Sleeping Kitten – Dancing Dog!

France (above) (and below) Venice.  These photographs make my whole being vibrate in such a wonderful way.  As I look at them, I feel a comfortable sense of belonging.

Lots of goodies to tempt the palette and they are especially good with cocktails.  Hors d’oeuvres are such a varied array of foods and are mostly easy and fun to prepare.  Many can be made ahead of time and then reheated prior to setting up your buffet style.  Of course you can always hire a caterer and staff to do the mixing and fixing and serving for you.

The next time you are thinking about having friends over, why not consider serving these small delightful treats and party a bit more before serving your main course.

Resembles The Pentagon and has a shiny glazed topping.  A jaconde layered with raspberry jam.  The jaconde cake was soaked with dark rum syrup, prior to the jam and the assembly.  Assembly consists of cutting cake into four sections, (leaving one layer for the bottom.)  Spritz with rum simple syrup.  Then spread jam on the remaining three and stack one atop the other.  Cut strips about 3 to 4 inches wide and press into place.  Filling is cherry mousse with a cherry mirroir finish.  Chill and let set prior to serving.

Cake / Jaconde / Mona Lisa

8 large eggs
2 yolks
6 oz 10 X sugar sifted
8 oz almond flour
2 oz A. P. flour
2 oz butter melted (100º jiggled)
————–
6 oz egg whites
2 oz sugar ——————–> French meringue, medium to firm but not stiff

1) Beat eggs and yolks.
2) Sift dry together and set aside.
3) Add dry to mixer, cover, high speed for ten minutes.
4) Make French meringue medium and firm.
5) Fold into batter, light into heavy, heavy into light.
6) Prepare pans 1 and !/2 sheet pans.  Thumb edges.  Either sil pat with pate a cornet or greased with parchment paper and floured.

Bake 400º to 450º 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove cake from pans immediately and from sil pats.

Bavarian Cherry Mousse

2 c cherry puree
5 sheets gelatin bloomed
———————
2 c heavy cream whipped bavorios

1) Heat puree over steam bowl 190º to kill the enzyme.
2) Add gelatin and strain.
3) Fold in bavorios.

Glaze or Mirroir

1 oz fruit puree (cherry heat in bowl over steam to 190º to kill enzyme)

1 oz water, 1 oz sugar, 1 sheet gelatin (bloomed)

Shiny, smooth, transparent and without bubbles.  Pour over top of cake.

Rum Simple Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

————–  heat to boil and then pour in rum.

1 cup dark rum

When I was seven years old, I sat on top of a small metal child’s trash can. I slid down and then crawled out. I repeated this until I became overheated, it was summertime in Miami, Florida. I became stuck and it took many attempts, turbulent tears on my part, my siblings laughter turned into consternation and me looking like a half-wit with my legs and arms flailing wildly in the air, before I was rescued. This turned out to be a difficult thirty minute lesson. One which I never repeated … nor ever wanted to.

Crepes Suzette
Orange Butter Sauce

This recipe was created for a princess.

Recipe Orange Butter Sauce

1 lb butter
2 oranges all juice and zest
1/2 lb 10 X sugar

1) Puree butter and a little 10 X sugar in food processor.
2) Add orange juice and orange zest.

30 prepared crepes (see recipe)
Butter for cooking
Grand Marnier or Cognac

1) Heat the flat pan.  Add T butter and a splash of liquor.
2) Heat and coat the crepes, one at a time.
3) Fold into quarters, like a handkerchief, and put on the serving plate.
4) Repeat until each plate has four crepes.  Sprinkle with 10 X sugar and serve hot.

Crepes Batter

Crepes can be used as hors d’oeuvres and in sweet and savory dishes.  Better to prepare this batter the day beforehand, or hours before using…it is better rested as the flour must absorb the liquid.  The next day adjust the liquid / mixture and add flavorings.

1 large egg
1 egg yolk
4 oz AP flour
salt, herbs, seasonings (to taste)
1 oz sugar
1 c milk
2 oz clarified butter

1) Whisk egg, yolk and sugar by hand.
2) Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
3) Make this a little on the thick side.  Add flour a little at a time, whisk, add little milk, whisk, flout, mix, mail, mix, end with adding flour and final mix, but do not over mix.
4) Add in clarified butter and mix until blended.
5) Strain batter and store in refrigerator in a plastic container with a lid.

