Breakfast Crêpe

This crêpe, called "la complète", is filled with thinly sliced ham + emmental cheese, and topped with an egg. I discovered this little gem at "Ze French Bistro" on Saturday morning, which used to be "Le Zodiac Café". The new owners have given the interior a fresh, contemporary look, and la cuisine is just as spot-on. Délicieux!

Meringue Mushrooms

i'm posting this early in the year so everyone will have ample time to practice making the little sweets before christmas...

meringue is really simple to make and work with. baking it is the annoying part. if you live in a rental, as i do, you might end up drinking gin as a side effect.

250 g room temperature egg whites
250 g granulated white sugar
250 g superfine sugar, powdered sugar or granulated sugar

in a stand mixer (you have to be crazy like me to attempt this with a hand-held mixer) beat the egg whites until very foamy. with the beaters going, add the first quantity of sugar by slowly shaking it in. don't let a big lump go in all at one time. once the whites form stiff peaks when the beater is raised, add half of the second quantity of sugar and fold in. then fold in the rest. now you're ready to pipe the mushroom shapes. this meringue is also good for making meringue discs, bowls, etc etc.
preheat the oven to 200 f
use 2/3 of the meringue to pipe the caps on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. use the other 1/3 to pipe the stems.


bake until they are hard and crisp but try not to let them brown. if you weren't sure if your oven baked evenly before, baking meringue will show you the hot spots. personally, i think a little light brown tinge on some of them gives them 'character'...anyway, once they're done, pull them out and cool.

now make royal icing or heat up chocolate chips (if you're going for a dark-gilled variety)

poke a hole in the bottoms of the caps and break the peaky little point off the stems. spread icing or chocolate thinly on the bottom of the cap and draw lines in it with a skewer or other pointy object. now pipe some icing or chocolate into the hole, and stick the stem in. let them set up (i like to leave them upside down to dry), probably at least an hour or more.
and, done! they keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week. they don't do well refrigerated and i haven't tried freezing them.


i'm dying to try melting red-hots and rolling the caps in them to make amanita mushrooms!!!

Quick* Posole

* I use the word quick loosely. This recipe comes out best if allowed to simmer for at least an hour before serving.

While I usually obsess about authenticity and never mind spending a whole day lovingly fussing over a pot on the stove, sometimes it’s nice to be able to put something as labor-intensive as posole together on a whim, and on a school night. As a New Mexican marooned in the Midwest, the cravings I get for flavors like this are often overwhelming … this is a method I came up with for those nights when slow simmering a whole pork shoulder just isn’t in the cards.

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 - 29 oz. cans of hominy, drained and rinsed

1 - 7 oz. can of chipotles in adobo

64 oz. of chicken stock (if you’re buying it from the store, I recommend a low sodium variety)

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, tied into a bundle with kitchen twine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil

salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

+ Cut the chicken thighs into rough cubes, no larger than 1 inch. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium high with a tablespoon of oil and brown chicken thoroughly in a single layer with salt and crushed red pepper … in batches if need be. Remove from pot and set aside.

+ Add another tablespoon of butter to the pot and add the sliced onions. Allow to sweat on medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and reserved chicken.

+ Add hominy, chicken stock, chipotles and adobo (use as much or as little as you like, depending on your love of spicy foods … I usually use the whole can, rinsing it out with some of the stock to get every last bit) and bundled oregano.

+ Stir to combine, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Keep in mind that you don’t want to simmer for too long, as the chicken will get grainy and stringy if over-cooked.

+ Remove oregano and skim the surface to remove excess fat. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. You’ll also want to remove and discard the chipotle peppers before serving.

+ I like to eat this with some warmed flour tortillas and slices of fresh avocado.

Chicken Sauté with Lemon, Cumin, and Parsley

What's in it:
1 medium lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt + pepper

How to make it:
1. Finely grate 1 tsp zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook + stir until onion softens, about 3-5 mins.
3. Add the chicken, lemon zest, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until the chicken is just cooked through, about 4-6 mins.
4. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in parsley and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt + pepper.
Serves: 2 to 3.

Suggestion: Serve over baby spinach with crusty bread on the side.

extreme cheesecake, buche de noel style

i'm not sure if everyone is familiar with the traditional holiday yule log dessert...i had never seen one until martha stewart included one in her magazine several years ago. a delicious dessert that looks like a log on a forest floor, covered in mushrooms? the yule log dessert has haunted me ever since. why have i never attempted to make one, you might ask? the main reason is that i hate making cakes that look like something other than a cake. (however, i'm completely charmed by cake decorations that are edible, taste delicious, and look like something they're not.)

the only thing to do was to make the forest floor scene on top of a cake that looks like a cake. i struggled with this for a while, because the yule 'log' is really just a big swiss roll (as in little debbie), and it doesn't actually look like a log at all. so why does it bother me? i guess i just think i can do better...for instance, let's add cheesecake to this equation.

cheesecake is another thing i'm particular about: i don't like it most of the time. one thing i don't approve of is the soggy crumb crust generally found on a baked cheesecake. i insist on using a layer of biscuit roulade or sponge...it tastes better and absorbs excess moisture, making the cheesecake come out perfect without the aid of cornstarch. recently i found a cheesecake recipe that actually requires no alteration (although i alter it anyway sometimes, for fun).

rose levy-beranbaum cordon rose cheesecake

454 grams philadelphia cream cheese
200 grams sugar
150 grams eggs
47 grams fresh squeezed, strained lemon juice
6 grams vanilla
726 grams sour cream

preheat the oven to 350. place in it a pan at least 2" larger than the one you will be baking the cheesecake in. inside this pan, put 1/2" of water.
grease and line your chosen cheesecake pan with sponge, biscuit roulade, or just parchment paper, whatever you prefer.
in a large mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese until smooth on medium-low speed. add sugar and beat until very smooth. add eggs in three portions (its about three eggs, so if you don't feel compelled to weigh them, suit yourself), beating after each addition until smooth. add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat just until incorporated. beat in sour cream lightly until blended.
pour the batter into the prepared pan. this is the part that might seem unneccesary...i'm neither here nor there about springform pans. i don't own one, and honestly i haven't needed one yet. if you're absolutely confident that yours doesn't leak, i encourage you to use it. on the other hand, a plain 2 1/2" tall straight-sided 9" cake pan works splendidly and never leaks. here's why the leaking is a big deal: you're going to set the cheesecake in the pan of hot water in the oven and steam it like an english pudding for about 45 minutes - an hour, or until just lightly browning on top. then turn the oven off and cool the cheesecake, untouched, in the oven for one hour. remove to a rack and cool to room temp, perhaps another hour. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. the reason to bake and cool it this way is because, like me, you feel that if the cheesecake isn't the creamiest, most delicious one you've ever had, then why bother; and if your cheesecake cracks while cooling *gasp*, then you can't bear to show your face alongside said cheesecake. cracking generally occurs when a cheesecake is cooled too quickly.

but, if your cheesecake does crack in the center, you can always cover it with delicious fruit topping and hope no one will notice. it'll still be the best cheesecake anyone has ever eaten.


now, for the roulade recipe, also from rose levy beranbaum's "the cake bible"

33 grams sifted flour (unbleached!) (this can easily be subbed out for a half and half blend of tapioca starch and potato starch for an amazing gluten-free cake!!)
23 grams unsifted cornstarch (for chocolate roulade (pictured) substitute 10 g of the cornstarch for cocoa powder, mixed with 1 1/2 T boiling water)
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
113 grams white sugar
3 grams vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

preheat the oven to 450 f
whisk flour and cornstarch together
separate two of the eggs. to the yolks, add the extra yolk and the two remaining whole eggs. beat lightly. add most of the sugar, reserving a bit for later. beat on high until thick, fluffy and triple in volume, @ 5 minutes. beat in vanilla.
fold half the flour mixture in gently until flour has disappeared. repeat with remaining flour.
beat the two egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. add the bit of reserved sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. fold the whites into the cake batter and spread into a 17" x 12" jelly roll pan lined with parchment. or divide between two 8" cake pans lined with parchment.
also good: sub 35 grams of almond flour and 21 grams unbleached flour for the flour and cornstarch).
now, baking this thing is kind of unusual. a half sheet pan takes between seven and eight minutes to bake, and the resulting cake is less than 1/4" thick.

of course, you could serve the cheesecake as is. it doesn't need anything, not the biscuit. but, the fun for me lies is overdoing it, in frivolity. so this is only the beginning. my plan is to stack two cheesecakes on top of each other, edge with biscuit, and top with meringue mushrooms, brownie crumb 'dirt', pie crust leaves, homemade green sprinkles for grass...


the sprinkle idea came from a blog called Brave Tart
http://bravetart.com/recipes/RainbowSprinkles

Thinking of the Garden

I thought these pictures might help us get past the winter blahs!!!! The garden was very good to us last fall. Let's do some positive thinking for this years bounty!

