THE MOST HANDSOME CHOCOLATE CAKEPOPS EVER

my co-worker asked me for some thoughts on what to do for her event. she has been preparing for her big launch party for her menswear brand, Fifth&Brannan, and i was flattered when she asked for my assistance in how to pull off her event. so, while we were playing with some ideas, she mentioned that in addition to the cheese pairings Cellar360 was offering with the Sledgehammer wines, she wanted something chocolatey and sweet. the first thing that popped in my mind were cakepops...they're easy, portable, fun, impressive favors! she asked if i was sure and i assured her that i would love to contribute however possible to help her with the launch. that meant a total of 200 cakepops, wrapped and finished with a tied strip of fabric straight from her line. these help make them look more distinguished and approachable for her target market...sophisticated, preppy men. if you ever want to attempt this, it takes 3 batches of cake and frosting.

CHOCOLATE CAKEPOPS
posted on the foodie & the family on july 30, 2010

chocolate cake

• 2 c sugar
• 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 c milk
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1 c boiling water

preheat oven to 350°F. spray four 9" round cake pans with cooking spray.

mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat together on medium speed for 2 mins. stir in boiling water and pour equally into pans.

bake for 25-30 mins or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. cool for 10 mins. remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

brown sugar frosting

• 1/2 c butter
• 1 c brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 c milk
• 2 c powdered sugar, sifted

in a saucepan, melt butter. add brown sugar. bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  continue to boil for 2 mins, stirring constantly.

add milk and bring to a boil as you continue to stir.

remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

gradually add powdered sugar and beat until thick enough to spread.

chocolate cakepops

• 3-4 10-12oz bags of dark chocolate candy melts
• 3/4 - 1 c vegetable oil
• 70 4-inch lollipop sticks
• rectangular foam block or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

once cakes are cooled, crumble into large bowl.

add frosting and mix with a mixer until well incorporated.

scoop out about 1/2 T of mix and roll into quarter-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. place in the fridge for 30 mins.

melt candy melts in microwave per the directions on the bag (1 bag at a time). whisk in 1/4 c oil so that the consistency will evenly coat the cakepops.

dip lollipop sticks about 1/2 inch in the candy coating and stick into the cakepops. refrigerate for an additional 30 mins or overnight.

remelt the candy coating, dip completely until fully coated and remove quickly. either place onto a lined cookie sheet or stick upright into the foam block. place back into the fridge for 15-20 mins.

here are a handful of the cakepops with a well-dressed
body form

CYRUS...MY FIRST MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE

one afternoon, i got a phone call from my best foodie, regina, with a proposal to lunch at Cyrus...a two michelin star restaurant in healdsburg. last year, she and friends went to the french laundry and have decided to make this an annual tradition to eat at pretentious, michelin-starred restaurants. i was fortunate enough to be invited, as their fifth foodie wasn't able to attend...lucky me! i will say that this was my first taste at a michelin star restaurant and will NOT be my last. cyrus has become my gateway drug to the true beauty of food and if these are the standards required to achieve this highly acclaimed recognition, then i can't wait to visit them all. at $130 for an 8-course meal, this was worth every penny!

canapés: we started with five tastings to get out palate ready for the meal. bitter - ball of radish and other accompaniments, salty - baked clam & powdered chorizo, sweet - a burst of a sweet liquid (i can't remember), sour - citrus tart, and umami - a broth full of robust flavor, i mostly took away some incredible tartness, something you'd find from lemongrass and lime

amuse bouche: a play on peaches & cream, but with onion puree. the peaches were light and refreshing.

a bread basket came around with little pots of cow milk butter, goat milk butter, and salts. of the mini loaves, i loved the wheat and garlic...i also fell in love with goat milk butter (you'll see why at the sixth course)!

first course: sea scallop with watermelon and coriander broth - the scallop had these delicate grill marks and the watermelon balls complemented it very well.

second course: glazed gulf shrimp with banana blossoms and coconut milk froth - the shrimp was tender and the glaze was familiar, but elevated. i don't tend to like frothy things, but as i broke up the bubbles with a piece of shrimp, i found the coconut milk delightfully robust.

third course: sea bass with artichoke in sake lees, pea sprouts, and dashi - oh wow! this was my favorite protein course. the sea bass was flaky and picked up the fragrance of the broth nicely. again, familiar, but upscale in the best way!

fourth course: miso poached chicken with spring onions and maitake - i've never had chicken done this way. it was evenly cooked and extraordinarily tender. the onions weren't prominent at first, but after taking a few bites, they were pretty distinct and i had to slightly eat around them. i have to also mention that the chicken was actually a pretty decent size, bigger than what i'd expect.

palate cleaner: before the next course, we were given a palate cleanser (probably to reduce the lingering onions). this little guava ginger ale popsicle was such a pleasant little touch!

fifth course: beef short rib with mung bean sprouts and cherry tomato confit, hoisin - i was loving these tender slices and the mung bean sprouts added a nice crunchy texture. the hoisin sauce was a great complement and the cherries gave a nice acidity against the rich hoisin sauce.

sixth course: artisanal and farmhouse cheeses - i mentioned that i loved the sea bass from the fourth course, but this was seriously my all-time favorite moment in life. a cart was wheeled over with 15 different cheeses. our server asked each of us individually our preferences and chose the three cheeses based on what we said. i knew i had to have brie, a bleu, and i was open game for any goat milk cheese. the accompaniments included: crostinis, lavash, hazelnut & date bread, apricot spread, and gingered orange gelee (i think). each one met my expectations and i totally loved the goat cheese.

seventh course: vanilla bean fontainebleau with rhubarb, hibiscus and lime, yogurt streusel - this was such a refreshing dessert course. everything about this dessert was amazing and was a beautiful combination of flavors.

eighth course: milk chocolate peanut butter bar, honeycomb parfait - this was a fun way to eat a candy bar! the milk chocolate peanut butter bar was great with the chocolate ice cream, but the honeycomb parfait was not only amazing, but it also helped reduce the richness of the chocolate.

mignardises: but wait, there's more fun treats! if i thought the cheese cart was amazing here comes more homemade chocolates and goodies. we were given a little favor box with salted caramel chocolates, coconut almond macaroons, rum & coke lollipops, meringue kisses, calamansi chews, truffles, toffee almond brittle, and tangerine gelee.

we weren't, however, allowed to bring home the jarred chocolate pudding, coconut panna cotta, and chocolate-covered rice crisps, but that was okay, i had room.

okay, i think i'm done...i filled the last space i had with chocolate pudding. but, cyrus seems to believe there is still room. so, they bring out tiny maple bourbon glazed donuts! this was a beautiful finishing touch to an amazingly memorable food adventure.




so, a trip to a small town wouldn't be complete without a trip to other well-known hot spots.

THE MODEL BAKERY
we came here because their english muffins came up on food network's the best thing i ever ate, so, of course, we had to see if it was the best english muffin. it was fluffy, but i may have needed to prep it better by toasting it and adding jam or butter...maybe even making it into a breakfast sandwich. it was good, but i think i need to try it again.

BOUCHON BAKERY
the first time i ever tried a french macaron, i was in love and wanted to find more. i think bouchon is the holy grail for the best french macaron. not only are they the size of your palm, they have the perfect balance of crispy outside and chewy inside. the flavors come through so well, from their pistachio to their caramel.