Oui, Chef

Chocolate Bouchons

Santa was good to me this year, I must have been a very good boy.  My brother and his wife were good to me too.  For Christmas, they bought me Bouchon Bakery's snappy new "chocolate bouchon" kit from Williams-Sonoma.  For those of you uninitiated to the joys of the chocolate bouchon to which I am referring, they are yet another brainchild of Thomas Keller, and are famously sold at both his bakeries and restaurants that bear their name.  Think of the ultimate 2-bite brownie and you pretty much have the idea of the thing.  Named, and shaped after the French word for "cork", they are nothing short of magnificent little chocolate bombs, especially good when still slightly warm from the oven.  The kit includes enough mix to make about 18 of the suckers, and a silicone mold in which to cook them.  Joy to the World.....

Bran Muffins Even Your Kids Will Like

A bold claim, I know. 

Just the mention of the word "bran" will have most kids turning tail and heading for the hills, but if you can get them to try these, I betcha they'll be hooked.....hey, have I ever lied to you?  This is a muffin that I make in double batches to freeze for a quick, healthy re-heatable breakfast or snack.  They get their  moist texture from pureed raisins, which along with a little brown sugar, make them perfectly sweet, but not overly so.  They are dense, rich, packed with flavor, and because they don't finish with a crown, but rather a flat-top, they are oh-so-fun to stack!

The recipe is Nancy Silverton's, perhaps you've heard of her?  She is thought by many to be the preeminent pastry chef in the States, and her famed La Bea Bakery in L.A. enjoys world-wide acclaim.  I bought her cookbook "Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery" some time ago, but it wasn't until I read a recent blog post by David Lebovitz raving about these muffins, did I decide to give them a try.  I am so glad I did.

Madeleines

"The fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach".  I think on this point, most of us would agree. 

But did you know that the same can be said for young girls? 

Well, I’m here to tell you that this strategy is equally effective when attempting to vie for a young chica’s affections, especially if what you’re offering to put in her stomach is something, that warm out of the oven, is as delicate and delicious as a homemade madeleine.

It was to this simple recipe that I turned shortly after I started dating my second wife, when I felt a little “sweetener” would help to warm the hearts of her two young daughters.  To be fair, Muppet and Peyton seemed OK with me dating their mom from the get-go, but I must say that the introduction of madeleines to their world certainly helped to grease the path of my acceptance into their lives.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

 

One of the things I am trying to teach the kids in our cooking together, and to be honest, trying to get better about myself, is to be comfortable experimenting in the kitchen.  To be able to cook on the fly, without a recipe, or to take a recipe you have and tweak it to either suit your tastes, or the contents of your pantry, is an excellent skill to have in the kitchen.  My wife, who is an excellent cook is really good at this.  In fact, I think she prefers to cook by instinct as opposed to breaking out a cookbook and cooking from a recipe.  She likes the creative challenge of working this way.  Inspired by her, I have become much more comfortable “using the force” when cooking, applying techniques I know well to ingredients on hand.  Sometimes working to capture classic flavor combinations and profiles that I love, sometimes letting it all hang out and shooting for something totally new.

Working this way while cooking savory dishes is one thing.  I have the occasional total failure, but for the most part, I can wing-it and end up with a pretty tasty dish for the table.  Cooking baked goods or pastries without regard to a recipe however, is just asking for trouble.  There is a real chemistry to baking that cannot be ignored, and if altered in the wrong way, will more often than not lead to poor results.  If you have the time, knowledge, and inclination to set up an honest to goodness test kitchen at home, then have at it, but know that success in developing “new” baking recipes will likely depend on your willingness to work and re-work them many times before hitting upon a winner.  If, like most people, you lack the masochistic bent required for test kitchen work, there are a few other routes you could follow to exercise your creativity.