Menu for November 23rd

Anyone else tired of the camel?

Happy Friday all!

Apologies for the delay in posting but I have been a baking fool this week. In the spirit of the holiday my moist and luscious pumpkin bundt with cinnamon glaze and apple cinnamon popovers topped with cinnamon sugar have made a comeback.

Pumpkin bundt w/cinnamon glaze

I have also experimented with some old flavors and will be presenting apple pockets and pecan pockets. A flaky crust filled with sweet juicy apples, cinnamon and sugar and crunchy pecans surrounded by gooey maple and molasses flavored goodness. $1 each.

My further experimentation with homemade marshmallow yielded some unexpected results. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that while I make a mean yorkshire pudding and my ropa vieja have brought people to their knees in awe, I cannot for the life of me, make Jello. It’s the damnedest thing, even my teachers in culinary school couldn’t understand it. So when I decided to incorporate Jello flavors into my homemade marshmallows I already knew I was in for a fight and fight I did. The end result is my fantastically chewy chocolate dipped mint and vanilla marshmallows. These of course came out exactly how I wanted them to and I couldn’t be happier!

$2 each

However, I also found myself with lots of marshmallow cream that tasted fantastic and smells like Fruity Pebbles but just wouldn’t stiffen enough to be dipped in chocolate. So I decided to sandwich them between two chewy homemade chocolate chocolate chip cookies to create a delicious and gooey delight. Whoopie Pies are made with cake and cream and I adore them. I never knew they existed until we were transferred to Maine 4 years ago but there is just no way I could get the cream to hold in the heat of the Florida sunshine even now in mid-November. Instead I’ve made Yippee Pies which are available in two sizes, $2 for the smaller ones and $5 for large, and in original vanilla, strawberry, orange, mixed berry and pineapple.

$2 each

$5 each

Once again we’ll have gifts available for purchase for the holidays now through the end of December.

The weather is looking beautiful so come on out to the Ybor City Saturday Market tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans and Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish readers. Safe travels to all.

October Happenings and a New Venue

Greetings and salutations!

After a brief hiatus, Comfy Confections is gearing up for the holidays at our new venue, the Ybor City Saturday Market. Your favorite mini apple pies will be available this weekend as well as our new Pumpkin Crunch Mini Pie blending autumn spices with velvety pumpkin flavor and the crunch of toasted pecans.

Not the exact pie but you get the idea

Also returning is an experimental dish that made a big hit at the Art and Soul Food Festival last month. Our decadent Chocolate Espresso cake, described by one customer as “flavor that just punches you in the face” will be available this weekend in mini bundt form.

Have some cake!

We’re also starting the celebration of one of our favorite holidays with an assortment of Spookies. Starting from $3, you can take home a box of delicious homemade sugar cookies shaped as coffins, headstones, witches, cauldrons, brooms, spiders and webs, cats, bats, moons, candy corn, haunted houses and ghosts. For those who aren’t feeling the spirit of Halloween we also have a nice assortment of Harvest cookies featuring Oak and Maple leaves, apples and pumpkins for $5.

Also not the exact cookies but you get the idea

Finally, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a cause near and dear to Comfy Confections, we are offering the Neapolitan Booby cupcake. A rich chocolate and vanilla cupcake with a bold raspberry jalapeño icing (or strawberry icing for those who prefer a more subtle fruit flavor) presented in a pretty pink paisley cup can be yours for $3. All proceeds for the Neapolitan Booby cupcake will go to the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Do I need to say it again? 😉

So join us at the Ybor City Saturday Market this Saturday from 9-3 and Sunday at Stained Marketplace for the Art & Soul Food Festival from 11-4pm.

FoodStart Fundraiser kicks off today!

Greetings and salutations!

As you may or may not know, my husband and I have dreamed of opening a gastropub one day. A nice cozy place with soft lights, the works of local artists adorning deep wine colored walls as patrons lounge and listen to a poet or up and coming musician play. Other nights guests enjoy sampling new wines, coffee and food that may soon grace a seasonally changing menu while hearing how wine or coffee is made or taking part in a cooking lesson with their significant other. Still other nights college students, families or groups of friends out on the town scream and yell and jump up and down as they compete for prizes on trivia nights or local groups gather to contemplate the ideas and interests that have brought their members together. All while enjoying freshly made favorite dishes from their homeland and deliciously unique combinations of comfort fusion cuisine.

