Health Minded Personal Chef and Nutritionist in New York City

I have been making turkey chili  at Luscious Organics for at least three years professionally. Every time I make it, I make it a little differently and I hope a little better. I've made three variations this week alone for three different clients and each one was better than the next.

I made some today for a client using chipolte peppers, a little of the chipolte sauce, tomatoes, onions, oregano, cumin and just a drop of cocoa powder (unsweetened). This evening, I made some for myself. I just had two bowls since it was so good.  Tonight I added some mole sauce, chili powder, curry powder, tomato sauce and of course those chipolte peppers. They are amazing, hot and sweet, just like I like my men :)

Here's a recipe of sorts, although its constantly changing.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 lb ground turkey

2 chipolte peppers chopped with the sauce they came in (I used Roland brand in a can)

1 12 ounce bottle dark beer (I used black and tan yueling)

2 tablespoons chocolate powder

1 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 tablespoons chili powder

3 tablespoons curry powder

A few hearty shakes of good quality oregano

1 can of diced tomatoes (about 16 ounces)

1 can kidney beans (organic, no salt if possible)

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil. After 5 minutes or so, add tomato paste and chile. Break up ground turkey into onion and paste/chile. Brown turkey with olive oil. After turkey has been seared/browned, add beer. Allow to simmer with beer for about 8 minutes. Add spices and diced tomatoes continue to cook for 12-15 minutes. Add beans cook 3-5 minutes more. Serve with low fat (or non-dairy) sour cream, chopped cilantro and sharp cheddar cheese.

So, now that it is the New Year (and new decade!), I have decided to formally declare my resolutions.

1. Eat more at home

Yes, I am a chef and I know how to cook. However, I am also a graduate student and a professor, which doesn’t often leave me with enough time for myself. When I do cook, I’m usually experimenting for a client or a new dish/recipe that I haven’t made before or want to make in a new way. But I am going to commit to cooking at least three times a week, just for me. Maybe some of you lucky new york area friends might pop by and share with me.

2. Eat less dairy

I have many theories on dairy. After reading the China Study, one man’s account of how dairy is linked to many different forms of cancer, I swore off all non-organic dairy and all low fat/non-fat dairy. For a while I even draw raw cow and goat’s milk I ordered through a buying club. Those were the days. I never got sick, but I always had to buy in bulk – 1 pound container of raw butter that lasted for two weeks (and cost $11), 1/2 gallon of milk  which went bad in one week (and I could only drink half of myself), etc. So, since most of what I can get commercially that might be grass fed and minimally processed is still pasteurized and that kills off the lactase. What I can do is have more goat milk, but I am going to try to just have less altogether. Milk after all is baby food. Even though I adore cheese, I am going to try and go without and not load up on the substitutes – soy and soy products which can be very processed themselves.

3. Eat more fish

Seems simple enough

4. Get my finances under control

I just watched one of my favorite movies: Confessions of a Shopaholic. And while, Rebecca Bloomwood is far more of a fashionista than I, I have been guilty of some rather expensive hobbies over the past few years: triathlons, sailing, equestrian, adventure travel…so I’m working on staycation and getting my spending under control as well as settling some debts. Responsibility, its a wonderful thing.

5. Create more me time

Hard to do, but necessary. I am going to run more, take more walks (even in 27 degree weather – when its 10 below, I’m staying indoors), go ice-skating (I’ve even got skates!) and more things I enjoy for me…

So, to begin the year off right, I made myself some wonderful wild flounder tonight and it cost me all of $9.

1 5 ounce Flounder filet

3 tbsp organic lemon juice (not from concentrate – this is essential!) – or squeeze your own damn lemons!

tarragon – a few shakes

pepper – a few grinds

1 tsp soy sauce

3-4 florets brocolli

2-3 leaves of kale or a handful of spinach

Place fish in a piece of parchment paper

put vegetables on top of fish

put liquid on top of vegetables

seal parchment into a packet. Wrap in aluminum foil.

Place on baking sheet in 350 preheated oven for 15 minutes exactly.

Serve immediately!

Delish!

As well, I created a recipe for a non-dairy lemon cheesecake. This one was an amalgamation of many recipes I saw online as well as the one on the package of the organic naturally sweetened (only 7 grams of unrefined sugar per slice) graham cracker crust I bought. I was so happy to find a crust that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup and trans fats in it (a few years back this would have been unheard of – but thank you arrowhead mills!). I also had a wonderful slice last week at my favorite macrobiotic restaurant on the east side of Manhattan Good Health Natural (East 75th and 1st avenue) which they said was only sweetened with agave. It was to die for.

