Chocolate Almond Crème Fraîche Cake

“Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate”

Ohhh chocolate.  We have had a long, long love affair haven’t we?  Confession: I am a  chocoholic.  Not suprised?  Neither am I.

Fact : Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. (Ok so maybe it isn’t iron clad science, but would I really take my chances?)  Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and while other things are just food, chocolate is chocolate.  I think you get the picture now…

This might be my second  favorite chocolate recipe thus far (1st place still holding strong goes to my Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart )  During my daily food blog and recipe browsing, I came across a recipe for “Deep Chocolate Sour Cream Cake”.  I immediately clicked the link, already drooling before I even read the post.  “Yea this is a winner” I told myself.  I logged the recipe into my archives as usual and continued browsing.  Yesterday I revisited the recipe and tried to figure out how I could modify it, and hopefully improve it   I mean, if I am in the culinary capital of the world, I am going to relish in the fact that I can find quality ingredients everywhere!

I decided to instead use a crème fraîche, substituted some of the flour for almond flour and made a few other modifications.  Almond flour is just almonds that have been ground to the point where it slightly resembles sand.  It is commonly used when making Financiers, for example.  If you cant find this at a local store, you can by whole almonds (without the skin) and put the in a food processor or blender until ground as fine as possible.  Plus, almonds and chocolate go great together.

This recipe is definitely one for chocolate lovers and will bring out the gourmande in anybody.  Enjoy!  (Like I need to say that…)

Chocolate Almond Crème Fraîche Cake

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of flour

1/2 cup of almond flour

1 cup of Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 tsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of butter (3 sticks or 340g)

2 cups of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp. of vanilla extract

1 cup of crème fraîche

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease the inside of a cake pan  (10″ round or a small square/rectangle pan).

In a large bowl combine flour, almond powder, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter until creamy with an electric mixer.  Gradually add sugars and beat until well blended.  At medium speed, beat in eggs one at a time until all well blended.  Don’t forget to scrape down the sides!

In a small bowl, combine vanilla and crème fraîche.  Add to butter mixture until well combined.

Add flour mixture in batches to butter mixture at low speed until just combined.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 – 15 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm or let cool completely. (I can never wait!)

Cut into slices and serve dusted with cocoa powder.  (You could also serve with vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise, whipped cream, or whatever you desire!  Make up your own )

Bon Ap!

Julie.

Steak Roulades

Mmmm steak.  Just the thought of it can make your mouth water.  With winter upon us, nothing fills you up like a nice, juicy, flavorful steak.  As I was cooking these, the whole house filled with the aroma of garlic, wine, and steak.  Even as I am writing this I can smell it if I close my eyes   While this looks complicated, trust me you will be surprised at how easy it is!

I made this meal for my au pair family and it was a big hit.  I mean, how can  you go wrong with steak filled with delicious accompaniments? 

Steak Roulades

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of steak escalope (these are long, thin slices of steak made easy for rolling)

2 shallots, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup of thick cut bacon pieces

1 cup of mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup of shredded emmental cheese

1/4 cup of beef or vegetable stock

3 tsp. dijon mustard

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup of red wine

salt and pepper

toothpicks

Directions:

In large pan, sauté shallots, bacon, and mushrooms until mostly cooked.   Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add cheese, parsely, and mustard.  Lightly salt and pepper.

Lay out each slice of beef flat.   Salt and pepper each side.  Spread a layer of the filling onto each slice.

Then gently roll shut and secure with toothpicks.  Repeat until all steaks are used.  Set any remaining filling aside (do not throw out!).

In a large pan, heat oil on medium/high – high heat.   Place roulades into pan and brown for about 2 minutes.  Flip steaks to brown other side for 2 minutes.  Add red wine and let cook for 5 minutes.  Set heat to medium/low and pour any remaining filling into the pan.  Add the beef or vegetable stock.  Cover and let simmer for 2 hours.  Half way through, flip roulades over.

Remove from heat and serve with roasted potatoes, pasta, rice or whatever you choose!  These are great with a glass a nice red wine as well

Bon Ap!

Julie

Thanksgiving Meets France

Fact: Thanksgiving is awesome.  It is hard enough to be away from family during holidays, and another thing when certain ones aren’t even celebrated.  I wanted to share a part of my American culture with my French family and friends and cook them a traditional Thanksgiving (the best that I could with French ingredients).   On the list was turkey, mashed potatoes, my grandma’s stuffing recipe, green bean casserole, corn, salad, two pumpkin pies, gravy, cranberries, and lots of wine.

I spent basically the entire day in the kitchen working my butt off to pull this meal together.  And, I have to say, I impressed myself.  The turkey was juicy and tender, the potatoes creamy and filled with garlic, the stuffing tasting as close to grandma’s as I could have made it, and the pies delicious.

The recipe I am going to share with you today is my favorite dish of Thanksgiving:  My grandma’s stuffing.  Every year since I can remember, my grandma makes the most amazing stuffing ever.  This year I sent her an email explaining how I was making a Thanksgiving meal for my French family and friends, asking if she could send me her recipe.  While, no it didn’t taste exactly like grandma’s (but then again, what does really?)  it came it absolutely incredible.  This recipe is another one that is close to my heart, a good old fashioned, home grown family recipe.  Thanks for sharing Grandma! I love you!

Grandma Flo’s Stuffing

Ingredients:

4-5 loaves of sliced bread, cubed and dried out (my grandma said sometimes she mixes wheat and white)

chicken broth

6-7 celery stalks, finely diced

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, diced

1 – 1.5  lbs ground beef

4-5 eggs

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 cup grated cheese

poultry seasoning (a few shakes)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

Place dried bread cubes in a large bowl.  Slowly stir and combine bread with chicken broth until pieces are coated and rehydrated (make sure they are well covered, though be sure not to put too much or else it will become soupy).  Set aside.

Saute the celery, onion, and garlic in oil until slightly browned.  Pour over bread and stir.

Brown beef in a pan and drain juices.  Pour over bread and stir.

Add eggs, parsley, cheese, poultry seasoning and pepper and stir.  My grandma said she tastes the mixture and then decides how much salt to add since the broth is already salted.  Add as desired and stir.

Pour stuffing mixture into a large baking pan and spread evenly.  Bake covered for 1 hour, then 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Serve with a delicious gravy!

You will not be disappointed with this recipe, trust me!

Bon Ap!

Julie

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

One of the things I love about fall is that one of my favorite fruits to cook with comes into season: pumpkin

Every fall I eat as many things as I can made with pumpkin, including (but of course not limited to) all of the following: pie, cupcakes, bread, ice cream, chili, soup, doughnuts, and so forth.

The other day I went to a pâtisserie in Metz to buy some macaroons (guilty) and saw the french version of what kind of looked like a cinnamon roll.  I of course then started to think about how it had been such a long time since I had a cinnamon roll and how amazing they tasted when warm.  Later that night when I went home, I wandered into the pantry to decide what I was going to make for dinner and saw the can of pumpkin puree that the mother of the au pair family I am living with brought me when she went to the US a few weeks ago.  I suddenly thought, you know, I have never eaten a pumpkin cinnamon roll before…

This thought then brought me to searching through countless cinnamon roll recipes trying to find how I could work in the pumpkin puree and finally figured out a recipe I thought would work.  And, I have to say, these are sooo good   Especially when topped with a simple powdered sugar glaze (recipe also included).

Happy Fall

*Note*  (measurements are in the metric system because this is what is used in France.  Don’t panic, you can easily get a container measuring milliliters and a cheap scale for the grams)

Pumpkin Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

100 ml of milk

6 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

800 g. flour

400 g. canned pumpkin puree

4 egg yolks

100 g butter melted + 40 g butter melted

200 g brown sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon (combined and set aside)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/4 – 1/2 cups of walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, 6 tblsp. of sugar, 100 g of melted butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolks.

In another bowl, combine baking powder and flour.  Slowly add flour to pumpkin mixture.  Once dough starts to become stiff, mix with hands.  Knead until mostly combined.

Separate dough in half (easier to work with).  Lightly flour a flat surface and roll dough into a rectangle.  Brush with half of the remaining 40g of butter and sprinkle with half the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  On the longer end of the rectangle, start to roll dough until you reach the other end.  Lightly pinch seam to seal.  Cut pieces into 1″ chunks.  Place each piece cut side up into a large baking pan.  If desired sprinkle walnuts over the top and lightly press into rolls.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool 5 minutes.  Serve with powdered sugar glaze. (see below)

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups of powdered sugar

4 tblsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine all ingredients.  Add more milk or sugar if necessary.  Glaze should be think but should drip from the spoon.

