• preparation

Dice and freeze fatback. Dice the veal and pork. Heat oil in skillet. Sauté the onions. Combine meat, onion, and seasonings in a bowl. Mix cream and egg whites. Pour over meat. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Marinate artichokes in wine, brandy. Season with salt and pepper. Puree the meat with fatback. Add the pistachios and ham.
Grease a 5 cup mold and line top and bottom with pastry dough. Alternate forcemeat and artichokes ending with forcemeat.
Cover pâté with pastry. Brush with egg yolk.
Cut an opening in the center.
Bake at 350 degree for about an hour. When cold, fill the pate with sherry wine aspic.

• preparation

In a medium bowl, combine the apple, blue cheese, celery, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt.
To assemble, mound a small spoonful of the apple mixture onto the core end of each endive leaf. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

• preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together stock, oil and truffles.
In a deep 10 -to 12-inch skillet bring 3 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain asparagus. Pat dry. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with butter.
Spoon truffle broth over asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Serve asparagus warm or at room temperature.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the carrots. Blanch for 5 minutes and drain. Plant a bamboo spike at the base of each carrot, asparagus, and corn on the cob.
Roll carrots, asparagus and corn in flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs. Finally, roll the corn in the chopped cornflakes, then the carrots and asparagus in the breadcrumbs.
Place the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled baking paper. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake 20 to 30 mins. Sprinkle the carrots and asparagus with the parmesan then place everything on a serving platter before serving.

• preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, lemon rind, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and pepper until smooth. On a large sheet of wax paper, spread out the slices of salmon to form a rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the salmon.
Roll up the salmon tightly from one end, jelly roll style. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wash cucumber, dry and slice across into 1/4-inch slices.
Just before serving, slice the smoked salmon roll into -inch slices. Top each cucumber slice with a slice of salmon roll. Serve at once.

PRESENTATION
Serve this hors d'oeuvre on a tray. Arrange the cucumber and salmon rolls on the tray into two circles. Garnish center of tray with parsley or dill sprigs.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan, 8-inch by 12 inch with parchment paper. Brush with butter.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine dill, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Whisk egg whites with the cream of tartar until medium stiff. Fold into the herb mixture.
Spread evenly over the surface of pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and turn the pan over a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Peel away the paper lining. allow to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, capers, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Spread over the surface of the baked roulade. Arrange the slices of smoked salmon over the cream cheese mixture.
Roll up tightly from one end, jelly roll style.
Enclose in the wax paper or parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
PRESENTATION
Unwrap the salmon roulade, and slice into 1/4 inch circles. Arrange on a serving tray, and serve cold.

• preparation

Cook and drain spinach, pressing dry. Mix spinach with cream sauce. Spoon cream spinach over toasted muffins.
Place steamed artichoke bottoms on top of spinach. Top with the hot poached eggs. Spoon the warm hollandaise sauce over eggs.

• preparation

combine apple cider, kosher salt, garlic, thyme and rosemary in a glass bowl. Add pork chops and mix well with marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes to one hour, refrigerated.
Remove chops from the marinade and pat dry.
Broil or cook pork chops on an open grill for approximately 10 minutes, turning as needed. Serve with red onion marmalade.

RED ONION MARMALADE:

(marmalade may be made up to 2 days ahead).

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 cups red onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
to taste salt and white pepper
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups red wine


Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes, then add the brown sugar and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, or bake in a 350 degree oven until the onions are golden soft and brown.
Add the vinegar and cook until it has completely evaporated, then add the red wine stirring the onions frequently to prevent sticking and burning. When the red wine has evaporated, taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and keep warm

• preparation

Cut the carrots into julienne strips. Blanch in salted boiling water until barely tender. Drain and set aside.
Cut 8 slices of ginger on the diagonal, then cut into julienne strips. Snap off the stems from the snow peas and remove the string.
Chop the scallions including some of the green top. Cut the pork into thin slices and then into 1/4 inch strips. Stir-fry.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the pork and stir while cooking. After 1 minute, add the blanched carrots, the snow peas, and the ginger. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the scallions and the garlic and then the wine and the soy sauce.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

• preparation

* Peel and cook sliced carrots until soft. Drain, and place carrot slices in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Puree in a mixer. The carrot puree should be thick.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the interior of a 6-cup soufflé mold with the softened butter.
In a heavy saucepan heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic. Cook briefly while stirring, until onions are wilted. Stir in the flour and cornstarch. Add the milk. Cook while whisking until sauce becomes thick.
Tranfer the bubbly sauce to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix in chopped basil.
Mix egg yolks, and carrot puree into the thick cream sauce. This mixture can be prepared 2 hours ahead.
Using an electric beater, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff and glossy. Do not overbeat. Gently fold into cream sauce mixture. Pour and scrape the mixture into the prepared soufflé mold.
Place on a baking sheet. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at once.

