sixtyone bay gals

pc: Joyce

Many days of secrecy about prep finally culminated in this perfect picnic day for Emily's birthday.

The most random (and maybe exciting) fact I learned about Emily this year is that she's obsessed with bagels and cream cheese. I can't explain why it surprised me so much, but it did. Kinda like when I was appalled to find out Christy doesn't like queso. I don't know..
But anyways, I also began thinking about bagel bars for months. With a lot of optimism about being able to host Emily's bday bagel bar in my backyard with several other humans.

These bagel bebes were kind of an ordeal.

Not like a huge ordeal. Just the amount of ordeal it takes to make bagels for the first time using a yeasted recipe (from Black Seed Bagels).. but then deciding to sub in sourdough starter instead...

50g sourdough starter

100g flour

100g water

-mixed and left overnight

512g water

755g flour

1T barley malt powder

1.5T honey

3T oil

1.5t salt

-mixed and beaten until it comes together and passes the window pane test

-split in two portions and left to bulk ferment about an hour

-about 2T dark miso paste folded into one portion

-about 3T red bean paste folded into other portion

-fridged overnight

-shaped into bagels

-boiled in honey water 2min

-topped with toppings

-baked at 460F for 20min

Red bean bagels with cinnamon cardamom crunch topping.

I'm not really the biggest bagel person, but the cinnamon crunch bagel at Panera was a regular fixture of my college diet. It was definitely the topping that made it. It's basically dessert masquerading as breakfast - what's not to like?
But whenever I'm presented with bagels, I always have to get one sweet and one savory option. Also a vestige of my college days when I'd order an asiago bagel alongside my cinnamon crunch one. Then eat half of each and procrastinate on homework for an hour before eating the other halves.

Miso bagels with furikake topping.

Aren't they so mini and adorable?

Now what're bagels without lox (salmon #1)?
And what're bagels without cream cheese?
Black garlic + herb (scallion, cilantro) and pork floss for the savories. Candied orange peel + roasted hazelnut for the sweets.

Well a backyard bagel bar didn't happen, but we did manage to get dressed up to find a nice empty park in Healdsburg. And it felt like a wonderfully normal day again.

pc: Debbie

Birthday cake:
Super tender caramelized condensed milk + ginger + jasmine cake made with whey.
Filled with Korean pear syrup (with a touch of camomile) and jasmine mascarpone cream.
Covered with meringue buttercream and pear chips.

Picked up some tapas from Bravas Bar de Tapas (a favorite date spot of the dude at Macrostie) to round out the buffet of carbs:
fried chicken + kale manchego fennel salad with garlic toast
roasted cauliflower with dates, bacon, bleu cheese, marcona almonds
housemade and tinned pit roasted veggies
allll the sauces

pc: Emily

Came home absolutely drained from the sun with a full bladder and slight nausea from all the things I managed to fit in my tummy. Immediately ripped off my dress and crawled into bed... to somehow make a ppt about colors instead of napping.

The combination of carb bar and sun poisoning curbed my appetite until 8pm when I finally snacked on some pate toast (on Joyce's buckwheat sourdough), cured salmon on crackers, and one little seared chicken heart in cumin salt. Washed down with lemon tea to settle the stomach.

Eaten while watching Davin find a way to satisfy his sweet tooth.