Orange-Cardamom Tea Cakes

While looking for keto friendly tea service food recipes I stumbled upon this one and thought the flavor combination sounded good so I decided to try it.

Notes:

• I used butter to grease the muffin tin instead of spray oil because I didn't have spray, and it worked pretty well. Some of them had some trouble releasing from the tin but none got significantly ruined. You can run a plastic knife around the edge as they're cooling to help them come out more easily. I would not use paper liners because I think they'd just stick to the paper.
• I ended up with 11 cakes using a muffin tin. The recipe does not give a yield; it only said she used a mini bundt pan with space for 12 cakes, and I think with holes in the middle like a mini bundt cake you probably would get 12 cakes.
• I was a bit worried at the small amounts of fat and moisture in the recipe and the batter was indeed pretty thick, but it still resembled thicker muffin batter and they turned out fine.
• I used Truvia erythritol/stevia granules and it turned out well. Not too sweet tasting, and no excessive browning.
• I used unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. 
• My cakes took exactly 20 minutes to bake.
• I made a glaze out of a small amount of powdered sugar substitute, fresh squeezed orange juice, and a sprinkle of cardamom but I don't think I'd do it again as it was too sweet. I think a cream cheese based one would be really nice, or the coconut cream based one they suggest.

Verdict: Overall they turned out better than expected, and I would make them again. I might add some more cardamom in a future batch or consider grinding it fresh for a more intense flavor. I also think a lemon-poppyseed variation would be really good. My partner tried them and liked them, and  thinks other people would not know it's gluten free/keto unless you were to tell them.

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RECIPE: Low-Carb Orange Cardmom Tea Cakes (Annissa Slusher, Simply So Healthy)

Weight equivalents:

• 2 cups almond flour = 200 g
• 1/2 cup sweetener = 105 g
• 2 tbsp coconut oil = 28 g 

No Bake Chocolate Coconut Fudge Bars

I wanted something new but simple to make for a birthday treat and decided to go with these. They carried me through the immediate aftermath of losing my dearly beloved cat on July 31, which on one hand is a painful memory to associate with anything but on the other hand, it was something tasty for me to eat when I felt too sad to do much of anything and I was glad to have them then.

Notes:

• I think I used allulose as the sweetener the first time, and erythritol the second time. Both tasted fine to me, though there is a little bit of graininess until they are fully chilled. This doesn't make them particularly sweet so if you want them to taste more like they would with regular sugar I'd also add some stevia or stevia blend sweetener. (I used some packets of Truvia because I have a LOT of them at home lol.)
• I mixed them by hand and pressed it into the pan with the bottom of a drinking glass.
• I omitted the almond butter. The recipe says you can add extra chocolate chips, coconut oil, or butter instead of the almond butter. I went with about 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter.
• For the chocolate, I used Lily's semi-sweet style chocolate chips and I really liked the flavor. The filling with the butter reminded me of a grocery store chocolate doughnut icing, in a good way.

Verdict: I like them and would make them again!

Update 8/18/25: I made a version with matcha-white chocolate filling (I had extra Lily's white chocolate chips after making matcha chocolate covered strawberries with my annual fresh strawberry picking haul) and almond extract instead of vanilla, and I enjoyed them a lot. I used the same ratio of matcha in the white chocolate here as for the strawberry coating. For a full batch of these bars that would be 1 tbsp matcha (for 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips). The unsalted butter in the filling instead of almond butter really worked great here too.

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RECIPE: No Bake Chocolate Coconut Fudge Bars (Katie Higgins, Chocolate Covered Katie) 

Tiramisu Cake

We visited a gluten free bakery and cafe on vacation in Florida that advertised keto friendly baked goods. When we arrived there was a long line to order, and then when it was our turn we were informed they were not actually able to make any of the hot food we wanted (disappointing). They also didn't have any keto friendly sweets in the bakery cases as far as I could tell while we waited about 15 minutes in line to be served. We asked anyway and the cashier looked confused, but then someone working there said the tiramisu cake was keto friendly so we said we'd get one. I had only seen gluten free ones specifically labeled as containing regular sugar in the case, and I'm pretty sure she just gave us one of those that I'd seen. This was all immensely frustrating but there was a big line behind me and I didn't want to make a stink so we paid $35 for our tiny fucking 4" cake and brought it back to the condo. I ended up eating it anyway and even if it had sugar in it (which I'm pretty sure it did because it felt a LOT more filling than keto baked goods), it was quite delicious and didn't really throw me off ketosis, so no harm done I suppose. But I'm not going back there.

