What a compliment, not the I love you, but the descriptor: carnified. A descriptor made up by my friends and I to cover food that borders on having a carnival or fair-like food element.  You know, stuff such as fried butter, fried Kool-Aid—in this instance it’s turning a traditionally ordinary fruit dessert into a magical candy-laced experience.

But before you think I’m high-fiving myself here, let’s be real — I missed a step.  True carnification would have been to deep fry the Snickers first. Now that would have been something to behold. Instead this is one tier down with a peel and chop attribute. So if anyone  goes true carni-style, please come back and let us know if deep frying the Snickers is worth it.

A few notes:

• To shortcut the prep time, I used ready-made brownies (crumbled) and ready-made caramel sauce.
• The Pavlova can be made three days in advance and stored in a dry and cool place.
• If Snickers is not your thing, any candy bar will do, or crumbled cookies will work just as well.
• Click here to view the 6-second how-to video on Vine for assembling this Pavlova.

Snickers and Brownie Pavlova

Preparation: Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz eggs whites (about 5-6 large eggs)
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• pinch of salt
• 6 oz brownies, crum
• 6 oz Snickers, chopped
• 2 cups whipped cream (recipe follows)

Instructions:

1. Place egg whites in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk and whip until soft peaks hold. Gradually add in both sugars and then vanilla and vinegar. Increase speed and whip until mixture is free of sugar grit when rubbed between two fingers and the meringue holds stiff and glossy peaks.
2. Spread meringue into six inch circles, making sure to create a slight well at the center. Bake meringue for about 50-60 minutes or until meringue turns a slight shade of cream.Turn off oven and leave door ajar and let meringue cool completely  in the oven.
3. To assemble: Place first layer of meringue on serving platter and spread whipped cream on top. Sprinkle chopped Snickers and Brownies on top. Drizzle with caramel and chocolate sauce. Repeat with remaining with meringue layers. Serve immediately or within a few hours.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1  cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar

Instructions:

1. Place beaters and bowl in freezer to chill for at least ten minutes.
2. Place heavy cream and sugar in chilled bowl and whisk until stiff peaks hold.

Let’s go random chat style and discuss the latest trend in food styling. Have you heard? It’s smash food. It’s true, smash food is way in. Okay, I lie. There is no such trend. I’m just trying to sell you on my latest styling kick. And let’s not get all analytical  and “heady” about this. I happen to like messy shots and I like photographing the messiness of smashed food even more. For me it’s like finding beauty in the undone.

But since smash food doesn’t sell, I took a few shots prior to the mallet smashing. Now, I’m curious, would you agree the smash macaron shot is the best of three in this post?

A few notes:

• For notes on basic macaroning click here (go to the notes section).
• I know I keep repeating myself with this, but save yourself some money and just buy a Bernzomatic propane torch instead  of one of these kitchen torches you usually see in William Sonoma and Sur la Table. They can be twice the price and aren’t nearly as strong.
• To make homemade lemon curd click here.
• To color the shells, I used two drops of  Americolor’s Electric Green. And yes, I missed up there a bit since I meant to use electric yellow.

Lemon Meringue Macarons

Assembly:

1. Pipe lemon curd on one shell. Pipe meringue on top and over lemon curd. Place a second shell on of lemon and meringue piped cookie to create a sandwich effect.
2. Place fully assembled macaron on a fire proof surface and quickly torch edge of filling for a toasted meringue finish.
3. *Optional: Pipe a dollop of meringue on very top and garnish with a raspberry.

We gave a little teaser of this because, well -we were exctied,  mine with these mini brownie pies and Julie’s with her awesome post that included a how-to video for making homemade pasta. 

If you’re a regular reader than you know the drill for entry, if your new make sure you read the instructions and details. Once you are done entering here, double your chances by heading over The Little Kitchen and enter there as well.

But before I send you off, let me  give you a few reasons why you should consider buying this even if you don’t win:

KitchenAid®Pro Line ® 7-Quart Stand Mixer

• It has a 16 cup flour capacity – especially, awesome  if you are a high volume baker and cook.
• It holds, Mixes/Kneads 14 Dozen Cookies – hot damn that’s a lot of cookies.
• The 10-speed slide control ranges from a very fast whip to a very slow stir – crazy good speed control.
• My favorite: The construction of the bowl and stainless wire whip makes meringues quickly and easily since it grabs and beat in air more efficiently.

