I have a few things to share before 2011;  just not sure which one to share first.  Then I remembered this sinful dessert we served a couple weeks ago.  I just had to let the cat out of the bag, as you will definitely want to include it with your New Years Eve dinner menu.  It is insane!

Flourless chocolate cake is always my go-to dessert when we have a dinner party for couple reasons:  1) all ingredients are staples in your house, 2) gluten-free so all guests are covered; and 3) easy to make.  Usually when I make one I play with the ingredients, by changing chocolates, flavors, and amounts of ingredients.  I have to say this version is IT!  I will no longer be playing with the recipe.  In our opinions it came out perfect.  Dense.  Rich.  Sinful.  Just the way dessert should be.

I wanted to lighten the chocolate a little so I served brown sugared creme fraiche and candied cranberries along side. Candied cranberries are really wonderful.  Slightly tart, slightly sweet.  You will need to start the candied cranberries a couple hours before serving, but the process is well worth the effort.  If you do not have fresh cranberries, feel free to serve without or with another fruit you like.

Recipe:  Flourless Chocolate Tart with Candied Cranberries

• 12 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate
• 8 oz  + 2 tablespoons good quality unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coco powder, sifted
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 oz creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a tart pan with 2 tablespoons of butter.  Melt the chocolate in a double broiler;  set aside to cool.  In a mixer bowl, using a whisk attachment, beat the butter until creamy;  about 4 minutes.  Add the sugar, continue to beat for another 3 minutes.  Add the sifted coco powder, beat for 3 minutes.  Drizzle the melted chocolate into the mixture, with the mixer running at a very low speed, I use a KitchenAid and keep the speed at 2.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Add the vanilla.  Beat the mixture for 5 minutes, until very light and doubled in size.  Pour into the buttered tart pan.  Tap on the counter to release the air bubbles.  Bake for 25 minutes. While the tart is baking stir together the creme fraiche and brown sugar;  put in the fridge until time to serve.  Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.  Let cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the tart pan.  Let set at room temperature until ready to serve.

Recipe:  Candied Cranberries

• 2 cups cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: candied cranberries, Chocolate, Cranberry, flourless, Gluten Free, Tart

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When I see the first pumpkin at the market, I know fall is just a twinkle away.  Short days and crisp nights are just around the corner, which is also a sign to start making comfort food.  Food to nourish our souls, and keep us warm during the long winter months.  Most people think of comfort food as being savory, but, it can also be a sweet little bite of love.

Pot de cremes are exactly that;  a little bite of love.  They are so rich, and flavorful, that you only need a couple bites.  Couple weeks ago, I made these pot de cremes with some roasted pumpkin puree.   We were in the middle of a big move, somewhat homeless and found ourselves house-sitting for friends.  Our lives felt a bit out of sorts, and we yearned for some comfort.  While a big pot of soup came to mind, after roasting some pumpkins, we decided something sweet was in order.  This pot de creme recipe is simple to make, and easier to eat;  we could not stop at just one!  It would be really lovely served alongside Thanksgiving giving.

Some of you may have seen some tweets that I am in Austin.  I will be here for another week, and Lenny is back home taking care of business.  This is the first time we have been apart for more than a few days;  it is strange for me not to see him everyday, even though we talk.  It is not uncomfortable, just a bit strange.  I came down a few days ago to share  some time with an old friend, before embarking on a project.  Last night we realized we have known each other for 20 years;  but, it feels like only yesterday.  We have been sharing food, wine, and special time with her lovely teen-age girls (it is making us both relive our youth a bit).  It has been really sweet, and comfortable, just as the pot de cremes were.  Starting Sunday, I will be stepping out of my comfort zone, and submerging myself in some personal growth.  I will be spending a week with some very talented photographers, Lynn, Penny, and Scott, during their Photographic Muse Austin Workshop.  I am really excited to submerge myself, and to learn everything that I can in one short week.  Hopefully, finding a little time to also share with y’all.  In the meantime, make yourself a batch of these pot de cremes.

