Picked up some decorations for J's party next week. Ray and I love the construction theme because (a) it's not branded, (b) J loves tractors, and (c) our house is still under construction.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Queen of Sheba chocolate tort
Made this for Suzie's going away party because I knew she'd like the name. I've read this recipe over many times but never got around to trying it. Now I know why: you need to grind almonds in a food processor, separate eggs, beat egg whites, melt chocolate in a double boiler, fold egg whites into a thick batter, and you need a springform pan and brandy! The author claims this recipe is great for beginner bakers because it's very forgiving. But with so many steps and specialized equipment involved, I think the barrier to entry is quite high. But that also made this was the perfect recipe to break in my new kitchen. And the tort was yummy too. Kind of like a flourless cake but with (3 tablespoons of flour and) the added texture and flavor from ground almonds. I replaced the 3 tablespoons of brandy with amaretto, whose flavor really showed through.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Raw chocolate pudding
Ug. Still getting the hang of Android image share workaround. Anyone else having this problem? I have to go to Gmail and attach image instead of sharing straight from Gallery.
Raw chocolate pudding
This is my first attempt at copying Cafe No Name's amazing chocolate pudding. It's just avocado, cocoa powder, agave, and salt. I mixed it by hand with a whisk, so it's a bit lumpy. R & J both liked it, but I thought it was not chocolaty enough. Next time, more cocoa!
Frozen strawberry grape juice
Ray's favorite so far: 2 cups red grapes, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup ice. Sweet and refreshing on a hot hot day!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Triple Berry Smoothie
Water, yogurt, frozen raspberries, blueberries, strawberries. With a sprig of mint from the garden, of course.
Vitamix
I went 6 years without a proper blender, and to make up for it got a Vitamix for my birthday. It's a high speed blender (think Will It Blend) that I got mainly because I want to make nut milks, nut butters, and amazingly smooth, raw, vegan desserts like the ones at Cafe Gratitude.
The first thing I tried in it was carrots. I love carrot juice and wondered if I could drink a whole, blended carrot (without the fiber removed). The answer is no. I couldn't even blend the carrot beyond tiny chunks without adding some water. Then I added a whole, cored apple, to get more liquid into the mix. Finally is started really blending, but the end result was still rather thick and fibrous. Oh well, maybe I'll try blending this with some ice to see if it gets better.
Next I tried making almond milk. One cup of raw almonds plus 3 cups of water, blend for 2 minutes. This tasted just like almonds and water. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I tried sweetening some with agave and vanilla extract; now that's a tasty beverage. I've never actually had almond milk before, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like. But this I can imagine pouring over cereal. Next, I go back to my pure almond water and sweeten it with 6 dried, pitted dates. Not bad; I would also drink this or pour it over milk. Next, I want to make something that R and J might drink, so I try three different chocolate versions: cocoa agave, cocoa agave vanilla, and cocoa agave strawberry. Here's the final result.
R likes the cocoa agave vanilla (the strawberry has a weird aftertaste - maybe from the seeds?). The strawberry version was so thick after chilling that I gave some to J as a dessert, and he said 'I like it!' Mission accomplished.
Next time I might try blanching the almonds and removing the skins first, as the skins make the whole thing a bit bitter.
The first thing I tried in it was carrots. I love carrot juice and wondered if I could drink a whole, blended carrot (without the fiber removed). The answer is no. I couldn't even blend the carrot beyond tiny chunks without adding some water. Then I added a whole, cored apple, to get more liquid into the mix. Finally is started really blending, but the end result was still rather thick and fibrous. Oh well, maybe I'll try blending this with some ice to see if it gets better.
Next I tried making almond milk. One cup of raw almonds plus 3 cups of water, blend for 2 minutes. This tasted just like almonds and water. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I tried sweetening some with agave and vanilla extract; now that's a tasty beverage. I've never actually had almond milk before, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like. But this I can imagine pouring over cereal. Next, I go back to my pure almond water and sweeten it with 6 dried, pitted dates. Not bad; I would also drink this or pour it over milk. Next, I want to make something that R and J might drink, so I try three different chocolate versions: cocoa agave, cocoa agave vanilla, and cocoa agave strawberry. Here's the final result.
R likes the cocoa agave vanilla (the strawberry has a weird aftertaste - maybe from the seeds?). The strawberry version was so thick after chilling that I gave some to J as a dessert, and he said 'I like it!' Mission accomplished.
Next time I might try blanching the almonds and removing the skins first, as the skins make the whole thing a bit bitter.
Yes, another blog!
I've got at least 7 other blogs I care about, plus Facebook and Twitter updates, but I just can' t keep up with it all. The problem is I want one blog for each subject and audience, I don't have time to write or download/upload photos, and until now I hadn't thought about blogging from my phone. Well, I give up (for now) on all my other blogs, and I'm just going to use this as a dumping ground. I hope you enjoy it!
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