KitchenAid® Pasta Attachment

• Way easier to use than the manual crank pasta machines—you know the ones that you attach to your counter.
• Since it’s not manual,  you can pump out alot  of pasta and freeze it for future use.
• Changing the plates for different pasta is easily achieved in a matter of seconds.
• Adjusting the thickness of the pasta is as easy as pulling a knob.
• It’s easy to clean, just let the pasta dry out and then use the brush to swipe away the dried pasta flakes.

Prize Includes:

1. KitchenAid®Pro Line ® 7-Quart Stand Mixer
2. KitchenAid® Pasta Attachment(comes with pasta sheet roller, fettuccine cutter and spaghetti cutter)

Please use the form below to enter in the giveaway. Good luck!

For an extra chance to win today, be sure to enter at The Little Kitchen too!

This giveaway has ended.

Disclosure:

This giveaway is provided to you by KitchenAid. The views and opinions expressed on Bakers Royale are purely my own and based upon my personal experiences with the KitchenAid®Pro Line ® 7-Quart Stand Mixer and KitchenAid® Pasta Attachment. I was given the product(s) free of charge; however, I was not monetarily compensated for a positive review or giveaway.

I’m no expert when it comes to creating food addictions, but I’m  going to take an empirical stab based on Pinterest that sweet and salty are pretty popular. Go ahead, type “sweet and salty” in the search box and see what happens (I know, way science-y method). When you do, be prepared to piss away time you didn’t have, to food porn your way around.

Wait—maybe that’s just me and my addictive personality with Pinterest. Scratch the last sentence in that last paragraph.

But, while we are on the subject of addiction and food. Check out this article from the New York Times on the science of creating addictive junk food and meet the Oppenheimer of the food industry. Seriously, it’s a fascinating read.

. . . complete non-sequitur, don’t forget to check back later this week for a KitchenAid surprise. Want a clue? Click here to see how I made those mini pies.  Second clue  – hit the jump and check out this nifty video from my friend, Julie.

Brownie Pies

Preparation: Line bake sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 400/350 degrees F.

via Better Homes and Garden special magazine issue:  Chocolate ~ rich, dark, & decacadent

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Butter Pastry (recipe follows)
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare butter pastry. Let pastry stand at room temperature for 30 minutes until pliable. Position Rack to in lower third oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly flour surface and roll pastry out to an 1/8 inch thick. Fold pastry in half and transfer to a parchment lined bake sheet. Unfold pastry. Loosely fold and roll edges to form a rimmed crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or light golden (crust will be a little raw inside).
3. Meanwhile place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50 percent power (medium) about 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring frequently and until melted; set aside.
4. Place egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar in mixer bowl and beat on medium to high speed until soft peaks from. Gradually add sugar and and salt and beat until egg whites are stiff and glossy. Add chocolate and nuts(if using) into beaten egg whites; fold until just combined.
5. Remove pastry from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Spreak chocolate filling over partially baked pastry. Bake about 10 minutes more until surface looks dry and slightly cracked (filling will be fudge inside). Remove from oven and place bake sheet on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner and shaved chocolate.

To make butter pastry:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Place all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl stir to combine. Add in butter, using a pastry blender cut butter to pea size pellets and blend into the flour mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water over flour mixture; toss gently with a fork just until moist enough to hold together (if needed add an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water). Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3o minutes.

See—easy.  You can do this while sipping on something. Well, maybe between sips—might be safer with the torch and all.

A few notes:

• For the torching the meringue, save yourself some money and just buy a Bernzomatic propane torch instead  of one of these kitchen torches you usually see in William Sonoma and Sur la Table. They can be twice the price and aren’t nearly as strong.
• For the caramel filling I used Marzetti’s Old Fashioned Caramel Dip. It’s much creamier and thicker than regular caramel sauce.

Carmel Brownie Tarts

Makes 1 dozen 1.5 inch tarts

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4  cups sugar
• 1 dozen 1.5inch brownie bites
• 6 oz. caramel dip 

Instructions:

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over (not on) simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag and pipe it along the perimeter of brownie. Torch meringue and fill center with caramel.

Beer, ice cream and hot fudge sauce – I know your inner child is gleefully high-fiving you with this adult spin. 

Let’s not delay this, grab your bottler opener and hit the jump to Better Homes and Garden’s Delish Dish for the recipe. And cheers to a childhood nostalgia turned adult reality. Enjoy!

