the haunted castle

so fun with pastillage is next on the menu. if you haven't used it yet, may i suggest you do so immediately? besides being fun to play with, it lends itself to a variety of very valuable uses. i'm most eager to use it to create a cake stand as well as decor for a cake board or two. it's a sugar-based dough that dries very hard and will be quite sturdy and durable. it can even be sanded to remove sharp edges and uneven surfaces. traditionally, it is left white, and then airbrushed (should you so desire color). though you can work swiftly and add some gel color, knead it in and work with your pastillage that way as well. you can also paint it with color dust and some vodka or extract.

but making and cutting the pieces themselves? given the fact that it begins to dry VERY quickly, you MUST have your plan, your templates, your supplies, etc. completely set up and ready to use otherwise, you will struggle. it begins to form a dry "skin" on the surface within several minutes so i'm not kidding when i say you have to have a plan, you have to work efficiently and quickly in order to successfully work with pastillage.

my teammate and i had our plan and templates all set! we elected to do a haunted castle. it was a great working relationship because neither one of us was interested in make a pretty, princess-y type castle. we used the temperament of the pastillage to our advantage as well, knowing that a haunted castle is a bit run-down and old, so we allowed for cracks, rough surfaces and uneven windows, etc. for as difficult as it may be to make everything perfect and even and smooth, it is EQUALLY as challenging to make things cracked, uneven and ...haunted! but it was all intentional...and A LOT of fun!!

we textured some of the surfaces with a snake skin or houndstooth pattern.

we added vines, dusted gum paste jewels, crowns, and pieces of rock/brick wall.

my favorite thing was sewing the roof closed with some gum paste vine. possibilities are basically only limited by your own imagination.

we also got to play with some sugar in order to make a very cool base and extra decorations for our castle.

we added color, poured it on the silpat, swirled in some additional, contrasting color and allowed it to cool.

they looked like giant, evil lollipops. perfect base for the castle!

when all was said and done, it looked like a pretty cool, sugary-sweet haunted castle.

*Tip: use PVC pipe and large wooden dowels to form your cylinders of pastillage. once they dry for a day or two, you can slide them right off (remember, it's sturdy stuff!) and they stand straight, tall and evenly on your surface!

more to come!

xo

m

cake pilot travels the globe...

just a little aside for you this afternoon.

i was sort of amused by this.

when you grow up on and near farm land, and everywhere you look is filled with trees and woodland creatures... i mean, i had CHICKENS as a kid! [four to be exact: lucy, ricky, fred and ethel!... RIP guys] well, you don't realize how big the world is as a kid.

of course, i've grown up since then [still want chickens though]... and i've been to amazing places - all over the US, and most recently Iceland and Australia... i know how much the world has grown, how it's all expanded and it excites me to envision myself traveling to the many beautiful, wonderful places. (i have blogs on those too! haha)

i began to write when i was very small. i write my own greeting cards, i write journals, i even write on my sneakers. i have this quotation painted on my office wall [inspired by an old fortune cookie fortune]. it reads, "a writer writes not because [she] is educated but because [she] is driven by the need to communicate. behind the need to communicate is the need to share. behind the need to share is the need to be understood."... the writer writes because she must. thank goodness for blogs.

anyway, i was reviewing some settings on my blog this morning, and i saw my viewership has grown EXCEEDINGLY quickly thanks to RBI Cakes and their posting of my blog links on their FB wall. [for which i am immensely and eternally grateful!!] what was so exciting to me... was seeing how FAR my little blog has reached!!

thank you all for your interest in my blog. for your interest in my experiences! i look forward to continuing to write not just for me...but for you as well.

more to come!

xo

m

overture de fleurs

i've been working endlessly for the past week. if i'm not running to or from school, i'm doing one of a thousand separate things lately. i actually scheduled a "date" with my blog. you guess it! it's right now! (we're getting along famously by the way!)

