Valentine's Day 2009 ... project Rohm Cupcakes
Closest friend, confidant and PR maven Carrie Goldberg called last week with a job. Rohm, one of our go-to Thai restaurants in NYC was having a special Valentine's Day event. The owner, Shan, called Carrie & asked if I would be interested in doing the desserts for the evening. Carrie put us in contact and plans were made. Cupcakes were the treats of Shan's choice.
Luckily since the 100th post party was fresh in my mind, I knew I was ready to take on this romantic feet. 11 hours of hardcore baking...heavenly.
Shan was very flexible with the menu. I recommended my signature red velvet cupcakes and something chocolatey that could act as an aphrodisiac. In addition, Shan put in a special request for a new Thai cupcake to compliment his menu. I was all too happy to experiment...
Two days and three batches of botched Thai cupcakes later, I finally had the recipe. It was buckets of fun going down to China town to look for instant thai ice tea mix. I found a bunch at the Asian Market on Mulberry Street. So many great finds there, if you're in the area check it out. In the end the cupcakes were a normal white cake flavored with instant thai ice tea mix, brewed black tea and sweetened condensed milk. The cake was then frosted with a coconut buttercream & garnished with coconut that I tinted myself with luster dust. The menu was a blast to make:
40 Signature Red Velvet Cupcakes
30 Dark & Sexy Cupcakes
30 Thai Ice Tea Cupcakes
The Thai Ice Tea cupcakes were a great success in the end. The cake was moist with a subtle tea flavor. The Thai ice tea came through at the end, which worked great with the creamy coconut frosting. My favorite part about these cupcakes was the sweetened condensed milk in the center. I only put in a tiny spoonful, just to replicate that thai ice tea experience without dabbling in Tres Leche cake territory.
Carrie & Donna...Communication Queens
So about the event. Let me give you a bit of back story about Rohm. Rohm's focus is on creating an authentic home-style thai food experience. The menu features a lot of traditional dishes and some more experimental items as well. We usually go for the Pad Thai, but last night Shan's mother recommended the Pad See-euw. Looks like we're going to have to make another trip to Rohm sometime in the near future. The restaurant was originally own by Shan's parents.
A little over a year ago Shan (above) took over the family business and gave the resto a stunning make over. Feng Shui dictates how the restaurant is designed. Also the #9, considered a good luck charm in Thai tradition, is repeated through out the decor: 9 lights, 9 tables, 9 squares, etc. The theme even extends to the address of the restaurant 27 20th Street, since 27 is a multiple of 9 and 3. It's like the culinary Davinci Code. Rohm actually means sheltered or secluded in Thai, playing to the fact that Rohm is tucked away on the lower level of a beautiful Gramercy brownstone. Inside the vibe is mellow and quite seductive in my opinion (perfect for a Valentine's Day dinner.)
Shan set up a fantastic event for the romantic evening. He hired a saucy jazz trio, a thai mixologist and me! Loads of friends came out for the event in support of both me & Shan. We shared the love.
So how were the cupcakes received?
Carrie made me go to the event to see how everyone enjoyed the baked goods. This guy above was by far my favorite. I was terrified as I secretly watched him eye his Dark & Sexy Cupcake from afar. He examined the petit cake. He slowly unwrapped it. He took a painfully slow bite, eyes closed, and explained "DAMN!" A smile breached his face. "DAMN, that's fucking awesome," he repeated. Sweet victory.
As anticipated, the Red Velvets went the quickest. There's something about those suckers that is completely addictive. It's hard to say what cupcake was the favorite amongst our group. Everyone has very different flavor preferences...we're a diverse bunch.
One thing is certain, cupcakes make you look pretty. Through out the night plenty of friends posed with their tiny treats and boy did they look hot! (The friends, not the cupcakes...ok maybe both.)
Other highlights of the night: the jazz trio & Ari's shoes.
An extra-extra special thank you must go out to Carrie & my roommate Bethany who saved the evening with their cutting & pasting skills. Right before I left for Rohm, none of these little flags were finished. They were designed via Publisher and hand glittered with glitter pens from Michael's by moi. In the midst of my panic Carrie & Bethany saved the day. They took over arts and crafts duty so I could finish frosting and get out of the door on time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The flags were Shan's idea actually. He wanted everyone to know where the treats came from. On one side there was an image of a retro-couple sharing a kiss with the words "Eat. Love. Enjoy." in the background. On the other side was my contact info and the blog address. That's why Shan's the business man and I'm the wild baker-writer-thesbian...
It took Carrie & I three cupcake carriers, tupperware, a gypsy cab, a taxi, an inappropriate subway ride and a bottle of wine to get out, drop off the cupcakes, return home, shower, change and travel back to Rohm for our Valentine's Day to officially begin. Oh but it was well worth it.
Thank you to everyone who came out and shared Valentine's Day with us. Thank you to Shan for a rockin' evening. Thank you to Hallmark for giving us a wonderful reason to dress girly & eat sweets. Thank you cupid for providing us fun lovers to share those sweets with.
Next time, I promise to give y'all the heads up so you can come join in on the food & fellowship as well. Enjoy!
sigh, you're amazing erin! beautiful post and such a great night!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing. I love and miss you SO much. I wish I had been there to test taste those suckers!! Can't wait for wedding cup cakes! xoxox I am so amazed by all of your hard LOVELY work.
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