flourless chocolate cake (kosher for passover!)

today i made my favorite cake of them all! from the king arthur flour website, with a few changes.

cake
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons espresso powder (or just grind coffee on the espresso setting)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

glaze
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

topping
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

to make the cake: preheat the oven to 375°F. lightly grease an 8" round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan. put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat till the butter is melted and the chips are soft. 1 minute on high, stir, 30 seconds on high, stir, 30 seconds on high, stir. transfer the melted chocolate & butter to a mixing bowl. add the sugar, salt, and espresso powder. add the eggs, beating briefly until smooth. add the cocoa powder, and mix just to combine. spoon the batter into the prepared pan. bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust. remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 5 minutes. loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife, and turn it out onto a serving plate. the top will now be on the bottom, and the edges will crumble a bit. allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.

to prepare the glaze: combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat till the cream is very hot. (use the same method as above.) stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth. it will take a while; don't give up! spoon the glaze over the cake, spreading it to drip over the sides a bit. allow the glaze to set for several hours before serving the cake.

and with the extra ganaché, i made some chocolate‐dipped orange slices. seriously good.

sour cream noodle bake, roasted broccoli, bread, and garlic spread

sour cream noodle bake from the pioneer woman's blog; the recipe is here. delicious!!

matt's homemade bread:

we threw some garlic cloves wrapped tinfoil in the oven and roasted them for about an hour, then pureéd them with salt for an easy spread. roasted broccoli and sautéed yellow bell peppers tasted great on the side.

pear crisp with freshly whipped cream

core and cut 6 cups of pears, and toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. combine 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon with a whisk. add to pear mixture and toss to coat. in a food processor, combine 1/3 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/3 packed brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; pulse 2 times or until combined. add 3 tablespoons of chilled butter cut into small pieces; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. add 1/2 cup oats; pulse 2 times. sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture and bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. top with some freshly whipped cream.

chocolate dipped frozen banana bites

cut three bananas into ½ inch thick slices, place them on a plate, and put them in the freezer for an hour.

gather your favorite small toppings. i used my mini cuisinart to crush peanut butter cups, coconut, and toasted coconut.

heat 2 cups of your favoritechocolate chips with two tablespoons of canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat just until smooth. dip a banana slice in chocolate, coat it, and drop your dipped banana in your topping.

transfer back to the plate and put the back in the freezer. wah‐lah!

chocolate peanut butter coconut shortbread bars

for the crust:

1 cup plus 5 tbs unsalter butter, melted and cooled to just warm

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. table salt

2 large egg yolks

3 cups plus 3 tbs flour

line a straight sided 13x9 inch metal baking pan with foil, letting the ends create an overhanging edge for easy removal. in a medium bowl, stir together the butter, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt. whisk in the egg yolks. stir in the flour to make a stiff dough. transfer about two cups of the dough to the prepared pan, and press the mixture evenly into the bottom. prick the dough all over with a fork. refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until the dough is firm.

meanwhile, position a rack near the center of the oven and another near the top. heat the oven to 325.

bake the dough until the crust begins to set but does not brown at all on the edges (the center will not be firm yet), about 20 minutes. while the crust bakes, prepare the streusel and the topping.

make the streusel: with your fingers, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with the reserved dough until crumbly. the mixture should hold together when pressed, but readily break into smaller pieces. chocolate chips and/or coconut flakes can be added at this point if desired.

make the chocolate peanut butter middle:

in a medium saucepan, heat 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup peanut butter on low, stirring until completely melted. spread the chocolate peanut butter evenly over the hot crust. scatter the streusel over the chocolate peanut butter (don't crumble the streusel too much or the texture will be sandy.) Increase the oven temperature to 350 and bake the bars near the top of the oven until the streusel is golden and set, about 25 minutes.

place the pan on a metal rack to cool until the crust is completely firm, at least 1 hour. when the bottom of the pan is cool, carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil sides and transfer them to a cutting board. separate the foil from the bars by sliding a spatula between them.

they will keep at room temperature for 1 week. enjoy!

heart‐shaped garlic & onion roti

roti: mix 2 cups of flour with ½ tsp salt. add 4 tsps oil and mix until lumps smooth out. add ¾ cup warm water ¼ cup at a time. form a dough ball; careful not to over-knead the dough. coat the ball with a few drops of oil, and then let it rest for 15 minutes. divide the dough into 12 balls., dip the balls in flour to coat them, and roll them out into flat rounds. use cookie cutters for shapes. cook in a skillet on high heat for 10-15 seconds each.

because why not

my banana crumble snack cake with custard from matt's vanilla pots de crème, & a basic strawberry, raspberry, blackberry sauce.