This impressive Lumberjack Cake was created by Elizabeth Marek of Artisan Cake Company of Portland, Oregon, and author of Visual Guide to Cake Decorating.

Another of her works of art is the Lumberjack Cake, inspired by her husband, who chopped down their Christmas tree in a lumberjack jacket.

Jenny Keller of Jenny Cookies Bakeshop in Lake Stevens, Washington took up the cause and created an entire lumberjack party.

Every part of the cake is edible: The bark is made from chocolate, the axe is made from fondant.

To both artists: Thank you for this most enjoyable bit of food fun.

If you want to try your hand at honoring your favorite lumberjack, you can buy the tutorial ($15). Also scroll down that page to see the lumberjack wedding cake.

For more cake pleasure, take a look at our Cake Glossary: the different types of cake, beginning with a brief history of cake.

You may also enjoy the history of cake pans.

And let’s not forget the history of the oven, and give thanks to all the bakers who labored under challenging conditions to create cakes that were attractive and delicious.

Often, what makes the familiar exciting again is presentation. We love this circular plating trend, exemplified by these three salads and a main course.

You can use the technique for any course that goes onto a plate.

For the past couple of years, we’ve noticed the trend creeping up among creative restaurant chefs. It’s not just salad, but seafood, vegetable plates, meats and desserts.

You, too can think outside the middle of the plate. It just takes a few minutes more to arrange food around the periphery, as opposed to putting it in the center.

So what’s in the center of the plate?

It could be cheese, croutons, dressing, sauce, spices, whipped cream…or nothing.

Start today with your dinner salad!
 
 
DESIGNING A CIRCULAR SALAD

For salad, there’s always a choice of greens; but look to contrasting shades and textures. Don’t be afraid to add fresh herbs.

Add at least two color elements, red (beets, berries, cherry tomatoes, grapes, radishes) and yellow or orange (beets, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, egg quarters, mango).

Use an interesting vinaigrette, i.e., made with infused olive oil or vinegar.

Serve the salad with plain crostini or garlic bread (crostini with garlic butter).

If you want to serve a monotone salad, like Caesar salad, use a bright-colored plate.

Take the same approach with non-salad courses.
 
 
RECIPE #1: EAST MEETS WEST SALAD

This circle of flavor from Pakpao Thai in Dallas combines east (mint leaves and dressing) and west. It’s hard to see, but the white in the center is whipped mozzarella. We didn’t have time to practice froth it to perfection, so we used whipped ricotta.
 
Ingredients For The Salad

 
For The Mint Vinaigrette (6 Servings)

 
For The Cheese

 
For The Crostini

________________

*Substitute 1 pint ricotta for the mozzarella and cream.
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Preparation

1. MAKE the crostini. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange the baguette slices on two baking sheets; brush both sides with oil. Season with salt and pepper and other seasonings as desired. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through until both sides are golden brown. Let cool on baking sheets.

2. MAKE the vinaigrette. Combine the mint and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Let steep for 10 minutes; then strain into a large bowl, pressing on the leaves to extract all the liquid. You should have about 3 tablespoons of liquid after straining. Add the oil, vinegar, honey and salt; whisk until well combined. Refrigerate it for up to 3 days in a container with a lid, so you can shake it prior to dressing the salad.

3. PREPARE the salad ingredients: Wash and trim as desired. Arrange on individual plates. Place the whipped cheese in the center of the plate (we used ramekins).

4. DICE the mozzarella and place it in the bowl of a blender or food processor; or use a deep mixing bowl with an immersion blender. Blend into a froth and mix in the zest. Add the lemon zest at this stage.

5. SHAKE and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serve with the crostini.
 
 
RECIPE #2: SPRING TO SUMMER SALAD

This recipe comes from one of our favorite creative chefs, Eric B. LeVine. Here, the classic salad made with frisée, blue or goat cheese, apples or pears, and walnuts or lardons is plated in a circle.

[1] Recipe #1: a fusion salad from Pakpao Thai in Dallas. [2] Recipe #2: a frisée, apple and blue cheese salad from Chef Eric B. Levine. [3] An avocado-mango salad from Chef Eric B. Levine, with frisée, onion, tomato, yellow split peas (chana dal) and lemon oil dressing. [4] Crostini from Martha Stewart). [5] Braised chicken and eggplant with garlic chips, from Chef Eric B. Levine. [6] You could put sorbet, fresh fruit, fruit sauce and bits of tuille in a bowl, or you could plate it like this dessert from The Art Of Plating. [7] Pumpkin custard topped with a wreath of meringues, two types of cake crumbles, whipped cream and droplets of pumpkin seed oil, by Chris Ford| The Art Of Plating” target=”_blank”

We wanted some bitterness, so we added baby arugula.
Ingredients

 
For The Apple Vinaigrette

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

2. PREPARE and arrange the salad ingredients. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

[1] Frosé granita. [2] Frosé with ice cream (both photos courtesy Kim Crawford).