Recipe:  Roasted Pumpkin Pot de Creme

Pumpkin Recipes you should enjoy this fall:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
•  Pumpkin Cannoli 
• Pumpkin Scones

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cannoli, Cheesecake Bars, Dessert, pot de creme, Pumpkin, roasted, Scones, Thanksgiving

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Life.  Love.  Death.  Birth.  Life’s little quirks that keep us on our toes.  Laughter.  Joy.  Tears.  Smiles.  All of these experiences are scary and can leave one feeling exhilarated.  They are hard to explain and hard to express, the proper way, or I should say eloquently. 

I have not stopped thinking about Jennie since August 7, at 610pm, when I saw her tweet that her heart was shattered.  You know when that wave of “oh no” sways over you, that is exactly what happened.  I mentioned to Lenny that something had happened to Jennie and I had a feeling it was bad.  We talk about it every day.  We talk about Jennie every day.  We hold each other a little tighter in the mornings….. when saying “see you later”.  It has affected us even if we are not closer.

I have been meaning to reach out to Jennie for months now.  Time grabs me.  I get busy.  I don’t reach out.  I feel terrible about that.  I think about her everyday, this is the honest truth.  We had the short but sweet pleasure to met in person a couple years.  We shared smiles, joy, laughter, wine and stories of Mikey.  She got to met my love in person, I got to met hers through her contagious smile and loving words.  He was a kind man, a man of virtue, a man who loved his wife and children.  A man who was just not into doing dishes when she was gone.  Maybe he called to talk about dish soap because he really wanted to hear his wife’s voice.  He probably did not care about soap or dishes.  Lenny and I both remember that story;  we both think of Jennie, Mikey and doing dishes, every time our hands are submerged in suds.

We were traveling for work and could not get to making A Pie for Mikey until this week.  We invited a dear friend over who has been celebrating his partner’s tests coming back cancer free.  That night we shared a meal, wine, laughter and we celebrated Mikey as well as Life.  We had a pie for Mikey.  I followed Jennie’s recipe as this was a pie for Mikey;  I couldn’t change it.  The only thing I did differently was half the recipe to make a smaller portion and I toasted the peanuts before laying them on the melted chocolate.  Something about non-toasted peanuts freaks me out.  I think I may have whipped the cream cheese and peanut butter too much as it had a mousse like texture and was very light.    But, it was really good.  I mean really good.  The pie was nutty, creamy and luxurious.  It didn’t last, we finished it all.  Mikey would have been proud.

When I thought about this write-up, I tossed around all sorts of ways to express what we are feeling for Jennie;  but, there really are no words.  We have not walked in Jennie’s shoes, and we only dread feeling the pain and anger she is experiencing.   What we can do is be there for her to listen, comfort and nourish.

Jennie – our hearts are with you and your girls not only today, but, every day.

Recipe:  Peanut Butter Pie

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, Jennie Perillo, Mikey, Peanut Butter, Pie

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Cherry season is in full force around the Bay Area and when our neighborhood market decided to put their organic cherries on sale at $2.99 a pound ….. I went crazy.  As in 8 pounds of cherries sitting in our kitchen, crazy.  One would think we had cherries for days; but, these gems were amazing and did not last long.  Sweet.  Juicy.  Plump.

We have been enjoying them by the handfuls as well as in a few sweet dishes and even cocktails.  A favorite summertime dessert that we enjoy is the Clafoutis.  Last week I made a Clafouti out of fresh berries.  Now you may be wondering what is the difference between a Clafoutis and a Clafouti;  nothing.  In Anglo countries the traditional French dessert Clafoutis is referred to as a Claufouti.  Since posting my berry Clafouti, I have learned that I was wrong in my writing, as  it is properly called a Flaugnarde when one uses berries – I must change that.  Anyhow, since my Clafouti really wasn’t a Clafouti, I decided to make another one. This time a traditional Limousin Clafoutis to be exact.  Have I lost you yet?  Wondering what all this Clafoutis vs Claouti is all about?

A traditional Limousin Clafoutis is a baked dessert made out of black cherries and a thick custard batter.  The Limousin style Clafoutis leaves the pits in the cherries as it is suppose to give the sweet dessert an intense flavor.  If you remove the pits, the flavor of you Clafoutis is supposedly more mild.  Realistically …….  we could not tell the difference.  To keep with tradition and because we are Francophiles, I kept the pits in.  As well, it is kind of fun, to nosh on ones dessert and spit out pits at the table. How often did your mother allow that when you were growing up?

I have been wanting to play around with some coconut flour as I am really enjoying the use of coconut oil in my baking;  so I figured now was as good a time as ever.  Coconut flour is gluten free as well as high in protein.  It is made from the coconut fiber once the oil has been completely extracted in order to make virgin coconut oil.  The texture is a bit heavier than regular AP flour, as well as a little grainy.  The dense texture required me to bump up the liquids in my recipe as the first batch came out dry.  I loved the slightly tropical scent to the flour, which only intensified when baking, as well as the slightly sweet taste.  Definitely added more depth and experience to my otherwise not traditional Clafouti.

Recipe:  Gluten Free Cherry Clafoutis

• 3 cups whole cherries, you decide if you want to pit
• 3/4 cup whole-milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 5 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• powdered sugar for garnish

** Chez Us is participating in Food Network’s Summer Fest 2011 where we will be sharing great recipes using seasonal produce. You can find other delicious dishes using cherries at Food Network and these sites:

• What’s Gaby Cooking: Cherry Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream
• Big Girls Small Kitchen: Cherry Cornmeal Cake
• Cooking With Elise: Roasted Cherries with Lavender and Almond Panna Cotta
• Daydreamer Desserts: Cherry Crumble Cake
• Ingredient Challenge Monday: Black Forest Ice Cream Done Two Ways
• Spices and Aroma: Dilkush with Cherries
• And Love It Too: Cherry-Pecan Chicken Salad
• FN Dish: The Ultimate Cherry Pie
• Daily*Dishin: Simple French Cherry Clafouti
• Glory Foods: Collard Greens and Cherry Reduction
• Chez Us: Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis
• Food for 7 Stages of Life: South Indian Hot and Sour Soup
• Virtually Homemade: Dark Chocolate Cherry Kuchen
• In Jennie’s Kitchen: Cherry Conserves
• The Sensitive Epicure: Gluten-Free Cherry Almond Clafouti
• Cooking Channel: Very Cherry Sangria
• Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cherry Balsamic Vinegar
• Zaika Zabardast: Balsamic Cherry and Peach Crisp
• Mooshu Jenne: Rainier Cherry Panna Cotta
• Food2: A Very Cherry Recipe Round-Up
• Virtually Vegan Mamma: Fresh Cherry and Almond Scones
• CIA Dropout: Italian Cherry Cake
• Sweet Life Bake: Honey-Tequila Pickled Cherries
• Cooking With Books: Cherry Cooler
• Recipe Girl: Cherry Limeade Pound Cake

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Almond Flour, Cherry, Clafouti, Clafoutis, Coconut Flour, Food Network, French Dessert, Gluten Free, Summerfest, Sweet

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Don’t you love saying “Clafouti”  I love saying it … clafouti, clafouti, clafouti.  Not only is it fun to say but it is fun to make as well as eat.  I cannot remember the first time I had it.  I do remember loving the warm custard base and jammy fresh summer fruit. I was hooked.

Clafouti as well as galettes are a staple summertime dessert in our house.  I tend to whip one up whenever I have some overripe stone fruit laying around.  I particularly love late summer apricots with an almond flavoring.  Bliss.  I have never considered adding berries.  Don’t ask me why; because, I cannot even begin to answer that question.  Then my friend Tracy whipped up a strawberry claufouti and provoked the baking goddess in me.

The other evening I had some leftover blueberries and a near overripe basket of strawberries sitting on the counter, just begging to be eaten.  Instead, I pulled out my trusty clafouti recipe and went to work.  Don’t be scared to tackle what looks like a complicated recipe.  A clafouti is really easy to make.  Just put all of the ingredients, except for the fruit, into a blender.  Give a couple whirls and you are set.  I like to put it into the oven about 30 minutes before serving, then you will have a lovely warm dessert to serve your guests, or to just enjoy yourself.  Makes a wonderful breakfast companion with a cup of hot coffee as well.  That is if you even have leftovers.

Happy Clafouti’n!

Recipe:  Blueberry Strawberry Clafouti

• 1/2 pint strawberries, washed and cut in half
• 1 pint blueberries, washed
• 1/2 cup whole-milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon  orange blossom water
• powdered sugar for garnish

If you like this recipe, check these out:

Apple and Hazelnut Clafouti

Peach Raspberry Clafouti

Sweet Potato and Crabapple Clafouti

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blueberries, Blueberry, Clafouti, Custard, Dessert, French, Strawberry, Sweet

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I learned something a couple months ago, after trying a new chocolate chip recipe;  if you already have something that works, and works really well, don’t change it.  So, when Ella asked me to make cupcakes for her 8th birthday party, I knew I had to stick to my old stand-by cupcake recipe from Magnolias.  It is sweet.  It is fluffy.  It comes out perfectly ….. every time.

Ella had a back-wards birthday.  Everything was backs from the clothes they wore to the party, all the way down to dessert.  Ella wanted the cake to be cupcakes but baked in ice cream cones, and ice cream to be served in cupcake liners.  I was thrilled when she asked me to bake these for her, as I remember my mother baking cupcakes in cones for me.  I had been waiting for ten years (her brother is 10) to be asked to bake these cupcakes.  YIPPY!

Originally when we started planning the cupcakes, we agreed that the flavor should be vanilla.  I took it upon myself to make that a lush vanilla bean cake.  I had visions of making a malted buttercream as well as a dark chocolate buttercream, and swirling them together for the icing, with a slight sprinkle of white and brown jimmies.  Ella wanted the buttercream to be vanilla, and shaded in many different pastel colors.  Since one only turns eight once in their life, we went with her wishes.  The cupcakes turned out adorable, and each of her party guests thought they were so cute!  Adorable, cute, and delicious.

Do you have a favorite cupcake recipe that you like to use for special celebrations?

Recipe:  Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
* inspired from Magnolia Bakery – made 41 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a round cake pan with empty cones, make them a little snug, so they don’t tip over in the oven.  Sift the flours and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until smooth;  about 5 minutes.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy;  about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each one.  Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, in 3 equal parts.  After each addition beat until the ingredients are incorporated.  Do NOT over beat.  Add the vanilla.  Scrape the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.  Carefully fill each cone, about 2/3 full.  I filled just under the lower ring on the cone.  Carefully, slide the baking pan into the oven.  Be very careful as you do not want them to tip over.  Bake until the cake is golden, about 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Classic Buttercream Frosting – omited the orange blossom water and vanilla bean paste.  Instead, used 2 teaspoons of bourbon vanilla extract.  Doubled the recipe to frost cupcakes.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: backwards party, birthday party, Buttercream, Cupcakes, cupcakes in cones, magnolia, Vanilla, vanilla bean paste, vanilla buttercream, vanilla cupcakes

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Maggie, asked me to make her a 5 layer birthday cake for her 5th birthday:  a layer for every year.  I wanted it to be very special, so I said “OF COURSE!”   We wanted every layer to be different, to make a pattern as she says.  We went with chocolate as well as yellow cake for the layers.  Her favorite color is yellow, and she said she wanted a “dreamy” frosting and no sprinkles.  I did talk her into a couple for picture sake.  Back to “dreamy”, that could only mean one thing to my fellow butter-ball side-kick ….. buttery, light, and slightly pretty.  (she is NOT into princesses or pink)

I made this frosting with half coconut oil, and half unsalted butter.  Oh, and a little heavy cream for good measures.   I am addicted to baking with coconut oil, it gives everything such a light texture, almost airy as well is smells divine.  I flavored the frosting with vanilla paste, and orange blossom water, as I wanted it to compliment the chocolate cake.  It was fluffy.  It was light.  It was melt on your tongue goodness.  Yes, it was “dreamy”.  Next time you bake a cake, cupcakes or frosted cookies, do not grab the pre-made frosting off of the counter in the baking aisle.  There is no excuse that you CANNOT make this classic buttercream frosting.  This recipe is not only dreamy but it is easy peasy!

