Skip to main content

Jahresarchive: 2009

Les Truffes Au Chocolat – Dark Chocolate Truffles

Les Truffes Au Chocolat


I hope that you had a good holiday break, celebrating or just spending time relaxing, hopefully without pipes and heaters freezing on you because of a blizzard. Our holiday was quiet, loud, lovely and reflective all at once. Christmas wasn’t anything huge or terribly fancy this year but we are lucky to have love and health, our couple and our families here and afar. It was filled with many heart warming and unexpected moments throughout the day, making it truly a wonderful time. And in my family, it’s not Christmas without a batch of Truffes Au Chocolat. Really.

Seeing my nieces via webcam on Christmas Eve preparing for the "reveillon" twirling in their pretty new dresses, their hair held tight by shimmering headbands was a moment as delicious as cracking the crust of creme brulees. Watching my brother, their dad, the one who used to hide in my closet to scare me at night, this proud and gentle with his daughters was a moment to savour.

Making Truffles
On Christmas day, I had a very much needed webcam moment with my mom. To prevent us from getting emotional, we had the toddler caroling for us but I know exactly what we were thinking about: my late brother and grandmother, reveillons dinners lasting until 3am, my uncles practical jokes, my grandmother’s marzipan stuffed dates and making chocolate truffles.

Lots of you commented how much you liked learning about other people’s cultures and traditions that may be completely different or somewhat similar than your own. I’m the same way. It makes the world go round really. I visited lots of blogs these past few days and like you, enjoyed reading about others' traditions or important moments. In my family, there is no Christmas without a good dose of chocolate and chocolate truffles to be exact. Wether we make, eat or give them.

Les Truffes Au Chocolat
Christmas preparations were always made between my grandmother and my mother around a cup of tea and a slice of cake. When I was six or so, I complained I had nothing to do, pulled out a magazine and told them I would make chocolate truffles, like the ones in the ad for Van Houten cocoa. I was actually secretely trying to find the source for the ones my grandmother’s friend, Suzanne, used to make. They were so different than ours. Creamier, sweeter, richer.

Every year we would go from Aix to Paris to spend Christmas with my grandparents, and a visit to Suzanne and her husband was always on the agenda. I loved their small apartment beside the bicycle shop. It always smelled as if beef Bourguignon was on the stove. We would enter, quickly marvel at the tree and impatiently wait for Suzanne to get the big silver tin filled with chocolate truffles. One for each and two for our parents. Except my parents never saw any of them. The truffles never made it this far.

Les Truffes Au Chocolat
As years went by, many truffle recipes came between Suzanne’s and me. She passed away, so did my grandmother. One day, I did find a scribbled piece of paper in my grandma’s recipe box reading "Les truffes de Suzanne". My heart skipped a beat. The proportions seeemed right but there were no instructions. I know chocolate, I know truffling. "Can’t be that hard" I thought. I got close but there always seemed to be something missing. I made five batches the week I found the recipe. Bill was a trooper and sampled them all, each time finding the new batch as good and decadent as the last.

After he sampled the last one, I plopped next to him on the sofa and mumbled "something’s missing". That’s when he pointed out the obvious. They were missing: Paulette, my grandmother and her pal Suzanne. Indeed, many things had changed since that time. Life had changed us but those memories also gave us the essence of who we were now as adults. He also was quick to say that I could stop my quest for that particular truffle recipe if I wished but he hoped I didn’t while rubbing his belly in a facetious way.

This recipe for Truffes Au Chocolat is so far the closest I have gotten to Suzanne’s and by the look on everyone’s face the other day, I’m inclined to think it could be the best so far. I am not done tweaking it so who knows what next year’s batch of truffles will bring…

Chocolate Truffles:

8 1/4 oz (250gr) bittersweet dark chocolate (chopped, broken, or chips)
1 stick (115gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 cup (125gr) powdered sugar, unsifted
cocoa powder for dusting

Melt the chocolate in a large bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure that the bowl fits snuggly over the pot so that very little steam escapes). Stir occasionaly.
Remove from the heat and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Stir until completely incorporated. Add the egg yolks and powdered sugar whisking until the batter is smooth.
Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
When ready to roll, scoop out balls of ganache with a spoon, roll them in between your palms fairly quickly and set them on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, roll them in the cocoa powder and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
Yields 35 to 45 truffles, depending on size.

Wishing You The Sweetest Of Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

In the midst of all the Christmas preparations in our kitchen and I am sure in yours, I wanted to take the time to wish you a very Merry Christmas and plenty of joy and happiness this holiday season.

In my family we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with two big dinners. In B’s family, it’s only Christmas Day. His is small-ish, mine is big. Huge actually. Nowadays, we are doing a bit of both even if I am not home and he indulges me in some of my traditions, like the Provencal 13 desserts and listening to "La Pastorale des Santons de Provence". Yes, baby Jesus was born in Provence and his parents spoke with the accent. You didn’t know?! No Christmas is complete without it and in the 30 something years I have been around, I have had plenty of time to learn each character by heart.

Until my grandmother passed away, Christmas Eve dinner was held at my grandparents' house after church and we would go *all* out. Christmas Day’s traditions were a bit more low key as it was the "in-laws" day, meaning my uncles and ant would go visit their in laws during the day and come back for dinner. Those who were without in-laws would make their way to my parents' house for lunch for macaroni, butter, parmesan and a plate of charcuterie. Came 8pm and we would have a Christmas Day dinner usually revolving around a buffet of regional delicacies.

One of our holiday traditions is to make a visit to our favorite chocolatiers, "Les Chocolats Colas" in the town of Maule. True chocolate artists making the most intricate as well as delicious chocolate creations. We usually get a few pieces to take home but we really go there for their chocolat chaud. More like ganache chaude really. Indeed, the chocolate is so rich and so thick that it is served in small espresso cups. Trust me, that is plenty. Strong, spiced just right and silky all the way down to your toes.

As part of my holiday rituals of listening to La Pastorale while baking, I always make sure to fix us a batch of hot chocolate albeit a little lighter than the one we have at the Colas chocolate shop when we go home. B. likes to have a handful of marshmallows in his hot chocolate but I really find store bought ones to be tasteless and gritty. Ok, so they can be gooey mess, marshmallows are so easy to make at home, it’s worth it trying them at least once.

Both recipes for our favorite creamy and rich hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows after the bump.

Tonight’s dinner will be with some of our closest friends around some French regional delicacies. Low key, reflective and quiet. Just what I like.

Thank you for your readership throughout the years. You cry and laugh with me and everytime I come here and spill some goodies, I feel like having coffee with some good friends. Thank you!

Hot Chocolate:
6 oz (180gr) semisweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
pinch of ground cloves

Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk and cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and slowly pour the hot liquid over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes then slowly whisk the mixture until completely smooth. add the spices, stir and serve with the marshmallows.