Bon Ap!

Julie

Creamy Broccoli, Leek, Bacon and Mushroom Soup

With fall in full swing and cold weather upon us, nothing is more comforting that a hot bowl of soup.  During the cold seasons, I eat lots of soup.  There are so many flavors and ingredients to choose from: meats, vegetables, pastas, what type of broth, and so forth.  This hearty soup will fill you up and warm you up on even the coldest of days.

One thing I highly recommend is finding the best tasting baguette you can locate and using it to sop up any remaning broth.  The French even have a word for this act of wiping your plate clean with le pain called saucer.  Only the French would have a word for something so simple yet absolutely delicious.

Creamy Broccoli, Leek, Bacon, and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups of broccoli florets, chopped

1 cup leeks, white part, chopped

1 cup of carrots, chopped

1 cup of thick bacon pieces

1 cup of mushrooms, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

6 tblsp. olive oil

4 tblsp. flour

4 1/2 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable broth if you prefer)

2 cups of milk

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cups small pasta noodles (elbow macaroni, spirals, vermicelli, etc)

salt and pepper to taste

shredded parmesan or emmental cheese

Directions:

In a medium sized pot bring broth  to boil and add broccoli, leeks, and carrots. Let boil 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat. Drain broth into a container and set broth and veggies aside.

Meanwhile, in large pot, sauté shallots, garlic, and bacon in oil.  Add mushrooms until slightly tender. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste. Slowly add broth and milk, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil and let boil for 1 minute.  Add vegetables.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until tender.  With 8-10 minutes remaining, add pasta.  Re-cover.

Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes (soup will thicken).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and serve.  Top with shredded cheese as desired.

Bon Ap!

Julie

Baked Ham, Egg and Potato Cups

There is something special about breakfast food that gives you that feel good, first-thing-in-the-morning, great-way-to-start-my-day warmth.  I love all things breakfast, especially dishes with eggs.  Today is my third day working as an au pair for a family in France.  After spending three months with my grandparents in Metz, I moved about 15 minutes away, to a small village called Hayes.

I wanted to create something with humble breakfast ingredients yet maintain the elegance the French see in food.  And, I must admit, this one is a crowd pleaser!  Even the kids loved it, and have decided they no longer want the mother to cook.  Even the mother agreed.  (haha)

Serve this to your guests and they won’t be disappointed!

Baked Ham, Egg and Potato Cups (serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 slices of prosciutto or cured ham

8 eggs

4 small potatoes

2 roma tomatoes

1 shallot

shredded gyuère or emmental cheese

parsley flakes

salt and pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay two slices of ham over each cup, mimicking the shape of the bowl.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

While ham is cooking, clean and slice potatoes into thin roundels. Drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and pepper.  Stir and microwave on high until partially tender.  Heat in two minute intervals, stirring in between.

Peel and thinly slice shallot.  Next, layer potato slices into bottom of ham bowls and top with shallots.  Gently crack two eggs into each cup.

Cut roma tomatoes into sliced roundels.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of each egg cup.   Then sprinkle with parsley flakes.  Garnish each cup with 2-3 tomato slices.

Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve hot.  This dish goes great with a delicious baguette!

Bon Ap!

Julie.

Leek, Mushroom and Bacon Tart

Hello everyone    Sorry it has been a few weeks since my last post.  But don’t worry, this recipe will make up for my lack of presence, I promise!  In a few weeks I will be moving again and should have some more time to cook and bake.  Keep a look out!

This tart is absolutely delicious.  The crust is the same recipe used for the Quiche Lorraine I posted a few months back.  The combination of the leeks, mushrooms, bacon and eggs leaves a wonderful taste in your mouth.  I ate three slices… 

This is a simple recipe with a quick prep time so its a great no-fuss light affair.  Enjoy!

Leek, Mushroom and Bacon Tart

Ingredients:

Pâte a Tarte Dough (can be found on my Quiche Lorraine recipe)

7-10 slices of bacon

400g mushrooms

2 leeks, white part, chopped

1 cup of condensed, unsweetened milk

2 eggs

1 tblsp. flour

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Clean and chop mushrooms and leeks.  In a large pan, on medium/high, cook leeks with oil for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook both vegetables together for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over the pie pan.  Roll out the dough over parchment.  Pour vegetables into the crust.