Recipe:  Buttercream Frosting

What you need:

*frosted a 5 layer cake with enough for a little piping

• 1 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
• 2 teaspoons orange blossom water (or your favorite flavor)
• few drops of your favorite food coloring

What you need to do:

In a mixing bowl, put all the ingredients except the cream, vanilla paste, flavoring, and color.  With a paddle attachment, on a very low setting, or you will have sugar everywhere, beat until mixed, about 2 minutes.  Add the cream, and turn up to medium.  Continue beating until smooth, and fluffy;  about 5 – 7 minutes.  You made need to add a little more cream, if you would looser texture.  Add the flavorings, beat just to mix.  Add the color, and beat just to mix.  Frost your favorite treat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Back to the Basics, Buttercream, Buttercream Frosting, Cake, Classic, Cookies, Cupcakes, Easy, Frosting, Icing, Orange Blossom Water, Recipe, Vanilla Paste

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WOW!  Time flies when you are cooking, and stuffing your face.  It is hard to believe that it has been 4 years, yes 4 years, and 697 posts since Chez Us was born.  It is fun to look back, and see the baby steps we took, to get where we are now.  We laugh, and smile over some of these silly posts, when we were shy, and not sure how much we should say. It has been a delicious journey.

We get asked all the time, why we do it, and why we keep doing it?  Well, we have to eat, right?  Honestly?  We love it;  it is a sweet labor of love, delicious love.  Two passions rolled into one … food and photography.  An outlet to be creative, to unwind, to think outside the box.  And the relationships.  Food just happens to bring people together.  We have been so fortunate to have met some amazing people through the site;  truly raw talent.  Very lucky, the relationships that have been “baking” mean so much, we cannot ever imagine not meeting each of you.

What did we do to celebrate?  Well, we ate, the same meal we have eaten every year on the blogiversary;  vegetarian enchiladas, washed down with margaritas.  This year we mixed it up a bit, by adding cake.  A sultry, and creamy three milk cake.  I have been dying to make one, ever since I read a recipe many years ago.  I just have never gotten around to it.  I was inspired by a recipe over at Lemon Pi recently, and used it as a guideline.  Instead of regular milk, I used coconut milk, and added a heavy dose of fresh lime zest.  It was amazing.  Really amazing.  Dense, moist, luscious, and flavorful.  Melts on your tongue with every bite;  I am serious here.  This is going to be a new favorite, and I cannot wait to play with flavor combinations.  Dreamy!

We want to say “thank you”.  Not just a little thank you, but a heart-felt thank you to everyone who has ever read our site, glanced at it, recommends it to their dog, or keeps coming back for more.  Without your loving, and sometimes not so loving comments, we would not be here.  As long as you want us to feed you, we will keep doing so.

A celebration would not be a celebration without a couple gifts right?  Instead of giving Chez Us a gift, as we have the gift of your readership, we want to pass along a gift to you;  a couple of our favorite things.  One lucky reader will get each of these sweet little tokens of Chez Us love.

1)  Bill’s Open Kitchen by Bill Granger – LOVE this guy.  He is a favorite Aussie chef of ours.  Not only are his recipes fresh, and easy to make, but they all call for fresh ingredients, and are diet friendly.  Love the simple but exotic flavors of chilies, lime, cilantro … mouth watering.  This particular book has every meal covered from breakfast to afternoon tea.  Wait until you try the passion fruit pancakes;  oh yes!  Or the citrus risotto;  swoon!

2)  Five Spoons Organizing Stickers – are your cookbooks dog-eared to mark recipes you must try?  Or do you take a pen and make a little mark, indicating you like it?   Not any more ….  I discovered Anna’s lovely company Five Spoons, through my friend Tracy.   Anna’s sells these cute little stickers that you can use to mark the recipes that you are dying to try, or you can use the little spoon stickers to rate each recipe in your books. I have so much fun, sitting down with a cup of jo, opening a book, and stickering away.  And my books look so much more organized and “cute”.  You are going to love these stickers!  Anna was nice enough to contribute a set of each for one lucky reader.

What do you have to do?  Easy.  Peasy.  Leave a comment below, telling us what you love most about Chez Us, or what you love least?  What you would like to see us do, in the next year?  More video?  Bring back podcasts?  More easy dinners?  More sweets?  Meal planning to help you save time?  Please let us know …..

For additional entries, do one or all of the following.  You will have to come back here after completing each task, and leave a separate comment indicating you have done so.

