The Red Cake Plate

with sadness

Petit Soleil

has

bid 

adieu

to

their 

charming

12-year-old

red cake plate

that huge gash

made it not so 

charming

anymore

the

red cake plate

was

faithful

to 

Petit Soleil

it made 

even the

not so pretty

coffee cakes

muffins

and doughnuts

look

pretty

 and 

the

red cake plate

even

went

on 

a little adventure

wanna hear?

so...

maybe

 five years ago

one of our

 employees 

   was 

scheduled 

to

work

on

Thanksgiving - 

unbeknownst to us at the time

she had invited

a few of her

Sorority sisters

for

their own

Thanksgiving soiree

     at Petit Soleil

(and with sorority sisters

 came frat brothers).

The 

next 

morning,

(a busy morning

and full house)

we discovered that

the whole coffee cake

had

disappeared

as

had

the

   red cake plate

          did it break, we wondered?

            was it hidden in some weird random place?

                did a guest take it to their room?

when we questioned

our

Thanksgiving soiree hostess

she

simply

didn't remember

even seeing

a 

coffee cake

nor the

    red cake plate

(whaaat? 

 that 

   red cake plate

     was 

       front center

        on

          the breakfast buffet 

           every

            single

              morning

                since

                  Petit Soleil opened)

.....strange

days passed

and

I found a

new

cake plate

(not charming nor red)...

and

we heard

a 

little

story

...

Another Petit employee

   was at a party

     and a guy

       mentioned

         that he had had

           quite the fun (and delicious)

              Thanksgiving

                at Petit Soleil

                  and that

                    the "coffee cake was especially delicious"

whaaaaat?

       we again questioned

         the Thanksgiving soiree hostess

           and told her

             the story

               her Fraternity brother told

                 (....she was a bit befuddled as what to say)

        but

         did admit

           to her little soiree

              but not to the coffee cake disappearance

Where was the

          red cake plate?

             "I didn't take it" she said

     and a few days later

             the

               red cake plate

                 quietly 

                     appeared

                        on 

                         Petit Soleil's doorstep

                            at 6:30 am

                

         and so

              does

anyone

know

where

we

can

find

a

new 

charming

red cake plate?

                

"How Easy Is That?"

What a

treat

it

was

to find

a

 whole bunch

of

food pictures

on

my 

camera!

I 
took
a moment

to 

reminisce

about

the 

deliciousness

of

each
dish
in
each

picture

New Year's Eve
was 
just
one
of
the
favorite
food
memories

****

         for the longest while

I

have

had

this
 craving

for

a 

souffle

(actually, I have never had a savory souffle before)

but

I 

had 

a 

crazy

craving 

nonetheless

New Year's Eve 2012

-champagne

in hand-

John and I

made

a

MOST

delicious
light
fluffy
p.e.r.f.e.c.t.

souffle

......and it was so easy

especially

when

you

use

Ina Garten's

recipe

(and

when

you 

have a

cooking buddy)

pretty, huh?

and

I mean - really

any

recipe

by

Ina

is 

always

delicious

(I secretly want to be Ina's BFF and go to her house for dinner......once a week)

to save

you 

the

google

search

here

is

Ina's

recipe

for 

her

perfectly

delicious

Spinach and Cheddar Souffle

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room-temperature
• 1/2 cup grated aged Cheddar cheese, lightly packed
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 6 to 8-cup souffle dish (6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches in diameter by 3 1/2 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, the nutmeg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Cheddar, 1/4 cup of Parmesan and the spinach and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Thank you,

Ina!

Happy 2013

The Christmas Tamalera - a la Petit

a

"tamalera"

is

a 

tamale-making

extravaganza

you can

really

NOT

make

tamales

alone

you must

have

a 

gaggle

of

friends

(or family)

...

each assigned

to a task

First,

you need

to think about

what

you

want

to stuff

inside 

your tamales

                            our Christmas tamales this year were:

1.  Ashley's slow cooked chicken and corn

2.  slow cooked chipotle pork

3.  Black bean and roasted corn with cotija cheese

4.  Jack cheese and jalapeño strips

while 

you

prepare

the fillings

you
must

soak
 the

corn husks

(I had to put a plate over the husks to keep them from floating to the top of the sink)

for

a minimum of

two hours

    then

you can mix up

 the masa

(we used Crisco instead of lard)

and

then the

tamale-making begins

*****

Ashley

spread the 

masa

on the softened corn husks

just

like

this

 

Emily

aka M.C.

spooned

the filling

in

the middle of the 

masa

and

Annie

folded

the corn husk

around

the filling

it is

quite

the social

event

I

tried

to keep the

troops

ON TASK,

but.....

I 

thought

it was

time

to help

get

back on

the

tamale-making task

(and

I 

am

known

for

always

"staying on task"

...NOT)

.....

fast forward

three tamale-making hours

 later

we

spread, filled and folded

just about

 109

tamales

John readied

the

large pot and a small pot

for 

the tamales

to steam

and

they were

ready

after about

11/2 hours

Deliciousness!

(photos in next post)

here's

the

masa recipe

we

used:

1 c. Crisco

1 TBS. sea salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3 1/2 c. masa harina

2 1/2 c. warm water

In an electric mixer, beat shortening, salt and baking powder

until light and fluffy

-about 5 minutes

(scraped down the sides often)

add the dry masa harina

and

mix until

just incorporated

with mixer on low

slowly add

 1 1/4 c. water

increase speed,

continue mixing

and 

stream in remaining

warm water

Masa

should 

have

the consistency

of cake batter

and

is ready

to spread 

on corn husks

Fillings

can

be 

just about anything!

