Articulated

The visual display of… Part 1

I recently finished reading Tufte’s “Visual Display of Quantitative Information”. As the title suggests, the book is concerned primarily with the design of data graphics. However, while reading the book I could not help but think of my first few design classes at Pratt. These foundational classes provided a forum for exploring the basic principles of visual communication and graphic design. The principles of graphic excellence for data displays that Tufte promotes in his writing mirror or are analogous to the principles of general visual communication. From this perspective, I found his book to be a wonderful reminder. There are so many things a designer must be aware of in the creative process. It can be overwhelming. I think good graphic designers have practiced enough to have made this awareness part of their nature. Alas, I still need to be reminded. Often.

In this book, Tufte presents three distinct ideas which can be generalized for graphic design:

1. The principles of graphic excellence
2. The source of graphical integrity
3. A theory of (data) graphics

I’ve paraphrased/rewritten Tufte’s three ideas in a generalized form that is applicable for all graphic design.

The principles of graphical excellence

Graphical excellence is the well-designed presentation of interesting information – a matter of substance and design. Graphical excellence communicates ideas with clarity, precision, and efficiency. And graphical excellence requires telling the truth. (from page 51)

It is this last part that I find most compelling. There is a consistent and prominent moral component to Tufte’s analysis of data graphics and his theory of data graphics. He is concerned with honesty and avoiding both lies and deception. This is something that designers don’t often think about (or don’t really need to think about) as we are so often not in control of the content. But as creators of the media that communicates to large audiences, it is, I think, good to remember that there is an ethical component to our work.

The source of graphical integrity

Graphical competence demands different skills: substantive and artistic. Substantive expertise must participate in the design of visual communication if the integrity of the content is to be preserved and graphical sophistication is to be achieved. (from page 87)

Information will be most effectively communicated if the designer understands the content or works closely with a subject matter expert. If, as a designer, you do not understand the information, how can you possibly create a graphic design that communicates that information in an effective way. It would be like giving an English-speaking designer text in traditional Chinese and asking that person to create a page layout with that content. Designers need to work closely with their clients to understand the information and create effective and sophisticated graphic designs.

To be continued…

Turning back pages

Lots of pixels have been sacrificed over the newly released iPad and the suddenly stolen/revealed iPhone 4 (which I’ll be first in line to pre-order or purchase). And while my fiancee is quite happy with her Kindle 2 and I’ve done some reading on my (now ancient) first-generation iPhone thanks to the Kindle app, I find myself turning the pages of an actual book. In this case, it’s the second edition of Tufte’s “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information“. I picked it up by attending one of his full-day classes (the main benefit of which is to receive the books) but never really read through it cover to cover. Well, I’m doing so now. Above good design, Tufte places an old-school emphasis on truth and honor. Visual displays should never deceive. He also looks back at a great deal of history, insomuch as it concerns the visualization of information.

History has been on my mind for another reason. I recently watched “Red Cliff“, a movie by John Woo. Unlike many of his more familiar films, “Red Cliff” is a historical war epic. It concerns the Battle of the Red Cliffs, an event that came near to the start of what is called the Era of the Three Kingdoms. Since I know so little about Chinese history, it’s difficult for me to contextualize the events in the greater timeline of the region. However, my fiancee was able to make comparisons between the events in the movie and what she’s read previously.

“Red Cliff” is a good movie, but the lasting impact it has for me is a desire to learn more about Chinese history. It subsequently occurred to me that I don’t really know all that much about American history. I have residual memories of what we were taught in school, but I’ll admit I was never a very good History student. I’ve also realized that like physics, history is “dumbed down” for a juvenile audience. What do I really know? Not much. And what I do know is probably not very useful.

If I know anything it’s that I should only read one book at a time. For now, I’ll work on my Tufte. After that, I should really consider a book on American history. But which one? Searching Amazon on my phone returned thousands of potential options. There are many points of view, varying levels of scholarship, and books with a general view vs. books with a specific focus. I’m not sure how to begin making a selection.

Aaron on rice

Several people have expressed to me over the past few years the difficulty in cooking rice. This surprised me a bit until Monica and I moved into this apartment and immediately started having problems. My issue is heat control. The burners on our stove run very hot. Low temperature is high enough to cause a simmering product to boil over or burn.

Rice seems like the most simple thing. However, as with most simple things, it can be the most difficult part of a meal. Since it’s the starch base for many more complicated dishes, it’s also the thing that, done wrong, can make a good meal go bad.

I guess people who have a rice cooker don’t have this problem. Monica owns a rice cooker that she sometimes uses. It’s old and and a little clunky and the directions for use are either missing or written entirely in Chinese, so I cannot use it. Monica tried to instruct me once but, like martial arts or shooting hoops, it’s something you can only explain to a point. After that, you just have to go on feel.

The solution I’ve discovered for making great rice without a rice cooker is inspired by Michael Ruhlman’s technique for making chicken stock at home. When making stock, you need to cook the bones in liquid at a very very low simmer for a longer period of time. This can be tricky on the stove top (especially one like mine) but can be very easily done in the oven. You just need a pot that can be heated safely in the oven (as in, the handles won’t become dangerously hot or melt off). Thanks to my parents, I am the proud owner of some really old school stainless steel cookware. It’s about as sexy as Martha Stewart but can be used to cook anything, fashion arrowheads from stone,  crack open coconuts, and beat back an angry hoard of vikings.

If you have that, the rice cooking protocol is simple. You need about between 1.5 and 1.75 cups of water per cup of rice (more for brown, less for white). I will season my rice with salt or ginger or cilantro and occasionally add some oil to the water). Put everything in your pot and bring it up to a boil. While waiting for the boil, preheat your oven to between 210 and 220 degrees. Once your water boils, turn off the stove and stick the pot (covered) in the oven. Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes (more for brown rice, less for white rice). When it’s done, take it out (carefully) and check it. Sometimes I ‘finish’ the rice on the stove top if it’s still a bit wet.

Tonight we enjoyed brown rice with Monica’s MaPo Tofu. Soooooo good. And even though I didn’t employ any special equipment, the rice was perfect.

Diary of a 34 year old

Today was a good day. Any day I have 3 servings of strawberry pie is a good one. Don’t worry, they were small ones.

Today was dedicated to watching college basketball. Duke University started the day as one members of the Elite 8 and the only top seeded team still alive in the tournament. Their opponent was Baylor University. Because of this, I know that the Baylor campus is located in Texas not far from Houston. I can also tell you they have a serviceable but uninspiring website. I once worked on the design of a website for The Baylor School, and that one is far more interesting.

I got a few birthday gifts. I’m was not expecting much this year because I’m getting married in September. It’s a destination wedding, so my birthday, wedding, and Christmas gift from several people will be that they’ll show up. My fiancee purchased sessions with a personal trainer for me. Is there a message there? The biggest gift was the one I gave myself: new software to help me learn Mandarin Chinese. It’s seems quite simple (especially for how much it cost) but then I think about how difficult it is to make something that is simple and effective and my respect for the product increases. I’ve had a devil of a time creating a simple and effective personal website.

Now that I’m 34, I should probably get that resolved.

I feel a number of personal resolutions coming on. It’s the side effect of looking back at the previous year and realizing that I’ve not succeeded in many of the goals I set for myself. There are no excuses. It’s just failure. I know it doesn’t have to be that way, and I know what it will take to change those failures into potential successes.

So here’s to my 35th year: may I take steps forward and not backward. I make this effort not just for myself anymore. There’s a family to build for as well.

Rebranding “taxes”

For an administration that, as a presidential campaign, executed a very successful brand (“Yes We Can”), it has displayed a startlingly ineffective communications strategy for policy. You could argue that they have no communication strategy for policy. The disaster of the healthcare reform debate should not be ignored simply because the legislation passed. The Obama administration, and the Democratic party as a whole, failed miserably to give their policy an identity and communicate that identity a way that was easy for people to grasp. Conservatives easily trumped progressives: “no federal takeover”. Ignoring the huge lie in their message, they very effectively applied a brand to their position and were dogged in their distribution of the meme.

It has long puzzled me, especially in this fiercely “capitalist” society (it’s really corporate wellfare, but let’s not beat a dead horse) that the tools of marketing and advertising are not more often used in politics. Of course, politicians use some of the same research tools to analyze their target audience and craft their message. Unfortunately, progressives have been really bad at crafting their message with a good brand and effective communication. Conservatives have many more wins in this regard:

• It’s not the crippling of government services; it’s the “reduction of government”.
• It’s not an attack on civil liberties; it’s the PATRIOT Act.
• It’s not torture; it’s “enhanced interrogation”.
• It’s not an unnecessary war; it’s our defense against “the Axis of Evil”.

