ATL food & wine festival

This weekend was the First Annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Lots of people came from around the country to celebrate the culinary explosion that seems to have taken over Atlanta. I met people who came from far and wide to taste, learn, smell, spit, and meet people.

The festival took place in the heart of Atlanta, Midtown. All the events were placed within a 2 block radius, making the Loews Hotel the mecca.

Thursday night marked the beginning of the festival. What better then a sugar reception! HIGH ROAD Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet and Sublime Donuts were there.

Also! I met the faces behind WhyNatte, while sipping on their current mixed drink selection of WhyNatte & whipped cream vodka = awesome! WhyNatte is one of those drinks that is great on its own, but is also easily mixed with other flavors (i.e. mint shnapps & whynatte = girl scout cookie thin mint).

One artisan chocolate company that deserves recognition is French Broad Chocolates. They are from NC and graciously came to Atlanta for the event. They are moving into becoming a bean-to-bar company, which really says a lot about what they believe in and what they choose to put in their chocolates.

Finally though: BAKESHOP

We were set up under some art work which actually went quite nicely with our table.

We were serving Kouing Amon (a.k.a sugared butter cake) with a selection of jams & jellies from Fairywood Thicket Farms.


On Friday morning, BAKESHOP provided the food for the brunch in the Connoisseur Lounge at the top of the Loews. This place was gorgeous!

Look at that kitchen!

Our display spread of mini almond croissants, mini cranberry scones, and muffins!

Chef Jonathan St. Hilaire demo-ed the making of these lemon cream strawberry danish. 

If you havent tried Top FLR cocktails you are missing out! 

festivals and biscuits

This weekend was festival weekend in Atlanta! 

We attended The Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park:

lots and lots of people! 

ATL

there was also a dog frisbee contest.

this dog was bizarre!! 

And on our way to the festival I ran across this architectural beauty:

and in other news...

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS! 

>

(makes 16 huge biscuits!) 

2 quarts flour

2.75 quarts sugar

1.5 oz baking powder

1.25 oz salt

12 oz cold butter

1 qt buttermilk

Mix all the dry. 

Add herbs.

Cut in the butter.

Add buttermilk. 

Bake 375 (20 - 25 mins)

Epic Friday

Good Morning, its EPIC FRIDAY.

this day marks several events:
 - last day of school (Winter break)
 - last day of work (for the weekend)
 - last day in Georgia (for the weekend)

However I am relieved to be taking a break - I feel as if I have been running non stop. The payoff has proved to be worth it though.

Lets talk about school:
  Today is final day of the class, which means why not end it with a two-day practical? We are assigned a dessert platter consisting of five different types of petit fours. Its up to us to present our platter any way we want. My theme: Christmas. I finish today = pictures later (dont want to give too much away now)

 Moreover we had another practical earlier in the week on Opera Cake:
     I think I did better on the writing on this cake and worse on the cutting (not enough time to set up), however my grade was still satisfactory (92).

Opera Cake Round Two:

I had left over ganache and thought, "hmm..what can I do with this?"

Behold -

UGLY TRUFFLES:

 They aren't pretty, but the taste seems to be pretty good. :)

Buche de Noel.

Its a classic Christmas dessert that comes from the France in the late 1700s. Families would burn a yule log to cook Christmas diner and it was believed that the ashes from this log would keep away evil spirits, diseases, etc.

Other traditions were started when the construction of homes without fireplaces was prevalent. The presence of a cake that looked like a yule log served as the replacement for the actual yule log.

There are many different version of this cake, many different styles. The important thing behind this cake is the theme that is presents: Being with family during the holidays, community.

Here is mine:

Have you ever had an Applepear?

They are super juicy and really tasty. I ate one for breakfast.

Along with butternut squash sprinkled lightly with sea salt and chives.

mmhmm

Im turning into more of a tea drinker, not that I dont jump at a chance to drink coffee, but I find tea more soothing, not as harsh. Kinda like a bubble bath at the end of a hard day.

And so im offering a simple phrase to kids from one to ninety two.

although its been said many times many ways.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

breakfast.

&



egg crepes w/ persimmons and cinnamon.
one with goat cheese.
another with tofu spread (tofu, lemon juice, and sugar).

puff pastries in a simple strawberry syrup.