So you say chocolate is your favorite?

Are you sure? Super sure? 100% on that?

A couple of days ago was my cuz's birthday, and while she's a devout fan of all things choco (and waaay across the country for me, which proved disastrous for my intestines, wait for it) I decided to make her a cake.

You know how I'm obsessed with taking foods that are normally presented in a portable manner and cakifying them. Well maybe not quite obsessed yet but I'm getting close. This one was killer - iced with hot sauce and hummus, delicious and messy.

And since I'm ALL ABOUT a day old, been in the fridge for a bit falafel, all squishy, mushy, flavors blended, you know this thang was right up my alley.

Ok so maybe it's not for everyone - as Erk reminded me. Meaning, I had enough falafel cake for a party of 10 to get through all by myself.

I ate falafel for 2 out of three meals daily for 3 days. It was not a wise choice. My belly's still a little pissed. Was it the copious amounts of salt? Legume overload? Just...density fail? Who knows, dear readers - but I advise against creating this monster unless you have brave pals around to help you consume it.

Those hot pink bits? Pickled turnips. Get yee some from yee local middle-eastern grocer - they're amazing.

Mac 'n 'Chi

This one's for all my hot sauce + mac n cheese loving homies out there.

You know who you are. Frank's, Marie's, Tapatio, Tabasco, something red and fiery has to be sprinkled over the top for that pile of cheese and pasta to really sing for ya. Not like you wouldn't eat it if it weren't there. But you're the one waiting for Texas Pete when your pals are already shoveling.

The beauty of a batch of kimchi is that it's a long term investment - the longer it sits, the stinkier it gets. Its personality changes. It becomes sharper and more pungent with each passing day - textures dull, flavors blend. For some reason, I still eat it quickly, like it's about to go bad, whenever I make a batch. Seldom does a 2 pound kimchi'd napa sit around this house for longer than a week. Good for the guts (I hope).

I've done a ton of pastry baking this week, exploring whether or not I have the chops to start selling the stuff out of an awesome local coffee joint (the long, arduous tale of finding a legal kitchen to cook it in, we'll leave for another time). I think I'm getting there. The reason I tell you this is that I tried the holy cheddar/kimchi combo in a poptart-shaped pastry this week, and found it to be as near perfect a trio of flav as I'd tried in a long while (pasta/bread, cheddar, stinky, spicy pickle). Had to try it with my go-to macaroni cheese recipe, and, well, holy cannoli. Kinda made my week.

Yeah, I used my two-serving corningware. Having any more than that around would have proved quite dangerous, methinks. If you need more, just double/triple the ingredients as needed.

Mac 'n Chi
2 servings

1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2/3 cup milk

1/3 - 1/2 cup kimchi
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni

Butter, for greasing the casserole

Chopped cilantro for garnish, sliced apple for serving

Make the bechamel (boil the noodles while this happens, if you don't have cooked noodles at hand) - melt your butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, add flour, whisk until flour cooks and turns slightly golden. Whisk in mustard, then milk, whisking constantly as the sauce thickens (should take about 2 minutes). Add your cheese and discard your whisk - use a fork to incorporate it completely. Taste for salt.

In your casserole, combine your pasta and kimchi. Add sauce and fold it all together GENTLY. Sprinkle any remaining cheese over the top (or some buttered bread crumbs, hmm yes).

Bake for 20 minutes in a 350f oven, until sides are bubbly. Broil for 2-3 until the top browns a little bit.

Serve with a lightly dressed lemon-arugula salad or sliced green apple. You could be like moi and eat it for breakfast, and get cheese-spaced early in the day, or save it for dinner. Reheats beeeeeautifully! Enjoy!

Chilaquile Pie - awesome with Mole Tofu.

A cross between Tortilla Pie and Quiche, this combination of corn tortillas, eggs, queso fresco and assorted veggies is soft, make-aheadable, and delicately tasty. I had a serious Mole craving this week and this was the perfecto side to all that rich, chocolately sauce. Try it as a brunch side with scrambled eggs! Or even go nuts and stick a fried egg on top (or in between layers, ooooooh)!

Chilaquile Pie

20 corn tortillas, soft taco size
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound queso fresco, sliced thin
1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, sliced
1 zucchini, slced to rounds
2 cloves garlic
6 leaves epazote, minced
Parsley and chives, 1 tablespoon each, minced

Preheat oven to 375f.

In a skillet, saute your garlic, epazote, parsley and chives in 2 tablespoons olive oil and lay the zucchini in the pan in a single layer. Press them down with a spatula, cover, and sear over high heat 2 minutes. Flip and get the other side. Remove to plate to cool.

Grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan or baking pan. Tear your tortillas into triangles. On the bottom, layer 12-14 pieces of tortilla in a complete layer - scatter poblano pepper over. Layer more tortilla pieces, then the queso fresco in a single layer. More tortilla pieces, then the zucchini. Use up your tortillas for the top layer.

