Home-grown memories / Trésors faits-maison

I went silent, again, for more than a month. I had you starring at this spinach and bulgur thing for more than a month and I won't be surprised if you've gotten sick of it. Because I did. And so did all of the people I know.

The truth is the kitchen is still busy and I am still cooking and baking more than ever. The truth is whenever I make something and it turns out scrumptious and belly-rubbing-delicious and I want to tell you all about it, the camera seems to disappear. Then, I decide to make it again and it is even tastier than before and I take photos, download them to my computer, store them and at that moment the sun goes down, my sleepy eyes tell me I need my bed and before I knew it March is nearly over.

The truth is I love coming here and I miss it when I don't visit for a while. I love facing the white, smooth screen and thinking about what I'm going to write. I love my little kitchen journal, my childhood scented dishes, my home-grown memories.

The truth is I enjoy sharing my recipes with you all. I do it for you. I do it for me. I do it so I won't forget what should be remembered. I also do it for my daughter. My adorable Layla whom I love dearly. I do it for her because I want her to remember that harira was her favorite soup ever since she started solid food, and that one day she got her eye lids sticky because she got too much honey on her m'semmen, or how she loves the smell of couscous steaming and picking olives out of everybody's plate.

Because on her first day of school she can count on having her favorite homemade bread with butter and pooh's honey. Because her birthdays will always be filled with dark chocolate cakes, princess costumes and balloons. Because whenever she would need comfort a warm hug and a big kiss will always be there. Because I want her to know that her father loves making merguez for her and that he will always call her "my little girl" and I " my life". Because my days are sweeter when I she is here and that I miss her when she takes her nap. Because I want her to know that the day she will become a mother herself, I will put henna on her hands and her feet, will put kohl to her eyes, prepare a big bowl of berkoukes and a plate of sellou and I will give her more honey.

While sellou is rather complicated to categorize, it is considered in Algeria and Morocco as an energy paste, a traditional sweet often served at birth celebrations. It is basically flour that Is cooked in a dry skillet on the stove or roasted in the oven until nutty and golden. To that we add honey, melted butter, ground almonds, or any of your favorite nuts, ground anise seeds, ground cinnamon and sesame seeds. It is highly addictive, has a unique flavor and comes together in a snap. No eggs, no pan greasing, no baking. The flour may take some time before turning into a beautiful blonde shade, that's where a friend, a husband or the phone come in handy. Toddlers around the kitchen not obligatory but most welcomed, as they love the smell of roasted flour and cinnamon. And so do we.

Sellou (Fragrant Roasted Flour with nuts and honey)

Recipe: Serves 4-6 people
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 4 ounces blanched almonds,or your favourite blend of nuts, ground
- 1 tbsp aniseed, freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, freshly ground
- 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup honey
- Some icing sugar to decorate

In a dry skillet, on medium heat, cook the flour, stirring continuously until it turns a golden colour. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.

Add to the flour the sesame seeds, ground or left whole, the almond meal, the aniseed and the cinnamon, and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and honey and stir first with a wooden spoon then with your hands to break any remaining lumps.

Mound the mixture in a pyramid on a plate. Dust with the icing sugar and decorate with some almonds or almond dragées.

Eat with teaspoons and serve with mint tea or coffee.

Sellou (farine torréfié au miel et amandes)

In Français please: pour 4-6 personnes
- 250g de farine
- 50g de graines de sésame, torréfié
- 100g d'amandes émondées et moulues
- 1 c.s de graines d'anis, fraichement moulues
- 1/2 c.c de cannelle, fraichement moulue
- 100g de beurre, fondu
- 100ml de miel
- Du sucre glace pour décorer

Dans une poêle, sur feu doux, faites cuire la farine en remuant constamment jusqu' a obtenir une belle couleur dorée. Retirer du feu et mettre dans un bol.

Ajouter a la farine les graines de sésame, moulues ou entières, les amandes moulues, l'anise en poudre et la cannelle. Remuer a l'aide d'une cuillère en bois. Verser le beurre fondu et le miel dessus et remuer d'abord avec la cuillère en bois, puis en vous servant de vos mains en frottant bien le mélange pour émietter tout grumeau restant.

Présenter le sellou en pyramide dans une assiette et décorer avec du sucre glace et des amandes entières ou des dragées si vous le souhaiter.

A déguster a l'aide de cuillères a café et servir avec du the a la menthe ou du café.

Baked Apricots Filled with Almond Paste / Abricots Fourrés à La Pâte d’Amandes

I hated apricots for almost five years. I hated them like I now hate pistachios, like I once detested puddings, like I will always despise mint flavored chocolate.
Apricots were, and still are sometimes, deceiving and unpredictable. Apricots were rare, fleeting and dear one year, overwhelming, turned down and abundant the next; 70 pounds abundant, to be exact. And even with quite a big kitchen, they were crowding our space and our heart sitting by the wicker bread pin.

Of course we were delighted when we first received this sweet treasure. We polished it, smelled it and ate it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. We shared them with neighbors. We painted the pits, kept them in our pockets and invented games. My mother and I made apricots jam, apricots tarts, galettes, cakes, fruits salads and clafoutis. We were happy, although busy nearly every afternoon, worried about rotten apricots every night and growing tired of them every morning. Until summer 2003: 20 pounds of apricot jam in our kitchen, snug jeans and one bottle of Pepto Bismol. I was done with apricots.

It took me five years to make peace with apricots again. But not any apricots: ripe, sun kissed, rose blushed apricots that were winking at me last Saturday at the farmer’s market. They were so beautiful, so sweet and meaty that I had to make the ultimate, dead easy, lazy friendly dessert that is Baked apricots with almond paste.

Almond paste based desserts are a staple in our kitchen and in many Mediterranean kitchens. While different recipes and varieties exist, the one that we use in North Africa is basically ground almond to which we add sugar and orange blossom water, or rose water, until we obtain a smooth paste. You halve the apricots, fill them with the almond paste and bake them until they start to soften slightly. That’s all. It is tart, sweet and wonderfully scented. Along with a scoop of ice cream, a cloud of crème Anglaise or Zabaglione, and I might even reconsider eating mint flavored chocolate again. Or may be not!

Baked Apricots Filled with Almond Paste

Recipe: Serves 4
- 8 apricots, ripe but still firm
- 4 ounces whole almonds, finely ground
- Caster sugar
- Orange blossom water

Preheat the oven at 350F. Butter a baking dish and set aside.

Halve and pit the apricots. Mix the ground almonds with some sugar, depending on the sweetness of the apricots. Taste the almonds and sugar mixture as you mix to see if you need to add more sugar or not. Start by adding 1 tbsp of orange blossom water to the almonds mixture and add more if necessary until you have a smooth paste.

Fill each apricot half with the almond filling and cover with the other apricot half. Continue with the remaining apricots.
Put them in your prepared pan and bake them for 10-15 minutes, or until the apricots start to soften slightly. Keep an eye on the apricots after 10 minutes, as you don’t want them to fall apart.

Serve warm as it is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The latter choice happens to be my favorite.

Note: This dessert should be consumed on the same day, as they become mushy once in the fridge.
You can find orange blossom water at Middle Eastern stores.

Abricots Fourrés à La Pâte d’Amandes

In Francais Please: Pour 4 personnes
- 8 abricots, pas trop mûrs
- 100g d’amandes entieres, finement hachées
- Sucre en poudre
- L’eau de fleur d’oranger

Préchauffer le four à 180C. Beurrer un plat allant au four et mettre de côté.

Couper les abricots en deux. Mélanger les amandes hachées avec un peu de sucre. La quantité du sucre depends de la douceur des abricots. Gouter au fur et à mesure le mélange d’amandes pour voir si il vous faut rajouter du sucre. Commencer par verser une c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger sur le mélange d’amandes, et rajouter si necessaire jusqu’à obtenir une pâte homogene et souple.

Fourrer chaque moitié d’abricots de la pate d’amandes et couvrir de l’autre moitié du fruit. Continuer jusqu’a épuisement des fruits.
Arranger-les dans votre plat préalablement beurré et faire cuire 10-15 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que les abricots soient tendres. Garder un oeil sur les abricots après 10 minutes de cuisson, car vous ne voulez pas que les fruits s’effritent.

Servir tiede, seuls ou avec une boule de glace à la vanille. La derniere proposition est celle que je préfere.

