Preparation

I've been gone for a while, but for a good reason.

Since I arrived in Brazil, I've been researching the sweets I'll be preparing for my sister's wedding. I need to know what are the must-haves, what is new, what would the  guests like and what will match with the wedding.

There are so many options and versions of the traditional wedding treats that is mind blowing, but I believe now I've reached a pretty good selection.

In my research I also found out how many different types of sweets you need to have, how soon you need to start preparing them and for how long they will last. It's pretty cool.

Anyway, now that I have my menu and quantities, I have to start my research of the best places to shop for my ingredients and start testing a few things. It's a bit close to the wedding, but I can't skip any steps, this has to be perfect!

The good thing is, I have a pretty good "team" to help me out, we are also planning the logistics of the preparation, storage and transportation.

The fun is about to start! I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Thank you for joining me in this journey.

Cheers,

Dee.

Alternative ingredients

While researching for my sister's wedding treats, I've come across a really interesting idea for a substitute for an often-used item in desserts: whipped cream.

Here in Australia the number of people with food allergies and intolerance is absurd! It's one of the highest prevalence rates in the whole world!

Why is it that in some countries kids can eat absolutely anything and over here childcare centres have to be, for example, "nut free" zones?

I wish I knew why that is, really.

Well, anyway, not going to get into that, but I'm here to talk about alternatives.

As you may have noticed, there is one common ingredient in a HUGE amount of desserts in Brazil (it's crazy when you stop to think about it), and that is: CONDENSED MILK.

Man, how we love cooking with condensed milk! - something else I need to research about. :)

Anyway, when I think about starting my business here in Aussie land, I wonder how I would substitute my dear condensed milk to reach out to those who can't have dairy, or any other ingredients I might need.

And what about whipped cream? Sure we can try making it with soy cream or something like that, but can we find a healthier option, an alternative to cream?

Well, for the condensed milk situation, I'm aware of some websites that sell the soy condensed milk from Brazil, it's quite expensive, but if you want to make an investment, that's something you need to think about.

But in a happier note, I saw a post on Low Carb Healthy Recipes'Facebook page talking about an alternative to whipped cream for our dear lactose-intolerant friends!

That is, coconut milk!

The idea is to chill the coconut milk overnight and then whip that adding a little bit of vanilla and cinnamon, which sounds pretty yummy.

I haven't tried that yet, still waiting for the opportunity, but it does seem like a good idea.

As soon as I prepare something with it, I'll make sure I tell you all about it.

I reckon it will be quite light and with a really nice texture to complement our desserts, don't you think?

So what about you, do you know any other great substitutes for baking ingredients?

I would love to hear from y'all.

Thank you for reading.

Cheers,
Dee.