special guest post from victoria!

In just a few days my boyfriend Joey and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary.  When I think back to when we first started dating, it's a joy to remember the newness and excitement and sweet and fun times we shared, but there's one thing that went terribly wrong.  It was the Nutella Flourless Chocolate Cake.

During the beginning stages of getting to know one another, I was very eager to show Joey what an excellent (and sexy! and fun!) baker I am, so I offered to bake him a cake with nutella, a food we had exalted as heavenly.  Being the gentleman that he is, Joey offered to buy all the ingredients and help me in the kitchen, and although I usually work best alone, I decided to take him up on this offer so that we could spend more time together.  He scoured all of Brooklyn searching for hazelnuts but managed to bring all of the necessary goods, and I got to serious work on the cake.  In the end, the distraction of my crush proved greater than my baking abilities, because I thoughtlessly doubled the butter and completely ruined the cake.  I've since wondered a bit about what I was missing, and so I decided to try the same recipe once again.

Yeah, this cake requires a WHOLE JAR of Nutella. Oh. Yes.

nutella chocolate cake

Adapted from Nigella Lawson

ingredients

6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 13oz contaiter of Nutella

1 tbs water

1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts*

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp espresso

4oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled 

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.  (I somehow don't have a springform but with the help of parchment and baking Pam, I was able to remove and flip the cake easily after it had cooled for a few minutes).

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and Nutella, then add the water, egg yolks, cinnamon, espresso powder, and ground hazelnuts one at a time until mixed. Fold in melted chocolate.  
2. In another large bowl (preferably metal), whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff. 
3. Introduce a large tablespoon of beaten egg whites to the chocolate batter, and mix gently until well-combined. Fold in the remaining whites, one-third at a time, very gently but thoroughly.
4. Pour into the pan  and bake for 35-40 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting tester, which should come out mostly clean; lightly pressing finger into top to check for a slight bouncing-back; and observing edges beginning to separate from pan. (My cake was done in 35 minutes). Let cool completely, in pan, on a rack.  

*If your hazelnuts still have their skins, I recommend the Julia Child method of removal over the previous year's roasting/dishtowel method: Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 2 cups boiling water. Add the nuts and boil for about 3 minutes. Slip a test nut into a bowl of ice water. If the skin doesn’t come off easily, boil the nuts a little longer. When a test skin rubs right off, add the rest of the nuts to the ice water and peel with incredible ease. Dry the nuts or let them dry on their own and toast them in the oven.

Since I now know Joey is not the biggest fan of rich dessert toppings, rather than Nigella's ganache, I opted for whipping a small carton of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a dash of vanilla.  I then sprinkled ground hazelnuts on the whipped cream topping.  

Truth be told, I did not discover that I had ruined my cake last year until the following day, because we actually didn't even cut a slice that night.  While waiting for the cake to cool, we started watching a move and ended up making out until we realized how late it was and said our goodbyes.  This year, Joey worked intently in his office next to the kitchen until the moment the cake was done, and eagerly grabbed the first slice.  If we leave out the sudden tears and frustration and mound of dishes that come every time I'm in the kitchen, I'd say this time it turned out pretty good.  And that's just perfect.


P.S. Be sure to keep up with Victoria's awesome baking adventures, fashion tips, metal love and anything else she happens to have on her mind by following her on tumblr at A sun that never sets burns on.  Thanks again, girl & a very happy anniversary to you both!

i'm back!!!

I woke up this morning and realized that I was no longer limited to eating from the yucky plastic tray placed in front of me at the hospital!  No more crummy, cold bagels (a sin in NYC.  For heaven's sake, it's  New York!)  No more juice from concentrate, no plastic-wrapped slices of bread, so long gross muffins.  With minimal help from Aunt Patty (she chopped the onion and pulled out all the supplies for me,) I was able to prep a scrumptious welcome back breakfast.  Look what I made - 

Cheesy onion eggs, corned beef hash and a toasted English muffin!  Super simple but a huge step up from my breakfasts of late and a major feat since I whisked, stirred, buttered and served all on one leg.  Baby steps back to the kitchen.  Thanks for sending your good vibes and thank to Aunt Patty for being an amazing sous chef! 

free bird

After spending the past twelve nights in uncomfortable beds at Bellevue, barely able to move, suffering noisy neighbors and nearly starving to death for lack of flavor in the food, I was released today!  Hooray!  Unfortunately, my leg and ankle are still broken leaving me with no other option than to hobble around on crutches.  This misfortune will provide me with very limited cooking abilities and possibly fewer kitchen adventures to blog about.  Fret not dear readers!  I will continue to provide you with yummy and delish reading material from the likes of my super amazing food loving friends, so stay tuned and show them some love!

