When I moved here, many spoke of the rose gardens this, and the rose gardens that, but I never had a clue what they meant, and figured it was some canard told only to frustrate me. Finally, this past June, Ryan and I embarked on a bike tour of the grounds--we don't live far away from them, it turns out--and what a florid garden it is. Behold:
Millefiori! My photographs do the place no justice, and one would really require the mythical smell-o-vision to fully appreciate this horticultural wonder. I'd highly recommend you visit, but watch out, as heart-shaped trellises attract brides like bees to honey.
Now let's go back...way back...to Fat Tuesday 2010. I try to bake something different each Mardi Gras, although usually I end up making crepes with strawberries and blood oranges. However, after a year of anticipation and talking it up, this past February I made a king cake. Oh, the interweb overfloweth with recipes, and after much thought and pantry assessment, I decided to follow this one, omitting the pecan filling and plastic baby (seriously, they come in packs, what the hell am I going to do with all those? I certainly don't have enough friends, let alone king cake-making friends, to justify a pack of babies). Now if you decide to make this next Mardi Gras, you may find yourself stuck in a number of quandaries, one being "This brioche is damn pretty--I've got to frost it?"
The answer is yes, unless you want to use sprinkles, which would be silly, because frosting is delicious and you know it.
Next you may fret "This king cake is orgasmic, but wait, my good for nothing roommates and I have eaten the whole thing. Do I really have to wait a nearly a whole year to make another?" Again, yes, for tradition's sake, damn it (!), but don't worry, friend, for you see, this recipe serves as an ideal base for making superior caramel rolls and the like. Sure, these won't be the Technicolor wonder that is king cake, but Twelfth Night draws neigh.....
No comments:
Post a Comment