April 12, 2006
Ganache Sandwich Cookies
I am not very good at falling asleep. Once I manage to drift off I sleep soundly till morning -- which is a blessing, no doubt -- but it can take a while before I achieve that state of blissful nothingness. However much I try to relax before bedtime, my mind is reluctant to let go of the day's activities, and seems to take the head-hits-pillow event as a signal to start whirring up again, and brainstorm on whichever problem needs solving, whichever writing needs editing, or whichever recipe needs tweaking.
I do wish I could doze off faster than that, but I have actually found that some of my best ideas spark up as I lie there in the dark, trying to concentrate on green meadows (sans brook, or I need to get up again) or relaxing my toes one by one. For this reason I always have a notebook and a pen on my nightstand to jot down any inspired thought -- the fear to have it vanish come morning might keep me awake. Of course, I can't very well switch on the light to write (that wouldn't be very civil to the other inhabitant of the bed), so that notebook is covered with particularly squiggly blind writing.
A few nights ago, the matter at hand in this pre-sleep session was, "What should I do with the scraps of pâte brisée I have left?" I'd only made four tartlets, so I had about a third of one ball leftover (the other ball of dough being tightly wrapped and biding its time in the freezer), and there was no way I was tossing it. I usually make little palmiers (elephant's ears) in such situations, but I was wondering if the dough could be combined with the leftover ganache that was resting one floor up in the refrigerator (yes, my fridge is a shelter for all kinds of stray edibles). After a few minutes or a few hours I have no idea -- it's difficult to keep a sense of time in pitch dark -- these mini sandwich cookies took shape. I fell asleep before writing them down, but they were still under my pillow when I woke up.
And so the next day, in need of procrastination a break from my work schedule, I walked into the kitchen and brought them to life. I think they would have benefited from an eggwash and a sprinkle of sugar, but they were very good nonetheless -- 100% recycled, and very cute too, dancing cheek to cheek on my plate.
Ganache Sandwich Cookies
- Leftover pâte brisée
- Leftover ganache (if you don't have leftover ganache, a good chocolate spread will work just as well)
- One egg yolk, whisked with one tablespoon water (optional)
- A bit of sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out identical shapes and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Slip into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Transfer onto a rack to cool completely.
Reheat the ganache gently in a double boiler, stirring with a fork until melted and smooth. Pour into a small freezer bag, empty out all of the air, and close the bag with a knot. Let cool slightly. Snip off the very tip of one corner, and use this to pipe a fat blob of ganache onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place another cookie flat side down onto the ganache, press lightly, and let stand at room temperature until the ganache has firmed up again.
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Comments (25)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Chocolate - Recipe Inside!
Clothilde - I've read your site for quite some time, but don't usually post... anyway, wanted to save you some morning interpretation of said "blind squiggles". They make pens with lights in them! An example is http://www.lightwriter.com/index2.html
Posted by Amy on April 12, 2006 12:17 PMI have no trouble going to sleep but, on the other end of the night, I wake up long before the sun and if my mind starts chugging along that is it for sleep. I have come to love getting up early in the morning, having my tea, checking my email and watching the sky become pink, then blue.
Posted by Linda Mathieu on April 12, 2006 12:23 PMjust the thought of your petite sandwich cookies makes me sleep better! what a great alternative to eating the left over ganache with a spoon... not that i would ever do that.
Posted by monkey on April 12, 2006 2:09 PMi write in the dark, too! haha! and it is usually some item to add to my never-ending grocery list...
i love the cookies! what a wonderful idea. i made your pate brisee just yesterday, but alas, i used it ALL on my tartlets: (http://makingfoodeatingfood.blogspot.com/2006/04/pear-tartlets-with-prosciutto-and.html). i guess i will have to make another batch, and perhaps use some of my cocoa hazelnut spread?
hope you are well rested today. :)
Posted by iamchanelle on April 12, 2006 4:42 PMClotilde, you've just described my in bed state of mind exactly, including the notepad and the writing in the dark (sometimes I use a keychain flashlight) in order to avoid disturbing my gf too much.
Posted by BenE on April 12, 2006 4:43 PMClothilde, Your cookies are almost as charming as your prose on this post. I love the idea of mini-sandwich cookies.
Posted by Meredith on April 12, 2006 5:28 PMI often suffer from the same problem. But, I find my brain is often the most creative at night either when I can't sleep or when a thought wakes me. I so want to kick myself when I don't write it down because I almost never remember.
Posted by Janice on April 12, 2006 5:41 PMDitto! Same sufferer, in fact last night was a big one! What a great idea with these cookies, I'm all about using every left-over as creatively as I can. They look delicious. Would Nutella work? Being from Czech, we make these exact same cookies but fill them with different flavored marmalades. I enjoy that too =)
~Dianka
Posted by Dianka on April 12, 2006 6:24 PMVisit my new food blog!
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/
very nice !!!!
on en mangerait !!
Posted by trinidad on April 12, 2006 7:01 PMOh, this is just like me. I can't fall asleep for my mind whirling around trying to grab onto any stray idea that didn't get resolved during the day. My husband has the opposite issue. Falls asleep in an instant, but can't sleep in past 6. It's a wonder we see each other at all.
