Ten reasons Chocolate makes a better boyfriend

Valentine's Day is here yet again... Once a year all of the single people get reminded that they have no significant other, no missing piece, no... well, I think you get the picture (especially if you're single... like me). For those of you with soulmates, your other half, ecc... Congrats!
Hahahaha Ok, I acknowledge, I'm starting to sound bitter. But I'm always single on Valentine's Day.

But I kind of think that's ok.

Chocolate makes a WAYYYY better boyfriend than an actual boyfriend.

1. Chocolate never says No... No mouth. No arguing. You will always win. 
2. It is completely replaceable... When you devour Chocolate, just go to the store and replace. 
3. And you can get any flavor, any time you want. Dark, White, Caramel, Milk, Coffee... 
4. You can totally pick quantity over quality. If you want alot of Chocolate, no problem. You can get hershey kisses for your bite sized treats, or nutella for a rich spread, or twix for a little crunch or m&m's for some color on a rainy day. It's not considered cheating to have multiple pieces of Chocolate lying around waiting for just the right moment. 
5. Watching your figure? You can always go for Quality over quantity. Go for that piece of rich dark Chocolate, that Perugina, that Godiva truffle to die for. Savor the flavor, the sweet complexity of sensations in your mouth. 
6. Chocolate will always melt for you. A little heat and that Chocolate is history. 
7. Chocolate will never tell you that you're getting fat. I repeat, no mouth, no contest. 
8. Chocolate will never leave you. It has no legs. It cannot escape. It will stay with you, until you make it disappear. No one will question you about said missing Chocolate. 
9. Everyone loves Chocolate! Even if it's just a little bit, or secretly, I'm convinced EVERYONE (of importance) loves Chocolate. There will be no parents telling you Chocolate is not good enough for you; No best friends scoffing and wondering what you're doing with said Chocolate. Who can resist a little sweet Chocolate?
10. Chocolate will always make you smile and take away some of your tears. Try to resist its particular charms and you will find you can't. It will always bring at least a small smile to your face. 

So on this Valentine's Day let's toast to Chocolate and all its delicious goodness. 

And now, I think I'll go find some chocolate to savor. 

--Raspberry Truffle

Restaurant Review: Ferrara Bakery and Café

I discovered a fantastic little dessert place in Little Italy this Sunday. Although, I guess I shouldn't call it little. It was kind of a big place. Ferrara Bakery and Café is on the corner of Grand and Mulberry, smack in the middle of the small area known as Little Italy. I had no idea that it is one of the oldest bakeries still operating in the area and has a sister restaurant nearby (that hopefully I'll get to try out soon).

I was out for Chinese New Year with some friends and we were haplessly wandering around looking for dessert. We found Ferrara. It was like a beacon on the corner calling our names with bright lights. Ang and Andrea were drawn like moths to a flame and crossed the street and then proceeded to look in through the glass doors. I was a little more skeptical. From the outside it looked like a tourist trap to me. Bright lights, big signs, but it was definitely appealing. The setup was welcoming and the girls were set. I was definitely willing to give it a try. After all, looks can be deceiving. 

tasteful decor

Upon entering the bakery, I was surprised at how big it actually was. It looked like a slightly larger, yet typical pasticceria in Florence. It had a traditional vibe but with a elegant yet simple twist. It was well lit, and elegantly set up with tasteful Valentines Day decorations (earlier in the evening we had passed a restaurant that Cupid had apparently thrown up on). 

gorgeous and typical pasticceria

On the left, there was a pastry bar with a beautiful bounty of desserts, from traditional Italian cookies, to more delicate and complicated cookies, to Italian pastries like sfogliatelle, cannoli and babà, to typical american and french pastries, to beautiful cakes (both slices and whole) with chocolate, vanilla and fruits.  It was a beautiful sight that had my mouth watering. Based on looks alone, I wanted one of everything. We had to grab a table and try some (yes more than one) of those desserts. 

I would have loved to have one of these fruit tortes... and then I saw chocolate lol

During the brief wait, I took a bunch of pictures, fascinated at the variety of desserts available. We arrived later in the evening so I know that during the morning hours and early afternoon there were probably even more desserts available. I can't wait to go back and try other things!  But I suppose I should tell you about what I actually ate.

a macaron cake as well as some other gorgeous bites

Looking at the menu was a challenge because there was so much to choose from. There were alcoholic drinks, coffee drinks and chocolate drinks available. I had to stop looking because I was just getting overwhelmed. The dessert menu was just as extensive as the drink menu and included the various partries as well as gelato. I think I looked at the menu for a good 20 minutes until finally we had to give our server our order. 

