Reflections on Fair Trade Chocolate

A year ago this week I did the craziest, coolest, most notable thing that I had done in my life (uhh..still). I flew to Lima, Peru in search of answers about the fair trade industry, and then spent three days on an organic cacao farm in the middle of the jungle. I have never learned so much in one short week, or had one individual make such a lasting impression on me as my dear farmer, Carlos. Now, it's a year later. I can still remember how I felt during my stay in Peru and the emotional 'high' I came back to the States with.

This week I have been  re-reading my original post about my trip and remembering all of the things I learned and all of the wonderful people that I met. Fair trade, as opposed to 'organic', is not a buzz word. It is not a marketing ploy, it is a trading system regulated by organizations like the World Trade Organization, the European Union, and the United Nations. It is a system put in place to protect the people who do not have the resources to protect themselves in an international market. Crops like coffee, chocolate and sugar cane biologically cannot be grown in certain areas of the world, yet they are consumed in every area of the world. This is where the problems start.

I could go on and on about the importance and ethical arguments, but that's not what this post is about. This week is about remembering Carlos and his family, his community in Echarate, Peru and the kindness they showed me: a random American girl with a college education and an iPhone. Fair trade is a hard thing to understand and shell out the money to support if you haven't seen its effects first hand. Which is why I'm reminding myself of what I learned, but most importantly who I met and who is still affecting my daily life one year later.

Pomegranate Cupcakes

It's finally starting to warm up around here (although we got a few inches of fresh snow last week) and this cupcake is the perfect one to wrap up the winter season with. My favorite part of winter are the citrus flavors that come in to season- I will never get tired of the light and fresh flavor. Pomegranates are sweet and tangy, and they make for a really uniquely flavored cupcake.

They're topped with fluffy citrus cream cheese frosting, that gives it a little extra tart-ness and balances the dense texture of the cake. To garnish, there are pomegranate seeds and strips of candied ginger. 

No extra coloring was added, the bright pink hue is all from the fresh pomegranate juice! These are the perfect little bites to treat yourself with in this Winter-to-Spring in between time; sweet, tangy and a little spicy from the ginger. 

Why Come to the CIA?

When I made the decision to go to Culinary school this was a question that I was asked (and asked myself) a LOT. Like any other college, Culinary school comes with a hefty price tag. Enrolling here meant making a financial commitment for years to come and taking a big leap of faith. After I made the decision to go to A Culinary school, I had to make the decision to come here. As of this week, I have been in school for a month and half. When I ask myself now, was it worth it? The answer is already a resounding yes. In a very short month and a half, I've gotten to do and see life-changing things surrounded by other people just as passionate as I am. These are the things that you just do not get at just any Culinary school:

• The very first weekend I was here, I shared a couch with this guy while we watched the premier of his latest appearance on the Food Network- an episode of Sugar Dome Challenge. He graduated from the CIA in 2009 and now owns a successful cake shop here in the Hudson Valley. He's been on Food Network Challenge 3 times already and offered a really unique perspective on what really happens on Food TV. 

Did I mention we got to meet him because he was a judge for the annual cake competition held by the Baking and Pastry Society here at the CIA? That was pretty cool too.

• On week two I sat in on a lecture and question and answer session given by Michael Specter from The New Yorker on Genetically Modified Organisms in our food system today. He's given a TED talk that was revered by Bill Gates and he's a very well respected journalist on science and technology. Since I'm super interested in sustainable farming, eating local, and all that jazz, I found this really unique. His lecture was nothing like I was expecting, and was actually in defense of GMO's as a way to sustain the food supply, but it was a really interesting perspective to hear. Just the fact that such a respected science journalist came to a culinary school to speak is notable.

• Week three can be summed up in two words: donut icecream. We had an entire class devoted to eating it.  Life. Changing.

• Since the first second I got here, everyone has been buzzing over the opening of the newest restaurant on campus, Bocuse, and the huge celebration the school was planning to kick it off. A celebration that included a panel discussion with five of the best chefs in the WORLD. That's right- I was in the same room (as was the entire rest of the school) as french chefs Paul Bocuse (named the chef of the century), his son Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Congerichten and American rock star chef Thomas Keller. All five of these chefs are judges at the Bocuse D'or competition that is considered the unofficial Culinary World Championships...they're that good. 

Paul Bocuse turned 87 that week and he doesn't speak a single word of English. Even through a translator in a room with a thousand people who didn't speak his language, Chef Bocuse managed to transmit his wisdom, grace, and even a little humor. Many things shared by all five of the chefs I will take with me as I start my career, but one of the last things that Chef Bocuse said will stick with me the most:

"If you think you've succeeded, then you've already failed." 

Happy Birthday Chef Bocuse! It was a huge sight to see all of the excitement that went into his arrival and presence on campus. All five chefs are an inspiration to every single student here.

Post-externship Baking and Pastry students worked on this cake for over a month.

The inside is all foam but all of the decorations on the outside are edible and made from sugar by hand.

My friends and I with Jerome Bocuse, executive chef of Les Chefs du France in Disney's Epcot

If I've gotten to do all of this in the first month and a half of being here, I'm confident in saying that I made the right move. What I'm getting out of the CIA is irreplaceable, and will only mean good things for my career and my customers. The biggest problem is that I've been so busy doing cool things that I haven't had much of a chance to post about it! Now that I'm all settled in though there will be plenty of cake coming this way soon. 

