Dinner Party 101

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I LOVE having dinner parties - it's totally no coincidence that the most populated categories on my blog are generally related to me having people over for dinner. I always have a ton of fun planning and executing these (aside from the whole having to clean the house aspect....meh). Anyway, I've noticed that a lot of people of my generation (KD Nation) are a little put off by the whole idea. So I thought I'd break it down into simple steps. Realistic steps.

I mean, I've read dinner planning articles in the high end food magazines and they seem to expect to you be some sort of master chef/sommelier/patissier and all sorts of french words that are ridiculous, overwrought and totally unnecessary.

Anyone can throw a dinner party. It's not hard. It just takes a little planning and preparation....but everyone - from the student to the kitchen-phobic - can totally do this.

So first....

Step 1: Company's coming....but who?
For me, this part is easy. I don't have enough nice dishes for more than six people (without having to wash stuff between courses). So hubs and I usually invite four other people over. Personally, I find that once you get beyond six people, it becomes challenging to cook the sheer volume of food that's needed, it's tough to come up with adequate seating and that whole dishes issue. I've done as many as 10 and it totally works out though. But I would suggest no more than six people if you're new to DP planning. It's good if your guests know each other, but not completely necessary. I'm all for mixing it up, but if you have single friends, make sure you invite at least two of them (not necessarily to match-make....just to keep it from being a Bridget Jones-esque smug married-type evening).


Step 2: Mikey doesn't likey
There was a time when people ate whatever you put in front of them. But that time has passed - so in this day and age of KD Nation, it really never hurts to ask. It's been my experience that most people say they will eat anything (myself included), BUT a second prod is never amiss. The list of food I won't eat at someones house is quite small, but let's say if someone decided to serve rabbit, I would be outta there faster than you could blink. So if you're thinking of serving anything out of the ordinary, just ask - usually a simple email along the lines of "Hey, I was thinking of maybe serving [emu-partridge-raw beef-etc.]. Is this okay with you? I know it's not something that appeals to everyone so let me know if you'd prefer something else!" Always try to present said exotic item like an idea, not a fait accompli (i.e., I've special ordered fermented yak from Tibet and I'm so excited for you to try it - is that okay?) because that places the picky guest in an uncomfortable position.

It's also a good idea to poll about cuisines - some people LOVE a good curry (ME!ME!) while others would rather eat their own boot than sniff a little cumin or coriander.

This whole idea does go against established etiquette rules, but trust me that it is always helpful to ask. Especially when people have serious allergies (like shellfish and nuts - both of which do make frequent appearances on my menus). So when it doubt, drop someone a line and find out.

Often you'll find out that someone is a vegetarian (make sure to ask what type of veg, and what kinds of things are okay) - depending on your crowd, you can make a vegetarian meal, offer a selection of entrées (like a few different kinds of curry, or two types of pasta), or just make one special entrée for the vegetarian guest. :) I've got tons of vegetarian recipes on this site, so take a looksie.

I also find that guests usually ask if they can bring anything. I don't generally take people up on this (too control freak about the menu), but it's important to keep in mind that most people offer out of a sense of politeness....they don't usually want to make anything - you're the one throwing the dinner party. ;) BUT, if you want to throw a potluck dinner party, there's nothing wrong with that, just make sure it's something that works with that particular group of people (and let them know it's potluck when you invite them...not after they've already accepted!).

Step 3: Theme? Nobody told ME about any theme.
Aside from cooking, I find this to be the most time-consuming step. I like to start with a theme - usually something pretty simple - like 'harvest' or 'fiesta' or whatever. It's just nice to have a certain tone for the whole evening - I mean, I'm all for fusion, but for the home cook, it just works well to have one simple idea that guides you through your menu selection.

So the dinner party I had on Saturday, I decided on a harvest theme. It's fall, it's a little clichéd, but it also means that you've got seasonal, inexpensive ingredients (like throwing a tropical feast in January would be exorbitantly expensive, but totally reasonable to throw the same feast in June). Making use of local ingredients when they are at their peak is always a great idea.