Using a small skillet and two long handled ladles, one for the butter and one for the batter, ladle in butter to coat the skillet and drain remainder back into butter container.  Skillet should be well heated, until smoking.  Ladle in, 5/6 full ladle, and move the batter by tilting the skillet in a slow circular motion, so the batter covers the entire bottom of the skillet.  The crepes should be so thin you can read through them.  They should be light in color, turn over for two seconds and take out of the pan…they are ready.  Continue cooking 4 or 5 crepes and then cool down the skillet with an ice water bath, on the bottom, do not submerge the skillet.   Place the cooked crepes onto parchment lined sheet pan and stagger them atop one another.  Cover with plastic wrap and use as needed.

Refrigerate and use same day or next.

Chocolate Bavarian Cake, originally uploaded by Theresa111.

Chocolate Bavarian Cake

Mise en Place
Large brioche a tet mold

15 to 25 lady finger biscuits (see recipe)
ganache
chocolate sauce
chocolate curls
2 c heavy cream whipped bavarios

Cakes and Cookies / Lady Finger Biscuits

8 yolks
3 oz sugar
1/2 t vanilla
————
8 oz whites
4 oz sugar
————
7 oz A. P. flour
1 pinch of salt
———–
10 X sugar in shaker
Shake onto piped biscuits, wait 3 minutes and sprinkle once more before baking.  The sugar will pearl.

Be patient while mixing.
1) Blend yolks, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl and then turn speed up medium high.  About five minutes.  They will appear very light in color.
2) Beat whites and 4 oz sugar into a stiff French meringue.
3) Pre-sift flour and salt; set aside.
4) Fold twice; eggs into meringue.
5) Sprinkle flour through sifter into bowl, fold, jiggle, sprinkle, fold, jiggle…repeat until all of the flour incorporated.
6) Fill pastry bag 1/2 full.  Using #5 tube pipe lady finger shape onto parchment lined sheet pans.  Be sure to space between the biscuits.  shake 10X sugar, wait 3 minutes and sprinkle again.

Bake 375º for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Yield is 2 full sheet pans of biscuits.

Freezes nicely.
——————————————————————-

1) Bloom gelatin.
2) Grease mold and line with plastic wrap.
3) Place lady fingers inside the mold all along the bottom and sides. Refrigerate.
4) Fold bavarios into ganache and fill mold.
5) Place slice of sponge cake on top. Refrigerate to set.
6) Un-mold and turn upside down. Pour melted chocolate sauce on top and allow it to flow down the indented sides of the cake. There will be a pool of sauce surrounding the cake at the bottom.

Serve with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Freezes nicely. Best to serve this fresh one to two days in fridge.

All American Brownies

Room Temperature:
13 oz butter softened
25 oz sugar
10 large eggs
1 T vanilla
11 oz A.P. flour
5 oz cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
10 oz walnut chunks

1) Cream butter and sugar in mixer, add vanilla.
2) Add eggs two at a time.  Blend well.  Save two eggs.
3) Sift flour, salt and cocoa a few times to blend together.
4) Alternate egg and dry ingredients to mixer a little at a time.  Pulse and then blend.
5) Add nuts.
6) Spread batter in the half sheet pan.  Buttered, floured and parchment paper.

Bake 350º to 375º 25 to 30 minutes.  Out of oven turn upside down and glaze with 1:1 ganache and chill.  A few hours later pour second glaze, cut 1″ square brownies.

Chocolate
Brownie Glaze

This is a 1:1 (equal parts) ganache`

12 oz heavy cream
12 oz 50% semi-sweet chocolate chopped

1) Cream heated just to a boil
2) Temper chocolate and blend
3) Double glaze brownies

Making candy from scratch is very interesting and not hard.  It takes time and the elements have to be in place, but it is an experience that is more fun when shared.

I really enjoyed this part of Pastry Arts because we got to taste the different kinds of ganache, truffles and assortment of filled chocolates.  Also brittle, candied fruit and nuts, and chocolate covered nuts.   

Truly a great memory and a perfect choice for festive holiday gift giving.  Purchase the finest chocolates and freshest ingredients, find cute gift boxes and ribbons to decorate.  Voila.  Your gift is perfection itself.  Give it a try because I promise you will not be disappointed.

I located more candy photos for you to see.