Dear Julia

So yesterday would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, so I was feeling in the spirit to celebrate this special occasion.
I know ever since the blog and movie Julie and Julia people have been trying to cook their way through her cookbook and write about it, I would not be one of those people. I thought I could do it at one point, but after yesterday I know it could never ever happen. The reason why I could never ever do that is because all her food is sooooo good! I mean that's not a bad thing, but if you are like me and like to shove their faces with food and don't like to stop, I am warning you now. BACK AWAY FROM THE COOKBOOK. Okay now I can say I have warned you.
My mom and I thought it would be good to make a dessert because of course, why not?! I looked up her cookbook and the dessert that sounded AMAZING was the Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat (chocolate almond cake with chocolate icing) Okay, so you are thinking to yourself chocolate cake with almonds, sounds SUPER exciting (sarcasm) BUT the thing is, it truly is amazing. I quote my dad on this "This is the best thing I have ever eaten" Well Dad you can thank Julia for this recipe.
Last night while I was eating this wonderful creation I was thinking if I were able to write a letter to Julia, what would it say? Would I thank her for this wonderful and addicting dessert, thank her for her great cooking ability or that she brought a great happiness to the kitchens all around the world? It gets the thinking...
AND I was watching the movie as I was shoving the cake in the mouth, I saw the part in the movie where Julie (the blogger) made the cake and it showed her and her husband shoving the cake in their mouths too. This make me feel a lot better because it's impossible to eat this cake without shoving it into your mouth. Don't be ashamed we allll do it.


Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CAKE
4 ounces or squares semisweet chocolate with 2 TBS rum or coffee
1 stick butter,softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 TBS granulated sugar
2/3 cup pulverized almonds
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted

FOR THE ICING
2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
2 TBS rum or coffee
5 to 6 TBS butter

INSTRUCTIONS:
FOR THE CAKE
Butter and flour a 8 inch cake pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, let the chocolate melt while you start the ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.
Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed, then add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
With a rubber spatula, bland the melted chocolate into the butter, sugar and egg yolk mixture. Then stir in the almonds and almond extract. Immediately stir in one forth of the egg white mixture, fold it in DO NOT STIR VERY HARD! Blend nicely!!! Then add a little of the flour and fold that in as well. Repeat folding in the egg whites and the flour until it is all incorporated.
Turn the batter into the buttered and floured cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean on the edges and the middle is slightly under done. When it is done keep the cake in the pan for a good 10 minutes the take it out to cool.

FOR THE ICING
Place the chocolate and the rum or coffee into the bowl that is over a simmering pot of water and let the chocolate melt. When the chocolate has melted all the way and it is smooth, take the bowl out of the water and beat in the butter a TBS at a time. When you are beating in the butter place the bowl over ice so the chocolate cools off and thickens as you beat the icing. When the icing has the right consistency frost the cake. Make sure the cake has been cooled off for at least 2 hours before you ice the cake.




Enjoy and if you're like me, enjoy with coffee or a nice cup of milk.