Tasty Tuesdays: Rose Cupcakes

Bonjour!

While Jennifer is sampling all kinds of delicious pastries in Paris, I will be taking on Tasty Tuesdays. My name is Daniëlle and I'm a 22-year old half-American living in Europe, The Netherlands. You might know me from my blogs

Paris Pastry and French Mademoiselle
I visit Paris quite often and one of my favorite things to eat there are rose-flavored pastries. And by 'rose-flavored' I mean a real rose (as in the flower).


'Religieuse à la Rose' from Ladurée Pâtisserie
Rose pastries are made with rose syrup, which is an extract from red roses. It is so incredibly aromatic and it feels like you're eating a perfumed dessert. Besides, who can resist that gorgeous pastel pink color?

'L'Entremet Marie-Antoinette' from Ladurée Pâtisserie
Being half-American, I often take on recipes that are a mixture between Parisian delicacies and American comfort food. And that is exactly what we're making this special Tuesday!

Rose Cupcakes

Ingredients: makes 14 cupcakes
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons rose syrup
- 3 drops red food coloring
- 1 red velvet rose for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder and salt.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and rose syrup. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Mix in red food coloring.
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Rose Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons rose syrup
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 drop red food coloring

Instructions:
- Sift the confectioners's sugar into a medium bowl.
- Add the softened butter, milk, vanilla, rose syrup and food coloring.
- Mix until the frosting has a slight dropping consistency. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.


Rose cupcakes cooling - Frosted with Rose Buttercream.


A red velvet rose for garnish.


Et voilà! Lovely Rose Cupcakes.


Every bite takes you to Paris and back. I adore ♥ them!


One for you ;)


For other French-inspired recipes, visit my blog
Paris Pastry

Au Revoir!

Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous donne la mode française.

Well ya'll by now she's there. My fellow Cajun Belle, our NOLA girl is living it up in Paris. All you southern belles who understand this joke, say it loud and proud. HOW NICE!
I'm Lisa, better known as

The Bumpkin On A Swing

My Captain John and I live on the beach of The Gulf of Mexico on The Mississippi Gulf Coast, with 20 paws that melt our heart. If you have never visited the swing before please stop by sometimes. Food, fashion, Sunday Jams with The Captain, and a realistic look at the BP Oil Spill crisis, are just some of the things I offer over at the swing. I love all my readers, we are a tight bunch, you may even find an International Fashion Diva, two, three, maybe more, over at the swing, ya'll come over and join the fun.

Nola Girl, asked me to do a little guest post on French Fashion. To translate the french title of this post:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you French Fashion!

Let's start at the top why don't we, with two of my favorites. I don't even think I'll have to tell you much about these two, so let's go a little deeper on their story. That picture you saw in your reader, is a fabulous pair of shoes designed by no other than Monsieur Christian Louboutin. The Bumpkin's goes Lady GaGa over CLous. This particular pair are called Dillon Flower Pumps. This pair are my favorite CLous.
Louboutin received inspiration for his lethal-looking stilettos from an incident that occurred in his early 20s. He had visited a museum and noticed that there was a sign forbidding women wearing sharp stilettos from entering for fear of damage to the extensive wood flooring. This image stayed in his mind, and he later used this idea in his designs. "I wanted to defy that," Louboutin has said. "I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered."
And that he did Ladies just look at these.

Chrisitan Louboutin's always have red soles. You knew this already right? Pinkie Swear?

Uh, uh, uh, uhhhhhhhhh Shoegasm!

I really need to stop before this gets out of hand. I just have so many fabulous
Louboutins to show you.

I call these Posh Pochantas. The Indian blood in me, draws me to these boots in a primal way. I'll stop I promise!

Wait, wait, one more pair. You need to see these paired with a dress a little later in this post in your mind. Okay I stop, but dang it I could go on for hours with the CLous.


Who's this here Ladies? I know you know this one. This is the international sign for Fabulous, and always gets a little gasp from The Bumpkin.

I give you the infamous Madamoiselle Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

She never married or had children. Timeless beauty, and class I dream of possessing.

Here's a collage I found of the latest from Chanel. This is Chanel Resort 2010. See that nautical purse in the bottom right hand corner. You see it? This Captain's Lady, has been searching high and low for the Devil himself. I intend to cut a deal with him concerning, my soul and this handbag. This Ladies, is what we refer to as a Handbagasm at the swing. I would put a few B@TYC (B*tches At The Yacht Club), in their grave with this one. Not bad for a bumpkin, I can hear them saying it!

Wednesdays is one of the best days at Bumpkin On A Swing. I do Wordless Wednesdays with lots of photos. I did Chanel as part of my Legends Series, all the Chanel a girl could want. Check it out just CLICK HERE.
(Listen can you hear it? Come to Mamma my little lovely Chanel shoes, come to Mamma, my pretties.)
Need I say more about Christian Dior?


The "Birkin" bag is a hand-built purse from Hermès, another stellar French designer. It is named after actress Jane Birkin. Products are typically more than $10,000, particularly when using exotic skin. A bag may take 48 manhours to make.


On an Airfrance flight from Paris to London, Jane Birkin pulled her Hermes datebook out of her bag and all her papers fell on the floor. She complained to the passenger sitting next to her that the book should have pockets. That passenger was the chairman of Hermes; Jean-Louis Dumas, and after hearing her complain he created the Birkin bag.

Let's not forget:

This lovely here is a vintage Yves St. Laurent dress called the Monddrian dress from Fall 1965. My favorite YSL piece, this one is. None were made exactly the same, and they rarely included yellow, therefore; I would accent this exact dress with a pair of yellow heels, to show of the hem block in yellow. You can see this one at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Appropriate, as this dress really is a piece of art.

Let's add a little Christian LaCroix to the mix, why don't we?
Two loves in this picture for the Bumpkin. Amazing Photography, and Fabulous Fashion.

Girly to the extreme.

I love this dress, from Nina Ricci, another fabulous Italian born, French designer. The pink, the ruffles, the rosette, the bow on the handbag. I just feel lovely looking at this picture. This ensemble has what we refer to as the Hepburn Factor over at the swing.

Let's wrap up the fun, with someone you probably named right off the bat as a French Designer. The ever Fabulous Louis Vuitton. I never was a huge fan of Louis Vuitton for some reason, but I am coming around. If I weren't so rough on tights I would attempt to own these. $400 Ladies, have you ever had a pair of tights you didn't ruin? Me neither.

For Fall 2010, we can drool over these lovelies from Louis.

I recently fell in love with this LV luggage. It's gonna be a long crush, as I will probably never afford this love. I also really adore the shoes in this shot. They are called Tease Me from the SS Collection.

This was alot of fun, I enjoyed it.
Ya'll come see me now!
Love,
The Bumpkin

Au Revoir and Bon Voyage!!!

Bonjour bloggers!!

Well, our bags are packed and today we are heading off to Paris.  I could not be more excited!!!!  Seriously, I get tears in my eyes thinking about experiencing this beautiful city with my hubby.  It's the trip of a lifetime!!

While I'm away, I have quite a treat for you!!!  For the next few days some wonderful, creative, and talented ladies will be guest posting here on my little blog.  I know you will enjoy their perspectives as much as I do.  Here is a sneak peak of what you're in for this week:

Tomorrow, Lisa from Bumpkin on a Swing will be sharing with you her perspective on French designers (and maybe even a French model or two).  I have no doubt you will be in fashion photography heaven!  

Tuesday, Danielle from Paris Pastry will be taking on Tasty Tuesdays.  From the moment I found her blog, I was so inspired by her absolutely beautiful culinary creations!  You'll be wishing your computer had a scratch and sniff feature!!

Trish from Pink Preppy Lilly Lover  will be giving you the dish on some of her favorite trends for Trendy Wednesday.    Trish's comments are a like ray of sunshine, and I know her post will be just the mid-week pick me up you're looking for.

Thursday, we plan to head to the Musee d'Orsay and the Petit Palais to see some magical works of art.  I thought it would be fitting to introduce you to one of my friends and favorite artists, Gina Marie Dunn.  Gina's work is inspired and colorful, and her creativity has no limits!  I imagine this piece in the nursery of our baby girl (who is but a twinkle in my eye).

Lisa, from Knitting Yarns, will be sharing with you her five favorite things about Paris on Friday.  She had the amazing experience of spending three weeks in France and five days in Paris and has been such a help in our Paris planning.  I am so interested to see what her favorite things were and whether or not they were mine too!

I am eternally grateful to these ladies for take care of my dear blog while I'm away.  Please welcome them and make them feel right at home.  I know you will.  When we get home, I plan to post a recap of everything we did on that same day the week before in Paris.  So, I'll see you here on Sunday. 

Until then, Au Revoir and Bon Voyage!!!

Dear Carrie Bradshaw,

I should apologize for being unable to attend opening night of your newest movie.

You see, I'll be in Paris with my hubby.  You know how amazing that will be...

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for all of the many lessons you shared with us girls over the past decade. Can you believe that, you were just a baby when this whole thing started.

You taught us that a girl is never too old for a tutu

Or a party dress that makes you feel like a princess

That being bold and different are qualities that might make people stop and stare, but being true to yourself is what matters most

That sometimes your home is what defines you

That happiness can be as simple as brunch outside on a pretty day

That a girl can never have too many accessories

But sometimes the best accessory is the man you love

And above all else, life is always sweeter surrounded by the warmth, smiles, and laughter of your dearest friends

What about you?  Are you excited about the movie?  What do you think about Aidan coming back into the picture?  Seeing the trailer, has a particular outfit caught your eye?

Pink and Green Thursday: Stop and Smell the Roses

I thought it would be fun to play along with Trish again this week for Pink and Green Thursday.

I hope you have a minute today to stop and smell the roses...

Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit, Photo Credit

Do you have a favorite flower? I love hydrangeas and peonies, but I also love how perfectly classic roses are.