When we arrived home from Paris last summer, I threw my baggage into the house and scooted back to the raspberries bulging on my bushes bursting with perky summer sass. How I adore raspberries. I had them picked and plunked (ever so carefully) on top of a creamy French Raspberry Tart with Vanilla Cream in 60 minutes flat. Then, came the laundry.

I cannot aptly express the torture I endured traipsing around Paris last summer eyeing sparkling raspberry tarts in almost every window in town. I did not stop and indulge once. Oh, how I coveted just one moment alone in a quaint pâtisserie with my very own French Raspberry Tart. But, the time was never right (and I definitely got more than my share of thrills that trip). The triumph of my first French Tart was quite a little moment: the epitome of solemn self-indulgent solitude. I can still recall the mouth feel, flavour and taste. But, that was the last of the fresh raspberries that season.,, wait until this one!

Meanwhile, I learned that Béné, the Queen of the French Macaron, also is the Ultimate French Tart: her pâte brisée and pâte sablée are second to none: trés manifique! Below is her Tarte au Chocolat. Above is the one I made after the class, with, I confess, out of season (oh, I could not resist) raspberries. Again, the epitome of self-indulgence!

And the quiche! I have never had a “real quiche” until I ate this one. Somehow, it is just right: creamy, rich and satisfying with that little touch of magic. I am not sure what it is, but when I ate it I think I heard French Bistro Music from the mid 40′s whispering through the air ever so faintly.

And these lovely gals came to one of my classes and had a blast making these delicate pleasures.

And here is the other group of gals that took the first class.

And our lovely teacher, Béné, below.

For the pâte sablée:a medium bowl mix the butter with the sugars (icing sugar and regular sugar).

For this recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature.

Add the egg; mix until combined, then add 85g of flour to combine, adding the remaining 250g of flour until it forms a ball.

Stop mixing once you have an homogeneous dough and cover the dough in plastic wrap, refrigerating for 1 hour, at least, before using.

To make the pâte brisée mix flour with salt in a large bowl; cut the soft butter into small pieces and add to flour/salt mixture: the dough should resemble coarse crumbs. Then, create a well and pour the egg yolk and the water into the well.

Above, Béné uses the age old method of mixing the pâte brisée with her finger as generations of French woman have done before her as she combines all ingredients: once it forms a soft ball, engage in the “fraiser” or “frâser” method demonstrated in the photos, below 3 or 4 times, until the dough is homogenous  (with attention not to overwork it).

Gather dough into a ball, cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes

Roll each pastry our between two pieces of plastic after it has rested.

Place the ring mold on a parchment covered cookie sheet and lay the pastry gently over the ring, gently pushing it into place, leaving the plastic wrap on top, so that the right angles are crisp at the base of the ring. Then, roll the rolling pin over top of the pastry overlapping the ring to cut it off.

Before it is baked, several fork holes are punched in the bottom of the pastry and the plastic wrap is left inside of it, filled to the top of the ring with rice, and par baked to ensure the sides of the crust do not shrink.

Above, the pastry rings have just come out of the oven and are par baked. One has had the rice removed, and one has not. Below, the rice is being removed and then pastries are returned to the oven to finish baking. The rice can be used over and over. And, no, amazingly enough, the plastic wrap I used did not melt: it worked perfectly.

Time for a treat! Béné brought each class one of her tarts to enjoy during a break so they knew what to expect!

While the dough is in the refrigerator, fry the lardons until almost crisp; remove from the pan and drain.

Below, the pastry for the quiche is being trimmed by the rolling pins rolling over the tart pan.

The creamy filling is mixed together. Fresh nutmeg is added to personal taste. We did discover that the cheese is best added last, after the filling has been poured into the partially baked tart shell.

Group two are just getting started.

See the rice in the tart ring, below, getting ready to go into the oven?

While the pâte sablée was baking in the oven (and it needs to fully bake, as the filling is just poured in and left to set), the gals shredded the chocolate.

As soon as the tart shells chilled, the chocolate ganache was poured into each, and then not moved, to ensure a velvet or satin finish. Expect a good 90 minutes to 2 hours for your tart to set.

Chris popped up to assist with some preparations at the end of the day. Béné and I have a moment and the gals below “say cheese” for a group photo!

The pâte brisée is only partially baked before the filling is poured in and they are back in the oven for some serious baking time. The par bake accomplished two things: to ensure the sides do not shrink, and to ensure the bottom crust is not gummy or doughy.

I love my new business as I learn with my students and get to meet a lot of lovely people!

Now this might look like a pose, but it is just an appreciative young man enjoying a cookie! Looks like someone likes these!

I had my mis en place and completely forgot to take a shot of it: pictures do speak volumes! Just so you know, I had everything ready to go before I started. I was excited. It was Saturday morning and I was baking up a little love for the participants of the Slow Food Dairy Farm Fieldtrip the following day (Sunday). I wanted to add a personal touch. This is Alberta. We are visiting two dairy farms and our farming history is one of sharing and giving. Thus, the cookies.

Like the Breakfast Cookies, I developed this recipe over time. I have it just the way I love it, now. Folding the dry ingredients into the wet is a bit of a trial. Use a very big bowl! Then add all the other bits: the cherries, nuts,and chocolate chunks.

The batter is very thick and fudge-like. Don’t worry. That is how it is supposed to be.

Oh, my! Look at that! Do not even try to move these off of the try for 3-4 minutes. The chunks of chocolate will be too molten to move the cookie to the rack immediately.

These are my very favourite cookie. Vanja prefers the Breakfast Cookie. Not me. It’s chocolate all the way, and with the dried sour cherries, there is a bit of chewy heaven thrown in. I finally got it right with the filberts. I had been using pecans… started with walnuts…. but there is a little Nutella dance going on in the background of the palate with this cookie.

And they are big. One is enough. Chant it, like a mantra, if you need to. “One is enough.”

Katharine was a super sport Sunday when she let me take her photo with the cookie. I think I was supposed to reward her with another for this. Woops! (“One is enough!”…”One is enough!”)

The following recipes are included, in detail, at the end of this post:

• Verrines de Soupe froide betterave brebis (Cold beetroot and yogurt soup)
• Verrines de Creme brûlée au foie gras et Porto (Foie gras and Port wine crème brûlée)
• Brochette gambas-ananas (King prawn and pineapple skewers)
• Verrines de mousse au chocolat et currant rouge(Chocolate mousse in small glasses)
• Petits choux citron et caramel (Lemon cream and caramel ‘choux’ pastries)

Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, is a French National holiday celebrated on 14 July each year commemorating the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. This anniversary has become a celebration of the modern nation. A massive parade and other festivities are held on the morning of 14 July on the Champs-Élysées in front of the President of the Republic, who is definitely in town for the occasion. There are a host of fireworks and usually huge crowds around the Eiffel Tower in the evening where they are initiated. After seeing the huge set up and all of the fan fare and security the day prior during our time on the Champs Elysée, Vanja and I felt it would be a perfect day to get out of town.

Vanja had discovered a very high-end shopping outlet near Euro Disney (one stop before it on the RER) and was really interested in going. I really wasn’t, but was curious to see a small town out of Paris. This seemed like the perfect day for such an excursion. It absolutely was, but for a completely different reason,  as it apparently poured rain all day until about 1 in the afternoon! We were back by 3 and had enjoyed a beautiful day out!

The train ride took about 40 minutes, but seemed like much less as we enjoyed watching the countryside whip by. (It was covered by the 7 day 30 Euro metro and transportation pass we bought at the airport.) Upon disembarking, we stepped out of the station and viewed this extremely new and very modern square. I was expecting a quaint little French village with outlets at one end.

We were told to go to the right to the fashion outlets.

We passed by this hotel, and it became apparent that as this was the stop before Euro Disney on the R&R, that it was probable that this obviously new community was created to host the visitors from there. To the right, as told, we entered into two massive doors and found ourselves in a huge “West Edmonton Mall”. Was this it? Really, we didn’t know, but we smelled coffee down the escalator and had not had ours yet as we left the hotel at 7:15 am. It was only 8 :15 and nothing was clearly open except the cafés. (We arrived much faster than we had expected!)

Paul’s is a pâtisserie café chain that can be found everywhere in Paris, at least. They do not allow photos of anything (odd, considering nothing her is that special… well, it would be, if it was in Edmonton!). A friendly gal there told us that this was a shopping mall and the shopping outlet stores were at the very end of it, and to the right. We were off, after enjoying the perk! (And the brioche were special enough to photograph from the outside, in!)

It was a long and lovely and very empty mall. Really, there was nothing all that interesting (to me, at least) in the shop windows so I stopped lécher les vitrines (window licking) and just watched the people.

But I didn’t take any photos of them!

It was clearly marked, so one could really not get lost, if “looking for the sign”! Le Vallee is the area we were looking for.

It was exactly “to the end, outside, and to the right”. By now, I was not expecting a quaint French village, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a highly guarded and exquisitely manicured man-made shopping village like this!

Yes, I took a picture of the sign. But, I still didn’t “read” it until posting it. Security guards were on me in seconds. “No photographs allowed!!!” What was that all about? It is outside in the fresh air for heaven sake. I didn’t pay to come in and we are only shopping. So, I went to Plan B. Big camera went into the bag, and the boutonniere camera got placed into position. Not bad photos from the Plan B mini, eh? And the high end shopping patrol never expected such ingenuity. (smug grin)

Honestly, I was shocked. This was a very classy, incredibly well maintained shopping campus. But, outlet stores? This is how it is advertised, and even the Versace window had massive and tacky 70% off signs in it.

We strolled around with the other early arrivers, and then there was a bell. Yes, a bell. Just like at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Edmonton, except over the intercom and all of the previously locked store doors popped open automatically and in perfect synchronicity. Getting up so early in the morning was worth every effort at this very moment. I looked for the cameras. They were everywhere. And, I do mean, everywhere. So were the big men with earphones and mouth pieces, just like on the tacky TV commercials.

Vanja and I looked at each other. This did hold promise. If not for any other reason than the clearly new and over the top event we were both clearly experiencing. “I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.” And we were each off in two completely different directions. I went to Bally, a lovely women’s accessory store known for very gorgeous and traditional shoes and purses. There certainly was an excellent sale: 4000 Euros off a 6000 Euro purse! Somehow, I didn’t think, “But, honey, I am saving 4000 Euros.” would wash. I looked around faining interest, and left. He was just coming back with a similar shrug. We continued along the first little bit like this.

My girlfriends would really go nuts here. I used to be a shopper and a dresser. Not so much these days. This is nothing like the outlet stores in Vegas, but we did find the prices considerably cheaper than in Paris, and if you buy really high end clothing and are into fashion and dressing, you would be in heaven here. Really. Especially at this time of the year. Apparently this is the biggest event sale of the year. Almost every store had 40 to 70% off of their already reduced “outlet” prices.

Every planter had gorgeous clumps of fresh fragrant lavender blooming in it. Even the garbage containers were works of art.

So, you get the idea. Even the children’s play areas were frequent, well monitored, and spotless.

I did see  some lovely items for women at bargan prices for this kind of clothing, but only one item in the 100 Euro range. All much higher. I bought nothing, but completely enjoyed shopping with Vanja as there was a considerable selection of men’s clothing, and really nice clothing (what else would you find here?) for 30 to 50 Euros as there were such amazing sales. That made this trip fun for me. Would I recommend going? No. Not unless this is for you, and you would know already. Am I glad I went? Absolutely. It was unique. Would I have rather found a quaint little French village awaiting me? There is no doubt about it.

Take a look at our lunch, and you would not even ask. I thought Paul’s would be a good local bet. The cucumber soup was dill pickle soup. A little misunderstanding, but it was really awful. The quiche was actually very nice. So was Vanja’s burger, but it is not very ” French villagey”!

We ate before catching the train back to town for a little rest before the Bastille Day Dinner Cooking Class you thought this post was all about!

We were back to the hotel, refreshed, and have already arrived at the cooking class! To be honest, I got the dates mixed up somehow. I knew that Bastille Day was this day, but thought the cooking class was the evening before. Thus, after our lunch at Ladurée and my Macaron Making Class at Lenôtre the day prior, Vanja and I found ourselves at a very empty courtyard that Tuesday evening. It was so hot. We were very tired. It was almost impossible to find, and no one was there.

We were on this very busy street directly across from the Jardin Luxembourg and #89 was atop the massive red door you can see with the arch above it, below. But it was a heavy door and there was no sign?

Eventually, we did shove it open (that is it from inside, below) and we found ourselves in an entryway to a parking courtyard. Hmmm?

Again, no sign.

Until you get right in front of the door.

And we finally did. And then went home!

But, tonight, not only did we know where to find the place, there was a sign on the main street! And not only was the door open, but….

….there were massive glass doors opening into a beautiful modern stainless kitchen where a pull down metal door had hidden it all the night prior!

La Cuisine Paris is located at 89 boulevard Saint Michel, 75005. Once you enter the main doors, you will find us located at the back right hand side of the courtyard. (e-mail at :contact@lacuisineparis.com or via phone at : + 33 1 40 51 78 18) You can see the parking courtyard we found ourselves in the evening prior through the windows from the inside!

Again, we were the first to arrive and a glass of cool, crisp wet bubbly French Champagne was in our hand with in a minute.

It was not long before the room was full and Chef Justin went over the menu:

• Verrines de Soupe froide betterave brebis (Cold beetroot and yogurt soup)
• Verrines de Creme brûlée au foie gras et Porto (Foie gras and Port wine crème brûlée)
• Brochette gambas-ananas (King prawn and pineapple skewers)
• Verrines de mousse au chocolat et currant rouge(Chocolate mousse in small glasses)
• Petits choux citron et caramel (Lemon cream and caramel ‘choux’ pastries)

I was dying to try the foie gras crème brûlée, but the recipe looked fairly straight forward, so I was hoping to get to make the choux. Yes, I have made choux before, but never with ease or with great success: therefore, very few times.

Chef Justin did ask who would like to do what and myself and Chef Sous  were to make the choux. This was definitely the most time consuming and challenging recipe, in the end. I didn’t realize how much so at the onset, but as we got our mis en place, the foie gras group and beet soup group were half way finished their recipes! All I can say is thank you to Chef Sous! (For those of you that are new to my site, this is my dear husband, Vanja, the best sous chef, ever!)

The shrimp did look devine! (I took a look around while people where arriving.) The space was very well equipped. Vanja had already donned his cooking attire (a plastic apron), so I did as well!

Informal introductions and chat before everyone is ready to face their fun! But, that really took such a short while.

The couple beside us had the foie gras in the pan in what seemed like seconds. They didn’t work with a lobe, but a roll that had been deveined and then just pressed together and wrapped for sale. I think I have seen this kind of foie gras for sale at the Cook Book Store in Calgary. It really beats buying a lobe if you are not using the entire thing. Does anyone know where anything similar can be purchased in Edmonton? Even lobes are so hard to get here. I would love suggestions! I guess I can tell you now that this verrine was incredible. Just absolutely incredible.

Chef Justin is explaining to them what they need to do. The port is already reducing and smells heavenly.

Across the table, Jo and her husband (from England) are preparing the shrimp. The foie gras is already to be poured into the glasses and placed in a bain-marie for baking in the oven! See the photo below, right? This is the first time I have ever seen such a kitchen tool of such incredible accuracy. “What is it, Chef?” Why? “I want one!” Oh, you do not want that! It is far too expensive. (Do not say that in front of my husband, Chef!) “What is it?” Eventually, I learned it is called a “piston”, and to not buy one with any plastic bits. (And, I did not when I went on my Kitchen Shopping Supplies “spree” the following morning; more on that in an upcoming post!)

What was I doing all of this time? (Not taking photos, as it may appear. It was really hard to try to keep up, that is why they are so blurry!) Chef Sous and I were getting our mis en place and as you can see by the following two photos that it was no easy chore! The one directly below is for the citron mousse and the one following is for the choux pastry. I feel inclined to add that the exact verrines above were at one of the shops I was at the following day for about 2 Canadian dollars each and I did not buy any. (Did I want to? Yes! Did I already buy a lot? Too much!)

After our ingredients were prepared, we were to melt the butter in the water and just bring it to a boil and then call Chef to demonstrate making choux to the group. So, while that was heating, I caught up a bit  more. The two gals to the left below made the mousse. The gals at the opening photo made the beet soup, below, right. Both were really delicious. I did find and buy the vinegar in the beet soup recipe. It made a huge addition to the flavour and I haven’t heard of it, so doubt I will find it easily at home. Sherry vinegar may work in place as it is a sherry vinegar.

And I am still ga-ga over the little yogurt cups that I now have a supplier for from Germany: The Wreck Company. They are not so expensive, but I am sure the shipping will be!

Jo and her husband made the class so much fun. Actually, we had a wonderful group of people: all very friendly and full of humour and grace.

