Such an easy and cute idea to dress up your gifts!!
Visit NICE PACKAGE BLOG for the step-by-step tutorial video and free printable DIY Vintage Photos. Have Fun!!
Crème Fraîch Panna Cotta
200 grams heavy cream
45 grams sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 grams sheet gelatin
100 grams crème fraîch
In a small saucepan, cook the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla bean until it comes to a boil. In the meantime, soak the gelatin in ice water. When the cream has come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the softened gelatin. Whisk to dissolve it. Pour this into a clean bowl and let it cool to about body temperature. Add the crème fraîch and whisk well.
Pour the panna cotta into your molds or jars and let it set in the refrigerator.
Strawberry Mousse
100 grams strawberry puree
10 grams sugar
2 grams sheet gelatin
75 grams heavy cream, soft peaks
Warm half of the strawberry puree with the sugar. In the meantime, soak the sheet gelatin in ice water. Add the softened gelatin to the warm strawberry puree. Add the rest of the puree and let it cool.
Fold in the whipped cream into the puree base. Pour this mousse on top of the yogurt panna cotta and let it set in the refrigerator.
Strawberry Gelée
150 grams strawberry puree
30 grams sugar
2 gram sheet gelatin
Warm half of the strawberry puree with the sugar. In the meantime, soak the sheet gelatin in ice water. Add the softened gelatin to the warm strawberry puree. Add the rest of the puree and let it cool.
Pour this gelée on top of the strawberry mousse and let it set in the refrigerator.
Baked Meringue Sticks
100 grams egg whites (3.5 ounces or a little under half a cup)
100 grams sugar (1/2 cup)
100 grams powdered sugar, sifted (1 cup)
Whip the egg whites until a light meringue forms (soft peaks). Slowly add in the sugar while mixing. Continue to mix to stiff peaks. Fold in the powdered sugar until incorporated.
Place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a plain (round) tip. Pipe straight lines of meringue on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake the meringues in a very low oven, about 200°F/100°C until crispy, about an hour. Keep them in an airtight container to stop them from becoming soggy.
It is just amazing how designer Carol Gearing and her team transforms simple white papers into breath-taking handcrafted flower blooms. Absolutely GORGEOUS!!
This flower pinwheel by Hello my name is Heather is so adorable!! The pattern, the colors… oh, I just love it so so much! Wouldn’t it be so cute to have your flower girls walking down the asile with a colorful-spinning pinwheel in their hands?!
Erin Jang from The Indigo Bunting made these adorable “OH Baby” shower favors for her friends, Albert and Tasha. She was inspired by the children’s rhyme: “What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails, that’s what little boys are made of.” She rubber-stamped “OH BABY” onto the muslin bags (the baby boy’s last name is Oh!). Then She put a small thank-you note along with some Haribo frog gummies for guests to enjoy.
This is such a simple & trendy way to dress up the table setting.
Spread a dinner napkin out, lying flat. Fold opposite sides in so they meet at the center. Then fold again at the center to form a narrow, ribbon like shape. Next, fold short ends in so they meet at the center. Cinch in the middle with a ribbon in a coordinating color, and glue at back.
Roasted apricots with chamomile
serves 4
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh chamomile flowers or 1 chamomile tea bag
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
8 apricots, unpeeled, halved and pitted
1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 375°F/185°C. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the vanilla pod and seeds, chamomile flowers (or tea bag), then simmer for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve into a baking dish or roasting tray.
Arrange the apricots in the syrup, cut side down, roast for about 10 minutes. Turn them over, baste with the syrup and roast for another 5 minutes until tender. Serve warm.
The apricots will keep for 3 days, refrigerated.
Vanilla spice poached apricot & yellow peach tarts
1/3 recipe of homemade feullitage or 2 sheets of store-brought puff pastry
1 large yellow peach, peeled, finely sliced and pitted
4 apricots, unpeeled, halved and pitted
2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
1 star anise
1 ¼ cups sugar
50ml white wine
200ml water
For the egg wash:
1 large egg yolk
1tsp water
Some flour, for work surface
Remove the feullitage out the freezer 10 minutes before. On a slightly floured work surface; roll out the feullitage to a 5mm/¼in thick square. Stamp out 3in/5in ~ 7.5cm/12.5cm rounds using cookie cutters, prick all over with a fork then return the dough to the freezer to firm up. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Combine the sugar, water, white wine, star anise and vanilla pod + seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to medium and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the apricots to the hot syrup and let poach for 3 minutes; removed. Add the peach slices to the hot syrup and let poach for 2 minutes, removed. Simmer the syrup down to two thirds of its original volume then strain, discard the solid and reserve the syrup.
