The Mixing Bowl: Apple Crumble by Sol Linero

I have an addiction...to Pinterest. I joined about a year ago and my obsession with pinning is still going strong. I'm not much of a social networking fan. I never really got into Facebook or Twitter or any of the other sites that people seem to love so much, but, boy, Pinterest has got me, and it's got me good! So, you may be wondering what all this Pinterest talk has to do with today's Mixing Bowl contributor Sol Linero. Well, I'll tell ya. I first discovered Sol's work on, you guessed it, Pinterest! To be more precise, I kept pinning fabulous illustrations by unknown artists, only to discover that they were all created by Sol Linero! After this happened about half a dozen times, I knew that I had to contact her. I simply could not get enough of her charming designs! After graciously agreeing to contribute a recipe to the Mixing Bowl, Sol sent me this wonderful illustrated recipe for her Aunt's Apple Crumble, a recipe choice that made me sooo happy because Apple Crumble just so happens to be one of my favorite desserts! Apple Crumble, Sol Linero, and Pinterest. What is better than that??

Sol Linero is a graphic designer/illustrator who hails from Buenos Aires. She has worked with Discovery, MTV Latin America, Nickelodeon, and MTV, among others. You can see more of her work on her web site, right here. Thanks, Sol! (To see a larger version of the Apple Crumble recipe, simply click on the image at the top of this post.)

Tjalf Sparnaay

When I first laid eyes on these colorful oil paintings by Dutch artist Tjalf Sparnaay, I was instantly struck by their unusual beauty. Working in the hyperrealistic style, Sparnaay takes mundane objects and recreates them in a manner that is on one hand realistic, but on the other hand, not. It is reality with a little extra something special. He is not simply reproducing the food that we eat, but recreating it, adding humor and emotion to everyday objects. I’m partial to the dessert pieces, of course, but there is much more to see on his website. Click here to check it out!

Inspiration Board: Icingless cakes

Momofuku Milk Bar

I’ve been noticing a trend developing lately. Perhaps, you have too. What is this trend, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Icingless Cakes. Yep, that’s right, cakes without an exterior layer of icing. Frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about this trend. The part of me that loves innovation is loving it, but the other part of me, the part of me that licks excess icing off my plate, isn’t completely sold on the idea. I know that there are plenty of delicious icingless cakes in the world (bundt cake, crumb cake, etc), but a wedding cake without icing? Will it be dry? Boring? Tasteless? I just don’t know! But, really, the flavor issue aside, there is something else that worries me about these cakes, a purely aesthetic problem that arises when you remove the protective outer layer of a cake. Take away the icing and what you’re now dealing with is, essentially, a nude cake and every flaw is exposed for the world to see. Icingless cakes just look messy. Even when created by professionals, they still look messy. Yes, there is something charming about their rustic appearance, but do you want to spend hundreds of dollars on a wedding cake and have it look sloppy or undone? Don’t get me wrong. I’m anxious to try one of these cakes and part of me thinks they’re awesome, but I’m just not sure if I would shell out a lot of money for one. What do you guys think?

Image by Natalie Bell

Fujisan: Molten Chocolate Cake

I really love a good molten chocolate cake (or molten chocolate lava cake or fondant au chocolat for fancy people ). I know, to some people, it’s an overdone, passé, and almost retro dessert, but I LOVE it. It is, quite simply, warm chocolaty goodness defined, and, when done right, it is simply wonderful. So, it’s no surprise that I can’t get enough of this awesome molten chocolate cake created for the Salon du Chocolate by designer Stéphane Bureaux and his design group. It is practical and artistic and fun, all at once! Simply place a chocolate candle inside the cake, then watch as  it slowly burns, filling the interior of the cake with warm liquid chocolate. Viola! Molten Chocolate Cake! To see more yummy creations by Stéphane’s Bureaux, check out his website, right here. For more on the molten chocolate cake, click here.