i wanted to take a moment, and rewind a tad...because i wanted to [once again] discuss the maestro of sugar flowers, and basically lavish some attention on the gorgeous arrangements that i witnessed unfold before me in class.

leading up to this discussion on flower arrangement, we had a practical exam. we were required to make a full rose, a half-rose, 2 buds and 6 leaves. we had to dust everything, arrange everything and compose it together in a pressed sugar vase that we created in the weeks prior.

one of the many disadvantages to missing a class with Chef Ron is that i missed some very important details about coloring flowers, dusting leaves and petals, even how to compose leaves together and learning (and practicing) how to arrange everything in a way that is beautiful and in a way that makes sense.

while i was basically satisfied with my roses, prior to dusting them, i fell seriously short when it came time to dusting my roses and leaves. i didn't have any notes on the process (thanks LIRR), i didn't have an photos (thanks again LIRR) and i didn't have any experience based on the teachings from that monday night (thanks LIRR)... [once again, never forgive the train or the clouds]... so i felt an immense pressure to perform.

having studied classical performance of flute for 20 years, i understand that sometimes, you must do what is called "sight reading." it involves looking at a piece you've never seen or read or heard before, often it's very technical and difficult, and you must take 1 - 3 minutes (depending on the test) before you are required to perform it for evaluation. it's intensely difficult, your mistakes are counted heavily, even for the most seasoned of musicians. it tests your technical ability and strength of your playing "chops." no one likes to sight-read.

well i felt the same pressure during the practical. probably even more so, because i hadn't been taught how to dust the way Chef Ron does it. i can't say i was pleased with the flowers i produced. and i CAN say i wasn't pleased with my final product - especially the way i misunderstood the objective of how to arrange the flowers in the vase. i left a lot of open space because i thought we would get to add some of my other sugar flowers to the vase. so...that meant where i should have simply arranged JUST the roses, i arranged them with the intention of filling in more with our other flowers. of course, this was incorrect and caused me to look a bit incompetent. never a good thing when you are being critiqued by the man who redefines sugar flowers on a daily basis. especially when you missed his class [even if it wasn't your fault, it doesn't matter. perhaps a more resourceful student would have just hitchhiked??]

BUT that being said, when i look at my few roses, i'm reminded of how far i've yet to go. which would explain why i've since made and plan to continue to make roses at my kitchen table, with my cats watching me late at night wondering what i'm doing. the ONLY way to improve is to practice. that's something i've known since my classical performance days - i've played for so many hours that my lips would go numb and the sun would be rising again. trust me, i know all about dedication and practice!

my favorite part of the evening was [no, not when the evaluation was over *smile*] when we got to watch Chef Ron demonstrate his talents. and all you have to do is sit there, really just as a witness, and watch him nimbly and confidently manipulate flowers, press and bend, pull and push, twist and hug all the flowers. they just dance for him. it's a lot like watching ballet. and i guess that makes sense, given his background. it's really no joke when i use words like symphony, maestro, grace and ease... it's all very fluid - not unlike a performance one might see on a stage somewhere with Sergei Prokofiev's or Peter Tchaikovsky's wonderful orchestrations shimmering across your ears and eyes. now that may sound over-the-top, but i assure you... i'm being nothing more than completely serious. having studied classical music [remember my carrot video??] i feel, see and hear the world in a very musical, synesthetic way. so watching Chef Ron build and create right in front of me...well it's been a gift. it's all just very Chopin and Bach!

anyway, here are a few of his arrangements...

the beginning:

as well as one of my favorite photos!

when he posed for it, he said "hello blog readers!!!" love him!

more to come!

xo

m

silicone valley

truth be told, i don't know what the actual silicone valley is or was, or where said valley is located...or why it was called that...nor do i care. i do know it makes for an [somewhat] apropos title for this next blog post. why you ask? well, because we made silicone molds!

