Stacey Makes It

This recipe comes from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate .  I decided to mix the dry ingredients ahead of time since I was going to bake it up in Tahoe on my cabin trip. Original Recipe Stacey's altered Cake Ingredients : 2 c white sugar, organic 1 c minus 1 tbs unbleached white flour, organic 3/4 c whole wheat flour, organic 1.5 tbs cornstarch 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder (Scharffen-Berger) 1 tsp sea salt 1.5 tsp baking powder 1.5 tsp baking soda 1/2 c sunflower oil, organic 1 c whole milk, organic 1 c boiling water Stacey's altered Ganache Frosting Ingredients : 10 oz Guittard milk chocolate chips 4.5 oz Guittard 99% unsweetened chocolate couverture 16 oz heavy cream 1 oz Chambord (raspberry liqueur) All the dry ingredients were mixed two days ahead and kept refrigerated in a plastic container (since it has baking powder in it). I also made the ganache frosting ahead of time and whipped it just prior to frosting

This is a twist on the recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book , which has great recipes, by the way.  :)  It's the Apple Crisp recipe, but I thought I'd throw some marzipan into it for some added decadence. First you prepare the fruit filling: Then you use it in the crisp recipe: Stacey's altered Fruit Filling ingredients : 7 granny smith apples, organic (peeled, chopped into 1/2" cubes) 2 tsp cornstarch 1 tbs dark brown sugar, organic 1 tbs white sugar, organic Stacey's altered Crisp ingredients : 3/4 cup whole raw almonds (local from farmers' market) 3.4 oz marzipan (I used 33% almond version from The Gourmet Corner ), cut into little cubes 1/2 c unbleached white flour, organic 2 tbs dark brown sugar, organic 1/4 c white sugar, organic 1-2 tsp cinnamon, Saigon (from Costco) 1/8 tsp nutmeg (whole nutmeg, freshly grated with a rasp) 1/2 tsp sea salt, fine 4 tbs unsalted butter, organic (1/2 stick) I've made this r

I'm going to Tahoe this weekend with a bunch of friends and I'm always encouraged to bring desserts places.  These are two of the chocolates that I'm bringing.  I also have plans for an apple crisp and a chocolate cake.  Mint Meltaways (recipe from Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner ) 37 oz chocolate, melted 11 oz coconut fat, melted 10 drops peppermint oil Combine chocolate, coconut fat, peppermint oil.  When I do it, I like everything to be at 90F, but I still get swirls of untempered chocolate sometimes.  I use this temp gun and I melt everything in the microwave at 10-30 second intervals. Recipe calls for a 12"x12" frame, but I used two 9"x9" cake pans lined with parchment. Pour into the pan after everything's mixed and then wait for it to set.  Usually overnight.  After that, cut it into squares and dredge in powdered sugar.  I tend to have problems cutting it without it cracking, es