trois œufs = crème brûlée + macarons

what to do with three eggs and heavy cream...
baked eggs? nah. ice cream? too cold. lemon bars? eh, maybe later. something french? oo, oui! and to keep things interesting, let's separate the eggs.

jaunes d'œufs

feeling french-inspired and fancy, i thought i'd make crème brûlée. i had my ramekins all set to go but no torch for the final brûlée. no problem though because i was using a recipe from thekitchn that does it without a torch, using the broiler instead. i never realized how simple crème brûlée was--well, seemingly simple: it's just cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla whisked together, baked, refrigerated, and brûléed. i gathered up the ingredients, combined them together as instructed, and set the ramekins in a water bath to bake. everything was going smoothly, but being overly cautious i took the custards out a little too early--still too wobbly in the center--so even after they cooled in the fridge they weren't totally set. (of course i didn't know this until i served them.) then came the sprinkle of sugar and broiler-brûlée. again, i took the custards out too early, worried that the sugar was going to burn TOO much. -sigh- apparently i failed to remember that that's the "brûlée" part of things :P so, in the end i made soft vanilla bean-speckled custard with a semi-burnt sugar topping. but that's not to say they weren't still delicious and definitely worth making again (next time i'll actually let things stay in the oven~).

blancs d'œufs
now that the crème brûlée was done, i was left with three egg whites, so obviously that meant MACARONS! i used the recipe from notsohumblepie to make basic almond macaron shells and filled them with a chocolate passion fruit ganache. kavin felt the macarons were a little too sweet, but jade thought they were just right--i'm gonna have to side with jade on this one :D i thought the tartness of the passion fruit and the bitterness of the dark chocolate worked really nicely together, giving the macarons a little tropical note. and since i was using different recipes for the macaron shells and the filling, i ended up with quite a bit of ganache left over. i guess that means i need to make more macarons...or perhaps truffles?? ::eyebrow wiggle::
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
:: chocolate passion fruit ganache ::

140g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
4 tbsp passion fruit pulp

heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. pour the cream over the chocolate. let sit for 2-3 minutes and stir. cool slightly and add the passion fruit pulp. cover and refrigerate until thick.

2013 holiday recap

the holiday season came and went, and as always we celebrated with homemade treats, excellent meals, and lots of love. 

here's a recap of all the holiday goodness of 2013 (and a bit of 2014).

homemade treats 
[some of which i forgot to photograph but all of which were packaged, delivered, and shared]
* chocolate bourbon truffles
* crunchy peppermint bark
* cherry pistachio granola bites
* coconut almond caramel corn
* gingerbread caramel corn
* chocolate-coffee rice krispies with almonds and cherries
* cranberry-orange-almond biscotti
* chocolate-dipped almond-walnut biscotti
* walnut-cranberry biscotti
* lemon bars

lots of lattes
[park slope places: kos kaffe roasting house & cafe regular du nord]

cronut and doughnuts
[cronut thanks to steph and tower research. doughnuts from doughnut plant.]
* chocolate-champagne cronut
* triple chocolate cake doughnut, cashew-orange blossom doughseed, creme brulee doughseed

christmas eve dinner
[prepared in my mom's fancy new kitchen]
* chicken liver pate with sage, apple, and thyme (served w runner+stone baguettes)
* spinach soup
* mixed herb salad with roasted beets and green goddess dressing
* braised brussels sprouts with bacon
* mashed potatoes
* butter sauteed corn
* roast turkey with gravy
* dessert: frozen black bottom peppermint pie

christmas dinner
[prepared by sean's mom and aunts]
* hors d'oeuvres: cheese and crackers, crudites, kielbasa with dijon mustard, shrimp scampi
* mixed greens salad
* cranberry-walnut bread
* green bean casserole
* sauteed green beans
* sweet potato mash and mashed potatoes
* roasted veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
* prime rib
* dessert: gencarelli's chocolate layer cake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and chocolate chip cookies

out to eat
[in addition to A LOT of slices ::cough cough:: sean ::cough cough:: there were quite a few memorable meals]
* al di la: farro salad, seppia and oxtail, casunziei, garganelli with oxtail ragu

* joe's shanghai: pork soup dumplings (duh!)

* sottocasa: tagliere (the focaccia was exceptionally good), barbabietole (beet salad), three pizze: margherita, reginella, verdure, tiramisu

||FAMILY TIME||
[no words necessary. just love <3]

(even the kitties were feeling the love)