Cortnie, Courtesy of www.stylelistpages.com
Cortnie Elizabeth initially went to school to become a Physical Therapist, But quickly realized she wanted to do something in fashion. So she went off to Fashion School (FDIM) in Los Angeles to major in Merchandise Marketing and the rest of history. Good thing for us she did, Because her clutch’s are FIERCE! The clutch’s range from unique cloth prints to luscious leather’s. Every girl needs a cute clutch from everyday to formal wear and Ms. Cortnie hit’s the mark on all levels. Cortnie’s gorgeous clutch’s range between $35.00-$110.00.Wait! You can get these 15% off your purchase using code: GOBBLEGOBBLE through Cyber Monday.
Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is named after our mother/grandmother, Elizabeth Ruth Hinton (friends and family call her either Betty or Liz). Every Sunday when we’d go to visit there’d be a few baked goods already baked: hard tacks (a country word for biscuits), apple pies (always two at a time) or those mile high pound cakes. Everyone loved them! Elizabeth’s love and talent for baking and the stories she told of her youth while doing so are the inspiration for Brown Betty. While Elizabeth doesn’t bake as much as she used to (she is still our most trusted and toughest critic) – we still remember how good it all used to taste.
It is a good for us (and now you) that Betty’s natural gift for baking rubbed off on her only daughter, Linda. As soon as Linda had her own family she took what she learned from her mother and expounded on it by reading all of the cookbooks and baking magazines she could get her hands on. Like mother – like daughter and eventually all of Linda’s family and friends began to look forward to her baked goods as well (cookies at Christmas, cheesecakes on special occasions, peach cobbler in the summer). In 2004, we decided that we shouldn’t keep all of these good recipes to ourselves, so we started Brown Betty Dessert Boutique to offer them to the public. Today, Linda and a team of meticulous bakers and creative decorators produce each delicious cake that Brown Betty makes.
Norrinda’s love for her grandmother and mother’s baking and desire to bring a modern bakery to Philadelphia’s pastry scene that focused on taste as much as design (in the way old school bakeries used to) is what compelled her to “convince” her mother to open Brown Betty Dessert Boutique. These days, a couple of stores later, you can find Norrinda developing and working on plans for expansion of the brand.
I fell in love with the history of the bakery, Being an woman I understand and cherish the history of cooking and connecting families through the kitchen. After watching the video <Click Here, you will love them even more.
Whether you’re a amateur baker or seasoned pro, You will love the Brown Betty Boutique Cookbook! It’s not just filled with no-fail, delectable, make you look like a desert pro in the kitchen recipes. But, the women share stories of how their desert received their names as well.
Norrinda, Betty, and Linda. Photo Courtesy of Alison Conklin
Pound Cake Courtesy of Chez Sasha
Adapted from Betty’s Buttermilk Pound Cake (pg. 31)
(Yield: one medium loaf pan)
Ingredients:
1 ½ c all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
4 oz butter, at room temperature
1 c sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
1/3 c + 2 tbsp buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, and add sugar. Beat until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Then beat in vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Then, alternate between adding dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients, in two additions. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. This recipe was meant to be baked in a round pan with lemon buttercreme frosting. But since Chez Sasha who is a minimalist just opted or this to be made in a loaf made. She described the cake as dense, moist and rather perfect. I look forward to using this recipe time and time again.
You can purchase Brown Betty Dessert Boutique’s Cookbook on sale at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It’s the perfect gift for the baker of “no” to “pro” skill’s.
I hope you enjoyed my Be “Original” gift giving guide. Enjoy your Holiday’s and Don’t stress if you can’t find the perfect gift. Your time is more precious and it wont cost a thing!
