Friday, May 10, 2013

VISITOR FROM A FAR

My friend and her beau came to visit from The Netherlands. I haven't seen her since November. We had a nice visit before she heads off to other parts of the West Coast. We sat and told stories (mostly mine) and ate the surprise I made.


Last night I made Clementine Pots de Crème.  It turned out fabulous. Nice and creamy. It was not as sweet as I thought it would be but quite good. I could not find clementines so I used regular oranges.  Next time I might try lemons!  I bought some cute red ramekins to put the chocolate in. 

My friend brought me the most fabulous thing from Europe. She brought me Ritter Sport bars in my favorite flavor Peppermint. It is made with dark chocolate, yum!  Someone told me the Ritter bars directly from Europe are made from a better chocolate than the American ones.  I will eat these slowly and savor each square.

It was so great to see her and meet her beau. She s so happy.  I wish we had more time but I know it is hard to fit everything in when you only have a few days.  I will just have to be content until the next visit. 

Until tomorrow...

3 comments:

  1. When I lived in Germany, one of my favorite treats was eating a hazelnut-milk chocolate Ritter bar. Wow, was that GOOD. I've tried the same thing here and it was waxy. Meh. What a disappointment.

    It's so nice to have beloved friends visit. I'm happy for you, Adrienne. And the dessert you made sounds scrumptious. Maybe you'll share your recipe here?

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    Replies
    1. Clementine Pot de Crème
      Serves 6

      Ingredients

      2 ¾ cups heavy cream, divided
      Zest of 2 clementines, 1 finely grated, 1 cut into very thin strips for garnish
      ½ pound semisweet chocolate chips
      6 large egg yolks
      ⅓ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
      ½ cup whole milk
      Directions

      Active time: 20 minutes
      Total time: 1¼ hours, plus chilling overnight

      In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2¼ cups cream over medium heat until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Add finely grated clementine zest and chocolate chips. Remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes, stirring a few times.

      Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, whisk yolks with ⅓ cup sugar and milk. Set six 6-ounce ramekins in a large baking pan.

      Return chocolate mixture to stove and warm over low heat, whisking until chocolate is smooth and warm, about 20 seconds. Set a coarse strainer over bowl with yolk mixture and pour chocolate mixture through, pressing on the zest. Whisk well to thoroughly combine.

      Pour into ramekins. Add very hot tap water to the baking pan until it reaches halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil, and bake until pots de crème are just set around edges and slightly jiggly in centers, about 40 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a rack to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

      In a large bowl, whip remaining ½ cup cream to soft peaks. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and whip lightly to incorporate.

      Place a dollop of whipped cream on each pot de crème, garnish with zest strips, and serve.

      Read more: http://www.oprah.com/food/Clementine-Pots-de-Creme-Recipe#ixzz2T3nZEHGJ

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  2. OMG.

    Thanks, Adrienne! I stand in awe and delight ...

    ReplyDelete

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