Market Season Comes to an End

Well, it's sad but true....today was the last holiday market of the year and the City Tailgate Market won't start up again until next April. It was a bittersweet feeling I had as I pulled out of the parking lot on Charlotte Street. Okay, so I can "sleep in" next Saturday like normal people (sleeping in with a 13 month old is about 8:30, but still...)but I adore selling my lovely pastries at the market. The feedback on my work is immediate in most cases, as potential customers let their eyes caress the fanciful swirls of frosting and nutty, doughy or sticky goodness depending on what floats their fancy. It has definitely been an ego boost. I'll miss also my regular customers who stand at my table and goad passersby into investing in their particular favorite, be it Tiramisu, S'More cupcake or buttermilk scone. I've met their out-of-town relatives, new dogs and sugar-loving friends throughout the course of the year.
I tried to focus on some more holiday-ish items this week, such as truffle boxes, gingerbread people all uniquely decorated, Brioche braids and Stollen, which I wish I would've made 10 more of , there was such a great reaction to it. Some people can't imagine a holiday without it and others have never heard of it, but are drawn to the powdered sugar topping and the candied and dried fruit filling. My truffles were lavender, green tea Both with dark chocolate and then a milk chocolate rolled in cinnamon and cocoa. So I now will focus on a new menu, organizing the business, marketing to some local restaurants, cafes and coffee shops and story time with my daughter at the library. And looking forward to Spring....

Well, there is no market downtown this weekend, so you'd think I'd be researching new recipes, experimenting, etc? No, I instead am getting ready for family time and most importantly, my daughter's first birthday party! We are having a little celebration downtown at Broadway's (yes, her 1st birthday is in a bar) with a few friends and family. I'm excited to use my new cupcake display tower from Crate and Barrel to display the "Neapolitan Ice Cream" cupcakes I made. Do you remember the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry ice cream all in one box that your mom would get for birthdays 'cause then everyone got the flavor they wanted? I wanted to do that with cupcakes so it should be a colorful array of petites gateaux. I made Bea her own 4" spelt carrot cake so I can write her name on it and decorate with tiny flowers or piping; haven't decided yet. I'm really looking forward to this party, even though it's going to be a cold, cold day and I haven't even frosted the cupcakes and it's 2 am and I am cleaning/blogging. So next week the holiday tailgate market begins on Saturdays on S. Charlotte St. in downtown Asheville. I will be doing little 6" cakes along with brioche loaves and perhaps if I'm really brave, some Stollen (and of course my unique, lovely and delicious cupcakes.)

My One Woman Kitchen

I feel I must paint a picture of the tiny space where I create my goodies week after week. After years of working in kitchens that were designed by other (much taller and less organized) people I finally got to create my perfect workspace. Everything is in reach, everything is clean, my tools are always in the last place I left them, not mysteriously moved by co-workers. I have a gloriously clean, new commercial convection oven that coaxes my brioche into a soul-warming golden brown and allows me to bake tray after tray of perfectly poofed cupcakes. It makes me happy. I also invested in two towering professional refrigeration and freezer units that are so shiny and just, well, kick-ass and have plenty of room for all the quirky and bizarre ingredients I pick up at the grocery store outlet as well as buttercreams, vegan pastry creams and my 30 lb. case of vegan margarine (which should last me to 2010).

I bring my XM satellite radio and let my mood and the weather dictate my choice of tunes. Some days it's mainstream 80's, others electronic house or opera. This is the main perk of working alone. I never have to compromise on music!

So it is to my little kitchen that I retreat several days a week to research menus, experiment with recipes and make desserts and cupcakes for the City Market and special orders.

Vegan Earl Grey Cupcake

This week I tried the Earl Grey recipe from VCTOTW. I have to say I really like it. I used loose tea (not sure of the quality). The finished product is a deep golden brown and has a nice Earl Grey flavor-love that bergamot! I paired it with a vegan lemon buttercream, which mellows the tea a bit, but the flavor that lingers on your palate is the Earl Grey. I brought them to a party tonight and they went over really well.