Chestnut Fudge Brownie
Since my first encounter with the Tuscan specialty castagnaccio, I have fallen in love with chestnut flour. Finer than almonds, sweet and nutty in flavor, the flour of chestnuts is as elegant as a lady in an evening dress, gliding on a carpet of Fall's golden leaves! Now, is the season for roasted chestnuts. The aroma of these freshly roasted mingles as spiced air, before the onslaught of mulled cider and cinnamon. It harkens Fall/Autumn in a natural sense.
Personally, I have been baking with chestnut flour for a while to very happy results!
Oat + Seed Strength Bars with Maple + Chocolate
There is science behind these bars. Maple syrup as sweetener is nature's very own nutritive element. The oats and seeds are high in protein and slow release of energy, not to forget the good fats. Goji berries for more anti-oxidant protection. And, then there is the inevitable chocolate. Let's face it; chocolate makes everything good for you!
Every diminutive bar packs the energy needed for a long day, a good workout or something to just keep you going while you hammer out yet another report on the current state of affairs at work. Every bit of that energy you need to run behind your toddler, deal with teenage troubles, listen empathetically to your significant other or friend, all while still trying to decompress from your own day.
More Cake? With Custard! Or when to draw the line...
You will have to bear with my story (oh yes! today, I have one) because at the end of it... There is CAKE!! But, more importantly, also Custard, or, if you want to be fancy, Crème Anglaise (English cream). The latter is important because that is the crux of this story that spirals out like Arabian Nights in sequence. So, rewind to Saturday evening.... {Read the story from the link below}
Now about that cake. This would be my go to chocolate cake. It is simple. Flour, cocoa powder, egg, milk, raw sugar, butter or oil. Typically, I would make it with regular flour but since my wheat allergy, I have been playing pantry with gluten free stuff.
This is a simple chocolate cake. I mix olive oil and butter in equal parts for the fat part. Oil makes it moister and the butter tastier. But you can equivalent volume of one or the other. I like eating it right from the cake pan (hence the missing chunk in the photos). But you can just easily, frost it or serve with custard. Pretty much do what you want with it. It is a basic recipe.
