Learning to Layer

One of my weekend projects:  

After a year of blogstalking Sweetly Raw, I decided to buck up and buy Heathy's dessert recipe books.  She had a great sale going on in December (not that I needed an excuse to buy myself another Christmas present).  Heathy's books are a feast for the eyes:  full of beautiful pictures and creative, droolworthy recipes.  I  decided that I was going to make a layered cake, using a concoction of recipes from her books. 

Layer 1:  Double Chocolate Maca Cake from Just Desserts
Layer 2:  leftover Chocolate Ice Cream from The Ultimate Raw Ice Cream Cake
Layer 3:  mysterious Chocolate ganache from back of freezer
Layer 4:  Caramel Sauce #2 from Just Desserts
Layer 5:  Coconut Whipped Cream (delish and low nut!) from Sweetly Raw with chocolate sauce swirls

This was a learning experience.  Here are a few things I vow never to repeat.

1.  Making a middle ganache layer that freezes hard as steel.  Way too difficult to cut a clean slice!
2.  Getting excited and removing the springform before all the layers were frozen solid.
3.  Trying to cut a piece after removing the springform from the less than frozen cake.
4.  Trying to squish the springform back on a quickly drooping cake.
5.  Offering to split a piece with TH and letting him eat the first half (he encroached on my halvsies!).


This was really fun to make, even though it took all weekend.  It wasn't super cold outside so I'd put a new layer on and have to leave the springform outside for quite a while before it was ready for the next layer.  (Can you blame me for  hastily yanking off that springform?)

I'm going to post a messy slice pic, even though I'm so sad that my experiment didn't turn out as pretty as  the recipe book pictures.  It's all good though, because it tastes like supreme, rich, creamy, chocolatey delightfullness.

Question:  Have you ever made a layered ice cream cake?  What's the secret to beautiful layers?  Do I just have to be more patient with the freezing process?  

"Helps your cooking fast, joyfully with wonderfully edged strings!"

When I ordered my ice cream maker I also threw a Japanese Benriner Cook Help into my shopping cart.  It arrived today!

I had read that this tool makes fantastic raw veggie noodles and had been scoping it out for a while.  I was tired of using a veggie peeler, or slicing my fingers on my cheap mandolin.  

I am soooo glad the instructions came illustrated because they were full of useful tips like:

• "Also, cut it in tiney (sic) pieces with kitchin (sic) knife and use for Hamburg steak, frizzled rice, etc."
• "Sliced onion can be obtained with ease. Very much popular as stamina food."
• "Just a little bit different Tastes of a regular cook."

Okay, I'm rude, but I had a nice laugh at Benriner's expense, but then did feel truly joyful (as the instructions stated I would) when I figured the thing out.  It is super cool!  

After playing around with lots of veggies (should have taken pics!), I made green pepper and carrot "noodles" and topped them with Cauliflower Curry from Delightfully Raw.  Heavenly.  

One of our Full Circle Farm boxes this week was packed with kale.  I did the ordering for this box when I was in Mexico, under extreme leafy green deprivation.  I wonder if FCF thinks I learned how to make meth with kale.  

Only one thing to do with bucco kale:  KALE CHIPS!!

Oil and vinegar, Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Hemp and Carmella's Curry Kale Chips.  

I decided to do something productive with that mysterious freezer chocolate ganache, so I don't continue to spoon it mindlessly into my mouth while reading blogs.  

I set it on the wood stove to soften it up, then spooned a little layer into a candy mold.  I froze it for a bit, then spooned in a layer of Caramel Sauce #2 from Sweetly Raw's Just Desserts recipe book.  (BTW:  that caramel sauce is outstanding.  Tastes better than the real deal.)  I froze it again, and topped the candies with another layer of ganache.  

Wow.  This is better.  I can eat one or two of these and feel totally satisfied.  

Question:  What's your favorite kitchen tool?  

Weird Hippie Dishes

I was never really a cooked pizza fan.  It might all stem from the day long ago when my sister puked in Pay 'n' Save after eating at Pizza Hut.  The image of miles of gooey, greasy mozzarella encasing the shelf of Barbie corvettes is permanently etched in my memory.  