African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans

My love for this stew is deep.

It's become a household staple, and you've probably heard me raving about it already. If you're a sweet-potato fan, and own a slow-cooker, give this one a try and tell me what you think.

What's in it:

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups (half inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup water

1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp chopped dry-roasted peanuts

6 lime wedges

How to make it:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes until tender.

2. Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow-cooker. Add sweet potato and next 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

3. Spoon 1 cup cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add peanut butter; stir well with a whisk. Stir peanut butter mixture into stew. Ladle stew into individual bowls. Top with peanuts; serve with lime wedges. Serves: 6

Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker © 2006 by Oxmoor House, Inc.*

*In case you're wondering, every single recipe out of this book is scrumptious. More to come.

Lemon Tart with Chocolate Crust

This is a high impact, impressive recipe that's not as hard to make as your guests will assume it is. But, a word to the wise: it's really rich! That being said, this is one of my favorite recipes of all time, and I highly recommend it after a salad in the summer. My dad found this recipe in "book of tarts" by Maury Rubin, when he was researching for his tart shop, and I've adopted it because I couldn't bear to see it shelved when the doors to the shop closed. One common variation is using regular instead of chocolate crust, and while that might reduce a bit of the glutinous richness, I really think it takes away.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Tart Dough-

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces

1 cup minus 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1 large egg yolk

directions:

1) Let the butter sit at room temp for 10 to 15 minutes. (malleable but cool to the touch)

2) Sift together the flour and cocoa powder

3) Place the confectioner's sugar in the bowl of a mixer or a med. mixing bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat. Using the paddle attachment, or a hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until the sugar is no longer visible. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add half of the flour mixture and beat until the dough becomes crumbly. Stop the machine, add the remaining flour mixture, and beat until the dough forms a sticky mass. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap well in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

4) Dust a work surface with a flour mixture, 2 parts flour and 1 part cocoa powder. Cut the chilled dough into 1-inch pieces. Using the heel of your hand, knead the pieces back together into a smooth disk. As you work, use a dough scraper to free the dough from the surface if necessary. Keeping the surface well dusted, roll the disk into a ten inch log. If using flan rings, cut the log into 7 equal pieces; if using tart pans, cut it into 6 pieces {I also like to use this for one big tart, in which case you shouldn't cut it up}. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

5) If using flan rings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set seven 4-inch flan rings on it.

6) Dust the work surface and a rolling pin with flour mix. Using your fist, flatten one piece of dough into a 2 to 3 inch round. Lift it up off the work surface to dust underneath with flour mix. Using the rolling pin, roll the rough into a 5.5 inch round, or a 6 inch round if using tart pans, about 1/8 of an inch thick. With a pastry docker or a fork, prick holes all over the dough. (If the dough is too soft to handle, use a dough scraper to remove it in to a small backing sheet and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 minutes before proceeding).

7) Center the round of dough over a flan ring or a 4.75 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. If using a tart pan, be careful that the sharp top edge does not tear the dough. With your thumbs on the inside and the tips of your fingers outside, run your hands around the ring or pan several time, easing the dough down into it. Speed does not matter, finesse does. Lower your thumbs to the inside bottom of the rings and press to form a right angle between the bottom and sides of the dough; it using a tart pan, press to form a clean angle without excess dough buildup. Keeping your thumbs on the inside of the ring or pan, again circle around it, applying light pressure to the sides; if you move the ring or pan around through your hands, the process will be easier. There should be at least a 1/2-inch rim of excess dough extending straight above the top edge. With a small knife, tilted upward, trim the excess dough flush with the top of the ring. Or, if using a tart pan, simply roll the rolling pin over the top to trim the excess. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough {if you're making one big tart, you're finished}. Refrigerate the scraps from each piece as you work, then knead them together and toll out another tart shell. It using tart pans, place them on a baking sheet.

