1 cake, 2 cake, 3 cake... i bake

I'm always a little trepidatious when it comes to trying new cake recipes. I like using the tried and true, whether it be for taste or texture, and don't tend to vary from the usual vanilla or chocolate. But my repetoire is getting a little narrow. Sure, I can decorate like a fiend, but I'd love for my cakes to taste amazing as well. It's not enough that they LOOK good, but they have to TASTE good, too.

But here's my dirty little secret.

I. DON'T. LIKE. CAKE.

If I can help it, I don't eat cake. I'm not crazy about sweets in particular (some exceptions may apply... i.e. pie), and cake has got to be on the bottom of the list of things I'd willingly put into my mouth.

There's no rhyme or reason behind my dislike. I just don't. I used to like cake. I don't anymore.

So when I bake a cake, I try a piece to check that I didn't inadvertently use salt instead of sugar and baking powder instead of baking soda, that's about it. I rely on everyone else around me to tell me if it tastes good (or bad). But like everyone else, I'm finding that people's opinions vary from night and day. There's the "too sweet" people and the "too rich" people to the "not chocolatey enough" people and the "omg, this is the best damned thing I've ever eaten" people. Thus, it's really hard for me to judge what recipe is worthy of repeating.

Today, I tried a new recipe for chocolate mud cake that I have been eyeing for a few weeks now. At first, I was intrigued by the white chocolate version, but hey, I don't like white chocolate very much, and Wednesday's birthday boy is apparently a chocolate fan. Done.

Only, halfway through the baking process I got distracted by something on television and forgot to add some ingredients. Key ingredients such as SUGAR and COCOA POWDER (oh my!). And me being forgetful me, I didn't double check the recipe and popped the whole thing into the oven at 160 degrees C. Whoops.

An hour and a bit later, the kitchen smelled heavenly. Aroma de chocolat filled the air and everyone else's taste buds were watering. The cake smelled fantastic... and tasted... not bad.

It was more of a dark chocolate souffle. Very light and airy and not sweet at all. It would have been a perfect recipe for a molten lava cake, and amazing if paired with ice cream and a light drizzle of raspberry coulis.

So what am I saying with all this? Nothing really. Only that sometimes accidents are a good thing.

Oh, and btw, I made another cake following the recipe to the "T" that somehow, it doesn't seem quite as good. But we'll let the birthday boy be the judge of that recipe.

a taste of liquid sunshine

There is nothing close to the experience of sipping Pernod on a patio in the summertime. The pastis is light and incredibly refreshing, tasting faintly of anise and unlike a lot of cocktails, not too sweet. A simple squeeze of lemon enhances the aromas and opens up the flavours of the drink, giving it a depth that others come close to having, but don't.

The happy, sunny yellow colour of the drink is characteristic of this particular spirit. It pours clear out of the bottle, and turns milky-opaque when water (or ice) is added.

Which is very important to know.

Because, if say, one was sitting on the patio at jump and orders a Pernod with water and lemon, and receives something that is more of a milky beige than a sunny yellow, one would know that it is not Pernod and that the bartender is trying to pull the wool over one's eyes by substituting Ricard. Which does, by the way, taste different and has a stronger lingering licorice-like finish with none of the floral notes of Pernod.

(note to bartender... don't do it again)

Finding it in Toronto patios and bars is still a little difficult - demand and supply and the fact that marketing efforts seem to be concentrated in Quebec (aging French ex-pat target market and all that jazz). If you do manage to find it, prices will vary from the amazing value for money $4.55 at jump to a not so wallet friendly $10-something at the middle-management-convention filled louge at the hotel on Front St. across from Lone Star.

(see how far I'll go to avoid mentioning the name of that place...)

Word of caution. Pernod is definitely not the drink for everyone - some people find the anise flavour off-putting. And while I'm usually a card carrying member of the licorice haters party and really truly do think that the flavour of black licorice in anything is just plain icky, the mildness of the Pernod is strangely appealing... especially with that squeeze of lemon.

strawberry experiment #1

Sometimes, I just sit at my desk thinking about food. Usually this happens just before lunch (when I'm hungry), or around 3pm (when I'm sleepy). Yesterday I wanted to make a strawberry white chocolate chip cookie, i.e. take your classic chocolate chip cookie, use white chocolate chips, and instead of raisins (or whatever) use dried strawberries.

Sounds fab, no?

Alas, it wasn't to be. No one at the Bayview Village Loblaws has even heard of dried strawberries, and me being lazy, it being kinda late by the time I got there, I didn't feel like driving all over town looking for something that may be not be readily available. So I improvised instead. Not bad. Next time, though, I might add a little more strawberry puree and perhaps not bake it for so long.

Of course, the wicked strawberry mojito may be why I lost track of time.

strawberry white chocolate chip cookies

INGREDIENTS
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup mashed strawberries (drained of juice)
mint leaves
1 oz Havana Club
soda water
juice of 1/2 lime
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Mash strawberries and drain out most of the juice.
2. In a tall glass, muddle together strawberry juice, mint leaves, and lime juice. Add Havana Club, and top with soda water. Sugar to taste, garnish with a sprig of mint if you want to get fancy.
3. Take a sip of your wicked strawberry mojito.
4. Cream together sugar and butter. I like to do white sugar first, and then brown sugar.
5. Take a sip of your wicked strawberry mojito.
6. Beat in egg and vanilla.
7. Phew... that was hard work... take a long sip of your wicked strawberry mojito.
8. Stir in strawberry puree.
9. Take a sip of your wicked strawberry mojito.
11. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
12. Slowly add dry mix to wet, stir until almost incorporated
13. Take a sip of your wicked strawberry mojito.
14. Stir in white chocolate chips.
15. Spoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
16. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 11-13 minutes, or until cookie looks almost done.
17. Make another wicked strawberry mojito.
18. Remove cookies from oven, and let sit for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.