0 DARK CHOCOLATE TART - TARTE NOIRE

Last weekend, I had an irrepressible need to feed my craving for dark chocolate desserts. That happens to me quite often, although I am not a "chocolate addict". I am a big chocolate lover, but I don't have this compulsive need for it. As matter of fact, I can survive without eating any for days (though not for life)...

I felt uneasy and shifty like a tiger in a cage, roaming up and down the apartment in search of a fulfilling recipe. I wanted something transcending and soul-uplifting.

As it is many times the case, I found what I was looking for in Dorie Greespan's "Baking From My Home To Yours". As I needed to savor a chocolate-based tart with character and a strong taste of chocolate, I was naturally drawn to her "Dark chocolate Tart" recipe which's name sounded so promising to me.

This sophisticated, yet simple tart is an irresistible pastry that any dessert freak should have made at least once. The taste of chocolate is exhaliratingly heady, strong and bitter, the crust is so flaky and buttery and the filling is so sleek, rich, smooth and the cocoa nibs add a wonderfully crunchy contrast. It can't get any better!

Dorie's dangerously addictive "Dark Chocolate Tart" is definitely for amateurs of "real" chocolate in search of a cocoa fix and not for the faint of heart...

~ Dark Chocolate Tart ~
Recipe taken from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients for the "Crust":
1 1/4 Cups Plain flour
1/4 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 Cup Icing sugar
1/4 Tsp Sea salt
135g Very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 Large Egg yolk
Ingredients for the "Filling":
240g (8 oz) Bittersweet chocolate (min 70%), finely chopped
1 Cup plus 2 tbsp Heavy cream (35 % fat)
1/4 Stick (60g) Butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
2 Tbs Cocoa nibs

Method for the "Crust":
1. Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
2. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry mixture and pulse until you obtain small pieces of butter, the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas (if you don’t have a mixer, you can put the ingredients in a bowl and rub the butter with your fingers.)
3. Stir the yolk with a fork and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.
4. Process in long pulses (10 seconds each) until the dough comes together in clumps and curds.
5. Turn the dough to a lightly floured surface a knead briefly in order to incorporate the dry ingredients that might have escaped the mixing.
6. Lightly butter a 9-inch (22cm or you could make several tartlets) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
7. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes (longer is preferable).
8. Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
9. Butter a piece of parchment paper and fit the paper, buttered side down, tightly against the crust.
10. Put the tart pan on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.
11. Carefully remove the paper. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.
12. Bake for another 8 minutes or so.
13. Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust completely before filling.

Method for the "Filling":
1. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and have a whisk at hand.
2. Bring the cream to a boil, then pour half of it over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Working with the whisk, very gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at the centre of the bowl and working your way out.
3. Pour in the remainder of the cream and blend it into the chocolate, using the same circular motion.
4. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece and add the cocoa nibs.
5. Pour the ganache into the crust and gently turn the pan from side to side to even the ganache.
6. Refrigerate the tart for 30-40 minutes to set the ganache.
7. Remove the tart from the fridge and keep it at room temperature until serving.

Remarks:
Always remember to use the best chocolate as the taste of your tart will depend on it.
Don’t stir the ganache any more than you must to blend the ingredients – the less you work it, the darker, smoother and shinier it will be.
Purists will want to enjoy the tart at room temperature and au naturel, but you can of course serve it cold, served straight out of the fridge.

Serving suggestions:
Serve that tart the day it is made or latest the next day.
Eat it alone or accompanied by whipped cream or ice cream (vanilla, peanut butter, pecan, walnut, caramel, etc...).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Tarte au Chocolat Noir ~
Recette tirée du livre "Baking From My Home To Yours" par Dorie Greenspan et légèrement adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 8 parts.

Ingrédients pour la "Croûte Au Chocolat":
160g de Farine blanche
22.5g de Cacao en poudre non sucré
30g de Sucre en poudre
1/4 CC de Sel marin
135g de Beurre non-salé, très froid et coupé en petits morceaux
Le jaune d'un gros oeufs
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture":
240g de Chocolat mi-sucré (je recommande l'utilisation de chocolat à 70%), haché finement
270ml/g de Crème à 35%
60g de Beurre non-salé, coupé en 4 morceaux
2 CS de Grué de cacao

