Moules Marinieres or Mussels in a Wine Sauce

Posted July 24, 2016

Filed under appetizers, entree, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, seafood, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Please forgive my very long absence. This has been an eventful spring and summer for me. Loss of my father-in-law, school letting out, my son graduating, then going on to college ( he went to a summer camp to get ready for what awaits him in the fall at the military academy that he will be going to.), and then vacation started…with the usual in and out of the house.

If you have not seen much recipes, this would be explained by two reasons. One because I had to place myself and my son on a diet to help him trim down the necessary pounds that he needed to lose to fit the requirement of his school.

And two because I have not been cooking as much, preferring eating carpaccio, ceviche and salads rather than cooked meals… though maybe I should have shared those?!?!

After a couple of weeks of training in Charleston, my son finally came yesterday for the week-end. And though he did not complain about the food, in fact called it “pretty good”, I wanted to cook something that he really like: Mussels.

My most favorite ones are the one cooked in curry and coconut milk- I love Asian food so much and all those exotic flavors that Curry Mussels count as one of my favorite.

But he wanted the traditional ones, so this is what I will share with you today. I may have already posted a recipe, but this one is slightly different.

Now, I do not know where you will be buying your mussels. I bought mine at Costco, because I do not live closed to the ocean, and Costco offer the best there. But shop the stores in your area, you may have better options.

Before cooking your mussels, you will have to do two things.

rinse your mussels under running water and scrub them a but with a sponge or even a nail brush to remove the dirt, or the algue.
discard any mussels that are wide opened. If they are slightly opened, touch the inside with a knife to see if they are alive. If the shell closes, then they are alive and good to eat. If they are not, then toss it in the trash.

Once you have done those two steps, you are ready to cook them. Now be careful, it only takes a few minutes to cook mussels ( 5-8 minutes at the very very most), so be sure that all your sides are ready before you start.

Generally, mussels are accompanied by French fries or pommes frites, but sautéed potatoes would be good as well. A Boston salad would be a great addition also to both.

Here we go…

Ingredients:

2 lbs of Mussels
1 onion sliced thinly,
2 garlic cloves,
1/4 cup of fresh parsley,
4 tbsp of butter,
1 cup of white wine,
1 lemon,
1 tbsp of flour,
salt and pepper to taste,
1/2 cup of heavy cream.

Clean up the onion and cut it in half. You can slice and dice the onion ver thinly with the knife, but these days I like to use my special tool from Demarle. It really chops my onion really fast, and I do not tear up.
In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute the garlic, then add the onion.
Add the mussels and stir until they start to open up. Cover for a few minutes, and cook the mussels until they open up. Stir repeatedly so as to make sure that all mussels open up.
Then add the wine, salt, pepper, 1/8 cup of the fresh parsley, and bring to boil. Stir as well. Turn the heat down and set aside.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter, add flour and make a roux ( cook until the flour turns golden), add 2 cups of the mussel liquid, stir and cook for 2 minutes until it thickens.
Then add the cream and continue stirring. Pour it all over the mussels and stir.
Sprinkle the parsley over the mussels.
Serve the mussels in soup bowls, and accompany them with Pommes-frites, and whatever else you wish to serve. If you wish to serve wine, a nice Riesling or a Golden Ale Beer is a great addition. Et voila. Enjoy!!!

My Theodor was happy. So much so that he ate two large bowls . preferring to eat his mussels over his fries. I would say that that this dinner was a win;-))))

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Mussels in Parsley, Onion and Wine Sauce, or Moules Marinières

Servings: 4-6
Time: 6-10 minutes
Difficulty: Super Easy
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Ingredients:

2 lbs of Mussels
1 onion sliced thinly,
2 garlic cloves,
1/4 cup of fresh parsley,
4 tbsp of butter,
1 cup of white wine,
1 lemon,
1 tbsp of flour,
salt and pepper to taste,
1/2 cup of heavy cream.

