The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

But where’s the cake, I hear you ask. It’s there, I promise you! When I made this, it was nearing Valentines Day, and the truth is, B and I don’t “celebrate” Valentines, so a heart shaped cake seemed a little pointless. True, I could have given it away to more romantically-inclined friends, but the other truth is that I wanted to eat this cake. Wanted to, as soon as it was pulled from the oven and had cooled sufficiently for an impatient knife to slip in and extract the meerest sliver for a taste test. At the union of cake and mouth, a roar of approval from gleeful tastebuds could be heard from far and wide. Thank you, Dharm and Wendy, I whispered into someone’s ear. Pass it on!

After more rigorous taste-testing, I thought I would have a little fun with presenting this month’s challenge. We’ve all seen cake ice-cream cones around before, but I’ve never tried making my own version of them.

If you’re finding yourself that way inclined as well, here’s what to do :

With the incredibly moist, chocolatey flesh of the baked Valentino cake, scoop mini cake balls with a melon baller or a small ice-cream scoop. If you’re having a Martha moment, you can also pipe vanilla ice-cream into the cavity of the cone, before topping with the cake and dipping the whole in chocolate. Anoint with sprinkles, and share with someone you love.

Chocolate Valentino Cake :
(from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan)

454 grams of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped [I used chilli flavoured chocolate]
146 grams total of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 190’C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 60’C.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Shhh.. don’t tell anyone, but I think I’ve got it sussed. Life, my friends, is just one big decision after another.

Unfortunately for me, this revelation is not particularly helpful as I’m pretty bad at making decisions. If life were as straightforward as one of those choose-your-own-adventure books, I’d be the one caught flicking forward to find out which storyline had the better ending, before taking that path. As a kid, we used to own quite a few of these books, but I think I completely missed the point of them.

So I’m sitting here, chewing on an extreme-seeded roll (my favourite Luneburger treat, aside from their pretzels) with avocado, browsing online for a swimsuit, and it strikes me that a) I never did decide who was sexier : Betty Rubble or Wilma Flintstone. Or Judy Jetson, and b) surely “sexy leather bikini” is a bit of a misnomer.

Either I’m falling between the cracks of any potential swimswear target market, or this life-changing decision is just beyond me. Is leather really an appropriate material for a bikini? A search for suede bikinis yielded too many serious results for me to make any jokes about them as well.

Anyway I’m hoping (praying) for some last minute inspiration, as I have yet to make up my mind about what to pack for the holiday B and I are taking next week.

Also this week, I am meant to be making an all important decision regarding my current job. But I’m baking instead.

Nougat, lime macaroon, or lavender berry teacake?

Decisions decisions!

Pistachio Nougat :
(This recipe comes from the Pier cookbook. If you try it and like it, feel free to let the Pastry Chef know 🙂 )

6 sheets sweet rice paper
3 egg whites from 55g eggs
375g whole pistachio nuts [I used a mixture of pistachios, almonds and dried cranberries]
400g caster sugar
100g honey
200g liquid glucose

Preheat the oven to 150’C.

Prepare a baking tray by lightly coating it with olive oil spray, then line it with baking paper, making sure you press the paper into the corners. Place three sheets of the sweet rice paper (or enough to cover the tray) over the baking paper.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Place the pistachio nuts on another baking tray lined with baking paper and warm in the oven for 15 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, glucose and 150ml water and cook until the mixture reaches 142’C on a sugar thermometer. When the syrup reaches 118’C, start beating the egg whites on medium-high speed until almost at the stiff peak stage. When the syrup reaches 142’C, pour the syrup into the beating egg whites in a slow steading stream (make sure not to pour the syrup onto the beaters). Turn the machine off and with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula mix in the pistachio nuts.

Spread the nougat quickly and evenly onto the prepared tray. Cover the top of the nougat with the remaining three sheets of sweet rice paper. Allow the nougat to cool to room temperature, then wrap it well in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut the nougat into desired shapes with a serrated knife and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Lime Zest Macaroons :
(makes about 30; from HomeBaking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid)

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups dried shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons pastry or cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
grated zest of 2 limes

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 148’C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the egg whites, sugar, coconut and flour. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla, and zest.

Immediately begin shaping the cookies : Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of the mixture and drop onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until the mixture is used, leaving nearly 1 1/2 inches between the cookies.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the coconut shreds have turned opaque and the cookies are very lightly browned on the bottom.

Lift the cookies, still on the parchment, onto a rack to cool and firm, then peel them off the paper and let them cool completely, so they crisp up a little. Store, once cooled, in a well-sealed container. These cookies keep beautifully.

She is black. Pastel polka dots all over her body like a clown disguised as a leopard. Sweetness and joy, with a killer heel.

Every girl has her favourite pair of shoes. They are the ones that make her feel like a million dollars, whether she’s in jeans or a cocktail dress. The ones in which she clicks down the street proudly, feeling strong yet vulnerable. The ones that cost too many clams to obtain, but which have paid back in emotional dividends too complicated to calculate.

Yes, every girl has her favourite pair of shoes. This is an ode to mine.