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In the Kitchen

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February 21st, 2010 at 4:14pm.

Posted by: MessyChef

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Feb21

Chocolate Cake

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I’m not much of a baker despite liking pastry, breads, and of course, cake.

But I heard good things about an Ina Garten recipe that uses coffee in the cake batter. I tried it out.

Chocolate Cake-2

I didn’t muck too much with the recipe since I’m not in a secure place to start messing with the careful formulas at play in baked goods. However, you can always play with the flavor profiles a bit.

Ina’s cake calls for coffee in both the frosting and in the batter. I kept things simple. I used a Scharffenberger cocoa in the cake, and used two kinds of Valrhona in the frosting. Because that was all that was left for the big “V,” it was an El Rey (the world’s best chocolate) that got shaved on top.

Ok, that was my only creative contribution: shaved chocolate on top.

The cake itself was moist, although the coffee flavor was not overwhelming. I almost think it could have used a little soaking of something fruity (not for moisture, but for the flavor) such as a berry or cherry something or another.

Chocolate Cake

My only big mistake was only having salted butter at home: since I did, and realized it, I didn’t put salt into the cake, which called for it. Perhaps that’s why the cake is so much better when you get a little frosting mixed in!

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Feb14

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

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Today is St. Valentine’s Day, and Trader Joes was offering these “long stemmed” strawberries. To me, this was a better gift than roses ever were. After washing the strawberries and the leaves around the stem, be sure to dry them well. I dried them three times to make sure no water was left on the berries. […]

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Filed In: In the Kitchen

Feb14

Year of the Tiger

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I had little to do with it, but we celebrated the Chinese New (Lunar) New Year last night with some homemade Chinese dishes. First were homemade pork and chive dumplings. For 3 hours I wanted to cook my pork baby-back ribs. As the sun was still coming into the kitchen, I grabbed this photo: of the ribs ready […]

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Filed In: In the Kitchen

Jan24

Another Sunday, another roast chicken

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Is this turning into a habit? or a tradition? They had the cutest fingerling potatoes at Whole Foods. So, I put them into a sauté pan with salted water for about 10 minutes. Then, after being covered, I dump the water, and add some butter. More salt, pepper, and then after 5 minutes in the butter, […]

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Jan18

Potato Soup with Asiago and Bacon

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Tonight I made a simple salad featuring good tomatoes (at least what I can get in January), and a winter-inspired soup. Yes, it was 58 degrees here today. But whatever. The salad used a mustardy vinaigrette and simple sea salt with both heirloom greens and heirloom tomatoes. The sourdough baguette was excellent, procured from the Fresh […]

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About Messy Cuisine

What is Messy Cuisine?

Several years ago, friends and I decided to produce our own cooking show. What might we call it? The Messy Chef was born, a moniker inspired by my own mother’s description of my abilities in the kitchen. “You might cook well, but you sure are messy.”

Messy Cuisine is a website dedicated to restaurant reviews and future online video productions of The Messy Chef. I hope to find ways to make the site more interactive for visitors.

How do I see all the restaurants you have reviewed?

Under the navigation section, choose Category > Restaurant Reviews and the page that is displayed will show all reviews in alphabetical order.

Is Messy Cuisine a business?

No, a pasttime and a passion.

Messy Cuisine Logo

Who designed the logo for Messy Cuisine? I did. It was produced using Adobe Illustrator. It’s adapted from the typeface PMN Caecilia.

Tell me more about the Restaurant Reviews…

Unlike the NY Times, or other well-established locations, the reviews I write may be based on one or more visits, but sometimes it is just one. Typically, I’ll cover the best and worst points. I usually mention what I had, and make comments too on the service and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The ratings I assign are not derived from some complex rubric, but are a genealized, overall reaction to my meal at the particular restaurant. I do not discriminate on price: cheap eats can earn a top rating, just the same as an expensive restaurant. I think price and formality, however, can affect your choice when dining, so I’ve begun to use a 3-tiered indicator for price to guide your choices.

About the Chef

Not a chef, really… a gourmet, or simply an enthusiast for good things in life. I have shared reviews of places I eat online for over 6 years. I typically go out a lot, due to convenience and a desire to try new things. At home, I gravitate towards Italian cuisine, but also French technique and simple dishes and dinners. My baking skills aren’t great, but I do love a good pie or croissant.

Show Models

Probably my favorite TV program for cooking is TV Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, for its style and content. We’re also inspired by NBC’s hit comedy show, The Office, and have attempted some take-offs on that filming style and charactature.

The Blog

The blog is powered by WordPress, the open source blog engine. I evaluted several content management systems (CMS) when beginning, but I was most familiar with this and its templating system.

Where else do you recommend I learn about good food online?

I really like a number of food blogs, which I link to up above in the main navigation area, a blogroll, so to speak. I also have included a link below to Vaynerchuck’s Wine Library TV.

WLTV