I like browsing through recipe websites to find recipes and get ideas (my favourites are http://www.epicurious.com/ and http://www.myrecipes.com/ ).

That said, the whole theme idea can be a little intimidating if you're not so comfortable in the kitchen. But there's a little secret here - you don't have to make everything from scratch. If you want to, totally cool. But if you're not so sure, there are SO many high-quality premade items out there that you could draft your menu, toss the packaging and no one need be the wiser.

*cough* Not that I've done that. *cough* hehe

But a theme is great to help make a menu that is tasty and memorable.

Step 4: Ummm...how many courses do I have to make?

There's no rule here. BUT, keep in mind that a dinner that lasts a longer time is easier on the stomach, makes for more drawn out conversations, and sets a relaxed pace for the evening. Sure, you can set everything up buffet style as soon as people arrive, but I'm more wont to have all the courses spaced out so I can make sure that people don't end up too full.

Here's what I like to do:

4a) The appetizer - This should be something relatively light that you can have available as people are arriving. Try to avoid using bread (people get too full!) and it's nice to have two light, simple things (that way if people don't like one, they can munch on the other). Veggies and dip is a classic that everyone loves. A little cheese and crackers is nice. Or a hot dip. Or shrimp with cocktail sauce. Or little purchased hors d'oeuvres (you can make them too, but they are often more labour-intensive than the meal itself). It's just nice so people have a little something to munch on while you're greeting other guests, offering drinks, etc.

For my harvest theme, I made a garlic thyme cheese dip with crackers (added some crab to it), and phyllo-wrapped parsnips with a very mild curry sour cream.






4b) The soup - I like serving soup. I like making soup. People like soup too. I always serve some sort of soup at a dinner party - it's fabulous because it's made in advance, and can heat slowly while people munch on appies.

For my harvest theme, I went with a roasted squash soup. I've made this one before and it is FANTASTIC. I use buttercup squash. You should too.


4c) The salad - ditto on salad. You can mix it up so it fits your theme (like mandarin sections and sesame seeds for an oriental theme, bocconcini and basil for an italian theme, etc.). Chop it in advance, make your dressing in advance, and all you have to do is plate it.

For the harvest-themed dinner party, I made a salad of baby greens topped with apples and toasted walnuts, and a homemade cranberry balsamic dressing.


4d) Main course - This is a given. It can be as simple as a frozen lasagna (though you should totally try making your own - it's not hard and so tasty!), or involve complicated scary things like soufflé. Whatevs. You can serve this with bread too (or have all the bread on the table). I don't usually serve bread because again, I find people get too full!

I opted for balsamic-fig-topped chicken (yes, I know it's a recipe for pork...I used chicken, and just seared it then baked it and made the sauce in advance), individual cauliflower gratins (a HUGE hit - I skipped the horseradish crumbs and just sprinkled seasoned breadcrumbs) and roasted sweet potatoes (cube potatoes, toss in olive oil, garlic, salt and rosemary and bake on a silpat at 400 for 90 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so). This was tasty for my harvest theme. :)



4e) Dessert, coffee and tea. This part is super easy - there are tons of places where you can get amazing pre-made desserts. Or perhaps there's some sort of cake/cupcakes you've been wanting to try out. Keep it small though and serve with coffee and/or tea.

I didn't want to make an apple dessert (because I was already using apples in the salad), so I went for peaches. It turns out it's a little bit past peach season, but I made do with what I could find. I took this strawberry tart recipe that I've made before, and made mini tarts instead (doubled the crust recipe, and made a bit extra pastry cream). Topped with sliced peaches, and then glazed with melted apricot jam (to keep peaches from turning brown). Made the shells the night before, made the pastry cream the night before and just assembled it late on the Saturday afternoon).



