Jardin du Luxembourg on July 4th1. Plan a picnic
2. Call some friends
3. Buy food, ie bread, meat, cheese, wine, chips
4. Meet at planned location ie Jardin du Luxembourg
5. Pick a nice spot on the grass and enjoy
The Remains of Our Picnic LunchThere may not have been fireworks, hotdogs or potato salad, but my 4th was very enjoyable. I was even serenaded by my French friends with their version of "God Bless the US", on several occassions. As if the day couldn't get any better, we came across a small version of Lady Liberty in the west side of the park. (There are actually two small versions of our beloved Statue of Liberty in Paris, one in the Jardin du Luxembourg and one on an island in the Siene, close to the Tour de Eiffel). It was insisted that I stop and have my photo taken with her, since it was "my" Independence Day.
Lady Liberty et Moi
Work is still going well. This week in an effort to not let a large batch of cherries go to waste, I decided to make a Black Forest Cake. Yesterday was spent making the Vanilla Supreme (mousse) filling, stirring in the cherries and then spreading it over the Kirsch syrup soaked Chocolate Genoise, and then topping it with another lovely layer of Chocolate Genoise with a Red Pate Decor design. My mousse turned out a little soft, so I put it in the fridge and told Quentin we might need to freeze it before we cut it, or the mousse might leak out. I motioned with my fingers. He nodded in agreement. Then I left for the day.
Today when I arrived to the kitchen, I went directly to the fridge to check on the cake, crossing my fingers that the mousse had set up more overnight. I opened the fridge to find it completely empty. I turned to look at Quentin; he shrugged his shoulders.
"Ou a le gateau?" I asked. He pointed to the poubelle (trash can).
"What???" I couldn't even think of the French words to ask questions. Thinking of all that work and the waste of ingredients, why on earth would it have gone into the trash? Who, what, why?
Before I got too worked up, Quentin grinned, shook his head and said, "No, no, no, I put in freezer downstairs". I laughed. Yes, it was funny. Whereas some people would be really pissed about having someone play their feelings like that, I loved it. We can barely speak each others language, but jokes are universal; and I saw it as a sign that we are commrades.
Unfortunately I forgot my camera today, so no photos of the Foret Noire (Black Forest Cake). And if the elderly lady practically licking her plate is any indication of how well the customers liked it, there won't be any left for photos tomorrow. So here is photo of the one I made in school.
Foret Noire
I'm off to buy a map of Berlin. I'm taking my first mini holiday this weekend and going to a friend's wedding in Chemnitz, Germany (south east) and then spending a few days with Romain in Berlin. Don't worry, we'll be returning to Paris just in time for the Bastille Day fireworks.
Lady Liberty et MoiThe best part of my July 4th was food related, big surprise. Since I have arrived in Paris, I have been hearing about a dessert called, "Moelleux au Chocolat". It looks a lot like what us American's know as a "Molten Chocolate Cake". Are they similar? I could not tell you, I've never really been a fan of the Molten cake. Romain's brother was visting for the weekend and when I asked him what his favorite dessert was, he said, "Moelleux" and asked if I knew how to make it. No, but I had heard of it and was willing to give it a try.
I researched recipes online; there were quite a few, but I liked this one best because it has a video. Warning if you want to make this recipe for yourself, make 1/4 the recipe, the whole recipe makes enough for at least 20 people. The results is an incredibly moist chocolate cake with an oozing chocolate center. Try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I'm warning you- it is super addictive. I took some of the leftover batter to work with me on Monday and made a few little cakes for the staff lunch. I'm still getting requests for the recipe.
Le Moelleux au Chocolate
The photo doesn't do it justice
I researched recipes online; there were quite a few, but I liked this one best because it has a video. Warning if you want to make this recipe for yourself, make 1/4 the recipe, the whole recipe makes enough for at least 20 people. The results is an incredibly moist chocolate cake with an oozing chocolate center. Try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I'm warning you- it is super addictive. I took some of the leftover batter to work with me on Monday and made a few little cakes for the staff lunch. I'm still getting requests for the recipe.
Le Moelleux au ChocolateThe photo doesn't do it justice
Work is still going well. This week in an effort to not let a large batch of cherries go to waste, I decided to make a Black Forest Cake. Yesterday was spent making the Vanilla Supreme (mousse) filling, stirring in the cherries and then spreading it over the Kirsch syrup soaked Chocolate Genoise, and then topping it with another lovely layer of Chocolate Genoise with a Red Pate Decor design. My mousse turned out a little soft, so I put it in the fridge and told Quentin we might need to freeze it before we cut it, or the mousse might leak out. I motioned with my fingers. He nodded in agreement. Then I left for the day.
Today when I arrived to the kitchen, I went directly to the fridge to check on the cake, crossing my fingers that the mousse had set up more overnight. I opened the fridge to find it completely empty. I turned to look at Quentin; he shrugged his shoulders.
"Ou a le gateau?" I asked. He pointed to the poubelle (trash can).
"What???" I couldn't even think of the French words to ask questions. Thinking of all that work and the waste of ingredients, why on earth would it have gone into the trash? Who, what, why?
Before I got too worked up, Quentin grinned, shook his head and said, "No, no, no, I put in freezer downstairs". I laughed. Yes, it was funny. Whereas some people would be really pissed about having someone play their feelings like that, I loved it. We can barely speak each others language, but jokes are universal; and I saw it as a sign that we are commrades.
Unfortunately I forgot my camera today, so no photos of the Foret Noire (Black Forest Cake). And if the elderly lady practically licking her plate is any indication of how well the customers liked it, there won't be any left for photos tomorrow. So here is photo of the one I made in school.
Foret NoireI'm off to buy a map of Berlin. I'm taking my first mini holiday this weekend and going to a friend's wedding in Chemnitz, Germany (south east) and then spending a few days with Romain in Berlin. Don't worry, we'll be returning to Paris just in time for the Bastille Day fireworks.
1 comment:
The Moelleux seems quite plain, but the chocolate oozing out seems to hint at a different story inside.
And the Noire looks so yummy!
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