Well, everything has a beginning and Comfy Confections is the start of our dream gastropub. It is our intention to join the food truck fervor and expand into The Comfy Cafe food truck in 2014. Of course we’ll need your help to make it happen so check out our campaign page on FoodStart and all the perks and rewards we’re offering for getting on board with us and please, spread the word. Help us make our dream a reality!

 

Tasting Event Menu

If you’ve been following along, you’re aware that Comfy Confections has a Tasting Event coming up on Saturday, August 17th from 10am until 2pm in Tampa. Here are some of the goodies you can expect to find at this event:

Pie (Slices and mini pies)

Country Apple, Blueberry and Pumpkin

Filled with Pink Lady or MacIntosh (depending on seasonal availability) and Granny Smith apples bathed in cinnamon sugar/fresh blueberries/creamy pumpkin filling and wrapped in a crispy flaky crust.

Cake (Slices and mini cakes)

Jaffa bundt

Infused with orange liqueur and topped with ganache made with real Ghirardelli chocolate.

Green Tea Katsutera

Decadent Spanish style sponge cake flavored with green tea and a dusting of chocolate.

Moravian Sugar Cake

Dense buttery cake with cinnamon and brown sugar

Hawaiian Butter Cake

Sweet and creamy cake kissed by a coconut

Scottish Millionaire Shortbread

Crunchy shortbread blends with smooth caramel and crispy chocolate

Cupcakes

Chocolate spice

Luscious chocolate with a nice bite of fruit and heat

Frappuccino

Rich coffee with creamy salted caramel

PB&J

Grape cakes (yes that’s right, I said grape) with natural peanut butter icing

Cake Pops

Ann Nog Pops

Creamy vanilla and coconut flavored pop dusted with cinnamon sugar

S’more Pops

Rich Ghirardelli chocolate and natural peanut butter pops slathered in marshmallow icing

Trop Pops

Pineapple orange cake pop coated in vanilla icing dusted with coconut flakes

Dream Pops

Tangy orange cake pop infused with orange liqueur and coated in rich white chocolate

Cookies

Citrus Drop

Zesty lemon and lime cookies with a satisfying crunch

Peppermint Puff

A light and fluffy mint reminder of the holiday season

Cookie Cup

Warm and crunchy cups with a variety of fillings

Lowfat Delites

Banana Crunch Cake

A guilty pleasure that won’t take too much of a toll on your waistline

Apple Oatmeal Muffin

A healthy and filling breakfast option that keeps you honest

Strawberry Streusel Muffin

A delicious anytime muffin that helps keep off the pounds

This event is a free sneak preview of our Fall/Winter menu. Be prepared to provide feedback via a short poll. If you haven’t already, like us on Facebook! See you on the 17th!

Comfy Confections Menu items

Good morning all!

With the temperature due to start dropping in a few weeks and farmer’s markets opening for the Fall, we thought we’d give you an idea of the type of items you can expect to see at our booth in the Tampa Bay area.

First is my scrumptious apple pie made from scratch. Fresh Pink Lady/MacIntosh and Granny Smith apples give a nice sweet and tart flavor blend anchored by fragrant slurry of cinnamon and sugar in a flaky crust. It’s a popular favorite with friends and family and every Fall and Winter without fail I get requests to make and bring this dish for gatherings.

Next is a new favorite among friends and family. The British hubby and I have long been fans of the Jaffa cake. For those of you who may not know a Jaffa cake is a soft sponge cake filled with a Jaffa orange marmalade and topped with a crunchy chocolate coating. As these delicacies are few and far between here in the US, I’ve always wanted to capture the flavor exactly and by jove, I think I’ve done it! The first bite of my moist and fluffy Jaffa Bundt cake will remind you of a rich Dreamsicle with tones of vanilla and orange blending together. Then the orange liqueur infused in the cake will give you a nice slap in the mouth as the luscious ganache made with real Ghiradelli chocolate caresses your tastebuds. Truly an orgasmic delight!

In keeping with the international theme, we bring you the sweet and decadent Omm Ali. This rich and creamy Egyptian bread pudding will more than satisfy any sweet tooth. Have a glass of milk ready folks!