Step 5 - So how do I put this together and not spend the whole night in the kitchen?

This is the MOST important step of all. When you go to a restaurant, they've got like half a dozen people slaving away in the kitchen so your food comes out fresh and perfect. Unless you're way richer than most of us, you're not going to have this for a dinner party. And it totally sucks when you're hosting a dinner party, and all your guests are having a blast chatting it up in the kitchen and you can't even participate because you've got so much cooking to do.

You really don't want this.

So.....while you can get all pre-made stuff so you don't have to cook at all, I know that's not my preference. I like to make my own stuff. I like to chat with guests. And these two things are absolutely NOT mutually exclusive.

The trick?

Make it all up in advance. There are TONS of recipes that can be easily altered so you're not spending all your time in the kitchen. For example, a lot of meat recipes call for your meat to be seared, magically kept warm without drying out, and then for you to make some magnificent sauce at the last minute.

Guess what. You can make the sauce (without browning the meat) in advance in a little pot. So all you have to do is cook the meat and you're done. Soups can almost always be made the day before. Salads can be pre-chopped. Cakes can be made.

What you need to do is go over your menu. Make a list of all the things that have to be made (from salad dressing, to toasting nuts, to some sort of drizzle for dessert). List them all out. And then see what you can make in advance. I usually start on the Friday night - I will make the soup, make pastry/dessert. And then finish the remainder of the items on Saturday morning/afternoon.

That way, by the time my guests knock on the door on Saturday evening, I've got EVERYTHING done. It's just a question of heating things in the oven, on the stove, or just assembling them and plating them. This is the way to go. Give yourself the time and it will all come together, and leave you with a worry-free evening.

Step 6 - People are coming. What else do I need to do?

So you've got the menu, most of the food is prepped....so this is what you need to do to make sure your house is ready for guests..

- clean up. We're not talking about white-glove-inspection clean. Just tidy up - pick up your stuff, sweep/vacuum. Make it look neat and tidy. Make sure your kitchen is clean (I know I wouldn't be too enthused about food coming from a filthy kitchen).

- do a bathroom check - after you've cleaned it, clear off the counters. Make sure there is soap, a clean hand towel, and a little spray just in case (it's SO embarrassing if you've got to *go* at someone's house and there's someone who uses the bathroom right after you....so if you can provide a little spray, that's always a good thing

- set the table. I like to set a slightly more formal table, so I start out with (from left to right) - salad fork, dinner fork (both on a cloth napkin), dinner plate, soup spoon, knife. Above the plate you've got a wine glass and a water glass. You can also have the little fork and spoon for dessert/coffee if there's room on the table. Make sure the salt and pepper are there. I like to buy flowers to make some sort of centrepiece (actually, I usually buy a small bouquet and divvy it up into a few different vases for a cheap but modern look. I'm all about the cheap.

I bought a cheap bouquet of orange gerbs and disseminated it throughout my living room....three on the dining table:


One on the coffee table:


One precariously balanced on top of the piano:


And even one in the bathroom for good measure...


- put some music on. It's not cool to leave the TV on during dinner. So don't do this (unless you are less cheap than I am and actually have those cool channels that do nothing but play music). But it's nice to put on some tunes - they can compliment your theme, or just be an eclectic mix of your favourites.

- drinks - I usually serve wine with dinner, but it's also good to have a selection of other drinks - some pop (diet and non), beer, juice, etc. You never know when someone is expecting, or can't/doesn't drink. Always good to plan ahead. If you're feeling daring, take a stab at matching your food with your wines (there are some sites out there to help you - http://www.wineanswers.com/ and http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/foodandwine/, just for a small sample.

- if you've got a dishwasher (I would totally die without one), make sure it's empty. If you can at least fit the dishes from the first couple of courses in there, it makes for a lot easier cleanup - I just clear the table and put the dishes straight into an open dishwasher.

