escargots: an experience.

Sorry for the lack of recipes lately. It's finals week so I've been stuck on study mode (still am). Currently, I'm working to put together a post for macarons. Hopefully I'll have it ready before the end of this week.

Anyway, I've recently had my first encounter with escargots (aka land snails). I had to do a double take when the mom plopped the package of prepared escargots on the table upon her return from Costco (What don't they sell there. I'm super curious now) I stared and read the blue lettering twice or thrice just to make sure I read correctly. I wasn't disgusted or afraid since we also have our version of snail in Chinese cooking. It was just a sense of intrigue and wonder that slowly crept its way from my mind and to my stomach. I was very curious as to how it'll taste. Needless to say, after reading the directions, I heated the oven and quickly placed the the snails one by one onto a baking sheet and into the fiery inferno.

15minutes and a few burnt fingers later...

 

They were ready! Steaming hot and ready for eating. 

The escargots were filled with minced garlic and parsley butter, adding a burst of flavor to the otherwise bland flavor of the actual flesh. On the topic of the flesh, it was a bit on the chewy side and had a slightly sweet taste similar to that of seafood. The closest resemblance to this would be clam meat, both in texture and taste.

And here's what the flesh looks like. Gross! I know... haha. I tried to make it look as palatable as possible, but the green of the parsley killed it. But yeah, it's definitely worth a try if you've a chance to do so. =) Then you, too, can say that you've had escargot!

~~~
The shells were rather beautiful, so I decided to wash a few and use them as decorations.

choux pastry.

Sorry for the delay in my posts! Life decided to star me in the role of some unnecessary drama. So that knocked me off track for a while. My apologies! But I'm here now. >_>;; And so allow me to introduce to you all to my lovely friend...

 

choux pastry! Which bakes up to be an assortment of tasty treats! It's a truly versatile pastry dough.

You can pipe them into an assortment of shapes and sizes~ bake 'em~

fill them up with your favorite filling~

dip them into a chocolate glaze (recipe included) for some elegant eclairs!

or drizzle a bit of the same glaze over for some sinfully delicious profiteroles!

They may look intimidating to make, but it's fairly simple! Impress friends and loved ones by whipping up a batch of these for tea time or dessert. ^_^

choux pastry.
 (adapted from The Food of France: a journey for food lovers)

we'll need:

1 stick + 1 1/2tbls unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk (or water)
2 tbls sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
7 eggs

chocolate glaze*
1 recipe pastry cream filling

utensils:

measuring cups/spoons
2 saucepans (preferably non-stick)
wooden spoon
piping bag or a large freezer bag
parchment paper

>>preheat oven to 375F<<

~Melt the butter with the milk (or water), sugar, and salt in one of the saucepans, then bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the flour. Return the mixture back to the heat and beat continuously with the wooden spoon to make a smooth shiny paste that comes away from the side of the pan. Let cool for 3mintues.

~Beat in the eggs one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and shiny (the mixture should drop off the spoon, but not be too runny). Place the piping bag or freezer bag into a tall glass to prop it up and fill with the mixture.** Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe the choux pastry into desired shapes. (or you can spoon dollops of the pastry dough onto the parchment instead) Bake for 25~30minutes until they are puffed and carry a light golden complexion. After removing from oven, prick each of the pastry with a toothpick to allow steam to escape.

*To prepare the chocolate glaze melt together 4oz of your favorite baking chocolate and 2tbls unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat.
**The choux pastry can be stored in the piping/freezer bag for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.


For profiteroles: split the puffs in half and spoon the pastry cream filling in between. Drizzle or spoon over with chocolate glaze if desired.

 

For eclairs:  Dip half the pastry in the chocolate glaze and allow to harden (15~20mins). Then split them in half lengthwise and fill with pastry cream

Enjoy!

asparagus with hollandaise.

There was a time when I thought hollandaise was just impossible to make. Quite temperamental it is. One little mishap and the sauce breaks. Overheat it and it curdles into an omlette. Seems like something best left to the pros to handle. So, I avoided making hollandaise for a while, fearing failure. But after ten years, I decided to give it a try. Just a try. And...

I was greeted by success! Apparently, it wasn't as scary as I first thought. In fact... it was quite simple. Rich and creamy with a hint of tartness from the lemon, hollandaise is wonderful with seafood or over poached eggs. In this post, I'll be pairing it with asparagus.

Asparagus with Hollandaise (Adapted from The Food of France by Maria Villegas and Sarah Randell)

We'll need:

about 24 asparagus spears
2 egg yolks
2tsp lemon juice
7tbls butter (at room temp and cubed)

Utensils:
pot of boiling water
 knife
whisk
saucepan
colander
measuring spoons


~Wash the asparagus. Then  remove the tough woody ends by holding each end of the spear and bending it gently until it snaps.  Next, cook the spears in a pot of boiling water until tender (about 4 minutes).

~Drain in a colander and place under cold running water. Then place in a serving dish (or on individual plates). Set aside.

~Now on to the hollandaise! In the saucepan, whisk together the egg  yolks and lemon juice over low heat. Whisking continuously, add the butter few cubes at a time until the mixture thickens. Then turn off the heat and season the sauce. (Please watch the heat carefully! Otherwise, the sauce will curdle into a mess and you'll get scrambled eggs instead. -__-;;)

~Spoon the sauce over the asparagus and serve~ =)