A couple of years ago, some rosé marketer came up with a new term: frosé! Some winemakers even named bottles of sweet-style rose, frosé.

Here are two frosé recipes courtesy of Kim Crawford Wines from New Zealand. He sent these for National Rosé Day, June 10th.

(Mr. Crawford must have a sweet tooth: A few years ago, he proposed rosé ice pops. Just add the wine to ice pop molds, with optional berries.)

For a cocktail, use a drier-style rosé. For dessert, top sorbet or ice cream with a sweeter rosé: a zinfandel rosé from California, or anything labeled frosé (a relatively new term taking advantage of the trend). Or ask the clerk for guidance.
 
 
RECIPE #1: FROSÉ GRANITA

This recipe is a rosé granita, a word that means granular in Italian (granité/granitée is the French word, meaning granite-like).

Granita is a rustic version of sorbet, made without an ice cream machine. The ingredients are frozen in a pan. As the crystals on the top freeze, they are scraped into a grainy, coarse cousin of sorbet.

Granita, made from sugar, water and flavorings, originated in Sicily. The preferred texture and flavor varies from town to town, where residents variously preferred (and still do) almond, black mulberry, chocolate, coffee, jasmine, lemon, mandarin orange, mint, pistachio and strawberry flavors.

But the concept of water ices goes back to China in the fourth century B.C.E. The recipe, as it were, arrived in Persia via traders.

Persians enjoyed what we might now call snow cones: snow flavored with syrups. Called sharbat (the origin of sherbet and sorbetto), it was made at least from the middle of the third century B.C.E.

Alexander The Great brought the concept back to Greece after he conquered Persia in 330 B.C.E. Gelato, the first type of ice cream, took a while. It is believed to date to Florence, Italy in the late 16th century.

Here’s the history of ice cream. And now, back to the frosé, in photo #1.

 
Preparation

1. POUR the wine into ice cube trays, a baking pan, or what-have-you and pop it into the freezer. As ice crystals begin to form, scrape them to the front of the pan until frozen solid. You can do this in advance. To serve…

2. USE a hand blender or food processor to process the frozen wine until smooth. Serve directly or freeze again for up to 1 week, covered. Garnish and serve with a spoon and/or straw.

Note: We weren’t at home so couldn’t occasionally stir and scrape. So we simply froze the rosé as ice cubes. We then placed the frozen cubes into the blender. The result was a crunchy granita. If we had continued to blend, we might have ended up with something finer, but we liked the crunchiness!
 
 
RECIPE #2: DRINKABLE FROSÉ SUNDAE

Ingredients For 5 Servings

________________

*Use less sugar or omit it entirely if the strawberries are very ripe.
 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the strawberries and sugar in a bowl, cover and let sit for 30 to 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. DIVIDE the strawberries and any juices among 5 rocks glasses. Add the wine and a splash of club soda. Top with a scoop of ice cream and garnish (photo #2).
 
 
CHECK OUT THE OTHER TYPES OF FROZEN DESSERTS.
 
  

June 10th is National Rosé Day.

Unlike Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the other grape varietals, there is no “rosé grape.” Rosé (French for pink) wine can be made from any variety of red grapes.

As a result, the styles and flavors from different wine-making regions vary widely.

The pink color occurs is when the red grape skins are briefly left in contact with the pressed juice: for only a few hours, as opposed to the few weeks of skin contact when making red wine.

Even within a wine region—New Zealand, Northern California, Provence, South Africa, etc.—rosé wines are made in a variety of styles: drier, sweeter, lighter, fuller, pale in color, deep in color. See the chart below.

The rosé andfood pairings are also below, as is the history of rosé wine.

 
 
IT’S MORE POPULAR THAN WHITE WINE

Dry rosé wine is the all-occasion wine in the south of France—no surprise, since Provence is the world base of dry rosé production. There, vin rosé is paired with all the foods, all year round.

In fact, dry French rosé outsells white wine in France!

The dry rosés from Provence can be substituted any time you need dry wine. When you can’t decide between red or white wine, reach for the rosé.

America rosés can be dry or sweet. Many, especially on the lower end are like blush wines, contain nearly seven times as much residual sugar as a Provençal rosé. Ask the wine store staff for guidance, or do research online.

Sweetness in rosés can be very welcome. They’re great for dessert and for casual sipping, instead of a sweet cocktail.

One of our favorite summer desserts or snacks is a scoop of sorbet in a wine glass, topped off with a sweeter rosé.

You can also blend sorbet and rose into a “frozen” cocktail. Here’s a recipe for “frosé.”

Better yet, have a rose wine tasting. It’s a great summer party idea.
 
