affogato {drowned ice cream}

sometimes

afternoons

call for a snack

a pick me up

that is both

frozen and warm

punched 

with

caffeine

when

the mood strikes

fix yourself

one

of

these

affogato

vanilla ice cream

shot of espresso

this is not a sundae...nor it is meant to be a huge dessert.  use a nice vanilla ice cream and give yourself a nice size scoop.  while your shot of espresso is still warm (but not piping hot), pour over the ice cream. the espresso will melt the ice cream, so don't linger too long....

buon appetito 

stoves on the range

we are finalizing the details for

the ranch remodel

as you can imagine

the kitchen is a huge priority

i have been in search of the perfect 

oven/stove/cooker

i want something

that addresses 

my modern cooking needs

with

a less 

"modern" 

look

i have always been in love with 

vintage stoves

like

o'keefe and merritt

and 

wedgewood

but then

i saw this

la canche

and this

la cornue

and 

these

 aga legacy

aga cooker

and began to think

i could get an

"old fashioned"/"farmhouse" look

with modern convenience

like

dual cooking

(gas range/electric oven)

i'm not convinced

however

that i can handle

the small ovens

some 

are wide and short

others

narrow and deep

but none

offer me exactly what i am looking for

currently

the AGA

while not meeting all of my needs

seems to meet the most

but i still have

these to review

bertazzoni

and

(they will do custom color)

the ovens and stoves work really hard in my kitchen

in our city home

this is what i have

just like this

but with gas burners and oven

and

a bit more wear and tear

it is definitely 

NOT 

the appropriate choice

for the ranch house

but

i am very attached

which might be why

i am finding fault

in 

every 

other

range

i 

meet

*if you love your

oven/range/stove/cooker

and think i would too

please tell me about it

in the comments

or

on our facebook page

banoffee brulee bites

i can't resist 

this perfect little bite

decadence

in a shot

with a

crackly pop 

of 

burnt sugar crust

fix a few

for the person you love

especially

if 

it is you

Banoffee Brulee Bites

1 recipe chocolate sable

(recipe here)

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate-melted

dulce due leche prepared or 1 can sweetened condensed milk

small tub mascarpone

bananas

sugar

freshly grated nutmeg

edible gold leaf (optional)

if you are making your own dulce de leche, you need to start a day in advance.  pour the sweetened condensed milk into a pie or cake pan at least 8" in diameter.  place in a larger cake tin or oven safe pan that will leave at least a 1" (moat) around the pan.  fill the larger pan with water, half way up the rim of the smaller pan (making a bain marie). cover the smaller pan with foil.  place in a 425F oven for about 1 1/2 hours.  check after about 45-50 minutes to make sure the water does not evaporate completely. add more water if you see it getting low.  after 1 1/2 hours the milk should be caramelized.  remove it from the water and stir until it is smooth. allow to cool before using.  will last in the refrigerator about a week.

bake off the chocolate sable in small tart tins (about 1- 1/2"). a mini muffin tin is a good mold for these. let cool and remove from tin.  using a small paint brush, cover the inside of each shell with a thin layer of melted chocolate. allow to harden.

to assemble:

spread about 1/4 tsp of mascarpone in the bottom of each tart shell, allowing it to come up the sides.  top with a thin layer (about 1/4tsp) of dulce de leche.  top with a thin slice of banana (1/16"), spread just a whisp of dulce de leche on top of the banana, then top with another banana slice, a bit thicker (1/8").  sprinkle a bit of sugar on top, and a light dust of freshly grated nutmeg.  using a torch, caramelize the sugar. for a thicker sugar crust, add a bit more sugar and caramelize with the torch again.  top with a bit of edible gold (optional)