this is one of those skills that i've never actual sat down to teach myself, or learn. i've watched youtube videos, read articles, even talked to people in the field...but i've never actually made one. i've bought them. but MAN they can be expensive, and sometimes sort of ugly or old-looking...nothing contemporary that say, a mandy, would use.

well we delved deep into the valley with Chef Ron as our spirited, knowledgeable guide. on the agenda? gems! think facets, think shiny, think luxurious, think unique...

we were given a handful of glass and plastic jewels and a piece of plexi-glass. we first had to attached them to the board and then built clay walls around them. all in preparation for the silicone.

now, i'm nothing if not fastidious when it comes to working with messy materials. there is a time and place for meticulousness, and i do believe that working with silicone is one of those times.

you must be methodical, you must be prepared, you must have a vision from beginning to end (since you only have a limited timeframe with which to work before your silicone begins to set) and you must, must, must remember to follow the techniques and rules in order to eliminate unnecessary flaws, air bubbles and blemishes on your finished product - or alas, all of your hard work, time [and product] will end up a waste.

making molds is one of those things that should be done with attention to detail. and of course, it would make sense to make a bunch of molds in one day, given the amount of time they take. you could spend an entire day making a bunch of molds. but boy would they be worth it!

you can make a mold of almost ANYTHING! and that excites me. [here, i'm already eyeing my collection of antique buttons my grandmother, and great-grandmother gave to me when i was little]. oh the fun i'm going to have!!

what i love about Chef Ron is that he is a pioneer of all that is cutting edge in this field that i love so very much. i like his clever nature, his creative mind and the fact he CREATES. it's something i SO enjoy seeing in someone else! no, i'm not even trying to compare us, because he wins. BUT, i respect the notion that...hey, there is no mold of this exact shape, article, thing?? well, i'm making one then! that just makes me swoon! and continues to inspire me along my path!! it's all very "if there's a mountain, move it."

so i will admit, originally, i struggled with [don't laugh] making the clay walls. *rolls eyes* i over thought it, made them ridiculously tall and TOO thick... Chef Ron basically came over and said, "that makes no sense. fix it." and so i did. thank goodness he's so straight-forward. i LOVE straight-forward! if there's one thing that bothers me when learning something, is if someone is too sweet and too careful with their feedback. granted, no one wants to hear that they do something imperfect, BUT if you're like me, you're just grateful to have someone like that say "you want to be better? then do it better!" god, i'm so sad RBI classes are over already! [i will never forgive the LIRR by the way.]

anyway, i took some photos of the process from start to finish.

from preparing the jewels on the plexi-glass...

to coating the jewels to prevent air bubbles...

to pouring to break those small, blemish-causing bubbles that could ruin your mold...

to a particularly cool photo of all the molds poured and ready to set...

to the finished product two days later (word of caution, let your molds air-dry after you wash them, so as to eliminate debris in your molds!)

and of course, i took a few shots of the molds at work ... after Chef Ron spoke to us about the various ways that we could use our new molds! from sugar to sugar paste to chocolate to candy... it's just really exciting!

sugar paste goes in, sugar paste jewels come out.

just imagine this painted with a disco dust or shimmery gold. talk about adding some edible luxury to your cake! [lub dub]

well, there are about 1,000,000 more things i have yet to post, BUT alas, i've got a train to catch! i'm planning on talking about flowers, pastillage, and SO MUCH MORE!

as always...

more to come!

xo

m

what does spring look like when it's made of sugar?

i'm finally playing catch-up with my blog. it's been a hectic week, filled with lots of late nights and lots of work and now i'm working again, BUT have carved out some time to pay some much needed attention to my blog.

first up on the menu, i want to share some photos of my sugar flowers. with all that happened, some of my flowers aren't fully detailed yet, but the beauty of that is you don't HAVE to dust and detail your flowers immediately, when you don't need them immediately. so when i have need for an orchid or some lilies or roses, i can dust away! ;o)

anyway, coming in the next [lengthy] post, i will be discussing silicone molds, pastillage and sugar (pulled and blown) and a mixed bag of my thoughts leading up to now. i can't believe that we only have 20 classes left?!!??! and to think, the next time i see RBI, we'll be graduating! *sniff* but on the plus side, i'm applying to internships (for cake and for food writing)!! so that's cool! fall is gonna be EXCITING!!

more to come!

xo

m

grow, sugar garden grow

first...this was a shot of the incoming storm that caused monday's debacle! (had i known how long i was going to be on the train...i would have taken more!)

