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Rae's Sinful Pot de Creme
3 cups heavy cream
7 oz. decadent, deep, rich, high quality dark chocolate ( I used Valhona 71% )
1/4 cup sugar
9 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt - yes, salt can make chocolate taste even better
Preheat the oven to 325. Combine the cream and sugar and salt in a heavy bottom medium sauce pan. Cook until just simmering - do not boil. If you used a large 5 pound block of chocolate as I did, you'll need to grate or chip the chocolate - if you use chips, mix them in to the cream now. Beat the egg yolks in a separate large bowl. Once the chocolate is completely melted in to the cream, mix it in to the beaten egg yolks very slowly at first to avoid cooking them. Whisk in the vanilla last. Pour the mixture in to 8 - 6oz. custard or souffle cups, filling to 3/4 way full. Gently place the cups in to a bain-marie or water bath. To make a bain-marie, place the cups in to a large high sided baking pan without allowing them to touch. Fill the pan with very hot water 1/2 way up the sides of the custards and slide in to the oven for 25 minutes. When done, the little lovelies should be slightly set at the edges and jiggle enticingly in the center. Remove the custards from the bath immediately and chill uncovered for at least 2 hours. Whip up some fresh Chantilly Cream with a dash of vanilla to top each pot de creme. Enjoy!!!
Serves 8
LLL
I am now an official member of La Leche League! I decided to join in order to gain the necessary training needed to assist other mothers who need help with breast feeding.
Meeting Info.
LLL of Hayward meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM. Meetings are held at Kaiser Hayward, 27400 Hesperian Boulevard, Room C2
Meeting Info.
LLL of Hayward meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM. Meetings are held at Kaiser Hayward, 27400 Hesperian Boulevard, Room C2
Some snaps from the garden and...
The back vegetable garden is faring well! It was entirely started from seed, most of which was direct seeded in the bed just a few weeks ago. In another month, the stepping stones will be obscured from sight and the deer fence to the right will be enveloped in the sweet peas vines which are just poking up through the soil along the border. I've also included some new floral additions from my front garden and a dwarf suger spint pea plant that is spilling over with peas. Mother's Day was splendid! We went to brunch at a wonderful restaurant in Pleasanton on Main St. called Mahalo Grill. Good stuff! Then for dinner that night I made Osso Bucco, haricot vert with wild mushrooms in a wine garlic and butter reduction, and chocolate pots de creme for dessert. I had my whole family over. Mauricio got me a beautiful Peony plant and a chinos, which I sorely needed. What a sweetie pie pookie he is to have gotten me gifts for both my garden and kitchen! 
I'm grumpy and mad for no reason today.
I just woke up that way. I'm usually in a neutral or chipper mood until my day dictates otherwise so I'm taking note of this unusual mood swing. I helped get the kids ready for school and was just quiet the whole time. Mauricio who has the day off today asked me what was wrong and I couldn't answer him. I even drove to work and without listening to my favorite radio station, NPR.
Perhaps it's because of some adjustments and additions to my medications as of late. It may be a result of one of the following:
1. I'm taking Domperidone which as mentioned a post or two below, has some unusual side effects but depression is not one of them. I am now suspicious though.
2. I have changed my birth control pill from Levelen to Micronor (or the mini pill). I did this because the side effects are supposed to be minimal. It is such a low dose pill that if it's not taken within the same 2 hour window each day its' effectiveness vanishes.
3. I stopped taking my usual regimen of multivitamins and B vitamins recently because they were really exacerbating a stomach issue which is why I'm taking Domperidone in the first place.
Perhaps it is all or none of the above. All I know is that I do not have time to be grumpy and unproductive. I only have time to be a blithely inundated mom and wife.
Perhaps it's because of some adjustments and additions to my medications as of late. It may be a result of one of the following:
1. I'm taking Domperidone which as mentioned a post or two below, has some unusual side effects but depression is not one of them. I am now suspicious though.
2. I have changed my birth control pill from Levelen to Micronor (or the mini pill). I did this because the side effects are supposed to be minimal. It is such a low dose pill that if it's not taken within the same 2 hour window each day its' effectiveness vanishes.
3. I stopped taking my usual regimen of multivitamins and B vitamins recently because they were really exacerbating a stomach issue which is why I'm taking Domperidone in the first place.
Perhaps it is all or none of the above. All I know is that I do not have time to be grumpy and unproductive. I only have time to be a blithely inundated mom and wife.
So Proud of My Little Kitchen Helper...
Jason has become the star sous chef of my kitchen! At the age of 5 he can flawlessly and quickly crack a dozen eggs, knows how to safely and properly use my sharpest knives (with close supervision of course), can follow a simple 5+ step recipe from start to finish, can properly identify all sizes of measuring spoons and measuring cups, knows how to use all of the heavy duty appliances in the kitchen such as the stand mixer and food processor, knows most basic herbs and seasonings by smell and or taste. The culmination of all this knowledge aided him to read and follow a simple recipe for cream of tomato soup last night. I hovered and fussed but did very little in the way of actually touching anything or assisting. After about an hour and a half he had measured, chopped, seasoned and cooked a perfect, from scratch, cream of tomato soup.
To flesh out the meal, I made home made Gnocchi with pesto sauce right along side him. As I watched him, I was very impressed with his confidence. He got angry with me a couple times because I tried to get involved and sternly said, "Mom, I can do it, stop trying to help me!!!" Unfortunately, he also made a tremendous mess so I'll need to work on his "cleaning as he goes skills".
We sat down to dinner last night and enjoyed his cream of tomato soup. We were all so proud of him! It was in fact very good but for some reason he needed additional validation and asked every one repeatedly how much they liked his soup and soon became annoying.
To flesh out the meal, I made home made Gnocchi with pesto sauce right along side him. As I watched him, I was very impressed with his confidence. He got angry with me a couple times because I tried to get involved and sternly said, "Mom, I can do it, stop trying to help me!!!" Unfortunately, he also made a tremendous mess so I'll need to work on his "cleaning as he goes skills".
We sat down to dinner last night and enjoyed his cream of tomato soup. We were all so proud of him! It was in fact very good but for some reason he needed additional validation and asked every one repeatedly how much they liked his soup and soon became annoying.
The Catering Bug Rears It's Head... Again
So after cooking for a friend's party last weekend I was persuaded by people at the party to look in to the wonderful world of catering again. Most of the people trying to persuade me were from Castro Valley or Hayward and therefore lament the woeful food offerings in these areas.
Mika, a good friend of mine who shares my love of cooking and all things culinary, is also keenly interested in developing a little side business in catering. She was at the party and we started to toss the following idea around:
The pitch: Mika and I are both mothers with multiple children and therefore know the hardships involved in raising a family which for many includes working either part or full time, cleaning, transporting kids, homework, errands etc. Many families these days sit down to lousy store, restaurant or fast food chain dinner each night that eats away at their pocket book and are sadly laden with unhealthy ingredients. We would offer a healthy and delicious alternative to this modern day dilemma. We would develop meals plans from Monday through Friday of each week and allow people to sign up ahead of time based on the portions they desire and the meals they are interested in partaking of. We could rent a kitchen very easily and provide a much needed service to fellow mothers and their families. We would either have a centralized pick up location or perhaps even a delivery service for an additional fee. Mika happens to be Japanese and a fantastic gourmet chef that specializes in Asian food. We would really be able to offer a wide spectrum of food pulling from our different backgrounds.
Anyhow, I'm hot on the idea today and actually feel like looking for a kitchen to rent. Tomorrow, who knows how hot or lukewarm I'll be. At the end of the day, I too am a busy mother. Furthermore, I like my lucrative job and think this is a bad time to be starting a business of any sort based on current economic woes. Perhaps there's a way to have my cake and eat it too. We'll see.
