June 16, 2011
Chocolate Coconut Muffins
{Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
In preparation for a recent article in ELLE à table, the French cooking magazine in which I write a column, I did some research on the range of ingredients that are derived from the coconut palm.
Beyond the pulp of the fruit (the white flesh that is consumed fresh or dried), its water (the clear liquid inside) and its milk (the liquid you get from pressing or steeping the pulp), I was especially interested in coconut...
"Chocolate Coconut Muffins" continues »
April 6, 2010
Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate, Dates and Pistachios
To celebrate Easter this weekend, I made hot cross buns, the brioche-like spiced loaves the British bake and serve on Good Friday*. I have made them on previous occasions, but instead of following the recipe I used last time, I decided to take a leaf from Dan Lepard's book.
I loosely followed the process he describes -- the overnight fermentation in the fridge, in particular -- but converted the recipe to use my sourdough starter, though the r...
"Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate, Dates and Pistachios" continues »
March 23, 2010
How To Taste Chocolate
Last week I had the good fortune of visiting Tain-l'Hermitage, a town in the southeastern quarter of France, near Valence. It is right in the middle of the Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage wine country, in a gorgeous area that's full of peach, cherry and apricot orchards. But me, I was there for the chocolate: Tain is also home to the Valrhona chocolate factory, and I'd been invited to take a tour.
We spent the day in paper hats, paper coats, an...
"How To Taste Chocolate" continues »
March 16, 2010
Ginger and Almond Chocolate Clusters
Lately I've had an insuppressible urge to declutter. I would chalk it up to the advent of spring if it hadn't been so stubbornly cold, and if I didn't find myself in that state of I-can't-bear-to-live-with-this-stuff-for-a-minute-longer several times a year.
Actually, one of my resolutions for 2010 is to take on at least one decluttering project every weekend. It can be something quick, like sorting through the restaurant business cards we've ...
"Ginger and Almond Chocolate Clusters" continues »
February 3, 2010
Pecan Mudslide Cookies
I spent a few days in New York City in early December to promote* my latest book project, and I happened to stay at a hotel that was very near the Chelsea Market.
I had very little free time in my schedule, but the proximity allowed me to do a little personal shopping (books, utensils, magazines), buy a few things to improvise breakfast in my room** and, moments before I was to catch a ride back to the airport, get a sandwich and a treat to ea...
"Pecan Mudslide Cookies" continues »
December 22, 2009
Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Marbles
[Billes de noisette au chocolat]
As a small gift to celebrate the holiday season, I give you this recipe drawn from my cookbook. It appears in the mignardise chapter, in which I give recipes for sweet bites to serve at the end of a meal -- in place of, or in addition to dessert, with coffee or tea.
For these particular treats-on-a-stick, you'll make your own hazelnut marzipan (wait, come back! it's really easy, I promise!), shape it into smal...
"Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Marbles" continues »
May 19, 2009
Sticky Chocolate Cake
Last time I was in London, my primary objective may have been to snuggle up with my nephew, but I still brought a list of food places I wanted to check out, for, you know, research purposes. One of them was Ottolenghi, a deli that offers a daily selection of colorful dishes -- with an emphasis on fresh produce -- and dazzling pastries.
I had received a review copy of their seductive cookbook a couple of months before, and had quickly stopped t...
"Sticky Chocolate Cake" continues »
May 5, 2009
Homemade Lärabars
I have never been particularly drawn to energy bars and their spooky ingredients lists, but then I discovered the hugely popular Lärabars while in New York, and they won me over quickly.
If you've yet to make their acquaintance, here's what you need to know: Lärabars (I just ignore the umlaut and say "larabar") are compact but tender energy bars made of ground dates mixed with nuts and other flavorings -- spices, dried fruits, coconut, cocoa p...
"Homemade Lärabars" continues »
January 20, 2009
Luxury Brownies
Among the many blogs I read enthusiastically is one called Coco&Me: its author, Tamami, sells homemade cakes and chocolates at Broadway Market in East London on Saturdays, and she describes her blog as "the diary of a market stall holder."
Beautifully illustrated with photos of her displays and confections, it is full of the sort of details I crave when I read about someone's life and craft: the number of truffles she rolled for the last mark...
November 18, 2008
Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars
When Heidi posted about her friend Nikki's healthful cookies a couple of months ago, my curiosity was piqued, and the recipe firmly affixed to my mind's corkboard*.
And as soon as I had a few browning bananas on hand -- some might accuse me of letting them overripen on purpose, but that's just libel and they'll be hearing from my attorney -- I knew just how to put them to use.