...

there's some sort of saying, isn't there? about without rain, there can be no sunshine? or rain makes the garden grow? well, whatever it is, i've been growing some sugar flowers!

...

so, my husband's birthday is this weekend. we've got family coming in from all over the planet, i've got literally seven MILLION things to accomplish before class tonight and no, i'm not prepared. and yes, i'll be up all night tonight!!

HOWEVER, i simply cannot WAIT to post some pictures of some of the things i've been working on! Chef Ron is a PHENOMENAL talent who shares such a wealth of information, in gushing torrents. i have learned so much already.

yes, i, sadly, missed out on a finale of sorts, BUT despite that, a testament to his lessons, AND chef cynthia's gracious willingness to come in early, sit with me and show me what i missed, i was able to play catch up wednesday afternoon!

my flowers aren't fully dusted or detailed, but it's certainly a garden now! take a peek and i'll write more... once i'm done having fun this coming weekend!

cheers!

more to come!

xo

m

so i figured it out...

remember when i said that wild horses couldn't drag me away from class? ...well apparently, wild horses can't. but one, giant, slow-moving metallic train can.

this is a story about last night and why i am mad... and sad... and spent much of the night bitterly gazing at the sky, as though it betrayed me in the worst way possible.

i missed class. and it had nothing to do with me.

it all started out so normally. got on my train at 3, we left at 3:11. i started to read, i was listening to some tunes on my ipod... reading a great book, fell a sleep (like i often do) because i'm constantly doing double-time in order to justify cake school, and compensate for how much time i spend in NYC. quite content to just enjoy my sleepy ride in to penn station. like i always do.

every once in a while, i'd peer out the window at the storm clouds off in the distance. they were majestic, ominous and growing darker. i dug around in my bag. "good," i thought, "i've got my little umbrella!" - i hate getting stuck in the rain in the city. it's such a long walk to and from the subway, the rain can soak me through before i get to the safety of my school.

i kept reading, wondering how much rain we were going to get. from the looks of it, it seemed we'd be getting our fair share, and then some.

not long after, the rain started to fall. i watched it, peacefully, as it hit the windows and in unison, started to slip and slide in a diagonal path across the window panes. hundreds of tiny little rain drops. the drops go bigger. the sky got darker. soon it was just sheeting across the window- like someone had turned a hose on and left it blasting. everything outside began to dance in the gusts of wind. and bend and sway to the pounding of what looked like giant, hail-sized raindrops.

"great," i though to myself, "hopefully it's not this bad in the city. i'm going to get drenched, even with my crappy little umbrella." (i got it for free with a beach bag last summer. it's little spring had broken almost immediately, and one of the little wire arms was bent, but typically it did the job. i don't really have much use for umbrellas. i'm typically the weirdo twirling around in the rain, letting it fall on my face...of course, i mean when i've got no where to go. umbrellas have their purpose. and i was particularly fond of this one for two reasons: it was impossibly tiny and i loved how large it got when you opened it from such a small beginning. AND i loved it's colorful, polka dotted pattern.)

but then there came the announcement:

"attention passengers. we will be stoping at hicksville and then going to westbury and stopping for an indeterminate length of time due to severe weather conditions up head and some weather-related signal problems."

