Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Million People And A Valley of Winnebagos...

Dressed to kill? ...Check.
Music ready?...Check.
Pink champagne on ice? ...Check.
Dessert? ...Holla petit fours!

The perfect dessert for a New Year's Eve party. One bite ...done. I thought about this for a long time. Seriously, many sleepless nights here. Okay, not many sleepless nights, but at least one.

At first I thought about a cookie, but a cookie is just not going to cut it. I wanted "wow" factor as well as taste. I also wanted a dessert that everyone could pick up with their hands and not worry about forks or spoons. I want my guests to eat, drink, and move around freely.

I want people to mingle ...mingle! After all, about a million people will be coming over. Oh ...did I forget to mention that I live on the parade route for the world famous Tournament of Roses Parade?

Yes, every year hundreds of winnebagos and their owners surround my neighborhood along with the thousands of people that come to view the parade on New Years Day. On New Years Eve, Colorado Blvd. resembles Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Fun times.

So, I made petit fours because they're tiny and the recipe yields a lot. After all, I am having like thousands of people over. Thank god the City of Pasadena dropped off four port-a-potties on my corner.

There you have it, my New Years Eve plans. And if you happen to be in the area ...holla at me! I'll be the one handing out pink champagne and pink petit fours. Happy New Year!

Classic White Cake
by Nick Malgieri

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
12 tablespoons of softened butter
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
6 large egg whites
3/4 cup of milk

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 12x18x1-inch pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In a small bowl mix together the egg whites and milk; set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted the paddle cream the butter and the sugar until light fluffy. Add vanilla extract.
  4. With the mixer on low, add one fourth of the flour. Add one third of the milk/egg mixture. Add one fourth of the flour and so on. Making sure to end with the flour.
  5. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes checking with a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool cake layers in the pan for 5 minutes before un-molding and finish cooling on a wire rack.
White Chocolate Ganache

12 ounces of good white chocolate
1/2 cup of heavy cream

  1. Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl; set aside. Heat cream to a simmer and pour over chocolate. Let the cream sit over the chocolate for about a minute then stir until smooth and glossy.
  2. Let the ganache cool for about 2 hours. Then with a hand mixer beat ganache until light and fluffy. Use immediately.
Pourable Fondant

2/3 cup of corn syrup
2/3 cup of hot water
7 cups of powdered sugar
6 drops of lemon (I used a raspberry liquor)
Food coloring

Whisk the corn syrup and hot water until dissolved, then whisk in the sugar until smooth. Stir in extract. Working quickly fondant into smaller bowls if coloring different colors. if not leave in bowl and dye desired shade.

I made two batches of the white cake. Spread the ganache over the entire bottom layer making sure to spread evenly. Then place second layer on top, making sure align evenly. Cover cake with plastic and place in fridge over night or four about 4-6 hours.

I then placed cake in freezer for about an hour before trimming the edges. I then trimmed the edges of the cake. Next, grab a ruler and cut the cake into 1x1-inch squares. Use a bread knife or electric knife and cut with a "sawing" motion.

Place the cut squares on a wire rack leaving 1-inch in between each cake. Place the wired rack over a sheet pan to catch excess fondant. Carefully pour fondant over the cakes making sure to coat the sides of the cakes. Let dry. Then with melted chocolate or fondant pipe then decorative lines.

23 comments:

Megan said...

Only a million people? Just an intimate gathering, I suppose. We'll watch for you on the TV.

Bunny said...

These are so cute, I've always wanted to make them, good luck with New Years Eve!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

GiGi~ that sounds like a party.
My biggest treat is to watch the rose parade, in the comfort of my own living room.
But I'll be thinking of you~ and those little cakes!!

Big Boys Oven said...

really look such a classic beauty!

Snooky doodle said...

these look so cute :) great idea for New Year! Happy New Year!!

Katie said...

These look fantastic and the perfect one bite petit fours. You're certainly going to be right in the action! I love your banner, Happy New Year to you.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Your petit fours look perfect! I hope you have a wonderful bash and a very Happy New Year!

glamah16 said...

Happy New Year. Loving the petit fours. Perfection.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

maybe i saw you on tv today?? happy new year!

The Food Librarian said...

Happy New Year! I just watched Stephanie Edwards back in the booth. Such great weather this year for the parade. Perfect for your perfect sweets!

Joy the Baker said...

adorable! and it sounds like you had one big party last night with you and one million of your closest friends. Happy New Year!

Ann said...

These are DARLING, just darling! Would love them at a party.

Jacque said...

Want a petit four... check
Jealous of fun New Year's Eve plans.... check
Wish I coulda been there... check!

Those look so cute!! Great idea too, those are perfect for a NYE party. Hope it was lots of fun :)

Peabody said...

Those turned out beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I love girly-looking desserts, and these are perfect!

Half Baked said...

Gorgeous! Those look like the perfect little bite:)

Anonymous said...

What elegant little sweets! They sound so tasty, too.

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Ooh I feel so honored that Gigi called my cream puffs "stunning!" :D :D That must be so exciting to live right near the action! My mom was watching it on TV and didn't shut up about how awesome it looked!

alexandra's kitchen said...

petit fours indeed sound like the perfect dessert when thousands of people are expected for dinner. these look awesome. i have always been afraid to make fondant, but you make it sound doable. I might have to give this one a go.

eatme_delicious said...

Yum yum yum these look awesome!

Anonymous said...

simply adorable! Great job!

vivi said...

These are so cute and perfect for New Year's Eve!
But I'm too late to read your blog... lol
I wanna try to bake one!

Abbie said...

Gorgeous! I love petit fours, though I've only made them once. They're such cute, yummy little desserts - who can resist?!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.