Mika, a good friend of mine who shares my love of cooking and all things culinary, is also keenly interested in developing a little side business in catering. She was at the party and we started to toss the following idea around:
The pitch: Mika and I are both mothers with multiple children and therefore know the hardships involved in raising a family which for many includes working either part or full time, cleaning, transporting kids, homework, errands etc. Many families these days sit down to lousy store, restaurant or fast food chain dinner each night that eats away at their pocket book and are sadly laden with unhealthy ingredients. We would offer a healthy and delicious alternative to this modern day dilemma. We would develop meals plans from Monday through Friday of each week and allow people to sign up ahead of time based on the portions they desire and the meals they are interested in partaking of. We could rent a kitchen very easily and provide a much needed service to fellow mothers and their families. We would either have a centralized pick up location or perhaps even a delivery service for an additional fee. Mika happens to be Japanese and a fantastic gourmet chef that specializes in Asian food. We would really be able to offer a wide spectrum of food pulling from our different backgrounds.
Anyhow, I'm hot on the idea today and actually feel like looking for a kitchen to rent. Tomorrow, who knows how hot or lukewarm I'll be. At the end of the day, I too am a busy mother. Furthermore, I like my lucrative job and think this is a bad time to be starting a business of any sort based on current economic woes. Perhaps there's a way to have my cake and eat it too. We'll see.
Random Tid Bits From Last Weekend...
Hubby and the kids made it through the weekend without getting the flu so I am also very grateful for that. We went to a good friend's Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday. Upon request, I made a traditional flan and a giant pot of chili verde. It was a fun party with great food and lots of Corona, of course. The kids had a blast as many other couples brought their kids.
Yesterday, we had all of the exposed wood in our backyard sealed and the fences painted. We used the most environmentally friendly products we could find. Now all of our fences are protected, match in color and the retaining walls also have a dark weatherproof stain on them.
There's a large vacant lot (1.25 acres) at the end of our court which is now for sale. It was purchased by investors approximately two years ago when the market was steaming hot, for
1M. The same party is now trying to dump it for $864,000. A bunch of us in the neighborhood think that it would make a fantastic private neighborhood park or rec. center if we were to buy it and fix it up. Of course I think it would make for some excellent organic gardening. Anyhow, we're looking at all going in on purchasing the property. It would be legally challenging and super messy for so many parties to own a single property, but worth a look all the same. Furthermore, no one in the neighborhood is keen on having it developed so buying it would be one way to prevent that from happening.
On an embarrassing side note, I'm temporarily on medication for a stomach issue. The medication is very safe and tolerable except for one extremely annoying side effect - it has caused me to re lactate. I found myself going to the grocery store yesterday to buy nursing pads so that I could spare my shirts. My doctor mentioned that there was a small chance that it might occur as a side effect but said it was VERY rare. What's worse is that it can actually make men who take it develop "man boobs" and begin to lactate too! Whoa. The medication increases prolactin secretion indirectly by interfering with the action of dopamine. Anyhow, sorry if this was TMI. I'm just glad I've been blessed with a sense of humor that allows me to laugh at my own misfortune.
Yesterday, we had all of the exposed wood in our backyard sealed and the fences painted. We used the most environmentally friendly products we could find. Now all of our fences are protected, match in color and the retaining walls also have a dark weatherproof stain on them.
There's a large vacant lot (1.25 acres) at the end of our court which is now for sale. It was purchased by investors approximately two years ago when the market was steaming hot, for
1M. The same party is now trying to dump it for $864,000. A bunch of us in the neighborhood think that it would make a fantastic private neighborhood park or rec. center if we were to buy it and fix it up. Of course I think it would make for some excellent organic gardening. Anyhow, we're looking at all going in on purchasing the property. It would be legally challenging and super messy for so many parties to own a single property, but worth a look all the same. Furthermore, no one in the neighborhood is keen on having it developed so buying it would be one way to prevent that from happening.
On an embarrassing side note, I'm temporarily on medication for a stomach issue. The medication is very safe and tolerable except for one extremely annoying side effect - it has caused me to re lactate. I found myself going to the grocery store yesterday to buy nursing pads so that I could spare my shirts. My doctor mentioned that there was a small chance that it might occur as a side effect but said it was VERY rare. What's worse is that it can actually make men who take it develop "man boobs" and begin to lactate too! Whoa. The medication increases prolactin secretion indirectly by interfering with the action of dopamine. Anyhow, sorry if this was TMI. I'm just glad I've been blessed with a sense of humor that allows me to laugh at my own misfortune.
Sad.
I am mourning for my good friend who lost her father over the weekend. Mary, my heart is with you.