"Marshmallows and Hot Chocolate"

I've always loved eating marshmallows, but this was my first time making them and actually tasting a homemade marshmallow. The stickiness of the marshmallows was the most difficult part of this recipe because once we were finished whipping the marshmallows, they began to solidify and that made it hard to spread the marshmallows out in the pan. Once all of the marshmallows were cut, tasting them made all of the hardwork worth it because they were a lot better than store bought ones.

After making the marshmallows, we made hot chocolate to go with them. Once again, the homemade hot chocolate was much better than all of those store bought powders that most people use. We made the traditional hot chocolate however there are so many variations of this classic recipe that with all the choices, you'll be a professional at making marshmallows to go with your different kinds of hot chocolate.

"Banana Brulé"

This Banana Brulé recipe had many components: the bruléed bananas, the caramel sauce, and the caramel design on top. Making caramel can be difficult and can easily go wrong if not watched carefully, however with careful attention to detail, caramel can be made easily. First, we made the caramel design by caramelizing sugar and then taking a spoon and drizzling it on a piece of parchment paper. This was one of the most fun things about this recipe. Then, we added cream to the rest of the caramel and refrigerated it until the next day.
On our second day of making this recipe, we bruléed the bananas by placing a mountain of sugar on top of the bananas and taking a blow torch and caramelizing the sugar. Then we put our caramel sauce in a squirt bottle and we were ready to begin putting everything together. As for plating the dish, the caramel sauce was drizzled on the bottom, the bananas were placed on top of the sauce, the traditional vanilla ice cream was scooped onto the dish and the caramel design was placed as the finishing touch on all of that. This made for a beautiful dish.

"Peanut Brittle"

There are many different kinds of brittle that can be made. In our foods class, we made peanut brittle.

What seemed to be a fairly quick and simple recipe turned out to be a bit trickier than expected. The sugar mixture had to be left in the microwave for the perfect amount of time until it changed to the right shade of amber. But if you can pass that test, then your peanut brittle will turn out just right. Our peanut brittle turned out quite delicious and I can't wait to try other types of brittle such as peppermint brittle.

"Cupcake Mosaics"

This cupcake mosaic was made to appear as a large tree that had lost its leaves in the fall. The sunset in the background was there to add more color and help make the picture more interesting. My partner and I drew inspiration from the weather in Vancouver and nature that we saw around us. We used 24 mini yellow cupcakes and iced them with different colors of buttercream icing. At first, I wasn't sure about how well this idea would work out, but once we started adding the different colors, it began to resemble our vision. We began with the grass, using an icing tip that looked like clovers, and then we moved on to the sunset. To integrate the red and yellow-orange colors, we tried to blend them together in the centre. Then we started the tree. To create the look of bark, we used an icing tip that had a rough edge on one side. After, we used two different sized tips to make the branches. Once we finished icing our cupcakes and took a step back to look at them, we were pleased with the outcome. It was difficult and it was time-consuming to pay attention to all the details, however it was worth it in the end because our cupcake mosaic turned out great. It truly does resemble a tree with a sunset in the background.

"Gingerbread Houses"

Our next class assignment was to design and create a gingerbread house that would potentially end up being a part of a large gingerbread village with a Winter Wonderland theme. When I found out what the theme was, my first idea was to make Santa's Workshop. This was my first time making a gingerbread house so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Making the gingerbread and the icing and buying the candy were the easy parts; assembling it was tricky.

Santa's Workshop

Once I was able to assemble the house, I started adding the details. I began with adding icicles to the edges of the roof and then I placed the candy. My color scheme was red, green and white to represent Christmas and Santa Claus. Also, I placed a sign on the side of the house so that the idea behind the house was clear. I was proud to see the work of art that I had created and in the end I was impressed with my finished product. I will hopefully be making more gingerbread houses during the holidays to come.

"Pumpkin Carving and Pumpkin Seeds"

Pumpkin seeds are the perfect snack at Halloween because they're easily accessible while you're carving your pumpkin! Simply scrape the seeds out of your pumpkin, wash them, and spice them to your desire. You can make them sweet, spicy, or even just plain.