8) Place the tart shell{s} in the freezer for 30 minutes.

9) Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

10) Bake shell{s} for 8 to 10 minutes, until the interiors are dry and the pastry smell nicely of chocolate. If the bottoms of the shells puff up, tap down lightly with your fingers as often as necessary. Leave the tart shells on the baking sheet in their rings of pans

If you are baking the tart shells, bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the interiors are dry and there is a deep chocolate aroma. If you are using flan rings, remove the rings and using a wide spatula, transfer the shells to a wire rack to cool. If using tart pans, let the shells cool completely in the pans on a rack before unmolding.

Filling-

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice {takes about 4 or 5 lemons}

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Tart Shell{s}*

1 ounce bitter sweet chocolate, melted for design, or cocoa powder for dusting (the melted chocolate looks much + tastes a bit, better, but cocoa is easier)

*You can make anywhere from 1 big (9 inch) tart, to 6 to 7 medium sized ones, using tart shells or flan rings, or you can make 34 2.25-inch mini tart shells, you can really decide for yourself, based on occasion and cooking wear, they all taste good and look amazing

directions:

1) Place the sugar in a medium mixing bowl and grate the zest of the lemon into it. Rub the zest and sugar together between the palms of your hands.

2) Strain the lemon juice into a medium nonreactive saucepan. Add the eggs, egg yolk, butter, and the zested sugar, and whisk to combine. Set the pan over a medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Be sure to whisk all over the bottom of the pan, especially the edges. At the first sign of a boil, remove from the heat and strain into a bowl.

3) With a ladle or a large spoon, fill the tart shells with the lemon cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until set. To fill the mini-tart shells, transfer the lemon cream to a small glass, and pour the filling into the shells.

4) Make a pastry bag and melt some chocolate! {If you are using cocoa powder instead, then dust it on now, and you're finished}

*Cut a piece of parchment, wax paper, or heavy bonded typing paper {I find the parchment paper to work best} into a 5 by 7 inch rectangle. Cut it in half on the diagonal.

*Hold the triangle midway on the long side (with your left hand if you're right handed). With your right hand, twist the bottom point in on itself to form a cone. Leave a generous opening (at least 1.5 inches wide). Pull the point up to tighten and to form a sharp tip.

*Grasping the newly formed cone in your right hand at the open end, twist the tail around the cone, pulling it up toward your to tighten.

*Fold the ends inside the cone to secure.

Melting chocolate:

*Fill a medium sized pot with water, enough to float a small sauce pan on top, and bring it to a simmer. Then place the sauce pan in the pot (this is a make shift double broiler).

*Finely chop the chocolate and place it in the pan. You must, must, must be careful that absolutely no water gets into the small pan with the chocolate.

*Turn the burner on medium-low and let the chocolate melt a bit. As soon as the chocolate is liquidy take the pan off the stove, don't let the chocolate bubble.

*Holding the pastry bag in your left hand (if right-handed), spoon in the melted chocolate until half full.

*Using the little crimps and folds, tightly fold the bag down to meet the chocolate. Snip off the slightest bit from the point. (It shouldn't be much larger than a pencil point).

{Practice your design skills on a piece of parchment paper, there should be plenty of left over chocolate, and its really important to practice. Also, I find in this exercise, a littler goes a long way, so make your design minimalist, just enough to tempt the viewer and give the chocolate lover another reason to worship you}

Let the tart sit at room temp for 10 minutes before serving.

Biscotti

this is a restaurant-sized recipe with a high yield. though biscotti keeps for a long time when stored properly (and always appreciated as a gift), this recipe is easily halved for a more manageable batch.

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almonds (almond flour)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of saffron

2 cups granulated sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon

zest of 1/2 orange

pinch of salt

5 whole eggs

4 egg whites

1/2 tablespoon vanilla paste (or extract, though paste is preferred)

1/2 tablespoon anise extract

+ preheat oven to 325 degrees.

+ combine and sift flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. then add the slivered almonds and the saffron.

+ in a separate bowl, combine the eggs whites, 4 whole eggs, vanilla, anise and zest.

form a basin in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. blend gently by hand until the dough forms a ball. turn out on a floured surface and knead lightly, being careful not to over-work the dough.

+ divide into four equal portions and roll each into 12 inch-long cylinders, roughly 1 - 1 1/2 inch in diameter.

