Playing Chef- Crepe Night

 The Remains of the Meal

A common misconception about chefs is that once we are done with our work day, we don't want to cook/bake ect.  Chefs are known for eating out quite a bit, but its usually because we are foodies, and not so much due to laziness.  However I am not claiming I have never come home from work and just ordered a pizza....it also helps that I live in close proximity to some decent and inexpensive places to eat.  What comes after work? Play time.  The first sentence then should be: after working, a chef no longer wants to cook/bake what others want them to make, it is now the time for them to cook/bake whatever it is the chef wants to make (assuming you are not the head chef of your own restaurant/cafe, ect and are calling the shots-ah luxury). 

Sunday night dinners started out as burger nights with my roommates at my last apartment.  Then it morphed into dinners of other types of food, and inviting whomever was able to join us.  But once you start getting more "chefs" involved, it quickly becomes more complex.  Menus are planned, drink pairings are discussed, and of course their has to be delicious appetizers to start.   I have always been a fan of having regular and frequent dinner gatherings; planned or impromptu.  Nothing makes me happier then mixing good friends and good food.  If I could be paid to nothing but plan and host dinner parties like this, well I'd be a pretty darn happy person.

This past Sunday night dinner started out as an innocent, hey lets get together at G's house, oh and I invited, M, J, and T as well.  Fine. 
"What are we having?" 
"Well G and I decided it would be fun to have brunch for dinner."
"That is a fantastic idea!  Oh we have to go get that cheese I was telling you about."
The J says  he wants crepes and remembers that I have a crepe pan as well and the plan begins to snowball. This is why I love having so many chef friends, we are all so food crazy in ways only other food crazy people can understand. 

After trips to the cheese, grocery and liqour stores, a series of phone calls to plan who was bringing what, we gathered at G's to start the crepe making madness. We were all very excited.  Here was our menu (items followed by the contributing chef)

Lovely Hummus and chips - Amanda
Selles-sur-Cher Chevre with Pepper water crackers- Jenni
Fruit Salad of fresh Papaya, grapes and Kiwi with fresh Key Lime juice- Amanda
Sesame seed crepes with Duck Confit and Garlicky Asian veggies- Justin
Buckwheat crepes with Black Forest Ham and Emmenthal Cheese- Jenni
Buckwheat crepes with White Beans, Collard Greens and Sun-dried Tomatoes- Gwen
Home made Smoked Salmon-Amanda
Served with Bloody Marys, English and French Cider
Best Hostess-Gwen

Justin's Work Space for Making the Asian Duck Confit Crepes

 Amanda's Tastey Fruit Salad

The four of us worked quite efficiently in the tiny apartment kitchen.  J and I manned the stove, A and G made some strong Bloody Marys.  We talked about food as we prepared our dinner, compared notes on crepe recipes and cooking techniques.  Once everything was finished cooking, plated and the table was set, we sat down for a well-deserved and even more anticipated dinner.  It was awesome.

Crepe Making Action 

 

We had all the fixings for some lovely dessert crepes.  I had candied some kumquats and squeezed some juice from a Blood Orange to make a version of Crepes Suzette. Amanda brought the requisite Nutella, but we were just too full to even think about dessert after.  So we sat and finished the cider, talked for a bit and then all headed home to our beds because we were very tired.  Playing chef was fun, now it was time to get some sleep before going back to our very busy jobs working as chefs.

Of course we've already started talking about next Sunday's dinner.  A few of us will be quite busy and not sure if we will have time or energy to cook next week, but that is why I have a good pizza place number stored in my phone.  Or maybe we'll just go out. 

Easter Bread- The Harting Family Tradition

 Dying the Easter Eggs

I got a little spoiled having not worked full-time for over a year.  Going to school and working at places like Sur La Table and Crema Cafe certainly took enough hours, but it didn't feel so much like work, and I felt like I had a little more time for myself.  Now I am committed to 40 hours a week at Whole Foods, and while my job is fun and coworkers are great...it still feels like work.  It probably has a lot to do with the getting up at 5am each morning and that I'm not exactly practicing my art in the way I want just yet.  But I am being patient and happy to be employed by a great company.

The one of the biggest problems with not having time is, my blog gets neglected.  I have plenty of wonderful desserts and stories to share with you, but keep finding other things to do then post them.  While I was in Paris I ate a lot of great food and even made a few things as well.  As promised here is the post on the "famed" Easter Bread.

