so the flavours can infuse overnight to give that gooey centre that surprises after the crunchy outside is breached.

In the evening, after cooking dinner for hubby (something nice and easy I think - I think he wants chicken parcels) it will be tim eto make the chocolate mousse and cheesecake fillings ready to be added to their cases saturday.

Before bed, the last job will be the Champagne Granita - last dinner party it was mint granita, this time I am using my fave pink champagne 'Yellowglen, Bella' with rose petal and silver leaf.

Maybe if I am not too tired I will add a few photos to the blog and a run through of saturdays tasks before I hit the pillow!

May dreams of sugar plums dance in your head,

xoxo

Sugarpie.

 

4 days and a trip to the big smoke

Had to go to work in Brisbane today so used it as an opportunity to check out some of the shops and pick up some Jelly Belly Beans for saturday night. I was thinking of plain single colour bowls but when I saw their 'Ice-Cream Parlour Mix' it was too cute to resist....

These will look great mixed into the table decorations (some pink candles, a couple of little pink vases with individual floral stems, a Chinotto bottle full of little pink buttons to hold the sparklers). Behind the bowl are the goodie bags done up for everyone with a selection of pink lollies (Nerds, Mentos, Candy Apple bar, Popping Candy, pixie stix, party poppers, glow sticks, champagne truffle).

The vodka is in the fridge infusing it's yummy flavours (coffee, cherry and liquorice) for the 'Surprise bubbles' , decorations are made, and the table in my craft room is covered with all the bits and pieces.

Bring friday so I can get things going,

xoxo

Sugarpie.

7 days left and some fun shopping

So no pictures tonight but today we had plenty of fum shopping for bits and pieces and hubby is cooking me dinner while I update this.

Had a great time visiting the Restaurant and Caterers warehouse, oh if only I had unlimited funds I could have gone to town! I bought some cute bamboo 'boats' for individual serves of the Jewell Salad. Some white spoons for 'Surprise Bubbles' (reverse spherification cocktails), a new glass mixing bowl, silver colander (just like Julia) and some bulbs for the syphon.

Then it was off for table supplies - normally I hate plastic tableware but this time I went for cute over classy and picked up the cutest candy pink plates, knives and forks. White table clothes (disposable of course) and a pretty pink glass bowl and a mini pink vase. Balance this with white and silver platters and food servers and I think we are on a winner.

I am making some pretty crepe paper flower decorations to mix in with the real flowers (a talented young lady from work called Owl  - yes her real name, so cool - made some, and I just love them). We have the fairy lights, tea lights and all the sparkly things.

Everyone will also get a pink candy bag some great child-hood faves  - cherry and grape nerds, pink pop rocks, cherry mentos, pink pixie stix along with party poppers and sparklers.

Cath has already put her hand up to come over early next saturday to help with some prep.

Oh and there is a special secret dessert that I am preparing ... here's a hint, I need 4 metres of 0.5cm flexible tubing, agar, and some sweet tropical flavours.......are you curious yet? Well you'll have to come back to see what it is!

Take time to enjoy the fun things,

xoxo

Sugarpie.

13 days and a plate of Strawberry Caviar

Yesterday we had great fun playing with the compounds and after a bit of practice with height and drop rate we managed to get a fairly decent little plate of Strawberry 'Caviar' Pearls. With another practice run this weekend I think I should be able to master it fairly well.

So thanks to some creative thinking by hubby I can get even closer to recreating my own version of Heston's Jekyll and Hyde Gin cocktail.

We picked up a glass demijon with a solid rubber bung that he has drilled and threaded with a tight fitting length of pvc tube. So I am building my cocktail like this.....

The base layer will be strawberry caviar pearls topped with a 'mint tab' (mint essential oil on a gelatin tab). Then using the demijon filled with mint, lime zest and special bits and pieces, dry ice and a warm cucumber tea, the scented 'Air' will be infused into the soda water creating the next layer with the addition of white rum. The aromatic concoction will be topped with a lime foam.

That should hopefully get everyones apetite going for the meals.

till the next one,

xoxo

Sugarpie.

17 days and the best book ever (All Hail Heston Blumenthal)

So it has been an eventful week. On monday evening at work I bit into an teeny tiny M&M and low and behold I cracked a tooth and dislodged a temporary band on the tooth up into my gum. Lucky my lovely dentist filled it temporarily for free until I can get the root canal and crown at the end of the month. So the tooth doesn't hurt but my gum is swollen and I feel like I have been slapped in mouth!

To cheer me up on tuesday after I got home from work hubby surprised me with my anniversary present early (it's not till the end of the month) - the traditional 10 year gift is tin so he gave me a new flour sifter (which I do actually need) and then.....

I just adore Heston Blumenthal and have been wanting to buy this book for so long but it was outside my pay range. I told hubby last week that I had put it on hold to pick up next pay day as it is bonus time but he went and picked it up the next day and had it hiding in his office! Love him to pieces for being so sweet.

I have been sitting up the last few nights reading the first section and have been writing down every book he mentions so I can try and check them out myself. I am now up to the 'recipe' section and love the whole history behind each recipe, the how, when and why. Heston truly is a food genius.

Well hubby also picked up the Cointreau for me to practice making the 'caviar' on the weekend. Can't wait - this is going to be so much fun.