• Subscribe to our Newsletter Culinary Capers
• Fan Us on Facebook
• Follow Us on Twitter
• Or, you have already done all three of these things in the past but still want an extra chance?  Well, who doesn’t love a good stumble?  Stumble this post, then leave a comment here telling us you stumbled.

You have until midnight, May 22, 2010;  we will use random.org to pick a winner, and will announce it May 23.

Now, let’s get baking;  here is the recipe for this dreamy three milk cake.

Recipe:  Three Milk Cake

* inspired by Lemon Pi

What you need:

Cake:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 2 limes zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• juice from half a lime
• 3 tablespoons whole milk

Milk Glaze:

Whipping Topping:

• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons coconut cream, thick part of a can of coconut milk

What you need to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line round cake pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides of the pan.  Using a mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla until thick and pale.  Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then fold into the mixture.   Add the milk, and thoroughly mix.  Pour the batter into the baking tin, and level the top.  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  A little extra browning adds depth to the flavor.
2. While the cake is baking, make the milk glaze by combining the condensed milk, with the sour cream, mix thoroughly.  Add the evaporated and coconut milk, mix;  set aside.
3. Turn the baked cake out onto a cooling rack and immediately cover the bottom and sides with tinfoil. Re-invert into the baking tin so that the tinfoil lines the tin, and the edges overlap the sides of the pan.  Prick several holes in the cake with a skewer, be generous with your poking.  Slowly pour the milk glaze mixture over the warm cake, from the centre outwards. Do this in batches, allowing the previous additions to be absorbed. It will look like too much liquid, don’t be alarmed, the cake will soak it all up. Leave to cool.
4. Whip the whipping cream, until soft peaks form.  Add the coconut cream – the thick creamy part of a can of coconut milk;  skim from the top before using the milk in the glaze.  Before serving gently cover the top of the cake with the whipped cream mixture.  Serve.  Eat.

How do we pick a winner, by using Random.Org.  We could from the bottom up (first comment for the post).  For this post there were 17 comments, we did not count our ping which is the first comment.  DRUM ROLL!!!!  The WINNER is:  # 15 – Danielle.   Danielle, ping us, and we will get you your lovely prize!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 3 Milk Cake, 5 Spoons Stickers, Bill Granger, Cake, Coconut Milk, Dessert, Sweet, Three Milk Cake

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We love quinoa.  It is kind of like the “wonder grain”.  It is somewhat like a grain, but not really.  In fact, it is not even related to a grain.  I should not even be putting it in the same family, to be honest.  Rather, it is related to the species of beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.  The Incas held the quinoa sacred, and it was the emperor who would sow the first planting.  The history is fascinating;  but, the nutritional values, are amazing.

Quinoa has an amazing amount of protein;  12% – 18% of it is protein.  Unlike traditional grains, that we are use to eating, such as wheat or rice, quinoa has a balanced amount of amino acids, a huge amount of fiber, and it is high in iron.  If, I had picky eaters at home, I would definitely incorporate it into their diets.

Working with quinoa is very easy.  Simply rinse, cover with cold water or stock, and then cook for 15 minutes.  I love watching it grow as it cooks, from small little pebbles, to little sprouts popping out.  The texture is really great as well;  with each little bite, there is a sort of “pop” between your teeth.  Reminds me of Pop-Rocks.  I usually use quinoa as a side dish, simply by itself, or seasoned with shallots, spices, pieces of nuts or dried fruit;  it goes nicely with roasted meat.  It also makes a wonderful vegetarian dish, when made into a salad, with fresh cherry tomatoes, chicken peas, silvers of green onion, and a tahini dressing.

I have never thought of using it as a dessert.  Flipping through the February issue of Gourmet Traveller I saw a lovely dessert, the colors really caught my eye.  As I read it, I thought, “genius idea, it is like tapioca;  but healthier”.  I used the same ingredients (almost) as the recipe lists, but I did cut back on the sugar amounts.  It came out creamy, crunchy, and very tropical;  thanks to mango, coconut, and lime flavors.  This little pudding is not only pretty to look at, but it is refreshing, and perfect as a light sweet after dinner, or even as breakfast;  don’t judge, after all, it is loaded with protein!

What is your favorite way to eat Quinoa?  Do you feed it to your picky-eaters?

