GF CSB, Week 2

Caramel Corn is really fun to play with. Once you get a good recipe, or two, in your repertoire, experimenting is easy, with tasty results! Popcorn is a natural for the GF CSB, and this week happens to be the perfect opportunity to share some of my creations with members!

By baking for so many at once, I can warrant making several different flavors, and everyone gets to sample them all!  Flavors are:

~Maple Chile: Organic popcorn, pure organic maple syrup, and a bit of spiciness.

~Vanilla Sea Salt Honey Corn: Organic popcorn, local honey, and vanilla flavored sea salt. With almonds and cashews.

~Classic Caramel Corn: Organic popcorn, completely corn syrup free, rich and buttery (no nuts).

~Chipotle Lime With Pepitas: Organic popcorn, organic lime juice, a hint of chipotle spice, smoked sea salt, and pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

Store leftover caramel corn in airtight containers at room temperature.

GF CSB, Week 1

With the chill of winter still in the air and frost on the morning windows, summer's fresh fruit seems like a fantasy still a long way off. Imagine my surprise when, a few days ago, I saw a facebook post that said that particular day was National Cherry Day! Confused, I had to comment, as others did also, picking up on the fact that JUNE is the month to enjoy cherries locally (even nationally), unless you're celebrating importation of Chilean grown cherries. No thanks.

Every growing season I make sure to store a variety of fruit to make the winter a bit brighter and more bearable. GF CSB members will see a few treats featuring this effort in the coming months, and today is no different. I am pleased to use the gorgeous organic cherries that I received from Belweather Farm last summer in the Valentine Cake each person gets to take home this afternoon!

Each six inch, two layer chocolate cake is filled with cherry creme, a combination of the cherries from Belweather Farm (located in Keno, OR) and Italian meringue buttercream. They are finished by pouring dark chocolate ganache (Lillie Belle Farms) over the top and decorated with naturally colored, handmade marshmallow fondant decors (I even made the marshmallow from scratch for the fondant!).

I suggest enjoying cakes served at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge, well wrapped (or in the bakery box), or freeze for up to one month, tightly wrapped in plastic.