Seattle Bon Vivant

SHF:Tarte et Île Flottante aux Pralines Roses at Aux Lyonnais

I find myself in Paris at the moment, without a kitchen of my own to concoct any custardy dish for today's Sugar High Friday - Cooking Up Custard. However, I could not possibly miss participating when the fabulous Elise of Simply Recipes gets her turn to be the hostess.

So, last night, while having dinner at Aux Lyonnais, I remembered about today's Sugar High Fridays event and picked dessert especially for the occasion.

My choice? An amazing Tarte et Île Flottante aux Pralines Roses (8E). Served in a glass dish, this little marvel is a sweetened, beaten and baked egg white island floating on a sea of custard (crème anglaise).

Every bite is soft, airy and ephemeral, like biting on a sweet and puffy cloud that disappears in your mouth in fractions of a second. How can something so light feel so decadent?

Bits of pralines roses (pink pralines) here and there, chewy and aromatic. The crème anglaise is pure perfection. Not too sweet, unctuous and silky, perfect consistency

The Île Flottante is served with a small slice of a pink praline tart that reminds me of ubiquitous pecan pie Americans bake for Thanksgiving. Interesting combination of flavors and textures. I could not finish it as it was a bit too sweet for my taste but pecan pie/tart lovers dining at Aux Lyonnais should not miss it.

Aux Lyonnais
32, rue St-Marc
75002 Paris
Lunch: Tuesday – Friday
Dinner:Tuesday to Saturday
Tel.: 01 42 96 65 04
Fax: 01 42 97 42 95

Sugar High Fridays #8: Kumquat Compote

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you've probably noticed a couple tasty bits, recurrent themes of sorts when it comes to my eating and cooking habits. First of all, that I am passionate about citrus fruits.

Hand me a juicy Blood Orange, a fragrant Seville Orange, an aromatic and sour Yuzu, a Keffir or Key lime, my beloved Meyer Lemon or a Kumquat I am happy as a clam. A tangelo or clementine brings a smile to my face and a pucker to my lips just thinking about it.

You'll also must have noticed by now that I absolutely adore jams, jellies and preserving at home. I've yet to find a fruit that with a bit of sugar and lemon can not be turned into a fabulous jam, compote or preserve of some sort.

Give me enough fresh figs, persimmons, pomegranates, red currants, gooseberries, blackberries, blueberries, rhubarb or ground tomatoes and I have a favorite recipe to turn these babies into a topping for my yogurt or something delicious to spread over bread or glaze a piece of Copper River Salmon or pork with.

One of my favorite citrus fruit is the tiny and cute Kumquat. I enjoy their color, shape and most of all their fragrance. As a matter of fact, I even wore, for many years, a scent called just that, Kumquat, from the French perfume company Comptoir Sud Pacifique.

That's how much I love these babies. It woke me up in the morning and perked me up midday. It was a fragrance that always made me feel giddy and alert and fresh, perfect on a hot summer day but lovely any day. Which is the same effect the actual fruit has on me. 

Available October through June, Kumquats --the name means gold orange in China--are oval oranges, about the size of grape tomatoes, believed to be native to China but are also found in Indochina and Japan. For the past hundred years the Nagami or Oval Kumquat  (Fortunella.margarita) which is native to Japan, has been grown commercially--with great success-- in Florida.

Kumquats have an intense orange flavor that makes them perfect for candying, marmalade, compotes, glazes and sauces. Sliced in salads, or in sorbets,  mousse or served along (in paste form) with foie gras, it is divine. Paired with mango or passion fruit can bring tears (of joy) to my eyes.

When ripe, Kumquats are the only citrus fruit that is entirely edible, skin and all. In fact, the peel is sweeter than the pulp and they also have tiny green seeds that are high in pectin. Although they are best removed before eating the fruit by hand, cooking the fruit along with the seeds makes for wonderful jam or jelly sets.

So for this 8th edition of Sugar High Fridays, Alice's Pucker Up With Citrus! I thought about making a batch of my Kumquat Compote. This compote always remind me of that scent...or is it the other way around?

