When you need a little cheering up . When all is not right with our world. This is when you need to make CHOCOLATE AND SALTED DULCE DE LECHE TART

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This recipe takes the tears and pressure out of putting this  type of dessert together, and you can do it in about twenty minutes.  It is an uncomplicated recipe for this complicated and sobering time.  I did post this recipe a year or so ago, but sometimes we need to revisit a favourite recipe. My dear, dear friends   I definitely think today we need to treat ourselves to something that will make us smile.

Chocolate dark as midnight.  Caramel sauce –  toffee-like  with just a suggestion of burnt sugar.    A superb marriage of flavours.   CHOCOLATE AND SALTED DULCE DE LECHE TART is a very indulgent and very,  very French dessert.    Faced with the complex demands of making the perfect crust, the silky smooth chocolate filling and the smoky rich caramel sauce,  no wonder the perfect Paris hostess would pop into her favourite patisserie and picks up this tart.

We served this addictive dessert in our French restaurant, Roxy’s Bistro, in Regina, Saskatchewan.  This is a simplified version of our restaurant recipe.    All you have to do is chop up some roasted nuts, chocolate and oat digestive biscuits in the food processor.  Mix it with melted butter and press it into a loose-bottomed tart tin(a must).   The can of dulce de leche is opened and two-thirds of it are poured over the chilled crust. Set the rest of the dulce de leche aside,  and pour it over cake or ice cream.  Chocolate and cream are stirred together to make an unbelievably smooth and creamy sauce.  Pour this over the dulce de leche and tuck the tart into the fridge to chill.  Sprinkle the top of the pie with the finest flakiest sea salt in your pantry.  Malden salt would be absolutely perfect.

Keep the tart refrigerated until you are ready to serve it.  Cut narrow slices (it is incredibly rich) and quickly slide the tart onto the plate.  The dulce de leche will immediately slip out of the cut tart to form a fantastic sauce.

If you are an enterprising cook you could turn this into your own personal production by making the oat digestive biscuits and caramel sauce yourself.  But why do things the hard way when CHOCOLATE AND SALTED DULCE DE LECHE TART’s recipe awaits you in the  kitchen of MRS.BUTTERFINGERS.

THE SCONE THAT IS PERFECTION . . . IS ALWAYS MADE IN A GALLOPING HURRY

/ belocchio / 25 Comments

Early morning.  The marine fog drifts across the fields and pokes fingers into the open kitchen window.  It is the week-end.  A morning to indulge.

Scones.  Feather-light.  Slip out of the oven and onto my plate.   Every week-end a different flavoured scone.  Today plump raisins stud these little beauties.  The perfect scone should be light, almost flaky.  It should practically  break apart as you lavish it with butter.

The secret to an absolute perfect scone is to make it quickly.  Don’t tarry.  Don’t try to combine every little bit of the ingredient.  Have a devil may care attitude. Hurry, hurry, hurry.   Throw it together.  Stop when it looks  almost not finished. Toss the cut scones on to the baking sheet.  Rush them to the oven.   Here is the professional bakers secret   when you bake scones (and almost every baked good).  When you think the scones are ready to come out of the oven – bake them for another minute.  It is the “brownness” that gives your finished products a wonderful deep, delicious flavour.

There are dozens of flavours you can add to this basic recipe.  Grated cheese, finely chopped dried fruit, even chocolate chips.   This printable  recipe is on my food blog MRS. BUTTERFINGERS

 

A TALE OF SNOW ANGELS . . . ALWAYS WELCOME STRANGERS FOR THEY MAY BE ANGELS IN DISGUISE

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The snow began to fall early that evening.  Glittering snow  that turned streets and sidewalks pristine white.  It lingered in the trees and spun halos around city lights.

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Soft snow flakes that wedged in the mane and eyes of sleeping lions and robed them in a cloak  of gentle white.

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Snow that pushed itself  into every crevice and ledge.  Snow that silenced foot steps and muffled voices.

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She had taken off her wings.  They were heavy.  The feathers whispered as she moved.    Today she would not wear them.  On this one day in the entire year she would put aside her wings and all her angel duties.

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She would move silently through the city.  Recalling long ago lost memories.

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This day she  would be an ordinary person.  Doing ordinary things.