So here’s the recipe:

1 8 ounce container of better than cream cheese (tofutti brand)

2 eggs (I never said it was vegan)

5-6 ounces of goat cheese (I had some in the fridge – its just got no cow’s dairy – but you could just use another Tofutti one)

1/2 cup of agave (I actually used less – and I also added some honey- I’d say together it came to about 1/2 cup. So many of the recipes called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar – it seemed outrageous…

Put everything in the blender in order. Blend and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 28 minutes. Refrigerate 6 hours.

I’ll let you know in three hours how it turned out! If you want to make the cake gluten free try making a crust from ground almonds and butter (about 3/4 cup of almonds and 2 tbsp melted butter – press into the bottom of a springform pan – bake 12 minutes).

In the snowdrift that is Long Island and taking some time off from private clients this week and next, I decided to cook some turkey meatloaf for my mother in a way she’s never had it before.

In my life and times studying and eating food, I have always loved meatloaf. However, I can’t put meatloaf and healthy in the same sentence. Usually, because the “meat” used for a traditional meatloaf was the cheapest and fattiest cut ground up with whatever leftover vegetables there were and shaped into a loaf. It was gourmet even back when it surfaced in the 1950’s kitchen, but it was cheap and easy to make.

So I bring you a slightly healthier, slightly more elegant version of my mother’s meatloaf, made with her by my side, doing what she always does – direct and nag me that I’ve dropped onions and peppers on the floor. She doesn’t care that Julia Child did as well. I could only imagine how mothers have influenced the great chefs. I wonder if Bobby Flay had the same relationship with his mother when he was inventing things as a kid in her kitchen. Love, take it any way you can!

So, here’s the recipe. I bet your mouth is watering and your heart full, the way you should always approach cooking.

An elegant Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced small
1 shallot, chopped small
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 lbs 97% lean ground turkey
1 28 ounce can of crushed san marino tomatoes (imported from Italy – organic is best)
2 eggs (organic, cage free are best)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Herbs de Provence (2 teaspoons)
Fresh rosemary chopped (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon paprika (ground)
pepper to taste (there’s enough salt in the tomatoes)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix turkey, tomatoes, bread crumbs, eggs, and chopped rosemary in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon (your hands are better – make sure to clean them thoroughly first!) and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 12 inch frying pan with high sides and add onion, shallot, garlic, carrots, herbs de Provence and paprika once oil is hot. Saute 10 minutes until carrots are soft.

Add vegetables to the meat mixture. Stir to combine.

Place mixture in 13X9 baking pan and bake at 350 1 hour. Check at 1 hour for doneness with toothpick to see if comes out clean and top is set.

If you like, mom adds ketchup and breadcrumbs on top to form a crust. I would never do this, but sometimes, mom’s way is best and traditional! And traditions are important. I might also add reserve some of the tomatoes and add to the top with additional fresh chopped herbs for the same effect, but mom won this time

Enjoy the snow!
 

I write today after being awoken by the distinct sound of a snowblower. Ah, I wonder what we did in the years prior to the invention of the snowblower and the truck plow. I often wonder how much time goes into strategizing how to clean up snow. We're so inpatient and paranoid that we might miss something, that we might need to spend an extra minute at home with our families (or by ourselves!) reading a book, cooking a meal or just hanging out.

I myself spent yesterday cooking dinner for my mom. It was my holiday present to her. On our menu:

Roast lamb marinated in red wine, shallot, garlic, rosemary and mint served with a mushroom sauce with the reduced marinade

sautéed kale in soy, broth and garlic

Savory buckwheat with lemon zest and walnuts  

We had mint tea for dessert. After the adrenal whirlwind of finals and the need for all of us to take better care of ourselves we forewent dessert.  Though I could have easily made some chocolate pudding or something else. It was a meal at home, the dessert seemed unneccessary.

In reading about things to do for the holiday season in Manhattan online this morning, I was saddened to read about the closing of one of my favorite Manhattan restaurants, Chanterelle.  Chanterelle was one of the first restaurant picks I made for my family for my birthday. I couldn't have been more than 22, working and living on my own in the west village for less than a year. The restaurant was divine. Tribeca was an odd part of Manhattan back then and not one I ventured to before.  But being that I had only lived a mile or two north (I get lost in lower Manhattan - but it never seemed that far), it was time to explore. My boss at the time, an irreverent foodie, concurred the choice, even though I had made the pick myself.

