Cool And Tasty Drinks

 This heat wave calls for cooling and fun drinks. They're frosty and fizzy - the perfect thirst quenchers  for these steamy days. They're easy to make and even easier to sip.

One of the most perfect temp lowing swigs is root beer. It's great just on it's own, served in a frosty mug. If you can, check out any of the remaining Stewart's in the New York metro area where you can buy a mug along with a tasty  hot dog, hamburger or side, . You can also buy a six pack of it at your local grocery store and bring it home for a frosty mug. How do you frost a mug? It's just the simple method of filling a mug or even a glass with ice cubes. Make sure they touch every part of the interior surface. Now add some cold water making sure it covers the entire inner portion(you can do this by tilting the mug or glass this way and that). Place the glass into the freezer for five to eight minutes,Fill with root beer and a straw. You can also do this with Stewart's grape or orange sodas too. Another root beer treat is the classic root bear float. What's the best brand and flavor for this? Many choose Breyer's for its' richness and creaminess . As for a vegan version, coconut milk based ice cream has the same creamy texture and flavor.It blends well with the root beer. To make it lux, add a shot of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry,

Another fizzy cold treat is the egg cream. This fountain and diner favorite originated in New York City in the 1880's and actually had raw egg in it!!!We drink the poorer version which has no eggs but still plenty of froth. What makes the perfect one? It starts with the syrup. Purists will insist on Fox's U-Bet syrup. What's the difference between it and the classic Hershey's one? Fox's U Bet has dried milk and real cocoa in their recipe. This results in a richer chocolate-y flavor than the other which is made up of cocoa, water and corn syrup. Hershey's works in a pinch.Any kind of milk, dairy and plant based works. The best seltzer to use comes from a syphon but the bottled kinds is also good. Even better is the flavored ones. Try a cherry or raspberry one for added oomph to the drink. It's like a liquid bonbon.  There is the vanilla variation which does take a little more work. The vanilla syrup is created by simmering water and sugar with a vanilla bean, The syrup is made first and then poured over the vanilla bean. The whole thing is steeped for a day before using. Since the syrup is thinner than the chocolate one, use half and half for a creamier , thicker drink.

It's blisteringly hot. Coo; down with a sweet fizzy drink, whether it's a mug of root beer ,a root beer float or an egg cream.Enjoy the iciness .

Fancy Up Your Bake Sale

The new school year is here and with it the promise of bake sales. Sadly it'll be the same old products - cupcakes with blobs of store bought icing. Slice and bake cookies. Maybe a batch of scratch chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps it's time to fancy it up. Make elegant but easy treats that will be absolute hits and bring in more money for your cause.

Add a bit of France to your bake  sale with a  variation  of Gateau breton .This is a buttery tart made with buckwheat with the filling of  dried prunes and apricots. Melissa Clark made this , and gave the recipe in her A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.It is a tad labor intensive , because the prunes and apricots have to be cooked in rum before spreading on the dough. Still' it's about the same amount of work as a scratch cake.Also if the prunes and apricots are not to your liking, then try a hazelnut filling. If hazelnuts are hard to find, then try pecans.Another crowd pleaser is the French yogurt cake, This scratch cake looks and has the same dense crumb as a pound cake. It's zinged up with Greek yogurt and finely grated lemon zest. It can be sold in slices or make four or five loaves and sell them.Of course macarons are still hot and will definitely be a big draw to any bake sale.It's a flourless recipe made with a combination of almond meal and confectioner's sugar. One popular combination is a vanilla macaron with a chocolate ganache filling.

Italian treats are another idea. Biscotti is a well known favorite (and a chance to serve cappuccino) and relatively easy to make. It's a twice baked cookie with a simple flour and butter based dough. What is great about them is that the recipe can be varied.Add a cup and a half of cocoa powder for chocolate biscotti. Also nuts can be used to vary the flavors. To give them more oomph, dip the ends in a variety of chocolate  white, milk and dark . Crostoli, those deep fried ribbons of dough will definitely be best sellers at any bake sale. They are deep fried  dough, flavored with vanilla and lemon juice. You could sub in freshly squeezed orange juice to vary it. Most recipes usually call for them to be fried in peanut oil, however due to the large number of peanut allergies, use vegetable oil instead. As far as what to drink with these gourmet goodies,think cappuccino and espresso (although have regular coffee and tea for customers), Also have a variety of teas, from Earl Grey to peppermint and jasmine. If someone has  a Keurag machine and  there's an outlet, then use it to offer a wider variety of beverages.

Zing up your bake sale with fancier cakes and cookies. They'll not only be top sellers but will bring in much more cash than a regular bake sale. Make it fancy - and you'll reap the rewards.

Braving French Pastry

One of the most elegant treats any baker can make is French pastry. It's a complicated blend of crisp layers , airy creams and  artistic decorations. They're a challenge for the home baker yet  a feather in one's toque if done. The question is can an ordinary baker make an extraordinary sweet?

Many ask themselves that.It's a long leap between cake mix cakes and mille-feulle, better known as Napoleons. The best way to acclimate yourself  to it is start off with the relatively easy recipes (and there are some).One of the easiest is crepes,. It's basically sort of like a pancake batter that has to be chilled overnight.it's flour eggs milk and water mixed together and then set aside for twenty-four hours. You can buy a crepe pan for it. This is nothing more than a wider, thinner frying pan or use a frying pan or skillet. Drizzle creme Anglaise over it or serve it street style with granulated sugar and lemon juice. Another relatively easy treat is clafoutis. A plus is that it can be made with any kind of fruit, from apples to blueberries. It's basically an egg rich batter blended together - usually in a blender and poured over fruit. It's baked for only half an hour  - until it's golden and puffy.Once you've accomplished that, try Kouign Amann , the mouth watering buttery sweet bread from Brittany.It's made with the same dough as the croissant which is another pastry a home baker can master. Both require  a lot of butter because it's sealed in layers of rolled dough. It is  labor intensive , with mostly rolling out dough and butter along with shaping into the classic crescents.

Biscuit roses is another transitional level It was featured in yesterday's Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Famed baker , Dorie, Greenspan, wrote about this after baking them. They're sort of like a cross between a lady finger and biscotti.Like biscotti, it's twice baked.and like lady fingers, the yolks and whites are separated , beaten  and then joined into the dough. It''s a great way for beginners to learn about meringues  along with how to shape batter with a piping bag. After this it's an easy move to eclairs, those classic Gallic pastries. They do require a choux paste which is a delicate two step method. It's first putting water .milk butter and sugar into a two quart saucepan and bringing the mixture to a boil. Flour has to be added  slowly, stirred until everything is blended.It;s then adding five more eggs to give it that rich golden color. Just don;t make ti too hot or you'll have scrambled eggs on your hands. Choux paste can be used to make cream puffs along with the eclairs,One of the hardest pastries to make is the mille feuilles or thousand leaves. Also called Napoleon , after France's famed emperor it;'s taking a dough similar to croissant dough where it's rolled and folded several times.There' are intervals where it's put in the fridge. A simple vanilla  cream is sandwiched in the layers .The whole thing is topped off with a decorative chocolate or vanilla glaze.

Can the average home baker handle French pastry? Oui! Once conquered these complicated recipes will be as easy as a chocolate chip or scratch cake one.