Rose Marigold Flowerfetti Cake

Rose Marigold Flowerfetti Cake

Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House 2014

“Think about it, Charles. You like it here? Yes. And you want to live here all your life?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

A greenhouse filled with vibrant gerberas made a spectacular setting for the 2014 Field to Vase Dinner at Kitayama Brothers Farms. With a table overflowing with flowers arranged by Christina Stembel, founder of Farmgirl Flowers and a fabulous dinner by Original Sin Desserts and Catering the 5th annual Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House began. Flowers and food were locally sourced reminding us that supporting our farmers and growers means a fresher product that also supports the local economy. As Chef Tanya DeCell described each dish we were filled with gratitude knowing that the Monterey Bay of central California shines as a producer of fresh produce and flowers. We spent Saturday touring the Greenhouses and came home with a dwarf Meyer lemon tree, two blueberry bushes, fresh produce, edible flowers and freshly cut roses. Filled with food and flowers this was my kind of weekend.

Essentials

Why use sprinkles to make a summer cake when edible flowers are so beautiful? When Cooking with Flowers was published I planned to make the beautiful Flowerfetti Cake on the dust jacket. With flower petals in the batter, frosting and as decoration the cake was a perfect fit for the Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House. The recipe makes a huge three layer cake using nine eggs and a cup and a half of butter. It also includes a massive amount of yogurt yielding a cake similar in texture and heft to a classic pound cake. The only change I made to the recipe was to use marigold sugar in place of the granulated sugar. Marigold sugar is simply granulated sugar whizzed in the food processor together with marigold petals. The sugar turns a sunny saffron orange that faintly smells and tastes of marigolds. To make the mini cakes I baked the batter in a half sheet pan lined with lightly buttered parchment paper for twenty minutes. There was enough batter left over to make four large cupcakes. I did encounter an issue with the frosting recipe. The cake recipe called for “8 cups (1 batch)” of Flower Frosting whereas the recipe referenced in the book only makes 3 cups. With only one block of cream cheese, I improvised and used an equal amount of butter and more powdered sugar, adding half and half until I reached the desired spreading consistency. READ MORE . . .

Rose Panna Cotta

Rose Panna Cotta

Grace with Thorns

“He’s got a garden laid out with spring water running through it, and he’s set a place apart for flowers, roses and the like, and some of the bushes are coming clear from Boston.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The fourth Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House was a day spent immersed in vivid color framed by every hue of green. The thriving flower industry of Santa Cruz County was almost lost to imported flowers in the1990’s and has made an extraordinary comeback. Consumers are purchasing locally grown flowers in a trend that mirrors the “farm to table” food trend. A highlight of the day was meeting Debra Prinzing, author of Slow Flowers and The 50 Mile Bouquet. Her demonstration made flower arranging seem effortless. Debra remarked that in addition to supporting the local economy, locally grown flowers arrive to market sooner and will last longer. I was surprised to learn that floral foam contains formaldehyde and was excited to hear that my vintage floral frogs are back in style! READ MORE . . .

Strawberry Rose Sandwich Cookies

Strawberry Rose Sandwich Cookies

Cookies for Valentine’s Day

“I’ve got these new sweets for you.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse to overdose on whimsy! Hearts, lace, flowers, I’m dazzled by the fun of it all. Roses are the traditional flower for Valentine’s Day and so with rose petals and rose water I was drawn into the kitchen. READ MORE . . .

Monthly Miettes

Miette Tomboy Cake

Miette Tomboy Cake and freshly-cut pink garden roses

“It sure is nice, said Trixie. Jenny’s girls came over for Faye’s birthday cake and they couldn’t believe their eyes.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I discovered San Francisco’s Miette Bakery during the Scharffen Berger Bakery Crawl last fall. The bakery is an oasis of shimmering pale pink and creamy mint-green, a celebration of sweetness in sight and taste. I purchased the Miette cookbook and after daydreaming about the multi-faceted recipes, set the book aside until Aimee started a blogging challenge—Monthly Miettes. The challenge requires baking a recipe of Aimee’s choice, from the Miette cookbook, each month. In doing so, I would challenge myself to become a better baker. Such ambition! READ MORE . . .