It's always interesting when food bloggers reach national prominence. Some of them rise to the top by just being great writers who cook appealing and approachable food, a la Orangette or Pioneer Woman, both of whom seem to be universally loved in the food blogging community. And then there are the ones who irk most food bloggers, like Julie Powell.
I can't decide how I feel about Alyssa Shelasky, a/k/a Apron Anxiety, who has a sassy personality and a girlfriend's gift of flowing gab but who is also well-connected and sometimes feels as if she is name dropping. A former writer for People Magazine who finagled a meeting with a Top Chefs contestant on whom she had a crush, she transplanted her life from NYC to Washington, D.C. (a place she labeled provincial) to she could live with him.
If D.C. is provincial, I can't imagine what she'd think of Alaska.
When she has too much time between freelance assignments, Alyssa teaches herself to cook. The blog is a mishmash of fun photos (mostly not taken by her), coy storytelling in which she omits nearly everything about her personal life (as if she were saving it for the book) and the occasional recipe. It's fun, but you wouldn't learn a lot about cooking from it.
The book gives the juicy details of her "relationchef" (relationship with a chef)--his name is Spike, and I have to confess that I don't have cable so don't have a clue who he is. There are also more details about learning to cook, and I'm not going to lie--it's a fast, fun read, but I really wondered whether she would have received a book deal if she hadn't had her connections. It's what I would call a good airplane read, but she's like the friend of your spouse that you're glad you only have to see once a year. She wears out her welcome.
I will credit her blog, though, for leading me to the recipe for Fat Witch's white chocolate raspberry brownies, which are the perfect blend of fruit and chocolate. They are sticky, and the white chocolate chips drifted to the bottom and stuck, but they are completely delicious.
Any idea how to keep chips suspended in batter as the brownies bake?
White Chocolate-Raspberry Brownies
Adapted from Fat Witch Brownies by Patricia Helding
14 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup milk chocolate, chopped or in chip form
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chip form
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup raspberry preserves, heated slightly to make it spreadable
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 by 9 baking pan either by buttering it or thoroughly spritzing it with a baking spray with flour.
Using a double boiler or a small metal bowl over simmering water, melt the butter, milk and bittersweet chocolate. Set aside the mixture to cool.
Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl, then whisk in the butter/chocolate combination.
Sift together the flour and salt into the mixing bowl, when stir thoroughly to combine. Add the white chocolate chips and then stir again.
Pour half the batter into the pan, then do your best to spread the preserves over the batter--mine wanted to clump. Then add the other half of the batter, smooth it so it's even and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a baking rack. Makes 12 good-size brownies.
