Choucroute Alsacien - Old World Alsatian Sauerkraut

It has been a tradition in my family to prepare sauerkraut on New Year's Eve. We all look forward to this classic mouth watering winter meal that brings the whole family together... that is all of us except my husband who is most overtly not a sauerkraut fan. Then much to my surprise an Alsatian friend invited us over to his place for a meal and served the most spectacular sauerkraut that I've ever eaten. I thought hubby was eating his out of politeness, but then he asked for seconds and thirds!!! Remarkable indeed!

Needless to say I had to get that recipe! Of course it was made from scratch from an old family recipe, scribbled onto a well-loved and well-stained slip of paper. No jars of supermarket sauerkraut to buy for this recipe, just a good old raw cabbage dug out of the backyard veggie garden — make that two cabbages, this recipe feeds a growing family!!!

Old World Alsatian Sauerkraut
for 12 people

2 raw cabbages
4 onion

1 pound (500g) pork

1 pound (500g) ham

1 pound (500g) bacon meat sliced really thick (1/2 inch)

6 garlic cloves

4 bay leaves

16 juniper berries (baies genivère)

3 whole clove spices
1 tsp (càc) cumin

16 peppercorns

bouillon

1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 cup water

1 bottle of Riesling

6 sausages, kielbasa, etc *

6 pounds (3k) firm potatoes
12 hotdogs (saucisse de Strasbourg, veuillez excuser la traduction Américaine)*

Shred the cabbage into an oven proof family sized stewing pot (un fait-tout). Slice the onion and toss it with the cabbage.
Place your pork, ham and bacon on top of the cabbage. Add the spices. Pour the bouillon, oil, water and the Riesling over the preparation. Place in the oven at 365°F (200°C). Plan on baking for nearly

After one hour add the sausages and potatoes.
After another 20 minutes add the hotdogs.
After another 10 minutes, serve.

Garnish each plate with a dab of real dijon mustard.

* For my health conscious readers and gluten free friends, this recipe works great with pure pork and ham feel free to leave out the sausages that aren't compatible with your diet needs.

Northern Chicken Curry Noodle - Hong's Kao Soi

Hong is one of my sister's best friends. This aspiring cooking show host came to my kitchen to teach us how to make the traditional Thai soupe from her village. It was a blast! In true cooking show fashion she and I cooked up large quantities of soupe all afternoon. Then when the guests arrived she demonstrated how to make the recipe from scratch. Then we pulled out the reserves to serve everyone the delicious soup.

Since then Hong has opened her own restaurant in New York City. Her site is incredible, and her food EVEN BETTER! Check it out. Click. click. click.

Traditional Kao Soi
6 legs and thighs of chicken bones and all *if you want the right flavor, you've got to cook it on the bone!
2 tbsp (càs)oil
3 cups (800ml) coconut milk
4-5 tbsp (càs)Thai red curry paste
1 tsp (càc)curry powder
½ tsp (càc)turmeric powder
1 cardamom, crushed
10 thai basil leaves
1 ½ cups of water
1 onion
a pinch of sugar
2 tbsp (càs) fish sauce *to taste

GARNISH
6-7 cups (250g) of Chinese Bah-mi egg noodle (I just use the local brand)
3-4 cups oil for frying
4 shallots
3 limes
fried dried chillies
a handful of cilantro, chopped

Into a large thick bottom pot fry the chicken thighs in the oil. Once they're seared and golden on the outside add the coconut milk, spices, water and everything in the first list through the fish sauce. Simmer.

Fry one cup of dry noodles until they're golden don't let them get brown.
Remove the noodles from the oil and fry a few dried peppers.

Slice the shallots very fine. Cut the limes into wedges, make sure you have enough for all your guests. Chop the cilantro. Set aside in individual bowls for easy garnishing.

Confirm that your chicken is cooked all the way through.

Bring water to a boil. Drop in the rest of the egg noodles and allow them to boil for 2-3 minutes!

SERVE
Serve cooked noodles in a bowl, pour chicken soup over the noodles, garnish with veggies, spices and fried noodles with a lime wedge on the side of the bowl. Have each guest squeeze the lime into the soup just before taking the first bite. Yum! Thais traditionally eat this soup with a fork and a very large spoon and not chopsticks as you may think. ;)

Köttbullar "Mom's Meatballs" - Swedish Meatballs From Scratch

Growing up, swedish meatballs were a staple in our family. The recipe has been perfected over centuries, then promptly ruined by commercialization. Now we're getting back to the roots of a real, hearty, good for you, swedish meatballs from scratch recipe.

