Desserts & Sweets Archive

August 13, 2008

Chiffon Cake

When Maxence and I lived in California at the turn of the century, we liked to visit a small shop in Mountain View called Hong Kong Bakery. The Chinese-style pastries all seemed very exotic to me and we ate our way through the full range over the first few months, but soon stopped when we found our gold-medalled champion: the chiffon cake. If yo...

"Chiffon Cake" continues »

June 18, 2008

Banana Pecan Cake with Maple Glaze

Among the countless blessings this blog has brought to my life is this one: I have met and become friends with a few cookbook authors. They are delicious people to be around, naturally, and if I manage to fox my way into their house they may actually cook for me, but the invaluable bonus is that, once I've come to know and trust them, once I've ...

"Banana Pecan Cake with Maple Glaze" continues »

May 16, 2008

Petites Meringues

My freezer is not exactly in its prime, and it suffers from ice buildup syndrome. I put stuff in there, all wrapped up and all, and a few weeks later everything's covered in frost like the beard of a North Pole explorer. And after a while, there's so much ice covering the shelves that I half expect to see penguins skating around. Part of my job...

"Petites Meringues" continues »

April 14, 2008

Squeeze Cookies (A Roasted Flour Experiment)

Among the many things I learned during that memorable conference on molecular gastronomy, one idea has been whirling around my brain with particular insistence since then, and it is that of farine torréfiée*, or roasted flour. It was introduced to us by way of a truism: raw flour is bland, browned flour isn't. This is why we bother to make roux,...

"Squeeze Cookies (A Roasted Flour Experiment)" continues »

March 17, 2008

Kouign Amann etc.

I'm sure there are people out there who step inside a new pastry shop, glance at the display, order what they want, and walk out. I have no idea how they do it. Take, for instance, Philippe Conticini's recently opened boutique, which I visited last month, before I left for Australia. It is a tiny thing, just a small room with stone walls, a wood...

"Kouign Amann etc." continues »

January 31, 2008

Guimauve à la Rose et au Chocolat

[Rose and Chocolate Marshmallows] Guimauve is the stuff clouds are made of, it has the soft and cottony flavor of childhood, and resistance is futile when I spot the pretty pastel cubes in pastry shops. Rarely am I disappointed, but I do have to mention that one recent time when I bought an assortment from Pain de Sucre and got mostly weirdo f...

"Guimauve à la Rose et au Chocolat" continues »

January 15, 2008

Crumiri

[Italian Cornmeal Cookies] We all have our siren ingredients, those that call to us in voices of sugar from the printed page of a cookbook -- or the pixelated page of a food blog -- and charm us into dropping whatever we're doing to run to the kitchen and reenact the recipe. Cornmeal is one of my sirens, and I find it particularly beguiling in ...

"Crumiri" continues »

December 22, 2007

Rochers à la Noix de Coco

[Coconut Macaroons] Today's recipe, which conveniently doubles up as a holiday greeting card, is a beloved classic I wrote about eons ago on this here blog. I am normally reluctant to feature the same recipe twice, if only because it wreaks havoc in my recipe index, but in this instance, more than four years separate the two posts, and I do hav...

"Rochers à la Noix de Coco" continues »

November 9, 2007

Sablés Croquants Poivre et Noisette

[Crisp Hazelnut and Pepper Cookies] If you're the observant type, you may have noticed the walk-on actor in the fig sorbet picture two weeks ago. And you know what happens to walk-ons when they're talented and good-lookin' and lucky: they graduate to leading roles. Today is the cookie's big break; today, the cookie gets to be the hero of the pos...

"Sablés Croquants Poivre et Noisette" continues »

September 10, 2007

Tarte aux Quetsches et Crème de Noix

[Quetsche Plum Tart with Walnut Cream] I love plums. I love that they are small and that you can rinse a few of them at a time, whirling them in your hand like Baoding balls. I love that they come in sundry shapes and colors to match your outfit, I love that they have a pit that you can spit out into the sink, and I love that they grow on trees ...

"Tarte aux Quetsches et Crème de Noix" continues »

August 29, 2007

Langues de Chat au Thé Vert

[Green Tea Cat's Tongues] Langues de chat are classic French cookies that fall into the category of petits fours secs ("dry" petits fours, as opposed to miniature versions of pastries with buttercream, pastry cream, etc). They used to be a frequent accompaniment to ice-cream in restaurants, in rotation with cigarettes russes, but I haven't seen ...

"Langues de Chat au Thé Vert" continues »

July 17, 2007

On Meeting Sadaharu Aoki

Let me tell you this: girls aren't what they used to be. Present them with a spiffy British actor who knows how to bake an apple crumble, and they will smile, shake the actor's hand (twice), and walk away with a good story, yes, but their heart unstirred. Allow them to spend half a day with a famous pastry chef, however, and you will get a rathe...

"On Meeting Sadaharu Aoki" continues »

July 9, 2007

Biscuits Epeautre et Miel

[Spelt and Honey Crisps] There is nothing like a good cookie to celebrate the completion of a big project, and even though this project of mine* is not 100% completed -- I've written the bulk of the manuscript, but I have a few remaining elements to deliver --, cookies were 100% in order. If you are a long standing reader of this blog, and I do...

"Biscuits Epeautre et Miel" continues »

May 9, 2007

Muffins Carotte et Cacahuète

[Carrot and Peanut Muffins] In the interminable list of blessings that come with having a food blog is this one: readers will come forward and share their favorite recipes with you. I am always honored to receive these gifts and the stories that are delivered with them, and even though I seldom get around to making the dishes (my epitaph will r...

"Muffins Carotte et Cacahuète" continues »

March 15, 2007

Honeycomb: Now What?

