use real butter

I wanted to try my new petit four molds. These are larger than the ones we used in class, but I liked the symmetrical shape and I also wanted to be able to use them for savory appetizers. Call them grands fours then. The pâte sucrée came out flaky and delicate this time. Jeremy said the ones I brought home from class were more crumb-like… That’s because my partner overworked the dough. She also let them sit at room temp too long before baking.

chocolate mousse petit four

pastry cream petit four – this is fabulous with semi-sweet chocolate

Yeah, if I had to make more than a few dozen of these pastries, I would find myself in quite the foul mood. It’s a lot of work for something so tiny.

We’re having Tom and Kellie over tomorrow night to thank them for watching over the house and keeping my plants alive during our trip down under. I’m keeping dinner simple, but I still had to try a few new recipes. I’m going to purée parsnips (which I’ve never done before) because I love it, and I’m going to try a savory bread pudding with gruyère, swiss, parmesan, asparagus, mushrooms, and doesn’t that sound freaking delicious?! I tested a new appetizer, except I will use shrimp and not raw tuna since they don’t dig on raw fish.

crostini, avocado w/ lime, pineapple, tuna, chives, hawaiian pink sea salt

I think it needs some more punch to it, so I’m going to scrape a raw clove of garlic across the crostini after I bake it and mix the sea salt into the avocado instead of sprinkling it on top. The crème brûlées are cooling now. It’s going to be fun and probably the last nice meal I make for a few weeks.

saving out the nice berries for garnish

Jeremy was a doll and washed all of the new glassware for me last night. The new glassware is… well, what I had in mind were a dozen shot glasses. But after considering the logistical issues involved with shot glasses and getting food out of them (yeah – not for doing shots, sorry folks) I realized I wanted wider shot glasses. It also makes for easier cleaning. I like simple, clean lines. I found exactly what I was looking for in some votive cups at Pier 1 (where else?) for cheap. *happy*

It’s that whole individual servings kick that I’m on. Not to mention, I like playing with food in miniature.

nacho bites

blistex for scale

I could have easily bought all 30, except the quality of the other 18 was suspect.