If there is a dessert that screams Southern cuisine it has to be pralines. The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth candies have been perfected in Southern states like Louisiana and Georgia, but the treat hasn’t always been a Southern delicacy. Pralines first originated in France during the 17th century. The first pralines were made with almonds instead of pecans and were made for French dignitaries. Throughout the years, they were often given as Christmas gifts and were enjoyed on special occasions. These days, you can enjoy them year round in cities like Savannah and New Orleans where many bakeries and candy shops specialize in making the sweets.

Anytime you make your own candy, you need to allow room for error. There is a feel to candy making that only comes with practice. With that said, do not be discouraged! Pralines are simple to make and one of the foolproof candies. Make sure to watch your candy thermometer and do not cook past the soft ball stage and your pralines will be good enough for those New Orleans candy shops. Or even a French dignitary!

Ingredients
1 cup whole pecans
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter
3/4 brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with buttered foil. Prepare an ice bath in the sink.

2. Combine the first six ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat.

3. Heat to a boil. With a candy thermometer, heat to 234° F (approximately 3 minutes from boiling point).

4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

5. Place saucepan in ice bath and stir mixture until the color lightens and the texture thickens.

6. Drop by spoonfuls onto foiled baking sheet. Cool.

There is something about the smell of homemade cookies baking in the oven that fills your home with warmth and comfort. When that sweet, buttery aroma fills your home, suddenly everyone is in the mood for dessert! Cookies are the perfect treat for any occasion because they are so versatile and convenient. What other dessert can be eaten on the go with one hand and no utensils?

There are endless possibilities to baking delicious cookies, but a classic sugar cookie is comfort food at its best. All you need is flour, butter, sugar and a few other simple ingredients to create a dessert that everyone loves. These drop cookies make baking homemade treats one step easier by skipping the rolling and cutting that most sugar cookie recipes call for. Sprinkle the dough with colored sugar or bake plain and serve with buttercream frosting. Either way you have a dessert that is delicious and makes your home smell warm and inviting.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c shortening
3 tbsp milk
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
7 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Combine sugar, shortening and butter.

2. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix until well combined.

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

4. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 350 °F for 10 – 13 minutes or until golden brown.

The first butterscotch recipe was recorded in 1817 in England. Its buttery sweet taste quickly made it one of the most popular candies around. Puddings, cakes and pies soon followed in popularity. It was typically served at Christmas as a special treat. All butterscotches are made with brown sugar and milk and are cooked to different hardnesses, depending on the recipe, to create a whole array of desserts and candies. However many families had their own special recipe handed down from generation to generation.

This custard pie is creamy and light in texture but rich and buttery in taste. Custard pies are a labor of love because of the fickle nature of the custard. The key to making perfect, creamy custard is adding the hot milk a tablespoon at a time to the egg yolks and whisk, whisk, whisk until the liquid turns into a thick pudding. (If you add the eggs to the hot milk without tempering them first, you will end up with scrambled eggs). Top this pie with fresh whipped cream or a light meringue and indulge in one of the most delicious historical desserts.

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 9 inch baked pie crust

Directions

1. In a double boiler, combine brown sugar, flour and salt.

2. Stir in milk until dry ingredients are dissolved, add butter and cook for 20 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks.

4. Add a few tablespoons of hot milk mixture to egg yolks slowly (go slow so the eggs do not scramble). Stir until well combined.

5. Pour the milk mixture into a saucepan over medium heat, add eggs and cook for 5 minutes while constantly stirring. The mixture should begin to thicken to a pudding.

6. Add vanilla and stir. Pour into the baked pie crust.

7. Top with whipped cream and store in the refrigerator.

photo courtesy of hotblondiesbakery.com

About Hot Blondies Bakery:
The idea for the company started while co-founders Lorin Rokoff and Laura Paterson were working together in unsatisfying desk jobs at a New York City museum. Although neither had prior work experience in the baking industry, Rokoff’s natural baking talent, combined with Paterson’s background in brand development inspired them to start Hot Blondies Bakery.

About the Product:
Hot Blondies Bakery offers delicious and unique flavors of Blondies and Brunettes (Brownies), each baked in an individual tin to ensure each treat has the crispier crust and the gooey center. The Blondies include Classic, Butterscotch White Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk. The Brunette flavors offered are Classic, Espresso White Chocolate, S’mores, and Nutella Hazelnut.

In addition, each month there will be new offerings of Blondies and/or Brunettes under the “Flavor of the Month” category, which will coincide with special holidays and/or events.

