Aphrodisiacs

Thai green curry is the way to a spicy sex life
Want to make your bedroom life more adventurous? Well, in that case, turn to Thai green curry, which has been found to give a person's libido that much needed boost.The conclusion is based on a new research, which found that the 'magical' meal is full of aphrodisiacs.The curry includes cardamom, ginseng, garlic, ginger, basil, lemon grass and asparagus - all considered by different cultures to get you feeling sexy.The top-10 list of takeaway meals based on the number of aphrodisiac ingredients per meal was compiled by takeaway company Just-Eat.Hot and spicy pizza topped with tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, olives, meatballs and chillis grabbed the second position, according to research for takeaway website Just-Eat.co.uk.Chicken Korma comes in at No 3, thanks to its potent blend of coconut, garlic, chilli, ginger and almonds - all said to improve sex drive in females.Seafood Laksa is fourth because of its coconut milk, ginger, garlic, basil and onions."Thai green curry has long been known in the East to boost sex drive," The Sun quoted Just-Eat's Ash Ali, as saying."The British public instead only tend to know more expensive aphrodisiacs such as oysters and caviar," Ali added.Other foods sure to steam up more than just the kitchen are meatballs and pasta, king prawns with ginger, sushi and even chicken tikka masala, say the experts.
The Top Ten are:
1 Thai green curry
2 Hot and spicy pizza
3 Chicken Korma
4 Seafood Laksa
5 Mole Poblano
6 Sushi7 Chicken Tikka Masala
8 Spicy Balinese Curry
9 Spicy Meatballs and Pasta
10 King Prawns With Ginger and Spring Onions

Honey and Thyme Roasted Pumpkin

Honey and Thyme Roasted Pumpkin

80breakfasts

It’s been raining a lot over here. Threats of typhoons, gloomy weekdays filled with the incessant patter of raindrops, grey skies, wonky dsl...the usual ways the rainy season makes its presence felt. Today’s different though...the sun is out (for now) where I live and I’m once again in a skirt and tank top, trying to keep cool.

Crazy weather. Determined to drive me mad. Lulling me into cozy thoughts of soup and stews, and then driving me headlong into the arms of fresh fruit and salad. Eating seasonally means a different thing every day over here, a challenge that is just a bit too much for me right now.

I seek refuge in the embrace of a very autumnal dish. Autumn is a season absent from our calendar and I find every opportunity to flout nature and enjoy it on my table, if not in my weather.

Crazy, perplexing, faithless weather. You deserve my rebellion.

The weather aside, I am loving the local farmers who have started growing butternut squash. I find it at the markets more often now, and I make sure to buy some when I see it...no matter what the weather is like. In my favourite herb stall, at my Saturday market a while back, I found some gorgeous specimens. After much dithering about the size (I only have two mouths to feed after all) I finally succumbed to a 3-kilo beauty upon the urging of my friend M, who assured me that I could just cook and puree what I couldn’t use then freeze it for later consumption. Which is exactly what I did after enjoying the squash as a centrepiece on our dining room table (whole pumpkin is such a joy...you can keep it as decoration for the longest time while you ponder how you want to prepare it...not to mention the possibilities if you happen to have a fairy godmother!).

I divided the squash in half: Half I roasted and pureed, and stashed in my freezer for emergency butternut squash soup. This is what happened to the other half.

Honey and Thyme Roasted Pumpkin
(adapted from Maple and Thyme Roasted Pumpkin, Donna Hay Magazine, issue 38, page 100)

• 4 wedges of butternut squash, about 700 grams total weight
• a scant 1/4 cup honey
• 70 grams butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pili nuts, blanched and peeled
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

- Place the honey, butter, thyme, and nuts in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste – it should have a sweet-salty flavour balance.
- Arrange squash wedges in a roasting pan, or any sort of pan where they’d fit. I used a pyrex pie dish and that worked fine.
- Pour the honey-nut mixture over the squash, dividing evenly between their little hollows.
- Roast in a 200C oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
- Serves 4 as a side dish.

