Chocoholic

It's always a sad day when you finish the last piece of boxed chocolates.  On the bright side, it means all the more reason to buy a new box.  :-)  Yes, I'm a chocoholic.  My boyfriend gave me a box from Trader Joe's and it was delish (he helped me out with it).  It had the perfect assortment of nuts vs. caramels, milk vs. dark, toffees, etc.  So many brands, so little time before it hits your waistline but other brands I enjoy are La Maison Du Chocolat, Jacques Torres, Vosges, Cadbury Fruit & Nut, Ghirardhelli peppermint bark, Lindt dark chocolate, Cadbury mini-eggs, M&Ms w/ pretzels inside and the list goes on...

What are your favorites?

Peachy Keen

I recently started posting photos on http://jpgmag.com/, an online photo community that encourages folks to participate in weekly photo challenges that cover a variety of themes.  A week or so ago, they had a theme titled, "Grilled to Perfection."  Thought it was a great opportunity to try and shoot some grilled fruit as opposed to the tired meat shots I expected to see.  So here's my contribution...grilled peaches.  And I'm happy to say that it was a featured photo on their blog!  So exciting.

A Match Made in Heaven

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I started thinking about things that are meant to be.  Perfect pairs, if you will.  Like Audrey Hepburn and cigarette pants.  Or George Clooney and a five o'clock shadow.  A gin and tonic or NYC and Frank Sinatra.  The list could go on!

I think one of my favorite pairings has got to be chocolate and peanut butter.  How can you go wrong?!  So I scoured Epicurious and found a drool-worthy recipe called Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte.  The name is a bit misleading because it's definitely a pie and not a torte.  I'm still a bit shy when it comes to baking pies but this recipe was not in the least bit intimidating.   I think the most difficult aspect was not sampling the chocolate/peanut butter batter!

A few things to note:
I followed one of the suggestions on Epicurious reviews and added just a touch less peanut butter so the pie wouldn't be runny.

Keep in mind that ovens vary - I had to bake my pie twice as long as the recipe stated.

And lastly, pre-bake the pie shell at 400 degrees F for about 10-20 minutes.  Don't forget to poke with a fork so it doesn't puff up.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte Epicurious | September 1999

Yield: Makes 8 servings 1 pre-baked pie shell 2 large eggs, at room temperature 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup peanut butter 7 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped Heat oven to 325°F. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until it ribbons, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwavable bowl, melt peanut butter, butter, and chocolate on high 1 minute. Stir and repeat until mixture is smooth. Cool. In three additions, fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour into a prepared pie shell. Sprinkle peanuts over top of pie. Bake 12 minutes. Surface will be soft and somewhat liquid in the center. Allow to cool for 30 minutes and serve. Filling will be slightly runny and ooze out of the pie wedge.