As one of my assignments in my food art class, I was given the task to carve a pumpkin using a creative design. I chose to carve a skull because it seemed challenging and I believe that skulls represent Halloween. I began with drawing out my sketch on my pumpkin and then I carefully started carving. I was very impressed with the overall look of my finished pumpkin and overall this assignment was a lot of fun.   

"Spider Web Cookies"

Next, are the artistic Spider Web cookies. Starting off with a simple chocolate shortbread cookie, these desserts have a very strong cocoa flavour, and have somewhat of a bitter aftertaste. However, once the icing is added, the cookies become much sweeter and more desireable. To ice these cookies, we used white and black royal icing. We started by creating a border around the edge of the cookies in white, and then flooded the cookies with more white icing. Then, we took our black icing and drew circles (starting smaller on the inside and getting bigger as you go towards the edge.) To create the look of a spider web, we used a toothpick to draw the icing out to the edges of the cookie and it was as simple as that.

Tip: Make sure your cookie has cooled completely before icing or else the warmth from the cookie will cause the icing to melt and you will be left with a mess

  

"Yellow Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing"

 

This next creation is a simple yellow cupcake with a delicious buttercream icing. The actual cake was light, fluffy and moist, and the icing was rich and creamy. Having been the first time I have ever decorated a cupcake using an icing bag to pipe, I would say that my designs turned out fairly well. I would recommend practicing on some parchment paper first, and then moving on to decorating your cupcake. It is much harder than it looks and it takes patience. The finished product is pictured below.

"Rainbow Cookies"

These cookies get their name from their shape and colours as you can see in these two pictures. Don't be fooled by what they look like! Even though they may look artificial I can assure you that they are still magically delicious! They are perfectly bite-sized and sweet enough to satisfy your cravings.

Making these for the first time was very difficult because getting each layer even and perfect is almost impossible. But as long as it still somewhat resembles a rainbow, people will understand your intentions. They are worth trying once, even if just to taste.



"Simple Baked Banana Loaf"

Another loaf that I tried making was the "Simple Baked Banana Loaf." It's recipe is the exact same as the previous "Quick and Easy Zany Zucchini Loaf" except with bananas this time. To add more texture and flavor, chocolate chips and walnuts were mixed in to the batter. Personally, I prefer the zucchini loaf just because I found it more moist and not as sweet, however the banana loaf was a close second.

Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/4 flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of mashed bananas (approx. 1 large banana)

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius
2) Lightly spray 4 small loaf pans (or one large one)
3) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
4) Add walnuts and chocolate chips
5) In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla
6) Stir the banana into the egg mixture, then fold into the dry mixture until just combined
7) Place batter in the pans
8) Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)
9) Let cool for at least 30 minutes
10) Enjoy!

The glaze on this product is a simple butter glaze.
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Brown the butter over low heat and let it cool slightly. Then whisk the butter with the sugar and milk. Use the glaze immediately.


Finished Product

"The Quick and Easy Zany Zucchini Loaf"

The first recipe of the year is what I like to call "The Quick and Easy Zany Zucchini Loaf." It is a delicious loaf that is simple enough for anyone to make. The zucchini moistens the loaf and the walnuts add a nice crunch to the overall texture. Flavorwise, it isn't too sweet but it will still taste excellent even if you have a sweet tooth. Other ingredients that could be incorporated into this recipe are chocolate chips, pecans, or even some dried fruit. I would highly recommend trying this recipe; I know I will be making it many more times.

The following is the recipe and method to making this loaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups walnuts
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup zucchini

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius
2) Lightly spray 4 small loaf pans (or one large one)
3) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
4) Add walnuts
5) In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla
6) Stir the zucchini into the egg mixture, then fold into the dry mixture until just combined
7) Place batter in the pans
8) Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)
9) Let cool for at least 30 minutes
10) Enjoy!

Finished Product

The Beginning...

 

I have created this blog to be able to share my recipes and creativity in food art with others and to show my love for cooking. You will be able to find recipes and pictures of the finished products on my blog as well as a review for each product. Stay posted for new recipes!