Debra Wink's blog

This flourless chocolate cake by Alice Medrich (Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts) is another great use for all those egg whites leftover from baking panettone or colomba de pasqua this time of year. Unlike other flourless chocolate cakes, this one is lots of tiny bits of chocolate and walnuts suspended in a meringue. It's not a looker, but if you appreciate melty, gooey chocolate you'll be happy to look past that. Use a chocolate you really like since that will be the star.

     100 gm walnut pieces (1 cup)

Let me start by saying I haven't made them yet. But I saw these cute little meringue Christmas trees on America's Test Kitchen over the weekend and thought it a timely way to use up some egg whites left over from holiday panettone baking (I hope to get another bake in soon myself!). Since it was on the show, I think it is a free recipe, but if not, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Meringue Christmas Trees | America's Test Kitchen Recipe (americastestkitchen.com)

Panettone season is starting up again --- exciting, huh? I know some people bake it year-round, but I think my last one this year was last January and one colomba in the spring. It's a multi-day project, so for me, I need to be able to shoehorn it into my schedule and this year it didn't happen. But this week that finally changed and I tried something new that worked so well I thought I should share.

Just back from a week in Vermont, baking under the tutelage of Jeffrey Hamelman, I was itching to get into my own kitchen and fire up the oven. But, what to make? We were going to have chicken gumbo for dinner the following day, so I chose a simple rustic bread. I had enough time for a preferment... check. I had the right flours... check. Okay, off to a good start!

 
I don't remember joining TFL on Christmas last year, but according to the time clock here, it was that evening. And so, to mark the occasion, naturally, I baked a cake.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for making me feel welcome in the community. This is the nicest group of people I've encountered anywhere on the Internet---warm, friendly, supportive and encouraging. Thank you, you've made it a great year!

I haven't posted to my blog in a while, so it's high time I do. I've been away on vacation for a few weeks, which is why I haven't participated lately, nor have I been baking either. My husband and I just got back from a road trip we took to Charleston, South Carolina. Beautiful town... ever been? Unfortunately for us, the weather was gray and rainy for a good bit of our trip, so when the sun smiled down on us for one whole day, we put on our walking shoes and headed downtown.