In a Pinch

 Chocolate Tart

Have you ever read a recipe that says, a pinch of this and a large spoonful of that?  That is how old recipes used to be before everyone had a scale and cups, ounces, and the metric system even existed.  It's a lot easier now days. In culinary school, after measuring salt, sugar and flour over and over, I got pretty good as guessing how much I needed.  That is how older recipes worked, the person who wrote the recipe knew from repeated making of the recipe how much worked each time.  However there are times I still find myself in a "pinch" wanting to make a dessert but not having access to proper measuring equipment. Believe it or not, not every kitchen in France is as well equipped for pastry making as mine is.  And while I can pretty much eyeball a teaspoon of salt without an actual teaspoon still, other measures are not as easy for me now.  

Family Dinner

 Fresh Ingredients for Ratatouille

The visitors are slowly beginning to arrive.  My friend Anne warned me about it.  She has had a steady stream of visitors since I meet her back in December (and I've been secretly jealous).  I want people to come visit me and see where I live (just don't all come at once please, it might get a little crowded).  Oh course visiting me right now means staying in a hotel and then just meeting me for lunches, dinners and a little Paris sight seeing; I don't have a guest room.  But if you're willing to buy the plane ticket, find a reasonable hotel or apartment to crash in, I'd be very happy to have you over for dinner.  

It's starting with my cousins, which is great.  Romain has not got much of a chance to meet my extended family.  And considering my immediate family is so large....meeting all the extended family at once would be completely overwhelming.  He still forgets a brother or two when trying to name all my siblings (mainly Jeff, lol).  First my cousin Angie on my Dad's side visited.  She was here for a few days during a bit of a European tour with her girlfriend.  We had nice dinner at Le Petit Canard and a nice lunch a few days later at my favorite place Le Cafe du Commerce.

Last week Angie's younger brother Brad and his wife Corrine arrived in France for a visit.  They are staying a bit longer so I invited them over for dinner and we'll check out some restaurants a little later in their stay.

Thankfully neither of them are picky eaters, so I went all out planning a nice dinner including some good traditional French apero for them to try.  Rillettes de porc, saucisson with noisette (hazelnuts), fresh baguette cereals, and Rice and Buckwheat crackers for Corinne who is allergic to Gluten ( I can accommodate!).

I was going to make a simple Ratatouille and Seared Tuna steaks.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the Tuna at my local fish shop, so I took some Cod instead. When I got home from my shopping, I decided to get a little fancy with my Ratatouille and dress it up a little.  I took some of my small circle rings ( that I have used for anything from making small tarts to English Muffins)  I covered one side in foil to make them like small dishes and started layering my veggies inside. I wanted to make a Ratatouille timbale of sorts.   It worked out pretty well and was delicious with the lightly fried Cod in a lemon and butter sauce.  We followed that with 3 types of cheese and of course dessert: Chocolate Cherry Clafloutis!  

Bread- the next challenge

 Seeded Baguette

I am my Father's daughter, you've probably heard me say it before.  I have a hard time letting people do things for me that I can do for myself.  I used to change the oil in my car instead of taking to one of those quick lube places.  It wasn't so much to save money, it was more so I knew what was going, a bit of quality control (had a few bad experiences with sloppy work and forgetfulness at some of those instant places) and also to be able to brag a bit that yes I know how to change my own oil.  What does this have to do with Pastry?

Mastering Macarons

 Orange Colored Macaron Shells Waiting for a Tasty Filling

I love teaching pastry, not only because its fun to share and meet new people, but because it also keeps teaching me.  Two of the classes I teach are on what most people would consider the 2 most difficult French pastries to master; The Croissant and the Macaron.  Believe it or not, I actually tell my students in both classes, it's NOT THAT Difficult.  I like to compare it to riding a bike, you just have to get the technique down.  The first couple of times I made Macarons, they were a disaster.  Ok, not completely, but they were less then perfect.  Now after making them many times over, I feel like they get better each time.

Tomato Mozzarella Stacks

 Salad du Jour

I've been busy in the kitchen all week testing (I almost typed tasting, freudian slip?) recipes for my new job.  I'll give you a hint, I'm going to be making pastries to accompany what I consider to be the best coffee in Paris...
After tasting one too many carrot cake, cookie, shortbread and brownie bites, I was in serious need of a nice healthy and light meal!

Romain and I have been eating a lot of salads when we eat at home.  How do you eat salad as your main course every night?  You mix it up.  Our additions range from Avocados, tomatoes, nuts, bits of cheese, olives, egg, carrots, and even sauteed mushrooms with a little garlic.  We always make our own dressing, a quick combination of Dijion Mustard, Olive or Walnut Oil (or a little of both) and some Balsamic Vinegar.  Once I get my herb garden going again, we can start added bits of fresh minced herbs to the dressing or the salad itself.  Hard to get bored with so many options!

Carrot Cake

Shredding Carrots by Hand

When I was growing up, my mother made carrot cake in the microwave!  Better yet, it was good carrot cake, with a nice tender crumb, lightly spiced and full of carrots, and it only took 7-9 mins to cook!  We always made it in the same round glass baking dish.  If I were to see that dish again today, I'm sure it would remind me only of the carrot cake.

Carrot cake is gaining popularity in Paris, and I find this both surprising and not.  The French adore Carrot Rape, or a salad made just of shredded carrots and a simple dressing.  However, they are not always a fan of the cake sucre (sweet cakes) made with vegetables.  For example, when I offered my Zucchini bread to my Laduree co-workers last summer, many refused to try it because of the idea that it was sweet with something that is normally savory. Many American/English style cafes are now offering generous cupckes or mammoth slices of Gateau aux Carrottes and the French seem to love it! Most often it is slathered with the requisite cream cheese frosting- thought the frosting is not always made with the true Philadelphia Cream cheese. At Rose, where I had been working, we often used Carre Frais, a spreadable French cheese with a not quite as smooth texture, but the flavor closely resembled good old Philly.

New Kitchen Addition

You've seen my kitchen and what little space there is.  There really isn't much more I can fit in there.  My home baking repertoire is limited by space and equipment... and I really miss my Kitchen aid.  With all this in mind, I struggled for a bit on deciding if I could live without full size stand mixer for a while longer, or if I could squeeze it into a corner somewhere....


And then I found this on French ebay:

Now that I've gone so long without one, I have to think a bit about what I want to make first.  Romain has already requested Chocolate cake, he might just get it.  And don't worry I found space for it in the hall closet for when it is not in use.  More desserts to come!

Now if I could just figure out how to have a bigger oven......