Anyway, off to bed with some pain killers - hope to feel better in the morning.

xoxo

Sugarpie

20 days and sugar cookie invite success

So today I iced my cookie invites, so my icing technique still needs practice but I think I got better towards the end. Anyway my little parcels are complete and ready to pass on tomorrow.

I'm pretty happy with how they worked out.

Now I am waiting for my Molecular Gastronomy kit from Redspooncompany.com so I can start practicing spherification. I plan to make my own 'Cointreau Caviar' to be served on smoked salmon blinis as well as as raspberry spheres to mix in to a cocktail creation.

well 'sweet dreams',

xoxo

Sugarpie.

21 days and it's iced sugar cookie time

So it's time to do the invites for the dinner party (even though I know everyone has confirmed as is keen to go) and I have decided to move away from paper and card and into the realm of edible art! The plan is a pile of cookies with each one giving more party details as you move through the pile. From top to bottom it will be:a candy jar, a heart, a house, a teapot and on the bootom a big daisy with it's own cute little cookie bug!

So this afternoon I am baking my cookies using a favourite sugar cookie recipe:

2 cups plain flour, 175g unsalted butter, 130g caster sugar, 1 egg yolk and 1/2 tsp cinnamon  - mix and roll, cut out your cookies and bake for 10 minutes at 180c. Yummy.

And then I'll be ready for the icing:

Even the left-overs have a purpose. Tomorrow the Weber boys are coming to visit while 'mum' has a well earned rest. While the older Mr Weber sits outside with my other half doing their 'man stuff', the younger Master Weber will be decorating cookies for his mum! Mmmm better tell them to bring an extra tshirt - it could get messy!

So off now for some baking fun -

XOXO

Sugarpie.

24 days and a little 'designer crush'

So I have been trawling the net and magazines for inspiration for my little sisters wedding next year some time (come on Tim, set a date already) and I came upon the cutest dress ever in one of the wedding magazine articles. I am so in love with this address but sadly it doesn't come in my size!!!!! C'mon deigners how hard is it to go up an extra size and cater for size 16. Do you really want us 'at home sewers' to copy your designs instead of buying them from you? Anyway, here is the pretty little coral creation from the brilliant Jayson Brundson

Isn't it pretty! It makes me think of afternoon tea, Alice in Wonderland and sugar cookies. I am so in love with this dress. If you are a size 8 or 10 and like the dress try www.the-dreamery.com/Designers/Jayson-Brundson.

So I'm off now to write the shopping list for the dinner party before heading to work. I am so excited, I have a couple of lovely crafty ladies at work who are going to help me make the tonne of crepe paper flowers that I need for the gazebo which will make things much easier.

Stay smiling, 

xoxo

Sugarpie.

25 days left and the cutest mini eclairs...

So sunday night in the 'test kitchen' I had a practice run of my Choux Pastry recipe and made the cutest little chocolate eclairs for the test run.

Choux Pastry

30 g butter

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup plain flour

2 eggs

In a small saucepan bring water and butter to the boil, tip in flour and beat with a wooden spoon over heat until the dough comes away from the side of the pan and forms a ball.

Remove from heat and beat in the egges using an electric mixer. Using a Piping bag and a number 11 nozzle pipe 5 cm lengths onto a sheet of baking paper.

Bake at 220oC for 7 minutes then turn the oven down to 180oC and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, slit the side of each eclair with a serated knife and place back in the oven for no more than 5 minutes to dry out the insides.

Pastries can be kept in an air tight container for up to 4 days. To 'crisp' then up before filling put them on a cake rack and in thye oven at 150oC for about 5 minutes.

Fill each eclair with a flavoured custard of your choice (make the custard eclair friendly fold in some whipped cream to lighten it).

 

Melt some chocolate (a mix of milk and dark choc melts works best), add 15g butter and beat till 
smooth. Dip the tops of the eclairs into the melted chocolate - 'sweep' the eclair through the choc to get that nice surface.

Enjoy!

 

XOXO Sugarpie.

29 days and an online shopping spree

So no pretty pictures to share but a tonne of ideas instead.

First things though, the visit to Rocky was lovely. Our new god daughter Charlotte is soooo cute. with her big eyes and gorgeous red hair (yep, she's a ginger ninja blessed from both sides of the family) Charlotte never stops gigling and smiling.....except when she fell asleep in  my arms during her naming ceremony.

We had bought her the cutest little overalls with pink and red stitching and a pretty pink embroidered long sleeve top for underneath from Pumpkin Patch but one of the studs was faulty and broke when we tried to put them on. So the next day I went back and did a swap for a cute pair with blue and yellow flowers and so of course I had to get a yellow T-Shirt (with pretty ruffly sleeve edges with little bows) which of course led to a cute little yellow bucket hat!!!

So my promise to Charlotte on her naming day is to teach her to cook amazing food and to spend all of daddy's money shopping.

That brings us to the shopping part.

Have just been to The Gourmet Grocer Balmain's on-line store looking at little delicacies for the dinner. Have made my list ready for some ordering on wednesday. They carry a line  products for use in Molecular Gastronomy recipes so I am picking up some Spherical compounds and an emulsifier and may some Fizzy!!!

Best of all though is that they stock Persian Fairy Floss (Pashmak) which I will be using on one of the desserts as a special luxury treat.

So I may also have to think of a new dish to replace the Jewel Salad as it seems I have missed the pomegranate season and unless I can find a suitable replacement I will have to pick something else!

Off to search for more  new and exciting things to try - and to make some of the pretty decorations.

xoxo

Sugarpie.