Oohhhh, chocolate.

OK, so I know the traditional sachertorte is layered and served with whipped cream and all that but let’s just throw tradition out the window for a second. I made this cake for my mom’s birthday the other day because she is a choc-a-holic but she ended up bailing on us at the last minute (RUDE!) which left an entire cake in the hands of my husband and children. I think we know how this story ends.

Recipe for Sachertorte after the jump

Torte:

2 oz semisweet baker’s chocolate

2 oz unsweetened baker’s chocolate

1 stick (8 tbl) butter at room temperature

4 large eggs separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour

Optional topping:

1 cup apricot glaze (from jam)

chocolate frosting

whipped cream

• Position your oven rack to the middle and heat to 400 degrees F
• Lightly butter a 9inch springform pan
• Line the bottom with parchment paper (optional because I didn’t have any and my cake came out fine)
• Using a double broiler pot (or whatever you have handy) melt the chocolate
• Remove from heat and continue to stir while cooling
• In a medium mixing bowl beat together butter and sugar until fluffy
• Add egg yolks one at a time, make sure to scrape sides of bowl
• Add the melted chocolate and vanilla

The next step is very important so please follow directions carefully. Beating egg whites is serious business!

• Beat eggs whites until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat the eggs.
• Add about 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and stir
• Add the remaining eggs whites 1/4 at a time
• Add the sifted cake flour
• Mix together with a rubber spatula
• Spread evenly into the cake pan
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Cool on wire rack

Now, I simply sprinkled confectioner’s sugar over top of the cake and started slicing. We don’t like to wait for fancy dressings around here. But if you want to truly top it off, try this:

And then it should look like this:

Summer is right around the corner so that means lots of fresh fruit to make scrumptious jellies. I made this quick and easy batch pf peach jelly with just a few over-ripe peaches I had lying around. There are a lot of jam/jelly recipes out there that require mulitple ingredients and steps – this ain’t one of those. You can thank me later.

Recipe for Peach Jelly after the jump!

Peach Jelly

1lb ripe peaches

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

*use 1 cup of sugar per pound of fruit

• To loosen skin, places peaches in boiling water for two minutes
• Then place peaches in ice cold waters bath
• Remove pit and chop peeled peaches into 1/2 inch squares

• In a large bowl combine peaches with sugar and lemon juice
• Stir until peaches are fully coated
• In a medium saucepan heat peaches until boiling

This next step is very important!

• Continuously stir peaches while mixture is boiling
• If you like a jelly with less chunks you can use a hand blender to further break down the peaches
• Boiling the peaches will release the pectin needed to gel but continue to stir so the peaches do not burn

Make sure you clean and sterilize your canning jar(s)

Place the pipping hot and delicious jelly in your jar – try not to lick it off the sides, use a napkin.

Place sealed jar in hot water bath for 10 minutes to ensure air tightness. If you’re going to eat it right away (like we do) that step is optional.

Enjoy on english muffings (or bagels as my 3 year old calls them), homemade bread, in a yogurt parfait – whatever whatever. It’s good stuff.

Still on a tomato kick over here. Cherry tomatoes, onions and lots and lots of garlic. I must admit that I am not a fan of chicken thighs. Something about the texture of the meat has always turned me off, so I marinated them for a few hours before making this dish.

Recipe for Garlic Chicken w/Roasted Tomatoes after the jump!

For the marinade:

3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

5 cloves saved garlic

2 tbs dried rosemary

2 tbs dried thyme

• Place 4 chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag
• Combine marinade ingredients and whisk
• Pour marinade into plastic bag with chicken and seal
• Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours

For the main dish:

There’s nothing like the flavor and aroma of fresh tomatoes in the summertime. After stocking up on a bounty of tomatoes at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market I decided to make this light pasta dish courtesy of G. Garvin’s Dining In.

Recipe for Spaghetti w/Stewed Tomatoes & Fresh Basil after the jump.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

1 lb dried spaghetti

1 tbl Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup coarsely chopped plum tomatoes

2 tbl chopped garlic

2 cups white wine

1/2 cup red cherry tomatoes

1/2 yellow cherry tomatoes

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 tbl unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Cook pasta according to package directions or personal taste
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the plum tomatoes and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the wine, all the cherry tomatoes, and basil. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in butter.
• Drain pasta and place in large casserole dish or pasta bowl
• Pour tomato sauce over steaming hot pasta.
• Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and top with Parmesan cheese.

