difficulty: 4/5 (3/5 if you have a food processor)
tasty-factor: 4/5
(right: round 2 left: failed first attempt with canelle of frosting)
Today was yet another day in the cooking adventures of Kelly & Jake! There was a raw chocolate raspberry cake that I first saw at Elle's New England Kitchen and knew I HAD to make. What fascinated me most about this recipe (from rawepicurean.net) was that the cacao could easily be substituted by carob my miracle faux-chocolate. Finally, I got my act together and began making this fabulous treat...and then I realized how much I was missing by not having a food processor. I figured, "oh hey, a blender is BASICALLY the same thing, right?" Nope! Not quite. It took me a bit longer than it should have (and I also had to add 1T water), but I finally got the cake together. The frosting, however, proved to be a bit difficult as well. I expected to just slather it on no prob, but had a case of extreme pout once I realized that my cake crumbled below the it's tasty surface. Round 2 went better, because I actually used my little culinary brain and frosted it like..idk..a CAKE rather than expecting it to be like frosting some sort of solid piece of whatsit with no vulnerability. Anyways, the final result was not as gorgeous as Elle's or the one on the original recipe, but I can guarantee that once I get my grubby hands on my very own food processor I am going to make this the right way. As for the taste, it is awesome. It was very rich, and the immense chocolatey-ness (that was actually carob) was well balanced by the fresh raspberries. All in all? YUM!
Homemade Tortillas
difficulty: 4/5
tasty-factor: 4/5
2c flour
1/2t baking powder
1/2t salt
4T vegetable fat or lard
3/4c water
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut fat into dry ingredients, and then slowly add water. Mix dough together lightly with your hands until it develops a dough. Separate into small balls, and allow to rest for 1/2 hr. Roll dough out very thin, and if desired, use a bowl to make round. Heat a pan with very light oil (preferably cast-iron) and drop tortilla into pan. Cook for about 20 seconds before flipping and cooking for an additional 15-20 seconds. Dough should have little brown spots and be cooked through. Set onto a plate with paper towels to cool.
notes: We accidentally fried the first few in oil and decided to make "quesadillas." We use the term loosely of course, because it was more like a couple of flat taco shells with stuff in between. We layered pinto beans, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh kale, and salsa in between (letting the heat from the beans melt the cheese and warm the kale) the two tortillas and attempted to eat them without looking like savages :P
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