tasting memories

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

The simple things made the biggest impression. After my parents divorced, my mom and I lived with my grandparents, Pito and Mima. Their kitchen was at the center of many a childhood experience. As I searched for memories of my mom on this Mother's Day morning, I was reminded of a particularly sweet and fleeting moment.

I walked into Mima's kitchen and Ma had been cooking. I don't remember what she was cooking, but she walked toward me with a little white CorningWare bowl, a spoon and a smile. Her eyes were beaming as she handed me a spoon and offered me a taste. Delicious! A burst of pure happiness that starts at the tongue and then spreads to every part of you. This delightful treat was simply made with leftover raw egg yolks sweetened with sugar, but to me that treat was a pure infusion of my mother's love.

These simple moments are the ones I treasure most. These memories are the ones that remind me most what mother's love feels like: spending a minute or two together, sharing something sweet and discovering something simple and new. For these little moments I am so grateful.

Happy Mother's Day, Ma.

If you find yourself making meringue or have a few leftover egg yolks, try this simple treat.

Sweet Egg Yolks
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon sugar

1. In a small bowl beat the egg yolk and sugar until the mixture becomes light yellow and creamy.

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

One of the things I love about visiting the Old San Juan is breakfast at La Bombonera. On the first day of our recent trip to "my home planet", I get up early and drag Angelica out of bed with anticipation for what is about to come.

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

As is our tradition, we start our first day with breakfast at La Bombonera, a century old bakery and restaurant best known for its fresh baked mallorcas. Mallorca is a sweet, egg based bread found in most puertorrican bakeries and with origins in the island of Mallorca, Spain.

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

We sit at the long bar and order our usual mallorca with butter, cafe con leche (coffee with milk) and jugo de china (fresh squeezed orange juice) made with sweet puertorrican oranges. The cafetera (coffee maker) is a center piece of this restaurant. It's a great big machine bearing a Cafeteras Nacional label. Cafeteras Nacional is an espresso machine maker originating in Cuba at the turn of the 20th century. This cafetera bears the signs of age, pieced together after many years of repairs, but it can still brew a great cup of puertorrican coffee.

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

We sit at the bar and watch the wait staff, in red apron and white shirt, dance around eachother in a mad but elegant rush to get everyone served. We can't sit still with anticipation for the mallorcas as we watch our waiter slice and place them in the 'plancha' to toast. Our faces wide with huge grins.

The mallorcas are perfect, slathered in butter and dusted with confectioner's sugar, they melt in our mouths. We order another and some to take with us for our journey to Ponce to visit my grandparents.

Read what the New York Times says about La Bombonera.

La Bombonera
Calle San Francisco 259
Viejo San Juan, PR 00901
(787) 722-0658

Photo by Angelica Bartolomei Edmonds.

The Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking chocolate wrapping that this recipe was printed on is completely crusted with dried batter, chocolate prints and a generous dusting of flour. I've kept it in a folder labeled "cakes" that is stuffed full of great recipes, but nine out of ten times when I want to make a chocolate cake, this is the recipe I reach for. It is the best chocolate cake recipe, period. It's rich yet super moist and light with just the right amount of chocolate and not too sweet. I have made it many times with very stable and delicious results, even at high altitude in Montana.

This chocolate cake is heavenly on its own and needs no frosting. I enjoy it most with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar. If you are making a birthday cake, consider frosting it with a good buttercream frosting. Or, what about filling it with raspberry preserves and frosting it with chocolate ganache for Valentine's day?

The secret to this cake is whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks and folding them into the batter just before baking. The egg whites create air pockets that are going to make this cake light and delicious. This video from epicurious.com has some good tips on beating the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites in two installments is key. Chef John Mitzewich demonstrates proper folding techniques in this video.

The Best Chocolate Cake
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup water
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk or strong cold coffee
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Line three 8" or 9" round cake pans with parchment paper, set aside. Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add the water and stir until melted. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the melted chocolate and vanilla.

2. Sift flour with soda. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk or coffee to the chocolate mixture. Mix until smooth.

3. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form. Fold one third of the egg whites into chocolate batter until well incorporated. Fold in the rest of the egg whites until well incorporated.

4. Spread into the prepared round cake pans. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack for ten minutes. Remove cake to cool completely.

Makes 3 cakes or one triple layered cake