A is For Amazing

This Italian flourless chocolate cake is called a Torta Barozzi. It comes from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. I made this cake several months ago, and sadly have not posted it until now because it is a rather lengthy recipe, but so worth it. It is the best chocolate cake I have had in my life. There is no need to goop the cake with frosting, the chocolate is so rich and decadent that only a small piece suffices. If you have a weekend afternoon I definitely recommend you make it for yourself or for someone special. It supposedly tastes best the first 24 hours, but I truly enjoy it the next day straight of the fridge. It keeps for up to three days in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap, and in the freezer up to 2 months.

In Cod We Trust

When you are walking around Greenwich Village and it is a somewhat rainy day, a sudden craving for fish and chips can hit you. The neighborhood and weather strongly influenced my decision to go for a "snack" at the tiny fish and chip shop called "A Salt and Battery."

Banana Crunch Muffins

All the food I write about I usually think is pretty good, but these banana crunch muffins are truly the most scrumptious treats I know how to make. In fact, I would say if you recreate one thing on this blog - bake these. This is an Ina Garten (from Barefoot Contessa) recipe - so you know it is good and fattening. Click here for her original recipe.

The muffins have a few steps to them and a lot of ingredients (hence why it always takes me a while to get around to making them - I never have all the ingredients at once). First off, it requires bananas - two which need to be extremely ripe (think black peel). You have to think about this in advance. I let my bananas ripen for a week. I have heard if you put an apple with the bananas in a paper bag they will ripen more quickly, but I have never tried it. The third banana can be a normal yellow peel. Besides bananas you add shredded sweetened coconut, granola, and walnuts to complete the sweet party in your mouth.