The space was unusual, simple, unadorned, but truly elegant. Across the street, was a three floor loft with a magnificent staircase...and oddly no window shades. A young man walked up and down the stairs. I eyed him. He waved. My mom's friend's husband said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if he came by with a rose?" Then his girlfriend/wife showed up, dressed and ready to go. The lights went out. We enjoyed the rest of our dinner, each element, each course more divine than the next. I had never experienced synchronized service before. The dinner choices were odd as I remembered. We decided against the tasting menu for some reason I can't remember. There were four of us. Two shared a monkfish (something neither had tasted or heard of before) the other two chose steak with some sort of tarragon mustard sauce with Gruyère. Three tastes I have used in my cooking ever since. I believe I fell in love with tarragon at that meal and have since not stopped using it.

Chanterelle closed its doors this August for "renovations" and announced a few weeks back that they would be closing permanently. I am sure that there are several New Yorkers that share my pain and feelings of loss as a piece of their life, a truly memorable evening and dining experience died along with Chanterelle. I fondly remember my evening and its possibilities as well as the divine food and truly exceptional service. As a long time Manhattan resident, I have not experienced service on that caliber since. These days, I'd most rather eat in than dine out unless I feel someone can truly treat me better than I could treat myself, isn't that what dining out is all about?

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. I am facing the beginning of finals and the unending study sessions and all nighters often fed by coffee, pizza and ice cream. Instead I am still drinking coffee (but less than my colleagues), but replacing the pizza with whole grain breads and peanut butter I ground myself at the health food store, instead of the ice cream, chocolate sorbet (I like two brands: hands down ciao bella is the best – but also has 8 grams of fat. sharon’s sorbet – a slightly lighter version with only 3.5 grams of fat, still has 22 grams of sugar and makes me want to eat more than a 1/2 cup serving of ciao bella which fills me up) and in between I have turkey chili, grass fed beef stew, vegetable stir fries with wonderful winter vegetables such as kale, broccoli, carrots and butternut squash. It saddens me how nearly 1/2 of our calories come from snack foods and not meals, especially in children and our marketing, commercials and restaurants (even the blogs) reflect that. We need to go back to eating meals (even if it is 4-6 small ones a day) and not relying on snacks for all of our calories, especially for the kids. 

As an aside, I saw a wonderful recipe for chocolate sorbet online for all of you who have an ice cream maker. It is something I consider to be the perfect wedding gift. Great to have and you are never going to buy it for yourself!

During the holiday season (and all times), I find that preparing food that is quick cooking with minimal preparation is key. I like to cook things that I call 10 minutes from prep to plate…including cooking. These are things like chili, stir fries and some meal soups. In the time that it takes to boil pasta, I can cut up three kinds of vegetables (carrots, zucchini and brocolli – 1 of each if I am making for 4 servings – 2 stalks of broccoli, 1 zucchini, 1 large carrot), with a shallot, small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and 2 inches of ginger chopped (don’t want to be bothered with ginger and garlic – they sell both already chopped up in jars – just make sure you get organic – because otherwise it comes from China and not sure of the quality). Stir fry in a little bit (about 1 tablespoon) of olive oil and add a mixture of 1/2 cup soy sauce, and if you aren’t allergic, 1/4 cup peanut butter (you could also use tahini or almond butter depending on your allergy, none of these work, add some broth or email me for more ideas!). This makes a great side dish or…when you are combining the soy sauce and peanut butter (in a saucepan until the peanut butter melts), add about 1 pound of shrimp, cubed chicken, sliced beef or 1 pound of cubed tofu (make sure it is not genetically modified nearly all the tofu in our food supply is - and here's another place it pays to go organic). Serve with quinoa or brown rice and you’ve got a meal for one person for about three servings or a meal for four people. In 10 minutes or less. And its really fun to make, I just recently demonstrated this to a group of sixth graders and they couldn’t get enough. I'll talk more about organic in the next post - but a hint on what needs to be organic: thin skinned fruits and vegetables like onions, carrots, apples, peaches, berries. Things that you can get not organic to save some pennies: avocado, pomegranate, bananas (but don't eat too many!), coconut, melon, oranges, lemons etc.