Raw pizza, however, I do enjoy quite a bit.  Without all that cheese you can actually taste the separate flavors.  This evening I pulled out one of my frozen crusts and topped it with tomato sauce (leftover from the zucchini pasta dish), cheeze, spinach, and finally veggies and olives marinated in nama shoyu, olive oil and garlic.  A brief stint in the D and mmmmmm.  It may look like one of those weird hippie dishes, but it's the real deal. 

All pizza ingredient recipes from Delightfully Raw

I made TH a vegan cauliflower slow cooker curry that smelled amazing.  (I adapted the recipe from here).  This also looks like something I would have been embarrassed to bring to lunch in middle school, but TH likes it. 

My evening chocolate fix (brownie from The Raw Dessert, coconut whipped cream from Delightfully Raw):

I went a little big on the coconut whipped cream

Question:  Does anyone have any good slow cooker recipes?  I don't eat much cooked food, but I love to throw a bunch of random ingredients in the slow cooker and come home to lovely smells in the cabin. So much easier than cooking for TH after work.  

Today was a crisp, lovely day.  

Isn't this immature cabbage head pretty?  I was too lazy to clean it out of my planter when the snow came and it's now frozen solid.  

Speaking of frozen, we took a stroll on a series of lakes near our house to judge the ice for skiing potential.  Not quite ready yet, but soon.  Yippee!  I have new skate skis to break in.  

Our friends from Wasilla are on their way over.  They own a fantabulous wine bar in Wasilla (The Grape Tap) and I'm excited because they always bring yummy wine for us to sample.  

I made a crockpot Thai red curry and also some appies to go with wine:

served with raw onion crackers and veggies 

Nacho Cheeze from Kristen's Raw (highly addictive)

Avocado and Zucchini Dip (gorgeously chartreuse) from Gone Raw

Sun-dried Tomato Dip:

• large handful sun-dried tomatoes
• large handful cashews (soaked are better) 
• hearty dash olive oil 
• 1 tsp + oregano
• 1 tsp + basil
• onion and garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 red pepper
• blend on low 

veggie kabobs

kale chips, of course

Chocolate caramel tarts (see yesterday's post) for dessert.  My review:  the bottom brownie layer and the 

ganache on top are phenomenal.  I'm not sold on middle caramel layer yet, as I'm not a huge fan of mesquite in desserts. However, it may grow on me, as Kombucha and P90X have. 

Stretch day for P90X- heck yeah!!  I think I'm addicted.  I'm already worried about how I'm going to get my fix when our families are in town next week.  

Question:  does anyone else need armpit diapers during Yoga X?  

Almond Butter Love

This morning we woke up to a spectacular pink-glowy mountain sunrise.  As we gazed out the window my eyes jealously darted to TH's coffee, which he doused liberally with Carolan's.  Now, I've been coffee free for eight months, but I wanted my own warm, healthy bevvie.  I found a great idea for hemp milk at The Raw Project.  I skipped the peppermint, let Vivian run an extra long time, and then enjoyed a  frothy, nutty drink that was much easier to make than almond milk and so much better for me than coffee.

I've missed you, Mr. Mug!  

The theme of my day was almond butter.  I adore the raw Maranatha brand- but it's crazy expensive.  Sometimes the Fred Meyer in Wasilla has it on sale for around $6, in which case I buy whatever is left on the shelves.  I'm thinking there must be another raw foodist in Wasilla now because the last time it was on sale there wasn't a jar in sight.  Darn.

I used almond butter in two fantastic Delightfully Raw recipes today, both equally drool worthy.  I'm telling you- you have to buy this book!   

First I made a slightly altered version of Kelp Noodles & Veggies in Peanut Sauce (no peanuts used).  The stars of this dish were these babies (thank you, Full Circle Farm!):  

Crunchy sweet goodness.  

This dish gets a huge thumbs up.  Can we talk about the amazingness of kelp noodles???

My favorite chopsticks, purchased in Japan.  

Chocolate time!   I nibbled so much throughout this next recipe.  Super Caramel Chocolate Tarts.  Mmm.

Layer 1

Layer 2

     

Ganache.   Bowl licked clean.  

Layer 3

Question:  Does anyone have a tasty coffee alternative enjoyed during chilly months?