Russian Tea Cakes 9.15.11

I was inspired by a recipe for gluten-free vanilla crescent cookies, a short, buttery cookie shaped in a crescent form with a light dusting of powdered sugar.  However, the recipe called for a few ingredients I didn't have on hand, such as tapioca flour, chickpea flour, chestnut flour, white rice flour, and walnuts.  So I went for a conventional recipe I found online.  I can't seem to find the blog anymore, so here's the recipe:

1 c butter
1/2 c powdered sugar (2 oz)
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour (11 oz)
3/4 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 t salt

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Blend flour, walnuts, and salt separately, then mix into butter mixture.  Roll into balls (about 20 g each) and bake 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.  Roll in powdered sugar when cool.

I ended up using 2 cups of cake flour and omitted the walnuts. I sifted the powdered sugar over the cookies instead of rolling them in it.

MooBella 9.9.11

Harbor View Cafe at the New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA

Premium Caramel with Chocolate Chips.  The chocolate chips are so good.  Crisp, just like in Friendly's ice cream.  It is fun to make yourself, but it's not any fresher tasting being made only 40 seconds before you eat it.  I guess ice cream is one of those foods you can make in advance and it's sill super scrumptious.  I am curious though how they get such hard ice cream in only 40 seconds.  Even when fresh ice cream comes out of the ice cream machine, it's always still soft serve consistency.

I have only encountered MooBella at Logan before, so I'm not sure how much it costs outside of places where they inflate the food costs (Logan and the aquarium).  I wonder if it's any cheaper outside of a tourist area.  At the aquarium, it's the same price as any homemade ice cream place like Toscanini's or Christina's.



   

A Beautiful Summer Wedding in Connecticut 8.27.11

My friend's wedding was this weekend in Coventry, CT.  It was a beautiful wedding at her parent's gorgeous estate with amazing landscaping and greenery.  Too bad the hurricane was on its way and it rained all day.  :(

But things worked out in the end, and we stayed under the tent for the worst of it.  There was a pie tower for dessert.

Beautiful apple lattice!

There was, however, a traditional cake and a (messy!) cake cutting.  Motta's Pastry & Bake Shop, Columbia CT.

The strawberry rhubarb, made by the maid of honor, was the best!  Although I prefer smaller pieces of rhubarb. Pictured:  Strawberry rhubarb (bottom) and apple (top).

Russian Tea Cakes.  Hard to decide if the best dessert was the strawberry rhubarb pie, or these cookies.

Homemade jams, salsa, and pickled veggies for favors.