use real butter

I inaugurated my Summer of BBQ today with southern pulled pork. Since the winds were insanely high, I had to slow cook in a low oven rather than slow cook in a low grill. First, I mixed the spices together for the rub. Paprika, chili, cayenne, cumin, salt, brown sugar, minced garlic, onion powder, and ground pepper. Grinding 1/4 cup of ground pepper doesn’t seem like much, until you actually grind it by hand.

Well, it’s only been six months since my last restaurant review! Considering the extravagant dining I (we) did in Sydney this past spring, I might hazard to say that June is a little early to be indulging in the good stuff again. But…

I had heard from a director at my old workplace that Frasca had a disappointing Community Night. It was unfortunate that this was the first impression I got of Frasca because that person has neither taste nor sense (nor ethics, as we later discovered – but apparently the board of directors don’t seem to care if their people are unethical). Frasca doesn’t put on a Comm Night like The Kitchen, they have a prix fixe tasting menu on Monday nights paired with wines. Then I read that Frasca was voted best restaurant in Boulder. I’m always a little skeptical of what Boulderites vote “best of” for food just because this is technically the Midwest – on the flats – and you know what I think of mid-western culinary culture. More recently, Tom told me that his friend said he had the best meal of his life at Frasca. My curiosity was piqued!

In my last pastry class, Shan had an extra sheet of this fabulous, moist, chocolate cake. The cake lacked good structural integrity because he had forgotten to adjust for altitude, but it was delicious. As folks packed up to leave, he called out for someone to take the last sheet cake. No one offered, so I said I’d take it. I loaded it carefully into the car along with my tub of praline butter chocolate mixture, and more chocolate petits fours than you could shake a stick at.

Today I decided it was time to clear out the refrigerator. I grabbed the sheet cake, chocolate mousse, and praline mixture and fashioned a layered torte/cake in my new hexagon ring mold.

**Jump for more butter**