And I could go on. The point is clear. Not only have progressives failed to control the discussion of their own policies, they have failed to create effective brands for each key plank in their platform.

Taxes are a good example. Taxes have been vilified forever – thus the phrase “death and taxes.” Ask anyone and they’ll probably tell you, of the two, taxes are worse. Who likes paying taxes? Who likes filling out tax forms?

Government exists in society to serve three key functions. First, government establishes the rules that enable civil society. If we’re going to have a successful society, there needs to be some rules. Second, government enforces the rules and serves as arbitrator between parties when rules are broken. Finally, government is the way a society pools its resources to provide group services. Accomplishing these tasks takes resources. As a result, the government collects taxes from citizens so that it has the resources required to perform its functions.

People seem to have forgotten this. For them, taxes are simply something that government takes from them. Many people probably feel that taxes are either unnecessary or unfair. A few Sarah Palin-watching zealot/idiots probably think taxes are illegal. The problem here is that taxes are branded in a very negative way. So here’s the challenge: it possible to create a positive identity for taxes?

I really don’t think it should be that hard. We’re a consumer society. There’s a wonderful analogy for taxes in a club or gym membership. The United States is a club. Based on the interest in immigration to this country, it’s a very hip, trendy club and people want to be members (citizens). In order to join the club, there is a yearly membership fee (your taxes). You pay the fee and you can be a member of the club. Your membership renews on a yearly basis and paying it allows you to stay in the club (country).

But that’s not all you’re buying. Membership has it’s benefits. By paying the fee, you (and your family) receive the following benefits:

• Free public education (up through high school)
• Roads, highways, and public transportation
• Defense against foreign threats
• Emergency services (fire, rescue)
• Public safety services (police)
• Public health services (clinics, FDA, CDC, EPA, etc.)
• Public infrastructure for utilities (power, water, etc.)
• A financial safety net (Medicare, Social Security, disability benefits)
• and much more

Of course, you can opt out of your membership at any time. If you want to terminate your membership, the United States will charge you prorated dues for the current year and ask you to leave the country. It’s that simple.

So you can keep calling them taxes if you want. But you’re not giving away unnecessary money and you’re not simply “contributing” to society. You’re voluntarily buying a membership and special services. The more you pay, the better your services are going to be. The less you pay, the crappier your services will be. I don’t know about you, but I’d like better services. I’m willing to pay for the “gold membership” and I don’t think I’m the only one. Let’s make sure our club remains the hip, trendy one everyone wants to join.

Now, I realize this is a simplification of the actual situation, but it’s a useful one. Despite what the libertarian/anarchists think, we do need to maintain civil society and doing so is not free. And I personally believe that society should provide benefits to it’s member citizens. Those benefits improve the quality of life for citizens. People seem to lose site of the fact that when the quality of life of people around you is improved, your quality of life will improve as well.

We all know that when we go to buy clothes, or wine, or a car, we will get what we pay for. The same is true with government. “Higher taxes” ought to be rewritten “better services”, because ultimately that’s what it means. And those of you who want to complain that government is so inefficient might perhaps be more helpful by improving how services are delivered. I’m looking at you, Republicans. If it’s so inefficient, make it better, not smaller. I want my gold membership. If you can make it a little cheaper, I’m all for that.

Viva la Revolution!

I was reading through comments on a news article about ACTA (yet more behind-closed-doors government hijinks) and I stumbled upon this little statistic: 86% of Americans believe that our government has failed. I’m paraphrasing. I don’t even know if it’s true. But think about it: in a political era when a 55% to 45% victory in an election is considered a landslide victory, getting Americans as a group to agree so overwhelmingly to anything could be considered grounds for a revolution. It makes me wonder, if true or even close (I’d take 75%) what we could do if we took that majority sentiment and ran with it.

Just think: 86%. In the metaphor in my head, that kind of sentiment is sociopolitical kindling, hopping with thermodynamic potential. What kind of catalyst would it take to light? What could we burn? Okay, I’ll concede that it’s not that simple. I know why I think government is failing or has failed, but that rabid foaming Teabagger on FOX News – I mean, Glenn Beck – probably feels the same way for a different reason. And those two points of view are likely not the only ones out there. I can’t think of any one group in this country who would be completely happy with that state of our government except large corporations. They get pretty much whatever they want.