Jo is reducing the orange juice. Rather, trying to. I am not sure if it every got reduced. I never saw it get any thicker or any lower in the pot, really, and I don’t recall tasting it on the shrimp. Maybe they were lying in it. They were really tasty. It was the Espelette pepper that added the punch. I had it on my shopping list before leaving home, and so it was definitely going to be in my suitcase on the way home.

The Piment d’Espelette is cultivated in the French commune of Espelette in the Basque region of France. I learned it is a very highly protected product as it was classified as an AOC product and then confirmed as an APO product, so unless it is in a jar with an official seal over the lid, it is not the real thing. (It is originally from Mexico, but found its way to France in the 16th Century.)

So, the water has just boiled. The butter is melted, and Chef Justin has called around the crowd. The first thing he did, above, right, was to dump all of the flour into the hot butter water at once. Then, he stirred and stirred, rigorously, over medium high heat to incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until they came away from the side of the pan in a ball.

Once that was done, he continued, over the same heat, to stir the dough ball as rigorously to cook the flour a bit before incorporating the eggs. Look below at the side of the pan in the first frame, and you will see that this has started to happen. He then continued to stir rigorously for a minute to two more, at least, before taking the pan off of the heat to incorporate the eggs, a few at a time.

Actually, I did this. I had watched him do the stirring to the right point part which I really needed to learn. Now, incorporating the eggs is another important step, as the eggs are the reason the choux puffs up, so I had him watch and Vanja definitely helped. Ok, he did more that me. This was a double batch and it is hard enough to beat rigorously with one batch. Recipes I have used in the past have said to incorporate one egg at a time. Chef Justin said that was definitely not necessary, but that a few at a time worked well. We incorporated ours in 3 batches, I believe. Maybe four.

The pastry is very much like a pasta dough at the adding of the eggs point.

This is what the pastry looks like when you are ready to add more eggs.

I had to get some good photos of Chef Sous. The first time I asked him if he would come to a cooking class with me, his eyes bulged as he lowered the newspaper to look at me over it, each eyebrow raised a different direction. After a few days, and without begging, he agreed. We had a lot of fun together and it was definitely a highlight of the trip, for me. (A lot of laughs!)

OK. The last eggs are almost worked through. You can see the final product on my finger, and in the tiny little very blurry photo below Vanja. The important thing to note is that the dough must form a “claw”, or stand on its own in a tip as you dip your finger into it. If it falls a little (claw like) that is fine, but it must be stiff enough to hold that shape. To the right of my finger is a claw like piece. I believe you can see the batter is stiff.

Into the piping bag. Remember the tip that Chef Antony taught us at Lenôtre? Push a little of the lower bit of the plastic pastry bag down in the tip to avoid any batter coming out while you fill it. Chef Justin did a couple, then I did the rest. There were 4 full cookie sheets in one batch. We made two. He told us just to through the rest of the batter out. I could not believe that. Nor, would I do it. I made them all and suggested he or the one cleaning person take them home, or that he leave them for the owners of the cooking school. I am sure they went into the garbage.

Chef Sous wet the end of a fork, and flattened all of the little works of art perfectly. If we were not going to caramelize them, we would have brushed egg over them for a shiny finish.

The ovens in the adjacent kitchen had been preheated for these and in they went for 25 minutes: no peeking! That is important: no opening of the oven door for 25 minutes. Whew. Still more to pipe, but that was a lot of work: a great learning experience and fun, too! What is everyone else doing? Mainly visiting and enjoying the Champagne as they finish the final touches on their dishes.

Ah! There is the photo of the chocolate mousse. The only one, too: below, left. They ran out of verrines and the gals had a heck of a time getting the mousse into the glasses. Quite a messy job: thank goodness for whipped cream! I guess no one told them about the piston!

At this point, I will say that almost everyone had difficulty with their recipes. They were incomplete, confusing, and very poorly written. This is the first time I have ever been to a cooking class where the Chef was hired by the owners to teach a class he didn’t prepare the recipes for. Chef Justin was very skilled, warm and a great teacher, but he had not read over the recipes and did not prepare that part of the class properly. As a result, there were little errors happening all over the kitchen.

Of course, he really didn’t care, and was a great problem solver. However, all were completely avoidable and unnecessary. In this case, nowhere in the recipe do the instructions say when to add the sugar, so the gals didn’t. They had it left over, and the mousse was a little bitter, they thought. Somehow, the problem was solved. Our recipe had errors everywhere. (All are corrected, below.) So, though it was a really fun class, this was a major oversight that caused a considerable amount of unnecessary chaos.

And I thought we were done! No, I knew we had to make the citron mousse. Vanja is starting phase one while I am in the other kitchen getting a batch of choux in the oven. He is getting the ingredients into the large bowl of the electric mixer and getting that turned on. The port, below is still reducing. I think it was done ages ago. There won’t be any to top the foie gras, will there? CHef Justine assures me it has to reduce more. Yet, it has reduced by 2/3, at least, all ready. The orange juice hasn’t reduced at all. (grin)

Vanja is rocking with the Kitchen Aid and the eggs, yolks and sugar are beating into a wild frenzy.

Meanwhile, I am heating the lemon and orange juices and the sugar.

Now the egg mixture is tempered and then added to the pan with the hot juices.

Look at this beautiful mousse! But, we are not finished.

The butter needs to be added (it was not written where or how in the recipe) and the mousse is transferred to a large bowl for refrigeration.

Still adding the butter (apparently there wasn’t enough?).

It still tasted incredible and was voluminous and gorgeous. However, one more comment on the negative side (and those that read here often will know I am not a negative person), the mousse should have definitely been made first. What was I thinking, let alone Chef Justin? For me, I guess I was just doing what I was told. There was not really time to read over the entire recipe and I trusted that the Chef was making thoughtful decisions about what order what should be made in. Also, I did not expect the mousse to be as time consuming, or such a huge a batch. Originally, we were told to do it three times. But when I told him how much lemon juice that required, as we were getting our mise en place, he then read the recipe and said that a double batch would be plenty. Plenty? Yes, if you are feeding 50 people. I am not kidding. I am sure this was enough mousse to easily fill 350 choux. We filled 30 and didn’t even put a dent in it. I would have filled many more, but had no more caramelized choux left, and people were getting ready to eat.

I was really happy with the choux. Excited, actually. This enlightenment opens up a whole new world of possibilities for me in my kitchen at home.

The caramel instructions were make a caramel and dip the choux in it. There was no tip to use to fill the choux with the mousse. Hmmm. I had made caramel, but not the dry hard kind like this. I avoided that as I really didn’t know how. Fortunately, I had just had a lesson from Chef Antony at Lenôtre the day before, or I would really be out of luck. Chef Justin was busy visiting with a couple and I could not get his attention for love or money to assist with the caramel. Meanwhile, the port is still reducing. Somehow, I do not think that will be enough for 11 of us… but it will be really, really good!

I am still working on the caramel and all of the other food is getting out to the table.

Imagine how gooey my camera was at this point. I just decided to start dipping. The caramel was not dark. I had little time before it would set. I had no clue how much to start with. Later, he suggested the amount in the recipe below.

Then we just pulled the choux opened a bit and filled each with the citron mousse. It had not set yet, but it was deadly delicious.

The foie gras verrines each got a splash of port. Oh my goodness. It was really incredible. It wasn’t set, either. After baking in the bain-marie, it was to set in the fridge for a few hours. I would definitely suggest that those selecting the recipes for these classes need to be the Chefs. The recipes were all very tasty, but this one was not set. The citron mousse was not set. The chocolate mousse was not set. There were 2 shrimps per person with 4 extra. That was too slim for me at 90 Euro a person for this experience. At a minimum, there should have been three shimps per person.

The shrimp recipe was a disaster. The Chef figured out a way to save it that I have written here. But, I needed to really be a pain to get the “real” recipe. That was a bit embarrassing. However, the entire evening was a blast. Vanja wasn’t even close to being satisfied. We had appetizers and desserts, but certainly no Bastille Day dinner.

I don’t regret it. I learned a lot, and will definitely make all of these recipes again. More than once. However, I would not recommend this school to anyone without reading this post so they know exactly what they are getting into. And, would I go again to La Cuisine? No. There are a lot of other cooking schools in Paris, and it was just too poorly organized.

I have to talk about the choux with the caramel and the citron. They surpasses my expectation by more than I can express. One bite actually shocked me into surrender!

The caramel crunch. The soft choux puff. The citrus citron. A perfect, and I mean PERFECT combination. This was one of the best bites I have ever eaten. Ever.

And it wasn’t moments before we were back into the reality of the bustle of the street and walking home.

Through the busy evening Latin Quarter absolutely teeming with activity. If I hadn’t had such a long day, I would have joined in. But, it was home for us. Another long day planned for tomorrow, and, we were hoping to catch the last 30 minutes of Shakespeare and Company Bookstore before closing. It was on our list and is to be an incredible bookstore.

It was just at the end of the street and across from Notre Dame, on the left bank… but, closed early today, as it was Bastille Day, so we were there, but missed it!

The walk home was gorgeous and satisfying. What a beautiful day. And now, I have so much to do when I get home!!!

Verrines de Creme Brûlée au Foie Gras et Porto Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 200g heavy cream
• 150g foie gras
• 1 egg
• 1 yolk
• 3g salt
• 1.5g pepper
• 300 ml of Port

Instructions:

1. In a non-stick skillet, mix ¼ of the cream with the foie gras and the egg and yolk until fully incorporated
2. Using a whisk, carefully and slowly add the remainder of the cream to ensure there are no lumps
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Fill four verrines to ¾ full; transfer to bain-marie and cook in oven pre-heated to 100 C for 18 minutes
5. Reduce Port to half (a little more than 2 tablespoons per serving) and spoon over the top of each verrine carefully to not break the surface tension on the poached foie gras (or, spoon over the glaze once the foie is completely chilled)
6. Chill completely to set; serve when chilled

Brochette Gambas-Ananas Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 600g prawns, shelled and de-veined
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, and cubed
• 500 ml orange juice
• 2g espelette pepper
• olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced

Instructions:

1. Prepare marinade: combine ¼ cup olive oil, minced garlic and espelette pepper
2. Clean shrimp and marinate in marinade
3. Peel and cube fresh pineapple
4. Reduce the orange juice to half (250ml)
5. Place marinated shrimp and pineapple cubes on skewers, three shrimp on each
6. Keep skewers in marinade until ready to grill
7. Serve skewers drizzled with reduced orange juice

Verrines de Soupe Froide Betterave Brebis Recipe (for four)

Ingredients

• 400g beets, cooked, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Xeres vinegar (a Sherry vinegar from Spain)
• 400g Sheep Milk Yogurt
• cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Place a few cubes of beets in food processor at a time to create a liquid to enable the others to blend; add the olive oil and a little water, as necessary, to blend to a very thick soup consistency
2. Season to taste; add vinegar
3. Chill
4. When chilled, arrange a layer of yogurt into the bottom of a verrine and top with soup; garnish each with a sprig of cilantro

Verrines de Mousse au Chocolat et Currant Rouge Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 125g chocolate (minimum 64%), chopped or callets
• 50g butter, unsalted
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 egg white
• 20g sugar
• whipped cream and fresh red currants, for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt chopped chocolate over bain-marie
2. Incorporate the butter when melted, mix well until smooth
3. Whisk whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks
4. Add the sugar to the yolks and whip by hand to incorporate
5. Add yolk mixture to the chocolate (off of the stove)
6. Fold in the whites, slowly, 1/3 at a time
7. Pour into four verrines and let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours; garnish with cream and red currants

Petits Choux Citron et Caramel Recipes

Choux Pastry

Ingredients for Choux:

• 250ml water
• 100g unsalted butter
• 150g flour
• 6g salt
• 4-5 eggs

Instruction for Choux:

1. Place the butter and water in a sauce pan on low hear; when butter has melted, bring to boil
2. Remove from heat; add flour all at once, and stir vigorously
3. Bring back onto medium heat and continue to stir rigorously until the mixture forms a dry ball that comes away from the pan; continue to cook this ball until you can see a brown film or thin crust forming on the bottom of the pan
4. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy
5. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture; pipe the choux, brush with some beaten egg and flatten with a fork (this is the traditional choux shape)
6. Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 200 C and do not open the oven until the time is up

Citron Mousse Recipe

Ingredients for Citron Mousse

• 270ml lemon juice
• juice of one orange
• 140g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g sugar
• 25g corn starch
• 80ml whipping cream
• 50g butter, room temperature

Instructions for Citron Mousse

1. Place the lemon, orange juice and sugar in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer (Kitchen Aid) until the mixture is thick and pale
3. Add the corn starch and continue to whisk
4. Temper the egg mixture with the hot lemon juice, mix well, and pour the tempered egg mixture back into the sauce pan with the hot lemon juice
5. Cook, stirring constantly, on medium heat and when it comes to a boil, cook for one more minute, whisking constantly (pastry cream technique)
6. Transfer to a large bowl; add the whipping cream and the butter; mix well to incorporate
7. Chill
8. Fill a pastry bag equipped with the tip to insert cream into choux pastry with the chilled Citron mousse; pipe mousse into each choux once dipped in caramel, and cooled
9. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a couple of hours

Caramel Glaze Recipe

Ingredients for Caramel Glaze

• 500g sugar, or sugar plus water to make caramel

Instructions for Caramel Glaze:

1. If inexperienced in caramel making; use a medium non-stick skillet and over medium to medium high heat, place a thin layer of water on it; sprinkle the sugar over the surface area, and do not stir
2. Watch for signs of the beginning of caramelization and swirl the pan to keep the sugar moving around the hot spots; replacing on the heat as much as possible, until caramelization is achieved, or almost achieve as it will continue to cook in the pan
3. Take off the fire immediately as it will burn
4. If experienced, make a dry caramel with 500g of sugar
5. Dip petits choux into caramel quickly as it will harden very fast; place on parchment paper to cool
6. When finished, pipe citron mousse into each, and serve

Beavie and I were delighted with the opportunity to meet my fellow food blogging friends. I have communicated with several, and had a sense of each, but now had the opportunity to connect in “real life’. Immediately, I wanted to make something to take with me. A little gift for each person. A little treat of some kind from my kitchen. That’s what had brought us all together, and it is so much a part of who I am. What would it be? We both put our clever little heads together and were wagging our tails in less than a minute. Well, Beavie was slapping his, rather rambunctiously, too.

Chocolate! And, as this would be an after dinner treat: espresso truffles. I had made them a gazillion times. Perfect! But wait! Last summer, when Vanja and I travelled to San Francisco, part of our walking tour included a truffle making session at XOX Chocolates in North Beach. A passionate French chocolatier, Chef Jean-Marc Gorce, demonstrated covering the ganache with a very thin coating of chocolate and then quickly dusting each with cocoa powder. He explained the incredible difference of the mouth feel when you do it this way, and then I was able to experience it through his samples. Très Manifique! I have made truffles many, many times in my life, but never this “proper” way. I would try for my foodie friends! It is always such a great pleasure to make something for others who enjoy and appreciate food. So, Beavie and I got busy whirling and twirling and mixing and fixing.

And, it was a fun evening. Everyone was very warm, open, interested, and interesting. The venue was perfect as it was central, the service was fast, friendly, and the pizza appeared excellent. A stand up bar, or something that enables movement will definitely be a consideration for the next meet up, I am sure. I believe that Sharon and Chris never expected such a large turn out when they organized the event. Neither did I, when I signed up. I must admit, I was a little intimidated as I headed in the door that evening. Joining a small crowd for a meal and a chat is very different than heading into a large one. The warm smiles and welcomes immediately erased any of my inner fears.

Maki was the first to put me at ease when I attempted to plunk myself into my very wobbly high-chair with her warm, “Valerie!” I was surprised she recognized me from my photo. (It is a very flattering photo. That is why I chose it!) She immediately started chattering;everyone else chimed in. There were introductions and I felt completely at home in less than 5 minutes. I sat with Sharon, Carol, Cathy and Michael , and Lea and enjoyed a lively light-hearted evening full of laughter and chat about food. However, I completely missed the sushi conversation. I was probably much too busy eating my tomato sauce. It was tasty. The meatballs were really nice. When Lea bit into her sandwich, I knew this was a gal I wanted to know better. It was one of those groans of pleasure everyone who cooks loves to hear. But, everyone I met, I wanted to know better.

There were already 10 or 11 people when I arrived, and the table grew through the evening, so there were people there that I never spoke with at all. They might not be so lucky next time! What a pleasure to sit with people that share a love of and for food as each one of them does. Thank you so much Sharon and Chris.

If I didn’t have my Thermomix, I know I would not have made these this week. It is really hard for me to do much on week nights. My little critters at school get all I have during the week. But, I came home right after Catering Club on Tuesday, washed my hands, threw on a clean shirt, and Beavie and I got rockin’ and rollin’.

Why Beavie? Because this is Beavie’s first “official” outing. Since I launched the updated version of my site on January first, Beavie has been confined to the dark humoured shadows of my mind. But, I have given him special permission to attend the little event, so he could not be held back from the cooking experience. And, who doesn’t love chocolate? (It is true that he has just recovered from the chocolate tasting in February.) But, he kept me laughing the entire time. Just look at his eager little face.

I used the dark bittersweet Callebaut chocolate for the truffle centre and chopped it before scaling it into the TM bowl. Three seconds later, look at the chocolate “dust”. The recipe follows, but very basically, I melted the chocolate at 50ºC, scaled in the remaining ingredients, and blended at 50ºC until the mixture was a silky texture. I was wondering what in the world the wildly loud and fast slap-clapping sound was when I was about to pour it into a bowl to chill until I turned around and spied Beavie in a euphoric tail-slapping frenzy reverberating over the up-coming possibility of an espresso-sambuca rich chocolate instant gratification moment.

He almost fell into the bowl. The fragrance was intoxicating. Look at those pleading little brown eyes. I did say “no” because chocolate isn’t good for little beavers, but it was not easy. I had made the exact amount for the expected crowd of 20 and extras for the serving staff.

After the ganache set, I scooped out little balls with a mini-scooper onto parchment paper. I had to wash the scoop a couple of times as the chocolate would build up inside of it. I then washed and dried my hands really well, and quickly rolled each little ball to form each into more of a ball shape.

I got out my chocolate dipping tools and the Valrhona cocoa powder ready to cover the thin layer of Valrhona Manjari chocolate I was melting in my Thermomix. Ready… set…

DUNK!

Now into the coco powder very quickly into my hands (filled with cocoa powder) and tossed back and forth to shed the extra powder from the hopefully thin layer of chocolate covering. I was happy. They definitely looked like truffles. And, I did have one… then another… and both were better than I ever imagined I could possibly make with my own two hands. Yum! Yum! Yum!

But when Vanja came home and tested my delectable treat, he found that his had a thick coating of chocolate on one side. Sigh. But, I did know that the last three had been dunked into thicker and cooler chocolate.

I was a little timid about going out alone to meet up with a lot of “strangers”, but I had a “whole lotta love” packed into my little black bag and knew that these “strangers” would know what that was all about. And, that, with Beavie’s prodding push, opened a whole new door for me on Wednesday evening. Thank you, all.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffles Recipe

Ingredients:

• 350g chocolate
• 60g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 60g cup heavy cream
• 15g instant espresso powder dissolved in
• 40g Sambuca or other anise liqueur
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for coating truffles
• 200g darker chocolate (over 70%)

Instructions:

1. Scale chocolate chunks in TM bowl, remove and cut into pieces; replace into bowl
2. Grate for 5-10 seconds; speed from 0-10
3. Melt for 4 minutes at 50º C, speed 2-3
4. Scale in butter, cream, Sambuca and espresso; combine for 4 more minutes at 50º C, speed 2-3; remove from bowl
5. Cover mixture until set firm
6. Scoop mixture into small balls and place on parchment paper
7. Dip each ball in melted chocolate, into cocoa, and then quickly toss back and forth in clean dry hands; place carefully on parchment to se

Truffles keep, layered between sheets of wax paper and chilled, in airtight containers 2 weeks.

This was my first Official Outing as "Beavie"! I tried to use my best manners. Then, Cathy asked me if I had been watching the Olympics!!! Dah-uh! And miss the Beavie Blow-up dolls? Is she nuts???

Look at that cup of divine iniquity! This is the quintessential after dinner compliment. The chocolate you choose really does make or break this luxurious pleasure. The darker, the better, but be sure that your chocolate is not bitter as there is no sugar added. The sweetness that is in this recipe is already in your chocolate, so if you love the chocolate, you will love this translation of it. The eggs, and cream and butter mellow it out, developing a sumptuous texture that actually highlights the quality of the chocolate you choose. The quality and flavour of the cognac, or brandy, is as important as that of the chocolate. The brandy finishes on your palate and holds its own as it integrates the depth of flavour  and texture the chocolate presents with the caramel aroma and intensity of the spirit in this little pot of bliss.

Amina first served this to me in a miniature white porcelain espresso cup topped with whipping cream after a late night dinner and I think I inhaled it. I lapped up Vanja’s too. Daintily, of course. The recipe says it serves four, and I believe she made 12, so I am not going to beat myself up over my gluttony. It does make 7 good sized servings, though. One quarter of this would just be too much. At least in public.

Chocolate Pots Recipe

Ingredients:

• 285g heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 200g dark chocolate (minimum of 70% cocoa solids) I used Araguani this time, but prefer Manjari
• 2 egg yolks
• 50g brandy (Cointreau or Grand Marnier as alternatives)
• 20g unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Scale chocolate into TM bowl and grind for 3 seconds on T
2. Scale in cream; brandy and butter
3. Set the time for 8 minutes, temperature at 50ºC and the speed to 2-3
4. When the heat gets to 37ºC, put in the two yolks through the hole in the lid
5. Pour into espresso cups when finished, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before ready to serve

I need to remember this recipe to whip up when I am expecting someone at the last minute. It seems, these days, that when I am expecting someone at the last minute, I just have a hard time remembering who it is, let alone what to make that will be lovely and easy. Thank goodness for my deep freeze!

I believe Amina got this recipe from one of her Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I simply adapted it to my Thermomix, and YUMMERS. I am sure you can figure out how to make it without a Thermomix, or “google” Jamie Oliver’s recipe for the “regular” instructions. Another moment in the kitchen with Amina. I love you, and miss you.

Valerie, did you know that chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant? How about trading your Paxil in for a pot of this every night?

I am all set up, and waiting for my one invited guest to join me in the tasting of all of the samples that I ran around the city getting the day prior. I got this idea after I missed Kerstin’s Chocolate Country of Origin Tasting Competition a couple of months ago, and really wanted to continue my Chocolate Tasting education.

In the summer of 2007, Vanja and I were in Brussels for a couple of days, so I planned a Chocolate Tasting Walking Tour for the two of us long before we left Canada.I read and researched where I wanted to go, the chocolate making process, the history, and finally, even the chocolate specialties from each location we would stop by. I pulled open the Google Map starting at the location of our NH Hotel in Brussels (NH Stephanie: reasonable and outstanding!) and then plotted the trip from there.

To the Petite Sablon for the early morning antique market where I bought a gorgeous Bakelite chocolate Easter egg mold.

The one I bought is in the left side of the photo, in the middle. I love it! To frame it, or use it? Use it!

Then to the Grand Sablon to see these three chocolatiers:

Wittamer, one of the oldest (above, far right), definitely world class, and a very small business, though recently under new ownership.

There are actually two shops side by side: one is the Patisserie, and the other, the Chocolates. I had never seen such confections. I had been through France and Italy, but was spell bound. I was pulled between Vanja’s extraordinary tolerance of my pursuits, and the intensity of the sensory overload that walking into this shop induced. Double click on each photo above to get a close up look at one of the Patisserie window offerings. And, no, I did not buy one. Not one. We had not eaten. It was too impossible to choose.

Then, their Chocolate Shop. Honest to goodness, walking into it sent me into a woozy swoon. There were shapes and colours, and flavours that I have never heard of. I chose one I had read about. Then, a small assortment of 6. This was only the first stop. One person was ordering pounds to be shipped to friends; most were buying much larger amounts in decorative boxes. I was asking endless questions and the gal guiding me through my little purchase was ever so patient: generous with her time and knowledge. I wrote an extensive journal during this trip, and hope to find it!

Again, double click on the above photos to see the detail. Did you see the shoe? It sold for 30,00€. I recall thinking that this quality of chocolate was not at all expensive considering what I pay for a piece at a chocolate store at home.

Pierre Marcolini, at that time the best in the world, was next. The grandeur of the entrance was impressive. A massive flag of flower petals hung over the entrance way. And no, I was not allowed to take photographs inside. Each store had such different personalities. Wittamer had every reason to be snobby and aloof with their glorious presentations, impeccable reputation, fabulous interior, and firm history of incredible chocolate making. But, it was a warm, friendly and lively atmosphere that immediately inspired comfort and perusing. Marcolini was the snob on the block. No doubt about it. No photos (not uncommon, actually); an extremely quiet, sober, and formal atmosphere. There was no possibility of feeling comfortable here. Vanja actually opted out of coming in with me here. He could feel the pretention from the street, and chose to sit this one out. One could definitely feel regal or noble if one had a bit of acting ability within! They did not sell by the piece. The smallest box was 30€. Ouch. But, I had to. I did sneak a photo of the grand entry when coming back down the stairs with my flash off. I am such a devil! And, after my purchase, I was offered a sample of a patisserie they were featuring that day. I think Vanja found me on the floor, pastry cream slathered on my face, icing sugar dustings everywhere. The combination of texture and flavour left me positively weak-kneed!

Neuhaus, the oldest chocolate house in Belgium, and really excellent quality chocolate and pralines, but the focus this company places on commercial sales puts their chocolate in a different league than the first two. It was at the end of the Grand Sablon. A very empty and small place, yet their chocolate has immense international notoriety. I bought their specialty pieces. Not all, but a couple of the ones I had my eyes set on from my research. I was feeling quite guilty about the last boxed purchase, and everywhere we went in this small elite circle,the instructions were very specific: Keep the chocolate in a cook dark place; not cold, not warm; it muse be eaten within 10 days. The crème fraiche manon from Wittamer had to be eaten within three days, and I had already discovered were extremely sensitive to this summer sun. I was trying to take care of my precious packages!

And lastly, Godiva, right next door to Neuhaus, most definitely the least impressive kid on that block. It was completely empty, and I noted that they had found a little niche for themselves. I really wanted to taste their chocolate drink. It had been touted very well by reviewers on my searches. Vanja isn’t too into chocolate (I know!), but didn’t take convincing to try the drink. It was OK. I was disappointed, and felt guilty, again, encouraging him to enjoy something I was confident would be a delicious refresher. Would you need to put that much whipped cream on a really good chocolate drink? But, their little chocolate berry cups were adorable, and really smart. Filled with a white chocolate cream ganache, and a few berries, this was something no one else was offering. I bought one later in the day when we were stopping at The Grand Place to have a drink. It was absolutely perfect. I vowed to make them, and I have only done this in a pastry tart cup, so far!

Mary’s, also under recent new ownership, would be in the premier category, and was also often best in the world; certainly a favourite of the reigning Royalty. Her shop was definitely off the beaten path, but still within walking distance of the tour I had planned, and a must. No one was there, and that did surprise me. It is situated in a very discrete little store on a side street, and not in a tourist area. The prices were the highest of the day, and the generous, and rare, sampling of marzipan I was offered, ended in a purchase of a small block of it, as well as other delicate delectables. I picked out my little goodies, and we continued our tour.

I know Galler was also somewhere on this route close to Leonida’s, both more toward the old town area where Vanja stopped to take a refreshing drink from the ever-so-willing Manneken Pis. (Looks like one of them had better get better aim!) I was enchanted by some of Galler’s offerings, below.

The room was cool, and air-conditioned. I washed my hands, then gleefully unpacked my treasures. Like a little child with sticky fingers, I was pulling apart the melted bits, trying to get each to regain its original integrity for a little camera shot. Not really working, but no matter. Now the camera is sticky, and the table (it was washed first), and then I dove in… see the notebook tucked under the photo above. We had purchased a dark chocolate marzipan, pistachio marzipan, gianduja, and a dark chocolate ganache from each place. I tried to get a violette, too, but only Galler and Marolini had them. These were for the comparisons.I took careful, and thoughtful notes. All in the journal I cannot find. What I do remember, is the Galler violette stood up to the Marcolini violette, and that was my favourite of all. The Mary’s dark chocolate marzipan was the best, and that Whittamer’s crème fraiche manon was To-Die-For!

I am in search of the cocao bean mold that Neuhaus uses for their signature dark chocolate ganache. It was deadly. And compelling.

You can tell I was at Mary’s last. They are not melted! And, Godiva’s were good, but the price point was as high as those that do not use lecithin and have a much shorter shelf life.

The sad thing about visiting one of the chocolate capitals of the world, is that there is only so much chocolate one can eat. I have never had chocolate like I had that day. Never. And I only got through a taste of each of the 4 samples and two other “pralines“. And I have definitely invested in some inviting taste experiences in my life. I did not even possess the vocabulary to describe it.

I could not eat these chocolates. Sadly, many of them turned into melted little puddles and ended up in the garbage. Is that legal? Certainly, it should not be. I did get a nibble off of most of them. For sure. And the experience was so unforgettable that I have since wanted to teach my palate more.

That brought me to out tasting today. Quite a little tour to get here, wasn’t it?

I invited Tara, a friend from Slow Food Edmonton, whom I admire and respect, to participate in this Tasting with me. So few would find something like this fun. I knew she would, and I knew her expertise would be invaluable to the experience for me. Neither of us knew it would be such an intense experience. I was exhausted afterward, and we were both overdosing on caffeine. This was really surprising to me, considering we actually ate very little chocolate.

In preparation for this little self-directed workshop, Vanja and I picked up 10 samples of single origin chocolate from Chocolate Exquisite at Oliver Square. While we were there, Dennis, the owner and a fellow Slow Food member, came out from behind the wall and was clearly passionate about his work and had a lot to say about chocolate. More than we had time for that afternoon. He has apparently tasted over 70 different kinds of single origin chocolate and selected 18 for his collection. He kindly selected 8 of these for our tasting, and each was distinctly different in flavour.

The second stop was Kerstin’s Chocolate’s, also Slow Food members. Unfortunately, they didn’t have samples of single origin chocolate, I was told. Only their bars. I had purchased huge amounts from Cyrus in December, so I was pretty certain they had some, but didn’t see it, at first. We were directed to their bars. These were far too big for what I wanted. The gal was sweet enough to offer me a sample of any, or every, bar. That isn’t what I wanted, either, but I bought four for the Tasting, then found the bags of callets at the back. They hadn’t any different kinds than I already had at home, so I was pleased with my four finds.

Last stop: Sweet Lollipolusa. Not in Manulife Place, but Commerce Place, right next door. I was fortunate enough to meet Chocolatier, Brett Roy, when I stopped by, and it was obvious that this man is passionate and entertaining. Not one single origin chocolate anything in the store. I asked about any couverture (chocolate coating at 32% minimum cocao solids) samples. He uses Valrhona callets, too, and kindly wrapped up samples of three of his favourites for me. While he was doing this, the other fellow was explaining the chocolates behind the glass. I got tired of listening and drooling, so just bought a box.

This dark chocolate ganache was my favourite. No! I did NOT eat them all. Tasted, yes; eat, no.

But, when he got me a taste of the Scotch truffle, my eyes rolled back into my head, I made noises like an alien in heat, and was actually embarrassed when he took a tissue and started wiping the cocoa off of my face that I had somehow smudged all over it, in the process of “daintily” popping a piece in my mouth. Geeeez! I cannot finesse anything anymore! An entire bottle of McClelland’s Islay goes into one batch made with 72% chocolate from the Criollo and Trinitario bean, and so, I bought some. Two small boxes more. These are huge, and somehow, the size fits. Go now. Buy them for all of the Scotch lovers amongst you. Did I mention I don’t even like Scotch?

They looked like giant marshmallows to me, but, nooot eveeen close.

This chocolate dust stuff is annoying, but worth getting through it to get to this... this... this... really yummy stuff!

So, that was exhausting. And, we still haven’t started tasting yet. OK. Here we go. Glass of water in one hand, camera, paper, pen … all laid out. And, the chocolate tasting wheels. This one was our favourite. Double click on it to get a good view of it. We agreed to taste from highest percentage of chocolate liquor to the lowest. Initially, we intended to taste some milk chocolate, but that didn’t happen. We were champions to master what we mustered!

Single Origin Chocolate comes from three beans:

Cacao beans come in three varieties: the Criollo, the Trinitario and the Forastero. The Criollo is the rarest, mainly from South America, and represents only 1% of world production. Some exceptionally rare Criollo is harvested only by dugout canoe deep in the Amazon rainforest. Its cacao is fine and sweet, with complex flavor notes.The most common bean at 80% of world production, is the bitter, and intense Forastero, grown largely in West Africa and South America, The Trinitario contains qualities of both beans, is grown throughout the world, and produces about five percent of world production.

The first sample was instantly earthy. We both agreed upon that. Then, we agreed upon a nuttiness. I thought almond; Tara, hazelnut. We were both surprised at the depth of flavour we were able to capture with the morsel of chocolate we each sampled. The information on the back of the package was never looked at. But, in this case, it is fairly meaningless, anyway.

São Tomé, Africa:

1. Tamarina Estate: Grande Noir 85%

In the 1800′s, the first African cacao plantations were planted on the island of São Tomé, along the Equator off the coast of central Africa. The Tamarina estate lies to the north of the island, near a beautiful beach lined with coconut and tamarind trees.

Each of these tiny ninety cent morsels really contained quite a solid sampling. Tara and I shared one, and there was usually some left over, unless we went back for another reminder or comparison later in the Tasting. It’s possible size would be about an inch my an inch and a half.

Now for the rare Tanzanian sample. The first comment each of us made was how vastly different this sample was from the first. We were both startled, really, as we didn’t expect such variance. We both agreed this one was more intense, though lower in percentage. We learned that a high percentage is not a guarantee of intensity. I found it had a strong fermented milk flavour. Tara also found it very milky, but to her, it tasted of milk and toast. Both of us agreed, after reading this label, that there was no fruitiness to be found in our sample. Vanilla, neither “… to which it owes its specific and unique taste.” Could that have been the milk?

Tanzania: Tanzanie 75% rare

I didn’t mention that the week prior I was in Calgary, and Bernard Callebaut had just put out a box of single origin chocolate for Valentine’s Day that I picked up. I was excited about this.The wafers are the courveture only, and then the single origin chocolate is used in each row to make an unflavoured chocolate ganache. Deadly delicious, and a beautiful tasting on its own. The notes under each are very informative, but again, we found our experience was somewhat different than the published blurb.

The Palmaritos had a fresh taste, like rain and grass. Tara could taste clay. That denotes a negative flavour to me, but she said it was not a bad taste at all; it was just a very earthy clay taste. The notes described in the literature comment about the licorice and spices are the flavour reference for this chocolate. Nope. Not to us. The Araguani was again different. It took time and concentration and a definite flavour memory to capture the flavours of these samples. I was consistently surprised that we would often say the same thing. This time, Tara found this taste of wet tobacco. I, too, found that held musty, earthy, and possibly tobacco flavours. I say “possibly”, because I do not mean anything smokey, and I have never held, smelled, or tasted a tobacco leaf. But, it tasted how I imagined one might smell, in a good way. (And, I did say this was a serious tasting, didn’t I? Nothing should ever be too serious!) Valrhona writes that Araguani is a balance between warm notes (raisins, chestnuts…) and liquorice notes allow it to linger exceptionally long on the palate.

Dominica Republic: Los Palmaritos 75% rare

Venezuala: Valrhona Araguani  72%

The 72% Ecuador (second from the left) from Kerstin’s Chocolates was intensely dark, definitely metallic, somewhat acidic and bitter. I couldn’t find anyone else’s opinion on this sample. We could not do any more tasting after we finished the initial samples, and because Kerstin’s are so large, they were placed aside accidentally, therefore Tara did not participate in the tasting of this sample.

Venezuala 65% (blue), Ecuador 72% (light green), the next had almond in it, and the last was a milk. We never got to the later two.

Ecuador: Ecuador 72%

The next sample was much sweeter and embraced the flavours of plum, or dried plums and figs to both of us. Smoke, and undergrowth? Absolutely not. This was a clean, densely sweet and fruity sample. Interestingly, Valrhona’s sensorial analysis laboratory is one of the most exclusive in the profession. More than 160 people from the chocolate making industry constitute the tasting juries for raw materials, products in the course of development or finished products. So, when they are writing their summary of a tasting, that means that there was agreement by a lot of their professional tasters. Valrhona claims ownership of the original chocolate Tasting Wheel system. Other wheels have been developed by other companies, like the one we primarily used.

Cuba: Cuba 70%

My immediate reaction to the Villa Gracinda was that it was spicy. My first spicy sample. Tara said the same thing, and then we worked to identify the spices. Nutmeg? Yes, but more intense. Maybe mace. And definitely some cloves. We would not disagree with the description written on the label for this piece… too much.

São Tomé, Africa: Villa Gracinda 67%

It is on the island of São Tomé, on the Equator off the coast of central Africa, that the first African cocoa plantations were planted in the 19th century.

Below, Ashanti is a blend, eventhough I initially wanted to sample only single origin chocolate, but it is Brett Roy’s favourite (from Sweet Lollipoluza), so I wanted to try it. Neither of us could distinguish any clean flavour notes. Only that is was very creamy and sweet. It was peaty with a bit of honey taste, to Tara. I have no frame of reference for “peaty”, and that was probably the problem with my ability to capture the flavours in words, to a degree. I prefer a darker, more intense chocolate with fruitier notes. This one was vague, to me, yet according to Valrhona is true to its warm lands origin, captivating with its full body and round savours, intense in chocolate with delicate hazelnut nuances and entangled spiciness of liquorice, cinnamon and Tonka beans. Hmmm? Must be very delicate! The Caraibe is also a blend that is quite popular, and suggested to us by both Kertin’s and Sweet Lolipooloosa. We both found it very dark, deep and intense in flavour. For me, it tasted “cold”, or had the sensation of “cold”, and Tara could relate to that. We both agreed that there was a mildly bitter dark molasses flavour. Valrona writes this blend of Grands Crus from small plantations along the Carribean Sea has an exceptionally long nose and the soft aromas of nuts on the palate.

Blend: Ashanti 67%

Caribbean Blend: Valrhona Caribe 66%

Now, this next tasting was very revealing. The first sample, below, was from Chocolate Exquisite at Oliver Square, as are all the similar small, single origin bars. Both of us immediately responded with a guttural sound of some sort that indicated something unexpected. This was sour. A very distinct difference from any of the other samples. It was acidic, and tasted to both of us of dried fruit, primarily raisins. And then we discovered that Bernard Callebaut had a Concepcion Plantation sample he called “Conception” made from the same single origin chocolate, but his was so much more appealing to both of us, and somewhat more complex. We went back and forth between the two, and there were definite similarities, but we were both caught completely off guard by the comparison (the opportunity for such a comparison) and that the Callebaut stood out as the superior flavour and texture sample, by an obvious bit. (bite!)

Cuba:

Concepcion Estate: Conception 66% (obviously I cannot spell Callebaut (as seen on all notes!)

Venezuala 65% (not shown below, but way above in the Kertin Chocolate quartet photo: image is the blue one to the far left) was another sample tasted only by me, again. This is a really smooth, moderately sweet, milky (though 65%!), and a  balance of flavours: milky, spicy and  somewhat acidic. The Alto el Sol had a really warm flavour of brown sugar and sherry to us, again, very different than denoted by the wrapper from Chocolate Exquisite at Oliver Square. I know this sample is made by the preferred bean, and it was warm and rich and really lovely, but not  bit of acidity to us.

Peru: Alto et Sol Estate: Alto et Sol 65%  made with the rare Criollo cocoa beans

Venezuala: Venezuala 65% (image is the blue one to the far left, way above in the Kertin Chocolate quartet photo)

The Mangaro 65% was fruity with an apple and sour cherry background, quite similar in some ways to the Manjari, yet vastly different in others. It had condenced honey milk aftertaste. The Manjari 64% is one of my favourite single origin tastes. Our first sense was that this sample was predominantly fruity with citrus notes and maybe a bit of peach in the background with a subtle bit of sweet red pepper. Valrona writes that Manjari possesses acidulous notes of red fruit followed by the nutty flavours typical of this original variety of Trinitario cocoa tree from the north of Madagascar.

Madagascar: Mangaro 65% (Trinatirio Bean), and Valrhona Manjari  64%

Our first impression with the Grenade 60% was warm sugary caramel, but moments into the tasting, and not too many moments, the taste became a burnt rubber taste. Tara said it tasted like she imagined petroleum would taste. We could not get it out of our mouths fast enough. The “delightfully subtle hints of herbs and flowers” were nowhere on our horizon, and we always went for another taste trying to find what the writer wrote. Nope.

Grenada: Grenade 60%

ENOUGH! UGH! We were so worn out after this experience that we collapsed on the couch and tried to calm our highly caffeinated nerves. But, it was a great learning experience. I will think differently whenever I taste great chocolate, and I am almost motivated to make my own tasting wheel with my own taste memories as reference points.

Can you tell we are both propped ready for take off?

Let’s put it this way, if you have read (and I mean read to this point of the post, you are definitely a die hard chocolate aficionado. Welcome to our very small and intimate circle. I will share more as I travel, and experience and taste. But this is definitely…ok, past definitely enough for now!

Even Beavie has fallen asleep…. long, long ago.

I am not asleep... I am in a chocolate coma.

Just looking at the fudgy chocolate slice on that knife reminds me of Eliza’s baby shower, and I am salivating, and remembering e moment of my first taste as I write. Memories are wrapped away until a smell, or taste, or song digs them out of the darkness and back into the light. Food is the place holder for many memories – especially when the indulgence is new. The place holder is suddenly emboldened and impresses all surrounding sensory aspects into it. Thus, Eliza’s baby shower is metaphorically imprinted into the fudgy chocolate on the knife. I am there, with decadent chocolate swelling in my mouth and coating it shut while washing the dishes, cleaning the counter, and listening to the lively chatter in the room of the many young mothers, and young women. I savour the luxurious guilty pleasure thrust into my mouth from the side of the pan before lunging it into the sink. I cannot talk. The bite is too big.

This is the miracle baby. I have known Eliza’s mom, Petra, since we were in junior high school. We have been dear friends and had the pleasure of watching our children grow, together. Eliza lived with my daughter, Lauren, in University. That’s after the snowboarding accident that broke her back when she was 19. She is my hero. I remember when she was born: her big, round inquisitive eyes swallowing the world as she stretched her little delicate neck to take it all in. Then as a toddler running through her house with the cutest little bare feet, frizzy hair, and always a little dress of some sort pulled over her head. Maybe backward, maybe forward, maybe tied, maybe not, but always a little dress. Her hair was wispy like angel hair, and she was constantly brushing it out of her face. Her little voice was one of those sweet candy-coated-girly-voices that would stop the public. Three big brothers, then Eliza. Finally. But there was no stopping her then, and no stopping her now, either.

She has married a wonderful, ambitious man working to keep up with her, and they gave birth to their first child this year. This is Petra’s – hummm – what is it, Petra? Your 10th grandchild? I think he is her tenth. I had not even realized that, yet. Ten grandchildren, and each is bright, and beautiful, lively, lovely, and loved. Here I am making Eliza eat the Dolmates I brought and then I forced some of the brownie on her, too. I love these kids. Petra had 8 children. The television program “Eight is Enough” was big when she started having her family, and I think she just worked her way into living it.

But, when you have three boys, you want a girl, and then, when you have four children, you want more children. At least, that’s what she told me at the time. I just thought she was crazy, and at the same time, loved living vicariously through her family episodes. There was a break between the first four and the next four. And, the next four happened exactly the same way. Petra says she has a special relationship with God. It is really hard not to believe her when her second little family was as perfect as the first: three boys, and a girl. She called them “The Potato Soup Family” as for many years, that is all they would eat and all she could afford to feed them. All I can say, is that was the most satisfying and gratifyig potato soup that I ever ate. There was always a big pot of it on the stove, but honestly, the boys were usually too busy running everywhere to stop for a minute and eat any.

I remember being so disappointed one visit when I was there, and there was no potato soup on the stove. She said that they still ate it all of the time, just not twice a day anymore. I missed her soup. Eating at Petra’s was like eating at the Sermon on the Mount. There were only 5 fishes for hundreds of people, but somehow, those 5 fishes fed all. I will never know how she was able to work the miracles she worked in the kitchen. Her food was to-die-for, and there was always extra left after the entire mountain had eaten. Being at the table with these people is edifying. Who needs food?

Well, I was thrilled that I was invited to this shower with all the young gals. Thrilled. I pulled a tray of Dolmates out of the freezer, made some tzitziki, and this brownie, and off I went.

Let me back up a little. I made Jamie Oliver’s Brownie from his Cook with Jamie cookbook when I got it last year for Christmas (2008), and it immediately became a favourite. YUMMERS! I converted it to the Thermomix, immediately. Easy Peasy, he would say.The recipe follows with scaling int he chocolate, grinding it, adding the butter, and melting it. Then, all other ingredients, except the eggs. How easy is that?

Add the eggs one at a time. Beautiful.

Then the dried sour cherries. I have adapted the ingredients, for sure. Way more of these than Jamie suggests. Deadly with this heavy dark chocolate concoction.

Oh, and who is wagging his little tail in my kitchen again? SHOO! Beavie! You know better than to stick your little nose in my chocolate batter!

It is thick, and holds it’s shape. I run a knife around the bottom from the outside to the inside in a circular motion to ensure there are not air bubbles, and that motion leaves a nice shape on the exterior surface.

And there he is again! Get your little muckers out of my Thermomix bowl. Beavie always complains that I clean my bowls too well. I cannot stand to throw anything out. (Except maybe an eager little beaver getting his two front teeth into everything in my kitchen!)

These are two different brownies. One held the swirl better than the other as I smoothed one more than the other. A final dusting of icing sugar, and voilà! Beautiful!

Gooey and chewy and fudgy and so chocolatey that you will feel guilty eating the whole piece, but you won’t regret it!

What a great gal that Petra is! Holding up my chins for me when I smile in this pic! See how much mom and daughter look alike? Gorgeous.

And, to the far right: Drew and Heather and one daughter. Beside Drew, is Lane, then me nd Petra. Fron the otherside, Eliza’s little family, then Evan and his wife and Petra’s David buried under all the grandkids. I think that makes 5 children in this photo with wives and husbands. Not all of the children are here… and below, Eliza’s gal friends. Below that, all who attended the shower (the old ladies with the young gals!)

It took a while for me to get the photos from Petra – not this long – but, I have since made the said bownie with my newly acquired recipe for Crême Fraiche. BINGO! Talk about the perfect pair.

So, with a recipe shared, and a memory remembered… I have the perfect opportunity to thank my dear friend, Petra, for enriching my life. I love her dearly. I love her sisters. I love her children. I am thankful to be a small part of their ever so busy lives. Does she look like a grandma of 10? Whoo-hoo baby. No siree bob! She does not. Did I mention that she says she has this special relationship with God? I think it shows!

WOW:A little chocolate is good for you. Did you know that?

I love this cookie. When my hometown next door neightbour, Morris Flewwelling, was transitioning from Museum Curator to Mayor of the City of Red Deer, I went to his retirement party and was served this cookie. It was created by Darlene Blair for Red Deer and became The Official Red Deer Cookie in March of 1996. One of the judges commented that it fit Red Deer’s motto to a “T”: A Delight to Discover. The cookie was big and flat and not pleasing to the eye, but deadly delicious. So, I thought about how I could contain the shape of this cookie. The original recipe said to add more flour if it spread too much. Conformity in size is important to me when I present my various baked items on my Christmas tray. I actually work to make everything similar in size, so it wasn’t a far stretch to think of using the mini-muffin tins. And, it worked like a charm! They still look like cookies, taste like cookies, but had less dough allotted to each portion than the original recipe (one batch makes 40 cookies in the original recipe, and this way, the same amount of dough makes 80 cookies). Because of that, I think they taste better, too! The fudgy dough is a rich chocolate-chewy bite of decadence.

After I bake them, I gently remove them upside down on the cooling rack to cool. Then turn them right side up for the crowing pecan.

This is the consistency of the icing “glue” (water and icing sugar). B ecareful to not put on too much because it doesn’t look nice when it shows.

See?

These are better!

And inside, the rolo is chewy and gooey as it should be.

The first time in Beavie's life his Birthday wish came true. However, it wasn't the cute little cookie he was expecting....

Rum balls have been around Christmas goodie plates for many, many years… in the day of the Christmas goodie plate. But, I had never made them because I always made truffles. And that was enough chocolate for our house. Then, one fall, not so many years ago, I went to Red Deer to do some serious Christmas cookie baking with a childhood friend, Rae. Her father died the year before, and he and her mother had been making the family Christmas cookies for years. So, this year, she and her sister, Deb, came up from Calgary, and I from Edmonton. We each had our cars laden with treasured ingredients, secret family recipes, and newly researched recipes.

This was a recipe that Rae and Deb had tested the year prior and added to their “keeper” list. I was not convinced. I had never eaten a rum ball that I liked. That year, we came with many of the doughs already made and ready to roll and bake. Deb had mixed up a batch of these so I wasn’t a part of that process and reading the recipe was a bit of a turn off for me. It has crushed cookies in it, and I always made everything from scratch. It read gimmicky. Then I tasted the dough. Shezam! That is one darn good kickin’ chewy chocolatey cookie! The chocolate sprinkles are not artifically flavoured, either. That does make a difference. These bad little bites are the perfect contrast to the white tender butter-flake cookies on my tray.

Each is moist and chewy, they last a very long time (if no one knows where to find them) and they just get better with age.

HEY! -hic- These should be - hic- served in a -hic-glass!