Our waitress was friendly and quite helpful as well as patient given our indecisiveness. 

You look hungry, have a cannoli! really hungry? have a chocolate cannoli!

The girls each decided to try a trio, meaning they got to try three mini desserts of their choosing. Unfortunately, I don't quite remember what they each chose, although I had a nibble of most everything and it was all delicious. And Andrea also ordered some kind of mocha capuccino thing that had fresh whipped cream on top that she seemed to really enjoy while Steve got a trio of gelato, chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel. I, instead, decided to order a white chocolate raspberry ribbon cake with a glass of milk (as per suggestion of our server lol... best idea ever!). 

The dessert arrived pretty quickly and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

Oh my goodness. Gorgeous! and tasty too. While looking at the menu, I had contemplated the prices and worried that we were about to have a typical tourist experience. The desserts were on the slightly pricey side (my cake was $7.75 and the hot chocolates were around $5 each). But I was pleasantly surprised. The desserts well exceeded my expectations. The chocolate mousses in the trios were spectacular and my chocolate cake was dense and creamy. The whipped cream was fresh and the white chocolate was a lovely accent. It wasn't what I had been expecting, but it was delicious and the milk was a fantastic palate cleanser to break up my massive chocolate consumption. 

My delightful cake, glass of milk and the yummy gelato

I also thoroughly enjoyed the gelato. The consistency was creamy and smooth. It wasn't quite the same as gelato in Florence, but it was up there. The chocolate was probably my favorite but I also really liked the hazelnut. 

Struggling, but I did finish everything!

We definitely took our time enjoying our dessert. No one rushed us as we devoured our sweets and chatted and goofed around talking about other good times. 

We all pretty much cleared our plates, although I won't lie, I definitely slowed down about 1/2 way through my cake. It was really rich and we had had quite a lot to eat for dinner.  

I think next time I'm in little Italy, I'll definitely be stopping in to pick up a few pastries for friends (and myself of course!). I really had a good experience and a great dessert that I would eat again.  

-Raspberry Truffle

P.S. I thought this mini wedding cake was absolutely gorgeous. I may have to order it next time I stop by! 

Recipe: Beer Cupcakes with Chocolate Beer Frosting and Caramel Bacon

Ok, so for the last batch of cupcakes I definitely cheated.... I had to! I got tired lol... So I used a cake mix and just adjusted the recipe.

I used a box of Pillsbury White Cake. Rather than using a cup of water as called for on the box, I used 1 cup of High Life Miller Life. I also added a teaspoon of orange zest.
Then I followed the rest of the directions.

I pulled them out of the oven and then brushed them with a little more of the beer.

Once they cooled, it was time for frosting.

Chocolate Beer Butter Cream:
1 stick butter (room temperature)
3 tbs cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs beer, poured and settled before being measured out
1 tsp salt

Beat the butter until smooth for about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the sugar, cocoa powder, beer and salt. Beat for about 5 minutes.

Frost and eat.

Or you can make caramel bacon as a garnish.

Caramel Bacon: 
1/2 cup caramel sauce (either bought or homemade)
1 tsp paprika
bacon

Cut your bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix the caramel and paprika together. Coat each piece of bacon and then lay on a baking sheet. Bake for aout 20 minutes or until crisp.

Place a couple of pieces on each cupcake and serve.

Eat and enjoy!! I was seriously surprised at how good these are!  The caramel bacon is SOOO delicious!

And that's what I'll be enjoing for the superbowl.

-Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: White Russian Cupcakes with Espresso Whipped Cream

Game Day Cupcakes number 2!

I had Bailey's coffee creamer in my fridge so the first thing that came to mind was a White Russian. A White Russian is generally made with Bailey's, vodka and cream.. so I guess I really made a Black Russian since Black Russians involve coffee.

I found a recipe online and then proceeded to tweek it based on what I had in the house. I have to say, they came out really good!

White Russian Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp sugar
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz Vodka (preferably Vanilla Vodka)
1/4 cup espresso
1/2 cup bailey's coffee creamer

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and line a cupcake pan. The recipe should make about 15 cupcakes.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl use a hand mixer to beat together the sugar (excluding 1 tsp) and butter until combined. Beat in the egg white and then add the Vanilla, Vodka and coffee.
Add the flour mixture in three additions and alternate with the bailey's cream. Begin with the flour and end with the flour.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a tsp of sugar until they form soft peaks. Gently fold into the rest of the batter.
Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If desired, while the cupcakes are still warm, brush them with a small amount of espresso. Cool completely before icing.

Espresso Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbs espresso

Whip all of the dry ingredients together until you reach the soft peak stage. Fold in the vanilla extract  and espresso carefully.

Here are all the cupcakes! The ones in the center have the Espresso cream. It's sooo delicious!

Apparently there is a way to stabilize your whipped cream! I haven't tried it yet, but it would be really helpful.
 For 1 cup of cream, use 1/2 tsp of plain gelatin soaked in 1 tbs water. Dissolve thoroughly over heat and then add the melted gelatin while whipping the cream. Stop when you get soft peaks.

-Raspberry Truffle

Recipe: Honey Whisky Chocolate cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

I don't watch football regularly. It's not my sport (to say the very least). Honestly, for as un-American as I may sound, I really, really detest football.  But the Super Bowl is a great occassion for a party. It's a great time to gather with friends, goof around and most importantly eat. So when my friends invited me over, I quickly asked if I could bring dessert.

Well, that was a couple of weeks ago and the Super Bowl is today. It took most of yesterday but I finally figured out what dessert to bring. There are a lot of dessert options out there so I definitely had a hard time deciding what would fit best at a Super Bowl party. I decided to skip cake, because it seems like a more formal, sit down dessert. You have to cut it, and serve people... Definitely too much hastle at a party where most eyes will be focused on a tv screen. And then there are cookies but those are FAR too easy to eat by the hundred. Macarons felt too formal, ice cream too much of a pain to make and so forth and so on.

In the end, I decided to make cupcakes because you can decorate them beautifully but they're handheld and easy to pick up and go.
Then I had to figure out what KIND of cupcake to make... That took a while to figure out because again way too many options and I'm just not decisive enough. I decided to go with something that reminded me of football.... Liquor became my theme.

My first cupcakes were these:

Honey Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup espresso (cooled)
1/4 cup whiskey
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg, coffee, whiskey, yogurt and oil. Carefully sift the flour mixture into liquid. Combine until smooth.

Pour the mixture into your 12 prepared cupcake liners. They should be about 3/4 of the way full.
Lower the heat to 325°F and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

the perfect consistency

Honey ButterCream:
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs honey

Cream the butter with a small blender. Carefully add in the powdered sugar and once smooth blend in the honey.

Refridgerate until you're ready to frost!

There are a couple of easy ways to frost.

1. The slather method; take a spoonful of frosting and spread it with a knife.
2. The piping method: take a plastic ziplock bag (bigger is better, otherwise you'll just make a mess) fill it with your frosting. Cut off one bottom corner. Your ready to frost. I chose to pipe in a circle, but the "pastry bag" really allows you to get creative. 

And that was cupcake number 1! I made two other kinds as well!

-Raspberry Truffle

Kitchen Blunders

This past December I was baking sugar cookies with some friends and I got the brilliant idea of making glitter sugar.  Sugar cookies always seem so beautiful when paired with sugar decorations.

The recipe seemed simple enough. Sugar, food coloring and bake for 10 minutes or so at 350 F.
EASY. And the end result looks like glitter!!

And yet, I messed it up.
Not once.
But twice.

Well, you see, the first time, I kind of forgot to check the sugar... Sooo no glitter. Tasty, melty sugar... Not quite caramel, but pretty good.

I would have stopped there. There was no more sugar in the big cupboard, but my friend, naming no names went hunting for more in the small cupboard and she found some! We were so excited to try again, so we made an even larger quantity of red and green sugar glitter!

I let it bake for 10 minutes precisely and then checked. However, no glitter. No melting, but no sugar. I had lowered the heat a bit so I thought, well maybe another 5 minutes.
All in all, I let this batch bake for about 20 minutes. No glitter, no melting just a slight deepening of the color.

I didn't bother to question why. I had simply failed... again. 

No matter though. I figured it would be a good decoration in any case, since it matched our Christmas themed cookies.

Once it dried, I decorated 5 cookies, threw them in the oven.

About an hour later, when the cookies had cooled I decided to try one.

I went from smiling, laughing to screaming in about 15 seconds flat.  We made colored SALT!!!  We never actually tested our found "sugar". We just assumed it was sugar, which was apparently, not a good decision.

My face must have looked so ridiculous as I sputtered and screamed "It's salt!  How the hell did we use salt?" I hadn't even put a small quantity of "sugar" on the cookies, NOOOO, I had coated them thoroughly.

My friend could only laugh, "No wonder they wouldn't start to glitter."

Some of my "Sugar" decorated cookies... Thank goodness I hadn't made more of them

Gahhh the horrible taste stayed in my mouth after a bottle of water and 2 regular non salted sugar cookies...

MORAL:  Always taste your non labeled spices. You may guess incorrectly...

~Raspberry Truffle