Torte and Stout

For all of you chocolate devotees, this flour-less chocolate torte passed down from my grandmother, is sensational. Moist, rich and oh-so-decadent, you really only need a sliver. Top it off with a little bit of fresh fruit, or a dusting of powdered sugar, and you're set! I made this awhile back for when we were having a friend from New York come stay with us. With how good it came out, you wouldn't have been able to guess how simple it actually was to construct. Paired with a piping hot cup of herbal tea, you really couldn't get much better. All I will say is that the boys did a pretty good job at devouring it...

La Pigna's Chocolate-Almond Torte

This rich, dense cake develops a fuller flavor if made a day ahead. It is marvelous topped with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream. This country-style torte is famous on the Isle of Capri and the recipe is from LaPigna Restaurant, 30 Via Lo Palazzo.

Ingredients:

- 6 1/2 oz. (squares) unsweetened chocolate (you can get away with using a 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips)
- 2 C whole, blanched almonds (or walnuts for a cheaper alternative, however I didn't use any)
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick + 5 tablespoons unsalted, room temperature butter
- powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Tools:

- 8-inch spring form pan
- blender or food processor

1) Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan and line with parchment paper. Lightly flour sides and bottom.
2) In a food processor/blender, grind 2 cups whole blanched almonds and 6 1/2 oz. (squares) unsweetened chocolate) to a medium/fine consistency.
3) In a medium mixing bowl, beat 7 egg yolks and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy (if working by hand, just do your best, i know it can be a workout!). Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter plus another 5 Tbs., softened to room temp and beaten until smooth.
4) Add nut-chocolate mix and beat until well blended. Batter may be dense; scrape into prepared pan.
5) Bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 minutes, or until fork comes out clean.
6) Let cool for 5 minutes, pop out of pan and after cooled, serve with powdered sugar on top.

Enjoy!

ChocolateChunkCoconutCranberryCookies!

Baking always puts me in a great mood. There's something very meditative about it (that and organizing my refrigerator - I know, I know). In celebration of getting my very first job call back in weeks since I've been laid off, I decided to celebrate by making a batch of experimental goodies! The past couple of days, through various baking blogs, I've come across these gorgeous recipes for chocolate chip cookies with cherries. Brilliant! A little sweet, a little tart - just what I've been hankering for! However, upon pulling up to the bulk section in my local grocery store, I realized, for the sake of my bank account, I should opt for dried cranberries as a cheaper alternative, which would still give me that great tang. I also decided to pick up some coconut flakes, as I just discovered I love the texture they lend to baked goods since trying my aunt's banana bread over for the weekend (have a look at her, and friend Lisa's delicious business - Sweet Eva's!).

Once home, I went straight to Martha, and chose to use her 'Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip' recipe. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, later, I had my own one-of-a-kind-Liz-creation! Hands down, guys, best cookies I have ever made in my life. I was so proud. They were soft, and almost cupcake like with their thickness, with the perfect ratio of sweet and sour and a great bit of extra texture to break up those big bites!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Coconut Cookies

Yields 3 dozen

Ingredients:

- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups chocolate chips/chunks
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (to taste)
- 1 cup dried coconut (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350*. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (don't worry if you don't have an electric mixer, I just whisked it by hand!). Set flour and other dry ingredients aside in a bowl together. Mix vanilla and eggs in with the butter and sugar and add coconut. With a wooden spoon, mix dry and wet ingredients together. Add chocolate and cranberries.
Spoon cookies onto a non-stick/buttered cookie sheet and put in oven for about 8-10 minutes (you may want to check midway to see if you need to rotate your sheet).


Voila! Beautiful, yummy, fluffy cookies at your disposal. I've really enjoyed this experiment and now can't stop thinking about all the other wonderful things I could incorporate into cookies - dried blueberries, dried apricots and peaches - the possibilities are endless! So please, if you have any brilliant ideas, please feel free to share them with me!

Until then - happy baking!