Let Us Eat Cake

Last weekend the New England Dessert Showcase took place at the Marriott Long Wharf. I've never seen so much cake, cookies, brownies and sweets under one roof in my life and we sampled all afternoon.


It was a sea of elegant cakes and cookies.

There were lots of exhibitors doing some really beautiful and inventive things with desserts.


Dessert suggestions.



Have yourself on a brownie!!!

One of our favorites was Simply Divine Brownies who can actually put your picture or logo on a brownie.


Watching the Whirl-Ease-Tea

One of the new things we saw was Whirl-Ease-Tea. Drop one of these sticks into a mug of hot water and stir it around a bit and you've got a cup of sweetened teas. And it's good!


The Food Monkey hosts the presentation demo.

Our fellow Boston food blogger Mike Prerau of The Food Monkey was on hand to host a demo on creating dessert presentations to impress that the attendees seemed to enjoy. They couldn't get enough of those gold leaf decorated brownies. Hey, it's a tough economy out there!


Gold leaf decorated brownies and elegant presentation ideas.



Detail of wedding cake decoration.

All in all it was a great way to spend a beautiful Autumn afternoon on the waterfront and judging by the size of the crowd streaming through it is certain to now be an annual event.


A Grey Goose chocolate raspberry martini.

Special thanks to Lauretta for assisting us on this event!

Weekly Agenda

Monday September 28, 2009
Kickass Cupcakes Happy Hour
5 PM Davis Square, Somerville
Come and get your cocktail-themed free cupcake samples!

Tuesday September 29, 2009
Boston Magazine presents: Wines of Portugal
The Loft
319 A Street Boston

Wednesday September 30, 2009
Screening of "The Surrogates" starring Bruce Willis
This film was shot in Boston.
AMC Loews Boston Common

Thursday October 1, 2009
Dinner Out for a future review
Location: Secret

Friday October 2, 2009
Harvard Book Store Event
Madeleine Albright reads from her illustrated memoir: READ MY PINS
Upstairs on the Square
Cambridge

Weekend away in Maine.

Sleeping In

Weekends are made for a nice breakfast and they can really be easy if you know how.



I use a microwave to perfectly poach eggs, which surprises people as most of my experience is in classically trained cooking. It's simple.



Nuke a bowl of water for one minute. I cover mine with a paper plate.



Crack the egg in, never on the rim of the bowl, always on the counter. It makes for a cleaner break.



Another minute and it's perfectly poached. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon.



Toast the bread and slice the cheese (use the saltiest you have) by hand. I always use very thinly cut meats which I bunch up under the egg and cheese.



Sprinkle it with herb, I've used parsley here, for color and another layer of taste.



That first bite is so delicious as the egg runs over the ham and cheese, melting into the crust of bread. Serve this with a sweet coffee or tea then just laze about with the Sunday papers or a book, listen to music and text or call someone you haven't heard from in years. I love weekends.

Collectibe Coke

The bard of Scotland, Robert Burns, has become the very first person to be pictured on a coke bottle in the long history of the company. The special limited edition bottles issued in honor of his 250th birthday feature the author's likeness between the antlers of a stag.



About one million bottles will be released and according to reports are being snapped up all over Scotland. So leave a little space in that luggage on your next trip to Edinburgh but get there soon. These will only be available through the end of the year.

What is it?

When Bernadette brought these into the office the other day and distributed one to each of us the whole place was abuzz. What the heck was it? There were some creative theories. A strawberry that needs laser hair removal. A red urchin. A "toy" the likes of which civilized people do not discuss in mixed company. She explained it was a dragonfruit but what it actually is is a rambutan. Literally translated rambutan means hairy and the fruit is native to Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In any case, none of us had ever seen or tasted one and in the typical diversity of an office some people devoured them instantly while others saved their precious treasures for later.



Upon slicing open this ugly duckling a perfectly shaped, translucent white swan appears. The flesh of the fruit is sensuously smooth, a melon like texture not unlike lychee, a close relative, with an intense sweetness and fragrant aftertaste that whispers to one like a light citrus cologne on a warm summer night.



It's times like this that I wish I really did own a restaurant so I could plunk a case of these down on the table and gleefully admonish the staff to "play" with these, as Frank McLelland would say, to discover the possibilities. The perfectly shaped vessels could be filled with brightly colored sorbets, a flavorful gel, a miraculous mousse. What, oh what, would Ferran do?