I made a few modifications to the original recipe: 1- I used almon...
"Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars" continues »
October 28, 2008
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
An estimated 62% of my cooking begins with me lying in bed, thinking about some ingredient that needs using, and not being able to sleep because my mind is awhir, trying to devise rewarding ways to do so.
These closed-eye sessions usually yield satisfactory results and, every once in a while, a plain fantastic one. I am counting this ice cream among the latter.
The challenge was this: I had a bit of a dairy glut in the fridge, and in particul...
"Chocolate Frozen Yogurt" continues »
April 23, 2007
Gelée au Chocolat, Ananas et Violette
[Chocolate Jelly with Pineapple and Violet]
This is the dessert I served to close my recent spring lamb dinner: it was a few days before Easter so chocolate was definitely in order, but since lamb shoulder is a rather rich cut (though I must note that French lambs seem to be much leaner than their American cousins; French Lambs Don't Get Fat), I wanted to chase it with a weightless dessert.
Inspiration came in the form of a recipe card I'd cl...
"Gelée au Chocolat, Ananas et Violette" continues »
February 9, 2007
Le Fondant au Chocolat de Tante Amélie
[Aunt Amélie's Smooth Chocolate Cake]
None of my aunts are named Amélie, I thought I should make that clear from the start. And if I am to explain the origin of this recipe, I will need to rewind the tape back to early January, when French food writer Thierry Roussillon asked if I would answer a few questions for one of the interviews gourmandes he publishes on his blog.
A few days after I did, a severe bout of procrastination found me browsi...
"Le Fondant au Chocolat de Tante Amélie" continues »
October 16, 2006
Fondant Chocolat Noix de Coco
[Coconut Chocolate Cake]
I have known Marie-Laure for nineteen years. This represents more than two thirds of our lives, and our friendship has accompanied us through primary school, junior high, high school, university, a year in Brazil for her, two years in California for me, and a variety of jobs, relationships, and haircuts, without us ever growing apart.
She lived a few doors down from me (or perhaps I lived a few doors down from her, t...
"Fondant Chocolat Noix de Coco" continues »
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, which...
"Ganache Sandwich Cookies" continues »
February 13, 2006
Biscuits Chocolat et Fèves de Cacao
[Chocolate and Cacao Nib Cookies]
Soft and cakey and thrice chocolate-flavored -- from the velvet of melted chocolate, the strength of cocoa powder, and the aromatic crunch of cacao nibs -- these bite-size cookies should fit into either one of these Valentine's Day scenarios:
1. You tend to throw yourself rhapsodically into the whole gift-and-card-and-flower-giving thing: it's fun, it's red, and it gives you the perfect excuse to buy and eat ...
"Biscuits Chocolat et Fèves de Cacao" continues »
January 18, 2006
Gâteau Choco-Coco
[Coconut Chocolate Cake]
It was Maxence's birthday last week, and one of the things we did to mark the occasion -- in addition to one glorious meal at Les Ambassadeurs -- was to invite friends to join us and celebrate at a small cocktail bar that recently opened in our neighborhood, on an improbable little street we'd hardly ever noticed before. Maybe it didn't even exist.
The bar is trendy yet cosy, with a cushy banquette and plenty of stool...
"Gâteau Choco-Coco" continues »
December 16, 2005
Gâteau au Chocolat et Pralines Roses
[Pink Praline Chocolate Cake]
Pralines can be a confusing thing, considering that the same pretty word (It would make a cool name for a little girl, no? Or would this ruin her life you think?) is used for different confections.
The original praline is made by cooking almonds in melted sugar: the mixture is left to cool then reheated several times, forming an irregular crust of crispy chewy caramel around the tender almond. These pralines are ...
"Gâteau au Chocolat et Pralines Roses" continues »
November 7, 2005
Chocolat de Bayonne
It is a little-known fact that Bayonne was the first chocolate-making city in France. In the 17th century, a wave of Jewish immigrants settled there, fleeing the Spanish and Portuguese inquisition and bringing the savoir-faire as a prized possession in their luggage. Local artisans quickly learned how to make the magic happen with those mysterious beans from the New World, and developped the production themselves. One century later, they create...
"Chocolat de Bayonne" continues »
October 28, 2005
Chocolate Chili Bites
[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2004.]
On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of the Paris Potluck, hosted by Alisa and her husband Jean-Yves. This time around, Alisa had suggested that we follow a theme : no more random assortment of everyone's current food obessions! And as she (and I and pretty much everyone else) had been suffering from terrible Mexican food cravings si...
