Intriguing, I thought. Every time I go to Cafe K or Shallots or various other places I pay anywhere from $10-15 for that dessert. Could I make it myself? If I could, then there was no need to get these desserts at those restaraunts anymore, now was there?
Well, thought I, I have the little ramekins (so thoughtfully provided by my mother), so why not try?
And guess what? I made perfectly beautiful hot chocolate surprise cakes- and they are parve! The only thing I would have needed to set them off would have been parve confectioner's sugar and chocolate syrup. Then I could have drizzled the syrup, sprinkled the confectioner's sugar, placed a little flower on the side and voila- professional, pretty dessert!
Here they are:
And this is how it looks when you eat it:
Yum yum yum. If I only had a ballroom, the parties I could throw!
17 comments:
I should stop reading this blog. You always make me hungry! ;-)
Your saving money, but, lulei demistafina, gaining calories!
CJ Srullowits,
Chana looks great. She may have a sweet tooth,but doesn't satisfy it on a daily basis.
Chana,the hot chocolate looks amazing,no need so spend $10-15 bucks for it @ Cafe K.
Mmm, that looks good. Thanks for including the picture of the recipe! I'll have to try this sometime when I invite friends over.
Chana,you need some parve whipped cream and chocolate shavings to top your hot chocolate. Enjoy!
yum
>Every time I go to Cafe K or Shallots or various other places I pay anywhere from $10-15 for that dessert. Could I make it myself? If I could, then there was no need to get these desserts at those restaraunts anymore, now was there?
What a sad commentary on the state of kosher dining in Chicago that a 20 year old with no cooking experience or training can make a cookbook dessert that tastes as good as one sold in an "upscale" french bistro.
Auguste E-scoff-ier,
unfortunately it's probably true that there are perhaps two "upscale" kosher restaurants in Chicago that serve somewhat noteworthy desserts. Btw,what made you assume that this blogger doesn't have cooking experience or training? I wouldn't assume that if I were you. I know this blogger's mother personally. She is a gifted Chef with international culinary experience and teaches her children how to cook and bake well. I have tasted this woman's devine delicacies and they are mouthwatering!
>Btw,what made you assume that this blogger doesn't have cooking experience or training?
Well, for one thing, she seems to imply this in her blog posts! E.g.
"However, to my fabulous repertoire of toast, omelettes, casseroles and quiches I can add the following triumph...chicken soup! Matza ball soup, really. I made it myself from scratch and it tastes awesome. So take that. Chana can cook if she wants to."
Secondly, as far as I know Chana did not attend a chef school, but YU, which last time I checked is not in the cooking business...
This has nothing to do with her or her mother's cooking skills. Frankly, your comment is the height of provincialism. There IS a reason why people study to become professional chefs. Watching your mom cook, even if she is a good cook, and making desserts out of Kosher By Design is just not the same. The fact that you equate those saddens me...
Auguste E-scoff-ier ,based on your comments,
it seems to me that quite a bit saddens you. It's OK to ctitique respectfully,it's not OK to knock Chicagoan's comment as "your comment is the height of provincialism."
Jeez, Chicago MD,
It is true that quite a bit saddens me, but that is neither here nor there. I made a comment about the state of Chicago high end kosher establishments. If Chicagoan thinks that there is no difference between a professional chef and an amateur, that to me is provincial thinking and is probably contributing to the sorry state of the kosher restaurants in Chicago.
I don't really feel like starting a flame war, but where do you come off telling me what is and isn't OK to say? Seems to me in blog etiquette, the blog author is the only one who has that prerogative.
The Black Hat dessert @ Shallots in Skokie, which is molten liquid center with Belgian chocolate
cake and season’s sorbet is OK, although I personally find it overpriced.
Chana,your hot chocolate surprise looks inviting.
Julia Child,the famous Chef did not take a cooking lesson until she was in her 30s. And it wasn't till she was in her 50s when her first television series began in 1963. And if a" 20 year old with no cooking experience or training can make a cookbook dessert that tastes as good as one sold in an "upscale" french bistro,
I'd say Chana is doing fantastically well, and is way ahead of most people's expectations.
Thanks Baruch,
Maybe Chana will also work for the CIA like Julia, and really be way ahead of people's expectations :)
I don't understand why that G-ddamn "Kosher by Design" book has to be the only one all Jewish girls use. Many other cookbooks have recipes which are undoubtably kosher..
Hey,Auguste E-scoff-ier ,I'm not following your train of thought. What does CIA have to do anything with what is being discussed here?
Jeez.
Man, you guys are uptight... I was trying to lighten the mood...
1) Childs worked for the OSS, which was the predecessor to the CIA.
2) The CIA is also the Cooking Institute of America, one of the premier schools in the world.
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