"Find something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." -Julia Child
Since I last posted, there have been many changes in my life. I'll go ahead and cover all my bases since I get the same questions on a daily basis.
1. Yes, I am now living in Huntsville, AL.
2. No, I have not graduated.
3. Yes, I plan to.
4. No, I am not in school now.
5. No, I am no longer planning on attending culinary school.
6. Yes, I am the new co-owner, soon to be owner, of Lyn's Gracious Goodness- a restaurant owned by my mother, Lyn Newcomb Aust, in Huntsville, AL.
Now a bit of explanation- First and foremost, I am happier now, running the restaurant, than I have ever been. In the last few months of work, some of you have made it evident that you disapprove of my decision to leave school, and I sincerely apologize if I have let you down. What I hope everyone can come to realize is that by not making this career move, I would have been letting myself down.
As far as cooking school goes, I did as much reading and personal research about it as possible-2 main issues came up for me. First, I read over and over that after spending two years and $200,000 you had maybe a 30% chance of getting anything above a prep job in a semi-prestigious restaurant. Also, I had to really question how much I wanted to be a chef- this was a big commitment! Did I want to play the behind the scenes role, or did I want to be the boss, the designer, the entertainer? It should come with little surprise to those of you who know me that chose the latter.
Realizing that culinary school probably wasn't my best option was very daunting to me- A sort of "well damn.... What do I do now?" sort of moment, but as she always does, Mama came through once again. As I was filling out my application to the two-year program at CIA, the Culinary Institute of America, Mama called to say that she just couldn't wait two more years and that she would be closing the restaurant. I just couldn't let her.
So here I am- and just like it did for her years ago, Lyn's has brought me back to life.
I had seriously considered ending this blog, but when people I didn't even know contacted me requesting more posts, I decided there must be some interest. I cannot promise you a daily post, but will make sure to blog at least once a week. I will promise you that this will not turn into a promotional blog for my restaurant, but since this blog is based on my life, the restaurant will be a part of some of my posts.
Stay tuned for a post on my favorite foods from my current vacation in Jamaica!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Millie's Iron Skillet Apple Pie
"Comfort me with apples..." - The Song of Solomon 2:5
Being from the South, we all know that there are few things in this world as welcoming and heartwarming as a homemade pie being pulled from the oven. When most of us imagine a 1950s American housewife, the picture that usually comes to mind is of a woman wearing a full-skirted dress, high heels and an apron, standing in her kitchen holding a pie. There's something uniquely American about pie, but in my opinion, Southerners do it best.
Over Christmas, I was asking family members for some of their favorite recipes that I could try out and then blog about. I hit the jackpot when I received this recipe for Iron Skillet Apple Pie from my cousin Nick's wife, Millie. Millie is one of the most kind, loving, and patient people you will ever meet. She is a fantastic mother, an extremely talented photographer, and a FABULOUS cook, who makes the most mouth-watering sweet treats you could ever imagine. This Iron Skillet Apple Pie recipe is pure gold. I advise that each of you print it out, make it for dessert tomorrow, and tuck it away in your recipe file for safe keeping.
Many great cooks will tell you that almost everything is better when made in a cast iron skillet. Not having much experience with one myself (other than making cornbread) I asked for one for Christmas. To my surprise, Mama gave me her very own Martin cast iron skillet, which apparently are very hard to come by these days. Now, I don't know about everything, but after trying this recipe of Millie's, I can boldly say that apple pie is most DEFINITELY better when made in a cast iron skillet. If you don't have one, head to your local hardware store and buy one. It will be a one-time purchase that you will use for the rest of your life.
This recipe is super easy, super inexpensive, and absolutely delectable. I've made it twice now and have eaten it not only for dessert, but also for breakfast the next morning...both times... whoops! It even had sweet little Napoleon licking his lips! This is a must-try recipe! Thank you Millie!
Click HERE for Millie's Iron Skillet Apple Pie Recipe!