When I was in New York City a few weeks ago, my flight landed in early afternoon on a Saturday. By the time the cab dropped me off on the sidewalk of my hotel it was mid-afternoon, and clean sheets and a plump pillow were a tempting proposition, but I resisted. The only anti-jetlag strategy that has ever worked for me is to fight sleepiness and s...

"Honeycomb: Now What?" continues »

March 7, 2007

Brioche Façon Pain Perdu

[French-Toasted Brioche] After a main course of cider-stewed pork served with pasta gratin, this is the sweet note on which my last dinner party ended. Inspiration sprung, again, from my recent meal at Le Caméléon, where the Amaretto cherry pain perdu was enchanting. In its most basic incarnation, pain perdu -- literally "lost bread" -- is stal...

"Brioche Façon Pain Perdu" continues »

January 26, 2007

Oeufs au Lait

I don't really do milk. I don't drink it, I don't cook with it, I don't add it to my cereals, and I like my coffee black, thanks. As a result, I rarely have any in the fridge, and when I do buy a bottle for a recipe, the leftovers usually sit in the fridge and spoil with boredom. But I hate to toss food as much as the next girl (or perhaps even ...

"Oeufs au Lait" continues »

January 19, 2007

Le Gâteau Piège

[Piège Cake] Oh no, don't worry, despite the name (piège means trap in French), this is not the sort of cake that's designed to snap closed onto the unsuspecting, eager-for-a-slice hand. I've named this cake le gâteau Piège -- with a capital "P" -- after Jean-François Piège, chef at Les Ambassadeurs [warning: muzak ahead], who shared the recipe ...

"Le Gâteau Piège" continues »

January 12, 2007

Galette des Rois, the 2007 Edition

And this year's galette des rois (check here for more on the tradition) was brought to us by Arnaud Larher, a thirty-something pastry chef and chocolatier who opened his own shop in Montmartre ten years ago, after honing his skills at Fauchon under Pierre Hermé's direction. I called the day before to order une galette pour six -- ordering is not...

"Galette des Rois, the 2007 Edition" continues »

December 27, 2006

Croquants Châtaigne et Noix de Pécan

[Chestnut Pecan Biscotti] Because I know you've been hanging on to the edge of your seats and I'm not such a bad person after all, here is my report on this year's batch of edible gifts. The recipe I ended up making on Saturday afternoon -- in between a few last-minute errands, but I'm fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood that offers plent...

"Croquants Châtaigne et Noix de Pécan" continues »

December 19, 2006

Macarons Maïs Violette

[Violet Cornmeal Macarons] If you are still trying to get your act together about what homemade edible presents to give out this holiday season, I'm here to tell you that you are not alone. I myself have done precisely zilch about it, but that's okay: today is Tuesday, Christmas eve is this Sunday, and that still gives me plenty of time to pick ...

"Macarons Maïs Violette" continues »

December 15, 2006

Favorites of the Moment

Barbie dolls didn't do much for me when I was little, but I had a passion for plush animals. Each of them had a name and a set of personality traits (often refined by my father, who would improvise bedtime shows for my sister and me, with voices and everything), and they felt more alive than I think grownups can really remember. A direct conseque...

"Favorites of the Moment" continues »

November 28, 2006

Biscuits Très Gingembre

[Very Ginger Cookies] One should always be careful what one writes about on one's blog, for one never knows what hungry demons one might unleash as one mulls over edible memories from one's past. After I wrote about shortbread last week and listed some of the things we liked to buy at Marks & Spencer's, I could not get their stem ginger biscuit...

"Biscuits Très Gingembre" continues »

November 17, 2006

Shortbread

I grew up in the most Anglophile French household I know, where the paperbacks strewn about the coffee table frequently bore little penguins, where the parents used English as a secret language when they didn't want their daughters to understand, and where sending them to England every summer sounded like a good idea (that question is still up fo...

"Shortbread" continues »

November 8, 2006

Poires Séchées

[Dried Pears] I oven-dry tomatoes all through late summer, when I can lay my hands on cheap and tasty specimens, and I like to apply that method to pears in the fall, too: the drying sublimates the pear flavor into a hauntingly sweet concentrate of itself. This does mean it is a good way to cut your losses on below-average pears, but for superb ...

"Poires Séchées" continues »

November 2, 2006

Cake à la Banane Flambée et Noix de Pécan Caramélisées

[Flambé Banana Bread with Caramelized Pecans] One of the things I love the most about kitchen activities is that they come in all shapes and sizes to fit your mood, and how much time you have on your hands. Whether you're looking for instant gratification or a way to spend some quality moments with your pans and spatulas, there is a project out ...

"Cake à la Banane Flambée et Noix de Pécan Caramélisées" continues »

October 26, 2006

La Bague de Kenza

Walking through the Oberkampf neighborhood this past Friday on my way from one appointment to the next, I glanced at my watch and gleefully realized I had just enough time to drop by La Bague de Kenza, a luxurious Algerian pastry shop on rue Saint-Maur. There was a line snaking outside onto the sidewalk -- it was still Ramadan then and many of t...

"La Bague de Kenza" continues »

October 23, 2006

Compote de Pomme et Potimarron à la Vanille de Mayotte

[Apple and Hokkaido Squash Compote with Mayotte Vanilla] I recently read that online shopping -- or just online window-shopping -- was a widespread form of procrastination. I cannot remember where I read this, but that's probably because reading random stuff on the Internet is another way in which I squander vast amounts of my time. In any case...

"Compote de Pomme et Potimarron à la Vanille de Mayotte" continues »

September 26, 2006

Gâteau Sirop Muffins

Amongst all the towns Maxence and I cruised through on our roadtrip across the US, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana is the one that stands out the most in my memory (and no, I don't receive any money from the mayor's office). We stayed there a bit longer than originally planned -- car troubles will do that to you, have you seen U Turn? -- but unlike Sean...

