Monthly Archives: November 2012
Cooking (and Eating) with Friends
What a weekend! I just came back from the Cape. I met up with three of my favorite college friends for a fun-filled weekend of reminiscing and reconnecting. We try to get together once a year, usually at someone’s house, but in celebration of our half-century milestones, we wanted to do something special.
With 200 years among us, we treated ourselves to a weekend stay at the Captain Freeman Inn, including a cooking class along with a delicious gourmet breakfast each morning. The theme of the class was “Fall in Tuscany”. The menu was designed around typical Tuscan dishes with local seasonal ingredients. The class turned out to be more demonstration than participation, but I learned some new tips and tricks, and some new recipes.
Our instructor, Chef Carol, showed us the less familiar steps for each recipe and described how each dish was assembled. None of the dishes were actually finished during the class. However, after the kitchen part of the class and a short break, all the students gathered again for a wine tasting of Italian wines with the inn owners, followed by dinner, where the menu we learned during the class was served.
Here’s what we ate:
Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers and Parmigiano Reggiano
Polenta and Seafood Frito Misto
Duck with Harvest Grapes, Olives, and Cranberries
Creamy Pancetta and Parmesan Polenta
Arugula, Roasted Pumpkin, Citrus and Fig Salad
Sweet Roasted Pears with Ricotta Salata and Balsamic Glaze
It was a wonderful weekend. There’s nothing like being with good friends. Our 30th college reunion approaches this June, so we’ll get to hang out together again soon. I can’t wait
ffwd: top-secret chocolate mousse
I doubt this is the first time I’ve made this confession on my blog. I am not a chocoholic. I like, but am nowhere close to loving, chocolate. For French Fridays with Dorie, this week’s recipe was Top-Secret Chocolate Mousse. This was bound to make Howard, the resident chocolate fiend, happy. Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever made mousse before, or at least not in many years, so I welcomed a new challenge.
What’s top secret about this recipe? According to Dorie, every French home cook knows this recipe from the back of the chocolate package. The recipe is hiding in plain view. Sort of like home-baked Toll House cookies in the U.S., maybe?
This recipe couldn’t have been easier, so no wonder it’s a go-to recipe in French homes. You melt the chocolate, you whisk in egg yolks, you beat egg whites with a tiny bit of sugar, and you fold that into the chocolate. Voila! A 4-ounce chocolate bar is just the amount for the recipe plus one square leftover to grate on top plus have a mini-snack. And, because we get super-fresh eggs from a neighbor down the street, the barely warmed eggs didn’t concern me.
I took Dorie’s tip and served the mousse in (stemless) martini glasses. As promised, they looked cute.
The recipe got the Howard seal of approval. I liked that the mousse was light and not overly chocolate-y. I opted for 62% dark chocolate, but I think it could have handled the 70% dark bar that I left on the shelf. Next time. This would be a great dessert to whip up for company. Not too much effort, but elegant taste that anyone would enjoy.
I’m looking forward to next week’s goat cheese mini puffs, much more up my alley.
We don’t post the recipes, but consider getting your own copy of the book, Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table. I’m off to enjoy a weekend on Cape Cod with college friends, so won’t get a chance to catch up on the other Dorista’s posts until after the weekend. If you want to check them out, follow their links here to read all about it.
Happy Friday!
A Plateful of Happiness 