Today I attended my very first BK Swapper's Event. After reading about this food swap gathering in
a New York Times article back in March, I became obsessed with the notion of participating. And why? Because I love to bake--and bake with lots of butter, cheese, and milk, which are things that my dairy-allergic son Mack shouldn't have. A food swapping event would provide an excuse to make as many unsanctioned baked goods as I could in a weekend for the mere sake of barter. And, oh, did I barter!
Mango chutney, curry mix, strawberry rhubarb jam, strawberry chipotle jam, Meyer lemon and vanilla bean marmalade, spicy caramel corn, and (my favorite!) rainbow cookies. Sadly, I missed out on the Jalapeno infused vodka, marsh mellows, and sausages. And there were other lovely treats that went so fast that I barely had a chance to write down what they were.
There were some who clearly cooked for a living, like Alejandra Ramos of
Always Order Dessert. Her offerings were packaged beautifully (I'm such a sucker for a pretty label) and included my much beloved rainbow cookies. And there were some who simply loved showcasing their passion. Claudia (last name unknown) made these self-described "SICK!" jams and attached tags on each jar with delicate line drawings to help identify the fruit. After tasting the strawberry rhubarb, I completely agreed with not only the use of all caps but the exclamation point as well. Claudia, your jams are SICK!
A quick note about the rock star known as
Jane Lerner. She along with Meg Paska founded BK Swappers. Jane had her appendix removed only two days ago and yet she attended today's swap. Had I been the one playing appendectomy victim instead of Jane, you can bet your sweet bippy that I would have skipped this event. But Jane? Nah. She was all warm smiles and easy conversation. She and Meg made me and all the other first time swappers feel right at home.
So you might be wondering what I brought to the swap.
White chocolate bread (recipe tk tomorrow):
Mini chocolate babkas and mini cheese babkas:
And a bacon gruyere quiche for the potluck:
I had a fantastic time and will definitely try to attend the next swap. (I say "try" because this most recent swap sold out in twenty minutes. Holy cow!)
Jane and Meg: thank you for everything! You've made me a fan for life.
