Cake is festive. That's a universal truth. It usually symbolizes a party , especially if it's a colorful one, dusted with a rainbow of sprinkles. Now those sprinkles are inside the sweet treat, giving a more festive look.
Julia Moskin wrote about a new party classic - confetti cake in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Whatever you call them, whether they're candy confetti, sprinkles ,jimmies, or hundreds of thousands, they are big right now.Pro bakers and even mixologists are using them on everything from cocktails to croissants.They're even used to decorate phone cases,scented candles and even press on nails ! Now they're exploding all over cakes, turning bland white cake into a Jackson Pollack canvases. Why now?Most bakers were kids in 1989s when a new product burst upon supermarket shelves.Pillsbury came out with Funfetti Cake,a vanilla cake mix that came with multicolored sprinkles.The twist was that they were going to be baked into the cake. They'd melt into streaks and dots of vibrant color which made them into an instant hit. Funfetti cake was then a definite must for every home party.Copycats soon abounded.A year later, Betty Crocker came out with Dunkaroos, a snack pack of cookies with sprinkle laced icing. Even Dannon Yogurt jumped in on the craze.In 1992 they came out Dannon Sprinklins, with candy confetti packed separately in the lid.
Now there are grown up versions of the cake all through Manhattan.Pastry chef , Christina Tosi, of Milk Bar in New York was one of the first to produce colorful cakes. Her passion for sprinkles started when she was young and it was with , of course, Funfetti. She cleverly turned the cake batter into cookie dough. Her current take is still the number one requested dessert, and at the NoLiTa outpost of MilkBar, there's even a wall of sprinkles. She's also put them in homemade tahini ice cream sandwiches and mandelbrot, the twice baked almond cookie.Chef Yeh loves them so much that she even had guests throw them at her wedding.Fancier bakers around the city have even put them in croissants and macarons along with giant Funfetti wedding cakes Some are even making their own hundreds of thousands. Sohla el- Wayly of the Hail Mary Diner in hipster Greenpoint makes her own. These are vanilla and rose flavored, made with egg whites,confectioner's sugar and food coloring. She pipes them in long, skinny lines on parchment paper, allowing them to air dry. They're then "plastered" on the diner's tall vanilla cake giving it a wild , eccentric quality, like something from the Mad Hatter's tea party. The best bet is to go to your grocery store's bake shop where you can buy medium sized cups of multicolored sprinkles. some even have holiday colors, like black
and orange for Halloween and red and green for Christmas.
Sprinkles amp up a cake's fun factor. Go crazy with them and create an explosion of color with every slice.It's a fun way of celebrating cake.
Showing posts with label Dannon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dannon. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Voici Des Francais
The French have the best of everything, food , wine and fashion. We see their lives as the greatest, filled with croissants and champagne, Jean-Paul Gautier and the House of Chanel. Yet there's another side of France that also exists - and a new book chronicles this.It's an eye opener for those who love Gallic ideas and l'alimentaire.
Olivier Magny , a wine expert, entrepreneur and author has just written a sharply witty guide to understanding all things Gallic, WTF - What The French (New American Library Publishers 2016) opens up a world of life in the City of Light and the Country of Fine Dining Monsiuer Magny has written about every aspect of life, from phrases such as ca va (used a lot) to the French's blase attitude to nudity and cigarettes.Of course some of the most insightful observations come from the chapters highlighting food and wine.The chapter on supermarkets was both eye opening and interesting.I didn't know that the French frequented supermarkets as often as us Yanks do. Most travel articles show endless miles of open air markets called les marches, however it's the big box supermarkets that garner much of a French home chef's business. They do have a wine aisle which is unheard of here in the States (American grocery stores that do sell wines usually locate them in a small corner that has its' own entry and exit) along with a generous cheese aisle.Unlike the States where grocery shopping is usually fun, the French see it through a dark lens, There's some guilt in going to a store that exploits farmers along with eating up the smaller, more charming food shops. The last still exists, thankfully and there are still butchers, along with patisseries and bread bakers.
M. Magny also delves into the french passion for yogurt (!) and Nutella.It comes as another surprise that the country who gave the world creme fraiche is so hung up on yogurt. It usually us Americans who have cups and popsicles of the stuff in our fridges and freezers.It's caught on there, probably thanks to Danone, the parent company of Dannon Yogurt. All fridges have a cup or two. The French have high standards for it, and French yogurt can be seen as healthy or as a dessert - that's how good it is.They even add powdered sugar to the plain one or yaourt nature , mostly to end a meal. The second obsession is Nutella. Anyone born in the mid Seventies and up grew up on the chocolate hazelnut blend.It's put on everything, from croissants to crepes to bread. The passion does ebb as they get older and then it's something to try on holiday. .The French still have their passion for bread, especially the baguette. There's also chapters on fast and slow foods McDonald's is big but so are kabob shops and boulangeries have expanded their menus to include sandwiches and lunch menus. The country still has a big restaurant culture but there's also a need to eat at home too. Home chefs do;t make fancy meals,preferring salad, pasta or even yogurt. The more elaborate meals are saved for Sundays and family gatherings.
WTF What The French is a fun romp through French life and culture.Olivier Magny has captured his people's quirks and love of food and wine. It's the perfect gift for the Francophile foodie! Vraiment!
Olivier Magny , a wine expert, entrepreneur and author has just written a sharply witty guide to understanding all things Gallic, WTF - What The French (New American Library Publishers 2016) opens up a world of life in the City of Light and the Country of Fine Dining Monsiuer Magny has written about every aspect of life, from phrases such as ca va (used a lot) to the French's blase attitude to nudity and cigarettes.Of course some of the most insightful observations come from the chapters highlighting food and wine.The chapter on supermarkets was both eye opening and interesting.I didn't know that the French frequented supermarkets as often as us Yanks do. Most travel articles show endless miles of open air markets called les marches, however it's the big box supermarkets that garner much of a French home chef's business. They do have a wine aisle which is unheard of here in the States (American grocery stores that do sell wines usually locate them in a small corner that has its' own entry and exit) along with a generous cheese aisle.Unlike the States where grocery shopping is usually fun, the French see it through a dark lens, There's some guilt in going to a store that exploits farmers along with eating up the smaller, more charming food shops. The last still exists, thankfully and there are still butchers, along with patisseries and bread bakers.
M. Magny also delves into the french passion for yogurt (!) and Nutella.It comes as another surprise that the country who gave the world creme fraiche is so hung up on yogurt. It usually us Americans who have cups and popsicles of the stuff in our fridges and freezers.It's caught on there, probably thanks to Danone, the parent company of Dannon Yogurt. All fridges have a cup or two. The French have high standards for it, and French yogurt can be seen as healthy or as a dessert - that's how good it is.They even add powdered sugar to the plain one or yaourt nature , mostly to end a meal. The second obsession is Nutella. Anyone born in the mid Seventies and up grew up on the chocolate hazelnut blend.It's put on everything, from croissants to crepes to bread. The passion does ebb as they get older and then it's something to try on holiday. .The French still have their passion for bread, especially the baguette. There's also chapters on fast and slow foods McDonald's is big but so are kabob shops and boulangeries have expanded their menus to include sandwiches and lunch menus. The country still has a big restaurant culture but there's also a need to eat at home too. Home chefs do;t make fancy meals,preferring salad, pasta or even yogurt. The more elaborate meals are saved for Sundays and family gatherings.
WTF What The French is a fun romp through French life and culture.Olivier Magny has captured his people's quirks and love of food and wine. It's the perfect gift for the Francophile foodie! Vraiment!
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