Bourbon & Buttermilk Biscuit Apple Cobbler {w/th The Macadames}

HEY! Hey, you. Yes, you. I have a quick thing to share with you before you continue reading. First of all, this post is in collaboration with Anisa of The Macadames. With her living Australia and me here in the states, my fall is just beginning while hers is ending. We decided to bridge the gap and make some delicious recipes using the seasons favorite; apples. After you’re done reading this post, head over to her site for a delicious baked apple recipe, which wink, wink looks to die to for! But firsts, this post. This post is a bit different from the traditional blog posts I write. To be frank, I hate writing blog posts and I need a change of pace. A few weeks ago, I had the idea to combine my love of fiction writing and food writing, and this is what came about. My thought for this is to write short little scenes involving the recipes I’m posting about. I hope to capture the art of culinary storytelling even further by creating my own stories. Disclaimer: these are far from Pulitzer Prize-winning pieces or anything, so take it for what it is, a young man’s fictitious anthology of food. 

Rose Water Cakes with Roasted Strawberry Buttercream (w/th Café, Cacau e Canela)

Hello, friend.

Note: I’m feeling incredibly lazy (and I have two exams to study for), so I’m going to make this blog post short and sweet (much like these cakes!) These mini rose water cakes are wonderfully aromatic with subtle floral notes. The slowly roasted strawberries are perfectly folded into the cloud-like buttercream making for the ideal (end of) summer dessert. A few months backs Laura from Café, Cacau e Canela and I were messaging back and forth about how we have never collaborated before and how we NEEDED TO. We started brainstorming ideas for how we were going to go about this. We decided to use the same core ingredients and see where our creativity took us. Once you’re done checking out my recipe, click on over to Laura’s site for her recipe (spoiler alert: it’s going to be a delicious one. Just sayin’)

Spiced Grapefruit Sponge Cake with Candied Orange Slices

Hello, friend

The citrus fruit season is almost behind us. Before it leaves and the flavors of autumn begin to drown us in their apple spiced goodness, you need to get your hands on some oranges and a bottle (or two!) of this Spiced Grapefruit Tonic mixer from Powell & Mahoney and make this sponge cake. The cake is warm with hints of autumn from the honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The spiced grapefruit tonic mixer adds a hint of allspice and a subtle tartness to this simply sweet cake. The cake is light and almost cloud-like. Couldn’t you image it? Instead of clouds we had little flying sponge cakes in the air. Actually, scratch that idea, that sounds terrifying. Clouds belong in the sky and cake belongs on my plate. You should put that saying on a t-shirt.

Orange Blossom & Honey Cinnamon Buns + a change

Hello, friend.

Whenever I’m feeling homesick (or more specifically, when I’m missing Momma’s cooking), I bake. The smell of warm cinnamon rolls brings me back to those early Saturday mornings growing up. Mom pulling them out of the oven and generously drowning each roll in a sweet icing glaze. Sweet bliss, my friends. These orange blossom & honey cinnamon buns are the perfect end of summer goodbye and hello to autumn brunch or afternoon dessert. I first attempted this recipe back in July (hence some of the rolls in the iron skillet), but I wasn't happy with the recipe so I kept adapting. Now I have a recipe I'm proud of.  The sweet and fruity notes of the orange and honey play beautifully with the floral undertones of the orange blossom water. I am a huge love of rose water. I’ve even featured it in a few recipes (and, hint-hint, it’s a featured ingredient in an upcoming blog post).