Red Velvet Cake

I've never been a fan of red velvet cake. I'm a skeptic. What's it supposed to be? It's chocolate, but it's not. It's bright red, but it's not fruity. And everyone says that they love the cream cheese frosting but, you can put cream cheese frosting on so many other (better) things - like carrot cake or brownies or zucchini bread or pumpkin cookies, or.......anything else really.  Anyway, I've just chosen to avoid it. And honestly, I'm much more of a pie and pastry kinda gal anyway.

Some random pies I made this winter

However, as fate would have it, I was recently asked to bake a red velvet cake for an office birthday celebration, which sent me on the hunt for a creative alternative. After much searching, trying to warm up to the idea of red velvet, I found this stunning recipe for Red Wine Velvet Cake from one of my favorite food bloggers, +smitten kitchen.  No red dye, a simple ingredient list, and, half a bottle of red wine! How could I go wrong?!

I didn't get any pictures of the process because, not only was my kitchen covered in splatters of red wine, cocoa powder and icing sugar, but my hands were too, which is NOT conducive to picture taking. So, you'll just have to use your imagination. However, I did capture the finished product. Each layer came out of the pan beautifully, and it went together surprisingly easily. I like the rustic, open sides, but was trying to make it a little fancy, only to realize that I should stick to pie crust and not cake decorating.

Red Wine Velvet Cake

As you can see, the half bottle of red wine sadly, did NOT make it a red cake. Either my cocoa powder was too dark, or my wine was too sweet?! Regardless, it tastes exactly like you would imagine a rich, chocolaty, red wine soaked cake, with whipped mascarpone frosting should taste, and it was a big hit in the office!

Cake stands are a beautiful luxury

Also, check out this fun cake stand. A friend of mine knows a lady who makes these from reclaimed dishes she finds at thrift stores. She uses sundae glasses or vases or candlestick holders, and mounts them to platters. I was delighted to receive this as a gift.

While I'm still not a converted red velvet cake fan, I'm glad I gave this a try, and may even make it again sometime!

French Macarons

Not too long ago I discovered the truly amazing, delicious French pastries called Macarons. So, when I made the decision to move to France, one of my "must do's" was to learn to make authentic French macarons. And finally, six months into this adventure it happened! A friend of mine is a pastry chef, and she has a friend who gives classes so, she arranged a private class. Five of us spent two hours learning all of the tips and tricks to make the perfect macarons.

This was "the real deal" -  the class was taught in French, and of course the recipe was in French too! I was too busy having fun to take pictures, but thanks to our great teacher we had a delightful time and ended up with some beautiful and delicious macarons.

They look and taste as good as those from a fancy patisserie

 

The next weekend we decided to try out our new skills and make our own batch of macarons. There are a LOT of details to remember, but we managed to put together some pretty good macarons.



Placing the dough on the sheet for baking



Almost as good as the professionals


 

I am thrilled that I finally got to try my hand at making these delicacies, and look forward to perfecting my skills and developing some fun and interesting flavors.



 

Baking from scratch isn't always necessary

At home, I never use a box mix to bake something.... it just doesn't feel like baking. It feels like cheating. It's not from "scratch", and you can definitely taste the difference. Yes, I'm a bit of a baking snob. So for me, if I don't have the time to bake from scratch, I just use that as an excuse to go visit one of my favorite local bakers!

Here in France I'm living in the dorms at school and using a community kitchen for some of my baking escapades. It's rather challenging for SO many reasons - for instance, we only have one mixing bowl in the entire kitchen. Sometimes there are no spoons. There is no electric mixer or hand mixer. There's no hot water from the tap, so if hot water is needed, it has to be boiled. There is an oven, sort of.... it's actually a miniature countertop oven, or an over-sized toaster oven. Although originally I thought I would not be able to bake here, with a little creativity I've been able to make it work, and I've discovered that a standard size pie plate just fits!

This week I was having a chocolate craving and a longing for some time in the kitchen, but I wasn't up for the challenges of international baking, so I indulged in a box mix..... and it was GOOD! I was pretty skeptical when I saw the paper baking pan that came in the box, which was in two pieces and required some assembly, but amazingly it worked great. One bowl, some water, and a couple of eggs was all I needed. Quick and easy.... and delicious!

A few days later I was still (or yet again) craving chocolate, and remembered a recipe I'd found for some chocolate cookies. I use that word loosely because they turned out more like chocolate truffles or bonbons, rather than a traditional cookie.They are Brazilian Brigadeiro, and with only three ingredients and no actual baking, they were SUPER easy, and perfect for my kitchen situation.



Plain sugar for some, Speculoos cookie crumbs for the others

So, I'm learning to admit my prejudices against boxed baking mixes, and am letting go of some of my preconceived notions about baking. I am embracing the convenience of boxed mixes, and "baking" cookies that don't actually require baking. And through this process I am experiencing a little more freedom and a lot more goodness in my life!

What did I Expect?

I am happy to report that I am finally feeling better and well on the road to recovery..... and I didn't have to resort to antibiotics or horseradish!

This past week I finally had some moments that felt like what I had anticipated life in France might be....