Vanilla Marshmallows:
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1/4 cup (60ml) light corn syrup
3/4 cup (170 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 whole vanilla bean, split open and seeded
cornstarch

Line a 8X8 baking pan with plastic wrap. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with some cornstarch, shake the excess off.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites. Add the vanilla seeds and continue whipping until stiff. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and let set 24 hours at room temperature. Unmold and cut squares with a hot knife.

Poached Pear And Almond Fallen Souffle Cakes

Poached Pear Almond Souffle Cakes


All weekend long I kept hearing about the snow falling down, heavy and thick in some places, watery and clumpy in some others. Friends here were making hot cocoa and shoveling driveways. My parents back home in France were describing the park in our village as wearing a light dusting of snowflakes. Here, we started to wonder if we would spend Christmas day in shorts like we did last year. Probably not but neither Bill nor I have put on coats yet this year. Indeed, we finally had signs of Fall. In December.

I have long understood that the South beats to a different rythm. It’s in the air. Literally. It suits my personality just fine. Winter breeze at 5am and reddish-brown leaves still falling, blanketing the yard by 5pm. Winter citrus sharing shelf space with Fall pears and apples at the market. I just felt compelled to fill my basket with the juiciest mini d’Anjour pears I could find, go home and make these gluten free Poached Pear and Almond Fallen Souffle Cakes.

Baking With Pears


One thing I have inherited from my mother and grandmother (beside the all-in-or-nothing temperament) is their love for poaching fruits in the colder month and using them in all sorts of desserts. I don’t really care what the thermometer reads outside lately. I am a bit homesick. It’s the holidays. I’m poaching. As I told Bill "French Christmas carols and lots of poached fruits – deal with it!". His eyes lit up and he replied "let me pull out some pillows and we can cozy up and you can tell me all about all the Christmases of your childhood." Love that man.

Fo us, one of the many joys of being in a relationship is to share just about everything. Even a bad cold. I don’t mind having a cold. I do mind when it hovers between cold and flu with fever, aches and chills but without knocking you down completely. This thing we have been sharing back and forth has been lowering all our levels by 40%-50% or so. It angers the bejesus out of me. Especially a few days before Christmas when there is still a ton to get done and lots of friends to see. But as we sat down with a cup of ginger tea and a warm pear and almond cake, we felt instantaneously better, warmer and happier.

Sunday Mornings Are For Poaching Pears


I did convert the recipe to be gluten free to work with my diagnosis (yes, I know, research is still out on that one but I see the rewards of going gluten free and almost sodium free and that’s good enough for me) and I snuck in a whole poached pear instead of a half like my grandmother used to do. However, I know it wasn’t the reason why they rose as high and fell as quick as souffles.

We then changed their names too. The original was more of a scribble on a piece of paper from Mamie reading "Gateaux Amandes et Poires Pochees. Faites attention, ils degringolent" which could be translated as "Almond and Poached Pear Cakes. Watch out, they tumble down". And she was absolutely right. Hence B. felt compelled to rename them – he’s a stickler that way, ahah!

Poached Pear Almond Souffle Cakes


Whichever name you choose, all I know is that they are the perfect cross between a souffle, a cake and a custard. That for a brief moment they stopped my coughing and sneezing and that "Douce Nuit Sainte Nuit" never sounded more beautiful.

That is good enough for me…

Poached Pear Almond Souffle Cakes


Poached Pear And Almond Fallen Souffle Cakes:

Makes 6

Note: you can core the pears from the bottom to about 1 inch from the top with an apple corer but these are so tiny that I just removed the stem button at the bottom. Everything else in the core baked to very soft texture and the seeds were easy to remove while eating (kind of like tails on baked shrimp).

For the poached pears:
6 mini d’Anjou pears, peeled (or other small pears like Forelles or Seckel)
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
2-3 cloves
2-3 cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
5-6 allspice berries
1-2 star anise
1/2 lemon
4 cups (1 liter) water

For the cakes:
3 tablespoons (40gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (190ml) heavy cream
1 cup ground almonds (blanched or skin on – your preference)
1/4 cup (40gr) sorghum flour (or use 1/4 cup all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Prepare the pears:
Place the pears, spices, lemon and water in tall saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat and let them simmerfor 15-20 minutes or until the pears are just soft (poke with a toothpick to check).
Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and allow to cool on paper towel or baking rack.

Prepare the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
Slightly butter or spray 6 ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Set aside.
In the bowl if an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffly (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one a time and beat well in between each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, heavy cream, almonds, flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated. Fill each ramekins about 1/3 full with the batter and place a poached pear in the center.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

2009 Menu For Hope – East Coast Bid Items

Menu For Hope 6 to help Purchase for Progress launches today! Bidding is open from December 14th through December 25th 2009.

Thank you to all of those who came forward with awesome items to bid on. Each year I am delighted to chip in and this year I want to thank Pim for trusting me with hosting the East Coast and I am psyched of the work all the hosts and donors have achieved in the middle of all our/their busy schedules.

Now it’s your time dear readers and participants to make this charitable enterprise a success! If you’ve missed previous posts on Menu For Hope, here are the details.

Here is the list of bid items from bloggers on the US East Coast for you to check out and you will find a complete list on Pim’s site. Don’t forget to check out the other regional hosts, Shauna, Tara, David, Ed and Alder, and their lists as many contain items without shipping restrictions. (See bidding instructions at the end of post).

I’m sure you’ll find some fabulous goodies you’ll want to place a bid on. Tickets are $10 each and tax deductible.

UE01: One Day Macarons 101 Workshop With Helene From Tartelette.(*Prize must be redeemed and used within the year)


Helene will come to your kitchen for the day to teach you how to make the ever elusive and tricky macarons like the pros. Charleston, SC area only unless you are willing to ship me to your place!

UE02: Hands-on 1 day food photography & styling workshop with Helene Dujardin of Tartelette OR Three 8×12 art prints by Helene Dujardin. (*Prize must be redeemed and used within the year)


Bid on a personal day of food photography & styling workshop in Helene’s studio. We will tackle food styling, camera and light settings and spend the afternoon practicing! The winner is responsible for travel and lodging to Charleston, SC. Lunch and materials will be provided. OR The winner will choose between 3 prints professionally printed on Kodak Endura paper from Helene’s etsy shop (no shipping restrictions). You can specify which one when you bid. (*Prize to be redeemed and used during the year)

UE03: New West Knifeworks "Phoenix 9" Knife.


From Marc of No Recipes. This 9 inch chef’s knife from New West Knifeworks has a hand crafted Damascus forge welded blade, making it light, yet hard enough to hold
it’s razor sharp edge for months. It effortlessly slices though
everything from carrots, to tomatoes to meat. (no shipping restrictions)

UE04: Eat Boutique Gift Box.


