Chocolate Cake for Grown ups?

This version of chocolate cake I have made a few times, and made it again this weekend for a wedding cake tasting as well as a birthday cake. I take my all time favorite - financier - which is a brown butter almond cake, traditionally bite sized, and use it for a larger cake. I added cocoa powder for a chocolate version, and filled it with a thick salted creme fraiche caramel, and iced it with a bittersweet chocolate ganache.

The cake is undeniably chocolate, yet it has many more dimension than a traditional chocolate cake. There's nuttiness from the almond meal, saltiness from the caramel, and bitterness from the dark chocolate ganache. Plus the texture of the cake due to the moisture from the almond meal and brown butter gives the cake an almost truffle like texture and density.

I made a few in cupcake form, with the tops cut-off so I could fill them with caramel, then added back the tops and iced them with ganache.

And, maybe the best part about this recipe? It's super easy. Well.... certainly not as easy as chocolate chip cookies, but for the results you get, it's relatively easy :)

If you have a scale (and a good calculator) you can make just about any size batch - and you can make it by hand.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Financier:
This batch yielded 2- 6" cakes, and 10 cupcakes (random I know), maybe it'll yeild 2 - 9" pans?

12 oz Butter - melt and brown this after weighing
16.5 oz Powdered Sugar
3.33 oz Cake Flour
6.5 oz Almond Meal
2 oz Cocoa Powder
12 oz Egg Whites

1. Melt and Brown the butter (here are instructions if you don't know how. note: i always use a whisk, not a spoon, and use a light metal pan so you can watch the color). Leave butter on the counter top for a little while, and then put in fridge to help it cool down. You will want to add the butter to the batter when it is a thick liquid, and almost solidified. Keep an eye on it in the fridge, otherwise, if it solidifies - you just nuke it for a few seconds so it's pourable!

2. Measure all dry ingredients and mix with a dry whisk in a med/large bowl.

3. When the butter is cool but still liquid (and maybe a litle thick), add the egg whites to the dries. Mix with a whisk until incorporated.

4. Add the butter in 3 additions, whisking the batter after each addition. The butter, as it starts to cool, will allow the batter to stiffen, and start looking like a creamed cake batter. (You can do this in a stand mixer: Pour the butter in a thin stream on low, then crank it up to med/high for several seconds to whip some air in the batter.) The batter should be kinda fluffy and not runny like when just the eggs were in it. (If you aren't able to get the air in, not a big worry, the cake will just be more dense!)

5. Pour into cupcake molds (this batter doesn't rise as much as a sponge cake, so fill the cups 2/3 full), or a butter and parchment lined cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg - until the top springs back when touched or a tooth pick when inserted comes out clean. Maybe 20 min for the cupcakes, and 30 for the cake? Bottom line: bake 'til done!

Salted Caramel
yields 2-3cups?
* make in advance so that it is cool and thick for the cake filling or topping*
2 cups Sugar
1/4 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 cup cold sliced butter
5 Tbsp Heavy Cream
3 T Creme Fraiche

Note: If you haven't made carmel before, or are nervous still, have a large bowl of ice water at the ready. If you get caramel on your hand, you can dunk it in there, and the heat will diffuse quickly so you won't be as badly burned.

1. In a light bottomed small/med sauce pan with a lid (2-3 qt?) place the sugar and corn syrup, and a little water (maybe 1/2-3/4 cup). Make sure the water reaches the side and bottom, but don't swirl the pan or you'll get crystals on the side!

2. Crank up the heat, and cook the sugar water WITH THE LID ON, until the steam stops coming out. A well fitting lid traps the moisture (most of it), which then rains down the sides of the pan, eliminating the need to wash the sides of a pan with a brush. Take the lid off once the water is evaporated, and continue to cook the sugar syrup until it starts to color. Don't walk away at this point! Watch it until it gets a medium amber, then remove the pot. You can shock the bottom of the pot in the bowl of ice water - this is good if you are making a larger batch since the residual heat will keep darkening the caramel.

3. Off the heat, add ONE piece of butter. Stir carefully, it might spatter. Add the slices (pats) of butter a few at a time, and whisk to melt.

4. Add the cream and creme fraiche, the caramel will still be very hot, so be careful when adding it. It still might spatter. If the cream and creme fraiche aren't being incorporated easily, you can return the pot to the stove and stir over low heat. That should do the trick.

