Archive for May, 2008

I like chocolate. A lot. I’m not a big fan of milk chocolate but I don’t think I’ve ever met a good semi-sweet or high percentage dark chocolate that I didn’t like. A rich, indulgent slice of chocolate cake paired with a glass of port is my choice dessert.

I don’t get a chance to host family dinners much but when I do, I try to go all out on dessert. It’s usually one of the few chances I have to try out something new for a large crowd. I’d been waiting for months for an excuse to replicate our favorite restaurant dessert, Chocolate Overdose Cake.

Locatelli’s Chocolate Overdose Cake is a dense wedge of chocolate. Simply put, it’s essentially three layers of chocolate, coated in chocolate, decorated with chocolate, and garnished with chocolate: A brownie base topped with a layer of rich chocolate mousse and a layer of moist chocolate cake, coated and decorated with a rich ganache with the sides covered in mini-chocolate chips; decidedly not a dessert for the faint of heart.

How good was the at-home version of this cake? It has almost 2 lbs of chocolate in it – that’s how good this cake is. And it’s most definitely better than the original. After the slices were passed and the port was opened, my family got quiet. Really quiet. (Unusual, if you know us.) Except for the mouth-full mumbling approvals of, “Mmmmmm,” and the passed-bedtime fussies from my nephew, minutes seemed to pass before much else was said. The ultimate compliment of the night came from my niece: “Aunt Shawnda, you’re a mad genius at cooking.” 7-year olds are so wise beyond their years these days!

The following recipe reads like a novel – or at the very least a Daring Bakers’ recipe. It is a lot less painful than it seems – and even if it wasn’t, all that chocolate coursing through your veins after dinner should make it worth it. Get organized when making the components: bake the brownie and cake layers at the same time. While those are about halfway through the cooling time, start on the mousse. While the assembled cake is chilling, start on the ganache (it needs time to come to room temp). Read the rest of this entry »

I knew these babies would be the hit of the party.

It was just after midnight and I was savoring the last bite of a tester batch of appetizers fresh out of the oven the night before a big dinner party (some of my best work in the kitchen comes after midnight!). It was a good thing that I only whipped up a few because I could have easily eaten an entire pan of pancetta-wrapped dates and then waddled my pumpkin-shaped self up the stairs to bed.
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I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with Martha Stewart over the last 12 years. It only makes sense that a woman who churns out so many recipes would produce a few duds and an occasional doozie. For the moment, she’s in my good graces. Martha might have to come to my home and throw out my Thanksgiving turkey 10 minutes before dinner to undo all the good she has done with this carrot cake recipe.
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