Chocolate – Fervent Foodie

French Silk Pie with Lemon Fennel Cracker Crust {IFBC 2014}

September 29, 2014 1 Comment

Last week, at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle, hundreds of food bloggers from around the globe (yes, it really does have international reach) gathered in Seattle to talk blog. There were sessions on the creative aspects of blogging (story writing, recipe development, and wine pairing) and the technical aspects (like Google+ and SEO—that’s search engine optimization, totally nerdy, totally cool), plus plenty of opportunities to network with other bloggers and with national brands. I was one of the lucky few who sat down with Lesley Stowe, creator of Raincoast Crips, to talk about her career path and how her Raincoast Crisps, which started as a minute part of her business, grew to become her company’s main (incredibly delicious) product.

At the IFBC, Lesley announced their newest product, the Lesley Stowe Raincoast Flats, which come in two varieties: Lemon & Fennel and Kale & Walnut. Both the Raincoast Crisps and the Raincoast Flats are no-brainers for cheese plates and dips (check out my Cheese Plate 101 post for cheespiration), but the lemon-fennel combination immediately had me craving chocolate. I don’t know why. I’ve learned not to questions these sorts of things.

Earlier in the summer, I made Food 52’s (now infamous) Atlantic Beach Pie, which uses a combination of crushed saltine crackers, sugar, and butter as a crust. I used this same technique here with the Raincoast Lemon Fennel Flats, which resulted in a crispy, flavorful crust, the perfect base for the light and silky chocolate topping.

{beautiful turquoise platter by jmnpottery}

What I ate

Vino and carbo loading {the week in food}

January 28, 2013 2 Comments

If it weren’t for the random snapshots of food in my phone, I’d have no proof at all that a whole week slipped right through my fingers. Of course by food I mean large amounts of wine and assorted carbohydrates. And some chocolate, here or there*.

* here or there = everywhere

After last week’s flop (in which I was served a dish I didn’t order and left to eat it anyway), I was a little hesitant to plop down thirty big ones on another restaurant week dinner. But the girls at work convinced me to join them at Pisces for some Asian cuisine. There was a lot of sushi to choose from, but in an effort to meet my daily stress-induced carb quota, I opted for the shrimp and garlic noodles and some pork potstickers (that oddly reminded me of mini Mrs. T’s pierogies, and yes, that IS a good thing).

The $30 menu was a great deal, considering it came with a glass of wine and THIS chocolate cake…

Food Talk

Rugelach… Rugelwhat?

November 1, 2012 9 Comments

If you’re like me, each morning when you sit down at your desk and open up your inbox you secretly hope to see one of THOSE emails. They come with subjects like “Goodies in the kitchen!” or “Get it while it’s hot!” or simply “DOUGHNUTS.” These are glorious emails: ones that don’t result in agitation or stress or silent shaking of an angry fist at the monitor. These emails confirm your department has, in fact, employed an angel, and the treats–be they muffins, homemade cookies, or (if you’re really lucky) the GOOD bagels–turn what might otherwise be a monotonous beginning to the daily grind into a full out PARTAYYY.

OK, maybe not a partayyy, per se, but they definitely make everyone a lot more smiley throughout the day.

Today, we got one of these very emails letting us know there were “rugelachs” in the library for our eating pleasure. Rugelachs? The library?! Yes, we have a library chock full of old tax filings and millions of pages of decaying tax code and free rugelachs. My first though was, rugelach? What the heck is that? I pounced from my desk to the library, camera in hand, all the while asking myself–what is a rugelach?!

Food Talk

33 ways to eat Nutella

October 29, 2012 27 Comments

In retrospect, it’s kind of shocking. I mean, I’d heard of Nutella and seen a commercial or two, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around slathering chocolate on bread. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and I can eat my weight in baguettes, no problem, but a chocolate sandwich just seemed gross and, frankly, un-American. To me, eating such an insane combination felt like cheating on good ole peanut butter and jelly. When I confessed my big secret–that I’d never EVER tried Nutella–my friend Vanessa, appalled and concerned, bestowed upon me a tub of Nutella the size of a baby walrus.

That day, I had my first Nutella experience: baked stuffed bananas loaded with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and a dollop of Nutella. It only took one bite to realize I’d been robbing myself of intense palate pleasure for the better part of three decades. Since that moment, I’ve been making up for lost time and searching for things to slather with the unworldly chocolate hazelnut spread. For the record, I checked the ingredients list and chocolate-candy-crack isn’t listed—just hazelnuts, skim milk, sugar, and cocoa. Nutella doesn’t even have artificial flavors or preservatives.

It tastes too good to be true.

Ramblings

Detox.

January 17, 2012 9 Comments

A spongy glazed doughnut. A homemade scone, still warm from the oven. A yellow-cake cupcake slathered with thick chocolate icing. A piece of jam-filled chocolate straight from Germany. Sugared pecans. A lemon ricotta cookie. A miniature cupcake filled with champagne strawberries and topped with a dollop of vanilla icing. A slice of carrot cake. A caramel drizzled pecan bar with sugar cookie crust.

All of it.

Each and every sugary treat… down to the last crumb and gooey morsel.

I ate it all.

Today.

This is what we call an extreme lack of self control, and I am ashamed. When presented with not one but TWO potlucks in the very same day, I cracked. I ate with reckless abandon. As I type this I can feel the jitters in my fingers and the creepy crawlies in my shoulders from all that sugar seething through me.

I am addicted and something has to give.

Sugar, I need a break. Just some time to clear my head, get my thoughts straight, and get back on track.

It’s not you, Sugar. It’s me.

Just one week apart, Sugar. And then? Well, we can still be friends?

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