"Chocolate Chili Bites" continues »
April 13, 2005
Gianduioso
[Spreadable Gianduja]
It's all in the packaging, is it not? Because really, if you look at it from an objective stance, this is quite simply, well, Nutella. For about six times the price of regular industrial Nutella, as purchased by yours truly, in a moment of sheer giving-in-to-temptation, at the beauty/home store Résonances.
Ah, yes. But. It is in a tube you see, a nice, toothpaste-like, glittery golden tube with red lettering. And this ma...
February 14, 2005
Chocolate and Candied Ginger Tartlets
Joyeuse St-Valentin!
Head over to NPR's website for a special Valentine's Day commentary and the Chocolate and Candied Ginger Tartlet recipe I created for the occasion!
NPR (National Public Radio) is a nonprofit producer and distributor of radio shows that serves over 750 independant radio stations in the US. In particular, their shows are broadcast on KQED, which was my radio of choice while cruising the Silicon Valley freeways -- ah, "Fresh...
"Chocolate and Candied Ginger Tartlets" continues »
January 25, 2005
Abricots au Chocolat
[Chocolate Dipped Apricots]
What would you do with melted chocolate leftover from making orangettes and florentins? Throw it out? You have got to be kidding.
No. The wise thing to do was rummage through my kitchen cabinets for something that would be nice and dippable. And I thus unearthed, oh joy, the large bag of dried apricots I had bought for my Apricot Sticky Toffee Pudding. These little orange nuggets keep remarkably well, and they we...
"Abricots au Chocolat" continues »
December 31, 2004
Shortcut Orangettes
In addition to the florentins, my little food gift packages for the holidays included orangettes, those little strips of candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate.
I called these shortcut orangettes because I made them with candied orange rind I had bought at Ali Baba's Cave for Bakers. I could have called them Cheater's Orangettes too, but I thought it somewhat disparaging. You could candy your own of course, it's excellent karma: I mysel...
"Shortcut Orangettes" continues »
December 27, 2004
Florentins
Last year was my first time making food gifts for the holidays. My chocolate truffles and my mendiants were such fun to make and were so well received, that I was determined to repeat the experience this year. For a few weeks before Christmas I toyed with various ideas (all carefully written down for future reference, I hope I have long years of food gift giving ahead of me), and these florentins were among the elected ones.
Florentins are sma...
December 15, 2004
Gâteau Surprise Chocolat Pistache
[Chocolate and Pistachio Surprise Cake]
Last week was my sister's birthday. I didn't come as much of a surprise, really, because I have quite the analytical mind, and a careful observation has led me to the conclusion that this phenomenon happens every 8th of December, year in, year out. At least it always has. Of course, just because the sun has risen every morning for as long as we can remember doesn't mean it won't one day set and refuse to...
"Gâteau Surprise Chocolat Pistache" continues »
October 28, 2004
In Which Two Kilos Of Chocolate Enter Her Kitchen
At the end of Chocolate & Zucchini's birthday party last week, after all the guests had left in a whirlwind of kisses and effusive thanks and well wishes, the dust settled and it was just Nicolas, Maxence and me, collapsing into chairs, exhausted but beaming.
Nicolas, who hadn't eaten all night from all that cooking, brought out a loaf of bread and a small round of demi-sec goat cheese, bought the previous Saturday at the organic Marché des Ba...
"In Which Two Kilos Of Chocolate Enter Her Kitchen" continues »
October 11, 2004
Chocolate Chili Bites
On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of the Paris Potluck, hosted by Alisa and her husband Jean-Yves. This time around, Alisa had suggested that we follow a theme : no more random assortment of everyone's current food obessions! And as she (and I and pretty much everyone else) had been suffering from terrible Mexican food cravings since moving to Paris, her theme of choice was Mexican, as announced happily in a...
"Chocolate Chili Bites" continues »
June 23, 2004
Gâteau au Chocolat Aérien, Glacé Ganache
[Aerial Chocolate Cake, Ganache Glaze]
This cake recipe comes from Trish Deseine's book Je Veux du Chocolat! -- much-liked and oft-mentioned around here, as I'm sure you've noticed. I am not spontaneously drawn to that kind of light-textured chocolate cake, having chosen instead to walk the path of dense, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth cakes, but sometimes the occasion calls for a cake just like this.
A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a g...
"Gâteau au Chocolat Aérien, Glacé Ganache" continues »
April 26, 2004
Deprived? Who, me?