• preparation

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour. Add milk and cream and whisk until sauce is thick and bubbly. Mix in the cheese. Blend well. Stir in egg yolks. Season to taste.
Spread mixture over a greased square dish to a thickness of 1 inch. Cool 1/2 hour.
Cut into 2-inch by 1-inch pieces. Dust in flour, dip in egg white, and roll in fresh bread crumbs.
Deep fry until brown. Serve with tomato sauce and fried parsley.

• preparation

Cook potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash with 1 tablespoon cream.
Transfer potato to a large bowl. Whisk in flour, eggs and remaining cream. Season to taste.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium spray with oil.
Add batter to the pan in 1/4 - cup measures. Cook pancakes, in batches, for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Top pancakes with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and snipped chives. Serve with lemon wedges.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan, 8-inch by 12 inch with parchment paper. Brush with butter.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine dill, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Whisk egg whites with the cream of tartar until medium stiff. Fold into the herb mixture.
Spread evenly over the surface of pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and turn the pan over a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Peel away the paper lining. allow to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, capers, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Spread over the surface of the baked roulade. Arrange the slices of smoked salmon over the cream cheese mixture.
Roll up tightly from one end, jelly roll style.
Enclose in the wax paper or parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
PRESENTATION
Unwrap the salmon roulade, and slice into 1/4 inch circles. Arrange on a serving tray, and serve cold.

• preparation

Make ham rolls stuffing the egg salad in each slice. Pour liquid aspic in an 8 by 8-inch dish.
Let set until firm. Arrange stuffed ham on a platter. Decorate with avocado and egg slices.
Decorate platter with chopped aspic jelly. Refrigerate before serving.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the carrots. Blanch for 5 minutes and drain. Plant a bamboo spike at the base of each carrot, asparagus, and corn on the cob.
Roll carrots, asparagus and corn in flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs. Finally, roll the corn in the chopped cornflakes, then the carrots and asparagus in the breadcrumbs.
Place the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled baking paper. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake 20 to 30 mins. Sprinkle the carrots and asparagus with the parmesan then place everything on a serving platter before serving.

• preparation

In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a simmer. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in thoroughly, one by one until mixture is smooth. Mix in the cheese and seasonings.
Transfer cheese mixture to a mixing bowl.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Carefully fry half of the dry parsley sprigs for about 10 to 12 seconds.
Transfer to a plate on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining parsley. Season with salt.
Spoon about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the oil. Do not crowd as they double in size and self rotate while cooking. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
Keep beignets in a warm oven while frying the remaining. Arrange the warm cheese beignets on a platter with the fried parsley.
Serve with hot tomato basil.
Note: If served as hors d'oeuvres, fry teaspoonfuls of the cheese mixture.

• preparation

Wash potatoes with the skin. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well. Peel and cut crosswise, into thin slices.
Slice onion thinly, crosswise.
In a frying pan, heat olive oil; add onion and sauté until lightly browned. Stir in potatoes and sauté for a minute. Stir in cheese to melt and add parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Lay out crêpes on a working surface.
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat one side with melted butter.
Divide stuffing in 6 equal portions and place a portion in the center of each crêpe. Fold the sides of the crêpe over the filling. Starting from one open end, roll up each crêpe to make a firm but not tight cylinder. Again, brush them with melted butter.
Place on small nonstick baking sheet. Bake in a 300 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.

To make crêpes, use a 6 or 7-inch crêpe or omelet non-stick pan.
Combine egg, milk, flour and salt in a blender or food processor and whip until batter is smooth. Heat crêpe or omelet pan.
Lightly brush pan with butter, and heat pan over medium heat. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter. Tilt the pan in all directions until the pan thoroughly coats the bottom.
Pour off any excess of batter (crêpe should be thin). Cook on one side over medium heat until lightly brown (about 20 seconds) then turn over and cook to brown the other side.
Turn the crêpe out onto a plate and repeat the process until all the batter is used. Stack the finished crêpes on one another; they don't stick.
Note:
crêpes can be made several days ahead. Cover the plate tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until use.