Swedish meatballs are essentially beef, onions and mushrooms in a sour cream and parsley sauce. Any dish called "Mom's Meatballs" is bound to have variations inspired by each household, that's why Köttbullar or Swedish meatballs must be prepared, above all, with love. So if you're trying your hand at this timeless recipe, don't feel intimidated by the variety of choices, just go with your gut and make a dish you would enjoy. Apparently, in southern Sweden many people prefer their meatballs with a little more fat, but the further north you go, the less pork you will find in the meatball mixture. Some things remain constant however, bread dipped in milk is a must!

KÖTTBULLAR MEATBALL
2 pounds of hamburger (preferably 1 1/2 lbs. beef and 1/2 lb. pork)
3 slices of bread - your favorite grain
1 cup milk
1/2 onion
2 eggs
salt, white pepper
Butter or lard for frying

SWEDISH CREAM SAUCE
1/2 onion
10 oz (300g) mushrooms
1 tub of sour cream
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley

First dice the entire onion and soften it on the stovetop, set it aside.
Then sauté the sliced mushrooms - don't crowd the mushrooms!

Meanwhile, stir together half of the onion and all of the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Tear up the bread and get it wet in the milk, it will mix more easily. Frying the meatballs might be the most authentic method, but you can also bake them in the oven on a sheet of parchment paper, less mess, less fat.

Chop the parsley with scissors and mix the sauce ingredients together, perhaps in your mushroom pan to heat the sauce one last time before serving.

Tradition would have you serve the meatballs separate from the sauce, and generously pour the gravy over the meatballs. Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Always accompanied by lingonberries on the side.

Don't Crowd The Mushrooms

The Most Bourguignon Boeuf Bourguignon An American Ever Did Make - Doris Julien's Boeuf Bourguignon

I attended the anniversary party for the Château de Saint-Albain. Hundreds of people gathered together to sing praises of this wonderful château that serves as our favorite conference center in the heart of the Burgundy region of France. As story after story unfolded about the château, it was clear that everyone believed their season in the château's history were the glory years.

One story stands above the rest. You see, a group of local Bourguignon families wanted to thank a family of caretakers who had worked at the château for over two decades. Bourguignon families are very proud (in the best sense), proud of their land, proud of their culture, proud of their cuisine. And so, to flatter this couple and make them feel at home, the best compliment they could come up with was, "Thank you Doris, you make the most Bourguignon, Boeuf Bourguignon that an American has ever made!" Followed by an uproar of applause.

So try your hand at their traditional recipe, but beware, if you change one ingredient in this recipe they'll taste it and say, "Nice stew, but that's not Boeuf Bourguignon." And you can disagree with them all you want, but in the end they did invent the recipe, so you can't really complain if they get to decide whether it has been recreated properly.

Boeuf Bourguignon
6 oz bacon
1 tbsp oil
3 lbs lean stewing beef
1 carrot
1 onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp flour (traditionally all purpose flour, but rice flour works too)
1 bottle of red wine from Bourgogne
2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
bay leaf
18-24 white canned onions
1 lb fresh mushrooms
fresh parsley sprigs

You'll need a baking casserole that does double duty on the stove and in the oven. Imagine a big thick iron pot with a lid. Mine is stainless steel, but make sure your handles won't melt.

Fry bacon over moderate heat until lightly brown, remove, break into pieces, set aside in your large baking casserole.

Cut beef into 2 inch chunks. Dry the beef with a papertowel. Sear beef in bacon fat until brown, set aside with the bacon.

In the same fat brown the sliced vegetables, remove to a separate bowl.

Toss meat with salt, pepper, and flour. Place casserole uncovered in the middle of the oven at 450°F for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and continue baking another 4 minutes until flour has browned. Remove and set oven to 325°F.

Empty the bottle of wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, vegetables, crushed garlic and herbs. Bring to simmer on the stove.

Cover the casserole, place in the lower third of the oven. Regulate the heat so the liquid continues to simmer very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when it falls apart when pierced with a fork.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms by browning them lightly. Add these to the meat 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Check the meat every half hour, if it's too dry add more stock, by the end of the cooking time the sauce should be gravy-like.