One of the things that fascinated me about my workplace in the Silicon Valley was the very American profusion of food : the huge refrigerators in the kitchen were filled with every possible kind of soft drink (including those nasty nasty frappuccinos), the freezer was stocked with instant meals and frozen burritos (we're talking engineer food here), and the cabinets and shelves looked like a movie theater snack stand : chips, nuts, beef jerky, ...
"Deprived? Who, me?" continues »
April 18, 2004
Chocolate & Zucchini Cake
Today is the third edition of the collaborative food blogging event "Is My Blog Burning?". The first edition, hosted by Alberto, was all about soup. The second edition, hosted by yours truly, had a tartine theme.
Today's event is hosted by the lovely Singaporean foodie Renée, and the theme is Cake Walk. As Renée explains, a cake walk is a sort of lottery organized at local fun fairs, in which the prizes are cakes baked and donated by people f...
"Chocolate & Zucchini Cake" continues »
April 17, 2004
Maryland Delights, Act I : Chocolate Cremes
After I posted about the American food items I sorely missed, C&Z reader Alicia, from Maryland, offered to do a little food swap with me. Me? Food? In the mail? I happily accepted. I received her package just last week, and will now, ladies and gentlemen, before your startled eyes, proceed to uncover its content, in three installments.
The first item was a package of chocolate cremes, made by Berger Cookies, a bakery founded in Baltimore in th...
"Maryland Delights, Act I : Chocolate Cremes" continues »
March 6, 2004
I feel so deprived
On this side of the Atlantic, I can find Oreo cookies and I can find smooth peanut butter. I can find Newman's Own microwave popcorn and I can find Aunt Jemima pancake mix. I can find Philadelphia cream cheese and I can find Graham Crackers.
But I miss my honey-frosted mini-wheats, I miss Barbara's Bakery Cinnamon Puffins, I miss decent tortillas and chunky salsa, I miss the Jiffy corn muffin mix, and most of all, I miss Reese's Peanut Butter ...
"I feel so deprived" continues »
February 27, 2004
The Double Chocolate Crisp Quest
And today, it is with a plea for help that I come to you, a call to your infinite wisdom and collective knowledge.
Last time I did something of the kind, you proved to me that you were as generous with your advice and insight as I had hoped, and although I have yet to make another attempt at poaching an egg - I never seem to feel like it until the eggs I have can't, in all honesty, be considered at their peak of freshness anymore - your preci...
"The Double Chocolate Crisp Quest" continues »
February 18, 2004
Gâteau Fondant au Chocolat et Noisettes Caramélisées
[Chocolate Cake with Caramelized Hazelnuts]
Last Sunday afternoon, my sister Céline and I organized a "Goûter de Cousins" at my place. We invited those of our cousins who live in Paris, which amounts to about a dozen. Most of them we only see once a year at family holiday parties - some a little more, some way less - and we thought it would be nice to start a little tradition of same-generation gathering.
The added bonus of this very friendl...
"Gâteau Fondant au Chocolat et Noisettes Caramélisées" continues »
February 7, 2004
Pierre Hermé's Aztec Entremets
As many of you guessed, the dessert for our dinner party last Saturday was ever so kindly contributed by pâtisserie expert and enthusiast Ulrich, he-who-works-with-Pierre-Hermé. You see, Pierre Hermé is a perfectionist and it really shows in the simple beauty of his creations. Extreme and skillful care is taken in the preparation, but once in a while of course, something goes wrong. In that case the product cannot possibly be sold as is, and wh...
"Pierre Hermé's Aztec Entremets" continues »
January 28, 2004
Scottish Caramel Shortcake
Oh my.
This is one of the many luscious gifts that my blog-friend Jackie gave me when we met in London. Those square layered cookies come in a pack of three, each with a layer of buttery shortcake biscuit, a layer of creamy caramel, and a layer of sweet milk chocolate to top it all off.
Naturally, I expected something rich, so I cut one up into fourths and had a piece with a cup of tea. It was so good, the different layers melding together, ...
"Scottish Caramel Shortcake" continues »
January 21, 2004
Petits Palmiers Chocorange
[Chocolate and Orange Palm Leaf Cookies]
If you browse through the row of cookbooks lined up on top of our fridge, you might notice one, called "Moi, je cuisine solo ou duo" by Brigitte Namour. The title roughly means "I cook for one or two", and this book is filled to the brim with quick and ingenious recipes, scaled for a couple of servings. Originally, I had bought it as a gift for my dear friend Marion, who's an enthusiastic cook too. I bo...