Sweet Testing: Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust

I make a lot of desserts that are incredibly time consuming. It is, most of the time, worth the extra time and effort, but, there are times, when I don’t really want to spend five hours in the kitchen. That is where this tart comes in. It is not only incredibly delicious, but also fast and easy to make. Delicious and easy. You can’t really beat that! It’s only downfall is that it may be too rich for some people. Personally, I don’t know the meaning of the words “too rich,” but, you know, some people just can’t handle it. I call those people “wimps.” As far as the recipe itself is concerned, I think the addition of the candied ginger on the top is a must. If you eat a little bit of the candied ginger with each bite, it’ll bring a whole new level of flavor to the cake. If you hate candied ginger, have no fear, the tart will still be super good. I also increased the pepper from ¼ to an 1/8 and added a bit of cinnamon to the base, which I think helps to balance out the chocolaty goodness. You can find the complete recipe after the jump.

Soda Pop Jelly

A friend of mine was recently telling me about a local farming family that makes and sells Mountain Dew Jelly at Eastern Market in Detroit. I’m not a Mountain Dew drinker, in fact, I’m not a big pop drinker (or “soda” for those of you not from the Midwest), but I was still intrigued by the idea of a jelly made out of Mountain Dew. What about jellies made out of other soft drinks? A root beer jelly? A Vernors jelly? Now those are jellies that I could get behind! So, I did a little research and, lo and behold, I discovered an Etsy seller (Angela Wilson) who produces a wide-range of pop-infused jellies! Among the flavors are root beer (yay!) and Coca-Cola, as well as Orange, Strawberry, and Pineapple Crush. To buy Angela’s  Soda Pop Jellies, click here. If you’re the adventurous type, and would like to try making some Mountain Dew Jelly in your own kitchen, you can find a recipe right here. {Thanks, Tom!}

Note: For those of you outside of the U.S., in the States the words "jelly" and "jam" are used interchangeably. In this case "jelly" does not refer to a solid wobbly thing, but to a spread, usually made with fruit.

Nevie-Pie Cakes

I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting cake designs, but finding them isn't always so easy. Sometimes months and months will go by until I come across something that really excites me! This cake by Natasha of Nevie-Pie Cakes was just one of those cakes! It's completely hand-painted and utterly lovely. It almost looks like a really great wallpaper, but, you know, on a cake, instead of a wall. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to see  more of her work! After taking a quick tour of her Flickr page, I'm happy to report that Natasha's other cakes are also quite impressive. There are loads of pretty hand-painted cakes on her page, along with other fun and unique designs. I've chosen a few of my favorites above and below, but you can check out more of Natasha's work via her flickr page, blog, and website. (And, yes, those are "mushroom" cookies at the bottom!)

Lab Partners Cookie Tin

Last year UK retailer Marks & Spencer hired designer Sanna Annukka to create a gorgeous Scandavian-inspired tin for their Swiss Biscuit Collection. It was, for a cookie container, pretty darn swoon worthy, and this year’s designers, the California-based design team Lab Partners, had a tough act to follow. I’m happy to report that the 2011 tin is equally fantastic. Each of the tins features a cast of characters hanging about a telephone booth. It is super fun and seriously British.  Oh, yeah, and there are shortbread cookies inside, so it’s a total win/win!

The Mixing Bowl: Devonshire Cream Tea by Joël Penkman

Painter and graphic designer Joël Penkman has shared a recipe with us today for Devonshire Cream Tea that is the perfect accompaniment to your morning cup of tea, especially on cold, wintery mornings like the one we had this morning! She uses strawberry jam, but you could easily substitute it with raspberry, plum, or rhubarb jam, just to name a few. It’s a great, easy-to- make way to spice up your breakfast routine. {You can see a larger version of the Devonshire Cream Tea recipe by clicking on the image above. You can also find a text version at the bottom of this post, after the jump.}

I'm a huge fan of Joël Penkman’s work. Quite frankly, it’s difficult for me to take my eyes of her colorful food paintings. There is something really beautiful about the way she paints a jelly rabbit or a box of Krispy Kreme donuts, something lovely about their simplicity.  I think my favorite piece is Blackpool Rock. It brings back such great memories of childhood and makes me hungry, all at the same time! You can find more of Joël’s work on her website, right here. You can also click here to visit her Etsy shop and order prints online. I guarantee that looking at her paintings will instantly brighten up your day! Thanks, Joël!

