Monday, October 18, 2010

canelles and cake for auntie shelfee's birthday



A few of my aunties were in town over the weekend, and since Auntie Shelfee's birthday is coming up and we were going to be taking her to an early birthday dinner, I decided to make her favorite dessert - canelles.  They're made with milk, butter, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and the secret ingredient - rum - and then baked in silicone molds at a very high temperature to give it a crusty, almost burnt exterior, while maintaining a moist chewy cake-like interior.

I also had two 6-inch chocolate cake rounds in the freezer (previously baked and then double-wrapped with saran wrap and stored inside a large ziploc bag), that I had intended to make into ice cream cake for Matthew's birthday (but never got around to doing), which I defrosted and then made a quick coffee buttercream frosting to ice it with, so that we could bring a cake to dinner for dessert.


First we hung out at the house and played with the kids, while snacking on canelles, coffee, and my mom's homemade banana bread.


Then we were off to dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant.  We dined on fried calamari, polenta with cheese and mushrooms, caprese salad, butternut squash ravioli with sage and brown butter, linguini with seafood, and gnocchi with sausage, spinach and red wine sauce.

Then it was time for dessert!

Happy (Early) Birthday, Auntie Shelfee! See you at Thanksgiving!


6 comments:

  1. it's a small family-owned restaurant in hayward on A street, called "buon appetito". they have really yummy food :)

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  2. What a yummy preparation! Loved this recipe and the way you write. I am fond of food and I think there is a lot to learn from you! Your photography is praiseworthy too. Do you have a facebook page? Please feel free to follow my blog as well as my FB page (Cosmopolitan Currymania)and I'll follow your wonderful blog as well!!
    http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

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  3. Beautiful job on these...they look just amazing.

    And you guys all look alike!

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  4. @Simply Tia - thank you! the picture is actually of my mom and her sisters though :) i'm not in any of the pictures!

    @Niksya - i like canelles for breakfast too! actually, i like any dessert for breakfast :)

    @Purabi Naha - thank you for the lovely comments! i will definitely follow your blog as well!

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