Cake Truffles

Let me preface this post by saying...I hate cake pops. That's right it's Valentine's Day and I'm hating on cake pops. I love cake, I love lollipops, but I hate those stupid little donut hole makers and dipping cake squished together with sugary buttercream into even sugarier fondant. BUT I also hate waste. Wedding cakes generate a lot of cake 'waste' after making it level or carving it into a figure. I usually toss all of the scraps into an airtight bag and stash them in the freezer for a rainy day. As long as the bag is airtight and securely wrapped, the cake will not lose any of the moisture it had when you first put it in there.

From here, you can do a lot with left over cake scraps:

• They make a really decadent bread pudding in place of stale bread. For bread pudding I would  let the scraps sit out and stale a day or two before using. 
• You can use the crumbs as a garnish on cupcakes, cake or other desserts
• Or, you can make cake truffles like I did:

The difference, you may be wondering, between these little gems and cake pops is more than just the stick. The middle is almost solid cake, I just flavored it with some of the leftover filling from the same wedding cake. No squishy, mushy, way too sweet filling either; I'm talking about the good stuff. There were three flavors in total: spice cake with cinnamon cream cheese, chocolate with cinnamon cream cheese, and chocolate with bourbon caramel. I rolled all three into little balls and dipped them in pure dark chocolate for a delicious finish.

These would be a great addition to a dessert bar at a wedding, or just taking a dozen or so home to your sweet for Valentine's Day. Hope you're feeling loved today! 

Welcome to the World's Premier Culinary School

And so the adventure as a Culinary Student begins. Every morning that I wake up in New York I still have to remind myself that this is real. Culinary school is something that I have been dreaming about (and effectively putting off) since I was 12 years old, and to finally be here - at the Culinary Institute of America no less - is a surreal experience to say the least.

Over the past week I've had all kinds of information, regulations and expectations thrown at me. Sometimes it's been along with some encouraging support, other times with a can't-wait-for-you-to-mess-this-up-so-I-can-yell-at-you tone. This school is for real, ya'll. I walked in thinking, "Hey I'm back in college, I know how this works," and quickly realized that I have no idea what is going on here. We're the 'newbies', the ones without real uniforms yet, and no one cares what you did before you came here or where you think you're going after. Everything down to your fingernail length is regulated. With the exception of moving day, if you wear anything besides business casual or your chef's whites into the dining hall, you won't be served food. Let me tell you, I have never felt so out of place in a college dining hall wearing yoga pants.

That was the first four days. Then they give you your knives and your uniform and all of a sudden you belong, and you're a part of something special. It's crazy and it's fast paced but it's passionate. Everyone is here because they want to be and because they love food. My favorite part is being surrounded by people who don't think it's weird to think about food all day long. And oh the food. I use the term 'dining hall' extremely loosely. All of the culinary students prepare meals in every class, and the rest of us swipe at the kitchen door and come away with a three course dinner. It's magical. And filling. The gym here is really busy...

I have my first official day of classes today- Baking and Pastry Techniques. The first time I walked into the bakeshop I never wanted to leave. Although the first week has been a whirlwind, I have never once second guessed my decision to come here, which says a lot in my book. It's going to be 21 months of the hardest I've ever worked and the most I've ever learned, but I've never been more excited for anything ever. While in school, I will definitely be continuing my cake blog although it will be changing to be more about school and the process of baking, than my latest cake orders. Please email me or comment below with any questions you may have! I will still be taking wedding cake orders, just on a case by case basis.

Here's me "blending in": 

Winter Wedding Cake

From the tasting to the delivery, this cake has been by far one of my favorite to create. Not only did the bride and groom give me a lot of room to brainstorm and be creative, but they were also very laid back and patient to work with. At their tasting in October we decided to go with a winter theme for their cake, and incorporate elements of the New Year's holiday into the flavors. The design was a tall, four tier traditional cake with ivory and white pearls dripping down the sides to look like snow. The 12" bottom tier was vanilla confetti cake filled with champagne buttercream, followed by a 10" dark chocolate cake filled with whiskey caramel mousse and an 8" gingerbread spice cake with cinnamon cream cheese filling. The top 6" tier that the couple kept for their first year anniversary was a second chocolate tier with caramel mousse. It was topped with a single sparkly snowflake that was provided by the bride.

The pearls are edible and two tones, ivory and white. Separating each tier is a thin band of fondant at the base.

The cake was presented on an antique silver platter.

I also provided labels for the flavors to decorate the cake table. 

I can't say enough nice things about the catering staff from Harvest Moon that was so wonderful to work alongside with while I set up the cake. Other vendors for the wedding included The Jefferson Theatre as the Reception venue and Aaron Watson Photography. Cville brides, knock yourselves out.

30th Birthday Cake

This cake was for a co-worker's surprise 30th birthday party. He's an avid runner and flag football-er, both of which we wanted to incorporate in his cake. Credit for the design goes mostly to his best friend from college who also works with us and planned the whole party. I promise the "hill" aspect of the cake was an unintentional coincidence but given the fact that he was turning 30, it just seemed oh-so-fitting. The cake is vanilla bean pound cake with a cookies 'n sweet cream filling.

The cake is covered in [green] Italian buttercream and the road is made out of crushed Oreos.

The banner, running trophy, and football are all handmade out of gumpaste and fondant.