From Maggie at Eat Boutique, a gift box including an array of hand-crafted food products from across New England. Taza Chocolate Covered Almonds and Taza Chocolate Covered Nibs; Lark Fine Foods Salted Rosemary Shortbread and Mighty Gingers; Q’s Nuts Sweet & Sassy Pecans and Key Lime Coconut Ginger Cashews; Hutchinson’s Candy Famous Fudge; and, Silverbrook Farm Pear Ginger Jam. (no shipping restrictions)

UE05: Weekend at Farnum Hill Orchard, Lebanon, NH.


From Rich at Offbeats Eats, a two night stay at the Farnum Hill Orchard (Poverty Lane Orchards in Lebanon, NH), tours of the cider making facility, introduction to the craft and horticulture of cidermaking with heirloom cider varieties by Stephen Wood and Louisa Spencer and a selection of specialty heirloom ciders fresh from the source. Winner will provide their own transportation to Lebanon, NH.

UE06: Two night-stay in Chelsea Studio Appartment, New York City.


Annie from Annie’s New York Eats offers 2 nights in her Chelsea in studio apartment in the center of a fascinating neighborhood, with choices such as the Chelsea Market, the Food Network studios, Tom Collichio’s restaurants, the City Bakery, the Union Square Greenmarket, etc.. Fridge and pantry filled with the best locavore ingredients, plus a decent batterie de cuisine with which to cook. Personalized guide of the neighborhood whether you are a vegetarian, omnivore, Top Chef enthusiast, interested in cheap eats or big splurges.

UE07: Custom Beer Tasting.


Join Jessica and Marlene from My Hoppy Place for a custom beer tasting. Are you new to craft and microbrews? Do you want to get to know your local beers? Are you keen to explore a style or flavor? We’ll select a tempting sample of brews, walk you through each, talk about food pairings, and generally schmooze about beer (a subject we love dearly). You can bring up to three guests. You must be local to the Washington DC area and all participants must be 21 or older.

UE08: Box of LA Burdick Chocolate Mice or Penguins.


From Mary at The Sour Dough: winner will get their choice of either 9 adorable little chocolate mice or 9 elegant and cute penguins. (US only)

UE09: Day of bread making.


From Mary at The Sour Dough: An “in your home” day long lesson on making bread completely by hand with three of your friends. We’ll make bread the old fashioned way,completely by hand. The winner will learn techniques like proofing yeast, kneading, shaping and baking. We will make two loaves: basic white and one specialty bread like cinnamon rolls, Challah, or whole grain. The winner will also get a home bread making kit that includes my preferred loaf pan, yeasts, King Arthur flours, and recipes for the breads we make with step by step instructions. Only in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Greater NYC area, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

UE10: J. A. Henckels Professional "S" 7′ Santoku knife + 5 bags of Impact Granola.


From Steve at My Favourite Flavors: a gorgeous J. A. Henckels Professional "S" 7′ Santoku knife + 5 bags of Impact Granola. Each bag Of Impact Granola is filled with hearty, flavorful granola that’s good for both you and starving children. Each bag you buy will feed a hungry child for an entire day. Get your granola today, so they can see tomorrow. (no shipping restrictions on either bid items).

UE11: Fleisher’s Grass Fed and Organic Meats in Kingston, NY + a copy of Julie Powell’s new memoir Cleaving.


From Winnie at Healthy Green Kitchen: a $25 gift certificate from Fleisher’s Grass Fed and Organic Meats in Kingston, NY plus a copy of Julie and Julia author Julie Powell’s new memoir Cleaving (which chronicles her meat internship at Fleisher’s). (no shipping restrictions)

UE12: 4 seasonal shipments of 12 cookies from Jacy Cakes LLC.


Bid on four seasonal shipments of a dozen from Jacy Cakes LLC’s large hand-decorated sugar cookies over the course of the upcoming new year, one shipment every three months. Each cookie will be individually bagged and tied with a satin ribbon, ready to enjoy on the spot or give as gifts. Our cookies are made with the highest quality ingredients and are decorated, bagged, and shipped within two days of their baking, and are shipped priority mail overnight to ensure their freshness. Gluten Free and Vegan cookies available upon request. (no shipping restrictions)

UE13: 100% Certified Fair Trade Coffee Sampler.


From Alana at Eating From The Ground Up: Three 12 oz. bags of Barrington Coffee Roasters amazing coffee beans- Organic/ Fair Trade Sumatra Aceh, Organic/ Fair trade Berkshire Blend, and Organic/ Fair Trade French Roast Mexican Chiapas. (US only)

UE14: $50 gift certificate to Sucre Confectionary.


From Lindsay at Scoop: Adventures in Ice Cream: $50 gift card for Sucré, a confectionery and gelateria located in the heart of New Orleans, LA. Featured in O magazine, Sucré is famous for its array of sweet treats including delicious french macarons, delectable chocolates, and scrumptious baked goods. Everything Sucré creates is handcrafted in small batches from the finest ingredients available, often inspired from local, homegrown flavors. (US only)

UE15: Ethnic Chicago Neighborhood Spice Blends Deluxe gift box +"Chicago Cooks" cookbook.


Donated by The Spice House and offered by Lydia from The Perfect Pantry: The Spice House, Chicago’s premier source of spices for chefs and home cooks, offers their best-selling Ethnic Chicago Neighborhood Spice Blends Deluxe Gift Box of ten spice blends that represent the rich diversity of Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods and cuisines — Greek, Latino, Ukrainian, Italian, Central European, African-American, Polish, Irish — plus a copy of Chicago Cooks, published by Les Dames d’Escoffier. (North America).

UE16: Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers Cookbook & Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor.


Liz & Janice of Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen are offering an autographed copy of their cookbook, The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers and a Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor, a 4-cup work bowl nested inside the big, 12-cup and a SealTight™ Advantage System which seals bowls and locks blades to prevent leaking from the bottom of the bowl when the processor is in use or while pouring out ingredients. (US only).

UE17: Bacon Lover’s Candy Pack.


From Mary at Cooking 4 The Week: A collection of bacon-based candies to delight the bacon lover in your life. The pack includes: Bacon brittle, a crunchy, smoky treat that’s great on ice cream or on its own. Bacon caramels, made with lard and bacon fat and topped with Australian pink flake salt. Bacon fudge, dark chocolate fudge layered with crisp, candied bacon. The pack includes 8 ounces of brittle, 8 caramels and 8 pieces of fudge.(US only)

UE18: 12 bars of Amano Chocolate.


From Jessica at Su Good Sweets. Amano has donated four bars each of the 70% limited edition Montanya, 70% Dos Rios, and 70%Guayas OR the 70% Montanya, 30% Ocumare, and 30% Jembrana. Winner’s choice! All together that’s 12 bars. If you’re having difficulty choosing, the first set is for traditionalists; the second is for those who like the creaminess of milk chocolate and the complexity of dark.(no shipping restrictions).

UE19: Sweet Amandine Trio.


