Hello hello! Here's a quick recap of the last month...and I promise, you'll be receiving "s'more" posts soon on the happenings at The Chocolate Season!!
This Easter was fabulous, I couldn't believe how big a hit these eggs were! You all went crazy for the painted milk, dark and white eggs...I couldn't tell if it was because they were so pretty? or because they came with your favorite treat...white mudballs inside! But your comments and suggestions were the inspiration for this special, so we'll make sure to do something like this again next year!
Also had some fun with my sorority sisters at
Chi Omega's Eleusinia. We made some cardinal and straw-themed bejeweled truffles as a part of the table centerpieces and also donated some nostalgic caramels and the most adorable Chi-o celebration cake ever!
It was a chocolate cake torted with chocolate caramel ganache, iced in Italian buttercream and covered in marshmallow fondant with a chocolate wrap accent. We also made some edible fondant owls, fondly named Roger and Lulu :) It was fun reuniting with Chi-o alum and active members, as well as my beautiful sorority family: felicia, hannah and jena (julie is also my lil' sis, but still in africa, and we're anxiously awaiting her return!)
In the kitchen, I've been having some good times experimenting with artisan breads (this one was slashed a bit too deep...resulting in a "knobby" look!) :P
and with tarts, making a chocolate raspberry tart, and also my new favorite, nutella s'mores tart.
It's a sweet tart dough, layered with nutella, baked chocolate ganache topped with hazelnuts and then finished with a uber-yummy marshmallow icing! This icing is fabulous on graham crackers, tarts, or cupcakes, and can be "torched"! (i love torching anything and everything if possible!) If you want to try it at home, here's the recipe:
Marshmallow Icing:
1 1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 T. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows
combine the first 4 ing. together in a glass or metal bowl. use a double boiler (get a pot of water, fill 1/2 way, and put at a simmer. place mixing bowl on top of pot of water (you don't want the bowl to touch the water though) keep it at a simmer, and start beating the mixture with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. (this will take several minutes...and stiff peaks will be like if you're beating, then turn off your mixer, and left up the beaters, a peak will form in the bowl, and if the tip of the peak doesn't flop over, then you're good to go!)
mix in the mini marshmallows and vanilla, continue to stir or beat till combined. let cool to room temp then you can pipe with a ziplock baggy or piping bag, or just spread on the top of the tart with a knife. if you have a blow torch, i love to "torch" the icing for that browned effect, but its still great without the torch!
So, I hope you take some time to add a little bit of sweetness to your life, and look forward soon to a post about the launching of our sugar-free truffle line before Mother's Day, a fabulous and "slightly floral" gift for your mom, ideas for your graduate, and some fun pictures from Easter weekend with the fam!
I met so many wonderful people, learned new skills and theories, (like using an airbrush, as seen below)
and thought of a ton of more equipment i want to buy! *uh-oh!* :P