Pure Hearts Make Better Soup - Rotisserie Chicken Soup

"Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup." - Ludwig van Beethoven

This winter my hubby invented the best soup ever! I was feeling under the weather, and the moment he saw me miserable, the big soft teddy bear in him came out. "What can I make you for dinner?" he asked. It's uncanny, every time I catch a cold the first symptom to present itself is laryngitis. So naturally, the first thing I want to eat is a nice soothing soup. Rob's Rotisserie Chicken Soup is not super complicated but the order you cook the ingredients may surprise you. Follow his advice, start with the little veggies, their tender juicy flavor is worth the extra attention...

Rotisserie Chicken Soup
olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots
1 branch of celery
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 rotisserie chicken
18oz (500g) noodles

Heat your olive oil, simmer the diced onion, carrot, and celeri until soft. Add the chicken broth and rotisserie chicken and bring to a boil. Add the noodles. Serve when the noodles are tender.

*Looking for an extra challenge? - If you would like to make this recipe from scratch, you can start with a small whole chicken. Butter the chicken and roast in the oven using either a roasting pan or roasting bag to contain all of the juices. After an hour of roasting use all of the juices and the chicken parts in your soup.

Red Velvet Dream Cake

Valentine's weekend and I awake to the sweet scent of bright red cake baking! My super hubby has made me a red velvet cake! The photo doesn't really do it justice. The cake was a luscious deep dark red, and ohh, soo moist!

Thanks Honey-Bunny! I love you !!!

Red Velvet Dream Cake
2 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter
4 tbsp (càs) water
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
3 eggs
1 C buttermilk
2 tsp (càc) vanilla
2 tbsp red food coloring
2.5 C flour
1/2 C cornstarch (maïzena)
1/2 tsp (càc) baking powder
1/2 C fine sugar

Cream Frosting
1 C cream cheese (fromage à tartiner)
3 tbsp (75g) unsalted butter
3 tbsp (càs) fine sugar
1 tsp (càc) vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter two nine inch (23 cm) round baking pans and dust with flour.

Heat butter, water and cocoa in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, without boiling.

Beat together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring until frothy. Beat in the butter mixture. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Add all of this plus the sugar.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 min.

For the frosting, beat together all the ingredients until smooth.

Smooch your hubby ^^

Winter Party Salad

This is my favorite salad. I make it for every gathering from February straight through April.

Nothing in this recipe is by accident. The flavor pairings are beautiful, each ingredient bringing out the flavor of its neighbors in its own special way.

Winter Party Salad
1 Frisée (sweet kinky-curly green lettuce)
1 Ruby Red Grapefruit
3.5 oz (100g) Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Raspberry Vinegar

It really is as straight forward as it looks, but there is one technique I would like to illustrate that makes all the difference. First peel the rind off of the grapefruit, then insert your thumb into the navel and gently separate the citrus segments. The fragrant pulp should be the first thing you you taste not the bitter skins. To remove the skin from the segments treat the segment like an envelope and your super-very-sharp-knife like a letter opener, slice the skin membrane without pricking the fleshy part of the fruit. Then peel the skin down and it should tear off very easily. TaDa! You have naked grapefruit segments.

"Hey Honey, It's A First!" - Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

After nearly ten years of marriage we still have firsts to celebrate. There was our first fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. An exhilarating rush of colors and music and plenty of high society neighbors to hob-nob with. And this week was also my first French Onion Soup!

The idea came upon me rather spontaneously. My honey returned from a run through the park with friends, and he must have underestimated the chill of the morning air because his lungs were complaining under such abuse. So my thought was, a nice piping hot bowl of soup. Miam! (french for yum!)

Fortunately, French Onion Soup is one of those things that every good French family just happens to have around the kitchen at all times. I took inventory, Onions - check, Broth - check, Baguette - check, Emmental cheese - check. And a half hour later onion soup was born.

French Onion Soup is the classic 'day after' meal in France. Traditionally it's eaten on the day after New Years, the day after the French National Holiday, basically the day after any party.

Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

12 onions
4 tbsp (45g) butter
a fistful of flour
2 garlic cloves
1/2 gallon (2L) bouillon
1 bay leaf (laurier)
pepper and salt
white wine optional
Baguette slices
a handful of Emmental cheese (or shredded swiss or mozzarella - my French friends will murder me for suggesting this substitution, but you gotta do what you gotta do)

Preheat the oven to broil/grill.

