CroquemBOUCHE!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have successfully finished my Croquembouche
Now I followed the pastry cream and Pate a Choux recipe in Martha's cooking school because...well it had pictures. And let me tell you, like all other French recipes, it wasn't too hard but there were 500 steps and every single one had to be done just so.

I'm scared to hear the response when it is officially sampled tonight at dinner, but either way its a pretty dessert. I fear my caramel, especially my spun sugar may be a bit too done, but I'm sure no one will fault me for that. Though I could always tell them it is a nouveau caramel before they try it so they think it's them not me...hahahahahAHAHAHAHA







Pictured above clockwise from the upper right: the Pate a Choux after piping, Mid assembly, Filled with Pastry cream, and finally fresh out of the oven.




The official comments will be available after everyone tries it.
until them
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Attack of The Smallows......

What is that bizzare white and red thing in your cocoa Alexandra?

Why that is a marshmallow

A marshmallow? It looks like someone got stabbed and bled on meringue

It's true reader. My Peppermint Marshmallows left a little to be desired in terms of appearance, but I am happily reporting that they are delicious. And they have passed the most important test. They melt in my cocoa perfectly.

Now they have not hardened properly yet. It's supposed to take three hours but I could only wait one until I tried them.

Ill-conceived Ideas During Finals

Do I hate myself? yes! Has law school ruined my ability to make smart educated decisions? Yes! Do I want to cry the week before Christmas? Apparently!
Why you ask?

Well tomorrow morning I take my last final of the semester. Internet Law. All day today I will be working on, reading over the outline, and doing practice tests. Today will basically suck. Then tomorrow, at 9, I will sit down for the final. sound fun? It gets better. Just in case this didn't suck enough, apparently the temperature is going to drop and it's going to flurry all this afternoon and all tomorrow. So my normally annoying hour drive now has a superfun snow component (one that will not effect whether I actually have the stupid final mind you)so to make sure I don't end up late for the final, or make it just in time mid-panic attack, I will probably have to leave for the final at 7 rather then 8 to make sure I'm there on time. AHHHHHHH

But when it is over, around noon, I will officially be ready to enjoy the Christmas season. I'm sure I'm not the only person who finds it hard to celebrate this time of year until finals/year end reports/etc are done. I mean what is more depressing when your facing a mountian of work then thinking about all the fun you could be having instead. So when I am done with this mess, I look foward to doing all the celebrating I've been missing. And what does your humble blogger decide to do then......

Take on retarded hard culinary challenges. I guess I have to make sure this holiday season isn't too relaxed.

The first of these insane indevourse is a Bouche De Noel. Here is a recipe and picture curtesy of Martha. This might not be the recipe I follow but anything with a video of Johnny Iuzzini totally gets a spot on my blog. A bouche de noel is basically a Yule Log, and I want to make one because I remember as a kid going to Versailles in Greenwich and seeing the stacks and stacks of boxes filled with bouche de noels before Christmas. Also let's hear it for the French, and their complicated, multi step recipes for what is basically a cake that looks like a branch, complete with meringue fungus. LOVE IT!

The second awful decision I made, is to make a Croquembouche. Again, I must hate myself because I'm sure trying to grow a tree out of my own ear would be less work then this little tree of Cream Puffs, but apparently law school makes me want to punish myself.

I am sure this exercise will teach me a lot, be it a number of new techniques, or that I hate baking and should stop going on Martha when I study because it gives me "ideas".

we'll see if I come to my senses tomorrow at noon. Until then......

Evil thy Name is Studying!

So in Law school news, I have passed the MPRE! Hurray!!

so with my feelings to firm ethical aptitude in place I am going to venture to teach you the secret to academic success:

The Perfect Grilled Cheese:

As with all things that require minimal ingredients, the quality of them should be pretty good. I opt for country bread (not sliced too thick) and Vermont white cheddar cheese.

to assemble the sandwich, butter both sides of each slice of bread. Then place a few thin slices of bread between the bread slices.

Now a note on the mistakes most grilled cheese novices, don't over heat the pan. I heat to medium (low and slow baby) this way the sandwich has ample time for optimum cheese gooey-ing and light browning (not blackening, a hallmark of the grilled cheeses of my youth)

Another note: NEVER PRESS ON THE SANDWICH!!! this does nothing but reduce the deliciousness of your sandwich. I speak as an Ex-presser but once you enjoy the like crunch of an unpressed grilled cheese you too will poopoo this practice.

Ahh! Real Homework!

So today I handed in a 30 pg paper that totally broke me (I mean this literally, my wrists were throbbing and my back was broken) but today it left my hands and my life.

Good day then? yeah no. It's like a F-ing hurricane outside, my cute and styled hair got blown to smitehrens (or rather flatness), and both my phone and my aunts car felt the eed to shit themselves this morning (do I note the hypocrasy of using the PC F-ing and the unPC shit within a paragraph....yes....but I'm tired so screw you). Marilous battery is running low apparently, and now does not feel it should start on the first try anymore. and my phone cannot be touched without it selecting random actions on the screen, some of which apparently involve me buying things. I basically hate everything right now

SO I went on CHOW, figured I'd find something fun to cook. and what do I find:

Potato-turnip duck-fat latkes

The jury's out on whether I think this sounds heavenly or likely to block all of my blood passageways with congealed evil, but I'm leaning more to hte former.

That being said, I wanted to give you a heads up that to celebrate my freedom from academic hell (assuming the car starts and I can get home) I am cooking a delicious dinner for my Tiger who, like the amazing boyfriend he is, came over last night, brought paper corrections, hugs, back rubs AND took me for a "get better-stop drolling" ice cream....are you jealous....you really should be!!!!

We will then be joined by Ms. Kate for a brew (the same Kate who was also going to give me corrections and as the result of a snafu with the internets didn't get it but was still willing to read my thirty page miasma even at a late hour)...seriously, what did I do to deserve people like these.
Let's just say that a little reflective thinking has gone a long way, especially when I feel like I am getting Karma-ass-fucked only to find I am actually a lucky girl (stupid perspective)

So on the menu:
apple, fennel, endive slaw (it will be pale and crunchy)
and maybe burgers (maybe even with the BBQ and blue cheese I made like 9 years ago for this explicit purpose)
and this will be enjoyed with one of the delicious beers I got with my dad the other day.

Wait Alexandra! what beers?

haha funny you should ask:
the other day we took Marilou to her friends so they can go to France (I KNOW!! I hate her too! stuck here studying and she's drinking wine, eating cheese and being surrounded by all manner of noted modiste ....I hope she has an awesome time BTW, my harshness is disingenuous) and after we dropped her, my dad insisted we take a trip to this beer importer. There we picked up some interesting brews: I got a Polish one, one called three philosophers, and one with an angry Santa on the front. Yeah

I think 3 philosophers will be enjoyed tonight, but the Santa one may be enjoyed when Chris and I endeavorer to make our post-modern gingerbread house

Wait what?

Chris and I are thinking of making a mid-century, or post-modern gingerbread house inspired by an acura commercial and I am pretty excited about it!

Ok enough discombobulated rambling...Goodnight dear friends.