gfrancie | In my kitchen.

My New Years Resolution was to make and eat more cake. It is going fairly well. My next project (once we work out way through the black forest gateau) is a sachertorte. I have been spending time researching the cake's history and various recipes. The original sachertorte recipe is a secret so obviously all of the recipes are just attempts at recreating it. There was a long legal battle between Hotel Sacher and Cafe Demel over who could possess the title of "original sachertorte". The cake was first created by Franz Sacher who was filling in for a sick chef and put this together as kind of an off the cuff dessert. It was well-received.

The short project for next week will be to make Crepes for Fat Tuesday. On Fat Tuesday we eat a ton of meat and then crepes. The next day we fast, have dirty foreheads and look upon fish sticks with disdain.

The other thing I have been doing in the kitchen has been cooking with leeks. I have found a new love for these tasty things and have been trying out different ways of serving them. Maybe I will break down and get Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book. Someone has suggested that I need this book. While I will always love and adore meat and meat products one can still have plenty of fun cooking vegetables.

As for tonight? I am making steak and mushroom pie, roasting some potatoes and probably slicing up some carrots and calling it good.