July 9, 2005 (IJ)

Boring again. We had a few more customers (solely because it is Saturday) but we still didn't have very much to do. Lobster salad is the biggest deal out here! When the members find out that we have lobster salad, that is the ONLY thing we make. It is really fresh because we steam the lobsters and make the salad right there. It better be good for the amount that we go through. Other than that, I made some things in the bake shop and found this recipe for "Flourless Chocolate Cake". I thought it looked really interesting and fun to make. So, if someone wants to try it . . . let me know how it turns out!

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch round pan. In a double boiler, over barely simmering water, melt chocolate with butter. Stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar. Add eggs and combine well. Sift in cocoa powder, whisking to combine. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a thin crust has formed. Cook cake for 5 minutes and then transfer to serving plate. Dust with cocoa powder.

For real chocolate lovers (like me, Debbie and Alice), I think a ganache would be incredible with this cake. Here is a recipe for that:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Using a serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate into 1/4-inch pieces. Don't be lazy here. Big chunks will not melt.

Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boiling means the cream will actually rise up in the pan and threaten to boil over.

Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate into the cream, then let it sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl, and working out to the sides. Be careful not to add too much air to the ganache. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. It may look done after 1 minute of stirring, but keep going to be sure it's emulsified.

Let the ganache sit at room temperature until it cools to 70 degrees, about 4 hours sitting out or 2 hours in the refrigerator. It can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.