Méthode Pour la "Croûte":
1. Mettre la farine, la poudre de cacao, le sucre et le sel dans un mixer et pulser afin de bien mélanger.
2. Ajouter le beurre et pulser jusqu'à ce que vous obteniez des petits morceaux de beurre (certains de la taille d'un flocon d'avoine et d'autres de la taille d'en petit pois).
3. Mélanger le jaune d'oeuf à la fourchettte et l'ajouter au mélange petit à petit, en pulsant après chaque ajout.
4. Pulser plusieurs fois pendant 10 secondes, jusqu'à ce que la pâte commence à se rassembler.
5. Mettre la pâte sur une surface de travail farinée et pétrir légèrement afin d'incorporer tous les ingrédients qui se sraient échappés lors du mixage.
6. Beurrer légèrement une plaque flûtée (avec fond amovible) de 22cm (ou plusieurs moules à tartelettes) et presser la pâte dans le moule afin de bien le tapisser.
7. Mettre le moule au congélateur pendant 30 minutes ou plus.
8. Placer une grille au centre du four et le préchauffer à 180° C.
9. Beurrer une feuille de papier sulfurisé et mettre le côté beurrer sur la croûte(bien recouvrir).
10. Mettre la pâte à cuire pendant 25 minutes.
11. Enlever délicatement la feuille de papier sulfurisé. Si la pâte à gonflé, l'applatir avec le dos d'une cuillère.
12. La cuire encore pendant 8 minutes ou plus.
13. Mettre la pâte à refroidir (complétement) sur une grille.

Méthode pour la "Garniture":
1. Mettre le chocolat haché dans un bol moyen et préparer un fouet.
2. Faire bouillir la crème et verser la moitié sur le chocolat. Le laisser reposer 30 secondes, puis bien mélanger au fouet de manière circulaire (ne pas battre/voir remarques).
3. Verser le reste de crème et bien l'incorporer au mélange chocolatté, en mélangeant de manière circulaire.
4. Quand la ganache est lisse et brillante, ajouter le beurre morceau par morceau, puis le grué de cacao.
5. Verser la ganache dans la croûte et secouer légèrement afin de lisser.
6. Mettre au frigo pendant 30-40 minutes afin que la ganache se solidifie.
7. Retirer du frigo et laisser la tarte à température ambiante avant de servir.

Remarques:
Achetez toujours du chocolat de bonne qualité. La saveur de votre tarte en dépendra.
Ne mélangez pas trop la ganache autrement elle perdra de sa couleur foncée et ne sera plus lisse et brillante.
Les puristes voudront consommer cette tarte à température ambiante, mais vous pouvez aussi la consommer froide.

Idées de présentation:
Servir cette tarte le jour de sa fabrication ou au plus tard le jours suivant.
Vous pouvez la manger seule, avec de la crème chantilly ou avec de la glace (à la vanille, au beurre de cacahuète, aux pécans, aux noix, caramel, etc...).

0 DRIED HIBISCUS FLOWERS

The use "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" (also known as "Hibiscus", "Sorrel", "Rosella", "Karkadé", "Rosemallow" or "Flor De Jamaica") in the kitchen is very interesting. Those lovely flowers grow on a plant which is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Hibiscus trees are native to warm, temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. Their flowers are very large and trumpet-like, and their colors range from white to pink, red, orange, purple or yellow.

Due to it's medicinal properties, some people call Hibiscus the "other cranberry". As a matter of fact, it's good to soothe colds, open blocked nose, clearing up mucous, as an astringent, promoting proper kidney function, helps digestion, a tonic, a diuretic and helps reduce fever. It is also very rich in vitamin C.

Nonetheless, I recommend you to be cautious when using those flowers as they have a hypotensor effect on us. It is for that reason that you'd better not consume this flower if you are suffering from hypotension (low arterial pressure).

With "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" one can make tea, syrup/cordial, all kinds of drinks and cocktails. They can also be crushed into flakes and used as condiment (to flavor rice, stews, sauces, ice creams, etc...) or added to cakes, scones or any pastry as well as dessert of your choice and even used as a food coloring agent.

Check my "Mouhalabieh or Lebanese Milk Flans" recipe that is served with a colorful "Hibiscus & Rosewater Syrup".

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #249

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging #249 is hosted by Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA)...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

Here are some news regarding Fridolin's health...

Last Monday, the veterinary came home and after feeling a ball in Fridolin's stomach area, he decided to take him back to his practice and conduct a series of tests (blood test and a radio).

The bloood test result came out not too bad and showed that Fridolin's kidneys as well as liver are in a very good state (for his age/15 years old). On the other hand the test showed a high level of glucids and white blood cells. Then the radio showed what scared me the most: Frodolin has a walnut-sized tumor in the lower stomach.

Unfortunately, the veterinary told us that he could not operate him and that it was too late to save him. No treatment was even possible. We were ready to euthanize him, but when we arrived at the doctor's practice, we discovered a nosy and active Fridolin who could not stand still... That made us change our minds!

We have decided to to do all that we can for him and give him natural remedies. So, since a week Fridolin takes cortisone as well as homeopathy. He is sweet, full of energy, doesn't seem to suffer, eats like a lion and is very happy. He seems very strong morally and ready to fight against that nasty tumor.

If anybody can recommend a homeopathic or natural treatment (alternative medicine), please leave me a message and I will be very happy to consider it...

0 BARBERRY PILAF - PILAF AUX BARBERRIES

People who know me must have gathered by now that I very much enjoy the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. The incredible flavors as well as the ingredients used set my soul on fire and I really love the way that food is prepared. In those regions of the world, the dishes have this special holiday feel that brings sunshine and happiness to the table...

Lately, I have invested in two magnificent cookery books on the foods of Turkey, Lebanon and Morocco (Claudia Roden's gorgeous cookbook "Arabesque", Greg Malouf's fabulous "Turquoise - A Chef's Travel In Turkey" & Nevin Halici's "Turkish Cookbook"). In autumn 2009, Tobias at "Tobias Cooks" even sent me a superb Turkish cookbook (“Turkish Cooking: Classic Traditions, Fresh Ingredients, Authentic Flavours, Aromatic Recipes” by Ghillie Basan) that I won thanks to my "Stuffed Quinces" recipe and also thanks to all the people who voted for me (thanks!). I can never have to many cookbooks on the subject.

Nowadays, I cook at least one or two Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dishes a month. That kind of food is so fine that I could feed on it on a daily basis. Just to think about it makes me drool and crave the exhaliratig flavors of cumin, allspice, sumac, cinnamon, rose water, tahini, spinach, pine nuts, chickpeas, fresh flat bread, eggplants, tomatoes, lamb, oregano, dill, coriander, etc... I now have an irrepressible need to take a trip to my favorite Lebanese (Goodtaste, 2 chemin sur Grosse, 01210 ferney Voltaire, France) and Balkanic (Shala Mutimarché, 83 rue de Lyon, 1203 Genève) foodstores and raid both of them!

So, last Saturday, I decided to make one of my favorite Lebanese-inspired dishes that consists of fluffy "Barberry Pilaf" served with fried fish or chicken breasts (this time I opted for chicken) and a wonderfully creamy tahini (I'm addicted to it) pomegranate sauce. It is a meal we appreciate a lot and which I cook on a regular basis.

Baberry fruits grow on spiny shrubs of the genus Berberis. Several varieties exist and depending on the variety, the fruits may vary in color from black or purple to white or yellow. Of all the barberries, the common barberry or the jaundice berry is most commonly eaten. This fruit is native to Europe and temperate Asia. It is grown in many parts of the globe, but Iran is the largest producer of zereshk (barberries) in the world.

Barberries are quite acidic and very rich in vitamin C. They somehow remind me of cranberries with their sharp taste and tart flavor. You probably wouldn't want to eat them fresh out of hand. In the past, the fruits were usually preserved with some sort of sweetener to make preserves, jellies, preserves, and syrup, or were candied. They were also prepared as a pickle in vinegar, and used in pies and other baked goods. Now, we generally find them dried and we use them much like we use dried currants.

Although you can find many recipes for "Barberry Pilaf" the recipe I am sharing with you today is the product of my own imagination. I came up with that recipe when i wanted to make a use of my barberries and thze Gulf spice mix that Corinnne (thanks, I need more LOL !!!) had kindly given me.

The Basmati rice has a wonderful round flavor and refined fragrance thanks to the spices, onion and garlic. It is perfectly well-balanced. The addition of barberries brings an interesting and contrasting tang to the whole dish. Delightful!

~ Barberry Pilaf ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tsp Baharat spice mix (Gulf-style)
3/4 Tsp Ground cumin
1/4 Tsp Ground cinnamon
4 Tbs Dried barberries
280g Basmati rice
530ml/g Water
1 Cube Organic chicken stock
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
30g Unsalted butter

Method:
1. In a large pan, fry the onion and garlic in oil until soft, golden and transclucid (onion).
2. While the onions and garlic and frying, wash the basmati rice under cold water, until the water is clear. Strain well and set aside.
3. Add the spices to the onion in the pan and stir fry them until fragrant (1 minute max).
4. Add the water, cube chicken stock rice and barberries. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Over high heat, stir constantly and bring to the boil.
6. Once it boils, lower the temperature (lowest possible) and cover with a lid.
7. Cook with the lid on for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice rest for another 12 minutes with the lid on (see remarks).
8. Lift the lid, add a little butter and stir delicately with a fork.
9. Serve.

Remarks:
When making Basmati rice (point 7), always keep in mind that you have to use the same recipient to measure the rice and water (2x recipient of rice for 3 1/2 x recipient of water). The recipient I used for this recipe had a 3/4 cup capacity (2 x 3/4 cup of rice for 31/2 x 3/4 cup of water).
When the rice is cooking or resting DO NOT lift the lid (or stir the rice), otherwise you'll liberate the steam and will end up with a badly cooked rice as well as mush.