Anyway, I was hungry for tiramisu cake after getting home and decided to try to make my own that I knew would be actually keto friendly.

Notes:

• Another NO for Swerve products. The powdered sugar substitute weighed down the frosting on the outside and made it taste grainy. I attempted it again with 100% erythritol as the sweetener with better results but still a little grainy. I would like to try it with the erythritol-monkfruit powdered sugar substitute next.
• I sprinkled cocoa powder in between the layers before putting the second one on and that was nice. 
• I tried dipping the cake layers in cooled brewed coffee before assembling and frosting for some extra coffee flavor (like you do with the ladyfingers in regular tiramisu), and it did NOT work. Didn't soak in at all and made a big mess and was risky because the cake is already a little crumbly. Not worth it.
• I made a 6-inch round cake the first time with 2 6-inch springform pans, and the second time because I wanted something less fussy to line and clean, I baked the layers in two rectangular metal loaf pans. Both turned out nice.
• I want to try putting chocolate shavings on top sometime instead of cocoa powder.

Verdict: I have tried it twice now and like it, but will need to keep working at it to make it exactly what I want it to be. I also think a matcha variation would be delicious, with prepared matcha instead of coffee and matcha powder instead of cocoa powder.

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RECIPE: Keto Tiramisu Cake (The Hungry Elephant)

Skillet Cheese Bread

I saw this mentioned in an article about comfort foods to eat when you're sick but on a keto diet, and sick or no, cheese bread sounded absolutely lovely so I gave it a shot. 

Notes:

• I baked mine in a 9-inch round pan but I would probably bake it in a bigger pan next time to ensure it gets fully cooked in the middle.
• Definitely bake it for longer than it says to. Even with extra time mine did not get fully cooked in the middle and it started growing mold after a couple of days at room temperature.

Verdict: I liked it before it started rotting. I also think I messed it up by unintentionally underbaking it. If I try it again I will definitely bake it for longer, and maybe bake it in a pan that allows it to be thinner (again, so it bakes better/more thoroughly).

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RECIPE:

Skillet Cheese Bread 

1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened 

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease pan with 1 tbsp butter, or if using a metal or glass pan or skillet, set the butter in the pan and place inside the oven to melt. Mix almond flour, flax seed meal, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs, butter, and almond milk. Mix until thoroughly combined. If you used the oven to heat your pan, remove pan from oven and swirl it to coat the inside surface with the butter. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until browned around the edges and set through the center. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Tea Parties vol. 5: Keto Easter

After a thoroughly disappointing experience with tea service at a fashion event I went to at the end of March, I decided the only way I am going to have a nice tea is if I make it myself. I was telling a friend about tea service and he told me he wished he'd gone to tea when he visited London. He was going to be cat sitting for us soon so I wanted to do something to thank him, and he wanted to get together for the Easter holiday right before our vacation so I invited him to tea at my house. I think he had a really nice time, and I got to replace a sub-par memory with a really nice one.

I made all of the food, and it was a mix of keto friendly items and regular ones since I was the only person following a keto diet. There were only three of us so things were very manageable. The cream cheese stuffed strawberries were an unexpected big hit! I will definitely make more of them for future tea parties with people who can't eat sugar.

THE MENU

Drinks 

• Yorkshire Tea
• Sparkling wine

Savory course 

• Crustless quiche using my regular recipe but omitting the crust and instead greasing the baking dish very very well with butter. It had cheese, scallions, and grape tomatoes in it.
• Charcuterie plate (sausage, cheeses, olives) with optional crackers
• Cucumber sandwiches, with and without bread. I mixed a dried herb blend from Penzey's (Justice) into some cream cheese with salt and pepper and spread it on bread and topped with cucumber slices for the regular version, and sandwiched the cream cheese between cucumber slices for the keto friendly version.