Note: This recipe really is “super simple” and a great way to use up tomatoes that are on the verge of rotting. Because the flavors of this dish are very light, it’s best to use fresh-picked tomatoes from your own garden or a famer’s market. Trust me, the flavor difference is incredible and so is the quality of the tomatoes.

Look for brand new food posts starting Monday! Yes, that’s muesli.

I have to take a quick break from blogging because the New Year has me SWAMPED with work for my real job. I will try to be back posting as soon as possible. I have a lot of food to share! So please stay with me while i dig myself out of this work hole.

Follw me on twitter so you’ll know when I am back!

This is what happens when you let a 2 1/2 year old hold a camera!

Anyway, I just wanted to wish the readers of this blog (all 20 of you…lol) a very Merry Christmas and lots of good eating and happy times with friends and family. Me? I am once again playing hostess and have a laundry list of things still unfinished and some not even started. We traditionally (for the past two years) have held an italian feast on Christmas day with lots of seafood and antipasti and stuffed, cheesy dishes. In the mornings I make cinnamon rolls and we usually snack on those till the afternoon. It really is all about comfort food with us. We then do some sort of family activity in the evening (bowling, going to the movies, etc.).

As for Christmas Eve, we are attending a holiday celebration concert and then will partake in the popular southern california tradition of tamale-eating and gift-wrapping.

I will be back next week with some more breakfast/brunch fare and am looking forward to building this blog’s audience in 2009.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Holidays!!

EDIT::

Oh, I forgot to add this. Menu for Hope is a really great fundraiser created by one of my favorite food bloggers, Chez Pim. Help raise money for the UN World Food Programme AND put yourself in the running to win prizes from some of the web’s most popular food bloggers. It’s a really great cause and it’s always good to remember that while we feast and enjoy time with loved ones, there are so many who would just be happy with the basics. Please give if you can.

I was always on the lookout for the perfect recipe. A simple, no frills option that turned out perfectly golden pancakes each and every time.  A few years ago I tried this one and the results were fantastic. I have used only this recipe since then and it’s easily adaptable if you want to make specialty pancakes.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

I like my pancakes medium-sized and fluffy. My husband likes them small and thinner, almost like crepes. So I just add a little water, about 1/4 cup, to the mix when I make his.

Maple syrup and butter is all you really need.  If you want to make fruit pancakes, add about 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries to the batter.

I spent most of the weekend baking and sewing gifts for friends, co-workers and my husband’s clients. One of my favorite homemade gifts to give is granola packaged in mason jars. I use a little fabric (cut in circles) to decorate the jars. Granola is ridiculously easy to make and you can bake a large batch in about an hour.

Granola is one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” type deals, so there really is no need for an actual recipe, but here is a guide for those of you looking to try it yourself.

Preheat oven to 400F

Take six cups of oats, unseasoned.

Flatten oats on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, chop up about two cups of your favorite nuts. I used raw pecans and walnuts

To the toasted oats add the chopped nuts, 2 cups of finely chopped dried fruit (cranberries and apricots are my fav) and drizzle 2/3 cup of honey over mixture. Using your hands (always best) mix together the oats, nuts, fruit and honey. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

My family loves the stuff and we save a ton of money by not buying those expesnvie, packaged granola in the stores. You can also use it to make a fruit and yogurt parfait (coming soon!) or use it as a base for nuesli (also coming soon!).

After making my own hot chocolate I can never go back to that packaged stuff again. It’s so simple and you can make it as rich, sweet or creamy as you’d like. With the weather down right east coast here in La La Land, I decided that there was no better time than now to snuggle up with a mug full.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

3 cups milk (or 2 cups heavy cream)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tbl pure vanilla extract

If you like a rich, chocolaty flavor try heavy cream – but it’s a little too thick for me so I use whole milk.

Start by bringing the milk or heavy cream to a boil. Add the vanilla extraxt and stir. Then add the chocolate chips.

Whisk until all chocolate is completely melted.

Top with whipped creme, caramel, toffee, etc etc etc.

Happy Drinking!