I had French language classes all morning and I actually felt like I understood what was going on! It was raining, but the sun came out in the afternoon, and so I went for a walk and found myself at a cemetery. It was a pleasant surprise (as I enjoy cemeteries), and I found my soul came out of hiding and took a little breath.

Let me back up.... Since coming to France, it seems that my soul went into hiding, and I haven't been able to offer it a safe space to return. It has been such a chaotic season of disorientation, hiding was necessary for survival, but I was beginning to wonder how long might this season last.

As an Introvert I am reenergized by being alone where I have time for reflection and introspection. Don't misunderstand me - I like people, and I think I have fairly good social skills, and I'm a friendly person, BUT..... in order to recharge, to maintain some sense of balance, it is absolutely necessary that I have solitude and silence, and I haven't had much of that since arriving in France.

Moving to a foreign country has upended any sense of normalcy and balance in my life.... which is exactly what I wanted, but it's still challenging, frustrating and a bit uncomfortable. And yet, I continue to pursue the adventure and find joy in the midst of chaos. This is what I thought life in France might look like.

Saturday I took the train to Paris with some friends. We went to the musee d'Orsay and enjoyed the Impressionists exhibits, followed by a stop at a nearby café for hot drinks. We did a little window shopping, stopping into a fromagerie, an epicerie, and a patisserie on our way to dinner.  The Café de l'Empire was a perfectly delightful experience. I felt at home as soon as we walked through the door..... a hint of hipster, but mostly simple, chic and classy. The service was pleasant, the ambiance was cozy, the food was good, and my company was delightful.



The velvet wall behind our table

After dinner we walked around the block to a classical music concert where a friend was playing the violin in a quaint, small art gallery converted for the evening into a concert hall.

As the music filled the room, my soul breathed deeply.

We finished off the evening with wine and cheese at a lovely little café in St. Michel. The location was perfect for some people-watching, and I reflected on our day in Paris with contentment. This is what I had hoped life in France might look like.

But after all of that time with people, I desperately needed some alone time.  And so today I had a slow, quiet, introspective morning and then headed out for a hike in the forest. I found the perfect seat on a tree stump beside a little pond where I sat and soaked up the sun that graciously decided to make an appearance. 

As the quietness surrounded me, my soul breathed deeper.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen listening to classical music and baking a pie. Baking is often a spiritual practice for me, and today it again provided space for my thoughts to roam and for my soul to breathe.

Apple Cranberry Pie

I am learning to be patient with myself, to treat my soul with kindness and respect, and to breathe deeply.  This is what I had hoped life in France might be..... a time of reflection and growth.

Playing in the Kitchen

Last week was Thanksgiving in the States, but the French don't celebrate this holiday, so it was just a normal work week. However, I was still able to have some fun and play in the kitchen on Thursday.



Here's how to separate an egg

Some of our students got to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with our chef, learning about chocolate - the difference between dark and white chocolate, how to melt it, and then what you can add to it to make it look and taste differently (think: butter, sugar, and eggs). And, I got to be the photographer for this activity!

The students made food sculptures using cake, fruit, marshmallows, and melted chocolate..... they were very artistic and creative.  The chef then showed them how to crack and separate eggs, and then how to whisk the egg yolks with sugar and the egg whites with salt. It was fun to watch them learn, and I got to have a turn too.

Aren't our hats just adorable?!

Our end result was a delicious chocolate mousse, which was served for dessert at lunch the next day. I'm making friends with the chef, and hoping to get more opportunities to be in the kitchen. He is very talented, and has made some very beautiful and delicious things. I've also realized that my passion for food is helping me learn French..... at least French vocabulary for various ingredients and kitchen utensils!

Mixing up the chocolate mousse
 

 I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and counted it as my own little personal celebration of Thanksgiving!

Pie is Always a Good Idea!

I found out that one of my French teachers is also a pastry chef, so I asked her if she would be willing to bake with me sometime, to which she readily offered her time and her kitchen! Friday was our day to bake, and she asked me what I would need to bake an American pie - I wanted to make a fruit pie, so started suggesting fruit that might be in season here, only to find out that France imports nearly all of their produce, other than raspberries, which aren't in season right now, which makes it all super expensive.  This time of year I like to make a pear/cranberry/pecan pie, but when I suggested this she laughed at me. Evidently, you simply can't get cranberries here, and pecans are super expensive.  So... I rattled around in my brain to think what might go with pears, but we settled on a plain pear pie (much to my disappointment). However, as we were checking out at the store, I found a small container of dried tart cherries on the Christmas display and grabbed those.

We arrived at her cute flat, and her kitchen made mine in Denver look big! The only "counter" space was the top of the clothes washer (which was about 2'x2')  and it was next to the stove. Regardless, it was a delightful afternoon of converting Cups and Tablespoons to Grams, and Fahrenheit to Celsius, and learning more French vocabulary (Pear is la poire, and Cinnamon is la cannelle).

While we waited for the pie to bake, she helped me with my French as we shared some of our stories. It was exactly what I needed - baking, French lessons, and a new friend!




Pear Cherry Pie baked in a cake pan, because that's what we had!