Chocolate Pretzel Pie

There are some food combinations that just make sense, and others that make me wonder about people's mental states. Doritos and peanut butter? No thank you. Orange jello and vanilla pudding? Ditto. I shouldn't be so quick to judge because I enjoy certain things that most people would have the same reaction to: I dip cookies in water, peanut butter and cream cheese do go well together, and although I haven't tried it yet, I wholeheartedly believe that a french fry dipped in a milkshake must be pretty good. I guess everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to bizarre flavor combinations, but some more unusual hybrids always garner cheers and a few "oh my god, I love those." It seems, that chocolate and pretzels actually are meant to be. A modern classic, I wouldn't call this combination weird, so much as unexpected. It is my belief that the success of this pairing just proves that these two are a match made in heaven; crunchy, smooth, sweet and salty, together they offer every possible type of texture and flavor you could want. The combination is ridiculously satisfying and dangerously addictive, it hits the spot no matter what you're craving.

This pie takes the chocolate covered pretzel to another level. I usually steer clear of recipes like this one, knowing that the beauty of a food is often in its simplicity. The way I see it, why mess with the chocolate covered pretzel when it is perfect as-is? However, something about this recipe inspired me. Maybe because I had already had it at the restaurant in New York where it was created, so I knew how good it would be. Maybe because I am scared of tempering chocolate so I would never make my own chocolate-covered pretzels. Whatever it was, this pie was good enough to make twice so far, and I have no doubt that a third time is on the way.

Despite a pretzel crust and a pretzel layer in the ganache, this pie has a much higher chocolate to pretzel ratio than the classic. Chocolate lovers will love this. I, however, don't love chocolate that much. What I love is the contrast of flavors and textures, so the second time I made this I increased the pretzel layer in the ganache.

Adventures/World Peace Cookies

It took me awhile to discover my adventurous spirit, but since I did I have been restlessly restless. All I want to do is move, explore, see new things, try new things and so on, I just can't get enough. I don't know at what point I transitioned from being a scared younger girl, all I know is that it has happened and I can't help but embrace it. On that note, today I am leaving for a two week trip to Hong Kong, it's as exciting as it is hard to believe. All the 'knowns' and unknowns only mean one thing, it is bound to be an adventure. Since I won't be home for Christmas this year, I wanted to leave a part of myself at home and in light of the season I thought cookies were the way to go.

I have seen Dorie Greenspan's world peace cookies on practically every blog I read, and even though I am not such a chocolate fan their name alone inspired me to make them. World peace, what more could we ask for for the holidays? If decadent food really were the solution to the world's problems, well I think these cookies would definitely merit their names.

Sanity/Cinnamon Chocolate-Chip Sour Cream Cake

Sometimes I am compelled to question my sanity. I mean, I woke up at an ungodly hour yesterday morning and moseyed to the supermarket just so I could buy the ingredients to make this cake. You see the thing is, its not that I was craving sweets or chocolate or anything, but I had decided that I was going to bake a cake for my blog. So, despite papers and midterms, at 8 am I was lurking outside the supermarket waiting for the doors to open. By 10:30 piping hot deliciousness was sneaking out of my oven. I wish I could have been in my roommate’s head when she walked out of her room and there was already a cake baking. I wouldn't blame her for worrying, normal people don’t make cakes the second they roll out of bed. Except for me that is, I swear I am totally normal.

It all started on Monday, when I decided that things have been looking a little salty around here recently, so I knew it was time to bake something up. I have more or less a million recipes bookmarked on my computer, but I didn’t feel like making anything fancy or difficult. To quote my oh-so-eloquent self, “I just want to make a cake where I just throw everything into a bowl and ta-dah!”

Celebrations/Mini Banana-Nutella Strudels

This weekend, one of my dearest friend's older sister is getting married in Rome. I haven't been to a wedding in over 10 years and this one will definitely be incredible. To be honest though, I don't get the same weak in the knees feeling as other people over weddings. I know its wonderful to see two people vow to love each other eternally, but somehow, at this point in my life it just doesn't really move me. Most people tell me that with time that will change, they are probably right, but what I like best about weddings is that they give us another opportunity to celebrate.

I find that celebrations are often forgotten or undervalued, which is unfortunate because my most of my best nights have been celebrating one thing or another. I totally respect my mom for having thrown several celebrate life parties, and it's amazing to see how much fun everyone has. I am sure the open bar didn't hurt, but aside from that people were just excited to have a reason to have fun. Marriage is without a doubt a great reason to celebrate and the wedding party usual exudes that fantastic energy, if only for that, I love weddings and I cannot wait for my weekend.

This week has actually be chock full of celebrations, 2 birthdays and now this wedding. So despite my traumatic exam the other day, I managed to have a great week. My friend's birthday was on Monday, the day before the exam, so I obviously didn't have the time to bake anything for her. I had promised her, however, that within the week, I would have made something for her. I decided to make strudel again, because I like to perfect recipes and since I didn't love the filling last time, I thought it was worth another shot. Also, I wanted to make minis, and since I live in a temporary apartment my kitchen is totally under-accessorized, strudel is great for this because it hardly requires any fancy apparatus.

Right now, my house smells like a mix of warm cinnamon, butter and nutella. It is such a comforting smell, a simple reminder that the small things in life are often the greatest and that even with its ups and downs, life is worth celebrating.

Banana Nutella Mini Strudels
(adapted from from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers)
Makes 10

For dough:
1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Filling:
1 stick of butter (melted)
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
10 tsp. nutella
1 lrg. banana, cut into batons
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. Roll each piece out on a well floured tablecloth until it is tissue thin, using a pastry brush, brush butter and sprinkle well with breadcrumbs. Spread one teaspoon of nutella an inch away from the bottom and place 2 banana batons on the nutella. Roll up folding in the sides, like a burrito. Do this one by one with all 10 pieces of dough. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Preheat the oven to 400º F (200ºC). Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Brush the strudels with the remaining butter. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar. Bake until a deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Turn the baking sheet halfway through.