I was thinking about this today after seeing a picture of that moron John Boehner that came with a headline like “Boehner seeks to quash healthcare bill”. An entire political school of thought has been built on the dogma that government is the problem and not the solution. And the Republican party is somehow able to build political capital on this? How? “Please make me part of government so I can make sure that government doesn’t work!” Then they borrow the Libertarians’ economic principles and basically abdicate any responsibility to the American people. “Yes, elect me to office so I can do nothing while I’m there except make sure government does nothing!” Or, “Tax cuts can cure anything! Even the flu!” And, of course, companies love it because all the responsibility for guarding our economy falls to them. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems a little like asking the inmates to guard the prison.

I realize that students don’t learn much history anymore. I didn’t. However, everyone is probably familiar with the American Revolution and how this country came to be. The American colonies revolted against mother England and set up their own government. Or something like that. The rest is details, really. Born from that revolution is the “silent” revolution that plays out every 4 or 8 years. Its something that never fails to awe the news media: “the peaceful transfer of power from one American leader to the next”. Wow – as if we’re the only ones in the history of the Earth to accomplish this.

And it happens with only 55% of the country supporting it. Often a little less. But 86%? What kind of silent revolution could that bring? What, besides a bunch of rich old white guys telling us it’s the American Way stands between everyone else and a new system of government? Or perhaps a few new independent nations? I know Glenn Beck would probably be happier if I weren’t living in his country and I sure would love to see him deported or just put in a padded room where he could get the medication he so clearly needs. And while we’re on the subject, Texas has just got to go. Sorry Austin. I’m willing to make some sacrifices.

The point is, our government has and continues to fail. Some people know it because that’s what Teabaggers and Republicans have sold them. Some people know it because we’ve seen what happens: ACTA, NAFTA, PATRIOT, but no MEDICARE for all. The kindling has been collected and the air this political season has been very very hot and very very dry (lots of congressmen talking). It wouldn’t take much to light it all up. I’m not sure I want to be around when it happens since I’m not friends with either extreme of the political rainbow. I also know enough to know that I don’t know how to solve the problems. But I do know they need to be fixed, and the time for fixing government from within may be coming to an end (when campaign finance reform died, it became pretty much impossible).

It would seem another 85.999997% of the country agrees. Good thing revolution is the American way. I just hope it can be silent one.

Dauphine, part 2

I got a present in the mail today: a 4 oz. package of lavender from Penzeys spices. Four ounces of lavender is a enormous amount. All together, it’s over a cup of whole lavender spice that is incredibly potent.

Because I’m impatient, I immediately went to the store and purchased some of the items I’ll need to create my snack mix: walnuts, dried blueberries, banana chips, and crystalized ginger. I forgot to purchase coconut flakes, but I already had some sweetened coconut flakes at home, so I thought I would be okay.

The lavendar comes as little pellets that look like grains of wild rice. For this mix, I very very finely minced 1/8 of a teaspoon until I had a fine powder. If the spice has a strong aroma when whole, it’s a whole other level of strong when it’s chopped up – even this small quantity. The lavender was added to the following:

• 2.5 oz. walnuts
• 0.75 oz. dried blueberries
• 0.75 oz. banana chips, broken up
• 0.25 oz. flaked coconut (the sweetened kind, minced up into tiny flakes)
• 1 T. crystalized ginger, minced up
• 1 T. honey with a drop of vanilla mixed in
• 1/8 t. white pepper
• pinch of salt.

I mixed all these items in a plastic container with a lid that seals tightly. Once all the ingredients were in, I shook it vigorously to distribute the spices and the honey.

I probably should have put the mix onto a tray to allow the honey to dry, but I was in a hurry. I’ve been eager to try this so I simply stuck my hand into the sticky mix and tried it. My impatience was rewarded. My worries about the strength of the lavender were mostly unfounded. It was nicely balanced by the ginger, honey, vanilla, and pepper. The pepper might have been a bit stronger than in the packaged product sold by Sahale. The mix had a spicy bite to it; good thing I like spice.

Next time, I’ll need to be more patient. Alton Brown has some ideas on how to make snack mixes with nuts, and I should look at how he dries out the mixture so it isn’t super sticky. But I’m definitely on the right track. The real challenge is what to do with all of that lavender.

Bad Ban?

