Lately, I must confess, my baking has been way off. Banana bread not moist enough. Pizza crusts... just... subpar at best. Admittedly, my head has been completely in the clouds, but I like it there. This week I'm gaining some clarity through a bit of a fast/yoga/sunshine fest.. Glad I chose the week where I'm bombarded with work, exams, papers, and projects, but so it goes. Baking failures aside, I did make one thing I am very proud of undertaking. Rhubarb-peach pie with a lattice crust. This is the ultimate Martha Stewart kind of pie. I even used my fancy William Sonoma cakestand to display it.

Proudly this recipe is my own, making the pate brisee crust, using raw sugar and minimal ingredients to let the tartness of the rhubarb and the juicy sweetness of the peach takeover the pie.

Rhubarb-Peach Pie

2 pie crusts (this is what I did)
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
3 cups fresh peaches sliced
1 cup turbinado sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
3-ish tbsp flour
cinnamon & nutmeg to taste
1 tsp vanilla
Earth balance vegan "butter"

Preheat the oven to 350. Roll out one of your pie crusts into a pie dish and roll the other out onto the counter  on a floured surface. You will use these after you make the filling.

Toss the fruit with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, and spices. I like a good bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in mine, but to each his own. Let it sit while you make the lattice crust.  Feel free to add more flour is necessary because the rhubarb can be a bit watery, especially when it bakes.

Pour the fruit filling into the crust and top with a lattice pattern. Bake for about an hour.

I would let the pie cool a bit and also let the filling thicken. My pie didn't even last over 24 hours and I bet yours won't either.

In other news...random websites I found today...
My Very Worst Date
Unnecessary Quotes
Literally, a weblog

RAWR.

Why do my Tuesdays feel like Mondays? Would it be alright to claim I have a case of the Tuesdays? Had a party at my house on Friday night that ended up with foamy kegs due to tap problems and then the ratio spun out of control until it turned into BroParty 2010. Got to see Rocky Horror and Designer Drugs on Saturday night... Bottomless mimosas on Sunday. This would explain how Monday felt like Sunday, hence Tuesday as Monday. I can feel summer is on its way because all the days are blending together.

End of a mind-numbing, make me want to shoot myself week. Nearly every day was spent waking up early, working out, classes with library time all day until I came home and passed out to repeat. My room was a hazard area with my board bad overflowing with clothes and what have you from my trip to Puerto Rico last week. Despite being completely exhausted, I am in a stellar mood. Figured out some life plans.. got a few great things going on currently. I have compiled a short list of things I'm stoked about:

1. Moving to FL for my last summer at home; doing surf lessons @ Surf Station thanks to MattOBear.
2. Designer Drugs next weekend.. whaaaaat
3. Planning a trip to El Salvador with Sarah (and anyone else who'd like to join)
4. Bought Jimbo America a rawhide baseball, he's psyched on it.
5. Drafting a series of children's books based on Jimbo America Jenkins.
6. Getting my yoga on a regular basis.
7. Electro everyday all day + sunshine.
8. Just created a new recipe: Banana upside down brownie cake.

Pics/ recipe of the banana brownie treat to come.

This is a great song to swing your hair around to and shake it. That's what I'll be doing tonight.

part II

"We stopped at perfect days

and got out of the car.

The wind glanced at your hair.

It was as simple as that.

I turned to say something..."
 

part I

Something was missing

I realized I was in love with a voice
I called it, again, and again
But all I heard was the echo in the light.

I have been sitting on my computer writing Art Mag e-blasts (online newsletters)...since... Oh.. say 8ish. I'm tired. Why am I am on YouTube. Why are you not on YouTube?

Dark chocolate. Peanut butter.

Need I say more? Oh, it's vegan too... with a homemade honey graham cracker crust.

Tonight I am going to a "salon" party put on by my boss at the Art Mag. Remember the good ol' days when we could sit around in a fancy parlor and discuss the Age of Enlightenment? Well I don't either, but I do know that when one has a party, especially with a "Love, Lust, and Seduction" theme, I would bring a pie.

Love, lust, and especially seduction can all be attained through dark chocolate in my opinion. For me it would be chocolate and Joao Gilberto, so maybe I'll bring a mixed CD too.

You could also make this for your sweetheart/best friend/ anyone for Valentine's Day... but don't be cliche, make it on a random Wednesday for someone who deserves it.

My next random baking adventure for some lucky lad will be a raspberry truffle tart from the Joy of Baking. Stay tuned.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

12 oz good quality dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)

1 package silken tofu

12 full honey graham crackers

about 1/2 c Earth Balance "butter"

3/4 c natural peanut butter

vegan confectioner's sugar to taste (I used less tha 1/4 cup?)

I used a springform pan, but you could use any pie dish as well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the graham crackers until crumbly, breaking up all the pieces so it makes a finer texture. Melt the butter, add it gradually to the graham until it becomes able to stick together. Press the mixture into the springform pan, or whatever you're using. Bake for about 10 minutes, then pop it in the freezer to cool.

Let's make the filling! Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwaves. Put them in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power for 4 minutes or so, stirring every so often. Meanwhile, put the tofu in the blender and whip until smooth and fluffy. This will make for a nice light pie texture.

When the chocolate is ready, pour it into the blender and whip again until completely combined, scraping the sides when necessary. Pour the chocolate filling into your cooled crust.

And now for the peanut butter... Melt it in the microwave for a minute. Stir in the powdered sugar to taste. This thickens up the peanut butter so it hardens nicely in the chocolate.

Pour the peanut butter over the chocolate and use a spatula or fork to swirl in a nice pattern. Put it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for best results. Enjoy with friends.

This has been my theme song all day... good for baking and putting out the right kind of vibes.

I can't believe it's already February. Just booked my ticket to roam Puerto Rico in a month... thrilled. I need sunshine, waves, and Medalla in my life.

Today was a very active day. I actually went to three different supermarkets today, along with various errands and class. I may actually be addicted to food shopping. I swear a get a hard on when I look at fresh fruit. It's a problem. I went to Harris Teeter this morning.. followed by the Vegetable Bin this afternoon, and eventually Whole Foods in Mount Pleasant. I bought two different types of pears, a bag of golden delicious apples, coconut, bananas, and several other random fruits. I can't help myself. Maybe they have a support group for fruit addiction. Fruit Addicts Anonymous? So what if I sit in my film class and daydream about baking a rustic apple tart. If you fault me for that then you can't have any of my baked goods.

Tomorrow night Sarah and I are going to an oyster roast... already bought myself a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc to bring.

Friday night we're having a little Prosecco & Pizza dinner party. There is nothing I love more than making pizza from scratch.... maybe even throwing it on the grill. Psyched.

Here's a video I enjoy showing anyone who decides to come over after last call. It's disturbing and I like it.

"-Hear is not the right word. I became a telephone. Edith was the electrical conversation that went through me.
-Well, what was it, what was it?
-Machinery.
-Machinery?
-Ordinary eternal machinery.
-And?
-Ordinary eternal machinery.
-Is that all you are going to say?
-Ordinary eternal machinery like the grinding of the stars.
-That’s better.
-That was a distortion of the truth which, I see, suits you very well. I distorted the truth to make it easier for you. The truth is: ordinary eternal machinery."

-Leonard Cohen. Beautiful Losers, 1966




Something about this Wednesday feels off. I'm on edge. I haven't been sleeping unless I've been drinking all night. I guess I should post a recipe.. I did make some pretty scrumptious jalapeno cheddar cornbread the other night, but forgot to take pictures. here's the recipe anyway just for the hell of it:

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread:

1 cup corn meal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten
8 tablespoons earth balance, melted
6 ounces (113 g) extra sharp cheddar, grated
2 large jalapeno peppers diced

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 9inch nonstick cake pan or springform pan with cooking spray.

In one bowl, add the first 5 ingredients and stir. Make a little opening in the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk, eggs, and earth balance. Stir until combined. Fold in the cheddar and diced jalapenos.

Pour into the pan and bake for 35-38 minutes. Enjoy.

Today is my birthday and I feel like a grown up! I'm sitting on my couch icing my knee because I guess I was dancing too hard last night.. ha ha.. Like that's even possible! Sarah and I found a DJ blasting some dirty electro.. pretty much everything I have on my iPod, and I couldn't have been happier.

They even played Oh! by Boys Noize.. The A-trak remix... I was in heaven. Sarah made me a beautiful vegan chocolate strawberry ice cream cake with chocolate ganache frosting. I can't wait to devour it later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.

So a LOT has happened in the past months... a lot of downs and not many ups but so it goes. My dear grandmother has been fighting lung cancer for two years and it seems to all be coming to an end.



I had to go home unexpectedly for Thanksgiving to see her and I found myself devouring every little picture and scrapbook of hers from the 1960s on. She was a world traveler, always so classy... not to mention a great hostess. My roommates and I just threw a Christmas soiree and I wanted to entertain in the style of Ann Capone Tedesco (so Italian!). My grandmother wears a fur coat with no apologies and gives you her jaw dropping jewelry because she's bored with it. She has most of her recipes in her head and in her late 70s still had a trail of men behind her. What a gal. Even in her last days she's making jokes and giving my grandfather a hard time. In her honor, we made so many Christmas cookies, chocolate bark, and of course a punch. My grandmother always had a serious Christmas punch that would put you on the floor.. a real crowd pleaser.



I'm going to be making many new recipes soon as tomorrow is my last final exam. I'll be back in FL soon having yet another holiday party... I know I want to try my hand at homemade dark chocolate truffles, a few thai dishes, throwback with a pizza, and maybe even a ricotta cheesecake.


... damages from the night before..

SK and I are trying to get to Puerto Rico again for New Years and my birthday.... really needing some warm weather, waves, and a serious electro rave...


Not big on the vocals.. but the ghost in this video is pretty much me when I get lose my friends at the bar and wreck the town alone...

...a good question

I need to see this movie. It was directed by Mr. Oizo and it looks phenomenal.... "Chivers!"

What is going on with the weather? I'm a little fed up with the rain this week. It makes me not want to leave the house... But I know there are so many good things outside the house! I did get caught in the rain twice yesterday riding my bike. I have an exam this afternoon, dinner with the girls, videos to edit, decisions to make, and all I want to do is bake something new.

I want to bake some enormous blueberry muffins.




Sarah is creating some kind of mexican spaghetti squash bake for tonight.. and I just found a recipe for a winter-ish sangria. We like our sangria often.

I have a few events to attend for the Art Mag this weekend. The first is on Friday night at Aster Hall.... it's a fundraiser for the Charleston Center for Photography.. rumor has it they aren't doing so well. I hope this event turns out for the best. How could it not? Social Wine Bar (a regular spot for me and my girls) is in charge of the wine. Virginia's is catering.. and Ishmael, a graffiti artist and so much more, is the talent. I'm sure I'll be doing some interviews and snapping photos at Aster Hall.

I want to hit the gym but it's still pouring outside... and I just happen to have everything I need for these blueberry muffins.... hmmm....

Growing up in an Italian family, my grandfather always stressed the importance of your word being your bond. As promised, I am back today with some sub-par pictures and quite extraordinary recipe for a key lime cheesecake. Grandpa Ted would be proud. He has always had the biggest sweet tooth in the family. I guess that means I come in second place! This cheesecake, as mentioned in the last post, was for my buddy Luke. When I asked him what he wanted me to bake him for his birthday, he was torn between a cheesecake and a key lime pie. Naturally, the best answer was to combine the two. Who cares if it's November! Off I went to Harris Teeter to collect all the necessary ingredients, plus some amazing vegan eggnog that I was determined to combine with Goldschlager and Cafe Rica (coffee liqueur from Costa Rica) as soon as the baking began.

With my almost Christmas-like cocktail in hand, I set up my iPod dock in the kitchen, set my playlist, and got to baking a summer-like dessert.. and I think it's fall? Who knows..