The original recipe used golden nugget pumpkins (instead of butternut squash), maple syrup (instead of honey), and almonds and pecans (instead of walnuts and pili).

If there is someone out there who can resist a golden, caramelized wedge of butternut squash, softly roasted and topped with sweet sticky nuts...well, you are a stronger person than I. This dish was so divine that the weather made no hee-haw to me whichever way its inconstant winds wanted to blow. Rain or shine, wet or dry, sometimes you just need to close your window and do what you want.

Dimply Plum Cake

dimply plum cake

Smitten Kitchen

All of a sudden, the summer is as awesome an any summer could possibly be–the days are no longer oppressively hot, swinging from a temperate high seventies to mid-eighties and the humidity has dropped–and just like that, it is also almost over. Noooo!

I’m not handling this very well. I don’t want summer to be almost over. I don’t care that I love fall; I love even more not having to wear jackets and toe-covering shoes and socks. I hate socks most of all. Everyone knows that fall is abundantly short-lived and all of a sudden you’re catapulted into the longest, winter ever, and …

I’m not ready.

And yet, there’s something happening in our kitchen that subverts my insistence that summer must not end. I made a tiny braise (it was vegetables but still, a braise), I’ve started missing that butternut and chickpea salad we made almost weekly last winter and now this too: I put cinnamon in a coffee cake.

I understand that a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon in a cake does not the fall make (poet!) but it’s the whole picture: late-season plums, a sturdy brown sugar cake, a hint of orange and cinnamon and all together, you have a cake that is the very embodiment of the span between late summer and early fall.

In other words, it was perfect. It also comes together unbelievably quickly, as in Jocelyn texted us at 5 p.m. last weekend to come over for a barbecue, just as we were getting home from the beach, we put it together in no time flat, it baked while we showered and we were up on her roof for one of the best sunsets of the season before 8 p.m.

It was gone almost as quickly, which means you can’t say you weren’t warned about the power of the Dimply Plum.

Dimply Plum Cake
Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

This is a wonderful coffee cake–sturdy, comes together quickly, and absolutely perfect for this time of year. It would also work with several other kinds of fruit, including apricots, peaches, nectarines or even cherries. You can swap the orange zest for lemon, lime or even grapefruit and the spice too. (Dorie suggests apricots with orange and a bit of star anise, cherries with mint, peaches with lemon and some fresh basil, and so on, so have fun with it!)

Although I have seen this recipe on so many other blogs before, I realize that the version in my book is slightly different. Nevertheless, I still made a change, using cinnamon instead of the same amount of cardamom because, ugh, I just do not like cardamom and not even this cake could change my mind.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 purple or red plums (or even Italian prune plums, when they are in season), halved and pitted

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet. (Alternately, you can use this spray to butter and flour, which is indeed my greatest baking Joy.)

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.

Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in. Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla—the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter—Dories says she usually makes four rows of four plum halves each—jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes (Dorie says 40, mine was done in 30 so check early and often), or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes—during which time the plums’ juices will seep back into the cake—then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

Once cool, I dusted mine with powdered sugar. (It soaks into the plums, but keeps the cake a speckly white.)

You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.

Chocolate Chop Cookies x3

Tattoes, Piercings and Chocolate Chips Cookies

This story is about how i finally increased my Chocolate-Chip Cookie IQ, thanks to a teenage girl's obsession with self-mutilation, and the New York Times magazine. The girl in question being my employer's daughter, her name was changed to preserve her privacy... and my job!

One afternoon, Rebecca visited me in the kitchen all excited, and said:

-"Guess what!!?"

-"Oh Oh, What are you up to?" I asked hesitantly.

-"I got my nose pierced today!" she proudly said, pulling up the tip of her nose for me to see.
(For the cooks out there, looks just like a trussed chicken!)

-"Waou, Does your mom knows?" I asked, worried.