Note: Ce dessert doit se consommer le jour meme. Une fois au frigo, il commence à se ramollir

A Second Chance / Une Deuxième Chance

A few years ago, back when we were dating without even dating (that’s a long story!), my husband told me that he didn’t like bread pudding. He dropped it just like that, in the middle of our conversation, between a sip of half-an-hour-cold-espresso and him thinking about having a goatee. I didn’t know what to think of this situation. A man with a goatee! And who doesn’t like bread pudding! Will it work?
Needless to say how confused I was. But this happened during our first days of romance, and the rule number 123 of dating for dummies tells you not to take it too seriously when a man admits that he doesn’t like bread pudding, but they tell you nothing about the sudden urge of having a goatee! Confused? I know! Me too.

And what’s more confusing is that I agreed with his bread pudding aversion (but not with the goatee!) I agreed to the dislike of centuries old dessert without even arguing. I agreed to hate bread pudding when I know how much I love drowning my bread in milk before eating it. I agreed to dislike something I've actually never had before. I agreed to something I thought I, myself, hated for years, until this past weekend.

This past weekend there were no dating game, no loosing game, no mascara and no shiny shoes. This past weekend was about an unfinished business, an unknown dessert, and about using some of my leftover bread. And I have to admit that I cannot find better, cozier, and more charming way to use leftover bread than by making bread pudding. It’s every leftover bread's fantasy to end up swimming in a custard bath with raisins and nuts as bathtub toys.

This bread pudding is the most popular sweet in Egypt. It’s called Om Ali, which means Ali’s Mother. The traditional way is to use baked fillo pastry broken into pieces with a mixture of cream and milk, but people find all sorts of ways of making it; with pancakes, with thinly rolled out puff pastry, and with pieces of bread.

I went for “a lighter custard”, skipping the heavy cream and adding eggs to the mixture. The bread is soaked in an orange blossom water perfumed custard for 20 minutes, sprinkling raisins and nuts in between layers, and then baked until nicely browned and the pudding tips nicely out of its mold.

As I was taking the pudding out of the oven, my husband came to the kitchen and saw me holding the golden-crusted dessert in my arms and asked what it was. “Bread pudding”, I said. “But before you say anything, give it a chance!" I said "I know how much you hate bread pudding”
“Who told you I hate bread pudding? I hated the one I had once in my college years, not all bread puddings. Besides, yours looks scrumptious”, he replied

Needless to say how confused I was. But I am glad I gave both of them a second chance.

Om Ali : Egyptian Bread Pudding

Recipe:
You can also add some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the custard. It’s not traditional, but I am sure Om Ali wouldn’t mind.

- ½ lb days old of your favorite bread (I used this one)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped of your favorite nuts (I used pistachios and almonds)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting on top

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 2-qt (2L) baking dish.

Trim the crusts from the bread into ½ inch (12mm) cubes. Scatter the bread in the prepared baking dish, sprinkling the raisins and nuts in between the layers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and orange blossom water until blended, then whisk in the milk. Pour the mixture over the bread, dust with the cinnamon and set aside for 20 minutes to moisten the bread. Tilt the dish occasionally to keep the bread evenly covered with the liquid.

Place the baking dish in a bigger pan and pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate to chill for up to 3 hours.

Om Ali: (La maman d’Ali) Pudding Égyptien

In Francais Please:
Vous pouvez aussi ajouter des pépite de chocolat si vous le souhaitez au pudding. Ce n’est pas trés traditionnel avec la recette, mais je suis sure que Om Ali fermera les yeux dessus.
Je soumet mon pudding a ma chere Marion et son jeu fort original “ Si j’avais du Pandan…”
Bien sur je dois me soumettre à ses questions tellement difficile avant de jouer:
1- De couleur verte
2- Shrek (Là sérieusement j’ai dû triché un peu parce que je croyais vraiment que c’était d’un vrai ogre que tu parlais. La honte! ;-)
3- Panda

- 250g de pain de quelques jours (J’ai utilise ce pain)
- 45g de raisins secs
- 45g de vos noix favoris, grossierement hachées (J’ai utilize pistache et amandes)
- 3 gros oeufs
- 125g de sucre
- ½ c.c de canelle en poudre
- 1 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger
- Une petite pincée de sel
- 500ml de lait entier

Beurrer légerement un plat d’une capacité de 2L allant au four. Préchauffer le four à 350F.
Retirer les croutes du pain et les couper en petits dés d’1 centimetre et les mettre dans votre plat en alternant avec noix et raisins secs.

Dans un grand bol, battre les oeufs, sucre, eau de fleur d’oranger, et le sel jusqu’a ce que tout soit bien incorporé, puis verser dessus le lait. Verser ce mélange sur les morveaux de pain, saupoudrer de canelle, et mettre de côté pendat 20 minutes pour laisser au pain le temps d’absorber le liquide. Remuer le palt de temps en temps pour que le pain reste toujours couvert du liquide.

Faire cuire le pudding au bain marie pendant 40-45 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le pudding devienne doré et qu’un couteau inseré à l’interieur en ressort sec. Retirer le plat du bain marie et laisser refroidir completement sur une grille à patisserie avant de servir. Servir à temperature ambiante ou mettre au frais pendant au moins 3 heures avant de servir.

Me and One Easy Dessert / Moi et Un Dessert Facile a Faire

I have been tagged this past week by Jaime and Naomie for a Meme. Basically, I have to share with you 7 things you don't know about me. It was hard to choose. An entire life can't be summed up in 7 lines, but here it is:

- Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I drink at least 2 cups (500ml) of cold milk daily. I hate hot milk; it has to be mixed with coffee or chocolate for me to be able to drink it.
- I have a small collection of cows’ figurines around the house. What once started as a joke between my husband and I has now expended to salt and pepper shakers, kitchen apron, cell phone holder…etc. This cute cow on the photo is my latest baby, given to me by my beloved sister. Thank you very much, Y!
- I speak Arabic, French and English, and understand some Spanish. My husband is way better than me in Spanish and he likes to show it off from time to time just to upset me. Which always works!
- I don’t like Hummus. Although I love Chickpeas. Did you know that Hummus means Chickpea in Arabic? I am sure you all know it!
- I went to law school for one year before finding out that it was boring, corrupted and exhausting. I studied French Literature after that. I enjoyed it very much and miss sometimes my college years.
- I get scared easily. Very, very easily. My husband takes advantage of it a lot, and I am afraid I might have a heart attack one of those days. Not that long ago, thinking I’ve heard some noise in the kitchen, I woke up my husband and sent him to go see if there was something, or most specifically somebody downstairs. I felt really bad about waking him up and decided to go with him (Actually, I was left alone in the bedroom and I was scared that somebody might jump out of the closet. I have a vivid imagination). I followed him, carrying with me a big, heavy…candle that I have on my chest of drawers. He looked at me: “what do you think you’re doing with this candle?” “Well…it was the first thing I saw, and I thought this might protect us if there was somebody downstairs!” There was nobody downstairs that day. But every time I hear a noise in our house, he jokes and reminds me not to forget to take my candle with me.
- I love cheese. Especially Goat cheese, Roquefort, Camembert, Brie, Feta, Gruyere, Ricotta and Comté.

The food bloggers I am tagging for a Meme are:
- Christine, from Holybasil
- Marion, from Il en faut peu pour etre heureux
- Lydia, from The Perfect Pantry
- Aimee, from Under the High Chair
- Shayne, from Fruitcake or Nuts
- Anne, from Foodie Froggy
- Terry B, from Blue kitchen

Today’s recipe is very, very easy to make. The filling can be prepared a day, or even two days ahead and assembled the day you want to serve it. The golden phyllo dough gives this distinguish crunch to the dessert, and the creamy ricotta, infused with honey and cinnamon, adds a bewitching silkiness to the sautéed apples. I used Pink Lady Apples, because I love how both sweet and tangy they are, and how they hold their shape after cooking them. Avoid using ceramic or silicon muffin pans, as they retain moisture and you will end up with a mushy bottom.

