christophe felder

Il y a quelques années (vers 2008-2009), une subite passion pour la pâtisserie s'est emparée de moi ! Totalement inexplicable. Ceci dit, je venais de m'offrir le livre "les gâteaux classiques" de Christophe Felder, et même si les temps de préparation auraient logiquement dû décourager la plus motivée des foodistas, les photos, elles, me faisaient littéralement rêver ! Et puis, quel sacré challenge, quand même, ces gâteaux pour 20 personnes, dignes de pâtissiers pros ! A moi la maîtrise des grands  basiques comme la crème... [Lire la suite]

(Last update january, 2015, dernière mise à jour en janvier 2015)   White Chocolate Opéra Cake/Opéra au Chocolat Blanc 20 servings, 20 personnes2 layers of Joconde Cake, Vanilla Buttercream,White Chocolate Mousse and Frosting, Fresh Raspberries.2 couches de Biscuits Joconde, Crème au Beurre à la Vanille,Mousse et Glaçage au Chocolat Blanc, Framboîses Fraîches. Green Tea and Chocolate Party Cake/Gâteau Chocolat et Thé Vert 16-20 servings, 16-20 personnes2 layers of Green Tea Génoise, Chocolate Buttercream,Chocolate Glaze and... [Lire la suite]

Gougères au gruyère et aux herbesGruyere and Parsley Gougères (cheese puffs) Is there a better host than the one who offers his guests home-made savory snacks before dinner ? I don't want to put any pressure on you and I know it is much easier to open a peanuts can or a pack of manufactured crackers (a thing that I have myself done many times), but really, if you have time -and patience-, treat your guests with some little treasures coming directly from your oven. It is such a good way to make everyone feel "spoilt"... [Lire la suite]

Petits Moelleux Pistache-griottesPistachio and Griottes (sour cherries) melt-in-your-mouth Mini Cakes My regular readers know that I am fond of pistachio in sweet recipes. Whole, chopped, powdered or in paste, give me them all !!  It is a fact that my little love handles don't say "thank you" to them, but hey, have I ever said I was a reasonnable person ? That being said, it was totally predictible that I would deeply  fall in love with these decadent pistachio and sour cherry mini cakes, seen in Christophe... [Lire la suite]

Mini-paniers apéro aux Olives Olive mini-cuttie Baskets Some puff pastry in the fridge ?  A handful olives and a can of tomato paste in your pantry ? Woohoo, good news, you have everything on hand to make those cute little baskets for a wonderful aperitive snack ! When I saw them in Christophe Felder's lattest cookbook, "Les mignardises de Christophe" (mignardise means bite-size delicacies), I found them totally irresistible ! And as Christophe is one of my favourite Pastry Chefs (I have 4 of his cookbooks, and... [Lire la suite]

Petites brioches au Miel et AmandesHoney and Almond Small Brioches Give me the opportunity to choose between a good "Mom and Pop" Cassoulet and a Pierre Hermé dazzling dessert, I would pick the first one without any hesitation. Not that I don't like PH's cakes, but I really am a "bec salé" as we say here, meaning that I enjoy savory dishes much more than sweet ones. I know this is not obvious when you ramble through my foodblog : I LOVE to make desserts, but devoring them is another story. Am I weird ?... [Lire la suite]

Or how to end Passover with a touch of class...Ou comment rompre Pessah avec classe... Actually, the first part of the "end of Passover" meal looks more like a pique-nique party with mediterranean flavors than a festive dinner : the tradition is to have sandwiches made with italian bread specially bought in Belleville, a popular part of Paris, and stuffed with sophisticated ingredients (!) like canned tuna in olive oil, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, black olives and of course a home-made "slata mechouia", a... [Lire la suite]

A laid-back sunday afternoon with friends...Add to this a common love for the USA, and you will obtain an american tea-party ! Yes, far, very far from the sophisticated British High Tea, but so less stuffy and so more convivial .Very convenient for both adults and kids.A great occasion for me to share Christophe Felder (a renowned Pastry Chef in France) 's Brownie recipe. What makes his brownie special is that he adds a scrumptious ganache on top. But as I had many kids at home that afternoon, I chose to make it ganache-free, the... [Lire la suite]

My second recipe from Felder's wonderful cookbook "Les gâteaux Classiques" (Classic Cakes), after the very fruity Framboisier. This time I chose the Succès Praliné, which could be a cousin of the Filbert Cake, only lighter with  flour-free dacquoise layers and a light buttercream made with, among other things, an Italian Meringue. The more I bake, the more addicted to it  I get. Yes, one needs many specific utensils, yes, it is very time-consuming, but it is such a great way to relax, to empty your mind ... [Lire la suite]

Il y a des Lundis plus difficiles...Ce matin, j'apprends que mon Muffin Framboises, Figues et Romarin a remporté la deuxième place du Muffin Monday #10. Sur 58 candidatures, avouez quand même qu'il y a de quoi être fière...Je remercie donc le Jury, Flo, bien sûr, l'autre Flo, Yannick et Natte d'avoir fait preuve d'un goût certain, lol !! J'ai tellement adoré la médaille designée par Flo que j'ai eu envie de vous la montrer : personnalisée avec la photo du Muffin, s'il vous plait ! Quel professionnalisme...Bravo, Flo ! Et félicitations... [Lire la suite]