As always, if I can please ask you guys–if you are going to pin either the image please do so from Delish Dish and not here, since the recipes resides over there. Thanks!

Although in my defense, truly and honestly I did make a video last year.  But I couldn’t bring myself to post it because I hate the sound of my voice. This time around I used Vine—no voice. Trust me, I spared you. To view it you’ll have to go  to my Twitter feed,if you are not on Vine. If you are on Vine , my handle is @bakersroyale. 

Now who was here yesterday? Holy mama, I was a downerslap me next time. My friend, Greg, certainly did. He seldom comments, but he did yesterday out of annoyance.

Guess whatI edited your comment, Greg. But to his point, it was “shut-up”. Sometimes just a quick slap of common sense does the trick because pity parties suck.

So see, today is already a better day. Thanks for all the kind emails of concern and the kinds words in the comments. You guys are awesome. I wish I could make each of you one of these rose cupcakes.

A few notes:

• Click here for the first post that goes through the written instructions and helpful hints  for piping these buttercream roses.
• For a detailed how-to for making Swiss Meringue Buttercream, click here.
• To create the  pink I used 4 drops of Americolor’s Electric Pink. Remember – it’s always easier to add color than to take it away, so start slow with adding it.

 Rose Cupcakes

Cupcake recipe adapted from Alice Medrich for Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

Makes 12 cupcakes | Preparation: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

• 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7.3 ounces) sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) SCHARFFEN BERGER Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot coffee

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

• 5 large egg whites
• 11/2 cup sugar
• 4 sticks unsalted butter, diced and softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions:

To make cupcake:

1. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a blow and mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Add the butter and egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the hot coffee. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin enough to pour. Divide it evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Store and serve at room temperature.

TIP: For light tender cupcakes, spoon flour and cocoa lightly into measuring cups (instead of dipping the cups into the flour or cocoa) and then sweep the measures level without tapping or shaking them.

To make vanilla swiss  meringue  frosting:

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl placed over simmering water. Bring mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2. Transfer mixture to stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until mixture cools and doubles in volume.
3. Add butter in one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may appear clumpy and almost curdled looking-this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become even and smooth again. Add salt and vanilla and mix to combine.
4. Portion out a 1/3 of the frosting tint for the roses.

I know, I’m such an excuse maker.

Well here’s another one: I’m cutting this post short—struggling with a personal issue that has me heavy. I ‘m sorry, I just don’t have it in me to be up and conversational.

Cheers, to a forward looking statement that tomorrow will be better than today.

French Kiss Margarita

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 basil leaves
• 8 ounces blood orange juice
• 2 ounces lime juice
• 4 ounces Anejo tequila
• 2 ounces sweet vermouth

Instructions:

1. Muddle basil in blood orange juice. Add in remaining ingredients stir and strain into a glass filled with ice.

But let’s stay positive and ascribe my behavior to being a foodie. By foodie, I mean the non-discriminating, omnivore kind. You know, the type that can move from a belt-busting plate to a light and healthy dish in a matter of one meal. And don’t say you don’t know anyone like this because you’re currently reading the blog of such a person.

I proudly declare this as a “no reservation” place for food. I kinda have to, or else I’m screwed, because I’ve got nothing in terms of consistency, especially now that I’m punting from sweet to savory every few days. That said, on the heels of yesterday’s Man-Whore Bars, I bring you a light dish that’s perfect for a weeknight meal since it comes together in just about 15 minutes.

And don’t be fooled by its simple appearance. It’s filled with flavor—to break it down: the roasted tomatoes are a sweet backup to the peppery bite of arugula and between that is a drizzle of a citrus champagne vinegar to lend a bright burst to the meal-filling weight of the gnocchi.

Roasted Tomato Gnocchi Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. cherry tomato, roasted
• 1 lb. gnocchi
• 5 ounces arugula, washed and dried
• 4 ounces citrus champagne vinegar

So can I ask you guys a  favor? Please make these, pass them around and proudly refer to them as Man-Whores Bars, because maybe then they will reach Ryan Gosling who can then explain them to Katie.

Man-Whore Bars

• 1 16oz. package of ready made cookie dough, or one batch of homemade
• 1 batch of chocolate ganache (recipe follows)
• 16 regular size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• 20 Oreos
• 10 oz marshmallows
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 3 tablespoons butter

• 8oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup of cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter