Mint Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache.

Honestly, this was supposed to be just a basic mint cheesecake. No chocolate to compete for the taster's attention.

But if you want to mention what it was originally going to be....

I love Shamrock Shakes. I grew up eating (drinking?) them every year as soon as they came out. I ate a lot. I lived next door to McDonald's, so as soon as I had someone old enough (like.. eight) we'd walk over and buy some. Yes. An eight-year-old friend and I (who was five) were allowed to walk over to McDonald's by ourselves. I'm still alive obviously. Don't get too upset. Anyway. These days, I can not find Shamrock Shakes anywhere. Maybe it's because I had so many when I was young (seriously.. each time they came out, I had maybe five) so I don't get the pleasure of any now.

But St. Patrick's Day was coming up. And I lied. Way back in July I said I would never get celebratory about any holiday except for Halloween. Well. Green is my favourite colour. And Ireland is intriguing. So I fancy St. Patrick's Day as well. But I digress. A lot. So I decided I needed something minty to take the place of the Shamrock Shake. I thought of making mint 'n' chip ice cream, which I have made before. But I didn't feel like making ice cream. I had been wanting to make cheesecake, so I decided upon mint cheesecake. Why not? I like cheesecake. I like mint. And I can dye it green. Perfect. I also have a four-ounce bottle of peppermint extract that I need to use. Why such a big bottle? It's the only one we could find. I love how the bottle looks, though. It's pretty.

So I set about getting the bits I needed for the cheesecake. I didn't want to do a full cheesecake recipe, so I decided to do half. But then I didn't want to do half. But I didn't want to do a full one. So I settled on three-quarters of the recipe.

Sunday night, I set about making the cheesecake. I also decided upon an Oreo cookie crust. Just so you know. Anyway. I got everything mixed up, then I tasted the batter. It was... minty. Yes. Obviously it was minty. I was making a mint cheesecake. But it was... weird. I started having doubts. Everyone else I mentioned the cheesecake to voiced their doubts immediately. But I was convinced it had to be good. Even though my searches for a mint cheesecake recipe proved futile. (I had already figured I'd use my basic recipe, but use peppermint in place of vanilla. But I still wanted to see what else was out there.) I figured I found out why there are no mint cheesecake recipes. But I pressed on. I was going to bake it anyway. But I tasted the batter again. It was still... odd. So I added in a quarter teaspoon of vanilla. There. It wasn't so.. caustic. Though caustic is a bit too harsh. But the vanilla seemed to help.. smooth out the flavour.

I also overbaked it a bit. It didn't crack or anything. I just like to remove my cheesecakes when the centre is still a bit wet. It -will- set up as it sits. When I checked on it after one hour, I could make it jiggle, but it was not wet at all. I took it out. It's still good. Just letting you know, if you want it wet in the centre, cook it less.

Oh. And I never use a water bath. Too much hassle. I'd have to go out to the garage, find the roasting pan, wipe off the spider webs, hope I'm not bringing some monster spider in the house with it, or anything else. Yeah. I'll do that for a roasted chicken. Cheesecake? No.

Since I found the flavour to be... odd... I decided to make a chocolate ganache to put on top. Which ganache to do? The ganache from the December Daring Baker's. It was a nifty ganache. I'm going to use it as a frosting to vanilla cupcakes one day. I just need to find a vanilla cake recipe that isn't so dry. You should know that I ramble.

After the cheesecake cooled a bit, I topped it with the ganache and then put it in the fridge. It makes a fudgy chocolate layer on top.

The next day, I cut a slice. I tried just the cheesecake without the ganache layer. It was... odd. But with the ganache? 'Twas a minty, chocolatey, cheesecakey mouthgasm. Now I have to eat a whole cheesecake. By myself. Come help. Please? Really. My sisters don't like cheesecake. And my mom and dad keep saying, "I'll try it" just to humour me. I know they don't want to taste it.


Mint Cheesecake With Chocolate Ganache.

Oreo Crumb Crust:
2 cups Oreo Cookie crumbs ('twas about 30 normal Oreos for me. Creme and all.)
1/4 cup (half a stick) melted salted butter (I always use salted butter.)

Cheesecake:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened (I actually use two packages cream cheese and one package neufchatel.. which could have result in the quicker cooking? Three normal cream cheese should work fine, though)
3/4 cup sugar
2 T 3/4 t flour
3 eggs
1 egg, beaten, 1 T of egg removed and discarded*
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 t peppermint extract
1/4 t vanilla extract
green food colouring, optional

Ganache:
67 g sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, warm
180 g semisweet chocolate
60 g salted butter, room temperature


Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

Mix Oreo Crumbs with melted butter. Add more melted butter if you need it. I was prepared to. But my crust worked with just half a stick. Press onto bottom and one inch up the sides of an 8.5 inch springform pan. An eight-inch pan works. And so does a nine-inch if those are what you have. I just opted for my smallest pan which happens to be that. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and flour. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping well after each addition. You'll beat in the beaten egg here, too. Just so you know. Beat in the heavy cream, peppermint, and vanilla. Mix in green food colouring if you fancy to whatever colour you fancy. I used gel paste because my sister used up all the liquid colourings. I went for a mint green.

Oh. And while you're mixing up the cheesecake batter, bring a kettle of water to a boil. Or a pot. Or whatever you use to boil water. Place the cheesecake in the oven on the centre rack. On the rack below the cheesecake, place a 13 x 9 inch pan and fill two-thirds full of water. Or some other such pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 250ºF and bake for 45-60 minutes. You want the cheesecake to be set at the edges, but still a bit wet and wobbly in the centre. I went straight for sixty minutes and it was wobbly-ish, but not wet. Though it was not too far gone. So you can probably go for that long. I just suggested forty-five minutes so you don't get mad at me if 60 minutes results in too overbaked of a cheesecake for you. My own little disclaimer.

Allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the cheesecake is cool, put together the ganache.

Place the sugar in a small or medium saucepan. Try to get it into as smooth a layer as you can. Melt it over medium to medium low heat. Refrain from stirring. I know you want to, but you'll just create lumps that refuse to melt. What you want to do is let the sugar sit. You see the edges starting to melt and turn clear? Keep waiting. If one side of the pan is melting, and the other side isn't, then move the pan over so the other side melts, too. Refrain from stirring. Keep letting it melt. You see it traveling further in? You see the edges starting to turn a light golden? Keep waiting. When the edges are golden and the still-crystalline sugar easily floats on a pool of melted sugar and when you tilt the pan it moves with the waves of molten sugar and the melted sugar is a golden brown? -Then- you can stir. The sugar should easily melt into the rest. If it just creates lumps, you didn't wait long enough. Yes. I realise my run-on question thing repeats and changes and is an incredibly odd question. It got your attention didn't it?

Once the ugar is melted and caramelised, turn off the heat and pour in the cream. If the sugar solidifies, turn the stove back on and stir until the sugar melts back into the cream. Pour the hot mixtur over the chocolate and allow it to melt, then stir it together. Mix in the softened butter. Spread the ganache on the cheesecake.

Refrigerate four hours or overnight. Or however long you can wait until it's cold.


It makes me think of an Andes mint. The colouring. The flavour is different, though. But still good.


*The original recipe calls for five eggs. So I did three-quarters. Each quarter recipe would use one and a quarter eggs. One egg is about a quarter cup. A quarter cup is four tablespoon. So logically, three-quarters of the recipe would be three eggs and three tablespoons. That is why I beat the fourth egg and removed one tablespoon of beaten egg. I know I could have simply used four eggs, but I fear things being too eggy. So I removed the extra tablespoon.

Daring Baker's Flourless Chocolate Cake.

First, The Required Bit:
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.

We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Okay. So. I can never get these up on time. This month was flourless chocolate cake. 'Twas recommended that we use a heart-shaped pan. But I think that would be the most ridiculous thing. Who even celebrates Valentine's Day still? It's just a corporate holiday. I don't se it as anything special. If you want to give me chocolates, give me chocolates. But don't do it because society tells you to. Morons. Anyway. I used my nifty new eight-and-a-half-inch springform pan. It works fine.

The cake was pretty good. All it is is chocolate, eggs, and butter. It was neat. I baked mine perfectly. Which I didn't like. It was good, yes. But completely baked through, I didn't like it so much. I would have fancied it a bit more underbaked because, well, I like things underbaked. Brownies. Cookies. Cinnamon rolls. Yep. Oh well. We still ate the whole thing.

We were also required to make an ice cream to go with it. So I made strawberry ice cream. I decided to do half the recipe. It calls for five ounceds of egg yolks. Heh... Which, as it turns out, is about eight egg yolks. 'Twas a lot. My second ice cream (because I had leftover heavy cream) was a caramel ice cream with some cooked apples. I went searching for a "caramel apple ice cream." And I realised as I typed it in, that what I wanted was a caramel ice cream with some apples sauteed in butter, sugar, cinnamona and other such good things. Which isn't really what you think of when thinking of "caramel apples." But I actually found something that matched what I wanted anyway. Next time, though, I think I'll leave the apples out. Something about what I added to the apples, though, prevented the ice cream from freezing solid. The base was in my bowl churning, it was almost done... I added the apples... and it suddenly started to liquefy. So I gave up on it freezing up again, and just scraped it in a container and put it in the freezer. I thought, "Great, I'm going to have frozen ice cream." The next day, when I went to get a spoonful, it was incredibly soft. And has remained so.

Oh. And whereas the caramel apple ice cream is very soft.. it also melts incredibly quickly. The strawberry ice cream... it's not quite solid, but it is rather firm. But it melts veeeeery slowly. So that was neat.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Mmm. Brussels sprouts.

