A Feast (for the Eyes Only)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Looks can be deceiving but you already knew that, right?
For info about my book, go www.dinnerdiaries.com.
To read an interview I did with Boston Mamas, go {http://www.bostonmamas.com/2008/11/featured_mama_betsy_block.html#more here}.
I had these bad boys out of the oven and cooling on a rack by 8 a.m. Things were going better than I could have imagined - until I took a bite. They tasted like good intentions and not much else.
That's because these were vegan cupcakes, and to me they reeked of soymilk, a thin, tinny flavor I can't stand. (Lord knows I've tried.) My source for all things vegan was also the person I was trying to surprise, so I couldn't ask her for advice. I wasn't sure what to do; maybe they tasted like that because I'd just brushed my teeth. Maybe it was the raspberry jam I'd put in the batter. The question remained: throw them out or serve them anyway? Maya, seven, told me I couldn't throw them out because I'd made them with "love and hope." She was right on both counts.
I decided to let both the cupcakes and their creator sit for a day, then I got inspired to make a vegan ganache to see if that would hide the flavor. I also bought vegan cookies, just in case. My friend loved my cupcakes, but she was the only one who did. The rest of us won't be fooled by good looks; we'll stick to the real thing, if it even exists anymore.
To read an interview I did with Boston Mamas, go {http://www.bostonmamas.com/2008/11/featured_mama_betsy_block.html#more here}.
I had these bad boys out of the oven and cooling on a rack by 8 a.m. Things were going better than I could have imagined - until I took a bite. They tasted like good intentions and not much else.
That's because these were vegan cupcakes, and to me they reeked of soymilk, a thin, tinny flavor I can't stand. (Lord knows I've tried.) My source for all things vegan was also the person I was trying to surprise, so I couldn't ask her for advice. I wasn't sure what to do; maybe they tasted like that because I'd just brushed my teeth. Maybe it was the raspberry jam I'd put in the batter. The question remained: throw them out or serve them anyway? Maya, seven, told me I couldn't throw them out because I'd made them with "love and hope." She was right on both counts.
I decided to let both the cupcakes and their creator sit for a day, then I got inspired to make a vegan ganache to see if that would hide the flavor. I also bought vegan cookies, just in case. My friend loved my cupcakes, but she was the only one who did. The rest of us won't be fooled by good looks; we'll stick to the real thing, if it even exists anymore.