Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

cake

Tiramisu Black Forest Cake

Even since it has been made known that I love to bake I have been getting a few birthday cake requests.  I am by no means a professional (yet!) and my skills quite limited that I was shocked that someone would ask me to perform such a task!  However, I felt very flattered and was most of all excited to have the opportunity to play-ette the role of “baker” to a “client.”  I had so much fun planning and researching recipes that I think I probably enjoyed making the cake more than everyone who ended up eating it.

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Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Hypothetically, the best thing about Thanksgiving is the amount of choices you have when it comes to your plate.  Yams or potatoes? Cranberry sauce or gravy?  Cake or pie?  However, does anyone ever choose one over the other?  I sure don’t. I pile my plate with full servings of everything and finish it clean.  Then, when my pants are unbuttoned and I place my hands on the six month food baby I’ve created in my stomach, I start to think, maybe I should’ve cut back. That’s why you have to bake all your desserts in the mini.  It’s faster, cuter, and you feel less guilty if you decide to sample all of the desserts.


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Brown Butter Pound Cupcakes

I picked up Gourmet at the airport last month when I was flying over here and felt a pang of sadness as I carefully flipped through the penultimate issue.  Even for me, a foodie and blogger newbie, I felt that great sense of shock and disbelief to be witnessing the end of an era.  The legacy and recipes will live on, but all in all the food world has lost one of its greatest pillars.

 

In honor of Gourmet, I thought I’d do a round of recipes from the magazines archives.  So, for the next couple of weeks be on the lookout for those Gourmet recipes you always wanted to try, but never got around to!

To start, I picked the brown butter pound cake recipe in the October 2009 issue.  It hit a chord with me because I love almond meal and thought that brown butter could be pseudo alternative for those who have nut allergies.  I have a friend who’s highly allergic to peanuts and almonds and have always felt like I was wagging a bone in front of a dog whenever I raved about it.  So this is for her and all those other nut allergic individuals.

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Financiers

After my heartfelt ode to the wonderfulness of fall, it rained.  It not only rained, but there was thunder and lightening.  Luckily, the torment of the night passed, and the day is crisp with only a hint of the nightmare before.  The first chill of the season has set in and I’m not quite ready to embrace it just yet.  It’s the sort of day you want to stay in with a good book, or in my case a long list of TV shows to catch up with, and something to nibble on.

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Pumpkin Pie Cake

A few years ago I decided to bake a cake for each of my friends’ and family’s birthdays.  I made everything from the basic white cake to red velvet to strawberry shortcake.  For those who lived outside of New York, I mailed tins filled with brownies, snickerdoodles, and linzer cookies.  I like giving baked goods as presents because it’s personal and different from a store bought gift. I have always greatly appreciated receiving homemade gifts because of the extra effort and thought that goes into it.  It also showcases each person’s talent and unique relationship with you that makes it even more special and meaningful.

I used to think that it was cheap to bring cake as a present, but now I totally disagree!  I think it’s such a sweet (no pun intended) gift, and one that can be enjoyed with so many other people too.  Some of my most memorable birthdays came with homemade cakes.  For my 7th birthday, my mom and my sister cut a yellow sheet cake in the silhouette of a little girl in a dress.  They used candy to make a face and create the dress.  My friends and I got to choose pieces with our favorite type of candy on it.  On my 16th birthday a friend baked a rainbow cake for me which was so striking and festive.  It was so reflective of that time and stage in my life.  But don’t be intimidated! Not all birthday cakes have to be spectacular or memorable.  Even though I’ve had a lot of mediocre slices of frosting slathered cardboard, I still only ask for cake on my birthday.

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