FFwD: Gnocchi a la Parisienne

January 13, 2011 by Monica in Cookbooks, Cooking Club, Dinner, FFwD, Main Courses

I been so absent from my French Fridays with Dorie group, I confess that I totally have skipped a whole month – thank god for their rules which are so forgiven, unlike my other cooking clubs. I love when you can cook without the pressure of being kicked out. Plus, the December recipes choices were all over the place, and you had to choose what to cook and on what week, which I did not like AT ALL, it felt somewhat disconnected. I hate to be given a choice to do a specific task, the reason I like cooking clubs is because I’m being told what to cook and on what date – a bit of structure is good in my chaotic life – and the fact that I can compare my experiences with all the others participating cooks that are cooking the same thing is the highlight of making it in the first place.

So I was so glad to see that in January, the group was back to the old format. And the recipe this week was Gnocchi a la Parisienne.

HCB: White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache

January 09, 2011 by Monica in Baking, Cake, Cookbooks, Decorating, Desserts, HCB

This past Saturday was my best friends birthday.

“M” and I known each other for over 20-plus years - more if I really count, but then that means that I’m old, as in really old and who wants to be reminded of that?

“M” and I meet in junior high school. It was at the bus stop and the new kid in town and she approached me and asked me what my name was, simple as that, straight to the point and fearless. Turned out we had a lot in common. After that we pretty much became inseparable, we lived in the same street, only 10 houses away from each other. Summer were spent by the pool, at first splashing, and then as we got older trying to pick the cool boys up. She has been there thru my first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first heartbreaks, my freaked outs, my many moves around the city and then out of the country. We have lived together, we have traveled together, we have each other’s backs. She has witness all of my failures, my success and everything in between. And she has always been there, a steady beacon to my chaotic life. I cannot image my life without her in it. It just would not make sense.

ABC: Evie Lieb's Processor Challah

January 04, 2011 by Monica in ABC, Baking, Baking Club, Bread, Cookbooks, Sandwiches

I think I may be ready to cross out “conquer anything with yeast” off my kitchen bucket list.

Uh, maybe.

This month’s choice for Avid Baker’s Challenge called to make Challah bread. I have to note that I love French bread, because I tend to like breads that are super “crusty” and then light and airy inside. But, Challah is one of my favorite soft breads (the other is brioche) plus I use it all the time to make the best EVER, SUPER DUPPER EASY French Toast Casserole. It also holds a special place in the Jewish tradition of the three Sabbath and two holiday meals, which begins with two complete loaves of Challah bread being blessed by the head of the household. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the challah may be rolled into a circular shape (sometimes referred to as a “Turban Challah”), symbolizing the cycle of the year, and baked with raisins in the dough. Sometimes the top is brushed with honey in honor of the “sweet new year.”