Dearest Gentle Eaters…

Lady Katherine is at it once again, testing this season’s most delectable diamond, the official Betty Crocker Bridgerton crème puff kit. Will it be a scandal? Or a victory of the highest order? Take it away, Katie!


One might assume that a humble boxed dessert would inspire little more than passing interest. Such an assumption would be most misguided when the creation in question bears the elegant influence of Bridgerton.

This exclusive kit was acquired from Target at the modest cost of $7. The kit itself arrives thoughtfully assembled, providing the essential mixes, parchment paper, and even a piping bag, as though the baker is a person of leisure attended by unseen kitchen staff. One need only supply butter, eggs, milk, and water. In theory, it was simple enough.

Alas, dear reader, even the most straightforward recipe may betray the inattentive.

My first go was marred by an overindulgence of butter, which was a regrettable misreading on my part. The result was a batter so scandalously runny it would have surely set tongues wagging. It was, in short, a culinary catastrophe. No amount of hope, flour, or desperate stirring could rescue it.

But perseverance, as any devoted viewer of Bridgerton knows, is often rewarded. On my second attempt, armed with proper measurements and a far more discerning eye that was aided by reading glasses, the results were nothing short of triumphant:

The puffs emerged from the oven with a delicate golden-brown hue, though they did require a few extra minutes to achieve the desired color perfection. The pink whipped filling, mixed by hand, proved delightfully airy, if a touch unruly during assembly.

As for the taste? Divine. The pastry itself is tender and pleasantly buttery without veering into excess, provided one is able to avoid earlier mistakes. The filling offers a gentle sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms. The crème puffs are a dessert of quiet indulgence.

 

A word of caution to those who may try this mix: restraint is key. Overfilling the puffs leads to an unseemly escape of cream, a most inelegant affair. I would also advise allowing the assembled puffs to rest in the refrigerator for several hours, permitting the filling to set properly.

The Bridgerton crème puff kit proves a charming addition to any gathering, particularly where a light yet satisfying dessert would complete the meal. And despite my initial misstep, the final result is well worth the effort.

Recommended…most enthusiastically so!


This post was partially composed using this hilarious Bridgerton translator

Brick and Brickability

Happy birthday Jane Austen! We’re celebrating this literary titan with a brick-tastic review of LEGO’s “Tribute to Jane Austen’s Books” set, constructed and reviewed by our legendary intern, Melanie Zhang. Take it away, Melanie!


The queen of witty quips herself, Jane Austen, has finally been given the recognition she deserves! The timing was perfect—Katie, Dr. Dana, and I had just been bemoaning the lack of female literary icons amongst our LEGO sets, when we happened upon LEGO’s Tribute to Jane Austen’s Books.

The set is composed of 361 pieces. While apparently meant only for builders 18 and above, I think this is definitely doable for kids as well, with maybe a little bit of help for the trickier parts. The most difficult portion for me personally was the stickers. Fortunately, I only encountered four. Three of them also show scenes from film adaptations of Jane’s books, so I can’t complain.

Jane’s little room came together pretty quickly. It took me around an hour to complete on fast-mode. However, this is definitely a set where you want to take your time and admire all the little bits and pieces as they come together. Once again, LEGO was incredibly creative with how pieces are used. You’ll never guess what are secretly masquerading as piano pedals!

One issue I encountered was that some pieces do not match the color of their instruction booklet counterparts. In particular, some pieces that are depicted as quite reddish in the instructions are more of a brown color in person. The different blue books on Jane’s shelf also gave me a bit of trouble. Fortunately, that was an easy fix, and I was able to carry on building.

The finished product is beautiful to look at, and makes for a pretty good mini-dollhouse as well. In her default position, Jane is facing away from her bookshelf, but she can very easily be standing before it and browsing for her next read.

Another quick readjustment, and she’s contemplating some time looking out the window or playing the piano. The possibilities are endless! Turn the set around, and now Jane is cozied up inside an open book. Back inside on a cold day, Jane could be warming her hands in front of the fire instead. As a side note, the fireplace does wobble a little.

This is a set that I’m sure Lizzie Bennett herself would be proud of. For the burgeoning Jane Austen fan in your life, whether they are fifteen (and being kept away from Bath) or twenty-seven (and feeling like a parental burden), this set will be sure to please.

The Great (Museum) Escape

Katie, our resident queen of escape rooms, stumbled upon this little gem on a road trip, and decided to give it a go in the spirit of fun! Take it away, Katie!


Tucked away on a lower shelf in the toys/games aisle at the Walgreen’s Pharmacy outside of Sevierville, Tennessee was where I found the next at-home escape room to test for Pop Goes the Page. Created by Professor Puzzle, the mini game is titled “Escape from the Museum” and includes everything you need for the solve in a handy and travel friendly 3.5-inch by 5-inch box. Recommended for ages 12+, the list price on Amazon is $20.98, though I got my game on clearance for $3.99.

After reading the explanation story and glancing through the instructions, I carefully laid out the 11 puzzle cards and accompanying materials, which included a museum map, a calendar of events, a selection of rare postage stamps, and a foldout titled the “Cabinet of Curiosities.” Never fear: there are solutions provided for all of the puzzles if you get stuck.

I worked my way through the cards, starting with what I could solve the fastest to what I found was the most difficult. My personal favorite puzzles were mazes that cleverly hid a clue within the walls of the maze; it was a puzzle style I had never encountered before, but now hope to recreate myself.

It took me just over 3.5 hours to finish. I only needed to consult the solutions list once when I could NOT figure out the connection between two words. It was obscure enough that even after I had the answer, it still didn’t make sense. And when I say the way to escape was in plain sight, it was right there and I totally glanced over it until I solved all of the puzzles!

My only complaint is the game can only be played once. I have found other at-home escape rooms are able to be solved by taking notes on scratch paper, but that’s not the case here. It would be impossible to finish without writing directly on almost all of the provided cards.

“Escape from the Museum” is ideal to bring on vacation, pull out on a rainy weekend afternoon, or play anytime you need a fun challenge. It can absolutely be solved by just one person, but the individual cards easily allow for more players to participate. I agree with the suggested age range for kids who want to tackle the game on their own, but younger children can definitely play with help from their grown-ups. Since the box is not much bigger than a deck of cards, it can easily be tossed into a backpack or suitcase for play while on the go. It gets my enthusiastic recommendation!