From Jess at Sweet Amandine: A trio of homemade sweet, almondy treats – salted chocolate almond toffee, almond butter tarts, and almond biscotti – packaged in a Florentine gift box from my favorite local paper shop. There’s no sense kicking off the New Year with a belly ache, so I’ve designed the selection so that you can pace yourself. The tart is best eaten within a day or two, but the biscotti will keep for up to two weeks, and the toffee, even longer. (US only)

UE20: Cookbook Collection by Scribner.


A collection of six cookbooks provided by Scribner and hosted by Derek from The Best Food Blog Ever: The Joy of Cooking, Boy Gets Grill, On Food and Cooking, Bakewise, Elements of Cooking, and Ratio. (US only)

UE21: Stainless Kitchen Tool Set by All Clad.


From Derek at The Best Food Blog Ever: A set of kitchen tools, including a slotted spoon, solid spoon, fork, ladle, and turner, all in a nice matching caddy. (US only)

UE22: Nespresso Le Cube/Aeroccino Plus bundle.


From Derek at The Best Food Blog Ever: Combination of the Nespresso Le Cube espresso machine and the Aeroccino Plus milk frother. (US only)

UE23: Vermont Foodie Gift Basket and Essential Canning Tool Set.


From Robin at Hippo Flambe: Boyden Valley Vinyard Vermont Ice Wine, Fat Toad’s Farm Traditional Goat’s Milk Caramel, 7 oz bag Dakin Farm Vermont Maple Kettle Corn, 8oz jar Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Butter, jar tomato-orange marmelade, 8oz Vermont cheese, canning funnel, jar lifters, bubble wand superior canning rack and magnetic lid lifter. (no shipping restrictions).

UE24: A Taste Of Atlanta Prize Pack.


Hosted by Tami at Running With Tweezers:
– one super-chic heirloom apron from Ice Milk Aprons from their Rollings In Cinnamon collection.
– One Low Country Luxe candle from their Sugah candle collection. Beautifully packaged candles with a Southern spin.
"Atlanta Cooks at Home" cookbook, curated by Melissa Libby which includes recipes that local chefs (including Iron Chef winner Kevin Rathbun and James Beard winner Scott Peacock) would make in their home.
– One box of 14 delicious assorted macarons from the lovely Crumb bakery in Atlanta.
– One bottle of Hot Squeeze, a sauce with personality. It’s smoky. It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s sassy and it’s sexy. All in one bottle.
– Taste of Atlanta has donated FOUR VIP tickets to Atlanta’s largest outdoor food festival, in October 2010. Sample food and drinks from 80+ Atlanta restaurants. You will need to be in Atlanta in October 2010 to redeem this prize. Winner of the bid item will receive a certificate good for your four tickets, valued at $260.

UE25: The Sous Vide Supreme.


Hosted by Jaden from Steamy Kitchen: Cook like Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adria with The SousVide Supreme™ is the world’s first water oven designed specifically to bring the gourmet restaurant sous vide cooking method into home kitchens. The result is lusciously silky chicken, juicy, perfect and evenly cooked steaks just like from a master chef. This machine is the size of a bread machine and valued at $449.00. (Canada and US only)

UE26: Gift package of Stonyfield Products.


Donated by Stonyfield and hosted by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes: Stonyfield Fleece Jacket, Oikos Organic Cooton Tee, Oikos tote bag, Stonyfield hat, Stonyfield cookbook, coupons for free yogurts. (US only)

UE27: 2-piece Kitchen knife set from New West Knifeworks.


From Andrea from Andrea’s Recipes: These are beautiful and functional pieces of knife art. The set contains a chopper and a paring knife with Fusionwood handles, and the winner gets to choose the color of the handles. Each knife comes with its own leather sheath and a lifetime guarantee. (US only)

UE28: Morgan Ranch American Wagyu Beef.


From Derek at Gastronomic Fight Club: You are bidding for 2 Morgan Ranch American Wagyu Coulettes.Taken from the sirloin, this French cut gives the Wagyu (American Kobe) Steak an exceptionally soft and sweet flavor. Since the Morgan Wagyu coulette steak is bit leaner in its makeup, its subtle, pleasant flavor makes it great for serving either carved as medallions or whole as a Chateaubriand. ($125 retail value) (US only)

UE29: Morgan Ranch American Wagyu Family BBQ Collection.


From Derek at Gastronomic Fight Club: This combination is perfect for a family barbecue. With 5 lbs. of ground beef, 4 sirloin steaks, and a pound of kabobs, adults and children alike will all find a favorite dish among this collection. It’s a perfect way to become familiar with Wagyu (American Kobe) Beef. ($125 retail value)(US only).

UE30: North African Spice Blend Package.


From Warda of 64 sq ft Kitchen: four homemade Algerian spice blends along with the north African hot condiment Harissa. The four spice blends are as followed: 1/ Ras El hanout, both yellow and red. Ras el Hanout, a complex melange of spices (in this case 12 spices for the yellow and twenty for the red) commonly used in the Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cuisine. 2/- Tagine spice blend. 3/ – Couscous spice blend (US only)

UE31: Duo of Burro Foods Olive Oil.


Duo of artisanal oils from Paola at Hungry Burro:
– Unfiltered Extra-Virgin Istrian Olive Oil (Olio Nuovo) made from 100% White Istrian Olives from Istranova, in Slovenia. Hand-picked hand, cold-pressed and bottled within hours this unfiltered raw extra-virgin olive oil is far from average! With an assertive peppery flavor best suited for palates that seek bold flavors, it has a higher antioxidant content than most.
– Lightly Toasted Pumpkin Seed Oil from Slovenia made from 100% cucurbita pepo styriaca seeds. It has a deep nutty, smoky, almost sweet, flavor with an intoxicating scent. Great ratio of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Delicious in hearty soups or drizzled over vegetables. (no shipping restrictions).

UE32: The BloggerAid Cook Book + &50 gift card from B&H photo.


From Meeta at What’s For Lunch Honey: The BloggerAid Cook Book is a collection of international recipes illustrating that bloggers can work together and unite for a greater cause. The authors of this cookbook are food bloggers from around the world who have endeavored to make a difference by raising funds for the World Food Programme and encompassing their passion for "all things foodie" at the same time.
B & H Photo is a photographers paradise! One can find a large variety of items to pimp up your equipment. Whether it’s a new lens, a camera or a lighting set-up this gift card hopefully will add a bit to the budget. (no restrictions).

UE33: All-Clad Stainless Covered Saucepan.


Donated by Stephane of Zen Can Cook: classic straight-sided, 2-quart saucepan.
Three-ply: stainless-steel layers sandwich pure aluminum core for even heating. Comfortable lid and stay-cool handles riveted for strength. Dishwasher safe, but hand washing recommended. Lifetime warranty against defects. ($140 value) (No shipping restrictions).

UE34: "Everyday Harumi" by Harumi Kurihara.