UGH. now i was a bit annoyed. i didn't like a few things about that announcement. "indeterminate" meant we didn't know how long it could be...which sounded bad. and "signal problems" which can often delay a train for a while. 'a while' was something i didn't have, since i get to school exactly on time when things are running normally. a delay would mean i'd be running again, running and dodging people and puddles and obstacles.

so i figured, i'd call my chef, let her know my situation and advise her that i would likely be a little late to class. but i had no signal. every time i tried to call, i'd get "signal lost" on the screen. PERFECT! no phone, stuck on a train, in a storm. this was NOT looking good. i eventually texted my husband and asked him to call my chef (who didn't pick up, so he left a message) and one of my classmates, my current partner, just in case the chef didn't get my/his message.

the train moved up a the track slightly and i was hopeful. for about three seconds. and then there was another announcement:

"attention passengers. [didn't like the tone in his voice] we are going to be staying at westbury for at least an hour due to severe weather and signal problems up ahead. we will leave the doors open and if you want to arrange for a ride home, if you don't want to wait, feel free to make calls. there are pay phones on the platform."

WAIT, go home?! arrange a ride?! an HOUR??!!! no. this was NOT happening.

the very first though that dashed through my mind was "this is such an important class!! we have a practical. it's a chef ron class. CHEF RON and the flowers. we were finishing the flowers." this was monumentally unfair. and i was ... well... i was angry.

as if on cue, by the way, the sky just opened up. lightening began racing across the sky in every direction, in yellow, orange and purply white branches. thunder clapped and boomed so loudly the train windows rattled. a group of high-schoolers sitting nearby screamed bloody murder.

"great."

and the we waited. and waited. and waited.

every minute that ticked by left me feeling more desperate to get to school, and yet dimmed the hopes of that becoming a reality.

about an hour and ten minutes later however, the conductor came back on the speaker and said that we were awaiting the green light and we would be advancing west. YAY! okay, so i'd be late, but at least i could get to school. i looked at my watch and did some quick math. if i got there in 45 minutes and then caught the Q, i could get there by 6:25ish. sure, i'd be late, but i'd get there! i sat back in my seat and waited happily with my book, watching the rain and lightening.

not long after that, we were off. off like a herd of...turtles. or snails. seriously...i COULD have walked the track faster. but whatever, we were moving!!

we, an HOUR later, got to jamaica and then stopped right before the platform. again, came another announcement:

"attention passengers. this train will terminate at jamaica. we are informed that there is NO westbound service on at line on the LIRR at this time between jamaica and penn station. you can- [but everything sort of went muffled here]"

terminated? NO service? i looked at my watch - 7 pm. even if i could walk outside to wherever we were, and catch a cab...i wasn't sure if cabs went from jamaica to soho. and if they did, i had 5 bucks on me - i hadn't gone to the bank recently. my debit card was sitting on my desk, at home! [because i forgot it...again].

school was impossible?? school was impossible. and i was going to miss out on my class with chef ron. of all the classes to miss, it's the one that he said "DON'T miss monday! take your vitamins!" [i always take my vitamins!] ...

i grabbed my backpack and stood near the door. 'just let me OFF this thing!' i thought, angrily.

a conductor walked by and i said, "there's NOTHING to penn? to the city?" all he said was "nope" as he pushed by me

...thanks!

so i had only one choice: get back on a SUPER crowded train headed back east...and stand amidst 500 people and slowly inch our way back home. and so i did, begrudgingly. and some guy coughed on me the whole way home. i got home at 8. 8pm. which means i was on the train for about 5 hours. and i went no where. nowhere but disappointed.

i missed out on a class with chef ron, which, as you can imagine, kills me. since i've yammered on about him in like 75% of my blog posts. i missed all the magic. and my practical. and on a class i've waited over a year to take. i've literally waited YEARS to take flowers with RBI and on the big day, i can't go.

it occurs to me that i could've probably walked there faster. and thoughts of "ugh, why do i live so far away?" cross my mind.

yes, there are worse things to happen in life. but i'm sad and utterly disappointed. and me and the weather? we are so not friends right now.

no pictures to post this time.

xo

m