Small note: During this weekend's tech meet-up and re-do (which I hope you enjoy) it was brought up that I am not all that accessible. Well I am all open to criticism and new ideas. So, in addition to my email and twitter link I'd like to add that I will be posting my weekly agenda of events starting next Monday morning. I am always looking for friends to attend with me, really. So just call my mobile and we can have some fun on the town. I often have free tickets.

Another Weekend

I fully realize that at some times I sound like a gossip columnist but I can't help it. I enjoy celebrity and cannot turn down an invite to dress up events! Just as dear to my heart as dining out (which we did) and writing about food (my daily ritual) is cinema and I was lucky enough to be invited, by chance, to attend the opening night of the Boston Film Festival and chat with one of my all time favorite actors Uma Thurman. With 29 films to her credit, this one is a true charmer, full of laughs and new talent.



It's amazing to watch a film and then be able to actually discuss it with the lead actor. YES that was actually Jodie Foster in the cameo. NO they did not rehearse the scene.


Actress Uma Thurman.

When this film opens on October 23 you should really take the time to put aside your life, get out of your space and just watch and listen and laugh.

Motherhood

Chocolate Wars Part I

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate...

I follow the business of chocolate like some follow the travails and triumphs of Manchester United. It all began a few years ago when I was waxing poetic on the joys of Ghiradelli chocolate as one of my favorite brands to friends. Later, I mentioned that one of my least favorites was Lindt. I felt positively cheated on when one of them pointed out that Lindt actually owns Ghiradelli! As heartbroken as a jilted lover I researched this and found it to be true. They had sold me out! Yet, like a Montague happily dining with Capulets I will not give her up until the taste is degraded.


The candy aisles at Cardullo's, Cambridge

My interest was piqued again last week when the New York Times reported the sweet (pardon the pun) deal that Kraft Foods was making in an effort to buy out the Brit brand Cadbury. The U. K. chocolatiers did their due diligence and declined the romance which analysts predict will soon result in more hostile overtures. Even Wall Street and high finance are affected by food, you see. Putting on my reporter's fedora, I investigated a few other brands to prove they are not quite what they seem.


Chopped chocolate for cocoa.

It was once reported that Jackie Onassis was fond of nibbling Godiva chocolates, sold to American consumers as a high end Belgian brand. As it turns out they were until recently owned by Campbell's Soup! The brand was sold to Yildiz, a Turkish food company not long ago. Oh, and Haagen-Dazs (a made-up name)which was also sold as a European luxury brand is owned by Nestle, which many Americans believe is a U.S.A brand but it is not. It's actually a Swiss brand with a violent takeover history of its own. Other surprises include Dagoba and Scharffen-Berger, both owned by Hershey (very surprising) and the Dove brand, owned by M&M/Mars (not that anyone cares).


Snickers Bar by Mars

The Mars brand, however, is the one, true chocolate dynasty left in the world today. With billions of dollars in annual sales the company is still a privately held family business. Begun by the publicity shy Frank C. Mars of Minneapolis in 1920, the small operation has grown to an international kingdom of chocolate, candy, sweets and gum sold all over the world. Their last famous acquisition was the notoriously independent, also family owned, Wrigley gum dynasty of Chicago. Now that's a story we'd love to write.


Harbor Candy Shop, Ogunquit, Maine

Wonderful Weekend Wedding

The only thing better than a city wedding, all urbane and dignified, is a country reception. This mix of things I love. I am so lucky to have a social calendar full of events but this was family, food and fun like I have not had in a long time.


Nana and me post ceremony.


The cattle roamed over the hill as we sipped cocktails on the barn porch.


Becky and Mum discussing F-stop settings.


The Tuoheys of Whitman flew in by helicopter to attend.


Photos in the field.


Amanda, myself and Lindsay, all pinked out.

Hahvahd

Our Tour Guide, Lorenzo

Last week, the images of Kennedy family members was beamed into the homes of millions due to the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy. So, too, the airwaves carried that most distinctive of American accents, the Boston, which, according to the people I talk with on the phone from California for business, is a lilt they love to hear. Enter the "Hahvahd" Tour.

With friends visiting from out of town we decided to go ahead and play tourist for at least part of the weekend. Although Cambridge has been a lifelong stomping ground we have never actually taken a tour of Harvard so we opted to join in on the entertaining ride which came in at the right price: free. It's run by students and our guide was the ever loquacious Lorenzo, a Junior.

The history of Harvard is, of course, akin to the history of America. The tensions between the historic University and the local Cambridge politicians was the stuff of legends in my own home. Take this tiny guard house built by the school for example. The sprawling structure maintains just enough space for one, single individual, standing no less. It's initial design was rejected by the City of Cambridge, on whose property it sits. So, the school was asked to redesign. And then again. And then again. And then two hundred and ninety six additional times until the plan was finally accepted. With architect's fees included it stands as the most expensive (per square foot) piece of real estate in the City at a cost of $57,000.00. Oh, how government loves efficiency.


