SUPER BOWL DESSERT IDEAS

With the Super Bowl only days away, it's time to start planning the menu. Here are some fun dessert ideas to get the party going (click on the links below for recipes)...

1. Football Cake Pops, 2. Football Truffles, 3. Football Cookies, 4. Popcorn, 

5. Touchdown Cupcakes, 6. Mini-Football Rice Krispies Treats, 

7. Caramel Rice Krispies Treats Footballs, 8. Football Whoopie Pies

CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Nothing says winter like homemade shortbread cookies. Originally from Scotland, this cookie was traditionally served on Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year's Eve), and at weddings. It dates back to the 12th century, but was refined to the cookie we love today by Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. There are many variations of shortbread, but my personal favorite is vanilla shortbread that's been chocolate dipped. Below is my adaptation of the Joy for Baking recipe. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar (caster sugar will suffice as well)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 oz dark chocolate

Serving: 20 cookies  |  Preheat oven to 350ºF

1. In an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter until creamy and smooth (1 minute).
2. Add in the sugar. Beat until smooth (2 minutes).
3. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Gently stir in the flour by hand until just incorporated.
5. Flatten dough and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm (30 minutes to 1 hour).
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Once chilled, rework dough slightly on counter if necessary. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a circle 1/4 inch thickness.
8. Cut out rounds with a lightly floured cookie cutter and place on prepped baking sheets.
9. Place in the refrigerator to help the cookies maintain their shape when baking (5-10 minutes).
10. Bake 8-11 minutes until very light golden color.
11. Cool on a paper towel lined wire rack.
12. Break chocolate into pieces, place into a heatproof bowl, and place it over a saucepan of simmering water (do not use a bowel where the bottom of the bowel touches the bottom of the saucepan. This could lead to burnt chocolate).
13. Once chocolate is melted and become smooth and glossy, remove from heat.
14. Dip cooled cookies into the melted chocolate, and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
15. Let cool. If necessary, place in the refrigerator for chocolate to harden (5-10 minutes).
16. Enjoy!

Note: It is best to use the highest quality butter and vanilla when making shortbread as their flavor really comes through.  Shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.

{image by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

HOMEMADE SMORE BAR

Ok...this is pure genius: fresh homemade smores in candy bar form. This looks like the tastiest idea ever! Seriously, what is it about smores that make them so amazing? We are so lucky as Americans to have this time honored tradition of making smores. Here in London, no one ever knows what I'm talking about. Ms. Humble over at Not So Humble Pie is now a personal hero for coming up with this. For the recipe and to learn how to do it yourself, click here.

{photos by Not So Humble Pie}

LONDON GUIDE: MARYLEBONE FOR FOODIES

Although London might not have the best reputation for food, I can promise you that things are changing.  There are a lot of great neighborhoods in London, but after having spent the past year exploring Marylebone High Street, I can tell you that this is where the foodies are hanging out. From great restaurants, speciality food shops, cooking schools and a Sunday farmers' market, Marylebone has it going on. 

Speciality Shops: 

•Chocolate- Rococo Chocolates is an adorable little shop with some of most delicious handmade chocolates in London.

•Fishmonger- The fishmonger Fish Works also has a restaurant and cookery school.

•Cheese- With a great cafe, shop and hundreds of types of cheese, La Fromagerie is definitely worth a stop!

•Butcher- The Ginger Pig sells some of the highest quality meat around, and if you're interested, they have butchery classes as well.

Cafe/Restaurants:

•Tapas- The Providores is hands down one of the best restaurants around!

•Fish + Chips- The Golden Hind is an institution in and of itself. Started in 1914, this restaurant has some of the best fish n'chips in the area.

•Steak- Le Relais de Venise doesn't take reservations and doesn't even have a menu. You simply tell your waiter how you'd like your steak cooked and you are presented with a delicious steak and frites.

•Organic/Artisan Cafe- The Natural Kitchen offers fresh seasonal food to eat in their restaurant or to take-away. 

•Italian Cafe- Cocorino is a delicious hole in the wall Italian cafe + gelatoria.

Pubs/Bars:

•Coco Momo Cafe Bar is a charming little corner place to stop and have a glass of wine or cocktail.

•Marylebone Tup, a cute place to grab a drink.

•Purl is a personal favorite. This underground speak-easy requires reservations and has some of the most interesting cocktails around.

Cooking Schools:

•Le Cordon Bleu, one of the most reputable culinary institutions in the world, offers 3-9 month long courses.

•Divertimenti has daily and evening classes along with a great kitchenware shop.

• La Cucina Caldesi is a charming little Italian cooking school.

Farmers' Market

•Marylebone hosts a Farmers' Market every Sunday from 10am-2pm at the Crammer Street Car Park. With over 40 stalls of locally grown produce, your tummy will be singing its praises all week.

