Change Of Heart

I need to be upfront about this right away by saying I've always been a bit of a Valentine's Day scrooge. It's not I'm against expressions of love in general, just being told when and how to do so. Very much a "Hallmark Holiday," I once had the same level of disdain for Feb. 14 as I still do for bathing suit shopping- too much pressure, high expectations, dashed hopes, and the likelihood that it will end in tears. Kinda like the Bachelor. Not that I watch that show. No way.
Maybe I was just emotional scarring left over from high school- more specifically from any from any event that predicated roses being handed out in class.
Pity parties aside, I adore showing my loved ones I care on any ordinary day, especially when they are not expecting it, and my favorite way to do this is with food.
On Saturday I cooked up a romantic pre-Valentine's Day dinner of flat iron steak with port mushroom sauce, garlic mashed, and haricot vert with White Chocolate Strawberry Napoleons for dessert. Nothing says I love you like meat, potatoes, and chocolate.
In my maturity, I have given up the V-day bah humbug and embraced it's pink and red in-your-faceness. Hopefully people will have so much fun showing there love to one another, they'll keep it up all year round.


White Chocolate Strawberry Napoleons
adapted from Food Network
1 packaged frozen puff pastry
7 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1 pint sliced strawberries
powdered sugar for dusting

Thaw 2 sheets of puff pastry. Cut in thirds, then cut each third in half. Bake on parchment lined sheet pans at 400 for 10 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Set aside
Place chopped chocolate into a heat resistant bowl. Whisk yolks and sugar in a small bowl until pale. In a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of cream to a boil then pour slowly over egg mixture to temper. Pour back into the saucepan, cooking over low heat until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Push warm mixture through a sieve over the bowl of chocolate and stir gently until melted and smooth.
In a separate bowl, whip the remaining cup of cream until almost still peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until fully incorporated. Let set in the refrigerator for an hour.
To assemble, pipe or spread the mousse onto one square of puff pastry. Lay sliced strawberries over the cream and top with another square of puff pastry. Dust with powdered sugar prior to serving.

First Slice Phobia

First Slice Phobia: the fear of being the first to cut into a dessert. Most often exhibited at social gatherings as referenced in the following case study...

A holiday pot-luck party provided the perfect opportunity to make the full recipe of Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake, complete with fancy piped whipped cream, but when it came time for dessert the guests were eating everything but! Why wasn't anyone trying my tempting and (if I do say so myself) gorgeous dessert? Personally I couldn't wait to try it so I did. And then the hoarde descended.

What is it in human nature that makes people so reluctant to take the first slice? If we didn't want you to eat it, it would have been just as easy to ditch the tights and high heeled boots to stay at home in my jammies, the television with a fork! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

TWD- A Little Hollywood Glamour

The first time my mom visited me on set she said, "Why is everyone standing around?" I laughed. Nothing defines a film set more than the phrase, "Hurry up and wait." When I tell people I work on tv shows and movies for a living they always say how exciting that must be. People outside the industry have no idea how long it takes to make their favorite shows because they get so caught up in the stories and the excitement of celebrity- and thank goodness for that! If they only knew that the act of making a movie is more often about remembering to order equipment, whether or not an actor wants avocado on their burrito, and standing on a street corner at 3am trying to keep background artists awake enough to cross through the shot without looking like zombies, well they might just turn the tv off and we'd all be out of a job!
Don't get me wrong, there are times when it does feel glamourous. When the light is just right, and everything comes together, even I get caught up in the fantasy. I wish I could have been around in Katherine Hepburn's heyday- when camera men wore ties and smoking was still cool. But thanks to Dorie, at least I have her brownies.
Unlike tv shows, Tribute to Katherine Hepburn brownies don't take a lot of time or money to make. They are simple. All the ingredients stirred together in one saucepan to creat a rich, chocolaty batter that I could not stop eating (raw eggs be damned!). Pour into a pan and 30 minutes later you have the richest, chocolatiest (?), fudgiest brownies ever. Do not attempt these without milk.
These babies are ready for their close up. And I didn't even have to get them coffee!

Sunday School- My Favorite Subject

Need another great reason to go to culinary school? Chocolate tasting! A legitimate one, not like the where stand in the kitchen eating chocolate chips out of the pantry...I've heard some people do that. Not me of course.
As much "research" as I've done in the past, there was a lot about chocolate that I didn't know. Did you know:
1. Chocolate was originally consumed in unsweetened liquid form as a sort of elixir
2. Later, Europeans began using cocoa beans to create confections by roasting the beans, smashing them into a paste, then adding sugar and lecithin.
3. Varying roasting times and methods is what gives different brands of chocolate their distinctive taste.
4. The term semisweet chocolate is an American invention. It's really bittersweet chocolate with more added sugar.
5. The best way to store chocolate is wrapped in foil and then in plastic. Wrapped this way a block of chocolate may last up to a year. Chips or pastilles should be used within a month.
6. Chocolate can make you very happy. You probably knew that one already.

Daring Bakers A La Mode

Three little words... a la mode. This month's Daring Bakers Challenge brings us both cake and ice cream- and its practically recession proof. With a few pantry/refrigerator staples and a bar of emergency chocolate, (hey, you never know when a craving will strike) I was able to create 2 4inch mini cakes and a huge bowl of ice cream that gives Breyers Vanilla a run for its money.

For the cake I used Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate because I love the taste and it works really well for baking. The ice cream was Wendy's recipe, slightly tweaked by first infusing the half and half with vanilla bean. Since I do not have an ice cream maker I have never made ice cream before but David Lebovitz's low tech instructions worked so well now I know I don't need one!

The February 2009 challenge has been brought to you by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They chose Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Cover Story

Wanna know a dirty little secret? It's not the recipes that make me buy cookbooks- it's the pictures. I'm a sucker for a little food porn. I must check foodgawker at least 5 times a day. But also, for a novice baker like me, it really helps to have photos of what you aspire to make. That is what one of the things makes Baking From My Home To Yours such a great book and there is no food photo I've seen (drooled over) more often than its' cover model,
Devils Food White Out Cake.

A tough act to follow for sure, but I'm relatively pleased with the look of my little 4inch mini cake- and I couldn't have asked for a better ending to Valentine's Day dinner. Forget flowers, nothing says I love you like layers of chocolate and marshmallow.

Like Knitting With Mittens

When my husband came down with bronchitis, I knew I was in for it. Sickness hit me like a freight train and knocked me flat on my back for close to a week. Finally on the road to recovery, I hauled my self out the me shaped crater that has formed permanently on the couch and dragged myself into the kitchen. Maybe Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread would be just what the doctor ordered.

Luckily, I had all of the ingredients already in the house because every time I go out, people look at me like I'm a leper. Is it that obvious I'm diseased? Anywho, they came came together easily and the end result looked great. And the taste? Well, I'm a little handicapped in the sense of taste and smell department right now so I'll have to wait until my fully recovered husband comes home for the verdict.

Check out the blogroll over at Tuesdays With Dorie to hear reviews from bakers with functioning tastebuds!

So Very Nice

I must have been a very good girl this year because I got dinner at Joel Robuchon in my stocking. Six mind blowing courses comprised of some of the most coveted ingredients- black truffles, foie gras, oxtail, and kobe beef. A decadent chocolate dessert featuring dark chocolate shards, chocolate cream, coffee creme brulee, and gold dusted rice krispies all covered in a warm ganache. And then there were the carts- the first one with over 20 varieties of breads and rolls, later a trio of satiny ice creams, and finally, when you think you couldn't possibly eat another bite, a 3 level trolly containing every type of french cookie, marshmallows, and a gorgeous array artisanal chocolates. A meal so inspiring I can't adequately describe it at this time except to say it was a once in a lifetime experience. Being naughty is fun but for a meal that good, it pays to be nice.
Thanks Santa!

Deflation

Now, I know there is no such thing as "recession proof," but I didn't think we'd hit rock bottom until my chocolate class was canceled due to lack of interest. Lack of interest! In chocolate! Have we sunk so low? Is Armageddon here? Is it time to throw in the spatula (er, towel) and hunker down in the bomb shelter to await imminent destruction?
Rather than admit defeat, I looked to you, the foodie blogosphere, for guidance. And you talked me down off the ledge and gave me Peppermint Bark.


Phew that was a close one! Thank you Leslie, April, Jamie and Jen for your recipes and for showing me all is not lost. Together, we can save ourselves, and the $24 dollars William Sonoma charges for a tin of the stuff, one homemade confection at a time!