+ line two baking sheets with parchment or a silpat. lay the dough portions, two per sheet, lengthwise on the pan, with ample space between them and the edge of the pan. crack the remaining egg into a small bowl, whip lightly and add a dash of cold water to make an egg wash. brush each cylinder of dough with this egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

+ place in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

+ remove biscotti from the oven, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. slice biscotti on the bias into not more than 3/4 inches thick and return to the baking sheet, making sure the pieces aren't touching one another.

+ return to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

+ cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an air-tight container.

Banana Berry Almond Milk Smoothie

This recipe is for one person. Double the ingredients for two people.

-3 Frozen Organic Bananas

-A generous amount of frozen berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, whatever you desire)

-2 cups of Refrigerated Unsweetened Almond Milk (any brand or homemade)

Put the milk in first. Grind up the bananas, then throw in the berries. Consume it like a McDonalds shake, but without all of the death ingredients.

Seasonal Cocktail for Any Season

Michael’s Tom & Jerry’s

8 eggs--separated

¾ cup sugar (powdered or fine will work)

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 cups eggnog

5-6 cups hot water

5-6 cups warm milk

Fine Brandy

Fine Dark Rum

Separate eggs. Add first 5 ingredients to yolks and mix well. Set aside. Beat whites to stiff peaks. Fold yolk mixture into whites and adjust sugar to your desired sweetness for the “batter”. Use pre-warmed mugs if possible—add ½ to 1 shot of each (Brandy and Dark rum). Add ¼ cup hot water, ¼ cup warm milk and generous splash of eggnog to each cup. Top with generous dollop of batter –gently stir in with 1 or 2 stirs –add a bit more batter and serve hot. Extra nutmeg or chocolate can be finely grated on top if desired.

The Eggnog is not a traditional component of the recipe and can easily be omitted—but it lends a great richness to the cocktail.

Enjoy! ....hiccup

a dependable chocolate cake

first of all, i'm going to issue a little disclaimer about my recipes: most of them are not for the faint of heart.
1) my methods are a bit unruly, as i am not in the habit of writing methology down except maybe in my own cryptic shorthand. it isn't because i'm propriotary about my recipes (although i can be at times) but out of a combination of a healthy dislike for being distracted by a lot of unnecessary gibberish while cooking, and sheer laziness. this means that when i try to write instructions out for other folks to follow, they can be, um, creative.
2) if i measure things, i generally do so by gram weight. i started doing this more out of contempt for washing a zillion measuring cups than anything else. so, get out your kitchen scales!
that being said, the first recipe everyone needs is one for a good, reliable chocolate cake. i got the bones of this recipe from allrecipes.com, one of my favorite places to do recipe research. but, i'm not very interested in following directions and i almost never make a recipe the same way more than once. this has become an exception, as it is a very dependable and versatile little recipe.

rose's chocolate cake

70 grams cocoa powder
120 grams buttermilk (technically, you can substitute water if you just can't find room in your life or fridge for buttermilk, but i don't approve of it, personally)
330 grams boiling water (or, scalded hot milk for german chocolate-type cake)
226 grams unsalted butter (thats two sticks, folks)
450 grams white sugar
85 grams egg yolk
170 grams egg white (thats about 4 jumbo eggs or 5 regular eggs. after weighing the separately, combine the yolks with the whites and whisk lightly to combine.)
4 grams salt (if all you had was salted butter, you'll want to reduce this some. how much? it varies, so just buy unsalted butter and be done with it)
11 grams baking soda
370 grams all-purpose flour (i prefer un-bleached flour. its better for you. it doesnt affect the texture of baked goods noticeably. and, its the twenty-first century: we have plastic! we don't need to bleach all the nutrients out of our food so it'll keep longer! i also do not reccomend cake flour...it just means they sifted the flour for you and added a dash of cornstarch.)
2 grams baking powder (if you don't remember how old your baking powder is, you might consider replacing it. old baking powder looses its 'oomph')
6 grams vanilla extract (the real stuff, imitation vanilla is yucky.)
8 grams creme de cacao (light or dark. this is optional, but its a nice touch.)

before you get carried away mixing, be sure to prepare your pans and preheat the oven. usually, i like to grease a pan lightly with shortening and then put a few spoonfulls of flour in and tap it around until it evenly coats the pan, then dump the rest out. sometimes i feel lazy and spray the pans with pam baking spray. i don't like that baker's choice brand spray because it seems to clog the tip really easily and if i'm going to do something the lazy way, i don't want it to be a pain in the butt. check down at the bottom of the recipe for baking temps. preheat to your chosen temp.

