Waiting...

Sometimes when I close my eyes, all I see are Chagall horses...

The Old Woman Mounted the Ifrit's Back..., 1948

I love the escapism of Marc Chagall's whimsical dreamlike paintings. I always think of Chagall when I'm procrastinating, like now. I should be writing an essay, but instead I'm dreaming about Chagall horses. A few years ago, when I should have been studying, I painted a Chagall nightscape on our fridge. When we moved house, the fridge was destined for the tip, so the door came off and was relocated to my wardrobe, where it stayed for several years. I was going to upload a photo for you, but I don't know where it is anymore...probably reunited with the rest of the fridge.

Here is some inspiration for your own day dreaming...

Mounting the Ebony Horse..., 1948

He Went Up to the Couch..., 1948

Clown on a Horse, 1927

Portable Keyhole

Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954)

Everyone should watch Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954).
Apart from being a classic and one of Hitchcock's best films, it also has wonderful sets, incredible cinematography, AND is still thought provoking sixty six years later!

There is one line in particular that stuck in my mind after tonights viewing. The nurse (pictured in the floral frock) refers to the camera through which her client "observes" his neighbours, as a 'portable keyhole'...and I love that idea because we are all voyeurs when we look at the world through a camera.

Don't you think?

The apartment block in Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954)

Profiteroles as promised!

This is Martha Stewart's croquembouche

Ax once told me that his aunty had made him profiteroles smothered in chocolate sauce for his birthday. Judging by his wide eyes and enthusiasm in describing the large, delicious puffs, it was clear that this desert had been a success, not to mention a standout in his food memory.

After Ax told me about the chocolate profiteroles, I planned to make some one day, sometime, vaguely in the near future...But it was only when Elizabeth Bard described her wedding cake, a traditional French croquembouche (profiteroles, crème patisserie, and crunchy toffee), in her novel Lunch in Paris, that I started looking at recipes.

Making a croquembouche seemed a tad over ambitious, so I decided to try my hand at profiteroles filled with crème patisserie, and drizzled with chocolate.

Ax found this recipe for the choux pastry on his iPhone!

To make the choux pastry, you will need:
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter (chopped)
1 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs

Bring water and butter to boil in medium saucepan

Reduce heat, add flour and salt and stir until a smooth ball forms

Transfer to a large bowl and beat in eggs one at a time with an electric mixer

 

After the fourth egg is integrated, the mixture will look smooth and silky. Cover with gladwrap and let stand for about an hour.

To make the crème patisserie, you will need:

1 cup milk
75g castor sugar
3 egg yolks
25g plain flour
1 vanilla bean, split length ways

Heat the milk with 50g of sugar in a small saucepan, add the scrapings from the vanilla bean and bring to a gentle boil.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 25g of sugar.When the yolk mix is pale and frothy, add the flour and whisk to combine.
Add the hot milk slowly to the egg mixture, whisking as you go.

Return mixture to saucepan and whisk over heat until it thickens.
Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.

To make the profiteroles, preheat the oven to 215C

Transfer the pastry mixture to piping bag. Use a 1/2" tip to pipe 1" rounds onto a lightly greased tray leaving puffing room between each round. If you want smooth profiteroles, use a moistened finger to smooth the piping ridges.
Bake until golden brown puffed (about 23 minutes). Remove from oven and turn off heat.
Use a small knife to make a small slit in the side of each puff. Return the puffs to the oven, with the door slightly ajar for a further 10 minutes. Remove puff from oven and allow to cool completely.

When the profiterole are cool, use a 1/4" piping tip to pipe a bit of the crème patisserie into each puff, through the slit you made earlier. Once filled, the profiteroles are ready to be served, with your choice of sauce.

I made a chocolate sauce, by melting down a milk chocolate Easter rabbit, with a splosh of milk and a shot of Kahlua. Yum!

The shapes are a little rustic but who cares!

The profiteroles were so good, that Ax and I polished off about four before they even made it to the plate, we didn't have much room for dinner afterwards though!

Happy baking...

Très fabuleux, non?

I'm currently reading a fabulous book; Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard. It's a true story, about an American academic (Bard), who falls in love with a Frenchman, and upon moving to Paris finds that she must not only learn a new language, but a new way of life. Bard's descriptions and anecdotes transport me to Paris in such a way as to manifest the apprehension, adventure and excitement of experiencing life as a stranger in an elusive foreign environment. Bard's glorious portrait of Parisian life is complemented to perfection by the handful of recipes that complete each chapter. As such, the reader's journey is not just cultural, but also culinary. There are several recipes that I'm itching to try out, including Bard's green beans in walnut oil and her individual chocolate puddings!

Breakfast
Café au lait & croissant avec Nutella!

I'm not sure if it's due to Lunch in Paris or perhaps French fashion- blogger Garance Doré, but I'm having a love affair with all things French and French inspired at the moment.

So, here are some of my favourite French fashions and finds.

French inspired vintage style enamel kitchen canisters

Chic, bold red lips with radiant pale skin, and eyes cleanly defined by black liner and black mascara.

The obligatory navy/ white stripe top. Mine's from American Apparel.

Macarons in an array of pretty pastel colours. A macaron, in case you don't know, is a light, crisp, meringue style biscuit, made from egg whites and almond paste, and filled with a sweet smooth icing. They are quintessentially French, and totally delicious. The macarons pictured are from Ladurée in Paris; a Parisian 'tea salon', known for their infamous macarons! Similar biscuits are available from Lindt cafes, where they are known as delice.       

Enjoy!