Ling

I recommend Sarah Phillip's "Best Butter cake" recipe. Rises evenly, slices cleanly, good flavour, and sturdy. butter cake recipe

Some of my friends like to go for AYCE there. Apparently, as of Dec. 2004, lunch was $12 and dinner was $19.

Here is the link to my other cake pics, including the partially filled cake

I remember the Oblivion cake you brought to Arne's house. Damn, it was so delicious. One of the best things I put in my mouth this year.

*spits out coffee* You actually asked someone if you could take a picture of his bagel?!! Can't you all just imagine Daddy-A badgering some poor fellow and waving a camera in his face first thing in the morning?

Please educate an ignorant Canadian--is "mince" minced meat? How is it prepared, and what is it typically served with?

I love the wines from Joie. I had a bottle of the Year One Chardonnay at Ouisi Bistro a few nights ago. What a treat.

This was the poem I was going to suggest, too! Love that one. And that poem by Rumi...*sigh* I wish someone would write something like that for me!

less than 20 minutes of prep time--Pierre Herme's chocolate mousse in his Chocolate Desserts book

^I've been eating mooncakes all week! I had white lotus paste with no egg yolks today.

Hi Ling, My birthday's on the 30th too and I am inspired by you to start thinking about my own birthday cake. I usually end up making one as I am the official and only cake maker in the family. I was following your post in the pastry thread (come to think of it I should look over there) with much interest. What recipe did you end up using for the chocolate layers? ← The recipe that I ended up using is posted in my birthday cake thread. It's this one: double chocolate layer cake It's very moist and rich without being too dense. Rises evenly too! It's my new favourite chocolate cake recipe!

Last night's desserts were: - a delicious cheese course with figs and bread - Sugar Pumpkin Tarte Tatin with Pine Mushroom creme anglaise - R&B Brewing Spent Grain spice cake with dark caramel and whipped creme fraiche ..and when I got home, I polished off the last slice of my birthday cake that I was saving for a friend. Oh well...I had a craving for something chocolate-y

frozen cookie dough (chocolate and gingersnap)

Joie must be busy uploading the pictures for you all. Trust me, everyone's in for a treat! Dinner was amazing!

I posted this pic in another thread already, but I wanted to show you all my cake and thank you for all your help! http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures...6657&idx=1' This is what I ended up making, but not using: French rum buttercream (too rich) Valrhona pastry cream (a bit lumpy) Cook's Illustrated chocolate cupcake recipe baked in pans (too crispy along the edge, and rose unevenly) So I did the Epicurious chocolate cake, an Italian caramel buttercream, almond and pecan dacquoise, and a Valrhona ganache. Thanks chiantiglace, for giving me the mirror glaze recipe--I used it on the cake. And thanks for PMing me with the caramel buttercream recipe, choux! Everyone loved the cake and were very impressed. I was so happy it turned out well...it tasted good, but I know it's not the prettiest thing to look at... I did try my best though!

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures...6657&idx=1' Here's my cake! Can you see the pic? I can't seem to upload to ImageGullet or Photobucket...so I'm trying Imagestation.

Parkside also has great cocktails and good food.

make a nut-based crust and fill it with ganache whip some whipped cream with the ganache and frost a cake top a vanilla cheesecake with the ganache, then squiggle some melted white chocolate and swirl it together

Awww thanks! That's very sweet of you! Today's dessert was the chocolate pastry cream I was going to use for my birthday cake, but decided not to (it was lumpy). Also, green tea shortbread cookies at my bf's house.

^I'll post a pic as soon as my friend sends them to me! I did my best, but it's still pretty damn ugly compared to all the professional pics I see on this site.

^Thanks! Actually, my birthday is on the 30th but this was a "trial" birthday cake...although I was a bit of a perfectionist even with my trial. I redid the chocolate layers b/c I didnt like the first recipe I used very much, and I redid the buttercream too (changing it from a French rum one to an Italian caramel). I also scrapped my chocolate pastry cream b/c I got lumps, and ended up doing a whipped ganache for the middle layer.

filet mignon lamb skewers lamb chops chicken wings kalbi dozens of raw oysters sooo much wine port my 4 layer chocolate birthday cake (with caramel italian buttercream, almond/pecan dacquoise, and ganache) we could not eat the pork tenderloin, the ribeyes, or the salmon...there was just TOO MUCH FOOD!

2 big pieces of my trial birthday cake--4 layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with Italian caramel buttercream (I had made a rum French buttercream a few days ago, but decided not to use it as it was a bit too rich with the cake), pecan and almond dacquoise, Valrhona whipped ganache (used Manjari), covered in a chocolate mirror glaze and topped with more dacquoise crumbles.

I was flipping through an old issue of Bon Appetit today and Francois Payard had a really simple recipe for coconut cake. Basically, it was just coconut, sugar, and eggs (whisked over a double boiler, then combined with the coconut and sugar). I can post measurements tomorrow if you're interested. The cake baked, then layered with ganache.

Whoooaaa!!! Eating out a lot this week! Lovin' your blog. I haven't had HSG gingerbread pudding in too long!