{photos by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK

Ok...get ready for this. Hot chocolate on a stick. Genius. Simply stir your stick in a cup of steaming milk, and voila, the loveliest cup of chocolate you've ever tasted. How cute would this be at a kids birthday, shower or wedding? So fun!

{via The Ticket Kitchen}

WEEK NO. 3: CHOCOLATE SCULPTURES

This week we made chocolate sculptures. The first two classes were dedicated to making a chocolate windmill. I wasn't crazy about this project as it was quite similar to the train we made in week one.  The little sheep I made made me smile, but other than that, i was kind of ready to be done with this assignment. The next two classes were dedicated to making a butterfly sculpture that looked like a Salvador Dali/Alice in Wonderland acid trip. It was really fun to play with all of the different spray colors and metallic powders. I loved making the flower and the intricate lattice egg. The whole project was great because it combined a myriad of techniques and was definitely a new fun challenge.

{photos by Julia of Room for Dessert}

WEEK NO. 2: CHOCOLATE, PRALINES + CONFECTIONARY

Our second week of Superior Patisserie was filled with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Over four classes (twelve hours), we made 19 different truffles, pralines, and confectionaries including Truffles au Café, Lavender Slab Ganache, Salt Caramel and Truffles au Citron. The work was quite intense, but the results were delicious. Here are some photos of just a few...

{photos by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

WEEK NO. 1: CHOCOLATE TRAIN + BOX

This was my first week of Superior Patisserie and boy was it intense. In the two previous terms, we would have 5 classes a week: 2 demonstrations, 2 practicals and 1 technical class. We would watch the demos and put to practice what we learned in the kitchen. This term we spend 4 of our 5 classes in the kitchen. It is totally and completely exhausting (but a lot of fun too!). This week we did chocolate work. Our first project: a chocolate train. In general, I feel like my turned out well. It took a moment to get back into the swing of things after the holidays, but by the end of the first class, I felt like I'd never left. Our second project: a box made of chocolate. These boxes are intended to house truffles, chocolates etc. and is a really nice was of presenting them. Overall, I feel like it was a good start to the long difficult term ahead. 

{photos by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

WEEK NO. 7: LOTS OF CHOCOLATE

Sorry for not posting photos last week. I accidentally left my camera at school...oops. Last week was so much fun, and I have decided that I really like chocolate work. On Thursday we made four types of bite sized chocolates including Dark Chocolate Mousse Truffles with Baileys (YUM!), Malakoff (sliced almonds + pistachios in chocolate milk), Caramel Cups and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffles. All of them we absolutely delicious. On Friday we made chocolate sculptures. We had a choice of 5 or 6 cartoon characters we could create, but we also had the option of bringing something in ourself. I chose Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup. I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

Chocolate work is quite difficult, but once you get tempering down, it's much easier. Tempering is the heating and cooling of chocolate which causes the molecules to properly align (for dark chocolate, heat to 45°c, down to 25°c and back up to 30/31°c). When done incorrectly, the chocolate will be left cloudy or grainy (think of when you leave a chocolate bar in the car and it melts, and then hardens back but is left white/cloudy). When done properly, the tempered chocolate will be shiny/glossy and have the good snap when broken. 

{photos by Julia Ferguson of Room for Dessert}

HOMEMADE TWIX BARS

These Homemade Twix Bars by Not Without Salt make my mouth water. They would definitely make your house the favorite stop on the halloween party circuit. Click here for the recipe...

{photo via Not Without Salt}

S'MORES HEARTS

A lovely way to eat a childhood favorite...

{image via Neiman Marcus}

PUDDING CUPS

How cute are these Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cups I spotted on Bakerella?  The recipe is from the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids by Jill O'Connor.  Get a copy for yourself by clicking here.

{photos via Bakerella}

CUSTOM CHOCOLATE BARS

Have you ever wanted a chocolate bar with banana chips and coconut flakes?  How about cayenne pepper and black peppercorns?  Or maybe even pretzels and raisons?  Well now you can have the chocolate bar of your dreams with custom chocolate bars by Chocomize.  With three types of chocolate and an assortment of over 90 nuts, fruits, spices and candies to choose from (a total of over 15 billion chocolate bar combinations), you'll be sure to create something your taste buds with rejoice over.

{photos: Chocomize}

LONDON'S CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

Today I attended The Chocolate Festival on London's Southbank.  From chocolatiers to chocolate socks, this outdoor festival covers all things chocolate.   For anyone with a sweet tooth, there is still one more day left of this event (March 26-28) which includes cooking demonstrations, vendors, and chocolate art. If you miss the action this weekend or just still need your chocolate fix, then check out Choc Star, the mobile chocolate van/shop, which sells all sorts of delicious treats throughout London and the UK.

{photos: Julia Ferguson}