Slice the onions and let them in a large pot with the butter 15 min.
Powder with the flour and add the crushed garlic.
When the flour has turned golden add the bouillon and bay leaf. (This is where you add the white wine also) Simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Cover the slices of baguette with the shredded cheese and place under the broiler/grill.

Serve the soup very hot and float the toasted baguettes in the soup so they soak up the bouillon. Miam!

Tourte Salé à la Sardine et au Curry

What's a Tourte?
I was looking for dish that was light and savory. A tourte is a culinary delight that offers a unique presentation. A round flakey pastry stuffed with meat and goodies, it is as much of a delight to make as it is to savor alone or with guests. Always served with a bed of leafy lettuce drizzled with Mamie's Dressing. As I'm writing this I'm thinking, gee, I can't believe I haven't shared that recipe yet! It's a staple in every French home! Even kids know how to make it... So you'll have to enjoy that with this recipe. Don't forget to click the link to retrieve the ingredients before you head out to the store.

The Perfect Seasoning
As I was hiking the pilgrimage of Saint James in Portugal and Spain, I ate a lot of Spanish empanadas. One day in particular I accidentally forgot to take lunch break and was starving when I reached a medieval village and directly entered the first open restaurant on my path. I promptly used their restrooms and took a seat at the counter around the servers who were busily drying dishes. I ordered a bottled water and an empanada and was presented three overstuffed triangles neatly wrapped in filo dough. These little delectable packages became my favorite empanadas of all time. But the stuffings were far from the normal spanish recipe, launching my quest to recreate that lovely experience.

Now that I've got the seasoning proportions correct, I was ready to try it on my friends. So I served a Tourte stuffed with everything I remembered from my vacation. Success. It's perfectly savory, not salty, and the fish is such a light flavor almost like an afterthought, it's easy to forget that it's there. The curry is lightly spicy, but not overwhelming. The potatoes soaked in all the juices such that it was not soggy and in the end the curry potatoes really take center stage.

And, soon I plan to serve this recipe as an hors d'oeuvre by wrapping the filling in filo dough at our next dinner party. But that will have to wait, because I don't have any dinner parties planned anytime soon.

Tourte Salé à la Sardine et au Curry

2 puff pastry crusts
3 tbsp (càs) Olive oil
2 med potatoes
1 clove garlic
3 red kiri chilis
1 dried red thai pepper (or a dash of dried red pepper flakes)
1 onion
1 can of sardines
1/2 fresh lime
1/2 tsp (càc) sugar
1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lay one puff pastry crust in your tart pan. Leave an inch drap over the edge of the pan on all sides. (Please note, that this is not a pie pan. It is a shallow, flat, round pan with decorative sides, if you do not have a tart pan, then you can use a pizza pan.)


I par-boiled my potato slices before starting the recipe. A short 5 minutes in boiling water should be sufficient to give 1 cm thick slices of potatoes a good head start.

Then, in a large shallow saucepan simmer sliced potatoes, onions, crushed garlic and chilis in a bit of olive oil. Add the sardines, curry, lime juice, and sugar until heated through.

Spread this mixture across the prepared pastry dough, and lay the second puff pastry crust over top. Fold down the edges and pinch them in regular intervals so they seal and draw designs in the top crust for decoration. Beat the egg yolk and brush on the top of the exposed puff pastry for a perfect golden appearance.

Bake 50 minutes. It should get deep golden brown. If it starts getting too dark you can put a piece of aluminum foil over the top, but I didn't need to for mine.

Serve hot - on a bed of leafy lettuce drizzled with Mamie's Dressing. Bon Appetit!

World's Best Crêpes - Crêpes de Céline

This is undoubtedly the best crêpe recipe ever created! I learned it from my bestie here in Paris, and who better right? Crêpes are versatile, they're a great dinner party food, but I also know friends from Brittany who literally make this recipe once a week so that they always have their regional specialty on hand all week long.

Crêpes come from the region of Brittany in France, where not a day goes by when you don't think about crêpes, but there is one day of the year that everyone in France prepares crêpes with friends - a holiday called Chandeleur. The word Chandeleur comes from a pagan latin festival of festa candelarum when they would light a candle for purification. When the Catholic church came on the scene, they said "Hey, we have a celebration where we remember the Jewish prophet Simeon who was promised to meet Messiah before he died, and when he met Jesus as a young boy, he prophesied, this is the messiah I was promised to see, He will be the light of the world." Of course, you don't have to wait till the next february 2nd to light a candle representing the light that chases away the shadows in our hearts, any day of the year will do, but it's kinda fun to have a special day when we are encouraged to do that - while eating crêpes!

To celebrate Chandeleur with friends this year, I invited a dozen friends over to the house to play board games and eat crêpes together. This recipe has never-ever failed me. The crepes are paper thin and smooth. They're lightly sweetened, but not as sweet as American pancakes. This recipe makes 25 crêpes in my crêpe pan that is about 8.5 inches in diameter.

Crêpes de Céline

2.5 Cups (250g) flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp (càs) sucre
2 Cups (1/2 L) milk
1/2 tsp (càc) salt
2 tbsp (25g) real butter

This recipe is easier if the milk and eggs are not cold, but already at room temperature when you begin.

Melt the butter on the stove.

While the butter is melting, mix all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the batter is homogeneous.

Continue whisking vigorously while you pour in the butter to incorporate it into the batter before it hardens. If you're lucky the butter will whisk in and you won't even notice it's presence, but if your milk is cold sometimes you'll see the butter bead up and you'll have little butter lumps floating in your batter. The purpose for the butter is because you will not be buttering your pan, so tiny lumps will not make a difference they will melt instantly and still accomplish their job. I once had a big chunk of butter and I realized that this would probably be bothersome, so I fished out the chunk covered in batter and got another equal-sized piece of butter out of the fridge, melted it and did a better job of whisking the fresh bit of butter in. It worked splendidly. Today my batter was perfectly smooth, untraceable butter!

My favorite way to make crepes is on an electric griddle, but if you don't have one, you can heat a shallow, flat non-stick pan to medium temperature. It is important that it is already hot when you begin.

Lift the pan and bring it to your bowl of batter. Pour a small ladle (or half-ladle) of batter in the middle of the pan, tip and swirl the pan immediately so that the puddle spreads thin and smooth to cover the pan, and replace the pan on the stove. There is a crêpe spreader tool that you can buy that is like a wooden dowrod that pushes the batter in a circular motion so that it gets extra thin. This is my favorite method, but you need quick reflexes to spread the batter faster than it can cook.

If you are using something to spread the batter extra thin, let it set in a bowl of water between uses so that it doesn't get batter caked onto it.

They also make a crepe spatula (very thin tool with a beveled edge to help you get under the crêpe without tearing it) but you can use any wooden or plastic spatula to flip the crêpe when one side starts getting toasty-colored. Cook the other side a bit before transferring it to your plate and eating it immediately while it's still nice a crispy.

You can also wrap your left-over crêpes in aluminum foil and keep them in the fridge for a week. Or layer parchment paper between each leaf and freeze them in a ziplock bag for a quick addition to breakfast.


Favorite Crêpe Toppings

- Smoked salmon, sour cream, chives and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Ham and cheese (cover the crêpe in cheese while the second side is still cooking, so that the cheese melts :D)
- Eggs and bacon (fry the bacon ahead of time, but then crack the egg in the middle of the crêpe while the second side is still cooking, continue heating until the white is cooked through "sunny side up" you can smear the whites around the whole surface of the crêpe, the thinner they are, the faster they cook)
- Sausage, egg and cheese
- Shredded zucchini, sour cream and cheese
- Nutella
- Fresh squeezed lemon and sugar
- Fresh fruit and whipped cream
- Strawberry jam (or any jam for that matter)
- Your own creation, anything goes!


Jesus Presented in the Temple

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:22-38)

Fuel For Imagination - Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

"If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers."
~Linda Henley

Vacationing with friends and I suddenly remembered one of my friends would be celebrating his birthday! Like, in two days! He deserved the very best and I wasn't going to slack off just because we were away from home. I was imagining a luxurious moist chocolate cake with thick chocolate fluff for icing, maybe even multiple layers...

I remembered the basics to my favorite recipe, I improvised the rest, and here's the result. Another recipe you guys have been begging me for. Good thing I took lots of photos. You'll get to experience the step-by-step walk through complete with video clips! Yeah!

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

2 cups (400g) flour
1/2 cup (60g) baking cocoa
2 tsp (càc) baking soda
1/4 tsp (càc) salt
2 cups (425g) brown sugar (sucre vergeoise / sucre roux semoule)
2/3 cup (150g) butter
3 eggs
1 tbsp (càs) bailey's irish cream
1/2 tsp (càc) vanilla
1 cup (120g) sour cream
3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of two round pans, 9x 1.5 inches; lightly flour.

Cream the brown sugar and butter softened, but not melted in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in irish cream and vanilla.

Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and add them to the mixture with the sour cream on low speed. Stir in the boiling water until blended. Pour into pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Unmold the cakes and allow them to cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse Filling

1 1/3 cup (320ml) heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup (85g) powdered sugar
1 bar of baking chocolate
1/2 tsp (càc) vanilla
1/2 tsp (càc) Bailey's irish cream

Freeze the whipping cream and a large glass mixing bowl. Pulverize the bar of baking chocolate in a food processor. Whip the cream in the chilled bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until it's stiff, add the other ingredients. *


Chocolate Whipped Cream  Icing

1 1/3 cup (320ml) heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup (85g) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (40g) baking cocoa
1/2 tsp (càc) vanilla

Freeze the whipping cream and a large glass mixing bowl. Whip the cream in the chilled bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until it's stiff, add the other ingredients. *

Here's the Step-by-Step as I recreated this recipe with a good friend - Her first time ever baking a cake !!! You GO girl!

 Stiff Peaks of Cream

 Pulverized Chocolate Bar

in the Chocolate Mousse Filling

Frozen Bowl - Very Very Cold Cream 

Whipping the Cream 

Chocolate Whipped Cream Icing 

 Ice the cakes on parchment paper for easy turning and let the paper get messy, you'll remove it before presenting the finished product.

Decide if you want one four layer cake or two two layer cakes.

I love the thrill of a four layer cake, but we decided it would be easier to cut 30 pieces if we had two cakes ... logistics won out this time.

* If you have a hard time whipping the cream, here are a few tricks of the trade. 

- Purchase a quality brand whipping cream that is in the refrigerated section.

(usually, I don't have a problem with the little generic boxes, but if you are struggling this can give you an edge.)

- Freeze a large glass mixing bowl two hours.

- Chill the carton of whipping cream - even put it in the freezer for fifteen minutes.

- Move to a location that is less warm, perhaps infront of that drafty window will help.

- If your cream does not stiffen perhaps your mixer is set too high. Try a lower setting.

- If you still can't get a thick mousse consider adding "Cremefix" or another stiffening agent for that purpose.

!!! - If you are using a tabletop mixer you'll have to be very careful to use a low setting and the stop the machine the second the cream begins to pile ontop of itself - 30 seconds too long and you'll have butter.

We Three Kings... Rise Above! - Peach-Berry Tart & Galette des Rois

"When faced with an angering situation we must rise above the frustration to find a solution." - Julien C'est Moi

It's King's Day and the supermarket cannot keep enough almond flour on the shelves!!! I was caught off guard this year. Nothing is more disappointing than not having the privilege of baking a galette des rois to share with your friends... unless you can find a better recipe that inspires you to kingly (or queenly ;) ) greatness.

First - The Tradition
Twelve days after Christmas we throw a party and celebrate the tardy arrival of the Magi, rulers of the orient who elected their kings, who mysteriously arrived at Jesus's house while the boy was still a toddler.

If you're in France on this day you'll have a great dinner, bake a flaky pastry called a galette des rois (king's cake), and elect the king from among your friends. The youngest person of the group crawls under the table while the host cuts the galette des rois into exactly as many pieces as there are guests. As the host serves each piece onto a plate they ask the youngest who that piece should go to, and this way the pieces are distributed randomly without partiality. (*very important, otherwise the kids would accuse each other of cheating!) The guests know that one of the pieces has a surprise fève in it, and whoever finds the surprise in his slice will be king for a day. Traditionally the surprise was a dried bean, being too hard to cut, or bite, it would show up unharmed and be exchanged for a crown. Today the surprise is usually a plastic figurine less than an inch tall, buried in the layers of almond and flaky dough.

Unfortunately, everyone else in France is going to have exactly the same idea, and there never seams to be enough almond flour to go around. Hence the frustration and the dilemma.

Traditional Galette des Rois

2 puff pastry crusts - uncooked (thousands of layers of buttery flaky goodness)
2/3 cup (140g) almond flour (purée your whole raw almonds in a blender)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter (6 tbsp) (75g)
1 egg yolk
1 fève - if you don't have any mini ceramic figurines, you can use a dried bean
*variations add almond extract or rum to the filling

Lay one puff pastry crust in your tart pan. (Please note, that this is not a pie pan it is a shallow, flat, round pan with decorative sides, if you do not have a tart pan, then you can use a pizza pan.)

Mix the almond flour, sugar, 2 eggs, and butter in a bowl.

Pour this mixture onto the crust and drop the fève in.

Now cover with the second puff pastry crust. Press down the edges so they stick together. Draw designs all over the top with a sharp knife. Brush the egg yolk over the top.

Cook for 20-30 minutes at 365°F (200°C)

Serve warm. Cut into exactly as many pieces as you have guests that way someone is sure to be crowned king!

Make a paper crown to give to your noble victor.

Peach-Berry Tart

Not only was I not going to stay bummed by the news that the grocery was completely sold out of anything remotely almond... Instead, I found a recipe that will smoke your galette and make you forget you even had a craving for one.

Pâte Brisée (French Pie Crust)
Makes one 12-by-16-inch rectangle

2 1/2 cups (350g) flour
1 1/2 tsp (càc) coarse salt
1 tsp (càc) sugar
2 sticks (one brick) cold unsalted butter
6 to 8 tbsp (10cl) ice water

Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough comes together. (Do not process more than 30 seconds.)

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten dough, and shape into a thick rectangular block. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight), or freeze up to 1 month.


Peach-Berry Filling

2 1/4 pounds (about 9) peaches
1 cup (6 oz) (170g) raspberries
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp (càs) fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp (càc) salt
2 pâte brisée (french pie crusts)
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (càs) heavy cream
Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°F) with rack in lower third. Toss thinly sliced peaches, raspberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Transfer half the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick (1/2cm). Line a sheet with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. Trim edges of dough to hang over sides of baking sheet by 1/2 inch.

Roll out the remaining dough into another 12-by-16-inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick (1/2cm). Pour fruit mixture into the dough-lined baking sheet. I know it looks like too much filling, but go for it anyhow. Drop in your fève for the game, if you don't have any mini ceramic figurines, you can use a dried bean. Cover with remaining layer of dough. Trim edges of dough to hang over sides by 1/2 inch. Fold edges of top layer over edges of bottom layer, and pinch to seal.

Poke holes into the top dough layer with a round pointy object, like a wooden spoon handle. Whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl. Brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust turns golden and filling is bubbling, about an hour (30 min in a convection oven). Let cool completely on a wire rack, about an hour.

Cut into exactly as many pieces as you have guests that way someone is sure to be crowned king!

Make a paper crown to give to your noble victor.

The Visit of the Magi

2After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the easte went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Worries Go Down Better With Soup - Harvest Cream Soup

A friend stopped by for a coffee, stayed a while, and fortunately we had some harvest cream soup to fill up our bellies with steaming hot vitamins before we had to send him back out in the cold. This soup is amazing, great presentation and creative blend of flavors!

HARVEST CREAM SOUP

1 onion

1 stalk celery

1 leek

2 cloves garlic

1 large bulb celery root

4 cups milk

1 tsp (càc) olive oil

1 fresh lemon

salt

pepper

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CHESTNUT PURÉE

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 sprig thyme

12 chestnuts

salt

pepper

2 cups water

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GARNISH

1 slice of celery root

1/2 carrot

1/2 turnip

2 chestnuts

Dice the vegetables. Crush the garlic. Sweat the first four ingredients with a bit of olive oil at a low temperature so that they get soft but not brown. Add celery root and sweat for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add milk and then add water to cover, and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes.

Puree the mixture in a blender with 1 teaspoon olive oil and the juice from the lemon. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

To prepare the chestnut puree, peel and chop the chestnuts. Crush the garlic. Saute shallots, garlic, thyme and chestnuts over medium heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add water and simmer until tender. Puree the mixture in a blender, adding water to adjust consistency.

For the vegetable garnish, dice the veggies, and cook them slowly in olive oil until they're tender.

Serve even portions of cream soup into 8 bowls, swirl a spoonful of chestnut puree into each bowl. Garnish and serve.

Memory Maker - Festive Squash Gratin

"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."

- P. D. James

My Aunt Kimm is amazing! She once prepared four turkeys for Christmas dinner. One was stuffed with chestnuts and figs, one was barbecued, I don't even remember how the others were prepared, but I remember it was a feast! That holiday she also shared with me her recipe for squash gratin. It's elegant, smells like garlic heaven, and is deceivingly packed with vitamins. This is one of those magic recipes that if you don't tell the kid's its good for them, they'll mistake it for junk food. ;)

So while spending my first Christmas in tropical florida, I picked up an amazing recipe that has become a family tradition in our home. Whether we're decorating an evergreen tree or a palm tree, we always have Festive Squash Gratin.

