tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65623096538160608852025-02-01T19:07:50.105-05:00A journey through chocolateAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-4748164932129607732012-04-22T22:35:00.000-04:002012-05-23T21:21:59.297-04:00

I know out in most areas spring is in full bloom, but here in the dessert, it feels a whole lot more like summer to me! It's in the 90's everyday and only getting hotter [I haven't decided if I find this thrilling or horrifying....] So I have been in such a huge summer-y mood this past week and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So in honor of this hot summer weather, I have started working

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-82646350761417657192012-03-19T17:18:00.000-04:002012-03-30T11:30:02.689-04:00

For the most part, my recipes are not "mock ups" of a previously existing item [other than the homemade oreo's] I don't generally just want to copy a flavor that someone else has already come up with, I am more interested in working on my own flavors and combinations to create my own personal style.... with one exception: See's Candy Bordeaux Truffle. My Dad's FAVORITE candy [underneath only

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-60899026614201781662012-03-14T23:04:00.002-04:002012-03-14T23:04:48.207-04:00

Literally meaning "pick me up" Tiramisu is my all time favorite dessert. Anytime I'm at an Italian restaurant I always order Tiramisu, no matter what. Although I have yet to find the perfect slice of fluffy lady fingers drunk with coffee and rum [yes, i prefer rum to marsala wine in my Tiramisu] layered between a smooth mascarpone cream and topped with cocoa powder at any restaurant, I

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-31063804568477502972012-02-27T22:59:00.001-05:002012-03-30T19:48:27.740-04:00

"First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!" - The Sandlot Some of my favorite food memories [besides my mom's lasagna every year for my birthday] as a child revolve around a campfire with flaming marshmallows and

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-77080326185845163772012-02-13T22:09:00.000-05:002012-02-13T22:09:26.032-05:00

With Valentine's Day right around the corner [tomorrow], there are a ton of chocolate/cherry recipes circulating around. Now, personally I am really not a chocolate/cherry fan. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE chocolate and I also love cherries, but for some reason, the combination doesn't do anything for me. This could go back to my hatred towards cherry cordials [I am not a fan of biting into

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-49447391874687742152012-01-30T19:57:00.000-05:002012-01-30T19:57:16.246-05:00

I've been a little overwhelmed on my end over here. I made the move from NYC back to LA in December, bringing a large chapter of my life to a close. I did take a break from chocolate while I was in Los Angeles for the holidays, just spending time with family and friends. Now with January coming to a close, I have moved onto my next big adventure- Las Vegas. I'm looking forward to working out

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-1681236403488580062012-01-19T14:43:00.000-05:002012-01-19T14:43:29.904-05:00

I'm not sure who doesn't enjoy a hot bowl of popcorn, smothered in butter and salted to perfection [ especially while watching a great movie ] but personally, I would rather have a warm bowl of salty sweet kettle corn - nothing against good ol' fashioned butter, but with a sweet tooth like mine, I gotta have the sugar in there somewhere. so to celebrate national popcorn day I am going to post a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-75801791536610636552012-01-12T13:38:00.000-05:002012-01-12T13:38:02.266-05:00

Going nuts over nuts. One of my favorite [and actually easiest] things to make are chocolate covered nuts. But why stop there. Nuts are great not only for their flavor, but also for their crunchy texture. When you cover the nuts in a hard caramel shell first you add even more crunchy texture and make this sweet snack more delicious and extraordinary. Its a sweet surprise in every bite! Plus, in

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-60954955110894156102012-01-03T21:27:00.000-05:002012-01-03T21:27:29.603-05:00

I love nuts and chocolate- who doesnt! - chocolate covered nuts, as well as candy bars featuring nuts...but on an even more delicious note....GIANDUJA! [john-do-ya] Which is a mixture of nut paste and chocolate [any kind of nut and any kind of chocolate] so gianduja can be made to meet anyone's wants/needs/likes/cravings. A very common gianduja spread is Nutella. Yup- nutella is hazelnut paste

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-25648525760069305542012-01-01T22:33:00.000-05:002012-01-01T22:33:29.407-05:00

Hope that you had a fun and safe new years eve. I took a little Christmas vacation from posting on here so I could spend time with my family. We've had a wonderful warm and sunny southern california christmas :] I'm so happy that I have finished up with my time in new york- no offense to the east coast....but as Miss Katy Perry said best, nothing comes close to the golden coast. Well, to start

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-74091173245568745822011-12-15T13:17:00.000-05:002011-12-15T16:14:03.849-05:00

well, this post is coming a day too late, but here is the culmination of the hot cocoa series! Homemade marshmallows- the perfect topping for your homemade hot cocoa, no matter what flavor you choose to make, you can mix up a quick batch of any flavor marshmallow to go with it. Personally I love marshmallows, i love them in cocoa, smores, cookies, in my mouth....basically whenever, wherever. And

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-34733316739424770732011-12-09T14:43:00.001-05:002011-12-09T15:01:21.144-05:00

Maple syrup is a pretty versatile item. It can be used in candies, on pancakes and waffles obviously, some people use it to glaze meats during the holidays. I've seen maple used in cake frostings with bacon, and even as a latte, but I cant say that I have ever had a maple hot chocolate!! This could be a fun breakfast cocoa to drink alongside some bacon and eggs, it doesn't taste very

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-6847314547722094172011-12-07T13:05:00.001-05:002011-12-07T14:41:44.254-05:00

