Sunday, January 11, 2015

Golden Globe "Cake" Pops & a Celebrity Salad

As you know, my family loves to celebrate award shows by dressing up, casting our ballots and eating foods fit for the occasion. Tonight is the Golden Globes, so I spent the day prepping salad plates, similar to those the celebrities will be dining on tonight, as well as some Golden Globe "Cake" Pops (Jennifer Aniston is nominated for her performance in "Cake," so cake and or cake pops have been recommended as a dessert option).

The official Golden Globe salad is rumored to be a modern take on a Waldorf salad with Romaine leaves, julienne apple, celery and grapes in a lemon dressing (although I made a basic Waldorf salad dressing with a cashew base). It may contain croutons, possibly in a the form of a thin crostini, so I used some gluten-free crackers in a pinch. I also tossed in some traditional walnuts, as I didn't have any walnut oil in the pantry at the moment (from what I understand, the official menu salad has a drizzle of walnut oil on top).

As for the cake pops, I whipped up a batch of Vega's raw vegan turtle base with the addition of a little more almond flour and some soaked dates. I formed the batter into balls and placed them in the freezer to set. Then, I melted some dark chocolate, dipped lollipop sticks into the chocolate and inserted them into the "cake" batter balls.

After allowing the naked "cake" pops to chill some more in the freezer, I dipped them into more melted chocolate and sprinkled the top with a combination of coconut sugar, almond flour and sea salt. It gave them a golden sparkle on top, perfect for the Globes.

I've already packed up the pops for the party, but Hayden made sure to sample one in advance. Here's a peek at the center. She said they're Hayden approved.

Is anyone else watching the Golden Globes tonight? Do you do anything special for it?