Desserts | Food Nouveau

A Classic Québécois Dish: Pouding chômeur à l’érable (Poor Man’s Maple Pudding)

When Easter comes, I usually don’t crave chocolate. To me, March and April equals maple season so over those two months, I crave maple products in all their delicious forms. Sugars, syrup, butter, taffy, I daydream of all the delicious desserts these precious sweet natural products can make. To be honest, I think we Québécois have 1% maple syrup running in our veins – or perhaps our mothers have weaned us on it. It’s widely known that aromas are closely linked to memories, and there is indeed no other aroma that intoxicates me as much as maple does. When I smell maple, I’m like a dog hunting its prey, I won’t let go until I find the delicious source.

Although it’s true that maple products are also made in New England, we Québécois tend to be very possessive of the art of harvesting maple sap and turning it into all sorts of dreamy products.

Posted on April 10, 2012 • Category: Desserts, North America, Quebec (Province), Recipes • 1 Comment

March 20, 2012: Happy Macaron Day!

What a sweet day it is when you get the excuse to indulge in delicious, colorful macarons! Macaron Day was created 7 years ago by Pierre Hermé in Paris to celebrate the French delicacy, but especially to benefit a good cause. On March 20 every year, dozens of pastry shops around Paris give away macarons, and collect donations for Autistes Sans Frontières. Thanks to the macarons’ worldwide popularity, many other cities are also celebrating Macaron Day. Here are links for more information:

Paris: Jour du Macaron (official site in French); see also Paris by Mouth’s list of pastry shops offering free macarons in Paris today;
London: Pierre Hermé has brought Macaron Day to London, where the event benefits Ambitious About Autism;
New York: Macaron Day NYC 2012 (benefits City Harvest);
Washington D.C.: Although there is no official Macaron Day site for Washington, many pastry shops celebrate the event.

Posted on March 20, 2012 • Category: Macarons, Recipes • 2 Comments

An Elegant Japanese Dinner Menu

Every year, E and I reserve one night over the holidays to celebrate Christmas together, just the two of us. On that night, I like to cook a special meal, something fancy with many courses, usually inspired by a recent trip or cuisine discovery. This year, of course, it had to be Japan. Since we returned, I hadn’t yet tackled this fascinating country’s cuisine, and I admit I was rather intimidated by it, probably as much so (or even more) than before we’d been to Japan. You see, fine cuisine in Japan is all small servings of beautiful, meticulous dishes. I like to think of myself as a meticulous person, but since I don’t have a full kitchen’s restaurant staff on hand, I was a bit wary that creating a 5-course Japanese menu might be an impossible task.

I almost dropped the project, in fact. A week before Christmas, I vented to E, telling him I didn’t know where to start, that I wasn’t familiar enough with the techniques, that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find the ingredients.

Posted on December 30, 2011 • Category: Appetizers, Asia, Desserts, Fish/Seafood, Japan, Recipes • 0 Comments

My Top 9 Quick and Easy, Savory and Sweet Last Minute Recipe Ideas

In the last crazy few hours before Christmas, last minute inspiration is always welcome, isn’t it? Many of the recipes I have published on Food Nouveau’s sister recipe site, Just Recipes, are deliciously fitting for the holidays. Quick and simple, creative and delicious, they could be the best additions to your menu, whether it’s a family dinner or a cocktail party with friends.

Have a delightful Christmas – don’t stress too much, relax with your loved ones, and enjoy every bite.

–

Savory Treats

1:: Leek and Rice Tart with Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce (make this tart in mini-cupcake molds to turn it into the perfect bite!)

