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By mlb, on October 28th, 2008%
This recipe is from The Secret Life of Food by Clare Crespo. I actually saw these this recipe about two years ago but, I kid you not, the last two Halloweens I have had colds. And thus, didn’t really want to bake things. This year? Germ-free, baby!
These are what I made for the Halloween Baking contest at work. Pretty much followed the recipe except I used dots of red tubed frosting for the eyes (instead of red hot candies) and I used a silicone basting brush to coat the cookies with chocolate. So much less wasteful than pouring it, imho. You will also use less chocolate to begin with. I started with a half of a bag of chips and 1 tablespoon of oil, figuring I could always melt more up if I needed more. Also, try to get a larger tub of the chocolate sprinkles. The 10 . . . → Read More: The Attack of the Spider Cookies
By mlb, on May 24th, 2007%
This month’s Sugar High Friday 31 is hosted by Seven Spoons and the theme is — “Shades of White.” Fun! Of course, it would have been nice if I had realized that my post was supposed to be up at the beginning of the week but I read the announcement wrong…Hopefully, I can sneak my entry in!
This is a neutral shade and S-I-M-P-L-E to make. Chocolate. Nuts. Assorted flavor whatnots (lavender + orange zest). That is all.
White Chocolate Clusters with Lavender & Orange Zest
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup cashews (edited to add: I used roasted, lightly salted)
1/2 tsp dried lavender
1/2 tsp orange zest
To begin, put the chips, orange zest and lavender in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each time, until the chocolate is melted. You could also, of course, use a double-boiler for this.
Add the . . . → Read More: SHF31: White Chocolate Cashew Clusters with Lavender & Orange Zest
By mlb, on May 14th, 2007%
Look, strawberry season is upon us, so says the new issue of Bon Appétit (June 2007), which is where this delicious recipe comes from. I made these little chocolatey shortcakes for dessert when jwa’s parents were over for dinner Saturday night. Making the biscuits one day ahead worked well and it was also easy to make the strawberries a couple of hours before serving. All the make ahead possibilities are very helpful when having guests over.
You may notice that recipe calls for whipping cream to make the biscuits. Oh, my. Now, I normally would have subbed the cream with 2% milk (and not whipped it) but since this was for company, I went ahead and used the cream. That’s what makes it decadent! I also drizzled a little extra Grand Marnier onto the biscuits before covering with the strawberries.
Biscuits
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 . . . → Read More: Decadent Dessert: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
By mlb, on March 23rd, 2007%
This month’s Sugar High Friday is hosted by Chocolate in Context and the theme is — wait for it — chocolate. But, ha, not just any chocolate, raw chocolate — “an unrefined cacao product, such as cacao beans, cacao nibs, cocoa butter, or cocoa powder.” After some thought, I chose nibs, as I thought they would be easy to find. However, the store I was completely sure would have nibs (Pasta Works) did not. So sad. And I didn’t really feel like trudging over to Zupan’s searching for nibs.
*Sigh*
I was nibless.
But, I did have a box of cocoa powder in the cabinet. So, that’s what I used. I also utilized some crushed almonds as a coating. About half in the powder and half in the almonds. Everyone’s happy. Especially me because these are delicious.
The flavor is smooth, rich and cool. And oh so good. Definitely . . . → Read More: SHF29: Meyer Lemon & Thyme Truffles
By mlb, on March 5th, 2007%
For Christmas this year, one of my presents from jwa was a creme brulee torch. It’s awesome. I used to always use the broiler for caramelizing the tops, and that works fine, but it’s just so nice to whip out the torch and do it quickly, without heating the custard up as much as putting it under the broiler does. Plus, it is kind of fun to burn things!
Here’s a recipe I adapted from Bon Appétit magazine. When making creme brulee at home, I tend to use half and half, rather than heavy cream. I know, I’m deluding myself there, but it does make me feel a little better.
Oh and I also added a little orange zest to the half and half while it simmered on the stove top. I like to think that added a little extra something. In addition, I chopped my ancho very roughly . . . → Read More: A Little Bit Spicy: Ancho Chocolate Creme Brulee
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About Me I like to cook. I like to eat. I like to take photos. I live in SE Portland with my husband jwa and a grumpy, old lady cat named Chelsea. That is all.
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