Food Styling 101

Last year I took a photography and food styling workshop. For our last project we were asked to choose a can blindly from a paper bag. The hosts giggled while they said whoever gets the white "subject" will have the greatest challenge. Well, guess who choose the white chunky soup? Yep, me! 

Here is one photo out of several I took of that last project. For an amateur photographer and someone who has worked with food my entire adult life... I think I did pretty good! 

Mini Coconut Cupcakes for #Easter

Coconut, vanilla and a little chocolate make up just the right sweet cupcake bite for Easter Sunday's dessert. It's one of my favorite combinations. Of course you must have the "right" chocolate. And in this case it's Cadbury  mini chocolate eggs. If it's possible the only thing that could make this recipe better is if you toasted the coconut. Total bliss! In the meantime, try it out. There's still time to make this tasty treat. 

Ingredients

1 box of vanilla cake mix

1 - 14 ounce bag of sweet shredded coconut

2  to 3 16 oz containers of whipped cream cheese frosting

1 - 16 ounce bag of chocolate candy eggs

Process

Preheat oven 350°

Line mini-muffin tins with mini-cupcake liners.

Follow directions on the back of the cake mix box.

Add 1/2 of the coconut to the prepared cake mix batter, mix thoroughly.

Spoon batter into lined muffin tins filling each one 2/3rds full.

Place muffin tins on the center rack of oven and bake for 1-17 minutes until golden or toothpick inserted in the center of the centermost cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes and place on a wire rack to cool.

Frost each cupcake with 1-2 Tbls of cream cheese frosting.

Sprinkle a bit of the remaining coconut on frosted cupcakes and add one chocolate egg/piece.

Arrange on your favorite dessert platter and serve.

Yields 6 dozen mini cupcakes.

St. Paddy's Day Oatmeal Salties with Chocolate Candies

I think an Oatmeal Salty Cookie with Chocolate is just the ticket to help you slide down that rainbow into a pot of gold! Happy St. Paddy's Day to you and yours. Here's a bit of salt with your chocolaty oatmeal sweet to enjoy and share with family and friends. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt + 2 Tbls

1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 C light brown sugar, packed tightly

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 eggs, extra large

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 C old-fashioned oats

12 oz chocolate candies

Process

Preheat oven 350°

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add rolled oats and chocolate candies. Mix thoroughly. 

Using a small ice-cream scoop, drop dough on cookie sheets. Sprinkle a little of the 2 Tbls of salt on the top of each dough ball and gently press.

Place each cookie sheet on the center oven rack and bake until just golden brown; about 8-10 minutes. Cool on racks and serve.

Yields: up to 2 dozen cookies.

Special Tool: 1-inch ice-cream scoop.

 

Summer's End: Stone Fruit Crumble

Plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches and cherries are a few and what we most likely know as "the stone fruits of summer". Generally, the season begins in June and lasts through September. So, I must publish one more summer ode to honor the end of my favorite season.

Simple yet refined this quick recipe is a crowd pleaser and will have your family and friends coming back for seconds. 

Here's your recipe. 

Ingredients

1 Tbls unsalted butter

2 C plums, pitted & cut into medium wedges

1 C cherries, pitted

1 C apricots, pitted & cut into medium wedges

1 C nectarines, pitted & cut into medium wedges

½ C granulated sugar

1 Tbls of all-purpose flour

For the crumble

1 ¼ C all-purpose flour

1 C old-fashioned oats

1/3 C light brown sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

½ C (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled & cut into small cubes

Process

Preheat oven 375°. Butter a 9x13-baking dish (preferably glass).

Place all fruit into a large bowl. Add sugar and flour. Mix thoroughly. Set aside for a minimum of 10 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into buttered dish. Set aside.

In a food processor add all crumble ingredients. Pulse until ingredients form a pebble-like texture. Sprinkle on top of the fruit. Place in oven on the center rack. Bake until bubbly and top is golden brown; up to 1 hour. Let rest for 30 to 45minutes to set up.

Spoon generously into bowls or a small plate and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Yields 12 servings.