5. Pour into a heat proof container (I use glass) and let cool. (Overnight is easiest)

Bittersweet Ganache
5 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (70%), chopped
4 oz Heavy Cream

1. Put chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl (metal/glass).
2. Bring cream to a boil, dump over chocolate.
3. Let sit for a few minutes, then whisk to incorporate.
4. Let cool on the counter, stirring occasionaly, to thicken it to an icing state.

Note: If the ganache looks a little separated (like it's oily), I add a splash of cold cream, and use an immersion blender to bring it back together. That's my trick, what's yours?

Assembly of the Cake

1. I try to level off the cake layers a little, but don't get rid of too much cake!
2. Pipe a thin (1/4"?) border of ganache on the top edge of the bottom layer, so that the caramel filling is contained once you spread it (it'll try to leak out if you don't!).
3. The caramel if left to cool completely will be VERY thick, nuke a small amount for 5-8 sec (seriously no more), and it'll be spreadable but still thick. Carefully, spread the caramel on the top of the bottom layer, trying not to pull up all the crumbs. Basically, just "encourage" the caramel to spread.
4. Place the second layer on top, and Ice the sides (you can find a how to video on youtube if you need one..) Don't ice the top of the cake.
5. Spread another round of caramel on the top, bringing it about 1/4-1/2 inch from the edge.
6. Pipe a border on the top, making sure to create a seal with the icing on the side of the cake, so that the caramel doesn't seep through (it'll try!). Pipe a border on the bottom too.

Voila!

When Jason is in charge of dinner...

it is very creative.

Open faced sandwich with jalepeno-almond crusted seared tofu, topped with a broccoli slaw omelette. Fire roasted jalepenos on the side.

Eat your heart out ladies

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Just made some Whole Wheat Pancakes last weekend, and then saw this article from Mark Bittman about Whole Grain Pancakes

The pancakes I made was a recipe adapted from this site by Scott Jensen (proper citing of course)

Here's my adapted recipe
Buttermilk Whole Wheat Pancakes

1.5 cups (350ml) buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons Oil (can be substituted with melted butter)
2 Teaspoons (10ml) Vanilla

1 cup (125g) whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp (40g) sugar
1/2 tsp (3g) baking soda
3/4 tsp (2g) baking powder (if you are not using whole wheat flour, use 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp (4g) salt
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)

Mix first four ingredients (wets) in a small bowl. Mix last 5 ingredients (dries) in a big bowl. Add wets, and mix only a bit. Distribute the liquid, but leave a lot of lumps. Batter will be thick!

Heat griddle/fry pan on med heat with oil or butter. Start with one pancake to test heat.

Batter is thick, so you'll need to encourage it a bit to take the shape of a circle. When bubbles start to pop on the wet surface, it's probably ready to flip. Fry up all the batter, any leftovers pancakes can be frozen and reheated in a toaster or toaster oven.Tips
1) Do NOT over mix batter

2) Don't get that gridle too hot!

3) if you want blueberry pancakes, add the berries to the wet side of the pancakes once they are on the griddle, it's easier and more uniform than adding 'em to the dough (I just sprinkle frozen blueberries on, no need to thaw!)

I eat with butter and maple syrup, but jam is also good. (Here they are pre-syrup)

Meatless Mondays!

So, have y'all heard of this website? I had of course heard of the concept of cutting meat out of the diet without going completely veg, and I had even heard of "Meatless Mondays", but didn't know there was a big website and movement!

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

I took the pledge to not eat meat on Mondays. I figured it would be a good commitment, although I think I'm already down to one serving of meat once every other week.

You in? Spread the word too :)

-Markell

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower

Yeah, yeah, we all love roasted veggies, especially brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Here's a slightly different way to spice things up.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts















Brussels Sprouts - cut in half
Chopped dried rosemary (let's say 1 tbsp for 1# of b.sprouts)
Lavender Salt (approx) 1-2 tsp for 1 # of b.sprouts
Olive Oil

Mix. Spread in a single layer (important so they are crispy!) and bake for around 20 min at 400 deg. (time varies depending on size of sprouts)


Roasted Cauliflower















One head of cauliflower - cut into florets (and dice the stalk)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Mix. Spread in a single layer and bake for about 30 min at 400 deg (Just watch for crispy edges, then you're done)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies come from America's Test Kitchen's The New Best Recipe Cookbook.

