I would estimate that I receive between 2-5 requests each week, throughout the year, to provide birthday party cooking classes. Honestly, I could do that full time and have a real business…that is until the requesters find out the cost of such a party.

The real problem with the cost is not that a cooking class is about $45 per person. Most parents are fine with paying $45 for their child to participate in a 2 to 2  1/2 hour cooking class. But when they realize that they will not just be paying $45 for their child, but for at least 9 of their child’s “closest” friends, to the tune, of at least, $450 (the minimum for a private class is 10 students – or party goers, in this case). Now that is a different story… trust me, I understand!  Four hundred and fifty dollars is a heck of a lot to pay for a birthday party.  But, if you are willing and happy to pay that amount, I will happily work with you to find a mutually agreeable date, put together a menu, and get your party on my calendar. Or… if you, like me, think that’s too much – then I have some helpful ideas on how to “Host a Cooking Birthday Party” of your own, with some “ crafts help” from Family Fun Magazine. Major Disclaimer: I am not crafty – so even I was to do your party for you, well, the crafts – you are on your own – I am a cooking teacher, not an art teacher – not by a long stretch!

How to “Host a Cooking Class Birthday Party”

Menu:

Individual Pizzas
“Salad on a Stick”
Mini-Bundt cakes or cupcakes

(1 for each guest)
1 large decorated birthday cake

(homemade or purchased)

and Ice Cream

Parent Do Ahead:

• Send invitations. Tip: Write or print them on recipe cards
• Purchase or make aprons and/or hats (they will also double as a take-home gift)
• Purchase or prepare homemade pizza dough. (May be done a day in advance and refrigerated)
• Purchase and prepare ALL ingredients for pizza toppings, cupcakes and frosting, salad, and beverages.
• Prep all pizza topping ingredients (place in disposable bowls and cover with plastic wrap – a day in advance and refrigerate)
• Make cupcakes/mini-bundt cakes and the frosting. Divide frosting and color each batch, place in separate zip-lock bags. (May be done a day in advance and refrigerated). Don’t forget to add the ice cream to your shopping list!
• Print out recipe packets for each child in large text as “take-home” gifts

Day of Party – Party Time

11:00-11:30 – Guests Arrive

Immediately upon each guest’s arrival, involve him/her with the craft: Decorate Chef’s Hats and/or Aprons using markers, sharpie pens, glitter glue, etc.

• Hats: Purchase paper chef hats or make your own with this LINK from Family Fun Magazine.
• Aprons: Purchase aprons or make Dish Towel Aprons – again, this LINK is from Family Fun Magazine, but be warned – you need to be able to sew… see – this is why I can’t do this stuff, I can’t sew!
• Once decorating is completed; wash hands, don aprons and/or hats, move to another area and get cooking!

11:30-12:00 – Individual Pizzas

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Provide each child with a small ball of dough- the LINK to recipe on this very site is here. Just make a double batch of the dough and it will be enough for 8-10 individual pizzas. Set out sauce and pre-prepared toppings and let each child make their own mini pizza.

Identify individual pizzas by penciling each child’s name onto a pizza-size square of parchment paper. Have child place their dough on the parchment, once shaped and have them “top it” there.  Set aside pizzas while you clean up the area. When ready to bake (at about 12:30) you will transfer to oven by  simply sliding the “pizza-topped” parchment squares onto baking trays or pizza stones.

12:00-12:15 –  The Smelling/Tasting Quiz

Allow young guests to explore their senses by having them smell and taste various food items while blindfolded and try to correctly identify them. Have an older child or another grown-up, besides you, supervise the game while you clear the pizza area and prepare the “salad-on-stick” area.

Smell: cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, vinegar, peanut butter, and soy sauce.
Taste: powdered sugar, olive or pickle, berries, lime, celery, licorice, butterscotch, and salsa

12:15-12:30 – Salad on a Stick

Put the pizzas in the oven and while the pizzas bake, have the children assemble salad on a stick with wooden skewers.  Provide a dip or ranch dressing, for dipping or drizzling.

Ingredients:

• cherry tomatoes
• pepperoni or salami slices
• bell pepper slices or pepperoncini
• mushrooms
• cheese cubes
• small iceberg lettuce wedges
• cucumber slices

12:30-1:o0 – Lunch

Pizza and Salad time!

Immediately following lunch, decorate the cupcakes or mini-bundt cakes while the gift are being opened.

1:00-1:30 – Decorate Bundt Cakes/Cupcakes and Opening of Gifts

Below is a recipe for Mini-Bundt cakes and here is a LINK for the special pans if you want to make them. Or make your life even easier and just purchase or make cupcakes. Any grocery store bakery will sell you undecorated cupcakes. Please DO NOT expect your guests decorated little bundt cakes to end up looking like this beauty

from Nothing Bundt Cakes - because in all honesty, it will look something more like this…

but that’s OK, because to your child’s guests, this IS beautiful!

Set out mini-bundt/cupcakes, several zip-lock “piping bags”  (A ziplock bag with one corner snipped off) of colored frosting, and various sprinkles and toppings. Allow the guest to take home their decorated cake. (Purchase small cardboard cake boxes from a baking supply store to bring their masterpieces home in. Locally, you can find the boxes at ABC Cake Decorating Supplies) Put out the large cake, light the candles, sing Happy Birthday, enjoy the cake and ice cream and then send them on their way!

Oh, and be sure you’ve had fun too! Because even though, at the end of it all, you’re still left with the clean-up – you can rest assured that you’ve given a real gift to not just the party girl/boy, but the gift of cooking to all the little guests too!

Mini Bundt Cakes

Cake Batter

2 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1  1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting
1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk as needed

Cake Batter: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour (using flour from the 2 cups above) 6 mini-bundt pans.  Set aside.

Sift the remaining flour, baking powder and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a standing mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with milk.  Stir in the vanilla and evenly divide between the bundt pans.  Bake on the center rack of the oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Loosen the sides of the cakes with a thin knife and allow cakes to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing to the a rack to cool completely.

Frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fluffy, add milk , if needed for desired spreadable consistency.

Frost the cakes and decorate as desired.

Makes 6 mini cakes

As previously mentioned, yesterday was my darling friend, Anne’s birthday. So, of course Peggy, Anne, and I celebrated the joyous occasion together. They came over after classes today and I made a new summer cocktail which we enjoyed and were so happy to be able to have “girl time” together.  We called Connor downstairs to take our picture…and although he took about a dozen, not a one of them came out clear, so I used an artistic touch called Fresco in Photoshop to “enhance” it a bit. Believe it or not, it is less blurry now than it originally was! I know, that’s hard to imagine – but true all the same. It’s all good, because after a couple of these drinks we couldn’t tell the difference anyhow. Happy Birthday, Anne – love you dearly! xoxo

Watermelon Mojitos

2 large limes, each cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups seedless watermelon cubes
1 cup light rum
Ice
Mint leaves and limes slices for garnish

In the bottom of cocktail shaker; muddle half of the lime wedges, half of the mint leaves, half of the sugar, and half of the rum until sugar is completely dissolved and the lime and mint are well crushed.

Strain the mixture into a 2 quart pitcher that is half filled with ice. Repeat the muddling process with the remaining limes, mint, sugar, and rum and strain into the pitcher.

In a blender; puree the watermelon cubes.  Strain the watermelon juice into the pitcher and stir well to combine.

Serve over ice and garnish with additional mint sprigs and a slice of lime.

Serves 4

Today is my baby’s 19th birthday! We’re spending it in Turks & Caicos on our family vacation. Our suite includes butler service and our butlers, Minto and Ellen, made the day extra special. While we were out getting spa treatments, they hooked up our room with a full blown party.

It included an array of towel sculptures, champagne, birthday cake, appetizers, iPod blasting reggae music,  a “dance instructor”, Minto’s signature drink – the “Equalizer”, and even girls from across the way! Currently, Connor is back at the spa getting his final treatment of the day, a tropical massage, before heading out for sushi dinner. Happy Birthday, Connor! We love you!

My beautiful sister, Sloane, celebrates her birthday today.  As mentioned in the “forgiveness” post of last week, she is my little sister and was at my mercy during our childhood years. That’s what six years age difference will do for you, a distant older sister with the adoring younger always hanging around.  Thankfully, we are long past those days and I can not begin to express my love, eagerness to share and be with, appreciation and admiration for my best friend who also happens to be my sister.  This chocolate overdose dessert is for her. Once component of it is our Aunt Connie’s Mint Chocolate Pudding, a delicious ode to our childhood days. I love you, Sloane! xoxox

It’s been a long time since I was taller than my 6-foot tall little sister!

Sloane’s Extravagant Chocolate Birthday Parfaits

Mint Chocolate Pudding
2 cups cold half-and-half
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 fresh vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds removed with the backside of a knife
1/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Scant 1/4 teaspoon mint extract

Chocolate Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoon powdered sugar

Chocolate Sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

8-ounce purchased pound cake
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon crème de cacao liqueur
Two 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries
Fresh mint for garnish

Pudding: Pour the half-and-half into a medium saucepan. Sift the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt into the half-and-half and whisk until completely blended, add the vanilla seeds that have been scraped from the bean. Place pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly with a large heat-proof rubber spatula until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble on the sides of the pan, 9 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir another 2 or 3 minutes as it continues to thicken.

Stir in the chopped chocolate and mint extract, cover with place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Chocolate Whipped Cream: Place cream, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar in a standing mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form, refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Sauce: Place cream in a glass measuring cup and heat in microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until almost boiling. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Chill until cold but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Cut cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 9 cubes. Arrange cake in one layer in 4 parfait or martini glasses.  Mix rum and liqueur in bowl. Drizzle over cake. Drop 2/3 of the chocolate whipped cream by spoonfuls over cake in glasses. Gently spread with back of spoon, allowing cream to show on sides of glasses. Place berries over whipped cream, arranging some berries to show at sides of glasses. Spoon the mint-chocolate pudding over chocolate whipped cream. Pour chocolate sauce over the top.

Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight.  Just before serving; spoon remaining 1/3 chocolate whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe atop each glass. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve cold.

Serves 4

Finally, this is the last of the Easter brunch recipes. Hopefully this past week of posts has given you a nice repertoire of brunch, breakfast, and spring recipes ideas.

I’ve mentioned of my love for Nutella before, so how about a little “history of Nuttela” this time?  This comes straight from the Nuttela website, “Nutella® spread, in its earliest form, was created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, as pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company. At the time, there was very little chocolate because cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing. So Mr. Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont region of Italy, to extend the chocolate supply.” There you go, a little history with your breakfast!

I served this at the Saturday office brunch last weekend and have some “do-head” tips for you. The brioche can be sliced, spread, and sandwiched together a day ahead. Place in an airtight bag or container and refrigerate until ready to cook. And the cereal-brown sugar mixture may also ground together ahead and stored in an airtight container. Unsliced loaves of brioche can be found at Trader Joe’s.

Lastly, a shout-out to my girlfriend, Lorie, in Los Angeles…. I couldn’t decide which old picture to choose, so I put up both of them.  Happy Birthday, Lorie! xoxo

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Nutella French Toast

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
Sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche
4 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups Special K® cereal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups mixed berries
Maple syrup
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and Nutellla. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture on each of 8 slices of brioche and cover with the remaining 8 slices, making sandwiches by pressing together.

Place the cereal and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and use the pulse button to crush the cereal, pour onto a large flat plate.

In a large wide bowl whisk the eggs with the half and half and vanilla.

One at a time, lightly soak three of the sandwiches in the egg mixture, then dredge in the cereal, pressing to help the crumbs adhere.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a very large skillet. Add the 3 prepared sandwiches and cook over moderate heat until golden and crisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Adding more butter as you turn them over.

Transfer the browned French toast to a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and cook the remaining 5 sandwiches in the same manner, two and three at a time.

Cut sandwiches in triangles and place on serving plates. Top with the berries, drizzle with maple syrup, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Makes 8 French toast sandwiches

So you may recall that back on December 1st, for her birthday, we gave Marissa a gift certificate to go skydiving. You may also recall that part of the gift was that I would dive with her… well today was the day. The fact that I am posting this lets you know that we survived and in fact thrived! It was a blast and we have photos, t-shirts, and certificates to prove it.  One thing I will say though-  the g-forces put upon your face when you are free falling are not kind to faces over 30, as evident in my photo compared to my 22 year old daughters young, tight, sweet and gorgeous face! Love you Marissa!!!

So, before we get to today’s recipe – how about that picture above? Those are just 3 of about a dozen cool cocktail napkins I have which have fun riddles for parties to work out. When using them, it is best to have guests try and solve them before too many beverages are consumed –  just a helpful little FYI.  Study them and leave me a comment if you figure out all three! (And just in case the top one isn’t completely visible – it reads, “52 C in a D +2 J’s”). Plus if you are a fan of the Les Petites Gourmettes Fan page on facebook, you already know something special, so put on your thinking caps and comment as soon as possible!

Last night I had two of my very best friends, Peggy and Anne, over for a little happy hour to celebrate Peggy’s upcoming birthday, which is actually on February 26th. Happy Birthday, Peggy-Sue! Now that all of our kids are teenagers (and beyond, in Marissa’s case!) – we just don’t get together as often as we used to or anywhere near as often as we would like. So when we do – men and children, be forewarned -watch out! As the aforementioned kids know, all too well, we love to be together! I made these spicy little empanadas, crab cakes (that recipe to be posted tomorrow), and grapefruit-cranberry martinis … love you girls! (and even with all the love I have for you both – you may not comment on the riddles – although I would still love to get a comment of any other sort!) xoxo

Mini Chorizo-Chipotle Chicken Empanadas

Dough
2  1/4 cups flour
1  1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder (optional)
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup Spanish chorizo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced oregano
1 cup finely minced cooked chicken
1 finely minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
Egg wash made with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Dough: Place flour, salt, and chile powder into the bowl of a food processor and blend with a few pulses. Add in small butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (pea-size) butter lumps. (as pictured below)

Add the egg and vinegar and pulse of couple times. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the mixture almost begins to come together, but do not allow it to form a ball. Test to see that dough will hold together by grabbing a handful and squeeze. You can see the piece I tested on the right below.

Empty out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to bring dough together and form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, enclosed in the plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. (Although you will be rolling out little circles, by forming the dough into a rectangle, it is easier to divide into 24 equally pieces than it would be if you formed it into the usual flat disk)

While dough is chilling, make filling: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, bell peppers, salt, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until peppers are very soft, about 8 minutes. Add chorizo and stir to break up, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, blend together minced chicken and chipotle. Add to skillet and stir to blend. Cool filling to room temperature.

Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a pastry scraper or knife to divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Working with 4 pieces at a time, form each into a small flat disk, rounding out the corners by squeezing them in. Keep the remaining pieces covered in the plastic wrap to prevent drying. Roll out the 4 disks on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into 3 1/2-inch rounds.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling onto center of each round and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp with the tines of a fork. Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet. Make 20 more empanadas in same manner, arranging on 2 baking sheets.

Lightly brush empanadas with egg wash. (may be made ahead at this point and either refrigerated for up to one day or frozen on baking sheets, then transferred to freezer zip-lock bags for up to 1 month.)

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24

Six months, 185 days, 180 posts, 175 recipes! That’s right, today is my 180^th post in the past 185 days (which is 6 months) and during that time, I’ve put up 175 recipes – wow, I have actually kinda impressed myself! To celebrate, I’m having chocolate pudding with only 6 ingredients. OK, there is a pinch of salt that I am not counting as an official ingredient, although you do need to put it in, to punch up the chocolate, so don’t leave it out just because it’s not part of the ingredient list. I mean, we both know you have salt in your pantry!  And then there is the optional whipped cream and shaved chocolate… but, they are optional, so again, I’m not counting theml! To add to the symbolism of it all, I’m using 6 tablespoons of both the cocoa powder and the cornstarch – but if you want to be a party-pooper and you don’t want to play along - you can just use 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons of each, it’s the same thing.

I not only chose chocolate pudding because of the six ingredients, but also in honor of my dearly departed Aunt Connie, who was the best cook I knew when I was young and who was a major influence on me in the kitchen. Aunt Connie is my dad’s older sister and she and Uncle Paul would invite our family of six to dinner every other month or so. I cannot remember a time that we did not have her made-from-scratch Chocolate-Mint Pudding for dessert. All four of us kids looked forward to that pudding the moment our parents told us we were going over for dinner. The very second dinner was finished, we would ask to be excused and race to clear the table, wash, and dry the dishes so we could get back to the dinner table and have dessert. So as I dig into my pudding, I shall toast myself with the martini glass we are serving it in and say, “To my lovely and talented Aunt Connie and to another six months, and beyond!”

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

1 quart (4 cups) cold half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 fresh vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds removed with
the backside of a knife
1/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Cream whipped to soft peaks, if desired
Shaved chocolate, if desired

Pour the half-and-half into a medium saucepan. Sift the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt into the half-and-half and whisk until completely blended, add the vanilla seeds that have been scraped from the bean. Place pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly with a large heat-proof rubber spatula until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble on the sides of the pan, 9 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir another 2 or 3 minutes as it continues to thicken.

Stir in the chopped chocolate, stirring constantly for one additional minute. Divided between 6 martini glasses and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Place glasses in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Serve with soft whipped cream and shaved chocolate, if desired.

* If you would like to make it “Aunt Connie’s Chocolate-Mint Pudding”, stir in a scant 1/4 teaspoon mint extract when the chopped chocolate is added.

Serves 6

we're friends and we're neighbors! Lori, Ronnie, Amy, and me

Before you even look at this recipe, disclaimers all around! This is not an original recipe, this amazing cake was inspired by a recipe in the December 2007 issue of Bon Appétit. Since it just was not expensive, time-consuming, or impressive enough already; I added in the toppings of vanilla pastry cream, whipped cream and fresh berries! Want to know what is really crazy– I made this cake 5 times! I needed to make a total of four cakes for two separate cooking classes that I taught back in December (four cakes so I would have the various stages of the cake for each class). I used two of those cakes to actually serve at the classes, two as prizes for students who visited my blog, and finally the fifth one was for my dear friend, Ronnie’s, birthday. Unfortunately, the pictures do not show the cake with its toppings because I was too tired, broke, overbooked, and overworked to put those on Ronnie’s cake.  Although, even without the extra work and calories of the toppings,  it is truly a showstopper and undeniably delicious too!

Ronnie not only got gypped by not getting the cake toppings, but also was ripped-off on my blog, when I didn’t even mention that it was her birthday! You see, her birthday is December 23, so I’m sure that all her life, she’s felt slighted in the birthday department -always being upstaged by Christmas, and here I did it to her again. Sorry, Ronnie, I love you and dedicate today’s blog to you! xoxo

Consider making this cake for the next big birthday in your house or maybe even for Valentine’s Day, as long as there are at least a dozen of you celebrating together (kinky!) because, boy is this thing rich!

Chocolate Panna Cotta Cake

Cake
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup Kahlua or Mocha flavored Kahlua
1/4 cup hot water
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Panna Cotta
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Kahlua or Mocha Kahlua
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (Knox)
7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
Chocolate Band
Two 16×3-inch strips waxed paper
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips

Vanilla Pastry Cream
2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

2 pints fresh berries of your choice, garnish

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 10-inch-diameter springform pans with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray.  Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl.  Heat Kahlua and water in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate and cocoa in bowl; whisk until smooth.  Set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat oil and both sugars in large bowl for1 minute (mixture will be crumbly).  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition.  Beat in sour cream.   Mix in half of dry ingredients.  Beat in chocolate mixture.  Add remaining dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend (batter will be thin).  Divide batter between pans (layers will be shallow).  Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Cool in pans on rack.

Panna Cotta: Place water and Kahlua in small bowl.  Sprinkle gelatin over; let soften 10 minutes.  Place both chocolates in large metal bowl.  Combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in large saucepan.  Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans.  Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves; remove from heat.  Add gelatin mixture; whisk to dissolve.  Pour cream mixture over chocolates in bowl; whisk until completely melted.  Place bowl over a larger bowl of ice water.  Stir often until mixture thickens like pudding, draining off water and adding more ice to ice-bath as needed, for about 30 minutes.

Pour 1/2 of panna cotta over cake in 1 pan (mixture may drip down sides of cake).  Freeze 45 minutes.  Keep remaining panna cotta at room temperature.

Remove pan sides from second cake.  Using large metal spatula, carefully slide cake off of springform bottom and place atop panna cotta in cake pan.  Pour remaining panna cotta over, filling pan completely.  Chill overnight.  (Can be covered and frozen for 2 weeks. Defrost overnight in refrigerator before continuing.)

Chocolate Band: Line large baking sheet with foil; set aside.  Place another large sheet of foil on work surface; place waxed paper strips atop foil, spacing apart.  Stir chocolate in medium bowl set over pan of simmering water until smooth.  Pour half of melted chocolate down center of each waxed paper strip. Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate to cover strips evenly, allowing a little of the chocolate to extend beyond edges of wax paper strips, making sure strips are completely covered.  Using fingertips, lift strips and place on foil-lined baking sheet.  Chill until chocolate just begins to set but is still completely flexible, only about 2 minutes.

Cut around springform pan sides to release cake.  Remove pan sides from cake.  Using fingertips, lift 1 chocolate band from foil, keeping wax paper intact.   Wrap band around cake, waxed-paper side out, lining up 1 long edge with bottom of cake (band will be higher than cake).  Repeat with second band, arranging so ends just meet, pressing band onto uncovered side of cake.   If bands overlap, trim any excess paper and chocolate.  Using fingertips, press top edge of band in toward cake, forming slight ruffle.  Chill until chocolate sets, about 5 minutes.  Gently peel off waxed paper.  (Can be made 1 day ahead.  Chill.)

Vanilla Pastry Cream: In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch.

Pour remaining 1 3/4 cups milk to heavy medium saucepan.   Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean.  Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup sugar over, letting sugar sink undisturbed to bottom.  Set pan over moderate heat and bring to simmer without stirring.  Once simmering, whisk the milk mixture, then slowing whisk into egg yolk mixture in bowl.   Return to saucepan over moderate heat and cook, whisking constantly, until pastry cream simmers and thickens, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat, discard vanilla bean, and whisk cream until smooth.  Transfer to bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto surface.  Chill until cold, about 4 hours.  (Pastry cream can be made ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well with plastic wrap on surface, up to 3 days)

Immediately before serving, fold 1 cup of the pastry cream into the 1 cup whipped cream.  Fill a pastry bag with cream and pipe on top of cake, top with berries.   (Reserve remaining pastry cream for another holiday dessert, such as Caramelized Bananas and Vanilla Pastry Cream in Phyllo Cups – found at  Epicurious.com)

Serves 12

Another December birthday for another important person in my life. Today is Cyndi Greening’s birthday. Cyndi is a filmmaker, teacher, writer, webmast, and my dear friend!  I first met here when we worked on a fundraiser for Phoenix Children’s Hospital called the Beach Ball, some Without Cydni, there would be no Les Petites Gourmettes blog! I’d had my website for about 10 years and was itching to turn it into a blog. Thanks to Cydni, that became a reality and 125 posts and nearly 4 months later, here we are. Cyndi, thank you, and Happy Birthday! xoxo

Love this picture of Cyndi as a kid - she's in the kitchen! So cute!

Way back on September 16, Cyndi made a comment about a mango and chicken recipe she had gotten from me years ago. I’m not quite sure if this is the recipe she was talking about, but it’s a great appetizer and can be either passed or be used as part of a buffet at a Christmas or New Year’s Party. It is also perfect alongside a salad for a light lunch or dinner. So in honor of Cydni, I shall share it here today.

For the chicken meat, I purchase a rotisserie chicken and use the breast meat for this and the dark meat for something else, maybe chicken salad sandwiches or stir-fry.

Chicken, Mango, and Brie Quesadillas

Eight 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast meat
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces brie, rind removed, then thinly sliced
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Purchased tropical fruit salsa

Lay out all eight of the tortillas on a work surface. Place Place 1/8 of the shredded chicken and sliced mango along one half of each of the tortillas. Divide the brie among the tortillas still leaving one half of each tortilla without any toppings and placing the cheese towards the center, so it will not run out the sides as it melts. Top with 1/8 of the bell pepper strips on each tortillas. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 tablespoon cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold the plain half of the tortilla over the filled side and press together slightly. (At this point, each quesadilla may be individually wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, place two quesadillas in bottom of the dry skillet. Let bottom of each tortilla brown, then turn over quesadillas and brown the other side. Repeat with remaining 6 quesadillas.

Spoon the salsa into a bowl and place in the center of a large serving platter. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and place on the platter, so guests may serve themselves.

Makes 36 wedges

Today is my gorgeous girlfriend, Jen’s, birthday. I cannot begin to express how much I love this amazing woman; she is my rock, my soul-mate sister, my “on demand” comedian, my friend.  She can make me laugh like nobody’s business! She is there through thick and thin and is a loving friend, mother, wife, sister, aunt, and daughter. Whenever I have something to share, complain about, need help, advise, or just want to chat, Jen if the first person I call.

The one really awful thing about Jennifer? She lives 1,400 miles from me (as the crow flies).  Happy birthday Jenny Jen, I forgive you for that one awful thing and love you unconditionally!

For the rest of the week, I will highlight and share recipes from Jen, who is coincidently, a great cook, or recipes of mine that are favorites of hers. Today’s recipe is a fun and quite rich appetizer pizza that is perfect for upcoming holiday parties.

My girl, Jen

Jenny’s Sweet Ciabatta Pizza

1 cup pecans, toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
8-ounce loaf ciabatta, halved horizontally
6 ounces Havarti cheese, thinly sliced
3 ounces thin slices prosciutto, cut into strips
2 pears, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup arugula leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Blend pecans, oil, honey, and thyme in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place bread halves on a baking sheet.  Spread each half with the nut mixture.  Top with Havarti and bake until bubbly and golden, about 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with prosciutto, pears, and Gorgonzola.  Tuck arugula around the pears, slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8

This photo shows a cut-away so you can see the layers – I filled it in after the photo was taken, don’t want you to think I served it this way!

It is “birthday week” around here. Marissa’s was yesterday, and today is Blake’s 12 birthday!  Blake is the one of three sons of our very best friends in the world! His parents are Dr. Jeffrey and Jennifer Markett, who live in St. Charles, Illinois. Jeff is my husband best friend from college. He was our best man and is godfather to both Marissa and Connor. Jennifer is my best friend, whom I just adore… more on her tomorrow… Until then, Happy Birthday Blakey! We Love YOU!

In Blake’s honor, today we have a seven layer dip that I’ve never seen a kid to turn their nose up at. Use this recipe as a guide, you can add in or sub out so many great ingredients; such as shredded lettuce, roasted red pepper strips, chopped jalapenos, sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes, etc.  In the picture below, I assembled the dish with a cut away, so you can see the layers.  Then I just filled it all in after snapping the photo, don’t want you to think I served it this way! :)

Blake this past summer picking strawberries in Wisconsin :)

Mexican Layer Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound ground beef
Salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
16-ounce can refried pinto or black beans
2 cups salsa
2 Haas avocado, diced
7-ounce can whole green chilies, drained and diced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
3 green onions (green and white parts) diced

Tortilla chips

Heat oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic, saute until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in beef and cook until browned, season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Remove to paper towels, with a slotted spoon, to drain.

Spread refried beans evenly to cover the bottom of a large platter.  Top with ground beef mixture. Spread salsa over ground beef, then layer with avocado, green chilies, sour cream, and shredded cheese.  Sprinkle with green onions and serve with tortilla chips.

Serves a crowd

Lemon Curd Lemon Roll - getting ready for the trip down to Tucson

December 1, 1987 – one of the happiest days of my life! The day my gorgeous daughter, Marissa Lynn, was born. We celebrated as a family on Sunday going to brunch at The Phoenician here in Scottsdale, surprising here with a gift she’s always talked about – a skydiving gift certificate. I will be jumping with her, and will post about it when the day comes, so stay tuned.

This is one of Marissa’s favorite cakes. I was going to ship it overnight, but then found out that Marissa’s darling roommate, Paige, wasn’t heading out to Tucson until Monday afternoon, thank you for the delivery service Paige!

Happy Birthday baby girl. Hope you enjoy the cake with Alberto, Kaley, Petra, Paige, Kelsey, Lindsey, Astrid, Billy, Ryan, Blake, Isaac, and whoever else is with you today. I love and miss you!

Marissa with her brother, Connor, at her birthday brunch

Lemon Curd Lemon Roll

Sponge Cake
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Lemon Curd
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 24 small pieces

Powdered sugar
Lemon slices and leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet, line baking sheet with buttered parchment paper and set aside.

Sponge Cake: Place the eggs, sugar, zest and vanilla in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat at high speed until the mixture is light and has tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg mixture.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the sponge is very lightly browned.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Then invert onto a damp clean kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Gently peel off the parchment paper.  Carefully roll the cake up in the towel, lengthwise.  Set aside, let cool at room temperature.

lemon cake rolled up in the kitchen towel, curd cooling in bowl.

Lemon Curd: Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a heavy saucepan.  Place pan over low heat, while whisking constantly, add the butter, one piece at a time, adding another piece as the previous melts, until all the butter is incorporated and the curd starts to thicken. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and let cool.

Unroll the cake.  Spread on the cooled curd to cover the sponge cake leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.  Carefully roll the cake again, without the towel.  Transfer to a serving platter.  Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with lemon slices and leaves.  Chill at least 1 hour.

Serves 10

Bonus picture: Me and Maris just after her 2nd birthday on Christmas Day 1989.