foodbeam has moved here - Go to www.foodbeam.com !

[A delicious Christmas log – Vanilla, candied chestnuts and fluffy chestnut macaron]


We all know one of those people who dream about Christmas all year long and when it’s finally time to celebrate - around mid-October (because, yes, these people start to act much earlier than others) -, spend days and nights thinking about the dinner, the presents, the decoration...

Well, I am one of these people.
Hi, my name is Fanny and I am a Christmasholic.

It usually starts from the 26th of December, occasionally from the 27th.
I know and feel it’s not sensible, but can’t help.
Without I even notice it, I’m already in the mood for next Christmas.
Whether it’s about the tree ornaments, the Christmas cards or the menu, I can’t stop my brain coming up with tons of ideas.
Thus, I keep hundreds (and I’m only slightly exaggerating) of Moleskine notebooks to write down every single one of these ideas.

When Christmas finally - and actually – arrives, I just have to leaf through these paper treasures to set all the variables of the equation:
ax + by + cz = BCPE
(BCPE standing for Best Christmas Party Ever)

A week ago, while searching for some inspiration for la bûche I remembered les petites notes griffonées sur un coin de feuille.
It reads - une délicieuse bûche de Noël: vanille, marron glacé et macaron à la châtaigne.


PS – I would understand now if you consider me a chestnut aficionado.


Bûche à la vanille et au marron glacé sur un macaron à la châtaigne
This bûche is made of a candied chestnut mousse encased in a vanilla mousse and wrapped in a stripped joconde.

Regarding the joconde biscuit, the result didn’t turn out as beautiful as expected. I guess the use of my father’s glue comb (self-note: buy a set of decorating combs!) has something to do with the almost disaster.

Both the mousses are delicious and complementary: the chestnut mousse is rich and sweet while the vanilla one is slightly tangy and more firm making for a balanced and delicate pudding.

The macaron is probably the best part of the bûche: satisfyingly sweet with caramel undertones and a pleasant chestnut flavour; definitely the real winner of the unforgettable Christmas Eve dinner.
Culinary speaking I’m not sure it would qualify as macaron though. Dacquoise would probably be more accurate, but the chewy texture, shiny crust and little ‘feet’ exude the macaron-attitude.

Labels: christmas, entremets, pierre hermé, recipe inside, vanilla

Just in time to wish you a lovely christmas; may all your dreams come true.
I think mine have been fulfilled already: a beautiful family, delicious good news and a scrumptious Christmas eve dinner.

The dinner was indeed a delight.
toast de pomme de terre à la crème fraiche d’Isigny et aux œufs de lompes [fried potato slices topped with crème fraiche and lump eggs]
bubble and squeek in a spoon with alumettes de bacon
fourchettes de saumon et concombre avec crème fraiche citronnée [salmon and cucumber topped with a lemony crème fraiche]

dinde aux chanterelles avec une timbale de riz [turkey with chanterelles]

bûche au marron glacé et à la vanille [chesnut and vanilla bûche]

Labels: christmas, random sweetness

food - christmas - holidays - snowmen - white chocolate

Labels: christmas, random sweetness

When i went to UK last week, i couldn't help but dropped by Jane Asher's cake shop in Chelsea. I was pleased to see they had coconut essence - and then bought two bottles - and found a set of lovely snowflakes cookie cutters.
I couldn't wait to go home and try them.
I wanted a recipe for cut-out cookies so that they don't spread out and ruin the beautiful snowflake look. I found this one, from Donna Hay's "Gourmandises". The cookies were called "biscuit de noël à la vanille" (ie vanilla xmas bicuits). They were heart shapped and covered with icing sugar and looked great.

Biscuits de Noël à la vanille

This makes far enough biscuits, i can tell you. Actually, i'm very disapointed with this recipe : the dough tasted so good, but the cooked biscuits were far to hard to bite and were to neutral in taste. I presume they must be made not to be eaten, but to be hold by the Christmas tree.
Anyway, i found that covering them with royal icing and reducing the oven down to 150°C made them more edible and found myself eating one of what i called , just a minute ago, an "awful biscuit".
I used 1/2 tsp coconut essence instead of the vanilla essence given below as i wanted to try using my fresh-buy.

185g soft butter
225g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
350g flour
1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 egg white
250g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence. Add the flour, and the eggs and knead until you've got a smooth dough. Cover with cling film and refrigirate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll to a 5mm thickness and cut out shapes.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just brown.

Labels: christmas, cookies, recipe inside

Ma liste de Noël en Français pour mes parents chéris que j'aime

My mum has been pushing me to make this list for at least 2 weeks. And i must admit that it's quite weird i haven't made it yet. But here i am and here is what i want for Christmas.

My number one wish is an Artisan KitchenAid standmixer in White.
This is such useful in a kitchen; but i know i can wait for it as i don't have my own kitchen yet and managed to cook without it for years. Basically if i'd got a stand mixer fo Christmas, i'd be so happy.
Other small things such as a silicon 13-14cm wide loaf mould from Jamie Oliver Tefal's collection are high on my list.
Some nice cookie-cutters from Jane Asher would be great too.
Maybe a puzzle piece one or unicorns... I thought about that because i got some lovely snowflakes cookies cutters (which i'll talk about in another post).
Another great thing i found browsing the web was this flour sieve. Staying in the baking realm, let's now talk about silicon. I'd like a monobloc rubber spartula (something quite similar and somehow useful would be a "corne or racle-tout"), a great and very useful silicon baking sheet. Because i bought high quality belgian chocolate chip and can't wait to make moist and not-crunchy cookies (it's always better when the cookies don't stick to the baking sheet, isn't it?).
Some cooking rings wouldn't be too much, as long as they're 6cm high ; and one thing i wish i could have is a Rosle Magiwhisk (fouet plat a spirale), i had great fun discovering their "soulève gateau", which must be very useful.
Hep, this is not finished yet. I remembered Heidi saying she bought a pizza stone and i agree with her that it changes the whole thing about pizzas. According to Heidi (again), i should think about getting an oven thermometer. Talking pratical, a 16cm chef knife is a great investement.

Now in souvenir of a never-achieved quest, i name a glass cake dome.

[Update - i got almost everything i wanted bar the kitchen aid]

Labels: christmas, random sweetness