Serving suggestions:
Serve this rice as an accompaniment to meat (steak, chicken breasts, duck leg/breast, lamb roast, roasted turkey, game, etc...) or fish (friend or steamed).
I recommend you to serve both the meat/fish and rice with a tahini sauce called "Tarator" or with the cooked version of this sauce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Riz Pilaf Au Barberries ~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Ingrédients:
1 CS d'Huile d'olive
1 Oignon, haché finement
2 Gousses d'ail, hachées finement1
1/2 CC de Baharat (mélange d'épices du Golfe Persique)
3/4 CC de Cumin en poudre
1/4 CC de Cannnelle en poudre
4 CS de Barberries
280g de Riz basmati
530ml/g d'Eau
1 Cube de Bouillon de poule bio
Sel, à volonté
Poivre, à volonté
30g de Beurre non-salé

Méthode:
1. Dans une grande casserole, faire revenir l'oignon et l'ail jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés et cuits.
2. Pendant que l'oignon et l'ail sont mis à frire, rinser le riz jusqu'à ce que l'eau devienne claire. Faire bien égoutter et mettre de côté.
3. Ajouter les épices et faire cuire tout en remuant pendant 1 minute afin que les arômes se libèrent.
4. Ajouter l'eau, le cube de bouillon, les barberries et le riz. Saler et poivrer. Mélanger.
5. Augmenter la température et porter à ébullition tout en remuant.
6. Baisser immédiatement la température et mettre le couvercle sur la casserole.
7. Cuire pendant 12 minutes (avec le couvercle), puis éteindre le feu et laisser reposer encore 12 minutes avec le couvercle (voir remarques).
8. Ajouter le beurre et mélanger délicatement à l'aide d'une fourchette.
9. Servir.

Remarques:
Il y a une règle simple pour réussir ce riz: utilisez le même récipient pour mesurer le riz et l'eau (2x récipient de riz pour 3 1/2 x récipients d'eau). Pour cette recette, j'ai utilisé un récipient ayant une contenance de 180ml (2 x récipient de 180ml de riz pour 3 1/2 x récipient de 180ml).
Durant la cuisson du riz (point 7), NE SOULEVEZ EN AUCUN CAS le couvercle (et ne mélangez en aucun cas le riz) autrement votre riz le pourra plus cuire correctement car l'intérieur de la casserole aura perdu sa vapeur.

Idées de présentation:
Servir ce riz en tant qu'accompagnement.
Il se marie parfaitement avec de la viande (steak, filet de poulet, magret/cuisse de canard, dinde cuite au four, rôti d'agneau, venaison, etc...) ou du poisson (grillé ou cuit à la vapeur).
Je vous recommande vivement de servir la viande/le poisson ainsi que ce riz avec de la sauce au tahini (pâte de sésame) appelée "Tarator" ou avec la version cuite de cette sauce.

0 AU PÉCHÉ MIGNON - ANNECY

I am still going through my leftover pictures of Annecy which I took during our last holidays in October. There are still many shots that I want to share with you, so I hope you'll not get annoyed by the fact that they are not very recent...

In the old town of Annecy there is a quaint little "pâtisserie"/confectionery that we particularly cherish and always visit when we go there. It is called "Au Péché Mignon ("péché mignon" meaning literally "cute sin") and offers the most delicious cakes, chocolates, savory tarts (their Reblochon quiche is fantastic) and ice creams.

Their window is always contains beautiful pastries and cakes. All the goodies are so colorful, amazingly decorated and really tempting. It is impossible for foodies like us to walk by without stopping and buying something. At "Au Péché Mignon", our weakness for sweets isn't a sin anymore and it becomes an obligation for us to "misbehave"!

We cannot visit Annecy without making a trip to that lovely place and treat ourselves with a few cakes as well as as a quiche. Although, there are plenty other places there, we have to eat one of their yummy creations before we can move on to the next bakery!

If you are addicted to chocolate, nourish a passion for good quality French pastries, sweets as well as confectioneries, then "Au Péché Mignon" is for you. Just don't forget that on market days (Wednesday and Saturday mornings) the place is chock-a-block full, so you'd better choose another time to indulge yourself vice fully and be a bit of a glutton...

Au Péché Mignon

9 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

74000 Annecy
France

Route berechnen

Tél.: 04 50 45 39 96

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #248

This week, Weekend Cat Blogging #248 is hosted by Meowza at "iMeowza" (USA)...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in her blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact her via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

Fridolin has not been feeling well lately.

Everytime he eats, he can't hold down his food (wet & dry). Apart from that he seems fine, maybe a little calm after each episode.
It is not the first time he has this. The last time it happened (October), it went away.

Does anyone know what it could be?
I don't know if I should call the veterinary...