julie & julia: the movie & recipe

i absolutely loved watching every moment of julie & julia (in theatres august 7). it was so beautiful to see the bustling parisian markets, the exuberant julia, and her darling husband, paul. i just wanted more julia child! let's hope the execs decide to make a complete bio... and use meryl again.

after a miserable workday, julie (our other main character - present day) passes a boutique scharffenberger and decides to make a spontaneous chocolate cream pie with a graham cracker crust. she then challenges herself to a one year goal of completing every recipe from julia child's mastering the art of french cooking. in one of her accomplishments, she advances to make julia's lightly underbaked chocolate and almond cake... reina de saba.

here is the recipe for reina de saba out of mastering the art of french cooking - just click on the picture below and it will expand...


(this is a reprint from bon appetit and it seems that they just left off the slivered almonds on the side of the cake - feel free to add them)

golden gopher: german chocolate cake cocktail

my fiance met me after my meeting downtown and we walked over to the golden gopher for cocktails.

dave, our mixologist and a musician, made us the most fabulous mint julep's (something quite hard to find in LA). after the julep's, we decided to have a german chocolate cake cocktail for dessert - - - a formidable pièce de résistance. here is the recipe:

german chocolate cake cocktail

fill a shaker with ice and add equal parts absolut citron and frangelico.


shake, shake, shake...


prepare a sugar rimmed glass. dust a slice of lemon with sugar and garnish glass with the lemon.


strain ice and pour.


drink instructions: try not to get too much sugar in your mouth and sip the cocktail. after your initial sip, gently bite into the lemon garnish. how bizarre...it really does taste just like german chocolate cake.