Being from the South, we all know that there are few things in this world as welcoming and heartwarming as a homemade pie being pulled from the oven. When most of us imagine a 1950s American housewife, the picture that usually comes to mind is of a woman wearing a full-skirted dress, high heels and an apron, standing in her kitchen holding a pie. There's something uniquely American about pie, but in my opinion, Southerners do it best.
Over Christmas, I was asking family members for some of their favorite recipes that I could try out and then blog about. I hit the jackpot when I received this recipe for Iron Skillet Apple Pie from my cousin Nick's wife, Millie. Millie is one of the most kind, loving, and patient people you will ever meet. She is a fantastic mother, an extremely talented photographer, and a FABULOUS cook, who makes the most mouth-watering sweet treats you could ever imagine. This Iron Skillet Apple Pie recipe is pure gold. I advise that each of you print it out, make it for dessert tomorrow, and tuck it away in your recipe file for safe keeping.
Many great cooks will tell you that almost everything is better when made in a cast iron skillet. Not having much experience with one myself (other than making cornbread) I asked for one for Christmas. To my surprise, Mama gave me her very own Martin cast iron skillet, which apparently are very hard to come by these days. Now, I don't know about everything, but after trying this recipe of Millie's, I can boldly say that apple pie is most DEFINITELY better when made in a cast iron skillet. If you don't have one, head to your local hardware store and buy one. It will be a one-time purchase that you will use for the rest of your life.
This recipe is super easy, super inexpensive, and absolutely delectable. I've made it twice now and have eaten it not only for dessert, but also for breakfast the next morning...both times... whoops! It even had sweet little Napoleon licking his lips! This is a must-try recipe! Thank you Millie!
Click HERE for Millie's Iron Skillet Apple Pie Recipe!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Let them eat cake!
"Everything in moderation...including moderation!" -Julia Child
So, we've already discussed how I have a little bit of an over-celebration problem and the birthday cake that I made for my friend Meagan's 24th birthday last weekend is a PERFECT example. Making cakes for my friends has become a tradition with me, but I will openly admit that I went a little bit overboard on this one. But hey, everyone loves a little extravagance on their birthday!
While making and eating this chocolate buttercream cake, we all need to completely erase the word "moderation" from our vocabularies. This recipe calls for so much butter that I'm shocked it isn't one of Paula Deen's recipes. But as every good southerner knows, butter makes it better. And WOW it really does in this case.
I found this recipe for chocolate buttercream cake in a Barefoot Contessa book a few weeks ago when I made a cake for our family friend Suzan Boyce. As delicious as Suzan's cake was, it wasn't that pretty and ended up being a trial run for the version I made the following week for Meagan. Once I had tweaked and mastered the recipe, I went a little crazy. Four tiers of crazy to be exact.
I'll warn you- this is a time consuming recipe, but it is SO worth the effort. The cake itself is the most fluffy, moist cake I've ever tasted. The trick is the cup of sour cream in the batter. On top of the cake itself being unbelievable, the icing is like nothing you've ever experienced. I love it because it really isn't all that sweet (which is dangerous because you're likely to end up eating more of it!)- that and the rum. Ina Garten lists the rum as "optional," but I consider it ESSENTIAL! What could be more indulgent than a whipped mixture of butter, sugar, chocolate and rum? It is truly sinful.
Making a tiered cake with a buttercream icing is much different than most tiered cakes you see with beautiful, smooth fondant icing. Unless you're a pro, which I am not, the buttercream looks a little less perfectly smooth than I would like when I finish icing it. For this reason, I feel that decorations are essential. Those of you who know me know that I'm a little bit Type A, so I need something about this cake to look streamlined and "perfect."
One of my favorite cake decorating tools are dragees- edible little shiny, metallic-colored balls. They are available at any cake decorating store and some specialty grocery stores. They are the perfect way to make something look fancy and special.
On Meagan's cake, I lined the edge of each tier with silver dragees. When doing this on a buttercream icing, I recommend placing the dragees with tweezers rather than your fingers because the heat of your hands will tend to melt the buttercream.
To top the cake, fresh flowers are always a gorgeous (and EASY) option. I grabbed a few different shades of pink roses, rinsed them, cut the stems to about 2 inches, removed the leaves and thorns, and arranged them on the top tier of the cake. For candles, I ALWAYS choose long sparkler candles. There is nothing more special than being presented with a cake that looks like it is topped with fireworks!
Served with pink champagne, this tiered chocolate buttercream cake made Meagan's birthday super special- and was a HUGE crowd pleaser. When I came back into the living room after handing out everyone's cake, I literally found Meagan licking her plate. I would post a picture if I didn't think it would jeopardize our friendship! However, to make my point, I will share a picture of how much the birthday girl still loved her cake the next morning!
I hope that this cake can make a special memory for you and your friends just as it did for us!
Click HERE for the Chocolate Buttercream Cake Recipe!
Click HERE for the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe!
So, we've already discussed how I have a little bit of an over-celebration problem and the birthday cake that I made for my friend Meagan's 24th birthday last weekend is a PERFECT example. Making cakes for my friends has become a tradition with me, but I will openly admit that I went a little bit overboard on this one. But hey, everyone loves a little extravagance on their birthday!
While making and eating this chocolate buttercream cake, we all need to completely erase the word "moderation" from our vocabularies. This recipe calls for so much butter that I'm shocked it isn't one of Paula Deen's recipes. But as every good southerner knows, butter makes it better. And WOW it really does in this case.
I found this recipe for chocolate buttercream cake in a Barefoot Contessa book a few weeks ago when I made a cake for our family friend Suzan Boyce. As delicious as Suzan's cake was, it wasn't that pretty and ended up being a trial run for the version I made the following week for Meagan. Once I had tweaked and mastered the recipe, I went a little crazy. Four tiers of crazy to be exact.
I'll warn you- this is a time consuming recipe, but it is SO worth the effort. The cake itself is the most fluffy, moist cake I've ever tasted. The trick is the cup of sour cream in the batter. On top of the cake itself being unbelievable, the icing is like nothing you've ever experienced. I love it because it really isn't all that sweet (which is dangerous because you're likely to end up eating more of it!)- that and the rum. Ina Garten lists the rum as "optional," but I consider it ESSENTIAL! What could be more indulgent than a whipped mixture of butter, sugar, chocolate and rum? It is truly sinful.
Making a tiered cake with a buttercream icing is much different than most tiered cakes you see with beautiful, smooth fondant icing. Unless you're a pro, which I am not, the buttercream looks a little less perfectly smooth than I would like when I finish icing it. For this reason, I feel that decorations are essential. Those of you who know me know that I'm a little bit Type A, so I need something about this cake to look streamlined and "perfect."
One of my favorite cake decorating tools are dragees- edible little shiny, metallic-colored balls. They are available at any cake decorating store and some specialty grocery stores. They are the perfect way to make something look fancy and special.
On Meagan's cake, I lined the edge of each tier with silver dragees. When doing this on a buttercream icing, I recommend placing the dragees with tweezers rather than your fingers because the heat of your hands will tend to melt the buttercream.
To top the cake, fresh flowers are always a gorgeous (and EASY) option. I grabbed a few different shades of pink roses, rinsed them, cut the stems to about 2 inches, removed the leaves and thorns, and arranged them on the top tier of the cake. For candles, I ALWAYS choose long sparkler candles. There is nothing more special than being presented with a cake that looks like it is topped with fireworks!
Served with pink champagne, this tiered chocolate buttercream cake made Meagan's birthday super special- and was a HUGE crowd pleaser. When I came back into the living room after handing out everyone's cake, I literally found Meagan licking her plate. I would post a picture if I didn't think it would jeopardize our friendship! However, to make my point, I will share a picture of how much the birthday girl still loved her cake the next morning!
I hope that this cake can make a special memory for you and your friends just as it did for us!
Click HERE for the Chocolate Buttercream Cake Recipe!
Click HERE for the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe!
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