"Petits Palmiers Chocorange" continues »
December 27, 2003
Truffes au Chocolat
This year for Christmas, I made chocolate bites of two kinds to give to my family, and bought small confectioner's crystal bags at a professional store to put them in. I also wanted to make little tags to tie around the bags. I bought delicate ivory paper, beautiful green leaves made of very fine thread, and some silver yarn. I cut out rectangles of paper, wrote "Chocolate & Zucchini" with colored pencils on them, and sewed each rectangle to a ...
"Truffes au Chocolat" continues »
December 26, 2003
Mendiants
I have always loved the idea of giving out food gifts. As with any handmade present, it seems a very personal way to show you care, and that you love the person enough to spend a few hours making something nice for them. Last year, I didn't plan for it early enough to make it happen : Christmas is always a busy period, and we had just moved into our apartment a month before. But this year, I thought about it well in advance, took care of the ne...
December 23, 2003
Petit Pot Chocolat Vanille, Ruban de Caramel au Petit Beurre
[Chocolate Vanilla Petit Pot, Caramel Petit Beurre Ribbon]
This is the dessert I served to end Saturday night's dinner. The idea came to me during the same bus ride through Paris that brought us the goat cheese mousse. I don't know what was in the air that day, but ideas just kept bubbling up, a swarm of dishes taking shape and morphing in my mind, which I kept writing down furiously. Stepping out of the bus, I even had to sit down on a bench ...
"Petit Pot Chocolat Vanille, Ruban de Caramel au Petit Beurre" continues »
December 13, 2003
Petit Gâteau Chocolat Noisette
I was out in the Marais area this afternoon, doing a little Christmas shopping (ok, a lot). And shopping, as you know, is a form of strenuous exercise. Especially ten days before Christmas. Especially in the Marais. That is why I entirely deserved a nutritious goûter, and I found just what I needed at a chocolate store called "Cacao et Chocolat". I already knew that this Aztec-themed store sold excellent chocolates, ganaches and truffles, but I...
"Petit Gâteau Chocolat Noisette" continues »
December 10, 2003
Tarte Chocolat Poire Chocolat
[Chocolate Pear Chocolate Tart]
As you know, I have a passion for chocolate. In restaurants, I am never intimidated by the decadent sounding all-chocolate desserts, and I can usually be relied upon to pick that. I have also tried my hand at that kind of desserts, and loved every minute of it, from the imagining to the making to the savoring to the methodical plate scraping. But chocolate can also be sublimated by the presence of other well-cho...
"Tarte Chocolat Poire Chocolat" continues »
November 10, 2003
Cake au Chocolat, Abricots et Gingembre
On Sunday afternoon, we had a few friends over for the goûter. In attendance were : Marie-Laure and Ludo, with whom we had had brunch earlier in the day ; my friend Sophie, who used to work at my company ; Stéphane and Caro, who are friends from college ; and our neighbors Stéphan and Patricia. To feed this crowd, I wanted to make something chocolate. I know, I know, I surprise myself too, sometimes.
When Pierre Hermé's Chocolate Desserts cook...
"Cake au Chocolat, Abricots et Gingembre" continues »
November 1, 2003
Le Salon Du Chocolat
A Chocolate Trade Show - has anybody ever heard of a better concept? The Paris one takes place every year in late October, when the weather gets a little chilly and Christmas is getting near and people need to warm their hearts and stock up on chocolate goodness. Passionate as we are about our chocolate, Marie-Laure and I just had to attend, and we decided to go to the late opening on Friday....
"Le Salon Du Chocolat" continues »
October 17, 2003
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake
Yesterday we had a small party at my office to celebrate my company's fifth anniversary, and our pendaison de crémaillère, which is French for a housewarming party. Une crémaillère is a trammel, i.e. the metal adjustable hook that was used to hang pots in the fireplace in the days of yore, and the hanging (pendaison) of this essential piece of equipment in a new house was as good an occasion as any to have a village gathering.
Our new offices ...
"Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake" continues »
October 4, 2003
Tartelettes Absolument Chocolat
[Absolute Chocolate Tartlets]
I could have met my friends Marie-Laure and Laurence at a Chocoholics Anonymous meeting, so when they came over for dinner last night, I decided I would treat them to Absolute Chocolate Tartlets.
The recipe comes from one of my cookbooks, called Je Veux du Chocolat! ("I want chocolate!") by Trish Deseine - another much cherished present from Maxence. In the book, it is called "Tarte Absolue" and is made as one b...
"Tartelettes Absolument Chocolat" continues »