Monday, June 30, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Seize

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes, part seize (sixteen). Two more cakelets today and that makes 32 flavors. What am I Baskin-Robbin's? I'm going to try and pull out four more before the end of the week, which culminates in our fabulous Cupcake Extravaganza Weekend.

That will be 36 flavors to explore all weekend long. Never considered an entire weekend of cupcake extravaganzing? You should! Well here's how it works:

  • All 36 flavors available while flavors last). Friday July, 4th, (9am-11pm), Saturday, the 5th (10am-11pm) and Sunday, the 6th (10am-9pm).
  • Each cupcake is buy two get one free.
  • A Box of Nine is just $20 (normally $27).
  • Each cupcake comes complete with a rating card. Give us your feedback to help us determine the top 16 cupcakes that will become part of our pastry pantheon. The bottom 16 will be retired!
  • Each rating card is an entry to our Grand Prize Raffle.
  • One lucky patron who purchases one lucky cupcake (which a golden EC medallion on the liner) will also win the Grand Prize, a VIP Eclipse Pass.

What's the VIP Eclipse Pass you ask? It entitles the bearer to a Box of Nine cupcakes EACH WEEK for TWO MONTHS, over a $200 value!) That's two lucky (and gluttonous) winners for the Extravaganza.

If you've never had one of our cupcakes before, you're missing out. Here are the new ones today (I've gone a little crazy with flavors recently):

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Bacon-Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+peanut butter filling+cocoa-glazed duroc bacon & dulce de leche filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+dried banana chip.

Corn-nut Dulce de Leche-Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+vanilla bean dulce de leche filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+salty corn nut.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Salted Milky Way

Last fall, I had a naming contest for a new chocolate confection made from my house-made marshmallows. An Eclipsed-up version of Rocky Road, Marshmallow Almond Rococo quickly became a hit and is now dressed to impress in our Asian Take-Outs

If you knew me before the retail cafe opened, you will have noticed that I have dropped 50 pounds. I here you all booing... "50 pounds? But you're a chocolatier. That's not fair!" Well, between significant changes in lifestyle, activity, and stress... my previous bulk seemed to melt away. Also... I just don't eat as much as I used to; when you're making sugar-laden temptations eight hours a day, somehow your cravings disappear. However, if there is one item in my chocolate inventory that even I find myself gulping down it would be the Rococo. It's just so damn tasty (and salty)! I enjoy it so much, I've been trying out other confection concepts in the same format.

When I started Eclipse in 2004, my interest wasn't really in confections. Truffle and ganache work is pretty different than the remaining world of sugarcraft. Yet in the past few months, my interest in "what's next" has been peaking. Searching for another confection obsession, last week I turned to my Chocolate and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique to explore the world of aerated fillings and nougats. "What is nougat, exactly?" you ask? In it's most basic conception, nougat is a whipped sugar syrup stabilized with egg whites, though there are many, many variations. Nougat is what one finds in so many American candy bar classics like Snickers, Three Musketeers, and the Mars Bar. It's family tree includes the other aerated confections like Marshmallow (with the addition of gelatin), Divinity (with fondant), Sponge Candy (with baking soda), and other less-recognised European treats like Montelimar and Torrone (with nuts and cocoa butter).

Well earlier this week I finally just dove right in. My first foray into this new culinary territory led me to a formula for "soft chocolate nougat", the kind you would find featured in as the standard filling for many a candy bar. I poured it out onto a base of my Crème Fraîche Caramel, cut to squares, and dipped each into 61% dark chocolate. But wait! I also topped each with a Smoked Chardonnay Oak Sea-salt. Surprised? You shouldn't be. I can't seem to make anything these days without a sea-salt or two tucked away somewhere. The resulting confection is more or less a Salted Milky Way.

Now before you come rushing in salivating, this item IS NOT available. It was merely a test to get my nougaty feet wet. I would, however, like to continue such candy bar explorations and would love to hear what classics you want to see "Eclipsed". Participate in the poll in the margin here and stay tuned!

