Part of the thrill of entertaining is being able to present beautiful new ideas to guests, whether they be the home decor, flowers, music, table embellishments or, of course, the food itself.
Success does not necessarily mean top dollar for all party-preparation costs, but planning and some creativity count. With a small initial investment in a few pieces of bakeware, platters of pretty appetizers could easily set your party off to an impressive beginning.
Have you ever heard of canape bread molds? If you've browsed in cookware specialty shops lately, these cylindrical baking molds in shapes of star, club, oval, flower and heart may have stirred your curiosity and made you wonder: Will they or will they not work?
If you keep in mind a few rules, the canape bread molds do work, according to food consultant and cooking instructor Tomi Ryan, who was doing a product demonstration at The Times' Test Kitchen recently. They work beautifully for cocktail or tea breads, or for cakes for weddings, high tea, cocktails or just any gathering excuse.
Easy Tea Breads Whipped Up
Using the non-stick bread molds from Chef Major, J & F Imports, Ryan whipped up some easy tea breads in shapes of flower, heart and star and in swirled colors of blue, red, yellow and green, as well as in combination tints of creamy vanilla and chocolate.
The frustration that sometimes arises in these molds is when breads refuse to come out, Ryan said. She gave the following suggestions for fail-proof bread or cake baking using the molds:
--The inside of the molds should be completely sprayed with a non-stick spray even if they have the non-stick coating. Also, avoid using butter since it tends to burn because of its low kindling point.
--Fill the molds no more than two-thirds full. Before pouring in the batter, line the bottom lid with foil to create a tight seal and prevent leakage.
--Instead of setting the pan on its side when baking (as most people would do), stand it upright or vertically (this will fill up the pan more evenly) and bake without the top cover.
--Allow all baked goods to bake 15 to 20 minutes longer than called for in conventional recipes, judging doneness when the top gets a nice browning. Since steam cannot escape from the bottom of the pan, the bread takes longer to dry out.
--After removing the pan from the oven, remove the cover and foil, then wait 10 minutes before unmolding. To take bread out, tap one end very hard on a wooden board to loosen it. If it doesn't come out, repeat tapping on the board until the bread slides out.
