Monday, June 15, 2009

IT'S BACK...

by it, i mean the funk...where everything i make has ended up in the trash.

almond and raspberry shortbreads...trash can
chocolate chocolate chip...trash can (and i've made these before!!)
blondies with chocolate chip and peanuts...currently on the counter, headed to the trash can.

WTF?!
it is raining again...s i g h. could it be a sign?!

Monday, June 1, 2009

learn from my mistakes...

a couple of months ago, one of my girlfriends got into b-school and we went to l'ecole to celebrate. if you don't happen to know, l'ecole is the restaurant attached to the french culinary institute and they have this amazing deal ($35 for the chef's classic meal or $42 for a four course prix-fixe dinner). not only is the food amazing but since it's part of the cooking school, you get all these extras! like after we paid the bill, the waiter gave us each a cupcake to go. and walking out the door, the hostess told us we could take a french baguette if we wanted...and that loaf was NOT small.i almost threw away the cupcake...because i didn't get a chance to think about it until 3 days later and was worried it would be stale. but in the car on the way to boston, i decided to try the cupcake. it was this intense dark chocolate color - almost black! and covered in a smear of what looked like chocolate ganache...and i hoped that it wouldn't be too dry after sitting out for 3+ days in my kitchen.

OH MY GAWD...that cupcake was quite literally a little slice of heaven. it was soft and moist and so intensely chocolate there was no room for cloying sweetness. and the ganache? icing on the cake... ;)
i had come across this recipe before but had never made it until now. learn from my mistakes, people...make this now, asap, right this minute. don't wait until tomorrow...there is a reason why there are over 1200+ reviews on the website waxing poetic about this cake. heck! i waxed poetic after eating two cupcakes straight out of the oven standing over the kitchen sink. it is QUITE if not an almost perfect rendition of that little bite of heaven from l'ecole.

enjoy!
(the recipe can be found here.)