-"Of course not!!...shhhhh...Secret!" she said.

"I'm in such pain!... Can we bake some chocolate-chip cookies pleaaaaase?" (Here's the red flag: translated in private Chef language "Can we bake?" usually means "Can i trash your kitchen while you clean up after me?")

-"Ummm, let me think about it!" i answered.

I knew i needed to brush-up on my Chocolate-Chip cookies skills, she needed something comforting after a gruesome afternoon of self-mutilation.

-"Ok, I'll make the cookies!" i finally said "but you go back to your room and hide from your parents, deal?"

-"Yea, Awesome!!" she exclaimed in true teenager fashion and left the room.

Chocolate-Chip Cookies have never been my area of expertise. Call me picky (or dumb) but after experimenting with countless recipes, I never found one worth calling my own.

If i trust my Chocolate-Chip Cookies instinct, they should be gooey in the center, golden and crisp on the edges, exhume heavenly Chocolatiness and transcend you to imaginary Cookiedoms where chocolate rivers flow in a land where the Constitution is based on principles taught in the Kama-Sutra.

Well, maybe i exaggerate a little, but you get my point.

More often than not, my batches would end up disappointingly flat, crumbly and dry. But my luck was about to change...

A few days prior to this, The Sunday New York Times published an article by Amanda Hesser with three glorious Chocolate-Chip cookies recipes:

• Thin-and-Crisp Chocolate-Chip Cookies


• Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate-Chip Cookies


• Thick-and-Gooey Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Why those particular recipes grabbed my attention out of Zillions of recipes available on the subject?

Well let's put it this way... As a rule, any recipe with such large amounts of butter and chocolate
automatically wins a top spot on my To Do list.

I pulled the saved article from my secret file and opted for the most decadent recipe of all:

Thick-and-Gooey Chocolate-Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 8 ounces Unsalted Butter,softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 cups chopped Bittersweet Chocolate(chunks and shavings)
• 2 cups chopped walnuts (optional).

1. Preheat the oven to 350' degrees. Line two Baking Sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a Mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at the time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

3. Roll 1/4-cup lump of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2-inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges turn golden, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 30 cookies.

__________

The results were phenomenal, and extremely addictive!
By far, the best batch i ever made. They had all the qualities cited above, gooey center, crisp and golden edges, melted chocolate goodness inside....a dream!

Rebecca had her cookies still warm and loved them so much that she almost forgot about her infected nose. By next morning, all that was left was a few crumbs on a plate and a sick child at home (surprisingly not from the 2 dozens cookies she ate, but from an unappetizing swelling nose) .

Two weeks later (after being grounded for a week) , Rebecca came home with a tattoo on the back of her neck.

I love Teenagers!... hehehe...So much tenacity!

This time, she wanted to celebrate her new found freedom. I volunteered and made recipe number two:

Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate-Chip Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda


• 1 tablespoon kosher salt


• 8 ounces butter, softened


• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)


• 2 cups chopped toasted walnuts (optional).
  

1. Preheat the oven to 325' degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.


2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.


3. Roll 2 1/2-tablespoon lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2-inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 30 to 35 cookies.

__________

Again it was a huge success. Which recipe is better i honestly don't know. While it is true that Chocolate-chip cookies tend to spark the kind of tense debate usually reserved for topics like religion and politics, i do believe that this three recipes will suit the three schools of chocolate-chip cookiness.

As of this post, i am still waiting for Rebecca's next bout of self-mutilation to try recipe number three. I am sharing it with you, please let me know what you think:

Thin-and-Crisp Chocolate-Chip Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 14 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (pea size pieces and shavings)
• Generous 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional).

1. Preheat oven to 325' degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter, sugars and corn syrup until fluffy, 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, then the milk. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend just until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.
3. Roll 2-tablespoon lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/4-inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are dark golden brown, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 24 cookies.

