The Taste of Fragrance: Alien

Alien

ALIEN

Tonka bean ice cream, “Clafoutis” cookie, half-candied pink grapefruit

Salted butter caramel

R_Alien

Serves 4

Preparation time: 2 hours (including the ice cream and the vanilla infusion)

Cooking time: 30 min.


Ice cream

  • 2dl (6/7 cup) of milk
  • 40g (1/3 cup) of liquid cream
  • ½ vanilla bean
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 20g (1/10 cup) of sugar

In a saucepan, boil the milk, cream and vanilla bean sliced in half lengthwise. Set aside and cover. Let infuse for one hour.

Combine egg yolks and sugar and beat until the mixture turns white.

Add the infused milk and cream then cook over gentle heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture coats the spatula.

Let cool, process in a blender and leave in the freezer.


Almond crumble

  • 125g (3/5 cup) of sugar
  • 125g (1.1/4 cup) of flour
  • 125g (1/2 cup) of butter

Mix the sugar and flour then fold in the softened butter.

Let sit before crumbling the dough into small irregular pieces.

Set them out on a non-stick oven tray and cook for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 325°F (160°C).


“Clafoutis” cookie

  • 70g (1/3 cup) of butter
  • 100g (1 cup) of almond powder
  • 100g (3/4 cup) of powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 15g (1/6 cup) of flour
  • 80g (2/3 cup) of liquid cream

Blend the softened butter and almond powder.

Add the powdered sugar, then egg, then flour and finally the liquid cream (an egg beater can be used) and let sit for one hour.

Pour the mixture into small non-stick tartlet molds and cook for 6 minutes in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C).

Place a small amount of the crumble on each “Clafoutis” cookie and continue cooking in the oven for another 5 minutes.


The little extra: “salted butter” caramel with grapefruit

  • 200g (1 cup) of sugar
  • 10g (2/3 tbsp) of salted butter
  • 80g (1/3 cup) grapefruit juice

Pour the sugar into a pan and melt until caramelized.

Deglaze with the butter.

Add the grapefruit juice.

Reduce until the mixture becomes syrupy.


Presentation

  • 1 Tonka bean
  • 2 pink grapefruits cut into supremes

Position the ‘Clafoutis’ cookie in the middle of the plate and place a dollop of ice cream on top of it.

Grate the Tonka bean (as if it was nutmeg).

Set two grapefruit supremes on the side.


Taste as is at first, then top with a thin line of caramel.
Bon appétit!

LoL, Sandra

Advent Calendar Day 20

Fashion Calendars

Accessorize your wall or your desk with a gorgeous fashion calendar for 2012. Choose from fashion illustrations, fashion photography, shoes and purses. There is something for every taste!

Cal1

The Shopaholic’s Desk Calendar: Bo Derek once said, “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.”

The Shopaholic’s Daily Calendar 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar offers lots of ideas, presenting readers with top shopping sites on the Web as well as tips on shopping anywhere from the mall to the flea market, from a designer boutique to eBay. Add in advice from celebrity stylists, quotes and tips from designers, ways to be a smarter shopper, and the latest in shopping technology, and this calendar belongs on every shopaholic’s to-buy list.

 

Cal2

High Style Wall Calendar: Everyone is head-over-heels for shoes! High Style 2012 celebrates unforgettable heels from the Bata Shoe Museum, North America’s unique shoe museum. With spacious grids that include international holidays and moon phases along side some of the most outrageous styles ever, this twelve month calendar is overloaded with images of knockout shoes.

There are sections at the back of the calendar for emergency contact information and birthdays/anniversaries and a full-page 3-year at-a-glance. A must-have calendar for any shoe or fashion lover.

 

Cal1aa

Handbags Gallery Desk Calendar: The calendar that makes handbag lovers swoon. Here are hundreds of distinctive purses, clutches, pochettes, totes, and satchels, every one beautifully photographed in full color.

Also available as Shoes Gallery Desk Calendar.

 

Cal4

Vogue 2012 Wall Calendar celebrates women with the joie de vivre of late 1920s vintage covers from legendary illustrators such as William Bolin, Garcia Benito, and Georges Lepape.

Vogue epitomizes style, glamour, and everything that keeps the fashion world beautiful and exciting, making Vogue 2012 Wall Calendar the perfect gift for any fashionista, design fan, or vintage-style lover.

Cal5

Barbie Wall Calendar: The 2012 Barbie™ calendar presents beautiful Barbie® dolls modeling stylish designs by Robert Best, showcasing his elegant haute couture creations.

Featuring elegant daywear and stunning evening gowns, this Barbie™ collection is a dream-come-true for any girl of any age!

LoL, Sandra