NOT a flan!

So my favorite time waster is reading food blogs and day-dreaming of French pastries and dishes I hope to one day make.

Below is a recipe for CRÉME ORANGE CARAMEL 

Ingredients

2 cups of whole milk
1/4 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 orange rind
1 pinch of salt
4 eggs

For the caramel
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tbs of fresh OJ
3 tbs of water

You can use ramekin mold of your choice but be mindful of its size and cooking time.
I used small metal ramekin molds

Preheat oven to 350º

For the caramel:

Melt the sugar, orange rind, orange juice and water in a small pan over medium-high heat.

Do not stir and let the mixture melt slowly on its own. When the mixture reaches a light brown color shake the pan, and slowly stir. Remove from heat, and pour immediately into ramekin molds.

Be VERY careful not to burn yourself as caramel temperature is super hot.

While wearing oven mittens, swirl your mold in a circular motion so the edges are covered

with caramel.

Set ramekins aside to cool.

Now boil milk in a pot.

Lower heat once it starts to boil.

Add sugar, orange rind, vanilla bean and pinch of salt.

Stir, remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk 4 eggs in a bowl and pour into the warm vanilla milk.

Whisk continuously while you are doing this so the eggs don’t coagulate.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small container to avoid air pockets

and for a smooth cream.

Pour mixture from your container into the caramel lined mold.

Place molds in a large roasting pan, pour hot water so it comes up just over half the mold.

This method is called bain-marie.

Bake for 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Once cool, leave in the fridge for a least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, gently loosen the sides with a small knife.

I served this with a spiced Apple cider (Drink recipe to follow)

Dark Chocolate Mendiants

I cannot believe how easy these beautiful and heavenly disks come together.
Mimi is a huge inspiration to me and I learned about this easy recipe in her blog.
Mendiants are beautiful and terribly delicious. I am weak in the face of chocolate and this is no exception.

Makes about 12 Mendiants

Ingredients
10 ounces of good quality dark chocolate (I use Godiva)
A few unsalted pistachios, unsalted roasted almonds, pepitas and dry fruit of choice.
(I used left over pomegranate seeds from my mimosa brunch)

Place parchment paper over a flat surface or cookie sheet.

Place a glass or metal bowl over a simmering pot of hot water.
Add pieces of chocolate. Stir gently until completely melted.

Drop a small spoonful of melted chocolate into parchment paper to create small bite size disks.

Immediately decorate with nuts, dry fruit and any topping of your choice!

I think shredded coconut would be a great Christmas topping and maybe red walnuts.
Saw red walnuts at the farmers market today and was blown away.
Stay tuned, something with red walnuts is coming to this blog soon.

Orange pomegranate mimosas

Pomegranates must be in peak season, it seems i cant go anywhere without running into this delicious and messy red fruit. I juice my own but you can always buy POM juice at the store and avoid looking like you killed someone.

1 bottle of Brut (I love Trader Joe's)
1 Pomegranate
5 oranges
(optional, a splash of cointreau - my friend introduced me to this)

1. Pour a small amount of pomegranate juice into a glass of your choice
   (flute, coup, or wine glass)
2. Add champagne slowly
3. Add as much orange juice as you'd like

(finish with a tiny splash of cointreau)

Thyme crusted pork tenderloin with pears

Ingredients 

-

1 Pork tenderloin (I used 1 lb)

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 Tbs of Olive oil 

1 medium red onion

3 pears (I used Bartlett pears), do not peel, cut in long slices

3 Tbs of balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs of organic honey

Fresh thyme (about 8-10 sprigs)

Preheat oven to 400º

Rub pork with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil to an OVEN SAFE pan over medium-high heat.
Sear pork, turning occasionally until brown.
Remove pork from pan and set aside on a plate.
Add onions and sliced pears to the hot pan with the left over pork fat
and saute for two minutes.
Return pork to the pan and drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar
over the pork and pears.
Transfer pan into the oven to roast for about 25-30 minutes.

Transfer pork into aluminum foil, make a tent to cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
Transfer pork to cutting board, cut into 1/2 inch slices and divide into
small plates.
Add pears, onions and finish off with a drizzle from the glaze in your pan.
Serve immediately.