Gourmet tips news

I think I am officially back. I know I keep saying that and then disappear for months at a time, but this time I really mean it! My life was turned upside down, but is now back together. Life is good. This pound cake is one of my favorites. The recipe is easily adjusted to accommodate almost any flavoring you choose. I like the lemon blueberry combination, it is one of my best sellers at a local coffee shop. The cake comes together easily, but it is extremely important all ingredients be at room temperature. When creaming the butter and sugar beat the mixture until very very fluffy, I usually use a timer and set it to five minutes. Once the flour is added, take the bowl out of the mixer stand and fold. After the flour comes in contact with liquids, the gluten starts to form a chemical reaction and if stirred too much the cake will have a tough texture and uneven grain. LEMON BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE WITH LEMON ICING 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature 2 cups granulated su...

Finally- Caramel cake conquered! My last post, yielded a couple of recipes- Thank you! Today I set out to make the cake, I made the icing substituting cream for the half and half. Half and half... not so fond of it- I much prefer heavy whipping cream, sorry I love fat. Proportions were perfect though, I stirred the sugar and cream mixture to 238 degrees- soft ball stage. The icing thickened up perfectly during cooling, it is a little time consuming- an hour's worth of stirring over the stove. But, I will say- worth every single stroke, I licked the spoon and pot clean (yes, I know I have a problem). The icing is perfect- the true test will come when I try to make this mid-summer in 100% humidity, but for now I'm happy and I'll worry about that in June. Caramel Icing 3 cups light brown sugar, packed 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract In a heavy pot combine sugar and cream and cook over low heat whil...