Friday, January 29, 2021

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer










Thursday, January 28, 2021

Iconic Wedding Cakes



Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, 1947




Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1960



Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon wedding cake


Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, 1973


Prince Charles and Diana, the wedding cake 


Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson wedding cake


Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones wedding cake


Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding cake


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle


Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding cake


           Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello's Gorgeous Five-Tier, Floral Wedding Cake

Passionfruit and Lemon Tart with Burnt Sugar


Serves 6

Sweet Pastry

125g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

1 egg, plus two yolks

250g flour

Passionfruit And Lemon Filling

2 cups cream

½ cup sugar

1 lemon, zest only

3 egg yolks, plus two eggs

175ml lemon juice

85ml passionfruit pulp, whisked and seeds strained

caster sugar

whipped cream, to serve

3 passionfruits, halved, to serve

Take a medium-sized mixing bowl and cream the butter and sugar together until pale in colour. Add the egg and stir to combine. Next, lightly mix through the flour until dough forms. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until required.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 28cm diameter by 3cm height round flan tin. Cut out a circle of baking paper to place in the bottom of the tin.

On a lightly floured bench, roll the pastry out to a 5mm thick round. Gently lay the pastry into the flan tin and press into the edges. Using a knife, trim the excess pastry from the lip of the tin. Rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This will prevent the pastry from shrinking when you bake it.

Blind bake the pastry shell for 20 minutes until slightly golden, using baking paper weighted with beans, rice or similar. Remove the paper and weights, turn the oven down to 150°C and continue to bake until the base is cooked and crisp (about 10 minutes). Beat the yolks lightly and brush around the inside of the tart and return to the oven for a minute. Remove from the oven and cool. (The yolk will create a protective membrane and prevent any possible leakage.)

Turn oven temperature to 120°C.

For the filling, gently heat cream, sugar and lemon zest together in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved.

Whisk eggs and yolks together in a mixing bowl. While whisking continuously, slowly drizzle the hot cream into eggs a little at a time until fully combined. Stir through the lemon juice and passionfruit juice, before straining custard through a sieve. Let custard sit for 5 minutes and skim any froth off the top.

Fill your pre-baked shell with custard and bake for 45-50 minutes until the tart is just set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate once tart is completely cool.

Sprinkle a healthy layer of caster sugar over your tart and “brûlée” with a gas blowtorch until dark and close to burnt in places.

Portion up with a hot knife and serve with a dollop of cream and half a fresh passionfruit on the side

RECIPE: . Brought to you by MiNDFOOD

Luxury embroideries



 












Today's Story. She was stopped from making a big deposit.



 

Haute Couture Rosette








 





Wednesday, January 27, 2021

The windows of the houses – even if the house is ramshackle – are always beautiful because windows represent light!


You have the nicest window, you know? None of the others can even compete. It's not flashy like the others, or bleary—your window gives off this nice, quiet light.     

Banana Yoshimoto



The window of opportunity opens and closes as fast as a camera's shutter.     

Warren Criswel



If you want the people to understand you, invite them to your life and let them see the world from your window!     

Mehmet Murat ildan


All the windows of my heart I open to the day.     

John Greenleaf Whittier


Open the window of your mind. Allow the fresh air, new lights and new truths to enter.     

Amit Ra


Enlarge your windows till you get a window where you can see the whole universe with one look!     

Mehmet Murat ilda


My favorite journey is looking out the window.     

Edward Gore


A breeze, a forgotten summer, a smile, all can fit into a storefront window.     

Dejan Stojanovic


Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.     

Edith Wharton


 




THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR