Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Seasonal Recipe of The (maybe soon-to-be-over?) Pandemic
I find that some flourless chocolate cake recipes can be a bit persnickety and the results often disappoint me. They can be too dense or the texture ends up grainy or mushy. This recipe avoids all those pitfalls and I swear it comes out perfectly every time! It's a good jewish holiday recipe as well as a great make-ahead dessert. If you want to WOW your guests, give this one a try. For garnish, I like some berries and a light sprinkle of confectioner's sugar, but some bourbon whipped cream never hurt anyone!

Ingredients
12 ounces 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6 large eggs
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup Frangelico
1 cup finely ground hazelnut flour
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder

Procedure
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch diameter springform pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil.

Combine chocolate and butter in medium metal bowl; set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk eggs, golden brown sugar, and Frangelico in large bowl to blend. Add chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in ground hazelnuts and 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and espresso powder. Transfer batter to prepared pan and tent loosely with foil.

Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up side of the springform. Place in oven and bake until cake is set in the center and the top is dry to touch, about 1 hour to 70 minutes (top of cake will remain shiny). Remove cake from roasting pan; remove foil from top and outside of pan. Cool cake in pan on rack. Chill cake until cold, about 3 hours. Remove from springform before serving.

Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Keto?? Yes, I fell down that rabbit hole and it’s working for me!

Seasonal Diet of the Pandemic
Controlling my weight as a chef and a baker — and basically someone who just loves all food — has always been a challenge. My usual procedure is work really hard on some kind of quick weight loss plan (never lasts) or a plan like Weight Watchers (the best, most sustainable program out there), lose the 20 pounds, keep it off for about 2 years, and then get bored of all the accountability, lose the plot, and then before I know it I'm eating chocolate chip cookies and I am doomed. Sugar is my crack and almost as addictive.

I have learned I am better with a plan that has strict rules and suggested menus to follow. I love a challenge, and I like to develop recipes to meet whatever crazy palette of ingredients I am currently allowed. So the keto diet has been my pandemic challenge. It's not easy to follow. To do it right, I have to monitor the macros of everything I eat (I use the free version of My Fitness Pal) to get the right percentage of fat (massive amounts of fat), protein, and carbs (the new enemy) as well as testing my blood and glucose to see if I have successfully reached ketosis — which is when your body burns fat and weight starts to disappear. Fat is now my friend, which is so weird!

If you are interested, there is a huge amount of info on the web as well as some great books I'll list at the end of this post.

After almost 4 months, I am down 15 pounds and at my goal weight. Anyone who has ever had a weight issue knows the really hard work is keeping it off. But I am going to keep my expectations realistic and not beat myself up. One of my favorite parts of this challenge has been all the discoveries that taught me new ways to use ingredients to create some of the foods I no longer eat — like bread!

I would like to share 3 recipes which are delicious, nutritious and kind of cool: hearts of palm bread (GF); celery root, butternut squash, and bacon rösti; and mocha mousse. They are all Keto, so remember they are high in fat and calories but low in protein and carbs. The orgiginal recipe sources are linked, but I've made a number of changes in some of these recipes.

Celery Root, Butternut Squash, Bacon and Parmesan Rösti

Adapted from Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan

Ingredients
2 slices sugar-free bacon, cut into small pieces
1 cup shredded raw celery root
1/2 cup shredded raw butternut squash
1 shallot
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove fresh crushed garlic
1 egg

Procedure
In a 10 inch sauté pan, cook the bacon until mostly crisp. Remove bacon and save the fat. While the bacon cooks, combine the shredded celery root, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and egg and mix well. Put 2 tablespoons bacon fat back into the sauté pan. Add the celeriac mixture to the pan with the cooked bacon in it and stir well. With the back of a large spoon, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a round cake.

Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the bottom is dark golden brown and crisp, and the top is softened. Put into 375 oven for 15 minutes. Carefully place a serving plate over your pan and flip the cake onto it crispy side up. Serve it hot, garnished with more parsley if you like.

Hearts of Palm Bread

Adapted from I Breathe I'm Hungry by Mellissa Sevigny

Ingredients
1 (14 ounce) can of hearts of palm, well drained (equals about 8 ounces drained weight, or 1 1/2 cups sliced)
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups super-fine blanched almond flour
2/3 cup coconut flour
3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt (sea salt or Himalayan salt preferred)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Combine the hearts of palm, eggs, olive oil, and water in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, baking powder and salt.