__________

Thanks to Amanda Hesser of the New York Times I am now considered a Chocolate-chip Cookie Czar! ( Disclaimer: This is the last time i acknowledge publicly i didn't invent those recipes

Spices for Seafood

Spice Blends & Dirty Secrets

Have you ever been to a restaurant and wondered what was the secret that made the food taste so delicious? It could have been a delicate piece of fish with just an extra little something that took it over the top and paying $30 for it was suddenly okay because it left you saying : "Damn, i wish i could have one more bite!"

Every great chef aim to keep that teasing going throughout the meal and when they succeed, chances are the guests will have long lasting memories of the food. A little bit like a conductor with his orchestra, a chef like Thomas Keller will keep the timing, the intensity and the playfulness of the food all the way to the Grand finale thanks to an arsenal of great recipes developed over a lifetime.

A dirty chef secret in the making.

It's complicated to keep such levels of excellence on a large scale when you rely on so many chefs, purveyors and crooks but what most people don't know is that the so-called 'chef's secrets' are often quite simple. Fresh produce is already half the battle and if the technique is flawless and that extra little something is used sensibly you have great chances to wow your guests and you can even do it at home and without taking your pants off! (I had to scrap that, it was just wrong and uncalled for.)

What i would call a great weapon of mass satisfaction in fancy kitchens is the expert use of spices, marinades, flavored oils and salts which - when used wisely - can turn good produce to new levels without too much efforts. And God knows how much i dislike giving too much efforts - just kidding! It doesn't take much sometimes, just a sprinkle of a fragrant blend of spice or even some 'fleur de sel' could take some sea scallops or a pristine piece of fish to new heights.

Shhh... licorice, citrus zest, vanilla bean...

In my time working in fancy kitchens, i stole learned chefs secrets that i still use to this day. Spying on the executive chef is an art in itself of course because the bastards will keep you busy. That's when i quickly learned the primitive method of writing hieroglyphs in the palm of my hand. I was later introduced to the pen and notepad which tremendously helped my spying. So once again, at the risk of pissing off a few chefs out there i will share some of my findings spying with you. If this blog stops abruptly one day it'll probably be because i got busted by the chef's secret services for revealing too much. In the event i don't update again, i would like Foodhuntress to have my books, Manggy to have my knives, Ann can have my bottle of Brunello di Montalcino, Tartelette can take my tartelette pans, and my shoes... eh..any takers for my smelly shoes?

On this note ladies and gentleman... Adieu.

Oh wait! I didn't share the secrets with you! hahaha... making an ass of myself...

Okay, two easy spice blends that go well with fish. The first one with coriander, star anise, cumin seeds, cloves, nutmeg and red pepper flakes goes particulary well with salmon and cod. Apply before searing the fish in a hot pan. It's good, it's really good!

The second one with a licorice stick (i mean the stuff that looks like a piece of wood, and not the candy - available in health food store or asian markets), dried orange and lime zest, dried vanilla bean and dried mint leaves will take you and your sea scallops straight to the thirteenth floor. Season the scallops generously with the blend before searing. It's also known in the business as 'Sex and the Scallop'. You've been warned!

Secret Spice Blend #1

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander
• 1 tablespoon whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 whole nutmeg, split in half
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 whole cloves

Place all the spices in a dry skillet and toast over medium high heat until fragrant (when the toasted spice smell reach your nostrils it's time to stop. 2 minutes max). Grind in a coffee grinder or in a mortar and pestle. Store covered at room temperature for up to two months.

Secret Spice Blend #2 (okay those aren't really spices)

• 1/2 stick of licorice, chopped (it's woody so be careful)
• Zest of one orange
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 vanilla bean, chopped
• 8 mint leaves

Place all the ingredients on a tray and let dry overnight in a warm and dry place. The next day, place in a coffee grinder and grind to a powder. A mortar and pestle can also be used.

Grilled eggplant with tomatoes and cheese

Grilled eggplant with tomatoes and cheese and a new home

technicolor kitchen

A quick post this time - I’m moving today and lots of boxes surround me right now.

