Wednesday, January 27, 2008

The show's over.

Our big bridal expo was this past weekend, which is something I simultaneously loathe and love. I am very shy, and terrible at talking to strangers. (Luckily I have cute guys in suits helping out - thanks, John and Drew!) And we have a super heavy booth setup that looks great but isn't exactly easy to transport.

But it's really wonderful to hear the unanimously positive public response to our cakes, and how incredibly different they are from other offerings at the show. We booked more business on-site than ever before, and the brides were all so fun and nice.

The Meyer lemon tree is exploding, so we used them for the lemon cake samples, topping them with fresh lemon curd and lemon curd buttercream.

I also make huge batches of limoncello this time of year, steeping the lemon zest in 100-proof vodka in the sunshine for several months, and then blending it with simple syrup.

They're also great in Shaker lemon pie:

Just slice a bunch of lemons paper thin and layer them in sugar overnight. The next day, whip up a few eggs, blend them with the sugared lemons, and pour them in a pie crust. Top with a second crust and bake until browned. The sugar softens the rinds, and on Meyer lemons they're so sweet to start with.

If anyone wants a little box of fresh lemons, let me know - I'll have you send postage.