Key Lime Cheesecake



You will need a springform pan. Just go ahead and buy one. It's worth it.



For the crust:

2 c graham crackers crushed
1/4 c turbinado sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) butter melted

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Add the crushed graham crackers to a bowl with the sugar. Pour the melted butter on top and mix until crumbly and combined. Press the crust mixture onto the bottom of the springform pan. You can go up on the sides a bit if you like, but I like to just have it on the bottom so it's a little thicker.

Bake for 8-10 minutes then let it cool completely. In this time you can go ahead and make the filling.

For the filling:

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 1/4 c sugar
6 large eggs, separated
8 oz sour cream
1 1/2 tsp key lime zest
1/2 c key lime juice

Beat the cream cheese with a hand held mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat the cream mixture. If the cream cheese is room temperature this is all a LOT easier... Just sayin'..

Separate your eggs. Add the yolks one at a time while the mixer is going. Add in the sour cream, lime zest, and juice. If you like your cheesecake really dense, just beat until combined. I like mine to have a lighter, airy texture, so I continue to beat mine much longer than needed to add the air inside.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Yes, it takes longer than I'd like it to, but it's worth it. When stiff peaks form, FOLD it into the cheesecake mixture.

Pour the mix on top of the cooled crust in the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it sit for another 15 minutes. Pop it in the fridge overnight for better results.

So that's it! You're welcome.



Oh and make sure to listen to this song while you're baking:

I made a drop dead delicious key lime cheesecake for my dear friend Luke's birthday this week. Between filming the French Quarter art walk, birthday baking, writing, and a pile of research projects... I have had my hands full.

Oh and the whole 2 day rave in L.A. for Halloween......Bloody Beetroots.. Deadmau5.. Danger.. Buraka som Sistema.. JUSTICE.. to name a few..



I want to go back.

But until then... more baking.. might actually post a recipe...

going to Kulture Klash tonight... got VIP all access passes.. Oh the perks of working for the Art Mag!

Wow.. it sure has been a good bit of time since I last posted anything. Busy living I guess... but now I feel like I owe you an extra long post. I guess I could excuse myself by saying I did spend a long fun-filled weekend in San Jose, CA. It was my first time over to the west coast. Luckily last week I broke my camera trying to prove I can climb a tree in heels (which I totally can).... but the aftermath was not so pretty. So I have to figure all that out. Also, I am down one iPod. It's just not my month when it comes to electronics.

Back in Charleston, it's raining and will be raining until the weekend. I am trapped inside and trying to find things to do. Today I will be baking a loaf of rosemary olive oil bread, going to class, hitting the gym, and doing some separate blogging work for the Art Mag

When it's rainy, there definitely needs to be music when stuck in the house doing chores. Okay well there needs to be music on all the time in my opinion but this is an especially serious circumstance. Don't worry, I have compiled a new rainy day playlist that I give you permission to steal and then claim it as your own. Alone or wrapped up with someone else (preferably, but in my case with my dog....) this list will get you through and smiling despite the clouds.

RainMix #1

Crystalised... The Xx
Porcelain... The Red Hot Chili Peppers
This Could Be Beautiful (it is)... Metronomy
Playground Love... Air
How Lucky We Are... Meiko
The Dress Looks Nice on You... Sufjan Stevens
Sunday Morning... k-os
Beautiful Day Without You (Whignomy Remikks)... Royksopp
Caminhar... Bia
Gettin' Into You... Andras Fox
Elephants... Warpaint
Bicycle (Horror's Cosmic Dub)... Memory Tapes
Dynamic Fashion Way... U-Roy
Run Into Flowers (Midnight Jackson Remix)... M83
Chocolate... Paul & Price
The Disconnect... Tycho

To distract you even more.......


Since this is mainly a food blog... I guess I can throw in a recipe or something...

While it's raining, you might want to make a special treat. And it's October... how do you feel about homemade Peanut Butter Cups? I feel pretty good about it. I feel even better about it because I can use dark chocolate and natural peanut butter. Being an advocate for all natural foods, this is like a dream. Speaking of dreams... I had the weirdest trippy acid dream the other night. It must have been because I'm reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. I'll get into that later.



