Eatyet’s Weblog

According to wikipedia, clafoutis is made with cherries, while ones made with other fruits; are called ‘flognarde’. It’s supposed to be something in between a cake and custard. I tried using a Donna Hay recipe for Plum Clafoutis but I had only two eggs (called for three), no heavy cream and blackberries instead of plums. So with two eggs and a can of coconut milk I manage to make something clafouti-like; it’s on the creamy custard side but still holds it’s shape (not runny).

Blackberry Coconut Clafoutis (or Flognarde)

• 1 can (14oz) coconut milk (full fat)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 pint blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• organic shortening or butter for greasing pan
• sugar to coat pan

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix everything (except blackberries) till smooth. Grease a pan (I used an 8in square glass dish, but a large oval baking dish would be prettier), add about 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dish and swirl it around to coat. Pour batter into dish, and stud with blackberries. Bake for 40-45min till top is browned.

        Fresh organic blackberries aren’t on sale yet, and frozen ones work great here.

-L

I was in a cupcake mood this weekend. I wasn’t in the mood to eat them, just make them. As you can see, I did take a bite out of that one above. I looked on foodtv.com and found Paula Deen’s red velvet cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. cocoa powder (the recipe called for 1 tsp., but I remember someone saying that there was no distinct taste to red velvet cakes and so I added more cocoa powder for flavor and it helped)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. buttermilk, room temperature
• 1.5 tubes of red gel food coloring (apparently, I can only find the gel food coloring at the grocery now and for the redness, I needed 1.5 tubes. use 2 tbsp. if you can find the liquid food coloring still)
• 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cream cheese icing

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened (it wouldn’t be a Paula Deen recipe without the butter)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 c. confectioners sugar, sifted
• sprinkles, pecans, choco chips, strawberries or whatever else you’d like to garnish the cupcakes with

*Note: If you’re not a fan of tons of icing, you might want to cut this recipe in half. I had a little leftover, but the kids wanted tons of icing. Someone commented and said it was much more than what they needed, so I figure I’d put that info. here.*

Procedure

• Prehead oven to 350 degrees farenheit
• In one bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together
• In another bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar & vanilla on med to low speed
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth & well combined
• Pour batter into cupcake paper/pan and fill each about 2/3
• Bake in oven for 20-22 min. turning the pans once at the halfway mark. Test cupcakes with toothpick to see if done.
• Remove from oven and completely cool before frosting

Cream Cheese Icing

• In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. It helps if you’ve got an electric mixer. Add the confectioners sugar and continue to mix on low speed. When the sugar is incorporated, change the mixer speed to high and mix until light & fluffy

Add your toppings and then it’s all ready to eat. ^__^ It was fun making them, but it took a long time. My first 12 cupcakes were more like pink velvet rather than red because I didn’t use enough food coloring. If you’re pressed for time, I’d say stick with the Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix and then make your own icing. heh.

–Chelle

I picked this as my first baking task because it’s very simple to make. Make sure you add the exact amount of ingredients and mix everything thoroughly. All of my suitemates love it because it’s not too sweet like the ones you get from bakeries. (Trust me, they are super picky when it comes to cheesecakes.)

Ingredients

• 8oz Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp (about 1.3oz) butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 can condensed milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp lime juice (optional)
• 1 ready pie crust (9.5in)

Procedure

• Mix butter and cream cheese in bowl for about 5~10 minutes
• Add 2 tsp of sugar and mix
• Add 1/2 can of condensed milk and beat until smooth
• Add two eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly
• Add 1 tsp of vanilla (optional: and a little lime juice if you don’t want it to be too sweet) and mix
• Preheat oven to 350ºF
• Place the cake mixture into the ready pie crust
• Put the whole pie into the oven and bake it at 350ºF for 40 minutes
• Refrigerate the cake overnight or until it holds its shape

By Nats;  college student, cranky resident of NYC. She enjoys traveling, cooking, gaming, and surfing youtube at 3am in the morning. Also, she has a special interest on drop bear koalas <3.

No, not a bar of chocolate, but a bar for chocolate. I first visited The Chocolate Bar ( 1835 W Alabama St., Houston, TX 7709 a few years ago when a friend of mine mentioned it to me. Since that one time, I have absolutely loved the place and take anyone who hasn’t been there yet. So, when an out of town friend told me she liked chocolate, I thought what better place to go than The Chocolate Bar.