In the meantime, I'll be hanging out in the jerz for a few days to get back on my feet (foot?) with the help of Ma and Pa at the olde homestead, 23.  With my leg elevated and the sick bell by my side, I'll be able to enjoy cable tv and savory homestyle cooking.  Maybe I'll even get Lizzie B to cohost a post with me and the kid sis!  Perhaps me and my daddy-o will head out for a beer and a burger at one of the local So Bruns watering holes that needs reviewing.  You never know what you might find at delirious kitchen... though you can be sure that I'll be getting the royal treatment while laid up here and I plan on sharing it with you.

After leaving the hospital and swinging by the Sweet Spot to grab a few necessities, we made a pit stop at Fette Sau.  It's insane how just a few days of poor quality, under-seasoned food can change your palette.  The smokey, spicy, fall-off-the-bone meats, the chunky hot baked beans, mustardy potato salad and warm, doughy rolls were out of control!  Seriously, it was like a carnival of flavors in my mouth and definitely worth the wait... maybe not worth broken bones, but worth an awful lot, that's for sure!

Though it may have taken a catastrophic injury for me to spend a little vaca time here with the folks, I plan on making the most of it.  Lots of family, loads of food, cable time, healing time, and rest.  Wish me well and stick around to enjoy what is sure to be a diverse and exciting few weeks here in the kitchen! xo

the last supper!

Today marks the last night of my (not so) lovely stay at Bellevue Hospital! I'll be heading back to Jersey tomorrow to spend a few days with my parents before heading home for good.

For my last supper, I had the pleasure of dining on some tasty treats thanks to some great gals, Sam Paul and Melissa Birdy. Thanks ladies!

And thanks to everyone for the visits, the multiple copies of Vogue, the "get well" gifts, and all of your well wishes. All your love is the real medicine :)

guest post from the kid sister :)

While Jilly is laid up in Bellevue dining on Jello and what we think may be Salisbury steak, I thought I could fill-in for a post. Unfortunately, tonight's dinner came from a bag (it's soccer season, what can I say?), so it was not quite the inspirational meal my sister tends to present.


So, as today marks the ten-month mark until my wedding (eek!), I thought I'd share with you our wedding menu which was recently finalized. On July 7, 2012, my fiance and I will be getting married at the Lake Valhalla Club. When I envisioned my dream wedding, I always had the casual feel in mind and actually tossed around the idea of a pig roast. See, the real motivator for this menu style is my fiance's taste in food, which is about as refined as a seven-year-old.

The main dining room at LVC.

We went for a tasting a LVC with my parents and instantly fell in love with the food and cocktail selection. On top of all the deliciousness, the amount of food is actually quite outrageous. Our guests will enjoy an hour-and-a-half cocktail hour with 8 different passed appetizers, 4 carving stations, 2 live stations, five cold displays, and 6 hot chafing dishes.


For dinner, guests will enjoy a Caesar salad with pesto croutons (the only salad Danny eats), and one of four entries: Roast Tenderloin of beef served with bordelaise sauce; Chicken Valhalla stuffed with spinach, prosciutto ham and boursin cheese; Crabmeat stuffed lemon sole with champagne sauce; or Wild mushroom risotto cake with roasted vegetables and smoked tomato vinaigrette. Super psyched!


As for dessert, we're skipping the traditional cake and going with the almost-becoming-traditional cupcakes in various flavors. There's also a ridiculous amount of desserts that are offered at the Viennese table. We're still trying to work these out and would love some recommendations. Check out their menu and let us know what you would pick: Lake Valhalla Club Menu.