Christmas Cookies...A Reflection

Every year, I have the intention to start my Christmas cookie production early and get it out of the (shopping) way. That never actually happened. Every year, I ended up baking like a mad woman for days just before the big day. This year, thanks for my new commercial kitchen, I got it done in less than 8 hours. Big oven, full size sheet pans, cooking racks, lots of refrigeration and working space definitely help.
It got me into thinking about all the time (and nerve) saving ways I've learned 12 years in the restaurant business. Here are some of the tricks:

• Freeze cookie dough in logs, cut, or scooped (think sugar cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate chip, etc).
• Biscotti can be made early on; they last practically forever. Or, freeze the logs unbaked.
• Cream puff dough (or Pate Choux) can be piped onto a sheetpan and frozen, then pop them into a ziploc bag. To bake, just lay them on a sheetpan and bake (no need to thaw).
• Pie/Tart doughs are freezer's best friends. For easier handling (if you have the space), roll them out before freezing and place them on a sheetpan with a piece of parchment paper in between. It will take minutes for them to thaw out and be ready to use.
• Most sweet tart dough also works well as cut out cookies. One dough, two results.
• Make extra. If you're making a pie, make enough dough for 2. It will take about the same time, but less clean up.

For me, the hardest thing about putting together a Christmas box is deciding what should go in it. When I was working in restaurants and having daily changing menus, people used to ask me how I decide what to make for a particular day. To be honest, I made what I felt like eating that day, even if I didn't get to eat them all. My taste naturally change with the seasons. By March, I would be sick and tired of pears and apples, and dying for the first taste of strawberries and couldn't wait for the cherries to pop up. By September, I would miss pears and quince all over again. So basically, I made what I thought sounded good. For my boxes, I want to have a good selection, so everyone can find at least one thing they like, but I don't want to go too crazy and have 20 different items. Christmas always got me into thinking chocolate, mint, cranberries, citrus, spices, caramel, and nuts. So this year, I made chocolate-mint cookies, vanilla butter cookies (it's made with my favorite tart dough) sandwiched with caramel, meyer lemon shortbread, cranberry-pistachio biscotti, spicy gingersnaps, almond-cocoa nib brittle with gray sea salt, and soft caramel candies.

It is a very satisfying experience, now that the sweets are done. The best part? I got to eat a piece (or two) of everything. There's only one thing I missed...my mom's red soup (literal translation from an Indonesian dish called "Sup Merah"). Other than that, I am ready for Christmas.

Cupcakes And A Store Are In Order

A little over a year since I started my business, it dawned on me that the baking world never really slows down. Barely recovering from the busiest wedding cake month we ever had, other projects are on their way. We recently moved to a new facility in Berkeley. The kitchen is barely set up, but we must keep going. Cake orders for next spring and summer weddings are streaming in. Christmas cookies are in production. We will also be supporting a local charter school, Oakland School for the Arts, during their open house Gala on January 8, 2010, by donating lots and lots of cupcakes.

I've always dreamed of owning my own bakery, an actual 'brick-and-mortar' one. I spent the last couple of months researching for a place, trends, what I like, what I don't like, whether it's a crazy idea to begin with (in this economy), etc. True, it is basically a process one must go through to build a business plan. I found out, though, that it can be a true soul searching experience. I found out more about who I am and what I am capable of. It sort of build a bit of confidence in me.

On top of that, Indie Cakes will participate in Modern Bridal Fair next month at the Claremont Hotel and Resort in Berkeley. There will be lots of wedding vendors and lots of food to sample. We will prepare hundreds of mini cupcakes for this. It is quite an elegant event, so if you are planning a wedding or know someone who is, come over and check out our booth. For more info, go to http://www.modernbridal.com/.

Sold out!

Yup, we sold out last weekend. It was the first at Orinda farmer's market.
We tried out 9" galettes and they seem to go out fast. This week, we will continue to have a couple of them, so if you didn't get one last week, come early this week.
For an extra special treat, I bought some precious late summer strawberries. After the first bite, I was sold. They are by far the most flavorful and sweetest strawberries I've ever had. Some are regular size and some are extra tiny. So look for some whole berries in your galettes.

Fall Stone Fruit

I visited Berkeley Farmer's Market last Tuesday and found some real gems. It was so nice to see late summer stone fruits in abundance. I picked some Elephant Heart plums and August Red nectarines from Blossom Bluff farm for my galettes this week. If you've never had Elephant Heart plums, now is the time to try them. They are nice and firm, and very sweet. They also hold their shape really well after baking. Of all the plums we have here in California, this is my favorite. The nectarines are very flavorful and a little tart, not overly sweet. This time of year, the stone fruit tend to stay firm even when ripe, so don't be fooled and wait until they are soft. My rule? if they smell good, chances are they are ready.

I also saw some late organic strawberries at the market. I feel very lucky living in the Bay area where I can still have some delicious strawberries at this time of year. I will pick some up next week if they are still around.

This week at the market, I will have a couple (3 to be exact) of 9" galettes for $15 a piece. If you are planning a dinner party this Saturday, make sure you stop by my booth. They are perfect for 6-8 people. Top each slice with creme fraiche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream to serve.

Did you know that creme fraiche is so easy to make?

Here's a recipe:

Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tb buttermilk

Whisk together in a container, put a lid on, and let sit for 24-48 hours at room temperature. After 24 hours, whisk again and taste. If it's not tart enough, then let it sit again for another 12 hours. The warmer the room, the faster it'll go. I like to put it on top of the fridge. To serve, whip creme fraiche, cream, and a bit of sugar (2 parts creame fraiche, 1 part cream). Keep cold until serving, and re-whip if necessary.

It's Finally Here!