This place has its own chocolate shop adjacent to the “bar” area where you can find an assortment of chocolates, from seasonal designs to your chocolate covered bon bons. But, I must say my favorite area is the bar area. The walls are a bold purple, adorned with candy inspired movie type posters and randomly placed disco balls hanging from the ceiling. There’s plenty of seating, although it doesn’t seem like plenty on a busy Friday night.

So since we were full from dinner, we decided to share a slice of cake. Do you see how gigantic that happy slice of heaven is? Do you see the bottle of milk behind it? You’ll surely need it to get through your decadent dessert. We decided on a slice of Uncle Darryll’s chocolate cake. This moist, 4 layer chocolate cake had the richest, yet lightest chocolate filling. It was covered with what seems like a chocolate ganache and then topped with toffee bits. It was fantastic. Between the two of us, we still couldn’t finish it.

Besides their different varieties of cakes, they also serve their own home made ice cream. I’ve had it in the past, and I think the one I’ve deemed my favorite is the one with white and dark chocolate bits in it. It was just all sorts of yum, and if it wasn’t so chilly, I probably would have had some tonight. I have yet to try everything on their menu, but one of these days I will. There is also fresh brewed coffee and a killer hot chocolate. The staff has always been friendly and helpful and my trips have always been pleasant. I believe the desserts are moderately and reasonably priced, anywhere from $6.95 and $9.95, for the portion of cake/pie you get. Others may disagree, but I have no problem throwing down for some good old chocolate cake.

The Chocolate Bar is a place “Where every hour is happy hour” (yups, that’s their motto). It truly is. Sitting there and enjoying good chocolatey desserts and good company makes a cold Friday night feel remarkably warm.

–Chelle

Té House of Tea (http://www.tehouseoftea.com/ 1927 Fairview St. Houston, TX 77019) is snuggled between Montrose & Shepherd, right on the corner of Woodhead & Fairview. The ambience is very mellow, and I noticed that the second we walked in today, with the soft reggae playing over the speakers. There’s a butterfly hanging from the ceiling, photos (for sale) hanging decoratively along the walls, and the cutest tea pots/sets/cups displayed throughout the cafe. The seats are comfy and the whole place gives off this cozy vibe.

It’s definitely a place I’d go to on a relaxing Saturday morning or afternoon for some tea. However, as I learned today, it’s not somewhere I’d go for my quick one hour lunch from work. This place is really just somewhere you go and meet friends, have a good talk, share a crepe (or get your own, because those things are DELICIOUS). I had eyed the menu before heading over there, and decided on the roasted chicken & brie panini, which comes with a salad, all for the lovely price of $5.95. I did not know there was going to be cranberry sauce on my panini. I’m not a cranberry sauce kind of girl, so my friend was kind enough to share her margherita panini with me (pictured above). It was divine. The fresh tomato, melted mozarella, and basil served on a perfectly herbed foccacia bread really hit the spot. OH!! The salad was great too. I’m not sure what type of vinaigrette they used, but I really liked it.

I should have gotten tea, but didn’t this time. I wanted to be able to enjoy it, and not be in a rush to finish it. My friend did get a small pot of their Strawberry Fields Green Tea. She’s not a tea drinker, so it really wasn’t her cup of tea. It did smell fabulous, though.

So I leave yall on a happy note. The highlight of my meal was the crepe with chocolate spread, topped with fresh strawberries, whip cream and powdered sugar (see below). It was like a taste bud orgasm. You can choose from a variety of spreads and fresh fruits. That crepe was certainly the best I’ve had. I’m definitely going back for more.

–Chelle

Honestly, the only frozen yogurt I’d ever known was TCBY, which I love, but I never really considered it a healthy alternative, because it tasted way too good to be healthy. ha! So tonight, I was driving to the Edwards Cinema off Weslayan & 59, and I saw a sign for berripop frozen yogurt (http://www.berripop.com/index.html). You’ll find it right off the corner of Richmond & Weslayan, in the little center between Chipotle & Collina’s Italian Cafe. Mind you, it’s about 37 degrees outside, and for Houston, that’s kind of chilly. Something frozen wasn’t going to warm me up, but this place looked interesting, so I asked my friend if we could check it out before the movie started. By the way, and so off topic, but 27 Dresses was a really cute movie.

