“That’s insane”. Those were the only words I could utter when I tasted my friend Hande’s Walnut Wedges of Decadence (one of the best things I ate in 2011). She had brought her signature Thanksgiving dessert to our traditional turkey dinner, where normally a pumpkin pie (or, in my sick world, ambrosia) take the cake. But the disk of pâte brisée layered with walnuts, chocolate and a sort of caramel filling took us all by surprise. To look at it in the pan, it didn’t look like much more than a flat brown disk. But what it lacked in superficial impact, it made up for in its deranged and compelling flavor combinations, the kind that haunt your dreams. Bitter dark chocolate mingled with a strong caraway seed flavor; the brittle butter crust gave way to the nutty creamy sweet filling. Though I somehow doubt my attempts to replicate it will fall short, I’ll still try, using Hande’s recipe or the Delicious Days variation as a guide.