Culinary Goods

So, this was good. It was a fun change, and yes, you could simply add vanilla ice cream to chocolate cake, but this was more fun. I got this recipe from the book “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes” by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It gets at least an 8. Here is the chocolate cake recipe she gives (oh, and you have to use oil in this cake if you want to be able to cut it once it’s frozen). Also, we did half espresso and half vanilla ice cream. I really personally prefer vanilla: Chocolate Cake 66 grams of cocoa (about 3/4 cup) 1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup canola oil 4 large eggs, separated, plus 2 extra eg whites 1 tsp. vanilla 150 grams of all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar I cut this down to a scant cup 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt Essentially you put the water and cocoa in a mixer, and mix until it cools slightly. Then, add the oil and egg yolks, and beat for about 1 minute. Add vanilla. Add your previously combined dry ingredients (including sugar), and add in ...

So, this came from “The Food Lab” by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. I hope my kids like this, because it seems pretty easy. 8 oz. baking chocolate I used Ghirardellis 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa 1 cup sugar I cut this in half 2 Tbs. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. kosher salt Essentially, you blend everything together i a food processor, put in a tupperware, and store for up to 3 months. You add 1-2 Tbs. to hot milk and then we also add a bit of vanilla.

So, this was a cake for someone else, and it had so much sugar in it I didn’t even try it. They said it was good though, so maybe like an 8? Anyway, this recipe came from Tessa Huff’s book “Layered”. It has some homemade marshmallows in the recipe that I didn’t even mess with. And, I used her cake recipe, and the cakes sunk SO bad so I had to remake it. I used the vanilla cake recipe from the strawberry shortcake I make (cookingclassy.com recipe), and then I just added the spices in after I adjusted for the amount of flour in the cakes, seriously, math. They were fine the second time. Also, I didn’t have loose chai tea, so we used a chai tea mix from Trader Joe’s, and it was fine. In terms of directions, there is nothing out of the ordinary based on how you would make any other cake, ganache, or buttercream, so please look at the other 20 cake recipes I have blogged in the past couple of years. Vanilla Chai Cake 1 cup milk 1 tsp. cinnamon 295 grams cake flour 2 tsp. baking pow...

So, I have tried multiple versions of this pasta, and this one is hands down the best. It’s amazing. And indulgent. And super fattening, but you know, it’s fabulous. I am not convinced there is a much better version out there. This one was given to me by my friend Rebecca. Cajun Chicken Pasta 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts--cut into strips or cubes 1 Tbs. cajun seasoning (We used McCormick brand) 2 Tbs. butter 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips 1 big package of Costco mushrooms, sliced (we had about 5 left over, but this whole thing would have been great) 2 bunches green onions 2 cups cream (we did 50% half and half and 50% cream tonight) 2 Tbs. flour 4 –6 cloves fresh garlic 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper Toss the chicken in the cajun seasoning and cook over medium heat in the butter.  Cook 5-7 minutes, until tender.  Add veggies and saute 2-3 minutes.  Add flour and stir, then add cream and ...

This was great and even my husband who doesn't normally like chocolate and orange together liked it. It get a 7.5 and the recipe came from the Layered cookbook. ORANGE ALMOND CAKE: 2 1/2 C. flour 1 C almond flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 C. butter, at room temperature 2 C. sugar I used 1 1/2 C. 2 TBS finely grated orange zest 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. almond extract 4 large eggs 1 C. buttermilk 1/4 C. freshly squeezed orange juice BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE FROSTING: 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate 1/2 C. butter, at room temperature 2 C. powdered sugar, sifted 1/4 C. cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla 3/4 sour cream Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour three 8-inch pans. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Put paddle attachment on stand mixer and beat butter on medium speed until it's smooth and then add the zest and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3-5 min...

So this was actually good and had great flavor, but do not make it unless you like Early Grey tea. The flavor actually subsided a bit the next day (which is opposite of what flavors normally do), but I would still recommend halving the amount of tea that you use unless you really love it. The chocolate cake and caramel sauce were dynamite, though, and it was fun to try a flavor I had never worked with before. It gets a 7 and the recipe came from the Layered cookbook. INGREDIENTS For the Classic Chocolate Cake: 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups granulated sugar I used 1 1/2 C. 2 large eggs 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 ½ cups whole milk 1 cup hot strong-brewed coffee For the Earl Grey Buttercream: 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature ¼ cup loose Earl Grey tea ½ cup plus 2 tables...

This was good and very rich. I almost wish that the mousse had some sort of contrasting flavor (like peanut butter) to the chocolate, so I'll play around with it if I make it again. Either way, it was very good and gets a 7.5 The recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. CAKE:  8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (see note)   1 cup (8 ounces, 2 sticks) butter   1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar  I used 3/4 C.  5 large eggs   1 tablespoon vanilla extract   1/4 teaspoon salt   1/4 cup (1.25 ounces) all-purpose flour MOUSSE:  2 tablespoons unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder   5 tablespoons hot water   8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate , chopped fine   1 tablespoon butter   1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream   1 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on desired sweetness  I used 1 TBS  1/2 teas...