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last one standing

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Velvety chocolate. Oh so divine.


The recipe is from my favorite London-based blogger and market stall holder, Coco&Me. Tamami, the blogger and baker calls them luxurious brownies. I added dried cranberries in the mix and topped them with walnuts. Luxurious they are with their rich, chcocolatey bite. When I was traveling in the fall of 2009 (wow, that seems so long ago), I made a point to visit her stall and had the pleasure of devouring a slice of the chocolate flourless cake. If only I could go back and try the cheescake or maybe a truffle or two. Mm.

p.s. I've made these brownies over and over. I highly recommend you giving them a go.  I have to note that these weren't my best batch, but they photographed well and friends seemed to love them. 

chocolate chocolate chocolate

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I asked my boss if he tried some of the triple chocolate cookies I brought in to work, and he remarked sarcastically, that he was a bit overwhelmed by all the chocolate (having not even tried them!). 

valrhona cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips and pure dark chocolate chunks. yup, that's a lot of chocolate. dusted with a little bit of confectioner's sugar, and i call that heaven. 

after all, i baked them in small little morsels so you can as little (or for me, as many) as you'd like.

i'm whipped

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This is the creation of an early Christmas present to myself. Drum roll please... a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. Ta-da! I've always wanted one. The big machine just looks so cool. And it made this Black Forest Gâteaux. The stand mixer does wonders you would not believe. Like making whipped cream. No more losing half my arm trying to whisk cream into fluff when this sweet machine can do it in less than a minute and without breaking a sweat. Perfect timing for all the holiday baking, and oh so hot in candy-apple red. 

breakfast bites

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Making breakfast with B is one of my favorite things to look forward to on weekend mornings. We usually go for a morning run along the Embarcadero and then cook up a storm. 

This time we skipped out on the running and made a trip to the local grocer for some last minute ingredients. French toast a la mangos (after a sample taste, we had to get some in spite of the high price..3 for $9.99 is ridiculous, just sayin'). This is a bite of breakfast made to perfection. Thick slices of few-days-old La Boulange's rustic walnut baguette soaked in a batter of eggs, soymilk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and fresh orange zest ready to sizzle on the hot stove. Slice up a banana and drizzle some homemade pecan caramel on top, and you'll feel pretty good about having gotten out of bed on a rainy Sunday morning. I did.

 

*B took this photo of me plating a new dish for the blog. I've been inspired by the gourmet look after exhausting "The Next Iron Chef" and "Pasta," which I have only two episodes left to watch!

eat your rustic tart out

I was inspired by Chez Pim's instructional video on how to make your own rustic fruit tart. It looked simple and certainly yummy enough to give a try (although on most occasions, I must admit I prefer to bake with chocolate). It was also part nostalgia that made me want to make my own tart. I remember during my travels tasting the best tart ever in this cute little tarte cafe in Bayonne. And with plenty of ripe peaches from the farmers market, how could I go wrong?

I'll be the first to admit--making a solid ball of dough is tough work. Mine was too sticky, which made it tough to roll out and transfer to a baking sheet. I think I kneaded the butter too long and too finely because when I took it ouf of the fridge, it was rock solid. Ugh. The frangipane (the paste that goes underneath the beaches and atop the dough) was DELICIOUS. Toasted hazelnuts, butter, sugar and an egg mixed in a food processor. I could almost eat that batter raw. Mm mm. Oh the best thing that came out of that was leftover hazelnuts! I had a bar of leftover chocolate, threw that in the food processor with the hazelnuts and out came chocolate truffles. Lots of fun to roll up and even more fun to devour. 

Back to the talk about the tart. Scrumptious and beautiful as ever. 

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babycakes, double chocolate chip cookies

I've been having a chocolate craving like no other, and thanks to Natalie who got me a recipebook from the most talked about bakery in NYC, Babycakes, I made these bad boys. It was also an excuse to take a trek to Rainbow Grocery and buy the best of ingredients in bulk--coconut oil, fair-trade semisweet chocolate chips, and pure cocoa powder and vanilla extract.  They're the ultimate guilt-free indulgence--I'm actually munching on some that I packed for lunch right now. I know, it's only 9:30 in the morning, but never too early for a sweet fix.

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These cookies came out so well-- thin and crispy on the edges while moist and chewy in the center, and chocolatey all around. I'm including the recipe here along with an interview of Babycakes founder, Erin McKenna because I think it's very worth sharing.

Note: I cut the recipe in a half (because the full recipe yields close to 40 cookies) and still had plenty to bring into work. Oh, another note! Dennie got me the book, "The Artist in the Office: How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week," which is as awesome as it is witty and inspiring, and in it, the author suggests to make a treat for your coworkers. What better excuse have you got now?

Enjoy!
con

p.s. I took this photo with B's fancy camera, and on the second click came out with this. I'm pretty impressed. Food photographer in the making? Perhaps..