"Gâteau Sirop Muffins" continues »

September 5, 2006

Cinq-Cinquièmes à la Pistache

[Pistachio Five-Fifths] Le quatre-quarts ("four fourths") can be described as the French pound cake. It has earned its name because the batter is made with the same weight of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour, thus amounting to a fourth of the cake each: you weigh the eggs first, and measure the rest of the ingredients accordingly. There's baking p...

"Cinq-Cinquièmes à la Pistache" continues »

August 10, 2006

Fiadone

Fiadone can be described as the Corsican cheesecake. Crustless and no more than an inch in thickness, it is prepared with one of the most famous specialties from l'Ile de Beauté, a fresh cheese called brocciu (I am told that this is pronounced "brooch", not "bro-choo"), made with sheep's milk and/or goat's milk. Like all fresh cheeses, good artis...

"Fiadone" continues »

June 14, 2006

Framboises et Violettes en Tartelette

[Raspberry and Violet Tartlets] As promised, here is the recipe for the dessert in the flower menu I created for the French edition of ELLE (issue #3154, June 12, 2006). My thanks to Catherine Roig for allowing me to reproduce the recipes here. The picture above is a shot of the magazine page: the food styling is by Valérie Lhomme, the photograp...

"Framboises et Violettes en Tartelette" continues »

June 5, 2006

Petits Beurres

I have told you before about the cookbooks my grandmother has given me, old, tattered, and much-loved volumes that used to belong to my great-grandmother before her. One of them is called Mes Recettes pour votre dessert, and it contains 710 recipes for sweet things, arranged in alphabetical order from Amandés de Liège to Visitandines. And on page...

"Petits Beurres" continues »

May 15, 2006

Macadamia Maple Granola

When I was little, I had long and exclusive relationships with my breakfast menus. For years on end a particular food item was all I would have in the morning, until suddenly and without warning, a new monomania came to replace it. The earliest phase I remember involved pain de mie (white sandwich bread) and Nutella. Two slices of bread would be...

"Macadamia Maple Granola" continues »

April 17, 2006

Hot Cross Buns, Take II

If you have a book to write, I recommend hiding out for a few days in the comfort of a mountain house, preferably in a region where spring is a bit tardy, so the weather will make it easy for you to stay in and type. For fresh air, throw in a few healthy walks to spot the first daffodils (the mist will also make your hair nice and wavy) and a few...

"Hot Cross Buns, Take II" continues »

March 27, 2006

Petites Brioches

Amongst the many good things a food blog will do to you, is this one: even when you feel you are completely ruining a recipe, your mind is already working on how to turn this potential disaster into a hopefully entertaining, tale-of-a-near-fiasco post for your readers -- a much more constructive way to look at the situation than curling up on the...

"Petites Brioches" continues »

March 22, 2006

Clafoutis à la Fraise

I have a new piece appearing today on NPR's Kitchen Window: it is a recipe for strawberry clafoutis, to which I've added, as a free! no-strings-attached! bonus, an easy recipe for strawberry coulis. (If you've missed them, my previous contributions to Kitchen Window include: ~ Mango Scallop Tartlets ~ Pear Pastilla ~ Cheese Course 101 ~ Fresh He...

"Clafoutis à la Fraise" continues »

March 20, 2006

Club-Cake by Fauchon

... or how to botch a perfectly brilliant idea. This is the story of a disappointment. I hesitate to call it a cruel disappointment, because I was more disappointed the day I learned that Milli Vanilli was all a lie, but it was a sore one nonetheless. I had business to do around the Place de la Madeleine the other day, and as I was walking past...

"Club-Cake by Fauchon" continues »

March 6, 2006

Croissants aux Amandes

[Almond Croissants] A couple of weeks ago, as I was writing about brunches and the possibility of leftover croissants, I gave a passing mention to croissants aux amandes. Such a teaser could not go unnoticed: I received a few requests for instructions, and promised I'd share them as soon as I had a picture to illustrate the recipe. You will fin...

"Croissants aux Amandes" continues »

February 23, 2006

Cookies from a Jar

When we have friends over for Sunday brunch, the bulk of the meal is conveniently store-bought from the small shops around us. A generous cheese platter, a few items from the charcuterie (such as sliced bone-in ham, terrines, and sometimes eggs in aspic for a bit of harmless proselytizing), ample supplies of fresh baguette (usually a mix of plain...

"Cookies from a Jar" continues »

February 2, 2006

Macaron d'Amiens

[Macaron from Amiens] The French macaron seems to have gained international fame in the past few years, but I thought it was time to dispell a common misconception: the delicate confection, made of two rounds of shiny and smooth almond meringue sandwiched together by a creamy filling, is not the only type of French macaron one can enjoy. The one...

"Macaron d'Amiens" continues »

January 5, 2006

Coussin de Lyon

[Chocolate Pillow from Lyon] Like many French kids, I practically learned how to read with bande dessinées, the Belgian/French take on comic books, and a large chunk of my general culture comes directly from them. Although I had too many favorites to name just one, the classic Astérix was certainly among them. It is one of those incredibly multi...

"Coussin de Lyon" continues »

January 2, 2006

Crumble Pomme Mangue

[Mango Apple Crumble] I cultivate a relationship of deep trust and mutual appreciation with the Fruit Crumble Family. We send each other holiday cards and such, we remember our respective birthdays, and I often turn to them when I'm looking for a simple dessert that won't keep me busy for half the day, one that will be comforting and reliably ta...

"Crumble Pomme Mangue" continues »

December 7, 2005

Pommes et Poires aux Caramels

[Apples and Pears with Caramels] I love having friends over for an impromptu weeknight dinner. I love going out to restaurants too, I've probably made that clear by now, but having them at home is something else entirely -- warmer and more intimate. It allows you to choose your own musical ambiance (a nice random mix from the Squeezebox), move t...

