Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

While we were in Paris this Summer I fell in love with macarons.  Specifically, I fell in love with salted caramel macarons.  A trip to Laduree, the famous bakery on rue Royale, is a must for anyone visiting Paris.

Photo courtesy of LadyMacaron20ten

What was it about these salted caramel macarons that had me swooning?  I think it was the richness of the filling against the crunchy airiness of the cookies.  It was the combination of the sweetness of the caramel with the hint of flaked salt that startled the taste buds but made sense; a ying and yang that worked in the best possible way.  

While in the airport on my way home from Vermont recently, I picked up the latest issue of  Food Network Magazine.  It seems that Ina Garten has a new cookbook coming out at the end of October.  It is called The Barefoot Contessa Foolproof.

One of the recipes that was featured in the magazine was Ina’s Salted Caramel Brownies from her new cookbook.  I knew I had to try it.  Those salted caramel macarons were still fresh in my mind and to be honest with you, I haven’t worked up the courage to tackle them.  Brownies I can handle.

They did not disappoint.  The chocolate was rich with just a hint of coffee and the caramel tasted just right with the flakes of sea salt.  They are dangerously decadent and my love for the combination of caramel and  salt was satisfied.  Now I need to experiment with macarons.

SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES (Barefoot Contessa Foolproof)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 ounces plus 6 ounces Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, such as Nescafe
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce, such as Fran’s
2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 9x12x1 1/2-inch baking pan.

Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar.  Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.  (It is very important to allow the butter to cool before adding the chocolate chips, or the the chips will melt and ruin the brownies.)

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of the flour, the baking powder and salt and add to the chocolate mixture.  Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture.  Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Don’t overbake!

As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable.  Stir until smooth.  Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt.  Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.

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I have three little girls coming to visit soon.  I wanted to make some cookies especially for them.  What better option than these pink sprinkled kiss cookies.  I found the recipe originally on Foodgawker.  It came from  The Cafe Sucre Farine blog.  Thank you to Chris for such a fun recipe.  Take a look at her beautiful cookies.  Mine would have looked better if I had pink food coloring.

What makes these cookies so good is the addition of Biscoff Spread.  It is used in place of peanut butter and I love the flavor.  It is made from biscoff cookies that are made in Belgium by the Lotus Baking Company.  It tastes like a graham cracker spread.  I was surprised that my supermarket carried biscoff spread right next to the peanut butter.

The addition of Hershey’s Hugs (kiss) in the center just makes them even more special.  Now I just have to come up with a cookie for the two little boys who will be here.

BISCOFF KISS COOKIES (Recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup biscoff spread or peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon pink gel food coloring
1/2 cup pink sanding sugar
Hershey’s hugs unwrapped (recipe called for 48 but I needed only32)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine sugars, butter and biscoff spread.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat for a few minutes more.

Combine salt, flour and baking soda.  Add in 3 additions to bowl of mixer on low speed.  Beat until all is incorporated.

Add pink gel food coloring and mix well.  Add additional pink gel until desired color is achieved.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in pink sanding sugar and place balls 2-inches apart of ungreased baking sheet.  

Bake in batch es for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press a Hershey’s hug into center of each cookie.  Remove to a rack to cool.


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We are back from our travels.  I have many more pictures and adventures to share with you but decided to give you a break –  vacation picture overload, so to speak.  We had a great 4th of July with the kids.  Granddaughter Rachel had fun jumping off of the dock and we all enjoyed the fireworks from the boat.

We cooked chicken and hamburgers on the grill; pretty standard holiday fare.  But I couldn’t resist making a French inspired dessert.  One of the delights of being in France is visiting patisseries in every town.  The raspberry tarts are near perfection.

For this recipe I combined several different ideas.  The crust is so easy.  It is a cookie crust and is easy to pat into the tart pan.  The step by step directions are here.  The pastry cream comes from Laura Calder of the Cooking Channel show French Food at Home.  You can find the recipe here.  The raspberries and blueberries were arranged on the top for a finishing touch.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you prefer.

This tasted so good on a HOT summer night.

We were invited to dinner last Saturday night.  We are so lucky to have such good and supportive friends.  And to think that we met them because of our respective blogs.  The “Other Penny”, as we sometimes refer to each other, has a lifestyle blog that has detailed her many talents in whispering houses back to life.  She and her husband both know what a house needs to make it a comfortable home.  Her blog, The Comforts of Home, chronicles the projects and ideas that can improve any house.  But she is also a fantastic cook.  Penny is well aware of our upcoming trip to France (Probably because that is all I talk about).  Both she and her husband  have been to France and have shared many tips with us.  For our Bon Voyage dinner Penny made a French meal.

One of France’s national treasures is the Gourgere.  These small cheese puffs are made from pate a choux dough.  In its sweet version the dough is used in cream puffs stuffed with sweetened whipped cream.  But when you want a savory appetizer you add Gruyere cheese to the dough and allow them to bake, puff and form a hollow center.  They melt in your mouth.  They are made all over France, but the Burgundy region claims them as their own.  They are served in many restaurants there as an appetizer with the local aperitif.  We had them with a lovely white wine.  Here is the recipe from Barefoot in Paris.

Coq au Vin, the classic French chicken in red wine is one of the dishes that I have served many times.  But Penny’s version, made with white wine, is a perfect alternative.  The one thing that has always bothered my about the original recipe is the burgundy color that infuses the chicken.  It just doesn’t look natural.  White wine is a good thing for this dish.  Penny also uses boneless chicken thighs which cook faster and retain their juiciness.  Her rendition keeps the smoky bacon flavor, the earthiness of the mushrooms and the silkiness of the onions.  It is winey and earthy at the same time.  The mashed potatoes (David’s favorite) and the braised carrots are the perfect  finishing touches.   You can find her recipe here.

Dessert was a spectacular lemon meringue tart.  The recipe came from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris.  The mood has been set and we are ready for our trip.  Thanks for a great meal Penny.

One of the first cakes that French children learn to make is this yogurt cake.  As a matter of fact variations of this cake are one of the few desserts that are made in home kitchens in France.  With the availability of patisseries in every village it is much easier to buy a luscious dessert than to make one.

It is simple to make.  There is no special equipment required.  It is just a matter of mixing the ingredients together.  The only unusual step in making it is how the lemon zest is treated.  The lemon zest is added to the sugar and then rubbed into it.  This releases the lemon oils and moistens the sugar

It is also a versatile cake.  Bake it in a round pan or a bread pan.  Glaze it with marmalade or jam.  Split it and fill it with strawberries and top with whipped cream.  Or eat it plain with a cafe au lait.  I think I will try it many ways this summer.  This recipe is courtesy of Bon Appetit.

FRENCH YOGURT CAKE  (GATEAU AU YAOURT)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a standard (8 1/2 x 4 1/4″) loaf pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray.  Dust with flour; tap out excess.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and the kosher salt in a medium bowl.

 Using your fingers, rub 1 cup sugar with the lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist.  Add the yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla;   whisk to blend.  Fold in dry ingredients just to blend. 

Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top.  Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Invert onto rack; let cool completely.

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