Beat the egg yolk with the water to make the egg wash. Set aside. Take the feullitage out the freezer and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a knife, score but not cut all the way through a ¼ inch boarder all around, then brush with egg wash but avoid the boarders.
Arrange 2 apricot halves on each 3in rounds and peach slices on the 5in rounds (within the boarders), then dot with diced butter. Place in oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush the tarts with the reserved syrup. Serve warm.
Look what I found on Hostess. Love the colors combination… soooooo eye catching!!
“Treat Cones” are such a fun way to display candy & other goodies at a party. They’re easy to make and can be tailored to pretty much any party theme or color palette, so the sky’s the limit on the style!
The cones pictured here are from a French Circus-themed baby shower that I styled last month. We used zebra-striped wrapping paper, Crunch ‘n Munch (yum!), bright yellow Banana Heads Candy, and 6.75″ black and white shallow vases for these particular displays, but you can apply the same basic concept to any theme you like…
Here are the DIY details:
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You’ll Need:
gift wrap or other decorative paper
lollipop sticks
craft styrofoam sheets – approx 1″ thick
shallow tray or vase/container
candy/treats for the cones
candy/treats to cover the styrofoam
tape, glue stick & scissors
DIRECTIONS:
For the Paper Cones:
1. Download or create a template for the cones. (You can download the one we used here. It makes 5″ cones.)
2. Trace the cone template onto the paper, then trim out. Repeat as many times as you need.
3. Roll the trimmed paper into a cone shape, making sure there’s enough of a hole left in the bottom of the cone for the lollipop stick. Secure the cone shape with a piece of tape on the inside, and use the glue stick to make the outer edge lie flat.
For the Party Display:
1. Cut a piece of the styrofoam sheet to fit securely within your tray or vase/container.
2. Place the styrofoam in the container, then insert the lollipop sticks into the foam, leaving a few inches in between the sticks to make room for the cones. (You can insert the sticks in neat rows or in a random configuration – whichever you prefer!)
3. Pour candy or popcorn on top of the styrofoam until it is completely covered.
4. Fill each paper cone with candy, popcorn, or another treat, then slide them onto the lollipop sticks.
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Here’s a peek at our treat cones “in action” at the French Circus baby shower. They sat at different levels on the “dress” of the Dessert “Table Lady” that caterer The Party Goddess dreamed up!
Apricot and Matcha Tiramisu
makes 4 3in x 3in squares
Matcha génoise
100g granulated sugar
70g all purpose flour
15g matcha
20g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
Apricot mousse
350g apricots (after pitting)
250ml water
100g sugar
1 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, seeds scraped out)
4g gelatine sheet
150ml heavy cream
2 egg whites
75g caster sugar
Mascarpone cream
100ml heavy cream
15g caster sugar (you may not need it if you’re using tinned apricots)
30g mascarpone cheese
For the matcha génoise:
Brings a small pot of water to boil, set aside. Melt the butter in a microwave, set aside to cool.
Lightly butter a 12 x 9in/28 x 24cm roll cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Sift together flour and matcha, set aside. Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C.
Using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs together in a heatproof bowl then add sugar and beat until blended. Place the bowl over the pot of boil water and continue to beat over medium speed until it is foamy and warm to the touch. Remove from heat, continue to beat in a circular motion until it doubles in volume and soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sifted matcha flour mix using a rubber spatula and fold gently until incorporated. Add in the melted butter, quickly fold until completely incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread and smooth out the batter using the spatula. Tap the pan slightly on the counter to release any air bubbles, place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the apricot mousse:
Soak the gelatine in cold water. Place the water, 100g sugar and vanilla seeds (as well as the pod) in a saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the apricots and simmer for about 5 minutes until just tender. When cool, strain the apricots through a fine sieve (you’ll get about 250g purée) and add 50ml syrup from the pan. Reserve some syrup and discard the solids.
(If you’re using tinned apricots, puree 250g fruit and strain through a fine sieve then add 50ml syrup from the tin. Reserve some syrup for soaking the sponge.)
Squeeze out the gelatine, melt in a bain marie and stir into the puree. Whip the double cream into soft peaks (it’s important that the purée and cream have a similar consistency). Make the meringue with the egg whites and 75g sugar – whip the egg white until foamy, add the sugar a little at a time, whipping as you go along. When the purée is slightly set, gently fold the cream and meringue into it.
To make the mascarpone cream:
Place the double cream and sugar in a bowl and whip into soft peaks then mix the cheese in.
To assemble the cake:
Cut 4 pieces of sponge to the size of your mold. Place the sponge in the mold as a base and brush with the left over syrup, pour the mousse, then place the other sponge on top.
Freeze the cake until firm enough to slice (you don’t need to but it helps to cut neatly), layer the mascarpone cream on top and dust with cocoa powder just before serving.