They are so popular, at work I would have to make twice as many chocolate chip cookies as any other cookie, in order to keep up with demand.

Not only do they taste great, but they couldn't be easier to mix up. You just need a bowl and a spoon. No mixer necessary!

If you don't want or need all the cookies, you can freeze the balls already scooped, and just let them sit out for 30 min or so and bake from cold. You can store dough in fridge too, but it won't keep as long.

NB. These cookies will be thick and chewy with a crispy edge. The trick is not overbaking them! Take out the first sheet early, to get a feel for your oven.

I won't tell your mom, you think these are better than hers, Chocolate Chip Cookies yield = 40-50 cookies (2 1/4" diameter)

8 oz (2 sticks = 1/2 cup) Butter, melted
8 oz (1 cup + 1 Tbsp) Brown Sugar
5 oz (1/2 cup + 2.5 Tbsp) Sugar

2 Yolks
1 Egg
2 tsp Vanilla extract
14 oz (2 1/2 cups) All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 t Salt

12 oz Chocolate Chips or Chunks (I prefer using chopped chocolate. Make sure you scrape all the chocolate dust in too!)

1. Melt butter in microwave safe mixing bowl.
2. Add sugars. Mix until butter is incorporated.
3. Add egg yolks, whole egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Mix dries (flour, baking soda, salt) together in separate container.
5. Add dries to wets, mix until almost all flour disappears.
6. Add chopped chocolate (or chips). Mix until well distributed.
7. Scoop BEFORE chilling dough, it's much easier. I make 1 1/4" balls.
8. Chill scooped dough overnight or for an hour - or bake immediately.. (the cookies will just be thinner though)
9. Bake cookies, 350 deg, for about 12-13 min. Rotate 180 and switch racks (top to bottom) at the 9 min mark.

Enjoy!

Need some fresh recipes?

Hey y'all!

just wanted to post this link to one of my favorite cooking blogs. It's a great way to find a new recipe for a vegetable you're running out of ways to cook :)

101 Cookbooks

The Food Movement, Rising

"The Food Movement, Rising" by Michael Pollan

Although Marion Nestle just wrote about this on her Food Politics site, I wanted to include a link to it here!

I have just started to read his essay covering a 5 book review that MP wrote for the New York Times Review of Books.

Worth checking out the press coverage the Food Revolution is getting!

Markell

Au Goût Dujour

A few weeks ago, a friend had her family in town, and I was invited to join them for dinner. The only catch was that I had to pick the place. I quickly consulted one of my favorite blogs, even more so now that I live in Paris, David Lebovtiz's Blog. Filled with great recipes, fantastic recommendations and very colorful stories, I check it often, trolling the archives for tips for living in Paris. I found a recommendation for a great value restaurant, actually a cut and paste list David made from other people and their recommendations. I called the restaurant, Au Goût Dujour, to see if they could take a last minute table for four on a Friday night, and the friendly woman said no problem. I met my dinning companions for a pre-dinner treat at Pierre Hermé (had to show them the macarons...) and we made our way over to the 15e for dinner, walking towards the restaurant, we could see the Eiffel Tower not to far away, already glowing.

We arrived at the restaurant, a crisp decor, but still warm and welcoming, and after ordering a bottle of wine, we were presented with a little ramekin of purple olives with olive oil and herbs. We tasted cumin and fennel, unique and delicious. The one and only waitress brought over the ardoise, the chalkboard menu, and propped it up against the window at our table. I translated the dishes as best as I could, filling in the blanks, by asking the waitress. The cuisine is French. Neither the hearty heavy country food, nor the light, leaving you still hungry,over refined gastro fare, but a pleasant melange of the two. We ate traditional dishes, showcases some fine spring produce, but we left not feeling stuffed or weighed down by choucroute for example. I enjoyed a poached egg, over roasted peppers, with a small arugula salad, followed by Saucisse de Morteau, a fresh pork sausage, over lentils de Puy and a dollop of creme fraîche. Everything was exceptional though, from the chilled pea soup with cantal cream, to the sauteed mackarel, the terrine de campagne and the cod over ratatouille. We had to order a few desserts, and the winner by a landslide was the pistachio cream with a strawberry compote, and a sablé (buttery shortbread cookie). That plate was seconds away from being licked, but we remembered our manners.

