Juicy apple drunk. (Also, cake.)

There's something a little more satisfying about parties with people who can cook (as opposed to people who can't). Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, but there's a definite difference between the kind of people who cook from recipes back-of-the-box recipes and people who love cooking, almost worship Alton Brown and will whip up biscuits at the drop of a hat. It's something about the quality of the food, I think, and the way that it's treated.

Anyway, last night my friend threw a barbecue in honor of his graduation and I went along with my roommates. He made a wonderful barbecued pork loin stuffed with garlic, someone brought along salmon (which was cooked with lemon, dill and mesquite smoke...yum), and there were salads. Someone brought cupcakes (which were more of an appetizer, really), a carrot cake with maple-yogurt glaze on the top (it smelled divine) and I brought a plain yellow sheet cake, which my friend helped me improve upon.

He taught me how to make ganache. This is magnificent, as the previous two times I attempted to make ganche it's turned out either super-watery or too bitter for my palate. In a double boiler, he melted about a half-inch of a stick of butter, then added a handful of chocolate chips (he used Costco brand; I wouldn't used Guittard, my newest favorite discovery in the market), a dash of cocoa powder and milk to just below the level of the chips. Once that was all melty, he added powdered sugar until the mixture thickened up and turned all glossy. We poured it over the cake and spread it around, where it soaked down through the top layer all night. On the top before the ganache set, he sprinkled more cocoa powder. And despite the fact that this was in a 9x13 pan, it looked pretty swank.

I love how ganche looks a little more sophisticated than plain frosting, when it's all glossy. It's a perfect foil for a sweet, delicate cake. By the way, that cake is even better today; the ganache trapped in moisture.

To top off the evening a friend made something called apple pie, everclear style. It was essentially apple cider with sticks of cinnamon and some nutmeg and cloves, and a fair amount of 180 proof everclear (two parts cider to one part alcohol). It's tasty--too tasty. And even better cold. I have never seen someone get drunk that quickly. One guy, a self-proclaimed heavyweight, was visibly drunk after half a glass. I could feel a buzz coming on after three sips.

The fun part was walking home, as snow fell on the eve of spring.

Cheers!
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