If you like veggies, please, make this dish. It couldn’t be simpler and the flavors are so good. Serve it with some crusty bread and you’ve got yourself a meal.

Grilled eggplant with tomatoes and cheese
inspired by a recipe from here

2 eggplants, sliced
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil*
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb 2 oz (510g) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons capers, drained
½ cup mozzarella – the one I used seems to be similar to Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
small basil leaves, to garnish – it was raining heavily so I couldn’t go outside to pick them

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/392ºF.

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Brush the eggplant slices with some of the oil. Grill the slices on both sides until they are soft and begin to brown, then lay them in a large, shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the rest of the oil in a small saucepan, add the cherry tomatoes and garlic, then fry briefly until the tomatoes just start to soften. Add the capers for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the tomatoes over the eggplant, and sprinkle the mozzarella and the parmesan on top.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Remove from the oven then sprinkle the basil leaves over the top. Serve at once.

* garlic is not my best friend when it comes to digestion, so I used garlic infused olive oil and omitted the garlic cloves.

Serves 4

Cashew Gateau With Coffee Cardamom Mousse

Cashew Gateau With Coffee Cardamom Mousse

Thank you all for the very nice birthday wishes for my mother, she truly appreciated the thought. Funny story about birthdays in my family and birthdays phone calls especially: my grandmother had the habit to see whom of her children would call her first to wish her a happy birthday. When I called my mom on Tuesday, I immediately said "I know I am not the first but I am the furthest...that's got to count!".

Anyways, back to today's dessert... I can't plan..Let me rephrase this: I can't plan to have a distraction free day because we all know that concept never truly works. I had planned yesterday to be a writing day punctuated by a few walks with the dogs, a couple of play breaks with them and the neighbors' kids, no grocery shopping, no baking commitment, no visits, no errands...just me and my thoughts. Ha! I should have checked the weather channel because as soon as I woke up the rain had decided to fall hard and steady, which meant no walks with the dogs, no play time nextdoor. Thus I had two crazy monkeys on my hands who all of a sudden had decided to team up to tear the house apart when I was not looking. I am still laughing when I think about the tricks those two played on me!

It all started when I was sipping my coffee looking at the creek and the rain...and the high tide...tidal creek during high rain equals a big puddle in your yard and a creek boat (think small fishing tin there people....we're not the yacht type) that threatens to float away. B. went outside to tighten the rope, the dogs followed and found the yard, sorry puddle...and all hell broke lose. They played fetch with each other for thirty minutes and all we could do was watch. Watch them turn from beige to black really...Two bathes and numerous towels later and everybody settled down...a little. By then I had lost my writing mojo and decided to bake instead. At least it was easier to stop their shenanigans with a whisk in my hand than a thought up in the air.

Baking did take place but not in the case of this cake. How can I make a cake without turning the oven on? Recycling....When we did the last Daring Bakers challenge I did the whole batter but baked a 6 inch cake for the challenge and a 8 inch cake that I froze, not really sure of what I would use it for. I got a call from a friend Tuesday morning and told her to come by meet the puppy later that day over coffee and cake. I thawed the cashew gateau and started working on a filling when she called to cancel: her best laid plans got also derailed that day. We reset for the day after (gosh I have never written anything with that much timeline involved!), which turned out great given the way my rainy day was shaping up.

For the cake I used pastry rings to cut out 4 rounds into the cake and split those minis in half. I used one half at the bottom of each ring, topped them with a simple coffee and cardamom mousse, (you might have extra mousse in which case I recommend you divide it into glasses and eat as is. It is easier to make the full amount and have extra than the opposite. It is really good on its own), one more layer of cake and let them set in the fridge overnight. Wednesday morning I topped each mini cake with a dark chocolate ganache. The inspiration for the caramel stained "glass" panel comes from my grandmother (same one!) who used to say "I don't care if it rains as long as there is some sun and some colors somewhere". I feel the exact same way but since there was no sun in sight I decided there would be colors then! I go a lucky break of 20 minutes to take some pictures and walk the crazy monkeys. Not too bad a day after all.

