An overwhelming desire for the taste of orange and chocolate led me down the slippery slope of recipe development, creating a deep, dark and delicious Chocolate Orange Chiffon Cake that thrilled neighbours and crushed that craving.

The neighbours love it when I bake. I then scurry around and distribute goodies lest they cling to my thighs.  (Judging by how my underwear fits, I may have left this cake in the Gypsy Kitchen a little too long.)

My hunger for citrus has been at a fever pitch; last week I found myself surrounded by oranges, kumquats, pomelo, Meyer lemons and several limes.  (I think I may have scurvy!)  The holiday season denied me one of my favourite candy treats (Terry's Chocolate Orange) so I had to bake now, didn't I?

Oh sure, I could have just eaten an orange and a piece of chocolate... but where's the fun in THAT?!

Keep the cake moistened with kumquat syrup and topped with colourful bits of candied kumquat (featured earlier this week on Food Gypsy).  I often use a simple syrup on a cake before icing, it helps keep it moist longer.  In this case, the juicy orange flavour of kumquats helped intensify the citrus undertones, but this cake is so moist and rich it hardly needs help.

Finished it with a chocolate ganache and that's when this Chocolate Orange Chiffon Cake took on a life of its own.  The planned 'thin drizzle' of ganache became great, goopy globs of rich chocolate.  Instead of a refined, delicate effect it became one big, chocolate meltdown.

Sometimes you just have to roll with it... let the chocolate flow and learn something new.  What I learned was this:  finishing with a warm ganache in front of an open window, in temperatures of -18*C is not such a good idea.  Noted.

Didn't affect the taste one little bit... tangy, citrus backed flavour, grounded in rich, semi-sweet chocolate; a feel good combination.  

It must be, because now I feel GREAT, shame about my waist though.  Here one day, gone the next.  Meh, it'll be back.

Chocolate Orange Chiffon Cake Recipe

(Adapted from Mennonite Girls Can Cook)

Prep time:  35 minutes
Cooking time: 60 - 70 minutes

1 1/2 cups orange juice, heated
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups cake or pastry flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
zest of two medium oranges (about a 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
7 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, heat orange juice to a low simmer.  Mix cocoa powder and hot orange juice together in a medium bowl, dissolving cocoa completely.  Stir well, and allow to cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes).
2. In a large bowl combine flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda and salt, add orange zest and toss to mix.  Add cocoa orange juice mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Do not beat.
3. In a large bowl beat egg whites together with cream of tartar to form soft peaks.  Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar to egg whites and beat until stiff.
4. In a medium  bowl add vanilla and oil to egg yolks, lightly beat with a fork or whisk.  Add egg mixture to cocoa mixture, blend until just smooth, beating this batter will make it tough, so just mix until blended.   Add egg whites to cocoa batter, one quarter at a time, using a spatula and fold gently into the whites until everything is blended and bubbly.
5. Pour into an ungreased tube pan and bake at 350º for 60-70 minutes.  (Ungreased! This cake has enough oil that it should not stick, and it needs the ungreased sides so that it can 'grip' and rise.)

Invert pan and allow to cool.  Remove to cake plate, you can plate either bottom (flat) side up or top (domed) side up.  Your choice.

This is a cake that freezes well and keeps for up to a month.  You know, if you were planning your desserts that far in advance.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces good quality milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
5 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a heavy sauce pan heat cream until just bubbling. Make sure you stay with it so it does not scorch or boil over, it only takes a couple minutes.
2. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until completely melted.  Add extract.
3. Cool slightly until ganache begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.

Pour still warm, (thick) ganache over cake.  May the drizzle be with you.

When I see ingredients I haven't worked with, I often drag them home to see what new delights I can concoct.  Welcome home Kumquats, which quickly became Candied Kumquats.

If you're not familiar with the adorable kumquat, they're the midget member of the citrus family. Originally from Asia, they have thick, sweet skins, a bitter, powerful centre and are about the size of a robin's egg.  The flavour is over-the-top orange with a sharp tang finish.  If you've never tried one I suggest popping one straight in your mouth, just to familiarize yourself with the intensity of the fruit in its raw sate.

Ready yourself for an explosion of flavour.  Kumquat can easily overpower if you're not careful with it, but there are some things it loves to work with, like vinegar for a tangy pickle or lime for a tart salsa or sugar for an intense preserve or flavoured syrup.

Originally, I planned a colourful citrus salsa, intending to take us down the road of a savory-sweet endeavour, but then I had an overwhelming desire for the taste of orange and chocolate. Inspired by Terry's Chocolate Orange, I whipped up a dark and delicious  Chocolate Orange Chiffon Cake (recipe to follow in Friday's post), moistened with kumquat syrup and topped with colourful bits of candied kumquat.

The result was truly satisfying - bright, bold citrus flavour grounded in rich, dark chocolate.  Craving conquered.

Candied Kumquats Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20minutes

2 cups of roughly chopped kumquats (roughly 16 kumquats)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar

Method

1. Roughly chop the kumquats. Discard any seeds you can that are easy to get to, but they're edible so if you miss some, no worries.
2. Heat orange juice and sugar over high heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add kumquats and simmer for 8 minutes, until transparent.
3. Drain kumquats and reserve syrup. Return the syrup to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce. Combine the kumquats and 1/4 cup of the syrup together.

Cool and serve or, scoop into a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate.  Can be stored for up to two weeks and substitutes nicely for marmalade.

Last week I topped a toasted flax beagle and cream cheese with the sharp, citrus twang of candied kumquats for a taste of pure sunshine.  

Orange Chocolate Chiffon Cake & Candied Kumquats, gooey & sweet!

A little something interesting for Valentine's Day with our Up Your Skirt Dessert; a reconstructed creme brulee, strawberry carpaccio, a dash of chocolate and a pair of edible gams.  What?  You were expecting cupcakes?!

From time to time I let the chef in my life loose in the kitchen.  When I want to stretch and try something new, I look at a recipe I've never approached before, something I've only enjoyed in restaurants or bakeries.  It forces my brain to adapt, overcome challenges that my arise and find solutions.  Sometimes it's a booming success, other times it goes straight into the compost.

After 20 plus years in the kitchen, Chef B's version of stretching is a little different from mine.  "Let's do something FUN!" he says, and so we strategize, borrow ideas and plan and I watch in awe as he experiments.

It was fun... and sometimes frustrating... but the result is rather fabulous.

This sweet ending was inspired by a page in "Grand Finales, The Art of The Plated Dessert" that features this stunning photo, that inspired Chef B and we thought it might be fun to show you something a little more entertaining.   In the original version shown in this photos, the final height was almost a foot tall.  We downsized to create an intimate, feminine design that's fun and sassy.

Love is in the air and up your skirt.

Chef B's Up Your Skirt Dessert is not nearly as complicated as it looks.  The creamy dome you see on the bottom is a simple creme brulee, cooked and cooled but rather than covering it with caramel, Chef Benoit took that beautiful, soft custard and combined it with gelatin for a firm texture we could build on, re-molded and chilled.

The creme brulee recipe, which we featured earlier this week, it's perfect just as it is; no need to go all fancy-shamcy, but if you want to try something completly different, follow along step by step.

Re-Molded Creme Brulee Recipe

1 envelope gelatin
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 ramekins creme brulee

Method

Combine gelatin, milk and water in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.  Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 3 minutes, add creme brulee custard and blend until smooth.  Immediately re-mold and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

We used silicone molds so it was easy to unmold the final product.

The shirt is a simple caramel basket.  Caramel = melted sugar.  As it browns it turns amber and gets thick and gooey.  He then applied a little oil to the back of a stainless steel ladle (because it was about the right size we were looking for) and thinly drizzled the caramel to create this sexy little basket.

You could use this in a number of applications; under berries or to hold a mousse or meringue or, cast the caramel in flat sheet on a piece of parchment, break or cut it into interesting shapes and accent a gorgeous cake, a poached pear.  This is something to have a lot of fun with and use on it's own.

A couple of parameters to keep in mind, being made of sugar, it melts when it comes in contact with liquid, so if you're using hardened caramel in an application with any humidity (I.e: berries) plate and serve fast before it starts to wilt.  It's also HOT to work with so use caution hot caramel will burn your skin.  (Not a project to do with young children.)

The strawberry carpaccio is as easy as a dash of grainy vanilla and sugar on some thinly sliced strawberries.  Plate with some forethought, balance colour and texture.  Use the sweetened, coloured juice as an accent, like you see on the top plate.