It is difficult when I travel or go to parties. I find there is always a wonderful vegetable plate or cheese plate with fruit. I stay near there. As I am often at parties with academic colleagues or business networking colleagues who are either potential clients or referral partners, I always keep alcohol to a minimum. If I am going to drink, I have one glass of the best champagne or wine they have,, so that I can savor the flavor, mouthfeel and finish for a few hours. I do the same thing with holiday snacks. I use a small plate or a napkin and only eat what I can carry. I do my best to stay away from those passed appetizers which are often fried…but if there is a stuffed mushroom or piece of fillet Mignon on a toast I might indulge…but I do just that, I keep track of what I eat and I make choices. Its fun and easy. That and I always have a buddy at the parties and we watch what we eat together. We’ll often send emails to each other before the parties talking about all the food that is going to be there and then when we get there have a plan to hang out together near the fruit and vegetables and watch out for the drinks and fried foods. We are each other’s accountability. I bet you can find such a friend or relative and if they can’t be there with you at the party, well put that texting phone to some good use!

When it comes to holiday stresses, it is best to organize. Do a lot of the shopping you would do in stores online and save only the most necessary shopping for stores. Go at off times – early in the morning or late at night…on a Tuesday instead of Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Get a Christmas bonus? Instead of a high fat meal and three to four days of getting drunk, why not get an indulgent hot stone massage or other spa treatment (men, you can do this too, after all the metro sexual is the new black!) Take time to chat with family throughout the holiday season instead of leaving confrontational conversations to in person visits. A series of short hello how are you conversations work…even if you don’t want to talk to the person, it is better to show you care by having a short conversation, even if it is just five minutes. If you are really uncomfortable with the person, do it every day, that will confuse the heck out of them and there’s really nothing they can do in return except love you for it. Nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy the holiday season, healthfully, I’ll be back in a little bit to talk about local versus organic.

So, somehow it got to be November and the middle of November at that. I am three quarters of the way through my third semester of my second masters (and hopefully the start of my PhD!) and I have a few new cooking clients. I feel blessed, challenged and that everything in my life is coming together. It has been a ton of work, but I’m finally starting to see the blossoms of all the bulbs I planted long ago.

Where are you in your life?

Every year when thanksgiving comes around, I get a ton of questions, concerns, anxiety, tears and rants from my clients and my community. People ask me what should I make? How do I change this recipe to make it healthier? How do I avoid this person at the holiday table? How do I get through dinner sober? Yes, I am sure that many of us have these same concerns.

Being a foodie, chef and nutritionist, I will answer the food questions first, because they are my favorites! The best way to enjoy Thankgiving is to not go into dinner hungry! Eat breakfast. Be it, two eggs soft boiled with a slice of whole grain toast, steelcut oatmeal with berries, a berry/greens smoothie and sprouts (what I had this morning, but I know, not for all of you!) or something a bit more decadent? A muffin and coffee, your favorite cereal and milk with coffee…just have breakfast, whatever it is. If you can make a healthier choice, its better, but no breakfast is better than none at all. Same goes for lunch. Usually Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t start until 4pm, many of us don’t sit down at the table until after 6pm. That’s a long day to not eat. Eat lunch. You don’t have to have a large lunch, but have something simple: a salad, a piece of quiche, a hard boiled egg if you didn’t have one for breakfast, salmon, gefilte fish (I’m Jewish, its my go to snack or lunch on a day when I know I am having a big meal – might not be yours – but seriously its pretty good – 5 grams of fat, a little carb from the matzo meal, lots of protein – perfectly balanced – and have with a bit of green salad and lemon and you are good to go) or something like that. Again, lunch is better than no lunch and a healthier choice is better than an unhealthy one…but whatever you do…eat breakfast and lunch.

Now we get to dinner, if you are cooking – use butter, just use 1/4 of what the recipe calls for. Use sugar, but use 1/2 of what the recipe calls for or do what I do – use agave nectar, brown rice syrup or another natural sweetener. This whole year I have been learning about Splenda. So far what I have learned is there is no evidence that Splenda causes cancer, birth defects, neurotoxicity etc…but the reason there is no evidence is that there have been no studies! Splenda has simply not been on the market long enough. So as a good scientist I cannot advise against Splenda, as a concientious and cautious skeptic, I’m not advising or myself using a lot of splenda. Like with everything, use a little.

I saw fresh cranberries at the farmers market this weekend. Try using them in your cranberry sauce or try using unsweetened canned cranberries and sweeten them yourself using 1/2 the amount of sugar the recipe calls for or use honey, agave or brown rice syrup in 1/2 the amount. I use whole grain pie crusts in my sweet potato pie or I forgo the pie crust altogether…especially if I know I want one slice of pie for dessert.