No, I was not being sarcastic with my title. I truly love brussels sprouts. Though I wasn't aware there was an "S" at the end of "brussels" until about a year ago. They were.. "brussel sprouts." I also grew up thinking it was "blesh you" and "sherbert." Apparently I have problems with pronunciation. I also say "bowlth." But anyway.



I love brussels sprouts. So on Friday, when I was wandering Central Market with my friend Colin and happened upon a two-foot long stalk of brussels sprouts for just five dollars. Not five dollars a pound. Five dollars total. I couldn't pass it up. I couldn't think of what to have them with.. but I knew I wanted it. Especially since I haven't seen brussels sprouts on the stalk since I was.. maybe six? My aunt took me to the farmer's market one day when we lived back in California to get strawberries and pomegranates and I saw this large stock studded with little green balls. "-That's- how brussel sprouts grow?" "Apparently."

So far.. I have gotten through about four inches of the stalk. I made Heidi Swanson's Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts last night to go with some pork chops for dinner. I used fifteen... and it took three inches worth of brussels sprouts. Then today, I decided I wanted to make something with some brussels sprouts for lunch. So I cut off five and planned.

I was thinking of just cutting them in half, sautéing them, then tossing them with brown rice. But I wasn't in the mood for rice. So I considered quinoa. But I didn't want that either. I also had some barley! But I didn't want to wait forty minutes for it to cook. And then I remembered I had recently bought a pound of whole wheat linguine. So I decided that would work. Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Linguine. Hmm..

But then I decided to shred the brussels sprouts since I keep seeing people doing that. And and and! And I wanted herbs. And to make a cream sauce. And.... yeah. I started the idea.. but, erm, I don't use cornstarch for the reason that it always has a weird flavour. But I decided to use it. Bad news. As much parmesan and oregano I added, I could not get rid of that cornstarch taste. Luckily, I hadn't added the pasta or the sprouts to the sauce. So I just tossed that out and went back to my original plan. Pasta. Brussels Sprouts. Oil. Butter. Salt. Pepper. Parmesan. Leftover Tri-Tip. And it was delicious.

Now. I know apparently a lot of people think brussels sprouts are gross. What I've come to find out is that the longer the brussels sprouts are cooked, the more they break down, and the more... pungent.. they become. And this cabbage-ness is what people don't seem to like. If cooked properly, the sprouts will be tender, but still a vibrant green colour. I seem to be an anomaly, though, and I like brussels sprouts when they're way too overcooked. I like them cooked properly, too. But if you give me overcooked brussels sprouts, I'll still love them. I also like mushy pasta. And mushy peas. And stale Oreos.



But anyway. The pasta. You can also leave out the brussels sprouts completely and it would still be good if you really do not like brussels sprouts.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Black Pepper Linguine
Serves 1-2, depending upon how hungry you are... I was reeeeeally hungry.

5 moderately sized brussels sprouts, thinly sliced (or however much you want)
olive oil
coarse sea salt (or whatever you have)
Pepper. Lots of pepper.
1.5 Tablespoons butter
Some kind of meat if you want. I had some leftover tri-tip in the fridge. So I threw it in.
whole wheat linguine, about a fifth of a one pound package (I never measure my pasta.. I just grab "what looks right.")
freshly grated parmesan cheese, sprinkled on at end

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt it and add a little oil and cook the linguine according to package directions. Or however you normally make your pasta.

Whilst that is going on, heat some oil in a skillet on high. (I used a basic metal pan. No non-stick for this.) Sprinkle in your shredded brussels sprouts and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Allow it to sit for a minute or two to get some caramelization, then toss with tongs a few times. Remove sprouts from pan and set off to the side.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and heat it up, lowering the heat to about medium-high. Add in the leftover meat, stirring continuously, and cook for about a minute. Throw in the butter and continue stirring. Lower the heat to medium, medium low. Grab your pasta with your tongs and just transfer it to the skillet, allow most o the water to drain of before you transfer it.. there will be some water that transfers, but it's fine. Toss the pasta with the meat and butter mixture. Season with a bit of salt and lots of pepper. I really like pepper. Add in the brussels sprouts and toss together, allowing the sprouts to heat back through. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with parmesan. Devour with a fork.

Then groan, sit back and complain that you ate too much, and proceed to pick brussels sprouts out of your braces for twenty minutes. Well. If you're me. I got braces on Thursday. The brussels sprouts are the only things so far that have gotten stuck -every-where. But it was so worth it.

If you caught the inconsistency of the pictures, one was from the day I had leftover tri-tip, and then I made more the next day, but I no longer had any.

Amano Chocolate! Ta-da!

Yes, I suck at updating. I think it's because I'm pretty sure nobody really reads this. I only get the few courtesy reads from people whose blogs I've commented on. But beyond that.. I don't get much traffic.

Either way, I should work on this.

But for today, I'm here to talk about my recent BlakeMakes Sooper Heroes win: Amano Chocolate. Jembrana Premium Dark Chocolate. Seventy percent. It's -very- dark. But don't let those people who say "the darker the chocolate, the more bitter it is." This chocolate is not bitter at all. It's not incredibly sweet like milk chocolate, but it is in no way bitter.

When I first tasted it, though, I did have myself braced for the lack of sweetness I was expecting to come. The higher the cacao content, the more intense of a chocolate flavour you get... and the more risk of me sneezing. Really. Too intense of a chocolate, and I sneeze. I don't know why. I just always have. So I ate it slowly. I savoured it. I didn't chew. I simply broke off a piece, placed it on my tongue, closed my mouth, and let it melt.

Wow. The chocolate was actually sweeter than I had expected. Again, it still wasn't as sweet as, say, a milk chocolate. But it was not too dark at all. It was very appealing.

As for the flavour... maybe I'm just an odd taster. I tasted the chocolate, discerned a certain flavour to it. Then read the back of the box. And I laughed because of what my taste buds tasted. The box describes the chocolate as having a "nuttiness." Well. You know how so many people like to describe chocolate as "fruity"? I never could understand how a plain chocolate could taste fruity until I had this bar. There was something with the flavour that I could only describe as... fruity. I tried coming up with other descriptions, but all that stuck out.. was fruity.

I ate about a quarter of the bar. And then.... I commited culinary sacrilege. Or brilliance. Depending on how you look at it.

I took this seventy percent, high-quality, rare chocolate bar... and made a grilled cheese sandwich with it. Just a half sandwich. One slice of whole grain white bread. Thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar cheese. And three squares of this chocolate bar. Then I grilled it on my cast iron griddle, dry. No butter or oil to compete with the flavour of the chocolate and cheese.

I felt so sneaky making it. Like a little kid taking three cookies more than they were allowed.

It was the best grilled cheese ever.

Daring Bakers: French Yule Log.

First, the bit I'm required to say:

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand

There. That's out of the way.

So. This month was a French yule log consisting of six elements. A mousse, a baked custard (they referred to it as a crème brûlée, but there was no caramelising sugar on top which, I thought, was the whole essence of crème brûlée), a chocolate praline crisp, a chocolate ganache, a dacquoise, and a chocolate glaze.



They then made available to us several recipes of which we were supposed to use and many variations. I'm told that there was a Word Document that could be downloaded and printed off. However, I didn't have Word (I do now.. Christmas present) and so I didn't download. I just copied and pasted. It's not that difficult, kids. Then I went through and decided upon the variations I would use.

I came up with: Vanilla mousse, chocolate custard, almond dacquoise, milk chocolate crisp, dark chocolate ganache, and dark chocolate glaze.

I had planned on making the lace crepes for the crisp. And they baked. And crisped. And did not burn at all (apparently other kids' stuff burnt). But when I tried getting it off my pan it did not just crumble.. it turned to powder. So I threw that out and used Rice Krispies. Supposedly I was supposed to crush the Rice Krispies. But too bad. I liked it as I did it. I also didn't just lay the crisp into my final log. I chopped it up. And I didn't use praline. I don't have a food processor and I was not spending time trying to turn that stuff to paste using my hand. Yes. I'm high-maintenance. What of it? Instead, I used some dulce de leche I had made previously and a little bit of my almond meal.



I also didn't feel it was really that hard unlike other people. But then. I broke it up into four days. I was not going to try and cram everything in one day. I am a bit sane. And I don't like to wash the same bowl five times in one day. So the first day I made the baked custard. Got the kitchen somewhat cleaned. Made the crisp. The next day I made the mousse. And I assembled the mousse, custard, and crisp. The third day, I made the cake. Then I made the ganache. Assembled that. Then the fourth day I made the glaze. It was pretty smooth sailing. The only thing that went wrong was the lace crepes which was easily fixed by Rice Krispies. So.. it really was very relaxed. Boring almost, since it took so many days to assemble.

The vanilla mousse didn't really shine through paired with so much chocolate. I'm considering making another sometime, but with lemon mousse. And... dare I use it... -white- chocolate. I hate that stuff. It's not even chocolate. And it's sickeningly sweet. But I don't like lemon with dark chocolate. I like both by themselves. But paired together, the chocolate overpowers the lemon and I love lemon. Or maybe I won't so this. I'll do something else. But either way. I am curious to use at least the ganache again. But as a frosting.

So yeah. Now I have this big loaf of stuff. I told Aaron I'm forcing him to take half of it.



The Recipes:

Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn for baking

Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper

Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:
2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner's sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).
7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

Variations on the Almond Dacquoise listed above:

Hazelnut Dacquoise
Substitute the same amount of hazelnut meal for the almond meal.

