Merry Christmas

After being away from my blog for two months, I come back again. Even this post, it's about Xmas. For three months, I've been having some problems in my neck due my cervical spine, so I've been wearing a soft collar, going to therapy, doctors etc... and I stopped using my computer as much as I could. Overall, I haven't been very energetic. 

But Christmas came along and all my kids came home. And, making an effort with the help of my dear ones, enthusiastic enough with a lot of love, I made my Christmas dinner. Which I am going to share with you.

I wanted to create a magic Xmas dinner. One where we would be sitting at the table eating unexpected flavors, having fun, being happy and surrounded by loved ones...



Three days before Christmas I couldn't sleep, so between dreams and wakefulness, I started dreaming about the textures and flavors I wanted to incorporated in the menu. 

And that is how everything started.

We opened dinner with a soup of leek, pear, tarragon, and a little bit of cognac. We called it: Velouté de poireaux et poire.

The salmon. I made it with a crust of almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, cranberries and orange peel. Seasoned with ginger and soy sauce. Saumon en croûte de semences.

My fabulous helper was Andy, my older son's girlfriend. She's already part of the family. My blondie daughter-in-law spent the whole day making all the apple delicatessen: apple cake, apple tart, and a special apple tart with amaranth and coconut flour for a special gluten-free guest.

  

Molecular honey caviar made for the appetizer. We had it over brie cheese brochettes. Another plate was sashimi with sake granita, this recipe I saw in Donna Hay. I added a seaweed topping that looks like caviar.

These are inspired by the Venezuelan Hallacas that are famous during Chistmas. I didn't have the time or the energy to make the Hallacas I usually make. 

So that night between dreams and wakefulness, these Hallacas dumplings came along. They are kosher and organic. We called them: Boulettes de Noël Vénézuéliens. We loved them for their size: they were a perfect food sample.

For fun, I incorporated two blind tastings into the menu (totally unexpected). One was a tequila lime jelly shot covered with crystals of lemon peel and sugar. And the other one was Mochi, the Japanese rice cake ice cream filled with lychee. 

We laughed so much just at the idea of a blind tasting. I think this is something I will do more often. The perfect way to break the ice or just to immediately change the mood.  

The dessert table was my Christmas wonderland decorated with small and tiny Xmas trees. We had the apple tart, a berry tart, and the famous Buche de Noël.

Some family moments...

The Christmas menu in French that Laura made. Big enough with 14 dishes to please and pamper everyone. Vegan, vegetarian, meat lover, pescetarian, kosher and gluten free.

The kings and queens getting ready for the family picture...

Santa came along and brought the total chaos of opening Christmas presents....

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!!  Remember, the best is yet to come.
Live with passion + dream big + eat slow + cook with love.  And then the magic comes along...
Thank you so much for being here.

xoxo
Lola

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Oxford Street getting ready for the celebrations.

Windows for the Jubilee Celebration at Selfridges.

Love all the goodies from the food halls of Selfridges, Harrods, and Mark & Spencer.

Victoria Sandwich Union Jack decoration.

My Victoria Sandwich Cake.

Afternoon tea time with a view.

Taken in Rottingdean on my way to have cream tea at the Olde Cottage tea room.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee here at home in Florida. After coming from London few weeks ago I became more passionate for UK and having special feelings for England, It remained me of my student life in London and Brighton and therefore the great moments, parties, friends and the fantastic and lovely tea time at the countryside.

This is the Victoria Sandwich Cake, named in honor of Queen Victoria. Perfect for an afternoon tea or any celebration.

It's fast and easy to make.


Victoria Sandwich Cake

Ingredients:

175g butter

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

3 eggs

1 lemon zest grated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 tbsps of strawberry jam

6 fresh strawberries  sliced

1 pint of whipping cream

Additional for decoration:

Icing sugar

Blueberries and raspberries

Butter and flour 2x20cm cake tins and line with parchment paper.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy,add the lemon zest. Gradually beat the eggs and flour and mix well until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for about 20 minutes until cakes are golden and brown at 350ºF.

Allow to cool completely.

Mix the sliced strawberries with the jam.

Whip the cream.

Spoon about half of the whip cream on one of the cakes and spread the strawberries jams. Sandwich the cakes together.


For decoration have the option to dust with icing sugar or used the remaining cream on top with the berries.