Courtesy of Conran Publishing and hosted by Serge at Serge The Concierge: Signed copy of "Everyday Harumi" (simple Japanese food for family and friends) by Harumi Kurihara. (no shipping restrictions).

UE35: Mary Jane Soda Gift Package.


12 Pack of Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda from Colorado and Matching T-Shirt
Made from Kava root, carbonated spring water and natural cane sugar, it’s good for your body and mind (retail value $49.99) (Good for any countries except European Union and Australia)

UE36: "Coco" Book – The most exciting new chefs and restaurants around the world.


Courtesy of Phaidon Books and hosted by Serge from Serge Le Concierge: Curated by Ferran Adrià, Mario Batali, Shannon Bennet, Alain Ducasse, Fergus Henderson, Yoshihiro Murata, Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi, Alice Waters, and Jacky Yu
(Retail Value $49.99) (no shipping restrictions).

UE37: Wine You Can Wear Tee-Shirts.

Courtesy of Terroir NY and hosted by Serge of Serge Le Concierge: three tee-shirts about three revolutionaries of wine making.
These graphic and yet educational t-shirts each feature valuable information
about each winemaker on the back, baseball card style. (Retail Value: $57) (no shipping restrictions).

UE38: Kitchen Gift Package.


From Christina at Thirty A Week:
Early Bird Granola donates a totebag with 3 varieties of their amazing granola: Pecans-Olive Oil, Mango-Macademia, Cherry-Pistachio.
– Econographics will donate a t-shirt and apron.
– Thirty A Week donates an embroidered kitchen towel with the winner’s initials on them. (no shipping restrictions).

UE39: Two signed copies of "The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home" cookbook


Jennifer Iannolo and Chef Mark Tafoya invite you to stay in with a signed copy of The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home cookbook. Featuring 13 dinner party menus, the cookbook offers easy yet elegant recipes for every occasion, from romantic dinners for two to Mother’s Day, including a vegan dinner party menu.
Includes make-ahead options and cooking tips, desserts by pastry chef Monica Glass and wine pairing recommendations from wine blogger Lenn Thompson. As the first social media-driven cookbook, The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home also features photos from the Culinary Media Network’s audience of viewers and listeners. (no shipping restrictions).

UE40: Red Wine Extravaganza Package.


From Jon at Live To Feast: bid on a gift pack of exceptional Red Wines. The package includes a total of 4 bottles: 2000 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet, 2007 Bodega Teso La Monja Almirez Toro, 2004 Ruffino Modus, 1999 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos Des Grives (Valued at $170) (US Only)

UE41: Set of 4 Bambu Bowls.


From Beatrice at La Tartine Gourmande, a set of 4 Bambu bowls. They are fun and colorful and will always cheer up a dining table. Bambu bowls come in matte finish with natural lacquer which creates a durable waterproof finish. Food-safe, good for both hot and cold foods. Measures 4.5 inch in diameter.

———————————————————————————-

To Donate and Enter the Menu for Hope Raffle

1. Choose a bid item or bid items of your choice from our Menu for Hope main bid item list.

2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.

3. Please specify which bid item you’d like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item, and please use the bid item code.

Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 – 2xEU01, 3xEU02.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Check back on Chez Pim on Monday, January 18 for the results of the raffle.

Candy Cane Macarons & Eggnog Macarons

Candy Cane Macarons


I really do love get togethers, dinners for four or soirees for ten. If there is a story to be told or a moment to be shared, I am there to hear it. In a large family like mine, that is a pretty regular occurence. In his, not so much. I am sure his parents would think we’re all crazy and way too loud in mine. When Christmas season rolls around and as we get all busy with family, I start missing mine terribly. Even the crazies.

In those instances, I turn to the familiar sound of a friend’s voice or the well-known steps of a favorite recipe and most often we end up with a fresh batch of cookies. Since Thanksgiving, we’ve been all over these Candy Cane Macarons and Eggnog Macarons as we get into the holiday spirit.

Eggnog Macarons


Last October, Brooke asked me to be part of Trick Or Treat and while I brought Toffee Crabapples to the party, I also left with tons of ideas for next year’s Halloween. Last month she asked if anyone would be interested in following the Trick or Treat success with a Christmas Cookie Exchange and I said "sure…", figuring it would be the perfect way to discover new and great recipes to add to my Christmas boxes.

See, we have stopped buying gifts for family and friends about eight year ago and instead, comes Christmas day, we give each family a large hat box filled with nothing but homemade goodies. It’s pretty much all the things I have baked, cooked or prepared along the year and that made it to my Top 20. Yeah, I like to think I am hip. I have a Top 20. It can be anything from flavored syrups and sugars, to spice rubs, cookies, cakes, candies, etc…

Christmas Love


I just have one problem this Christmas. I go stuck at Top 9 as life and work got stuck on overdrive. You too, I presume. It’s the season. I think I am at the point where I need someone to put a plate of cookies in front of me and say "Here are potential Top 10-11 and 12. Now go put it in that big box for your friend". You know what? I’m not Santa but I know exactly where to find that! A virtual cookie exchange leaving you with brand new favorites to bake.

Yes! Today, I’ve teamed up with twelve other incredible food bloggers to bring you a holiday cookie celebration so big, it’s being monitored by the North Pole. The Baker’s Dozen Ultimate Cookie Exchange. From the sneak peaks I have seen so far… you won’t want to miss "doing the rounds". I am getting hungry just thinking about it. To see all of the participating bloggers, head to the Baker’s Dozen home site, here.

Candy Cane Macarons


In the meantime, let’s talk Candy Cane and Eggnog Macarons…

Candy Cane and Eggnogg Macarons:

Notes:
Trust me on this: do not crust candy canes and sprinkle them on your shells prior to baking as a decorative element, as you would sprinkle sesame seed, for example. Trust me. Unless you want a reaction similar to acid perforating your skin. Cratters being created under your very eyes as you peek through the oven glass door. Do you trust me now? Hope so…because it ain’t pretty but sure gives you food for discussion if you need some.

Instead…crush some candy cane and roll the macarons in it once they’re filled, or add crushed candy canes to the buttercream. Much better.

For the shells:
90 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge)
25 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)

Prepare the macarons:
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F. When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don’t let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.

For the buttercream:
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks (180gr)(6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
crushed candy canes

Put the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Divided the buttercream in two portions.
Leave one portion plain and add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the other one. Fill half the shells with the eggnog flavored one (cinnamon-nutmeg) and half with the plain buttercream. Roll the plain filled shells in to the crushed candy canes. Eat!

Calamansi Mousse Tartelettes With Candied Kumquats

Calamansi Lime Mousse Tartelettes


The story could beging with "I’ve got these two friends, you see"…And then I could even attempt a rhyme like "they are wild and crazy". But that would be putting Todd and Diane in a box and these two, their hearts and their generosity will never bump the corners of a box. What am I talking about…their garden knows no boundaries. Over a month ago, they sent me a box of Calamansi limes from their own tree and it took me very little time to figure out what I wanted to do with them. Calamansi Mousse Tartelettes With Candied Kumquats.

Every time I virtually enter Todd and Diane’s garden, I get lost in all of its beauty and amazing givings. I literally get lost there and in the gorgeous pictures this amazing team pairs up with their delicious recipes. You get it, I am running low on adjectives to describe them and what they contribute to the blogging world. Actually wait, here’s another one, hot. These two are smoking hot. And hilarious. I’ve been fortunate to meet them both twice and twice I’ve wanted to bottle them up and take them home with me.

Ingredients for tartelettes

Clockwise: kumquats getting candied – fresh Calamansi limes – Calamsi curd in progress – fresh kumquats.

I had tasted Calamansi limes once years ago, before getting this shipment from Todd and Diane. Oh how I remember that first encounter. Could be one for the "what not to do" list. They look like rounded kumquats and I did what I usually do with kumquats. I popped a whole one in my mouth. Then I remember distinctly squinting my eyes, feeling my cheeks draw themselves inward. I love tart and I love sour but this on a scale from 1 to 10 was 25 in the sour-tart department. Oh my, did I squint!!

This time I had a plan. I zested about half of them and juiced them all and believe me, that took a little while and I was left with about 3/4 cup of juice. I immediately thought about making curd for tartelettes and mixed it with whipped cream to tone done the sour factor. The mousse was just right for everyone. For the shells, I used my favorite short crust dough but added some freshly chopped lemon balm to enhance the hints of citrus. Lemon verbena or lemon thyme would work quite well here also.

Making Tartelettes


Since all the little limes from the box had been used for juice, I candied some sliced kumquats to crown the tartelettes with. This almost did not happen as we had a full house munching on them the day I made them and barely saved enough for the tarts. These are like crack in our house. They take a bit of time with slicing and removing the seeds but they are well worth the time. I used them in breads instead of raisins, on tartines with herbed goat cheese, and my favorite way is to tuck pieces into a bowl of my freshly made rice pudding.

The combination of flavors worked out perfectly well from top to bottom. Literally. I know Calamansi limes are not available everywhere but you could easily replace them with limes or lemons, any citrus would work beautifully here.

Calamansi Lime Mousse Tartelettes



Calamansi Mousse Tartelettes With Candied Kumquats:

Makes four 3-inch tartelettes

For the sable crust:
1/2 stick (55 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup (95 grams) all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon freshly chopped lemon balm

For the Calamansi lime mousse:
3/4 cup (190 ml) calamansi juice (or lemon or lime juice)
1 cup (100gr) sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (190ml) heavy cream

Prepare the crust:In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolk and mix for a short minute. Add the flour, salt and chopped lemon balm and beat until the dough just starts to come together. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it a little to a small disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour before using.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or on a well floured board until 1/4-inch thick. Cut out four 4 inch rounds of pastry dough and fit them inside four 3 inch tartlet molds, patting the dough in with your fingertips if needed. Place a small piece of parchment paper inside the tart shells, fill with beans or pie weights and blind bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and remove the shells from the rings.

Prepare the curd:
In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the Calamansi juice and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks to break them up. Beat some of the Calamansi mixture into the egg yolks to temper. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook stirring constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes. Remove the curd from the heat, stir in the butter until it is completely incorporated. Let cool completely. If not using immediately, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top.
Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peeks and gently fold it in the citrus curd in two additions or until no streaks of whipped cream remains.
Place the mousse into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipes rosettes of mousse inside the shells. You can also simply spoon the mousse inside the shells. Top with candied kumquat slices if desired and refrigerate.

Candied kumquats:
You can blanch the kumquats in boiling water for a minute before candying them but I forgot to one year at the restaurant and honestly did not see a difference in taste or time. If you think yours have been treated heavily with chemicals before packaging, I encourage to drop the kumquat slices in boiling water for a minute, drain them and proceed to the candy part.
1/2 cup (125ml) water
1 cup (100gr) sugar
1 pint fresh kumquats, washed, patted dry, and cut in 1/8 inch thin slices

In a heavy saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the kumquats, being careful not to overcrowd your pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the fruit become translucent, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and place it, separating the slices, on a piece of parchment paper or silpat. Use as desired.

Ahhh The Weekend!

Candying Kumquats


Ah the weekend! I love this time of year when we are all gearing up for the holidays and getting crafty. I’ve been quite busy with work which really feels like play so I am far from complaining but I have had little time to put together a proper post. It’s been over a week since I candied, shot and ate the kumquats in the picture above…see what I mean!! Working on it today since I am off. Promise.

There will be kumquats, Kalamansi limes that I received from my friends Todd and Diane and tarts. At the present time I am filling Candy Cane and Eggnog macarons for a block party. It’s fun. And torture. I want to eat some before we go!!

Menu For Hope 2009


In the meantime, I want to thank all of you who have showed great interest and support in this year’s Menu For Hope initiative. I just want to add that if you emailed me with a "I wish to participate with x gift" but did not provide all the information needed, I can not complete your participation and give you a prize code which you need to obtain to be part of the raffle. Thank you for understanding.

We need you! So keep brainstorming and putting together awesome prizes for the raffle or promote the initiave on your blog! You can read a lot more about P4P here.

Menu For Hope 6: Call For Prizes!

Menu For Hope 2009


I am honored and thrilled to be the East Coast host for this year Menu For Hope, an annual fundraising campaign hosted by Pim of Chez Pim and a revolving group of food bloggers around the world. Along the years, Menu for Hope has raised nearly a quarter of million dollars in support of the good work of the UN World Food Programme, helping to feed hungry people worldwide.

This year, Menu For Hope is supporting a new initiative called Purchase for Progress (P4P). P4P enables smallholder and low-income farmers to supply food to WFP’s global operation. P4P helps farmers improves farming practices and puts more cash directly into their pockets in return for their crops. This will also help local economy by creating jobs and income locally.

How does it work?

People from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. This year the raffle will start on December 14th and end on December 25th. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice.

How can you help?

– Participate in Menu for Hope VI by donating a raffle prize or by promoting Menu for Hope on your blog.

– Please contact the host in your area (the list is below) to obtain a prize code and be listed on the official Menu for Hope prize list. (Important: please do this before you list your prize on your blog, unrecognized prizes will not be added to the main list.)

– The prize you offer need not be of high monetary value, but it should appeal to your readership. A small rule of thumb we’d like to suggest is that each prize offered should have the potential to raise at least $200.

– Each donor is also responsible for shipping their prize to the winner so please make sure your budget covers it. It’s important that you specify where your shipping area will cover when you offer the prize. No restrictions is always a plus but if you must, then please be very clear in your blog post so as not to confuse our donors.