I enjoyed this place so much, I came back with another group of out of towners for another fantastic meal. To top it all off, this place is really a true deal. Two courses are 18 euros. Yes, they have a few supplements if you order the fillet de beouf, but all in all this place is shockingly reasonable for the quality of food and decor. Perhaps that's why you have to trek all the way there, but you can walk to the Eiffel Tower after your meal, to watch it sparkle at midnight. (Or on the top of any hour after sunset, until 1am).

I keep checking David Lebovitz's blog, and was surprised to find this entry last week. 15 Things I'd Miss about Paris If I Moved Away. Not really a surprise, since it's right up his alley in terms of writing style, but because I inspired the post! I was at his book signing a few weeks ago, and after he opened up the floor to questions, he caught us all off guard by forbidding two questions. I quickly racked my brain, we had to ask him something! I know the crowd enjoyed his reading, and are all huge fans, and we need to show some respect and ask him something. I quickly thought of a question, raised my hand, then asked him "You say you don't know when you'll move away, but if you ever do move away from Paris, what would be somethings you'd miss, expected or unexpected?'' I guess I caught him off guard too, since he said, "that's a really good question", paused for a bit, then said, well he'd of course miss the boulangeries. It's really hard to top having good bread on almost every corner. He also mentioned he'd miss the french sense of humor, and that they really are nice people. I was really glad to see him expound on this list, and get a shout out..even if he didn't say my name.

Au Goût Dujour
12, rue Beaugrenelle
Paris 75015
Metro: Charles Michels
01 45 71 68 36

An Ode to Mâche

There are times I wish I had paid more attention in High School English, perhaps I would then be able to write an ode to mâche. In the US, you might catch a reference to mâche on a French menu, or from Martha Stewart but here in France it is everywhere - even the discount grocery store. It is eaten throughout the winter, until the more delicate spring greens are available. I am seeing it less and less as the summer approaches. Although I appreciate the respect for seasonality here, I do want to get my fill of mâche before heading back to SF. Mâche grows in tiny clusters, which are preserved during the picking, sometimes you'll even see roots! The tear drop shape is also reminiscent of lamb's ears and it is sometimes called "lambs lettuce" in English. The taste is mild, reminding me of spinach but not as chalky. The crispy stems combined with the tender leaves makes a perfect salad, with only a mustard vinaigrette as an enhancer. I'll bring a container for a picnic with the dressing on the bottom (whole grain mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper) then mâche on top, and just mix it there to prevent the leaves from getting to wilted.

Although thought of as just a salad green, I wanted to see what else it could do. Turns out it wilts nicely, just like spinach, and you can throw it in at the end of any dish. The other month, when cheap favas were abundant at the market, I did a fava bean and mâche risotto. Or even with some scrambeled eggs, instead of spinach. If you can get your hands on some while it's still available, let me know what you do with it!

La Boulangerie - A Birthday Dinner

I had a dear friend in town in April, and lucky for me, she was here for my birthday. She treated me to a delicious dinner at La Boulangerie. Now, it's not a bakery, rather a petit restaurant in a space that was formerly a bakery. We were recommended this place by some friends, and it was as good as they promised. I liked the space, the typical mirrors, chalkboards (ardoise) with wine offerings, even a list of whiskies - I'll have to go back for those again, and a whole assortment of diners. We enjoyed seeing a table with two families sitting at it, their kids enjoying dishes clearly not off a child's menu. Come to think of it, there was no kiddie menu, but those children enjoyed their steamed salmon or seared veal just the same.


Pictured above was one of our entrées, remember that 'entrée' means entrance, that is the first course not the main course that it somehow was assigned to describe in the US. My dining companion ordered the terrine de lapin as pictured, and it was fantastic. I am always a fan of rabbit, and I predict that will be something I miss when I move away. Rabbit is very common here in France, and to me, somewhere between pork and duck in flavor. It isn't quite as gamy as duck to me, but nice and deep in flavor at the same time. The black line in the terrine was a layer of black olives, and the terrine was served atop some caramelized jus, and was a nice twist on the traditional terrine de lapin. I enjoyed beef carpaccio with a parmesan tuile crisp, on a bed of warm olive oil risotto. The carpaccio seemed to melt in my mouth, complimented only by some sea salt and delicious olive oil. I enjoyed the simplicity of the dish, and it illustrated one of my basic principals and pieces of advice; the simpler the dish, and the fewer ingredients you use, the higher quality they need to be. A dish doesn't need to have that many elements to really impress your palate, often the clarity of the elements speaks louder to me than a complex thirty component dish. But maybe that's me.

