Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Half an hour into watching Nigella Lawson whip up a batch of 12 giant cookies in her Kitchenaid, Ed looked at me with a pitiful expression and described how much he wanted to eat them. I suppose it was no coincidence that the look came right after Nigella Lawson revealed that half a kilogram of chocolate went into those 12 cookies.

Suddenly inspired and thinking of the big block of Valrhona Dark Chocolate I had stashed away in the refrigerator, I pulled my Kitchenaid out of the sad recesses of the kitchen and placed it in it's rightful throne - between the sink and stove.

And these cookies were good! I wouldn't advise eating more than 1 at a go, though Ed downed 4 easily.

Now I'm thinking brioche or cinnamon rolls or just plain old brownies!

Good Chocolate Loving

Just a couple of weeks ago, I attended a talk on Pho. In my quest for more food knowledge, I eagerly signed up for another talk on Chocolate (An Enlightened Age: Chocolate in the 18th Century), and managed to tempt 8 other friends and family along.

Vincent Bourdin, the regional pastry consultant of Valrhona, spoke about how chocolate moved across the seas, how it evolved from a drink into a food, and how chocolate had been deeply intertwined in societal changes.

It was rather amusing when he whipped out a long stick to point to parts of the map in question. Very old-school and somewhat sexy, especially with his thick, black-rimmed glasses and tres strong French accent.

Things started getting sweet when some hot chocolate was served. Chef Bourdin had used a recipe that he felt best reflected the way it was made in the 18th century, which meant infusing cinnamon, pepper, cloves and adding orange blossom water to melted chocolate and just a touch of sugar.

What resulted was a strong, spicy hot chocolate, not like anything I had ever tried before. If you can imagine the heady, earthy chai tea meeting and falling in love with deep, rich and slightly bitter hot chocolate, Chef Bourdin's version of hot chocolate would be their love child.

While my friends and family finished their portions down to the last drop, even going back for second servings after the talk, it wasn't popular with everyone. My neighbour hardly touched his and offered his share to me, which I regret not taking now.

These talks have been pretty fun, and at merely $10-$25 per session, it's really a steal especially because of the big names that have been pulled in to conduct these talks. It shouldn't be surprising then, that a couple of my friends and I have already signed up for an upcoming one where we'll be eating out way through Austrian desserts. Sounds like pure bliss!

Never too early/late to bake

I sometimes question why I do certain things. Alright, I often question why I behave a certain way, or why I choose the things I do. Baking cupcakes and then frosting them into the wee hours of the morning is one of them.



It's really never too early, or in my case, too late to bake. Weee!