Scone course 

• English style scones with homemade strawberry jam and store bought fig jam 
• Almond flour scones (keto friendly) with sugar free raspberry jam made with home grown raspberries

Dessert course

• Sugar free Jello eggs (made as directed on the package and poured into egg shaped molds)
• Keto fudgy brownies (keto friendly) decorated with Russell Stover sugar free candy drops in cute bright colors
• Peanut butter cookies with peanut butter candies
• Strawberries stuffed with sugar free vanilla flavored cream cheese (no recipe, just mixed powdered sugar substitute and some vanilla extract into cream cheese until thoroughly combined, then smushed as much as I could into strawberries that were hulled and had a cross shaped cut in the top)
• Minneola slices 

Keto Vanilla Cupcakes

I tried these along with the frosting recipe because I missed cake.

Verdict: I was not really impressed. They were edible but not really what I was hoping for. If I make them again I will add the eggs gradually rather than all at once so they blend in better (a commenter mentioned they did this with decent results).

The frosting was an abject failure texture wise though the flavor was good. I think it was because my sweetener was not just sweetener; it had tapioca starch in it, and between that and the almond milk it got grainy and too heavy. Next time I will probably use allulose. I ended up mixing cream cheese into it and it tasted a lot better. I ended up eating it like dip with pecans rather than putting it on the cupcakes.

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RECIPE: Keto Cupcakes (Arman Liew, The Big Man's World)

RECIPE: Keto Frosting (Arman Liew, The Big Man's World)

Almond Flour Pizza Crust

When this appeared on my feed in the app I use for my dietary treatment I was very curious to try it because I really missed pizza. Sure, my local pizza place is confused but obliges when I ask if they can make me a dish of sauce and melted cheese and toppings, but I still sometimes miss pizza with crust.

Notes:

• The recipe calls for almond meal (which is a term some people use to specifically designate that it contains the skins of the nuts). I used almod flour with skins because I had it on hand but I think they want you to use the kind without the skins, or at least that's what the picture makes it look like. HOWEVER. I have a feeling they used a picture of a regular ass non-keto pizza on the recipe in my app, and not the product of this recipe, though I haven't tried it with the other kind of almond flour yet to be sure.
• I use the large holes of my grater to shred the cheese, though since you're melting it other sizes would probably work fine too. DO NOT buy pre-shredded cheese since it is coated in something that may interfere with melting and might also be carbs.
• I mix in the egg with my hands because it's kind of hard to do with a spoon.
• For toppings, I use about 1/2 cup jarred marinara sauce, about 2-3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, and any keto-friendly cooked meats and vegetables. I made my own Italian sausage with ground pork and this herb/spice mixture to ensure it didn't contain sugar or starch.
• For future reference: if not adding extra salt, the crust + 2 oz cheese for topping has ~1800 mg sodium for the whole pizza.
  

Verdict: I was surprised at how much it behaves like bread dough before you put the egg in! It's not quite the same as regular pizza dough obviously but it's rather good. I would absolutely have it again, and I really want to try it with the other kind of almond flour once my flour-with-skins runs out. Posting the full recipe below because my phone falls asleep every 5 minutes and it kicks me all the way out of the app every single time I want to look at the recipe again.

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RECIPE:

Almond Flour Pizza Dough
Makes 6 servings

6 oz (170 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (plus more for topping the pizza, I usually use about 2-3 oz more)
3/4 cup (75 g) almond meal or almond flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp (1 oz, 28 g) cream cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix the shredded cheese, almond meal, and cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Add egg, salt, and spices and stir gently until combined.

On a cutting board, place ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and poke holes with a fork all over to prevent bubbles from forming while baking.

Place pizza dough (still on the parchment paper) on a baking tray or pizza stone and bake for 13-15 minutes or until browned around the edges. For a crisper crust, flip the pizza dough over before adding toppings. Add toppings of choice, return pizza to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until toppings are warm and cheese (if added) is melted.

No-Bean Beef Chili

Another try borne from a desire to eat foods I loved before keto.

Notes:

• The second time I made this I used canned tomatoes and it tasted fine, though I will admit I liked the taste of the fresh (frozen) tomatoes better.

Verdict: I loved it! I wasn't sure I would like chili without beans but apparently that is how traditional Texas style chili is made. My partner who is anti-bean loved it. I brought it to a party with non keto friends and they loved it too. Definitely keeping this one for future use.

