Like Water for Chocolate is one of my favorite books. I discovered it in college, when I also discovered that I was an overachiever/perfectionist who'd rather stay in to study than make new friends. Not the case so much now, but I lost myself often in my work back then. I didn't mind getting lost in that book one bit.

The basic gist of it is that a young girl, Tita, falls in love. As sweet and simple as that may seem, she is only able to express her emotion through her cooking. If she's sad when she's cooking, the people who eat the meal will cry. If she's elated in love, diners will suddenly lose all inhibition and... well... bring new meaning to love thy neighbor.

That book comes to mind occasionally when I whip up something, and this evening was one such occasion. I decided to work on a recipe book I'm putting together for my now, shockingly, 17-year-old cousin who aspires to be one of the world's great pie chefs. I have no doubt she'll fulfill all of her dreams. I can only hope to offer a glimmer of inspiration, as her Cousin Foodie. So I've been researching fun dessert recipes and making them my own way. Then I take a picture and write up a recipe card to all be pasted into a scrapbook. I'm hoping to have amassed a rather broad selection of pies, cakes and pastries by the time I visit her in September.

I'm not sure if I thought of the story of Tita because I was thinking of my little cousin, with her sprinkle obsession and love for her homemade treats, while I baked my newly named Razzy Blue Roulette (a.k.a. Red-White-and-Blue Roulette if baking for the 4th). Or if it came to mind because I've had an emotional few weeks and some that may have seeped ever so slightly into my whipped eggs and sugar. Or if it's just because, for the first time in a while, I felt entirely relaxed making it.

In any case, I loved the final product: It tastes light and fresh. The flavor of the cake itself reminds me a bit of those Stella Dora "S" cookies that I used to eat a lot as a kid. It's quite appropriately decorated for this weekend's fast-approaching holiday. And I just want to kick back and enjoy every simple bite. 

I'm happy to share my take on the recipe. You can find the original version in Baking Day, where it's a Stawberry Roulade. The ingredients used in my Razzy Blue are:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup of superfine sugar
• sifted 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Bit of hot water
• 1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
• Rasperry sauce and/or powdered sugar, if you'd like.
• A sprinkle of contentment.

Be sure not to miss that last ingredient, in whatever you're baking. Here's the recipe:

Razzy Blue Roulette

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Put an oven-safe/heat-proof bowl in a pan of hot water.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl until smooth and frothy.
• Remove the bowl from the hot water.
• Sift in the flour and hot water, into the egg/sugar mix.
• Smooth onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake 8-10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast slivered almonds slightly in a pan.
• Blend mascarpone and almond extract.
• Fold in berries -- or layer them on separately later (I'll explain below).
• Remove sponge cake from oven and parchment.
• Roll cake tightly in new parchment paper, wrap with towel until cool.
• Later, unwrap spongecake and spread mascarpone/berry mix on it, and reroll. (Here you could also spread just the cheese and carefully place the berries, then roll it all up.)
• Sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
• You could also drizzle over it some raspberry sauce or sift on some powdered sugar for extra sweetness, but it's not needed.

Happy dining!

FC