Where to purchase:
• Online at HotBlondiesBakery.com
• Bloomingdales (Nationwide), The Bean Coffee & Tea (New York City), Murray’s Bagels (New York City), Leo’s Bagels (New York City), Zeytuna (New YorkCity), Garden of Eden (New York City and Brooklyn), Kitchen Kabaret (Roslynand Bay Shore, NY), Candylicious (Dubai)
• Brooklyn Flea — Sundays from 10am to 5pm, One Hanson Place, Brooklyn(January through June).

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GIVEAWAY

Hot Blondies Bakey has generously donated a dozen mixed blondies/brunettes to be shipped to a winner anywhere in the continental USA. 

This giveaway is open to US residents only. 

How to enter (required): Visit  HotBlondiesBakery.com  and then come back and leave a comment telling us your favorite product! 

For additional entries (leave a new comment for each additional entry):
- one additional entry if you are or become our fan on FACEBOOK;
- one additional entry if you grab our button from the sidebar and post it on your blog, please post the link;
- one additional entry if you follow us on Twitter;
- one additional entry if you send a tweet about this giveaway (once a day only); make sure to include @1happyblogger.
- one additional entry if you fave us in Technorati;
- one additional entry if you blog about this Giveaway with a link back to 100CafeStreet.com and HotBlondiesBakery.com
- one additional entry if you follow 100CafeStreet.com via email. 

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The giveaway ends on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at the end of day, Pacific Standard Time. Hot Blondies Bakery will ship the prize. 

*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winner will be announced via e-mail and has 2 days to get back to us or other name will be chosen.
*Incomplete entries will be disqualified & deleted.

April 23-25, 2010 

photo courtesy of bitzcelt

The festival will be held at Lakeside Park at 631 Sycamore St. in downtown Celebration. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 24; noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 25. Admission to the festival is free, with tickets for the Never-Ending Pie Buffet priced at ($10 adults, $5 ages 65 and up, and $5 ages 6-12.)

A national pastime will attract national attention as contestants from across North America sift through their most treasured recipes in hope of finding one that leads to an award-winning pie. Perhaps it’s a family favorite that’s won praise for generations or a new creation that’s pleased a friend, but dedicated pie makers — from contestants with decades of blue ribbons to a new generation who are warmed up and ready to enter the competition — will be rolling out fresh dough and carefully measuring ingredients as they prepare for the three-day APC/ Crisco® 2010 National Pie Championships® April 23-25.

The competition heats up at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate as Commercial, Professional, Amateur and Junior Chef pie makers test their tasty creations in a variety of categories.   Last year, more than 170 judges graded pies created by 138 bakers who entered 465 commercial, 130 professional and 266 amateur pies.   Emile Henry USA, makers of the finest quality ceramic bake ware and gourmet cooking products, has returned for 2010 as the “Official Pie Dish” of the National Pie Championships.   Each junior, amateur and professional competitor receives an Emile Henry ceramic pie dish, valued at $45 each.   For 2010, Best of Show winners in the amateur and professional divisions will each win $5,000, a new Sears Kenmore range and a Crisco® gift basket, while the top winner in the Junior Chef division receive a $2000 Crisco college scholarship and a Crisco® gift basket.  First place ribbons and bragging rights will be awarded to Commercial Division winners.

To enter, APC members pay $15 per pie entry for amateurs and $20 per pie entry for professionals.  Non-members pay $35 per pie entry for either category.  Junior entries are free.

This year’s contestants will whip, puree and roll their way to victory in a wide range of categories: Amateurs are judged in 15 categories including Apple, Citrus, Crisco® Classic Cherry, Crisco® Classic Chocolate, Cream, Cream Cheese, Custard, Fruit/Berry, Nut, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Open, Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board, Splenda, and Sweet Potato. First place winners in each category receive $200 cash and a Crisco® gift basket, second place winners receive $150 cash and third place winners take home $100 cash.

Professional bakers enter pies in nine categories: Apple, Citrus, Crisco® Classic Chocolate, Crisco® Classic Cherry, Fruit/Berry, Cream, Nut and Open and new for the 2010 competition — Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board.  First place winners in each category receive $200 cash and a Crisco gift basket.

Junior Chefs who are in high school and between the ages 14 to 17 can test their pie-making skills with entries in Apple, Cream, Fruit/Berry or Open categories.  Three first place winners will receive a $100 gift certificate to Emile Henry USA, a $100 gift certificate to Cuisipro USA, a source for popular professional chef tools, as well as a Crisco® gift basket.

Commercial bakers competed in categories including Apple, Blueberry, Fruit/Berry, Open Cream, Citrus, Open, Nut and Chocolate, and Raisin, sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board.

The APC is now accepting registrations for the upcoming championships. Participants are encouraged to join the American Pie Council prior to registration in order to receive discounted entry fees.

