RuthWells

I'm baking ahead for a fundraising event next Friday. I've got my lemon cream already produced and in the freezer. The damn tartlet shells are so time consuming; can I bake them and freeze prior to the event without too much loss of quality?

That's a great tip, Chris -- I'm going to try it.

This cookie is an absolute winner -- I don't add the nuts and raisins, and it's always the most popular cookie I make.

I'm feeling very glad that I received this book a few years ago as a birthday gift -- it's crazy how the prices get out of control!

I make this dough, chill it, and scoop with a disher. The cookies are great, but tend to dry out quickly on me. I think it will be fine for cookie cutters as long as you chill the dough down when it softens on you.

I use Sweet Miniatures quite a bit, but have had mixed results. The pistachio petits fours are a huge hit, though, and her sweet tartlet dough is a winner.

New working list: - pistachio petit fours - s'mores squares with rosettes of Italian meringue instead of marshmallow as garnish (for Marcia, who doesn't care for marshmallows!) - lemon tartlets (maybe garnished with diced candied ginger?) - rasberry vacherins - chocolate chip swirl cookies - autumn acorn cookies - cheddar pecan mini-gougerges - herbed Tuck's crackers Wine, (non-alcoholic) punch, water. I think this balance works -- texturally, we've got creamy, cakey, meringue-y, flakey, and crunchy. Flavorwise, I've got 2 chocolatey, 2 fruity, 3 nutty, 1 cinnamon/spicey, and 2 savory. Much of this list can be done ahead and frozen, either complete or as components. What think you all?

Wonderful suggestions, Liz! I'm trying to keep the guests' hands free so that they can sign up for the silent auction items <g>, so I was thinking cocktail napkins only. And definitely, beverages at a separate station. It's a small venue, so we're trying to maximize traffic flow.

The mini angel cakes are indeed mini angel food cakes, not cookies. I have a huuuuuuge surplus of egg whites in freezer (about 3 doz, god help me) that I'd like to use up. But the idea of making tartlet shells ahead and freezing has its appeal, as well. I adore a lemon tart. Yum.......

I'm definitely thinking in terms of less labor-intensive (no pastry or tartlets) and things that have components that can be done ahead and held or frozen (like buttercreams). Limiting myself to 4 varieties is going to be hard (psychologically). My current list has about 9-10 options on it. Want to help me pare it down? ; ) I'm currently thinking: - pistachio petit fours (genoise w/pistachio buttercream, from Flo Braker) - s'mores squares (cakey squares, again from Flo Braker -- crumb crust, chocolate, mini-marshmellow) - mini lemon angel cakes (either baked and served in mini nut cups, or mini muffin tins) - mini vacherins (from Gale Gand -- French meringue, dollop of cream, raspberry) - chocolate chip swirl cookies (from Flo Braker) - acorn cookies (small shaped butter cookies from Flo Braker, hazelnut & cinnamon) - cheese straws - caramel corn in paper cones - chocolate mousse in mini-cups (I'm iffy on this one) Thank you all for the thoughts and ideas!

I remember this project of yours, and will definitely seek out the thread for inspiration! I'm only expecting 50-75 people, so I think the numbers are going to be manageable.... I hope....

Great point.

Thank you ALL for the suggestions and feedback. Nothing will be passed; it will all be buffet/stationary and it's an early evening event. I'll shoot for 6 per person (of course, an accurate headcount is going to be hard to come by...). Bri, watch your email, and thank you so much for the offer!

All of my Jewish ancestors and sitting on my shoulder shouting, "Really, is that all? That won't be enough!" I'm really doing miniatures -- small cookies, mini-cupcakes -- so I was thinking more like 6 per person. Am I nuts?

Another ice cream recipe tried -- honey peach. This is a classic custard preparation, with peach puree mixed into the custard. Very delish.

I'm doing the baking for a fundraising reception/silent auction this fall. The event will be about 2 hours long, and there won't be any other diversion beside the silent auction. Refreshments will be wines and dessert. I'm planning to do mostly, if not all, single-to-two-bite miniatures. How many should I plan per attendee? TIA.

Baking at 375* instead of 350* can help -- the higher temp sets the edges of the cookies faster, curbing the tendency to spread.

Thanks, Eileen -- that's exactly the info I was after!

I've been using flat cello bags to wrap my 3.5" cookies, but they're just not very airtight, even when I tape them closed. I love the presentation, but I'd love them to stay fresher longer even more. I'm a home baker without a lot of pro gear -- can anyone recommend a better packaging option for me, bearing in mind that I sell the cookies individually?

I snapped up a sage called "golden delicious" at our local farm stand last week and did an infused syrup with it. It's quite heady -- other than to flavor drinks, I haven't decided how to use it.

I adore basil ice cream.

An abundance of fresh blueberries in our house led to blueberry sorbet. I used a mint-infused simple syrup for the sweetener. Fabulous flavor combination!

Oh, yum! Stunning.

A trip to our local pick-your-own farm and a bumper crop of fresh blueberries inspired me to pull out Dorie's Blueberry Sour Cream ice cream recipe. It is phenomenal -- I used the alternate lime for juice and zest (instead of lemon) and subbed half and half for the heavy cream, as my cream had gone wonky in the fridge. The result is a tangy, zippy, deeply purple ice cream that actually stayed smooth in the freezer over several days. I have a deep dislike for the little fat clumps that result in ice creams made with egg yolks and heavy cream, so I am very inspired by the formulation of this recipe and am scheming variations. Banana sour cream, maybe?

I'm very late to this party, but wanted to say congrats and express my jealousy!