"Pommes et Poires aux Caramels" continues »

November 18, 2005

Gâteau au Yaourt à la Myrtille

[Blueberry Yogurt Cake] I seem to have become the official birthday cake baker on the 3rd floor of my apartment building -- should this be added to my résumé you think? -- a mission I am proud and happy to take on. It was recently Peter's birthday -- Peter who's half Italian half Scottish, and who lives with Ligiana, herself from Brazil, in the...

"Gâteau au Yaourt à la Myrtille" continues »

November 2, 2005

Pear Pastilla on NPR and a Mention in ELLE

I am just back from my delicious vacation, and while I organize my notes to tell you all about the wonderful food we had in the south-west of France, let me direct you to my newest piece on NPR: crunchy and warm pear tartlets, a fall dessert inspired by the Moroccan pastilla. On another note, C&Z is featured in this week's French edition of ELLE...

"Pear Pastilla on NPR and a Mention in ELLE" continues »

October 31, 2005

Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire

[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2003.] On Sunday, Marie-Laure came over "pour le goûter". Le goûter is the afternoon snack kids are given when they come out of school around 4. In my family (by that I mean "at my parents'"), it is also called simply le thé, and is practically an institution. Around 5 on wee...

"Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire" continues »

October 12, 2005

Gâteau au Yaourt

[Yogurt Cake] As I've mentioned before, Maxence is a big advocate of the adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it". In other words, when a classic recipe is fabulous, don't meddle with it, and just do what you're told. Obviously I have trouble following that piece of advice, and more often than not I'll surrender to the urge and tweak a little some...

"Gâteau au Yaourt" continues »

October 3, 2005

Canelés

I tasted my first canelé some seven years ago, at Eric Kayser's boulangerie on rue Monge. Maxence had a friend who lived nearby, they often worked on school projects together, and whenever they felt like a break and a snack, this is where they would go. Maxence adored their canelés, ordered them often, and made me try them. Delicious. Simply del...

"Canelés" continues »

September 19, 2005

Pierre Hermé Fall/Winter Collection 2005

Ah, fall is right around the corner and you know what that means: colder days, longer nights, and a new collection of pastries by Pierre Hermé. This new collection, which was officially presented to the press in Tokyo, appeared in Parisian stores this past Thursday, and Louisa and I were there to greet it (and no, we didn't sleep on the doorstep)...

"Pierre Hermé Fall/Winter Collection 2005" continues »

August 5, 2005

Compote Pêche Abricot à la Crème de Coquelicot

[Peach Apricot Compote with Red Poppy Cream] I seem to have a particular fondness for the red poppy, its fragile fluttering silhouette and its thread-thin stem, too thin it seems to support its flamboyant scarlet petals and contrasting black heart. I like that it is easily spotted from afar -- in the middle of a field, on the banks of a country ...

"Compote Pêche Abricot à la Crème de Coquelicot" continues »

July 19, 2005

Gratin de Nectarines à la Noisette

[Hazelnut and Nectarine Gratin] In French, a portrait chinois (literally "Chinese portrait") is a kind of riddle in which one person tries to guess a famous person's name by asking a set of questions and working by analogy: if he were an animal, what would he be? And if he were a flower, a city, a song, a color, a movie? Since this is incredibly...

"Gratin de Nectarines à la Noisette" continues »

July 13, 2005

Soupe de Cerise, Tuiles Noisette et Romarin

[Swimming Cherries, Hazelnut Rosemary Tuiles] I have a new piece appearing today in NPR's weekly Kitchen Window column. The recipe I am sharing this time is for a chilled cherry soup that you can serve with hazelnut rosemary wafers, a variation on the typically French tuile. Here are the metric measurements: Soupe de cerise - 500 g cherries - 1...

"Soupe de Cerise, Tuiles Noisette et Romarin" continues »

June 9, 2005

Sadaharu Aoki

Having heard many great things about Parisian-Japanese pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki, I was very eager to taste his edible creations for myself. I had often admired them at the Lafayette Gourmet store (okay, now I make it sound like I spend my life there when really I don't, I go home to sleep and shower), but since I don't usually buy pastries unles...

"Sadaharu Aoki" continues »

May 23, 2005

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is a traditional Piemontese recipe -- the name means "cooked cream" in Italian. There are many variations of the recipe, but it is generally made by simply simmering together some cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, before letting it cool until set. The cream mixture can also be flavored, often with a vanilla pod, sometim...

"Strawberry Panna Cotta" continues »

May 13, 2005

La Punition

[The Punishment] Punitions is the name given to the delicious, blond, thin, crispy, unique, buttery cookies, made by the world-famous Poilâne bakery. You can purchase them by the weight (200g for roughly 4 euros), but there is a basket of them on the counter for you to help yourself when you buy a quarter, a half, or a whole round of the legen...

"La Punition" continues »

May 9, 2005

Pierre Hermé Tasting Notes

On Thursday afternoon I happened to have a few things to do in the St-Germain area. Being in that neighborhood never fails to send my food-hunter's antennae aflutter, in particular because of the nearby presence of Pierre Hermé's boutique on rue Bonaparte. It took me about one split second to decide that since I was having dinner at my neighbors'...

"Pierre Hermé Tasting Notes" continues »

April 8, 2005

Fraises au Sucre et Eclats de Fève de Cacao

[Just a little something to keep you happy while I busy myself madly at work, playing firefighter on a work project gone horribly awry.] Write down some of your favorite ingredients on small pieces of paper. Put them all in a jar, pick three at random (no cheating!) and see if you can come up with a recipe to make the most of your trio. Sometim...

"Fraises au Sucre et Eclats de Fève de Cacao" continues »

April 1, 2005

Gibassier de Lourmarin

Le Gibassier is a specialty from Lourmarin, the beautiful village in Provence where I spent Easter in my aunt and uncle's house. It is a large blond cookie of about a foot in length made with olive oil and shaped like an oval leaf. It is possibly named after Le Gibas, a nearby summit of the Luberon mountain range, but the confusing thing is that...

"Gibassier de Lourmarin" continues »

March 24, 2005

Muffins à la Framboise, Eclats de Fève de Cacao (IMBB13)

[Raspberry Muffins with Cacao Nibs] Today is the new edition of the world-famous collaborative food-blogging event Is My Blog Burning?. It is hosted this time by Maki of I was just really very hungry, and her theme of choice is cupcakes and muffins. You may notice that while IMBB's are traditionally held on Sundays, Maki thoughtfully planned for...

"Muffins à la Framboise, Eclats de Fève de Cacao (IMBB13)" continues »

March 16, 2005

Mid-Atlantic Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. Hard to resist I find it, with its fresh, creamy yet cakey body, and its tasty cookie crumb crust. But when you try to make American-style cheesecake in France, you quickly run into a procurement hurdle: neither cream cheese or graham crackers are readily available. You can find them -- at least if you'r...

"Mid-Atlantic Cheesecake" continues »

March 7, 2005

Goûter (presque) chez Pierre Hermé

[Afternoon Snack (almost) at Pierre Hermé's] Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure to meet Louisa, my own personal kitchen hero, and Andrea, her charming roommate from Mexico who also works at Les Ambassadeurs. When we discussed time and place, Louisa suggested we meet at Pierre Hermé's boutique, as Andrea had yet to discover it. Needless to sa...

"Goûter (presque) chez Pierre Hermé" continues »

March 2, 2005

Gâteau aux Daims

Daim Cake Sometimes I come upon a recipe and I just can't seem to get it out of my head. Case in point: the Buttercrunch Almond Tea Cake, as baked by Zarah Maria in Copenhagen. The original recipe comes from Lisa Yockelson's book Baking by Flavor and is a tea cake studded with chunks of Heath bar. Heath bars I don't do (never had one, not sold o...

"Gâteau aux Daims" continues »

February 28, 2005

Chez Panisse Gingersnaps

Gin·ger·snap (noun) : 1. a thin brittle cookie, round or rectangular, sweetened with molasses and flavored with ginger (and optionally other spices). Close cousin: the speculoos from Flanders. 2. one of these viral recipes that occasionally spread like magic through our little world of food blogs! And we have Renee to thank for this one. Renee ...

"Chez Panisse Gingersnaps" continues »

February 21, 2005

Muffins Banane Pécan

[Banana Pecan Muffins] Brunch. What a fabulously promising word, evocative of lazy Sunday mornings, meeting with your friends at a sunny terrace, all of you a little sleepy and deliciously carefree, to share the kind of simple and comforting food that makes you feel like a kid again. Runny eggs on toast. Bacon and potatoes. Blueberry pancakes. P...

"Muffins Banane Pécan" continues »

February 7, 2005

Des Crêpes!

Last Wednesday was La Chandeleur, a holiday that welcomes the first signs of spring. It is traditionally celebrated by making crêpes, with a variety of superstitious little tricks to bring happiness and prosperity upon your household. One of those tricks involves holding a coin in your left hand while you flip the crêpe pan with your right hand...

"Des Crêpes!" continues »

January 17, 2005

Tarte Pomme Pistache

[Apple Pistachio Tart] Ever since I laid my hands on a can of pistachio paste for the Bar à Veloutés, I have been looking for ways to use the precious stuff and make the most of it. So far I have made crème brûlée à la pistache (adding a little to my regular crème brûlée recipe), pistachio cookies and chocolate pistachio cake, all of which I was...

"Tarte Pomme Pistache" continues »

January 6, 2005

Galette des Rois

It is a typically French tradition to celebrate l'Epiphanie: this holiday celebrates the day on which the three kings Gaspard, Balthazar and Melchior came to pay their tribute to the world-famous baby born just a couple of weeks before. In French those kings go by the cool name of Les Rois Mages (the sorcerer kings), and their first names are tot...

"Galette des Rois" continues »

January 5, 2005

Tarte Tatin Caramel au Beurre Salé

[Tarte Tatin with Salted Butter Caramel] This is the dessert I made for our New Year's Eve dinner. We had decided to have a luxurious picnic rather than an elaborate meal, so we had toasts of foie gras (brought back from our vacation in the Périgord), a fruity duck magret salad whipped up by our neighbor Stéphan, and some Coquilles St-Jacques,...

"Tarte Tatin Caramel au Beurre Salé" continues »

December 29, 2004

Sablés Vanille Pécan

[Vanilla Pecan Cookies] These are the cookies I made to bring for tea at my parents' last Sunday. Originally, I meant to make cookies using the cookie press that my sister gave me for Christmas last year and which I hadn't yet played with. Did you ever notice how time seems to move at a different pace for kitchen utensils? I buy them or receive ...

"Sablés Vanille Pécan" continues »

December 21, 2004

Petits Fruits en Pâte d'Amande

When I was little and my grandmother was still a young and energetic seventy-something, she came to our house for lunch every Sunday. Now that I am older I'm guessing that this tradition must have been a bit of a strain on the adults from time to time (surely lazing around in your pajamas till noon must have been a tempting occupation too), but t...

"Petits Fruits en Pâte d'Amande" continues »

December 7, 2004

Crumble Banane Poire Pécan

[Banana Pear Pecan Crumble] Fruit crumbles are perfect for when you have company: you can prepare the crumble dough well in advance, cut up the fruit when you have time, bake the crumble at your convenience (although same day is best for the crisp factor), and reheat it in the oven just before serving. I usually prepare enough dough for two crum...

"Crumble Banane Poire Pécan" continues »

November 21, 2004

Pistachio Cookies (IMBB10)

Today is the 10th edition of Is My Blog Burning?, the collaborative blogging event! It is hosted this time around by Fabulous Baker Jennifer, from The Domestic Goddess, and the theme is Cookie Swap. A cookie swap, if you'not familiar with the concept, is a little party thrown between friends and/or neighbors before the holidays, where each gues...