A few particularities:
- Shoes on/shoes off. It's your house - you make the rules about whether shoes are or are not welcome. Personally, I'm a Canadian, so it's generally shoes off. But it's also technically rude to ask people to remove their shoes (apparently them stomping all over new carpets in muddy shoes is more acceptable). Anyway, you make the rules, but use your judgement. I know I have hardwood/ceramic on the whole main floor of my house, so I can live with someone keeping their shoes on (though no stilettos, please!). But if you have light coloured carpet and it's icky out....use your judgement. :) I never even knew this was an issue. If you're a guest and you've found the perfect shoes to go with your outfit....clean off the soles, wear another pair of shoes over and change at the door.

- Condiments. Generally try to offer an array of condiments for people when the situation merits. Some people like to drown everything in ketchup. And this can be insulting. But don't waste your time being insulted - the kind of person who douses their food likely wouldn't have the kind of palate that can appreciate your tasty cooking anyway. But it is a good idea to look into the different kinds of condiments that people like to use - for roast beef, a lot of people like to use horseradish. I know that I grew up having mustard with my ham. Some people like to put mayo on their burgers (or fries). There are all kinds of norms, so just go with the flow if a guest asks for a condiment - if you've got it, bring it on out. Condiments are like a security blanket for some people - you can't fight it.

Step 7: But I don't have any silver platters.....(serving)

I remember when I hosted my first thanksgiving dinner. I was pretty nervous - just out of school, had never cooked a turkey (or any roast) before and hubs' (except he wasn't hubs then) parents were coming. And as soon as I finished cooking everything, I realized that the only thing I could serve it all in were these butt-ugly cheap white plastic bowls. Nice. At least it went well with the folding chairs and 80s era laminate table. CLASSY.

But you know what - no one complained, the sky didn't fall and it was totally fine. I've got a lot more serveware now and I can actually pick which platter/bowl I want to use. But use what you have.

That said, it's still important to consider how you're going to be serving the meal. I personally like to go the more formal route and plate things in the kitchen (so each plate looks the same and has the same visual appeal). But it depends on your menu. If you're doing a classic meat-potatoes and vegetable (MPV) meal, this works fine. But if you're doing a selection of curries, or making tacos, or something like that, you need to rethink a little. You can serve straight from the stove-top (done this - it's a little casual but still works), you can move everything into nice bowls and serve family style at the table. You can set up a buffet somewhere. Just think it through in advance so that when the time comes, you're not scrambling for a bowl that is full of salad dressing, or wishing for a platter that's holding the remnants of your appetizers. (This is why plating is nice - no need for extra serveware! Plus, it looks fancy!).

All in all, planning a dinner party doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as picking up a platter of hors d'oeuvres, a pre-made salad, a couple of containers of soup, a frozen entrée and a dessert from your favourite bakery. Or you can make it as complicated as you want. The important thing is spending time chatting, catching up with friends and enjoying yourself. So give it a try. :)

Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!

quiche for the pastry averse

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Let's face it, my sordid history with pastry has been somewhat faithfully documented since the inception of this blog. I hate working with pastry. I love eating it. I hate how it deposits itself to my backside after I've eaten it. And so the circle continues.

But it's hard to ignore the sheer comfort appeal of a quiche-like tart. It's yummy, it's quick to put together and it is such a nice dinner to have every once in a while.

So when I came across this next recipe, I was actually quite thrilled, The original called for squishing together pillsbury breadsticks to make a crust, but what with the acquisition of my new kitchenaid, I wasn't going to allow that nasty little shortcut a place in my kitchen.

Why defer to pillsbury when you can force slave labour out of hubs? He had the fortune (misfortune?) to be working from home that day, so against his loud protestations, I kindly coerced him into using the majestic kitchen aid to put together some dough (using the KA pizza dough recipe). I used half for this recipe, and the other half is sitting in my fridge. I don't yet have plans for it, but I will.