You may also like:
Peach and Ricotta Parcels

Ricotta and apples Parcels

Recipe: serves 4
- 8 phyllo sheets, cut in half.
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp honey (use the one you like)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 gg
- 1 Pink Lady apple (or any excellent cooking apple), peeled, cored and diced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp melted butter.
- 1 tbsp ground pistachios (optional)

Using a whisk, mix the ricotta with honey, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and the egg, until well combined. Set aside. On a medium flame, Heat a teaspoon of butter in a pan, and sauté the diced apples with the remaining cinnamon and the sugar until lightly golden brown on the edges, about 5 minutes.
Brush the muffin pan with a little bit of melted butter. Brush the phyllo sheets with some of the remaining butter and line each muffin cup with four phyllo sheets. Put inside each phyllo “nest” a layer of ricotta, a layer of apples and top with a little of pistachios. Fold the phyllo sheets over the filling as you would fold a bag. Continue with the remaining phyllo cups. Brush each phyllo parcel with the remaining melted butter and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes inside the muffin pan and invert gently without breaking the top of the parcels. serve warm or cold, topped with a little bit of ground pistachios and icing sugar.

Croustillants de Ricotta et Pommes

In Francais Please: Pour 4 Personnes
- 8 feuilles de filo, coupées en deux sur la largeur
- 200g de fromage de ricotta
- 2 c.s de miel (celui que vous preferez)
- ½ c.c de cannelle en poudre
- 1 oeuf
- 1 pomme Pink Lady, épluchée et coupé en des
- 1 c.s de sucre en poudre
- 3 c.s de beurre fondu
- 1 c.s de pistaches en poudre (facultatif0

A l’aide d’un fouet, mélanger la ricotta avec le miel, ¼ c.c de canelle et l’oeuf entier. Mettre de côté. Sur un feu moyen, faites fondre une c.c de beurre et faites sauter les pommes avec le reste de cannelle et le sucre, juqu’à ce qu’elle deviennent légerement dorées sur les bords, envirom 5 minutes.
Beurrer votre moule a muffins et vos feuilles de filo avec le beurre fondu. Laisser-en un peu pour la fin. Garnir chaque portion du moule avec 4 feuilles de filo et les remplir d’une couche de ricotta, puis une couche de pommes, et enfin un peu de pistaches en poudre. Fermer la pate à fillo sur la farce comme si vous fermez un sachet. Beurre la surface du beurre fondu restant. Faites cuire à 160C pendant 20 minutes. Laisser reffroidir 5 minutes dans le moule, puis démouler en faisant attention à ne pas abimer la surface. Servir tiède ou à temperature ambiante, saupoudré de pistaches en poudre et de sucre glace.

My First Achievement / Mon Premier Succès

Though I didn’t win a trip to Napa, I wanted to thank all of you who showed up and voted for me and for my chocolate truffles. I was very honored to be in the final top 10, standing among such talented bloggers. Thank you very much! You have been so good to me.

And for last week Chocolate Sparklers Giveaway, I really wish I could send each and every one of you a gift. But, in the end, there can be only one-- so Congratulations to Brilynn. She will be receiving some edible love in her mailbox very soon. As for the others, there will plenty of edible love in the future.

Today’s recipe is probably the first dessert my mother has ever allowed to cook, all by myself. I had gone from peeling bananas and oranges for the fruit salad to actually cooking something; even if all I had to do was stirring never endings “eights” until my mother would say it’s done. In the life of a little girl, and aspired cook, this was a big achievement.

Over the years, this pudding had become my signature dessert. The one I would make when there was no dessert at all—or as my mother says: “You want some desert?” the one I would quickly whip up for some unexpected guests, the one I would turn to, at the end of the week, where all we had in the fridge was milk and two eggs. Chocolate was always present in our pantry.

It’s a basic chocolate and vanilla pudding, cooked in separate pans, on a low heat and thickened with the use of cornstarch. The vanilla layer is usually flavored with a teaspoon of orange blossom water. But I didn’t know how this latter will taste like with the use of chili powder in the chocolate layer. I preferred to play it safe. This time.

Black and White Pudding

Recipe: Serves 6
- For the vanilla layer:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- For the chocolate layer:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp sugar (or more, depending on your taste bud)
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 3.5 bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped
- 1 tsp ground Ancho Chili (or your favorite chili powder)

In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar, egg yolk and cornstarch. Slowly add the milk. Cook over a low heat while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes, remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract and whisk until well incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh to remove any lumps and pour into individual ramekins or a big ramekin. Set aside.

Clean your saucepan. Follow the same instruction as for the vanilla pudding. Just when the mixture starts to thicken, add the chocolate, the chili powder and continue stirring until smooth and thick (about 2 minutes).
Pour slowly over the vanilla layer, starting from the edges and going to the center. Cover with a plastic wrap direct on the surface of the pudding. Chill.

Pudding Noir et Blanc

In Francais Please: Pour 6 personnes
- Pour la couche a la vanille:
- ½ L de lait entier
- 2 c.s de sucre en poudre
- 2 c.s de maizena
- 1 jaune d’oeuf
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- Pour la couche au chocolat
- ½ L de lait
- 1 c.s de sucre en poudre ( ou plus, selon votre goût)
- 1 ½ c.s de maizena
- 1 jaune d’oeuf
- 1 c.c de piment rouge en poudre de votre choix
- 100g de chocolat noir (64% cacao), coup é en petits morceaux

Dans une casserole a fond épais, mélanger jaune d’ouef, sucre et maizena. Ajouter le lait doucement et continuer à mélanger. Mettre sur feu doux et faites cuire sans cesser de remuer afin d’éviter les grumeaux. Dés que le m élange commece a épaissir, environ 10 minutes, retirer du feu et y ajouter la vanille. M élanger pour bien l’incorporer et passer au chinois en cas ou il y’aurait des grumeaux.
Verser dans vos ramequins et mettre de coté.

Netoyer votre casserole et proceder de la même manière que pour le précédent. Au moment ou le mélange commence à s’epaissir, ajouter le chocolat et le piment. Continuer à mélanger jusqu’à ce que le pudding redevienne soyeux et épais, environ 2 minutes.
Verser sur la couche de vanille en allant des bords vers le centre. Si vous versez directement au centre, cela va penetrer le pudding à la vanille.

Chocolate Truffles Trio / Trio de Truffes en Chocolat

I like to celebrate the month of December with flour dust on my hair and melted chocolate on my upper lips.

There has not been a single day since the beginning of the month where my oven has had a day off. There have been biscotti, meringues, coconut macaroons, breads, granola, jam cookies, dried fruits bars, a decadent brownie and some out of this world chewy chocolate chip cookies (that I’m enjoying right now with a glass of milk).
December has this baking bulimia effect on me.

I pretend some excuses just so I can wear my chocolate-stained apron, turn on the oven and start playing with the flour. I’ve already had some pretty good motives like the traditional “neighbor’s gift baskets”, the “friend’s package Friday”, the “snowy Sunday”, the “chilly Saturday”, the “grumpy Monday”, the “oh-I’m-craving-chocolate-chip-cookies-Wednesday” and the “I-like-to-eat-brownies-while-watching-TheGodfather-Thursday”.

You understand now how crucial it was to keep my oven active on December. Especially how watching The Godfather without having a square (or two) of brownies is a sin on itself.
But the most sinful act of all would have been not to bake when I know that in two days we are off to Florida to spend the holidays with my in-laws.
Traveling and family have this baking bulimia effect on me too.

I believe the only day where I didn’t have to use my oven was the day I made this fantastic chocolate truffle trio. I’ve made chocolate truffles before, but when I made these I knew the previous one were pathetic. I owe this great success to Jacques Pépin and his easy to follow recipe. The method he uses is different from the usual chocolate and heavy cream truffle method. Instead he uses chocolate, egg yolks and butter.
The recipe might seem long, but once you read it you will notice that it’s only precious advises from the chef himself to help you achieve a remarkable result.
I followed his suggestions, divided the basic truffle recipe and flavored it with praline (hope you’re reading June!), orange and coffee. If like me you don’t use alcohol in your cooking, you can always replace it by water as mentioned in the recipe. This won’t affect the texture of the truffles.

You should really try these truffles. They are luscious and very addictive.
Perfect to serve for guests, to give as a gift or just to treat your self on a chilly December.

Happy Holiday Baking everyone.

PS: Please don’t forget to make a donation to this year’s Menu for hope. There are prizes for every taste bud and it’s for a good cause. So go donate, right here.

Chocolate Truffles Trio

Recipe: adapted from here
Basic Mixture:
- 12 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 4 egg yolks
- 2/3 stick (2 2/3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
Coffee truffles:
- 1 tbsp rum (or water)
- 1 tbsp coffee extract (these are the first drops from a drip coffee maker)
Praline truffles:
- ½ cup praline
- 2 tbsp cognac (or water)
Orange truffles:
-Rind of 1 orange (about 1 ½ tsp)
1 ½ tsp Grand Marnier (or water)

To make the basic mixture, melt the chocolate in double boiler (Bain Marie) until the chocolate is melted and lukewarm. Remove from the simmering water and add the egg yolks. Stir with a whisk for a few seconds. It will probably tighten and lose its shine.
Add the butter in small pieces and whisk well. The mixture may become smooth or it may remain somewhat separated. Do not worry about it. Divide the basic mixture equally into three small bowls.
For the coffee chocolate truffles: Add the coffee extract and rum and whisk.
For the praline chocolate truffles: Add the praline and cognac and whisk.
For the orange chocolate truffles: Add the orange rind and Grand Marnier and whisk.

At this point the mixture should become smooth. If it doesn’t, add 1 tsp of hot water to each bowl and whisk until it does. It should not require more than 1 tbsp of water at most. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Get the truffles out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before starting shaping them. This way it will be easier to shape them.
- With a small spoon, divide each mixture; in its own plate, into little balls the size of extra-large olives or smaller.
Roll in the palm of your hands to smooth. Keep each flavor separate.
For the orange truffles, secure a toothpick in each ball and freeze the orange truffles for 15 minutes or until hard. Continue working with the two other flavors (that don’t need to be refrigerated before being coated)
- For the coffee chocolate truffles, roll the balls in unsweetened cocoa powder. Shake the pan so the balls roll around and get coated.
- For the praline truffles, roll the balls in roughly ground pistachios or silvered almond.
- For the orange truffles, once firm dip each one into melted chocolate. As you lift the ball out, roll it slightly on the side of the bowl to eliminate the excess. Secure the toothpicks in a piece of foam rubber or Styrofoam, or just a cardboard box so the chocolate drips along the toothpick. Let set until very hard, and then remove the toothpick.
Arrange each truffle variety in a box. They will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Serve at room temperature.

Trio de Truffes en Chocolat

In francais please: adaptée d'ici
Pour La recette de base:
- 340g chocolat noir (64%)
- 4 jaunes d’oeuf
- 70g beurre mou
Pour les truffes au café:
- 1 c.s de rhum (ou eau)
- 1 c.s d’extrait de café (ceci représente les premières gouttes de café d’une cafetière)
Pour les truffes au pralin:
- 125 ml de pralin
- 2 c.s de Cognac (ou eau)
Pour les truffes à l’orange:
- le zeste râpé d’une orange (environ 1 ½ c.c )
- 1 ½ c.s de Grand Marnier (ou eau)

Pour la recette de base, faites fondre le chocolat au bain marie. Hors du feu ajouter les jaunes d’oeuf et fouetter à l’aide d’un fouet jusqu’à ce que tout soit bien incorporé.
Ajouter le beurre coupé en petits morceaux et fouetter encore une fois. Le mélange va redevenir brillant ou rester un peu granuleux. Ne vous inquietter pas. Diviser le mélange de chocolat équitablement entre trois petits bols.
- Pour les truffes au café, ajouter l’extrait de café et le rhum au premier bol. Mélanger avec un fouet.
- Pour les truffes au pralin, ajouter le pralin et le Cognac au deuxieme bol. Mélanger avec un fouet.
- Pour les truffes à l’orange, ajouter le zeste et le Grand Marnier. Mélanger avec un fouet.

A ce stade, chaque mélange devrait redevenir brillant. Si ce n’est pas le cas ajouter 1 c.c d’eau chaude au mélange qui en a besoin. Mais pas plus d’une c.s d’eau chaude.
Couvrir chaque bol de film plastique et mettre au frais pendant 2 heures ou jusqu’a ce qu’il soit ferme.
Sortir les bols au moins 15 min avant de les travailler.
Avec une cuil a café, faire des petits tas des differents mélange de la taille d’une grosse olive ou plus petit. Mettre chaque differentes truffes (café, orange et pralin) sur leur propre assiette.
Rouler les differents truffes en boules. Mettre des cure-dents dans les truffes à l’orange et mettre au congélateur pendant 15 min ou jusqu’a ce qu’elle deviennent fermes.
Pour les truffes au café, rouler-les dans du cacao amer.
Pour les truffes au pralin, rouler-les dans des pistaches grossierement hachées ou des amandes effilées.
Pour les truffes à l’orange, tremper chaque truffe dans du chocolate fondu, et remonter les truffes en les rouler llegerement sur le bord de la casserole afin d’enlever l’exces de chocolat. Sécuriser-les sur du polystyrene ou une boite en carton afin que le chocolat coule le long des cure-dents. Laisser de côté jusqu’à ce qu’il devienne ferme et enlever les cure-dents.
Mettre les differentes truffes dans des boites et les conserver au frigo pendant des semaines. Servir à temperature ambiante.

Chocolate Kisses / Baisers au Chocolat

It was in my early teen that I decided I didn’t like meringue. I don’t recall the day it happened, or why it did happen. It was just one of those days. Like one of those days where I decided to wear my mother’s 70’s jumper dresses to school, the day I asked my cousin to shave off her eye browse just to see how she would look like (which she did), or the day I truly believed that my sister’s and my bedroom was under the government security surveillance, or even worse under our parents surveillance.

But if you would have asked me at that time why I dislike meringue so much, I would have given you the exact and same answer I gave to my sister two days ago. I don’t like meringue because it has a though and dry shell, a molar-sticky interior, an artificial looking coloring, it doesn’t melt in your mouth as it’s supposed to do and it’s sweet. Too sweet!

The reason why I share this controversial relation with meringue is because of the funny looking meringue I encountered browsing the candy section in supermarkets. The commercial meringues remind me of the syrup my mother used to give us when we had a stomachache. It was like Pepto-Bismol but with two times the tongue coating texture for two times the: “Ewwww! Ewwww! That’s gross”.
I had this image of meringue for over 15 years now and no one has ever been able to change it.

No one but a man, his book and five leftover egg whites in my fridge.

Jacques Pépin’s “complete techniques” is a real treasure to have in the kitchen. It has more than 1000 cooking methods and recipes, all demonstrated in step-by-step recipes. It has some precious tips and tricks from the master him self, and when a man gives you a basic meringue recipe and start raving about how delicate and tender it is, and how with one basic recipe you can make Vacherin, Dacquoise, Ladyfingers and Oeufs a la neige, you’d better roll up your sleeves, swallow your nose-wrinkling pride and start making some meringue and enjoying it.

Oh! And how I did enjoy it. It doesn’t matter what I said before about molar-sticky whatever meringue because yesterday I’ve fallen head over for my angel kisses meringues. And as if it wasn’t enough I added some bittersweet chocolate ganache filling to cut down on the sweetness a bit and because any reason is a good reason to smear some chocolate.

When you bite into the meringue kiss you have a slightly crunchy shell with fluffy spots and then it starts to melt on your tongue leaving the chocolate behind as the finishing touch.

I have about one hundred and fifty five meringue kisses in my cookie jar right now. And being the cuddling person that I am, I can never have enough kisses in a day.

Meringue and chocolate Kisses

Recipe: adapted from here
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ cup superfine sugar
- A few drops of lemon juice, or a small dash of salt
- Chocolate ganache


Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the whites, adding a few drops of lemon juice or a small dash of salt before you start t whip. Whip on medium to high speed. When the whites are holding a nice shape, gradually add ½ cup of sugar and keep beating for 1 minute. The mixture should be stiff and shiny. Fold in the remaining sugar using a spatula. Folding in a part of the sugar at the end makes for tender meringue.
Coat a cookie sheet with butter and flour, and remove the excess flour. Fill up a pastry bag and pipe out plain or fluted meringues kisses. Lift the tip of the bag in quick, swift motion to avoid a long tail.
Bake them in preaheated 190F oven for 1¾ hours, or until they are dried. You can prepare the meringue in the evening, preheat your oven to 375F, put your meringues in the oven and turn it off. Leave them in there all night to dry out.
Stored dry (without the filling) in a covered container, meringues will keep for months.
Spread some of the chocolate ganache on some meringue kisses, and seal with the remaining plain kisses to from a macaroon. Let the chocolate set a bit and serve.

Baisers de Meringues au Chocolat

In francais please: Adaptée d’ici

- 3 blancs d’oeufs, temperature ambiante
- 175ml de sucre trés fin
- Quelques gouttes de sucre ou une petite pincée de sel
- Ganache de chocolat

Dans un mixer Kitchen-Aid munis d’un fouet, battre les blancs, en ajoutant les gouttes de citron ou le sel avant de battre. Battre à une vitesse moyenne à haute. Quand les blancs commencent à prendre du volume et une bonne consistence, ajouter la moitié du sucre petit à petit. Continuer à battre pendant 1 minute. Les blancs doivent etre volumineux et brilliants. Incorporer délicatement à l’aide d’une spatule le sucre restant. Ce process est coseillé pour avoir des meringues tendres.
Beurrer et fariner une ou deux plaques de cuisson et enlever l’excès de farine. A l’aide d’une poche à douille, faites des petits tas d’1 centimetre de diametre. Retirer la poche à douille rapidement pour qu’un fil de meringue ne se développe.
Cuire dans un four préchauffé a 90C pendant 1¾ heures, ou jusqu’a ce que les meringues soient seches. Autre alternative serait de préparer les meringues le soir, préchauffer votre four à 180C, mettre les plaques de meringues au four et etteindre ce dernier. Laisser sécher pendant toute une nuit.
Les meringues peuvent se conserver, sans leur ganache, dans une boite hérmétique pendant des mois.
Répartisser un peu du ganache sur une coque de meringue et coller la deuxième coque.

Together For Dessert / Ensemble Pour Le Dessert

Men and women are completely different.

While it would take hours to outline what set us apart, from the emotional part to the every day life part, I thought I would only highlight this typically masculine aspect that can sometimes drive a lady crazy: Not paying attention to details; at least when we want them to.

Men can’t understand how details are important to us. Take telling a story for instance: ladies attach more importance to details than to the main story.
You would more likely draw our attention if you said how your cousin’s daughter met her soon to be husband then by just saying that she is getting married.
And you would more likely get a sweet hug if you have noticed how fresh we are after our facial then by saying: “You look pale. Is everything all right?”

Men, on the other hand go from the main story and pause for a minute, leaving you jaw dropped to your counter top and begging him to turn off that TV and go on with the story. They then continue and finish the story suddenly without warnings. And you are here waiting for something juicier to happen, something he might have forgotten: “And…?” “And what? That’s it!”

But what men never seem to overlook and what they always rave about for hours and hours is The Dessert. You can make them a mean roasted chicken with some delicious roasted vegetables, he would always say at the end of the meal: “you know what would be perfect after this? A nice chocolate mousse.”

After all, dessert is supposed to be what everyone would remember after a nice dinner, even when you are a man.

Chocolate and Coconut Mousse

Recipe: Serves 4
- 8 oz Bittersweet chocolate (62%), chopped
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 egg whites, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with ¼ cup of the coconut milk following the Bain Marie technique.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick. Add the remaining coconut milk and the melted chocolate, and whisk until well incorporated.
Beat the egg whites to a medium peak.
Using a rubber spatula, fold one-fourth of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites just until no white streaks remain.
Heat a small sauté pan. Add the coconut flakes and toast them until lightly golden without stopping stirring. Invert into a small plate.
Divide the mousse evenly among the prepared ramekins or pots. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top of each pot and chill for at least 3 hours before serving it.

Mousse au Chocolat et Noix de Coco

In francais please: Pour 4 personnes
- 200g de chocolat noir à 62%
- 125ml de lait de coco, non sucre
- 2 jaunes d’oeuf
- 4 blancs d’oeufs
- 3 c.s de sucre en poudre
- 2 c.s de flacons de noix de coco, sucre

Dans une casserole, faites fondre le chocolat, avec la moitié du lait de coco au bain-marie.
Battre les jaunes d’oeuf avec le sucre jusqu’a ce que le mélange devienne pale et mousseux. Ajouter le reste du lait de coco et le chocolat fondu et continuer a mélanger.
Battre les blancs en neige. Eviter de trop les batter ou ils deviendront graineux.
Faites chauufer une petite poele. Ajouter les flacons de noix de coco et faites dorer sans cesser de remuer. Retirer du feu et mettre dans une assiette.
A l’aide d’une maryse, incorporer le quart des blancs en neige au chocolat pour l’alléger. Puis incorporer légerement le reste des blancs en neige jusqu’a ce que les blancs soit bien incorporés.
Mettre la mousse dans des ramequins ou des coupes et saupoudrer de flacons de noix de coco au centre des mousses. Mettre au frais au-moins 3 heures avant de servir.

It's Never Too Late / Il n'est jamais Trop Tard

I waited twenty-four years to have my first cheesecake experience. It was three months ago in Denver where I had Kahlua Cocoa-coffee cheesecake. Nobody told me that once you have a bite of a good cheesecake, you get addicted to it and there is no coming back. The following day, my husband and I had another slice and the next day another one. Three days in a row all we had for late night dessert was Cheesecake, and the same flavor.
Now eating cheesecake is pretty easy but baking it is a different story. You see I have never baked cheesecakes before. I have, what we call: “cheesecakebakophobia” . Basically, my worst nightmare would be ending up with a giggly, uncooked cheesecake that would ooze out of my spring-form tin and landing in my baking sheet or worst in my oven.
And then, it all changed two months ago when I saw Haalo’s cheesecake. I was mesmerized. It was meant to be. Haalo’s cheesecake was going to be my first cheesecake baking experience. Why her cheesecake, you might ask? It has nothing special, does it? I went with this one because I trust Haalo’s recipes. If I had to list all the successful concoctions that went from her blog to my table, I would have to change my blog name to “Haalo’s second Kitchen” or “Cook almost anything… at least twice”. Secondly, as she was explaining the outcome of her cheesecake, she said three magic words that were like music to my ears: “it's soft and creamy but with a wonderfully light texture. The topping adds that bit of sweetness and the base is appealingly crunchy”. And what better than a creamy, light cheesecake with a crunchy crust.
The recipe is very easy to follow and I was surprised to see that the cheesecake doesn’t cook in a water bath like most of cheesecakes do. I halved the recipe and used the last handful of cherries found at the market this weekend to decorate the top along with my strawberry jam.
When slicing the cheesecake, I was charmed by the small bites, great for entertaining to pop in your mouth. Haalo was absolutely right about the texture. It’s creamy yet not heavy and very fresh with the ricotta cheese. You almost don’t have to use your teeth, except for the crust that is just buttery and crunchy with the adding of quick oats. The only thing that I would do differently next time is to use less jam for the topping because it was a bit sweet for my taste.
Other than that, it was a great experience, more addictive than eating the cheesecake. I came out victorious and I am proud of myself. I was a good girl this time; I only had one slice of it. Fine two…maybe three. It was late, I don’t remember.

Baked Strawberry and Cherry Cheesecake

Recipe: adapted from here
The crust:
- 5 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 ounces quick oats
- 4 ounces graham crackers
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
The filling:
- 13 ounces light cream cheese
- 4 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3 ½ ounces caster sugar
- 5 ounces light sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tbsp flour
The topping:
- 9 ounces cherries or any fruit in season and depending on your taste
- 7 ounces strawberry jam

Make the Base:
Butter a 20cm/8inch round spring-form tin - line the base with baking paper.
Place the butter in a saucepan to melt - when melted add the rolled oats, cookie crumbs and sugar and stir well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and press it down firmly to create an even base.
Store in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Make the Filling:
Place the cream cheese, ricotta sugar and sour cream into the bowl of a mixer and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs, vanilla paste and plain flour and continue to beat until smooth.
Pour this over the chilled base and cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is just set.
Remove from the oven but allow it to cool in the tin.
Make the Topping:
Place the jam into a small saucepan and heat gently until the jam has melted.
Let this cool a little before spreading it over the cold cheesecake, then top with your fruits.
You will notice that the cheesecake will have shrunk away from the sides of the tin so the some of the topping will ooze out over the edge.
Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. For best result,take it out of the fridge one hour prior to serving.

Cheesecake aux Fraises et Cerises

In francais please: adaptée d'ici
- Pour la base:
- 125g de beurre, fondu
- 100g de flocon d’avoine
- 100g de petit biscuits secs, hache finement au robot
- 2 c.s de sucre brun
- Pour la garniture:
- 375g de cream cheese Philadelphia allégé, mou
- 100g de fromage ricotta
- 80g de sucre en poudre
- 125g crème aigre, allege
- 2 eggs
- 2 c.c d’extrait de vanille ou pate de vanille
- 1 c.s de farine
- Pour la decoration:
250g de cerises, ou votre fruit prefere de saison
200g de confiture de fraises

Preparer la base:
Beurrer un moule a cheescake (20cm de diametre) et garnir le fond de papier sulfurise.
Melanger le beurre fondu aux flocon d’avoine, sucre brun, biscuits jusqu’a complete incorporation.
Verser le mélange au fond du moule et bien applatir avec votre main pour obtenir une base uniforme. Mettre au frais 10 a 15min.
Preparer la garniture:
Mettre cream cheese, ricotta, sucre et crème aigre dans le bol d’un mixeur ou avec un batteur et melanger jusqu’a ce que le mélange devienne soyeux et lisse.
Ajouter les oeufs, vanille, farine et continuer a batter jusqu’a ce qu’elle redevienne lisse.
Verser sur la base prealablement refroidi et faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 40-45 min ou jusqu’a ce que le cheescake soit ferme mais un peu mou au center quand vous le bougez legerement.
Laisser refroidir dans son moule.
Preparer la garniture:
Mettez la confiture de fraise dans une casserole et faites la tiedir. Entre temps, épépiner les cerises et mettre de côté. Verser la confiture sur le cheesecake encore tiede et decorer avec les cerises a votre guise.
Couvrir et mettre au frais pendant des heures ou toute une nuit.Sortir du frigo une heure avant de le servir, pour une meilleure degustation.

A Birthday and a Cupcake / Un Anniversaire et un Cupcake

No, I haven’t forgotten about my blog nor about you, my friends. My duties of a mother had me spending more time with my little girl than in front of my lap top screen. Wednesday was my daughter’s first birthday. I still can’t believe that she is already a year old. I was getting used to telling her age by the months.
“How old is she?” “She is 10 months old”
My little girl is getting bigger.
All this week I was trying to picture how her birthday would be like. I knew I would make some sort of a cupcake. I spent days looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A zucchini chocolate cupcake sounded like a “baby friendly” cupcake. Everything had to be perfect for my little angel. I smiled thinking about how she would try to blow off her first candle. How she would look cute in her first princess dress. How she would destroy her cupcake. How she would pinch the cream cheese frosting between her thumb and index and then slowly bringing it into her mouth. Her father and I would be laughing at how she would make a big mess of her self while keeping the camera rolling. I would struggle the following day scrubbing the cream off of my carpet. But it was all worth it, I would tell my self. It was my little sunshine first birthday.
The D-day came. My little girl was so pretty in her yellow princess dress. She barely allowed me to comb her hair, but still it was fine. I like it when it’s curly and messy anyway. She was excited when she saw the balloons, the ribbons and the garland on the walls. She set in her high chair and waited for mommy to bring the dessert. What she didn’t know is that it was a special dessert. Mommy is going to allow her to eat her cupcake and make a big mess as much as she wants to. By the time I brought the cupcake and lighted the candle, She was starting to get a bit sleepy, scratching her eyes and her hair. We sang Happy birthday in three languages to wake her up. She wanted to grab the candle, still lighted, between her hands but my husbands blew it off before she can hurt her self. We tried to make her, at least, have a bite of her birthday cupcake, but all she wanted to do was sleeping. We managed to take some pictures. She finally took a bite of the cream cheese frosting. She laughed every time she would pinch some frosting and bringing it into her mouth. Obviously, she was very excited about it. We tried to keep her awake as much as we could but she was too tired. A quick run to the bedroom to bring her presents before she goes to bed, I told my husband. The next thing you know, this little girl was not sleepy anymore. She stayed an hour playing with her new favorite toys, talking and laughing and tossing them to her father.
Although her birthday didn’t turn out as planned: There were no cupcake battles and no sticky carpet, it was one memorable birthday. It was our little girl first birthday. We will remember it as being the birthday she started wearing a beautiful dress and yawning the whole time and ended playing with her toys and wearing only diapers.
The cupcakes were so good; I ate two of them before the birthday had even started. But it was just to make sure that it was right enough for her.

My favorite Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Recipe: adapted from here
- 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used only ¾ of a tsp)

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the sugar with oil and butter. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.
Slowly add the ingredient to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Spoon the batter into muffin pan, lined with muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 350F for about 35, or until it looks almost done in the oven. Do not overbake them; otherwise they will turn out dry. Cool on a wire rack. The chocolate chips inside will stay soft for the whole day (at least it did for me. It might be the weather)

Mes Cupcakes préférés aux Chocolat et Courgettes

In francais please: Adaptee d’ici
- 360ml de sucre brun
- 60ml de beurre fondu
- 180ml d’huile vegetale
- 3 oeufs
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 120 ml de babeurre
- 480ml de courgettes rapees
- 240ml de pepites de chocolat noir
- 480ml de farine
- 240 de cacao, non sucre
- ½ c.c de sel
- 2 c.c de bicarbonate de soude
- 1 c.c de mélange d’epice pour pain d’epice (kubeb)
- 1 ½ c.c de canelle (j’ai utilize seulement ¾ d’une cuil a café)

Dans un bol, faites passer les ingredients secs a la passoire et mettre de cote.
Melanger le sucre avec l’huile et le beurre. Ajouter les oeufs un a un et bien melanger a chaque fois. Ajouter babeurre, courgettes, chocolat et vanille. Bien melanger. Verser doucement les ingredients secs sur les mélange chocolat et bien melanger jusqu’a ce que tout soit bien incorpore. Verser dans un moule a muffin ligné de godets de muffins. Faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 35min ou jusqu’a ce que les cupcakes semblent presuqe cuits. Ne les faites pas trop cuire au risqué d’avoir des cupcakes secs. Laisser refroidir sur une grille a patisserie.

Butter- Free / Sans Beurre

Dear Myriam,

Feel no pressure by reading this letter to pick me as your next Browniebabe, although I will be honored if you do so.
I think I can be a great Browniebabe because not only my brownies are simply marvelous, with all modesty of course, but they are also filled with love and no butter. Yes, not an ounce of butter. Except if you count the tiny bit of butter that I used to grease the pan!

My chocolate and Cherry brownies will satisfy your cravings for brownies while allowing you to slip into your favorite swimming suite with all confidence. My brownies are hips and thighs friendly; just ask mine they will testify. No need to run, no need to worry because my brownies are only 137kcal per serving but 100% sweet and tasty.

Filled with cherries and prunes, my brownies are perfect for summer as they are moist, smooth, fruity and fudgy. Want to dress it up a little bit for a special dessert? No problem, just serve it on a cloud of Crème Anglaise and your guests will praise your talent for years to come.

So Myriam, My brownies are ready to be crowned and my waist can’t wait to be wrapped by your gorgeous apron. If you do pick me, which I think you should but again no pressure here, I will be the happiest girl and the butter-free Browniebabe of them all.

Best Wishes
Warda

PS: please pick me!

Butter- Free Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Recipe: adapted from here
- 6 oz Prunes, pitted
- 3 ½ oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 egg whites, whisked to soft peaks
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 2.64 oz all-purpose flour, sifted
- 5 ¼ oz brown sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz pitted and halved cherries, fresh or in syrup

Put the prunes in a saucepan with ¼ cup of water and cook for about 10min until the prunes softened and it’s left of the liquid only 2tbsp.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over the prunes until the chocolate has melted. Transfer the prunes to a food processor and blend to have a smooth puree.
In a mixing bowl, mix the prunes with the egg, the cocoa powder, flour, salt, chocolate, sugar and vanilla, until you have a smooth yet sticky batter. Using a wooden spoon, fold in gently the egg whites, followed by the cherries.
Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan and fill with your brownie batter. Don’t worry if the batter feels sticky, it’s the prune puree that gives this texture. Smooth the top with a damp spoon and bake at 375F for about 35min or until it feels firm to the touch. Cut into squares and can be served with Crème Anglaise.
Tips: Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature and covered with baking or wax paper. They will keep their freshness and moisture for up to four days. They are better eaten the next day.

Brownie Chocolat et Cerises sans Beurre

In francais please: adaptée d'ici
- 175g de pruneaux d’Agen, dénoyautes
- 100g de chocolat noir
- 2 blancs d’oeufs, battus en neige
- 1 oeuf
- 3 c.s de cacao sans sucre, tamisé
- 75g de farine
- 150g de sucre brun
- Une pincee de sel
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 200g de cerises dénoyautees et coupees en deux (fraiche en en sirop)

Mettre les pruneaux dans une casserole avec 100ml d’eau et faire cuire sur feu doux pendant 10 min jusqu’a ce que les pruneaux deviennent plus tendres et qu’il en reste de l’eau de l’eau que 2 c.s. Mettre le chocolat dans un bol et poser sur les pruneaux jusqu’a ce qu’il fonde. Transferer les pruneaux vers le robot menager et mixer jusqu’a obtention d’une puree homogene. Melanger la puree de pruneaux a l’oeuf entier, le sucre, le cacao, la farine, le sel, le chocolat fondu et la vanille. Vous obtiendrez un mélange epais et homogene. Incorporer delicatement les oeufs en neige a l’aide d’une cuillere en bois et enfin les cerises. Beurrer et fariner un moule carré de 20cm et verser dedans votre pate a brownie. Lisser la surface a l’aide d’une cuillere legerement mouillee et faire cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 35min ou jusqu’a ce que la surface soit ferme au toucher. Couper en carrés et servir, comme je l’ai fait, avec une crème Anglaise.
Astuces: Conserver dans une boite a fermeture hermetique et couverte d'un papier sulfurise. Se conserve jusqu'a quatre jours. Ces brownies sont meilleurs le lendemain.

Sweet Laziness / Douce Paresse

I am a total bore sometimes. I wish I could tell you that this dessert has a story of sweet childhood memories and stained white little dresses. I wish I could tell you that this dessert has grown on me through the years, reminiscence of a peach tree planted in the courtyard of my grandparents. I wish I could tell you that my inspiration came from a trip to south of Spain years ago, sitting on my father’s shoulders and indulging myself to sweet peach tarts. I wish I could tell you that while making this dessert, unicorns were stirring my ricotta, birds were singing at my window and bees were offering me their honey.

But I won’t. Because my only excuses behind making this improvised yet delicious dessert were a promise I made, a lazy afternoon and some ripe peaches. I am such a lame. I know. You can boo at me all you want, for now. Because once you’ve tasted my peach parcel with creamy ricotta and fragrant lavender honey, you will start cheering me up and start singing the merits of laziness for generations to come.



Peach Parcels with Ricotta and Lavender Honey

Recipe: Serves 4
- 2 ripe yellow peaches
- 3.5 oz Ricotta cheese
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp Orange blossom water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp candied ginger, diced
- ½ tsp dried lavender flowers, plus a few for decorating
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds
- Filo dough
- 2 tbsp melted butter

Using a knife, make an incision on top of each peach. In simmering water, blanch your peaches for only 2 minutes then start peeling off the skin. Cut each peach in quarter and set aside. In a saucepan, put 1 tbsp of honey with lavender pods. Bring to boil then set aside to infuse the honey with the lavender. Using a whisk, mix the ricotta cheese with the remaining honey, the egg yolk and the orange blossom water.
Cut 4 small rectangular out of the filo dough, and then process layering (see picture) brushing the dough with butter at each stage. Sprinkle the candied peaches on the peaches and close your parcel by forming any shape you want. Just keep in mind to leave an opening on top of the parcel. Bush with some butter again and drizzle some of the lavender honey on top of each parcel. Sprinkle with some flaked almonds and bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 20 min or until golden brown on top. Serve warm with some lavender pods on each parcel.

Croustillant de Pêche a la Ricotta et Miel de Lavande

In francais please: Pour 4 personnes
- 2 peches jaunes, mures
- 100g de fromage ricotta
- 2 c.s de miel
- ½ c.c d’eau de fleur d’oranger
- 1 jaune d’oeuf
- 1c.c de gingembre confit
- ½ c.c de fleurs de lavande sechees, plus quelques fleurs pour decorer
- 1 c.s d’amandes effilees
- 2 c.s de beurre fondu

A l’aide d’un couteau, faites une incision en forme de croix sur chaque peche. Mettre de l’eau a bouillir dans une casserole puis faites blanchir les peches pendant 2 min. Eplucher les peches et couper chacune d’entre elles en quatre. Mettre de cote. Dans une autre casserole, mettre une c.s de miel avec les fleurs de lavande et des que le miel commence a bouillir, retirer- le du feu et laisser de cote pour infuser. A l’aide d’un foeut, melanger la ricotta avec le reste de miel, le jaune d’oeuf, et l’eau de fleur d’oranger.
Couper 4 petits rectangles de votre pate a filo, puis commencer a monter votre dessert (voir photo) en badigeonnant de beurre fondu a chaque etape. Parsemer quelques morceaux de gingembre confit sur chaque peche et fermer votre petit rectangle sous la forme que vous desirer. N’oubliez seulement pas de laisser une petite ouverture au sommet de chaque portion. Badigonner de beurre fondu toute la surface de la pate a filo, Verser une peu du miel parfume a la lavande sur chauqe portion et saupoudrer d’amandes effilees. Faites cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 20 min ou jusqu’a ce que la surface soit bien doree. Servir a temperature ambiante saupoudrer de quelques fleurs de lavande sur chaque croustillant.

Never Say Never / Ne Jamais Dire Jamais

“Who can wear this kind of cowboy boots?” my husband asked me, referring to a multi colored cowboy boots a girl was wearing.
“If you knew me when I was in high school, I would have probably wore this kind of boots along with my mother’s old jumper dress”, I replied.
My fondness for such eccentric clothes didn’t mean that I was outdated or had bad taste, I hope not; but because I have never been the kind of person who wears the latest fashions. My style went from masculine in middle school to heels and skirts in high school and Jean’s and blouse collection in college. My mother would ask me every time she saw me with a new trend: “What is your style already?” “My style is original and unique mommy”. I would answer her proudly. If the trend this season were to wear skinny Jean’s I would wear dresses. If it were in to wear candy pink I would wear pale pink. A rebel? Maybe!
So when it comes to food, you would imagine that I don’t give in to a trend easily. I would wait and wait until I know everything about this newly embraced way of eating. I tell myself that I would never try it if I don’t fell in love with it. “I am original and unique”. Remember? It would ruin my reputation of rebel in front of my entourage. So it took me some time before I decided to try on the Current trend in Paris: Les Verrines and went for a Black Forest Verrine.
Black Forest gateau is a southern German dessert (Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte), it is typically a chocolate cake, layered with whipped cream, cherries and decorated with additional whipped cream and cherries and chocolate shavings. Traditionally, Kirshwasser is added to the cake, but having some great results the last time I used orange blossom water with cherries I decided to use it again. The idea of converting Black Forest gateau into a verrine came to me because I wanted to make individual desserts just for my hubby and I. Since I don’t have individual cake molds I thought that Black Forest being a layered cake, it would work wonderfully with the concept of verrines. That way we can have our dessert and keep the chocolate cake left for our afternoon’s snacks. My cherries being sweet I didn’t want to add too much sugar to the heavy cream nor the compote. Depending on the sweetness of the cherries you can either add or reduce the amount of sugar to suit your taste.
Having a layered cake in a glass is a fun and mess-free adventure. Both my hubby and I went sighing and smacking our lips every time we brought our tall spoon to our mouth, with nothing else to say except that being trendy has never felt that good.

Black Forest Verrines

Recipe: For two tall verrines
For the chocolate cake:
- 3.5 oz plain flour
- 5 oz unsalted butter, melted
- 6 eggs
- 7 oz sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 oz cocoa
- A pinch of salt
- Grated chocolate to decorate
- 20 cherries pitted and halved
For the cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the cherry compote:
- 1 cup sweet cherries pitted
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water

Sift the cocoa, the flour and the salt. Set aside. Mix the eggs with the sugar and the vanilla until thick and pale. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches until well incorporated. Add the melted butter and mix just until blended. Put the batter in a greased and floured cake pan and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 25-30 min until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool 5 min in the pan then invert into a wire rack to cool completely.
For the cream, whip the heavy cream on high speed for 1 min until fluffy then add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Let cool in the fridge.
For the cherry compote: In a saucepan, put the cherries, the sugar, the blossom flour water and cook covered until the cherries start to burst and thicken slightly. Puree the cherry compote and let cool in the fridge.
Assemble the Verrine by scooping a layer of the compote into the bottom of the glass, then a layer of crumbled chocolate cake, a layer of fresh cherries, a layer of cream, a layer of chocolate cake, a layer of cherries, a layer of cream and finish by sprinkling some grated chocolate and decorating with fresh cherries. Chill until served.

Verrines de Forêt Noire

In francais please: Pour 2 Verrines
Pour le gateau au chocolat:
- 100g farine
- 150g beurre, fondu
- 6 oeufs
- 200g de sucre
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- 50g de cacao
- Une pincee de sel
- Du chocolat rape pour decoration
- 20 cerises, denoyautees et coupees en deux
Pour la crème:
- 225ml de crème liquide
- 1 c.s de sucre
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
Pour la compote de cerise:
- 150g de cerises denoyautees
- 1c.c de sucre
- 2 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger

Tamiser la farine, le sel et le cacao et mettre de cote. Dans un bol, melanger les oeufs, le sucre et la vanille jusqu’a ce que le mélange devienne pale et epais. Ajouter les ingredients secs en 3 fois jusqu’a tout soit bien incorpore. Verser dessus le beurre et melanger juste pour bien l’incorporer a la pate. Verser votre pate a gateau dans un moule beurré et farine et mettre a cuire dans un four prechauffe a 180C pendant 25-30 min, jusqu’a ce que la pointe du couteau inserre dans votre gateau en ressort propre. Laisser refroidir dans le moule pendant 5 min puis demouler et laisser refroidir completement dans une grille a patisserie.
Pour la crème, a l’aide d’un batteur, batter votre crème liquide pendant 1 min a grande vitesse jusqu’a ce que la crème devienne mousseusse. Arreter le bateur, ajouter le sucre et la vanille puis continuer a batter a grande vitesse jusqu’a ce que la crème devienne ferme et onctueuse. Mettre au frais.
Pour la compote de cerises, mettre les cerises, le sucre et l’eau de fleur d’oranger dans une casserole. Mettre sur feu doux. Couvrir et laisser cuire jusqu’a ce que les cerises ramollissent et que la compote devienne legerement epaisse. Passer au mixeur votre compote et mettre au frais.
Pour assembler vos verrines, Mettre au fond de chaque verre un peu de compote de cerises, suivi d’une couche de gateau au chocolat émiette, une couche de cerises fraiches et une couche de crème. Recommencer avec une couche de gateau au chocolat, une couche de cerises et une couche de crème. Mettre au frais jusqu’au moment de servir.

Tartelettes For Your Brain / Des Tartelettes Pour Votre Cerveau

According to health magazines, cherries, along with almonds, apricots, plums and peaches boost our supplies of the antioxidants that protect against free radical damage, which can injure the brain.
Cherries are packed with melatonin, a hormone found in all living creatures, which has been shown to be important for the function of the immune system and the heart.
So, cherries make you smart and are good for your health. Why am I the last one to know this kind of information? I would have used it as an excuse when I was a kid.
“Rose! Is that you who finished all the cherries that were in the fridge?”
“Yes, maman. But I was just feeding my brain so I can grow up being a smart person”
I bet my parents wouldn’t be able to argue with such an elaborate excuse, right?
Instead, I drove them crazy, lying and accusing my younger brother of doing it. Yes, I admit that when it comes to cherries, I was one selfish little girl.
But look at me now. Eating a lot of cherries has paid off. I am a smart woman and…euhh! That doesn’t sound credible!
Let’s do it again. Blablabla…. has paid off. Everyone tells me that I am a smart person… Much better.

You see there are two ways to know how smart of a person you are:
First, if you can predict in advance that taking the shoulder of the road in the middle of traffic jam isn’t going to solve anything.
Second, if you can ask yourself: “Do I really need two telescoping back scratchers even if the second one is free?”

You are not sure again if you really need to boost your brain, memory and mental focus, then there are three symptoms to detect a hungry brain:
- Standing in the middle of the room and asking yourself: “why did I came here for again?”
- Calling your friend by your pet’s name.
- Asking yourself: “ what was the third symptom again?”. I am serious. It just happened to me while writing it.

Which brings me to my recipe for a smart, brain booster tartelette, although it is a bit high in calories. The idea of this cherries and almonds tartelette with orange blossom water, cardamom and cinnamon came about seven years ago while I was still living at my parents’ house. My mother had made us for lunch her incredible Tajine of meddler, stuffed with almonds, orange blossom water and cinnamon. I loved how the subtlety of the almonds worked with the sweetness of the fruits and the orange blossom water.

Up to this day, these tartelettes are my favorite way of making dessert out of cherries. I use ground whole almonds because you can really taste the almond flavor in the filling when you leave the skin on. The cherries are marinated for an hour in the orange blossom water, the cinnamon and the cardamom, and then I use the marinade for the filling along with the almonds. It gives it a nice subtle aroma with a smooth, silky body and a flaky, buttery crust. I pitted the cherries by using a hairpin bend, a clean hairpin bend, and it works wonderfully.

These cherries and almonds tartelettes are guaranteed to be a hit for a nice dinner dessert, and also a great way to feed your brain without giving up on sweets. But to make sure that no unnecessary calories will be ruining your summer, go for a long walk after finishing your dessert.

Cherries and almonds tartelettes

Recipe:
- 1 ½ lb cherries, pitted
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- For the filling:
- 4 ½ ounces ground almonds, with the skin on
- 3 ½ ounces sugar
- 2 ounces butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- For the pastry crust:
- 7 ounces of flour
- 3 ½ ounces butter, at room temperature
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 3 tbsp ice water
- To finish:
- 1 tbsp icing sugar

Put the cherries, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and orange blossom water in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients together and let it marinate for an hour in the fridge.
Meanwhile, make the pastry crust. Mix the flour, the butter and the sugar together. Rub them between your hands until it becomes sand like. Add the egg yolks and the orange blossom water and mix until it all comes together. Do not overmix the dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and chill for ½ an hour. Make the cream. Mix the almonds with the sugar until combined. Add the butter, the eggs beaten and the juice of the cherry marinade. Whisk all together until it looks like a smooth cream.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and line your greased tartelette molds with the crust. Chill for another 10 min. Line your crust with foil, filled with dried beans. Prebake your tartelette crust at 400F for 15 min, then remove the foil, reduce the heat to 350F and continue baking the crust for another 5 min to dry it out.
Fill the crust with the cream and top it with the cherries. Bake it until it is golden brown, about 20- 25 min. Let the tartelettes cool on a wire rack then dust with the icing sugar.

Tartelettes aux cerises et aux amandes

In francais please:
- 700g de cerises, denoyautees
- 1 c.s de sucre
- 1 c.c de canelle
- ½ c.c de cardamom
- 1 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oranger
- Pour la crème aux amandes:
- 125g de poudre d’amande, avec leur peau
- 100g de sucre
- 60g de beurre ramolli
- 2 oeufs
- Pour la pate:
- 200g de farine
- 100g de beurre ramolli
- 1 jaune d’oeuf
- 1 c.s d’eau de fleur d’oanger
-3 c.s d'eau glacé

Mettre les cerises, le sucre, la cannelle, la cardamome et l’eau de fleir d’oranger dans une jatte. Melanger le tout et reserver au frais pendant une heure. Entre temps faire la pate. Melanger la farine avec le sucre et le beurre. Frotter entre vos main jusqu’a ce que le mélange resemble a du sable. Ajouter le jaune d’oeuf et l’eau de fleur doranger. Melanger mais sans en abuser. Mettre en boule, couvrir de film plastique et laisser reposer pendant ½ heure au frais. Preparer votre crème aux amandes. Melanger les amandes, le sucre. Ajouter le beurre ramolli, les oeufs battu et le jus rendu par les cerises.
Abaisser votre pate. Garnir vos moules a tartelettes de la pate. Remettre au frais pendat 10 min. Garnir vos moiles d’aluminium remplie d’haricots secs et faites cuire la pate a blanc dans un four prechauffe a 200 C pendant 15 min. Puis reduire la temperature de votre four a 180 C, enlever les feuilles d’aluminium et continuer a cuire pendant 5 min pour assecher la pate.
Garnir vos moule de la crème aux amandes puis avec quelques cerises. Faites cuire jusqu’a ce que les tartelettes deviennent dorees, environ 20-25 min. Laisser refroidir sur une plaque a patisserie puis saupoudrer de sucre glace.