PS- The first version of the poll apparently wasn't compatible with all browsers, so I had to remove and relaunch it. If you already voted, please do so again!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Quinze

More cupcakes. Who would have guessed?

This week I have a bit of a confession. I'm not a food scientist. "What?" I hear you say. It's true. Having gone through seven years of art school (culminating in my MFA) didn't exactly prepare me to be a chocolatier. Don't get me wrong... Eclipse, especially in it's unique culinary POV, is very much the result of this unconventional upbringing.

But, honestly, I don't even like to consider myself a professional baker. It's a little too technical for me. I have friends who are MUCH more suited for formalized baking than I (Ben, I'm looking at you). I'm more a "fly by the seat of his pants chocolatier". In my opinion, the Crème Fraîche Cupcakes didn't come into their own until I conceptualized them as chocolates instead of cakes.

So the cake has, and continues to be, a simple vehicle with which to stuff a yummy filling, some rich chocolate ganache, and some interesting toppings into a little edible package. But that doesn't mean I should just take the cake for granted, right? Well my chocolate cupcakes have been great, but the white and yellow ones have been a bit dense (here comes the confession). Embarrassingly, I didn't know how best to solve this until I realized that the formula I settled on used both baking powder and baking soda in the chocolate cake, but only baking powder in the white/yellow. I just figured it was the alkalinity of the cacao that made the difference in one, but not the other. After all, I'm not a food scientist!

Well on a whim, Monday I added that baking soda to the yellow cake formula and... Voila! light and airy cake in yellow form... just like the chocolate ones. I am, officially, an idiot. I should have done this a month ago.

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes, now lighter and airier! Just don't throw them at me for not doing this sooner.

Both cupcakes this week are with Marzipan, a confectionery paste made from ground almonds and cooked sugar. You usually find it shaped into decorative fruits or animals. I finally made some from scratch this week (it's been on my personal agenda for some time), but mine is thinner than normal from the addition of Disarrono, an almond liqueur. And how can that be bad?

Another new pantry ingredient of mine is Chicory, a root that is baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive particularly in New Orleans. The first cupcake mentioned here has a subtle earthy flavor that is reminiscent of nut-flavored coffees.

Enjoy!

Marzipan Chicory-Butter-crème fraîche cake+toasted marzipan filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+chicory & crushed coffee bean.

Cherry Marzipan-White-crème fraîche cake+tart cherry filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+toasted marzipan.
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Friday, June 20, 2008

Eclipse Chocolat: 70 Degrees All the Day Long

If trends continue, this coming weekend should be pretty warm in sunny San Diego. Don't get me wrong, this simple guy from Ohio does enjoy the 300-some cloudless days of Southern California, he just doesn't enjoy the rising cost of AC-related electric bills. But wait, I think Ohio is actually warmer than SD at the moment. I stand corrected... no complaints here.

So while my SDGE bill climbs to 300% volume, my loss is your gain! Seriously though. I own a chocolate shop. This place stays a climate-controlled 70 degrees year-round. How else can I properly store all the goodies I make? The great thing for all of you is that I offer FREE WI-FI in conjunction with these low, low temperatures. So I ask you, why am I not packed with laptop junkies all day long? Maybe it's not hot enough for people to make the connection?

I've got a lot of iced foods and drinks as well. Check it:

Lavender Vanilla-bean Lemonade

Exotic Brownie Sundae

Frozen Mixed Berries with White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Sauce

And two I've never mentioned before on the blog:

Espresso Affogato- Mild, double pour of espresso+vanilla bean gelato

Espresso Frigido- Cold-brewed espresso+iced milk

The Frigido I find of particular interest. We take freshly ground espresso beans and cold-soak them in water for 24 hours before straining. Sometimes called Toddy Espresso, the result is an incredibly mild iced coffee with a very high caffeine content. The theory is by brewing coffee with cold water you will extract less acidity and bitterness resulting in a superior cup of coffee. Typically, I drink an espresso a day (which contains less caffeine than a drip coffee), but if I find myself splurging on this baby... well I feel a bit cracked out. But, that's just me!
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Father's Day Pics

This past weekend at the cafe was filled with lots and lots of chocolate gluttony. For $35, guests enjoyed a five course chocolate-themed bar-b-que. This was the fourth such dinner, and the heaviest to date, but what's Father's Day without at least one deadly sin?

The next dinner is scheduled to be Friday, July 25th, with seatings at 6.5 and 8.5pm and is a Summer Seafood theme. There will not be veggie options, so we are expecting fewer guests than normal. Reservations are limited to a total of 48 guests.

While the menu is still in development, I am working on a White Chocolate & Grilled Peach Sangria, Chile-Burnt Caramel Shrimp Ceviche, Cocoa-rubbed Seared Diver Scallop, and more! If interested, we're already taking reservations.

But what does a multi-course chocolate tasting dinner look like? Glad you asked! Dad's Day platings comin' at ya:

Starter:
Artisan sausages: Chicken thai basil with ginger, Pork mole, Smoked beef cocoa-nib


First Plating:
Chile-roasted corn on the cobb with house-made cocoa-nib butter


Second Plating:
Chocolate bar-b-que baked beans with cocoa-glazed durac bacon

Third Plating:
Heirloom brandywine tomato slice with goat cheese brulee and white chocolate-balsamic drizzle


Fourth Plating:
Cocoa nib-smoked bar-b-que pulled pork sammie with white chocolate slaw

Fifth Plating:
Grilled pound cake-vanilla bean s’mores with milk chocolate sauce

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Summer Seasonal Dessert Tasting Platter

Tis that time again. June Gloom is fading away, temperatures are rising, and the fresh flowers and garden bounties of springtime are transforming into that of summer. No time like the present to take advantage and roll out another Seasonal Dessert Tasting Platter.

Usually lasting 8 weeks, this past collection was retired on Monday, two weeks early. Stop frowning and get with it; change is exciting!

I posted a teaser on two of these desserts late last week. The frozen berries are pretty awesome. Check it. But the real winner on this platter is the new bread pudding. It's super gooey and nicely spiced with the additional of my favored Vietnamese Cinnamon. The grilled corn gateau is very interesting, too. You might be thinking what fresh corn kernels are doing in a dessert, but they offer great texture and sweet flavor that pop with each bite.

Grilled White Chocolate Corn Gateau-
[grilled almond-corn cake, studded with 31% white chocolate chips+orange-caramel drizzle]

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding with Milk Chocolate-Cinnamon Sauce-
[cinnamon roll bread pudding, warmed+milk chocolate-vietnamese cinnamon sauce]

White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Sauce with Frozen Berries-
[white chocolate sauce infused with vanilla bean, lemon peel, & thyme+frozen mixed berries]

Dark Chocolate-Rhubarb Mousse-
[chilled 61% dark chocolate mousse+rhubarb, red wine, & vanilla bean compote+dried pomegranate arils]
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Monday, June 16, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Quatorze

I think we all knew it was an inevitability. Will Gustwiller (moi), owner and head chocolatier of Eclipse Chocolat, King of Cocoa-nibs, and all-around crazy guy has finally topped a cupcake with his favorite and under-appreciated cacao bean. Does self-proclamations such as "king of cocoa-nibs" make one egotistical? I challenge you to look back at my blogging history and count the times that I've used these babies as a topping on something. Many of you have even told me (mostly via Internet review) that my obsession is played out. Yet, I come back to the nibs time and time again. If someone else should be bequeathed the title of "king" I'd love to meet 'em. Oh... the things we would chat about.

Two more and this makes 28. That's a lot of little cakes. Eight more to go in the next two weeks, and we will top out at 36 just in time for Cupcake Extravaganza Weekend, when much gluttony will be indulged in by all.

Interesting note: Cocoa Nib Mint is officially the darkest cupcake to date. Many of you have asked for a very dark chocolate cupcake, and I have delivered. It's so dark that when split in half for photo-purposes, it's just pretty much a shiny black surface from which no light escapes. Sort of a culinary black-hole. Enjoy!

Cocoa Nib Mint-Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+61% dark chocolate rosemary-mint filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+cocoa nib.

