Chocolate Almond Torte (Torta Caprese)

I have a lot of blogging catching up to do. Hopefully once my thesis is turned in there will be more time for blogging. For now I am going to share a wonderful chocolate almond torte recipe from the Bon Appétit May 2002 issue that I made for my mom's birthday two weeks ago. The recipe is simple and the cake is wonderfully moist. There is no flour in the recipe so the cake is dense, but not as dense as a chocolate-only flourless cake. The almonds make for a looser texture. The next time I make the recipe I think I may leave out the almond extract. I don't think it is needed. Also, I would like to try orange peel instead of lemon peel. My aunt already tried it and really liked it. 

1 1/2 c. blanched slivered almonds

1 c. sugar

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

5 large eggs, separated

1/2 teasp. almond extract

1/2 teasp. grated lemon peel

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

1/4 teasp. salt

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Combine almonds and 1/3 c. sugar in processor. Blend until almonds are very finely ground. Transfer almond mixture to medium bowl; do not clean processor. Add chocolate and 1/3 c. sugar to processor. Blend until chocolate is finely ground but not beginning to clump, about 45 sec.; stir into almond mixture. Using electric mixture, beat egg yolks and remaining 1/3 c. sugar in large bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 min. Beat in almond extract and lemon peel. Fold in chocolate-almond mixture, then butter. 

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate batter in three additioons. Transfer batter to prepared pan. 

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40 min. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.) Cut around pan sides to loosen; release sides. Sift powdered sugar over cake. 

Klara in Nürnberg

I have been pleasantly surprised by a fairly new restaurant in Nürnberg called Klara. It opened in October 2006 after previous restaurants at its location (next to the "Neues Museum", the museum of art and design) had failed. Since its opening I had been to Klara a few times, but I was never thrilled until my last visit a few days ago. I think I know why. As of May of this year the restaurant has a new chef. And with this new chef the dishes have become better! Following are pictures of what we had. Everything was delicious and I will definitely be going back soon!

Ravioli with Mussels and Root Vegetables in a Saffron Cream Sauce 

Beef Roulade with Mashed Potatoes

Side Salad

Wine Chocolate Cake with Stewed Prunes and Whipped Cream

P.S. Klara has a wonderful outdoor seating area on the "Klarissenplatz", which is great in summer. 

Best Brownie Recipe

Sherry Yard's "Out-of-This-World Brownies" are the best brownies I have ever made! They are dense and smooth almost like a truffle. The recipe is from her book "Desserts by the Yard" and is the first recipe I have tried from this newly acquired treasure.

Here's the recipe. I have condensed the words to a bare minimum and have left out the salt since I never put salt in my desserts unless I am wanting that sweet/salty contrast, which is hardly ever the case. 

3/4 c plus 2 tblsp. flour

4 oz. (1 stick or 110 g) unsalted butter

1 oz. (30 g) unsweetened chocolate

7 oz. (200 g) bittersweet chocolate

2 large eggs

1 c sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Melt butter with all the chocolate in a pan set over a pot of simmering water. Stir till mixture is smooth. Let cool off.

3. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add butter and chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold in flour.

4. Scrape batter into the pan and put in oven. Bake, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through, for 25-30 min, until slightly firm to the touch and a crust has formed on top.

5. Allow to cool in the pan (if you can wait that long--I can't). Cut into squares. 

You will not regret making this recipe! 

Fig Salad To Die For!

I never liked fresh figs until this year. I used to think their leathery skin and their slimy insides were pretty gross, but now I'm their biggest fan. When I saw Jamie Oliver's recipe for a fig salad the picture looked so tasty I had to make it. 

Here's my version of the recipe for two people:

2 ripe figs

1/2 mozzarella

2 slices Parma ham

Dressing:

3 tblsp olive oil

1 1/2 tblsp lemon juice

1 tblsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tblsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Cut a cross into the figs starting at the stem. Place pieces of mozzarella and ham around the figs and lightly pour dressing over the whole assembly. 

This recipe is so simple, looks amazing and tastes absolutely fabulous!

Ella in Sacramento

I now have a favorite restaurant in Sacramento: Ella Dining Room and Bar. The food is outstanding and the interior design is very nice as well. What's fun about the food at Ella is that the portions are small (or should I say normal) so you can choose a couple of different plates to share as we did. All dishes were delicious, fresh, and cooked to perfection, but probably the BEST one was the ravioli dish. The ravioli were chock-full of mushrooms and the pasta had the perfect consistency. Mmmmm.

Following are the menu items we chose with their names as written on the menu. I like how Ella doesn't come up with fancy names for their dishes that mean nothing. They keep it simple by describing the dish.

Roasted Baby Beets, Pistachio, Watercress and Olio Nuevo Olive Oil

Raviolis of Mushrooms and Fresh Goat Cheese with Leeks and Black Truffle Butter

Gnocchi, Broccolini, Parma Prosciutto, Organic Cream and Parmesan

Grouper, Eggplant Caponata and Olive Tapenade

Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust and Market Berry Compote

Chocolate Brownie with Toasted Almonds, Fudge Sauce and Chocolate Chip Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

Next time I'm in Sacramento I will definitely have to go to Ella's again. It is at the top of my list.