Ken and I have been together more than eleven years, and married for almost seven. Although on occasion he still makes my breath quicken and my heart go pitterpat, I think the real boon of a long love is that warm glow of contentment that comes from security. I know what to expect, whether its pizza and TiVo every Friday night, coffee in bed every morning (milk and a teaspoon of sugar, unless either one of us is sick, in which case we have tea), or the fact that neither one of us wants to empty the dishwasher. There is a comfort in routine that does not disappoint or catch you off your guard. And yet familiar does not mean boring. There’s a reason I chose this man to marry — I find him perennially interesting (except for maybe the in depth discussions of cars or macroeconomics — sorry, honey) and completely unique and I always want more. I love him because I know him, but I always feel like there’s more to know.
And that is why, on this Valentine’s Day, I’ll make him these warm chocolate rosemary puddings. Sure, chocolate on Valentine’s Day is something to be expected, but there are a reason cliche’s become cliches. And this cliche is utterly worthwhile. It looks simple and straightforward — almost like a brownie – but pierce the outer layer and you get depths of warm, flowing chocolate richness. The rosemary (which is optional, by the way) adds another layer to the flavor. As wonderful as chocolate can be, it’s so familiar that on its own it can seem one dimensional. These puddings have an extra little frisson, a haunting flavor and fragrance that you can’t quite put your finger one. This is a dessert you want to get to know better. It has hidden depths.
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Tags: chocolate·holiday·rosemary·Valentine's Day
It’s time for the Daring Bakers again, and while this month’s challenge presented its own obstacles, It had the advantage over last month’s challenge for me by 1) Taking only a reasonable amount of time, 2) Not leaving my entire house covered in royal icing and 3) resulting in something that I would actually like to eat. Wait, maybe that last one isn’t such a good thing. My thighs aren’t thanking me for these suckers. (Fortunately, my husband’s colleagues are — thank goodness for willing recipients of sugary treats).
The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.
If you’ve never heard of Nanaimo bars, they’re as fun to eat as they are to say (they’re pronounced nuh NIE mo). A local specialty invented in Nanaimo, British Columbia (Lauren chose them in honor of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver), they are relatively easy to assemble (if you don’t make your own graham crackers). The bottom is a rich crumb crust flavored with cocoa, coconut and nuts, topped with a sweet icing layer and finally a chocolate ganache. To spice things up, and because I had some hazelnuts I wanted to use, I elected to make chocolate hazelnut nanaimo bars, using toasted hazelnuts in the bottom layer and making a nutella flavored icing for the middle layer. They were incredibly rich, incredibly sweet, and a little addictive.
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Tags: chocolate·cookies·Daring Bakers·Quick
I don’t know what it says about the general depravity of my childhood that when I think back to my favorite Christmas cookie growing up, it has to be bourbon balls. My grandmother used to make them every Christmas, and I’d look forward to them with eager anticipation. One year she decided to stop making them, (holiday cookies aren’t really my grandmother’s thing) and I attempted them myself (with my mom’s supervision — my childhood wasn’t THAT depraved) but sadly the proportions of the recipe were off, and they failed miserably, so I went bourbon ball-less. Until about 7 years ago, when I discovered this recipe. I’ve made bourbon balls every December since.
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Tags: chocolate·cookies·holiday·no bake