I’m wondering if all the people on Facebook who have recently “fanned” the ban on high fructose corn syrup really believe it should be banned. This seems to me to be quite similar to saying “let’s ban cigarettes” or “let’s ban McDonalds”. While I agree HFCS is not good for people and I personally avoid foods that include it, I do so as an educated consumer who made a conscious decision that is part of a larger effort to improve my health. Banning HFCS (or anything else) isn’t going to solve anything. Educating people might. And if that’s what this particular little fangroup is all about, then hooray. Banning things because their bad for you is at best ineffective and at worst a slippery slope. And it won’t really change the way people eat. Isn’t that really the heart of the problem?

Dauphine, part 1

I have an obsession to admit to: Sahale Snacks‘ Dauphine snack blend. I posted about this product a while back (see the link) and since then, Sahale has discontinued the product. At first, I thought it was just hard to find. I searched everywhere. I tried to order from Amazon. I tried to order it from OrganicDirect. I walked around to all the little grocery stores in all the upscale neighborhoods. I tried supermarkets in other towns when I was traveling. No luck. Eventually, my fiancee wrote to the company and learned that they stopped making it. Mention of it has been taken from their website.

The Dauphine blend is a fascinating mix: walnuts mixed with banana chips, coconut, ginger, blueberries, lavendar, and white pepper. From Amazon, where the product is still listed (though unavailable) I was able to grab the actual ingredient information from the packaging:

Walnuts, Dried Blueberries (Blueberries, Apple Juice Concentrate, Sunflower Dill), Banana Chips (Unsweetened Bananas, Coconut Oil), Coconut Flakes (Unsulphured), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Dried Ginger (Unsulphured Ginger Root, Sugar), Spice, Sea Salt, Natural Vanilla Extract.

Okay, so I now know what’s in it. How hard can it be to duplicate it? Not for retail purposes, of course. It’s for personal use. Like I said, I’m hooked.

Most of the ingredients can be easily purchased. Walnuts are easy. I can get those at the supermarket. Dried blueberries, while expensive, are the kind of thing that Whole Foods will carry. Banana chips are inexpensive and sold in many places. Coconut flakes – as opposed to the sticky sweet stuff people bake with – it a little less common but can still be found at Whole Foods or other natural markets. Dried ginger (especially crystalized ginger) has become pretty common. My dad mixes it into his ice cream. How about cane juice and tapioca syrup?

By asking the oracle and poking around a few different websites, I am finding that evaporated cane juice and sugar are not all that different. The differences are in the amount of processing and the results of that lack of processing (more molassas, varying levels of fructose and glucose, trace nutrients, etc.) on the end product. I could probably use a good organic Turbinado sugar and not have to go find some exotic sweetener. Likewise, tapioca syrup appears to be another sweetener alternative for persons or producers who don’t want to use corn syrup or who are looking for a neutrally flavored sweetener that is produced in a manner consistent with vegan food rules. One website I visited suggested that tapioca syrup could be used as a substitute for honey or maple syrup, so I could conceivably sub the other way. I have honey in my pantry and maple syrup in my fridge. No need for another sweetener.

The tricky ingredient in the list is “spice”; this word could cover a multitude of sins. The packaging for the product says that lavender and white pepper are included, so I have that to go on. White pepper is often used in my kitchen. Lavender? Not so much, no.

My fiancee and I received some wonderful spices from good friends as a Christmas gift. They are from Penzeys, and I have enjoyed using them. Since they’re a name I know, I gave their website a try. Sure enough, a search for lavender yielded this: Lavender, 40z. bag, $8.95. It’s not cheap. Reminds me of buying saffron (another spice from flowers). But this is the one tricky ingredient separating me from my Dauphine. Time to order some flowers.

Sticky-icky

Rolled fondant is one of those things that separates your typical home cook/baker from both the professional baker/confectioner (the kind of person I’ll pay to make my wedding cake) and the emotionally unbalanced artists you see creating 6ft tall, sugar-coated edifices on the Food Network. It turns a simple dessert into something that is both food and art – at once elevating the aesthetic and sacrificing some of the gastronomic quality. It’s what makes people say “ooooooo!”.

It’s that last reaction I was most interested in. Sure, the adventure of it was an attraction. I’m constantly on the lookout for the next culinary challenge, and rolled fondant is nothing if not a challenge. But, in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, what I wanted most was to create something for my fiancee that would elicit a little bit of awe – that look that says “I can’t believe you did that!”