• preparation

Wash tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise, discarding the cores.
Put them in a buttered baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and oil, blending well to form a crumbly mixture.
Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees until the tomatoes are tender.

• preparation

Snap off the woody ends of asparagus where they naturally break when you bend them or cut them off with a knife.

Boil water in a large pot or saucepan with steamer then reduce to simmer, add asparagus, cover with lid and steam asparagus until tender (about 8-10 minutes) *This will depend on your preference.

Use tongs to remove asparagus

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, oil, red wine, dijon mustard, salt and pepper together.

Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Arrange cooked asparagus tomatoes on a large platter.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley.


Drizzle with ½ the dressing and serve the remainder on the side *Can be served warm, room temperature or chilled.



????Variations & Substitutions
Tomatoes- you could use cherry tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes
Asparagus -you could use grilled or oven-roasted asparagus instead of steamed
Tarragon- fresh tarragon is ideal, but you can use dried
Feta cheese - you can use regular, light or fat-free feta or use goat cheese
Add-ins- you could also sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese and/or add red onions or green onion

• preparation

Cook white and green asparagus separately in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes for white asparagus; about 3 minutes for green asparagus.
Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a colander and rinse under cold water (to stop cooking), then drain again. Pat dry.
Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shallots, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add morels and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and sauté, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Cut potatoes into large cubes. Boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and put through a ricer.
Combine potatoes and choux pastry (See recipe below). Mix well. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg.
Preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees. Spoon the potato mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1-inch tip. While pressing the mixture out, cut into round balls with a small knife and carefully drop into the hot oil. Continue dropping balls into oil. Do not overload fryer.
After a few minutes, the potatoes will puff and float, and turn golden brown. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to absorb oil. Keep warm. Continue with potato mixture.

CHOUX PASTRY:
Heat water and butter in a saucepan, until butter melts and water comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and add flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in thoroughly, one by one. Beat mixture until smooth.

• preparation

Slice potatoes very thin. Wash under cold running water. Place in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander. Add potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mix in the garlic, 1 cup Swiss cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Spoon in an oven proof baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top is brown and potatoes are fully cooked.

• preparation

Trim stalks from spinach and shred leaves finely. Place in a large bowl. Cut smoked salmon and cheese into matchstick strips.
Heat the dressing ingredients in a pot. Bring to boil. Pour hot dressing over spinach and toss well.
PRESENTATION
Divide spinach among cold salad plates. Top with salmon and cheese. Vary the amount of spinach and cheese if desired.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean with a knife into a small bowl, discarding pod, and stir in sugar and cinnamon.
On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry 1/8 inch thick and drape pastry over tart pan, pressing dough gently onto pan.
On pastry arrange plum and apricot slices, overlapping them slightly, in rows and sprinkle with sugar mixture.
Bake tart in middle of oven until pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool tarts on a rack and brush with jam. Serve tarts warm with ice cream.

• preparation

To make this pie tatin recipe, start by preparing all the ingredients.
Peel the apples. cut them in quarters and remove the cores and seeds with the tip of a paring knife.
In a tart tatin mold, put the butter to melt over medium heat. Add the sugar. Mix gently with a spatula until both ingredients are well mixed.
Make a brown caramel. Let the caramel color to a light golden brown. Remove from fire. (Be careful not to let it darken too much, it will give a bitter taste to your pie.)
Arrange the half apples very tightly in the warm caramel. Keep them upright. Pack them well.
Add cinnamon (optional).
Cook for ten minutes over medium-high heat. Thus, the apples will begin to cook and they will be well mixed with caramel.
Sprinkle flour over your work surface. Roll dough with a rolling pin 3 or 4 mm (1/4-inch) thick into a disc slightly larger than the diameter of the dish.
To make sure of the size of the dough disc, I use here a pie circle that is slightly larger (2 to 3 cm) (¾ to 1-inch) than the tarte tatin mold, and I cut the dough all around.
Lift the dough circle and gently place it on the still hot apples.Tuck the dough edges protruding into the mold. Do not hesitate to push them with your fingers.
With the tip of a paring knife, make a small chimney so that water vapor can escape during cooking.
Bake in a hot oven (180-200 ° C) (350–375 F) for 20 to 25 minutes until apples are completely cooked and the crust is golden brown. This cooking time may vary from oven to oven. The dough is cooked when the caramel starts to rise on the sides. When finished, remove the pan from the oven.
Cover with a serving dish with a light border to collect the juice.
At the same time, catch both dishes with two dry cloths and turn the set in a fast but controlled movement.
Beware of splashing!
Lift the baking dish still hot and you can finally discover this delicious apple tatin tart. Preferably serve warm with a tablespoon of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• preparation

Crêpe batter:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, oil, eggs, egg yolks,
and 1/2 cup milk, beating until blended and smooth.
Add remaining milk, whisking until batter is smooth.
Strain batter into a clean bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 hours or longer.
Melt the butter over low heat, and mix into the crêpe batter.
Flavor with vanilla or rum extract.

Apple mixture:
Peel apples. Core and slice thinly. Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan.
Add apple slices. Sauté for 2 minutes over high heat.
Add brown sugar and Calvados or apple brandy.
Sprinkle cinnamon over cooked apples. Transfer to a bowl.

Make apple crêpes:
Heat a 7-inch non-stick skillet until a drop of water sizzles and rolls off.
Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter, rotating pan to cover bottom of skillet evenly.
Spoon 2 large tablespoons of prepared apple mixture over crêpe,
spreading evenly over surface of crêpe.
Pour enough batter to cover apples. Cook for a minute.
Flip the pancake. Use a spatula if necessary. Cook till brown.
Transfer apple crêpe to a greased baking tray.
Continue cooking remaining crêpes.
Can be prepared 2 hours ahead.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Finish baking crêpes until apples are soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
Place a crêpe on each plate.
Top with vanilla ice cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Serve at once.
Note: as an alternative, use half apples, half pears.

• preparation

Brush the inside of the soufflé dishes with soft butter. Lightly sprinkle with sugar and rotate dishes so the sugar evenly coats the surface. Refrigerate until needed.
In a medium bowl, combine cocoa and chocolate. In a small pan, combine light cream with water, and bring to a boil. Pour into bowl of chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
In a small pan, combine sugar with water. Bring to a boil, and heat to the soft- ball stage, or 250 degrees on the candy thermometer. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, whip egg whites until fluffy.
Slowly add hot sugar to the egg whites, pouring it down the side of the bowl as the whites whip. Whisk egg whites to soft peaks; do not overbeat. Add warm chocolate mixture to beaten egg whites.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until thoroughly combined. Spoon or pipe into soufflé molds.
Refrigerate, uncovered, up to 24 hours ahead of serving.
To serve, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Allow soufflés to come to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until risen, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven at 300 degrees.
Butter the inside of 10 3 1/4 -or 4-by 1-inch rings.
Use empty 6-oz pineapple cans, with tops, bottoms, and labels removed or use circles of same diameter. Set rings on a buttered baking sheet.
Melt chocolate on low heat or in double boiler. Set aside to cool. Cream the butter in an electric mixer. Beat in the cooled chocolate.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 6 teaspoons sugar until lemony colored. Beat in the chocolate mixture.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar to form soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and beat at high speed to hold soft peaks. Fold in the chocolate mixture.
Fill rings 1/2 full. Recipe can be made 3 hours ahead to this point.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Set baking sheet on a rack to cool. After 10 minutes.
Twist rings and remove from the tortes.
Transfer to dessert plates. Dust with sugar. Serve with ice cream. Drizzle with bittersweet chocolate sauce.
Bittersweet chocolate sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine 5 oz bittersweet chocolate with 1 1/4 cups warm water. Melt chocolate on low heat.
Away from heat, whisk in 2 teaspoons sweet butter. Cool and refrigerate.

