Penguin Truffles

Sitting in a waiting room last week, I was thumbing through a magazine...in the food section, of course! I saw the most adorable Penguin Truffles that came packaged all neatly in a box of 9 for $32. O-O-K...maybe not this year, it's too much of a folly in this recession. I could make them, couldn't I? It couldn't be that hard. I mean, making truffles is just about as easy as anything gets. Mix hot heavy cream into top quality bittersweet chocolate and voilà, perfection. Dipping truffles into chocolate is also a no brainer, but these little cuties had form...and flippers! I had to give it a try. I made my truffle recipe, let it firm up and then shaped them into what looked like a Hershey's Kiss with a drooped-over top. Then I tucked a slivered almond into each side for the flippers, and dipped them into white chocolate. Now came the tricky part. Resting (balancing) on a fork, I spooned rich dark chocolate down the penguin's top, back and sides, with a little drip on the "beak". Only one took a dunk in the pool ;-)....and one fell in the "snow". Other than that they came out pretty well. My intention was to make the whole batch into penguins, but it was a little labor intensive, so I decided that I'd only make 10, and they'd be a single feature on my holiday gift plates. I made a variety of truffles with the rest of the ganache and was very happy with my sweet afternoon.
Chocolate Penguins

For the ganache:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Break the chocolate into small pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Heat the cream until just boiling and pour through the food processor feed tube in a steady stream, with the motor running. Process until smooth, just a few seconds. Transfer to a bowl to firm. This should take a few hours at room temperature. You may also put it in the refrigerator.
For the rolling and dipping:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for rolling)
12 ounces good quality white chocolate* (for dipping)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate* (for dipping)
*Use couverture chocolate or tempered chocolate. Click here for video on tempering chocolate.

For the flippers:
1/4 cup slivered almonds (or about 60 unbroken)

Using a 1 1/2 inch melon baller, scoop out balls of ganache and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in refrigerator to firm, about 30 minutes. Once firm, dust hands with powdered sugar and roll ball between your hands to smooth. Then continue rolling while pulling and shaping the top to resemble a small head with a drooped, thin pointy end (the beak). To insert the slivered almonds for the flippers, take a knife and insert it about 1/2 inch deep at the placement and angle you want the flippers. Gently insert a slivered almond into the slit, rounded end facing out. You should have about 25-30 penguins. Return to tray and put in refrigerator to chill.

In the meantime, melt the white chocolate by breaking it into a medium bowl placed over a pot of hot water. The bowl must not touch the water and the water must not simmer, but just remain hot. Stir until melted and then take off of heat and cool until it is about 84 degrees or dab a small amount on your upper lip. It should feel slightly cool. Resting a penguin on a forks tines and holding over bowl of melted white chocolate, spoon the chocolate over the penguin to coat. Let excess drip off. Place on parchment to cool and harden. Continue coating all penguins.Break the bittersweet chocolate into a medium bowl and place over hot water to melt in the same manner as the white chocolate. Once cool to 84 degrees, pick up penguins in the back behind the flippers, so as not to touch the tummy, and place on the tines of a fork. Holding over the bowl of bittersweet chocolate, gently spoon the chocolate down the back top and sides of the penguin. Carefully spoon a little down over the beak to form a point. Keep the tummy white and don't touch it or you'll get fingerprints on it. Let excess chocolate drip off and place on clean parchment to harden.

Makes 25-30 Penguin Truffles. Lasts up to 2 weeks at cool room temperature.
Penguin Truffle recipe (pdf)

Eiffel Tower And A Sweet Au Revoir

After my last trip to E. Dehillerin, I came home with some new "toys"! I didn't get any gorgeous copper pots or Champagne buckets, but I bought some tart pans, some small molds for financiers, canelé molds, and Eiffel Tower cookie cutters. Butter and sugar cookies are a favorite of mine. They are like a blank canvas to express yourself. So I began with cookies. First off I made my reliable sugar cookie dough and started contemplating how to decorate the Eiffel Towers. Should I make them shine and twinkle as the tower does in the evening, outline each detail in chocolate or just free form drizzle the chocolate across them? This time I chose the latter, and and with a smile, drizzled the chocolate freely, and reminisced of sunny days and summer picnics under the tower. I wrapped them in cellophane with a Brigitte cookie saying "au revoir" to my crew at the end of our month together. Rolled Sugar Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In large bowl or food processor, cream sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest and vanilla extract until well blended. Add the flour and salt and mix until it begins to form a ball, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water. Scrape dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press together to form a thick flat disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking sheet.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick (1/4 inch, if using Brigitte cutter), or desired thickness. The dough needs to be just the right temperature to roll and cut properly. If it is too cold, it is hard to roll, and if it is too soft it becomes difficult to cut and pick up. Roll any scraps back into a ball and chill again. Use as little flour as possible to roll out, so they don't get tough. After cutting, place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes or until just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. I use an insulated baking sheet to prevent the edges from getting too brown.

Makes 4 dozen, 3 inch (1/8 inch thick) cookies.


Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe (pdf)

Click here for Brigitte cookie cutter technique.

Brigitte Cookie Cutter

Come Shopping...E. Dehillerin in Paris

Do you need a stockpot big enough to sit in, or copper cookware made in France? How about cooking or baking utensils in all shapes and sizes? E. Dehillerin in Paris mainly caters to restaurants, but also trades with the public. This family run business has had their doors open since 1820. As you walk in, you are greeted by a copper rooster and well worn display shelves full of accoutrements for the professional and home chefs. For a foodie, this is a panacea. As you walk around this tight busy space, you walk through a piece of history. There is a reverence and excitement all at once. Do you need a crepe pan,tart pans,charlotte molds,or silicone molds?Walking downstairs you'll find the huge restaurant stockpots as well as many other items geared toward cooking for large groups.
I am mainly interested in what's upstairs, so I walk back up the stairs that have been worn by the steps of food lovers and cooks for almost 2 centuries.Past the display case full of treasures, and bread baskets, there are copper pots that are made in France (but, of course!) for every need and desire. There are rows and rows of spatulas, knives, and just about any other utensil you'll need. The pans and forms come in all shapes and sizes. And who doesn't need an Eiffel Tower cookie cutter?Hmmm....I guess I do!Among a few other things.Thanks for coming along, and think of all of the money YOU saved ;-))

When Bad Things Happen to Good Pies...

Thanksgiving and pies go hand in hand. This Thanksgiving I had hand in pie. It looked a little more like a face imprint, but it was indeed my oven mitt covered hand! As I was taking the pie out of the oven, there was a slip....I was glad I made 2 pumpkin pies as well as an apple pie. Friends started lamenting their own pie stories from meringue toppings that didn't brown beautifully under the broiler, but burned instead...to organic pumpkin pie lovingly prepared and baked, but taking 2 hours in the oven to set which ruined the crust. Then there was the pecan pie that needed a chain saw to cut it and a pumpkin pie made by twin sisters that dropped on the airport floor as they ran to catch their flight home. But home baked pies, no matter their blunders, are far more appreciated than their store bought, cardboard sisters! They are full of love and personality, and with luck they are beautiful and tasty as well. Over the years I've experimented with traditional pumpkin pie recipes and have come back to Libby's pie filling and recipe. It is just no fail. This year I decorated the top with pumpkin shapes and vines. Whole cloves are perfect pumpkin stems.My apple pie recipe is one that I tweaked a lot of years ago and make it without deviation. I pile the cinnamon and nutmeg spiced apples mile high for a lush apple filling. My family loves it warm from the oven with a scoop of pure vanilla ice cream. It just doesn't get much better.

Mile High Apple Pie

8 medium apples*, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
optional:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoon raisins soaked in
1 tablespoon brandy, until plump

*I used mainly Granny Smith apples for their firmness and sweet/ tart flavor and Fuji and Macintosh to round out the taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll chilled pie dough, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (to prevent sticking), into two 12 inch rounds. Place dough into a 9 inch pie pan, letting excess to hang over the sides.

In a large bowl, mix apples, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flour. Add optional nuts and raisins and stir. Spoon into the prepared pie pan, dot with butter and cover with a top layer of pie crust. Trim the crust evenly along the edge of the pie. Seal edges together. Flute the edges or finish with a decorative edge*. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about an hour, until crust is golden brown and apples are cooked and juicy. Check after half an hour to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If it is, loosely cover with aluminum foil for the remaining time. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Eight servings

*To make a decorative crust edge, cut out small leaves with a pastry cutter. Moisten the edges of the pie and place the small pastry leaves all around the edge, slightly overlapping. Keep the pastry from drying out by covering it loosely with damp paper towels as you work.

Pate Brisee (Pie Crust)
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 8 ounce stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces
6 tablespoons ice water (approximately)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8-10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water, a little at a time, in a slow steady stream through the feed tube. Depending on the humidity, less or more water may be needed. Pulse until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, being careful not to process more than 30 seconds. Overworking the dough will make it tough. To test, squeeze a small amount together. If it is crumbly, add more ice water, a little at a time. Shape the dough into a disc, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Dough may be stored, frozen for up to one month.

Makes two layers of pie crust.

Mile High Apple Pie recipe (pdf)
Pate Brisee (Pie Crust) recipe (pdf)

Onion Confit With Piment D'Espelette and Cherries

Just like some Thanksgiving Day relatives, this onion confit is sweet and savory with a little spice. It sits beside the Thanksgiving turkey or ham easily (back to those relatives again ;-)) It also adds zip to cheese, pork, lamb, and even scrambled eggs. It's versatility makes the effort worthwhile. I plan on bringing it to the holiday table and have extra jars to give away. I used piment d'espelette that I bought in the food market in Paris, but cayenne pepper can be substituted if you adjust for the heat. Many of my favorite ingredients were used when I devised this recipe. It was also another opportunity to use my Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!

Onion Confit with Piment D'Espelette and Cherries

2 pounds yellow onions
10 ounces white pearl onions, peeled*
10 ounces red pearl onions, peeled*
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon piment d'espelette or 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peel and cut yellow onions in half lengthwise. Put the flat side down on a cutting board and slice in 1/4 inch slices. In a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the sliced onions. Slowly saute, while stirring, over medium low heat for about 30 minutes or until the onions are translucent and very soft. Make sure they do not burn. Turn the heat up to medium and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir constantly until all liquid is gone and onions are caramelized. Again, be careful they do not burn. This will only take a few minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside. Rinse skillet to remove any sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and return to medium low heat. Put in peeled white and red pearl onions and saute until fully cooked and translucent and soft, about 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon brown sugar and turn the heat up to medium. Stir constantly while the onions caramelize, being careful not to burn. Add the caramelized sliced onions and stir. Add balsamic vinegar, pomegranate juice and dried cherries while stirring. Sprinkle the pepper over the mixture and stir. Continue cooking until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Pack into sterilized jars. Wipe the tops clean and seal.Makes enough for 8-9, four ounce jars, or 4 eight ounce jars. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

If you want to make the recipe and not can it, divide accordingly.

*To easily peel pearl onions, place whole unpeeled onions in boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes and drain. Quickly add them to a bowl of ice water to shock the skins and stop the cooking process. After a minute, drain the ice water. On a cutting board, slice off the root end of the onion and gently squeeze. The peeled onion easily slides out. If needed slice off any long pieces that remain.
Click here for video on peeling pearl onions.

Onion Confit with Piment D'Espelette and Cherries recipe (pdf)