The French Laundry

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

Giddyup on the soup. What is a TwoPer?

I have an icecream maker. Somewhere.

Looked it up on urban dictionary - something about television without pity...

So do you want me to post the walnut soup recipe, or e-mail it? I better do it in some sort of private way, just so as not to infringe on any copyrights. I could scan it and send it to those that want to start, or we could wait a while until ya'll can get your copies. I am not cooking anything until probably next weekend at the earliest.

Chad is on a four month away rotation in Greenville starting on the 2nd, and this project may be a saving grace for me to help me keep my mind off the fact that I haven't seen him in weeks. Greenville is 2.5 hours away. I can visit him while he is there, but Ryan has school here, and baseball will start soon. It's going to be a hard 4 months. Prepare yourselves for my monthly freakouts again!

Re: The French Laundry

True, I have posted a few cookbook recipes here (but at least I give them credit?).

If you want to start right away, I think copying and sending would be best. It looks like I can't get the book for less than $27 so I'll probably just buy it for that. I want to look for someone selling that and Mangoes and see if I can get combined shipping. It will take me a week or two to get that done and delivered.

I'm going to go make my blissfully easy Mexican Chocolate Tart.

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

I'm going to go make my blissfully easy Mexican Chocolate Tart.

I want the recipe for that! I've been trying to find a good chocolate flan recipe too, but haven't been able to.

Re: The French Laundry

Here you go:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/237114

Maybe not easy, but easy compared to French Laundry. Now that I finally have some ancho powder, I'd like to add it but I'm making this for people I haven't met so I'm sticking to the recipe.

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

Cool, thanks! I have some dried ancho chiles in my pantry. I'll just pop them in my spice grinder (actually a coffee grinder), and make ancho powder. It works really well. That will make a yummy drown my sorrows, I am sure of it. How much ancho powder will you add? The last time I made a Mexican chocolate cake, the ancho flavor really mellowed out after being cooked and refrigerated, so much so that you couldn't taste it, but the batter was yummy. I definitely want that spice to come through. Let me know after you've made it how it turned out.

Oh, and things don't have to be as hard as The French Laundry to be devine tasting, but I am excited about it. Just to say that I could make some of the stuff that they serve at one of the best restaurants in the world? That's just cool.

Re: The French Laundry

I just added a bit, maybe 1/4 tsp. I don't know if the flavor will come through. I've had this tart before -- I just finished the last piece -- and made it again tonight to take to dinner tomorrow.

I did use a slightly different candy pecan recipe, though.

[ellie]

Re: The French Laundry

I am going to try to take pictures along the way of my process, and we'll post pictures of our finished plates. Then we can discuss and review the recipes and everyone else can be jealous!

Oooh, I will be jealous! Wish that I could take part, but there's no way I can start a big project like this when our house is going on the market next month.

Nellie, that Mexican Chocolate Tart sounds divine.

I'll plan to read this thread and salivate.

Re: The French Laundry



I went with a rectangular pan, not thinking about needing a box for it for a longer car ride. uch:

Ellie, I was going to make that gingerbread espresso bundt since I now have a full-size bundt pan. I'll do that in the next few weeks and then I am putting myself on a dessert diet (exception made for walnut soup).

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

Cream of Walnut Soup
- The French Laundry Cookbook, Thomas Keller


Walnut Cream

1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) walnuts, roasted,
excess skin rubbed off, and chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 vanilla bean, split


Pear Puree

1 large pear
1 1/2 cups poaching liquid


walnut oil

Poaching Liquid

One 750-ml bottle crisp, dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Bring the wine to a boil in a saucepan. Skim off any foam that has risen to the top, then add the water and sugar. Return the liquid to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. Makes about six cups.


Our walnut soup began as a walnut sauce for a walnut bread pudding, and indeed the soup can be used as a sauce. But it tastes so good, we decided to serve it as a soup. The pear puree adds the perfect sweetness to the subtle bitterness of the toasted walnuts. This is rich and should be served in small portions. At the restaurant, it's served as a canape dessert soup, playing off our custom of serving canape soups to begin the meal.

Walnut soup is best when eaten shortly after it is made, but if necessary, it can be refrigerated for a couple of days.

For the walnut cream:

Place the walnuts, cream, and milk in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and add the pod. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to keep the liquid just below a simmer and heat for 30 to 45 minutes to let the flavors infuse. Strain the infused liquid into another saucepan and discard the walnuts and vanilla pod. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of walnut cream.

Meanwhile for the pear puree:

Peel the pear, core, and cut it into 8 wedges. Put the wedges in a saucepan with the poaching liquid. Cover them with a parchment lid (I think a regular lid will work fine here) and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pear wedges are completely softened and there is no resistence when they are tested with the tip of a sharp knife. Transfer the pears and 1/3 cup of the poaching liquid to a blender.

Reheat the walnut cream. Puree the pears, then, with the motor running, pou the hot walnut cream into the blender to combine (the cream must be hot when it is added to the puree, or the soup may break). There will be about 2 cups soup.

Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan and reheat gently over low heat. Serve warm in demitasse cups, sprinkles with a few drops of walnut oil.


I am posting this just briefly ( a few weeks) until those that want to make it have it copied and printed.

[Meenah]

Re: The French Laundry

I'm going to Barnes & Noble tomorrow to get this book!!!! I'm in the game.

[Phoebe]

Re: The French Laundry

Will someone have me over for dessert? Phhllluuuease???

Re: The French Laundry

I went with a rectangular pan, not thinking about needing a box for it for a longer car ride. uch:

Ellie, I was going to make that gingerbread espresso bundt since I now have a full-size bundt pan. I'll do that in the next few weeks and then I am putting myself on a dessert diet (exception made for walnut soup).

Add me to the list of people's kids who have licked the computer screen. Thank God I have BonBon's toffee to see me through this.

Re: The French Laundry

Brillllllliant inspiration. This is ok, right? The kids got plenty to keep them busy from Christmas. We have some B&N gift card (s?) they got for birthdays. I'm, ahem, going to put them to good use and go get this book. The used and ebay prices aren't enough of a difference when shipping factors in. I think I'll BOGO (in theory) and get that other book at the same time.

Heidi, thanks for typing that up! I'll print it now so I have it in case the book takes longer for me to pick up.

eta: not so fast. the list price is $50. I'll order it.

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

eta: not so fast. the list price is $50. I'll order it.

Yup. Told ya it was spendy!

[Vanquisher]

Re: The French Laundry

Will someone have me over for dessert? Phhllluuuease???

Anytime.