• preparation

CREAM PUFF DOUGH known as pâte á choux
For cream puff dough:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Stir in flour all at once. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat. Beat eggs in thoroughly, one by one. Beat mixture until smooth.
The pastry base and pastry puffs
1. Cut out a 7" round from the puff pastry or Pâte Sucrée. Use a pan, plate pot lid - whatever you have that will help you cut out a 7" circle. Place this pastry circle on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Spoon cream puff mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tube and pipe a circle of cream puff dough around the edge of pastry.
Pipe a second circle inside and touching the first. Then pipe a 1-inch mound of the cream puff in the center of the base. Bake about 20 minutes until puffed, golden brown and dry. Let cool on rack.
On a second sheet pan, pipe the remaining cream puff dough into 1-inch mounds about 2 inches apart. Brush with egg glaze. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then bake the pastry puffs for another 18 minutes at 375°F, until they're a deep golden color.
Create the Creme Patissiere
1. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, flour, egg, and egg yolk together.
2. Once the milk is hot and steam is beginning to rise from it, stir in the vanilla bean paste (if using extract, hold off for now). Then, pour half of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking the egg mixture vigorously as you do. Pour the rest of the milk in, and continue to whisk vigorously.
3. Transfer the entire batter back into the saucepan and whisk over medium heat. It will take about 5 minutes for the cream to thicken up into a pudding-like consistency. Just keep whisking the whole time.
4. Once the cream is starting to look like pudding, quickly remove the cream from the heat. If you're using vanilla extract, stir the extract in now. If there are any lumps in your cream, just whisk the cream really vigorously to smooth them out.
5. Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and cover the cream with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly onto the cream (this will prevent a filmy layer from forming). Chill the pastry cream in the refrigerator.
Create the Creme Chantilly
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the heavy cream on high speed until indentations begin to appear. Pour in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, then whisk on high speed until a frosting-like consistency is formed.
Create the caramel
1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar + 1/4 cup of water. Do NOT stir the two together. Simply place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Watch the sugar-water bubble for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, watching it go from white-ish/clear to a dark amber color. Do NOT step away from the caramel as it can burn in a matter of seconds.
2. Once the caramel has reached a dark amber color and is JUST beginning to smoke, quickly remove the caramel from the heat. Carefully pour the heavy cream into the caramel (it will bubble), then stir to combine. Add the salt, and again stir to combine.
To assemble
1. Fit a pastry bag with a long, narrow filling tip. Fill the pastry bag with the creme patisserie and then pipe this into the pastry puffs. Flip the pastry puff upside down so that the flat side is facing you, then dip the top in the salted caramel. Gently give it a shake to pour off excess caramel, then carefully dip the bottom of the pastry puff in caramel too.
2. Place the pastry puff onto the pate a choux wall that you created on top of the puff pastry circle. The caramel will act like a glue. Continue until you've got a ring of pastry puffs.
3. Scoop the remaining creme patisserie onto the center of the puff pastry. Fill a new pastry bag fitted with whatever tip you like (plain, star, st. honore) with the creme chantilly, and pipe the creme on top of the pastry cream.
4. Stick one final pastry puff in the center of the dessert, then drizzle caramel all over. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Refrigerate extra salted caramel for later use, and a few extra pastry puffs.

• preparation

Pastry:
Place flour, butter and sugar in food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add egg and water. Pulse again until ball of dough forms.
Roll out dough and place in 11-inch flan pan. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover dough with sheet of foil and weight with dried beans or pastry weights.
Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned.
Remove foil and beans and bake for 5 to 8 minutes longer.
Filling:
Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler over hot (not boiling) water. Stir in cream; remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Arrange raspberries over bottom of pastry shell and cover with chocolate mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 9-inch mold. Cream butter and sugar.
Whisk in the eggs one by one. While beating the cake batter, gradually add the flour mixed with the baking powder, alternating with the orange juice and water.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Unmold on platter.

ICING:

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
Boil, and pour over hot cake.

• preparation

Slice oranges thinly.
Boil water and sugar. Steep oranges in cold syrup for an hour.
Make Grand Marnier syrup with remaining sugar, water, and Grand marnier. Cool.
Slice genoise into 2 layers.
Line a 9 inch springform pan with wax paper and arrange sliced oranges on paper. Save a few slices. Spoon 1/2 mousse into pan.
Top with a genoise half. Brush with 1/2 of syrup. Press orange slices into sides of pan, rounded sides down.
Spread remaining mousse over cake.
Top with other genoise. Brush with syrup. Refrigerate 4 hours.
Invert cake on platter. Heat and release pan sides. Peel off wax paper. Brush with top with melted apricot, and decorate with chocolate.