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She would ride through snowy streets.  Wheels singing.   Snow flying.

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Wearing silver skates she would glide and spin on ice.  Skating to heavenly music only she could hear.

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As the light faded she became a voyeur.  Watching  as napkins were folded.   Candles lit.  Wine poured.  Presents opened.

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Her day was ending.    Sweetly she laid  down in the pristine snow and made her mark.

Snow Angels.

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Just a reminder about Snow Angels.   They exist.  In Northern climes the first snow fall is joyfully celebrated with children and adults making snow angels.  It is common knowledge  if you make snow angels at night, under Northern Lights, your one wish will come true.

Can anyone be sure the mark of snow angels was not made by an angel.

(My dear friends.  I love the idea of angel wings.  I was in Paris  in the days leading to Christmas.  Among the the many beautiful decorations in the shops I saw a variety of angel wings.  Alas, too cumbersome  to carry home. I now have my very own rather large pair of angel wings.  Every Christmas they hang by our front door.    I remember “always welcome strangers for they may be angels in disguise”.

THANK YOU GLOBAL FRIENDS FOR VISITING BEL’OCCHIO

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I am a proud Canadian. I live on a rural road close to the sweet village Ladner, located just outside Vancouver, British Columbia. I wrote my first blog January 25, 2010. A complete neophyte I stumbled my way through the foreign world of the Internet. Along the way it has been my great fortune to interact with so many wonderful and outstanding people. Today I looked at the December list of the countries who visited Bel’Occhio. It is humbling. I thank you so very much for sharing your time with me. I wish you and all you love the very best in this coming new year.

The following are countries heard from these last three weeks: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Australia, Denmark, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Russia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Belgium, Bahrain, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Poland, France, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Romanian, Pakistan, Peru, Cambodia, Japan, Italy.

I would be amiss not to recognize my blog visitors from Texas, United States. They made the long journey twice to our home. We count them as among our dearest of friends. We would never have met these fine and honourable people without the miracle of the Internet and my blog.

On August 7th, this year, I celebrated my 90th birthday. My childhood was the era of steam engine railway, and how thrilling it was to travel on the black, thundering, smoking beast. Today I look back on those 90 years and take a quote from Dickens A Tale Of Two City. “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times”.

CHRISTMAS CRACKERS THAT DON’T CONTAIN A HAT AND A JOKE . . . CHEDDAR AND GRUYERE CRACKERS . . . A SNAP TO MAKE

/ belocchio / 9 Comments

I like to make a splash  with holiday hors d’oeuvres.     Step out of the ordinary.  Conjure up the unexpected.   There is nothing more wonderful, nothing more special than freshly baked homemade crackers.    A double dose of sharp cheese makes addictive crackers then don’t even need a topping.  Just whip up a handful of ingredients.  Pop them in the freezer and  slice off rounds whenever you want to serve freshly baked crackers.

These crackers are a snap to make.   Take flour and add salt and poppy seeds.  Then work in  butter with your fingers.  Mix in the cheeses and  combine all with Dijon mustard and milk.  Roll the dough into a log and refrigerate briefly (or freeze for later).  Slice your crackers, sprinkle with a little more poppy seed and bake.

They may seem like the last thing you have time for during the holidays but the dough for these savory slice-and-bake comes together in minutes.  Make a batch or double the recipe for a bigger stash.  You won’t regret it.

Dear friends, you know how I love to gild the lily.  These crackers take beautifully to hits of hot red pepper jelly or pungent blue cheese.  A little Brie or Gouda topped with a wafer thin slice of Granny Smith apple would go down treat.

An added plus to making your own crackers.  They contain no additives or ingredients you can’t pronounce, and they cost a fraction of packaged specialty crackers.

Serve your wondrous cracker creations with glass of bubbly on New Year’s Eve.  You’ll be the toast of the town!  The recipe awaits your nimble fingers in MRSBUTTERFINGER’S kitchen.

OUTRAGEOUSLY PERSONAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TAGS . . . SHUN THE STORES AND DO IT YOURSELF .

/ belocchio / 17 Comments

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When I wrap my Christmas gifts I l make the tags truly personal.  Sometimes it is a hint regarding the contents.  Or suggestions for clever uses for the gift.   The best ones require the recipient to guess the contents with the clues you’ve written on the tag.  It makes “being Santa”  more interesting and a great deal of fun.    Commercial gifts barely give you room to write “to and from”.  Where is the joy in that?

