I’m down 22 lbs. now since starting this Ketogenic lifestyle, and I have to say, it couldn’t be any easier. I only really need to be prepared when I go to someone’s house for dinner. I’ve found a way to eat at pretty much any restaurant without a problem, but for this Passover, for example, my dad is having the holiday meal catered. I’m not making my usual Flanken—though, I can’t believe how hard it is to find a recipe for Flanken! I searched through my cookbooks, both The Perfect Passover Cookbook and Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food and I found gornisht (yiddish for nothing). The closest I found to a flanken recipe was a recipe for “Steak’n” from The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home. That recipe wasn’t quite right, as it called for 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs and maple syrup. Flanken is made with honey, dammit. I’m including the recipe here because, hi, it’s clearly impossible to find.

I’m tempted to make it, mostly because I know Lucas will swoon over it. And it’s a memory maker. I’m also tempted to make my flourless chocolate cake for the same reason. Everyone loves it. Period. But, for selfish reasons, I’d rather make something I can actually enjoy. As it is, my father texted me the menu, and there’s not much hope for me:

Matzo ball soup
Smoked salmon pinwheels
Cornish hens, with dried fruit stuffing
Potato latkes
String beans almondine
Brussels sprouts
Fresh cut fruit bowl
Anyone welcome to bring anything else…like dessert.

I can eat salmon pinwheels so long as they’re made only with salmon and cream cheese. And I can enjoy a half cup only of string beans, and maybe 3 brussels sprouts, so long as there’s no bread crumbs on either. I’m willing to bet the cornish hens are brushed with apricot jelly, and clearly there’s no stuffing in my life. I can enjoy berries only from a fruit bowl. So what exactly am I eating eating? Something to which I can really look forward? Aside from cooking a savory protein dish and a fully-loaded cauliflower bake, you’d better believe my night is going to consist of cheesecake.

For everyone else, there may be flourless chocolate cake…

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate, very coarsely chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, very coarsely chopped
1⅓ cups sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
5 extra-large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (not a springform), line it with a round of parchment paper, and butter the paper.

2. Place both chocolates in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

3. Combine the sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

4. With the processor on, add the boiling sugar syrup to the chocolate through the feed tube. Add the butter, piece by piece, followed by the eggs. Process only until very smooth.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Set the pan in a larger baking pan, and fill the larger pan with warm water to reach halfway up the side of the cake pan. Carefully transfer the pan to the oven, and bake on the center oven rack until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake pan from the larger pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and invert it onto a baking sheet. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Then invert a cake plate over the cake, and invert the plate and baking sheet together, so the cake is now right side up. Remove the plastic wrap.

Sorry, no idea where I found this recipe, or I’d add a source. I only know that it was a huge hit, even with Phil who never likes anything, or at least never admits to it.

For me, however, today I’ll be making a crustless Junior’s Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, substituting Swerve for sugar. I could make a buttery almond flour crust, but crust does nothing for me. I’d rather skip it. Ooh, and Phil just suggested he buy ingredients for my favorite tuna tartare. Yum.

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