• 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

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

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

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

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

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

Cut each apricot into 8 slices.
In a mixing bowl, combine the unpeeled apricots, lemon juice and sugar. Cover and set aside for 12 hours.
Transfer apricot mixture to a pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Remove the foamy top while cooking. Remove the fruit from the syrup with a skimmer and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
Boil the syrup until thickened. Add reserved apricots and almonds to syrup. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes while gently stirring the preserves.
Allow to cool before transfering to jars

• 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

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

Heat oil in a saucepan. Do not overheat place herbs in a metal bowl. Pour oil over them. Cool completely and pour oil and herbs in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add garlic and herb sprigs. Add goat cheese. Marinate 3 days in the refrigerator. Remove cheese from oil and drain. Refrigerate herb oil for other uses.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, green onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub one side of toasts with cut garlic.
Preheat broiler. Spoon tomato mixture onto the toast slices. Arrange on a baking sheet. Place one piece of cheese on each toast.
Broil 2 minutes or until cheese starts melting.
Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

• 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

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 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

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

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

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

For the sponge:
In an electric mixing bowl, stir the warm water and yeast together. Allow to foam for 5 minutes.
Mix in the flour at low speed. The dough will be sticky. Cover and let rest for 12 hours at room temperature.
For the croissant dough: In a mixing bowl, combine water, milk, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Stir in the yeast to dissolve and allow to foam for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, flour, salt, soft butter and the sponge. Knead with the dough hook for about 10 to 12 minutes. (If working by hand, knead for 15 minutes.)
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in bulk in a draft-free area at room temperature, about 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle 12 by 14- inches. Place the dough rectangle on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic and freeze for about 30 minutes to get the consistency of chilled butter. Roll the 10 ounces of chilled butter between plastic sheet to form a rectangle 12 by 7 inches.
Square up rectangle with a spatula or dough scraper. Position the butter rectangle on one side of the dough. Fold the rest of dough over butter and seal edges to seal in butter. Roll out the dough into a 10 by 20-inch rectangle. Fold one-third of the dough towards the center. Fold the other third over the two layers. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more and chill. Finally, on a floured surface, roll the dough into a 19 by 25-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 20 even triangles.
Use a template for accurate measurements. To roll the crescents, start at the base and roll towards the tip. Finish the roll so that the tip is underneath the croissant.
Curve the end of each croissant and brush with egg wash. (May be frozen at this time). Arrange croissant on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Let them rise uncovered at room temperature or until doubled in bulk. Bake the croissants at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

• 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

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

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss pumpkin seeds and 1 tsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 5 minutes; let cool. Finely chop 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds. 

Whisk chopped pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar and remaining oil in a medium bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.


Combine fennel, Asian pear, celery root, Granny Smith apple, most of the Manchego, and remaining pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over top and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining Manchego.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter a baking dish about 6 by 10 inches. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Blanch potatoes in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well.
In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, garlic, milk, cream and half of the grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon into prepared dish. It should be no more than 3/4 full. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and gratin is golden brown.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into large cubes. Boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well, and put through a ricer. Mix well and combine with butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mixture should be thick.
Cool the prepared mixture and shape into small logs, (1 inch round by 3 inches long).

Coat the logs in flour, dip and cover in beaten egg mixed with oil and roll in breadcrumbs.
Deep fry at 350 degrees F. until golden 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

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

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 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

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

Peel, quarter and core apples.
Melt apricot jam in a thick bottom saucepan.
Add apples and cook slowly until apples are melted into a thick sauce.
Dissolve unflavored gelatin in cold water. Set for 5 minutes.
Add to hot apple mix.
Cool mix. Fold in whipped half of the cream.
Line lady fingers on bottom and sides of a charlotte mold.
Spoon apple mixture in mold. Cover and chill.
Unmold apple charlotte unto a serving dish.
Melt the remaining 1/3 cup apricot jam. Strain and spread over charlotte.
Decorate with remaining whipped cream.

• preparation

Peel and core the pears.
Cut them into quarters. Place the pears in a saucepan and add the wine and sugar.
Peel the lemon and cut the peel into very fine julienne strips. Reserve the lemon for another use. Add the peel to the saucepan.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until pears are tender.
Transfer the pears and the lemon peel to a serving dish. Bring the liquid in the saucepan to the boil and add the remaining ingredients.
Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced to half.
Pour the sauce over the pears. Let cool and chill.

• preparation

Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the soft Butter and sifted Icing Sugar for a couple of minutes or until smooth.
• Mix in the Egg and Almond Meal, then add the Flour and Salt. Mix on low until the dough is well mixed and smooth.
• Place the flat pastry in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave to come back to room temperature for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer it inside over a Tart Pan (I used a 24 cm / 9,5 to 10-inch diameter Tart Pan with Removable Bottom). Gently press the pastry down into the corner of the pan to create a 90 degree angle.

Poached Pears
• Peel the Pears, slice them in half and core them.
• In a large saucepan, mix together the water, lemon Juice the sugar and vanilla. Simmer over medium to dissolve the sugar. Add the pear halves. Cook on low for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pears are slightly soft.
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer them over a wire rack covered with paper towel to cool down and drain slightly. Save 1 cup of the cooking liquid for the glaze below. Cut each pear halves into thin slices of about half a centimetre (1/5 inch). Set aside.
Almond Cream Filling
• In a mixing bowl, cream together the soft Butter and Sugar with a mixer for about 3 minutes on medium speed or until very soft and creamy.
• Slowly mix in the Egg, then the Almond Meal until a thick paste comes together.
Assembling the Tart
• Preheat your oven on 160 degree Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit.
• Spread the Almond Cream at the bottom of the par-baked tart crust.
• Place each Poached Pear over the cream using a small offset spatula to lift them up. Lightly press them into the cream. Sprinkle some sliced Almonds between each pear.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the almond filling has puffed up and looks golden.
Simple Syrup Glaze (optional)
• In a small saucepan, combine the cooking syrup, sugar and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and reduce to a thick consistency. Brush it over the pears while still warm.

• preparation

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. Spoon cream puff mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tube and pipe the equivalent of a teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet leaving 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed, golden brown and dry about 15 to 20 minutes.
FILLING:
Whip the cream with sugar and instant pudding until stiff. Fill the small puffs with cream using a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tube. Other fillings can be used (ice cream, chocolate or vanilla pudding).

• preparation

Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan simmer 1/2 cup Armagnac (being careful not to let ignite) until reduced by about half. Stir in cream and milk and bring mixture to a simmer.
In a bowl whisk together yolks and sugar. Add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to cleaned saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170°F (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl set in ice water. Stir in remaining tablespoon Armagnac and cool custard completely.
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Armagnac ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour bottom and sides.
Whisk whole eggs and sugar in an electric mixer. Beat until triple in volume. In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to form soft peaks. Add sugar while beating. Fold egg whites into whole egg mixture. Fold in ground almonds, flour and butter. Distribute batter between the two pans. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown and springy to touch. Cool in pans and unmold over racks.