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My solution is shipping tags.  You can buy small bundles at craft stores or a lovely big container of them from an office supply store.

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Now the fun begins.  Leave them plain or give them a vintage look with a damp tea bag.  I have a lovely big stamp that looked like a letter written in French.   I used it for the background.   You could use snowflakes, floral or leaf designs or simply leave them plain.  Add cut-outs from old Christmas cards or magazines.   I computer copied illustrations in black and white for the vintage look. Spread a little white glue in appropriate places and sprinkle it with sparkle powder.  Now write some wise or witty comments on your tags and enjoy.

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Every year I enjoy having a different gift wrapping theme.   I’ve draped the base of the tree with rich dark green velvet.  The gifts are wrapped with simple brown wrapping paper ” brown paper packages wrapped up with string” then tied with green velvet ribbon.  It’s all very simple and very “home made”.  For me it is all about taking some of the commercial aspect out of the season and making your gifts very, very personal.

Unlike some wrapping paper brown paper  is completely recyclable.   I even recycle the velvet ribbon .  Rolled around cardboard tubes it’s tucked away to use throughout the year.  I grew up with mantra “waste not want not”.  The word recycle did not exist, but one simply didn’t just throw out something that could be put to  use.

Scorn the blatant commercialized part of this season.  It takes just a little imagination and you can make Christmas truly personal.

WHEN A TURKEY IS JUST TOO BIG FOR CHRISTMAS . . . ROAST PORK TENDERLOIN TO THE RESCUE

/ belocchio / 2 Comments

This could be an alternative to roast turkey on Christmas day.  The recipe is perfect for two to six or eight  people.    The sage infused dressing gives you that familiar Christmas aroma of sage.     Most important  you can do much of the initial preparation a day  ahead of time

This is a recipe that turns pork tenderloins(fillets) into an elegant and delicious main course.  The tenderloin is split and stuffed with a fragrant stuffing.  It is important you use fresh sage.  Fresh sage in itself is sublime.  Dried and put into a little bottle sitting on the supermarket shelf it becomes bitter and harsh.  Fortunately even in the darkest days of winter most supermarkets carry fresh herbs.      You can use fresh sage many different ways.  Try frying them briefly in butter to serve along with your favourite chicken  recipe  Fresh herbs have a good shelf stored in a little water  in your refrigerator.

PORK WITH SAGE AND CAPERS  (serves as many as 6 to 8 people, or as little as one or two people)

25 g  (1/2 tbs unsalted butter, 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, 1 onion finely chopped.

100 g  ( 1  1/4 cups) fresh white breadcrumb s (or even dried if you wish.  I find either works just fine.

2 tbs chopped sage (don’t be shy here, be generous with your seasoning) ,  1 tbsp parsley chopped (any kind),  2 tsp grated lemon zest,  3 tbs, rinsed and drained capers,  1 egg

2 large (about 500 g/ 1 lb ) each pork tenderloin,    8 large thin slices bacon

2 tsp all-purpose flour,   100 ml (3 1/2 oz) dry vermouth or a dry white wine                    (315 ml   1 1/4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

8 whole, extra sage leaves to garnish,  Choose the largest and finest leaves.

Preheat the oven to 170C (325f F/gas 3)  Heat the butter and l tbsp of the oil in a frying pan  Add the onion. sprinkle with a little salt) and saute for about 5 minutes until translucent.  Don’t let the onions brown.

Put the breadcrumbs, sage, parsley, lemon zest, the cooked onion and 2 tbs capers(about half)  in a bowl.  Add the egg, season well (lots of ground pepper here plus salt;) and mix to combine.

Using a sharp knife, split each pork fillet in half length ways, taking care not to cut all the way through, and open out.  Spread the stuffing (half) down the length and pat firmly into place.

Tie with string at regular intervals.

Heat a large saute pan, add a little olive oil,  and quickly brown each side of the pork (about 3-5 minutes).

Remove from pan and place in your roasting pan.  Wrap bacon around each fillet.  Insert meat thermometer and roast to 145F.  The juices should run clear.  Remove from baking dish and tent with tinfoil.