Whisk or blend eggs, sour cream, salt, milk, and pepper in a bowl and carefully, slowly pour over the casserole, letting the mix trickle through the layers. Let sit 20 minutes to absorb a tad bit.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until center has puffed. Cool.

We noshed our CP with Tofu Mole - fried blocks of marinated tofu stuffed with roasted Pepitas, a little queso, and diced mushrooms, atop a ladleful of this well-loved mole recipe. A little sour cream on top of the Chilaquile Pie was the finishing touch - a filling, delicious meal.

Single Serve

I don't usually post pics of what gets delivered/stored for my clients to nosh later because blech, tupperware, but I totally enjoyed this little ditty:

Fennel and Tomato Risotto, Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Porto, awesome sprouts, awesomer olive.

Amazingly, this meal comes in at about 1200 calories. Looks more expensive than that to me!

How to Win Friends and Impress People (with Brunch)

Brunch. The best meal of the day.

Is it because it's early, usually on the weekends, that it can so easily become a mind-blowingly special meal? You haven't quite cleaned the Saturday Night Fever out of your eyes, your tummy's still mulling over the myriad of beverages you've consumed, but lo-and-behold, someone sets a pile of perfect Eggs Florentine in front of you, and you look around, wondering if this is as perfect as your life will ever be. I mean, how did someone poach an egg this early in the day? Amazing.

I happened across this recipe on that classiest of all recipe websites, Recipelink. Based on a Cordon Bleu feat from (obviously) the 80's, it calls for a pile of crepes, tomato-paprika concasse, and a mushroom-bacon reduction. I've altered the fillings and finishing glaze, and it is one of those amazing make-ahead dishes that shouldn't be make-ahead. It's also delicious.

Savory Crepe Cake

You'll need:

18-24 Crepes (I like this recipe - but if you have one you rely on, use it)
10 tomatoes, plum, sliced in half lengthwise
8 oz asparagus, frozen or fresh, minced
Pile of chives, chopped
Brie, one smallish hunk, cubed
Emmenthaler, approx 10 oz or 1.5 cups shredded
Parmesan, 1 cup shredded
Butter, 4 tablespoons
Flour, 4 tablespoons
Milk, 1.5 cups
2 eggs, separated

Do eeet:

Preheat your oven to 350f. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 1.5 hours.

As your 'maters are caramelizing, make your crepes. You can just pile them on a plate as you finish - they'll be ok. If you're nervous about sticking, you can separate them with parchment paper, but I've yet to have this issue.

Make the asparagus filling:

Saute your asparagus until it's soft and add a handful of chives. Continue cooking until the asparagus has a bit of brown on it. In a small saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter, then add 2 tablespoons flour, and stir until the flour cooks to a light tan. Take the pan off the heat, pour in 3/4 cup of milk, return pan to heat, and whisk until the sauce thickens a bit. Add 1/2 cup Emmenthaler, the cubed brie, and stir until cheese melts. Add your asparagus mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.

Make the cheese glaze:

Melt two tablespoons of butter in another small saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons flour. Stir until the flour cooks to a light tan. Take the pan off the heat, pour in 3/4 cup of milk, return pan to heat, and whisk until the sauce thickens a bit. Add 3/4 cup Emmenthaler, 1/2 - 3/4 cup Parmesan, and stir until cheese melts. Take pan off heat and stir egg yolks in. Cover and set aside until ready to use, just before serving.

Make the roasted tomato filling:

Carefully chop your roasted tomatoes, removing some seeds but saving as much liquid goodness as possible. Season with salt, and if you so desire, about 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika. Set aside.

Assembly:

Butter a large baking dish with a cover (you want a dish that leaves about 1-2 inches on all sides of the crepe stack, to facilitate slicing and serving). Lay a crepe in the middle of the dish. Carefully spread 1 tablespoon of tomato filling to the near-edges of the crepe (it'll be thin, and that's ok). Cover with another crepe. Spread 2 tablespoons of asparagus filling over the crepe, and lay another crepe on top. Repeat until crepes and filling are gone (occasionally, I have leftover crepes - which is no problemo - because then it's crepesnacktime).

If you're cooling this to serve later, cover the crepe stack and stick it in the fridge, along with your separated egg whites and cheese glaze. You can make the stack and glaze up to 4 days in advance to delectable results.

Finishing:

Warm the Crepe Stack in a 350f oven for 45 minutes, take it out, and increase the the oven's heat to 400f. Gently warm your cheese glaze in the microwave or a small saucepan until it has the consistency of a thick dip. Stir in egg whites. Using a large spoon, spoon the glaze over the crepe stack, spreading it, until it starts to drip over the edge. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Emmanthaler and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the glaze has turned a golden brown.Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.

The end result is very cake-like: the golden exterior reveals layers of color when sliced. Serve with a fruit or savory salad (as pictured) as this is a heavy meal. Easily feeds six, 8 at a stretch. I'd love to figure out how to serve this from a cake stand one day, just for kicks. That would be pretty hot.