Food In The Fort

I read slowly. I make changes in my life slowly. When the occasion arises and, happily, it’s not very often, I run VERY slowly. So I don’t know why it always take me by surprise that I cook slowly as well. It takes me forever to cut things up, I read the recipe over a million times, I search through the spices for an eternity and dinner is usually ready about an hour later than I originally thought. But maybe that’s okay; maybe food should be lingered over in the preparation as well as in the eating. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to launch into a slow food movement rant at this point.) Maybe I need to embrace my slow cookery because things have a tendency to go wrong when I don’t. Not tragically, just sadly.

A case in point is this wonderful Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Cake which comes from Jumbo Empanadas.

This was one of the first things that Leo and I ever made together, back in his apartment in Cherry Valley, NY. It was delightful. Despite the fact that we had to use his downstairs neighbor’s oven because his didn’t work. (He’s moved up in the world and now has a functional oven and some of the burners on his stove work as well.) The last time that I made this, however, I was in a rush and it fell far, far short of that original delight. Looking at the recipe now, I’m not sure how I could have screwed it up. It seems foolproof: a simple batter and an even simpler sauce; the toughest step is boiling the water. But screw it up I did. It was okay – I mean, it was still made of chocolate cake – but I know that I can do better if I take it slower and you, dear reader, can too. So relax, make sure that you have about twenty minutes for prep time and forty five minutes for baking, and then enjoy.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Cake
Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup milk

Mix sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in boiling water. When smooth, add milk.

Batter

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation

1. Sift the dry ingredients; add nuts.
2. Add milk, butter and vanilla.
3. Spread into a greased 8″ x 8″ pan.
4. Pour the sauce over the top of the batter.
5. Bake on the upper shelf of the oven for 45 minutes at 350.

About the author:  I'm a Latin-teaching foodie who has lived (and eaten) in Fort Wayne for the past 10 years. I love all the ethnic grocery stores here and the great Mexican restaurants. Cooking is something that I really enjoy, although I tend to improvise a lot and experience my share of disasters. My parents are both wonderful cooks, as was my paternal grandmother (Oma), and I'm always trying to make things the way mom, dad or Oma did. Read more from this author