Menu For Hope 2009


To recap:If you’d like to participate, please send to your regional host, before December 10th:
– your prize information/description (100 words or so)
– shipping restrictions or other "to be used by" details if needed
– two images: 75×75 thumbnail and 200x200px
– your name, preferred email address and blog name

Your host will issue your prize code and give you further instructions on what to do for the Menu For Hope raffle launch on December 14th.

Here are your local hosts for this year’s Menu for Hope:

US: West Coast
Shauna of Gluten Free Girl (glutenfreegirl[at]gmail[dot]com)

US: East Coast
Helen of Tartelette (mytartelette[at]gmail[dot]com)

Europe *and* the UK:
David of David Lebovitz(david.lebovitz[at]yahoo[dot]com)

Canada:
Tara of Seven Spoons (tara[at]sevenspoons[dot]net)

Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand:
Ed Charles of Tomato (gastrotom[at]gmail[dot]com)

Special Wine Blog Host:
Alder of Vinography (alder[at]vinography[dot]com)

Come back to Chez Pim on Monday December 14 when the campaign goes online for a link to the donation site.

The raffle is handled by an online fundraising company called First Giving. The bloggers never touch the money. The WFP don’t waste overheads on processing mini-donations, the majority of which are between $10-$50, that’s a whole lot of tenners to make up $90K.

Whether you choose to bid or buy raffle tickets, thank you! You guys ROCK. I’ll never this enough…

Don’t be shy…Ok, I’ll start:

For this year MFH I am donating a one day 101 macarons making class (here in SC unless you are willing to ship me!) and three 8×12 prints from my etsy shop. Details to come next week.

Grapefruit And Pomegranate In White Tea Jelly

Grapefruit-Pomegranate in White Tea Jelly


I hope that those of you celebrating Thanksgiving last week got to spend some quality time with their family and friends. Maybe there were a few odd moments and uncomfortable silence but heck, that’s family dynamic right?! Our holiday was kind of bittersweet. A house full of close friends, kids, games and laughter interrupted by the news of B’s uncle passing away the day before Thanksgiving. Lots of time spent on the road visiting relatives and work/gigs that would not take a vacation (except for Thursday of course).

When calm finally found a momentary reprieve on Friday, I looked around at the little bodies running about the house, verrines of Grapefruit And Pomegranate in Tea Jelly being lined up on the table, friends sitting down together and decided to keep the sweet part of bitter closer to my heart.

Grapefruit-Pomegranate White Tea Jelly


I’ve had this recipe and post in my draft box since Friday but have not had much chance to sit down with my thoughts and write something coherent. The first thing I did that morning was to rush out of bed and drink about a gallon of grapefruit juice. My body was obviously gearing up for detox mode. I pretty much spent the rest of the day noshing on grapefruits, oranges, kumquats (citrus season is just around the corner here in the South) and drinking copious mugs of tea. When I get into this mode, I make sure to never run out of anything tart, sour, juicy and fresh (hmm sounds like I could be describing B’s sense of humor!).

It’s not that we ate a lot, we just ate at odd hours and foods prepared by salt-shaker happy relatives. I know I am not the only one who drank a pond came Friday morning but I always wonder: what type of foods do you crave after a few extras?

Grapefruit Pomegranate White Tea Jelly


It hit me at three in the afternoon that I should turn all these lovely, clean and fresh ingredients into a dessert that we could all enjoy. One of our friends loves those little fruit and jello cups sold at the grocery store and I know from a sure source (his wife) that it’s about the only instance he’ll be seen with a fruit. I like the concept (I’m French, anything "aspic" related is part of our food DNA) but I don’t like the idea of additives, extra sugars and what not. I also like fruit over gelled mass a lot more. Plenty of reasons to make these at home and play a good game of Scrabble while they set.

I packed glasses and other ramekins with a combination of white and red grapefruits, sprinkled a small handful of pomegranate seeds over each of them and poured just enough white tea jelly to seal the deal. After a couple of hours in the fridge, we had the healthiest and most flavorful fruit dessert of the week. Suddenly my feet starting tapping on the floor, I began to giggle and fidget in my seat. My energy was back! So was my brain and the ability to come up with endless possibilities for these! We made a couple of other batches, one with pomegranate juice and one with Grand Marnier for a more festive and grown up version.

Grapefruit Pomegranate White Tea Jelly


Can hardly wait to make these with Spring berries paired with some green or bergamot tea, or Summer stone fruit with some ginger beer or Champagne…

Grapefruit And Pomegranate In White Tea Jelly

Makes 4

Notes:
For a clean presentation, I like to spend some time making sure I properly segment the citrus, removing as much of the white membrane as much as possible. Click here for a good explanation on how to do it.
On the same vibe, pomegranate can make a royal stained mess and if more cleaning is not on your list that day, click here for an illustrated step-by-step.

2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 bag white tea or 1 tablespoon loose white tea leaves
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like a sweeter tea)
2 red grapefruits, peeled and segmented
2 white grapefruits, peeled and segmented
1 pomegranate, seeded

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Reserve.
Steep the tea into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes or to the strength you prefer. Add the sugar and reserved gelatin mixture until both are completely dissolved. Let cool a few minutes.
Divide the grapefruit sections and pomegranate seeds evenly among four glasses or ramekins and pour just enough tea jelly to reach the top.
Refrigerate until set, about 2 to 3 hours.

Pumpkin Semifreddo With A Side Of Gingerbread Houses

Pumpkin Semifreddo


Instead of making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year, I am bringing Pumpkin Semifreddo to my sister-in-law’s. It’s a riff on one of the desserts we had last week in Asheville and given that we devoured 8 of them in record time, I am pretty sure his family will also appreciate the change. It’s cold, creamy, mousse-like with a nice crunch from the gluten free streudel on top. Makes me think of Fall with every bite.

I have always had a soft spot for Asheville during Fall and Winter. When we lived in upstate SC, we would take the beautiful mountain roads and drive around the area, always making a pit stop in there. We had an impromptu getaway in Asheville one Christmas years ago and I dragged B. through the gallery of gingerbread houses on display at The Grove Park Inn. I knew there had been a competition. I had no idea I’d be judging it one day, 5 years later! And with a beautiful friend and work peer as my traveling companion to boot.

The Grove Park Inn - Asheville, NC


Arriving at The Grove Park always makes me feel like I have steppped back in time, somewhere around 1935 when F. Scott Fitzgerald could have been my almost neighbor in room 441 (we were in room 552). Truly a special place, yet one that evolved perfectly with time and where people are the embodiement of Southern hospitality. Fun, gracious, never stuffy and most of all with some of the best foods and drinks around.

I love the view out my kitchen but waking up with this everyday made me rubb my eyes quite a few times. Was I dreaming? What do they put in those drinks that one is constantly beaming to be so peacefully there? Wait, don’t answer that one.