This tart was really yummy, and I ended up eating it for three days straight, due to an unanticipated and rather elongated power failure that interfered with other dinner plans. Yummy.

Leek and Potato Tart with Aged CHeddar
stolen and modified from cooking light



1/2 lb of pizza dough (use your favourite recipe, one that uses about 3.5 cups of flour, and you'll need half of this....you can also cheat and use a premade dough)
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium peeled baking potato, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
1 cup fat-free milk (I used 2% because hubs bought the milk again)
1/2 cup egg substitute (I used 2 eggs...next time I would use three to up the egg/milk ratio)
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated cheese (I used extra-old cheddar - very yummy!)
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Spread dough into a 9" glass pie plate (take note that if you drop a pyrex pie plate on ceramic, it actually explodes into tiny little bits...seriously, not one chunk is left unscathed....)


3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leek, pepper, and potato; sauté 4 minutes (I suggest sautéing a little bit longer, up to 10 minutes). Spread leek mixture into prepared crust.


4. Place the milk, egg substitute, cheeses, and mustard in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour milk mixture over leek mixture.


5. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes; let stand for 10 minutes. (Consider baking for a little longer - my potatoes were still not totally tender....it was still awesome, but could have been marginally awesomer). And yes, that is now a word.

Also, shock of all shocks, my tart popped right outta the pan after the requisite 10 minute waitin period.



Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

CALORIES 195 (26% from fat); FAT 5.6g (sat 1.6g,mono 1g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 8.9g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 135mg; SODIUM 435mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.4g

Yum. This would make a great brunch dish too. Thanks for reading! And as always, I live for your comments. :)

tasty enchiladic quickie

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I love enchiladas, burritos, tacos, or anything that purports to be pseudo-mexican inspired. O-town is not exactly a hotbed of mexican culinary authenticity, but the bits I've had have still been more than enough to give me a taste of this zesty cuisine.

My initial plan for last night was to make up a batch of chili-cheese enchiladas. Something quick, easy and healthy (using black beans and veggie ground round). I was going to make 12 of the little suckers and figured that should easily feed 5 people.

But then I remembered who was coming to dinner. And promptly realized that 12 enchilads would be a mere drop in the bucket. So I frantically went off in search of another enchilada recipe to offer as an alternative....came upon a recipe for chicken enchiladas with salsa verde. Behold, we have a winner. I used turkey instead of chicken (and you could really substitute whatever your heart desired) and they were FABULOUS.

Both kinds were awesome. I didn't take photos, because I didn't realize just how awesome they would be, but trust me when I say that you should make these. It's pretty quick to make up the 2 pans and you too can be a dinner hero.

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
stolen from Cooking Light.com

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (7-ounce) bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez brand - Ottawa readers, you can find this at the Gloucester Loblaws and the Bells Corners Price CHopper, amont other places)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (used turkey and it was fab)
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
8 (6-inch) tortillas (corn tortillas were past their sell-by date so I used whole wheat)
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco (didn't have time to go searching for this, so just used cheddar)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
4 lime wedges (bought 'em and forgot to use 'em)
Cilantro sprigs (optional)


Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

2. Warm tortillas to soften them (if necessary) Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth, and chicken mixture.

Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 327(26% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 4.4g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 28.5g; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 149mg; SODIUM 493mg; FIBER 3.3g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31g

Chili Cheese Black Bean Enchilada

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12-ounce) bag frozen soy crumbles, thawed (I used a package of Yves veggie ground round)
3/4 cup bottled salsa
1/3 cup (3 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (could only get whole wheat)
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce (can be found at either the Gloucester Centre Loblaws or Bells Corners Price Chopper)


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, beans, and soy crumbles, and cook 2 minutes, stirring mixture frequently.

