• preparation

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm milk and a teaspoon sugar. After 5-10 minutes, the mixture should be foamy.
Mix flour, sugar, salt and saffron in an extra-large mixing bowl.
Add yeast to flour mixture and stir.
Add milk and warm melted butter and stir.
Add saffron and one egg and mix well.

Knead until it forms a soft, smooth dough and it no longer sticks to sides of bowl.
Let it rise until it doubles in volume, about 2 hours.

Put dough onto floured working surface, and shape it into two round breads.
Cover baking sheet with wax paper and place loaves on baking sheet.

Use a knife to form a criss-cross pattern on the top of each loaf.
Let dough rise a second time at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180° C. (360° F)
Use a pastry brush to coat each loaf with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool before cutting.

• preparation

Beat eggs, 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 teaspoons water, dried herbs, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of egg mixture (about 1/2 cup) to skillet. Cook until eggs are just set in center, tilting pan and lifting edge of omelet with spatula to let uncooked portion flow underneath, about 2 minutes.
Top half of omelet with 1/4 cup cheese.
Using spatula, fold other half of omelet over cheese; slide out onto plate. Repeat with remaining butter, egg mixture and cheese. Sprinkle omelets with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

• preparation

Make the hollandaise.
To assemble the eggs benedict, place the sliced smoked salmon on each English muffin. Top with poached egg, drizzling the tops with hollandaise sauce. Serve immediately.

The controversy surrounding the "Perfect Poached Egg" is endless. The "add vinegar to water", "add salt to water" or " putting the raw egg in a sieve to strain the liquid part" before poaching are methods that do not compare to the "always perfect poached eggs" when using this egg poacher.

Egg poacher

• preparation

Heat oven to 400°F.
Lightly grease or spray cookie sheet.
Place croissant halves 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes.
Divide scrambled eggs among croissants. Crumble bacon on top of eggs.
Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.
Bake about 5 minutes.

• preparation

Cut two 16 inch round parchment paper disks to fit under each pogne. Butter each disk. Place on baking sheet. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
Stir in flour to make a soft dough. Let dough rise in covered bowl at room temperature (70-75 F) to double in bulk. On a working surface, form a well with 1 1/2 cups flour. Break 4 eggs in center. Bring the flour and eggs together to form a mass.
Turn dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed.
Batter will be smooth and light golden yellow. Add, rum or brandy, sugar and 2 teaspoons water. salt and orange flower water and stir in.
Gradually add butter while mixing. When all the butter has been stirred in, add remaining eggs and blend well at medium speed. Knead the rest of flour, one cup at the time until dough is soft and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Return to the large bowl. Cover with plastic.
When the starter has developed, it is added to the larger ball of yellow dough. Place the yellow dough on the working surface and flatten. Spread the starter dough over it. Fold over the yellow dough to envelop the starter dough.
Work and knead together to form a smooth dough with no streaks of color remaining. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume. Turn dough onto work surface.
Divide into 2 pieces. Form each into a ball. Flatten the ball so the pogne is about 8 inches in diameter.
Press a thumb down in the center. With the fingers, open a hole about 4 inches across. Place pogne on the prepared paper disk on baking sheet. Repeat for second piece. Cover with wax paper and let rise at room temperature free of draft for about 21/2 hours. Brush with glaze. With a razor blade, make 3 connecting cuts on top of each pogne to form a triangle.
Bake at 350 degrees until crust is a deep glistening brown.

• 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 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

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and add the milk, cream or water. Whisk until smooth and combined, with no streaks of egg white remaining.
Brush a small nonstick skillet with olive oil, or melt a little butter in a small nonstick skillet. Bring to medium heat.
Pour in the eggs, and let them cook for a few seconds without stirring. Pull a rubber spatula across the bottom of the pan to form large, soft curds of scrambled eggs.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat, folding and stirring the eggs every few seconds. Scrape the spatula along the bottom and sides of the pan often to form more curds and to prevent any part of the eggs from drying out.
Remove the pan from the heat when the eggs are mostly set, but a little liquid egg remains. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped fresh chives, if desired.

• preparation

Scrub mussels under cold running water.
Heat wine in a large pot. Add mussels. Cover pot and steam for about 5 minutes, or until mussels are opened.
Strain cooking liquid through cheese cloth. Save.
Remove mussels from shells.
Reserve for garnish.
In a medium saucepan, add mussel broth, shallots, onion, saffron, parsley and chicken broth.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine butter and flour to a paste. Whip in the cooking liquid to thicken. Add cream and seasoning. Add mussels. Heat soup, and serve hot.

• preparation

Rinse and dry the endives, and remove any leaves that have darkened. Trim the ends slightly and using a small knife.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the endives, and cook until soft, about 30 minutes.
Drain thoroughly and place in a single layer on a platter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, and pepper, and set aside until cool enough to handle. (The recipe may be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Cover until needed.)
With your hands, gently but firmly squeeze each endive to extract the liquid.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Add the endives in a single later and brown evenly on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and drain well.
Transfer the endives to a warmed serving bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

• preparation

1. Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until they're 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

2
If using fresh mushrooms, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have released their juices and the liquid is mostly evaporated. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.