Ten minutes from Celebration, the host hotel Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is offering a special $129 per night room rate for those attending or participating in the pie championship or pie festival. To book the American Pie Council special rate, call 800-843-6664 and identify yourself as associated with the APC.  For more information, visit the Front Porch Celebration Community Web Site at www.celebration.fl.us; or the American Pie Council®, www.piecouncil.org

Crisco®  is a registered trademark of The J. M. Smucker Company.  For more information, visit www.crisco.com.

The American Pie Council® is the only organization committed to maintaining America’s pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting America’s love affair with pie. The APC offers personal, professional and commercial memberships. For more information, please visit www.piecouncil.org.

photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

A lot has been said about New York City’s most popular bakeries. But things change on a yearly basis, so let’s see who’s baking the most delicious desserts in NYC this year! In random order!

If your favorite is not on the list, leave us a comment! We’d love to hear your nominations!

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MAGNOLIA BAKERY – is often credited with starting the modern day cupcake craze with their signature pastel colored, buttercream-frosted versions. Magnolia Bakery specializes in old fashioned baked goods including red velvet cake, icebox cake, and banana pudding.

Location: With four bustling store fronts –two of which have opened in the past year– owners Steven and Tyra Abrams have made Magnolia’s in-demand pastries and desserts more accessible to New Yorkers and, with the Rockefeller Center location, tourists as well.
- 401 Bleecker St. , New York, NY (Downtown)
- 1240 Avenues of the Americas, New York, NY (Rockefeller Center)
- 200 Columbus Ave., New York, NY (uptown)
- Grand Central 107 East 42nd Street, New York, NY

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RUBY ET VIOLETTE – is a New York City bakery and café that specializes in handmade, small batch gourmet chocolate chunk cookies, brownies and cookie dough ice creams.  The company is owned by three sisters; they offer exquisitely detailed gift and bakery boxes filled with their sinful treats which they send across the country as indulgent presents.

Reminiscent of a charming Parisian café, it features an old fashioned tin ceiling, black and white marble floors and custom artwork.  Customers can also enjoy an espresso bar, homemade drinking chocolates, and small batch cookie dough ice creams and sorbets.

Location: Manhattan-ites can indulge a sweet tooth on any given Tuesday through Saturday at Ruby et Violette’s café, located at 457 West 50th Street, in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.

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5th AVENUE CHOCOLATIERE: is a family-owned business that specializes in macaroons (the best!!), matzo for Passover, the most fabulous gourmet truffles  and other baked goodies. They have over 12,000 different molded shapes and sizes and have been around for over 40 years.

Location: You can visit them at 693 Third Avenue and 11 Madison Avenue at 24th Street in New York and a factory which produces everything in Valley Stream Long Island. At the Long Island Location, they do tours where they let everyone learn about the chocolate making process, dip your own strawberries and other goodies.

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LITTLE CUPCAKE BAKESHOP: is a highly successful carbon neutral bakery in Brooklyn, NY. They specialize in cupcakes, cakes, pies, puddings, cookies and more. They also exclusively serve Illy coffee and espresso, widely regarded as the finest coffee in Europe.

Their products and carbon neutral mission have received massive acclaim from New York Times, Fox News and many others. Little Cupcake Bakeshop, blends the lively spirit of a bygone generation with the youthfulness of contemporary culture and design.

Location: 9102 Third Avenue in Brooklyn, New York

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BABYCAKES NYC : specializes in refined sugar-free, wheat-free, gluten- free, soy-free, egg-free, vegan and kosher sweet treats. Their innovative and delicious desserts made them one of the most talked-about bakeries in New York City; they have been featured in a lot of printed & online magazines and in TV shows. Erin McKenna, who was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies in 2004, is the founder of  BabyCakes ; she is also the author of “BabyCakes: The Cookbook”.

Location: 248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow), NYC, NY. They also have a bakery in Los Angeles.

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TWO LITTLE RED HENS, an American Bakery: specializes in gorgeous custom cakes, pies and cupcakes. In a city where cupcakes are available almost everywhere, a trip to Two Little Red Hens is definitely worth it! Their cupcakes and cheesecakes are amongst the best in NYC!

Location: 1652 Second Avenue New York, NY- Upper East Side (86th & 2nd).

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Also on our list of most popular Bakeries in NYC and definitely worth visiting:

- Madeleine Patisserie – 132 West 23rd Street, New York (6 & 7 Avenues)

- Butter Lane Cupcakes – 123 East Seventh Street, New York

- Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery- 126 Rivington Street, NYC

- Billy’s Bakery – 75 Franklin Street (Between Broadway and Church Street)

- Bouchon Bakery - Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor ( of Time Warner Center), New York