December 25, 2024 Breakfast - Granola, milk, blueberries, apple balls, and pear slices with yogurt. Christmas Dinner at Amy and Vahl’s. Snack - Salad and Salami and cheddar cheese Sandwich

December 25, 2024 Breakfast - Granola, milk, blueberries, apple balls, and pear slices with yogurt. Christmas Dinner at Amy and Vahl’s.  Snack - Salad and Salami and cheddar cheese Sandwich

I woke up at 7:00 and began gathering the ingredients for my chocolate baked pudding: Spanish 80% cacao chocolate we bought in Astroga last year, cacao powder, sugar, flour, eggs, and butter plus vanilla extract and Grand Marnier.

The way I make the dessert actually combines two dessert recipes, a chocolate baked pudding and creme anglais (a pouring custard).

Suzette joined me in the kitchen at 7:30 and we launched.

Here is the recipe from Classic Desserts by Time/Life

The baked pudding

I melted 180 grams of dark chocolate with 1/2 lb. of salted butter. When the chocolate was melted and smooth I added 3 T. of cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of super fine sugar and took the pot off the stove. 

Suzette mixed 2 T. of flour with six eggs and we then added those to the chocolate with a dash of Grand Marnier.

The main step that is not pictured is that the excess 6 egg whites were beaten until stiff and folded into the chocolate mixture before it was poured into the buttered and sugared bowl  for baking that gives a moussey lift to an otherwise rather dense flourless torte. We then beat the 6 egg whites until stiff and folded them into the chocolate mixture.

I buttered and dusted the inside of a mixing bowl of the desired shape and depth sufficient to hold the chocolate mixture and poured the chocolate mixture into it and placed the bowl into a Bain Marie of hot water in a large enamel ware casserole and cooked the chocolate mixture into a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the middle of the chocolate mixture is firm. We tested with a bamboo skewer pushed into the middle of the baked mixture that came out clean.

The creme anglais

We separated 6 egg yolks from the whites and I added a dash of vanilla to the egg yolks and Suzette added 2/3 cup of granulated sugar and whisked the egg yolk mixture vigorously until they turned a darker yellow color.

I added a handful of the Colombian roasted coffee bean to 2 1/2 cups of milk and scalded the milk until a thin skin of milk rested on the top of the milk and some milk solids stuck to the bottom of the pan. I then let the milk cool and strained the milk into the sauce pan with the egg mixture and heated the custard over a medium flame and reduced the flame as the custard began to thicken, stirring constantly. It is important to keep stirring the custard for several minutes after turning off the heat to prevent it from curdling And the cooling it quickly. We put the thickened custard outside in the 35 degree weather.

We also put the chocolate pudding outside to cool so the pudding would contract and pull away from the side walls of the pot.

Luke and Ari joined us in the kitchen for coffee dressed in the kimonos Suzette had bought them and we moved to the living room to exchange gifts. Ari was thrilled with the Italian coffee maker we gave him and they both loved their kimonos. Suzette gave Luke a beautiful hand made tea pot and Billy gave him a tea ball to brew tea in the pot that he loved. 

Luke gave me a lovely soft cashmere and cotton blend  blue and brown checked flannel shirt from Brooks Brothers that I immediately put on and wore for the rest of the day. I loved the shirt and the love of fine shirts Luke and I share.

Billy gave me the new Hampton Sides Captain Cook biography, which I have been excited to read. A love of history is something Billy and I share; another perfect gift. We gave Billy and Elaine a bottle of pink salt to fill the French salt grinder we gave them last year. 

Suzette gave me a towel warmer for our new bathroom so no more cold towels for us.

All in all I was exceedingly happy this year, not only with the tangible gifts, but also with the intangible gifts of a happy family sharing holidays together, such as in Pontevedra, Spain, and here for Christmas.

It was 11:00 by the time we finished the gift exchange and we returned to the kitchen to finish preparing the chocolate dessert.

When the custard had cooled it formed a thickened layer on top because we had not covered it with Saran, so I whisked it to reintegrate the stiffened top into the custard and smooth the custard. I then poured the custard into a pitcher.