For our plats principaux, I had onglet de veau (veal hanger steak), served with an herbed potato cake, and an olive infused jus. My friend had beautiful Scottish salmon with white asparagus and salmon cream. Both dishes were really quite superb. Both the veal and the salmon were nicely cooked, and the accompanying sauces had bold flavors which complemented the mild flavor of the main component. As always, I enjoyed the white asparagus, a real spring treat here in Europe, unfortunately also not cultivated very frequently state side.

Finally for dessert, I just had to order the rhubarb compote with fromage frais mousse, and we ordered the citrus cream and cake with raspberry coulis as well. Both were light, intense and bright in flavor, of course due to the tang from the rhubarb or citrus and raspberries. I adored my dessert, I really am a sucker for rhubarb, reminding me of all the goodies my grandmother used to make. It was always a treat to be at the farm during rhubarb season, my cousin would go gather some fresh rhubarb, and my grandma, sisters, with whomever else was around, and I would whip up some rhubarb pie, rhubarb bars, and well, many other combinations of rhubarb and dough. Back to the dessert at hand though, the rhubarb compote was perfect, cooked down rhubarb with only enough sugar to make it palatable, but still wonderfully tart. The fromage frais mousse was so wonderfully creamy, as in tasting of cream, but light and a beautiful balance to the rhubarb.

The meal was a fantastic birthday treat, really all I can ask for, lovely food, with a lovely friend, and in a lovely city.


La Boulangerie
15 rue des Panoyaux
Paris 75020
metro: Ménilmontant
01 43 58 45 45

Still here!

Well, I am still alive and well in Paris, although a bit behind on blogging. I figured I'd upload a few pictures, since that is quite easy, and start catching up this weekend. We have a three day weekend (on fait le pont), and I'll try to catch up with posts on my birthday here in Paris, my trip to Berlin, and my trip to Nashville. I have some white asparagus in the fridge, so maybe even a post about whatever I make with those!

This is Pierre Herme's Ispahan Croissant. Ispahan is his combination of Rose, Litchi and Raspberry, and I am just in love with it. This was the last one they had one day (I figure the more symetrical ones sold first), so I snatched it up and took it home, again excerising patience I didn't realize I had. You gotta bring it home to take a picture of it! This combination is simply divine, and in every incarnation of it I have adored it. Macaron, croissant, mille feuille... delicieux!


So these were an attempt at the very very popular Chocolate Chip Cookie I used to serve at work, but alas, even with imported brown sugar (thanks sis), they didn't turn out quite right. Luckily the high quality chocolate saved them, but between eyeing the measurements, and baking them in an oven that burns the bottom of almost everything, they came out just on the side of edible. I have some more brown sugar, so I'll have to try again.

The other day, I saw these beautiful eggplant at the grocery store! I didn't even have to go to the market to spot these beauties. I sauteed them, and served them with some tarragon and pasta, it was an unusual combo, but it worked!

Churros in Paris

There is the most adorable man at the Marché Bastille, who makes fresh churros. So fresh, they couldn't be any fresher! We walked by the stand, barely noticing it, but the smell brought us back, as well as seeing some happy customers munching away on a batch. So we turned around and headed back, this will be worth it.

There were a few people ahead of us, always a good sign for anything food related I've found, and waiting gave us time to watch and learn. He had a few churros on the display table, but we quickly realized those were display only, as he wouldn't serve any churros older than 20 seconds. He seemed to recognized some regulars, and started frying up an order. One order at a time. maybe two at a time. A bag of 6 churros for 2 Euros and a bag of 3 for 1 Euro. You can't beat that. Plus these churros were at least a foot long.

By the time we step up to order, he turns to us and tells us that it'll be five minutes since he has to make more batter. Again, the waiting turned out to be a valuable learning experience as we saw how he made it. Churros use a dough very similar to choux paste, the dough used for eclairs, cream puffs, gougeres,etc.. He had a big bowl in which he mixed the flour, butter, water, eggs and some vanilla, the steam rising up and fogging his glasses. He reloaded the press which he mounted above the filled-to-the-brim vat of oil the churros would be fried in. He pressed out a batch for us, and before we knew it, he was rolling them in sugar, and passing them to us. I ordered a Cannellé too, since I am a huge fan of them and they looked very good. (They are the tiny brown cake pictured below, look kind of like a castle tower..).

