Christmas Wrap-Up

So it turns out I was a bit over ambitious in my Christmas plans. Apparently I was too busy sunbathing in Baja to knit much. Who knew that working with wool while covered with sunblock, sand and baby slobber would be rather unappealing and tricky? I did get a few projects done, however, and now that we've finished up our third and final gift-giving session, I'm finally at liberty to divulge what ended up getting made.

Among the little knit projects that made it onto (and off!) my needles (Toasty, Thermis, Turn a Square, Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, Fetching, Plum Blossom Mittens, and a seed stitch eternity scarf of my own devising) there was one stand-out pattern. A pattern so quick, simple, and fun that I ended up making seven (!) pairs, two of them finished Christmas morning.  And only one pair was for me. They're the felted slippers from French Press Knits, and they are a little bit of magic.

They start with a few pieces of oddly-shaped knit work


Which, after a little seaming, become grossly over-sized slipper-shaped oddities
 

Which, after felting


and finishing become adorable house slippers!


From start to finish, I can make a pair of these in under two hours, including seaming (and there is a lot of seaming but it's of the "just sew those two pieces together any which way" variety that can be done while your baby is chewing the other end of your work.)  So after making my own pair, I whipped up six more pairs for gift giving.  I gave them out pre-felted with the idea that we'd have a felting party after opening presents on Christmas morning.  



Another lovely feature of this pattern is that they travel well.  They were made in Mexico, finished in California and I'm now wearing them in my sister-in-law's house in Pau, in the southwest of France. They pack well and stand up to getting shoved into a suitcase. And they look great with my new skinny jeans which is handy because, despite being told that all the cool kids are wearing skinny jeans, I've yet to be brave enough to wear them out of the house.

Champagne Truffles

Happy 2010!

We rang in the New Years in Pau, in the southwest of France, visiting Arnoud's little sister and her boyfriend, and I have a couple of recommendations for you if you ever come to Pau: eat all the cheese and chocolate you can get your hands on and make sure you're breastfeeding because you are going to need that additional caloric allowance.



Marianne and Seb, our hosts, like to cook even more than we do and made us a spectacular New Years Eve feast of Jerusalem artichoke and arugula soup followed by spinach and roasted tomato cannelloni with homemade (swoon!) noodles. The finish was these beautifully simple chocolate and champagne truffles with a heavy dusting of cocoa. The recipes are from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and I'm having some serious cookbook envy for this one.



The truffles are rich and decadent but still have a delicate flavor from the addition of champagne. They have a soft center surrounded by a thin layer of chocolate that offers a slight crunch when you bite into them. If you have some leftover champagne from last night, whip these up today and relish the beginning of 2010.



Champagne Truffles
adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Feel free to use inexpensive champagne here but splurge on the chocolate, at least 60% cacao for the dark chocolate.

for the truffles
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup champagne
2 1/2 Tablespoons brandy

to finish
5 ounces dark chocolate, for coating
cocoa powder for dusting



1. Cover an 8x8 inch square pan with plastic wrap.
2. Place first two ingredients into a heatproof bowl large enough to accommodate all ingredients. Warm the chocolate in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water, stirring periodically with a rubber spatula, until it is semi-melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
3. Pour the champagne and brandy into a small saucepan and heat until hot but not boiling, about 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Add the champagne mixture to the chocolate and stir until it melts completely.
5. Stir in the butter in a few additions and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
6. Pour into the prepared pan and chill until it has set, at least 3 hours.

To finish
1. Melt the chocolate for coating in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Dump the cocoa onto a flat plate.
2. Turn the chilled chocolate out of the pan onto a sheet of parchment paper on your workspace, remove the plastic wrap. Cut the chocolate into squares (1 to 2 inches per side) using a sharp, long knife. Clean the knife in hot water after every cut.
3. Use a skewer or fork to pick up one chocolate square and dip it into the melted chocolate. Wipe off any excess on the edge of the bowl, quickly roll the square in the cocoa powder, and place on a clean tray. Repeat with remaining squares.
4. Allow the chocolates to set in the fridge but bring them to room temperature before serving.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a warm and festive evening and a peaceful, joyful year to come. 



Thanks for hanging in with me despite the silence from my end.  I'll be back in the new year, lots of things to post...  You'll never guess where we are now (hint: I'm eating my weight in cheese and glacee.)

We're in trouble...

because Finn can roll, oh boy can he roll!

Hola from Baja!

Just a quick note:  we've arrived safely in La Ventana and are enjoying walking in the sand and putting our toes in the water.





I've got a few posts in the works.  Remember that acorn hat?  The pattern is coming up... 

Maple Pecan Cookies

So I had this idea to make cookies with maple syrup. After a few disappointing recipes, I hit on this gem.  The cookies are delicious plain, but topping them with maple icing and pecans turns them into something worth sharing.



Buttery and rich but still delicate and crisp, these cookies are perfectly special. I passed a dozen on to some friends who needed cheering up and I packed a box full for Arnoud and his friends who are on their way down to Baja. They're driving down with Arnoud's motorcycle and our kitesurfing gear; I'm a little nervous about sending my sweetie off on that long drive without me, so these cookies are my little bit of protection and a sweet little kiss to carry him safely to his destination.



Tomorrow Finn, Humphrey and I fly down to join the boys for a month-long vacation. It's Finn's first plane flight and first international trip (and Mama's first time traveling with a dog and a child -- thank heavens my Mama is coming with!) I'll be taking lots of Christmas knitting and my camera -- expect photo updates. Until then!



Maple Pecan Cookies
adapted from Gourmet
Makes at least 5 dozen

for cookies:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

for icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
• 4 Tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk

whole pecans to garnish

1. In a standing mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in maple syrup and egg yolk until mixture is combined well.
2. Sift together salt and flour over mixture and stir into maple mixture.
3. Roll dough into 12" log. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 2 hours. Dough may be made 4 days ahead and chilled.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut dough into 1/8 inch thick slices. Arrange cookies on buttered or parchment lined baking sheets.
4. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, about 12 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool.
5. While cookies are baking, make icing: sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Cream butter into sugar. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until icing is the consistency of a thick glaze.
6. Spread a little bit of icing over each (cooled!) cookie and top with a whole pecan.

Cookies keep in airtight containers 1 week.

Last Minute Galettes

Hello! I'm still here, really. Life's just gotten in the way of blogging lately, in a good way. There's been lots of friends visiting, plenty of sweet moments playing with Finn, and lots of starting crafty projects (but not much finishing.) We've had daily walks in the misty breaks between the rain showers and we've admired the ferns peaking out of mossy cracks and the grasses sprouting and turning the hills green and fuzzy. Also many cookies have been baked, unfortunately they were not good enough to blog about so I ate them. All. (Side note: disappointing cookies can redeem themselves if eaten for breakfast.) Laundry has gone unwashed, cereal has been eaten for dinner, and we could all really use a bath. In short, life's been sweet and full and just a little bit hectic.

With all the visitors we've been having, I've turned to a time saving trick from my previous life as a pastry baker: the galette. A galette is sort of a rustic tart and can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Pretty and unpretentious, they still manage to be a bit impressive; galettes are the Kate Winslet of the pastry world. The base is a circle of pie dough -- a perfect blank canvas to create all sorts of easy, quick meals and desserts. And here's the time saving secret: make a big batch of galette dough, roll it into single-serving sized circles, and then freeze them to be used when unexpected company arrives or if Mama just doesn't feel like cooking dinner.



Galettes
I hesitate to call this a recipe, it's more of a guideline or a jumping off point. You can use your favorite pie or pastry dough recipe, I've included mine at the end of this post. The sky's the limit when it comes to filling your galettes: for savory fillings think about pizza or quiche ingredients (just make sure your veggies and meats are pre-cooked) and for sweet galettes think fruit pie fillings, jams, and soft cheeses.

Some of my favorite combinations:
roasted veggies and goat cheese
caramelized onions, potatoes, and gruyere
slow-roasted tomatoes, pesto, and fresh mozzarella
blueberries and sweetened cream cheese
apples and a streusel topping
rhubarb and candied ginger

1. Turn pie dough (enough for a double crust pie) onto a work surface and form into eight equally-sized balls. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
2. Using as little flour as possible, roll each ball into a rough circle about 7 inches in diameter. Try to work the dough as little as possible, you don't want to warm the dough and melt the butter -- that leads to a tough, grainy crust.
3. Layer the circles in a pile, separated by pieces of baking parchment paper or plastic wrap. Slip the pile into a freezer bag and freeze.

The time consuming part of this project is done, now it's time to impress!



On baking day:
1. Greet unexpected visitors at the door, turning your body to hide the spit-up on your left shoulder.
2. Show visitors into living room, subtly kicking dog toys and baby rattle under the couch.
3. Let your guests play with the baby while you excuse yourself to go make tea (and hide the dirty dishes in your sink with soapy water.)
4. While the tea water boils, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, pull a few dough rounds out of the freezer, place on a baking sheet and top with whatever you find in the fridge or freezer (in the galettes photographed here, I used frozen blueberries and slices of white nectarine -- no need to defrost.)
5. When the frozen dough has softened a little bit, work around each circle, folding the dough up around the filling in little pleats. Don't cover all of the filling, leave a little circle visible in the middle.
6. Brush with an egg wash (one egg whisked with 1/4 cup water) or melted butter. Sprinkle with lots of raw sugar (for sweet galettes) or herbs (for savory galettes.)
7. Bake galettes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is tender; the timing will vary a lot depending on whether your filling is pre-cooked or not. Start checking after about 20 minutes.
8. Ta Da! Impress your visitors with your serenity, composure, and French baking skills.



Basic Pastry Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (or just use more butter)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

1. Pulse flour, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of a food processor just until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. With processor motor running, drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water through feeder tube and process just until combined. Do not let dough form a ball!
3. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
4. Shape into eight balls (for galettes) or two discs (for pie crust) and chill at least 30 minutes.