double chocolate layer cake

For my dad's birthday cake, I made Gourmet's Double Chocolate Layer Cake. The cake was super fudgy but not too heavy. I made a chocolate buttercream to frost it.

Note: The recipe calls for two 10-inch round cake pans, but, since I don't own any, I used three 9-inch round cake pans.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
From Gourmet, March 1999

3 oz. fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 c. hot brewed coffee
3 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease two 10-inch or three 9-inch pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl, combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. (It will take between 40 and 50 minutes in 9-inch pans.)

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

bouchon bakery

My parents and my older sister went into the city today to go apartment shopping, and they came home with cookies from Bouchon Bakery. We had been there before and sampled a TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo), a Nutter Butter, and a macaron. I was particularly fond of the TKO and the Nutter Butter, but I unfortunately did not concentrate too much on its individual components. I had trouble, then, when I attempted to make these cookies at home. I found a recipe online for the TKO, which consisted of a chocolate sable cookie and white chocolate ganache filling. After making the cookies, I tasted one, without the filling, and it was really great: tender and slightly crumbly, like the ultimate Nabisco chocolate wafer. Sadly, the white chocolate ganache completely ruined the cookie; it was cloying and practically inedible. (On the bright side, the Nutter Butter came out perfectly!)

My parents remembered my disappointment with the homemade TKO, so they brought home an original to help me produce a more accurate reproduction. Now, I know that the TKO filling is nowhere near white chocolate ganache; it is definitely a vanilla buttercream base, perhaps lightened by some whipped cream. I will certainly be making TKOs again, this time with the appropriate filling. (In the meantime, I've posted the cookie recipe below.)

Lastly, there are the two macarons. The light brown one is caramel, and the darker one is, of course, chocolate. I must start by saying that I am not crazy about macarons. Conceptually, they sounds appetizing enough: two light cookies, crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, are filled with creamy frosting. Yet, they are usually too sweet for my taste, and I find the texture to be very unusual. The only exceptions I have found were the macarons from La Maison du Chocolat; they were heavenly. Unfortunately, the Bouchon macarons hardly lived up to that standard.

Bouchon Bakery's Nutter Butter Imitators
From New York Times

For cookie dough:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. baking soda
4 sticks butter, room temperature
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 egs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. coarsely chopped peanuts
2 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

For filling:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1 2/3 c. confectioners sugar

For cookie dough:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl twice.At a low speed, add eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until well mixed, frequently scraping down bowl. Add peanuts and oats, and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop 2 inches in diameter, place balls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets at least three inches apart.

Bake until cookies have spread and turned very light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool and firm up, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling.

For filling:
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and confectioners' sugar until very smooth.

To assemble cookies, spread a thin layer (about 1/8 inch) on underside of cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat.

Bouchon Bakery's TKO Imitators (cookie only)

1 1/2 c. plus 3 tbs. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. plus 1 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
15 tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch cubes, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed. With the mixer running, add the butter, a piece at a time. The mixture will be dry and sandy at first, but over 2 minutes, it will form pebble-size pieces that start to cling together. Stop the mixer and transfer the dough to your board. Separate dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece of dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Using a fluted cutter, cut into rounds. Scraps can be pieced together and rolled out again. Place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway though baking. Remove and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer cookeis to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

blueberry buttermilk pancakes

I eat blueberries in my steel cut oatmeal everyday in the summer. But, when I'm in the mood for a really special breakfast, I make these blueberry buttermilk pancakes!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
From Bon Appetit, July 2007

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3 tbs. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tbs. butter, melted, plus more for cooking
2 c. fresh blueberries
Pure maple syrup and butter, for serving

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tbs. butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients. Fold in berries.

Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup and butter.

pizza

After we came back from Italy, my family and I thought it would be quite a while before we ate pizza again. But, somehow, I found myself making pizza five days after returning! I made a few plain cheese and a few with eggplant slices. They were especially flavorful because I brushed the dough with garlic oil (made by sauteing some minced garlic in olive oil) prior to adding the sauce, cheese, and toppings.

(To prepare the eggplant slices as a pizza topping, I precooked them. First, I brushed each slice (about 1/4-inch thick) with olive oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for roughly 10 minutes, to remove excess moisture. Then, I panfried them in olive oil until they were tender and golden.)

ristorante san trovaso

On our last night in Italy, we went to Ristorante San Trovaso for dinner. We shared three pastas and two entrees: spaghetti alla carbonara, linguine with white clam sauce, spaghetti with tomato sauce, mussels, and clams, grilled calamari, and chicken with arugula sauce.

The spaghetti alla carbonara was loaded with pancetta!

The linguine with white clam sauce was my favorite. It was light and garlicky.

The spaghetti with tomato sauce, mussels, and clams was good, but I would have preferred it with some crushed red pepper.

Unfortunately, the grilled calamari was overdone and tough.

The chicken with arugula sauce was a little too creamy for me.

antonio's

While in Siena for the day, we got salami and pecorino sandwiches from Antonio’s. The salami was much more flavorful than the kind from your local grocer in the States, and the cheese was creamy and slightly tangy. I could go for one right now!

mercato centrale

Florence’s Mercato Centrale is an iron-and-glass enclosed market, with stalls selling meat, wine, cheese, pastries, dried pastas, and more.

We bought some delicious biscotti.

fiesole pizzeria

My parents took a day trip to Fiesole, a Tuscan town just north of Florence, and brought back pizzas for us.

florentine candy shop

After a few days in Venice, we went to Florence. Our apartment had the most amazing rooftop terrace, which overlooked the Duomo. A few blocks away, there was a candy shop that sold really good torrone.

back to the states

Last night, my family and I got back from Italy. It was quite a trip! I took plenty of pictures of the food, and I'm so excited to share them with you all over the next couple days!

While we were in Venice, we made daily trips to the Rialto Market to buy fresh fruit.


On one of our morning walks, we saw this man selling fruit on his boat.