  I cooked a pork butt in the crock pot with a can of pureed chipotle chiles for 6 hours - delish!

  Chicken or turkey thighs can be slow cooked the same way.  Ashley added Trader Joe's Roasted Corn to her slow cooked chicken.

   Black beans, the same roasted corn and Cotija (or Jack Cheese) is good

   Apples, raisins, cinnamon and cream cheese is good

   Jalapeño strips and Jack cheese strips is super yummy

   Cooked pureed sweet potatoes, or cook pureed butternut squash with chevre and toasted pecans is divine

   Shredded beef - YUM!

         

Persimmons and Really GOOD Advice

a 

persimmon

is

a berry 

"God's Pear"

divine fruit

if heart shaped

eat when squishy (Hachiya)

if squat and tomato shaped

eat when firm (Fuyu)

(Fuyus are my favorite addition to salad with chevre and toasted hazelnuts)

the information above

is

VERY IMPORTANT

..

(we were

given a

huge bag of

persimmons

and in 

my 

blind

excitement,

I sliced 

up

a

hard

heart shaped

persimmon

and

took a 

BIG BITE

    blech...)

learn from my mistake, people!!!

patience

makes 

for

squishy persimmons

ready to

bake

 into

coffee cakes

breads

muffins

 and

 doughnuts

Emily

aka MC

baked

these

squishy beauties

into

Persimmon Doughnuts

s

yum,

right?

they

are light

and delicious

you will 

need a doughnut pan

here's one

from

Sur la Table

.....

Persimmon Doughnuts

2 medium Hachiya (squishy) persimmons, ripe [puree should yield 1 cup] 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup soft unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups + 2 TBSP granulated sugar, divided

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

350 degree oven

Peel persimmons and 

puree 

jelly like fruit 

in a food processor.  Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients.  Se aside.

Beat together softened butter and sugar  until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs until combined.

Add 1/2 of dry ingredients and 1/2 of persimmon puree

to the butter mixture

 and mix together.

Add sour cream and the remainder of the dry ingredients and the persimmon.  Mix until combined.

Spoon or pipe into doughnut pan.

Bake for 15 minutes.

There is a 

Vanilla bean Buttermilk glaze,

but

it is very watery

(a cream cheese glaze (or frosting would be delicious)

 powdered sugar is perfect, really...

C'est la Vie - Autumn in Europe 2012

Lucerne, Switzerland

...

after

quite

a 

long journey

from

SLO

to

SFO
on to

London

and then
to

Zurich

we 

finally

arrived
by train

to

the

first

stop

of

our 

Autumn in Europe 
Adventure
...

Lucerne

sits
like
a 
brilliant
jewel

on
 Lake Lucerne

in

the 
shadows

of the
majestic

Swiss Alps

It is in

the 

German speaking

region

of 

Switzerland

but

everyone

speaks

English   French    Italian

as well

as 
German

(how progressive, no?)

from
the train station
we
walked
to our hotel

Hotel zum Rebstock

which
we
found
located
directly in front
of

the

Church of St. Leodegar

(Hotel zum Rebstock is just beside the Swiss flag to the left)

we came
 to learn
that
this
church
(who's bells charmingly chimed throughout the night)
was
  built in 
the year
735
and
was
named after
the
Patron Saint of Lucerne





thoroughly and totally

jet-lagged

we

wandered

around

the glistening lake
inhaling
the clean air

the flowers
and
the
history
of Lucerne

 


we found
 the
Kapellbrucke

the
iconic bridge
originally
built in 1333

(and 
turns out
is
the
 oldest
covered Bridge
in Europe)
the

the tower
 (according to Wikipedia)
predated the
bridge
by
30
years

(so..like 1303?)


"Lucerne is unique in the fact that its three wooden pedestrian bridges, the 14th century Hofbrücke (now destroyed) and Kapellbrücke and the 16th century Spreuerbrücke, all featured painted interior triangular frames. This feature is not replicated in any of Europe's other wooden footbridges.^[7] The paintings, dating back to the 17th century by local Catholic painter Hans Heinrich Wägmann, depict events from Lucerne's history. Out of the original 158 paintings, a total of 147 existed before the 1993 fire.^[7] After the fire, the remains of 47 paintings were collected, although only 30 were ultimately fully restored.^[7]

The wooden boards upon which the paintings were painted on were from 150 centimetres (59 in) to 181 centimetres (71 in) wide and 85 centimetres (33 in) to 95 centimetres (37 in) wide. Most of the panels were made from spruce wood boards, while only a few were made from linden wood and maple. The paintings were created during the time of the Counter-Reformation, featuring scenes promoting the Catholic Church. The paintings themselves were sponsored by the city's council members, who upon sponsoring a panel, were allowed to attribute their personal coat of arms on it. An explanation of each painting was printed below each scene. The paintings ran all along the bridge, dating from the life and death of Lucerne's patron saint St. Leger to the legends of the city's other patron saint St. Mauricio."

the
paintings
were
mesmerizing

drawing
you
into
dark
religious
history
of 
Lucerne

in the evening

we found

a

wine bar

La Bonne Cave

and

enjoyed

a 

Spanish Tempranillo

and
plates
of
rich cheeses

salty charcuterie
fruit
nuts
and bread
(all of our no-no's)

punchy
and giddy
we
made it back
to
the hotel

 passed out
and ....

woke up

jet-lag free

to

this view

  from our window

Guten Morgen,

Luzern

a

glorious

beginning!

        ......and on to Strasbourg, France