How Sweet It Is

I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.

I made this dessert last night and it is almost gone. Literally.

It is technically a chocolate tart, but I confess that I don’t have a tart pan. I don’t really want one either.

Well, that’s not entirely true. But I’ve come to the impression that if I bring home one more kitchen accessory I may just as well file for divorce. I can only stash away so many kitchen items in my closet too. My shoes need their space.

So I made the “tart” into bars. This way, you can eat smaller bites and it’s not like you eat as much. Especially when you eat the whole pan. Because you ate it in smaller bites, it doesn’t count. You know?

I don’t know which I love more – the crust or the chocolate?

You make a chocolate ganache filling which is so delectable that you can’t stand not eating it out of the saucepan. Who cares if you burn your tongue?

You basically stir high-quality chocolate into heavy cream:

Until it looks like this:

Then you pour it into this:

And after refrigerating, you wind up with this:

Friends, that is a raw, vegan crust.

Don’t worry, I totally de-veganized it with the milk chocolate and heavy cream. I wouldn’t want to lead you on.

I’m certainly no raw vegan chef, but this crust was fantastic!

The chocolate was incredible too. So fudgey and rich.

I wouldn’t mind an entire tub bowl filled with the chocolate filling.

I would have loved making the raw vegan version with young coconut meat, but the thought of hacking those coconuts apart makes me want to stick nails in my eyes. I have no interest in that. Now if someone wants to do it for me…

Coconut Crust

based on this recipe

2 cups shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until combined. Spread coconut mixture in a tart pan or baking dish and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Chocolate filling

based on this recipe

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat heavy cream and milk in a saucepan over low heat. As soon as the milk starts to simmer and bubble around the sides, remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Once smooth, stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour on top of coconut crust and refrigerate (or freeze) for 2 hours.

I’m currently in a chocolate coconut coma.

And I need a shower.

Just thinking of this sauce makes me drool a little.

I made it this past weekend, because… well… I found the recipe and didn’t think I could go on if I didn’t make it.

I was right.

It is life changing.

I decreased the amount of sugar in the recipe because, let’s be honest – we all know that I get enough sugar. Plus, I really wanted to be able to taste the blueberries.

I spooned it over some tart frozen yogurt – incredible!

And I may have drizzled a bit over my yogurt and fruit throughout the week.

It makes the days so much better.

But my favorite use for it?

That would be eating it off the spoon.

I am one classy lady.

Blueberry Caramel Sauce

from Eating Well

2 cups fresh blueberries

5 tablespoons water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

Combine blueberries, 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of sea salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir and mash until blueberries become a sauce-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In another saucepan combine water, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, then increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is golden. Occasionally swirl pan, cooking for about 7-8 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in blueberry sauce and let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in remaining lemon juice and let cool to room temperature.

Go make this caramel sauce. And then grab a spoon and dig in. It will make you do the happy dance.

p.s –> did you vote for Morgan yet?

Salad and I have a rocky relationship.

I’m sure you assumed as much, but these days we’ve been disagreeing more than usual.

I don’t think anything can be done to save the relationship either.

But when I make salads like these, they offer a bit of therapy.

It may be a favorite out of all the salads I’ve made.

It’s no secret that my piles of lettuce aren’t exactly veggie-filled.

In my opinion, that’s what makes them better.

Duh.

And you know I can’t have a salad without cheese and bacon.

As well as the token fruit – which in this case was mango and quite possibly the most delicious mango I’ve ever had.

I think I’ve said that before. But only once. This was only my second “perfect” mango.

I wish you could have seen how I attacked it.

I also threw on one of the heirloom tomatoes I bought on Saturday.

It was beautiful and juicy and seedy and vegetabley. If you catch my drift.

Eh, so I may have picked around the one vegetable on the plate. Sue me.

I needed more crunch than just the bacon alone, so I added some toasted tortilla strips. Coupled with the avocado, it was creamy and crispy. And shrimpy.

Grilled Shrimp Salad

serves 1

2 cups lettuce of choice

4 ounces raw peeled and deveined shrimp (or cooked)

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/4 mango, chopped

2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

1 ounce feta cheese

1/2 corn tortilla, cut into strips and toasted

Cut tortillas into strips and set oven to broil. Lay strips on a baking sheet and set under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Set aside.

Preheat grill. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, or marinade of choice. Grill shrimp until colors changes to light orange, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Combine all ingredients together and top with dressing of choice.

Why must salads always taste better when someone else makes them?

I need my own personal salad chef. And if they want to make me dessert too, I won’t complain.

You know how annoying it is when you walk through the stores and see Halloween paraphernalia right now?

Or how ridiculous it is to see Christmas decorations on October 15^th?

Well, this kind of feels like that.

But I just couldn’t help myself.

If pumpkin in August is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

I just couldn’t stay away any longer.

I want Fall and pumpkin and 50-degree weather and pretty leaves to hang around all year long. Just call that my utopia.

Luckily for me, I have 6 (well, had 6) cans of pureed pumpkin in the pantry just begging to be used.

I must have inherited the hoarding gene from Mother Lovett. But don’t worry, my pumpkin doesn’t expire until 2012. Mother Lovett’s would have expired in 1994.

And she still would have used it.

I used my non-expired pumpkin and combined it with juicy, sweet apples and whole wheat flour for some super moist and fluffy muffins. They are oh-so delicious. Even if they are a bit… orange.

You never know when you may have a pumpkin emergency.

Last year I went to bake with pumpkin and couldn’t find any on the shelves due to the shortage.

My mom came to the rescue with a can, but only later did I realize that it had expired the previous year. Clearly she inherited the expired-goods gene.

After that incident, I went out and bought all the pumpkin on the shelves. Yes, I have it all. I’m the jerk that bought it all at the store before you could get there.

I’m sorry.

But not really.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

makes about 12 muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 egg

1/2 cup grated apple

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/4-1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. In a smaller bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, apple and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.

Begin with adding 1/4 cup milk and stir. If batter is still thick, add additional milk.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, about 3/4 way full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

It is quite apparent that I need to be sent to muffin rehab.

If you think I sit here day after day, trying to come up with as many different flavor combinations as I can, well… you’re right.

Or maybe thank me?

I think I discovered the secret to eating only one cookie in a sitting.

Okay, maybe two cookies.

Three tops.

Just dip half of it in chocolate.

And yes, of course I used milk chocolate.

To me, milk chocolate is the only way to go. Dark chocolate is… okay. I’m not a huge fan. I’m sure that says something about me in the “foodie” and “tastebuds” department, but guess what? I don’t care. Give me milk chocolate or give me none.

Well, that’s a lie. I’d still probably take dark over nothing. I’m weak.

So I guess you want a recipe for the chocolate chip cookies?

They definitely aren’t my own. For the last year I have been obsessed with the New York Time’s chocolate chip cookies.

I can’t even make any other recipe. They are just so delicious.

Mr. How Sweet concurs.

He’s never really come out and told me that, but I can sense it.

You know, since he stands over the sink shoveling 7 cookies in his mouth with a Diet Coke in hand and everything.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

from The New York Times

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (The original recipe calls for larger cookies and a longer bake time, but I use a bit less dough and shorten the time in the oven.

Lesson learned: chocolate-dipped cookies are much more rich and satisfying than non-chocolate-dipped cookies.

But I still manage to eat more than one. Shocking, I know.