In a bowl, beat together condensed milk, eggs, and flour.  Pour over vegetables.  Add salt and pepper over the top.  Lay slices of bacon over the top.

Cook in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.  Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Bon Ap!

Julie

Fêtes de la Mirabelle

Ever wonder what those little fruits are at the top of my blog?  Well, here is your answer: they are mirabelles.  The Fêtes de la Mirabelle is a special four day celebration of the mirabelle fruit.  This summer is the 59th year of celebration and appreciation for a local simplicity found only in a small part of the world.

The Mirabelle is a tiny fruit in the plum family.  It is about the size of a quarter in circumference, making these easy snack food (I seriously could eat an entire kilo myself).  This fruit is so special for two reasons:  The first is that it is only in season during the month of August, peaking in the last couple weeks.  The second is because in the entire world, it only grows in very few locations.  In France, it is only found in the region of Lorraine and in the north of the region of Alsace.  Alsace and Lorraine comprise over 70% of worldwide production of the mirabelle!  Every year in Metz, the capital of Lorraine, this festival celebrates this wonderful fruit.

It is believed that the fruit’s origins are Chinese.   Historians believe that in the 15th century the Duc of Anjou and of Lorraine brought the fruit to France.  Some believe the origin of the name comes from the Latin word “mirabilis” which means “beautiful to see”, though there are other speculations.

It is sweet, juicy, and unlike any other fruit I have tasted.  The last time I had the chance to eat a mirabelle was seven years ago.  Needless to say I have been eating a lot of them!  Every year everything from tarts, caramels, beer, wine, jam, chutney, whole preserved mirabelles in syrup, sparkling juice, nectar, and the special liquor called the “eau de vie” (which means the water of life) are made using this delicious little fruit.

At the festival today, I bought myself a kilo and am going to make a tart.  I will post this at a later date.  If you ever have the rare chance to come to Lorraine in August, do not miss a chance to taste this amazing fruit!

Bon Ap!

Julie

Marbré

Marbré is a French marbled cake that is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.  The combination of both the plain and chocolate batters form a beautiful marble-like pattern, giving the cake its name.  Marbré is dense and full of flavor, sweetened just enough to call it a cake, but light enough for those without a major sweet tooth.  This is another of Mamine’s recipes she has shared with me and is the first time I have made it.  I will definitely be making this one again!

Note: For the sugar and flour I have included the measurements in grams, because the conversion to the US system was not exact, but close.  So if you have a scale, use that instead.  If not, don’t worry!  It will still work just fine!

Marbré

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (or 1 1/2 sticks) of butter, room temperature

~ 1 cup of sugar, a little less, (200g)

4 eggs, whites and yolks separated

1/2 cup of milk

~ 3 cups of flour + a little extra (340g)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tblsp. unsweetened cocao powder

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly butter and flour cake pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, butter, vanilla, and sugar together on high until fully combined.  Add milk and stir.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites on high until white and fluffy, they will slightly stiff.  Set aside.

Slowly add flour and baking powder to yolk, butter, and sugar mixture.  Beat on low then high until well combined.  Fold in egg whites until well combined.

Pour HALF of the batter into the cake pan.  To the remaining half, add the cocoa powder and stir until combined.  Pour over the first layer in the cake pan.

Down the middle of the pan, from one end of the to the other, carefully dip a spoon into batter, lift upwards and pull forward.  Do so until you reach the end of the pan.  Now, on either of the sides, do the same thing in the other direction.  This give the cake its marbled effect.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 F.  Lower the heat to 300 F and let bake for 40 – 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 – 10 minutes.  Gently remove from pan and let cool.

Slice and Serve!

Bon Ap!

Julie

Happy Birthday, Julia Child!

Julia Child

Julia Child would be 97 today.  In 1963 with her show, The French Chef, Julia was one of the first most successful people to host a cooking show on television.  Throughout her career she wrote numerous cook books.  Her most famous, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was widely successful and is still considered to be one of the best French cook books on the market today.

Thank you, Julia, for your wonderful contributions to the food industry.  Happy Birthday!!!