Celebrate the New Year with Yvette!

As I prepare for a retro New Year's Eve celebration, with Rumaki, a mountain of crab legs, and Seven Layer Jello, I wanted to share some ideas to spruce up your cocktails! You can always pick up a bottle of the delicious French raspberry liqueur Chambord and mix 1/2 ounce with 4 ounces of your favorite Champagne, garnish with raspberries or a lemon twist for a "Kir Royale," or as I prefer to call it, a "Cham-Cham!" Or, you can go ultra-retro by picking up a bottle of once defunct Creme Yvette to make "The Stratosphere!" 

Creme Yvette is a berry and violet liqueur that was originally produced in the late 19th century in Connecticut by the Sheffield Company. Over time, it's popularity dwindled and was taken out of production in 1969. It was the base for such classic cocktails like the Aviation and Blue Moon. However, after an onslaught of requests from cocktail experts, Charles Jacquin et Cie bought the recipe and re-released it in 2009. The original Creme Yvette supposedly had a more purple color, while the new version (made in France with dried violet petals from Provence and berries from Burgundy) has a more reddish hue. So I'm not so sure how blue your Blue Moon would be? Maybe pink? Anyway, whether you are hosting or attending a New Year soiree, why not pick up a bottle that is guaranteed to impress even your most savvy cocktail-loving friends! Only one question remains, who was Yvette? Bonne Annee!

The Stratosphere

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Glass of Champagne

3/4 ounce Creme Yvette

Lemon twist (I prefer raspberries!)

Directions:

In a chilled champagne flute, add the Creme Yvette and top with Champagne. Garnish as desired and serve! Fantastique!

French Pear Cake

I adore this recipe for "French Pear Cake," also known as Gateau Fondant Aux Poires! I have been making it for years, but somehow has never been added to my site? Today's the day! This is a lovely cake that is ideal for dessert, gifts, afternoon tea, or even breakfast! This recipe is French, although; there is an Italian version called Torta di Pere. So maybe a little of both?

This wonderful cake is perfect for those ugly, overripe pears. I use D'Anjou pears. The batter is fairly thick so don't let that scare you. Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before starting. Also, you will need a 9 1/2" springform pan. This easy cake is also enhanced with the addition of vanilla extract and lemon zest! Yum! Try it! You can thank me later!

French Pear Cake (Gateau Fondant Aux Poires)

Ingredients:

3-4 small ripe pears, peeled and quartered or cubed (I use 2-3 D'Anjou and it is plenty, cubed.)

1 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbl (250 g) butter, at room temperature (I just use 2 sticks unsalted butter with good results.)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/4 cup (250 g) sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour (I use 2 cups with good results.)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 24 cm (9 1/2") springform pan.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until very fluffy and white. Mix in the eggs slowly, one egg at a time. Add vanilla and lemon zest.

In another bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. (I just whisk together.) Add the flour mixture slowly to the egg mixture. Don't over mix.

Pour (or spoon) half the batter into the springform pan. Place the pears on top. Pour (or spoon) the rest of the batter in the pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

I also recommend refrigerating any leftover cake because of the fruit content.

Recipe from mykitchenintherockies.com.

Happy Thanksgiving! Good Luck with the Turkey!

With all the "fun" in the kitchen this week, sometimes it's easy to forget that you need to feed your company breakfast! Don't worry, I've got the best recipe for "Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere!" This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! The best part is that you make it ahead (always smart with company lingering!) and can be successfully doubled for larger crowds! Everyone always loves it! Don't forget to check my Recipes page for other excellent recipes, e.g., The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas, Gratin Dauphinois, and Boursin Creamed Spinach, just to name a few!

Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere

Serves 6 (or 12 if doubled)

Ingredients:

8-10, 1/2" slices supermarket French or Italian bread (I always make a few extra.)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 medium shallots, minced

1, 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 large eggs

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

*If doubled, double the ingredients and use a 13"x9" baking dish greased with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and bake for about 60 minutes.*

Directions:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 225 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through the drying time. When the bread has cooled, butter the slices on one side with 2 tablespoons of the butter, set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the shallots until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes; add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside. Add the wine to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Butter an 8" square baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; arrange half of the bread slices, buttered-side up in a single layer in the dish. (Don't worry if the bread doesn't completely cover the bottom, it will swell as it sits overnight.)

Sprinkle half of the spinach mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over the bread slices.

Arrange the remaining bread slices in a single layer over the cheese; sprinkle the remaining spinach mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the bread. (The remainder of the cheese will be added right before baking.) Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until combined; whisk in the reduced wine, the half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers; 

cover the surface flush with plastic wrap, weight down with whatever you have in the pantry, and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Uncover the strata and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the surface. Bake until both the edges and the center are puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; serve.

Recipe adapted from The New Best Recipe, from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.