Apricot-Almond Cobbler

One of my most favouritest cooking guides of all time is The Flavor Bible.

It’s not a recipe book, though, but rather a massive compendium of ingredients and their flavour pairings.

My boyfriend got it for me a few months ago (it was a really sweet, here’s-a-present-just-for-no-reason sorta thing), and it’s seriously one of the best gifts that anyone has ever given me.

Whenever there’s some fruit on the counter and I’m in need of a little inspiration…?

I just flip through the good book, pick out a few other ingredients, double-check to make sure I’m not heading for a kitchen disaster, and get crackin’.

That’s how I was inspired to take a warm, heavy cobbler recipe and change it to suit summer — by using sweet apricots, lightly toasted almonds, and vanilla bean ice cream.

Now, if only I had a porch, a rocking chair, and a mosquito swatter… then my life might be complete.

Sachertorte

First, a disclaimer: this isn’t real sachertorte — it couldn’t possibly be.

The real recipe is 179-year-old secret!

Often imitated, never duplicated, the real thing only comes from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria. That doesn’t stop other people (people like me) from trying to make their own, of course.

And why not? The original sachertorte was created by a teenage kitchen apprentice! Which means that you or I can definitely make it, too.

Basically, a sachertorte is a chocolate spongecake with apricot filling, a coat of apricot glaze, then covered in a rich, chocolate icing… sounds kinda awesome, right? Especially since apricots are in season again (but don’t worry — you can use jarred apricot preserves).

Fair warning: this cake is a bit of a process. Not so much in effort or difficultly, though, but in time and chilling and dirty dishes.

Definitely read through the whole recipe before you start.

Because of the time you have to put in to make it, this is definitely a good “special occasion” cake, but…

Quick Fruit Cake (Without Raisins)

So I’ve decided to try two fruit cakes this year — first I did a classic, aged fruit cake (without raisins), and now I’m doing a quick fruit cake (still without raisins).

This is a sort of test to see if fruit cake that’s aged for weeks is really better than one you can make a day or two ahead of time!

Anyways, I finally cut and served my aged fruit cake at my family’s Christmas dinner the other night.

And when my cousin asked me why I hate raisins so much, I told him that I thought raisins were “little black holes of moral fiber” and that I’d “induce vomiting if I ever ate one” — and then he looked at me like I was psychotic. Ahaha!

Although I can’t deny that I enjoy the “this girl is totally bonkers” looks I get on occasion, I often wonder why people can’t tell when I’m joking!

Of course I’d be joking. Raisins aren’t that bad.

Okay, well — maybe they are. Harr harr.

Fruit Cake, without Raisins

Everybody has things they love and hate about the holidays. I’m no exception.

Things I hate about Christmas: egg nog, Christmas music on endless repeat at my workplace, and raisins in fruit cake.

I hate, hate, hate raisins with an unbridled, neurotic hostility.

But I love fruit cake. Well, more accurately, I love to look at fruit cake. It’s so pretty and it smells so good.

I won’t eat it because it has raisins in it, and raisins are evil! They’re gross. They’re creepy. They’re downright dangerous.

They cause car accidents and try to kill people. True story.

And the worst thing about raisins is that they’re not just for Christmas — raisins are a plague on baked goods all year ’round!

Well, I’m putting a stop to it.

No more raisins! I’m making a fruit cake in a state of raisin-free liberation. Dried apricots, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, black currants, blueberries — it’s going to be amazing.