Cashew Gateau With Coffee Cardamom Mousse:

Serves 4

For the gateau:
3/4 cups cashew, toasted/skinned
1/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, divided (2Tb & 6 Tb)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated lemon rind
2 lg. egg whites
2 Tb melted butter, cooled

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8” X 4” inch round springform pan. Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.
Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add 8 Tb of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.
Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining 2 Tb of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute. Fold the yolk mixture to the whites. Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate. With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

For the coffee cardamom mousse:
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp powdered unflavored gelatin, softened in 1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup heavy cream, cold

In a mediu saucepan, bring the coffee, sugar and cardamom to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with hand held beaters with balloon whisks, whipe the cream just until it holds stiff peaks, do not overbeat or it will become grainy and separate. Add a small amount first to the coffee mixture to loosen up the batter, slowly fold the rest of the whipped cream. Do not let it set completely before using it for the cake filling (have your cake baked, cooled, and cut before using)

For the chocolate ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (about 6 oz or 180 gr)

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the chocolate starts to melt then slowly stir the cream and chocolate until they come together to make the ganache. Let cool slightly before using it over the cakes.

To assemble:
Cut 4 rounds out of the 8 inch cake and cut each round in half. Using 4 3 inch round pastry rings, place a cake round at the bottom of each ring, top with about 1/4 cup of coffee mousse, top with another cake round and let sit overnight. In the morning, make the ganache. Line a sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper, position a cooling rack or a grid over it, position your cake over the grid and slowly pour the ganache over all the cakes to cover the completely. Rap the sheet over the counter top (be gentle, no jumping cakes allowed!), to let the ganache fall evenly. Let them set in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can dust them with a good coat of cocoa powder if desired like I did here.

For the stained glass caramel windows:
250gr sugar (1 cup)
37.5 ml water (35 gr) (2 1/2 Tb)
various food colorings

Line a baking sheet with parchement paper. Drop a few drops of food coloring onto the paper. Do not touch them, sirl them or move them.
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water, do not stir and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel reaches the soft crack stage or 140C - 285F on a candy thermometer (do not let it turn color). Immediately pour over the parchment paper with the food coloring. Take the baking sheet with your hands and move it left to right, right to left to move and swirl the colors. Let set until completely cooled. Break pieces of your desired size to decorate the cakes with.

Potato Cheese Soup

Soup is good food

To say that my diet is currently out the window is an understatement. I have a feeling it will stay that way until after Thanksgiving, sigh. So since I have not be dieting while sick I thought I would throw caution to the wind and make potato cheese soup that no doubt clogged my arteries by just inhaling it. I also made the rolls(something to do when I am up at 3am coughing) but I will highlight those another day. For now I will just focus on my soup.

I like texture to my soup, so instead of cubing all the potatoes I reserve one cup of potato to be shredded(like if you were making hash browns). I boil those separately and reserve them to add to the soup after it has been pureed. This soup is pretty simple with just the flavors of the potato, onion and cheese coming through. I know some people are not fans of parsley but I like what it adds to the color of the soup, feel free to just ignore it if you want.

Thanks again for all the well wishing. I feel much better, though I fear my cough, like an unwanted relative, will be extending it’s stay. :( I braved civilization today on this a rare sunny day in the Seattle area, so I know I am feeling better when I allow the public to see me.

Potato Cheese Soup

7 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup peeled and shredded potatoes
2 cups peeled and chopped onions
4 cups chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups half and half
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup asiago cheese
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place cubed potatoes, onions, celery and salt in water to cover in a large pot. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes up to an hour depending on how mushy you like things. Place shredded potatoes in a separate pot and boil till tender.

Put in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree until smooth.

Return to soup pot; add half-and-half, butter. shredded potatoes, parsley and cheese. Stirring, simmer until piping hot. (Do not boil.)