The Famed Easter Bread

The Easter Bread Traditions started in my family over 40 years ago.  My mother found a recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine in 1963 for an "Easter Egg Twist".  She clipped it out, but didn't actually make the recipe till the following year.  It must have been so good, that she continued to make it every year right before Easter, with only a few exceptions. (I was born on Good Friday, so my oldest sister baked the bread that year.) The usual routine went like this: we would start making the bread on Thursday or Friday before Easter.  The small kids would help with coloring the eggs.  There were rules, we could dye the eggs any way we wanted, but only "normal" colored eggs  (ie red, blue, green, ect) were allowed into the bread.  Normally my mother encouraged creativity, but not when it came to her Easter Bread.  If you were capable, you got to help with the mixing of the dough, kneading and rolling it out.  My mom made a lot of bread, but Easter bread was unique because it was lightly sweet and had lemon zest in it.  To this day, the fresh smell of lemon zest reminds me of Easter Bread.

Making Easter Bread was an all day affair.  We made enough to cover several baking sheets, and the house always smelled heavenly after.  Then the torturous waiting began.  Once it was baked and cooled, it was wrapped in tin foil and we were not allowed to eat it till after the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night or Easter morning.  It was almost worse then waiting for Christmas gifts.  Easter morning would come and no one stayed in bed late.  If you got up early enough, you could have a few slices before leaving for church. Once we returned home, it was a free for all.  Then the next few days we'd nibble on the remaining bits as breakfast, lunch or just a snack. 

I was in college when I made Easter Bread by myself for the first time.  I talked it up to my roommates, telling them the history of the delicious bread.  I didn't need to say much, the smell coming from the oven was enough to convince them this bread was special.  Once it was done baking, I did something completely scandalous, my roommates and I tore into the bread as it was still warm from the oven.  Easter Bread that you have waited to eat for several days is very delicious.  Easter Bread fresh from the oven is out of this WORLD!  Soft, sweet and just enough lemon to give it a bright flavor; I was ruined.  This year I was a little more disciplined.  I did not eat Easter Bread till the day after I made it, though it took all my reserve to not eat it straight from the oven again as the aroma filled the apartment.

I almost feared my made-in-Paris Easter Bread was going to have to be "sans oeufs".  The first grocery store I went to did not have food coloring.  I visited 2 more stores before I found them just as I was about to give up.  I also could not find colored sugar for sprinkling on top, but that wasn't such a big problem: I made my own. Later in the week I did find colored sugars at the Gallery Lafayette's Epicerie.  (Note to self for future adventures in Paris.)  They could have also been found at Mora, but I didn't make it there during this trip. I found myself sounding just like my mother when it came to dying the eggs because someone wanted to make crazy colored eggs.  I said, that is fine, but only the normal colored ones go into the bread.....

Easter bread is essentially an enriched yeast bread.  You start by hydrating the yeast and then adding a little flour and letting is sit.  In the meantime you cream butter with sugar and add some lemon zest and a little lemon juice.   Then the two mixtures are combined together with more flour to make a workable dough.  Let the dough rest till it has doubled in size and then you can shape it.  The original recipe instructed you to make braids (hence the Twist in the title) and then twist the braids around the colored eggs to make a wreath like shape.  Let it rest again till doubled in size and then brush with a milk and egg yolk wash and sprinkle with colored sugar.

  Stages of Making Easter Bread

Ready for the Oven!

If you'd like the recipe....well you'll have to ask my Mom, she guards it closely, it is a family tradition after all. 

Paris, encore.

As my plane descended to Charles De Gualle airport last Thursday, I had the feeling of coming home.  It's comforting to take a vacation in a familiar place.  I didn't have any grand plans of seeing this museum or eating at that restaurant....just a week to relax, see some friends and be with one very special person.  But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have anything planned.

 Fraise-Pistache St. Honore from Laduree

On Friday morning Romain and I set out to the Champs Elysees to pay a visit to Laduree.  This was not just a visit to buy macarons either; I had a rendez-vous.  I met with the head chef of Laduree to sign a convention de stage and set the dates for my 3 month internship at the famed Patisserie.  I am going back to Paris this summer to work at a world-renowned Patisserie! I was super giddy after my meeting; I practically floated out of the building and down the street before I remembered I wanted to actually go into the store to buy a treat.  So of course we went back.  I needed to see what I will be helping make this summer too. 

