What's Cookin'...: Getting Back Into Swing

I just got back from vacation to Northern California, which was a culinary goldmine. We stayed with some family in Alexander Valley (just north of Sonoma), so we toured wineries, went to San Francisco a couple of times, and ate some amazing food in Healdsburg.

The best dinner I've ever experienced was at Cyrus, which was 3.5 hours of utter bliss: Seared foie gras with ginger-pineapple pain perdu and rum flambe, pappardelle with braised rabbit, red cabbage and mustard froth, beef with gnocchi, roasted porcini and ramps... is your mouth watering yet? For dessert: rose tea, strawberry and pistachio macaroon, honey lavender cannoli, elderflower caviar and mango sorbet. Ahh! And the service was exquisite, to the point it was entertaining. There was nothing to wonder "if" about; everything was taken care of and anticipated for you. What could've possibly made this experience even better? Working in their kitchen -- so I did! There weren't a ton of surprises, since I bake and decorate cakes every day, but their kitchen staff are just as friendly and helpful as the front of the house staff; no Chef Ramsey tempers here. And, despite their small space (I'll never complain about my cake room again), the chefs and cooks are nowhere short on inspiration for delicious combinations. Ever try a lemon-rosemary soda or a lime-starfruit ice? We did here. And it was all perfect. I'd go back for a weekend just to have dinner there again. If you have the chance, don't miss it.

So I came back to work on Monday to an immediate assignment of creating a five-tier display cake for a local hotel in two days. Not ridiculously ornate, but a firm reminder that wedding season is lurking.

Here's a couple of cakes I've done so far this year. I've done a few more, but either don't have the pictures yet or didn't take them because the pressure was on to get them done.