birds eye view: Buttercream Dreams

Okay, so I should have posted this yesterday...now it is anti-climatic.

Down-staged.

Just grab a coffee and pretend your computer has PVR/TIVO and you finally have a moment to read this AMAZING post.

Yar.

So with the cake building catastrophe now behind me I felt the courage to go forth and ice. But I needed some help. No...not professional...just liquid.

The good stuff.

And I had Mr. Man.

He's the chef and chefs have tricks up their sleeves incase bad things go down.

We put on some WBGO tunes. A great public radio station Mr. Man discovered. If you like Jazz (not the razz-a-mataz kind, more straight ahead jazz) you should check it out.

Now, back to the main event...

Here are the players for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing: Vanilla, eggs, sugar, butter...more butter and more butter. Then add more butter.

Separate eggs.

Messy job...I prefer the hand tossing method...let the whites slide through your fingers and gently (this is my downfall...I am not a gentle cook) caress the yolks so they don't sploosh (?) everywhere and get into the whites. It's okay to get a wee little yolk in the whites apparently (Mr. Man said so).

Next take the sugar and...

Put it in the egg whites.

Whisk together...gently. Remember that part. Now take it to the stove top and double boiler it. Break your wrist "Whisking" and pray you don't get scrambled eggs.

Mr. Man and I tag teamed. I am a wuss.

Cut the butter into chunks. Did you know that unsalted butter will turn to mush in at room temp? No salt. Go figure...so don't do this part to early.

Once the eggs and the sugar have made love in the steel bowl/double boiler concoction transport them to be forever intwined in the mixer.

Sit and watch it whirl...round and round...round and round.

Mesmerizing.

Hold on...how come it is not working? Where is my glossy icing? What is happening! It looks sick. I am gonna be sick.

Ok...wait for it...patience...apparently I need patience.

Wash some dishes. Have another glass of wine...

Okay...I see some progress...I am seeing the love.

Pure Sexy.

Now..throw in chunks of butter. Lots of butter...I can't say how much.

It was embarrassing.

Throw it in a little at a time.

Great...now what is happening!!!

Curdling!! Noooooooooo! Re-read recipe...

It tells you basically to not panic. So I try not to. The recipe warned me about this. Zen.

More wine. Bottles empty now. Hair is disheveled.

Thank-you. Oh thank-you.

I...em...um...WE did it.

Me and the wine.

And Mr. Man.

He was awesome. He chose his helpful words very carefully and appropriately inserted them when I was going to loose it. We are a good team after all.

Now add colour and get Mr. Man to mix it...he has the muscles plus I have had more wine and we really don't want to screw it up at this point now do we. We have some so far.

Still with me people? This is a long one.

Mix mix mix.

Put on crumb coat or "dirty icing" as the "BOSS" calls it. This part was actually fun. I didn't need to be perfect. I worked with the tools and went with it.

Mr. Man was a patient coach.