Bonnat

Origin, Circa 1884 Southeastern France. The Bonnat Family are fourth generation chocolatiers, not milliners. Bonnat is French for cap. Their family tradition has spanned many lifetimes dedicated to the excellence of making something so simple, but gives so many people pleasure all around the globe. The very part of the process that makes their chocolates so special is going the extent of importing the very best cocoa beans and roasting them themselves in their factory; such as in the Java Bar - the best java beans are imported from Indonesia for this velvety smooth bar. Their dark roasted flavors go hand-in-hand, much in the same way a well made pot of french coffee is made.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Celebrate any occasion with my all natural cupcake recipe. Use the very best quality ingredients to ensure the best tasting outcome. Be sure to use good vanilla, like Madagascar Vanilla. Then top with either my delicious chocolate or vanilla icings. 

Vanilla Cupcakes by George Hirsch 

Makes about 2 dozen 

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Scrape bowl, add the sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 

Add the eggs in three stages one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three stages, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over mix. Scrape down the bowl after each addition to make sure the ingredients are well blended. 

Fill cupcake liners approximately three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the muffin pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. 

Ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Icing or Chocolate Icing. 

image: David Smith 

Cow to Cone

I have the scoop on a cool and timely find; the product has an original story with quality and sustainability at the core of each hand filled pint. Good stuff. I am not talking about a microbrew. I am referring to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, the Ohio based artisan ice creamery.

Jeni's is a family owned and operated company with outside-the-box signature & seasonal flavors with a strong emphasis on the freshest ingredients. All the cream in every one of Jeni's ice cream pints is produced from the free grazing cows of Snowville Creamery, also in Ohio.

Ohio Love You is everything we are—our inspirations ... our ingredients ... our relationships with devoted customers, talented farmers and a supportive community. It is a celebration of everything that makes Jeni's ice creams truly splendid!

And of course, all of our ice creams are made with Ohio dairy from pasture raised cows. No antibiotics, growth hormones, herbicides or pesticides necessary ... cows eat grass, which their bodies were built to eat....When a local farmer brings bags of fresh mint, our team washes and chops it before steeping it in cream.

Here's the making of Backyard Mint: Note, the mint is from local Ohio farm, fresh picked.

Seasonal Flavors:

Brown Butter Almond Brittle
Based on the traditional Norwegian dessert krokan. Browned butter gives depth to salty, sweet almond brittle.

Backyard Mint
Pure, intense peppermint restrained and mellowed with sweet cream. Like a cool breeze on a hot day.

The Buckeye State
Our version of Ohio's favorite confection. Rich and salty peanut butter yields to the crunch of exceptional dark chocolate for perfect balance. Total comfort for Buckeyes and Buckeyes at heart.

Strawberry Buttermilk
Fragrant Ohio strawberries with rich buttermilk impart a light, clean finish. Like a bowl of strawberries and cream.

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries
Buttery, milky sweet corn gives way flawlessly to sweet-tart black raspberry jam. Breath of honey on the finish.

Find Jeni's near you. And yes, they ship nationally.

images: Jeni's

Mr. Softee

OK. I admit it, I am a softie - didn't you know all chefs are sensitive? But I am referring to one of America's number one indicator of the summer season, the jolly jingle of the Mister Softee truck. Yes, I have featured the best gelato in the world, but the dipped cones and tall shakes from the Mister Softee truck hold a special place in most people's hearts, a bit of nostalgia. 

Here's the scoop on Mister Softee:

Back in 1956 soft ice cream was a big hit with the public, being sold exclusively in roadside stands and restaurants until Mister Softee took to the road with the first mobile truck unit. Mister Softee is America's oldest and largest franchisee of soft ice cream trucks. You'll find hundreds of Mister Softee soft ice cream trucks from coast to coast. Mister Softee was founded by two brothers, William and James Conway, in 1956. On St. Patricks day of that year - (Yet another connection to Ireland; It's following me everywhere.) Bill and Jim took their first truck and gave out green colored ice cream in the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia. 

For more info on Mister Softee

Orange and Honey

The perfect combination of locally made honey and citrus is what inspired today's post playing off the color orange; and seen on an episode of GH Living it UP!. Enjoy a slice of my Orange Honey Cake with a hot cup of orange pekoe tea. BTW - the orange in the orange pekoe denotes the quality of the tea leaves in the blend and not orange flavor. Orange Pekoe is a good grade tea using full and bigger tea leaves.

Also, this recipe is a really easy one to whip up for a impromptu gathering since you can make, bake and eat this cake, in under one hour! Orange you glad about that? Enjoy!

For today's - Honey Orange Cake Recipe

image: Hirsch Media