Hazelnut Ganache Tart with Sea Salt

My husband's friend invited us over for dinner last night with the stipulation that I bring a dessert. However I only found out about the dessert request about 3 hours before we were supposed to go over. So I looked for something quick and picked this yummy tart from Real Simple (recipe here.)

When our friend bit into it he asked, "Where do you get chocolate like this?" I explained that you just add hot cream to finely chopped (good quality) chocolate and there you go.

Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake

I made this beautiful cheesecake for a friend's party last weekend. And actually, my friend was my first paying customer. He wanted something to celebrate fall, and even though this leans toward Christmas, I had been waiting awhile to try out this cheesecake recipe. I had been saving this recipe from Real Simple since last year's November issue. You can find the recipe here.

I also had quite an adventure for the other dessert I made him. I tried making a baumkuchen cake, or "tree-ring" cake, which is a recipe in TSOB. Mine didn't turn out though; I think I overbeat the eggs and/or lost some of the airiness of the batter when I folded in the flour. I'll have to try that one again soon.

Well, I only noticed this error a few hours before the party! So I quickly went looking for a quick pumpkin recipe, so I could stay within the fall theme. I went to Smitten Kitchen and found this recipe for pumpkin brownie bars. They were a huge hit according to my friend. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture.

Baklava Cupcake

Last week I went Madison's one and only place dedicated to cupcakes - Daisy Cafe and Cakecupery- for the first time. It opened 2 years ago, but because it was on the other side of town, I didn't really get to it. But now, I go to school on the other side of town, so I dropped by to see how the cupcakes measured up.

This baklava cupcake was pretty good. I was leaning toward a mocha one, but decided to try something unusual. I think it was the sprinkled pistachios that hooked me. When you bite into the cupcake, you reach a really yummy layer of honey-pistachio filling. I only wish the cake of the cupcake was better. It was dry and seemed like it was made from a box. I'd still give the cupcake a B, and would come back to see what else they come up with and also to try their breakfast.

Epic Lava Cake

My birthday was yesterday, so of course, I made a birthday cake. One of the blogs I adore is Smitten Kitchen, and it has a wealth of cake recipes. I fell in love with the picture of the chocolate peanut butter cake. My cake didn't turn out as pretty, but it was certainly fun to make. This cake is the moistest I've ever had because it includes sour cream, oil, water, and eggs. I was lucky enough to have some fresh duck eggs this time, again from another co-worker of my husband.

I do have to put a warning on this cake. It is the heaviest piece of cake you'll ever eat too. I could barely finish a small piece of it, which is not normal for me. The recipe can be found here.

Cream Puffs with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Cream puffs to me are state fair food. Back when my family used to go to the fair, we all had to have one, every year. And being the Dairy State, they were oh so good. So I was really hoping that my first batch would be just as great as those I'd had in my childhood.

As I went through the pâte à choux recipe in TSOB (the cream puff dough), I was a bit doubtful that the mashed potato-looking dough in the pan would come out of the oven as a light, airy biscuit.

But they turned out perfect. Aesthetically, not so much, but man were they good! Now I can make eclairs, profiteroles, etc. But next, I'm going to move on to a fried version and try to make a chocolate banana beignet!

Back to School!

I start culinary school this Thursday!!! I am so excited (see the three exclamations). It's going to be a bit of a rough transition to go back to school after 5 years, but I'm so happy. The chef jacket is so cool, like being in a real restaurant. I'll be posting here way more sporadically, but I intend to keep baking from time to time.

Almond Chocolate Chip Torta

You know when you buy a cookbook, and it sits on your shelf untouched? Well, sadly that's what happened to my copy of Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy" for about the past six months. It's a beautiful book; more than just a cookbook, with pictures and descriptions of the many regions of Italy. The problem for me is most recipes seem to have exotic ingredients or take way longer than a weeknight meal should take.

I decided to give the book another shot, especially since I wanted to do some more baking. I found this recipe and the only weird ingredient I had to search out was almond meal. After searching my regular store, which had almost every other kind of flour and meal, I found some at Whole Paycheck, oops, Whole Foods.

The cake was pretty good; I couldn't really get over the cornbread-like texture of the cake to say it was great. I hope if you pick up the book, you like it better than I did!