Mix with a dough hook on low to medium for 1 to 2 minutes or until a dough is formed. If you don’t have a stand mixer, mix by hand with a sturdy spoon for several minutes, then knead by hand for a minute or two, until you have a well-blended and uniform-looking dough.

Form into a loaf about 8 inches long by 3 inches wide and 3 inches high, and place in the parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 70 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bread has risen by about 1 inch.

Remove from the oven and carefully lift the loaf out of the pan by the edges of the parchment paper. Place the loaf (without the parchment paper) on a wire rack too cool. This will keep it from getting soggy on the bottom, and will allow any moisture to evaporate as steam. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Store the bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Note: most forms of Psyllium husk will turn your bread a slight purple grey. This does not affect flavor, but the recipe creator recommends Healthworks brand because it never turns her baked goods purple.

Mocha Mousse

Adapted from from Ruled.Me

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated Swerve
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated Swerve

Procedure
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Next, blend in the vanilla extract, Swerve, cocoa powder, and coffee powder until incorporated and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add Swerve and beat a bit more. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Be sure to not deflate the bubbles. Fold in the remaining 2/3 of the mixture until the whipped cream is evenly incorporated.

Transfer the mousse into 6 8-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until set, then just eat it all.

some more keto resources:

• The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners by Amy Ramos
• The Keto Diet by Leanne Vogel
• Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan
• Sweet and Savory Fat Bombs by Martina Slajerova
• All Day I Dream About Food
• KetoConnect
• Ruled.me

Dark Chocolate, Pretzel, and Bourbon Truffles

Seasonal Recipe of the Pandemic
Are you sick of staying at home? Are you tired of eating the same stuff—which you have to make yourself? Is your partner and your "pod" driving you crazy? Well then, I say it's time to eat chocolate! These are super easy to make and even easier to eat. This recipe makes a lot of truffles (about 30) you can share them, or freeze some, or to hell with it, eat them all!

Note: this recipe is mostly in grams, I am trying to do all my baking and candy-making by weight as much as possible now. It's so much more accurate. If you don't already have one, get yourself a digital kitchen scale. You can find good ones on Amazon for like $20, add one to your next order! You will thank me later, I hope.

Ingredients for truffles
90 grams light cream
300 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
100g store-bought pretzels, crushed in food processor
1/4 teaspoon Maldon salt flakes
40 ml bourbon

Ingredients for bourbon sugar
1/2 cup Demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar)
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Procedure
Place the cream and chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water and stir until melted. Then add bourbon, salt and pretzels and mix well to combine. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until set.

While the mixture is cooling, make the bourbon sugar. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment or a Silpat. Place the sugar and bourbon in a small bowl and mix to combine. Spread in an even layer on the tray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely before crushing into fine crumbs, then add cocoa powder.

Scoop the truffle mixture into 1-teaspoon balls and toss in the bourbon cocoa sugar to coat. Place the truffles on the tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Bring to room temperature before devouring!

Ebinger’s Blackout Cake

Seasonal Recipe of the Pandemic
What birthday gift do you get for the woman (my mother Bernice) who has everything she needs? Chocolate. Not just any chocolate, a legendary dark rich chocolate cake encrusted in moist cake crumbs, filled with chocolate pudding and topped with a bittersweet ganache made richer by the addition of espresso powder. Originally from Ebinger's of Brooklyn, this is a copy at recipe which is floating around online, and — as far as I can remember — it’s spot on.



Ingredients for filling
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream

Ingredients for cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups AP flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water

Ingredients for icing
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

Procedure
You start with the filling because it needs to set up for a few hours — you can evan make it the day before. Place the chocolate chips, salt, sugar, and espresso powder in a food processor fitted with the big blade and pulse until finely ground. Add the egg and pulse just until the mixture is smooth. Heat the cream to just below a boil, with small bubbles forming around the edge of the saucepan. Turn on the processor, and slowly add the cream. Scrape down the sides of the container if necessary. Pour the pudding into a shallow bowl, and refrigerate it until chilled and thickened, 2 hours to overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8" x 2" round cake pans. Line them with 8" parchment circles, and grease the parchment; this step will ensure your cake’s crumble-free turnout from the pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Stir in the water and mix till smooth. Pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven, cool for 15 minutes, then turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.

To make the icing, combine the cream and chocolate in a saucepan. Heat until the cream is steaming and showing small bubbles around the edge. Remove the chocolate/cream from the burner, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture becomes completely smooth. Refrigerate the ganache for 30 minutes. Beat the chilled icing briefly, until it thickens a bit and becomes spreadable.

To assemble the cake, cut the domed tops off both cake layers; these will become your crumb coating. Place one layer on a serving plate. For best presentation, lay strips of parchment around the edge of the plate before putting the cake on top; these will catch the inevitable icing drips, and can be removed once you're done icing the cake. Top the cake with the filling, spreading it evenly to the edges. Center the second layer of cake on top of the filling. Spread the icing over the top and onto the sides of the cake. Crumble the reserved cake, and gently press it onto the top and sides of the assembled cake. Serve immediately, or within a couple of hours. For longer storage, refrigerate. This cake is best served the same day it’s made, or within 24 hours. Freeze, well-wrapped, for longer storage. My mother eats hers with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream — hardcore!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Everyone should have at least one great cheesecake recipe in their repertoire. This is my new fave! I love the crust made from lady fingers (instead of the uninspired graham cracker crust) with the inclusion of espresso powder and chocolate chips. I love the addition of mascarpone instead of just cream cheese. And I love the chocolate chips in the cake which give your mouth something to do. Cheesecake is easy to prepare, but make sure you really whip the cream cheese because lumps are unacceptable! Making sure the ingredients are at room temperature helps them blend together more easily.



Ingredients
1 7-ounce packages crisp, Italian-style ladyfingers
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
boiling water

Procedure
Position a rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Using a food processor, grind ladyfingers into fine crumbs. Add melted butter, espresso powder, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips then pulse until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form a crust halfway up the sides. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes, let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

While the crust cools, beat the cream cheese using an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar at high speed until smooth. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Set the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour the mascarpone-chocolate chip mixture into the baked crust, then place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is set but still jiggly, about 1 hour.

Let cool in the water bath for 15 minutes, then transfer the springform pan to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the cheesecake (still in the pan) for 6 hours or up to 2 days. Remove cheesecake from the springform pan and put on flat platter. You can decorate with some whipped cream with a little coffee liquor in it. Or melt some chocolate and do a little Jackson Pollock drizzle thingy.

Best new pie on the table: Chocolate Walnut Bourbon Pie

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Each Thanksgiving I like to make new stuff along with the classics. This year I tried and modified a recipe from The New York Times for a chocolate nutty pie and it was super yummy. Here are the details:



Ingredients for the crust
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
4 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons ice water, or as much as needed for dough to hold together

Ingredients for the filling
2 cups Walnut halves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
4 large eggs
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Procedure
Start with the crust. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and vegetable shortening and pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. Combine egg yolk, vinegar, and ice water and add 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not wet. On a lightly floured surface, gather the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Remove plastic wrap and roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Transfer crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork. Chill crust for 30 minutes.

While the dough chills, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line chilled crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until very pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

While the crust bakes, melt butter and chopped chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth; set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together cooled chocolate-butter mixture, corn syrup, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, bourbon, and salt. Spread the walnuts in the crust and pour chocolate mixture over top. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the filling is just set when the pan is jiggled, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Adventures in Molecular Gastronomy, Part 2

As promised, I went back to the kit I got from Uncommon Goods, read the instructions more carefully (I put down my cocktail first), then re-tried the failed yogurt ravioles and made three new recipes.

REVERSE SPHERIFICATION - YOGURT RAVIOLES, take 2

The first thing I tried was a re-do of the yogurt thingies I tried last time. Guess what? Everything works better with the right equipment! The recipe is in the previous post, so I won’t bore you with the details, but this time I used full-fat yogurt and milk and I think it gave them more strength. I also used the round spoon provided (which looks like a tablespoon) and dropped them very close to the liquid so they held together in a round ball as opposed to a series of gross, squid-like forms. I still can't think of a good application for this item, it's just weird for the sake of being weird.

basic spherification - cantaloupe purée

They suggest you can create a sort of faux sushi roll using Prosicutto as the wrapper, a bread crouton in the center topped with Cantaloupe balls which look sort of like fish eggs. Why is this a good idea? Anyway I could not resist so I tried the cantaloupe part.

Ingredients
diced cantaloupe, puréed in blender to get 1 cup of strained purée
15 grams sugar
2 cups water
Sodium Alginate 1 gram (1/2 sachet provided)
Calcium Lactate 2 grams (2/3 sachet provided)

Procedure
Take the one cup purée and mix with the sugar and Sodium Alginate. Use your burr mixer to combine and then let sit 1 hour. Dissolve the Calcium Lactate in the water stirring with a spoon. Fill the provided pipette with the cantaloupe mixture and drip droplets into the Calcium Lactate mixture. Let them sit in there for 3 minutes and then drain using the small spoon with holes in it (provided). Rinse the balls in warm water before serving.

So here is the problem, no matter how hard I tried they looked more like little sperm them balls, and they were gross, enough said. Oh yeah, they also did not taste good.

 

Gelification - Edible Margarita

I tried this recipe because it sounded like a high-end Jello shot but cooler. I used the half-sphere silicon mold provided but had very poor results. Perhaps they forgot to tell me to lightly oil the mold? They did not come out well (see photo). Fortunately I had lots of extra mixture, so I poured it into a dish and was able to cut it into squares and serve it that way. Not bad and they had quite a kick!

After tasting the basic recipe mixture I found it was way too strong for me, so I added the Pomegranate molasses and the Agave. Yummy!

Ingredients
1/2 cup Tequila
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Lime juice
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Syrup
1 tablespoon Agave
4 grams cold-soluble gelatin (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with your Burr mixer till smooth. Pour the stuff into the lightly oiled mold or flat-bottomed dish. Put in fridge and let set for 3 hours. Unmold and serve. Or why not just make yourself a damn cocktail!

  

Gelification - chocolate spaghetti

My final experiment was the funnest one. I made chocolate spaghetti! I used all the right equipment and it worked perfectly. But what should I do with this stuff? Make a nest and put it on top of my head?

Ingredients
1 cup milk
3 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablespoons Tia Maria, or another liqueur
20 ice cubes
1 large bowl cold water
2 grams Agar Agar (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
Bring milk and 2 grams Agar Agar to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir till it melts. Remove from stove and mix in the liqueur (Shout out to my friend Teri, and her homemade Kahlua!). Place ice cubes into large bowl of water. Using the syringe (provided) siphon off some chocolate mixture and then attach a piece of silicon tube (provided) and inject it into the tube then submerge it into the ice water for 4 minutes. Next, use the empty syringe to force air into the tube, squeezing the chocolate spaghetti out onto a plate, or into your mouth, maybe?

   


Ultimately, I thought this kit was lots of fun, and there are more things I want to try because I love weird science, but for now I am going back to real food. Thanks again to Uncommon Goods!

Ask Rula! Authority on Everything, Expert on Nothing

Time to answer some questions!
Hello, my people! Just because I am off the radio, and not doing my weekly column, does not mean there are no questions to be answered. Wherever I go, people ask me stuff, some questions about food, some about etiquette, and some just plain rude! Frankly, I love them all. If you have a question email me! I thought I would answer a few questions today, because without constantly acquiring knowledge we would all just be stupid, and that would get boring, don't you think?

The first question is from Pickled Patty and she writes:
Dear Rula,
What is the difference between capers and caper berries? Are they relatives? I have noticed caper berries are becoming more popular and one even showed up in my martini the other day! Do you use them in different ways, hot or cold, cooked or raw? Thanks Rula, I need answers and you are my go-to girl!
Signed,
Pickled Patty

Dear Pickled Patty,
Capers are a yummy addition to any salad, pasta, or seafood but they are such a mystery to so many. Let's let Mr. Wiki help us out. Wikipedia says:

The salted and pickled caper bud (often called simply capers) is often used as a seasoning or garnish. Capers are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. The mature fruit of the caper shrub are prepared similarly and marketed as caper berries. The buds, when ready to pick, are a dark olive green and about the size of a fresh kernel of corn. They are picked, then pickled in salt, or a salt and vinegar solution, and drained. Intense flavor is developed as mustard oil (glucocapparin) is released from each caper bud. This enzymatic reaction leads to the formation of rutin often seen as crystallized white spots on the surfaces of individual caper buds.

Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in Sicilian and southern Italian cooking. They are commonly used in salads, pasta salads, meat dishes and pasta sauces. Examples of uses in Italian cuisine are chicken piccata and spaghetti alla puttanesca. Capers are known for being one of the ingredients of tartar sauce. They are often served with cold smoked salmon or cured salmon dishes (especially lox and cream cheese). Capers and caper berries are sometimes substituted for olives to garnish a martini.

Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm). If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a fruit called a caper berry.

The fruit can served in salads and they are also lovely just as a snack, especially when dangled into your mouth by a tall stoic man in a toga.

Next we have a question from Hershey Harry and he writes:

Dear Rula,
In your last post you talked about tempering chocolate for your chocolate sculpture but I still don't understand why you go through all that trouble. What does tempering actually do?
Signed,
Hershey Harry

Dear Hershey Harry,
You know those expensive sexy truffles you see at high end chocolate boutiques? Notice that the chocolate is shiny, firm enough to tap with your fingernail, and will break with a sharp snap. That's because it's tempered. Tempering is a process that encourages the cocoa butter in the chocolate to harden into a specific crystalline pattern, which maintains the sheen and texture for a long time. When chocolate isn't tempered, it can have a number of problems: it may not ever set up hard at room temperature; it may become hard, but look dull and blotchy; the internal texture may be spongy rather than crisp; and it can be susceptible to fat bloom, meaning the fats will migrate to the surface and make whitish streaks and blotches which makes the chocolate look old — and nobody likes an old sweet. Anytime you need chocolate to be firm at room temperature and to have a glossy sheen and a crisp texture, you must temper the melted chocolate which is done by taking the chocolate up and down to certain temperatures. Best to do a little internet research to find out the correct temperature for your specific type of chocolate. Be patient and use an accurate thermometer and the results will speak for themselves!



If you have any questions for me, send me an email or leave a comment! Well, that's all for now — I have a fitting for my "Easter" Bunny outfit. Ciao!

The Chocolate Fantasy Competition in Albuquerque

This is how we made our second-place award-winning chocolate sculpture!
This year was the third time I decided to enter a chocolate sculpture competition. But it was the first time I had a partner — Molly Greenwood, my pastry chef at work. It was such a pleasure working with her. She has great skills, never loses her cool, and was just a really fun person.

The rules are: the entire piece must be edible and 80% must be chocolate. You must relate to the theme which this year was "Frozen in Time." You also must supply 300 small tastes which relate to your sculpture.

And the hardest part is you have to get the thing to the show. Most of the participants live or work in Albuquerque, but we are in Santa Fe which is almost an hour away. The drive down is extremely tense. Most people, including me, make the parts and assemble on site but Molly felt we should assemble in our work kitchen and take it down complete. She was in charge of final assembly and put the panels in place perfectly. Then we garnished and fussed a little on site and it worked out great. Please enjoy the photos which were taken by both Molly and me. The competition is a fundraiser for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and 900 people attended and were served an excellent plated dinner followed by a room full of dessert action stations. They do a fantastic job and I was honored to be a part of it. If you have any questions, or if any of you attended, I would love to hear your feedback of the evening. Please leave a comment!


I started by making a cardboard model, and then my husband Jim made me a MDF base and routed out a place in the center for the chocolate dowel to stand.


Molly taught me the importance of tempering chocolate which we did many many times throughout the 2 weeks it took us to make all the parts. To temper chocolate, you need to raise and lower the temperature to specific intervals which cause the chocolate to be dark, strong and prevents it from getting that annoying bloom (you know, when it looks grey and old).


Here is Molly pouring the tempered chocolate into our mold which is a slab of marble with steel flat stock for borders all held down with the best tool in the world, duct tape.


After pouring the chocolate she used her bench scraper to even out the surface. Extra chocolate was put back into the bowl and re-tempered.


We decided each panel would have a window, so I made lollypop mixture which is mostly sugar, water, and a little corn syrup which I tinted with blue food coloring. We cast this the same way as the chocolate on marble. Marble is a great surface because it causes everything to cool very fast. After it cooled, it was nice and bendable and I played with using some of it curved, but we ended up using it for windows and a river on the base of the finished piece


It really was amazingly glass-like.


All the color on the panels was made with chocolate plastic which is simply melted white chocolate mixed with corn syrup. Once it cools it firms up and you can handle it like play dough. At that point I kneaded in the color.


All my colors ready to go. I like to roll it out ahead of time and chill it very well. Then you can use stamps, molds and an x-acto knife to cut and sculpt the material.


A rolling pin and cornstarch is the easiest way to work it. You can also mix and marbleize the colors, but the more you handle it the softer it gets and if you overwork it, the fat starts to separate out. This material is best used for decoration as it has very little strength.


Then I started the really fun part, decorating the stepped panels.I was trying to create a feeling of change of seasons as the Arctic melted and changed from all white to lush wild flowers, with a touch of fantasy.


Here is Molly using the tempered chocolate in a fine-tip pastry bag as caulk to hold the windows in place. What a nice steady hand!


This was the part that made me quite nervous. Each panel was notched into the base and a bead of tempered chocolate was applied to each edge on both sides and pressed into place, like magic they all stood up. We used compressed air to chill the chocolate faster which is a trick I learned from watching a competition on television.


Then we loaded it up in the back of my car (it fit with only half an inch to spare!) and drove to Albuquerque. One hour on the highway at 75 miles per hour and nothing bad happened. Amazing!


Here is Molly putting some finishing touches on the sculpture. We both added and subtracted flowers and shrubs trying not to go overboard. I added a little polar bear which I sculpted out of white chocolate (you can see it on the left side of the base).


Here we are done, relieved and happy. Then we had all day to kill until the banquet at 6:15.




Presto change-o in the bathroom, and Molly and I became elegant chocolatiers! We had a great night and winning second place was a thrill!

This Year's Sweets Tray

This year, I gave all my friends these trays of mixed cookies and candies for Christmas. They were so much fun to put together! From left to right: Passionfruit-Raspberry Gelées; Wheatena-Coconut Cookies with Royal Icing; Lapsang Souchong Truffles (top); Pomegranate-Pistachio Truffles (center); Chocolate Turtles with Bourbon-Soaked Pecans (bottom); Salted Maple Honeycomb Candy; more Wheatena Cookies; and Tangerine Gelées. Yum!

There is more to upside down cakes than pineapple — plus a freaky carrot!

Funny how some foods become traditional in odd places. For some reason, pineapple upside down cake is very popular in New Mexico. Folks serve it at their parties right along with Tres leches and biscochitos. The great thing about an upside down cake is the juices and sugar run into the cake and keep it gooey and moist. So I thought I would post two great — and slightly unusual — upside down cakes for your enjoyment. A polenta and orange upside down cake with definite Spanish roots and a chocolate banana upside down cake from David Leibowitz. And don't forget there is a great rhubarb upside down cake (originally published in Gourmet magazine) in the site archives.

Orange Polenta Cake

Ingredients for cake
1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 navel oranges
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange-flower water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups ground almonds (7 oz)
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta

Ingredients for glaze
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon water

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper and side with a strip of parchment. This is very important because if you don't do this you will never get the cake out of the pan! Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Remove from heat and add butter, swirling pan until incorporated, then carefully but quickly pour caramel into cake pan, tilting it to coat evenly. Grate zest from oranges and reserve for cake. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Remove any seeds and arrange slices in 1 layer over caramel.

To make cake, beat butter with sugar using an electric mixer until just combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in orange-flower water and reserved zest. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer at low speed, mix almonds, polenta, and flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined. Spread batter evenly over oranges (preferably with an offset spatula). Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a cake plate and discard parchment. Be careful as hot syrup might leak out. Next, it's time to glaze the cake. Heat marmalade with water in a small saucepan until melted. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl. Brush top of cake with some of glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature with some whipped cream or homemade salted caramel ice cream. I can dream can't I?

Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake

Ingredients for the topping
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons room temperature butter, cubed
3 to 4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice

Ingredients for the cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter, salted or unsalted
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup banana puree (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure
To make the topping, place the brown sugar and butter in an 8-inch square cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened. Stir just until the sugar is moist and bubbling, then remove from heat. There might be some empty spots, that's okay. Let cool to room temperature. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice to stop them from browning.

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces. Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use an offset spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit. Be gentle! Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. My ice cream of choice with this cake: butter pecan.

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And now for something completely different! Here is a photo of the biggest carrot I have ever found in a 50 pound bag of carrots. Do you think the fact that I live near Los Alamos has anything to do with this?



What's the largest vegetable you've ever seen? And did you make an upside-down cake with it?

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Susan Purdy, my baking mentor, sent me this letter she received from a baker in Colorado yesterday who was trying to make better gluten-free chocolate cupcakes using olive oil. Since Susan is currently getting some R&R on a beach in an undisclosed location, she forwarded it to me to try and solve. So this is what I did. I started with my basic gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. Then I added the ingredients she requested: almond flour and olive oil, due to allergies.

Ingredients
1 1/2  cups white rice flour
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
10 ounces light olive oil
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1  1/2 cups buttermilk
1  1/2 cups coffee

Procedure
Whip oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients. Next add wet and dry alternating. Let batter sit 45 minutes. Pour 3/4 full into lined cupcake pans and bake at 325 for 26-30 minutes until tops spring back.

Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is wet and gooey, almost like a lava cake. It's super-rich and delicious. Not really very attractive so if you are going to plate it, prepare some garnish like whipped cream, or home made ice cream, or caramel sauce, or ... well, you get the idea.

Ingredients
1 room temperature unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

Procedure
Heat the oven to 375°F, put in a baking sheet in case of sticky drips later, and grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan. The lining is important as this is a very damp (Nigella's term) cake: use parchment or one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer then add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Next, fold in the melted and now slightly cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. You want the ingredients combined, you don't want a light, airy mass. Then gently add the flour, to which you've added the baking soda, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. Pour into the lined loaf pan, (don't let this batter come closer than 1 inch from the rim of the cake pan or it risks overflowing — pour any excess into a smaller cake or muffin pan) and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy (also Nigella's term) inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won't come out completely clean. Place the loaf pan on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. Nigella says she often leaves it for a day or so "like gingerbread, it improves. Don't worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it's such a dense and damp cake." Damp? Nigella, really how unappealing!

La Côte Basque's Dacquoise

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a magnificent thing. It has three parts which can be made ahead of time and assembled when you have time. Did I mention it's magnificent?

Ingredients for the meringues
2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/3 cups finely ground hazelnuts
1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
9 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for the ganache

1 cup heavy cream

3 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped



Ingredients for the buttercream

2 cups granulated sugar

5 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
3 tbsp. coffee extract

2 cups sliced almonds, toasted



Procedure
For the meringues:
Preheat oven to 250°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and draw three 8-inch circles on paper. Sift together powdered sugar, hazelnuts, and almonds into a medium bowl, pushing lumps through sieve, then set aside. Put egg whites in the clean bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whisk whites to soft peaks, about 2 1/2 minutes. Gradually add sugar while continuing to whisk, then increase speed to medium-high and whisk until whites form medium-stiff peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer whites to a large bowl and carefully fold in  1/3 of nut mixture at a time with a rubber spatula. Divide meringue between parchment circles and gently spread out evenly. Bake in middle of oven, rotating positions hourly, for 4 hours. Remove and let cool completely.

For the ganache:
Heat cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add milk and bittersweet chocolates, and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth and set aside until thick enough to spread.

For the buttercream:
Combine  1/3 cup water and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it reaches 250° on a candy thermometer. Put egg whites in the clean bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whisk whites to soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar while continuing to whisk, then increase speed to medium-high and whisk until whites form stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour syrup into whites, whisking until cool, about 10 minutes. Add butter, bit by bit, whisking constantly until buttercream is shiny and fluffy, about 8 minutes. (Mixture may curdle, but will eventually come together.) Whisk in coffee extract and set aside.

To assemble:
Spread  1/3 of buttercream over each of 2 meringues. Spread ganache over remaining meringue. Layer meringues, placing the one with ganache in the middle. Spread remaining buttercream on sides of cake, then cover cake with almonds and refrigerate at least 5 hours. Then just stand around and take some pride.

Chocolate Bouchons

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This recipe is from Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se fame. Keeping with the homemade gift idea, for some, nothing but chocolate will do — and you know who you are. This requires a special 3 ounce timbale mold which is available on line at Sur la Table or amazon.com.

Ingredients
3/4 cup (3 1/2 ounces) flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, melted and just slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate,chopped small
Butter and flour for the timbale molds
Powdered sugar

Procedure
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed until thick and pale in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and continue to mix to combine. (The batter can be made up to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to one day.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 timbale molds. Set aside. Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold about two-thirds full. Bake the bouchons until the tops are shiny and set (like a brownie), and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but clean (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate), 20 to 25 minutes.Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the molds and let the bouchons cool in the molds. Remove the molds and serve, or store until needed (the bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked). To serve, dust them with powdered sugar. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Chocolate Pound Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
As a result of working with Susan Purdy on Pie in the Sky, the definitive high-altitude cookbook, I get an interesting assortment of letters from bakers across the country with specific baking problems they would like us to work on. This chocolate pound cake recipe came about in that manner. A baker in Utah could not get her vanilla pound cake to adapt to the addition of chocolate and asked for my input. I got lucky after only two tries and here is the finished recipe.

Ingredients
8 ounces all purpose flour
8 ounces granulated sugar
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
3 ounces buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the rack in the middle of oven. Lightly grease a loaf pan.Cream butter and sugar in bowl of your electric mixer.Add sugar and beat well.Add vanilla. Sift together flour,cocoa,and salt.Add to butter mixture alternating with buttermilk,Scrape down sides and beat well. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Orange Semifreddo

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a fantastic recipe, and it's foolproof because it never goes into the oven, just the freezer. The combination of chocolate and orange is heightened by the salt — trust me it works!