Salty S'mores-Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+vanilla bean marshmallow filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+maldon sea-salt+gingerbread crumb.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Treize

100 posts! Wow! Who knew that three posts a week for eight months of cafe business would total 100 entries this soon? Simple mathematicians, I guess...

But I digress. The Eclipse Chocolat Cafe will be eight months old next week. Crazy, no? I still have people wandering in who claim that they live just down the street and think that I opened just last week. Looking back on the first 100 bloggings is definitely a trip down memory lane; somewhere between the lines is a space that chronicles a great deal of personal history. If you're a close friend of mine, you know how much has gone down in my life in the past year and a half, including great losses and amazing gains, and you've probably heard me mumbling something about how I don't event recognize myself anymore. From Ohio to California & MFA to Chocolatier in just seven short years... it nothing else, it's been a journey worthwhile and one for which I wouldn't trade the world. Even considering those darkest times, I am happy and grateful to be the sum of all of my life's experiences.

So here's to 100 posts, 100 more to come, and all the amazing events and chocolate goodies that they chronicle.

In the immortal words of a local legend:

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby
or Brayor Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places! Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!


***


If you're anything like me, you'll have used those asterisks for facial tissue application. Collect yourself and rejoin the group:)

So in honor of Oreste, Tanya, Marc, Rachel, and anyone else who has found personal struggle in the past month, this post is for you. And this offer:

For anyone having a bad day (or series of days), one free cupcake on me! Just stop in and say "Hey... the blog told me I could have a cupcake. I really need one". No questions asked. ALL WEEKEND LONG (while cupcakes last).

To get your 'buds tastin', two more... here you go:
Peanut Butter Banana-White-crème fraîche cake+brown sugar banana filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+peanut butter creme.

Lemon Dulce de Leche-White-crème fraîche cake+dulce de leche filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+candied lemon zest.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Chocolate Bar-B-Que Artisan Sausage Platter

If you haven't heard about our Five Course Chocolate Tasting Bar-B-Que this Saturday, you must have been living under a cocoa-nib. In case you missed it, here's the line-up:

Chile-roasted Corn on the Cobb with House-made Cocoa-nib Butter
Heirloom Tomato-Goat Cheese Brulee with White Chocolate-Balsamic Drizzle
Bar-B-Que Baked Beans with Cocoa-Glazed Bacon (veggie option)
Cocoa Nib-Smoked Pulled Pork Sammie with White Chocolate Slaw (veggie option)
Milk Chocolate S’mores with House-made Vanilla Bean Marshmallow

If you're a meat-eater, this is definitely a meal not to miss. Of special interest is the optional Artisan Sausage Platter by prepared exclusively for out event by local Knight Salumi. For $14 guests can enjoy a generous selection of three sausages in the following flavors:

Thai Basil and Ginger Chicken Sausage
Pork Mole with Red and Green Peppers
Smoked Beef Cocoa-nib


Rey, the fabulous salumi-maker, dropped off my custom order today, and I couldn't help but tear into a few and grill 'em up. Each is very hearty in portion and very different in flavor. My personal favorite is the beef, which has a very smoky flavor and substantial texture. The chicken is a close second, though, with refreshing pops of flavor from the candied ginger.

We still have a few spots left at the 11am and 1pm seatings. Tickets are $35 a person. RSVP required. Call 619.578.2984 or email today info@eclipsechocolat.com

Monday, June 9, 2008

White Chocolate Thyme Sauce with Frozen Berries AND Dark Chocolate-Rhubarb Mousse

I seldomly post on more than one food item at a time. In fact, this may be the first example of this. My work is crazy enough; I try not to overwhelm anyone. Technically these are related, so here you go. Either way, the post is a bit of a foodie frenzy.