Recipe:  Quinoa Pudding with Mango

What you need:

*serves 6

• 200 grams black quinoa
• 50 grams sugar
• 300 ml coconut milk
• 1 mango, diced

Recipe: Lime Syrup

• 100 grams sugar
• 200 ml water
• 2 limes, zested

What you need to do:

Rinse quinoa under cold running water, place in a saucepan, cover with cold water.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook until tender;  about 15 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and let set in a colander until well drained.  While the quinoa is cooking make the lime syrup.  In a saucepan, add the sugar, water, and lime zest.  Over medium low heat, simmer until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, and let cool.  Once the quinoa is drained well, put it back into a saucepan with the sugar, and coconut milk;  over medium low heat, cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and let cool.  To serve, put some quinoa into a bowl, top with pieces of mango, and drizzle with some of the lime syrup.  Serve.  Eat.

If you like this recipe, check these out:

Quinoa with Rose and Pomegrante

Quinoa Pudding

Quinoa Pudding

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Black Quinoa, Dessert, Healthy, Lime, Mango, Pudding, Quinoa, Quinoa Pudding, Recipe, Sweet, Tapioca

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More Wordless Wednesdays:

Pond Life

Sunset

Meyer Lemons

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brown Sugar, Pavlova, Wordless Wednesday

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It was my birthday two weeks ago.  I was unusually quiet about it.  You see something happened when I turned 40;  I became quiet, somewhat reserved about my age.  I use to go all out, reminding everyone, wanting to do something epic; blah, blah, blah.  Now, I sit back, enjoy my time with the ones I love.  I prefer a quiet and intimate setting;  nice dinner, good wine, family and/or friends and my love.  Instead of the let’s rush out to a fancy, schmancy place and spend oodles of cash.  Don’t get my wrong, I still feel strongly about birthdays, after all, it is “my day” and I can do anything I want, like eat gooey chocolate cake.

Chocolate is the one thing I cannot live without.  Really!  When people ask me, what is the one food, I honestly love, it always comes back to chocolate.  It does have to be deep, dark and rich chocolate.  Not fluffy semi or milk;  BORING.  I like the chocolate to melt on my tongue, slide down my throat and get into my belly;  I want every last bite to linger, like a first kiss.  Perfection really.

Last weekend I decided to experiment with a favorite recipe of mine, the flourless chocolate cake. This particular recipe is my go-to dessert when heading over to friend’s house for dinner.  It is fool-proof, delicious, and gluten-free.  I wanted to transform the recipe, take it to new limits, make it sexy.  I had some chocolate tucked away, from our trip to France, a 68% Le Noir, which promised  to be complex, bitter and refined.   I tossed around the idea of adding different essence to the chocolate base, orange, lime, bergamot, even espresso.  Then I spied out of the corner of my little eye, the package of sea salts, that Jackie gave me for Christmas.  They have been sitting quietly on the shelve in my kitchen, just waiting for me to play with them.  Jackie surprised me with two of Virginia Willis’s seasonings from My Southern Pantry, the French Quarter Spice Rub and Pecan Smoked Sea Salt.  It was a hard decision on which one to pick for this recipe as I thought both would hold hands perfectly with the sinful chocolate;  but, in the end, I picked the Pecan Smoked Sea Salt.  I thought the slightly nutty, somewhat smokey and salty bite, would be perfect with the already complex chocolate.

In addition to playing with the flavors of this cake, I also wanted to play with the texture.  Instead of the usual dense chocolate cake, I wanted it to be a little lighter, somewhat fluffy and warm and gooey.  I wanted the complexity to change throughout the dessert course.  Normally when I make this cake I use a paddle attachment with my mixer, this time I opted for the whisk.  As well I let half of the chocolate chill in the fridge until it was almost crumbly.  I whisked in a lot of air, after each addition of egg.  Once the batter was light in color and slightly fluffy, I poured in the melted half of the chocolate, it was still slightly warm.  I continued whisking until the batter doubled in size.  At this point, I added the chocolate crumbles.  After pouring the heavily whisked batter into a buttered tart pan, I generously sprinkled the top with the Pecan Smoked Sea Salt.  Upon removing the cake from the oven, I let it cool for only 10 minutes, then removed the sides.   The texture of the finished cake was slightly firm but still had a light, almost souffle feel to it to it.  The top slightly cracked, which I think, gives the cake a rustic appearance.  When I cut into the cake, it was a little gooey but not raw.  The smokey, nutty salt married exceptionally well with the sultry chocolate.  The flavors were perfect together and did not really need anything else;  but, I served a lightly sweetened sour cream along side the cake.

