Valentine's Day 2011 with Isa's Chocolate Berry Creme Tart

The featured post up over at at the Post Punk Kitchen for the last two weeks or so is the Berry Creme Tart With Cocoa Olive Oil Crust and I have been drooling over the damn thing since it was posted on the 2nd. But I needed an excuse, and I'm really not that into Valentines Day, in fact, the only thing you can count on from me during the holiday is to wear a shirt that has "fuck hallmark" stenciled on it. I also don't have a tart pan, but when I was invited to a pie party (in which I had to bring a pie) the party and the pan became the excuse I needed.

So I walked my happy ass down to the market and into my most favorite kitchenware store where purchases are far and few between, and picked out an 11" tart pan. Oh, the joy that filled my heart at the prospect of not having to make a tart in a pie pan. Plus, I found little heart shaped sprinkles for a whopping 50% off, so you know those went into the bag.

Isa's recipe was easy to follow and worked like a charm (though, because I was making an 11" tart instead of tartlettes, I upped the Agar Agar powder to 1 Tbs. I also used dutch cocoa powder and the crust was a much richer, dark chocolate). It takes a fair amount of time, and maybe the swirl in the tart isn't as clean as it could be, but it's worth the commitment, and the result is a smooth and creamy berry filling with a rich crust. bar far one of the best things that I have made, dessert-wise, in a long long time. Thanks PPK, for always being totally brilliant and trustworthy.

Chocolate Ginger Pear Torte

Yesterday was a friend’s birthday, which, in my book, is just a good excuse to bake. I used to hate baking (well, that’s not true–I liked it, I just wasn’t very good at it). Where cooking moves organically and free flowing: you can add a smattering of this, a dash of that, balance X flavor with Y all during the process. Not so much with baking. In baking, ingredients must be precisely measured, the correct temperature, and mixed in just the right way. There is little room for error. Not to mention, when you first start replacing eggs with other ingredients, it can take some time to wrap your head around what works best for what, or even learning to combine different substitutes to end up with the best end product you can. But the PPK can help you with those building blocks.

It wasn’t until I moved in with my friend Dee, who is a great vegan baker, that I began to reign myself in and get down with the chemistry of baking. Now I treat it as some sort of science experiment, which makes the precise nature of baking enjoyable. So, it was my friend's birthday, and I attempted to procure 35 helium balloons “like a big bunch- the kind a little kid would have at a park in France!” at the bequest of her partner who is out of the country (this did not work out as planned, only 22 would fit in the car and one popped on the way home. but 21 is still a big bunch of balloons). In order to complete this Parisian themed birthday evening, I decided to attempt to make a torte, and although it looked a little homely, it was fucking delicious. We shared a few pieces over a bottle of pinot noir (red wine + chocolate = perfect equation) and I probably would have sat there and stuffed the remaining half of the torte in my face and ended up looking like a chocolate driven zombie had my wife not gracefully prodded me out the door back to our apartment.

Chocolate Ginger Pear Torte

Vegan Fantasy Fudge

just like mom and I used to make at christmas time...

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup condensed soy milk
1/4 cup milk vanilla soy creamer
1 12oz package of semisweet chocolate chips
7 oz ricemellow creme
1 tsp vanilla extract
i cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bring sugar, margarine, and milks to a rolling boin in a medium sucepan.
Boil for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Remove from heat and mix in chocolate chips until smooth.
Fold in ricemellow creme, nuts and vanilla and beat until blended.
Pour in 9x12 greased glass pan

For more festive fudge, try using vegan white chocolate chips and crush candy canes on top.