Homemade Peanut Butter Cups... adapted from Chow.com
(Basically I changed the chocolate and peanut used.. but still pretty much the same.)


For the filling:

1/3 cup organic graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup natural powdered sugar
3/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (no added sugar)

For the chocolate coating:

1 pound dark chocolate (bars broken or chips.. look for 70% cacao)

For filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Mix on medium speed until filling is well combined, breaks into large chunks, and resembles cookie dough, about 3 minutes.
2. Divide filling into 24 (2-teaspoon) balls, then form into round, compact shapes that will fit in the mini muffin pan wells. (Keep in mind that when the filling is in the wells, there should be enough room to cover it with chocolate.) Set aside.


For the chocolate coating:

1. To temper chocolate, fill a large bowl with 2 inches of cold water, add 3 to 4 ice cubes, and set aside.

2. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer over high heat; once simmering, turn off heat. Place 12 ounces of the chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan and stir until chocolate is completely melted and reaches 118°F. (Make sure the chocolate does not come in contact with water or exceed 120°F. If either happens, start over, as the chocolate is no longer usable.)

3. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add remaining 4 ounces chocolate and stir until all chocolate is melted and cools to 80°F. To speed the cooling process, after all chocolate has melted place the bowl over the reserved cold-water bath.

4. Return the bowl to the saucepan and stir until chocolate reaches 86°F; immediately remove from heat. Do not remove the thermometer from the bowl; check the temperature periodically to make sure it stays between 85°F and 87°F. (The chocolate must remain in this temperature range or it will not set up properly.) Keep the saucepan over low heat and use it to reheat the chocolate as necessary.

5. To test if the chocolate is properly tempered, spread a thin layer on parchment paper and place it in the refrigerator for 3 minutes to set. If the chocolate hardens smooth and without streaks, it is properly tempered. (If it is not properly tempered, you need to repeat the process.)

6. Using a small pastry brush (or a small, clean paintbrush), liberally spread tempered chocolate inside each cup of the muffin pan. Try to make your coating as even as possible, aiming for about 1/16 inch thick.

7. Divide filling among chocolate wells. (Don’t push too hard or you’ll crack the coating.) Spoon chocolate over each filling until completely covered. Scrape across the top of the muffin pan with a palette knife or a flat spatula to remove excess chocolate and even out candy tops.

8. Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes to set up. To remove candies, place a towel or a silicone baking mat on a counter and hit one edge of the muffin pan against the counter. If the candies don’t come out easily, freeze them for another 5 minutes and try again. The Peanut Butta Cups will last up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. Let come to room temperature before serving.

For your viewing pleasure... Here is a picture I took on my MacBook at the airport after my red-eye flight was spent sitting next to a very masculine older woman who refused to turned down her headphones (blasting Nas) for the entire overnight flight. It was such a funny concept I couldn't even be mad about it!

This is a note my roommate Jocelyn found on Wentworth Street the other day. She left it open on my desk for me to find. She is wonderful. There is nothing I love more than finding a odd little note meant for someone else. I wonder if "Allie" ever got the note at all. "Dave" surely needs to brush up on his heart drawing skills. I do appreciate that he was bold enough to call her "snuggle buns" in writing.

Anyway.... This is a really busy week for me. I'm working on a lot of things for the Charleston Green Fair this weekend. The first night we are doing an event called GreenFlix. We're showing a film called The Botany of Desire. It's all about marijuana, tulips, and apples. Here's a preview.



So the Art Mag is setting up a clothing swap, like that of Eye Level Art the other weekend. We are also going to do some screen printing on the clothes people donated. Some screen prints will say "Art Lovers are the Best Lovers." And we are. Ha ha...

