Beer and Chocolate. You just can't go wrong.

Chocolate Guinness Cake by Tish Boyle

I have had this recipe bookmarked since..
Well since forever.
I finally got to it this past weekend and let me tell you: what with that Guinness in there it was pretty fun to make.
And to serve.
The general discussion around the table went something like this:
"Chocolate and Guinness?"
"As in the beer?"
"In a cake?"

And there was me, proud as a peacock, pretending like I make unique and fabulous cakes all the time.
(In an alternate reality, that one where I have my own private jet, I actually do make fabulous cakes all the time)

The cake was moist and flavourful, with just a hint of cinnamon, and the best part of all was that it wasn't overly sweet. Admittedly, we all decided that it shouldn't be eaten solo--it needs ice cream or even some crème anglaise alongside in order to make it shine. It would be kind of like making a really fabulous yellow cake but eating it just plain. It's still a great cake, but it's even better with some icing, right?
Maybe even a little caramel sauce would have done the trick on this one.

In any case, the cake was a hit and the leftovers were safely left behind at my brother's....
Damn.
Why do I always do that?



Chocolate Guinness Cake. Those nubbins in there are pecans..


Click here for the recipe for Chocolate Guinness Cake

*I used Valrhona cocoa powder in this recipe
*and yes I will make this cake again

Green Tea Truffles from Sadaharu Aoki

Truffes ivoires au mâcha - Green tea, white chocolate ruffles from Sadaharu Aoki


I don't know if it's dedication or insanity that stopped me mid-truffle so I could take a picture. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that my bite marks have been captured forever and posted on my blog? Perhaps there is some dentist somewhere thinking to him or herself: "Hmm, I see a slight misalignment of the lower left lateral."

In any case, I said I would tell you about the truffles so here I am. And oy. They were good.
I bought these at Sadaharu Aoki, along with a few choice macarons while I was in Paris. I have this thing for green tea flavoured what-nots. These little bundles had a nice powdery outside, and a creamy/ganachy green tea filling enveloped in a thin layer of white chocolate. I would definitely buy these again but maybe one of my kind friends in Paris will see fit to send me some if I don't get back there anytime soon.

Also, there is something kind of girly about eating truffles that just makes you feel like someone should be pouring you champagne and admiring your shoes. In the case of this final truffle, I was wearing a pair of socks, with a glass of water at hand, and no one else was in the room. Not quite glamorous but it certainly didn't make the truffle taste any less divine.
I miss them already.
Thank god for the picture.


Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki
56 boulevard de Port Royal
Paris, 75005

And now I'm back..

Matcha green tea chocolate with black and white sesame seeds

After 5 days in Paris I need to recover a little bit. The wine, the food, the speaking French. It's hard work people.

I wasn't sure what to expect about going back. I had lived there for a year and a half and I wasn't sure if going back was going to make me a bit sad.
I mean, I wasn't going there as a tourist, I was going back to a place that I called home for 18 months, a place where I still have friends. Good friends.
And well, it's Paris for heaven's sake.

But when I got there, it kind of felt as though I'd never left. I sat in the back of the taxi on my way to my friend's house and everything looked the same, familiar. It still felt like my Paris.

I did all the things I intended--the Salon des Saveurs , a falafel at L'As du Falafel, a stop at Mariage Frères for some new tea. We had a homecooked mexican feast one night with one too many margaritas, and a schlep out in the rain in our heels another night for a fabulous dinner at Spring.

But the most perfect of all was spending one rainy day in my pj's on my friend's couch with endless cups of coffee, chatting about nothing in particular, in an apartment full of windows and a fabulous view of Paris from all directions.

My suitcase was a bit heavier when I left of course. I added three new teas to my overflowing collection, a bottle each of pistachio oil, pine nut oil and pumpkin seed oil, a jar of sundried cherry tomato paste from Italy, a bar of Sadaharu Aoki matcha green tea chocolate and some fresh Bouteillan olives from Provence.

It was a good trip.
I have to admit, I did feel a bit sad to leave, but Paris and I, we still have our thing.
And I'll be back there in July so I can't really complain, right?


Stuff and more stuff that I love..



