Baked

I have been in a baking frenzy for the better part of a month and I now understand two fundamental things.

First, I could use some professional tutelage.  There are things about baking, science things, that are not easily absorbed by watching one's grammy in the kitchen.  My grandmother could bake the pants off of anyone I know.  Her molasses cookies were worth saving in the aftermath of an auto accident.  I can still smell her bread and I miss, really, really miss, the taste of it smothered in butter and homemade jam.  Grammy knew the mechanics of a pinch.  She knew when to fold and when to sift.  She rarely used a recipe or a measuring cup, for that matter, the skill of which, would be really handy down here in New Zealand since the US cup measure and the metric cup measure are different.  Baking down here is in grams.  People weigh stuff.  There's no shady grey area that my grammy inhabited.

On my recent trip back to America, I bought a Kitchenaid mixer at Sam's Club, took it out of its box, and packed it in my suitcase.  I saved myself about $800 in the process.   True story.

I have coveted that damn thing for probably the last five years or so and don't know why I never bought one.  I have used it every single day since its arrival in New Zealand and it has made a huge difference in both the quality and the pleasure I take from baking.  I am now on the hunt for a Quisinart food processor and since I have to be in the States again next month, I'm planning to save a spot in my suitcase.

Second thing I now understand is that my pallet is blah, boring, soaked in vanilla, pedestrian.  I haven't a clue how to "create" new and exciting stuff.  I watch Master Chef and the rest of the cool foodie programs and I am in awe of the some of those people.  They put the most interesting flavours together and somehow, it all works.  Me?  I am a cookbook-reading, recipe-following-to-the-letter, have all of my ingredients out and ready to go, kind of gal.  I haven't got a creative cell in my body.I mention this only because my new venture requires creativity and an ability to produce a specific visual aesthetic.

I plan to make cupcakes. The trend is still quite new here and there is opportunity.  I'm also sticking a foot into the individual dessert camp and the gluten free corner, just for good measure. (Pun intended)
So, it looks like I'm going to have to take a few classes because while my baked goods taste pretty awesome, they are fugly, with a capital F.  I'd post a pic but I'm completely embarrassed as to my lack of icing piping expertise.

I recently completed a council-mandated food safety course, which was surprisingly eye opening.  I attended with the idea that the instructor wouldn't be able to teach me anything I didn't already know and I was completely wrong.  Just as an aside, want to know one of the biggest culprits when it comes to food poisoning?  I know, you're thinking seafood or some other protein, right?  It's rice.  RICE.  Stuff sits in those cookers for HOURS at temperatures that spawn lots of lovely bacteria.  Consider yourself warned.  Oh, and those antibacterial wipes...let's just say that I'm not a big fan anymore.

So, over the next little while, I plan to post a few pictures here and there about some of my prettier and more successful (individual pineapple upside down cakes with warm, dark butter rum sauce) forays into the dessert world.  

Could be interesting or it could end up being a bit like watching paint dry.  My apologies in advance.