Sugar High Fridays #7: Fig & Molasses Conserve

Whenever I think of molasses it's not really Spiced Cookies or Gingerbread that come to mind. Instead, the first tasty memory is not of baked goods of any sort but that of my friend Alfie's Candied Brisket and Short Ribs recipes, my friend R's marinade for grilling salmon (with espresso) and my favorite salmon of all, Yukon River King.

Yukon River King Salmon season is almost here and  the lovely days we've been having in the city have given me a craving for this smoky, sweet and ultra succulent dish. Alas! For this particular Sugar High Friday exercise, Derrick's chosen ingredient was to be used in a dessert and not a savory entry.

So, that meant my salmon would have to wait but in the meantime I could still come up with something creative, sweet, simple and practical so it was a matter of looking around the pantry for inspiration.

There were dried Black Mission Figs in the pantry that I wanted to use them for my entry. Of course! I'm absolutely bonkers about figs and keep them around at all times, especially during the months when the fresh fruit is not available at the market.

We also had fig and pomegranate molasses around. Since I use these often in marinades, grilled and roasted dishes there were not to be an option for today. I was looking to create something completely different that utilized what most people, at least in the USA, know as classic molasses, the real deal: Blackstrap Molasses.

The rationale behind choosing to use this ooey, gooey and intensely flavored kind was simple really. Not only was molasses the required element for our bloggity endeavor but I was hoping to create a recipe that would showcase and enhance the fig with a rich and viscous saucy syrup that while flavorful would not be overly sweet, overly dark or too heavy.

The idea was for the earthy flavor of the figs to shine through the robust, full bodied quality of the thickest, darkest and richest of all types of molasses available in the market today.

Just the slightest amount of blackstrap (a tablespoon in fact) added a gorgeous dark amber tone, a certain nuance, a slightly smoky and woody depth of flavor and an unctuous, glossy and syrupy texture to the fruit's thickened liquid that no other sweetener--not even honey--could provide.

The resulting conserve is ridiculously easy to prepare (I made it this morning before heading out to work) yet looks absolutely decadent and rendered truly beautifully sweet, shiny and utterly figgy little gems.

It shall be delicious any time of the year but especially for Pesach. Serve it warm with rack of lamb, baby lamb chops or brisket. This conserve will pair up famously with ham, pork tenderloin, roasted pheasant, duck or game hens. I can't wait to have it as an accompaniment to a cheese platter in place of our usual fruit paste, Membrillo or Mostarda d'Uva.

The conserve, served cold, for dessert, with a dollop of crème fraîche should be lovely. Tonight, after returning home from McCaw Hall, I had a little bit of the compote as a topping for a bit of my beloved Fage Greek yogurt. It was also wonderful!

The rest of the conserve has been stored in the refrigerator, in a wide mouth jam jar, to be polished off during the next week or so and tomorrow night with whichever little bird we pick up at Exotic Meats for dinner.

France Ma Douce & more Fleur de Sel Caramels

Servane Guérin is the friendly and very sweet owner of one of my favorite little shops in the Marais, France Ma Douce . In it, she stocks specialty products that she procures in her frequent travels around the many regions of France.

From bath and body, to fragrance, candies and caramels to kitchen accessories and tableware, the selection is top shelf and the shop --steps away from Mariage Frères-- is cozy and inviting and offers plenty of lovely choices, whether you are gift shopping or looking to pick something artisanal and trés French for yourself.

Among the many little gems she sells at her 7, rue du Bourg-Tibourg shop are these amazing caramels made with salted butter and Fleur de Sel de Guérande from Brittany. We love them so much that a trip to Paris would not be complete without a stop for these.

Chewy, intensely buttery, with a beautiful bright caramel color, loaded with caramelly saltiness and plenty of delicious salt crystals to twirl around in your mouth until they dissolve away. They come in a tin that doubles as a coin bank, with the cutest of labels.

Even at 8 Euros each, we suggest you take home more than one tin because you are bound to devour them before reaching US customs. 

They do make great gifts (she carefully wraps everything for you) and are not at all heavy to schlep back home.

