the making of an (almost) chef

don't worry, this is still your favorite mimi on the move, just with a new look! spring is coming (i think?) and i wanted something lighter and brighter. some of my older posts look weird now in the new template (if anyone knows why, please let me know so i can fix!). i'm not really 100% happy with the template layout and design, but since i'm too busy (lazy?) to learn HTML or CSS, it is what it is. but now on to the food!

i don't entertain the idea that i am a chef or a cook. and i am certainly not a pastry chef. and until i understand the science of the fine art of baking, i don't really consider myself a baker either. i'm really a student.
sizzling pineapples
however, as most people in the profession will tell you ... there comes a moment in every kitchen where someone goes a crackin' and something goes a flyin'. now sometimes this is a regular occurrence because the guy running the place (and let's face the sad fact that most of the bosses of the kitchen are men) is just a mean and nasty a**hole. yep, plenty of those to go around. but usually, it's just the point of boiling in a pressure steamer ... nothing even really has to go beyond technically wrong, but there's a palpable feeling of negative energy in the air ... and then wack! a fork is flung, a dish is tossed, a wine glass chucked.

welcome to my past saturday night :)

because i waited until the last minute to shop at fairway i got stuck baking all my desserts on saturday night before the supper. and because i am an über-doer, i also just *had* to do (i mean, truly had to do!) three different kinds of desserts. folks, this the ultimate mix for the pressure steamer if you couldn't tell already.

the scene: about 1:30 in the morning. the oven has been on all night and i'm sweating (figuratively and literally) to get this shit done. my last baking (because i thought it would be easy) are some icebox cookies. mr. mimi is snoring on the couch, totally and blissfully immune to the storm brewing in the kitchen.

martha may be very good with what she does, but she had the brilliant suggestion to stuff the rolled cookie log into an empty paper towel thing for it to keep its shape. let me save you the heartache: don't do it!! as i'm trying to stuff parchment wrapped cookie logs into this stupid towel tube (which by the way, i took off half of the paper just so i could do this) it became an obvious what the frick? the roll becomes a completely mess of nearly melted butter and i'm ready to toss it into the trash, but i'm too proud.

it's at just about this swell time that sleepy mr. mimi saunters by. we have very different styles, and basically, we drive each other crazy in the kitchen. so he's yapping about cleaning up after myself, a few choice words are exchanged, and he walks away.

and then i had my first (almost) chef moment.

i threw a just-cooled mini cheesecake at his head, but i missed, and it splattered the wall instead. it wasn't my finest moment, but you know what? i happily went back to rolling my icebox cookies (sans the stupid paper towel tube). it was as if a weight had been lifted.

of course the mimis talked about it the next morning. gracious mr. mimi forgave me and said it happens to the best of us in the kitchen. so without further adieu ...

i found this wonderful pineapple almond cheesecake over at tartelette, and i knew i had to make it. i only had a 9" cake pan, so i had the leftover batter for mini cheesecake cups (which, yes, are better used as dessert than as arsenal). it came out a little creamier than i expected, the pineapples were a little under-caramelized, and the crust stuck to my parchment lining. so it wasn't the purtiest of things. but we served it as our first dessert for our sunday supper, and it was devoured. so delicious! for the great recipe, click here.

pineapple almond cheesecake

not the best looking slice, but delish!