Chocolate Cloud from Et toque

Happy Friday, everyone! I've spent the last week dealing with a very persistent leaky roof/window issue that I've had for the past oh, I don't know, three years or so, and I was feeling a little down in the dumps about, well, the dump that I call my home, when I got an e-mail from Clementine Derodit about her new cookbook that instantly cheered me up! I can't think of better cure for an annoying water drip then looking at the delicious food and sweet illustrations that fill the pages of Clementine cute book, Et togue! Based in France, illustrator Clementine has created a wonderful recipe book for children that is filled with a cast of adorable characters and includes intriguing recipe titles like "pirate's soup" and "tyrannosaurus poo." Personally, I'm loving the page for "Risotto bicolore." Risotto has never looked more fun!

The text of Et togue is in French, but Clementine graciously agreed to translate the Chocolate Cloud recipe for us, which you can find below. You can also watch a cute little video about the book, which is in French with English subtitles. Even if you don't understand French it's still fun to watch. Everything sounds better in French! :-)



You can order a copy of the book right here and check out the Et togue Web site right here. To see more of Clementine's work click here. Thanks, Clementine!

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

I love this article on St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake that appeared in the New York Times early this month. The story is centered around writer Melissa Clark's first tasting and subsequent baking of this delicious Made by Molly treat!

Here's a sample:

I took a big bite. It was nearly what my friend described, though I’d say it was more moist and cakey than gooey. Nonetheless I was hooked, and did not want to wait for next week to get more. I’d just have to make it myself.

I know that I'll definitely be making this one sometime in the near future! If you live in New York and would like to try Molly's yummy cake for yourself, you can find her stand at the Park Slope Farmers’ Market (Sundays 10 to 5). Btw, Molly used to be the pasty chef at Amy's Bread, so you know her treats must be good!

I hope everyone in the states has a great holiday weekend!

Click here to read the article from the Times and here to get the recipe. Thanks, Steve!

Vegan, Gluten-Free Blondies

Last weekend, my sister, my mom, and I got our hands dirty, tackling another recipe from the Babycakes cookbook: gluten-free blondies. Actually, there wasn't much tackling going on because, as long as you have the ingredients, this recipe is actually really easy to make and the blondies turned out great! And I don't mean great for a vegan, gluten-free dessert. I mean great, period. I know that there are varying opinions of Babycakes out there and I'm not saying that all their recipes hit the spot, but these were good. More like mini chocolate chip muffins then blondies, but, hey, I like mini chocolate chip muffins, so that was okay by me. Besides, Zooey Deschanel likes them, so they must be good! :-)



You can find the complete recipe after the jump.

The Mixing Bowl: Blok by Katarzyna Bogucka

I was first introduced to Kasia's portfolio last month, after running across her work on the Polish design site/store Pan Tu Nie Stal and have been smitten ever since! I really love her ability to move in between the sweetly retro and the slightly odd with such ease. Her work is full of so many humorous and colorful details that you don't even need to speak Polish in order to understand the images. The illustrations tell their own story.


I’ll let Kasia take it from here, but I wanted to first thank her for sending such an interesting story and recipe, one that I'm sure you'll want to try at home!

From Kasia: "Blok" (cake) was made in my early childhood, when there was nothing to buy in Polish shops! People dreamt about chocolate, and one day someone cooked up BLOK! It's one of my favourite memories! I'm not sure if it will taste as good for people who are not devoted emotionally to it, but I hope you like it!


You can find Kasia's books on various Polish Web sites, like this one. You can also see more of her illustrations by clicking here. Thanks, Kasia! There are more illustrations after the jump.

The Mixing Bowl: Toffee Mallow by Emily Hogarth

I'm so in awe of papercut artists. I can barely cut a straight line with a pair of scissors, so it amazes me that people can create such beautiful and intricate work with just a piece of paper and an exacto knife! That said, I was so excited when Emily Hogarth agreed to share her Toffee Mallow recipe with us. It's an easy, yummy version of the classic Rice Krispie Treat. Quick and easy comfort food. What's better than that?

From Emily: This is a really simple recipe that my grandma used to always make for me when we went to hers. I love it and I hope your readers will to! You certainly don't need to be a great cook to pull this sweet treat off.

Inspired by natural beauty of her native Scotland, Emily's incredible work is quite magical to look at. Whether appearing as an art print, on a dress, or as a greeting card, her designs are always telling a story.

It's really fun to look at all the little details that she creates or you can just appreciate the entire design, in total, from a far. Lovely work, Emily! You can see more of Emily's designs here and purchase her work here on Etsy. You can also visit her blog right here. Thanks, Emily!

The Mixing Bowl: Pasteis de Nata by Lisa Jones Studio

If you're not familiar with Lisa Jones's work yet, get ready to fall in love with her sweet designs! Lisa is a graphic designer whose bold and colorful work is great for both adults and kids! Not only is she the creator of one of the cutest tea towels that I have ever seen (see owl print below), but she also designs a line of recycled cards and wrapping paper, which is helpful for people like me, who wrap all their xmas presents in newspapers and plastic bags! This week she's sharing her yummy recipe for Pasteis de Nata (custard tarts), as well as a really cute egg illustration to accompany the recipe. Great work, Lisa!


From Lisa: I grew up on a version of these custard tarts. The English versions are a little more insipid, not quite as tasty and covered in nutmeg!! So the Pasteis de Nata are a tasty treat! I read that some Hong Kong branches of 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' sell them. . . . mmmm I'll have chicken, chips and a custard tart please!

You can check out more of Lisa's designs via her blog, Web site, and online store.

You can find the complete Pastis de Nata recipe and more of Lisa's work after the jump.