But I am telling you, once you try the first one you'll be scrambling around at the Duty free shop for substitute gifts because it will be too hard to part with these babies.

This we've learned first hand and we'll never tell who got the Fauchon jam instead. ;-)

Hoard as many as you possibly can.

 

Fran's Chocolates Dark Gray Salt Caramels

One of the joys of living in this city is the abundance of great food and drink around us. And if you happen to have a sweet tooth and are also a chocoholic and you living in Seattle you know you really are in luck.

One of my favorite caramel confections in the world, luckily, also happens to be made in our fair city by one of the nation's top chocolatiers, Fran Bigelow.

Her  Dark Gray Salt Caramels Dark Gray Salt Caramels  are to die for!

The company's website describes them as follows: "Soft, fresh caramels hand-dipped in 56% pure dark chocolate and sprinkled with flavorful gray sea salt harvested off the Brittany coast".

They also happen to be the winner of the 2003 NASFT Outstanding Confection.  Need I say more?

And just so you have an idea of how passionate I am about these babies and to continue with Debbie's Caramel theme for the week (yeah, that's the ticket!) we are going out to dinner with out of town friends at a lovely restaurant with one of the best views in the city.

We purchased enough of these for our party and will take them out of their lovely wrapper in time to enjoy them with our coffee or dessert wine. What better sweet ending that these Seattle caramels to what promises to be a fabulous time with good friends and great food?

Fleur de Caramel à la Fleur de Sel

While shopping for lunch at Pasta & Co. earlier today I picked up two of my favorite caramels, Fleur de Caramel à la Fleur de Sel. The shop imports them from France and they are quite good.

Creamy and sweet with a barely there salty backbone. You might be able to catch a small salt crystal or two towards the end. These deliciously candies come dressed in a blue and white wrapper and are cute as can be.

They sell for 75 cents each and are available for a limited time. Make sure to stop by and grab a few before they are gone for good.

Pasta & Co.
University Village
(Across from Pottery Barn)
4622 26th Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: 206.523.8594
Fax: 206.527.7367
Mon-Sat: 9:30am-9:00pm
Sun: 10:00am-6:00pm

SHF#6: Caramel: An Epilogue

A slice of the Flan de Queso, served cold, out of the refrigerator. It is even better than yesterday. Dense, with flavors that seem intensified and rounded out. The caramel is lovely with a beautiful golden hue and perfect consistency.

Sugar High Fridays #6: Caramel: Flan De Queso

For this month's Sugar High Fridays, Debbie of Words to Eat By chose Caramel as her theme. For my official entry I've chosen a recipe that I'm quite familiar as it has been in my family for years and it is loved by all. A rich and smooth (not at all gelatinous or light) Cheese Flan or Flan de Queso as it is known in Spain.

There are as may variation of flan as there are households and countries that have made this dessert their own. Then there are the modified versions of flan: coconut flan, flan de dulce de leche, flan de queso de cabra, pumpkin flan, pineapple flan, flan de naranja. All of these are made with the basic recipe of milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla with added fruit or vegetable purée.

Then there are the modified versions that include Queso Caraqueño or Flan Napolitano that are even richer with the addition of almonds and cracker meal or that up the amount of eggs to 8 or 9 (whole eggs or a mix of yolk and white proportions).

My flan de queso recipe happens to be one of my sister's favorite desserts to prepare and I've still to find a better version than hers. Whenever I've made it, it has been a hit at every dinner party we've served it at and dessert party I've ever taken it to.

It is very easy to prepare too. With easy to find ingredients and basically four steps.

• Making the custard
• Making the caramel
• Baking by bain marie
• Flipping the flan

There is also another step, the eating of the flan part which is the easiest of all and requires no explanation. ;-D

Preparing the caramel can be the hardest (or most painful) part for some but once you get the handle of it you won't forget. One cup of sugar, no water. It just takes patience, a good pan, the right whisk and constant stirring at medium heat.

Your eye will tell you when the caramel is ready by the beautiful golder color it achieves. The trick is to work quickly with it before it hardens.