We have reached the halfway point in the hot chocolate series- so far we have touched on some basic hot chocolates to try out, nothing too much having to do with the holiday season- so today its time to jump into christmas flavors with a gingerbread hot chocolate! Actually, this is probably my favorite hot chocolate to date, although I used milk chocolate in this recipe- i think it would be even

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-17230549800103043842011-12-06T10:37:00.001-05:002011-12-06T11:07:41.974-05:00

Warning: This hot cocoa is very sweet- not for the weak! December 6, and I have started seeing more twinkle lights and candy canes in store windows! I love passing Christmas trees on the street and hearing salvation army bells ring. Its starting to feel like Christmas time here, finally- although it won't actually hit me until I land in California on Saturday night. That's right! This is my last

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-63658643899898417232011-12-05T11:34:00.001-05:002011-12-05T12:11:57.908-05:00

Since I have already touched on a few different flavored hot chocolates, I wanted to put up some easy, basic hot chocolate recipes that work for everyone's taste buds!! So...we are going to try the simplest hot chocolate recipe three different ways: White, Milk, and Dark Chocolate! Same basic recipe, just change the chocolate you use and you have three astoundingly different flavors. Basic Hot

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-40507370013967511302011-12-05T09:57:00.001-05:002011-12-05T12:10:32.282-05:00

Something I have always wanted to try is spicy chocolate. It's not a brand new concept, but I've just never tried any of the specialty bars and truffles and other chocolate-spiced items out there. So i figured we could give it a go with some spicy hot chocolate, using just cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Spicy Hot Chocolate  Chocolate 3 oz Milk 6 oz Cinnamon 1 tsp Cayenne pepper 1 tsp 1.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-78271419785679655612011-12-02T21:54:00.001-05:002011-12-05T12:09:57.578-05:00

Today's hot chocolate is "mocha" inspired. Although a mocha is technically espresso, chocolate, and milk. So today we are just going to make a very soft ganache by infusing coffee beans into the milk and then pouring it over the chocolate and then we add water [or more milk]- voila! It doesn't have an overly coffee flavor, but is also not too sweet, which i really love about it. If you enjoy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-988720841342890462011-12-01T16:27:00.001-05:002011-12-05T10:13:16.820-05:00

Sometimes I wonder how quirky national days come to be...for example, national hot dog day [July 23], national coffee day [September 29]. Who decides what day a singular food gets to be celebrated by everyone? Whoever he is..I want his job. It turns out that December 13 is National [hot] Cocoa Day. So, in leading up to this DELICIOUS celebration, I am going to be doing a twelve days of hot

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-19150185489306182612011-11-25T13:07:00.001-05:002011-11-25T13:25:57.320-05:00

I hope everyone had a great and delicious Thanksgiving! Be safe while dealing with crazy shoppers today! In order to ring in this holiday season, we are going to start with fudge. Peppermint fudge. :] I personally love fudge, some people don't - and I think they are crazy. This fudge recipe is on the sweeter side, so if you would want to tone that down, you can use UNSWEETENED  chocolate

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-53268209440394585152011-11-18T18:13:00.001-05:002011-11-18T18:39:30.259-05:00

Today we are going to cover a third kind of ganache: BUTTER GANACHE. So far we have done multiple cream and water ganaches, so today I figured it was time to try out a new ganache formula. The method for butter ganache is very different than that of cream or water. You need to start with your butter soft and at room temperature, and you are going to cream to together with a liquid sweetener [in

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-8050150708823807562011-11-18T15:43:00.001-05:002011-11-19T09:06:40.223-05:00

So we have done boiled custard, baked custard, and now we are moving on to a cake! I always love trying new recipes, and this one is pretty awesome. The cake itself is not a pomegranate cake, it is a brown butter cake layered with thick pomegranate ganache AND a creamy pomegranate buttercream. Together, all of these components make for an awesome moist cake with a very rich flavor! The cake

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-29356586762015128062011-11-17T08:37:00.001-05:002011-11-17T20:51:19.842-05:00

[If you missed it, make sure to check out my first Pomegranate post here] Round 2 of our pomegranate series leaves us with some extra cinnamon tart dough, a little meringue, and barely any damage done to the pomegranates [OR PECANS!]. So let's mix it all together and make some pudding with awesome texture. I have personally never been a huge pudding fan...but then again, I have never

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-84193332153548761782011-11-16T14:33:00.001-05:002011-11-17T20:51:51.975-05:00

I have been blessed with amazing people in my life. People like my roommates, Kat and Allie, who try everything I make [even when they don't want to], people like my family who read my blog but don't ever get to try anything I make [since they are so far away], and people like my friend Michael, who brought me 10 pomegranates and a 2 pound bag of pecans yesterday! I am swimming in pomegranate

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-65812938186450550702011-11-14T12:47:00.001-05:002011-11-17T20:52:24.048-05:00

This last week has been so crazy and filled with so many things. I had the opportunity to see a cake decorating demonstration given by BETTY VAN NOSTRAND, if you have never heard of Betty, I am sure you have heard of many of her students: Ron Ben-Israel or Buddy Valastro. Yes, Betty taught these men and countless others how to decorate cakes. She's a legend, and such a nice lady :] She

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562309653816060885.post-78956473682148425332011-11-06T12:00:00.000-05:002011-11-17T20:53:17.559-05:00

ALRIGHT! This will be the last cranberry post! [until we get closer to Thanksgiving]...because, well, I have used up almost all of the cranberries I have now. This bonbon is an ode to one of my favorite things: cheesecake [which as we learned last post, is a custard] So, to add a fun textural and flavor contrast, I made a white chocolate cream cheese ganache, and then topped it off with a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02610070951849297160noreply@blogger.com1