Wedding Soiree: "2009 TRENDS
Every year for the past three years we have posted what we feel are the most stylish trends. Here are our top picks for 2009:
Colors: Merlot, Eggplant, Grape and Platinum
Dinner Plates: Pick any color except white or beige
Food Options: Tapas, Dim Sums, Jello Shots, Sushi Bar
Style Trend: Custom Silhouettes invitations, Silhouette Artist"
If you are a party planner or caterer, there is no better time to get in on this trend. Expect to see Jello Shots at more bridesmaid and wedding parties. If you want to stand out from the others, you should learn how to make gourmet Jello Shots as well as learn the fundamentals of Jello Shots so that you can design your own for your own unique purposes!
In fact, I even have a Wedding Cake Jello Shots recipe in my eBook, just for you!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
What is Irish Cream?
What is Irish Cream?: "Irish Cream is a mixture of whiskey, cream, and sugar. It is sold pre-blended and nearly always uses Irish whiskey as its base. Irish cream is also a flavor for a number of other sweets, such as ice cream. Baileys Irish cream is by far the most popular brand on the market.
Irish cream began its rise to popularity in the 1970s with its official creation by R.J. Bailey & Company in Ireland. The drink was formulated to appeal to a wide range of drinkers, particularly an American audience. Most Irish cream smells of hazelnuts or sweet almonds, and it is very sweet to taste. By 2003, Baileys Irish cream had become the top selling liqueur worldwide, and its popularity has only continued to increase. In the same year, the company released a less-alcoholic version of Irish cream called Baileys Glide, which can be enjoyed as a much more casual drink and is sold prepackaged in small bottles.
Because of the presence of dairy, Irish cream will curdle and coagulate when combined with any sort of acid. In fact, there was for some time a persistent legend that drinking an Irish cream with tonic water could kill you. This is of course patently false, but there are many who still believe it.
Though not deadly, the coagulating effect of Irish cream and an acid makes it ideal for a number of prank drinks, most famously the Cement Mixer. A Cement Mixer consists of giving a victim a shot of lemon juice or some other highly-acid juice to hold in their mouth, then giving them a shot of Irish cream to drink them down together. When the Irish cream meets the acid, it forms a thick substance in the mouth that is difficult to swallow.
Many people also make their own Irish cream by starting with a good Irish whiskey, placing it on a double-boiler, mixing in flavoring such as chocolate, adding sweet-and-condensed milk, and then stirring in a large amount of cream and coffee flavoring if desired. Once made, the concoction is bottled and refrigerated for a few weeks, at which point it is ready to enjoy."
Keep in mind that this can happen with any cream liqueur, as they contain dairy. It can also happen in any Jello Shot where milk or dairy is used - rare, but it happens. It happens in the Dreamsicle Jello Shots, but only to a very small and actually beneficial degree. But when a sufficient cream component reacts with sufficient acid, the curdling can become quite prominent and is, in my opinion, quite unpleasant.
Quite a few of the Jello Shots in my Second Edition of "Making Gourmet Jello Shots" - due out in December - have Irish Cream in them, and I have come up with two ways of overcoming this curdling effect. One is to blend the mixture once curdled, then let it settle out - the shot will have a foamy, creamy surface due to the blending which, because it has gelatinous, is kind of an odd texture, but some people like it. The other is to separate the Irish Cream from the rest of the shot, and to put it as a separate layer on the top of the shot. I provide you with both methods in all applicable recipes so that you can decide which one you want to do.
Irish cream began its rise to popularity in the 1970s with its official creation by R.J. Bailey & Company in Ireland. The drink was formulated to appeal to a wide range of drinkers, particularly an American audience. Most Irish cream smells of hazelnuts or sweet almonds, and it is very sweet to taste. By 2003, Baileys Irish cream had become the top selling liqueur worldwide, and its popularity has only continued to increase. In the same year, the company released a less-alcoholic version of Irish cream called Baileys Glide, which can be enjoyed as a much more casual drink and is sold prepackaged in small bottles.
Because of the presence of dairy, Irish cream will curdle and coagulate when combined with any sort of acid. In fact, there was for some time a persistent legend that drinking an Irish cream with tonic water could kill you. This is of course patently false, but there are many who still believe it.
Though not deadly, the coagulating effect of Irish cream and an acid makes it ideal for a number of prank drinks, most famously the Cement Mixer. A Cement Mixer consists of giving a victim a shot of lemon juice or some other highly-acid juice to hold in their mouth, then giving them a shot of Irish cream to drink them down together. When the Irish cream meets the acid, it forms a thick substance in the mouth that is difficult to swallow.
Many people also make their own Irish cream by starting with a good Irish whiskey, placing it on a double-boiler, mixing in flavoring such as chocolate, adding sweet-and-condensed milk, and then stirring in a large amount of cream and coffee flavoring if desired. Once made, the concoction is bottled and refrigerated for a few weeks, at which point it is ready to enjoy."
Keep in mind that this can happen with any cream liqueur, as they contain dairy. It can also happen in any Jello Shot where milk or dairy is used - rare, but it happens. It happens in the Dreamsicle Jello Shots, but only to a very small and actually beneficial degree. But when a sufficient cream component reacts with sufficient acid, the curdling can become quite prominent and is, in my opinion, quite unpleasant.
Quite a few of the Jello Shots in my Second Edition of "Making Gourmet Jello Shots" - due out in December - have Irish Cream in them, and I have come up with two ways of overcoming this curdling effect. One is to blend the mixture once curdled, then let it settle out - the shot will have a foamy, creamy surface due to the blending which, because it has gelatinous, is kind of an odd texture, but some people like it. The other is to separate the Irish Cream from the rest of the shot, and to put it as a separate layer on the top of the shot. I provide you with both methods in all applicable recipes so that you can decide which one you want to do.
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