Sugar Savvy

A while back I had some cocoa financiers that just didn’t go anywhere. I got the idea of using them as breadcrumbs on something, and remembered a cake that was the rage around here about 10 years ago. It went by different names: Diplomat, Choco-flan, Impossible Cake and even Better than Sex Cake. Call it as […]

Ever since my Peep experiment, my mind has been aflutter with all things pillowy white, which led me to my next creation, the “Neopolitan S’more.”
Actually this was more of an idea that’s been slowly evolving in my brain ever since I found chocolate jetpuff marshmallows at my local Target. Initially I thought I could use […]

I’m always amazed by egg whites and the transformation that occurs when they’re subjected to intense beating with my stand mixer, a.k.a. Rosco. I recently had the luck of purchasing some organic vanilla beans (Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian) from a friend-of-a-friend, who bought them wholesale. I was looking for an excuse to use them, and […]

Easter is one of those holidays where we’re lucky enough to have specific mandatory delicious foods that must make their appearance. For many this means carrots, ham, hardboiled colored eggs, chocolate rabbits, and more importantly … Peeps!

Peeps are one of those ideas that you wished you had thought of first, kinda like the “Chia Pet” […]

Talk about irony. A few short years ago, you wouldn’t have been able to get me to touch a block of white chocolate with a 10-foot pole, and now? Now it’s become an incredible luxury, a culinary diamond in my eyes, and I’ve become completely enamored with its simple existence. Simple indeed, because as I’m […]

Cheese is like a religion in our house, and although we’ve had a fondue pot for years, we’ve inexplicably never used it for chocolate. I decided it was time to remedy that situation, and the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday gave me an excuse to try it out. In the end, however, the process took place […]

Recently, I took a culinary press trip to Jamaica sponsored by the Jamaica Tourism Board.  Shortly after my return, I was sent something that I wish I’d sampled while in country, as they say. It was a package of three dried cocoa balls, nutmeg and a grater, along with instructions on how to make “Jamaican […]

Just before going on a Holiday Break, I catered a Graduation Dinner. I had to stick to something relatively easy because the place the dinner was being served didn’t even had a way to keep food cold, let alone frozen. I came up with the idea of Panna Cotta, but I needed to make it […]

These are, in fact, my brother’s caramels. As in, my very own brother. If you want some, you’ll have to bust out the ol’ candy thermometer and make them yourself.
Reading about Cybele’s grandma’s homemade caramels on Candy Blog, it occurred to me that the amazing fleur de sel caramels recently crafted by my brother Rick […]

I just had a “big” dinner for a small party. It was a celebration and they let me go nuts with the menu. I just love it when I get these opportunities, because they’re a chance to really try out interesting concepts. I had read a while back about a dessert served in Mexico’s Pujol, […]