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RECIPE: Keto Chili (Arman Liew, The Big Man's World)

Apple Cider Caramels

I love me some apple cider in the fall, but the smallest size it comes in is often a half gallon, and because there are only two of us in the house and we have taken to drinking less juice in recent years, sometimes I end up with a large amount of cider that I need to use up before it spoils.

look how shiny it is!

Enter apple cider caramels. I saw these on Smitten Kitchen earlier this year and loved everything about them, and I just so happened to have a bunch of apple cider to use up so I gave them a try!

Notes:

• Definitely make sure to get apple cider (the cloudy kind with sediment on the bottom that must stay cold) and not apple juice. Mine was pasteurized and worked just fine, but I think the fresh-from-the-farm stuff would taste even better. If it has to stay refrigerated, that's a good sign.
• I reduced the apple cider a few days before I actually made the caramels because I started without having all the ingredients to make it (whoops). The reduced apple cider keeps great in the refrigerator. It's thicker when it's cold but it easily loosens once you put it back on the heat.
• My candy thermometer does not have exact temperature markings when it gets to the different ball stages range (weird) so I cooked it to what was marked on my thermometer as "firm ball" stage, which I think is technically just under the 252 degrees F that the recipe tells you to cook it to and it turned out fine. I would probably even make them a tiny bit softer next time.
• My 8x8" pan of caramel ended up about 3/8 in thick, for an idea of how much it makes. I cut them smaller than the 1x1 inch that the recipe suggests. I cut my pan into 6 rows (~1.25 in wide) and cut those into about 1/2 inch pieces (13-15 pieces per row), making about 78-90 pieces total.

Verdict: Way easier to eat than a caramel apple for sure. The cinnamon coated salt bits mixed throughout were better than I imagined they'd be. The cinnamon + salt are the flavors that I associate with the crust of an apple pie. They are apple pie in caramel form. I would definitely make these again.

On a related note, I tasted the reduced apple cider all by itself and it tastes like the best apple candy, sour and very distinctly natural apple. I have heard of people using it instead of maple syrup for pancakes and/or waffles and I am excited by this idea.

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RECIPE: Apple Cider Caramels

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry

I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but my husband is. I tried this recipe because I had a bunch of them I needed to use up quickly, and the one type of mushrooms I do kind of get excited about are the garlic mushrooms at the Renaissance faire. I wanted to make a fancier version of those. I liked these reasonably well but he LOVED them.

Notes:

• To make this dish vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. Mushroom stock would be particularly appropriate.
• I used about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and still found it a little too spicy for my liking, but I'm decidedly not a fan of spicy heat with my mushrooms. I will probably leave it out from future batches.
• If you don't have sherry, a dry white wine would also work.
• Someone in the original recipe's comments mentioned wanting to add thyme and I rather like that idea.

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RECIPE:

Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry
adapted very slightly from Leite's Culinaria
Serves 4

2 tbsp (1 oz) butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb (~450 g) button or other mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 ml) Fino, Amontillado, or Manzanilla sherry
3/4 cup (180 ml) beef or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish

Place a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add butter. When the butter is melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add mushrooms. Cook for approximately 7-10 minutes, or until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add lemon juice, sherry, stock, and pepper flakes (if using) and stir briefly to mix. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced significantly and become syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper, and sprinkle parsley on top.

Salted Chocolate Halvah (Sesame Fudge)

My first experience with halvah was several years ago when I bought Joyva chocolate covered halvah from the international food aisle on a whim. I knew that some Asian countries use sesame in desserts, but I had not heard of this before. It is a common dessert item in the Middle East and is also enjoyed by Jewish people.

I loved it. It reminds me a little of Butterfinger candy bars, but not quite as sickly sweet and also easier to bite into. Why are Butterfinger candy bars so hard?

Anyway. Fast forward to last week when I knew I was going to an afternoon tea potluck, and the hosts had dairy and gluten allergies. I had been wanting to try to make halvah for the last couple of months and also wanted to bring something both of the hosts could actually eat, and this fit the bill!

