Baking and Eating: A Tale of Two Sisters
Friday, July 22, 2011
Migration
It's been a while, I'm well aware. And I'm here to note that we've migrated to Baking and Eating. I don't know if you read this blog at all, but if you do, we'll be blogging on there from now on.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Baker and Food in Cuba

The non-baker and baker are currently in different cities in different countries and thus the baker finds it necessary to wax poetic about the flavors and textures of Cuban food herself.
After a long arduous day of drifting the streets of La Vieja Habana, learning about the layered architecture from the 20th century, and staring at the imported Asian cars and antique US ones, the baker found herself worn out. It was time for a snack.
She has no kitchen in which to bake for herself in Havana, nor would she really want anything hot, as it is already so hot and humid here. Instead, she wandered into the line outside The Chocolate Museum.
This little chocolate café is in the center of old Havana, near shops and cluttered with people in line to get in and order their chocolate fresca.
As readers of this blog know, the Baker is an odd one because she does not enjoy cocoa flavoring. That means no chocolate pudding or ice cream or milkshakes or milk. However, this cold chocolate drink was a very notable exception.
First the lady fingers arrived. These were different shapes and sizes, but their lack of uniformity made them all the more intruiging. The baker bit into a plain one. The soft crunch was surprisingly airy and savory. But, it was also dusted with cinnamon sugar. Yum.
Then the chocolate fresca came. The tall cool glass was already precipitating from the cool liquid it encased. Foam filled the top eighth of the glass. The first sip was wonderful. It was cold and frothy, yet full of flavor. It was thick and not syrupy. An milky iceshake. Then a straw and a napkin were brought. The baker wiped her chocolate moustache.
Where did the shake go? Was the glass really that small? There was only about a fourth of the glass till full.
She dipped the lady finger cookie. It softened and grew in size a little as the chocolate froth permeated the crisp exterior. Then in her mouth, it dissolved into crumble. Why didn’t I dip this before and order about 5 more of these?
Then the shake was gone. Only the aftertaste of the sweet shake lingered softly and sweetly in her mouth.
Labels:
Baker,
chocolate,
Cuba,
lady fingers,
milk
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Coverage from the All Sweets and Snacks Exp

Because, see there's a bit you have to understand about the expo. It can be overwhelming- both visually and on the palate. And, you only get the one show bag, so you have to make sure not to get too much of any one thing (unless you're absolutely nuts for a particular candy or snack item.) As a result, this year the non-baker had a very simple rule for herself: she was only allowed one bite of any given item. No matter how good or alluring: one bite. And though it was difficult, what with her love of jalapeno popcorn (there must have been at least 7 or 8 different varieties) and when faced with a chocolate company that offered full size turtles as snacks, she stuck to it and came away feeling full but not sickened by the candy in the way that she had been last year.
But enough of the difficulties. Here's a snap-shot of the highlights of the show (for the non-baker):
1. Gross-out Galore


2. The Return of the Toxic Waste Candy


3. Gamer Grub

4. Snacks that won't kill you
At this point the non-baker and the Foreign Correspondent also decided that it would be a good idea to try as many of the savory offerings as possible- particularly because it was still mid-morning and neither of their stomachs had completely woken up enough to process the full offering of sweets available. As a result they tried a number of unusual snacks that were relatively healthy.
They tried some nori (Japanese seaweed) that was crunchy and fun.




5. Inventions?

6. Possibly the Best Idea Ever


7. Super nice companies


8. The Annual Jelly Belly Portrait

9. Aztec Chocolate Man

And there you have it. A belated dispatch from one of the most magical places on earth: the All Sweets and Snacks Expo.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
All Sweets and Snacks
So today the non-baker and the foreign correspondent attended the All Sweets and Snacks Exposition, hosted by the National Confectioner's Association.
Though the non-baker had been before, she found it again, both amazing and overwhelming. The foreign correspondent assessed it as being sort of similar to being a kid in a candy store, except that all of the candy was up for grabs (and was free.) It is truly a magical atmosphere, unlike almost any and every other convention (and not just because around half the attendees go around grabbing candy while they talk to representatives from different companies.)
They both enjoyed it greatly and plan on writing more about it in the coming days. Also, though she was not able to make the convention, the non-baker is planning on making sure that the Baker gets some of the treats that were there so that she can come up with some truly creative recipes incorporating new items from the show.
Though the non-baker had been before, she found it again, both amazing and overwhelming. The foreign correspondent assessed it as being sort of similar to being a kid in a candy store, except that all of the candy was up for grabs (and was free.) It is truly a magical atmosphere, unlike almost any and every other convention (and not just because around half the attendees go around grabbing candy while they talk to representatives from different companies.)
They both enjoyed it greatly and plan on writing more about it in the coming days. Also, though she was not able to make the convention, the non-baker is planning on making sure that the Baker gets some of the treats that were there so that she can come up with some truly creative recipes incorporating new items from the show.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
World's best black bean burger and sweet potato fries

They also make the best sweet potato fries. Crispy and delectable and not too oily.

Labels:
Black bean burger,
Fox and Obel,
fries,
sweet potato
The All Sweets and Snacks Exposition
Recently the non-baker decided that she wanted to do something fun for the Baker, something food related, and something that the Baker had never done before. Last year, the non-baker attended the All Sweets and Snacks Exposition (formerly the All Candy Expo) hosted by the National Confectioner's Association. And the non-baker figured that the Baker would enjoy the opportunity to see all the new sweets and snacks and come up with recipes that incorporated them. And, of course the non-baker loves learning about the new fads in the candy and snack industries. So......in around two weeks, the Baker and the non-baker will be attending the All Sweets and Snacks Expo.
We'll be posting updates at the end of each day of the Expo, with either news about candy and snacks or with recipes that use the items that we find there. Joining us will be our Foreign Cooking/Baking Correspondent, whose familiarity with Russian candies and snacks will allow her to write about the foreign candies and snacks.
We'll be posting updates at the end of each day of the Expo, with either news about candy and snacks or with recipes that use the items that we find there. Joining us will be our Foreign Cooking/Baking Correspondent, whose familiarity with Russian candies and snacks will allow her to write about the foreign candies and snacks.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
And the cupcake craze continues

And, I'm surprised to admit that she shared a relatively straightforward recipe with me:
For the batter:
two egg whites 1/3 cup oil 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup buttermilk a little white sugar white flour baking soda baking powder salt walnuts
Instructions: (as she says) Please mix the wet ingredients together and then add the dry ones.
For the frosting:
cream cheese (1/3 of a package) (probably around 0.5 cups)
around a full cup of powered sugar, added a little at a time
some Chardonny Verjus wine (it's nonalcoholic)
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