The resulting caramel will be thick and gooey but not super sticky. It will have a beautiful flavor, like burnt sugar but without the bitterness of caramel that has been overcooked or burnt. And when it runs down the sides of the flan it will be a thing of beauty. Just make sure every slice you serve has a little caramelo on the side and a bit on top to make the surface of the slice glisten.

Puff Pastry Bonanza

Clement has posted a wonderful Sugar High Fridays 5 Round-up. There are so many delectable and gorgeous puff pastry focused recipes to explore and salivate over. Do stop by and take a peek at all the layers and layers of flour, butter and deliciousness.

Sugar High Fridays #5: Puff Pastry: Rose Petal Tart

This time, let's just blame it on Stravinsky.

As far as I can remember ever since Jennifer  announced her plans for the first Sugar High Fridays event last September (sneaking her plans on me while I was away in Paris) it seems I keep finding myself scrambling around to prepare my entry post-haste.

Needless to say, it becomes a nerve-racking albeit hilarious endeavor, for a procrastinator such as I who ends up posting the entry right before polishing her nails, keys in hand, out the door with a taxi on the way and the performance--there is always some song and dance on Fridays, always!--about 25 minutes from curtain or worse, a few minutes before midnight.

So when I read that the amazing Clement was hosting SHF #5 and that the theme he had chosen was Puff Pastry: Hundreds & Hundreds of Layers  I knew I had my work cut out for me.

It had nothing to do with the fact that we were supposed to use puff pastry for our project--I draw the line on homemade pâte feuilletée, leaving that wonder of flour and butter in the very capable hands of local pastry chefs, Pierre Hermé, DeLaurenti and Pepperidge Farm.

The real issue was time and inspiration. For this SHF, not only would I have to plan ahead but start my entry a day in advance because of critical time constraints and just in case the first recipe did not work out (if there is one thing I've learned about these foodie MEME's is the need to have a back-up plan).

There was also the bit about getting inspired, trying to come up with something other than yet another variation on Palmiers .

A couple weeks ago, during my weekly reconnaissance visit to Williams Sonoma I found my muse! The cutest pink Apilco heart shaped plate you ever saw, complete with a gold rim that called my name and begged for me to take home.

I figured whatever I would bake had to fit the plate's dimensions and be color coordinated. Chocolate, I thought. What better contrast than these two colors together.

Later on, while browsing the shop's cookbook shelves, I found this lovely book on tarts that was opened (how fortuitous!) to page 129. There it was, the idea for my entry! A heart shaped rose flavored sweet tart covered in the most beautiful crystallized rose petals.

This was it! Love at first sight! A simple enough tart made out of yogurt, cream, eggs and sugar, flavored with rose water and decorated with one of my favorite flowers in one of my favorite colors.

It just could not be any more perfect. Now I had not only the inspiration but also a book, recipe and even the plate on which to serve myself a slice of this beauty.

Other than buying the roses everything else was already at hand so yesterday afternoon, on my way home from work I stopped to pick up the nicest pink rose $3.99 would buy. Ouch!

I had enough time to drive home, crystallize the petals, prepare the filling, cut and blind bake the shell and hopefully bake the tart before heading out to an Ozu double feature at the Forum.

I was done by 6pm. Within minutes I brushed the sugar off my shirt, put some gloss on --pink, of course!--and left for the movies. By the time I returned home, it was almost midnight, the tart was set and ready for me to cut a slice to sample.

Earlier this afternoon, I used the dry candied petals to top the tart, took my photos in the gorgeous daylight we enjoyed in Seattle today and rushed, with about 25 minutes to curtain, yet again, to McCaw Hall (fabulous mixed rep btw!)

This was no professional effort by any means. The pastry was store bought, the final color was uneven and so was the puff factor.

In fact, I intend to repeat the process tomorrow or the following day (petals and all), tweaking the pastry baking method around a bit (pie weights this time for the blind baking) using the Plan B recipe (chocolate & rose) I had in mind just in case this one did not work out.

I have to say however, that in the final analysis, this rosy tart was still so pretty to look at that even though it was not cookbook picture perfect, it was delicate, tasty and gorgeous enough for me. And look at that cute little plate!