"Pistachio Cookies (IMBB10)" continues »

October 26, 2004

Cubes à la Noisette

[Hazelnut Cubes] Very rarely do I repeat a recipe. This stems from the fact that I am forever, and in all areas of life, much more interested in the new and the unusual, than in the same-old, however easy. But this NRFBS (Non-Repeating Food Blogger Syndrome) is also brought on by this very blog you hold in your hands, so to speak : if I am going...

"Cubes à la Noisette" continues »

October 6, 2004

Pâtes de Fruit

Today is my father's birthday. And as has been the tradition for as long as I can remember (and probably long before that), one of his gifts will be his favorite treat, a big assortment of pâtes de fruits from Hédiard. Pâtes de fruit, literally "fruit pastes", are firm pieces of sweet fruit purée, a bit like jam made solid, rolled in sugar and c...

"Pâtes de Fruit" continues »

September 10, 2004

Coffee Cake à la Myrtille

[Blueberry Coffee Cake] At La Pommeraie, the fruit farm where we picked a large amount of blueberries earlier this week, they gave out little leaflets about the different kinds of fruit they grow, giving out instructions on how to keep them, and a few, wonderfully straightforward recipes -- tarts and compotes, clafoutis and jams. This is how I l...

"Coffee Cake à la Myrtille" continues »

August 31, 2004

Crumble Abricot et Melon aux Pignons de Pin

[Apricot and Melon Crumble with Pinenuts] Maxence and I were recently invited over to our friends Peggy and Julien's appartment for dinner. They used to live just three blocks down the street from us, but they have just moved and now live, oh, a good six blocks further, so visiting them still has that special neighborly feel to it. Although Pegg...

"Crumble Abricot et Melon aux Pignons de Pin" continues »

August 22, 2004

Gnocchi de Speculoos (IMBB7)

[Sweet Speculoos Gnocchi] Today is the 7th edition of Is My Blog Burning?, the collective food blogging event, brainchild of my favorite Italian baker, Alberto. This time around, the theme is You're just the cutest little dumpling!, and is hosted by Jarrett, to whom the food enthusiast community owes a lifetime of gratitude for coming up with th...

"Gnocchi de Speculoos (IMBB7)" continues »

August 16, 2004

Tarte au Fromage Frais, Miel et Ecorces d'Orange Confites

[Honey Cheese Tart with Candied Orange Peel] This golden tart rounds out the selection of desserts I served at my birthday party. The birthday cake itself had to be chocolate of course, and I wanted to bake a second dessert that would complement it in terms of taste, shape, color and texture. I felt that a cheesecake of sorts would be just the...

"Tarte au Fromage Frais, Miel et Ecorces d'Orange Confites" continues »

August 13, 2004

Compote de Rhubarbe aux Biscuits Roses de Reims

[Rhubarb Compote with Pink Champagne Cookies] This was a last-minute addition to the dessert buffet for my birthday party. I was at the grocery store minding my own business, when a beautiful bunch of rhubarb, all slender stalks and pink cheeks, called out mischievously : "Rhubarb season doesn't last forever, you know!" I turned around in surpri...

"Compote de Rhubarbe aux Biscuits Roses de Reims" continues »

July 16, 2004

Tarte aux Myrtilles

[Blueberry Tart] Blueberries are by far my favorite berry, and this has been true for as long as I can remember. Something about their color (blue), their size (tiny), and their taste (tart and sweet) really appeals to me. As luck would have it, much like blackcurrant in Burgundy, blueberries are the emblematic berry in the Vosges, where they gr...

"Tarte aux Myrtilles" continues »

July 15, 2004

Coffee Cake à l'Abricot

[Apricot Coffee Cake] I am currently spending a few days with my family in the Vosges, a mountain range in the East of France where my parents have a vacation house. One of the great pleasures of being there, besides enjoying the garden, taking walks up the mountain, and sleeping soundly in the perfect quiet, is baking with my mother. This is so...

"Coffee Cake à l'Abricot" continues »

July 6, 2004

Bébé Financiers

What is it with mini things that makes them so damn irresistible? I have always wanted to make mignardises, those sweet little bites that they serve with coffee in upscale restaurants. The name alone is enough to make you want them : "mignardise" comes from "mignard", an old-fashioned word which, as a noun, means a small child, and as an adject...

"Bébé Financiers" continues »

July 3, 2004

Les Niniches de Quiberon

When I was a child, my family spent a week in Brittany every year during the spring break. The place where we went most often was Carnac, on the South coast of Brittany, a little town famous for its stunning prehistoric menhir alignments. It was always quite a gamble on the weather, as that time of year has equal chances of being brightly sunny, ...

"Les Niniches de Quiberon" continues »

June 11, 2004

Corn Muffins

Oh. My. Muffin. These corn muffins you see here were made with the mix that Alicia sent me a little while ago, as part of her Maryland Delights food package. I hadn't had a corn muffin since my California days, and they were as excellent as I remembered, if not even more so. This mix is made by a brand named Washington, and boasts golden sweet...

"Corn Muffins" continues »

June 9, 2004

Speculoos

When our friends came over for dinner on Saturday night, I felt like serving a simple and light dessert. By "light" I do not necessarily mean light in calories, but rather light as in "not too rich". I wanted to make something fruit-based, with a little cookie-type thing to dip in and accompany it. I like that kind of dessert, because it allows e...

"Speculoos" continues »

May 29, 2004

Compote Rose

[Pink Compote] I've always been a great fan of tart and acidic things. I also love the French word for this special combination of tastes, "acidulé", which perfectly conveys the idea of something colorful and tingly and refreshing. As a child, my favorite candy were the ones that gave your tastebuds shock therapy -- I remember with particular fo...

"Compote Rose" continues »

May 23, 2004

Riz au Lait à la Framboise (IMBB4)

[Raspberry Rice Pudding] Most of you know by now about Is My Blog Burning?, the collaborative food blogging event, in which food bloggers post a recipe on a particular theme on the same day. Well, today is the 4th edition, hosted by Pim, and the theme this time is "Around the World in a Bowl of Rice". As I have come to expect on such occasions,...

"Riz au Lait à la Framboise (IMBB4)" continues »

May 21, 2004

The Biggest Speculoos in the World

Speculoos are a specialty from the North of France and Belgium. Originally baked as a treat for St-Nicholas' day, those thin, crunchy little cookies, flavored with spices, are baked in long rectangular molds that form a pattern on them : a saint's figure or, more commonly nowadays, the brand name. They are baked year-round now, and are widely ava...

"The Biggest Speculoos in the World" continues »

May 17, 2004

Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise

[Raspberry Yogurt Cake] Gâteau au Yaourt is a staple in French home baking : it is very easy to make and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like it. Its particularity is to call for a pot de yaourt (a tub of yogurt), and to use the empty pot to measure out the rest of the ingredients. This no-scale recipe is a notable exception to the French...

"Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise" continues »

May 4, 2004

Cranberry Banana Bread

I had read about this recipe a little while ago on Mariko's blog. She credited Melissa for it, who had herself gotten it from Wilson's Farm in Lexington, MA. I'd always wanted to make a banana bread but never had, and the addition of cranberries sounded great. A few months ago, my grocery store was selling cranberries, very uncharacteristically I...

"Cranberry Banana Bread" continues »

April 27, 2004

Raspberry Rhubarb Grunt

On Sunday, we were invited to my sister Céline's place for lunch with my parents, and I offered to take care of the dessert. With the beautiful spring weather we've had lately, I felt like making something light and fruit-based. Rhubarb season has just begun and we are all big fans in my family, so that was the fruit of choice. I looked around ...

"Raspberry Rhubarb Grunt" continues »

April 13, 2004

Hot Cross Buns

My family has always been very fond of British baked goods. Marks & Spencer's has sadly closed off all their French stores, but when it was still around [deep sigh of nostalgia], we were their most faithful customers for English muffins, crumpets, mince-meat pies and hot cross buns, to be enjoyed with tea in the afternoon. Only recently did I fi...

"Hot Cross Buns" continues »

April 6, 2004

Sticky Toffee Pudding à l'Abricot

[Apricot Sticky Toffee Pudding] This past Sunday afternoon, we had decided to throw a little surprise birthday party for my dear friend Laurence. This sounded like the perfect occasion to try and recreate my own sticky toffee pudding miracle. Among the different recipes that I had dug out or that you kindly recommended, my favorite was the one ...

"Sticky Toffee Pudding à l'Abricot" continues »

April 3, 2004

Sticky Toffee Pudding

See this? Doesn't it look just scrumpalicious, nested in its little takeout box? See how the sticky caramel coating has rubbed off a bit on the right side, where the little pudding's shoulder was leaning, as I carried it home? I had walked to Rose Bakery for lunch, armed with a magazine and a notebook, my personal treat when I'm home on a weekd...

"Sticky Toffee Pudding" continues »

April 2, 2004

Fruits Déguisés

[Dressed-up Fruit] And what are fruits déguisés you ask? Most people would tell you that they are a traditional Christmas confection, in which dried fruits (dates and prunes mostly) have their pit replaced with a piece of brightly colored pâte d'amande (almond paste). To me however, fruits déguisés are much more than that : they are one of my ...

"Fruits Déguisés" continues »

March 13, 2004

Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I am not the greatest fan of oatmeal - at least when it is cooked in milk the usual way : the lumpy look and the weird smell and the mushy texture really put me off. However, I am a good friend of oatmeal in müesli, and in cookies, and in this baked oatmeal recipe. The original recipe is brought to us by ...

"Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis" continues »

February 20, 2004

Crumble Pommes Dattes

[Apple and Date Crumble] And this is the third (and final) item I baked for last Sunday's Goûter de Cousins, thinking it would be nice to make an apple crumble in addition to the two cakes. The idea was to serve something a little lighter and fruit-based for those of us who may have a small appetite, or may want to go the healthier route, or ma...

"Crumble Pommes Dattes" continues »

February 19, 2004

Gâteau à l'Orange et au Gingembre

[Flourless Orange and Ginger Cake] This is another cake I baked for our Goûter de Cousins last Sunday. I tasted my first flourless orange cake about a year ago at Rose Bakery, and absolutely loved it. I had tried to reproduce it then, and had made an Orange and Poppyseed version, adapting a recipe found on the web. It was really good - the orang...

"Gâteau à l'Orange et au Gingembre" continues »

February 17, 2004

Crumble Poire et Marron Confit

This is the very quick and yummy dessert I served our friends the other night, just before we got back to our scheduled program of activities - video games for Maxence and Marwane, and some serious chatting for Marion and myself. This is in fact a cheater's crumble, in which the fruit is cooked beforehand (in my case a large amount of delicious ...

"Crumble Poire et Marron Confit" continues »

February 14, 2004

Ceci n'est pas un Macaron

This is Pierre Hermé's Marron et Thé Vert Matcha macaron. This is a delicate confection of chestnut almond meringue and fresh chestnut cream and voluptuous green tea cream. This is a true delight, to the eye and to the palate. This is my Valentine's Day gift to you. Joyeuse St-Valentin!...

"Ceci n'est pas un Macaron" continues »

February 10, 2004

Yogurt Scones

We had friends over for brunch on Sunday. Maxence went out in the morning to the charcuterie shop, cheese shop, and bakery, and came back with an basketload of ready-to-eat goodies -- bone-in ham and duck terrine and eggs in aspic and cheese and freshly baked bread -- that we served with a simple salad topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. And for ...