The silky chocolate drizzle,  is merely melted chocolate (in a parchment paper piping bag) applied directly to the plate.  Accents around the creme brulee; also tiny, well placed, drops of chocolate.

The curvy calves were a whole lot more work.  Part tech; scanning the patten, resizing in photoshop, printing, cutting out a positive then transferring to a thicker card-stock for a negative that became our stencil, and part pastry chef; executing the stencil with clean edges, baking to perfection, removing cleanly without breaking and then assembling and placing them perfectly.  I'm exhausted just writing that.

The thin, transparent cookie dough is called Tuile, it's a spreadable batter that molds easily, is completely edible and very breakable.  Not sure if I will ever stencil with tuile again, effective but fussy.  Best to work with it when it's cold, it spreads more evenly that way and it cooks in minutes, so watch it like a hawk.

This element was the cause of much frustration, we baked several pairs of cookie legs; prepped the one you see above with a dab of chocolate to secure them to a toothpick, for shooting purposes.  We knew that the cookie would start to melt as it it came in contact with humidity and then droop, so we added the toothpick give me more time with the camera, plus another drop at the knee, to help keep them straight.

They broke as they were being placed, but my guy does not give up so easily.  He re-attached and adapted.

Credit where credit is due, Chef B had the patience of a saint, and the end result truly is stunning.  A risque little dessert.  What can I say, he's a food genius.

Chef B carefully constructs the final product. The three dark drops you see under the basket are also chocolate, to help hold it in place.

Chocolate Tuile Recipe (from allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour
5 tablespoons cocoa powder

A closeup so you can see the elements in greater detail...

Literally translated, Crème Brûlée means Burnt Cream, but the way the French say it is much more romantic.  A rich, creamy vanilla custard topped with a layer of hard caramel, that is literally, scorched sugar.

What better way to bring romance to the table than to break out the blow torch and burn a little sugar?! 

This is a dessert we often share, each of us coveting the bits of bitter-sweet caramel crunch, competing for the last scoop of sweet custard.  Enjoying each creamy mouthful; the cool custard, the hot caramel the contrast, the sexy smoothness.

This is the base for our Valentine's Day dessert feature, a beautiful classic, which we're featuring with a bit of a twist; but first we give you the basic recipe for Crème Brûlée, with a couple of tips from Chef B to ensure perfection.

First, start with real cream, the 35% stuff don't try to skinny-up this recipe by using half and half, it contains too much water and that will make your custard break.   Go full fat, then add a great quality vanilla; either a vanilla bean or a real vanilla bean paste.

You want to SEE the gains of vanilla, it should tint the cream to a hue of soft beige, speckled with dark, rich vanilla bean.

Next, cream the egg yokes with sugar, lightly whisking until it is a creamy, buttery yellow, then set the whisk aside.

Bubbles are the mortal enemy of Crème Brûlée, as you add the warm cream to the cold egg mixture, don't whisk.  Instead gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon as you combine the custard to a smooth, even texture

There is a fine line between cooked custard and sweetened scrambled eggs, so add the cream slowly to the the yokes so you don't COOK them.  If you notice a curdy texture, you're hooped.  A couple of fine curds you can remove by passing through a fine sieve, but big chunky curds... you've got breakfast, not dessert.  "Chunky" is not an adjective that applies to Crème Brûlée, if the custard is rough, you go back to square one and start again.

Go slow, don't rush the custard.  Think... foreplay.

As you pour your custard into the baking dishes, you may notice a few bubbles on the top.  To eliminate them, grab your barbecue lighter and gently fan the flame across the top, this will burst the bubbles and leave the surface smooth.

The other area where you want to avoid bubbling, is in the oven, you do not want to bring the custard to a boil, because it will separate and break the custard giving you, once again; scrambled eggs.  Instead, lower your temperature (to 280*F) and cook longer.  You know they're done when the top is springy to the touch and the centre is still slightly jiggly.

Once it's baked, smooth and cooled sufficiently in the fridge, apply a coat of sugar on the top.  Spread it with your fingertips so that the distribution of sugar is even.

Now is time for the fun part, a little flame to the top of the sugar to melt and caramelize it so it colours to a sweet amber and forms a hard candy shell on the top.  Purists would insist that some portion of the middle be coloured a deeper, mahogany; burning the sugar for that slight bitterness that creates the greatest contrast of flavour and gives the dish it's name.

No need for the oxy-acetylene fellas, a hand torch will do... it's burnt, not incinerated.

Crème Brûlée  Recipe

Prep time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 50 - 60 minutes
Serves: 6

3 cups heavy cream (35% milk fat)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
(or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
1/2 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
plus 1/4 cup of sugar to finish your caramel

Method:

Preheat the oven to 280*F

1. Start with the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat and bring to a low boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove vanilla bean.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it should be a creamy yellow.  Add the warm cream, a little at a time, stirring constantly, with a spoon or spatula.
3. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins.  Place the ramekins in a large cake pan or roasting pan, deep enough to accommodate hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Pour boiling water, carefully around the ramekins.  Bake just until the Crème Brûlée is set, but still trembles in the center when moved slightly, approximately 45 - 60 minutes (or until it's done).
4. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
5. Remove Crème Brûlée from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.  Add approximately 1 tablespoon of sugar to the top of the cold custard, spread evenly with fingertip.   Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top of amber-brown caramel, scorched slightly.  Allow the  to sit 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

French tradition states that the caramel should be so firmly set that the spoon will stand erect in the dish as it's presented at the table.

Share (passionately) with someone you love.
Happy Valentine's Day Foodie Gypsies.

To be more precise: candied yams, dates & walnuts with yogurt & brandied figs.   A happy accident that became dessert and is now a winter favourite.

Throughout my 20's and 30's I hosted an Orphan's Dinner on both Thanksgiving and Christmas; a gathering of disenfranchised souls and wayward travelers separated by distance (and some by choice) from family.  These were wine driven affairs that would last well into the night, as we leaned on each other instead of being alone.

On year, after having filled multiple bellies with turkey, stuffing and all the sides, my then roommate of many years, Scott, turned to me and (with the breath of a thousand breweries) asked "What's for dessert?!"

Oh crap.  Dessert.  I was so focused on feeding a table of ten (including three vegetarians) out of a 6 x 8 kitchen and keeping my glass filled so as not to feel any pesky emotions--- dessert slipped my mind.  Then I then discovered that somehow the candied sweet potatoes had not made it to the table.

Hallelujah.

Wine being the mother of invention where recipes are concerned; I melted a little more butter, added some brown sugar, dates and nuts seasoned it like pumpkin pie and... voila... dessert.  That was almost 15 years ago, long before the discovery of brandied figs (thank you Burnt Butter), they are pitch perfect for this sweet end to a cold day.

As it turned out my candied yam surprise  was one of those sleeper hits you never expect.  Sweet spiced starchiness, sticky chewy dates and the light bitterness of walnuts all in a light caramel, which I now salt just to take it to the next level of maturity.

Nutritionally speaking it's packed: potassium in the sweet potatoes, iron in the dates and omega 3s in the walnuts.  Big hit with the veg crowd,  even bigger hit with the gluten-free guest in our midst who nearly burst into tears.  While I'd like to think it was my cooking I'm certain it was the wine and maybe just a touch of missing home.

Gypsy that I am, at home wherever I am, i find family in the embrace of friends and dessert in forgotten side dishes.

Candied Yams, Dates & Walnuts with Yogurt & Brandied Figs - Recipe

Prep time:  15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (approximately 4 cups), pealed & cut into 1½  inch pieces
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ cup dried dates, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• yogurt, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
• 6 – 8 brandied figs, cut in half (or quartered)

Method:

1. Make ahead: place dried figs in a container with a sealable lid, cover completely with brandy.  Allow to stand for minimum of 8 hours (24 preferred) until figs are plump and re-hydrated with brandy.  Try not to eat them, I dare you.
2. Lightly steam sweet potatoes either the microwave (3 minutes) or in a stove top steamer (10 minutes) until slightly underdone. They should be bright orange in colour and soft on the outside but still firm in the centre. Remove, drain and cool.
3. In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter and toss gently with sweet potatoes to coat, then continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and spices, cook about 7 minutes over medium heat, bubbling to form a loose caramel, turn occasionally to coat.
4. Add dates, walnuts and salt; continue to cook and gently turn sweet potatoes cooking about 3 minutes until the dates are just soft.  Add more sugar or butter if needed: add sugar if you see loose oil in the pan, add butter if the potatoes are too sticky and the caramel is starting to coagulate. You’re looking for an even, shiny coat of caramel without scorching. Remove from heat and serve.

Serve with: yogurt, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Top with brandied figs and a sprinkle of cinnamon oh... and a drizzle of brandy never hurt anyone.

The Chef in my life, was my first soufflé.  He souffléd me before long before we started dating, while I was a wide-eyed student who hung on his every word.  He soufflés so well, I’ve never actually souffléd myself.  He makes it look so easy.

So we're tasking Food Gypsy Technical Advisor, Chef Benoit Gelinotte (Chef B), to give us his best tips so you can soufflé like you've never  souffléd before, this holiday season.    Starting with a little sugar and spice --- the Chipotle Chocolate Soufflé.

His first advice:  "Make sure there is absolutely no yoke mixed in with the egg whites when you separate them."  As his sous chef, that’s my job, I separate over a smaller bowl one-by-one,  just in case.  I am also permitted to grease the moulds with butter and shaved chocolate, he then commandeers my kitchen while I open the wine.

During a recent get together, we all sat spellbound as we watched him revive the batter from a ceased, chocolaty mass.  "Don't try this at home!" he insists and I must agree, it's a tricky move involving adding more fat (in the form of cream) and then your batter may be off in consistency.

Better bet; don't allow your batter to cool and solidify while you consume wine.  Measure in advance, so can move through the recipe in one shot and get those soufflés in the oven (in minutes) even when you have company.  I mean, who doesn't love a live soufflé show?

"Be sure your egg whites are firm, forming stiff peaks.  Then add to the chocolate batter 1/3 at a time, folding gently until smooth."  The bubbles in those egg whites are important, they make the soufflé rise.  So we fold them with a spatula rather than breaking them with a whisk.

One of his best soufflé  tricks, his signature move: 'the thumb drag'.

"Take your thumb and remove all the butter and chocolate from above the souffle, dragging the tip of your thumb, slightly in the batter..."

This leaves the sides of the ramekin clean and creates a ¼ inch trench in the batter, causing the soufflé to raise straight up and not spill over.  (No one likes a droopy soufflé.)

"Keep the oven door shut!"  No peeking, a sudden change in temperature could cause those little beauties to fall.  Once out of the oven, serve immediately.

“The soufflé waits for no one!  Stop taking pictures of it and EAT it.” ~ Chef B.

(He gets kind of cranky if the soufflé falls prematurely.)

Having considerably more soufflé experience than me (third timer) he has stronger opinions on these matters.  In a private moment, when our guests had gone he voiced his feeling on the performance of a recipe that was not his own.  “It was too cakey, not light and airy at all.  It was cake in a mould!”  

I like cake in a mould.  If it's your first souffle, I think you'll find it performs well, it's rich and chocolaty and (because it's a bit cakey), the soufflé holds a little longer (so you can take pictures).  He promises a rematch.  I promise to reveal more of his secrets.

Oh Baby, soufflé me.

Chipotle Chocolate Soufflé Recipe

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes: 7 individual, or one large 6" soufflé

¼ cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
½ cup dark chocolate
7 eggs, separated
butter & grated chocolate to coat moulds

Method:

1. Melt approximately 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat, apply to inside of soufflé moulds with pastry brush to evenly coat. Grate about 2 oz of dark chocolate on a fine grater and add to moulds, rolling to coat evenly.  Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Separate eggs reserving both whites and yokes separately.
3. Bring milk to low boil, add cocoa and half sugar, whisking to remove lumps.  Remove from heat.
4. Melt chocolate over a double boiler or 'bain marie' until smooth, stirring to avoid burning.  Remove from heat.
5. Add lightly mixed egg yokes to chocolate 1/3 at a time, whisking until smooth.
6. Add milk, 1/3 at a time, whisking until blended and smooth.
7. Add chipotle powder to chocolate base, start with 1 teaspoon and test, season to individual taste.
8. In an electric blender with whisk attachment, add egg whites and remaining sugar. Whisk on medium-high until stiff peaks form.
9. Temper egg whites with warm chocolate; add 1/3 of the chocolate to the egg whites, then 1/3 of the egg whites to the chocolate,fold gently with spatula so as not to break the the bubbles and maintain lightness.  Continue adding the egg whites to the chocolate, 1/3 at a time, until blended and smooth.
10. Spoon or ladle into prepared moulds, until approximately 1/2 to 1/3 of an inch from the top.  Using thumb, remove butter and chocolate above the batter line and create a ¼ well in the batter around the sides.
11.  Bake in preheated 370* oven for 30 minutes until risen and hot.  Remove from oven, plate and serve immediately.

We toned down the spice a bit in this recipe for the sake of keeping your face from catching on fire. It may have been a tad overheated in our original (never let the Gypsy with a stuffy nose be your heat thermometer).

Now friends know why I don’t order soufflés while we’re out, when the soufflé’s this good at home...

Recipe adapted from:

http://lechaudronmagique.blogspot.com/2008/03/souffl-au-chocolat-de-pierre-herm.html

... all our delicious readers.

Over the summer we've been thrilled to hear from Food Gypsy readers. Foodie Gypsies far and wide who enjoy a little Gypsy sass now and again and challenged themselves to try something new, in the kitchen and in life.

Fear of the unknown is a shared condition.  Every time we humans take a step into a new experience, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, we're saying to The Universe “I am willing to learn.”  Thought I would take the time to share a couple of memorable notes from the community of crazed Foodies that we are, with the rest of our readers... just for fun (and inspiration).

First a story of triumph over chocolate with our Double Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake recipe from Anita C. in the UK, who had to access “specialized equipment” to measure the recipe as recipes in the UK and Europe are weighed, not measured...

“Good morrow my scrummy, clever, most AB FAB friend!

Here are the pics that I promised of the official cake making day in Anita's kitchen. What was ace, was that after reading your recipe I had everything AND I MEAN ALL the ingredients in the cupboard, I didn't have to buy anything at all. I even had the 'extract'... no cheap essence for my baking cupboard. lol

The cups I bought years ago thinking I 'might just need them', and sure enough I did... 5 years later.

Well the cake was lovely to make my mouth was watering with anticipation and yes I licked the bowl... and the spoon... and the whisk... and the palette knife... gorgeous.

It cooked well and the clever tip of the [simple] syrup... mmm I never knew that. Only thing is I haven't covered in frosting as my family's palate is not as sweet as it used to be.  However I've got chantilly cream in the freezer which I made a few weeks ago so I'll be having that with mine.” ~ Anita C.

That’s Anita’s cake at the top.  Brilliant.

In Salmon Arm, Canada Maureen M. became a chocolate goddess with one of my personal favourites “Le Bete Noire” (the black beast) which has been my go-to chocolate stunner for years, first stumbled across the recipe in Bon Appetite magazine. 

Her request for a knock-out cake for a birthday party meant a dive into the uncertain world of butter, cream, eggs and chocolate to embrace a new technique, cooking in a Bain Marie (hot water bath).  Suggested the deep, rich “Bete Noire” cake, that bakes like a cheesecake (and is gluten-free), along with a raspberry coulee...

“Thank you Thank you!! The "La Bete Noire" was amazing!!  Made the Raspberry Coulee as well - everyone loved it!!” ~ Maureen M. 

(Maureen's pic of a truly outstanding job on la Bete Noire, below...)

And last, but certainly not last, a note from my favorite southerner, my first official fan (i.e.: someone not related to me and not told to go to Food Gypsy by my Mother), Lou H. from South Carolina, USA.

“You would be so proud!  I enrolled in the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas yesterday.  After 25 years in the restaurant biz, I decided it's time to learn what I'm doing. Classes start Aug 15.” ~ Lou H.

Proud?  No, ecstatic!  Lou, you're so brave and humble to think that you have more to learn after all these years.

I send all the love and encouragement you sent my way during my studies at Le Cordon Bleu right back to you Lou - times TWO.   Hope you'll find the time to drop a line during your culinary adventures and tell us if they're teaching you or... if you're teaching them.

We love hearing from our readers.  Thank you for coming back to Food Gypsy for fun and food, for sharing our links and telling your friends about us.  This is a conversation - by all means - tell us what’s on your mind, in your heart and in your kitchen!

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I’m going to go bake something now.  Feeling inspired... by you. 

Looks like a re-bake is required on the Caramel Mars Bar Cookies... they disappeared shorty after coming out of the oven and were never seen again. Hmmm, curious.

Strawberry season.  Ripe for Canada Day festivities, warm evenings and summer barbeques.  This cool, seasonal, make ahead dessert is at once, simple, elegant and sure to impress. 

Technically, it's not a soup, but a simple créme anglaise, or custard sauce made with milk, egg yokes and sugar, gently thickened over heat, combined with white chocolate and then chilled and served over fruit for a dramatic colorful effect. 

Compliments of the talented French Chef in my life, Chef Benoit Gelinotte, this is a recipe that has appeared on a number of menus under his care over the course of his 25 year career in many forms, finding the perfect balence of creaminess against the acidity of the fruit without being overly sweet. 

It's among his signature dishes.

To my pallet, this cool, refreshing dessert has comforting familiarity - smooth and rich - like melted ice cream, with the sharp tang of fresh mint, which elevates and enhances the flavors to five star status. 

At one stop along the path of his colourful career, Chef B tickled patrons with this little beauty, served in a tall cocktail glass with a sexy parfait spoon and a foam of cremé de menthé - cleverly called the 'On Your Knees White Chocolate Soup'.  It makes you pray for more.

"My white Chocolate Strawberry Kiwi Soup is a personal favorite and perhaps the best selling dessert I've ever created" says Chef B  "I can only guess how many hundreds of liters of créme anglaise I've made over the years.

The secret to a good créme anglaise," he instructs "is ensuring that the liquids are properly tempered and once combined, do not  boil, because then you're left with curdy, scrambled eggs and a broken sauce. 

Be easy on the heat and never take your eye off the custard."

He has a point, scrambled eggs in runny goo = bad.  This will not impress your friends.  But a smooth, rich, creamy custard gently flavored with almond - will. 

Make the custard base as much as a day ahead and chill until ready to serve.  The fruit is genlty stewed in sugar and mint at room temperature for about an hour to render the juices and mingle the flavours.  It then comes together "a lá minute".  (I know, look at me with my French.  Ha.)  Perfect for parties, no matter how much wine the cook has consumed with dinner. (I find closing one eye helps in this matter...)

A stunning cool summer dessert from Chef B, to make your summer sweet. 

I suppose I'll have to find a way to thank him for that.  Perhaps a nice, stinky piece of cheese, something decidedly 'sock-like', that's always a hit with the French, they love a good 'footie' cheese.  Bon Appetit Foodie Gypsies. 

O Canada, you make good stawberries!

White Chocolate Strawberry Kiwi Soup - Recipe

Prep time: 30 minites

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 5 egg yokes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 cups sliced, fresh stawberries (approximately 1 pound of fruit)
• 1 cup sliced, quartered fresh kiwi (approximately 5 kiwis)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped, fresh mint
• 1/4 cup sugar

Method: 

1) In medium bowl, whisk together egg yokes, 1/2 cup of sugar & almond extract until smooth.
2) In medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium high heat then immediately remove from heat.
3) Temper hot milk with egg mixture by whisking 1/4 of the hot milk to the egg mixture to warm it slightly, then whisk one 1/4 of the egg mixture back to the hot milk to cool it slightly, then add the remaining milk, now cool, slowly drizzled into the egg, constantly whisking to avoid lumps until both are combined and frothy.
4) Pour combined, egg & milk back into the sauce pan and return to medium heat, and simmer to thicken.  Do not bring this mixture to boil, a small simmer is all the heat you need, stirring constantly to avoid scalding and "cooking" the egg.
5) Remove from heat, add white chocolate chips and stir, off heat, until melted.
6) Return to medium low heat to thicken, stirring constantly.  Note on consistency:  The custard should cling to the back of a spoon to make a film.  If you take your finger and draw a line though the liquid, the remaining sauce should not run through the line, but instead remain stationary on the spoon for about three seconds, thanks to the coagulation of the yokes.  The French call this "a la nappe" - "to coat".
7) Strain custard though a fine sieve to remove any lumps for a smooth, creamy finish.  Chill, covered, in the fridge minimum of one hour or as long as overnight.
8) In medium bowl, combine cut fruit, 1/4 cup of sugar and finely cut mint.  Let stand at room temperature to render juices and combine flavours, approximately one hour. 

To serve, spoon fruit into bowl, or glass (preferably chilled) and gently ladle the custard over fruit.  To finish, add drizzle of fruit syrup from the bottom of the bowl over custard for added drama and colour.

And... smile.  See?  Wasn't that easy?!  You're a superstar.