3
In the same skillet, melt the butter, add the flour, and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Continue to whisk constantly until the mixture is a rich, deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.

4
Slowly add the beef broth, whisking constantly, until combined. Return the mushrooms to the skillet. If using canned mushrooms, you will add them at this point. Bring the gravy to a simmer, reduce to low, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

5
While the gravy is simmering, dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Coat gently but thoroughly, and shake off the excess crumbs.

6
Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on each side. When they are a deep golden brown, transfer them to a plate. Serve immediately with the mushroom gravy and your choice of sides.

• preparation

Boil the potatoes in their skin in salted boiling water.
Peel potatoes when cool then grate coarsely.
Cut bacon slices across into small pieces. Fry until crisp. Saute onions with butter.
Add the potatoes and bacon bits. Season with salt. Mix well while turning the potatoes. Brown both sides of the potato cake and serve hot.

• preparation

To make the tangzhong:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature.

To make the dough
1. Place the flour in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook) and add the yeast to one side, the salt, sugar and milk powder to the other (if the salt is added on top of the yeast it can kill it), stir to combine.
2. Whisk together the cooled tangzhong, egg and milk and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until it forms a soft, shaggy dough. If you are kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a worktop and knead for 5-10 minutes until it starts to feel smooth and a little less sticky (it will still be very sticky), add no more than a spoonful of flour while you are kneading, the dough is meant to be sticky! The best way to knead a wet dough by hand is to stretch it up away from the worktop (it will stick), then slap it back down, make sure that you pull from a different section each time and keep a dough scraper handy. If you are using a stand mixer, mix for 5 minutes or so until the dough is smooth.
3. Add the butter and mix until it is fully incorporated, continue to knead until the dough is very elastic and begins to come away from the worktop (or sides of the stand mixer bowl) cleanly. It should pass the windowpane test - stretch the dough with your hands, you should be able to stretch it to a very thin, almost transparent membrane without it tearing. This can take up to 20 minutes of kneading, especially by hand.
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, leave to rise for 1-2 hours until well doubled in size. Alternatively, place it in the fridge to rise overnight. If you refrigerate it, the following day let it come up to room temperature for about half an hour before continuing.
5. Line an 8.5x4.5in (or thereabouts) loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and fold it in on itself a couple of times. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in to four equal pieces and roll each one into a ball.
6. Roll each ball out into a long oval, fold one third of the oval over the middle (from the side, not the top), then the other third over the top to form a long, narrow packet. Roll over the seam to flatten it, then roll it up from one end to make a fat sausage. Repeat with the other balls of dough then arrange them in the loaf tin, seam side down.
7. Loosely cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise until at least doubled in size, this can take 1-2 hours (mine took nearly 2). If you press the dough gently with a finger the indentation should spring back slowly but remain visible. If it springs back quickly it needs to proof for a little longer. Preheat the oven while the dough is rising to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
8. Brush the top of the dough with some of the beaten egg then bake on the lower middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes until well risen and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, the internal temperature should reach 94C/200F on a probe thermometer. Cover the bread with foil partway through baking if it starts to get too dark.
9. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before slicing.

• 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

In a large, shallow dish, separate the kataifi dough into individual threads using your fingers. Add the basil and chives and toss to distribute throughout the pastry.
In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with the water. Spread the flour in another shallow bowl. Season the salmon cubes with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the flour and shake off the excess, then dip them in the beaten egg and roll in the kataifi; press to help it adhere.
Set a rack over a baking sheet. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. Fry 4 or 5 salmon pieces at a time until the kataifi is golden brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes minutes. Drain the salmon nuggets on the rack. Season with salt. Serve the nuggets with your favorite dipping sauce.

• 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 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

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

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

Boil the potatoes in their skin in salted boiling water.
Peel potatoes when cool then grate coarsely.
Cut bacon slices across into small pieces. Fry until crisp. Saute onions with butter.
Add the potatoes and bacon bits. Season with salt. Mix well while turning the potatoes. Brown both sides of the potato cake and serve hot.

• 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

Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add buttermilk, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender or regular blender.

• 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

Peel and cut potatoes into large cubes. Place in a large saucepan, boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well, and put through a ricer.
In a large saucepan, combine potatoes with butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well over medium heat until mixture thickens.
Spread mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
Shape duchess potato into small logs, (1 inch round by 3 inches long).
Dip in beaten egg mixed with oil. Coat in flour, and roll in breadcrumbs and sliced almonds combined. Deep Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown

• 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

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and cut potatoes into large cubes. Place in a large saucepan, boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well, and put through a ricer.
Transfer to a saucepan, and combine with butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chopped truffles, and sliced almonds.
Cool potato mixture until it becomes easy to handle.
Shape into pancakes 3 inch round by 1 inch thick. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

• preparation

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel blade, chop finely parsley, dill and watercress. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Process spinach in the same way and add to herb mixture. Add scallions, mayonnaise and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
Refrigerate until ready to use

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bottom on 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Over simmering water, melt together butter, chocolate, sugar and orange juice, stirring to blend.
Remove from heat; stir in liqueur and vanilla. Let cool; whisk in eggs, one at a time.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until edges are slightly crusty and middle is just set. Let cool on rack.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
Raspberry coulis:
Purée raspberries in food processor; press through sieve to remove seeds. Stir in sugar, and liqueur.
Invert cake onto serving plate.
Sift cocoa powder over cake and garnish with raspberries. Slice and serve with raspberry coulis.

• preparation

Prepare the PATE SABLEE crust, baked (see recipe)

Melt the dark chocolate in a water bath, then add the liquid cream while mixing vigorously to obtain a smooth and unctuous ganache.

Pour this preparation onto the precooked pie bottom, then allow to cool.

Arrange the fresh raspberries on top and sprinkle with a icing sugar.

• preparation

For The Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crush the graham crackers in a food processor until it’s fine and resembles coarse sand. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl, and then stir in the crushed graham crackers, mixing until well combined. Press the crust into a tart pan, and bake for 7-9 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool while assembling the chocolate filling and raspberry coulis.

For The Raspberry Coulis: Combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a low boil, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds, and set aside.

For The Chocolate Filling: Heat the heavy cream and chocolate together in a mixing bowl in the microwave at 15 second increments, or until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt.

Assembly: Pour 1 cup of the raspberry coulis into the bottom of the crust, making sure it coats the crust evenly. Spoon the chocolate filling evenly on top of the raspberry layer. Transfer to the fridge, and allow to chill for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight. Top with fresh raspberries just before serving, and serve with extra raspberry coulis drizzled on top.

• preparation

FOR MERINGUE SHELL:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
Gradually beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at the time until stiff glossy peaks form. Blend in cornstarch.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread with meringue to make 9-inch circles, forming 1-inch high rounded rim.
Bake in center of oven for about one hour or until crisp. Turn oven off and let meringue dry 2 to 3 hours.
Remove from oven and gently peel off paper. Place on serving plate.

FOR ORANGE MOUSSE FILLING:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of the orange juice. Set aside.
In a heavy bottom non aluminum saucepan, whisk egg yolks lightly. add rind, remaining juice, and sugar.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of spoon.
Remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin mixture to dissolve. Cover and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
In a bowl, beat evaporated milk for minute or until thick and foamy; fold into gelatin mixture until combined. spoon into meringue shell. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until set.

• preparation

Prepare the PATE SABLEE crust, baked (see recipe)

Melt the dark chocolate in a water bath, then add the liquid cream while mixing vigorously to obtain a smooth and unctuous ganache.

Pour this preparation onto the precooked pie bottom, then allow to cool.

Arrange the fresh raspberries on top and sprinkle with a icing sugar.

• preparation

1. Make the meringue Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving 1 inch of overhang on the short sides. Grease the parchment with baking spray and dust with the confectioners’ sugar.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. With the machine on, slowly beat in the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the meringue is shiny and tripled in volume and stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon with the cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. Sift the cinnamon mixture over the meringue, then add the orange zest. Fold until well combined. Spread the meringue evenly in the prepared baking pan.
3. Make the cocoa swirl In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder, cocoa and vanilla with 2 teaspoons of water and mix well. Spoon small dots of the cocoa mixture all over the top of the meringue. Using a skewer or a bread knife, swirl the dots decoratively. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and bake the meringue for about 25 minutes, until puffed and cooked through. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4.Meanwhile, make the walnut praline. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
5. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of water and bring to a simmer, brushing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Cook over moderately low heat, swirling the pan, until an amber caramel forms, about 10 minutes. Stir in the walnuts, then scrape the praline onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Let cool completely, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
6. Make the whipped cream In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream with the vanilla at medium speed until medium peaks form.
7. Assemble the roulade Gently invert the meringue onto a parchment paper–lined work surface with the long side facing you and peel the parchment off the meringue. Spread the whipped cream all over the meringue, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the walnut praline over the whipped cream, then scatter the grated chocolate on top. Starting at the long side, roll up the meringue to form a log. Transfer to a platter and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day. Serve garnished with blackberries and pomegranate seeds, if desired.
Make Ahead
The baked meringue and walnut praline can be stored separately at room temperature overnight.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Drain pears. Caramelize sugar with ¼ cup water until golden brown.
Pour caramel into the bottom of an 8½-inch round baking dish. Arrange pears, rounded side down on caramelized sugar.
Top with a second layer. Dot with butter. Bake 25 minutes. Bake pastry circle for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Place circle over pears.
Place serving plate over the top of pastry circle. Invert; remove baking dish.
Whip cream with sugar until firm. Garnish pears with whipped cream rosettes.

• preparation

Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy and white Heat cream and milk in heavy saucepan. Pour over egg yolk mixture and mix well. Stir in vanilla extract.
Pour mixture in saucepan. Heat slowly over low heat while stirring until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. DO NOT LET BOIL. Cool completely in refrigerator.
Freeze according to manufacturers instructions.