olympic dessert

mimi and i had been avidly following the olympics, and were discussing the sports related drama while enjoying brunch at mark’s kitchen.
and then we noticed the dessert menu, where there was a dessert called “the magic cube”.
“it’s like the dessert version of the water cube!” mimi yelled.
“it’s a sign that the best way to celebrate michael phelps’ 8-gold achievement is to eat dessert!” i exclaimed.
and so we ordered it.
here’s what it looked like – magical indeed:

and here’s a picture of it, mid-devouring:

well worth it! (and the rest of the food at mark’s is pretty good too.)

new mr. yogato stamps

okay, THIS is serious.

i still can’t resist a discount on dessert, however.

Creative Cupcake awards

If there were such a thing, this  MaltBall cupcake from local bakery Shoebox Oven would get top honors. I love the way the malt balls look like eyes. I’ve yet to try their stuff, but everything on the menu looks equally creative & delicious. They also have a stall at the CourtHouse farmer’s market every Saturday, for anyone interested.

http://shoeboxoven.com/index.html

 

lemon-lime cake

purchased at curly’s luncheonette on the very lucky day of August 8, 2008.
the cake was a little dry, and not as packed with citrus zing as i would have liked, but the icing was top notch. buttery, yet vegan. HOW DO THEY DO THAT???

Another reason I heart Nigella: Chocohotopots

I don’t know why I haven’t seen Nigella Lawson on Food Network lately. Rumor has it that she gained so much weight, the production folks were ordered to only shoot her from the waist up. But really, who trusts a skinny cook? I mean, the recipes I’ve road-tested from Giada’s show have all come out sorta bland, if that tells you anything.

Nigella’s recipe for chocohotopots is ridiculously easy, has 5 basic ingredients (butter, sugar, chocolate, flour, eggs) and is a crowd-pleaser. You don’t even need a hand mixer. A whisk will do. Note: I find that the mini semisweet chocolate chips are easier to melt, which you can do in a glass bowl in the microwave. Just do it incrementally (about 15-20 seconds at a time? It really depends on your microwave), stirring a lot in between. Don’t overnuke it, or you’ll be crying into your chocolate-butter mixture.

These are basically lava cakes (molten middle). You can bake them a bit longer than her recipe says if you want the middle a bit more solid. The tops come out crispy, a nice contrast to the gooeyness that lies beneath. I like them topped with fresh whipped cream and a side of food coma.

Get the recipe here: http://bit.ly/isNov

Baked & Wired, Georgetown

In all my years living in DC, I’ve never made it to Baked & Wired to sample their wares. They’re not open on weekends, and close early in the evenings. So when I recently had  Friday off from work, I made a point of heading over there to try their cupcakes. They’ve been around a lot longer than Georgetown Cupcake. Plus you don’t have to wait in line to get your hands on the goods (when you need sugar, you NEED sugar).

I ordered a red velvet cupcake, which was a bit more expensive than Georgetown Cupcake, but made up for it in size. Overall, I liked the cake part better than the icing, which tasted a little too close to something I’d expect to get out of a can. Next time I go back it’s gonna be for the mega cupcake they sell, which looked at least 6″ in diameter and would be the perfect birthday cake for the cupcake-obsessed.

 

Breadwinner’s pumpkin bread/cake

You know how they say you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry? Same goes for watching Food Network.

Mr. X-sXe and I were watching a program that featured Breadwinner’s peach bread. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all week.  And when it comes to sweets, my resolve is weaker than Hef in a hot tub fulla bunnies. I soon broke down and ordered a couple loaves of the Papa Don’t Peach, along with this Party at My Place Pumpkin Bread.

The peach bread (not pictured) actually wasn’t as good as the pumpkin. It was a bit boring–needed a little something to kick up the flavor. But the pumpkin was perfectly spiced, moist goodness. Ann likened it to “pumpkin cake.” Mr. X-sXe agreed. We had it with a pat of butter. Yum.

http://www.getloafed.com/

Paula Deen’s mini cheesecakes (cream cheese tarts)

This is the first Paula Deen recipe I’ve tried, and it’s a winner. Simple, fast, easy, not a lot of ingredients. Plus it’s not as rich or dense as your usual cheesecake. The crust is pretty clever–a Nilla wafer at the bottom of a cupcake liner.

Paula covered her tarts in blueberry pie filling, but I had a jar of cherries from Trader Joe’s handy. For the cherry topping, stir together cherry juice from the jar, balsamic vinegar and dark brown sugar in a saucepan in a 1:1:1 ratio. Reduce it over medium-high heat until it thickens, then add the drained cherries back into the thickened sauce and coat them. Wait until the cheesecakes and topping have both cooled before spooning the topping on.

Get Paula’s recipe here.

 

Update, September 13, 2012: I revisited this recipe recently, adding 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and the zest of 1 lemon. That made it even better.