[Hazelnut Cubes]

Very rarely do I repeat a recipe. This stems from the fact that I am forever, and in all areas of life, much more interested in the new and the unusual, than in the same-old, however easy. But this NRFBS (Non-Repeating Food Blogger Syndrome) is also brought on by this very blog you hold in your hands, so to speak : if I am going to bake/cook/make something, I figure I might as well bake/cook/make something new that will — I hope — tickle your attention and spark your interest, dear reader. Not that you should feel guilty or anything.

Sometimes I think about it and I sort of miss the idea and the comfort of a repertoire. But see, there’s simply not enough time (or meals) to invent new things and repeat old ones! However, what I have recently noticed is that although I don’t make exact repeats, I do tend to build on past successes, using tried-and-true recipes as stepping stones for new attempts.

And this is exactly what happened with today’s Hazelnut Cubes. This past Sunday I was invited to a little afternoon reception (a goûter), to which one could bring an edible contribution if one wished (and I did). The only thing the host had asked was that it be something that could be eaten without plates or cutlery — a smart strategy devised to limit the amount of washing up after the party.

My thoughts instantly turned to the Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille I had baked a few months ago. But it just wouldn’t be any fun to make the exact same recipe, would it, so I started thinking of possible variations. I thought of the caramelized hazelnuts I had made for the Gâteau au Chocolat Fondant et Noisettes Caramélisées, and decided to top each bite with one such hazelnut. I lowered the sugar content in the batter to compensate for the caramel on the hazelnuts, and substituted a little whole-wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour (for good luck).

This worked out very well, each cute mini-cube having the same scrumptious taste (vanilla-y and subtly sweet) and texture (cakey and tender) as I remembered. The caramelized hazelnuts added a delicious crunch, and were a nice variation from the original pecans. Next time (who knows if and when that will be), I may accentuate the hazelnut flavor by replacing some of the flour (maybe 40 g) by the same amount of ground hazelnuts.

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I was particularly enthused, a few weeks ago, to read that Derrick was hosting the 9th edition of Is My Blog Burning? and that the theme he had set was terrines.

Reason number one : Derrick The Talented is one of my absolute favorite food bloggers, I am always in awe of his uncompromising approach and his ambitious endeavours. His was among the first food blogs that ever existed, and An Obsession With Food is one of the two or three blogs which inspired me to create Chocolate & Zucchini (another one being the now defunct Julie/Julia Project).

Reason number two : the terrine theme. Terrines are particularly French, they’re versatile and fun (a bit like the French, yes?), and I have derived much much pleasure in the past from creating my own little loaves of goodness, using my beloved bright red terrine dish.

I am certain I’m not the only lover of words and etymology around here (oh and toponymy, too!), so let me point out that terrine is, of course, a French word. It comes from terre, which means earth, and was initially the word for a deep earthenware dish, round or square, with a lid. In a typical case of metonymy, it has come to also mean whatever is baked and served in it. So. A metonymic theme, which also rhymes with my own IMBB theme of tartines : what more could a girl ask for?

I pondered the possibilities, and suddenly remembered about the Pounti Auvergnat, a terrine that I had tasted, loved and written about a few months ago. Pounti is a specialty from Auvergne (a mountainous region in the center of France), a meat terrine with blettes (swiss chard) and pruneaux (prunes). Swiss chard and prunes happen to be two of my favorite ingredients (oh darn I should have called this blog “Swiss Chard & Prunes”, what was I thinking) and I had long wanted to try and recreate this recipe. This was the perfect occasion.

Following my usual method, I gathered the different recipes available out there, compared them, discarded the ones that made little sense or called for impossible ingredients (no, I do not have a guinea-fowl handy) and merged the interesting ones into my own version. I decided to use the prunes pits-on, to preserve their shape and juices — just like grandmothers traditionally do with cherries in clafoutis.

To say that I was utterly delighted with my pounti would be a droll understatement. Everything went miraculously according to plan (batter consistency, quantity, cooking time), and it was reasonably quick and easy to put together. The result was an appetizing affair, golden and puffy, which unmolded perfectly. I cut up slices for a weeknight dinner (maneuvering the knife blade as adroitly as I could around the pits) and Maxence and I both loved the unusual and comforting taste of this fragrant terrine. As expected, the cold leftovers were just as delicious the next day, so this would be a perfect make-ahead dish for a dinner party or brunch.

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[Watercress and Fresh Sage Soup]

On Saturday morning, at an hour which felt far, far too early to be up on a week-end morning although by any reasonable standard it was really just mid-morning, I met with my chef-friend Nicolas Vagnon in front of his favorite produce stall at the Batignolles organic market.

As we have already done on several occasions with equal joy, we then proceeded to shop for fruits and vegetables, he for his restaurant, I for my more humble home needs. And on this particular morning, the order of the day was also, as you may have guessed, to prepare for tonight’s party, thrown in honor of Chocolate & Zucchini’s first birthday.

Faire le marché with a chef is really a fascinating thing in scale, and I am always in awe of the amount of stuff that he purchases. As the trolley gets filled up with pounds upon pounds of greens and herbs and all manners of goods from the Earth, it gets more and more apparent that the trolley is really laughably under-sized and that we’re going to lug back crates and bags and baskets as well — but Nicolas always makes sure I’m mostly carrying the flowers while he handles the heavier load.

It is also an excellent occasion to observe and learn how to select produce like a professional, as Nicolas The Uncompromising decides at a glance or an expert prod of the finger that no, we will certainly not get these artichokes, whereas look! those salads look like they’ve just come out of the shower. Oh, and I’ve also learnt to make my selection before he does, unless I want to be left with the sorry-looking and the dejected, while he walks away unawares with the lush and the blooming.

And this is how I managed to snatch the most beautiful, fresh and glowing bunch of watercress on the produce stall that morning. It bore the label I have come to look for and love, that says “à nous” (ours), meaning that it is grown by the stall-keepers themselves, an almost unfailing seal of freshness and quality. Later that day, as I had instantly decided upon spotting it, I turned my bounty into this fragrant, softly green soup, made even more aromatic by the addition of fresh sage of identical origin.

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Salade de Sarrasin au Pain d’Epice

Buckwheat has always held a special place in the grain section of my heart, no doubt because of the fabulous galettes de sarrasin we would eat in Brittany when I was growing up.

It is a grain that’s seldom used whole in France, but I like to add it to salads to add more flavor and heft to them. I first made this particular one in the summer, for a delightful picnic on the banks of the Seine, and shared it with my sister and a few friends.

I knew the earthy, nutty taste of buckwheat would do well with a little sweetness and some spices, and I happened to have delicious pain d’épice — the French gingerbread — and a knob of ginger on hand. I also added a variety of finely diced vegetables, to add color and crunch to the softened buckwheat groats.

I have been making it regularly since, and I find it works really well in the fall, too. You can serve it slightly warm then, to make up for the cooler weather.

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