We'll be making a party yurt filled with furniture, a changing room, and probably some cocktails. There will be vegan chocolate truffles and beer from Sweetwater brewery. I just hate working these awful events! ;)

While I have been gearing up for that, I didn't forget how much I wanted to make a pizza from scratch. I've been playing around with temperature setting for the crust, seeing how I don't own a brick oven... yet. I tried a new way of making the dough as well. I had heard that making the dough the night before and letting it rise in the fridge overnight adds flavor and a chewy texture when baked. It is absolutely true.



You can leave the fresh dough in the fridge up to three days wrapped in plastic. Here is a recipe off Food & Wine's website because I don't feel like typing out a dough recipe. My main recommendation on this is use more flour than what they call for in the recipe. The dough is really almost too shaggy to handle at the beginning.



To bake the pizza, try setting the broiler to 500. Bake for about 10 minutes. For the pizza I simply used some good quality extra virgin olive oil in lieu of marinara sauce to mix it up.



I added some fresh minced garlic, sliced roma tomatoes, ripped pieces of basil, and added whole milk mozzarella di bufala. Do not skimp on the mozzarella. It makes the pizza, seriously.



Life is too short to buy cheap ingredients.



To top it off, I used a little cracked pepper, celtic sea salt, and crushed red pepper.



Let's be honest.....I ate the whole thing by myself.

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the "Style Swap" at a gallery downtown called Eye Level Art. The whole idea is to bring a designer piece of clothing "gently worn" and in exchange you can bid on clothes for free. The bidding is in the form of tickets you place on clothes on a rack. Kind of confusing... well... I was confused but I won a sweet blazer! I brought a BCBG Max Azria pale pink pleated skirt I have worn once. I didn't want to let it go because I wore it to a winter dance ONCE. I said take it before I change my mind! Wine from Social... cupcakes from a bakery downtown.. loved it. It was actually something my boss at Charleston Art Mag asked me to show up for to fill the goodie bags with our newest issue.. I ended up seeing some friends.. meeting some new people..and all that.

Being back on the scene and single is weird but fun. I haven't been alone in awhile. I want to dedicate some new recipes to being single. I still cook for my roommates, of course. The other night I made them a spaghetti fritatta.. and last Thursday I made them sweet potato and black bean enchiladas... all vegan of course because of Sarah. I like to eat vegan because it tastes the same but is generally much healthier. Lucky for me, Sarah's mom sent her to Charleston with a ton of fresh peppers. I happened to come to school with lots of black beans and sweet potatoes. A match made in heaven? I think so. Here's your recipe.

Sweet Tater and Black Bean Enchilada Heaven:

2-3 sweet potatoes, steamed, skinned and cut into cubes
16 oz black beans rinsed
4 Anaheim chili peppers assorted colors chopped
1 red onions chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
extra virgin olive oil
cumin
nutmeg
tumeric
crushed red pepper
celtic sea salt & pepper
12 corn tortillas
frontera enchilada sauce (from whole foods)
shredded rice "cheese"

This is simple and logical as far as progression of ingredients goes.

First saute the onions, peppers, and garlic in the olive oil until tender, about 10 minutes on a lower heat.







Meanwhile, mash the sweet potatoes to make a smoother consistency. Add the tumeric, cumin, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper, and red pepper. You can mash the black beans with the potatoes or leave them whole. I left the beans whole because I like the texture better.



Grab a 9x13 glass dish and pour a little enchilada sauce on the bottom. You will be using this to coat the tortillas.

Heat tortillas one by one in a non-greased skillet. Once hot, take that tortilla and cover both sides of it in the dish with the enchilada sauce. Once coated, fill it with the black bean/ sweet potato mixture and top with the onion, garlic, and chile mixture. Roll it and push it to the left end of the dish to reserve room for the other 11 tortillas. Use the enchilada sauce liberally. There's plenty and it's delicious.



When finished rolling the enchiladas, cover with the rest of the sauce and the entire package of shredded rice cheese (2 cups?).

Throw it in the oven for about 30 minutes uncovered. This will melt the cheese and heat the inside.



There's something I love about enchiladas... I'm an Italian obsessed with Mexican food and I won't deny it.



Next week I want to make a honey almond chocolate torte..... so stay tuned.