Nomad Kitcheneer

It's Fall. The leaves here in Germany are turning color. I'm frantically baking/cooking to finish as much of my pantry items as possible. Yes, you read it right, I'm moving again. It's time for me to pack up and move across the ocean back to California. I'm only here in Germany for 18 months, I still cannot speak fluent German (I claim to be just restaurant proficient =p) Back in the summer, I baked this French Apple Cake from David Lebovitz. The flavor is surprisingly clean, if you're used to the American classic combo of apple + cinnamon. I later baked it couple more times, bringing it to dinner party etc. We had it on its own, had it with vanilla ice cream, had it warm, had it cold...you name it...it's delicious! French Apple Cake Adapted from French Apple Cake  by Dave Lebovitz yields one round (20cm, roughly 8") cake Ingredients: 3/4 cup (110g) flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder pinch of salt ~3-5 large apples (any kind) 2 larg...

  I must confess: for the longest time, I have a prejudice towards cupcakes. I find the frosting too sweet, and the cake itself very bland. That is, until I did a "tasting" for a girlfriend of mine's baby shower. I sampled 4-5 stores' cupcakes, and oddly, I realized, not all cupcakes are created equal. (Duh....should've known that a long time ago, but how can I never make that connection?) Fast forward to St Patrick's Day, and I was sitting around reading recipes online for fun. Yes...i do that, though I also often lacked the motivation to get over the "activation energy" to actually make something. Anyhow, I saw this interesting recipe for chocolate stout cupcake with chocolate ganache filling and Baileys frosting. And I went.....how can a cupcake be SO complicated?! It's so complex that I got curious enough to actually want to try making it myself. I mean.....first of all, having beer in cupcake is an interesting idea. Secondly, th...

Grand Marnier Crepe Cake It might not look like much, but this is some serious work! I love crepes. It's simple, delicious, and can go terribly wrong (read: floury and tough). I've been making crepes for years now, so long that I even forgot where/when I first learned it already. Oh well...let's say that I'm very particular about my crepes. I like them very thin, and not tough. And, in case you're wondering, I DO NOT have a crepe pan, and I don't plan on owning one either. To me, if it can be done using a simple non-stick skillet, then why bother spending a fortune on something that is uni-purposed. (Though....I'm guilty of buying many of these uni-purposed gadgets, but I've learned my lessons, and I'm much better at it these days! I promise!) Anyhow, I first came across the concept of crepe cake when I was in New York, upper west side. My friend and I went to this chic bakery, where everything on the menu is named in French. Ironically,...