Laduree cookbook I received as a birthday gift, to help me prepare for this summer

It was a great way to start off my week in Paris.  The rest of my visit was filled with great dinners, lots of walking and stopping to stare into Patisserie and Boulangerie shop windows, watching a rugby game at the Stade de France, and a trying out Romain's new kitchen and microwave/oven combo.  On Wednesday before I left I had a great opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen at Restaurant Jean.

I stumbled upon Jean by internet search.  Its a cozy restaurant in the 9th arrondissement not to far from Romain's apartment.  The restaurant has a Michelin star and an American pastry chef!  I spent the early half of the day following Alison Johnson (the American pastry chef) around the petite cuisine at Jean and trying to be helpful and not get in her way.  I got to taste some of her lovely desserts and see the flawless artistic presentation of the dishes.  I was thrilled to see her command of her space and her attention to the last minute detail; her passion for her job is obvious.  I felt like a clumsy ameature next to her, but she is a lot of what I aspire to be.  She also became a pastry chef as a career change when she was about my age. She moved to France without knowing the language fluenty. Now she works for a wonderful restaurant making fantastic desserts and speaks French beautifully.

Palais Royal Jardin (2010)

Later on Wednesday Romain and I walked through the Palais Royal Jardin.  The trees were just starting to get some leaves and the intoxicating smell of hyacinths filled the air.  The jardin was rather full with people sitting and enjoying the flowers and the fresh spring air.  It was a great vacation and I was sad to leave Paris once again, but it was easier knowing I would be home again soon and for longer.  I came back to Boston feeling like my batteries had been recharged. Now just a few short weeks to prepare for my next big adventure.

Spring has arrived in Paris

April in Paris

Photos of the Palais Royal Jardin, Paris

I'm once again sitting in Boston Logan Airport; I'm off to Paris for a visit.  It's just over a year since my first visit.  I'm hoping this time since I'm there in April and not March, there will be a few more flowers and maybe some leaves starting to appear on the trees.  I have other hopes as well for this trip...but those can't be shared yet.

April means other things as well.  Easter falls in April this year, as well as my birthday and 2 of my brothers.  I will be celebrating my 30th in Paris.  My brother Philip lives in Massachusetts as well and his birthday falls the day before mine, my brother Mark's birthday falls 2 days after mine, but they are both older than me.  I had dinner plans with Philip and his Fiance Anne for last Saturday.  I realized while I was at work that morning, that I would be missing his birthday while I was on this trip, and I really wanted to do something nice for him. (We have a long standing of tradition of celebrating our birthdays together if possible)  I started doing a mental scan of cake ideas as I continued my work.  By the time I was ready to leave for the day, I had decided on a recipe from school, but with a few adjustments.  I had to scurry home and get moving to have it ready before meeting them for dinner.

Philip is not a big fan of cake, he will openly admit this.  He will also tell you the exception to this rule is my cakes.  My idea was not so cakey afterall.  A light flourless Hazelnut Dacqouise with bits of Dark Chocolate, and a hint of orange zest.  The Dacqouise was topped with thin layer of Orange Creme Brulee followed by a generous layer of Milk Chocolate Mousse and finished with a Dark Chocolate Ganache and thin slivers of candied Orange rind.  It was not bad for having put it together in just under 3 1/2 hours.  Philip was pleasantly surprised and he and everyone else who joined us really enjoyed the cake.  In the midst of the lighting of candles and singing the traditional birthday song, I forgot to take pictures of the cake before we demolished it. Maybe next time...

Birthdays require birthday cake or a yummy mousse cake; and in my family Easter also gets its own special treat as well: Easter Bread.  I won't go into too much detail right now, but I am planning to make some while in Paris to share with Romain and friends.  I'll post more about it and try not to forget the photos!

Time to board my flight.  Je vais a Paris encore! 

A bientot!

More From the Savory Side of Life

 Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Working at Whole Foods is tough.  I'm constantly surrounded by delicious looking food, and it makes me hungry all the time.  It also inspires me to cook more, having access to really great quality and organic ingredients.  I feel I am definitely eating healthier as well.  I've started lists of "pastry" ideas, flavors or techniques to combine, concepts for desserts, ect.  Now I am going to have to start a list of things to cook as well.

A week or so ago, my roommate attended a soup swap. I was working that day, so I wasn't able to attend. She came home with an assortment of plastic containers filled with a wide variety of soups.  One was bright fuschia; a Borscht someone had made.  Leah cracked open another one containing a pale, creamy concoction with little flecks of pepper.  It was a spicy cheesy Cauliflower soup.  Coincidentally made by a young lady who was also a graduate of the CSCA Pastry Program a few years ago, I was told.  Leah offered me a bite.  I only wish she had offered me a half of the container.  It was lovely, creamy and had just a touch of heat.  I love spice!  I've been craving that soup since, and desperately need the recipe.  Since I have not yet been able to obtain the recipe, I decided to strike out on my own and make my own tasty Cauliflower soup.  Originally, I intended mine to be spicy and cheesy as well, but while making it, it kinda took on it's own style.  I call it Roasted Cauliflower Soup, and here is how I made it.

Ingredients:
1 Head of Cauliflower
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Strips Bacon
1 Can Chicken Broth
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Wine white
Cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 350 F
First roughly chop the Cauliflower into florets, toss with a small amount of oil, season lightly with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 30 mins till the florets start to turn golden.  In the meantime, chop the bacaon strips into small pieces and cook in a large saucepan.  Once the bacon has crisped, remove it from the pan, leaving the bacon grease in the bottom.  Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook till transparent.  Use about 1/4 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan, then add the Cauliflower.  Add the entire can of chicken broth and cover the saucepan with a lid.  Allow the mixture to simmer till the cauliflower is soft all the way through.  Add a little heavy cream or milk and remove from heat.  Use a immersion blender or a food processor to blend everything together till it is a smooth consistency, adding more milk or cream to reach desired thickness.  Return to saucepan to reheat if necessary.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Top individual servings with a little shredded cheddar cheese and the crispy bacon pieces and enjoy!

Mini Savory Bacon, Cheese and Tomato loaves

 

Another thing I have made lately is a savory sort of quick bread from a recipe I picked up from a magazine I read in Paris this summer.  I had a store bought version of this "cake" as the French call it, from the Famous Picard Surgeles store.  This chain of store in France that specialized in frozen foods, they are recognizable by there large trademark snowflake.  I think the closest thing we have to it here in the USA is the Schwan's truck, except Picard is not mobile (that I know of).  Picard is quite popular, or was with Romain's roommate.  The cake I had was actually quite good, but I'd much rather learn to make my own instead of buying a frozen one.  

Stirring the Tomatoes, Cheese and Bacon into the Batter

The recipe from the magazine uses Olive oil instead of butter as a fat.  I've now made the recipe twice; once in Paris and once here.  It tastes good with bacon, feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes in oil, but I still feel like something is missing and that the cake is almost a little dry.  I think next time I may try it with butter instead of the oil.  The taste of the Picard cake is still in my head.....

Time for bed, I have an early day at work tomorrow morning.  More dessert stuff coming your way next time.

Pastry Side Projects

 Lemon Charlotte

Now that I am working full time in pastry, and it is a tough job, I still try to take on the odd pastry job.  I have two wonderful personal chefs that often call on me for desserts.  I'm very thankful to have their patronage.  In my new job at Whole Foods, I am given some creative license, but within defined boundries.  I get to decide how I want to decorate or top the cheesecakes, ect, but I don't get to improvise on the bases of the cakes/recipes.  However JJ and Rich give me oppurtunities to "color outside the lines" pastry speaking.  Sometimes there will be specific requests from their clients, but more often I get to suggest ideas.  It's kinda nice to get paid to "play". 

I most recently made some desserts for a dinner party for Rich.  I was given the instructions to have fun and be creative, oh and included some chococlate.  Piece of cake!  I spent some time going through my recipes, looking at books and trying to create a dessert menu that could be made a day ahead, and include a variety of flavors.  I also started looking at what I already had on hand since I will be moving again soon, and need to clear out my pantry.  There were also a few recipes I had been wanting to make and this gave me a great occassion to do so. 

Here is what I came up with:

 Chocolate Almond Creme Tart with Port Poached Pears and Port Syrup

Lemon Charlotte

Bourbon Pecan Bars with Cherries and Chocolate

(these are especially good warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!)

