Get a Piece….of Flourless Chocolate Cake.

It all began three years ago when I was researching aphrodisiacs for an article on Saint Valentine’s Day recipes. I’ve always loved flourless chocolate cake, and so I decided to try my hand at an extra special version, with ginger, cayenne, and vanilla to stimulate the appetite...

The cake was a hit with my friends, and the requests came, so to speak, pouring in.

The first trial occurred after a friend of mine went out with a considerably older man. The night began extraordinarily, but when they returned to his place, well, everything sort of fell (fell!) into place.

She was crazy about him, and hoped it was simply a case of stage fright or nerves. But just to be safe, she asked me to bake them a cake for their second date, a dinner at hers.

In short (and as it happened, quite long), it worked like a charm! They spent a rapturous evening together. It worked so well that she left him soon after, when she caught him making more than eyes at a curvy friend of hers.

The recipe is variable, and can also be prepared as a simple dessert, and topped with fresh berries or a bourbon sauce.

I can’t bring myself to reveal the exact proportions, but the following should yield a moist and deluxe chocolate confection for any occasion!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 sticks of butter
1 and 1/2 bars of dark chocolate
1/2-2/3 cups of brown or white sugar; Honey is also nice.
3 eggs
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
1 Tsp vanilla

Optional Additions:
1/4 Tsp of cinnamon
1/4 Tsp powdered cayenne pepper
1/2 Tsp of grated ginger

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate bar. Add the desired spices, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and blend in the eggs and cocoa powder. Pour into a 9 x 11 inch cake pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. Serve with your choice of topping. I like a cherry reduction sauce or whipped cream and berries. Enjoy!

The Six-Hour Stick: Better Bolognese!

On a recent assignment for The American Magazine I tried my hand at that thick and meaty crowd pleaser, Bolognese, or more generally, ragù.

I won't give too much away, so check out the April issue of the magazine (in print if you live in Italy, otherwise online).

Whether it tops gnocchi, spaghetti, pappardelle (my favorite), shells, or lines a lasagna, a solid Bolognese sauce makes or breaks a meal.

What I want to talk about is timing. Ragù is one of few Italian dishes that simply cannot be made in a rush. Unlike most recipes, which are actually quite fast, ragù requires time, tasting, and stirring. I also believe in the magic of cooking in company with a glass of wine, so get together with good friends and open a good bottle. A steaming pot of Bolognese sauce is the best excuse to catch up, and you're going to have a lot of time.

Six hours to be precise. You can get away with four, but come on.

I asked great chefs, friends, and friends who are great chefs, flipped through scores of magazines, scoured the Internet, and finally made my own. There's really no getting around it. The sauce just kept getting better and better as it stewed away. And I wasn't drinking wine or anything else!

For starters, the soffritto (minced onion, carrot, celery, and your choice of pancetta, lardo or not) should cook slowly with plenty of olive oil for at least a half an hour. This happens at the beginning, so you shouldn't even be tipsy yet, because you absolutely must not burn it!

The next steps:
- the addition of the meat (ground beef or a combination of beef, veal, and pork)
- the herbs (sage, rosemary, juniper, cinnamon, nutmeg...mix and match until you find your favorite)
-the addition of milk, red wine, white wine, or a combination
- addition of tomato paste and tomato sauce

Stirring, reducing, evaporation, and a series of chemical changes are integral to creating a masterful ragù as you procede.

I made two different varieties- one with red wine and one with milk. I'm happy to report that both of them improved by the hour, and after six, they clung to the wooden spoon in sumptuous little clumps. You can only imagine how they clung to the pappardelle!

For my recipes, check out the American Magazine in April, or check back with me when I update this post!

Buon Appetito!