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.

Sneak Peek: Wicked Science

We’re off to see the Wizard on a yellow brick road that also…wait for it…defies gravity, thanks to the magic of science and magnets!

This weekend, we’re hosting Wicked Science, a thrillifying event in collaboration with Science Outreach at Princeton University and the Department of Chemistry. In addition to a 45 minutes auditorium show, the event features hands-on tables staffed by Princeton University undergraduate and graduate students. The cool golden magnet tiles you see above are part of a game called Kollide (ages 8+, retails for $15).

To play the game, you arrange a rope in a circle and divide the 20 magnets evenly amongst the players (you can have up to four players at a time). Then each player takes a turn placing a magnet in the circle. As you can guess, the more magnets in the circle, the more they get attracted to one another and start scooting, twisting, and snapping together. If that happens, you pick up the bundle of snapped magnets and your turn is over. The first player to get rid of all their magnets without any magnets clumping together wins!

It’s super fun, especially when the magnets start to threateningly wiggle and move as you try to place them, then suddenly snap together. It’s like magic!