The new ParentDish: helping raise kids of all ages
Posts with tag flowers

Mother's Day cake

Mother's Day CakeEvery mom loves flowers-- except the ones who are allergic. So what's better than getting flowers for mom on Mother's Day? Making her a cake with flowers on it, of course!

I began with two 6-inch round cakes, leveled and stacked with a layer of buttercream between. I then iced the entire thing with white buttercream and let sit for a couple of minutes before smoothing. To get a 'fondant finish' (smooth like fondant but tasty like icing), I used my wooden fondant roller and a Viva paper towel and gently rolled over the surface of the cake.

I found a Wilton tulip and daisy muffin pan and thought it was perfect for baking flowers for the top of a cake. Each flower was leveled so it would sit evenly on top and alternate in a circle. The daisies were iced using tip #220. When I got it, I really thought this tip was going to make a neat drop flower but mostly it just makes pretty fat swirls. I made the centers with small pale yellow fondant circles. For the tulips, I used tip #3 so you could see a basic outline of the petals shape then did a small star tip to fill them in.

It still looked a little plain so I decided to use the flower fondant cutouts and make alternating colors of daisies and tulips for that as well. As an extra touch, I took dark purple fondant and cut out a butterfly shape. I shaped them over a bent piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil and let them dry overnight. I made four just in case I broke one which was good because I ended up breaking two.

Once I added a little green grass around the edge to finish it off, it was all done. As a mom myself, I think I would much prefer to get these flowers than the kind that come in a vase.

Gallery: Mother's Day cake

Candied spring flowers

cupcake with candied flowersApril showers bring May flower-covered cupcakes. Yes, spring is in full swing, time for the ultimate in stunningly beautiful, impress-all-your-friends-with-little-effort cake decoration: sugared flowers.

Martha Stewart has an instructional video on how to candy flowers, definitely a Good Thing. Start with pesticide-free edible flowers, such as pansies, marigolds, roses, dianthus, violets. Mix egg white or meringue powder in water and brush onto the petals with a clean paint brush, then sprinkle front and back with extra-fine sugar. Dry on a rack for two to four days until completely dry, then use to make adorable cupcakes like the ones in the picture.

Flowers on the cake

Demonstrative image of a new product called CakeVase.Have you ever looked at a cake with flowers on top and thought about possible hygiene issues? Or have you just wondered how they did that? There hasn't been any kind of industry standard, but the new CakeVase would not be a bad start.

Most of the time, decorators just put a plate on top of the cake with a floral arrangement on that. One problem with that is the plate may be too heavy. Also, you have no way water the flowers, so you may have some wilting by the end of the day. And no one recommends sticking flowers directly into a cake.There are ways around these problems without the CakeVase of course, but this gadget really does appear to make the task pretty easy, clean, and hygienic.

The website has more information and examples, as well as links to where it can be purchased. It's not too pricey, either. You get three vases for $13.93. There are two sizes of the regular vase, and one that's a ring so you can have flowers just around the edge. The CakeVase can help easily add a touch of elegance to your next cake.

Flowers bloom on Parisian plates

The closest I ever got to dining at New York City's top-flight French restaurant La Grenouille was pressing my greasy nose against the window to envy the beau monde flitting about the exquisite floral arrangements. At the time I worked around the corner, and knew even less about French food than I do now, which is to say "practically nothing." These days I can at least pronounce the names of the mother sauces.

Nowadays I hear the motherland of haute cuisine has started transplanting flowers from the vase to the plate. French chefs are whipping up creations ranging from carnation and herb salad to veal in daisy gravy. The pretty plate above was created by three-star (Michelin, naturellement) chef Yannick Alléno, who recently declared, "France is now my garden." The dish consists of king crab with rock rose, chickweed and borage flowers.

At the risk of being gauche, this floralization begs the question: Can high-concept tiki bars where patrons with edible leis consort with the chefs be far behind?

Community gardens yield more than the harvest

You don't have to be gregarious or adventurous to start or be part of a community garden. If you're lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with an available spot of ground, say 80'x80', you have the beginnings of a great social experiment. Here in Boulder, this was inclusive to the development plans in my neighborhood so procuring growing space wasn't a problem. I thought getting people to sign up and rent plots (this wasn't my job) would be an issue. Not so. It was what should be grown that got thorny. Most wanted veggies and flowers. Some wanted only flowers and vice versa. In the end it was an even mix. We even had edible flowers: I ate carnation petals right from the plant, and later steeped in sherry. The point is, a typical 9-5 person doesn't have time to tend a large garden. When folks come together and each grow their specialty, we all get to cook the many varieties of squash, cabbages, onions, roots and shoots. I never cared for Zucchini but my neighbor three houses down traded me some zukes for a futures claim on my pumpkins. The zucchini bread was eaten in one sitting; she plans to make pumpkin bread next month. It may sound corney, so to speak, but growing food with people you didn't know really brings food into focus. At least that's been my experience.

Our garden's first year was a success. Nothing was poached and there was a healthy competitive nature to the venture. The only "failure" was the tomatoes. Hard to grow at altitude with minimal care. Other than that, if you have the opportunity, you might start here.