The best way to make turkey is to brine it. There are many recipes out there. But this one is a favorite of mine. I might go with slightly less salt and ignore what they say about kosher salt (don’t use more). I’d say 1/4 cup heaving is enough salt. I’d use a fleur del sel or a celtic sea salt (or a natural sea salt gathered from maine or anywhere else in the northeast if you are in the northeast or somewhere local to you if there’s oceans nearby!) Any healthfood store or whole foods will carry it. Many farmers markets sell local sea salt too. Bake that Turkey in a bag with some vegetables (carrots, onions, apples, oranges) at 500 degrees F (260 C – Thanks Eitan!) for about 2 hours or until a meat thermometer in the thigh reads 170 degrees F (sorry celsius folks – but the formula is Tc = (5/9)*(Tf-32)).

As for side dishes, let’s have some green vegetables! and lots of them, because our plates should be 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 starch and 1/4 protein. And eat enough to fill one plate. The best thing I do at Thanksgiving is fill my plate only halfway so I can go back for seconds! I try a bit of this and a bit of that – keeping to the proportions above. I make the vegetables at my Thanksgiving feast – so I know what’s in them and I know there’s something for me to feast on and then I can try the other things. I suggest you do this too. Also if you are asked to bring an appetizer – bring a tasty tray of vegetables with a homeade dip. Here’s a great recipe for a homemade tahini based tip that is delicious and not super high fat or high calorie!

As for dessert, don’t skip it! Just don’t eat dessert Today, Tuesday or tomorrow, Wednesday and certainly not on Friday. Feel free to have dessert again on Saturday!!!! On Thursday, have 3 small slices or portions of dessert that would equate to one full slice. Imagine that dessert will be 500 calories and that you have that budget. Dinner is about 750 and you had about 750 calories between breakfast and lunch. If you want to proportion it differently do so, but still aim for about 2000 for the day. Get up, move around, help in the kitchen, enjoy Cousin Susie’s new baby and have an amazing time! Just remember Thanksgiving is about family, friends, love and joy! Food is secondary, but you should feel free to celebrate as well! Just don’t overdo it. Also, get a walk in there, either before or after dinner! With the wonderful mild weather we’ve been having, I’d plan a long one either before or after dinner – especially if there’s family you haven’t seen in a while, its a great way to catch up! Wishing you a wonderful holiday! Thanks for reading.

Here is a link to an internet radio interview with me: http://www.neo-sage.com/ivorytowerradio.php. This interview is a great example of my health counseling and some tips for a healthy happy holiday season.  Listen to me comment on how to survive the social pressures of Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday pounds we tend to add on during this season. I'll also touch on the relationship between food and sex that I discussed at my class at the end of August.

I'll also address the concept of indulgence and celebration and how to make this not be an every day occurrence. Enjoy!

Hi my loyal readers!

I’ve been away for sometime, mostly because I’ve been writing for another blog on examiner.com. http://www.examiner.com/x-10896-Manhattan-Healthy-Food-Examiner.  Inspired by the movie Julie and Julia I wanted to revive this blog and have something out in cyberspace that was purely my own. I’m cross posting my reaction to the movie and one of my favorite torte recipes.

Every day is a food experiment for me and I always test my recipes for changes in my energy and passion levels! In this post is an original recipe altered and changed many times from a recipe I learned while at the Institute for Culinary education. Like Julia I never finished cooking school, but I learned many wonderful things and have developed my own unique style. Julia has always been a great inspiration to me – from about the age of 11 when I watched Julia on PBS with my Aunt Ida and tried to make chicken breasts in butter and cream sauce on my own. How my mother let me do such things I will never know. By age 12 I was stir frying shrimp and by high school I was coming home for lunch with my friends and preparing “gourmet” meals for them. It all started with Julia.

Now of course, my interests have shifted toward the health value of food. But I will never sacrifice taste for health value. I believe they can be linked!Healthy food is always thought of as boring, plain and lacking butter. Perhaps, but what if it was just small amounts of truly delicious food with natural sugars and enough butter to fill you up. The truly two bite dessert. Jeff Goldblum apparently orders desserts, savors one truly decadent bite and sends it back. Not all of us have this kind of self control, but I was inspired enough by Julia Child to write this post. But first, I want to talk about the inspiration.