Now, this my friends, is the ultimate birthday celebration.

Do you have a favorite flour-less cake recipe?

Recipe:  Chocolate Flour-less Cake with Smokey Pecan Sea Salt

If you liked this post, check these out:

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Torte

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cake, Chocolate, flourless, Gluten Free, Recipe, Smoked Pecan Sea Salt

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Dear Valentine,

How do I love thee?  Let me count the chocolatey ways …….

I thought of serving you a traditional chocolately dessert for Valentines.  You know the one with whipped cream and red ripe berries tossed in to make the dish picture perfect.  Then I paused.  Is this really symbolic of the way I feel for you?  I mean, do I consider my love for you to be ordinary.  The same love as everyone else around me, the ones standing on the street corner, with a bouquet of red roses, they just picked up from the market, because they “had to”.  NO!  My love for you is exciting, breathless and adventurous.  It is anything but ordinary.  I longed for my creation for you to be sultry, sinful and sexy.  I want to feed you something by the spoonful that would leave you panting for more, while feeling all a little too spicy.  I do not want ordinary or the usual token meal of affection; instead I wanted to find something new, something that not everyone would be sharing on Valentine’s Day, something exciting.

I started my search by looking for ancient recipes using aphrodisiacs created by the Greeks.  After all, back in the day, the Greeks were known to be the world’s wisest lovers.  Of course they indulged in the same everyday aphrodisiacs that we are all so familiar with:  oysters, red wine, chocolate, figs, honey, truffles ….. What about the unforgotten aphrodisiacs?  Pineapple, rosemary, mustard, carrots and mint;  the step-children of aphrodisiacs.  Yes, mint!  Alexander the Great forbid his soldiers from drinking mint tea before battle, as he wanted them to make war, not love.  Persephone, the wife of Pluto, turned the innocent and dainty nymph Mente into greenery as Pluto found her scent to be too irresistible.  They say the secret to passion is to combine two aphrodisiacs;  for you I have made this sultry chocolate mousse that has been tainted with slightly floral but sweet mint.  The perfect Valentine indulgence for you.

xx oo

Chocolate Mouse Components

Whipped Cream Base

1 cup heavy cream

Swiss Meringue

3 egg whites
1/2 water
12 large mint leaves
1/2 cup sugar

Chocolate Base

1/2 cup warm water
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

Egg Yolk Base

3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons simple syrup

Whipped Cream Ingredients – optional
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar

• Whip 240 ml of heavy cream for the mousse to stiff peaks and set aside in the fridge.
• Combine the second  listing of heavy cream, vanilla extract and brown sugar and whip to stiff peaks, cover and set aside in the fridge until serving – this is optional and only for serving
• Make Swiss Meringue. Combine water with the mint leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and let steep for 30 minutes.  Strain.  Return minty water to saucepan and add sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until slighly thickened.  Remove 3 tablespoons of the mixture and set aside.  Put egg whites into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until foamy.  On medium to high speed of your mixer, continue whisking the egg whites, while slowly pouring in the hot sugar mixture.  Continue whisky until light, fluffy and stiff peaks form.  Put the mixture into another large bowl and set aside.
• Make chocolate base. Melt dark chocolate in a bowl over the simmering water until melted.  It will be very thick, slowly had water water to loosen it up.  Whisk until very smooth.  Set aside and keep warm, I kept it on the stove top, away from heat.
• Make egg yolk base. Whisk egg yolks in your mixer until broken up and light yellow.  Heat simple syrup to a boil.  Slowly add to the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Whisk until thick and fluffy.
• Fold chocolate base into egg yolk base and gently fold until incorporated.  Next, fold in the plain whipped cream until incorporated.  Fold in Swiss meringue until incorporated. Store chocolate mousse in fridge until ready to serve.
• Serve.
• Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aphrodisiac, Chocolate, Mint, Mousse, Pudding, Recipe, Valentine's Day

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