Anyways, it’s a cute frozen yogurt shop with bright green walls, sunshine yellow tables and a variety of frozen yogurts that change daily. The menu seems pretty basic, choose the size you’d like, the type of frozen yogurt you want (pictured above is the original tart), and as many toppings as you’d like, for $.85 a topping. Hey, you even get a deal. Buy 2 toppings and get the third free. There are tons of toppings to choose from..from breakfast cereal like Cap n Crunch to fresh fruits to an assortment of nuts. I chose fresh strawberries and mangos for my first try.

The frozen yogurt tasted more like what frozen yogurt should taste like. The original tart was really light and, as the name states, just a little tart. I totally wanted to try the breakfast foods, but I opted for the fruits and it was fantastic. I enjoyed the fact that eating the tasty dessert didn’t make me feel fat afterwards. Nutritional info is even posted up in the store. 1 oz. frozen yogurt = 24.5 calories. How fantastic is that? They also serve what they call their “Berri Snow”, which is shaved ice topped with the frozen yogurt of choice and then toppings. Then they have a smoothie, too.

I’ll definitely have to take everyone else there. It’s so close to work, and I think this will satisfy my sweet tooth enough. Plus, it’s healthy. Well, healthier than my normal cheesecake ice cream w/oreos mixed in from Marble Slab. ha! Woo for healthy!!

-Chelle

There’s a place down S. Shepherd you’ve probably driven by a dozen times, but may not have realized it was there. Sure, you’ve seen the pink & black decor through their windows, but just thought “Oh. That place looks cute,” and then just kept on driving by. What you didn’t know is that inside, sweetness awaits you.

Sugarbabys (www.ilovesugarbabys.com) is a cupcake boutique off S. Shepherd near W. Alabama (3310 S. Shepherd, Houston, TX 77098). I only heard of it from my sister who said, “Everyone says it’s really good.” So, I did what most people would do. I googled the shop and found their website. They specialize in cupcakes, and offer a fairly wide variety from red velvet cupcakes topped with a cream cheese icing to their dippity doo-dahs, which are chocolate cupcakes filled and topped with vanilla buttercream and then dipped in dark chocolate. Their menu changes monthly, and different specialty flavors are offered on different days. I love how their website states they’re open from 9am-7pm or until they run out. They even have a private party room which can be used for birthday parties or any other small event.

After thinking about this place for the past 24 hours, I decided to swing by there tonight and try it out. By the time I got there, say 530pm, there were very few cupcakes left to choose from. So I purchased 2 white chocolate macadamia nut, a charming chocolate with vanilla icing and another with chocolate icing, and then a va-va-vanilla with chocolate icing. Can you tell I love chocolate? I spoke with one of the workers there and asked when do the specialty ones run out, because I was really looking forward to trying the toffee crunch cupcake. She said if I wanted the other types, I should try to make it in before 2pm. I was 3 hours late. Sadness.

So, I brought the cupcakes to a friends place for after dinner dessert. I only had the white chocolate macadamia nut and it was DELICIOUS. The white chocolate cream cheese icing was so perfect and even the moistness of the cupcake was just right. Plus, I really enjoyed the white chocolate pieces actually IN the cupcake and not just in the icing.

I will surely be making my way there again, and hopefully next time I’ll get a taste of that toffee crunch or that red velvet one.

-Chelle

I love rice krispy treats. They’re easy to make, sweet, and great for a quick snack. You could easily follow the directions on the side of a Rice Krispies box, but I’ve tweaked this recipe with a bit more marshmallowy goodness.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. butter or margarine (I prefer the butter)
• 1 16 oz. package of marshmallows (In my opinion, the mini mallows melt better and easier)
• 7 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (I’ll sometimes put 8 cups to get thicker Krispies)

Directions:

• Melt the butter in a fairly large pan on medium to low heat
• Once melted, add marshmallows
• Allow marshmallows to fully melt, stirring occassionally to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan
• Grease bottom and sides of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan
• Once marshmallows are fully melted, remove pan from heat
• Add Rice Krispies gradually to marshmallows, mixing in with marshmallows after each addition
• Pour Krispy mixture into baking pan
• Using either a plastic sandwich bag or even parchment or wax paper, flatten mixture into pan
• Once cooled, cut into squares or whatever shape you desire, and serve

Note: This recipe will yield 24 treats.

Happy baking!

-Chelle