Welcome back!  Today, we have a very special dessert: Black Forest Cake! This is something that, on the outside, perhaps does not seem too outstanding, but is actually a very intricate creation. The German cake has many specifications in terms of authenticity to preserve the culture and tradition around the recipe, and so we followed it as best as we could, using the right liquor, cocoa powder, and the sort. In the end, it's quite a lot of effort, but it is a really amazing and delicious cake!  Black Forest Cake Makes a 9" cake Ingredients: Crust: 180 grams cake flour 20 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder 50 grams powdered sugar Pinch of salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, chilled and cubed 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons heavy cream Cake (you can also refer to our Chocolate Chiffon Cake recipe): 7 egg yolks 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 100 grams oil 80 grams milk 30 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder (regulations say the cake should be at least 3% cocoa powder) 1 teaspoo...

Welcome back!  Today, we have yet another chiffon cake! We made this initially for our Black Forest Cake , but afterwards, we thought it was so good we decided to make it again, this time, just the cake. By itself, it's a fairly light cake like other chiffon cakes and it's also pretty much the same process to make, just with some chocolate this time. Chocolate Chiffon Cake Makes a 9" cake Ingredients: 7 egg whites 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice/vinegar 7 egg yolks 2 tablespoons sugar 100 grams oil 80 grams milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 30 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional) 130 grams cake flour Pinch of salt Directions: In a bowl, beat the egg whites and lemon juice. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar along the way, about a third at a time. Whisk this until it has stiff peaks. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then add the oil and mix thoroughly. Add in the milk and the vanilla extract and mix unt...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another great side dish: this one is a quick recipe for roasted mini potatoes. This is something that can go with anything, and everyone likes potatoes, so everyone will like this dish! This dish also works with many different ingredients; you can use different types of potatoes or different seasonings on top. Quick Roasted Mini Potatoes/Smashed Potatoes Ingredients: 1 pound mini potatoes Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste To garnish: Herbs Parmesan/shredded cheese Directions: For standard roasted potatoes: Cut the mini potatoes to desired size (we usually cut them in half) Put a pot of water on the stove and put a little salt in it. Once at a boil, put the potatoes in the water. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until almost fully cooked. Put the potatoes on a baking pan and sprinkle with olive oil and your desired seasoning. Bake in the oven at 375°F until golden brown (maybe about 15 minutes). For smashed potatoes: Don't cut the potatoes - leave them whol...

Welcome back!  Today we have an interesting fruity dessert: an apricot crème fraîche tart! Honestly, we made this because we had these two main ingredients lying around, but the flavor combination is great, which goes to show that you can really just throw a couple things together to make something delicious. It's also quite easy to make, just a bowl and a whisk is enough! This recipe was adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe that used raspberries instead of apricots. Apricot Crème Fraîche Tart Makes an 11" tart Ingredients: Batter: 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoons salt 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup flour Custard: 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup crème fraîche And of course: 8 apricots, sliced Directions: Prepare the batter: Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugar and salt until smooth. One at a time, add in the eggs and mix until even. Add the vanilla and flour and mix until even. Prepare the ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have an nice Italian dessert, featuring a very classic Italian cheese - ricotta! Ricotta is interesting in the way that it's made - it's derived from the leftovers of making other cheeses; in fact, that's where the name "ricotta" comes from, it means "recooked". We tend to use it a lot more for savory foods, like Stuffed Shells , but it's also very commonly used in desserts like this among others. Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake Ingredients: 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it - 1/2 cup is pretty light) 15-16 ounces (about 1 tub) of ricotta cheese 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest (this plus the juice should take about 1 lemon) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cup flour Directions: In a bowl, put in the butter and sugar. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream this mixture so that it becomes smoot...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another chiffon cake! Evidently, we really like chiffon cakes, but there's a good reason - they're actually not too hard to make once you get the process down, and you can really make a lot of variations. Plus, you get a nice big, fluffy cake. In other words, it's delicious! This version uses the pineapple preserves that we made a while ago; it's a great combination with the innate flavor and texture of the cake. Pineapple Chiffon Cake Makes an 8" cake Ingredients: 6 egg yolks 60 grams oil 80 grams orange juice (or milk) 120 grams pineapple preserves 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional) 120 grams cake flour 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional) 6 egg whites 1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice 60 grams sugar Directions: Mix the egg yolks along with the oil. Add the orange juice and pineapple preserves (the Grand Marnier too if you want), then mix. Sift the cake flour and baking powder in, but don't over-mix! In another bowl, put in the eg...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a traditional Filipino dish: Chicken Adobo! Adobo is a very classic Filipino flavor involving vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaves. It's used for many different types of meat; pork is another very common choice. The dish should not be confused with a Spanish variety of adobo, which has a similar concept but different ingredients - there's a heavier emphasis on spices like paprika and oregano. Filipino Chicken Adobo Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken drumsticks 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup soy sauce 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 2 tablespoon sugar Directions: Prepare the marinade by adding in all the ingredients except for the chicken. Mix this together. Put the chicken in and let it marinade for a few hours, preferably overnight so the flavor really soaks in. Take the chicken out. Keep the marinade! In an oiled pan, sear the chicken for 2 minutes on each side (imagine that the drumsticks have two sides). Remov...