I am not a woman who cries often. Since Saturday night I have cried twice…from movies no less. The first: the time traveler’s wife. A story of love that overcame the test of time…literally and tonight from Julie and Julia, a story of love, sex, food and writing…and of course, success, money and everything else! But first came, the love, the sex…and of course the food…and the writing! Two stories that are ever so vivid, real, whole and round. Stories that rip through you to the very core and remind you why we live. Ah, to think, the power of a boeuf bourgonuine to transform the senses and the miracle of tricking your own husband who had just gotten a vasectomy into getting you pregnant by cheating with a younger version of your time traveling husband before he got the procedure done.
I am dreaming of cassoulet, duck steak and tarte tatin. The first time I had duck steak, which is some part of the duck (I’m going to go with the breast) without a drop of fat on it – just the meat – its simply seared and its nearly raw inside – but its so delicious I can’t even explain it! When I was at the Institute for Culinary education and also again at Tocqueville I concentrated on pastry, which was so strange considering I am by all means a food chef. I did excel at pastry and I do enjoy making desserts. I’ve made a few tarte tatins in my lifetime and even bought a special pot to make it in because you need to be able to make the apples on the stove, cover it with the pastry and then pop the thing in the oven. You need a pan that has an oven safe handle, which is hard to find these days. An ex-boyfriend once made eggs in the pan without using butter and to this day despite several cleanings and soakings there are still scrapes of egg in the pan. The pan lasted longer than that relationship! Damn though, I was very much in love with the pan. Will have to butter it up but good the next time I want to make a tart.

But the piece de resistance in my culinary abilities and one of my all time favorite desserts is a dark chocolate torte I learned to make in a French cooking class at ICE. The cake is made with grand Marnier and two sticks of butter. Julia would be proud. Somewhere I have the original recipe, but I’ve altered it over the years to make it completely my own.
Ingredients:
10 ounces of the darkest chocolate I can find (my favorite is Valhrona 85%)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons grand mariner
1/3 cup of agave nectar
Waxed parchment paper
8 inch round cake pan

Cut a round in parchment to line bottom and sides of cake pan. Set aside with a weight. Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk eggs together with grand mariner in a large bowl. Don’t beat, just whisk them with the liquer until it is combined and the eggs turn yellow. Chop chocolate into chunks on an angle with a chef’s knife. Gently melt it in a double boiler with a little bit of agave nectar (maybe 1/3 of a cup). When the chocolate has just melted, remove from heat and stir to make creamy. Add two sticks of butter. Cover and let the butter melt completely. When melted, remove cover and stir. While whisking, add the chocolate mixture in a stream (almost like you’d add oil to egg yolks to make mayonnaise) to the egg mixture and continue whisking lightly just until all the chocolate combines.
Remove weight from pan and pour in batter. Place cake pan in a larger pan filled with two inches of water so cake pan floats in other pan (bain maire).
Cook 40 minutes until top has set. Cool for 10 min or so and pop in refrigerator at least 12 hours. This piece is crucial!!! The next day, turn cake over onto a plate and unmold by removing parchment. Decorate cake with either powdered sugar or my favorite – sifted raw cacao powder (not Dutch processed cocoa, please!) and raspberries. Serve slices with real whipped cream that has not been ultra pasteurized (just regular pasteurized is fine, it whips better, usually comes in a glass bottle) if you can find it.

 I am teaching an exciting new class with renowned sex educator, Eric Amaranth, protege of Betty Dodson, PhD, author of "Sex for One". Here are the details: visit http://passionfood.eventbrite.com to sign up!
Rev up your sex life with delicious mouth-watering food! Yes, you read it right. Let Meredith Sobel, local food expert and natural nutritionist, and Eric Amaranth, sex educator and blogger introduce you to foods that will enhance and prolong your sexual stamina, and learn about foods that you should avoid to save yourself from a food coma. Couple this with intriguing information on optimal positions that will increase both male and female pleasure and endurance and you’ve got yourself equipped with the right moves for the real afterparty after the party! So come spend an afternoon learning and discussing in an open, supportive, non-judgmental and most of all dignified environment – everything you have always wanted to know about the relationship between food and sex. You never know, after this event, you may find yourself in a match made in heaven too! You do not want to miss this! Advanced reservations and payment required. No refunds if reservation cancelled within 5 days of the event. At the desk downstairs ask for Suite 1107 on the 11th Floor. Please call 212.222.8187 if there is a problem getting in.