2. Stir in salsa, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and add cream cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spread 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/3 cup black bean mixture down center of each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, crosswise in dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 386(30% from fat); FAT 12.9g (sat 4g,mono 3.8g,poly 3.4g); PROTEIN 26.8g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; CALCIUM 390mg; SODIUM 995mg; FIBER 10.7g; IRON 5.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.9g


This was awesome. There was barely enough left for my lunch today! I served the enchiladas with salsa and sour cream and would happily eat them at any time of day. YUM. This would be a great dish to make up in advance for company, and the best part is that you can have one of each enchilada, still have a fabulous dinner for less than 400 calories, and it's loaded with protein and fibre and really does a great job of making you feel full. YUM.

chocolate and caramel with the daring bakers

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It's that time of the month again...and no, I don't mean THAT time (or at least, if I did, I wouldn't post about it here), rather, the time where the exact same identical recipe starts suspiciously popping up on blogs around the globe.

Oh yeah. It's time for Daring Bakers.

This month's recipe was a very fun Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart. I was super stoked to make it, because I don't often stretch my baking boundaries, and since this recipe was incorporating caramel (woohoo!) AND chocolate, I didn't see how it could possibly not be awesome. Well, read on....

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart
Daring Bakers - August

This tart starts with pastry. I freaking hate pastry.

Chocolate Shortbread Pastry
Note: The Chocolate Shortbread pastry can make 3 tart shells.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration: overnight
To make 3 tart shells: 9 ½ inches (24 cm) square
or 10 inches (26 cm round)

Ingredients:

1 cup (250g ) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) confectioners’ sugar
½ cup (50 g) ground hazelnuts
2 level teaspoons (5 g) ground cinnamon
2 eggs
4 ½ cups (400 g) cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder

A day ahead
1. In a mixing bowl of a food processor, cream the butter. (Leslie's Note - this is totally and completely different from any other pastry recipe I've made....they usually call for uber cold butter, so it stays in little bits and makes things flakey. This is strange)

2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, the ground hazelnuts, and the cinnamon, and mix together. This part I can totally do. Doesn't it look nice?



3. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing constantly

4. Sift in the flour, the baking powder, and the cocoa powder, and mix well.

5. Form a ball with the dough, cover in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.

So I made a big ole ball outta the pastry. And it felt kinda strange. Almost plastic-like. This should have been another clue.



Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

½ lb (250 g) chocolate shortbread pastry (see recipe above)
1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (250 g) heavy cream (30-40 percent butterfat) or crème fraiche
¼ cup (50 g) butter
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 ½ tablespoons (15 g) flour
1 ¼ cups (300 g) whipping cream
½ lb (250 g) milk chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (160 °C).

2. Line the baking pan with the chocolate shortbread pastry and bake blind for 15 minutes.

So I had a little fun with this simple little step. Witness.....I rolled out the pastry and it looked just about perfect (especially considering that it was I who was doing this....and I hate making pastry...



So then, culinary genius that I am, I decided to just pick the whole thing up on the waxed paper and toss it in the pan. I didn't want it to stretch and break while I was lifting it, so I figured this would minimize the whole stretchy misshapen pastry issue. Luckly, hubs was on hand to snap away. Witness again.....



No, thine eyes do not deceive thee. That really is the pastry utterly and completely disintegrating. Don't worry, there's an even better picture...



Oh yeah. It was bad. I think it just *might* be worse than the whole charred shortbread incident...not sure though....

At any rate, I eventually squashed it into the pan, and came up with this:



Clearly, not that pretty, a little thick and clumsy, but WHATEVER. At least it's one congruous mass, which is more than we can say for the rolled out version, eh? I lined the pastry shell with foil and weighted it down with uncooked brown rice to keep it from puffing. The bottom line is that this pastry recipe sucks....it's not chocolatey enough to be chocolate and the cinnamon needs to be BANISHED. Blech.

3. In a saucepan, caramelize 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar using the dry method until it turns a golden caramel color. Incorporate the heavy cream or crème fraiche and then add butter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool.

This recipe writer is a total minimalist. The "dry" method means that you are basically heating a pan full of sugar and crossing all the extremities that it doesn't ignite.



The jury seems to be out on whether one should or should not touch the caramel while it brown...I couldn't resist, because I was nervous that the bottom parts would scorch and burn before the top had even melted. So ended up with this:



Meh. It eventually melted and didn't explode, much to my elation. Woot for that. Thankfully I had been warned about the thermodynamics that would ensue with the next step. Cold whipping cream and bubbling hot caramel make for explosive bedfellows, so I thankfully used a large enough pot to contain all the excitement. I was still completely freaked out though, so that's my ugly oven mitt you see blurred in the foreground.



At this point (once it all calmed down), it was totally one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life. I would willingly eat it with a spoon. OMG. GOOD.




4. In a mixing bowl, beat the whole eggs with the extra egg yolk, then incorporate the flour.

5. Pour this into the cream-caramel mixture and mix thoroughly.

This part was relatively straighforward. No further drama.




6. Spread it out in the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

I'm not sure if it was really supposed to be spreading consistency, because mine was very much a pouring kinda mixture. But it looked nice.



Though it didn't set up until about 30 minutes in the oven.



7. Prepare the milk chocolate mousse: beat the whipping cream until stiff. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie, and fold it gently into the whipped cream.

So I totally ate at least 100g of milk chocolate at this step. I'm normally a dark chocolate whore, but this stuff just beckoned me with its creamy goodness. It's pretty easy to prepare. I melted the chocolate in the micro:



And folded it into the cream. It ended up a touch grainy, but is anyone seriously going to complain about milk chocolate grains in the midst of billowy clouds of whipping cream? If they do, send them my way....





8. Pour the chocolate mousse over the cooled caramel mixture, smoothing it with a spatula. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

This step makes me seriously wonder if buddy who wrote this recipe f'ed up his verbs. I POURED the caramel into the pan, but I definitely had to SPREAD the mousse. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....mousse......



Thrilled with my handiwork and subsequent kitchen goddess status, I experimented with the ultra narrow depth of field in my new lens...yeah I know...overkill.




Caramel Fragments:

Melt ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar in a saucepan until it reaches an amber color. Pour it onto waxed paper laid out on a flat surface. Leave to cool. Break it into small fragments and stick them lightly into the top of the tart.

I had a little fun with this step. I used some of my leftover ground hazelnuts to make some of my caramel into a sort of hazelnut brittle. It was darn good.



I also had fun with the regular caramel (which made cooler shapes):



And bashing it all up with a meat mallet was surprisingly therapeutic (I learned the hard way last time that you don't mess with caramelized sugar....)



Of course, like last time I did the DB challenge, this one was also to survive a 200 km trek (different place this time), so I packed it up to go!



Under the cottage country setting sun, a few rays splashed their way across my cake, further melting the top sugary layer.....





The Verdict:
The components of this cake are interesting. I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER AS LONG AS I LIVE be making that crust again. I hated working with it, and worse, I despised the cinnamon. It was WAY too strong and out of place.

That said, I loved the caramel filling. It was amazing. It was like eating a werthers, except I wasn't wondering how its creamy goodness had been made indefinitely shelf stable. I would make the filling again, in a regular pâte sucrée, and top with whipped cream. And it would make me a hero to whoever ate it.

Last, the milk chocolate mousse was yummy, but I personally found it was lost in this recipe. Don't get me wrong, I scooped it out of the bowl like chocolate was going out of style and I just found the last sale, but it's relatively sweet and not super chocolatey, so it wasn't enough to stand up to the assertive cinnamon and caramel flavours. It would also be good in its own tart, or as a filling in a really decadent chocolate cake.

And I totally want that caramel filling again right now.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out what the other daring bakers created at the blogroll: http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/

Can't wait to see what next month's challenge is!

chickpeas and crêpes.....why not?

