A Grad Student on Valentine's Day

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone and this year, I didn't have any time or people to make and distribute Valentine's goodies to this year. Prior to moving to Japan, I never really cared about V-day but having been immersed in all the fanfare and chocolate madness that dominates the Japanese market the weeks before V-day for two years, I've grown somewhat fond of the holiday. There's just something great about making cute little chocolates and cakes for the people in your life, particularly the ones that you like haha. In any case, this year, I ended up having tons of stuff to do over the weekend and in an attempt to focus on my work, I decided that I wouldn't make anything. But towards the end of the day, I really did want something chocolate. The only thing that came to mind that would be quick and appease the craving was this one mug chocolate cake recipe that my friend's mother sent me in a recipe exchange. It is really easy to make, and even though it's made in the microwave, it's not too bad. I say it's rather perfect for the graduate student life lol. I cut the cake into pieces and drizzled a little chocolate icing on top for mine :)


fresh out of the microwave



Mug Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug


Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug but don’t be alarmed! Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.

Too much butter is not always good...

I bought a bag of blood oranges on sale at the supermarket and I discovered that I'm not particularly fond of their flavor as is. So of course I look for a simple recipe that I can use them in. I was thinking of juicing the oranges and making a cream or panna cotta with them but I had no heavy cream in the fridge and I didn't feel like leaving the comfort of my warm apartment to go to the store. So I kept looking and I stumbled upon a blood orange tart recipe from Smitten Kitchen that looked perfect for my purposes.

The rustic look of the tart and the simplicity of the recipe were the deciding factors in choosing this recipe...and I'm sure I would have had awesome results had my head been in the right place the day I made it. I read the recipe the night before and the next morning, instead of rereading the recipe, I went by memory..for the crust anyway. Of course, I screw up and put in 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter instead of 1 stick that was in the recipe. And of course I don't catch my error until after I finished chilling and rolling out the dough. >_< But since I was out of flour, I went with what I had, and oh boy...the dough spread quite a bit in the baking process. It tasted ok, the crust was pretty flaky, but I'm sure it would have been even better with the original recipe! Next time I think I'll try again, but with a different fruit...maybe pears or apples :)



Blood Orange Tart
taken from Smitten Kitchen
note: Smitten Kitchen also provides a recipe for a dark, salted butter caramel to serve with the tart that I didn't make (thank god, I'd probably have ruined it and my pot if I did that day) that sounds delectable :)

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 ounces each) [I only needed 7]
1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
Deep, Dark Salted Butter Caramel Sauce, for serving (after using Zoe Nathans, decided that I definitely prefer my own, reprinted below)

1. In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

3. Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

4. Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely.