Merry Christmas

Pictured here is a traditional bûche de Noël (yule log) filled with chestnuts and covered with chocolate ganache.

Merry Christmas!

Charlotte aux marrons

Finishing touches for this chestnut cake served with hot chocolate sauce and whipped cream

Cherries

Beautiful juicy cherries are now in full season here, so are the stains that inevitably come with them.

I found the best way to get rid of those stains is to soak them with milk, yes milk! for a couple of hours and the stain disappears totally from the garment.

Hope this little tip will help you enjoy those cherries longer.

BD celebration cooking class

I had the great pleasure of teaching a cooking class to a family of 9 celebrating a birthday last Friday.

The menu was:

Soupe de cresson / watercress soup

Paupiette de sole au saumon sauce beurre blanc / Sole rolls stuffed with salmon mousse and a beurre blanc sauce

Tarte aux fraises / strawberry tart

Croquembouche

I was very fortunate to make a very traditional French wedding dessert for my friend's wedding last week, a Croquembouche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquembouche).

* * Mother's Day Special * *

For this upcoming Mother's day I have this special offer of artisan French croissants.

New and improved recipe.

20 croissants for $30, frozen and ready to bake on Sunday morning.

Please allow 72 hours for making and delivery.

Surprise your mother, partner or simply treat yourself.

If interested please contact me

Thank you

To all the mothers and mothers to be happy mother's day.

French Macarons

Easter is right around the corner, here is an idea to treat your guests to a very special French specialty:

Macarons

They are airy gluten free little "cookies" made with egg whites, almonds and sugar with a flavoured filling.

In this case you have a choice of:

raspberry, lemon and chocolate or a mix of the 3.

They come in a box of 3

I also make custom size orders

If interested please contact me:

425 343 8885

petitechefanne@gmail.com

De-boning a chicken or ...

how to keep oneself occupied on rainy days

Valentine's day

Happy Valentines day everyone.

Pictured here is my signature dessert: Death by Chocolate.

Have a wonderful day.

Chandeleur

Today in France we celebrate "la chandeleur", another tradition where food is at the centerpiece, in this case we are talking about crêpes.

As well as traditions linked to food we also have a lot of sayings, like this one: "Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l'hiver est par derriere; Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte!" (If February 2 is clear, no more winter to fear; if the Chandeleur is overcast, forty days winter to last).

See a more in depth explanation of this tradition here.

Here is the CREPES recipe we have used in our family when I grew up:

For about 20 crêpes 9” diameter

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup All Purpose Flour 250 gr

2 Egg 2

2 cups Milk 500 ml

1 Tbsp Sugar 1 Tbsp

1 pinch Salt

Flavour with 1 Tbsp Rum or Kirsch or Orange flower water or/& vanilla

Alternate recipe: substitute half of the milk with a light blonde beer, it will make for lighter crêpes

Method

In a bowl measure the flour, slowly add the milk and whisk until you obtain a smooth batter without lumps, then add the eggs and continue whipping.

Then add the sugar, salt and flavouring of choice.

Mix until all combined and no lumps.

Rest for at least 1 hour.

Pour a ladle full of batter into a preheated oiled crêpes pan (non stick if possible), swirling the pan to coat the bottom evenly with batter.

Cook over medium heat a minute or so, until the sides of the crêpe come loose from the bottom of the pan, turn over for half a min or so and set aside on a plate placed over a pan of hot water and cover with plastic wrap to keep the crêpes warm, repeat until all the batter is gone.

Serve with various fillings.

Filling suggestions

Sugar, lemon, jam, chocolate, cooked banana and orange…

Puff Pastry

Puff Pastry

Everything you ever wanted to know.

How to make it

How to use it in various creations both savoury and sweet.

As an appetizer bite, as a main course using a white sauce with mushrooms and chicken, as a dessert a special creation for Valentine's day.

* * There are still a couple of seats available - Cost $30 p/p * *

Contact me if interested

Thank you

Special gift for your Valentine

Thinking about this special gift that will surprise your Valentine?

How about a private cooking class for just the 2 of you?

Custom menu to your preferences.

Contact me for further details:

425 343 8885

Galette des Rois

In France January 6th marks the celebration of Epiphany, the coming of the 3 kings or the Three Magi: Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspar bringing offerings to Jesus Christ, and as most traditions in France we celebrate with food, in this case it is the Galette des Rois (Almond filling encased between 2 sheets of puff pastry).

The bakeries go crazy over this and you can find galettes from December until February.

It is an opportunity to "draw kings" (tirer les rois) for Epiphany: a bean or fève is hidden in the cake and the person who gets this fève is the king/queen of the day and has the right to wear a fantasy crown. The recipient of the fève has to offer the Galette the following year.

By tradition it is the youngest of the guests, hidden under the table, which determines the distribution of shares.

You can share in the French tradition by ordering now your very own Galette des Rois for $46 (10.5" diameter), ready to bake.