For a text version of the Devonshire Cream Tea recipe, and to see more Joël Penkman images, click Read More below.

The Recipe Project

The Recipe Project, a collaboration between the band One Ring Zero and some of today’s hottest chefs, is at once funny, interesting, and completely unexpected. It asks the question, if chefs are the new rock stars, why not set their recipes to music? And that is exactly what is does. Chefs including David Chang, Chris Cosentino, Tom Colicchio, and Mario Batali provide the recipes and One Ring Zero performs the music, singing the recipes word for word over a wide ranging musical genres. There is a rap version of Brains and Eggs by Chris Cosentino, a pop edition of Peanut Butter Brunettes by Chandra Moskowitz, and a Mario Batali spaghetti recipe that is set to polka music. There really is something for every musical taste (no pun intended)! Also included are interviews and essays by chefs and food writers on how music (and food) has influenced their work and lives. You can check out an operatic version of Peanut Butter Brunettes (the only dessert recipe in the book) below. You can hear a sample of the original, along with more info on the project, by visiting the Recipe Project website, right here. To order the book online, click here.

Ace of Cakes: Who Knew??

I’ve never been a huge Ace of Cakes fan. I’ve watched the show before and, although I’ve enjoyed it, there’s part of me that gets a little overwhelmed by all those giant sculptural cakes. There’s always this little voice in the back of my head wondering, What do those cakes taste like?? I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole Ace of Cakes phenomenon, but then I came across this picture on Vince Lupo’s Flickr page and everything changed. The moment I saw this adorable cuckoo clock cake I was head over heels in love! (Check out the fox in the bottom left-hand corner!) And it didn’t stop there! I continued to scroll through Lupo’s images and discovered photo upon photo of some of the most darling cakes that I have ever seen! What wonderful person made these cakes??? And where can I see more of their work?? You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that they were not made by a Scandinavian baking goddess or a hip do it yourselfer, but by Ace of Cakes!! No way! So, I guess I am now, an official Ace of Cakes fan. I’ve actually heard that there cakes are pretty tasty, once you remove the rubbery fondant layer. To check out more pics from Vince Lupo's Ace of Cakes photostream, click here. For more on Ace of Cakes, the show, click here, and here for their bakery's website.

Sweet Testing: Date Butter Tart & Apple Green-Chili Pie With Cheddar Crust and Walnut Streusel

Back in November of last year, The New York Times put together an amazing slideshow of unique pies and tarts that appeared on their website. I was instantly taken with each and every pie and have being longing to make one ever since! Unfortunately, it just never happened, despite my best attempts to force these beauties upon other people, no one seemed quite as taken with the idea of green chili apple pie, but me! Well, I am happy to announce my pie dreams finally came true recently when my mom made not one, but two of the slideshow pies for my birthday! And I have to say, they were a huge success! So yummy and different! Normally, I have a little bit of a meltdown if I don't have ice cream with my pie, but, in this case, I actually ate around the ice cream, choosing instead to eat the pie in all its naked, untouched glory. Maybe the next time I eat a date butter tart, I'll eat it with ice cream, but this time I wanted nothing but pie! Oh, and while these pies do come with their own individual crust recipes, we opted for the fantastic Whole Foods gluten-free crust, which is a really good pie crust and, of course, it's gluten free, which makes it fun for the whole family! For the apple pie, which contains cheddar cheese in it's crust, my mom simply put the cheese on top of the crust. Click here to check out the recipe for Apple Green-Chili Pie With Cheddar Crust and Walnut Streusel and here for the Date Butter Tart. {Thanks, Mom!}

