Daring Bakers-Chocolate Marquise- Challenge #5

The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

Wow! and Wow! again.  This dessert is amazing.  I made this for a birthday party and it blew everyone away.  The presentation and the taste.  It was immediately put on the please make it again list.  I did follow the recipe as provided, but am exciting to try a few variations.  One is with balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and strawberries. The other is using a chili salted caramel as inspiration. The spiced candied almonds were such a hit, that my partner asked for a separate batch just to munch on.  Below is a picture of the finished product.

Daring Cooks-Gumbo-Challenge #4

Our May hostess, Denise of There’s a Newf in My Soup!, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need from creole spices, homemade stock and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh.

I was excited to see this month's challenge because it reminded me I had not made gumbo since I had returned from New Orleans last summer.  I've been making gumbo for years, so when I make it I almost go in to auto-pilot mode.  The gumbo is always a hit among friends and provides a few days of tasty lunches afterwards.  I especially enjoy now that I've been introduced to file powder. 

Below is a picture of my bowl of gumbo!  Enjoy!