I've been looking forward to the beginning of fall this year. First, my daughter is going to start middle school at Oakland School for the Arts. She worked so hard for the audition to get into the school; I'm very proud of her. The most exciting thing for her about middle school? having a locker. I don't really know what that's like, having a locker, since I've never had one growing up in Indonesia (PS: we didn't have proms either). I've witnessed quite big improvements in her cello playing over the summer. I hope she will enjoy her first year in middle school.

Another excitement for me at this time of year, is the arrival of huckleberries. They look like blueberries, but smaller and have sweeter smell. They are one of the pricier berries and only available for a very short time. Just to share the excitement, you can have them in our Macintosh Apple and Huckleberry Galettes this weekend. Huckleberries work well with early fall fruits, like Gravenstein apples, French Butter Pears, and Figs.

In general, you can't go wrong combining fruit that are in season at the same time. For examples: rhubarb and strawberries in the spring, peach and blueberries in the summer, pear and figs in the fall, and apples and quince in the winter.

Here's a recipe for a very versatile crisp topping. You can put it on top of apple pie for a dutch apple pie, bake it into a crisp with whatever fruit you can find, or bake it alone and use for crunchy ice cream topping.

All-Purpose Crisp Topping

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups toasted nuts of your choice, oat, or combination of both

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1# cold butter, cut up into 1/2" pieces

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachement. Add the butter. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly, but doesn't look dry. It will take several minutes. This makes a big batch, but you can always freeze them in portions. It will last for at least a month in the freezer.

I Will Be Back in Orinda Next Saturday

It really is nice to wake up late on a Saturday. But I do miss being at the market. As much work as it is, being there brings so much joy. It's the realization of what I've been dreaming of for years.
I have been working on packaging my pastries and cookies this week, under health department's order. You will see my products in a new way. Don't worry, they are still the same goodness, no change in the formula. They will go in unbleached wax paper bags (natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable). I am trying the best I can to not use plastics and create more garbage. I have read online reviews that some people re-use these bags several times, they are so sturdy (I only use new ones of course). Anyway, I am hoping for the best and that the health dept will approve.
Do expect to see me next weekend at the market. In the meantime, if you have any pastry need, give me a call (510-220-3057) and we'll work something out. Have a great weekend!

This Weekend's Market

After some considerations, I decided to take a break from the market this weekend. I have been working on several new flavors and products this week.
New Macaron flavors that are on the works: Cocoa Nibs, Blood Orange, Coconut (w/ lime buttercream), Green Tea, and Lavender.

If you are in need of pastries or cakes for this weekend, you can still special order them by calling (510)220-3057. I will be happy to meet you around the market to drop off your order this Saturday.
Please be advised that order for this Saturday is only taken until 9am on Friday and I only take cash at the market. For credit card payment, please let me know when you place the order and I will bill through Paypal (they take any credit cards and you don't have to have paypal account)

Thanks and I hope to be back soon.

Summer...Fall...

Change of season is always an exciting time for me. I love seeing "new" fruit and vegetables. I know it happens every year, but somehow, it seems new to me everytime. I know apples and pears come in the fall, but each year, when August rolls around, I can't help but be on the look out for them.
There are still plenty of local stone fruit and strawberries around, thanks to our wonderful California weather. For the next few weeks, you will see some transition between summer and fall. Peaches, plum/pluots, figs, Gravenstein apples, French Butter pears, and hopefully, huckleberries are expected to make appearance at our market tables.

I was happy to see local apples cropping up today at Monterey Market. I picked up a few, quite a few, Galas from Gregory Farm for this week's galettes. They grow their fruit without any pesticide, no spray and, basically, organically. I also picked up some organic yellow peaches from Twin Girl farm, Dapple Fire Pluots from Kashiwase farm, and small organic strawberries from Mien farm.

Market line up this week:

Galettes: Gala apple, Peach, Pluot-Strawberry
Macarons: Strawberry (new flavor), Banana with salted caramel (new flavor), Mocha, Vanilla
Cupcakes: Red Velvet with Vanilla buttercream, Lemon with Caramel buttercream
Scones: Peach-Blueberry
Millet Muffins
Mini Gougeres

New Items in Orinda This Saturday

This weekend, I will debut a new macaron flavor, Blackberry. In the weeks to come I plan to work on more interesting flavors, i.e. lavender, banana, rose, strawberry, etc.
The blackberry ones are so incredible and have very nice violet hue. They will be filled with blackberry buttercream.

Another new addition to our market line up is Gougeres. I did a trial run last weekend with some larger size, but I think you will love the tiny ones I will have this weekend. They really are just bite-size wonders; great with coffee, wine, or on top of salads. What exactly are they? They are french-style cheese puffs, made with Gruyere, a touch of thyme and black pepper. They will sell by the dozen for $3.

I noticed the past couple of weeks that some of you were looking for something more breakfast-y. Well, this weekend, I will have some Millet Muffins. They are so good and healthy, not too sweet, and made with the same wholesome goodness. Want to know more about millet? Here's a link: http://chetday.com/millet.html

This weekend's flavors:

Summer fruit galettes: Yellow Peach, Dapple Fire Pluot (both from Kashiwase farm) and strawberry (from Martinez farm)

Cupcakes: Bittersweet Chocolate with Strawberry Buttercream, Sourcream Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream

Macarons: Bittersweet Chocolate, Blackberry (of course), and Lemon

Scones: Strawberry-Pluot

I hope to see you all this weekend.

New @ the Market

As some of you have probably noticed, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of fun and excitement for me. I started selling my cupcakes and pastries at Orinda Farmer's Market. Lots of new things to learn, lots of new people to meet, but generally, it has been really good.

I will do my best to update you every week with what I will be selling at the market, along with new fruit and vegetables that are popping up each week, and maybe a few recipes and baking tips.


So, come back for more soon....