Time is ticking away on our last Seasonal Dessert Tasting Platter. It was originally scheduled to take me through the end of this month, but I, in fact, have only a half dozen platters left. When they're gone they're gone, folks! Then we will debut our next collection. Here's a teaser of two of the four upcoming treats:

White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Sauce with Frozen Berries-
[white chocolate sauce infused with vanilla bean, lemon peel, & thyme+frozen mixed berries]


Dark Chocolate-Rhubarb Mousse-
[chilled 61% dark chocolate mousse+rhubarb, red wine, & vanilla bean compote+dried pomegranate arils]
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Saturday, June 7, 2008

Private Chocolate-making Party; AKA Par-tay with Eclipse Chocolat

Last night we hosted our first ever Private Chocolate-Making Party here at the cafe. The event was for 20-some lovely young ladies celebrating the 17th birthday of their good friend.

So of what does a Private Chocolate-Making Party consist? Well in this instance, each guest was invited to fill, glaze, and garnish a pair of Crème Fraîche Cupcakes (with their choice of fillings and toppings, of course), hand-roll a number of Exotic Truffles, and make a number of other chocolate temptations. Each place-setting at the table was complete with a White Chocolate Citrus Sparkler, a personalized favor in the form of a ribboned Lavender Sea-salt Caramel Truffle, and a few Asian Take-out boxes for guests to carry home their chocolatey wares.

Parties are limited to 10-20 people, come complete with a Chocolate Liaison (check out our own Charlie as host in this pic), cost $25 per guest, and typically last 2-hours. All other details are completely customizable! You invite your guests, show up and make some chocolate, and sing a song to the lucky recipient. We take care of the rest!

Please allow for two-weeks notice for reservations.


Thursday, June 5, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Douze

If you were at our Mom's Day Brunch, you'll know that the Cocoa-glazed Durac Bacon stole the show. It was perfectly smoked, deliciously fatty, and tantalizingly crispy with the flavor of a chocolate glaze peaking through each bite. I can't really take the credit though; all we did was broil and glaze it to order. The real mastermind to this culinary concoction is Rey Knight of locally operated Knight Salumi. He doesn't have a website to link to yet (let's get on that, Rey!) but I can say he operates his new artisan meat company out of recently opened Urban Solace, just a few blocks from here at 30th and University.

Keep an eye out for a post in a few days on the custom sausage work he's doing for us for Dad's Day. Thai Basil Ginger, Chicken Mole, and Beef Cocoa Nib anyone?

In the mean time, I've been daydreaming of ways in which I can sneak some of this left-over bacon into just about everything. I only have about 2 pounds left, and I removed them from the freezer yesterday when MelloPie (Eclipse regular, local super-foodie, and fellow blogger) suggested a new cupcake flavor. If you were following the Extravaganza post, you would have seen MelloPie's cocoa-crazy idea of a bacon and caramel cupcake. Well, Mello, today's your lucky day!

At this point, I bet you're thinking one of two things: "Bacon... Chocolate? Gross!" or maybe "Bacon... Chocolate... Yeah, I've seen it. Way to be original, Will". First off, don't knock it until you try it, and second... yes I suppose it was only a matter of time until I, too, fooled around with our porcine brethren covered in cacao. I can't quite figure out where it began (with chocolate-chip pancakes and bacon, I suspect), but in the past year Katrina of Vosges, my Chicago-based archnemisis, has stolen the national chocolate attention with her bacon and milk chocolate bar. While it's worth trying, I frankly think it has an odd "porky" aftertaste. Go figure. It is, however, her best seller.

(Editor's Note: Katrina and I have never met, though I did once stand next to her for a period of time at the Fancy Food Show and thought I felt some sort of psychic voodoo-mojo emanating from her general direction. Plus, I like the idea of having an archnemisis. Go find one, yourself. Makes life worth living!)

So Mello has suggested it, and I have delivered. Though, don't expect further meaty concoctions any time soon... I made the decision some time ago that Porky Pig wouldn't find his way into my retail chocolate line at any time in the foreseeable future.

Oh, and there's a pomegranate cupcake, too:

Pomegranate Rhubarb-Butter-crème fraîche cake+vanilla bean rhubard filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+dried pomegranate aril.

Crispy Bacon & Dulce de Leche-Butter-crème fraîche cake+crispy cocoa-glazed durac bacon & dulce de leche filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+maldon sea-salt.

