Raspberry Chipotle Beef Meatballs

Posted February 7, 2016

Filed under appetizers, beef, deep flexipan, meat, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

This past Sunday, I hosted a Super Bowl Appetizer cooking class for some of my friends and acquaintances to show off some easy recipes that were delicious, but that could be prepared in advance. Because it is fun to host a Super bowl party or to go to one. What is less fun is to try to get ready, while getting the food ready on time and warm for the guests. I hope that you will try this recipe. It is easy to fix, delicious and actually quite healthy because I am only using lean ground beef. It can also be prepared in advance, even frozen and warmed up right before your guests arrive or right before you are ready to go.

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

1 pack of lean ground beef ( 1 1/2 lbs),
3/4 cup of bread crumbs,
1/2 tbs of garlic salt,
1/4 tsp of pepper,
1 egg,

Sauce:

2 times 1/4 Maple Chipotle Sauce
2 times 1/4 seedless raspberry jam

Place all ingredients in a bowl, or mixer and mix all until you have a well blended mixture.
With a small ice-cream or cookie cutter, scoop small balls and place them into the deep flexipan that you would have already placed on a perforated sheet. Of course, if you do not have, you can just use a regular cookie sheet that you will line with parchment paper.
Cook them for about 15 minutes.
While they are cooking, mix the raspberry and the maple chipotle sauce.
When the meatballs are done, pour half of the sauce over them and mix well to coat the meatballs. Put them back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
When they come out, pour the other sauce and coat them again before eating them. Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Raspberry Chipotle Beef Meatballs

Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Super Easy
Print

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

1 pack of lean ground beef ( 1 1/2 lbs),
3/4 cup of bread crumbs,
1/2 tbs of garlic salt,
1/4 tsp of pepper,
1 egg,

Sauce:

2 times 1/4 Maple Chipotle Sauce
2 times 1/4 seedless raspberry jam

Place all ingredients in a bowl, or mixer and mix all until you have a well blended mixture.
With a small ice-cream or cookie cutter, scoop small balls and place them into the deep flexipan that you would have already placed on a cookie sheet.
Cook them for about 15 minutes. While they are cooking, mix the raspberry and the maple chipotle sauce.
When the meatballs are done, pour half of the sauce over them and mix well to coat the meatballs.
Put them back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
When they come out, pour the other sauce and coat them again before eating them. Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Barbecue Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Posted February 5, 2016

Filed under appetizers, deep flexipan, meat, poultry, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I love, love my cell phone. I love to be able to check on my children, call whenever I can, text, take pictures. I love it all. What I love less, is the ability to browse the internet. A friend told me that she does not like to go on Facebook because she feels that it swallows her, and that can waste hours in what feels only seconds of her time. I think what i like the least is the ability to get on the internet. Once I get there, I get lost either in the clothes, or in the food… and I spend hours, ….. Do you have that problem???

This recipe is just one of them I saw on Pinterest. I just added mon “petit grain” as we say in French because I did not want to use some of the ingredients and was unable to locate the raspberry Chipotle Sauce as suggested. I added bits here and there and I am also using my Demarle cookware to cook it ( easy to clean, and non-stick). Of course any pan would do. I hope that you will try them. They cook so fast and are deliiiiiciiouss!!!! Yes, not very healthy but delicious!!!!

Ingredients for about 4-6 people (it is a wide range, but those are so good it is hard to stop at 4 or 5;-)))

2 chicken breasts,
6 bacon strips cut in fourth,
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce,
2-3 tbsp of brown sugar,
salt and pepper.

Trim the chicken so that it is cleaned of fat and nerves.
Slice the chicken breast half in its length, then cut each half into small bites of about 1 inch wide ( about 5-6 cut per half).
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Then roll each bite within the bacon strip.
Place the bacon wrapped chicken into the deep flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet.
Pour the barbecue sauce over the top of the bacon and with a brush, brush evenly the barbecue sauce.
Sprinkle the sugar all over the chicken
and bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 400 or until the bacon is crisp and the fat has melted. You may cook it longer if you need to, but I was happy with the texture after 30 minutes.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Barbecue Bacon Chicken Bites

Servings: 4-6
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Super Easy
Print

Ingredients for about 4-6 people (it is a wide range, but those are so good it is hard to stop at 4 or 5;-)))

2 chicken breasts,
6 bacon strips cut in fourth,
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce,
2-3 tbsp of brown sugar,
salt and pepper.

Trim the chicken so that it is cleaned of fat and nerves.
Slice the chicken breast half in its length, then cut each half into small bites of about 1 inch wide ( about 5-6 cut per half).
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Then roll each bite within the bacon strip.
Place the chicken into the deep flexipan.
Pour the barbecue sauce over the top of the bacon and with a brush, brush evenly the barbecue sauce.
Sprinkle the sugar all over the chicken and bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 400 or until the bacon is crisp and the grease has melted.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Strawberries Balls for The Super Bowl

Posted February 4, 2016

Filed under candy. chocolate, chocolate/ candy, deep flexipan, dessert, silpat, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

What type of food are you offering your guests for Super bowl??? Well, if I were hosting, I would be making all kinds of food… But I am not. We will be joining some friends of ours. So Guess what??? I will only be making a few things. Mini Pretzels, Mustard, Ham and Cheese Pretzels Bites and Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

I will be posting those recipes very soon. But today I am just going to share with you the easiest of all desserts: Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

All you need is good quality Chocolate, and fresh strawberries.

Ingredients for 1 box of chocolate or about 30 strawberries:

1 box of strawberries
6 oz. of bittersweet chocolate from Ghiradhelli
1 0z of white chocolate

I love the Ghiradhelli Chocolate because it is the ONLY chocolate that will melt perfectly to a liquid form in the microwave so Do not use Hershey, or Nestlé. The chocolate will not melt unless you add butter.

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir and place it back into the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if needed.
Take one strawberry at a time, and dip it in the chocolate. Place the chocolate onto a large silpat that you would have previously placed on a perforated sheet for support. Repeat until it is done.
Place the strawberries into the fridge to cool. When the chocolate has settled.
Place the white chocolate into a small container and melt it the microwave for a few seconds ( 30 seconds). It should soft to the fingers.
Pour the melted chocolate into a small plastic bag. Push the chocolate to the end of the plastic bag.
Cut the tip and draw lines on the strawberries to make it look like the football.
Place the strawberries back into the fridge to cool. Et voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Football Strawberries for Super Bowl

Servings: 10
Time: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Super Easy
Print

Ingredients for 1 box of chocolate or about 30 strawberries:

1 box of strawberries
6 oz. of bittersweet chocolate from Ghiradhelli
1-0z of white chocolate
1 plastic bag

I love the Ghiradhelli Chocolate because it is the ONLY chocolate that will melt perfectly to a liquid form in the microwave so Do not use hershey, or Nestlé.

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir and place it back into the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if needed.
Take one strawberry at a time and dip it in the chocolate. Place the chocolate onto a large silpat that you would have previously placed on a perforated sheet. Repeat until it is done.
Place the strawberries into the fridge to cool. When the chocolate has settled.
Place the white chocolate into a small container and melt it it the microwave for a few seconds ( 30 seconds).
Pour the melted chocolate into a small plastic bag. Push the chocolate to the end of the plastic bag.
Cut the tip and draw lines on the strawberries to make it look like the football.
Place the strawberries back into the fridge to cool. Et voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Posted January 24, 2016

Filed under deep flexipan, Large round mold, octogonal silpat, potato, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpain, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

When you are married to a German man, and he wants to eat potatoes every evening, or almost every evening, you start being creative on fixing those potatoes. I either use recipes from families, and friends, or make up my own. The recipe that I am presenting to you today was inspired by one that I had seen on pinterest.

I cannot recall which recipe it was, nor who posted it, but I wanted to share with you my twist on it. As it is easy as 1, 2, 3 and it is really delicious!!!!

Ingredients for 4:

a bag of small new potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
2 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 large clove of garlic or 2 small ones

Place the potatoes in the sink and with a small bruch, clean them well.
Steam the potatoes for 6 minutes or until they are somewhat cooked. I use my demarle cookware because it makes my life easy, but you can use any steamer to steam your potatoes.
If using the demarle cookware, place the potatoes inside the large round mold and place the octagonal silpat on top of it. Place the round mold in the microwave and cook the potatoes for 6 minutes. They should be soft, but still firm.
Now, it is time to smash your potatoes. Get a cookie sheet ready by placing a parchment paper, or if you are using a silpat, place the silpat on top of a perforated sheet. Take one potato and smash it with a palm of your hand. I use either a kitchen towel to protect my hand from the heat, or my octagonal silpat.
Place the smash potato on the cookie sheet, or silpat and repeat until you have exhausted all potatoes.
With a knife or chopper, chop the parsley and the garlic very thinly. I used my Demarle chopper and it does a great job!!!In the demarle chopper, place 1/4 cup of olive oil, the garlic, fresh parsley and chop it all until you have a paste.
Either with the brush or with a spoon, top each potato with the mixture. Then sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper.
Place the potatoes into the oven at 400 and cook them for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

( I don’t usually eat potatoes, but it was very hard to resist those, they were so yummy!!! The garlic gets crunchy, a true “delice”)

Parsley and Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Super Easy
Print

Ingredients for 6-8:

a bag of small new potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
2 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 large clove of garlic or 2 small ones

Place the potatoes in the sink and with a small bruch, clean them well.
Steam the potatoes for 6 minutes or until they are somewhat cooked. I use my demarle cookware because it makes my life easy, but you can use any steamer to steam your potatoes.
If using the demarle cookware, place the potatoes inside the large round mold and place the octagonal silpat on top of it. Place the round mold in the microwave and cook the potatoes for 6 minutes. They should be soft, but still firm.
Now, it is time to smash your potatoes. Get a cookie sheet ready by placing a parchment paper, or if you are using a silpat, place the silpat on top of a perforated sheet.
Take one potato and smash it with a palm of your hand. I use either a kitchen towel to protect my hand from the heat, or my octagonal silpat.
Place the smash potato on the cookie sheet, or silpat and repeat until you have exhausted all potatoes.
With a knife or chopper, chop the parsley and the garlic very thinly. I used my Demarle chopper and it does a great job!!!In the demarle chopper, place 1/4 cup of olive oil, the garlic, fresh parsley and chop it all until you have a paste.
Either with the brush or with a spoon, top each potato with the mixture. Then sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper.
Place the potatoes into the oven at 400 and cook them for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!!!

( I don’t usually eat potatoes, but it was very hard to resist those, they were so yummy!!! The garlic gets crunchy, a true “delice”)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes

Posted November 29, 2015

Filed under Cakes, dessert, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

How was your thanksgiving?? I must say that mine was great!! I really enjoyed my time off, and I will tell you that it will be hard tomorrow to get back to work. But good things always come to an end, that is how we get to appreciate them.

For Thanksgiving, I only got to prepare appetizers and desserts, and I had much fun Wednesday spending my day in the kitchen listening to Christmas tune and cooking.

I made :

Mini Pecan Pies
Vanilla Cheesecakes
Raspberry. Lemon Mousse Cakes
Chocolate Feuille D’automne
Lemon Tarts
and Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes

Most of the desserts can be served at all times of the year besides maybe the Pumpkin Cupcakes and that is why I decided that I would share the recipe of them today. It is a easy, quick recipe that is very very flavorful.

The batter of the cupcakes is similar to the Pumpkin Roll that I make, and the frosting is also similar to the Praline Cupcakes that i also make. I love both flavors together, they marry well. However, you could stay with a Vanilla flavored Frosting for a more subdue frosting. If you did not like the spices in the cupcakes batter, you could also do without. Just an idea.

I must say that the cupcakes taste better the day that they are made. They are soft, very moist. They still will taste good the days that follow, but they will have a much more dense texture.

Ingredients for about 35+ Mini- Cupcakes:

1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tsp of Clover powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pie Crust Hearts:

Half a rolled pie crust
Milk, for brushing
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Filling:

8 oz of cream cheese,
6 tbsp of butter at room temperature,
1 tbsp of vanilla extract,
1/4 cup of sugar.
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar,
2 tbsp. of heavy cream.

Turn your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the mini cupcakes mold onto a medium perforated sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the spices, baking powder and salt together.
In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet pumpkin mixture until just incorporated.
Fill the wells up to about 3/4.
Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the muffins are cooling, cut out as many hearts as you need to decorate the top of each cupcakes.
When placing them onto the medium silpat that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet, stretch them a bit so that they will appear longer.
Brush each with milk, and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.
Bake until deep golden brown, 10 minutes at the most.
Once cooked, set them aside to cool.
For the topping, first prepare the caramel. In a small saucepan, place the cream and the brown sugar, and cook until it is bubbling and the sugar dissolves.
Empty the caramel into the small round flexiform and place it in the fridge for the caramel to cool.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese, the butter, the vanilla, the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix until it is well combined. Set aside.
When the caramel is cold, empty it into the cream cheese frosting. With a spatula, fold the caramel into the frosting slowly but do not combine!
With a small teaspoon, top each cupcake with the frosting.
Then gently push a pie crust Heart into the frosting of each cupcake, and serve. Et voila!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes

Servings: 24-30
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients for about 35+ Mini- Cupcakes:

1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tsp of Clover powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pie Crust Hearts:

Half a rolled pie crust
Milk, for brushing
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Filling/Topping:

8 oz of cream cheese,
6 tbsp of butter at room temperature,
1 tbsp of vanilla extract,
1/4 cup of sugar.
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar,
2 tbsp. of heavy cream.

Turn your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the mini cupcakes mold onto a medium perforated sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the spices, baking powder and salt together.
In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet pumpkin mixture until just incorporated. Fill the wells up to about 3/4.
Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the muffins are cooling, cut out as many hearts as you need to decorate the top of each cupcakes. When placing them onto the medium silpat that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet, stretch them a bit so that they will appear longer. Brush each with milk, and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Bake until deep golden brown, 10. Once cooked, set them aside to cool.
For the topping, first prepare the caramel. In a small saucepan, place the cream and the brown sugar, and cook until it is bubbling and the sugar dissolves. Empty the caramel into the small round flexiform and place it in the fridge for the caramel to cool. In a bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese, the butter, the vanilla, the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix until it is well combined. Set aside.When the caramel is cold, empty it into the cream cheese frosting. With a spatula, fold the caramel into the frosting slowly but do not combine!
With a small teaspoon, top each cupcake with the frosting. Then gently push a pie crust Heart into the frosting of each cupcake, and serve. Et voila!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cranberry and Apple Normand Tart

Posted November 22, 2015

Filed under dessert, fruit, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, Tarts and Pies, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I never have to pleasure to host Thanksgiving, because I am in charge of Christmas dinner every year, but also because my sister-in-law, the only born American in our family, wants to make sure that by hosting it, it will be a true one, with a Turkey, and the potatoes and the dressing.

So this leaves me with making appetizers, desserts and sometimes sides. Every year, I scratch my head trying to figure out what I will be bringing. I have yet to think about the appetizers, but I think that I know what I will be bringing: Feuille d’automne, Tart Tatin and Apple and Cranberry Normand Tart.

This evening, I would like to share with you the Apple and Cranberry tart that I will be serving. It is very different that anything I have eaten before, but it is very good, very filling however. The great part about this dessert is that you can substitute the apples with any fruits that strike you fancy. The recipe was adapted from a recipe from Stephane Glacier called Tarte Normande.

Ingredients for a large tart of about 12-16 persons:

Ingredients for the pie shell:

250 gr. of flour
188 gr. of butter at room temperature ( should be soft to the touch).
7.5 gr. of salt
50 gr. of milk
10 gr. of egg yolks
15 gr. of sugar

Ingredients for the apple mixture:

1000 gr. of apples peeled and sliced in 8.
80 gr of butter
120 gr. of brown sugar
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Ingredients for the normande filling:

also 1 cup of cranberry

225 gr. of eggs
275 gr. of sugar
38 gr. of sugar
190 gr. of melted butter

Ingredients for Mascarpone Whipped Cream

2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 of a mascarpone container ( if you do not have container, substitute with 1/2 cup of cream cheese).
seeds of a vanilla bean, or 1 tbsp of vanilla extract.
2-4 tbsp of sugar.

You will want to get the pie crust done first. In a mixer place the flour, salt and soft butter and mix well until you have a crumble texture.
Then add the other ingredients and mix well until you have an even texture dough.
Place the dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and set them aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the sliced apples.
Then add the cinnamon and the sugar and bring to boil.
Cook the apples for 10 minutes. Then pour the apples into the large round mold and place them into the oven at a temperature 450 of for another 10 minutes.
When the apples have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Take the dough out, place it in between two roulpats (or in between 2 plastic wrap if you do not have a roulpat) and roll it out in a 12-14 inch circle. Place it back into the fridge to cool before placing it into the tart pan.
Meanwhile, prepare the mixture that you will be drizzling over the apples. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the normande filling. Set aside.
Take the dough back out, and gently peel the pie crust off the roulpat and place it onto the grande round ( if you do have a grande round, use a 12 inch round tart mold) that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet. Pat the dough down to make sure that it is fitting perfectly inside the tart pan. With a fork, prick the dough all over.
Drain the apples from its juice, and spread them out evenly onto the pie crust.
Disperse 1 cup of fresh cranberries on top of the apples.
Pour the normande mixture over the apples, and cook the tart for 50 minutes at 350.
Prepare the mascarpone whipped cream. In a mixer, place the cream, the vanilla seeds and the sugar, and beat the cream until it is getting thicker, but it is still runny. Add the mascarpone cheese, or the softened cream cheese and beat until it makes hard peaks. Place the cream into a container and keep it cool until you are ready to serve the pie.
Let the tart cool completely before eating. Serve with Mascarpone Whipped Cream. Yum, Yum!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cranberry and Apple Normande Tart

Servings: 12-16
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Print

Ingredients for a large tart of about 12-16 persons:

Ingredients for the pie shell:

250 gr. of flour
188 gr. of butter at room temperature ( should be soft to the touch).
7.5 gr. of salt
50 gr. of milk
10 gr. of egg yolks
15 gr. of sugar

Ingredients for the apple mixture:

1000 gr. of apples peeled and sliced in 8.
80 gr of butter
120 gr. of brown sugar
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Ingredients for the normande filling:

also 1 cup of cranberries

225 gr. of eggs
275 gr. of sugar
38 gr. of sugar
190 gr. of melted butter

Ingredients for Mascarpone Whipped Cream

2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 of a mascarpone container ( if you do not have container, substitute with 1/2 cup of cream cheese).
seeds of a vanilla bean, or 1 tbsp of vanilla extract.
2-4 tbsp of sugar.

You will want to get the pie crust done first. In a mixer place the flour, salt and soft butter and mix well until you have a crumble texture.
Then add the other ingredients and mix well until you have an even texture dough.
Place the dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and set them aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the sliced apples. Then add the cinnamon and the sugar and bring to boil.
Cook the apples for 10 minutes. Then pour the apples into the large round mold and place them into the oven at a temperature 450 of for another 10 minutes.
When the apples have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Take the dough out, place it in between two roulpat, or in between 2 plastic wrap if you do not have a roulpat, and roll it out in a 12-14 inch circle. Place it back into the fridge to cool before placing it into the tart pan.
Meanwhile, prepare the mixture that you will be drizzling over the apples. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the normande filling and set it aside until you are ready to use it.
Take the dough back out, gently peel it off the roulpat, and place it onto the grande round ( if you do have a grande round, use a 12 inch round tart mold). Pat the dough down to make sure that it is fitting perfectly inside the tart pan. With a fork, prick the dough all over. Drain the apples from its juice, and spread them out evenly onto the pie crust.
Disperse 1 cup of fresh cranberries on top of the apples.
Pour the normande mixture over the apples, and cook the tart for 50 minutes at 350.
Prepare the mascarpone whipped cream. In a mixer, place the cream the vanilla seeds and the sugar, and beat the cream until it is getting thicker, but it is runny. Add the mascarpone cheese, or the softened cream cheese and beat until it makes hard peaks. Place the cream into a container and keep it cool until ready to serve the pie.
Let the tart cool completely before eating. Serve with Mascarpone Whipped Cream. Yum, Yum!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Feuille D’Automne

Posted November 21, 2015

Filed under chocolate/ candy, dessert, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Don’t you love fall. The air is getting cooler, the leaves on the tree change to orange and red, and you start smelling cinnamon in all the places you go. Cinnamon in the apple ciders, in the apple tarts and in the pumpkin pies.. I love fall for all those reasons, but also because I don’t feel so guilty cooking scrumptious desserts in those cool days. One of my favorite cake to prepare around this time of the year is called Feuille D’automne, or Fall leaves. The recipe was originally created by Gaston LeNotre ( reknown French Pastry Chef) in 1968. It is today a signature cake at all his pastry stores and restaurants. It is made with an almond Meringue, and a dark chocolate mousse. His recipe was adapted by me to make it a little less challenging. It is a beautiful cake that is also succulent. I challenge you to bring one at your next Thanksgiving gathering!!!

Ingredients for a cake for 8-12 people:

You will need to make 3 almond meringue disks, a chocolate mousse.

Ingredients for the Almond Meringues, also called Succes:

100 g de poudre d’amandes tamisée
100 g de sucre glace
200 g de blancs d’œufs
160 g de sucre en poudre

Ingredients for the Chocolate Mousse:

500 gr. / 1 lb bittersweet chocolate
125 gr. / 4 oz butter
180 gr. / 6 oz egg yolks
250 gr. / 8 oz egg whites
75 gr. sugar

Ingredients for the Chocolate Decoration:

400 gm dark chocolate couverture
cocoa powder
confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar and set it aside.
In the bowl of a kitchen mixer, put the egg whites and whip until they are foamy.
Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until they are forming soft peaks. See below.
Add the almond mixture to the whipped eggs.
Fold the almond carefully so that the eggs will not deflate.
Lay a large silpat onto a large perforated sheet and pipe the almond meringue into circles to make 3 rounds of about 9 inches.
Cook in a warm oven of 250 for 90 minutes. Set aside.
We are now ready to make the mousse which is the filling in between the meringue layers.
Place the chocolate chips into a bowl and melt the chocolate either on the stove over boiling water, or in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix well.
Beat the egg whites into hard peaks and slowly add the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake, place the metal round on top of medium silpat that would be placed on a medium perforated sheet, or fill 1/3 of the medium round mold with the chocolate mousse. Place one of the meringue disk above the mousse. Fill the other third of mousse, cover it up with another meringue. Place the last disk and end with the mousse.
Place the cake into the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.
When the cake is ready, Remove the cake from its mold either by peeling the silicone mold or removing the metal ring.
To prepare the chocolate that will wrap the cake, warm up the chocolate to a liquid state. Place a plastic wrap at the bottom of a metal pan, or a deep flexipan and spread the chocolate so that it will cover the entire pan in a very thin layer. Place the pan into the fridge or the freezer and let it harden.
Let the chocolate cool at room temperature until the chocolate begins to get cloudy. Refrigerate to set completely.
When the chocolate is set, bring the pans back to room temperature and wait a few minutes until the chocolate is pliable but not soft.
Draw strips of about 4 to 3 1/2 inches into the chocolate.
With a sharp knife, cut the strips.
Lift off the strip of chocolate and place the thin strips around the cake to hide the cake contours. Repeat to cover the entire diameter of the cake.

21. the chocolate will be somewhat soft enough to wrap the outside of the cake, but you will not be able to bend it. Let the cake rest for a few minutes and you will see that the chocolate will be able to fold and you will be able to fold it over the top.

22. With the rest of the chocolate, you can either make waves or make shavings that you would place on top of the cake for decoration.

23. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for added decoration.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Feuille D'Automne

Servings: 8-12 people
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Print

Ingredients for a cake for 8-12 people:

You will need to make 3 almond meringue disks, a chocolate mousse.

Ingredients for the Almond Meringues, also called Succes:

100 g de poudre d’amandes tamisée
100 g de sucre glace
200 g de blancs d’œufs
160 g de sucre en poudre

Ingredients for the Chocolate Mousse:

500 gr. / 1 lb bittersweet chocolate
125 gr. / 4 oz butter
180 gr. / 6 oz egg yolks
250 gr. / 8 oz egg whites
75 gr. sugar

Ingredients for the Chocolate Decoration:

400 gm dark chocolate couverture
cocoa powder
confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar and set it aside.
In the bowl of a kitchen mixer, put the egg whites and whip until they are foamy.
Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until they are forming soft peaks.
Add the almond mixture to the whipped eggs.
Fold the almond carefully so that the eggs will not deflate.
Lay a large silpat onto a large perforated sheet and pipe the almond meringue into circles to make 3 rounds of about 9 inches.
Cook in a warm oven of 250 for 90 minutes. Set aside.
We are now ready to make the mousse which is the filling in between the meringue layers.
Place the chocolate chips into a bowl and melt the chocolate either on the stove over boiling water, or in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Add the butter and mix well.
Beat the egg whites into hard peaks and slowly add the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
To assemble the cake, place the metal round on top of medium silpat that would be placed on a medium perforated sheet, or fill 1/3 of the medium round mold with the chocolate mousse. Place one of the meringue disk above the mousse. Fill the other third of mousse, cover it up with another meringue. Place the last disk and end with the mousse.
Place the cake into the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.
When the cake is ready, remove the cake from its mold either by peeling the silicone mold or removing the metal ring.
To prepare the chocolate that will wrap the cake, warm up the chocolate to a liquid state. Place a plastic wrap at the bottom of a metal pan, or a deep flexipan and spread the chocolate so that it will cover the entire pan in a very thin layer. Place the pan into the fridge or the freezer and let it harden.
Let the chocolate cool at room temperature until the chocolate begins to get cloudy. Refrigerate to set completely.
When the chocolate is set, bring the pans back to room temperature and wait a few minutes until the chocolate is pliable but not soft.
Draw strips of about 4 to 3 1/2 inches into the chocolate.
With a sharp knife, cut the strips.
Lift off the strip of chocolate and place the thin strips around the cake to hide the cake contours. Repeat to cover the entire diameter of the cake.
21. the chocolate will be somewhat soft enough to wrap the outside of the cake, but you will not be able to bend it. Let the cake rest for a few minutes and you will see that the chocolate will be able to fold and you will be able to fold it over the top.
With the rest of the chocolate, you can either make waves or make shavings that you would place on top of the cake for decoration.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for added decoration.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cooking Classes for the Month of October

Posted October 5, 2015

Filed under What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Cooking classes are always a lot of fun. It is a fun time with great people and you will learn to cook an entire meal from appetizers to dessert. Join me for one of more cooking classes this month.

Sunday, October 11th 3:00-5:00pm Appetizers and Fun Finger Food

Tuesday, October 13th 6:30-8:30pm Fall Dinner Ideas

Saturday, October 17th 11:00-1:00pm Fall Dinner Ideas

Monday, October 26th 6:30-8:30pm Appetizers and Fun Finger Ideas

Sample Menu of one of my latest Easy Dinner presented in September

Caramelized Onion Muffin With Goat Cheese Frosting

Bacon and Parmesan Meatballs in a Basil and Tomato Sauce

Stuffed Zucchinis

Caramel and Apple Tarts

Lemon and Chocolate Mousse Cake

In this class format, you will have a chance to sit, relax and learn many tips from your instructor. I will demonstrate how to make the recipes and you will enjoy a generous tasting of all the recipes we are making.

( For regulars $25. The fee is waived if a purchase of Demarle cookware is placed of +$60). Does not apply to the class at the Culinary Hub.

You may RSVP at cecile.cuisine@yahoo.com
or
call 864-494-4494.

Stuffed Zucchini with Roasted Bell Pepper, and Purple Onion

Posted October 4, 2015

Filed under deep flexipan, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, vegetables, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I love, love vegetables. I love to eat them, but I often find myself at loss on how to prepare them. Of course, you can grill, roast, steam, saute all your vegetables, and you can vary the spices that you use, but I am not very creative when cooking vegetables and like many of you I end up making the same vegetables over and over again.

I cannot remember where I saw a recipe of stuffed zucchinis, but I thought why not stuffed them with vegetables instead of meat to make it a truly vegetable dish. So here it is :

Ingredients for 4 :

4 medium sized zucchinis about 4-5 inches long
1 small purple onion
1 whole roasted bell pepper ( a big jar can be found in grocery store or at Costco)
1/2 cup of parmesan, swiss cheese or even feta ( optional)
1 tsp of demarle rosemary and thyme spice
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil

If you have not purchased roasted bell peppers, you will need to roast the fresh ones yourself. It is quite easy. Since it just takes times, you may as well prepare a few more to keep in your fridge for more recipes. Slice the bell peppers in half. Place then onto the silpat skin up, and roast them for 30 minutes at 450. When they are roasted, let them cool first by placing a silpat over them to keep them from drying up. When they are somewhat cooler, place them into a plastic bag and let them cool completely. The reason why you will want to place them into a bag, is to allow them to “perspire” and it will be easier for you to peel the skin off.
After 30 minutes to an hour, when they are completely cool. Carefully peel of the skin. It should come off fairly easy. Et voila.
Slice and dice one whole bell pepper and place it into a large bowl.
Rinse the zucchinis thoroughly under running water. Then with a sharp knife, slice the zucchini in half in its length. With a melon grater, or a little spoon, grate the inside of the zucchinis. Place the “meat” of the zucchinis onto a chopping block, and chop the zucchini “meat” finely. Empty it into a bowl where you would have already placed the diced bell pepper. Set aside.
Chop the onion very finely.
In a large saute pan, warm up a tbsp of olive oil and when the oil is warm, saute the onion until it becomes a dark amber color.
Empty the onion in the bowl where you would have placed the zucchini’s “meat”.
Add the salt, pepper, 1 tsp of rosemary and thyme and 1/2 cup of cheese ( optional). Mix well.
Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and place them into a deep flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet.
Cook for 20-30 minutes ( it will depend how big they are. the larger, the longer they will need). Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Stuffed Zucchinis with Bell Pepper and Purple Onion

Servings: 4-6 people
Time: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Super easy
Print

Ingredients for 4 :

4 medium-sized zucchinis about 4-5 inches long
1 small purple onion
1 whole roasted bell pepper ( a big jar can be found in grocery store or at Costco)
1/2 cup of parmesan, swiss cheese or even feta ( optional)
1 tsp of demarle rosemary and thyme spice
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil

If you have not purchased roasted bell peppers, you will need to roast the fresh ones yourself. It is quite easy. Since it just takes times, you may as well prepare a few more to keep in your fridge for more recipes. Slice the bell peppers in half. Place then onto the silpat skin up, and roast them for 30 minutes at 450. When they are roasted, let them cool first by placing a silpat over them to keep them from drying up. When they are somewhat cooler, place them into a plastic bag and let them cool completely. The reason why you will want to place them into a bag, is to allow them to “perspire” and it will be easier for you to peel the skin off.
After 30 minutes to an hour, when they are completely cool. Carefully peel of the skin. It should come off fairly easy. Et voila.
Slice and dice one whole bell pepper and place it into a large bowl.
Rinse the zucchinis thoroughly under running water. Then with a sharp knife, slice the zucchini in half in its length. With a melon grater, or a little spoon, grate the inside of the zucchini. Place the “meat” of the zucchinis onto a chopping block, and chop the zucchini “meat” finely. Empty it into a bowl where you would have already placed the diced bell pepper. Set aside.
Chop the onion very finely.
In a large saute pan, warm up a tbsp of olive oil and when the oil is warm, saute the onion until it becomes a dark amber color. Empty the onion in the bowl where you would have placed the zucchini’s “meat”.
Add the salt, pepper, 1 tsp of rosemary and thyme and 1/2 cup of cheese ( optional). Mix well.
Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and place them into a deep flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet.
Cook for 20-30 minutes ( it will depend how big they are. the larger, the longer they will need). Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Brie Tartlets with Confit Tomatoes

Posted August 8, 2015

Filed under appetizers, Fleximolds, mini muffin, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, tartlets

A friend of mine gave me some baby tomato plants last year, and despite me doing anything this year, they all came back and have given me many tomatoes. Ordinary I would eat the tomatoes off the wine because they are so good, but this particular tomato plant makes tomatoes that are not sweet and so I have to cook them, or accommodate them to eat them. As I was browsing easy vegetables appetizers, I came across a candied tomato recipe from the Power of Family Meal. I changed a few things and here it is:

Ingredients for 20 medium sized tartlets:

1 box of small baby tomatoes of about 1 pint ( the smaller the better- you really need 20 small tomatoes),
250 gr. or about 10 oz of brie cheese,
1 pie crust,
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar ( I used the Mediterranean Balsamic with Fig),
2 tbsp of brown sugar.
1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, warm up the oil and when it is sizzling,
Add the tomatoes that you would have cut in half.
Cook them for a minutes or two.
Then add the vinegar and the sugar, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to boil.
Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside.
With a cutter, cut the dough to fit the tartlet pan ( you will want to use the medium or the mini muffin pan because the cheese may over flow).
With a shaper, push the dough down. Then with a fork, prick the dough so that the tartlet will stay flat and a pocket will not form at the bottom.
Cut the cheese in 1/2 inch thick slices, then in rectangles of about 1 inch wide.
Squeeze them and place them in each tartlet.
Spoon two halves of tomatoes in each brie tartlets.
Cook the tartlets in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile place the saucepan back on the stove to reduce the liquid to about half. When the tartlets are cooked, and removed from the oven, drizzle some of that juice on top of the tartlets and eat ;-))

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Brie Tartlets with Confit Tomatoes

Servings: 7-10 people
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Super easy
Print

Ingredients for 20 medium sized tartlets:

1 box of small baby tomatoes of about 1 pint ( the smaller the better- you really need 20 small tomatoes),
250 gr. or about 10 oz of brie cheese,
1 pie crust,
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar ( I used the Mediterranean Balsamic with Fig),
2 tbsp of brown sugar.
1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, warm up the oil and when it is sizzling,
Add the tomatoes that you would have cut in half.
Cook them for a minutes or two.
Then add the vinegar and the sugar, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to boil.
Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside.
With a cutter, cut the dough to fit the tartlet pan ( you will want to use the medium or the mini muffin pan because the cheese may over flow),
With a shaper, push the dough down. Then with a fork, prick the dough so that the tartlet will stay flat and a pocket will not form at the bottom.
Cut the cheese in 1/2 inch thick slices, then in rectangles of about 1 inch wide. Squeeze them and place them in each tartlet.
Spoon two halves of tomatoes in each brie tartlets.
Cook the tartlets in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile place the saucepan back on the stove to reduce the liquid to about half.
When the tartlets are cooked, and removed from the oven, drizzle some of that juice on top of the tartlets and eat ;-))