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons orange zest
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Procedure
Line 9x5 loaf pan with plastic wrap. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip yolks for 3-4 minutes till light and frothy. While yolks are whipping, combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook sugar syrup over high heat until it reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees on a candy thermometer). At this altitude I drop a drop of sugar into ice water and feel it to know if it's at the soft ball stage. With mixer on medium speed, drizzle sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Add cocoa powder and salt and whip for 5-6 minutes until mixture cools and thickness. In a separate bowl, whip cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in orange zest. Fold whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon about 1/4 of chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Use a spoon to drizzle about 1/3 of the melted chocolate evenly over the chocolate mixture. Carefully spoon another 1/4 of the chocolate mixture into the pan. Drizzle with another 1/3 of the melted chocolate. Repeat another layer of chocolate mixture, the last of the melted chocolate, and finish with the last of the chocolate mixture. Cover the pan with plastic and place in freezer for at least 8 hours or up to a week. When ready to serve remove the semifreddo from pan and peel off plastic. Slice into 8 slices and serve with a little whipped cream and orange supremes.

Cherry-Ricotta Doughnut Holes with Chocolate Sauce

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a crazy recipe for a great little treat — give it a try with all sorts of fruit! How about banana slices?

Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 Tbsp. kirsch (cherry brandy)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
12 cups canola oil, for deep-frying
20 candied cherries, (available in gourmet shops, or you can make your own)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped

Procedure
In a bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs, and kirsch. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold flour mixture into ricotta mixture to form a batter. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in an 8-quart heavy-bottomed soup pot (the pot should not be more than 1/3 full) over medium heat until it reaches 350° on a deep-fat thermometer.

Divide batter into 2 batches. Take a spoonful of batter (about 2 teaspoons), stuff a candied cherry in its center, and drop it into hot oil; repeat for the rest of first batch. Fry until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat process for second batch. When doughnuts are cool enough to handle yet still hot, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated.

To make chocolate sauce: In a saucepan, combine cream with 1/3 cup water; simmer over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Transfer doughnut holes to a platter and serve immediately, with 3/4 cup chocolate sauce on the side for dipping. Refrigerate extra chocolate sauce (about 1 1/4 cups) for up to 1 week.

Fast-candied cherries

Ingredients
1 pound fresh cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 lemon
1 cup apple juice

Procedure
In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the cherries and the lemon half. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the syrup is red and slightly thick, about 20 minutes. Cover and let stand 2-3 hours, or overnight. Strain the cherries, reserving the syrup, and set cherries aside. Discard the lemon half and add the apple juice to the syrup. Bring the syrup to a hard boil and cook for 5 minutes. Return the cherries to the syrup, reduce the heat and cook slowly until the syrup is thick, to about 220 degrees if you are using a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and cool. The cherries can be stored for at least six months covered in the refrigerator.

Chocolate-Ricotta Pie

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a nice little tart made with chocolate and ricotta —sort of like a chocolate cheese cake in a super yummy crust.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 cup pine nuts, plus 3/4 cup, toasted (about 8 ounces in total)
1/4 cup sugar, plus 3/4 cup
Pinch salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup water
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks

Procedure
Blend the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse, just until the dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of an 11-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the tart dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart shell in the lower third of the oven until just set, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Bake the shell until golden, about 10 minutes longer. Cool completely.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cool the sugar syrup slightly. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over very softly simmering water. Pulse the ricotta cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks, 1 at a time, and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until combined. With the machine running, add the sugar syrup in a thin steady stream and process until smooth.

Pour the custard into the tart shell and bake until the filling is almost set, about 30 minutes or until the custard has set. Scatter the remaining 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts on top of the filling. Let the tart cool completely before serving. The tart can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Return the tart to room temperature before serving.

Chocolate Icebox Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a fun and easy way to get a chocolate dessert on the table. This is an old King Arthur recipe I have made over the years when I was too lazy to turn on the oven — ring any bells? It's a great summer dessert!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups graham cracker or chocolate cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons melted butter(unsalted)
1/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream(12 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch salt

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 375. To make crust combine crumbs, sugar,cinnamon and melted butter and press into the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie pan. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes. Then put into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and cool completely. To make filling combine hot water,cocoa,vanilla in a small measuring cup and set aside. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave and let cool for a few minutes. Whip the cream, sugar and salt until soft peaks form then stir in the cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate. Using a whisk fold the in the whipped cream until no white streaks are visible. Spread the filling evenly into the crust. Let firm up in the fridge at least 1 hour before serving. Serve cold, garnished with whipped cream or chocolate ice cream or anything else you like.