We also can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into our rice cakes to be named later. These little treats are inspired by Japanese mochi and feature sweet fillings like mango and orange marmalade and spicy and exotic flavors like strawberry jalapeño. There’ll even be a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll with our Elvis Bites.

So amazing they knocked his shirt right off, lookit that!

As we trek towards the holidays, we’ll continue to bring you familiar flavors and exotic fusions with our Peppermint Puffs, Pumpkin Honey cake and Ann Nog muffins featuring my mother’s very own special egg nog recipe.

Ann Nog Muffin NOM!

These items and more will be available in traditional sized cakes, pies, pastry and cookies as well as mini versions, slices, bites and pops. So keep watching this space for new menu items and prices as well as our schedule. We anticipate selling in local markets in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Carrollwood and Ybor City in the near future. Visit the About Us page for order details. Chow for now!

Comfy Confections comes to Tampa Bay this Fall!

Good afternoon and Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there:)

Apologies for the hiatus but as we all know sometimes life grabs us, takes us for a ride and won’t let go until it’s done. Now that things have calmed down I’m focusing hard on jumpstarting my cafe. Picture it, you enter a large amber lit room colored with deep rich earth tones, artwork from local artists adorning the wine and pumpkin colored walls and mahogany shelves. Your ears are met with the sound of music originating from one of any number of world cultures as you choose a seat among plush couches and chairs in the corner or dining sets reminiscent of a French bistro. The menu is an array of delights that would please the palate of anyone missing the comforts of home or with a taste of adventure. Such is the experience that is The Comfy Cafe. Of course this is only a concept, the actual cafe does not yet exist but is the reality my husband and I are pushing for. At the moment however, we will have to start super small, even smaller than the food truck we hope to expand to on our journey towards the cafe. No, right now, in it’s infancy, The Comfy Cafe is known as Comfy Confections.

Scratch Apple Pie

Comfy Confections is a cottage law business operating in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and in keeping with the international comfort food theme, we will be offering delicious desserts and breakfast items that are familiar to Americans of old such as my famous apple pie from scratch, lemon tarts and spiced banana nut cake. We will also be offering cuisine that the rest of our cosmopolitan customers will enjoy just as much such as Omm Ali, Amaretto stuffed peaches, Green Tea cake and Italian sesame cookies.

Omm Ali                                                                                               (Eggs, cream, nuts, raisins, cinnamon and filo dough = YUM!)

 

Green Tea Cake

There will also be selections for those with an adventurous palate and a love for fusion cuisine. These include my savory Japanese inspired rice pockets filled with sweet strawberry, mango and marmalade preserves and a salute to the King, the natural peanut butter and baked banana filled Elvis Pockets drizzled with Foster sauce.

Fruit filled Mochi goodness

We hope to be operating out of the Fresh Market at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel, the Ybor City Saturday Market and one other location in New Tampa this Fall so watch this space for locations, schedule and menu. Unfortunately, do to restrictions by Florida Cottage Law, we are unable to take orders online or ship out of state. However, if you do wish to order for a pick up in person we will have order forms available once the business gets underway. We will do custom orders and if you have an event in the Tampa Bay area that is looking for food vendors, please feel free to contact us.

Chow for now!

Change is afoot!

Good morrow fair people.. ok I’ll stop 😉

I hope everyone has had a safe and happy holiday season. 2014 looks to be the year of change for Comfy Confections. As you can see above we are now The Comfy Cafe. The reason for this change is that by May of this year we hope to be able to serve our delicious international comfort food to the masses as a fully licensed food entity operating out of a commercial kitchen and on our way to our transformation from booth to food truck!

In the meantime, while we will still be making and selling our delicious desserts at Ybor City Saturday Market, we will also be adding more savory items to the menu. Our pretzels will be making a return along with their cousins, the pretzel bite and pretzel roll, to enjoy with some yummy dips. We will also be experimenting with donut making and best of all, we  are pleased to announce the coming of freshly made pasta! Spaghetti, Fettuccine, Lasagna will soon be available in Semolina, wheat and gluten free in 1lb packages with more shapes coming soon.

Watch this space for more details. We’ll see you January 18th!