Michaleen from Portage, WI (2018 STAR BAKERS)

Baker

Michaleen

Location

Portage, WI

Baking Challenge

Star Baker

How did this baker brighten our summer?

While the only thing the editors here find in their backyards are the keys they’ve dropped or a few purse mints gone rogue, Michaleen’s backyard is a bounteous wonder of raspberries, rosemary, mint, cranberries and veggies that kept her producing astonishing bakes all summer.

Our favorite Wisconsin Twist (pictured)!

Michaleen capitalized on the abundance of mint in her garden to bring us this eye-popping “EnlightenMint” cherry pie. We loved the classic latticework, her willingness to, in her words, “experi-mint” by using mint in a pie recipe for the first time, and her sugary Wisconsin silhouette. Just perfect!

A choice quote or piece of Star Baker wisdom:

Her gorgeous Farmers Market petits fours in Week 9 (you gotta check them out) also reveal Michaleen’s photographic mind-map of the Madison Farmers Market: “[These petits fours] were inspired by a typical Saturday morning Dane Co. Farmers Market run! Zucchini for all the veggie stands, lavender for the beautiful bouquets, honey for the honey man (you know, the guy with the hat!), blueberry for the fruit vendors, and Queen Anne's lace jam for that one jam stand with the EXTENSIVE collection of strange jams and jellies.” Oh right, the guy with the hat!

How did you do?

I participated in all 10 Great Wisconsin Baking challenges this summer — I’m a Star Baker!