Chocolate Dacquoise
Add 3 tablespoons of sifted unsweetened cocoa powder into the almond meal/caster sugar mix in Step #1 of the Almond Dacquoise.

Lemon Dacquoise
Add the zest of 1 Lemon after the flour in Step #2 of the Almond Dacquoise.

Coconut Dacquoise
Substitute ¼ cup of almond meal and add 2/3 cup shredded coconut in Step #1 of the Almond Dacquoise.


Element #2 Dark Chocolate Mousse

Preparation time: 20mn

Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula

Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousse and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen, so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brulee insert.
In the Vanilla Mousse variation, pastry cream is made to the same effect.
In the Mango Mousse variation, Italian meringue is made to the same effect. Italian meringue is a simple syrup added to egg whites as they are beaten until stiff. It has the same consistency as Swiss meringue (thick and glossy) which we have used before in challenge recipes as a base for buttercream.
The Whipped Cream option contains no gelatin, so beware of how fast it may melt.
Gelatin is the gelifying agent in all of the following recipes, but if you would like to use agar-agar, here are the equivalencies: 8g powdered gelatin = 1 (0.25 oz) envelope powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp Agar-Agar.
1 Tbsp. of agar-agar flakes is equal to 1 tsp. of agar-agar powder.

Ingredients:
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1 + 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)
2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
2a. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.
2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.
5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
6. Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

Variations on the Dark Chocolate Mousse listed above:

White Chocolate Mousse
Substitute the same quantity of white chocolate for the dark chocolate in the mousse recipe listed above.

Milk Chocolate Whipped Cream (Chantilly):
(Can be made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight)
2/3 cup (160g) heavy cream 35% fat
7.8 oz (220g) milk chocolate
2 1/3 tsp (15g) glucose or thick corn syrup
1 1/3 cup (320g) heavy cream 35% fat

1. Chop the chocolate coarsely.
2. Heat the 160g of cream to boiling and pour over the chocolate and glucose syrup.
3. Wait 30 seconds then stir the mix until smooth. Add the remaining cream.
4. Refrigerate to cool, then whip up.

Vanilla Mousse
2/3 cup (160g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
2/3 cup (160g) whole milk
1 vanilla bean
4 medium-sized egg yolks
3 oz (6 Tbsp / 80g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp (25g) cornstarch, sifted
4g / 2 tsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
1 cup (240g) whipping cream (35% fat content)

Make a pastry cream:
1. Pour the milk and 2/3 cup cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves into milk and put the vanilla bean in as well.
2. Heat to boiling, then turn the heat off, cover and let infuse for at least 30 minutes. Then remove the vanilla bean.
3. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until white, thick and fluffy.
4. Add the cornstarch, beating carefully to ensure that there are no lumps. While whisking vigorously, pour some of the milk into the yolk mixture to temper it.
5. Put infused milk back on the stove on medium heat. Pour yolk mixture back into the milk while whisking vigorously. Keep whisking vigorously until mixture thickens considerably.
6. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, leave on for only 2 more minutes. (The recipe says you should remove the vanilla bean at this time but in the interest of no one getting burned, that can be done after you take the pastry cream off the stove.)
7. Once removed from the heat, cover the pastry cream by putting plastic film directly on the surface of the cream (this prevents it from forming a thick and unappetizing skin as it cools). Let cool at room temperature.
8. Soften the gelatin in cold water and melt in a small saucepan with 1 tsp of water OR melt in the microwave for 1 second (do not boil). Whisking vigorously, pour the cooled pastry cream over it.
9. Whip the 1 cup whipping cream until stiff and add gradually to the pastry cream (DO NOT WHISK). Blend delicately with a spatula (DO NOT WHISK).

Mango Mousse
2 medium-sized egg yolks
2 Tbsp (17g) cornstarch
1/3 cup (80g) whipping cream
7 oz (200g) mango puree
3.5 oz (1/2 cup / 100g) granulated sugar
1.3 oz (36g) water
2.5 gelatin leaves or 5g / 2+1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium-sized egg whites

1. Beat the egg yolks with the cornstarch until thick, white and fluffy.
2. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan and once hot, pour a small amount over the egg yolks while whisking vigorously.
3. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the rest of the cream in the saucepan, add the mango puree and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens considerably, at least 3-5 mn. Let cool to lukewarm temperature.
4. Make an Italian Meringue: Cook the sugar and water on medium heat until temperature reaches 244°F (118°C) when measured with a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, test the temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water. If it forms a soft ball, you’ve reached the proper temperature.
4a. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Pour the sugar syrup into the whites in a thin stream while continuing to whisk vigorously (preferably with a mixer for sufficient speed). Whisk/beat until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The meringue should be thick and glossy.
5. Soften the gelatin in cold water and melt in a small saucepan with 1 tsp of water OR melt in the microwave for 1 second (do not boil).
6. Put the melted gelatin in a mixing bowl and, while whisking vigorously, pour the lukewarm mango cream over the gelatin.
7. Carefully blend the Italian meringue into the mango mixture.