1) whisk the boiling water (or scalding milk) with the cocoa in a non-reactive bowl. set aside to cool a bit
2) in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter on medium speed until fluffy. now add the sugar and continue beating for a minute or so.
3) add the buttermilk to the cocoa mixture.
4) to the butter add the eggs in four parts, mixing to combine in between each addition (or, one at a time if you didn't bother to separate them and weigh them, only to re-combine them, which i don't blame you for)
5) in a medium bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. whisk to combine. or, if you are really stuck on the whole cake flour thing you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch and sift it all three times. it doesn't make a difference in chocolate cakes, i promise.
6) add the vanilla and creme de cacao to the butter mixture and beat lightly. now add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture, starting and ending with flour. i like to do three of flour with two of cocoa in between. i'm not sure if you can overmix this cake, but don't go too crazy trying to add stuff in a million little parts.
7) pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) of choice and bake at appropriate temperature until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. see below to choose baking times:
for two 9" round pans, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
for one half sheet pan, bake at 350 for 30 minutes
for cupcakes, bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes

some things to consider:
-this cake is really good with almost any liquour substituted for the creme de cacao. i've tried grand marnier (with a pinch of orange zest), and frangelico each to great effect.
-the adventurous can try substituting up to 50 grams of the flour with any nut flour: i've tried almond (delicious) and have always wanted to try hazlenut.
-other things to use instead of water: half and half. almond milk. rice milk. you know, the water is still my favorite, though. in conjunction with buttermilk, of course.
-if you're wondering what to do with the rest of the jug of buttermilk, i can help you.
1. martha stewart's buttermilk pancake recipe is really stellar.
2. grow moss on just about anything by putting it in the blender with buttermilk and water, then spread the resulting paste on rocks, clay pots, dirt, etc and keep it moist in a shady spot until it gets going. sorry, new mexicans, i think this might be a tad unrealistic for you...
3. make buttermilk biscuits.
4. buttermilk pie. look it up on allrecipes.com. its worth trying.

while this cake can be baked in a loaf pan and eaten plain by the slice, most people will feel the ardent desire to frost it. thats good, too. may i suggest ganache? i thought so.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see, sometimes i measure by volume)
2/3 cup heavy cream

put these things in a small saucepan and stir frequently while heating on low. once it looks all mixed together remove it from the heat. go ahead, try it...you'll wish you doubled the recipe. wait, stirring occasionally, until the ganache is the right temperature for what you're doing with it. if you want to pour it and have pretty drips, you won't have to wait long. if you'd rather spread it, you'll have to wait longer. if you wait too long, you can re-heat it by setting your pan in a pan of boiling water until it loosens back up. the only downfall of ganache is that you can't pipe decorations with it.

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

To my fellow foodies:

As an avid record-keeper, books are one of the projects I do best.

So when I started cooking, a recipe book was in order. The category dividers, the images, the compilation of favorite hors d'oeuvres or cocktails, the cutting and pasting. Voila! Kitchen bible.

But it grew rapidly; I kept finding recipes in books or online, receiving emails from family with what I had to try next, old index cards from my college days. And I kept wanting to share, for it to be more of a growing conversation than just what I could fit in my book. Would others love this recipe as much as I do?

So welcome to recipes to relish; this is our place to share anything cuisine: from our everyday staples to our latest discoveries to our kitchen experiments (disasters?) to what we just relished at a new restaurant (yes, take pictures!). Can't think of what to make for dinner tonight? Hop on and get some ideas. Drooling over a new bar of dark chocolate you just tried? Do tell! Please join me by contributing with your own cooking and dining inspirations.

Let's create our own cookbook.

As Grandmère would say, "Bon appetit, y'all."

xx, cameron

P.S. Special thanks to Mama Suzy and Andy for helping me springboard this idea over Thanksgiving weekend. Since we were in the kitchen 95% of the time, we became pretty inspired. And also to Jessie, for introducing me to the beautiful blogging world.