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I'm back.

I never really went anywhere, I just needed a little break. But I'm good now, relaxed and I'm HUNGRY for more bloggin'. I'm not sure about you guys, but I just go through stages of laziness, apathy and general distaste for all things domestic (and trust me, my house is a true testament to this lack of inner fortitude).

I do, however, have a full slate of food to make this week. Hubs and I are back into eating healthy (apparently, me eating dill pickle popcorn for dinner is not an acceptable form of nutrition....who knew?), homemade foods that are easy on the pocketbook.

Tonight we were actually supposed to be eating rice and dal (perennial fave), but when I sent the week's plan to hubs, he immediatedly zoned in on Thursday's dinner and asked if we might be able to have the mushroom crêpes chasseur for dins tonight.

This didn't seem to immediately present a problem (I'm never averse to switching around dinners), except that we hadn't actually purchased any groceries yet. SO, I worked until five, met hubs at 6, finally got home at 7 and then tackled this recipe. Which happened to be a mite bit more complex than my regular crêpe recipe. I mean, the crêpe part was pretty much the same, except I had to soak dried mushrooms, make up this mushroom mixture, then make a sauce with the initial mushroom soaking liquid. The crêpe recipe is a little odd - I was somewhat perplexed by the use of chickpea flour, but dutifully picked some up on my way home. Funny enough, at the bulk store, I had to tell the cashier what the heck it was, and that prompted the people in front of me to inquire as to what exactly one might do with chickpea flour.

I could have told the truth and told them I'd never used it before and was merely hoping for the best. But I decided to be an obnoxious know-it-all and informed them that it was excellent in crêpes.

Thankfully, I'm not a liar. Part of the healthy eating plan for hubs and I is to also reduce wine consumption (perhaps this could also be slated under the tightening purse strings plan too)...so hubs insisted that I cork the bottle of wine needed for this recipe and hide it on him. So I did. It's behind the flour, so he'll definitely never find it. Unless he reads this. But he probably won't (more likelihood of him looking behind the flour). So the wine should be safe. For a day or two, until I decide I want it.

Upshot of this is that I don't recommend this recipe for a weeknight. It's a little time consuming. Not difficult, just long. I would definitely turn it into a little vegetarian french dinner for two though - pair it with a nice salade verte, some onion soup and a nice little pastry-type thing to polish it off. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Mushroom Crêpes Chasseur
(chasseur refers to the red wine sauce. It's good)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour*
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray
4 cups vegetable broth (don't slay me vegetarians, I used homemade chicken stock that I martha'd up myself)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce) (couldn't buy porcini, so I used chanterelles)
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 (8-ounce) packages button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
8 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons oil, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Let stand 20 minutes.


2. Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Dip a paper towel in a small bowl of olive oil and lightly brush the skillet to grease it. Use a scant 1/4 cup of batter per crepe, and flip as soon as the top starts to appear dry. They look a little strange...


3. Place crepe on a towel; cool. Repeat procedure until all of the batter is used to make 12 crepes. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

4. Bring broth and 1/2 cup water to a boil in medium saucepan; remove from heat, stir in porcini. Let stand 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; reserve broth mixture and porcini. Add red wine and honey; set aside.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add reserved porcini; sauté 1 minute. Add button and shiitake mushrooms; cook 4 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pepper, nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 3/4 cup broth mixture; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


6. Bring remaining broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 12 minutes). Combine 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens. (I used more cornstarch, and I also added 1 T of butter to make it a bit richer).



7. Spoon 1/3 cup mushroom mixture in center of each crepe; fold sides and ends over, and place, seam side down, on a plate. Repeat procedure with remaining mushroom mixture and crepes, placing 2 crepes on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup sauce; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons parsley.

I only ate one though.


I skipped the parsley because I hate it. This was really tasty. I want more.

Thanks for reading and thanks for stickin' with me. I promise you it's worth it.