Clean up the onion and cut it in half.
You can slice and dice the onion ver thinly with the knife, but these days I like to use my special tool from Demarle. It really chops my onion really fast, and I do not tear up.
In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute the garlic, then add the onion.
Add the mussels and stir until they start to open up. Cover for a few minutes, and cook the mussels until they open up. Stir repeatedly so as to make sure that all mussels open up.
Then add the wine, salt, pepper, 1/8 cup of the fresh parsley, and bring to boil. Stir as well. Turn the heat down and set aside.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter, add flour and make a roux ( cook until the flour turns golden), add 2 cups of the mussel liquid, stir and cook for 2 minutes until it thickens.
Then add the cream and continue stirring. Pour it all over the mussels and stir.
Sprinkle the parsley over the mussels.
Serve the mussels in soup bowls, and accompany them with Pommes-frites, and whatever else you wish to serve. If you wish to serve wine, a nice Riesling or a Golden Ale Beer is a great addition. Et voila. Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Creme Brûlée

Posted February 25, 2015

Filed under Creams and Puddings, deep flexipan, dessert, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I am a very picky eater. I have been spoiled by my upbringing ( it is difficult to beat my mom, aunt and grandmother’s cooking), and as a result, I am not easily content with my meal. While some of my friend may be happy with a warm meal, I am more satisfied with one that will open my senses and will pleasure my sight. The same goes with dessert. In fact, I can even say that it gets worse. As I worry of my size, and my health, I don’t always indulge. It has to look appealing and it has to sound amazing before I will venture to take a bite. My most favorite dessert are, I am sorry ( or not;0) to say French. I like the delicateness of French desserts and the airiness. I am fan of mousse, and cream dessert more than cakes. Among my most favorite desserts you will find Creme Caramel and Creme Brûlée.

This Sunday as I was getting ready to make Pistachio Macarons for my sister-in-law, I was left with a dozen of yolks. What do you do with yolks… well mostly cream;-) Though the answers can be endless, as many French desserts require yolks only ( creme anglaise, creme patisserie, Cream puffs, Bavarois, Charlotte, Custard…) I decided to go with Creme Brûlée as they are my daughter’s boyfriend favorite and he was coming for dinner….

Do you know that Creme Brûlée is one of the easiest dessert there is?!?! The key is to have the right ingredients:-” and the right recipe and everything is easy from there.

Ingredients for 8-10 individual portions of creme brûlée:

3 cream of heavy cream
1 cup of milk
9 yolks
3/4 cups of sugar + more sugar for sprinkling
1 tbsp of vanilla paste ( or vanilla extract)

Mix the cream with the vanilla paste, pour the mixture into a large pot and bring it to boil.
After it has come to boil, let it cool down a bit.
Turn the oven to 325.
While, the cream is cooling, place the egg yolks in a large bowl, add the 3/4 cup of sugar and beat well until the mixture whitens.
Slowly, pour the milk over the mixture and mix well.
Place the containers inside the deep flexiflat that you would have placed over the medium perforated sheet.
Pour the cream in each container. Pour water around the individual containers. Place the pans in the oven in the medium rack of your oven and cook the cream for 30-35 minutes.
When the cream has baked for 30-35 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before placing them in the fridge to cool ( they will need to cool for at least 1 hour).
Keep the cream in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.
When it is time to serve them, sprinkle some sugar over each cream,
and with a torch burn the sugar to cake the caramel crust.
Serve and enjoy this scrumptious dessert…

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Creme Brûlée

Servings: 8-10 people
Time: 30-35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients for 8-10 individual portions of creme brûlée:

3 cream of heavy cream
1 cup of milk
9 yolks
3/4 cups of sugar + more sugar for sprinkling
1 tbsp of vanilla paste ( or vanilla extract)

Mix the cream with the vanilla paste, pour the mixture into a large pot and bring it to boil.
After it has come to boil, let it cool down a bit.
Turn the oven to 325.
While, the cream is cooling, place the egg yolks in a large bowl, add the 3/4 cup of sugar and beat well until the mixture whitens. Slowly, pour the milk over the mixture and mix well.
Place the containers inside the deep flexiflat that you would have placed over the medium perforated sheet.
Pour the cream in each container. Pour water around the individual containers. Place the pans in the oven in the medium rack of your oven and cook the cream for 30-35 minutes.
When the cream has baked for 30-35 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before placing them in the fridge to cool ( they will need to cool for at least 1 hour). Keep the cream in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.
When it is time to serve them, sprinkle some sugar over each cream, and with a torch burn the sugar to cake the caramel crust. Serve and enjoy a piece of scrumptiousness…….

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon Granita

Posted August 2, 2014

Filed under dessert, ice-cream. sorbet, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Meyer lemon is my top favorite fruit. It is hard to explain what a Meyer lemon is, other that it has an exceptional taste. If I can describe it, it smells and tastes a bit like a mix of lemon and mandarin: tangy, subtle …yummy!!!

I am not fan of lemon, but love, love, love Meyer lemon. The problem is that they are very very seasonal and it can be difficult to find them. In fact, in our little town, only one grocery store carry them.

So no need to say that when they arrive on the stand, I purchase them … sometimes not even knowing what I am going to do with them.

Well, this time around I bought a few dozens and decided to make a lemon granita. I could have made sorbets but was too lazy to take out my ice cream machine.

For some of you who do no know what is the difference between a sorbet and a granita.

Here is the explanation:

A granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings – no dairy is involved. Basic granita begins with a boiled sugar syrup which is added into a fruit juice. The granita is then placed in the freezer in a shallow pan and scraped occasionally with a fork which produces a course texture.

A sorbet, on the other hand, is a frozen dessert made from sugar, water and fruit juice or fruit puree, sometimes chocolate, and sometimes wine, and/or liqueur.* Sorbet also has no dairy ingredients, but is frozen in an ice cream freezer for a smoother texture .

So depending which freezing process you will be using,, you will end up with a granita or a sorbet. Whichever, it is delicious.

Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Sorbet or Granita.

2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about 11 lemons)
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest

In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.
Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).
With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita.
Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion.
Easy, Yummy and delicious:-)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon Granita

Servings: 2-4
Time: 12 hours
Difficulty: Super Easy
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Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Granita.

2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about 11 lemons)
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest

In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.
Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).
With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita.
Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion. Eh voila, Easy, Yummy and delicious!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Boursin Hash Brown Cupcakes

Posted July 22, 2014

Filed under beef, Creams and Puddings, entree, loaf mold, pork, potato, poultry, stainless steel cookware

I cannot remember where we were, but my husband ordered a Boursin Gratin. I am not usually a fan of potatoes but those were so fragrant that i had to try them. I was surprised by the taste. It had “un je ne sais quoi” that simply made me want to eat more. And it melted in my mouth…. It was so so good. Because I did not dare to ask the waiter what was the recipe, I tried to come up with mine. So here it is. My husband declares that they are out of this world. He is German, he knows his potatoes so i will believe him;-) I dare you to try.

Ingredients for 12 large cupcakes size:

1 1/2 bag of frozen hash browns ( each bag being 30oz.)
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 box of Boursin Cheese ( French Cream Cheese flavored with herbs and garlic) Cheaper at Costco!!!
1 1/2 tbsp of garlic salt ( I used Lawry’s Garlic Salt)
1/8 tsp of pepper

1. Defrost the hash brown by either placing the bags in your fridge overnight, or by placing the hashbrown in the large round mold, covering it with the octagonal silpat and microwaving it for 3 minutes. 2. In a large bowl, mix the cream, the Boursin cheese, the garlic salt and the pepper.

3. Then add the defrosted hash browns. Mix well.

4. Place this mixture into the opening of the large muffin pan that you would have placed on top of a medium perforated sheet. ( It is great for portion control;-) You do not need to spray any oil in the Demarle Cookware, however you will need to, if using any other mold. 5. And cook for 30 minutes at 400 or until the potatoes are a golden brown. You may need to cook longer if you are using tin muffin pan. Also do not forget to spray them with oil. 6. Voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Boursin Hash Brown Cupcakes

Servings: 6-12
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients for 12-15 large cupcakes or 25-30 mini size:

1 1/2 bag of frozen hash browns ( each bag being 26 oz, or 737 gr. )
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 box of Boursin Cheese ( French Cream Cheese flavored with herbs and garlic) Cheaper at Costco!!!
1 1/2 tbsp of garlic salt ( i used Lawry’s Garlic Salt)
1/8 tsp of pepper

Defrost the hash brown by either placing the bags in your fridge overnight, or by placing the hashbrown in the large round mold, covering it with the octagonal silpat and microwaving it for 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the cream, the Boursin cheese, the garlic salt and the pepper.
Then add the defrosted hash browns. Mix well.
Place this mixture into the opening of the large muffin. ( It is great for portion control;-) You do not need to spray any oil in the Demarle Cookware, however you will need to, if using any other mold.
And cook for 30 minutes at 400 or until the potatoes are a golden brown. You may need to cook longer if you are using tin muffin pan. Also do not forget to spray them with oil.
Voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Croquembouche

Posted May 18, 2014

Filed under Cakes, Creams and Puddings, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Last week was Mother’s day and as such, it called for a fabulous dessert. But what to do??? Having seen eclairs, profiteroles at every corner of cooking magazines and facebook profiles, I could not help but making my own the night prior to Mother’s Day. So at 10 o’clock in the evening, this is what I was doing in my kitchen.

Ingredients for 16-20 small cream puffs or croquembouches:

80 ml or 2 oz of milk
80 ml or about 2 oz of water
70 gr, or about 5 1/2 tbsp of butter
1 pinch of salt
10 gr. or 2 tsp of sugar
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. of flour
2 eggs

Creme Patissiere, or Vanilla Pastry Cream

330 gr. or 11 oz. of milk
1 vanilla bean
4 yolks
70 gr. or 1/4 cup and 1 tsp of sugar
12 gr. or about 1 tbsp of flour
12 gr, or about 1 tbsp of corn starch

Caramel:

1 cup of granulated sugar
patience

In a saucepan, heat up the milk, water, salt, and sugar.
Add the butter cut up in pieces.
When the butter has completely melted, bring the mixture to boil.
Remove the pan from the stove and add the flour by stirring very well.
Place the pan back on the stove ( it must be turned off, but will still be warm), and stir and stir with a heat-resistant spatula until the dough starts becoming a ball and will no longer stick to the rims of the pan.
Remove the pan from the stove, empty the dough into a cold bowl and add the eggs to the dough one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
Place the dough in a pastry bag, with the large circular tips make large rounds of about 1 1/2 inches wide on a large silpat that you would have previously lay on a large perforated sheet.
Place the perforated sheet in a warm oven of 350 and cook the cream puffs for 20 minutes. The dough should be brown and dry on all sides. If the dough is a little bit soft, continue cooking the puffs for 1-3 more minutes. Take them out to cool. Set them aside to prepare the pastry cream or creme patissiere.
In large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes whitish.
Add the flour and the corn starch to the eggs and mix.
Open the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of the bean and put them into the milk.
Warm up the milk over the stove, or in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and stir. Place the milk/ egg mixture back onto the stove and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is becoming really thick. Remove the pastry cream from the stove, and place it into a bowl. Set aside.
Pour the pastry cream in a round mold..
Cover the pastry cream with some plastic wrap and place it into the fridge to cool.
When the cream is completely cool, make a small indentation to fill the cream puffs with the pastry cream and lay them upside down for easier access when you are going to fill them up.
Fill the pastry bag with the vanilla cream and fill each cream puffs.
Place the puffs back onto the silpat, and prepare the caramel.
Empty the cup of sugar into a medium-sized saucepan and place the saucepan onto the stove at a medium high temperature. DO NOT STIR!!!
Only start stirring once the sugar is turning an amber color on the outside rim of the saucepan. Stir until all the sugar has turned that amber color. Reduce the heat to low, and leave the pan on it so that the caramel will not harden.
Dip the head of each cream puff into the caramel and place them back onto the silpat until the caramel has hardened, and has cooled.

Eat when they are cool. I dare you to only eat one, or two. They are so good, you will want to eat them all at once!!!Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Crepes Flambees with Mango and Rhum

Posted May 12, 2014

Filed under breakfast, dessert, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

This morning, I did not feel like croissant or baguette, or toasts. I felt like a fancy breakfast. Why not? It was Mother’s day after all so I had to right to splurge;-) So I made my strawberry parfait that I showed you yesterday and I also fixed me a few Crepes Flambee with Mango and Rhum.

Crepes are not hard to make, but they require a hot pan, a non-stick frying pan and the right crepe batter.

Ingredients for about 10-12 crepes:

3 oz of flour,
1 egg,
3 oz. of milk,
1/4 or 3 oz. of any beer.
2 tbsp of butter melted in a small bowl.
sugar

Ingredients to flambe 4 crepes at a time. (you will need to do this 4 times if you have 12 crepes and are serving 4 people.

1/4 cup of mango juice
2 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of rhum.

Take a large bowl and place the flour in the bowl.
Curve a hole in the flour, and slowly pour the milk while mixing with a whisk. Be careful to whisk slowly so as to make the mixture smooth and free of lumps.
Then add the egg and mix well.
Add the beer and mix well also. The mixture should be smooth and liquid, but not too liquid.
Turn the stove to medium high and place the frying pan on the stove. The frying pan should be hot before starting to fix the pancakes .
With a paper towel or a brush, spread butter on the walls of the frying pan and pour a small ladle of crepe mixture. Move the frying pan in a circle motion so that the dough has spread to the entire surface of the pan. Cook for 1 minute. With a spatula, flip the crepe and cook for 1 minute.
Place the crepes flat on a plate. Sprinkle some sugar. Continue the process until you have exhausted all the batter.
When you have exhausted all the batter, place a large frying pan on the stove, melt 1 tbsp of butter.
Add 1/4 cup of any fruit juice ( i used mango), and 2 tbsp of sugar. Bring the mixture to boil and reduce the mixture to half.
Fold 3 to 4 crepes in triangles and place them into the frying pan. Cook the crepes for a minute or 2.
Add 2 tbsp of rhum, or any alcohol of your choice to the pan. With a lighter, light the rhum and it will flame.
Let the flame go out on its own and serve hot. Yum!!!

What a wonderful breakfast I had. I hope yours was equally as good;-)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Le Marceau or Scrumptious Chocolate Cake

Posted March 23, 2014

Filed under Cakes, chocolate/ candy, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Fleximolds, Large round mold, Mousses, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I should have posted this dessert months ago, but time has been so scarce that it is seeing only the light of the day today. I know many of you have asked to get this recipe, so here it is;-) A Vos fourneaux mes chers amis!!!

On birthdays, we are expected to invite the whole family over to celebrate the event. I never understood why, but I have gone along this tradition ever since I have been married to my husband. So since I am to cook, and since we are celebrating someone special, i always always ask what my husband, son, or daughter wish to eat on their special day.

When my oldest child Lisa turned 18 this year, she requested the following : Beef Wellington, Macaroni and Cheese Appetizers, a chocolate dessert and anything in between. I figured the rest out making sure it would please her. I think we had macaroni and cheese appetizers bites, mini crab cakes, truffle flavored potatoes, green beans and a very very yummy dessert.

She loves chocolate mousse and love decadent desserts like me so i thought i would bake a cake out of the wonderful book of Stephane Glacier called Le Marceau from hi s beautiful bool called Tartes, Gouters, and Entremets.

I adapted his recipe since it was designed to make 4 cakes, and not everything turns out the same with American ingredients and ovens.

Chocolate Cake:

57 gr. of yolk
50 gr. of sugar
20 gr. of dark chocolate cocoa
29 gr. of flour
57 gr. of egg whites
12 gr. of sugar
20 gr. of butter

Praline Crunch:

175 gr. of pralin ( recipe here).
63 gr. of milk chocolate
8 gr. of hazelnut oil to be found at the fresh market ( or any fancy grocery store)
125 gr. of feuillantine ( very thin waffer from France, if you do not have any, you may replace with cigarette russes ( it will not be as good, but it will work).

Mousse au chocolat:

20 gr. of water
100 gr. of sugar
67 gr. of yolk
100 gr. of eggs
235 gr. of chocolate ( preferably 65% cocoa (I like Ghiradhelli)
340 gr. of heavy cream

Vanilla Syrup:

125 gr. of water
100 gr. of sugar
2 gr. of vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

125 gr. of heavy cream
100 gr. of Syrup ( 60 gr. of sugar, 40 gr. of water brought to boil)
25 gr. of glucose or corn syrup
300 gr. of dark chocolate chips such as bittersweet Ghiradhelli.

First we want to prepare the cake so that it will completely cold when we will assemble to cake.

Beat the egg whites with 12 gr. of sugar until they are forming hard peaks. Set aside.
Place the egg yolks in a kitchen mixer and beat the egg yolks with 50 gr. of sugar until they are foamy and have doubled in volume. Set aside.
Place the butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until it is completely melted. Set aside.
Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture carefully so as not to deflate the egg whites.
Mix the flour, cocoa and add it to the egg white/ egg yolk mixture.
Add the rest of the egg whites to it.
Slowly mix in the melted butter.
Pour the batter into a medium round that you would have placed on a medium perforated sheet, and cook in a warm oven of 320 for 20-25 minutes (or until the tooth pick comes out clean).
When the cake is cool. Unmold it from the round mold.
Slice it in half and set it aside.
Let’s do the syrup as well since it needs to cool: place 100 gr of sugar, 125 gr of water, and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract into a small saucepan and bring to boil. When it has, turn the heat off and set it aside to cool.
Let’s prepare the Praline Crunch: Place the chocolate into a small bowl and microwave it for 60-90 seconds or until it is melted and fluid.
Pour this chocolate into a kitchen mixer. Add the pralin, the hazelnut oil and the feuillantine and pulse a few seconds so as to make a paste like texture.
Place the metal round onto a medium silpat that you would have placed on a perforated sheet.
Pour the praline croustillant inside the metal round and spread it out evenly. Place it in the fridge to cure.
Prepare the mousse: in a small saucepan place the water and 100 gr of sugar and cook over high temperature. Cook until you are starting to see large bubbles or your thermometer is showing 118c.
Mix the egg yolks, and eggs into a kitchen mixer until they are becoming foamy. Slowly pour the syrup while you are still beating the eggs. And beat on high until the mixture has cooled down completely.
Set aside.
Meanwhile place the chocolate into a medium sized bowl and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until it is melted and free if lumps. You may need to add 30 more seconds to get to the right consistency. Set aside.
In another kitchen mixer, beat the cream into a soft peak whipped cream.
With a spatula carefully fold in the whipped cream into the chocolate.
Whisk the mixture to get an even mixture.
Add the egg mixture and mix well until the mixture is homogeneous.
Yeah, now it is time to assemble the cake!! With a spatula, spread a bit of the mousse atop of the pralin layer.
Pour the syrup into a rectangular cookie sheet and soak up the cake with that syrup. You will need to either turn the cake, or pour some on top of the cake to make sure that the cake is throughly soaked with that syrup.
Place one cake on top of the mousse. Press hard so as to glue the cake to the mousse.
Top the cake with 1/2 of the mousse.
Place the other half of the cake.
Cover the cake with the remainder of the mousse.
Place the cake in the freezer to set at least one hour.
Meanwhile prepare the chocolate glaze. In a microwavable container, pour in the cream, syrup, and the glucose and cook for 1 minute in the microwave or until it is hot. Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips that you would have placed into a bowl. Let the mixture sit for a while to let the chocolate chips melt on their own.
After 1-2 minutes, start stirring. Let the mixture cool a bit before glazing the cake.
Place the cake onto a cooling rack, and pour the ganache over the cake.
Collect the ganache that dripped down and pour it over the cake again. Be careful to only use “clean ganache” without cake debris so that the cake will look shiny and even.
Place the cake into the fridge to cool.
Decorate the cake as you wish. I used vanilla flavored macarons;-)
Et voila!!! Miam , miam. Definitely one of the best cake I have ever made!!! Merci Stephane!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Posted March 11, 2014

Filed under chocolate/ candy, deep flexipan, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, fruit, Mousses, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

On Sundays I always like to indulge and fix a yummy dessert for the whole family. Today was no different, except that I decided to share this yummy dessert with my in-laws over tea. I don’t always have time to see them even though they only live a few blocks from us, but since this weekend I did not have that much to do I decided to call them up and invite myself for coffee and cake;-)

Though my mother-in-law asked that i not bring anything, I did not listen.. you know me:-) I will take any opportunity to play in my kitchen.

This cake looks very fancy, but is not at all so I hope that you will give it a try, and impress your friends and family.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Guy Demarle called “Bouchees Tropicales”.

Ingredients for 15 individual portions, or 56 miniature, bite size desserts.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake.

50 gr. of chocolate chips
20 gr. of butter
2 eggs
30 gr. of granulated sugar

Ingredients for the raspberry Mousse:

1 pack of gelatin from Knox
325 gr. of seedless raspberry jam
3 eggs
80 gr. of sugar
15 gr. of cornstarch
150 gr. of butter

Ingredients for the Chocolate Mousse:

240 gr. of chocolate chips of good quality ( i used ghiradhelli)
360 gr. of heavy cream
Fresh fruit for decoration, I used blueberries.

This cake is really easy to make, but requires a bit of time as they are 4 steps to it: the cake, the raspberry mousse, the chocolate mousse and finally the decoration.

Turn the oven to 350.
Place the chocolate chips for the chocolate cake into a small container and melt it into the microwave for 60 seconds. Add the butter and mix it in. Set it aside.
Meanwhile divide the eggs into yolks and egg whites. Place the egg whites into a kitchen mixer and beat them until they are foamy.
Add the sugar and continue beating the egg whites until they are firm.
Add the egg yolks into the beaten egg whites and beat them for a few seconds.
Slowly mix in the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix it until the cake batter is smooth.
Spread this cake batter over a deep flexipan and cook it for 8 minutes.
When the cake is cooked, set it aside to let it cool and prepare the raspberry mousse.
Empty the gelatin into a small container and pour a tbsp of water over it. Let the gelatin soak and set it aside for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the content of the jelly into a small saucepan and warm it up over medium temperature.
While the jelly is warming up, beat the eggs with the sugar just enough so that the sugar is no longer visible.
Add the cornstarch and mix well. Pour a few tablespoons of the jelly into the egg mixture and mix well.
Empty the gelatin into the jelly and cook for a few minutes. Add the butter and mix well.
Add the jelly mixture to the egg mixture. Mix well and cook over low medium heat until the mixture is boiling.
Pour this mixture over the cake. Shake the pan against your countertop so that the raspberry mixture will spread out evenly and be smooth.
Place the tray into the freezer for a minimum of one hour.
To prepare the last layer, you will need all the ingredients for the chocolate mousse.
Place the chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes. Stir. And cook for another 30 seconds if needed, continue cooking until the chocolate is completely melted and is free of lumps.
Meanwhile place the cream into a large mixer and whip the cream until it is thicker but has still soft peaks.
Add 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate and mix well. Then add the rest and slowly mix well until the mixture is a smooth texture.
Spread the chocolate mousse over the raspberry mousse and place the tray back into the freezer for another hour.
Keep the remainder of the mousse into a piping bag and place it into the fridge for later use. You will need it to decorate the cake before serving it.
To make individual mini portions, you will want to cut 1 1/4 inch squares and pipe a flower on each square. Serve as it or with coffee or tea like we did this week-end;-)
Let the cake warm up at room temperature for 15 minutes to 30 minutes before eating it. It will be very soft and will melt in your mouth;-) Yum Yum!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Pork Pot Stickers

Posted January 20, 2014

Filed under appetizers, Large round mold, meat, octogonal silpat, pork, poultry, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, roulpat, silpat, stainless steel cookware, veal, vegetables, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I cook many things at home because I am very curious. And if something appeals to me I want to try it. But because my husband does not stray much from his favorite ( potato, pasta and German food), it is difficult to cook new things for him. So when there is something out there, different that he likes, I will jump on it and make it;-)

I love Asian Food, I love sushi and Thai. Since he will not eat sushi, we occasionally eat thai food though we have to really twist his arms and help him turn left to the Thai Place, and not to the right to his favorite German restaurant Gerhard’s:-)

There he will order two things, Pork Pot stickers and Beef Pasta stir fry.

I have not tried to fix the latter because the pasta are quite different and I am not sure that i could duplicate that, but since Pot Stickers are well liked at our house, I decided one day that I would try my hands at it. And I will say that they are so easy to make, yummy, really cheap and and and…………they can be frozen to be used at a later time;-)

If you try to make them, give your self some times because they will make a large bunch and it takes a bit of times to make the “ravioli”.

Ingredients for about 80:

1 bag of brocoli slaw
12 oz or 1 pack of ground chicken, turkey or pork(today I used pork).
3 tbsp of fresh ginger grated
2 garlic cloves pressed
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
1 pack of wontons

Ingredients for the sauce:

1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 tsbp of rice vinegar
1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
1 tsp of toasted sesame oil

Steam the brocoli slaw according to directions, (or place it into the large round mold, place the octogonal silpat on top of that and cook it for 5 minutes.) Let it cool.
When the brocoli is cold, chop it.
Place it into a large bowl, add the meat, all the other ingredients and mix well.
Place the rectangular roulpat on your counter and lay as many wonton on it as you can. Place about a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the middle of each wonton.
With a silicone brush, wet the sides of each wonton with water and close the wontons to make a triangle.
If you do decide to freeze them, place them flat on a large silpat that you would place on a large perforated sheet. Make sure that they are not touching or they will stick to one another and it will be impossible to separate them as they are very fragile. Freeze them as such and when they are frozen, place them in a ziploc bag to keep for later use.
Place a large frying pan on the stove, melt one tbsp of butter and when the butter is sizzling, place as many wontons as you can in the pan.
Sear them for a minute and then turn them.
Throw 1/4 cup of water over the pot stickers and place the lid over them. Cook them for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the sauce that goes with it.
Eat while they are warm.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Kielbasa Sausage and Potato Soup

Posted January 7, 2014

Filed under appetizers, Fleximolds, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, soup, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

My daughter is a senior and consequently is spending her very last year with us. BOO hoo… As a responsible adult, she has therefore been applying to various colleges over the US, some close and some not so close. In fact a bit further than we would like it to be.. but this is how life goes….

Because of a lack of time, we decided to visit a few colleges during this Christmas break. Well, I know most colleges are empty during this time but it is difficult to get some days off when you have a full time job. Any way, after offering a delicious Christmas dinner to my family on the 25th of December, we quickly cleaned everything, packed our suitcases to drive towards Florida on the 26th at 6:00 am. Though the timing was a bit hectic, we were happy to leave the Carolinas to find the sunny weather and warmth of Florida. Well, after being back I am happy to say that Lisa did not find a colleges that she fell “in love with” just yet, so may be she will not be going too too far. We can dream, right???

Well as we made our return back to the Carolinas yesterday, we also left the warmth of Florida and found ourselves coming to an even colder state than we had left. It was 23 yesterday when we got home. BRRRR…

After a long drive, sitting more than 15 hours in the car, I was not really in the mood to cook dinner, but i was so cold that a soup really sounded appetizing. Well, after a long week of absence, I can say that little can be found in the fridge, and so i had to do with what I had: Potato and Kielbasa Sausage.

Ingredients for a large pot of soup for 10 people:

1 onion sliced thinly
1 kielbasa sausage sliced thinly and cut in quarters
8 medium sized potatoes peeled and cubed
2 tbsp of butter
4 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1-2 cup of cream

Place the large pot on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium high. Add the butter and melt it.
When the butter is sizzling, add the onions and saute them until they become translucent and golden.
Add the sausages and saute them as well.
Then add the potato cubes to the onion mixture and saute them as well for a few minutes until they become a bit golden.
Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to boil. Lower the temperature to medium low and cook for at least 30 minutes or the potatoes are tender. Add salt, pepper and stir well. For a faster option, you may transfer the content of the pot into a large round mold, place the octogonal silpat on top to close it and cook the potatoes for 13 minutes. Then transfer the content back into the pot. Pour the broth over the potatoes, add salt, and pepper and bring it to boil. Lower the temperature and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the cream and mill the mixture until it is smooth.
If you wish to have a soup free of lumps, you may sieve the soup through a fine sieve. I did not, and still enjoy it very much. Warm and cozy. Yum!!!