Upside down little puddings

New Year came along and I wish you all the best a happy, healthy, prosperous and well savour life to live.

I made these little puddings the last day of the year thinking we may have to have a bite of something sweet with a glass of Champagne for the transition to the new year.....

I spent the night in a Greek tavern, eating fresh mediterranean food, dancing on the table and drinking Retsina, surrounded by very happy people and great music.

Back to the little puddings, the recipe came from the British magazine Delicious.

(I don't know why but they remind me of Downton Abbey)

For the topping:

30g soft butter

30g soft  brown sugar

24 shelled pecan halves

100g cranberries (fresh or frozen)

For the sponge:

100g soft butter

100g caster sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

2 eggs, beaten

50g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking power

50g ground almonds

For the crème anglaise:

150ml whole milk

50ml  double cream

2 large egg yolks

25g caster sugar

1 tsp cornflour

Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

For the topping mix the butter and sugar together, spread the mixture over the base of the little baking cups. Arrange pecans and cranberries on top.

To make the sponge cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat the in the orange zest. Gradually beat in the egg, adding a small spoonful of flour with the last addition.

Sift over the remaining flour and baking power, and gently fold into the mixture along with the ground almonds.

Divide the sponge mixture between the baking cups, put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the center of the pudding comes out clean.

For the crème anglaise bring the milk and cream to the boil, briefly whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, then whisk in the cornflour and orange zest. 

Whisk the hot creamy milk into the yolk and sugar mixture, then return it to the pan and stir over a medium low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thicken. Do not let mixture boil.

Turn out onto serving plates and serve with the hot crème anglaise. They are great without the cream too, their flavour and texture are delicate and soft. Comforting and easy to make.

Serves 8 (mini baking cups) 

I must start the year thanking all my blogging food communities and blogger friends for encouragement, support, sharing your precious moments and treasures. 

I respect  your courage, commitment, determination, and perseverance.

My great admiration to all of you!!!  all the best  

Lola, xoxo

Jewely for napkin rings & chestnut soup

Looking for  napkin rings that I could use for my Christmas table, I found these giant stone rings. I thought it was perfect for what I wanted, so I tied them to a metal string and within seconds I had my napkin rings. The dishes I used, which I had bought at a flea market, had various black and white patterns. Perfect to use under my Royal Worcester golden soup plate.

The idea is to mix the old with the new using different textures and patterns, keeping it timeless & chic.


The chestnut soup with chocolate curls

I made it it last year on Christmas Eve as part of a nine-course tasting. The recipe is from Mireille Guiliano, author of the book French Women Do not Get Fat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound of chestnuts or a jar
• 2 or 3 cups of vegetable or beef broth
• 1 / 2 cup of heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche
• Dark chocolate, 60% to 70% cacao, for garnish

I prepared it using a jar of chestnuts which helped the whole process take less time. If they are natural cook them for about 50 minutes with two cups of broth, add more if necessary. When they are soft, blend them while adding the broth and the cream. Heat again for a few minutes until it simmers. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve individually with a touch of crème fraîche and chocolate curls.

A dish that does not go unnoticed, and gives an exciting opening to what is yet to come...

The Côté Bastide linen tablecloth, mini trees, candles votives and chocolate are sold at my online store: http://shop.lolalobato.com

Thanksgiving

I made the cranberry sauce with 12 oz of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest.

For the center table arrangement,  I place a rosemary plant with salvia leaves and berries in an ice bucket. I like to use things in as many ways as possible.

I love casseroles you can take it from the oven to the table, specially if you have to warm up so many dishes at the same time.

The sweet potato with a dash of ginger is a totally comfort food.

That night I downloaded all the pictures that were from the night before when I started cooking, I was on the phone and doing three things at the time while I was erasing stuff in the computer and voilà.... without  realizing all my 50.000 pictures I had in stock were gone. I panicked got help and manage to rescue the whole packet , thank God, a few weeks ago I updated the computer and most of my pictures were safe. I lost most of the Thanksgiving pictures especially all the making of each dish...

Anyway, I did all the dishes I wrote on my menu except the pumpkin flan and the dill scones.

I got two delicious desserts from my friends a carrot cake and a tower of profiteroles au caramel.

If you are vegetarian do NOT READ THIS!!!

I had my concerns about the turkey, at first I thought about not making it but this time It was the first Thanksgiving I didn't have any left over turkey, It was crunchy outside and juicy inside, I was basting almost every 20 minutes until done for four hours and half.

For the meat lover this is the recipe, for the vegetarian I will write soon the veggies plates.

Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

The night before: I cleaned the turkey, (organic & kosher) seasoned it, and did the stock.

For the seasoning paste: 

butter -  about 8 oz  in this case being kosher I used vegetable margarine

garlic - whole head

rosemary, sage and thyme - about a table spoon of each

worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

blend all the ingredients and make a paste, season with salt and pepper and rub the paste under the skin and all over outside. This with help to keep moist inside.

For the stock:

neck and giblets

1 celery

1 carrot

1 onion

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cup of water

2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil and brown the neck and giblets, add remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups. About 45 minutes. Strain. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerated.

For the stuffing:

12 ounces chestnuts (I used two packed roasted whole chestnut)

1 apple - chopped

3 celery ribs - chopped

1 large onion - chopped

1 country bread (I used a Tuscany country style bread) cut in small cubes

small bunch of  fresh sage, rosemary and thyme - minced

olive oil

salt

Toast the bread already cut into small cubes with olive oil and  minced rosemary, until become gold and crusty like croutons.

In olive oil cook onions, celery, apple, chestnuts and herbs until soft. Stir together with the toasted bread.

 While roasting:

64 oz (2 QT) chicken broth

1 cup white wine

Baking the turkey:

Fill main cavity and neck- end cavity loosely with stuffing. Sew cavities closed and tie legs together, secure wings to body with a small skewers.

Place turkey in roasting pan and add 1 cup of chicken broth.

I usually cover the the breast loosely with aluminum foil for the first hour of the cooking time, to get an uniform roasting.

The secret for me to have crisp and juice is to keep basting every 20 minutes and keep adding more broth or wine when is needed. And when a part of the turkey starts to get brown too quickly, I cover that part loosely with small piece of  aluminum foil. Even If I know for the weight and stuffing, mine will be done in approximately  41/2 hours, I used a thermometer to make sure It is properly done. Breast should register 165° (74°C) and thighs 175°F (80°C).

Leave it rest for about 25 minutes before carving.

For the gravy:

4 cups reserved from the turkey stock

pan and juices reserved from turkey

1/2 cup fat from pan and juices

6 tablespoon all purpose flour

Scrape bottom of roasting pant to loosen any browned bits, adding 1cup of the turkey stock pour into a large measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to surface. Spoon fat off and reserve 1/2 cup. In a saucepan boil mixtures of juices with the rest of the turkey stock until reduced to 3 cups.

Meanwhile pour reserve 1/2 fat in a saucepan add flour cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add stock mixture and continue stirring. Cook until sauce thickens, check season to taste with salt and pepper . 

Cook with passion, eat slow and celebrate with love...

We are on a Thanksgiving countdown!  I know everybody has already their thanksgiving recipe in their blog, I don't yet, I have been late and slow. I've wanted to write about it but I've been going back and forth with it. With mixed feelings of whether to make the turkey or not. 

Worst of all I got an email  with the request to adopt a turkey http://www.adoptaturkey.org/  which I totally agree with. It's an organization, a farm sanctuary that promotes compassion and protects all farm animals. They are right which really puts me off with the THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION. But, I have family and friends coming over on Thursday for Thanksgiving, especially looking forward to eat turkey. I am thinking we are all happy eating and celebrating as millions of American are all celebrating at their home and in reality it is the saddest day for all the turkeys. 

I have been celebrating for over 21 years, since I first came to USA. It has become a family tradition to cook together and eat together. I wasn't sure if my family and I were ready to break the tradition of the turkey and do it without.

Even with all those mixed feelings I decided to do it again like any other year, I bought the turkey a kosher organic. And now I just have to put all my thoughts together and get into a good vibe to write the menu and start cooking.

The Thanksgiving menu

For dessert: I am going to make an apple tart and pumpkin flan

Hors d' oeuvres: brie cheese with fig marmalade and macadamia nuts, roasted garlic with rosemary and Sra Ines olive oil and fennel tortas.

Salad: fennel with apple and caramelized walnuts, a mixed of greens with oranges, pecans and cranberries.

Side dishes: potato galette, sweet potato puree with a dash of ginger (I hate the idea  of marshmallows with sweet potatoes), brussels sprouts with orange peel, glazed pearl onions with raisins and almonds, baby carrots with mustard seeds and honey. (I like the presentation of a big plate with a variety of baby vegetables prepared each in a different way) 

Breads: corn bread and mini dill scones.

Sauce: cranberry (of course) 

Turkey stuffing:  chestnuts, apples, celery, onion and  rosemary country bread.  

Turkey : seasoned with sage, rosemary, garlic and thyme.

I must said my friends are bringing corn pudding, some other veggies and a dessert. (I will take pictures too)

Let's see how the menu will end up being done, I will be posting as soon as I can every dish I'll be cooking. 

I know we all have things to be thankful for, I sure have. 

Meanwhile I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

No mater what: cook with passion, eat slow and celebrate with love...

Recap

It's been two weeks since I had last written.. a long week of home cooking, family reunions and getting together. So intense that I couldn't even tweet or post. Nevertheless there are many pictures to share coming soon.

Sebastian came from NY for a few days, we cooked, talked and ate comfort food.

My mushrooms are growing I think they are ready to eat. I am planing to make a pasta with them thanks to my blogger friend Lisa. Bryan brought me spices from Vietnam and Cambodia which I loved and I finally bought the dragon fruit after looking for it for months in the grocery store. I had been going almost  3 times a day without exaggerating just to get every detail of every ingredient planned for all the preparations.

On Saturday we had friends over the house, to be more precise we cooked for fifty people with the glorious help of my friend Bessy and Vera the best photographer ever .

The menu always ambitious long enough to not be able to finishe all. I placed the Holy menu on the kitchen wall to check and mark down the dishes that were ready. Friends arrived at 8.30 pm and I was still in the kitchen running hiding to rush for a shower and get dressed in minutes. 

The kitchen was a paradise hell filled with the most amazing spices and herbs. At 10 pm it was a totally chaos, overwhelming even with fabulous helpers we couldn't do it as organized as I wanted it to be. Ingrid was making tons of chicken skewers to serve over a plantain leaf with coconut peanut sauce and my other helper Gloria made hundreds of hand made tortillas while Teresa filled the sink with used plates and empty glasses. I was running from the kitchen to the food table giving the last touches to each plate and trying to make the missing sauces.

Thirty-something plates with a theme of "bite and small bites" substantial, fresh, colorful, vibrant, cultural, sensible and without pretentiousness. Thai flavors with Latin visits, some touches from Spain, Mexico, Italy and Japan. Kind of like a United Nations hug all together at the table starting with mini taquitos, Chinese lettuce filled with spicy meat, rice paper rolls with fresh vegetables, crab cakes, fig with feta bruschetta, mini salmon packets, little boxes of cod fish, corn cakes with a sweet chicken stew and  we cant forget the mini tortillas de patatas...

First time I cooked the forbidden rice a beautiful completely black rice from China placed next to the jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk, lemon grass and ginger, sublime and noble dish sprinkle with toasted coconut curls.

I realized that in the same way I am at home with objects and clothes I am with food: always mixing and matching colors, textures and flavors. Balance is the key a little of this a little of that, the crunch, the soft, the sweet, the salted, as simple as using the five tastes. My partner he is kosher and I am organic, so there were many details to follow during these days.

I always am extremely exaggerated when cooking for guests I think I have to make infinity of dishes so every one finds what they like and be pleased to eat as much as they want. I kind of try to spoil everyone, that is always my main concern. We left Nicolas at a pet resort during the big dinner and he came back hoarse with a sore throat because of all the crying during a night away from home. The resort has a food menu to choose from like beef with yam and oatmeal, to fresh fish with organic herbs and eggs drizzled with cod oil. They even treat them with ice creams but that doesn't help him at all. He hates it anyway.

My retro Mad Men bar, whisky sales have boomed because to the TV show, even on the party most of the people drank Scotch on the rocks rather than wine. 

My breakfast the day after the party, that was when I was enjoying  the pleasure of eating leftovers in the quiet of my home.




Now I finish my day thinking how sorry I am with the lost of the most precious and valuable Apple, Steve he will be with us. Thanks to you I am able to do what I do and have the world open to my eyes from wherever I am. Bravo!!! and thank you.