*********************
Mille et Une Huiles
-these oils taste so true to their flavours they knock my socks off.

Spring
28, rue de la Tour d'Auvergne
75009 PARIS
T 01 45 96 05 72
m° Notre-Dame de Lorette

The time for cookies is now.

Chocolate Chunk and Toffee Cookies

I made these and I ate some. And now there are 40 of them left, tempting me every minute of the day. Calling to me from the kitchen in a soft, chocolatey whisper.

I won't deny that I have opened that tin of cookies many times. I have put my nose all the way in and sucked all of that cookie smell right out of there with a deep, long breath. I hold it in for as long as I can and then finally walk away, until the next urge to smell them hits me.
Just eat one, you might be thinking.
Oh, but I have. One, and then some.
The time for cookies has arrived, several times.
What's a girl to do with 40 delicious cookies?
I'll tell you what.
Pack them up, take them to a friend's house and wave goodbye.
Parting is such sweet sorrow....
Until you get back home, find a new recipe, and start all over again.




These Chocolate Chunk and Toffee Cookies are from Williams-Sonoma.
I used a Lindt chocolate bar that is filled with crunchy caramel bits as my toffee portion of the recipe. Since they are basically just a chocolate chip cookie with a bit of flair, you can use anything you want to act as the toffee portion. The cookies came out moist and chewy, with brown-sugary sweetness. Just the way a chocolate chip cookie should be. The recipe made 48 cookies, based on the size that I made them.
For those in France, I used type 55 flour.



Tags
Cookies
Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Maison du Chocolat.. because I haven't had any chocolate in a whole week.

Brésilien from Maison du Chocolat, with my fingerprint
on the side because I am clumsy.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing when you discover that there is a Maison du Chocolat within a 15 minute walk from your apartment? Does it mean anything when you find yourself trudging through the pouring rain, your hair all a-frizz, your pants soaking wet and dragging on the pavement, just to get yourself to said chocolate mecca? It can only be assumed that it means you are there to get your chocolate on, as they say. And so I did.


A girl's best friend. A box wrapped with a bow, and filled with chocolate.

The chocolate at Maison du Chocolat is, to state the obvious, lovely. But what I found rather distracting upon first entering the shop were the saleswomen. Firstly because there was at least 5 of them bustling about this tiny store, and secondly, because they were all identically dressed in brown tailored suits with fine orange piping along the lapels. Think Charlie's Angels meets Brownies. (You know, before you're old enough to be a Girl Scout they stick you in brown and orange and call you a Brownie?). At first it caught me off guard. My brain was distracted from the chocolate with the following series of thoughts:

"Ew. Brownie flashback." Followed by:
"Wait, that's kind of cool." And then:
"Hmm. Now I'm not sure. Is it retro-chic or is it just plain ugly?" Head tilted to help me think.
"Whoever designed those is either crazy or a genius. " Momentary pause, with furrowed brow.
"I'm stumped... Oh, are those truffles?" Chocolate wins again.


Marroni from Maison du Chocolat

It need not be said that the chocolate here is expensive, although the single serving cakes are a reasonable indulgence. You can buy yourself a little slice of magic for under 5 euros, depending on what you select. I choose the Brésilien- chocolate and coffee, and the Marroni- chocolate and chestnut at €4.60 each.
To share with my boyfriend, of course.
You do believe me, don't you?

The Optional Reading (Or me trying to describe how it tasted)

The Brésilien had a nice coffee flavour, not overwhelming, just perfect for me. The texture of the cake was dense and moist, luscious even. The cake itself struck me as being much less sweet than I expected. And then I realized how this works. The cake is a little light on the sweetness, while the ganache borders on too sweet. If each bite you take includes both, then Houston, we have harmony. I did like this one, and would buy it again. But of course I intend to make the rounds through a few more in their line before I start repeating. It's hard work, I know.

The Marroni did not excite me. The chestnut filling tasted as though it was doused in rum, and it became the dominant flavour. Unfortunately the ingredients are not listed on their website, so I can't confirm the inclusion of rum. (Nor could I confirm the spelling of the names) The chestnut layer was also a bit airier than the rest, which seemed not to work as nicely as the Brésilien did, which was fairly consistent in density throughout. I realize some people may like the inclusion of a fluffier layer, but I generally do not. The chocolate part of it was good, and the ganache as well, but I would not buy this one again.