If you're feeling apprehensive, you're not the only one. Though it contains absolutely no cornmeal, I ate one of these bacon-babies for breakfast (well, its pork, afterall) and I couldn't stop associating the taste experience with cornbread. Just think of it more as a muffin.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Cupcake Extravaganza Weekend

A very sincere thank you and appreciation to all of you out there that have so enthusiastically responded to my recent fascination with all cakes "cup". Back in October when I launched the cafe, no one could have told me that someday my crème fraîche demands would outpace my monthly investment in cane sugar. Even such statements that I have found myself saying in the past few weeks such as: "oh man, you should see my crème fraîche bill" and "do you sell crème fraîche in a drum?" don't seem to ludicrous to me anymore. Yet somehow I don't tire of it. If I kept it at home, it would still find its way into every savory dish I make. I suppose that's why I relegate it solely to the cafe. So much for taking one's work home.

22 flavors down and another dozen or so left to go. I'm officially taking requests. That's right... the haughty chocolatier is asking for feedback and suggestions. For a limited time only (jk! I'm always happy to hear suggestions!)

Seriously though. Drop me a comment here on some of your favorite dessert concepts and I will try to stuff them into one of these little cakes. It's officially a challenge. The only caveat to this is that the fillings need to be shelf-stable (so don't take it personally if I can't make a cake filled with pastry cream and such).

And now for the fun announcement of which this post is really all about: my upcoming Cupcake Extravaganza Weekend!

That's right. An entire weekend devoted to these little gems. July 4th, 5th, & 6th we will have all 30-some cocoa-crazy cupcake flavors available. Even better, they will be buy-2 get 1 free! All in efforts to discover which of mass will be destined to become part of the permanent "collection". We're inviting everyone to come in and try them out and offer us your feedback on your favorites. Each purchased cupcake will come complete with a review form (for feedback and score) and the top 18 cakes will be knighted as Eclipse-worthy.

BUT WAIT! There will be fabulous prizes, too. Each review is actually an entry into the crème fraîche-ist lottery ever!

One lucky winner of the raffle AND the person who purchases the 2000th cupcake will receive a VIP Eclipse Pass good for one complimentary box of 9 cupcakes each week for 2 months! There will be a number of smaller prizes allotted, too.

So read up on past cupcake posts, offer your suggestions for new flavors by commenting on this post, and start fasting now to ready your tummies for that fateful weekend at the end of the month.

And for those of you who aren't regular visitors, here are all the cupcake posts at your convenient perusal:

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Onze
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Dix
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Neuf
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Huit, AKA Babies Love Cupcakes
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Sept
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Six
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Cinq
Even More Crème Fraîche Cupcakes
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Trois
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes-Part Deux
Crème Fraîche Cupcakes

Monday, June 2, 2008

Crème Fraîche Cupcakes- Part Onze

Dulce de Leche- it's super tasty and time consuming to make. So why bother with it yourself when you can find it packed into a little cupcake here at the cafe? My friends Alex and Steffi (the lovely maker and designer of all things furniture here) have finally been vindicated in that they have been requesting me to make this culinary ambrosia for months. Seriously, months. Alex is from Argentina, it's birthplace, and apparently a good dulce is hard to find here. Well wait no more, guys!

If you've never had it before, an all-natural Dulce de Leche should be made with just whole milk and cane sugar, but I add vanilla bean for added depth and flavor, of course! This simple mixture is very slowly simmered until it caramelizes and becomes very rich and creamy. The process can take a few hours and the final volume is only 20% of its original mass. All the goodness of dairy, sugar, and vanilla packed into a tight little caramel. How can you go wrong?

And that banana filling is super, super tasty. Aren't those the exact words I used in the last post? I can't possibly pass up on using it again. This time with a different cake and a different topping of course! Two more comin' at ya!

Macadamia Dulce de Leche-Dark chocolate-crème fraîche cake+vanilla bean-dulce de leche filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+toasted macadamia.

Espresso Banana-Butter-crème fraîche cake+brown sugar & banana filling+dark chocolate ganache glaze+espresso bean.