Inspiration Board: Silhouettes (Part II)

A couple of years ago (almost to the day!), I posted a piece about using silhouettes as a decorating device. Over the past two years, I've seen a lot of great silhouette-inspired desserts, but, just recently, I've come across some amazing cakes that take the whole silhouette idea to a whole new level. Normally, I wouldn't repeat an Inspiration Board idea, but I loved these cakes so much that I thought it was about time for a follow up! I especially love Melody Brandon's graffiti-inspired cake pictured above. Check out more of my favorites below.

By Berliosca Cake Boutique

By Cakes 4 Fun

A la Mère de Famille's Ice Cream on a Stick

As the summer of the heat dome comes to a close, I couldn't resist one last summer treat, and these fancy schmancy ice cream bars are the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. Created by Paris' oldest sweet shop, A la Mère de Famille (founded in 1761!), these sticks of frozen loveliness start out with homemade ice cream (chocolate-caramel, pistachio, vanilla, raspberry, mango-passion), which is then rolled-up in chocolate, and layered with with nuts (pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts). Such beautiful, crunchy goodness. Click here for locations throughout Paris.

Caren Alpert: Food under a Microscope

More and more these days people seem to be interested in their food: where it comes from, what ingredients are used, is it organic or not. Photographer Caren Alpert takes our growing food fascination one step further by literally putting food under a microscope, an electron microscope to be precise. Alpert’s gorgeous and captivating photographs get inside our food, showing you what it’s made of, below the surface level.  I love things that take an everyday object and make you look at it in a whole new way. I think “Cake Sprinkles” (pictured above) is my favorite. The colors are amazing and it almost looks like a picture taken from a sci-fi movie of planets colliding. Then again, all of her photos are pretty swoon worthy.

Oreo Cookie

Fortune Cookie

Chocolate Cake

Life Saver

From Caren: In a society where we are obsessed with our food (either overeating or undereating), let’s see if we really “are what we eat.” I wanted to deconstruct that very thing that I’ve spent so many years recording. I wanted to show what was there, but what we never actually saw.

To see more of Caren’s wonderful microscope photos, click here. You can also check out her commercial photography, right here.

Sweet Testing: Grasshopper Cake

I swear this isn’t another Baked cake. It has nothing to with Baked. It is a completely unrelated dessert that has absolutely no connection to a particular bakery in Brooklyn known for their mega super delicious treats. Okay, that’s a lie. It is, in fact, a Baked cake. I’ve been thinking of adding a Baked tag to all my Baked recipes because I’ve made so many of them. I can’t help it! They are always good! I was particularly happy with the way this one turned out. It’s like a thin mint cookie in cake form! Actually, it’s better than a thin mint cookie and I really like thin mint cookies. One person told me that it was the best cake that I had ever made, but I usually hear that from at least one person every time I make a Baked cake. I’m telling you, they are just that good!

You can find the complete Grasshopper Cake recipe after the jump.

Giga Pudding

If you were to ask me, Hey, Erin, what is Giga Pudding, exactly? I would not be able to give you an answer. Apparently, it is a type of pudding. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket and wobbles a lot. Quite frankly, Giga Pudding reminds me more of a toy, than something that is meant to be consumed, which is not surprising given that it's manufactured by a Japanese toy company. It's a food toy, not unlike the Easy Bake Oven of my youth, and I can see how it would appeal to kids. On the other hand, unlike the Easy Bake Oven, Giga Pudding seems to be marketed to adults as well as children, as you can see in this hilarious commercial. I will probably never actually eat Giga Pudding, unless it's on a dare, but I can watch this commercial over and over again. I do quite enjoy watching things wobble. To visit the Giga Pudding website, click here.