These cakes are not nearly as big as they may appear in the pictures. Seen in person some might actually consider them small but in fact they are perfectly sized considering how rich and decadent they are.

A dreamy monday morning at the Salon du Chocolat..

Jean-Paul Hévin Macaron

Today was a big day for me. I tasted my first macaron. Ever. Many people talk about them, and generally rave about them, and the uber-talented even make their own, at home, in their free time. Since moving to Paris, I see them everywhere. It seems every bakery on every street corner makes their own version. I've been tempted, it's true, but something has always held me back. I knew that I didn't want just any macaron, I wanted one of the best.

Well, today was my lucky day.

This morning I headed off to meet some new friends at the Salon du Chocolat, a large chocolate trade show held every October in Paris. There I was, at the Jean-Paul Hévin booth, staring at what was judged this past June as the best macaron in Paris.

Now how could I pass that up? I watched as they carefully wrapped it up for me. And yes, dear friends, I waited until I could get home and take a picture before even taking a single bite. But as soon as my teeth sank into it, I had an uncontrollable urge to run back to the kitchen and take another picture for your viewing and drooling pleasure. Perhaps this is rather unsophisticated of me to say, but the inside tasted like the best chocolate brownie I have ever had. And however they get that crunchy bit on the top is beyond me, but it was heavenly. I want more..



The Salon du Chocolat was exciting to say the least. By the end of it, I was on quite a chocolate high; unnaturally giddy and carrying many more things than I realized I had purchased. When you're faced with some of the best chocolatiers in the world, you just have to let loose and sample everything that is offered to you.


Madame Setsuko Chocolatiers in action

A stop at Madame Setsuko found us gaping in amazement at the fine details being piped on each individual chocolate. A sample of their green tea ganache found its way into my mouth (how does that always happen?) and I was instantly in love. Although, I will say that it was a good thing we had arrived early, because by noon, you could barely get yourself near their booth at all to watch them in action.

Madame Setsuko Green Tea Ganache

Even the sandwiches contained chocolate. I feasted on the Foie Gras sandwich with Fig and Chocolate Chutney and it was delicious. The sweetness of the chutney was a nice compliment to the Foie Gras.


Foie gras and chocolate sandwiches

In the end, I came home with a lovely pile of stuff.

From Maison du Chocolat: a tablette of 100% cocoa, and chocolate covered almonds.
From Jean-Paul Hévin: a chocolate macaron and a tablette of milk chocolate with caramel
From Baillardran: two caneles, traditional and chocolate
From Madame Setsuko: green tea ganaches.
Oh and somehow a sample packet of Nestle Quik hot chocolate made its way into my bag too...

I will expand on some of these treasures as soon as my hands stop shaking from this sugar rush. I need to go lie down now..

Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel..

I would love to wax poetic about Chocolate Truffles, but really, what do I know about truffles except that they taste good? And anyway, all I really want to do is call my parents and my friends and tell them that I actually made my own. And gee, if I may say so, they look pretty darn charming, don't they? Gold sticker for me. Even if I have to give it to myself, it stills feels good.

Yesterday afternoon you would have found me in my kitchen, covered in chocolate (relatively speaking) making mad dashes to my computer to get various email opinions at each step along the way. Ok, maybe I overreacted a little but there was alot of chocolate at stake here.

I had made it through the recipe without incident, but in the end I didn't like the flavour. I had used good quality dark chocolate and cocoa powder, but to me these little darlings needed some serious sweetening up. I think my tastebuds are still adjusting to bitter chocolate. So, there was nothing left to do but to engage in some 'adaptive correction techniques'. Or "recipe fiddling" as it may be more commonly referred to. Something which I am generally nervous about when it comes to trying a recipe for the first time. But sometimes you've got to use some moxy to get the job done.

A mad dash back to the shop for some semisweet, and I was back in business. More melting, some truffle dunking and, in an unusual moment of whimsy, a sprinkling of Fleur de Sel (sea salt crystals). A few taste tests later, and I was not only done, but I was quite happy. I think I may have even turned the music up and danced a wee celebratory jig in my kitchen.



The base chocolate truffle recipe that I used was from Nigel Slater's Real Food which consists of only 3 ingredients. Chocolate, whipping cream and cocoa powder. I then took my own liberties and coated them with melted semisweet chocolate (52% cocoa) and sprinkled a bit of fleur de sel on top for the finishing touch. The salt adds a wonderful contrast. They wouldn't be half as good without it.

Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel (adapted from Nigel's Chocolate Truffles)
450g fine chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)
275ml whipping cream
cocoa powder for dusting (I used Van Houton)
approximately 400 g semisweet chocolate
fleur de sel

Chop the chocolate finely into gravel sized bits. If they are of equal size they will melt better.

Put the chopped chocolate in a warm heat proof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil in a small pan. Just as it reaches the boiling point, remove from the heat and pour slowly into the chocolate, beating gently with a wooden spoon.

The chocolate should all melt into a thick, glossy, dark-brown cream. If there are lumps left then you will have to put the bowl over a pan of hot, almost simmering water until they melt. Take care not to overheat it or it will separate and curdle.

Place the basin of chocolate in the fridge to stiffen. Depending on the temperature inside your fridge, the mixture will need about an hour to thicken. (It should not set solid although if it does, just melt it over hot water and refrigerate again). If you want thick, solid, luxurious truffles, leave mix as is. If you want softer, lighter ones then beat the mix with an electric whisk for a minute or so until it starts to change colour. It will become paler and fill with air. Overwhipping will curdle the truffle mixture.

Using two teaspoons, scoop out balls of truffle and drop them into the cocoa powder. The size is a matter of choice. Roll the truffles in the cocoa, then leave them in a cool place for an hour to set.

My addition
I tempered* some semisweet (52% cocoa) chocolate and dunked each truffle in it and placed it on a baking sheet covered in parchment (or wax paper is fine). I sprinkled each with a pinch of Fleur de Sel (sea salt crystals) and left them to cool. And voilà.

And here I am still grinning with self-satisfaction. So, who wants to come over and eat them all up with me?

*(Ok truthfully I just melted in a double boiler, stirred it with a wooden spoon as it melted, then let it cool a bit and then melted and stirred it some more. It seems to have worked. The chocolate may not be as shiny as it could be but I'm satisfied for my first effort..)

For the love of chocolate..

Patrick Roger milk chocolate almond bar

I was recently tagged for a second meme by Beth from Zen Foodism, which asks us to select our most wine friendly meal of the last 30 days. My general theory is that there is no meal that is not in some way enhanced by a glass of wine. Yes, even if its hot dogs with twinkies on the side. But for the sake of the meme, I put my thinking cap on and one thing in particular kept coming to mind.

My friends, it is no secret I am a girl with rather simple tastes. And I beg to differ with anyone who tries to convince me that a chocolate bar is not a meal in itself. If its big and delicious, and you eat the whole thing in one shot, well, it kind of is.

And I will not argue that this Patrick Roger milk chocolate almond bar could not be enjoyed entirely on its own. But, if you're going to indulge, why not go all the way.

This past week, I made my way into the Patrick Roger boutique for my first time, with a man who definitely knows his chocolate. When he tells you that this is some of his favourite chocolate, you don't take that information lightly. You pull out your wallet and you get down to the business of selecting. As if the recommendation isn't enough, the packaging is very reminiscent of the Tiffany's blue, a colour that is hard for any girl to resist.

I carried that chocolate around with me all afternoon, pretending not to notice it but truthfully, I could think of nothing else. When I got home, I told myself I would open it just enough to take some pictures. I carefully unwrapped it and one glimpse at those perfectly shaped almonds and I was done for. There was no holding back, nor was there even time to open a bottle of wine. But had I had the foresight, and the willpower, I would have. I guess I'll just have to go back and get another one and stop for some wine along the way.



Patrick Roger
108 boulevard St-Germain
75006 Paris

A little wine, a lot of chocolate.. WBW13

Bourgogne Passetoutgrains and Chocolate Cheesecake
bites with a Chocolate Rosemary Ganache

When Clotilde announced the theme for this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, my immediate thought was that there was no way I could participate. I moved to Paris 4 weeks ago and was dismayed to find that my apartment contained a stovetop, but no oven. No oven? That's right. No oven. That meant no more roasted chicken, no more roasted tomatoes, no crostini, no homemade pizzas and definitely no baking. I was ready to throw in the towel on food blogging.

As the WBW due date drew nearer I had resigned myself to the fact that I was just going to have to sit back and watch everybody else having all the fun. And then there was an email. Not just any email, but an email sent to a girl who knows what she's talking about when it comes to food, both savoury and sweet. I lamented, I complained. She read my tales of woe, but she knew that all was not lost just because I was ovenless.
And so began my no-bake-cheesecake experiment.

I browsed a number of recipes. A bit of tweaking, a dash of invention, (something I'm rarely comfortable with when it comes to desserts) and I ended up with these chocolatey little bundles. Chocolate cheesecake on top of a cookie base, covered with a chocolate rosemary ganache. And with G. away this week, there was nobody here to enjoy them but me. And perhaps that was a good thing. Because enjoy them I did.
The rosemary flavour in the ganache added a subtle and surprising mellowness. Next time I will steep the rosemary longer in the cream to allow the flavour to come through just a bit more.


Chocolate Cheesecake Bites with a Chocolate Rosemary Ganache

I popped the cork on my new wine, and there I was, chocolate and wine at hand, ready for an evening spent curled up on the couch with a good book.



The Wine
It is said that when pairing wine with chocolate, it is important to consider the cocoa content of the chocolate. The stronger the chocolate, the more full bodied the wine should be. A bittersweet chocolate would be complimented by a hearty Zinfandel. A Pinot Noir or Merlot is a good match for milk chocolates. At 52% cocoa content, the chocolate I chose fell into the semi-sweet category. It was not bitter enough for a Zinfandel, so I decided to try something from the Bourgogne region. A general rule is that the wine should be sweeter than the chocolate, so I thought perhaps I was playing it safe. Bourgogne Passetoutgrains are made with 2/3rds Gamay grapes, and only 1/3rd Pinot Noir grapes, although I did read that its possible that this ratio is not always adhered to. My particular bottle however, did indicate that this was in fact the ratio used. The Bourgogne Passetoutgrains appellation is relatively small so it is not as easy to find these wines as it is to find those of larger appellations.
Gamay grapes often have cherry and/or strawberry notes and are said to be good easy to drink table wines. It had a nice clear colour and a noticeable acidity which cut through the sweet richness of my dessert. It was an acceptable match with my chocolate, but not a particularly satisfying one.
I think I would try this wine again in another context to see how it fares. The back label recommends the wine with grilled meats and soft cheeses, such as Brie.


Bourgogne Passetoutgrains

Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
Maison Chandesais
Bourgogne, France
Grapes: 2/3rds Gamay, 1/3rd Pinot Noir
Mis en Bouteille
12% vol.
€3.15 for 375 mL bottle or approximately €6.00 for a 750ml bottle.

The Cheesecake
The cheesecake was an experiment of mine. I did not follow a specific recipe and only wanted to make as much as I could eat. A whole cake just wouldn't do when there was only me to eat it.
You can use your favourite cheesecake recipe to recreate the same thing.

100 g of cream cheese
1 heaping tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of crème fraiche
approximately 3 oz of good quality chocolate, melted
Mix the first 3 ingredients together and then mix in the chocolate.

It turned out to be quite dense, almost like a thick mousse. I only added a tablespoon of sugar to 100g of cream cheese because I knew the chocolate would sweeten the mix. If you prefer something less dense, use whipped cream instead of the crème fraiche. Adjust amounts to your taste.

I scooped the mix onto the little cookies, smoothed it out as best I could, and after a cooling period in the refrigerator, covered each of them with the ganache.

Here is a link to Martha's No bake Chocolate Crust Cheesecake that you can use as a reference for an alternative cheesecake mixture, and also for a crust if you prefer that to using cookies.

The Chocolate Rosemary Ganache from www.mslo.com
Please note, that this amount of ganache is was way more than I needed, so keep that in mind when making your own. The instructions below are the method I used, click on link above to see Martha's full instructions.

Makes 1.5 cups
9 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles

Place chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Warm cream with rosemary in small saucepan over low heat. Bring just to a boil. Strain cream over chocolate. Stir to melt all chocolate. Pour ganache over your cream cheese bites. Let cool in fridge or at room temperature.

The Cookies used for the base
Mère Poulard, Les Chocolatines du Mont Saint Michel
I would definitely buy these cookies again to use as my cheesecake base, but they were also equally delicious plain, straight out of the box. They were a thin cookie, the bottom of them showed that they were generously laced with tiny chocolate chips. The cookies had a very small crumb, crisp to bite into, but the rest was melt-in-your mouth. The only thing that comes to mind that is somewhat comparable in texture to the crumb of these cookies are the wafers on an oreo cookie.
I was happy to find that mine stayed crisp after a night in the refrigerator covered in my cream cheese mixture. Choosing these ones for my base had been a stroke of pure luck.


The Cookie Base

The sweet temptations of Heidelberg

The sun is shining this morning in Heidelberg. Though we've had our fair share of rain, it has only served to make the city luscious and green. It is picture perfect, as they say. My morning, as usual, started with a trip to the farmer's market where I somewhat successfully chatted up the vendors, despite my choppy German skills. A big smile can get you further than you think. I was told by my favourite produce vendor that tomorrow, May 1st, is a day that the German's celebrate by going for a long walk and enjoying a beer outdoors. No arguments here. I'm in Germany, and I will do as the Germans do. Maybe I will even start celebrating today. I am completely loyal to this man and his produce now because he usually slips me some free vegetables if he thinks that I have not selected a full range of vitamins. Last week he gave me some carrots, even though I told him I already had carrots at home. I guess he just wanted to be sure that I would have sufficient intake of Vitamin A. Today I discovered some cherry tomatoes in the bottom of my bag. I love hidden treasures, and my parents will be pleased that he is looking out for my health.

I was feeling adventurous, so I wandered over to the cheese vendor and asked him to surprise me. I wanted something creamy and mild. He selected something for me and wrapped it up with a smile. I asked him what it was called and much to my dismay the answer was about 10 minutes longer than I had expected. It was far beyond my German comprehension and so I left with no idea what type of cheese I had just purchased. I blinked alot as he talked. Then gave a big smile and a loud "Ja!" and "Danke!" and went merrily on my way. Of course I had to try the cheese as soon as I got home with a little chunk of fresh baguette and I have to say that it was fantastic. It was as soft as butter, mild with a slight tangy afterbite. It tasted barnyard fresh, that's the only way I can describe it. But I mean that in the best possible way. However, I am dismayed that I will not know how to ask for it next week, or ever again. I might have to do alot of pointing if I am at least able to recognize it when I see it. But there are many white and creamy cheeses around so I'm not feeling very hopeful.

On my way home from the market I finally succumbed to the sweet temptations that have taunted me from the window at Cafe Gundel. (pictured above) This cafe/bakery lies right at the end of my street and I pass by it every morning. I am not the only one who stares longingly at the window, nor am I the only one who has stopped to take a picture. It is a sight to behold.

It has taken all my willpower until now to go in there merely for a loaf of bread, as I have been afraid that I once I caved into the sweet stuff I would be lost forever. I do my best to avert my eyes once I walk in through the door, keeping my head up, and repeating to myself: “Don't look down, keep staring at the bread, keep staring at the bread.” I say it over and over to myself until I am safely back outside with only a loaf or two in my hands. It has worked for me so far, but today I did not fight it. It's going to be May 1st tomorrow, and the man told me I should celebrate. So, celebrate I will. There is nothing wrong with starting a day early. The picture below shows the treasures that I brought home with me from Cafe Gundel. A big chocolate ball of mystery called a Schlosskugeln and a Schwarz/Weiss Bretzel. (a black and white pretzel) Life is surely good in Heidelberg.