2:: Sesame-Infused Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves

3:: Warm Roast Cauliflower, Chickpea and Quinoa Salad

4:: White Bean Spread with Rosemary and Toasted Almonds

5:: Baked Herb & Pistachio Falafel Bites with Mint Yogurt & Cashew Dressing

6:: Zucchini and Hazelnut Salad

7:: Red Lentil & Goat Cheese Croquettes with Zesty Avocado Sauce

8:: Asian Cole Slaw with Wasabi Dressing

9:: Turkey Cakes with Wasabi Guacamole

Sweet Treats

1:: Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

2:: Classic Lemon Bars

3:: Vanilla Caramels with Fleur de Sel

4:: Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

5:: Candied Orange and Maple Madeleines

6:: Carrot Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Icing

7:: Coffee-Infused Brownies with Dark Chocolate Glaze and Walnuts

8:: Pistachio-Cranberry Biscotti Straws

9:: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Posted on December 23, 2011 • Category: Appetizers, Desserts, Holidays, Recipes • 1 Comment

Macaron Week: Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

This recipe concludes my macaron week! I hope you enjoyed it and that my posts will inspire you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

This flavor combination was inspired by my recent trip to Japan, where I was able to indulge in my love for yuzu – its tart, grapefruit-like flavor with hints of mandarin is intriguing and unique. Because I can’t find that citrus at home and it was impossible to bring fresh yuzu back for duty reasons, I brought bottled juice and dehydrated zest back and made them central ingredients of this recipe. If you can’t find fresh yuzu, or yuzu juice and zest, you can simply substitute regular lemon for an equally delicious result.

Posted on December 22, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 0 Comments

Macaron Week: Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

Chocolate is probably one of the most popular macaron flavors. I thought, why not change it up a bit and try combining it with the quintessentially seasonal chestnut? It is such a natural and delicious match that you’ll wonder why you don’t always pair the two together.

Posted on December 21, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 3 Comments

Macaron Week: Lime & Basil Macarons, inspired by Pierre Hermé

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Lime & Basil Macarons

This fresh flavor combination is inspired by Pierre Hermé, who created a macaron based on a sorbet he served as a component of a cool summer dish. Don’t be afraid by the use of basil in this macaron: its sweet, herby flavor perfectly balances the bright, tart flavor of lime – and the resulting mixture is still perfectly suited for dessert.

Posted on December 20, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 1 Comment

Macaron Week: Clementine Macarons

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Clementine Macarons

A little treat to enjoy the season’s favorite citrus fruit. The jelly offers such a pure, juicy flavor that it feels like you’re biting straight into a clementine section.

Makes about 36 macarons

Posted on December 19, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 4 Comments

A Macaron Troubleshooting Guide: Useful Tips and Advice to Master the French Delicacy

Almost two years after being published, my illustrated ‘How To Make Macarons’ post is still by far the most popular post on my blog. After answering to hundreds of readers posting all kinds of questions, from which equipment to use to why they can’t “get feet”, I thought writing a troubleshooting guide was in order. I gathered all this info through macaron making experience and by reading dozens of articles, blog posts and books on the subject (sources are cited below when I quote from them). I believe this post will answer most (if not all!) questions macaron novices might have. If after reading this page you think I forgot something, please send me a line or write a comment below and I will edit my post to always keep it up-to-date.

Posted on December 16, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, How-Tos, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 28 Comments

Mini Tatins, or how to turn a French classic into an adorable bite-size dessert

I believe some classic desserts just never go out of style. I feel this way about pineapple upside-down cake, Nanaimo bars and – of course – tarte Tatin. There’s something enticing about the simplicity of that century-old tart, in which fruits (usually apples) are cooked in a caramel, covered with pastry and then baked. The taste of the rustic tart fresh from the oven is refined and rich, its aroma intoxicating. It’s one of the easiest desserts to put together and one of the most rewarding for the wow effect it produces.

As it is often the case in the culinary world, the tarte Tatin was an accidental creation. Stories differ, but most point to the Tatin sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline, who ran a restaurant in Lamotte-Beuvron, a small commune in the heart of France, at the end of the 19th century. According to the most popular story, Stéphanie, tired and overworked, was making a pie when she became distracted and let the apples cook in their butter and sugar for too long.

Posted on November 24, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Recipes • 3 Comments

Category Archives: Desserts

Savory Treats

Sweet Treats

Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

Lime & Basil Macarons

Clementine Macarons