Place the baking dish on the stove top, and add the flour and stir in well.  Add the vermouth (or white wine) and allow to bubble for l minute or so.  Add the stock and whisk while cooking to remove all the lumps.  Simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the remaining capers to the sauce.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining oil and when very hot, fry the sage leaves until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.

Slice the pork into 2 cm(3/4 inch) slices.  Spoon a little sauce over the pork and serve each portion with fried sage leaves.

CHEFS NOTES:  Left over pork makes wonderful sandwiches.  This recipe can easily be halved.  Use just  one tenderloin.  You could even cut the tenderloin in half, and use the very small amount for two people.  This recipe is very forgiving.  Just be sure to put lots of seasoning in the dressing.  It is what makes this dish outstanding.

THE FORGOTTEN DOLL HOUSE FINDS A FOREVER HOME . . . A CHRISTMAS STORY FOR CHILDREN OF EVERY AGE

/ belocchio / 24 Comments

Once upon a time there was a child’s doll house.  The doll house had been lovingly built.  It was made of wood.  It had doors that would open and shut.  Fancy trim on the shingle roof.  Even a bow window and a front porch.  But it had fallen on hard times. And  as it is in the adult world the house was deemed “not good enough”.

The house had been replaced by a larger more spectacular mansion.  It was doll house made of plastic.   It had a hot tub and a stair case and a chandelier in the front hall.  There was pink bedrooms with pink bathrooms.  Even a kitchen with shiny appliances.  After all even in the doll world one must keep up appearances.

So the old doll house was cast aside.  The contents were thought to be shabby.  The wall paper dated.  The pictures on the wall old-fashioned. No one wanted a hand-made wooden doll house.    The house was stored in the darkest, dreariest, farthermost corner of the garage and forgotten.  Over the years it gathered neglect and dreary dust.

The forgotten doll house sat quietly in the dark corner and remembered.   It thought of the many dolls who it made it their home.  They had tea parties and sleep-overs.    Entertainment for visiting doll friends.  The house  filled with giggles and joyful delight.  Happy memories of by gone days.

Then one day the house was taken from its  dark hiding place and put on a display in a shop that welcomed the unloved, forgotten cast off toys. Time passed.   No one was interested in the shabby doll house.   The lonely house thought of its broken shutter.  The peeling wallpaper.  The scratches, dents and missing pieces.    “No one will want me.  No one will buy me. No one will love me.”

There are those who see hidden beauty in imperfection.   Who search for the unusual, the unexpected.  Who see potential where others pass by.   When she saw the doll house she thought “how absolutely wonderful”.    It just needed a little loving care; some carpentry work, lots of snow white paint and a exotic group of inhabitants.  It would be the perfect Christmas house.

The roof was repaired.  The shutters replaced.  Every inch of the house was painted the dazzling white of freshly fallen snow.  Tiny diamond bright lights adorned the house, inside and out.    The windows were cleaned.    And the house even had a chandelier.

The invited guests gathered for a Christmas party.  The dolls house was filled with excited guests.

The conversation was brilliant.  Everyone had an opinion, and all opinions were respectfully heard.

Like all successful holiday parties guests were treated to the finest foods.  Exotic fruits, mince pies, carrot cake, gingersnaps.  It was a lavish spread.

It was adults who lingered long.  Peering into the rooms.  Recognizing nostalgic and familiar toys from the past.  They  were swept up in the magic of this little house.    The house gave a sigh of contentment  for it was not to be forgotten.  Not to be boxed and put away for another Christmas.  It would have a forever place in this new home.  To be enjoyed everyday by the very young and the young at heart.

Dear friends.   It has been several years since I discovered my forever doll house.  It has been enjoyed just as much by adults as children.  And these adults continue to add to the invited guests invited to the Christmas party.  It has been a delight to peer into the rooms and discover a new inhabitant.

The shop that welcomed this doll house and other cast off, unwanted, out grown toys is the Delta Hospital Auxialiary Thrift shop.  It is located in the sweet village of Ladner – just outside Vancouver, British Columbia.  I am a volunteer in the Thrift Shop, and I cheerfully admit to frequently bring home the occasional neglected doll or sad faced bear. They visit with me for a while until they find the right child to cherish them.

