I love cooking but there's a certain magic about baking. My fascination first started as a little girl. Around 6 years old. I was too small, so I had to stand on a chair so I could be high enough to stir the cake.
Mom would put out the ingredients. And I would mix everything together. Then Mom would bake it. I would make the icing. My favorite thing about baking is creaming the sugar & the butter. You know when you have a good foundation. It's so important. I love it when I have company over so I have an excuse to go all out and bake something extra special...
Ricardo Larrivée is one of my three influential cooks. When I received his magazine in the mail I looked at the recipe for the gateau Opera and just had to make it. Even my partner, Richard, screamed for it.
After reading the recipe, at least three times, it looked complex but not complicated. It's a real thin almond cake that is dipped in coffee with three different butter creams: vanilla, chocolate & coffee... topped with an ganache. It always iffy when you go about tackling a new recipe for the first time. Especially for guests. I felt confident and it turned out perfectly. Jim, Jen & Richard went twice. I called it successful.
I'm already thinking of how I can modify this wonderful cake to give it a festive feel to it. Baileys or Contreau? How about egg nog? I'm certainly keeping this cake in my book!
The finished creation:
my Opera Cake.
What a wonderful post ~ I've been looking in on your blog after buying one of your wonderful caps as a gift for my cyclist. You inspire me! I am also a creative who has suffered from a blockage for too long. Maybe your wonderful productions will urge me to action.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
ReplyDeleteThese days I'm inspired just trying a new recipe!
Well a new recipe IS an inspiration! The reason I popped on as a follower today is your story of helping your mother bake. For many years my family bobbed around the world's oceans on my stepfather's sportfishing boat. We have video of my 4-year-old standing on an ice chest in the galley so she'd be tall enough to help him mix a cake on July 4th. Later they iced it white and used strawberries and blueberries to decorate it as an American flag. It's one of her favorite memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to find this recipe. Is it anywhere else than in the Ricardo magazine? The link you give does'nt give the recipe.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't feel right to give the recipes that just came out in the new "RICARDO" magazine. It usually will be available at this link: http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/ricardo/2009-2010/episodes.asp after it air on TV.
ReplyDeleteYum. I'm an opera singer and this cake is a must. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDelete