Sunday February 21, 2010 Week 40

Napoleon Cake In keeping with the French Puff Pastry Cakes: For the dough:
2	10’’x10’’ (25cm x 25cm) Puff pastry sheets
	For the Cream
1	cup Sugar
1	cup Flour
	4 cups milk
3	large Eggs

Preparation

Step 1	First prepare the dough. Depending on the manufacturer of the puff pastry, you might need to defrost the dough, and either roll out or cut the sheets to the desired size.
Step 2	preheat the oven to 400F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.Bake each puff pastry sheet for 20 minutes on the middle rack. After 10 minutes you might want to rotate the cookie sheet 180 degrees to ensure equal baking When the pastry is puffed and light golden brown it is ready.
Step 3	Let cool. Cut the two puff pastry sheets in half. Three are for the layers and one is to crumble for the topping you can easily make with your fingers.
Step 4	Now for the cream: beat the eggs with the sugar and flour. Boil the milk. While the milk is warming, pour about 1/2 cup into the egg mix and stir well to gradually increase its temperature. This way the eggs won’t curdle when you add them to boiling milk. Repeat this step 2-3 more times as the milk approaches boiling temperature.
Step 5	Once the milk boils, pour the warm egg mix into the boiling milk, constantly stirring, to prevent lumps from forming. Keep on the stove for several 3 more minutes, continue stirring. It’s best to use hand held mixer in this stage.
Step 6	Remove the cream from heat, let cool, and spread on the puff pastry sheets, creating alternating layers of puff pastry and cream (3 layers of each type, 6 total).
Step 7	Spread the pastry puff crumbs on top of the upper cream layer.
Step 8	Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight before serving.

Sunday February 14, Valentines Day, Week 39

Le Moelleux au Chocolat

Yes, it's French, and it is a staple in French Restaurants. In the U.S. we call it Lava Cake and it is made in individual ramekins. This particular recipe is from David Leibovitz and does not use flour. Makes 6.

10 Ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate

4 T butter

2 T sugar

4 egg yolks

4 Egg whites beaten

2 T sugar.

Butter and sugar for the ramekins.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Add sugar and egg yolks.

In a clean dry bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks add sugar and beat more. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it then fold in the rest. Butter and sugar the ramekins. Divide the batter into the 6 ramekins and bake at 400 for 12 minutes.

let stand for a minute then un mold. Serve with whipped cream or raspberries or nothing! below is a Quote I fould in an article about this particular dessert, I thought it was funny:

Parisian women are known to be relentless Moelleux eaters. On a date, an observant Parisian can easily anticipate the outcome of this forming relationship. If the girl opts for Le Moelleux, sexual misery will ensue. Parisian women are known not to indulge twice the same night. It will come as no surprise that ever since the introduction of Le Moelleux in Parisian restaurants, sexual activity in Paris has plummeted.

Sunday February 7, 2010 Week 38

Galette des Rois

Yup, King Cake!!! You know those dry cream cheese-filled cakes you buy at the store with a ton of yellow, purple and green sugar all over the top of it??? Purge that from your palette!!! This is the french version of King cake. Traditionally this is eaten in France just after the Bouche de Noel is finished! This is truly the "Kings' cake" in honor of the Three Kings or the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. This is wonderful!!!

Last year on Fat Tuesday, Roger ( our choir director) had king cake for the choir. As is the tradition, the person who finds the baby in the cake has to bake the cake the following year. Well, I found the little, naked, plastic, baby! I was afraid I would forget that I was to bake the cake so I've carried the little, naked, plastic baby around with me in my purse all year...even when I switched purses...even when I went to Paris!! (This has been the source of many an interesting conversation, but I digress!) I've been dreading the cake baking because I don't like King cake. I don't like cream cheese filling and I don't like all the colored sugar on the top. When Roger e-mailed me about a conversation he had with Melanie, a fellow singer and French officianado , about French "Kings' Cake" I snatched at the life-line, fairly certain that the French would have a better solution than cream cheese and sugar and they did!!! I Googled French Kings' Cake and found this recipe. So glad my fellow choristers enjoyed it!! Oh yes, I didn't actually add the baby to the cake but used a bean instead. I was afraid the small naked plastic baby would melt!

1 package of puff pastry, thawed.

For the frangipane:

1 stick of butter softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup almond flour (or hazel nut flour or any nut, really) grind enough nuts in a food processor until it yields 1 cup of "flour"

2 eggs

1 T rum if you like

1 egg extra for egg wash

1 dried bean or charm to hide in the cake.

Blend the butter and sugar, add the nut flour and each egg, one at a time. Add rum.

Open the puff pastry and unfold. You should have two squares per package. Round off the corners of the bottom pastry and brush an egg wash around 1/2 inch of the edge.

Spread frangipane on the bottom and put the bean or charm in the cake near an edge. Place the top crust (with corners also cut). Take a fork and crimp the edges. (Make sure they are crimped well, as you don't want the insides flowing out into your oven...trust me on this!!!) Egg wash the entire top and put into the fridge for 1/2 hour.

Put Galette into preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. (mine took 20 in a convection oven)

Don't forget to warn your eaters about the bean. The person who finds the bean ( or baby) in the cake is King for the Day (and also has to bake the Kings' Cake next year!!!