Guilt free Brownies ;)...

These brownies aren't only guilt free but are also high in (drumroll..) PROTEIN! and for all you Gluten-free bugs (like me) who's tummies just cannot handle it, it is even that more scrumptious :)

The recipe below is one of which I put together for my classes. The kids were not only surprised by how great they tasted but it gave beans a great reputation as well. Moist inside with tons of chocolatey flavor, you can even add grated zucchini in these for the little ones and they won't even acknowledge the taste. Chocolate over powers pretty much anything in smaller quantities.

Yesterday I made a batch using black Soy beans instead of regular black beans accompanied with 1/4 cup sliced almonds. And Yes, I am guilty due to what time of the month it is. No more brownies in my jar :( boo-hoo. They are that good!

Gobble gobble!

Hoping everyone had an amazingly STUFF your face Thanksgiving! (As did I!)...more of the wine of course ;)..ok, maybe in equal amounts.

My boyfriend Peter and I had gone to Long Island to my sisters house for a few days. It was nice, as always..to escape the streets of Brooklyn too, almost like a mini getaway.

I made a lovely ganache tart (12" inch round)...assembled with some chocolate leaf work decoration. Here are a few shots which were PRE subway and LIRR travel!

Traveling alongside with us was our dog, Jerry and a DELICIOUS stellar Strawberry cheesecake my boyfriend Peter had made. He had some last minute issues with the chocolate ganache topping, over the strawberries and cake and such. So with time 'a tickin' I couldn't snap a picture! Instead I had to save his cake and run to the supermarket. With my Pastry knowledge and all, you can say...I saved his cake :)...love you hunnie <3 And due to glasses of wine, one after another...I didn't bother setting up a photo shoot. Most likely due to my neices butchering the cheesey velvety goodness. His was surely a steal of the night!...<3

Delicious Herb and Cheese biscuits! Click below for this delicious, crumbly on the outside and moist inside biscuit. My whole family devoured them, as did the kids I teach at work :) Annnndddd...as you can see below, the ladies that I work with also had our own lil feast before the Holiday break. Can you spot these delectable love biscuits!?

Gina's biscuits

Butterfly Art.

Here we have a Dark Chocolate candy mold, holding atop a Cake Ball (cake crumb + van. icing mix). Mixed well to hold the structure and hold a nice smooth coat of yet another round of tempered Dark chocolate coat.
After that process is over and done with, we freeze for a nice 30mins. In the meantime, I make my decoroations with acetane paper and leftover tempered chocolate of your choice. I just left mine on the stove top over a bain marie, to keep it good to go!
Then we drizzle beautiful outlines of butterflies, designs in the wings, body of the beautiful wing'd beaut, antennaes..etc. I wanted to go Art Deco, and a little nutty. So in my case, I just sprinkled sprinkles (haha) inside and well, all over my place mat for some fun. Then took some White Choc (dyed pale yellow) and covered the backed, literally pouring it ontop of the decor inside the butterflies. I also made some tiny bees, a lady bug and a cute little flour (Haha, that is funny. I am overtired AND I think I will keep it that way!)
Yum! ;)

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This was a true chocolate cake. Very Bold. The mousse on the other hand was light, so that cancelled out. I love the Creme Chantilly on top along with the toasted hazelnuts. The chocolate dec. was done with acetane paper and a quick fold over in a triangle shape. Once set, you take away the paper gently, and behold! (if you tempered right, it should take off well releasing from the paper) :)

Whoa..it has been a while!

Ok, move over Winter blue's!..The groundhog saw it's shadow, right??! (so that means an early Spring?) I so do not keep up with my hog status. Sorry! So I was browsing on 'My Pictures' in my documents. GEEZ! I didn't know how many folders were inside more folders?? I think I may have clicked some into them by accident while I was organizing last time I was blogging. I just wanted to upload some oldies but goodies (haha)..just because they were some cool shots!
CROQUEMBOUCHE

-Sigh-..My elegant yet "Art Deco" Croquembouche. What a blast this was to make! but also got my first 'sugar burn'..In order for the puff to stick together, you use Hot sugar. Starting at the base, and working your way upward and inwards! Much running back and forth to reheat the sugar! Pate a choux is the kind of dough these little "puff balls" (as I call them) are. Pastry Level 1 was run by a drill sargaent more so than a "Chef". So I was kind of rushed and couldn't coat my other puffs. But I got creative enough to split and make chocolate/coconut puffers. I remember an odd stare from our Sous Chef as I did that, testing the waters of the kitchen. The dough is simply consisted of Eggs, Butter, flour and water! Mmm mmm, makes me want to make homemade French crullers now! Oh wait, maybe even Churros? Which would you choose!? SO HARD! :)
VANILLA RASP. PETIT FOURS

Heeeere, we have some simple Lemon Rasp. Petit fours (the squares) These are very light and Zazzy. Approx. 1" x 1"..nice little sweet treat with some coffee in the afternoon, for sure :). The Chocolate covered Petit fours are a deep rich chocolate cake (circular cut)..topped with espresso buttercream (#4 tip) and quickly covered with a chocolate glaze! The decor. was with white and dark chocolate! YUM.

WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

WOW! flashback..This was even before I started Pastry school and way even before I ever thought I'd be living in Brooklyn! (2 years ago to the day!)..I love creating scenes for my finished product. These are a basic whole wheat muffin recipe (probably on the back of a Bisquick box)..I threw in some chocolate chippers, and BOOM! whole wheat goodness :). The ones below are also the same recipe just added some organic blueberries that I froze and then rolled in flour to prevent and 'purple' muffins a happenin'. Hey! at least I knew THAT before i enrolled!..he he. They are mini as well!

The one eyed mini-Blueberry muffin!

Chocolate Horseshoe :)

I made this for my neice Grace, she loooovesssss horses (as do all my neices)..and as you may have read in my previous blog of her Bday party @ the Equestrian!..I used Hershy's choc. chips in this for the grand horseshoe. It came out perfectly tempered with a clean, smooth, shiny, SNAP! (all the signs of well tempered choc.!)

What I used was Semisweet chocolate + Pink royal icing + Acetane paper = kaboom!

*Temper your chocolate and then pipe alone the acetane paper with an outline. I usually have a sketch/outline underneath the acetane paper (it is clear)..So I know the borders.

*Allow it to set for a few minutes and then fill in with the rest of the chocolate, Then to make the top flat as well, set another sheet of acetane on top of the surface, chill.

*Then I drizzled her name on it once it was completely set and chilled in the refrigerator. Along with some teeny tiny hearts on the sides.