Busy, busy, busy

Whew! I have been crazy busy these last few weeks and (shocker!) I am just now finding the time to sit down and write a little something. Last weekend I did a cake for the largest wedding I have ever done. Now, to be fair, the wedding was only for about 115 people, but still, that is bigger than I have ever done. (I usually do small weddings - about 50 people on average.) In addition to doing the cake, I also assisted with the catering (by Mari Desautels of Mari Cooks) at the event, so last Saturday was fairly busy for me. The wedding had an overall Mexican theme to it, so the food and the cake were along those same lines. For the cake, I made three cinnamon-spiked French vanilla tiers, covered them with a basic butter cream and decorated using handmade, royal icing flowers as well as more butter cream to mimic the embroidered patterns found on traditional Mexican dresses (I think the one I used was specific to the region of Oaxaca). I served a cream sauce on the side, which the guests could pour on themselves, and which recreated the flavor of a traditional tres leches cake. (We were missing at least one of the "leches", but the flavor and structure of the cake worked really well without it.) Ultimately, I was pleased with how the cake turned out.

I was also very impressed with the food the caterer set out on the buffet. (I didn't actually help prep any of the food, but I did assist with set-up, clean-up and taking home some of the leftovers. Yum!) She had cheese enchiladas, beef and chicken fajitas, pulled pork shoulder (phenomenal), rice, beans, red and green salsas, guacamole and all the other accoutrements that a delectable Mexican buffet would need. Seriously, all of the food smelled divine and it tasted just as good the next day. The guests seemed to really enjoy everything - cake included - and the bride and groom seemed very happy with how their reception turned out (pretty much the most important thing for wedding caterers).

In any case, I hope to write more about what I am cooking at home in the coming days. Doing so has proved slightly more challenging lately, both for personal and for professional reasons. Time is always a factor for sure, but I definitely want to continue to share what our family is consuming (as much as what they are not - anybody with kids out there knows EXACTLY what I am talking about). For now, enjoy the cake picture!