 
ROSÉ FOOD & WINE PAIRINGS

With Drier Rosés

Here’s how we like to pair dry rosé wines:

 
With Sweeter Rosés

 
 
MORE WAYS TO ENJOY ROSÉ

Have A Rosé Tasting

Rosé Sangria

Affordable Sparkling Rosé

Frozen Rosé Cocktails

Rosé Milkshakes
 
 
THE HISTORY OF ROSÉ WINE

Provence, the warm and sunny southeastern part of France, is where the France’s wine grapes were first cultivated 2,600 years ago. The ancient Greeks brought grapevines to southern France around 600 B.C.E., when they founded the city of Marseille.

In the time of the Greeks, all wines were generally pale in color—the color of today’s rosés. By the time the Romans arrived in 125 B.C.E. (and named the area Provincia Romana, hence Provence), the rosé wine produced there was known throughout the Mediterranean for its high quality. Even when the Romans introduced their preferred red wines to the area, the locals continued to prefer the rosés.

[2] Rosé champagne is costlier than conventional champagne—and worth it (photo © Ruinart).

[3] Rosé is a perfect pairing with seafood (photo © 100 Layer Cakes).

[4] A glass of rosé can go from apéritifs through dinner (photo © Kitchen Aid).

[5] The shades of rosé (Jacksonville Magazine).

Beginning in the 14th century, the nobility and military leaders acquired many Provençal vineyards, and laid the foundation for modern viticulture. Rosé became prestigious, the wine of kings and aristocrats [source].

So when you take a sip, think of history: the Greeks to the Romans to the French nobility to you!
 
 

 
 

Strawberry rhubarb bars, ready for dessert or a cup of tea (photo © Adore Foods).

Strawberry and rhubarb, spring produce for a spring food holiday (photo © Dessert First Girl).

June 10th is National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day. (There are more rhubarb holidays, including January 23rd, National Rhubarb Pie Day, and October, National Rhubarb Month.)

This year, instead of a strawberry rhubarb pie, how about bar cookies?

Food Trivia: Bars, from brownies and lemon and oatmeal bars to Rice Krispie Treats, are cookies, not cake. The dividing line is finger food vs. something that must be eaten with a fork.

The history of rhubarb is below.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB BARS

There’s also National Rhubarb Pie Day, on January 23rd. While fresh rhubarb is available only in the spring months, frozen rhubarb can be found year-round (the history of rhubarb is below); here’s the history of strawberries).

As to why people persist in creating holidays for foods that are out-of-season, we have no idea.

For this recipe, the prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 45 minutes. The recipe is from Adore Foods, adapted from Southern Living.

Ingredient For 20 Bars

For The Crust

 
For The Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling

 
For The Cream Cheese Batter

*Frankly, we can’t understand why people garnish baked goods with powdered sugar. It just flies off and lands on one’s clothing. Centuries ago, it might have been a decorative element before icing, or a garnish for an un-iced cake like a bundt. But today we have better garnishes: year-round strawberries, mascarpone, whipped cream, etc. In this recipe, the cream cheese topping is enough. Need a garnish? Add a slice of strawberry.
________________
 
Preparation

1. MAKE the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and almonds. Add the melted butter and stir into a crumbly mixture. Press it onto the bottom of a greased pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until ready to use (keep the oven on).

2. PREPARE the pie filling. Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and chopped rhubarb and strawberry pieces in a medium saucepan. Let it stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the filling starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. MAKE the cream cheese batter. Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg and beat just until blended. Add the lemon zest and juice, beating well.

4. ASSEMBLE: Spread a thick layer of strawberry-rhubarb filling over the cooled crust. Gently spread the cream cheese batter over the filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for an hour. Refrigerate, uncovered, for about 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving and cut into bars while still cold. Garnish as desired.
 
 
RHUBARB HISTORY

Rhubarb is an ancient plant, cultivated in China since 2700 B.C.E. for medicinal purposes (it was a highly-valued laxative).

Much later (at the end of the 12th century), Marco Polo wrote about it at length in the accounts of his travels in China, suggesting that the plant had not yet made it to southern Europe.

Different strains of rhubarb grew wild elsewhere, including in Russia. Its genus name, Rheum, is said to be derived from Rha, the ancient name of the Volga River, on whose banks the plants grew.

Records show that rhubarb was cultivated in Italy in 1608, 20 to 30 years later in northern Europe.

A 1778 record refers to rhubarb as a food plant. The earliest known usage of rhubarb as a food appeared as a filling for tarts and pies.

The earliest records of rhubarb in America concern a gardener in Maine, who obtained seed or root stock from Europe sometime between 1790 and 1800. He introduced it to growers in Massachusetts where its popularity spread…and today we celebrate it on National Rhubarb Pie Day and National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day. [source]

Here’s more about rhubarb, including why rhubarb is a vegetable and not a fruit.
 
 

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