Lisbon Chocolate Cake

How is it that Lisbon is one of my favorite cities in the entire world yet I never managed to try Landeau's chocolate cake on my previous visits?  Your guess is as good as mine but I could literally kick myself for this oversight.  Most likely my attention was more focused on the famous pastel de nata,  but you can't blame me for that.  I really do love them!

Luckily Dorie Greenspan has come to the rescue.  She fell in love with the famed chocolate cake and created a copycat recipe that was published in the New York Times.  One bite of this rich chocolate cake coupled with light and creamy mousse and I was hooked.  Another bonus?  It's gluten-free! Hopefully this homemade version will tide me over until my next visit to Portugal.

p.s. I absolutely loved all the gorgeous tiles in Lisbon so when I recently remodeled my pantry I had to incorporate Portuguese tiles in the design.  These are from Everett and Blue and I think they look fantastic. 

White Loaves and TWD

I recently joined the online baking group Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) and I'm so excited to be a part of this community!  They became famous for taking on the very Herculean task of making every single recipe in Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking: From My Home to Yours."   It took them four years, but they did it!  When I found out they were accepting bloggers for their next Dorie book, "Baking with Julia," I immediately signed up.    

The first recipe selected was White Loaves, an all-purpose sandwich bread.  As I mentioned in previous posts I've only just scratched the surface when it comes to making yeast breads.  This recipe has given me the confidence to continue.  It's super easy to make and the smells coming from your oven while the loaves are baking are completely hypnotic.

I took a few slices and made grilled cheese, one of my favorite sandwiches.  The bread is nice and sturdy and can hold up to the grilling.  My only caveat is that it may not keep well for too long, two days max.  You're best bet is to freeze any leftovers.  Mine are already earmarked for future croutons or bread crumbs.    

You can find the recipe on Jules' blog Someone's in the Kitchen.   {Sorry for the inconvenience but they ask that only the weekly hosts post the actual recipe.}

Shortbread Two Ways

It's ironic that I love to bake because diabetes tends to run in my extended family, especially the maternal branch.  Whenever I make them something inevitably the first comment I get is, "Can you make it less sweet?"  I too am a fan of less sweet desserts, so I'm not one to talk, but you've got to have some sugar otherwise what's the point?

I'm visiting the relatives this weekend so my Mom suggested I bring them a homemade treat.   The main criteria being that whatever it is be low on the sugar content..big surprise!   

The first thing that came to mind was shortbread.  They're more buttery than sweet and are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.   I decided to mix things up a bit so in addition to the classic version I tried Dorie Greenspan's espresso-chocolate shortbread.  If you're a caffeine addict you'll go crazy for them!