Notes:

• If you use tahini from a jar, make sure you stir it very well so there are no lumps. Very small ones will melt when you mix in the hot sugar syrup but larger ones will stay in pockets and mess up the texture.
• I made this vegan by using dairy free chocolate.
• Upon researching recipes for halvah I noticed that different ones tell you different final temperatures for the sugar syrup, ranging from 240 (soft ball) to 248 (hard ball). Some said you want the texture to be crumbly, others said it should be chewy like caramel. I don't know if the differing texture is a regional difference based on what country it's made in, personal preference of the person writing the recipe, or not making it correctly.
• It is important that the sugar syrup does not crystallize or it will be especially crumbly and may not form a solid mass. I got most of it mixed in just fine but then made the mistake of scraping the sides of the pan and I think that set off the crystallization. This is also probably why the finished brick of candy was more fragile than in the original recipe's video and broke into two large pieces when I transferred it to the rack to put chocolate on it. It did still taste good, though, which is ultimately my most important metric.
• I did not use the vegetable oil spray and was fine. I used a nonstick coated pan and only the parchment paper, and had no trouble releasing it from the pan.

Verdict: I love how it tastes and despite it being something people in my area probably haven't heard of, the people that tried it at the potluck seemed to like it. I'd definitely like to try making it again and avoid the pitfalls that made the execution of this batch less than stellar. I also need a new candy thermometer that A) fits under my microwave range hood thing and B) goes down low enough in the pan to sit in the candy syrup.

RECIPE: Salted Chocolate Halva (it includes a really helpful video!)

Warming Carrot Cauliflower Stew

I had a head of cauliflower and began looking for new recipes to use it in, and this one caught my eye because it is carrot based rather than tomato based.

Notes: I'm not sure what chile powder means here (like the spice blend that you use for making chili, or cayenne pepper, or what?). I didn't want it to be TOO spicy and there was already crushed red pepper flakes, so adding even more sharp heat with cayenne seemed like a bad idea. I put in some chili powder but then decided that was not the right flavor, and threw in a bunch of curry powder. I liked the curry powder. I used about 3/4 of a 1 lb bag of baby carrots instead of cutting whole ones into rounds because it's what I had. I used Better than Bouillon's No-Chicken Base + water instead of vegetable broth because I don't like the taste of most vegetable broth, especially if it's too strong. I topped it with chopped cilantro and ate it with some goat cheese toast.

Verdict: It tasted fine but not exceptional. I wouldn't go out of my way to make it again for the amount of work involved (pureeing the soup and especially separately roasting the cauliflower only to sog it up by throwing it in liquid). I didn't have chickpeas when I found the recipe and while I did end up buying some, I almost feel like this might be more delicious and texturally interesting with red lentils. I'm not sure whether you'd want to cook them in the soup after blending it, or cook them separately and add them in when you'd add the chickpeas.

RECIPE: Warming Carrot Cauliflower Stew

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto

When I first met my friend Andrea, she worked for a restaurant that made this as an appetizer. She told us about it, and how she liked them so much she would get the chef (her friend) to make them for her sometimes to eat whenever she could sneak back to the kitchen. This got me interested, and my husband and I went to the restaurant to have some for ourselves. This is the food that made me decide I like dates.

The restaurant is no longer open, but the chef gave her the recipe so that she could make them for herself if she felt like putting in the work. She loves food but not cooking...so she came to me to ask me if I'd help. Since I love them too, it didn't take much convincing. We made them for a tea party at my house a while back, but this time I helped her make them to bring to a murder mystery party because I had the proper equipment and it's always nice to not have to cook alone :)

The recipe as written when Andrea got it was for a much larger amount, and the amounts of the components as written weren't proportional to one another (for example, we ended up with LOTS of extra pesto the first time) but after making it twice I think I have it adjusted to a home setting reasonably well.

Notes:

• It is important to use medjool dates. They are larger and softer than dried dates. Making this was the first time I had a reason to shop for them. I found them pitted and packaged in the produce section of the grocery store, in the bulk section of a grocery store that sold bulk items by weight (also pitted), and sold by weight in the produce section of an Asian market (still contained pits). The Asian market was by far the cheapest option. We determined that there are about 32 dates in 1 pound.
• Since this recipe is from a restaurant, the weights are of fully prepared/peeled ingredients. When buying ingredients, you may want to get slightly larger amounts of things that have skins or things that need to be removed before use (like garlic and shallots).
• MAKE AHEAD TIPS: If making ahead, stuff but do not bake the dates or put the pesto on them, and keep in the refrigerator wrapped in saran wrap or in an airtight container in a single layer. Keep pesto separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator with plastic wrap over the surface to prevent browning. (I think these could be kept for up to 2 days before baking and serving.)
• Stuffing and pesto can also be frozen.