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Orange Zest and Grand Marnier Madeleines.  

I did not take a photo of the last two items, but they were lovely.  I'm hoping Rich put some nice fresh berries on top of the Charlotte, as I did not have time to run out and buy some.  Raspberries or Blueberries would have added the perfect splash of color and gone great with the tart lemon mousse filling.

 Mini Lemon Charlotte

I had some left over Lady finger pieces and lemon curd so I made a nice Tart Baby Charlotte.  This one I spread a layer of the Lemon Curd in first, then topped it with a layer of creamy Lemon Mousse, bits of candied Lemon rind and some White Chocolate shavings.  Mmmmm tart and tasty.

Lemon-y Goodness

I think Charlottes may become my  new obsession.  Lady Fingers are so simple and fun to make.  They are so light and delicate and pretty when coated with sugar or cocoa powder if making a Charlotte with Chocolate.  I love lining my cake rings with them and then filling them like little baskets. Often you will see Charlottes wrapped with a little ribbon.  If you are using individual Lady Fingers, the ribbon helps hold them together.  If you make your own Lady Fingers, you can pipe them close together, so in the oven they will form one long line piece of cake that can be cut to lenght and used.  Then the ribbon can be used just for decoration.  I can't wait till the summer and local berries are in season, I will definitely be suggesting these lovely cakes to JJ for her clients.  Move over Apple Tarts!

Have a Heart, Take 2

 Molded Chocolate Hearts

It's funny that I find the Valentine's Days that I spend with friends always turn out the best.  But isn't almost anything made better when shared with Friends? Last year I hosted a little potluck dinner at my apartment and the food and company was wonderful.  This year myself, my roommate and some friends cooked up an amazing batch of Eggplant Parmesan.  Paired with a nice Italian red and some fresh baked bread from my new place of employment, it was a wonderful Valentine's meal.  We followed it with my hand made chocolates, tasty pastries from Sofra (wonderful cafe in Belmont) fresh pineapple and tea.  It would have only been made more perfect if my Valentine had been able to join us from across the ocean.  I may have sent something special his way.....

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I had volunteered through the CSCA to do a chocolate demo at Boston University along with my classmate Maggie.  We found ourselves once again in E kitchen at school on Monday and Tuesday night, prepping for the demo and helping out with an Alumni workshop on chocolate as well.  It was like we never left, except we got home a lot earlier!  I borrowed some chocolate molds, and bought a bunch of supplies at Whole Foods on the previous Sunday so I could practice and make my own chocolates as well. 

For last Valentine's Day I had made cute little marzipan hearts and covered them in chocolate.  However, I hadn't been trained how to properly temper chocolate yet, so they turned out delicious, but not as beautiful as they could be.  This year, instead of dipping, I opted for molded hearts.  I made one of my favorite fillings from school, Chef Delphin's Lou-Ginger recipe.  It's a Ganache made with fresh ginger infused cream, milk chocolate and bits of candied ginger.  I cut thin slices of the candied ginger to place on the hearts as well.  I had a few other Ganaches as well; Raspberry, Coffee, White Chocolate-Lemon, and a Passion Fruit.  I used some colored cocoa butter to give these their own special looks.  Chocolate is still a real pain to work with.  It's time consuming, and tempering has to be done spot-on or you have to start all over again. It is a labor of Love because I really love the end result.  I mean, who doesn't love pretty hand-made chocolates?

Pretty Chocolate Heart Assortment

Unfortunately, a snow storm was predicted the day of the Chocolate Demo, so it was called off.  We are hoping to reschedule soon. I am looking at buying some chocolate molds so I can keep practicing my chocolate skills.  There are plenty of birthdays, holidays and just days to give and eat chocolates ahead.

Lots has been happening for me this month.  As mentioned above, I have a new job! I said my goodbyes to Crema and accepted a full time position working for Whole Foods.  Yes, I've gone corporate, but I get to make pretty desserts AND I get great benefits.  I'm very much impressed with the company so far.  Other than getting up at 5am each morning, it is a very stress-free and great environment.  It is another adjustment getting used to working 40hrs a week again, but since I go into work so early, I leave much earlier as well.   All in all, I'm very thankful to have reached this point and to finally have a full time job.