Element #3 Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert

Preparation time: 10mn

Equipment: pan, whisk. If you have plunging mixer (a vertical hand mixer used to make soups and other liquids), it comes in handy.

Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Ingredients:
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Variations on the Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert listed above:

White Chocolate Ganache Insert
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
5 oz (135g) white chocolate, finely chopped
4.5 oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp / 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small sauce pan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.

Dark-Milk Ganache Insert
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp / 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
2.7 oz (75g) milk chocolate
3.2 oz (90g) dark chocolate
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Cinammon-Milk Ganache Insert
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp / 135g) heavy cream
A pinch of cinnamon
2.7 oz (75g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
3.2 oz (90g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. Heat the cream with the cinnamon (use the quantity of cinnamon you want to infuse the cream, a pinch is the smallest amount suggested) until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the milk and dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.


Element #4 Praline Feuillete (Crisp) Insert

Preparation time: 10 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)

Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or I use an empty bottle of olive oil).

Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. To our knowledge they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them. Special note: If you use one of the substitutes for the gavottes, you should halve the quantity stated, as in use 1oz of any of these cereals instead of 2.1oz.
If you want to make your own praline, please refer back to the Daring Baker Challenge Recipe from July 2008.

To make 2.1oz / 60g of gavottes (lace crepes - recipe by Ferich Mounia):
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
2/3 Tbsp (8g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup – 2tsp (35g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp / 0.5 oz (15g) beaten egg
1 tsp (3.5g) granulated sugar
½ tsp vegetable oil
1. Heat the milk and butter together until butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
2. Sift flour into milk-butter mixture while beating, add egg and granulated sugar. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Grease a baking sheet and spread batter thinly over it.
4. Bake at 430°F (220°C) for a few minutes until the crepe is golden and crispy. Let cool.

Ingredients for the Praline Feuillete:
3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) butter
2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline
2.1oz (60g) lace crepes(gavottes) or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
2. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.
3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.


Variations on the Praline Feuillete (Crisp) Insert listed above:

Chocolate Crisp Insert
3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) unsalted butter
2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline
1 oz. (25g) lace crepes or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
2. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.
3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

Coconut Crisp Insert
3.5 oz (100g) white chocolate
1 oz (1/3 cup/25g) shredded coconut
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) unsalted butter
2.1 oz (60g) lace crepes or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Spread the coconut on a baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes at 375°F (190°C) to toast (a different temperature might work better for you with your own oven).
2. Melt the white chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir until smooth and add the toasted coconut.
3. Add the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.


Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking

Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper

Note: The vanilla crème brulée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Now...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

Variations on the Vanilla Crème Brulée insert listed above:

Chocolate Creme Brulée Insert
½ cup + 1 2/3 Tbsp (140g) whole milk
2/3 cup + 1tsp (140g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
1/3 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
1.4 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar

1. Heat the milk and cream to just boiling. Add the cocoa powder.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the cocoa milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Now...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.


Element #6 Dark Chocolate Icing

Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)

Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan

Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.
For other gelatin equivalencies or gelatin to agar-agar equivalencies, look at the notes for the mousse component.

Ingredients:
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

Variations on the Dark Chocolate Icing listed above:

Milk Chocolate Icing
1.5 gelatin sheets or 3g / 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatin
4.2 oz (120g) milk chocolate
2 Tbsp (30g) butter
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
1 2/3 Tbsp (30g) glucose or thick corn syrup

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Coarsely chop the chocolate and butter together.
3. Bring the cream and glucose syrup to a boil.
4. Add the gelatin.
5. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth.
6. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

White Chocolate Icing
1.5 gelatin sheets or 3g / 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatin
3.5 oz (100g) white chocolate
2 Tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (90 g) whole milk
1 2/3 Tbsp (30g) glucose or thick corn syrup

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Coarsely chop the chocolate and butter together.
3. Bring the milk and glucose syrup to a boil.
4. Add the gelatin.
5. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth.
6. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.


How To Assemble your French Yule Log

Depending on whether your mold is going to hold the assembly upside down until you unmold it or right side up, this order will be different.
THIS IS FOR UNMOLDING FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO RIGHT SIDE UP.
You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.

1) Line your mold or pan, whatever its shape, with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it’s easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR plastic film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you’re using.

You have two choices for Step 2, you can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log as in version A or you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log as in version B:

2A) Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
3A) Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
4A) Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
5A) Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
6A) Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
7A) Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
8A) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
9A) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight eidge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
10A) Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.

OR

2B) Pipe one third of the Mousse component into the mold.
3B) Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
4B) Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
5B) Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
6B) Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
7B) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
8B) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
9B) Close with the Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with TWO pieces of Dacquoise the order is:
1) Dacquoise
2) Mousse
3) Creme Brulee Insert
4) Mousse
5) Praline/Crisp Insert
6) Mousse
7) Ganache Insert
8) Dacquoise

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with ONE piece of Dacquoise on the BOTTOM ONLY the order is:
1) Mousse
2) Creme Brulee Insert
3) Mousse
4) Praline/Crisp Insert
5) Mousse
6) Ganache Insert
7) Dacquoise

If you are doing the assembly RIGHT SIDE UP in a springform pan the order is:
1) Dacquoise
2) Ganache Insert
3) Mousse
4) Praline/Crisp Insert
5) Mousse
6) Creme Brulee Insert
7) Mousse
8 OPTIONAL) Dacquoise

THE NEXT DAY...
Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the cake with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc...
Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than ½ hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly depending on the elements you chose.



Oh. I had mine sitting in my fridge for almost two hours before I cut it. Maybe my fridge is just really cold because even then it was still hard to cut. And I left it in there over night. It's still in log shape.

Pictures will come soon.

Lesson today, Kids.

So. I'm pretty sure you're aware, but I'm going to explain this lesson anyway.

When you're little and you try doing something that only "grown-ups" do or when you're first trying something you've never done before, you're cautious. You double-check things. You always make sure it's safe. If it's a nw recipe, you're constantly rechecking the ingredients. "Was it two cups? Yeah. It's two cups. Wait. Two cups, right? Okay. And now... I have two cups in... yes. That's right." But then you start repeating your recipes or whatever else you're doing and you become confident. Which is good. But then.. you become overconfident. You become cocky. And that's when you screw up.

Now, this isn't meant to demotivate you. But to make sure you're aware. No matter how invincible you think you are, how smart you think you are, how great you think you are, you're going to mess up at some point. Maybe you're exceptional in English.. and you fail your mid-term. Or.. you're absolutely fantastic at baking.. and your cake doesn't rise. Or.. you've burnt yourself whilst cooking so few times that you think you're just that much more careful than everyone else. And then, like me, you burn yourself three times in as many weeks. Yes. Three times. The first was on the side of my right hand at the base of my index finger on the oven wall. What's odd is that the oven was to my right. So I don't even know how I did that. The second time I was making jambalaya.. which I didn't get a picture of. I ate it all before I remembered. I tilted the pan to move the oil and butter and grease around. And it worked. But I also moved the chicken, it slammed against the wall of the pot which sent up a big splash of hot grease which landed right on my hand. Nowhere else. And the third time, I was taking a pizza out of the oven, but had failed to open the oven door all the way because, well, I never open it all the way. I misjudged the distance between the door and my hand and SSSSS. I have my own mood tattoo. The burn changes colour depending upon how hot my hand is.

So I've been making mistakes and it has made me realise no matter how good I think I am.. I'm going to mess up at times. Even the jambalaya got messed up. It burned. Yeah. Just a bit. But it burned. The resulting jambalaya was quite good, though. Seriously. It had this slight smoky flavour that wouldn't have been present otherwise. I'll likely never be able to get that same flavour again, but it worked to my advantage.

The next time you mess up that cake, or your lemon mousse you spent hours making separates overnight, or your essay that you simply adored gets a "C," don't fret. Take the unrisen cake and fill it with big layers of mousse to take the attention away from the thin cake and give it height. Mix the separated mousse together and call it "Lemon soup." It tastes just as good, it's just not a mousse, so label it differently. Your guests question the change in dessert when you said you were having mousse and you wind up with soup? "This recipe sounded niftier." Or you know.. whatever word you fancy. I fancy "nifty" and "neat." I've also taken a fancy to "the bee's knees." Your essay got a C? That's a bit trickier. You can't quite take that back. But you can always talk to your teacher and ask what was wrong with it so you can find out what to fix next time. Was your conclusion weak? Your body empty? Something wasn't strong enough, but if you know what your weakness is, you can strengthen it. If you don't know what's wrong, you'll spend too much time trying to fix something that isn't broken. Your teacher obviously knows what is wrong. But you're still okay. You can fix it and come out with something even better.

Most of the time, these screw-ups aren't so bad. Just like my burns. You burn yourself, sure, it hurts. Screwing something up is going to be a big blow to your ego. But if you dwell on it and leave your food alone or all the stuff around you alone while you pity one tiny mistake, it's going to hurt yourself more in the long run. If you just continue on, the burn doesn't seem so bad. And within just a few days, it's not so much of a problem, it's just a minor irritant. Nothing that won't be gone in just a few more days.

So go make your mistakes. I'm off to make brownies and burn myself again most likely. Eh. That's life.

So I pretty much love chicken.

I really do. Chicken is amazing. As much as people can try to persuade me to be a vegetarian, I don't want to do it for the "sake of the animals." And as much as they tell me about the health benefits.. well.. I just can't give up my meat. I am able to have meals without meat. I do know there is such a thing. But to completely get rid of it and never have it again? I can't do that.

