Profiteroles

After watching a late night show on how to make Mille-Feuille, sleeping through most of it, I remember thinking that it looked easy. So looking it up on Martha Stewart I got side tracked. I made this instead. It was AMAZING! Of course, I used Godiva's 72% dark chocolate instead of the pathetic chocolate sauce the recipe called for, including corn syrup.

We had the missionaries over for dinner and on the menu? Bean & Cheese burritoes with homemade tortillas, of course, and this BEAUTIFUL CREAM PUFF! I absolutely loved the combination! (I am kidding. But I do love Random.) Sort of Mexican meets France.

Anyway, the recipe is probably the EASIEST dessert I have ever made. No joke. Click HERE for the how-to video.

Homemade Tortillas!

Clark and I made the yummiest homemade tortillas yesterday! They are so easy to make and much healthier than the store bought ones! This is a recipe I found online, sort of. I made a quite a few changes of my own!

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 stick of butter at room temperature (I microwave it 3 seconds at a time and rotate the stick until it's no longer cold, it ruins recipes if you straight up microwave it)

1 1/4 c. warm water

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Then add butter with a pastry mixer thingy or a fork, whichever. Add the water a bit at a time, mixing while you do it. See, you don't want the dough to be sticky or crumbly. So add until just right. Knead it with your hands just a tiny bit, so you make sure it's the right consistancy. Cover with a cloth for 10 min. at least, or more.

If you have an electric stove turn it on to medium heat with your skillet since it takes a while to heat up. Okay, so cooking it. On a clean surface add some flour and take tennis ball (maybe slightly smaller) sized bits of dough and roll them out in a really thin circle (have fun with that one). Stick it on the skillet/or pan and when it bubbles, flip it. AMAZING. Enjoy!!!!

île flottante

When I was living in Saint-Étienne one of my favorite desserts was Oeufs à la Neige. When asked to describe it I would say it looks like raw egg whites served with raw egg yolks. I honestly had no idea what was in it. Today I just finish reading French Women Don't Get Fat (good, by the way) and found the recipe. I was close, but the egg whites are poached. Don't worry, there's sugar involved and no egg flavor. I made some for Clark today. He loved it! Thought it was weird, but loved it! For me, second time around? Délicieux! Try it!

2 1/2 c. whole milk

2/3 c. plus 1 tbs sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Scald milk in large saucepan. Add 1/3 c. sugar and vanilla. Cover and remove from heat. Separate the eggs and reserve the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, beat the whites with the salt until foamy and then gradually beat in the 1 tbs of sugar. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Return the saucepan with milk to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.

With a soup spoon, scoop out a mound of the egg whites and drop into the milk. Cook gently for 2 minutes and turn gently to cook the other side for 2 minutes. Remove and drain on a dry towel. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate on a plate until ready to serve. In the bowl containing the egg yolks, gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 c. of sugar and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon. Gradually add the hot milk in a thin stream to slowly warm up the yolks and avoid scrambling them. Chill the custard in a serving bowl.

When ready to serve, place the poached egg whites on top of the custard. Top with cocoa powder, caramel (boiled butter and sugar), or grated dark chocolate.

Buckwheat Crepes

This is my new favorite thing to eat for breakfast! 1 cup freshly ground buckwheat flour 1 cup freshly ground spelt, kamut, or whole wheat flour (I love it w/ Kamut) 2 cups yoghurt 3 eggs lightly beaten 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt about 1/2 cup melted butter Soak flour in yogurt in a warm place 12 to 24 hours. Beat in eggs, salt and 1/4 cup melted butter and thin with enough water to achieve the consistency of cream. Beat several minutes with an electric beater. Heat skillet, brush with butter and use 1/4 cup measure to ladle batter into pan. Tip pan to distribute batter. Turn after two minutes and cook another minute. Serve with desired toppings! I love it with yogurt and fruit or cheese!

For Glenn

SPICY LAMB SANDWICH ON FLAT BREAD W/ PISTACHIO RELISH

Spice Mix

3 tsp ground bay leaves 6 black peppercorns 4 tsp dried thyme leaves 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground cloves 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon Celtic Sea Salt 4 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cardamom 4 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Ingredients: One 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound piece leg or shoulder of lamb One 12 to 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained 1 clove garlic 2 TBS lemon juice 1 TBS olive oil pinch of cayenne pepper Celtic Sea Salt 4 pita breads or other variety of pocket flat bread 4 small handfuls of arugula 2 roasted red bell peppers, cut into large strips 1 recipe Pistachio Relish Prepare the spice mix: Grind the bay leaves and peppercorns together in a mortar and pestle or in a mini processor. Add all the remaining herbs and spices, including a generous pinch of sea salt, and mix thoroughly. Pat a liberal coat of the spice mixture over the lamb. (any remaining spice mix can be stored in an airtight container and used to season other meat and fish dishes.) Cover the lamb and set it aside to marinate for at least 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. (If you refrigerate it, let it come back to room temperature before cooking it.) Place the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse mush. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne, and sea salt to taste. Continue to mix until it forms a fairly smooth puree. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 390ºF. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for approximately 35 minutes for medium doneness. If you prefer your meat well-done, leave it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Keep basting the meat with any fat that may have collected in the pan. Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the pita in the oven for a minute or so. Then open the pocket of each pita and spread the chickpea puree inside. Slice the meat and stuff it inside the bread along with the arugula and the roasted peppers. Serve the Pistachio Relish alongside. Pistachio Relish: Small handful unsalted pistachio nuts Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon Splash orange-flower water, optional Smidgeon minced garlic Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped Small handful fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped Extra virgin olive oil Celtic Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper Coarsely chop the pistachio nuts and place them in a medium-size bowl. Mix with the lemon zest and juice. Add the orange-flower water (often used in Moroccan cookery). Mix in the garlic, parsley, and mint. Stir in olive oil until the relish has a spreading consistency, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. My notes: So it really doesn't take long to make believe it or not, and even though it has cayenne pepper in it Cindy, I swear it isn't spicy hot. I didn't put arugula in it because I didn't know what it was and I didn't put in orange-flower water for the same reason and it tasted fine. Also I made the chickpeas from scratch (because I couldn't find canned) and I got it from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, so I soaked it overnight. It was good. I'm not writing out that recipe unless you want it so either call me or email me. Also there are other instructions if you want to cook the lamb on a barbecue grill or under the broiler but again, I don't want to write it out if you're not going to do it. (This recipe was WAY too much typing for my taste so you guys better try the recipe :) ENJOY!

Sesame Buffalo Wings

I found the most amazing recipe for buffalo wings! Don't worry Heather & Cindy, they aren't spicy! So you can eat it too! (p. 285 NT for Heather & Linnea)

I double the marinade and use 1/2 to marinade and the other half as a dip. Very important to pat dry before you bake it! Enjoy!

Sesame Buffalo Wings

24 chicken wings, separated at the joints

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 TBS honey

juice of 2 lemons

grated rind of 2 lemons

1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried green peppercorns, crushed

3 TBS melted butter

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Mix soy sauce, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, lemon rind and all seasonings. Marinate buffalo wings in the mixture several hours or overnight. Remove from mixture and pat dry. Place in a stainless steel baking pan, brush with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake at 350 degrees about 1 1/4 hours. May be served with the marinade, gently heated, as a dip.