Curiously, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day coincide this year. Therefore my creation would be most successful if I were able to marry the two themes into one great looking cake. I went to the Oracle seeking inspiration and the oracle did not disappoint.

Cake

Yellow cake is the vanilla ice cream of cake. Plain, generic, but filled with potential. It can be paired with many things. It’s a good foundation. Best Recipe has a yellow cake recipe that is decent. It requires a significant quantity of butter and eggs, so the recipe is expensive and not entirely healthy (no matter what Bill Cosby might say). Because my fiancee is not a fan of really sweet desserts, I cut back on the sugar and used rum instead of vanilla for flavoring.

Filling

For the Chinese New Year aspect, I wanted to find a filling for the cake that would evoke a typical chinese dessert. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I wanted something red. I settled on sweet red bean paste. This is something I’ve had before in things like steamed buns and other dim sum-style desserts. It was a good flavor match with the subtle yellow cake and reminded me of something I might have at an upscale Chinese restaurant.

Red bean paste is made very simply. Dried azuki beans (small and red, looking like a cross between a mini kidney bean and a black-eyed pea) are boiled in water until soft. Sugar and a little salt is added. Cooking continues until the paste has absorbed the sugar. For a smooth paste, the mixture can be pureed and the bean skins removed by straining. I preferred an unprocessed, chunky paste for texture. To fill my cake, I mixed a bit of the chunky paste with heavy cream and covered the top of the first cake layer with a thick coating. I then placed the second layer on top of the paste and pressed firmly to make sure the paste would hold the two layers together.

Fondant

A couple of websites recommended making rolled fondant out of marshmellows. According to these sites, this creates a fondant that is much tastier than a traditional, purchased fondant. While this is a good thing, the marshmellow-based fondant suffers from two drawbacks: first, it’s very very sticky, making it difficult to work with. Second, it’s basically a combination of powdered sugar (1.5 to 2 pounds!) and marshmellows, making it extremely sweet. This can completely overwhelm the flavors of a subtle cake (like the red bean cake I made).

Making rolled fondant is like making a lean dough. In this case, the flour is replaced with powdered sugar. Playing the role of the yeast/water mixture is a warm mix of water and melted mini-marshmellows. A significant amount of powdered sugar is added to the melted marshmellow and the mixture is kneaded until it stiffens into an elastic ball that can be rolled out. The initial mixture is a bit like wet rubber cement. It gets on your hands and is impossible to remove. You just have to keep trying to incorporate more powdered sugar. Eventually, it begins to firm up and you can shape it into a ball that can be kneaded like a dough. While kneading, you can add food coloring. I added red color and did not fully incorporate it. The result was a marbled pink and white surface for my cake that was very attractive.

Construction

My layered cake was cut into a simple heart shape. I made buttercream icing (search for “Cake” in this blog to find my icing recipe) and coated the cake to create a sticky surface for the fondant. I’m not sure this step is completely necessary. That, or perhaps I used too much. A small amount of icing would probably have worked. The rolled fondant, maybe 1/8 inch thick, was very heavy and easily stayed in place when spread out over the cake. The benefit of the icing is that is smoothed out the rough corners of my shaped cake and enhanced the heart shape. Trimming the fondant to the bottom edge of the cake was a challenge. This is likely due to the shape. If I had made a perfectly round or square cake, this would have been easier. However, once the fondant was spread over the cake, it was flexible enough to smooth it over the iced surface and create the professional look I was hoping for.

Result

The cake was a success. My adventure was a mixed bag. The fondant recipe is excessive. I may have discarded more fondant than I used, and I didn’t even make a full recipe. It was more like a 2/3 or 3/4 recipe. And while it did elevate the cake from a simple desert to something special, fondant totally throws off the flavor balance. I don’t usually favor appearance over flavor. While it was okay for this occasion, I wouldn’t normally make that choice.

The red bean mixture was simple and effective. I liked it plain, and it was very tasty when mixed with the heavy cream. Azuki beans are easily purchased near my home as I live in close proximity to many Chinese markets.

I’m very glad to have experienced cake-making with rolled fondant. I was a time- and resource-consuming adventure, but and experience that is worthwhile. I feel like a I took a step forward with confectionery, even if it was a step in a direction I’m not likely to follow.