Fresh Tartine Pastries - Right In Your Own Kitchen
November 9, 2007 Tartine Bakery fans will really enjoy Elisabeth Prueitt’s and Chad Robertson’s Tartine cookbook. The talented pastry & baking duo revealed their popular recipes from one of San Francisco's finest neighborhood bakeries. Bringing their cult status treats to the home kitchen, Prueitt and Robertson emphasize the use of seasonal ingredients and an attention to detail to ensure buttery perfection in each brioche or croissant.
There are just so many great recipes to try. The gorgeous photography alone will make you drool. If you can master the breakfast items alone, your friends might be dropping by for coffee all the time. I love the Banana Cream Pie and the Pumpkin Tea Cake. The Blackberry Tart with Rose Geranium Cream is absolutely divine. For holiday gifts, try making the Soft Glazed Gingerbread.
www.chroniclebooks.com
(Photo credit: France Ruffenach)
See you in the kitchen,
Tami
With a broad range of flavors (including a new organic line and the Chocolatour single-origin vintage line), you can pick and choose which love package to send. Each comes in a distinct color that resembles a love letter, with a romantic poem tucked inside. AND you get a gourmet Belgian chocolate bar!
I really like the new Toffee & Almonds in 33% Milk Chocolate (yummm...buttery toffee bits floating in caramel-like choco) and the limited-edition Chilies & Cherries in 55% Dark Chocolate. Ancho and chipotle chilies give a lovely slow-burning warmth that goes well with the sweet dried cherries. Talk about things getting hot and heavy!
For the dark lovers, the Extra Strong Dark 77% is a winner. The Chocolatour Tanzania 76% rocks with notes of banana and cinnamon. I also dig the Crystallized Ginger 65% Dark - perfect for cold winter nights.
With Esther's sassy smarts guiding you to a healthier regimen, you will learn about realistic diet guidelines sans starvation, hangover remedies, which cocktail has the most calories, choosing the right vitamins for all sorts of pesky girly ailments, how to rev up your sex life, and how to battle the blues (those crazy hormones!).
With such an easy-to-follow reference guide, you can be both ultra glam and the picture of perfect health in no time!
Get insta-sexy lips with her signature colors in matte or sheer formulas from the Saint or Sinners collection. They are non-drying and the beautiful colors last a long time, giving you many chances to perfect that sultry pout. A definite must-have for your vixen tool kit.
Combining a crash course in the cacao bean's origin with an anecdote of the company's history, this amazing book is filled with decadent recipes and baking tips. Some highlights to watch for are the White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache, Cocoa Cabanas (tasty recipe by Flo Braker - yes, I'm a big fan of hers and I loved this) and Chocolate Chinchilla.
There are some neat savory dishes to try, such as the Chicken Mole, Tortilla Soup and John’s Cocoa Rub. The 6 oz. Home Baking Bars (62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate, 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate and 99% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate) would be perfect to use in any of these recipes.
Fudgy Brownies
Robert developed this recipe, but when the brownies came back from our test kitchen, they didn’t have their usual glossy, crackled top and fudgy texture. The cookbook crew asked Robert to make the brownies while they watched. We realized that an electric mixer doesn’t work for this recipe. The batter needs to be beaten by hand until it pulls from the sides of the bowl. There’s something homey and satisfying about stirring this thick, glossy batter yourself.
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for buttering the baking dish
8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted walnut halves
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325.
Cut a piece of parchment with handles for an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan. Butter the pan and line the bottom and two sides with the parchment, and butter the top side of the parchment up to the rim of the baking dish.
Place the chocolate and the cubed butter in a large bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and the salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the mixture is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
With your fingers, break the nuts into large pieces over the batter and fold in.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and tap the bottom on the counter top to even out the batter. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out moist, but free of uncooked batter.
Remove from the oven. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment handles and cool completely on the rack before cutting.
Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies.
(Photo credit: Deborah Jones)
See you in the kitchen!
Tami
With the subtle and delicate use of piano, strings and waltzes, Desplat's restrained music essentially plays a supporting role while the actors do most of the storytelling. I love how the strings rise over the piano on the 'The Angel' track, along with the breathtaking "Falling Rain" and "Wong Chia Chi's Theme." It's a really beautiful score to a gorgeous film.
-Tami
Along with the endless chocolate demos and tastings, young chocophiles can delight in special activities in the KidZone. Still need more choco stimulation? Head over to the Chocolate Lounge and indulge in decadent chocolate cocktails created by top mixologists. There will also be book signings with new releases from top pastry chefs.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 TO SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2007
Metropolitan Pavillion & Altman Building, 125 West 18th Street
Opening Night Preview: Chocolate Fashion Show
Thursday, November 8th 6:30-10:30pm
Friday, November 9: 11am to 9pm
Saturday, November 10: 10am to 8pm
Sunday, November 11: 10am to 7pm
Tickets ($28) are available online at Ticketmaster.com.
I'm in love with their Pumpkin Baking Pan and the Halloween Decorating Kit. The Pumpkin Carving Kit is almost half off, so what are you waiting for? Get yourself to their nearest store and stock up on these fun items. There is no excuse now to be unprepared for the little goblins running amok during this fun holiday...
Check out this 
VeeV Acai Mojito recipe:
2 oz. VeeV
1 Tbs superfine sugar
Lime wedges
Club soda
3 fresh mint sprigs
Muddle mint leaves, superfine sugar and lime in a mixing glass. Add 2 oz. of VeeV and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain the mixture into a tall glass and top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint sprig and enjoy!