What is this rambling about? Well. I've been wandering through Yahoo! Answers lately, helping with stuff in the "Food & Drink" section. Which is how I came upon this recipe. Someone was curious if this dish would go well with fettuccine alfredo. Alfredo is a cheesy cream sauce, whereas this dish is a salty tomato based sauce. I told her to go ahead. It sounded great. You can have tomato cream sauces, so why not have it separated in the same meal? The chicken recipe kept staring at me. It sounded so good. Especially with fettuccine alfredo. So that's what I made for dinner last night.

I didn't follow the recipe completely, though. Through my years (ha, I sound like I'm some wise old grandmother when I'm simply some random eighteen-year-old girl) of cooking, I've learned to not blindly follow a recipe. Well. You can, yes. And a lot of times it does turn out well. But if you're looking at a recipe and it does not seem right at all, or it has something you don't want to use, change it, then. This recipe called for a bit of salt. One and a half teaspoons. No, it isn't -that- much. But. When you add in the fact it calls for capers and prosciutto and canned tomatoes as well. Hmm. Something isn't quite right.

And on the topic of "things you don't want to use." It called for both wine and fresh red and yellow peppers. Any time something calls for wine, I instead use chicken broth. I could have used my nifty turkey stock I made after Thanksgiving, but I still had a carton of open chicken broth in the fridge, so I used that. As for the fresh bell peppers, I'd gladly use fresh. However, where I live, one single yellow bell pepper costs $1.79 and a red one costs $1.49. That's not per pound. That's each pepper. Or they have jars of roasted red and yellow peppers in the canned vegetable aisle that contains one red and one yellow bell pepper for $1.99. I'm cheap. So I went that route.

The recipe also didn't seem like it had enough garlic to me, so I increased that, and added in some chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. Well. The mushrooms were made off to the side because I'm the only one in my family who will eat them. And while the recipe calls for four bone-in, skinless chicken breasts and two skinless, bone-in thighs, I knew that would be way too much chicken for us. The original recipe could have been made with smaller breasts. I don't know. But where I live, chicken breasts come in a pack of three and all three feed five of us. But I couldn't find bone-in breasts, skinless or not. So I just grabbed the biggest package of boneless skinless.

I also didn't use fresh herbs; I used dried. Nor did I measure my dried herbs. I just used enough until it tasted good to me, and I added basil. The parsley and capers called for in the end are entirely optional. I left the parsley out completely, but I did add capers, only to my plate. Capers are an odd little thing, simply the pickled flower bud of [insert plant name here]. To me, they look like they're supposed to be crunchy, yet they're soft. They also have quite a salty, vinegary flavour, but more salty. I think if they had more of a vinegar flavour I wouldn't be so taken with them. I don't like vinegar at all.

As for the salt I mentioned, what, twenty minutes of writing ago? I only used enough salt to sprinkle on the chicken breasts. That's it. I felt no need to add anymore salt after that. But use your sense if you do decide to make this. Just because I changed it to suit my needs doesn't mean you have to, too. That's my lesson today, kids. Just because a recipe tells you to do something doesn't mean you have to do it. That zucchini bread tell you to put in half a teaspoon of cinnamon, yet it has no flavour? Add more. Change it. Go with what works for -you-. Recipes are created by -one- person with what works for -their- palate. Just because I feel this tastes good my way doesn't mean it doesn't taste good any other way.

Oh. And my fettuccine? Yeah. I made it myself. I was so giddy about it. But I never got a picture. It was dark. And then it was eaten. Mmm.

Roman-Style Chicken. (By Giada de Laurentiis.)

4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs (I used three big boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones (I omitted.)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon (I didn't measure; just sprinkled a little on each breast to season)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon (Again, didn't measure, but I did add some extra later, into the sauce.)
1/4 cup olive oil (Didn't measure, just coated the bottom of my pan in a thin layer.)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced (I used jarred, roasted red and yellow peppers that I chopped and added with the tomatoes)
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used three, plus some garlic powder later on because I felt it needed more garlic.)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used petite-diced tomatoes that I drained)
1/2 cup white wine (I used low-sodium chicken broth)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I used dried.)
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves (I used dried.)
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used low-sodium broth.)
2 tablespoons capers (I just spooned some onto my portion)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I omitted.)

Things I added: sauteed, sliced mushrooms half of a large onion, chopped

Directions

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (I didn't measure. Just sprinkled some on.) In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers (I added the chopped onions here, and if people would have eaten mushrooms, these would have gone in at this time, too.) and prosciutto and cook until the peppers (onions) have browned and the prosciutto is crisp (mine didn't crisp), about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine (broth), and herbs (and I added the chopped, roasted peppers at this point). Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock (broth), and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

With my additions, I fancied this a lot. Without them.. I might have liked it, sure. But probably not as much.