It’s All Been Building Up to This Moment: Almost-Fudge Gateau
A few months ago, Jeff ordered a new wireless controller for the PlayStation. Then the old one started working. For me, this meant we should return the new controller or sell one on eBay. For Jeff, this meant that we had a backup.
Did we really need a backup?
Friends, did America really need to declare its independence?
So, we kept both.
During the course of our first move together, I realized we had backups for many, many things. Music. Movies. Ponchos. Silverware. Part of me feels very loved and secure when I see my computer-geek husband backing up the hard drives and making sure I don’t lose my entire iTunes collection. Again. But the other part of me – the part with a Shaker-like hatred of clutter – sees duplicates and wants to exterminate them. Thank God, twins don’t run in the family.
Before we move, I ask Jeff one more time if he’s going to sell the extra controller.
No, it’s still good to have a backup.
Why? Is one going to be raptured? Get trapped under a tree? Run off with a poncho?
Sunday night, the dog started trying to play with the cat by barking in his face and pouncing at him. So, the cat responded by baring his claws and lunging at the dog … who ran into the table and knocked over a stack of magazines … which slid into a glass of water … which spilled onto the new PlayStation controller.
And Jeff looks at me, like, NOW, aren’t you glad we have a backup?
Somewhere, he’s got a petri dish full of my stem cells. I just know it.
This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream, chosen by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. I’m allergic to blueberries, but fortunately TWD offered a backup plan: doing a recipe from the archives. So, I finally completed the Almost-Fudge Gateau chosen by Nikki of Crazy Delicious Food. (You’ll find the recipe here.)
When the cake comes out of the oven, it isn’t much to look at. Plain. A little dumpy. Schlumpadinka. But the flavor … It’s almost flourless, so the chocolate flavor is intense, and the cake stays moist for days. Glam it up with Dorie Greenspan’s optional chocolate glaze, or top it with a scoop of ice cream.
In fact, do both. It’s nice to have backup.
Oh drool. Your gateau looks drool-worthy. I wasn’t a member when TWD made this recipe but its definitely on the rewind must-bake list someday! Great job!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought
Schlumpadinka indeed! That’s my new favorite word. After chocolate, of course — this looks wonderful.
Oh, I think your gateau looks gorgeous! Good choice!
Maybe Jeff and my boyfriend were twins seperated at birth…I can totally see Ryan giving me that look. The gateau is absolutely gorgeous!
Wow, that looks like chocolate heaven. It looks delicious!
My husband is a huge computer geek and the same way with all these backups. We have 2 spare printers, 2 spare computer towers, and a gazillion other electronic things we have no use for. I tell him we should just get rid of the spares, but apparently he has “plans” for this stuff. For what, I dare not ask. :)
First of all, my husband is the same way, let’s keep that, you never know when we might need it!!! Second, YUM! It’s not even lunch time here, and yet, I could totally devour that gateau in a heartbeat!
Great back up plan!
I loved the gateau – it was wonderful!!
Very professional looking. Great story…guys rarely have a backup plan…I think that might be the big difference between men and women actually. Women always seem to have Plan B ready in the wings, while men seem to say, “Hmmmmmm….” a lot when something doesn’t come about as originally intended. I think the fact that Jeff has any sort of backup plan for anything should be rewarded…probably with more of this dessert.
Your chocolate cake looks absolutely divine. As for backups for game controllers-we have backups for backups…you just never know who might drop in and want to play. BTW I have a little award for you at my blog.
I’ve had my eye on this one. It looks too too perfect.
LOL, I’m all for the back-up dessert idea. Nice job.
The gateau is one of my favorite TWD recipes so far. The only bad thing with TWD is that since I’m always making new recipes, I don’t have much time to go back and revisit the ones I liked the most. =)
your comment about dna in a petri dish cracked me up. nice post.
the gateau looks fab. anything that resembles a flourless chocolate torte gets my vote.
What a beautiful slice! This was one of my favorite TWD picks.
There’s another one I have to go back and cover! Love how your post comes full circle. I am a bit of a packrat…er, backer-upper…as well. And, of course, I may end up using…maybe one percent of it if I’m lucky. Still, if there’s anything worth backing up, it’s delicious chocolatey desserts!
This looks SO amazing! Really great job.
hahhaa schlumpadinka – you must watch oprah ;)
you can make the blueberry ice cream w/a different berry! how about raspberries?
your gateau looks great, esp w/the strawberry :)
So funny. My husband is the same way. Your gateau looks wonderful and it’s always hilarious to read your posts!
Reading your blog is so much fun- you are hysterical. And the cake looks awesome!
Oh, your cake slice looks like the picture should be in a magazine! Absolutely beautiful! What a trooper you are to still make something for today. Btw, my hubby has many game controllers. Drives me nuts! I am constantly winding cords up and putting them away in a special wicker basker “with” a lid. There are teenage children about so I am so picking up video game cd holders and putting the disks back into the right boxes. They will put a disk in any empty box when in a hurry. In fact, I think they strongly believe some game fairy is doing this for them =D. Your cake really is beautiful and I hope you enjoyed the chocolate flavor.
That looks really really good! Great pic!
Can you please send Jeff over here? I have lots of backing up to be done – hmm, let’s start with all my photos, shall we?
Your gateau is beautiful. That glaze is calling to me. I made a chocolate rewind this week also, because my ice cream maker was AWOL…
A beautiful presentation and must be delicious.
That slice of gateau looks like a chocolate lover’s downfall!
intense.. chocolate… that sounds so good already! looks like a babe from afar too. *gazing at the screen*. Great work!
ooooh becca. That looks so good. If it had orange zest i’d drive to nashville. As your Shaker sister whose animal guide is the turtle for his ability to carry everything with him, i do not understand packrats. Even the name… my god, it’s a type of rat! Why would anyone want to be compared to a rat? And yet i married one, too… what does that say about us?
doooood, you can’t have too many controllers! (or chocolate gateaus) ;)
The gateau looks incredible and I love the post–especially the stem cells in a petri dish–too funny!
Yum. That looks pretty darn good. And thanks for the comment. You made me feel a lot better about my flat biscuits!
Don’t you hate it when they’re right? The cake looks and sounds divine.
The whole back thing is an ongoing issue in our household.
Nice cake!
sorry for the typo – what I meant was the whole back up thing is an ongoing issue :)
Fantstic looking chocolate cake!
Looks fabulous. I haven’t gotten around to making this one up yet. And I was totally laughing about the whole backup playstation thing. You never know when you might need something!
Ha, ha, ha! Love the “he’s got my stem cells” comment too funny!
Sorry you’re allergic, but I’m glad you found a backup in chocolate. :)
Talk about death by chocolate!
Look how the glaze glistens! A wonderful choice for a rewind recipe, to be sure.
You are toooo much 8-) !!! Beautiful cake. Can I move in??? I will protect the cat!! The dog??
Very funny story. “Is one going to be raptured?” I laughed out loud. And a beautiful cake, too. Looks _divine_.
oh wow, this looks amazing!
haha, i had to laugh about your husband! i’m married to a computer geek too, and you can only imagine what our office looks like- 2 computers, one for each of us, but his has 3 screens!! THEN, in the garage we have his server,and in a corner, tons of backup old computer systems, monitors, you name it, we have it!!!
Lovely, lovely tort. And yes, backups are always necessary ;)
Looks intensely delicious!
Hmmmm, I see this chocolate schlumpadinka in my future. Ommmmmmmm.