The Birthday

When I told people what I wanted to do for my birthday, they sort of cocked their heads and questioned, “You really want to cook all day on your birthday?”

Yes, yes I do. It’s like you don’t know me at all.

And because birthdays after 18 aren’t cause for major celebration, save a few big ones, I needed to find something to compensate for all the Barbie-themed parties and trips to laser tag that I’ll miss out on. Thus, I’ve decided that I’ll take the opportunity to celebrate by cooking whatever I’ve been dreaming about making for the previous year. It’ll be a time when I can splurge on expensive ingredients and spend the day diving into all manner of culinary exploits that no sane person would tackle all at once.

First on the menu were sticky buns. Real, homemade, gooey stick buns. Unfortunately, there were no sticky buns on my birthday. After 8-10 hours of trying different dough recipes with the same un-risen results, I called it quits and was more than a tad disappointed. I will attempt them again one day soon, but the scars haven’t yet healed from that day.

Speaking of scars, I stabbed/sliced/pricked my left hand at least 4 or 5 times throughout the day. Painful though it was, I continued on in my culinary pursuits. For dinner, I recreated the whole “Modern Fiesta” feast from Bon Appetit May 2009.

Chili-Corn Custard Squares
Tomato Cucumber Gazpacho
Mexican Seafood Sauté with Avocado-Mango Salsa
Rice with Summer Squash, Red Peppers, and Roasted Pepitas
Spicy Black Beans with Chorizo and Chipotle Cream

Ohh it was good. The gazpacho was INCREDIBLE and so fun to make. Fresh vegetables whirling around in the food processor—so pretty.

The only items I didn’t make were the sundaes. I’ve made them before and they are quite good, but since I was making an elaborate cake, I thought the sundaes would have been a bit much. And this cake! Perfection. I was looking for a challenge and something that would make a statement. Mm. hmm. This cake was it.

Almond Praline Cake with Mascarpone Frosting and Chocolate Bark

Yes, it was a good day. And I am already planning for next year.