Holidays Again!?

It happens every year...Halloween comes and goes and then it seems like the already shorter days fly by with such determination to the end of the year and the holiday season. If you just don't feel like tackling dessert at your holiday meals or need to bring a little something to the company party, fret not, we're here! The Take the Cake Holiday Menu 2010, for your perusal...

Take the Cake Holiday 2010 Menu

9” tarts $16.

Apple Almond Gallette

Truffle Raspberry Tart

Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream Filling

Cakes $35.

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

German Chocolate Cake

Boston Cream Pie

Cookie Tray $ 18.

A variety of seasonal classic cookies such as Gingerbread,

Sugar, Cocoa Krinkles, Linzer, Molasses, etc.

20-25 cookies.

Breads and Loaves

Brioche Braid Loaf $5.

Cranberry Walnut Bread $9.

Yule Log (chocolate cake roulade) $25.

Stolen $12.

Pound Cake Loaf $10.

We also offer vegan and gluten-free desserts, please inquire. Please place your order via order form, email: takethecakeasheville@yahoo.com or phone: 712.3157 by December 15. Pickup will be offered at City Market on 12/18 or downtown Asheville by appointment . Delivery is available by for a $5.00 charge. All orders must be picked up/ delivered by 12/22.

Abundance

Well it's August already and I can't believe how fast the year flies. We got 3 hens last month and everyday I open their nest box slowly, hoping to spy our first egg. So far, nothing! But they are lovely girls and glad to eat a slightly overripe apple or unsold biscuit after market. We have an amazing little chicken tractor for them to live in; a moveable floorless enclosure with a cozy little spot for nesting and roosting. So far it's been a lot of fun for us to watch them (and wait for that egg.)

August is probably the best month when it comes to variety of produce. I am amazed and delighted at the abundance of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs and fruit that the farmers bring to the markets every week. I love to let my eyes dance over the colors and textures, while the aromas of basil and onions and tomatoes warmed in the summer sun absolutely make me giddy! Keep your produce department with flourescent lights and fake thunderstorms, I prefer my shopping al fresco.

We've been taking advantage of all the local goodness and have been featuring peach tarts, blackberry goat cheese brioche, plum financiers and of course, scones and muffins with everything from blueberries to figs and walnuts. I picked 7 1/2 pounds of blueberries yesterday with my daughter and today is the perfect day to make a blueberry crisp (our first rainy day in quite a while.) It's also a good day to start preserving some of this abundance for the cold and lean winter months, but doing that would imply an acceptance that this summer windfall will all end all too soon. And I'm just not ready to admit that yet.

Getting back into the swing of things...

Wow. It's been awhile. Yes, I'm still in business and still kicking around Asheville with my little family. The winter here was long and cold, reminding me of childhood winters in Philadelphia. I simply love the snow in North Carolina because it's such an event. And it usually doesn't hang around for long. We dealt with the downtime by donating cupcakes to some great events like the Asheville Arts Council's Crystal Ball and more recently HATCHfest. We also started selling cupcakes, pastries and breads to the West Village Market on Haywood Rd. in West Asheville. However the debut of Spring was very welcome. Spring means that Market season has once again arrived and winter vacation is over. I go from full-time mama and part-time baker to baking 6 days a week and feeling a little overwhelmed. Luckily, it only took a day or so to get back into a routine.
Setting up at the Asheville City Market Saturday morning felt like the first day back at school after summer break. We are so blessed to be a part of such a vibrant community of farmers, bakers and craftspeople (I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating) and seeing these old friends was great. Fellow vendors were amazed at how Bea had grown (talking up a storm was a skill she has mastered over the winter) and I was equally amazed to see a vendor's 13 month son walking like a pro. We got to see many of our regular customers from last year, some of whom expressed how much they waited for this day and thought of my desserts all winter long! It was a wonderful day and really reminded me what I want this business to be about-connecting with people through food and getting to be responsible for a moment of joy in someone's day.