The most expensive guard house in America.



You'll also learn all kinds of juicy tidbits about what Matt Damon got up to while here (besides not graduating) and why the creators of "The Simpsons" were booted out of their dorms. So, it's not all about John Harvard and all that high falutin educational stuff.



The Hahvahd Tour begins at the kiosk in the center of Harvard Square by Out Of Town News. All are welcome.

Watermelon

It's just my lame luck to discover at the tail end of Summer that Au Bon Pain has been serving up Watermelon in the form of a drink all through the heat. We are not talking flavored syrup and sugar here but fresh chunks of iced watermelon chopped into smoothie nirvana.

Fantasy Dining

As we research a potential trip to San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival we just can't pass up a side trip to Napa Valley, a mecca all foodies long to visit. And we believe we just may have found a brilliant jewel in the crown.

This Merus Winery dining room is absolutely stunning in its simplicity. With a mix of classic design and functionality, the space is literally picture perfect. Graceful. Unique. Inviting.



This incredible blend of an old-world dinner in a cave bathed in total elegance is the stuff TBF dreams are made of. With outstanding reviews for their product, we love their motto of "undiluted quality."

Hope you all enjoy the visual peek.

Long Trips and Laundry

A friend recently called for advice on a trip he'll be taking: a 21 day Celebrity Cruise through the Panama Canal, around the Caribbean and then onto South America. And he's never been on a cruise before! Still, with our experience and many years of work in the travel industry we had lots of advice.

The great part about cruises are all those formal dinners, a true fave here at TBF. Although we'd never be tied down on a ship for that long (we much prefer City stays where we can wander about, off the beaten path, discovering things for ourselves) they can be relaxing and are considered a grand style of travel.

The question that always comes up on such marathon trips is what to do about clothes and laundry? As fashion conscious as we are, we prefer a carefully edited wardrobe and washing along the way. Another product we have found incredibly useful are the SWASH products. We carry these tubes of "smooth it out" and "fresh it up" everywhere.



One is basically a wrinkle smoother and it really works, smoothing out unwanted creases, keeping shirts and dress trousers neat and clean. The freshener eliminates musty, smoky and, yes, even food odors for those nights when you've splurged on dining at the chef's table. Originally designed and marketed for college kids who'd rather party than do laundry, these have become our ardent travel companions.

The product is hard to find. I've never been able to locate it in stores. You can learn more about it here: Swash.

Cocktail Cupcake Happy Hour

Kickass Cupcakes in Somerville

We ticked off yet another event on our foodie calendar on Monday with the Cupcake Cocktail Hour at Kickass Cupcakes in Somerville. This month they featured three varieties.

The "Mudslide"was a chocolate cupcake filled with whipped cream and topped with Kahlua frosting and chocolate shavings. Decadently rich.

The "Peach Daiquiri" was a rum and triple sec tinged vanilla cupcake with sweet peach frosting.

The "Lemon Drop" was a lemon cupcake dunked in Limoncello with lemon frosting and lemon zest.

Don't be scared away by cake so soaked in booze it's like a wet sponge. The cake was perfectly moist in each case and not overpowering of liquor taste. The winner for us was the peach version with its subtle, sweet flavors. It just seemed a perfect balance.

Kickass Cupcakes
378 Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 628-2877

Menu Planners

I am a planner or, as my friends would say, obsessive-compulsive. I like to plan ahead. I never go anywhere without my agenda and notebook. So it stands to reason that I usually plan out my weekly meals. I've also found that doing this I spend less when grocery shopping (although I am always tempted by that unusual, expensive hunk of cheese or a fine pastry) and have fewer leftovers. It's also one less thing to worry about. I just hate when it's 10:00 PM and I realize I have nothing for lunch tomorrow.



This does not mean that I am not taken by that incredible bunch of asparagus that looks good at the market on the way home or making a U-turn for a dinner invite that may come along. Planning also helps to give you some variety, so you're not eating the same, old thing week in and week out. People who plan their meals and use less prepared foods also win in the weight loss department. Takeaway meals five nights a week really packs on the poundage. Organizing like this also means that I can squeeze out the time to actually write this blog!

These handy meal-planning and shopping forms can be found and downloaded (with all kinds of other really useful planning templates) at www.diyplanner.com. Take a look at start planning your foodie pursuits today.