Do you have persistent feelings of emptiness? Do you have the sense that something is missing? Are you unfulfilled? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you might want to make an appointment at Winton. But before that, ask yourself, "Am I eating well enough?"

Of course for any of you poor souls on the meal plan, it isn't very hard to get three squarish meals a day, nor to eat your fruit, veggies, complex carbs and protein. That's not what I'm talking about here.

Eating well is all about quality. Never mind all that gobbledygook about nutrition. The important thing is taste, and try as they might, the kind chefs at CafÈ Mac never seem to include enough of it in their culinary explorations.

So you're left with two choices. One is to go out to eat, which is admittedly a dandy pursuit. The trouble here is that unless you're a fast sprinter, you usually have to pay for it once you're finished. And that gets to be a financial drag. I propose an alternative: roll up your sleeves and cook something for yourself.

So right now you're internally whining about how you don't own any cookware, don't have the skill, and don't have the time to produce anything edible. All I'm asking you to do here is bake. Baking is the cooking equivalent of busywork. It really doesn't require any thought or skill—just careful measuring. All you need to do is toss the ingredients in the pan, toss the pan in the oven, and toss a Frisbee around for 25 minutes while you wait for your masterpiece to finish. As for the pan, you only need one for this recipe, and you can get it from Target for around $6.00—about how much you'd pay for a plate of day-old crumbs from CafÈ Latte. Besides, you can treasure it for ever and ever.

So you're out of excuses. Now write this down and hitch a ride to Cub. I promise, it will be worth it.

The following is taken directly from www.epicurious.com, a budding Emeril's best friend:

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Flourless Chocolate Cake

(Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less)
 

Ingredients:

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling
 

Preheat oven to 375_F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture, add eggs and whisk well. Sift

1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

Makes one 8-inch cake.
 

Gourmet Magazine, 1997

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Hints:

Last time I checked, the C-House’s well-stocked kitchen was open to anyone on campus. (This was a while ago, mind you).

You don’t actually need wax paper if you use enough butter to grease the pan. Before you invert the cake onto a serving plate (and after it cools) simply place the pan on the stove on low heat for 30 seconds. This will re-melt the grease, and prevent the cake from sticking to the pan as you flip it over.

Also, if you have any Kahlua or Bailey’s lying around, try drizzling some on a slice of your creation. It works wonders. Ditto for ice cream of any kind.

Finally, remember to share. The true way to the heart is down the throat and through the stomach.

Ironically, bon appetit!