We de-molded the chocolate Baked pudding by submerging the bottom in hot water for about 15 seconds, then placing a serving dish over the top of the bowl while holding the baked pudding and flipping the pot and serving dish, 180 degrees, so the top of the bowl was sitting on the dish. Then I shuck the bowl a couple of times and the chocolate pudding demolded with the top of the pudding sitting on the plate and the bottom now being the top.

After the top cooled and stiffened we placed a small doily on the new top of the pudding and Suzette dusted it with.powdered sugar and carefully removed the doily to leave a stenciled design on the top of the pudding now covered with powdered sugar.

At 11:30 we packed the car with the chocolate pudding and pitcher of creme anglais and Christmas gifts and drove to Amy and Vahl’s house at Eldorado.  Luke and Ari preceded us in Willy’s car.

When we arrived around 1:00 Vahl was still roasting a whole tenderloin of beef. We took glasses of red wine and sat in the living room and talked until all the food was ready. This year only family members attended plus Rick Spiegel and Mary drove in from Dallas. Mary told me about how Fort Worth has become the entertainment industry center of Texas mainly due to the presence of a Paschal graduate named Sheridan who created TV series such as Yellowstone. Mary does casting, so she is an insider in the entertainment industry and Billy and I grew up with Rick Speigal, who Billy talked to a lot.

I talked to the father of Dayla’s husband, Craig, who is also named Craig and who is an attorney doing essentially the same type of business law as I do. Deanne is Dayla’s mother and Vahl’s sister, so that is the connection.

We talked about lots of things. I got a sympathetic ear about the difficulties I am having getting my shares in the Indian bank dematerialized and Craig came up with a brilliant suggestion. His firm is a partner in a worldwide network of business law firms, including firms in India.  He said he would refer me to a firm in India familiar with securities registration to assist me.

That may be the best Christmas gift of all. 

When the tenderloin reached temperature at around 2:00, Amy put out the large container filled with enchilada Casserole from the Pantry. The table was already set with slices of spiral cut ham, mustard, Suzette’s apricot chutney, and a platter of three types of bread for sandwiches, plus brownies, cup cakes, fruit salad and other desserts things. After Vahl sliced the tenderloin that was cooked to medium rare, we all filled our plates.

I tried to eat moderately; just a ladle or two of enchiladas, three slices of ham with two triangles of flatbread, and two slices of tenderloin. There were lots of wines, but no Pinots, so I poured a glass of a California zinfandel, merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon blend that was heavier than Pinot, but pleasant.

 After a lovely meal Amy put out the chocolate baked pudding and pouring custard Suzette and I brought and it created quite a positive reaction; none greater than by Carol, Big Craig’s wife. She said she had to have the recipe  and I spent a lot of time walking her through the process and sent her the pictures I took  and gave her my card so she could call me for clarification. It seemed to me that she was as excited about this new dessert as I was about dematerialization of my Indian bank shares. I guess as we grow older, we find non-material gifts as exciting as material gifts.

I did not taste the dessert because I was happily filled with the meat course, but did eat a few small brownies with sips of the wine, but here is my preferred way of serving and eating the desert, a thin slice covered by a thin layer of creme.

After lunch we exchanged gifts. Everyone liked the Davila snake I gave Amy, which she seemed to like.

At around 5:00 it started to snow and Suzette said it was time to go and Billy drove us home.

When we arrived at home, Billy, Elaine, and Suzette started watching episodes of the Inside Man series with Ted Damson.

I was hungry again and made myself an open faced salami and cheese sandwich on a slice of baguette and ate it with the leftover salad that Elaine made for the baked fish dinner with a glass of water. Afterwards I felt like my body was responding to a more normal diet. 

I was sore and tired so I got into bed at 7:30 and read.

At 8:30 Billy and Elaine said goodnight and Suzette and I went to bed.

I awakened at 2:30 to finish this blog entry powered by two cups of green tea, my new favorite drink. I also tasted the dessert and found it to be wonderful, smooth, creamy and no taste of any added chemicals.  This is how I like to serve and eat it, a thin slice covered by a thin layer of creme.

I am very happy this Christmas and believe it has been a really good year with my added mobility gained from the second hip replacement and the financial performance of the stock market and the ability to convey some of that benefit to my little family unit.

And I can still wow the crowds with my cooking.

Bon Appetit