"Yogurt Scones" continues »

January 16, 2004

Sablés au Citron à la Fleur de Sel

[Lemon and Fleur de Sel Butter Cookies] Jackie recently talked about Fleur de Sel on her great Daily Bread blog. As I was adding a comment about my favorite uses of the wonderful substance, I remembered these butter cookies. I was taken up on my offer to share the recipe, so here it is! This is a recipe I made a few months ago for a Sunday afte...

"Sablés au Citron à la Fleur de Sel" continues »

January 11, 2004

Gâteau Noix de Coco et Chocolat Blanc

[Coconut and White Chocolate Cake] As you know, yesterday was Maxence's birthday : I treated him to a nice dinner out on Friday (review on the way), and we celebrated again yesterday night with a group of friends, in a bar just a block from our apartment - which we more or less took over. This bar is a small place and we were on friendly terms w...

"Gâteau Noix de Coco et Chocolat Blanc" continues »

January 5, 2004

Coffee Cake Chocolat Marron Glacé

[Chocolate and Candied Chestnuts Coffee Cake] I wanted to bake a cake for our new year's eve party - what's a party without a cake? -- and this is what I made. The recipe for this cake is originally a Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Bon Appétit (circa 1993), which my mother and I tinkered with a little while ago, lowering the sugar content, subbing ...

"Coffee Cake Chocolat Marron Glacé" continues »

December 29, 2003

Pomme Rôtie aux Fruits Secs, Quenelle de Glace au Calisson

[Roasted Apple with Dried Fruits, Calisson Ice Cream] My mother and I wanted to end our Christmas eve dinner with a dessert simple to prepare yet festive, and satisfying yet light - more or less. This is what we came up with! The store Picard Surgelés sells excellent ice-cream created by François Théron. They come in a variety of flavors, all o...

"Pomme Rôtie aux Fruits Secs, Quenelle de Glace au Calisson" continues »

December 19, 2003

Confiture de Tomates Cerises à la Cannelle

[Cherry Tomato Cinnamon Jam] My mother has been making jars and jars of delicious jam every summer as far back as I can remember, using fruit bought at the Sunday morning market (strawberry, apricot), hand-picked by my family (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry), or given out by friends with overflowing orchards (rhubarb, plums, cherry plums). She...

"Confiture de Tomates Cerises à la Cannelle" 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"....

"Petit Gâteau Chocolat Noisette" continues »

December 1, 2003

Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille

[Vanilla Pecan Squares] Yesterday was my dear grandmother's 92nd birthday. On this occasion, my parents, myself and a few friends and relatives gathered at her place for a celebratory drink, before we all headed out to eat dinner. My mom had asked me if I felt like making a few sweet nibbles to go with the champagne. Me? Sweet nibbles? Have I ev...

"Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille" continues »

November 26, 2003

Pear Rosemary Crème Brûlée

Two weeks ago, my parents came over to my apartment. The plan was for the three of us to have lunch together, and then go out on a mini-tour of the 9th and 18th arrondissements, using a guidebook called "Paris Buissonier", which my sister and I gave our mother for Mother's day : it describes itineraries to walk through parts of Paris that are sel...

"Pear Rosemary Crème Brûlée" continues »

November 12, 2003

Rochers à la Noix de Coco

For the little goûter party we threw at home last Sunday, I wanted to make another item in addition to the apricot and ginger chocolate cake. As one of our guests has to follow a gluten-free diet, I was hoping I could find something that she could eat, too. In my cookbook "Les Gâteaux de Mamy", I found a recipe for Rochers à la Noix de Coco ̵...

"Rochers à la Noix de Coco" continues »

November 4, 2003

Lemon Thyme Crème Brûlée

Ever since we bought the Oxylaser Blowtorch I’ve been pining for an opportunity to use it. My sister Céline has (at least) as much of a sweet tooth as I do, so I decided to make us Lemon Thyme Crèmes Brûlées for dessert on Saturday. I found a disturbing number of very different crème brûlée recipes out there, calling for widely discordant...

"Lemon Thyme Crème Brûlée" continues »

October 26, 2003

Layers in a Glass

This is one of my favorite recipes when I want to make a light individual dessert that's quick to make, yet looks nice and sophisticated. I served it the other night to end our duck confit meal, after which “light and refreshing” was definitely the way to go. This recipe lends itself to an endless number of variations, but I’ll ...

"Layers in a Glass" continues »

October 14, 2003

Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire

On Sunday, Marie-Laure came over "pour le goûter". Le goûter is the afternoon snack kids are given when they come out of school around 4. In my family (by that I mean "at my parents'"), it is also called simply le thé, and is practically an institution. Around 5 on weekends, somebody will invariably ask "on fait le thé?" (alternatively "on prend ...

"Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire" continues »

October 6, 2003

Honey Hazelnut Cake

Yesterday, my parents came over for tea. This is always a perfect occasion for me to bake (yeah, like I need one), and today being my father's birthday, I decided to bake a cake. After perusing my cookbooks and recipe files, I set my heart on this Honey Hazelnut Cake from the book "Les Gâteaux de Mamie". The original recipe is titled "Gâteau a...

"Honey Hazelnut Cake" continues »

October 2, 2003

Chouquette Story

What are chouquettes (shoo-kett) you ask? Chouquettes are little "pâte à choux" pastry puffs, sprinkled with coarse sugar. They can be bought by weight in French bakeries, in a thin bulging paper bag. When you're a kid, the best part is eating the sugar cristals that have collected at the bottom of the bag when the last of the chouquettes has bee...

"Chouquette Story" continues »

October 1, 2003

Chouquettes

2008 update: Below is a revised recipe, as it appears in Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris, my book on Paris restaurants and food shops. Here is the recipe for chouquettes. For the whole adventure, see Chouquette Story....

"Chouquettes" continues »