We started to walk off, but dug in immediately, and those churros were amazing. I wouldn't even attempt to say I am an expert, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find better ones. Crispy, not greasy, and perfectly hot and sugared, they disappeared quickly! I might have to go back this weekend and check it out again. And the Cannellé had the right texture (in my opinion), and the hint of lemon was nice, but I prefer the classic vanilla bean and rum combination.

Marché Bastille
boulevard Richard-Lenoir
between rues Amelot et Saint-Sabin
Thursday 7 - 2:30
Sunday 7 - 3



photos courtesy of my friend Val, on her visit to Paris

you know you're in france when...

you make mayonnaise for a sandwich and your flatmate doesn't even blink

La Cave de l'Os à Moelle

Some people pull band-aids off slowly, and some rip it off in one go. If you are in the latter group, consider this the place to go for an induction in French food. Now I realize that this analogy is horrible considering band-aid removal in either scenario is entirely unpleasant and this restaurant is exactly the opposite. I only wish to convey how many different dishes you get to enjoy in one go! And lordy, they should give you a warning, "don't eat like an American here!" There are just so many dishes you want to try, and a little goes a long way.

I had this place dog eared in my trusty Edible Adventures in Paris book, but it jumped to the top of the list after a classmate recommended it AND I had some friends in town to test it out with. What makes this place special is you pick out your bottle of wine from the wall and pay wine store prices, without the restaurant markup or a corkage fee. Waiting on the table for you is a enormous assortment of starters. A big bowl of rillettes, two terrines, three different shredded salads; carrot, celeriac and beet, a beautiful platter of crudités with some housemade mayonnaise. Now I have only been here two months, but I already know that these dishes do not a meal make. These are clearly the 'entrées' by the original French meaning. I mention this to the Canadian couple next to us, and they look wide eyed at me "What?! There's more food?!" I tell them "Of course! There is the main course too, these are just the starters that they put on the table for us".

I should further explain at this point that this restaurant is called a "table d'hôte" because it is a family style joint. We made a reservation, but we are seated with other people at large tables filled with the entrees. You serve yourself the soup from the adorable stove squished in the corner, followed by the main course, also on the stove, then cheese, then dessert, lots of dessert. Now, by no means does this feel like a cafeteria, if anything it feels like you are in someone's home and they had 20 people over for dinner, squeezed you into a few tables and had you serve yourself. Sound familiar?

The soup was a fantastic cream of mushroom and artichoke, smooth but not heavy, and just wonderful with the basket of bread that we refilled by slicing our own. Following the soup, we spooned some rice cooked with herbs and dried tomatoes (these aren't your chewy sweet sun dried tomatoes, but rather real tomatoes, roasted with some herbs and garlic) and ladled the braised pork with olives on top. So fantastically flavorful but not heavy which was impressive and a bit of a relief considering how much rillettes we ate.

We served ourselves a few slices of cheese, from a selection of goat cheeses, of which we enjoyed 3 of the 4. Having eaten so much cheese the night before, we didn't go crazy with this course. Finally, we had dessert, and although we didn't even have room, we had to try it all. For research of course. There was over fifteen desserts, I kid you not. Four or five types of pound cakes, a cherry clafoutis, fromage blanc with berries, port stewed prunes with walnuts, baked apple crisp, creme caramel, rice pudding, three types of pot de creme; chocolate, coffee and lemon, and the classic îles flotantes, just to name a few. Ironically, the stand out for me was the stewed prunes. Sexy I know, but they were delicious! The pots de creme were a favorite of my dining companions although they weren't velvety enough for me...perhaps they used too much milk in the recipe and not enough cream.We only put away one bottle of wine, and would have definitely cracked open another had we not been kicked out. Well, we weren't kicked out exactly, but the only negative thing I have to say about this place is that there are two seatings. You either eat at 7:30 and have to leave at 9:30 or eat at 9:30 and see what food they have left! We went with the earlier seating, but considering the crowd of people waiting for us to leave, looks like there are plenty of (french) people who have no problem eating at 9:30.

The crisp air was a nice digestif as we walked home, and even after a 5 day eating adventure in Paris, this could be crowned the highlight. Did I mention there was a seemingly bottomless pot of cornichons on the table? I think I found my heaven.
La Cave de l'Os à Moelle
181 rue de Lourmel
Paris, 75015
metro: Lourmel
01 45 57 28 28