I'll walk you through the process, but first here's the shopping list so you are sure to have everything you need.

Festive Squash Gratin

2 big heads of garlic (50 or so cloves)
1/2 tsp (càc) olive oil
1 Nutmeg Squash (2 kilo)
1 lb (500g) fresh or frozen spinach
1 tsp (càc) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (càc) nutmeg
salt
pepper
2 1/2 tsp (càc) Thyme
2.5 C (60cl) whipping cream (crème entière liquide)
5 tbsp (càs) bread crumbs
50g parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C)
Tear the cloves off of the head of garlic and place them with their skins in a small baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic and place them in the oven. Roast the garlic until it's golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Then set aside the garlic until it's cool enough to handle. Reduce the temperature to 365°F (180°C). Slice the soft garlic cloves in thin slices.

Choose your squash well. I can always find a Nutmeg squash around thanksgiving time and they're just the right size for a big giant Festive Squash Gratin. The Acorn squash is also a good choice. If you can't find either of those then ask your market to recommend a squash that doesn't turn to soup when it's cooked, like pumpkin does. Butternut keeps it's firmness in the oven, so that might work as well.

Peel and seed the squash and cut it into strips about 1/4 of an inch thick.
Butter two medium glass casserole dishes (or one extra-large dish).
Arrange a layer of squash on the bottom of the dish. Dust it with the nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. Then distribute 1/3 of the garlic slices, and half of the spinach over the squash. Arrange a second layer of squash, repeat with herbs and spices, another 1/3 of the garlic and the rest of the spinach. Then arrange the last layer of squash, followed by herbs and spices, and the rest of the garlic. Then pour the cream evenly over the squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender 40 min to an hour at 365°F (180°C).

Meanwhile mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a bowl. When the previous cooking time is finished open the oven, remove the aluminum foil, use a wooden spoon to gently press the squash releasing it's juices, sprinkle the cheese mixture over the gratin, and brown the gratin for another 15 minutes. (no aluminum foil of course)

Allowing the gratin time to cool (15 minutes) before serving it will ensure that the cream firms and the whole thing should slice and serve like any good casserole should. :)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow - Winter Stew

When the weather outside is frightful and the chill in the air urges me to walk more briskly from place to place in hopes of returning home to a piping hot bowl of home-sweet-home.

My recipe must serve 6 people, but with two of us at the house you can be sure that the house will smell like this stew for nearly a week at a time. I just leave the pot on the stove in front the window that has a very strong draft. When I'm not using the kitchen the temperature drops rapidly, comparable to refrigeration. Then all I have to do when I come home is fire up the stove and presto, the house smells lovely and warmth fills our stomachs. Now, if only I had a fireplace...

This is going to be my new favorite repeat recipe. It's heart healthy, but it keeps it's secret well. It's packed full of savory chunks of goodness, and whole grains. It's low in sugar and salt. You can add just as much spice as you like.

Winter Stew

2 tsp (càc) olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 leek
1/2 tsp (càc) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (càc) cumin seeds
1/4 tsp (càc) ground red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

3 2/3 cups vegetable stock

3/4 tsp (càc) salt

1 tbsp (càs) harissa (North African hot sauce) or 1 1/2 tsp (càc) tomato paste if you don't like spicy

1/2 butternut squash
3 carrots
1 large potato
2 large turnips
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/3 cups uncooked couscous grains
1 fresh lemon

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Clean and chop the onion and leek; sauté 5 minutes. Click here for an easy way to clean leeks. Add coriander, cumin, red pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Prepare your vegetables in large 3/4 inch cubes. Add the vegetable stock and the chunky vegetables and chic peas; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

When you are ready to serve the stew, stir in the parsley and couscous. Let the couscous fluff for 5 minutes before serving in bowls with lemon wedges.

Nutritional information per serving (serving size: 3/4 cup squash mixture, 1/2 cup couscous, and 1 lemon wedge): calories: 264; fat: 2.3 grams (saturated 0.3 grams, monounsaturated 1 gram, polyunsaturated 0.6 gram); protein: 8.3 grams; carbohydrate: 54.5 grams; fiber: 7.5 grams; cholesterol: 0 milligrams; iron: 2.4 milligrams; sodium: 425 milligrams; calcium: 92 milligrams.