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RECIPE:

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Hazelnut Pesto
from 43 North in Madison, WI
Makes 32; serves about 6-8

Dates
32 medjool dates (about 1 lb)

Goat Cheese Filling
11g (about 2 ½ tsp) garlic, minced
25g (about 1 ½ tbsp) shallot, minced
3g (about ½ tsp) fresh thyme, stems removed, chopped
25g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
225g (8 oz, 1/2 lb) chevre/goat cheese
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Spinach Hazelnut Pesto (yields about 1 cup)
75g (2.6 oz, a little over 1/8 lb) hazelnuts, toasted
7g (about ½ tbsp) fresh garlic, chopped
57g (2 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 g (1/4 tsp) salt
113g (about 4 fl oz/ ½ cup) olive oil

Slice dates open lengthwise (do not cut in half) and gently squeeze out the pits if they still contain pits. Set aside.

To prepare goat cheese filling: Gently cook garlic, shallot, thyme, and butter together on medium-low heat until shallots are soft and translucent. Transfer to a stand mixer. Add goat cheese and pepper and whip in a stand mixer using paddle attachment until blended and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon about ½ tablespoon of filling into each date (or more to fill; swipe off excess with your finger) and squeeze (mostly) closed. Place stuffed dates on a baking sheet lined with foil and put in oven. Bake until dates are heated through and have softened slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare hazelnut pesto.

To prepare hazelnut pesto: Place half of the toasted hazelnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground and sandy looking. Add spinach and oil and process until smooth. Add remaining hazelnuts and pulse until nuts are chopped but still slightly chunky (about 10-12 pulses).

Spoon pesto over warm dates. Serve immediately.

Raw Kale and Apple Salad

This recipe was tried out of a necessity to use up fresh kale from our CSA haul (we get it nearly every week in the summer!) and a desire to not have to cook it to use it up. I recently had a raw kale salad at a work potluck that I liked so I thought I'd try to make a similar one. I liked this one so much that it's turned into a regular summer meal!

Notes/substitutions:

• I don't bother mixing the salad dressing ingredients together first, just pour the oil and lemon juice and salt into my bowl of chopped kale.
• I haven't ever eaten this with dates but I'm sure they're good. I usually use a dried fruit I'm more likely to have on hand (golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries).
• I've used sliced almonds instead of slivered. Walnuts are also good. Toasting them sounds a little tedious but adds a lot of extra flavor.
• Instead of just tossing to coat, I massage the ingredients into the kale for a couple of minutes. I find this softens the leaves and makes them easier to eat.
• I also have used other harder, sharp cheeses in place of Parmesan to good effect. Sartori MontAmore is particularly yummy.
• This salad keeps for several days in the refrigerator and travels well.
• It is gluten free and can be made vegan if you leave out the cheese.

RECIPE: Kale and Apple Salad

Emeril's Flourless Chocolate Cake

I was asked if I might be willing to make a gluten free cake for a coworker's retirement party, and was told that she really liked flourless chocolate cake. I accepted because A) I like this person and B) I had just the recipe in mind and it was a perfect excuse to make and eat this cake.

Admittedly I have only tried one other flourless cake recipe in my life, but I like Emeril's flourless chocolate cake recipe so much that I don't feel like I need to go looking for another. This one is fudgy and has an intense chocolate flavor, probably because there's an entire pound of chocolate in it, but is not overly sweet. If chocolate had the texture of butter, it would be this cake, and you won't find me complaining about it.

Notes:

• The recipe allegedly serves 16 but I think that's a generous estimate because it's very dense and rich. If you've served an entire meal before this it will probably feed more people, especially if they don't have big appetites to begin with. I served it to a group of 25 people who were mostly light eaters, and we still had leftovers.
• For serving: I topped it with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh raspberries and blackberries, as shown in the picture.
• If you are averse to putting alcohol in your cake or don't have any Kahlua, you can substitute espresso or strong coffee.
• I used semisweet chocolate chips for part of the chocolate but I would definitely use the highest quality real chocolate you can find (I have learned there's such a thing as chocolate *flavored* chips. What are they made out of?).

RECIPE: Flourless Chocolate Cake