Christmas in July - Revisting and Finding New Holiday Ideas

Recently, Two Hearts Bakery was given an opportunity to re-assess our winter holiday offerings. We try our best to work a year to half a year before the actual season. Since we are in constant development/improvement of our treats, it was fun to make winter themed items in the dead of summer. Nothing like ginger and peppermint to remind me that the winter is just around the corner.

Here are some of the items that we worked on...

Christmas S'mores, Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwiches, Shortbread Trios, High Tea Holiday Cookie Collection, Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Boys.

I Feel Very Martha Stewart

This past weekend was spent with one of my handy best friends, also known as my co-maid of honor. We ran errands all Friday morning and day, running from lumber yard to the craft store and everywhere in between. Among one of our many tasks, we mapped out the menu and presentation for the wedding dessert bar.

Channeling my inner Martha Stewart, I finally decided on a combination of white wood and glass as the dessert bar presentation style. To save myself the headache of too many items that require me to be in the kitchen right before the wedding, I have opted for a confection rich menu.

Many thanks to my friend, her husband and Will who worked all a little too hard for a long weekend.

Things To Consider When Creating A Dessert Bar

• Choose a color/theme - I prefer to keep this simple. While the trays are white, sheer blue and brown ribbon (wedding colors) will trim the edge of the trays
• Build height - Stacking trays help to create visual interest
• Continue the color/theme with treats as well - We will also be integrating our wedding colors into our treats, ex. Candy Buttons
• Think in Odds - While pairing items seems most natural, thinking in threes or other odd numbers also adds additional interest, ex. please see above, three candy jars, five white presentation trays
• Mixing Shapes - Our trays are a combination of squares and rectangles
  

Cognac Cherry Cordials

At every Vietnamese wedding, it is customary to set a bottle of Cognac at the reception dinner table. I am not sure how it started and why we settled on Cognac, but for many wedding seasons now, I have been reaping the rewards of this very festive tradition.

The idea came to me the other idea regarding a treat that would mirror the flavorings of the cognac. I decided on cherry cordials. For something I have never really been that fond of, I have been really keen on making them for quite some time, and this provided the perfect excuse.

I am also trying to be fair... Before I place cherry cordials on my official list of dislikes, I have decided to make them for myself. And who knows, maybe I might actually really like them after all and our guest might end up seeing these at the dessert buffet. So here we go...

First, I soaked the cherries in cognac. (Not a bad start)

After a day to properly marinate, I carefully drained the cherries
Then I heated my fondant
Dipped my cherries in the fondant and let them set
I then dipped them twice in chocolate for good measure

Now comes the hard part, the waiting...

In order for the flavors to meld, these cordials will need a few days to weeks to mingle and liquefy. I will post an updated picture once the cordials are ready.

(Please excuse my iphone pictures. I am a horrible picture taker. I generally leave that to Will.)