Tip of the Day

Have you ever stashed a Coke in the freezer, hoping to chill it quickly, then forgotten all about it, only to have it explode all over your frozen peas?

Slashfood Features


What is it?
Beef (507)
Bread (13)
Candy (446)
Cheese (440)
Chocolate (759)
Comfort Food (615)
Condiments (207)
Dairy (490)
Eggs (253)
Fish (316)
Fruit (873)
Grains (594)
Meat (226)
Nuts/seeds (284)
Pork (288)
Poultry (382)
Rice (20)
Shellfish (145)
Soups/Salads (25)
Spices (283)
Sugar (394)
Vegetables (1117)
Holidays
Christmas (68)
Easter (20)
Halloween (40)
Hanukkah (9)
New Year's (11)
St. Patrick's Day (13)
Thanksgiving (49)
Valentine's Day (31)
Memorial Day (0)
Mother's Day (32)
Passover (7)
News
Artisan Foods (14)
Bakeries (119)
Books (708)
Business (1089)
Celebrities (54)
Coffee shops (171)
Farming (375)
Fast Food (206)
Food News (30)
Health & Medical (705)
How To (1179)
Lists (715)
Local Eating (43)
Magazines (450)
New Products (1344)
Newspapers (1407)
On the Blogs (2077)
Raves & Reviews (1042)
Recipes (2015)
Restaurants (1266)
Science (674)
Site Announcements (171)
Stores & Shopping (906)
Television/Film (536)
Trends (1256)
Vegetarian/Vegan (39)
Features
Guilty Pleasures (15)
Raising the Bar (6)
Tip of the Day (45)
Alt-SlashFood (42)
Back to School (14)
Brought to you by the letter D (37)
Cookbook of the Day (394)
Cooking Live with Slashfood (80)
Cooking Without a Recipe (3)
Culinary Kids (218)
Did you know? (438)
Fall Flavors (124)
Feast Your Eyes (23)
Food Gadgets (442)
Food Oddities (874)
Food Porn  (875)
Food Quest (168)
Frugal Food (62)
Garden Party (25)
Grilled Cheese Day (34)
Hacking Food (107)
Happy Hour (203)
Head to Tail (32)
in sixty seconds (347)
Ingredient Spotlight (13)
Leftovers  (40)
Light Food (181)
Liquor Cabinet (162)
Lush Life (221)
Our Bloggers (17)
Pizza Day (39)
Pop Food (142)
Pumpkin Day (10)
Real Kitchens (76)
Retro cookery (108)
Sandwich Day (31)
Slashfood Ate (80)
Slashfood Bowl 2008 (17)
Slashfood Challenge (1)
Slashfood Talks (3)
Slow cooking (50)
Spirit of Christmas (174)
Spirit of Summer (171)
Spirited Cooking Day (29)
Spring Cleaning (23)
Steak Day (19)
Super Bowl XLII (73)
Super Size Me (115)
The Best ... in All of New York (13)
The History of... (63)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (677)
Dessert (1176)
Dinner (1295)
Hors D'oeuvres (285)
Lunch (932)
Snacks (1024)
Where Is It?
America (2205)
Europe (439)
France (115)
Italy (138)
Asia (484)
Australia (147)
British Isles (828)
Caribbean (30)
Central Africa (7)
East Coast (530)
Eastern Europe (41)
Islands (51)
Mediterranean (129)
Mexico (10)
Middle East (52)
Midwest Cities (219)
Midwest Rural (67)
New Zealand (61)
North America (70)
Northern Africa (19)
Northern Europe (64)
South Africa (29)
South America (84)
South Asia (120)
Southern States (202)
West Coast (905)
What are you doing?
Baking (698)
Barbecuing (86)
Boiling (126)
Braising (18)
Broiling (33)
Frying (172)
Grilling (153)
Microwaving (31)
Roasting (84)
Slow cooking (25)
Steaming (44)
Choices
 (0)
Fairtrade (10)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (36)
High-fructose corn syrup (12)
MSG (6)
Trans Fats (56)
Libations
Hot chocolate (23)
Soda (147)
Spirits (333)
Beer (286)
Brandy (3)
Champagne (75)
Cocktails (359)
Coffee (339)
Gin (101)
Juice (110)
Liqueurs (48)
Non-alcoholic (12)
Rum (76)
Teas (149)
Tequila (8)
Vodka (144)
Water (79)
Whisky (90)
Wine (573)
Affairs
Celebrations (31)
Closings (9)
Festivals (26)
Holidays (223)
Openings (40)
Parties (193)
Tastings (132)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

Featured Galleries

I scream, you scream...
Food delivery at its finest
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Feast Your Eyes: May
Better Homes and Gardens Barbecue Book
Julep Iced Tea
Loyal Army Food Clothes
Great American Pie Festival
MOMA's funkiest kitchen accessories
Pork Pie Cake
Canstruction Designs
Taste of Vail
 

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Weblogs, Inc. Network

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL