Less than a week away, St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching.  Just a couple days left to order your freshly baked Irish Soda Bread, Irish Potatoes, or Bailey’s Cheesecake in time for the holiday!

Sweet Ruminations uses 100% real butter in Irish potatoes, to make them sinfully creamy.

For the Irish Potato addicts- Irish Potato Tortes. Irish Potato filling between cake layers, frosted with cinnamon buttercream, and topped with Irish Potatoes.

Available year round, the Soda Bread and Irish Cream cheesecakes are baked to order from scratch.

(Because everything is made to order, please allow at least 48 hours notice.)

Hope everyone has a delicious St. Patrick’s Day!

A Sweet Ruminations cake was pictured in a feature on thefabbride.com !

Photography by  Modern Flare photography.

Once a fairly well kept secret amongst Parisians,  macarons have since gone completely mainstream.  A few years ago they began popping up in glossy magazines and trendy restaurants across the globe.  And ever since that distinct macaron salon, known for their gorgeous pastel hued boxes, flung open their New York doors, Americans have swooned.

Sweet Ruminations Strawberry Macarons

There’s just something so airy delicate about french macarons.  So utterly feminine and chic.  And those delightful pastel candy colors are just too much to resist!

A purist at heart, it makes me a bit sad that macarons are no longer to be enjoyed solely within the city of lights.  I think that might just be my selfish craving to keep them top secret amongst the sweet elite.  Ever since the ghastly discontinuation of the Concorde’s services, macaron trips have gotten to be a bit lengthy anyway.  Every once in a while I could indulge a secret macarons day trip, but nowadays it takes nearly two!  Financial advisors frown upon such frivolousness.  Not to mention the charming groping that must nowadays be endured at airports.  And topped with the required nursing of a one year old business, it is almost impossible to steal the precious time.

If you are trying to give Mother Nature a little help by trying to cut back on your air travel, these adorable little pastel delights are now available and made to order at Sweet Ruminations.  Available in virtually any pastel hue, flavor options are endless.  Made in house from freshly ground almonds and whipped meringue from just-cracked eggs, fillings can feature decadent ganache, freshly brewed fruit jams, or luscious buttercreams.  Such a cute addition to any sweets table!  You can even tell your guests it was an exhausting trip to obtain such edible gems.  I won’t tell

So  perhaps I did sacrifice half a night’s sleep in the name of puff pastry, but it was worth it.  There’s nothing like hard work to make oneself more appreciative.  Making your own puff pastry takes a few hours- gently folding butter and dough into what seems like a thousand layers (hence the french name “mille feuille”), and then letting each fold rest between steps.

The rich, buttery conclusion makes the time spent worth while.  The frozen puff pastry sheets simply can not compare to the real thing.  Whip up a little pastry cream, fondant icing, and sliced fresh berries: a decadent napoleon worth every buttery calorie.

Warmest holiday wishes to everyone!

I can’t believe it is holiday season already! This time of the year is always so rushed and hectic.  If in this bustling season, details of what you will serve your guests for dessert has slipped your mind, stop in, call, or email as soon as possible.

Peppermint Cheesecake

So many bites of holiday deliciousness, it’s hard to decide: Peppermint, Eggnog, Pumpkin, or Cranberry Orange Cheesecake. Cinnamon Spiced Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Pumpkin Creamcheese Torte, or Cranberry Walnut Layer Cake.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!!!

I woke up yesterday morning, after my usual melody of alarms would not relent.  One alarm simply won’t do for me.  There is something so unnatural about using awful, high pitched electronic noises to force ourselves out of slumber in the morning.  I’m convinced I was born with the soul of a Sunday.  Not the church part per se, but more of the sleepy lounging til  late morning, followed by a stroll out onto the shaded veranda to take my breakfast and plan the day’s events amongst the delicate shaded flora.  Or in the breakfast room overlooking a snowy blanc wonderland.  Gardens and snowcastles completely vanish with the electronic pierced rings of my final wake-up call.

As I foggily grumbled my way towards the coffee aromas, I stopped to pour a bowl of my overpriced, healthy cereal topped with unseasonably fresh blackberries and a tropical citrus juice.  A pause at the sink to rinse the berries, and an odd metallic clanking vibrated through the wall instead of water pouring from the faucet.  No running water.  A lovely start to the day.  As I was deciding whom I should call to complain and investigate the situation I realized how ridiculous I was being.  A week before a holiday centered around the idea of gratefulness, I was whining about the inconvenience of one morning without running water; a luxury millions around the world have never experienced.

Like everyone else in this material oriented culture, I get so caught up in the process that I lose sight of the grand picture.  Dessert is an indulgence, not a necessity.  But it is also a way to celebrate the tastes and textures with which we have been fortuned.  Not sure I’ll ever completely come to terms with the proper dose of responsible, humble worldliness versus acceptable levels of celebratory indulgences, but Thanksgiving is a good time to put things back into check and to take a moment to appreciate.

So to honor the American traditions of our young heritage, deliciously wholesome dessert staples never fail.  Aside from the pumpkin cheesecakes and pies, pumpkin mousse cream puffs and Dutch apple pies (filled with crisp apples picked from local orchards) will be spinning out of the shop next week.  Gladly still accepting Thanksgiving orders,  until 5 pm this Saturday (November 19th).

And a special thank you to everyone who helped me make the Sweet Ruminations shop a reality this year!

The Sweet Ruminations shop is tiny and rather easy to miss if you have never been before.  Although technically considered a York Road address, the shop’s actually tucked around the side of Ashley’s Bridal,  facing 7th Avenue.  I have a small pink sign by the street, but it’s difficult to notice when speeding by.  So I keep trying to think of ways to become more easily found.  Plus of course I’m always looking to improve aesthetics, one way or another.  I was thinking about how gelato shops are usually relatively easy to spot with a Vespa or two parked outside.  Although I would love an excuse to buy a Vespa, it’s not in the opening year budget.  So what’s a girl in need of a showy cute ride to park on the sidewalk , but without a Vespa budget, to do?  Resort to the basics.  So I went on a scavenger hunt for the perfect vintage bicycle victim.  Craigslist has made such hunts much easier.  In a few weeks I had found my darling old bicycle and given it a sweet, very pink makeover.  So now on most nice days, she sits parked on the sidewalk in her bright rosy hue, posing  to catch the attention of passing traffic.

While on the pink theme, I just had to share this slice of deliciousness: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.  I’m trying out keeping cake slices on hand in the shop for small doses of deliciousness, without the commitment of purchasing a whole cake before you become completely entranced and absolutely have to have a whole one for yourself.

Pumpkin cheesecake season is at its peak.  Traditional or chocolate chip, the creamy pumpkin, cream cheese, and gently aromatic autumn spices entice the senses.  The traditional is always a crowd pleaser, but the sprinkling of chocolate chips gives an unexpected twist that is surprising a delightful addition.  Available to order through the holidays, I’ve been keeping a few slices on hand in the shop for the curious.  Stop in to try one and I bet it will end up on your Thanksgiving table.  Pumpkin pies are lovely, but adding that little extra splash of decadence to dessert makes the feast finale just a little richer.