Butter Lane: Putting the Butter Back in Buttercream

It's Spring Dinner Party part 3, and today we're talking dessert. Luckily, I wasn't in charge of dessert this time, since I was busy cooking up other things, like hearty beef brisket. And after my mom explained her desire to test out Butter Lane Bakery, Kimmi and I decided it was a no-brainer...Dessert from Butter Lane it would be! A sweet little bakery in the East Village, Butter Lane prides itself on being the cupcake for adults. It solidifies its adult status as a Butter Lane cupcake is made with pure ingredients, like real butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla bean and real cocoa and the end result is nothing short of heavenly. Oh, and yes, that is in fact popcorn on the caramel cupcake....say it with me...'mmmmm'.

With mouth-watering flavors like banana, espresso, caramel, classic vanilla bean, chocolate and more, you pretty much can't go wrong at Butter Lane. The cake is airy and a bit crumbly (nothing like the decandently fudgy Irish Car Bomb cupcakes), the frosting is smooth and buttery. So buttery in fact, that they really put the butter back in buttercream. When faced with a super sugary laden Magnolia Bakery cupcake, it feels as though I'm just eating straight sugar. But not the Butter Lane frosting. In perhaps a real tribute to its name, the frosting is actually refreshingly buttery (ever think you'd hear the words refreshing & butter together?) with a hint of sweetness...and it's silky smooth to boot. No individual sugar granules here, and I'm not complaining. I mean, really, see those little vanilla bean specs? Yum!
And the sweet packaging is really just the icing on the cake, so to speak. It's reminiscent of my recent penchant for basic craft paper wrapping with twine to tie it all together (the exact way that I wrapped birthday gifts for this very evening). With a simple black stamp of Butter Lane gracing the packaging, it doesn't get more rustic, organic, and classic than this.

So that's Butter Lane. And while Magnolia got me through my NYU years, I guess Butter Lane really is for grown ups. What do you think? Have you tried Butter Lane? Do you like a super sugary buttercream, or more of a silky smooth kind?

Psst...can't get enough cupcake love? Check out Baked by Melissa, Key Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes, Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, Soutine, and Baba Booey's Peanutastic Cupcakes...

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

As I mentioned yesterday, this past Saturday was Mom's birthday dinner at the humble Humiston abode in Jersey City. In addition to light hors d'oeuvres including caprese salad and smoked salmon, we feasted on a tender beef brisket. I must be honest. I have never made beef brisket. I had no idea how to cook it or even where to buy it. But I did some research and hoped for the best, figuring the worst case would be turning to the local Chinese take out place for a guaranteed dinner. (I should also note here that I don't typically recommend trying out a new dish for company, but I just had a particularly good feeling about this one...it really seemed fairly fool-proof) And when I found out that I could make the entire thing in my slow cooker, freeing up my oven for side dishes like sweet potatoes and roasted parmesean asparagus, it was pretty much a no brainer. With my go-to gal, the Barefoot Contessa herself, and her almost frighteningly easy brisket recipe, I picked up the ingredients for what would become a truly delightful main course. Note: this recipe is based on a 5 lb brisket. If you use a smaller cut of meat, adjust the ingredients accordingly, ok? Let's get down to it...

Brisket with Carrots & Onions
*Adapted from Ina Garten
5 pounds beef brisket
2 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
5 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 46 oz bottle low sodium V8
1 14 oz can low sodium beef broth
olive oil

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add meat to pan-sear for 2 minutes on each side. This will make a flavorful brown crust on the meat. (Note: my hunk o'beef did not fit in my skillet, so I had to improvise...and by improvise I mean brown half of it while the other half hung over the side...it doesn't have to be perfect, just get 'er done). Once seared, add to slow cooker (trim to fit). In a small bowl, mix garlic, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Spread onto the brisket. Pile the bay leaves and vegetables on top of the brisket. Add V8 to cover 2/3 of the way up the meat and vegetables (I only used about half the bottle, but kept the rest on hand in the event of a veggie juice emergency...). Pour about 1/2 can of beef broth over the top, but don't cover the entire dish. Place the top on the slow cooker and cook on low for at least 8 hours. I cooked mine for 8 hours and it was fork tender, literally falling apart. I then just kept it warm until about 30 minutes before I served the meat. At that point, remove from slow cooker, place on cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. This allows the meat to rest and keeps all of the delectable juices in tact. Meanwhile, pour the liquid into a saute pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the gravy is thickened. After 20-30 minutes, cut the meat across the grain and serve on a platter with the vegetables. Add gravy to taste.

And the result? A delicious recipe that easy as proverbial pie. Really, the perfect dish for company since there didn't require any standing over the stove and there was pretty much no possible way to overcook the meat. I mean, really, could it be easier? Oh, and in terms of the meat, Shaun went to our local Morton-Williams and asked the butcher to cut a 5 lb hock for us. Bellisimo. And the icing on the proverbial cake? This recipe is even better when stored in gravy and reheated the next day. We only discovered this after realizing that a 5lb cut of brisket is just overboard for a group of 5. But no complaints from me on the reheated version.

So what do you think? Have you ever attempted a new recipe to serve to company? How did it turn out?

Spring Dinner Party

This past weekend, I hosted a dinner party for my mom's birthday. My first move was to plan a sweet and springy dinner table that incorporated my red dishware. After picking up this pretty and season-appropriate table runner at Bed Bath & Beyond, and a small yet punchy bouquet of hydrangeas, I was happy with my spring table and ready to move onto more pressing issues...the menu. It was my first official dinner party, so my sister Kimberly and I put our heads together and came up with a simple yet elegant menu for our small soiree.

Spring Dinner Party Menu
Hors D'oeuvres
Spiced Walnuts
Smoked Salmon with cream cheese and capers
Caprese salad

Pre-Dinner
Shrimp Cocktail
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette Salad

Dinner
Braised Beef Brisket
Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Parmesean Asparagus

Dessert
Brooklyn bakery cookies
Butter Lane cupcakes

Today, we're talking hors d'oeuvres. Though typically my favorite part of a meal (since I'm a sampler and all), since there was lots of food to be had, K and I decided that simple, light hors d'oeuvres would be just enough to whet our palettes for the delectable meal ahead. No creamy dips or heaving finger foods here. First up, Kimberly put together a caprese salad, a classic favorite. Consisting of sliced heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzerella cheese, fresh basil leaves and drizzles of olive oil and balsamic vinagrette, what could be bad about that?

In addition to the Caprese salad, I put together a smoked salmon platter, always a super crowd pleaser in the Cannon family. Light smoked salmon, reduced fat cream cheese and capers mixed with a bit of olive oil turned basic melba toast from "eh" to "mmmm".

I also served spiced walnuts, but stay tuned for that recipe shortly. So what do you think? Do you have any signature hors d'oeuvres for hosting a party? Do you go simple and basic, or all out?

Coming up this week: find out how I went from never having cooked beef brisket to finding the ultimate recipe for this delicious main course and lots more info on hosting a spring dinner party.