Chocolate Chaud-Froid

It has been a while hasn't it? I fear I may lose my readership. I will make it up by giving an absolutely flawless dessert that I frequently fall back on in case of emergencies: last minute dinner parties, pot luck events you forgot or a make-up dessert to make your significant other in case you forgot an important date.

It doesn't get much better than Chocolate Mousse with fresh berries. Use good quality chocolate for this one boys and girls, no regrets I guarantee. It is a recipe that I've combined from one a steakhouse and one I've found in a very reliable cookbook.

When whipping, you are trying to aerate whatever it is you are whipping. Try practicing whipping in a figure "8" rather than in circles around the bowl.

Chocolate Mousse with Flaming Berries
2 Egg Yolks
1 Egg White
20 ml Dark Rum
15 g Sugar
125 g Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely choppped
10 g Unsalted Butter
200 ml Whipping Cream
200 g Mixed Berries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries
20 ml Vodka for Flambe

Over simmering water, melt chocolate with butter in a stainless steel bowl. Let cool slightly.

Over simmering water, combine yolks, rum and half the sugar in a stainless steel bowl and whisk vigorously for 8 minutes; eggs should double in volume. Add melted chocolate and continue to whip until completely combined. The chocolate will seize; meaning it will become more difficult to whip.

In a separate bowl, combine egg white and sugar and with a hand or stand mixer, whip until soft or medium peaks.

In yet another bowl, whip cream until peaks once again.

Add one half of whipped egg whites to chocolate and fold to incorporate. Repeat with remainder of egg whites. Finally add cream and fold until incorporated.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and spoon on dish.

In a very hot pan, sear berries for 20 seconds. Add vodka and when vodka gets hot, light liquid with a match. Quickly spoon onto plates and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

I like using mousse as a garnish for a flourless torte with the flaming berries. A sure fire hit.

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How Can You Have Any Pudding If You Can't Eat Your Meat?

I just finished work and played around with something and it seemed to impress most of the boys and girls at work so I'll write it down now before I forget it. Besides, it's been way too long since I last posted (my apologies to you all!). Here is yet another simple base recipe that I added a bit of a twist to and with good results. Bread Pudding is basically Baked French Toast: egg bread cooked with a custard. Pretty simple once you've done it.

I've done numerous variations on the theme: Butternut Squash Bread Pudding, Mushroom Bread Pudding, Lavender Bread Pudding. This one still uses the basic recipe so it is nearly foolproof.

Lemongrass-Ginger Bread Pudding

3 Stalks of Lemongrass, bruised
small piece of ginger, whole and peeled (approx. 15g)

.5 l 2% Milk
.5 l 35% Cream
8 Egg Yolks
2 Whole Eggs
100g Sugar
.25 l Maple Syrup
Splash of Vanilla Extract
1 large loaf of Egg Bread, crust removed, cut into squares

Preheat oven at 350 Celsius.

Liberally butter an 8 x 11 dish. Fill dish with cut bread and allow bread to go a little stale.

In a saucepan, heat milk, cream, vanilla, syrup with lemongrass and ginger and slowly bring to a scald. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

In a bowl, combine sugar and eggs and whip vigorously to the "ribbon stage". Approximately 5 minutes.

Strain custard into a pitcher, slowly add custard to eggs while whisking to incorporate. Pour final custard to baking pan and allows for bread to soak up all the custard. Cover with tinfoil shiny side up.

Place baking sheet into a larger pan in the oven. Pour hot water in larger pan and bake for 45 - 55 min. To check pudding, stick a toothpick inside and it should come out cleanly. Refrigerate for 1 hr to let settle.

Serve with fresh berries and ice cream of choice.

Serves 10.

Variations: Ha! Name it. This can go anywhere.

This recipe should be made in advance so if you are entertaining, make this the day before and have it ready for serving. Almost too easy.

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Argentine Chimichurri Sauce

My wife wants to celebrate a friends birthday, and her recent engagement while they were on vacation in Argentina. She decided to throw a surprise party next Saturday, and invite 14 people to an Argentine Feast to recreate the memory of their engagement.

Argentine cuisine evolved distinctly from the rest of Latin American cuisine because of the heavy influence of Italian, Spanish, French and other European cuisines which makes the typical Argentine diet a variation on what is often called the Mediterranean diet.

Argentines are famous for their high protein diet, particularly beef. Grilled meat (parrilla) from the asado is a staple, with steak and beef ribs especially common. Chorizo (pork sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), chinchulines (chitterlings), mollejas (sweetbread), and other parts of the animal are enjoyed. In Patagonia, lamb and chivito — goat — are eaten more than beef. Whole lambs and goats can be seen on the asado. While Argentina has a large seacoast most of the fish caught is exported, and is not consumed there because of the abundance of beef, pork, and poultry.

South America is quickly gaining recognition for producing wines of exceptional quality that are still reasonably priced. Argentina and Chile have taken Old World grapes and found varieties uniquely suited to their particularly long growing seasons.

One up and coming variety is Malbec. Originally from the Bordeaux region where it is used primarily as a blending grape, Malbec is also the dominant grape of the famous black wines of Cahors in southwest France. But it truly thrives in the sunny, dry Argentine climate, producing fruity wines loaded with blackberry and black cherry flavors. Argentine Malbecs are similar in flavor to their European counterparts, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot.

Lesser known is Carmenère, a variety once widely cultivated in Bordeaux and sometimes labeled Grande Vidure. In 1991 winemakers discovered that 40 percent of the vines in Chile that were believed to be Merlot were actually Carmenère. Stronger and spicier than Merlot and lower in acidity, this grape produces wines with soft tannins, rich color and aroma, and abundant flavor. Ever since Chile began actively marketing Carmenère in the mid-1990s, it has come to symbolize that nation, much as Shiraz has come to represent Australia.

The national sauce of Argentina is called Chimmichurri, and if you are going to have an Argentine Feast you will need lots of it on hand. This recipe comes from my friend David Holt, and it will make 3 cups which is about what we need for marinating, basting, and dipping.

The taste of Chimichurri is often described as dragging your steak through a garden.

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar, or to taste
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon ( I sometimes just use limes)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Argentinian Feast Menu

We are going to put together a menu from the following items. I will be sharing the recipes for everything throughout the week as we plan the dinner party.

Main Dishes

The Argentines love their organ meats, while Americans of this generation are a little bit squeamish when it comes to such things as sweetbreads. We are going to keep it simple by using Flank Steak which marinates well, and slices easily. We are also going to use some fresh sausages of various types.

The marinated game hens weigh about 1 pound each, and I have the butcher saw them in half. I marinate them the night before, grill them in the morning to get a nice char, then finish them in the oven stuffed with a mixture of chorizo, spinach, caramelized onion, corn, raisins, pine nuts, and a little bit of cornbread to hold it all together. You can use any type of game bird, but split game hens are easy to marinate, safe to stuff, easy to order, and make an elegant presentation.

For the seafood we try to find the freshest white fish available and grill it with a finish of capers, and marinated artichokes.

Chimichurri Flank Steak
Grilled Sausages Basted with Chimichurri sauce
Marinated Games Hens
Fresh Snapper or other white ocean fish

Side Dishes

Sides are simple in Argentina, and as you would guess corn plays a major role, but with an Italian twist. A polenta with Poblano chiles and cheese works well as a starch.

Salads are very simple in Argentina, and are a popular side to beef dishes. the Fresh Mozzarella, and sliced tomato harken back to the Italian influence.

Grilled Asparagus and Baby Squash
Polenta with Poblano Chile, and Cheese
Tomato's and Fresh Mozzarella
Tossed Green Salad

Assorted Miniature Emapanda's

Empanadas, or small meat pies are served all over the world. The Argentine version has Moorish influences that came over with Spanish settlers. Empananda's are easy to make if you purchase Goya wrappers at a Latin Market. If not just use pie dough and make your own. The meat recipe we will use is strictly Argentine with cumin, chorizo, and raisins, etc... . the others are just ones we thought up as we were going. We decided to make our own because the one's we found pre-made were pretty pedestrian.

Meat Empanadas
Bacon Empanadas
Seafood Empanadas

Assorted Miniature Tamales

Yes, they do have variations of Tamales all over South America. We cheated here by buying some from Williams Sonoma. They are excellent, individually wrapped in different colors. They are a great time saver if you can spare the $64 including shipping for three pounds of these puppies. Sure you can make them at home for a fraction, but why bother when you have so many other things going on before a big party?

Beef and California Chile Tamales
Chicken and Smoked Gouda Tamales
Pork with Green Chile Tamales
Blue Corn Green Chile and Jack Cheese Tamales

Charcuterie

Argentina like Spain is known for Jambon which is a dry cured ham which is very similar to Prociutto. We make it easy on ourselves and purchase sliced Italian specialty meats including prosciutto, garnished with cheese, olives, and large capers.

Ceviche Cocktails

Ceviche is a native dish of Peru, but it served all over Latin America, and the Caribbean. Ceviche consists of white fish cooked in lime juice with red onions and mild hot peppers.

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