High Heels and High Tea at the Townsend Hotel

This event had my name written all over it. I mean really, tea and a chance to see a lot of my old friends from my active days as a volunteer for the Junior League of Birmingham. I arrived early and I stayed late. That's how much I enjoyed the day.

The event was held at The Townsend Hotel and it was beautiful, right down to the fine china. This is what a proper event looks like: Cloth napkins, champagne punch (yes, why don't we have punch more often?), floral centerpieces and polite conversation.

More than 50 women enjoyed scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, beautiful tea sandwiches and a trio of sweets. I don't know how many cups of tea I drank, but I was wide awake all afternoon. I felt energized. I laughed, heard updates on children and careers and could finally check in with so many of the outstanding women that I have met over the years. Facebook keeps up connected, but to me, eye contact is everything. If you ever have the chance to join a Junior League in your area, I encourage you to check it out. Attend an open house. Meet some members. My time as an active member in the Junior League of Birmingham, Michigan were some of the best years of my life. I can't recommend it highly enough. It takes time and commitment, but the personal and professional benefits are priceless.

I was able to sit with some really great friends of mine at the tea. Women that I used to see almost weekly, but now we manage to cross paths only once a year. We have vowed to try and change that and are even working on a Facebook Group Page where we can coordinate outings, like carpooling to the the antique show in Saline, Michigan or the Ann Arbor Art Show in July. Events that are more fun with a pack of girls. I am sure that it will be beneficial.

Friendships need to be treasured. When like-minded women connect, it can be powerful. Over 11 years, we spent hours and hours working alongside one another, talking, strategizing and supporting each other in our mission to do meaningful volunteer work. Now that we are older and alumnae of the organization, we owe it to ourselves to protect the friendships we've made. All I need is a little organization and a few great events. Wish me luck.

Chocolate Hearts Melted Mine

Be still my heart - perfect chocolates for Valentine's Day! When I was picking up my caramel puffs, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by this shelf of real chocolate hearts.  I would buy 5 or 6 and tuck them around the sweets on a cookie plate. 

The maker of these has an artist's eye and I knew I had to show you. The French bakery is called Le Petit Prince and is located in Birmingham, Michigan.

Happy 12 Days of Valentine's Day! 

Caramel Coated Cream Puffs: A Croquembouche Deconstructed

I ate. I swooned. I asked where I could get more cream puffs.  

Last fall, my friend showed up at my door with the top tier of a croquembouche. Have you ever seen a croquembouche? The name comes from the French phrase that means to crunch in the mouth. A croquembouche is a glorious tower of cream puffs dipped in a hard caramel shell. 

My first exposure to croquembouche was watching a Martha Stewart Christmas VHS tape when I was in high school. Yes, it was way back when. The video was compelling and I have never forgotten how Martha made it look easy to waft spun sugar onto the tower of cream puffs. You can watch a portion of it here - the construction of the dessert begins at time marker 4:20.

Until last fall, I had never had the opportunity to taste a croquembouche and the "cream puffs" I had tried were merely puff pastry shells with flavored whipped cream inside. Meh.

Then my friend stopped by and told me that she had brought me a treat from a party the night before. Her friend had ordered an enormous croquembouche from Le Petit Prince for the centerpiece of a buffet and it had been treated more like art than dessert. She sent the entire top of the tower home with my friend. French pastries wait for no man and you have to eat them while they are fresh. Twist my arm.

When I reached to pull a puff from the tower, I had no idea that I would think back to this dessert time and again. Rum spiked cream inside a tender puff coated in a crunchy caramel shell. Oh me, oh my. No wonder Martha Stewart took the time to make this for her video, it is delicious! Here is a recipe from Saveur magazine if you want to try it.

So the other day I broke down and called Le Petit Prince in Birmingham Michigan to ask about that glorious croquembouche. Is there anything similar that they make and sell separately?  I told them that I didn't have an event worthy of an entire tower, but that I really wanted to eat a puff again! If I'm thinking about a dessert 6 months later, I've got to have it again. I was thrilled to hear that the puffs are sold individually and I ordered a dozen on the spot. Happy Valentine's Day to us.

It may seem outrageous to order a dozen French pastries on a whim, but I'll tell you why I did it. 

#1 A business that makes labor intensive dessert needs support. 
#2 If I'm going to ask them to make a special order, the order need to be worth      their while. A dozen made sense.  
#3 Life is for living.

 Remember, it's the 12 Days of Valentine's Day and everything counts

Meet Me for Hot Chocolate

I knew she'd say yes! I invited my friend, Kathleen, to meet me at Schakolad for a cup of hot chocolate.  I had heard about the rich and velvety hot chocolate (milk, dark or white) for a while now and I thought that a cold March day was a perfect time to do a tasting.  It lived up to the buzz, I really enjoyed the hot chocolate, but a smaller cup would have been plenty!  We shared 3 macarons (strawberry, lemon and chocolate) - if only we hadn't cut them in half before the picture! But it was a Wednesday and this is real life.  That's how the macaron crumbles.

The sun was out, but it was hovering near twenty-five degrees, so a warm drink was a welcome distraction.  While we were admiring the chocolates in the glass display case, we noticed a sign urging us to "try a sample cup" of Choffy.

Choffy is a hot drink made by brewing cocoa beans.  It is quite good! A huge draw is it's scent.  You know how a fresh pot of coffee smells strong and inviting?  This hot brewed beverage has a wonderful and strong chocolate scent.  We breathed in our cups and were enjoying Choffy long before the drink hit our lips.  The drink has chocolate undertones, but is hot and unsweetened, with dry chocolate undertones. I liked it.

I can see ordering a cup when you want something hot and flavorful, but don't want the caffeine of coffee, sugar of soda or a drink as weak as tea.  I know that I'll order a cup in the future, or perhaps buying my own bag of beans to brew at home.  Stay tuned...

Tea at The Townsend

It doesn't take long for me to say "yes," after someone says "afternoon tea."  Whatever the parameters, I learned long ago that hot tea, lemon curd and scones always make me happy.

The Junior League of Birmingham held a social fundraiser at The Townsend Hotel last week and I was lucky to be in town and able to attend with my friend, Starr.    

We sat at this lovely area by the fire - chatting with friends and admiring the floral bouquet arranged in a silver tea caddy.  The cranberry scones had a light sugar-crust, and were served with bowls of whipped cream and homemade lemon curd.  It was the stuff dreams are made of.  The wait staff passed phyllo spinach triangles and cucumber sandwiches and offered each guest a glass of champagne punch to start the event off right.  It worked.  Although more crowded than expected, the guests all seemed happy to be at a tea party on a blah March afternoon. 

The program included a glimpse at Spring trends in clothes, shoes and make up from a style team at Nordstrom.  They did a great job and we were all longing for a brand new wardrobe and bright coral lipstick by the end of the presentation.  You can click the link to view Nordstrom's "Spring Style File" online.  

I had a wonderful time.  Tea and friends in a beautiful setting.  Plus I carried a navy cigar box purse and got girls talking about fashionable accessories, which always makes me happy.  Spring is almost here!