The Grove Park Inn - Bloody Mary at The Corner Kitchen


Maybe it’s the food. Maybe it’s the mountain air. On Saturday night, we all gathered for a "Meet&Greet" among the judges and were treated to some fabulous finger foods prepared in the nick of time by one of the hotel kitchens. Crab salad shooters, various kinds of sushi, potstickers, sliders, shots of lemon mousse and Tiramisu. A special drinks menu prepared just for us and greatly enjoyed by yours truly. The Gingerbread White Russian was as close to liquid dessert as one can get. Don’t be fooled though…they hit you like a brick about an hour later.

In hindsight I am quite glad I started the day with a virgin Bloody Mary at Corner Kitchen and burned a couple of calories walking through the River Arts District with Tami and Dodie whom we met on our previous trip there (from Asheville CVB).

Christmas Tree Details - The Grove Park Inn


Yes, there is something magical about The Grove Park this time of year and if you are a sucker for holidays, Christmas, trees and ornaments as much as I am, you will be in heaven walking through the hotel right now. There is a tree in front of every window, each with its own theme. Whether you are a coffee or vintage addict to a Santa and gingerbread figurine lover, you are sure to find a tree for you!

Christmas Tree Details - The Grove Park Inn
My head was spinning at every corner of the hotel with all this whimsy! Glad I found a compass to navigate my way around, down the stairs, up the elevator, around the piano bar and back to our room!

Actually, this much fun is highly conducive to good nights of sleep. I sleep very little and yet I had no problem here putting my brain to rest, close my eyes and sleep a full night. This proved extremely important for the reason I was there in the first place: judging the National Gingerbread House Competition™. Yeah! Get to work Helen! Stop having that much fun with trees! Trust me, this is not an affair taken lightly by anybody. From the competitors entering, to the staff wheeling the houses in the main ballroom to the judges, armed with clipboards and scoring sheets.

Gingerbread House - National Competition


One random thing that hit me around noon is that I should have had more than coffee that morning. After looking at two full rows of houses, the smell of gingerbread was making my stomach growl and my concentration weep. We had 5 criteria on which to base our scores and we took plenty of time to evaluate each and every house thoroughly (from 9.30am to 4.30pm).

There are times when putting the camera down is appropriate, especially when you are surrounded with such seriousness as Colette Peters, Nicholas Lodge, Mark Seaman and Steve Stellingwerf pointing to you the latest trends and techniques. To be honest, just to hear the words pastillage and wafer paper was sending me back years ago when I use to eat, drink and sleep that stuff for work and I *had* to put the camera gear to the side.

Gingerbread House Details


I did however sneaked in toward the end and while a hired team was taking full shots of the houses, I wanted to focus on the details and the artistry behind some houses. These are some of my favorites in design and whimsy although they did not make it to my top picks as they did not have enough "gingerbread" elements which is what we had come here to judge. Sometimes you have to put your heart waves aside and focus on that spread sheet. The grand prize and other winners in each category can be viewed here.

I did marvel at The Fruitcake House (pictured above). All the details were blowing me away. From the floor tiling to the cracked eggs on the work table, the nonpareilles, the fruit cake tally chalk boards and so forth and so on.

Gingerbread House


Another one I admired was the first place winner. It reminded me of the of A Christmas Story and the details were so whimsical and aesthetically perfect that everyone had to stop and admire that one. For some judges, there was "not enough gigerbread" to win Grand Prize for others, it was "the one". Yeah, I know, we’re tough, but in the wash-out of scoring and tabulating, I think that we indeed picked all the houses that deserved to be in the Top 10.

Gingerbread House Details


I just love the aesthetics and color scheme of that one!

It was a long and exhausting day but we were rewarded with a fantastic dinner at Horizons where I had the chance to sit across Colette and Steve and talk shop, sugar and cake for a few hours. I was also blown away by Mark’s fluent French and truly envy his yearly excursion to France to tour Patisseries.

Before I get to the recipe I want to extend a huge "Thank You" to my fellow judges, to Jeff, Brian "The Gingerbread Man", Susan, Ron and Rick who made our stay so pleasant and memorable. You guys know your stuff and do it well. Bravo.

Pumpkin Semifreddo


We have had many reasons to feel lost this year but we have many more reasons to be grateful, starting with our family, our friends and your constant support and visits. Thank You. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Now…let’s talk Pumpkin Semifreddo…

During our lavish dinner at Horizons at The Grove Park Inn, we were presented with a delicious selection of desserts, some I had had the pleasure to make before and one that made everyone ask for more, the Pumpkin Semifreddo. I did not ask for a recipe because it is pretty straightforward to reproduce and instead of doing a full blown plated dessert as we had that night, I served mine in jars and other ramekins for a more casual presentation.

Pumpkin Semifreddo


Pumkin Semifreddo

Serves 8

For the semifreddo:
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
3 tablespoons (65gr)honey (I like wildflower the best)
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (120gr) pumkin puree (I used canned as I was making 150 of these for a catered event but feel free to make your own puree from fresh and cooked pumpkin)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumble topping:
1/2 cup (80 gr) sweet brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca (30gr) flour
1/4 cup sorghum (30gr) flour
1/2 cup (100 gr) light packed brown sugar
1/2 stick (55 gr) unsalted butter, softened

Prepare the Semifreddo:
In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the whisk attachment or hand held one with ballon whisks, beat the cream until it just holds soft peaks. Refrigerate it while you prepare the base of the ice cream. Wash your bowl and whisk attachment.

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the honey, sugar, and the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Since you are not making caramel, it is ok to stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil and bring the mixture registers 238°F on a candy thermometer.

This second part is easier to do with a hand held mixer than a KA for example since the quantity of egg yolks is small and the bowl tends to be deep in some models. It works, have no fear…it’s just easier with a hand held one.

In the clean bowl of your mixer, still using the whisk attachment, beat the yolks for a minute to loosen them up. Reduce speed to medium and pour the hot honey mixture in a steady stream over them. Go fast enough to prevent the eggs from scrambling but not so fast that you end up with most of the syrup on the wall of the bowl or the whisk. Continue to whip at medium-high speed until the mass is completely cold and airy.

Fold about one third of the chilled whipped cream into the semifreddo base to loosen it up and make it easier to incorporate homogeneously. Add the pumkin puree, the spices and the remaining whipped cream and fold until everything is incorporated.
Divide mixture evenly among dishes cover with plastic wrap and freeze until set.

Prepare the topping:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, blend the flours, sugar and butter with your fingertips or a pastry cutter to form large clumps of dough. Lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature before breaking the clumps into smaller crumbs.

When ready to serve, take the ramekins out of the freezer 15 to 20 minutes ahead of time so they have a "half frozen' consistency and top each semifreddo with some crumble and some whipped cream if desired.

————————————————————————————-
[Full Disclosure] As a guest of The Grove Park Inn, I did not pay for the room and dinners (friday through monday). Any meals and drinks that were not part of the group scheduled ones (saturday brunch-nightcaps at the hotel) were paid by me. I drove my own little self there, on my own little gas money.