The cookies are gorgeous! It's always nice when something great comes from the bouts of insomnia...
Posted by L on April 12, 2006 9:56 PMYou're good at rescucitating stuff from your fridge ! I was actually hungry... you just made it worst ! (pardon pour mon anglais hein ! 2 ans que je le cause tous les jours mais toujours aussi mal !)
Posted by Framboise on April 12, 2006 11:21 PMHere in the U.S. South, an elephant ear is fried dough (somewhat like a funnel cake, but not swirly). A donut, basically, but chewier! (Not light like Krispy Kreme! I'm from Winston-Salem, where KKs originated. I know my donuts. HA.)
Love the blog!
Posted by Abby on April 13, 2006 1:09 AMThose are gorgeous. The main problem I have with mini cookies like that is I feel like they are fat and calorie free. You can just pop 'em in , one after the next, and they seem too tiny to matter!
Posted by paristriptips on April 13, 2006 1:47 AMGreat recipe idea. Thank you!
After spending the past month reading through your entire archives, it's high time for me to post, i think!
I'm an Australian who fantasises about travelling to France (when uni's over, I think...), and your evocative descriptions of French life, your hilarious writing style and beautiful recipes are both wonderful and torturous at the same time.
I also found it great to hear other people have trouble getting to sleep - sometimes it can be so lonely lying there - now I'll just think of you thinking up deliciousness and I'll be happy!
Posted by Hannah on April 13, 2006 1:49 AMIt's an odd coincidence, but last night as I pulled out one of my treasured issues of Bon Appetit from April 1998 looking for Passover recipes, it flipped right open to an article by Dorie Greenspan singing the praises of her Kitchen Aid Mixer... (she especially mentioned making brioche doughs)! The original article isn't posted, but here's a related article:
http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/tools_of_the_trade/mixer
Posted by Robin on April 13, 2006 9:09 AMClotilde-
Posted by Nicole on April 13, 2006 9:35 AMI've been watching your site, hoping that you would have some advice for buying Easter chocolate, but so far nothing! Would love to know where you will be going for your chocolate eggs. I spent the afternoon yesterday around the Madeleine looking in one window after another and haven't made any progress on the actual buying...
Chere Clotide
Posted by marinette on April 13, 2006 10:39 PMVotre blog est vraiment inspirant! jolie presentation, super bonnes recettes, anglais impeccable et histoires racontees avec humour.
tellement inspirant, votre blog, que j'ai cree le mien aussi : http://estouest.blog.lemonde.fr/
ce n'est pas un foodblog mais plutot un blog de voyage et d'impressions sur LA et le Japon. peut etre que bientot je rajouterai quelques recettes. en tous les cas votre blog est en lien!!
a tres bientot
et merci encore mille fois pour toutes ces recettes delicieuses
great piece!
Posted by Catherine on April 15, 2006 2:00 AMI have found that when I can't sleep, counting backwards from 100 helps...though sometimes I have to do it four or five times....
But I think your sleeplessness is much more productive!
Posted by shawna on April 15, 2006 2:39 AMThe Ganache Sandwich cookies look delicious! I am going to add your blog to my links list. If you have a chance visit my blog at http://cheftami.blogspot.com/
Posted by Tami on April 15, 2006 9:15 AMClotilde, I read your blog often but I don't think I've ever told you how much I love your photographs. They are always beautiful and often surprising, causing me to re-examine everyday objects all around us. One of my favorites is of the little blue chocolate pillow from Lyon. I love the recipes and your writing style in general, and look forward to buying your book. Okay, enough gushing. Go get some sleep!
Posted by Lisa on April 16, 2006 10:04 PMAs Framboise wrote, I always especially enjoy your entries detailing your ingenious and creative uses for leftovers... Sometimes it seems that what you scrape together from the little bits is more delicious and delightful than their original intention! Even if I don't have the leftovers that you have mentioned, you inspire me to do something other than letting my own scraps waste away or consuming the uninspired separate ingredients alone without any thought to what I could birth from them. You are my gentle cyber-nudge to always contemplate and savor my food. Thanks!
Posted by I on April 18, 2006 10:29 PMThese look terrific; I especially like them dancing cheek to cheek on the plate!
Posted by tanna on April 19, 2006 2:38 PMTes petit sandwich ont l'aire vraiment très appétissant !! :-)
Posted by Christelle on May 1, 2006 12:54 PMWow Clotilde! What a fantatsic site - you've really built this up and it's amazing how much press you've received! I shall add you to my RSS to keep updated, and I do hope you'll do the same with my blog (it's chocolatey too, and I'd love to include some of your chocolate ideas!). If you look under Scrumptious Sites on my weblog, Chocolate and Beyond, you'll see I've written a small piece about you! It would be great if you can leave a comment on my site and add it to yours!: http://andreawren.typepad.com/chocolate_and_beyond/
Posted by Andrea on September 6, 2006 9:29 PMPrivacy. The email addresses you enter will not be used for any other purpose than the sending of this message.