Raw

I've been skeptical of raw food diets ever since I first heard about it. Plus the only so called "raw food" I have ever had has been really unimpressive. But this evening I attended a raw food dinner that absolutely blew my mind. It was truly phenomenal and ingenuous food. It was the type of food that's recognizable, though I really had no idea what I was eating because it was unlike anything I've ever had before and absolutely delicious. I found it interesting that after a while I could actually taste and recognize most of the ingredients in each dish, though they were still perfectly balanced - I wonder if this is what a super taster feels like! I talked to a few people who try to eat only raw foods and they said they recognize that it's not for everyone, we all have different body chemistry, and for them, raw food is it. For me, eating locally is a top priority and a lot of the staples of a raw food diet are not at all local, like bananas and almonds. Most of the people that were in charge of the dinner work for Thrive, and thus used some of their recipes. I definitely need to explore this more...

Happy Birthday to Me!

For my birthday this year I decided to attempt to perfect my favorite cake to make (and eat). It's not perfect, though it's better than the last time I made it for a friends birthday several years ago. I started it on Monday, with a basic chocolate sponge cake. On Tuesday I made my chocolate mousse according to a recipe I perfected while I was in culinary school. It's the best chocolate mousse recipe I've ever used! I used an IKEA mixing bowl lined with plastic wrap as a mold and poured the chocolate mousse into it, placed the sponge cake on top, and froze it solid over the next couple of days. On Saturday, I made the shiny chocolate glaze, quickly flipped and un-molded the frozen cake and poured the chocolate glaze over it. This is the trickiest part, the last time I made it my glaze was too hot and partially melted the mousse. This time (in reaction to last time) I made the glaze too cool so it set up before it finished oozing over the entire cake. Despite the minor aesthetic failure, it was definitely a winner. Especially since I only used Valrhona chocolate and the best eggs and cream that western Washington has to offer (this is the other reason I don't make this cake often, it's not cheap!).

Without further ado, here is the infamous Giant Chocolate Bombe: