10 posts tagged “chocolate”
Made this weekend. There are no photos in process. It's too hard to keep sweet dough cool enough to roll it out and get into a tart ring without stopping to take photos. The recipe for both the dough and filling is quite easy and the recipe lends itself well to full tart size as well as tartlets for petit fours. If anyone would like it (and not afraid of measuring in grams), I'm happy to share. I usually top it with a bit of chocolate mirror glaze but skipped it this time.
Today is a very PMSy day. At this moment I am taking a break from eating chocolate chips while watching Tyra Banks talk to primordial dwarfs on her talk show. There is a young dwarf on who is telling Tyra that she is upset people called Tyra fat. Oh! Now they're walking an imaginary runway. I know it is shameful that I am even admitting to all this but what the hell? It's true and the more messed up part is it shuts up the hormones for just a second. My brain simply aches with grouchiness and I hate just waiting it out.
Like many people I have been thinking a lot about the shootings at Virginia Tech. People who feel like they have opportunity, respect and hope for their futures and who have their physical and emotional needs met don't typically kill other people. As a society it is way past time to look at the reasons behind all the rage, violence, feelings of alienation and sadness. Gun laws need to be addressed now but we need to remember that the violence is just a symptom, not the disease.
I grew up with guns everywhere in the house. As a kid, I thought it was normal. My biological father had a room of shotguns and handguns. He carried a .357 with him all the time in Ames, Iowa of all places. Sometimes he brought a .22 along with it. He slept with them under his pillow. I remember being a little girl and learning to handle a gun safely and how to hunt. It was my responsibility to help clean them every weekend. Before he left the house he'd yell to one of us, "Bring me my gun!" and we'd dutifully go to the bedroom, carrrying it as we'd been taught.
Looking back on that, it's all so messed up but it is what I knew. I never would have played with the guns. For a while my father owned a gun store. One time I remember my sister and I being rewarded for good behavior by getting to pick out new knives! My father was a messed-up man. From what I understand he was abused as a child. He was a pathological liar, completely unpredictable, violent and addicted to prescription drugs. I remember him pulling his gun on another driver who upset him. It was embarrassing and scary for a little kid to witness. Life was frightening for me and it should be no big shock that from an early age I planned escape routes in my house should he freak out and decide to kill us all. I still do that in places of work or other public settings.
This is a long way of me saying that I believe people who own handguns feel powerless and afraid and that is why they own and use them. We're lucky he never flipped out on us. Something needs to be done.
Wow. I started this post discussing hormonal disruption and talk show garbage and ended up here. There's no flow to what I'm saying but I'm just going to keep it today. I think I need crab rangoon and chablis tonight. It will calm those hormones.
Wednesday in Paris was Louvre Day! We learned early that going during the day sucks bad. Too many people. It was absolute chaos but for some reason we did not turn back. I was horrified at the lack of manners shown by visitors to this museum. People were touching art, sculpture and it was all I could do not to smack them. Who touches that stuff? Ack. Ack again.
We decided to start with Italian paintings. One of my favorites was the painting below by Andrea Mantegna. Titled "Minerve chassant les vices du jardin de la vertu", it is just a demented painting. Even if you enlarge you may not be able to see the detail. There vices are depicted as mutilated, dark and miserable. There is a weird semi-evolved monkey person wreaking havoc. There is gold leaf. I love it.
After making our way through this area, we could stand the crowds no more and fled for a bit. We headed across the Seine where I found Patrick Roger, MOF Chocolatier. As soon as I saw those three precious letters (MOF), I knew I had to go in. I was extremely fortunate to study chocolates with an MOF and I knew these would be lovely.
After this, we wandered around some more and headed back to the Louvre for round 2. Everyone, the Louvre after 5 p.m. is great. It's nearly empty save for groups sketching. It is open until 10. Repeat after me, visit the Louvre in the evening. This time we picked the Flemish and Dutch painters. The painting that struck me most my entire visit was Vermeer's L'Astronome. The photo I am showing you does not do it justice. I saw some wonderful art that day, art that made me feel very lucky to be alive and looking at it and that people who can make art exist. But the Vermeer! He painted his astronomer in such a way that daylight looked like daylight. I am no artist and can think of no other way to say it. I just know that in my life I will never achieve anything as this.
A couple of days ago, I opened this year's supply of Pocket Coffee! We discovered this gastronomic goodie in Sicily a couple of years ago. The liquid espresso center is equal to a shot of coffee and it's surrounded by praline and dark chocolate. so you also get your sugar boost. They are magic energy cubes!
Here is my favorite recipe, given to me by one of the best chefs and teachers I know, John Kraus.
1000g (35.125 ounces) whole milk
1000g (35.125 ounces) heavy cream
580g (20.372 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped
3g (.105 ounces) lavender
1 vanilla bean (or, if not available 5g high quality vanilla extract which equals .17 ounces)
Scrape vanilla bean and set aside.
Heat milk, cream, in large saucepan medium heat until hot. Mix in chopped chocolate Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Bring just to simmer, whisking often. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and lavender.
I went pretend shopping today. Here's what I bought for you.
- Because everyone needs a good go-to Champagne, a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut NV. I prefer it to the usual Veuve Cliquot and it's not much different in price. Tip: A nice salty potato chip is the best food accompaniment to champagne. If you have unexpected guests, make sure you have both on hand. It sounds goofy, but it's wonderful.
- My favorite candy bar, from Zingerman's. It is simple, yet delicious. Salty peanuts, soft nougat all dipped in good dark chocolate. You know I'm picky about my sweets. These are great.
- I can't go anywhere without my Sidekick. Call me Paris Hilton, mock me, but I love being able to access the web on the L. How else do I keep up with y'all. You need one too. From me, of course.
- For those of you who blow out your hair, you need my beloved Solano Turbo Lite. It is commercial quality and once you use it, you'll never go back. For those of you who want to tame their wavy hair, I'm adding some Elixir Kerastase Oleo Relax.
- Everyone needs one really good pan. I use this All-Clad 3 qt. saucier for all my confections and would love another for savory cooking. Forget non-stick. This pan is wonderful!
- Watches! I love watches. For my male Vox-ers, I give you the Tag Heuer Monaco 69. Women, I love my watch and want you to have one just like it.
- One copy of my favorite film of 2006
Oh! I have to add one thing:
- I'm not usually one for Christmas specials but watching this had me wanting to put tinsel on everything AND have Little Richard over for ice skating!
That about does it! Too bad this is just shopping in my head.
I'm sitting here, shaking. Matt's brother sent us cheap chocolate. We put it on the dining room table so he could bring it to work. We weren't going to eat it. It looked gross. We always have chocolate up there. It's high. When I was at the gym Eddie got up and drug it off the table and ate it. I induced vomiting and brought him to the vet immediately. He started seizuring. The new vet tech was really slow. The vet told him to hurry. He wouldn't. I snapped at him. I feel like an ass for snapping and an ass for not better protecting my dog.
They sent me home. I have a floor of mucus and chocolate vomit that must be cleaned. I can't clean. They called and let me know they got it all out and that he's no longer convulsing. This is good. I am glad Otis is okay and that Eddie will most likely be fine. I really feel like the world's worst dog owner but he leaves all the good chocolate alone up there. He doesn't touch it.
Everyone, keep hydrogen peroxide on hand. You can induce vomiting in cases like this. I think it probably helped Eddie that I did it right away, even before going to the vet.
P.S.-It's now about six hours after I initially wrote this post. Eddie is home and acting like nothing bad happened! My vet saved all the vomit for me to peruse. He's lucky I'm not one of those people who gags at the sight of vomit.
- I'm veryclose to quitting my stupid job. The chef emailed me and told me that she didn't need me or L. this week (she didn't even bother to email her, just told me to do it) and then proceeded to tell me to "make up" for it we must work longer hours next week, including a couple of nights because she has a big event coming up. It gets my back up when people just say that they NEED something and it MUST be given to them because they NEED it. I realize my chocolate skills are now at least as good as hers and my confection-making skills are superior. It is not economically necessary that I work but that makes me want to work that much more.
- Otis is doing well on the new meds and is not messing with his eye. I hope the ulcer will heal and he won't need surgery.
- Because I did not work I put the snow tires on the car, grocery shopped for real, bought lots of wine (including a 1999 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino) and had fun at the gym. I'm wondering about mate-infused ganache but it might not be enough of a contrast. Alas, I can't make chocolate because my chef has my molds.
- It is very unlikely we will leave for Seattle (yay!). M. interviewed with a very infamous back-in-the-day dot com figure and can't imagine working for him. This person kept asking him to talk about a time when "he turned the dial" and asked him about a "time he was an innovator". He complied with the latter and the guy admitted he didn't understand because he wasn't technical. Oops and Yuck.
- I'm reading Pigtopia by Kitty Fitzgerald and I know that whatever happens to Jack Plum, it will break my heart.
- I've been listening to the new Xiu Xiu lately. It fits my weird mood. I like to drive to it. It makes traffic and every day stuff seem surreal and it's harder to be pissed at bad drivers if they don't seem real, you know?
The latest issue of Pastry Art and Design features recipes from the World Pastry Team Championships that were held in July. I am tentatively planning on making the following this week. I've included the recipes as shown in the magazine with credit given to the team. If you are interested in trying them and need instructions I can give those to you.
Chocolate enrobed tea infused ganache (Team Mexico)
75g/2.6 oz milk
.5g/.02 oz boysenberry tea leaves
.5g/.02 oz chamomile tea leaves
.5g/.02 oz fruit tea
350g/12.3 oz milk chocolate
.2g/.01 ozsea salt
enrobing chocolate 53%
Orange Caramel bonbons (Team Mexico)
350g/12.3 oz sugar
50g/1.8 oz orange zest, grated
150g/5.3oz unsalted butter
50g/1.8 oz heavy cream
P.S.-Should I make and dip these Navelgazer will definitely be getting some!
Aside from making chocolate, I have been spending my time planning a chocolate fashion show as part of For The Love of Chocolate, a benefit that is happening February 10, 2007. The event will benefit Careers Through Culinary Arts, a national non-profit that promotes and provides career and job opportunities for disadvantaged youth. The proceeds will go to the Chicago chapter and make it possible for the organization to continue to offer scholarships and programs. Last year over 1,000 attended the event. This year, we are planning for three times that number!
I am seeking fashion designers who would be willing to donate an outfit for the chocolate fashion show. The outfit will be given to a renowned chef who will turn fashion into chocolate. If this is you or someone you know, please tell them about this opportunity. The benefits to participating are recognition at the show and on the event website, a ticket to the benefit, access to the VIP area, lots of chocolate and I promise to be a wonderful hostess! Please note that your garment will not be the same afterwards due to the chocolate.
To give you a better idea of what this is about, the NY Chocolate Show has an amazing Chocolate Fashion Show every year. Look at their photos.
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