 

CHRISTMAS ANGEL WINGS HANG IN MY PARIS HOME . . . UNE PETIT MAISON . . . JOIN ME

/ belocchio / 22 Comments

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I have a painting hanging in my home in the country.   It is a favourite. The snow covered rooftops of Paris.  In my country home tiny white stars of alyssum flowers grow around my front door.  Fragrant roses bloom in the garden.  It’ calm.   Only gentle lowing from the near by cow barn.  In Paris my home is on cobbled back street.   I can see the Eiffel tower from my window.   It has been a while since I travelled to this  other home.    I close my eyes and think of Paris.

“It’s time” she thought.  “Time to be there”.  She disappeared into the painting.

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She hurried along the quiet street to her little house.  Past the bright lights of a neighbouring bistro.   She paused at the small shop on the corner and tucked baguettes still warm from the oven  into her basket.

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A few snow flakes drifted down and caught in her hair.  The Christmas market  beckoned.  It glittered and sparkled  diamonds in the night sky.

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She filled her basket with brilliant glass balls.

Tangles of shimmering angel tinsel.

A tarnished vintage star.

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She filled her basket with  armfuls of  balsam boughs.

Boughs to make into garlands.

Fragrant boughs to fill every room with their incense perfume.

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Rooms leading one to the other, enfilade.

Rooms with ancient wooden floors that creaked and complained.

Rooms where she draped garlands of balsam across the velvet covered windows.

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She would take  shimmering tinsel and form it into angel wings.

Fragile creations to catch the light.

And hang them close to the door.  Where angels hang their wings on entering.

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Fantasy angel wings.

Fashioned for each window overlooking her tiny garden.

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Nothing would be forgotten.

Even the ancient fountain heads would be crowned with garlands of balsam.

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Carrying armfuls of happiness she hurried through the  snow covered streets leaving scarlet footprints in the snow.  Her ruby slippers were taking her home.  Home to her little house in Paris.  Une petite maison.

(My dear, dear friends.  Do put on your ruby slippers – borrowed from Dorothy of Wizard of  Oz fame.   Join me in Paris at Christmas.  Dinner is always slow cooked   fragrant beef and  bean stew Cassoulet,  lemon tart  and a many bottles of very good wine.)

FORGET MALLS . . . OVERPRICED USELESS GADGETS . . .BORING GIFTS . . . THRIFT SHOP

/ belocchio / 13 Comments

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This is a magical time.  We adorn our home with sparkling lights and glittering ornaments.  We fill our kitchen with the glorious baking smells.   And best of all there’s the dinner parties.  How lovely to linger with dear friends  long into the winter night.

The perfect hostess gift is not a bottle of wine (who knew she didn’t drink red).  Or a bar of scented soap (boring).  A box of chocolates (she’s on a diet).  The perfect hostess gift is a one-of-a-kind thrift shop discovery.  Two vintage crystal wine glasses, a silver pie server,  an exquisite bowl, a china gravy boat – unique odds and ends make wonderful gifts.  Thrift Shopping is easy on your budget to.

This is such stress free shopping.  No crowded malls or endless piped in music.   One seldom pays more than a few dollars or so for any item .  And you are supporting a charity.   In our little village the money goes to our local hospital for everything from a new O.R. to blanket warmers.

I have a gift shelf in my linen closet.  All year long I collect treasures.  I have found a Clarice Cliff plate,  Waterford goblets, valuable art books – all to be tucked away to gift my friends or given as hostess gifts.

And when I wrap my gifts I continue this revolt against garish Christmas wrapping paper.  I collect old music books  and recycle the pages into gift wrap.  The older music books are often beautifully faded and are often quite large.

Every year our  Hospital Thrift shop has a Christmas Store.  It is the mother lode for anything Christmas.  I’ve found everything from vintage glass balls to holiday dinner ware.  One of a kind decorations make unique gifts.  I love to adorn my gift wrapped presents with ornaments that can later to be hung on the tree.

I speak with great authority about the wonderful gifts you can find at a thrift shop.  I am a volunteer at our DELTA HOSPITAL THRIFT SHOP in  Ladner ,  a small village just outside Vancouver, British Columbia

Happy shopping dear friends. May you and all you love have a wonderful Christmas.