Sandra‘s Closet

WOMANITY
Sea bream tartare, hazelnuts and grapefruit zest,
cocoa bean mousseline, caviar de France

Fig chutney juice

Makes 4 hors d’oeuvre

Preparation time: 20 min.

Cooking time: 20 to 25 min. (not including the preparation of the mousseline and chutney to be done the day before)

Cocoa bean mousseline

• 200g (1 cup) of fresh beans (or 150g (3/4 cup) of dried beans)
• 80g (1/5 lb) of French country ham
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 small branch of celery
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 quart of poultry bouillon (otherwise, water)
• 20g (1/10 cup) of duck fat
• 20ml (1.1/3 tbsp) of liquid cream
• 2ml (1/2 tsp) of olive oil
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

If the beans are dried, soak them in a large bowl, covering well with water and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Dice the ham and chop the carrot, onion, garlic clove and celery into large pieces. In a cast iron crockpot, fry these ingredients in the duck fat.

When the mixture is slightly browned, add the beans, bouquet garni and pour in the poultry bouillon (Do not add salt or pepper as this toughens the skin of the bean).

Let cook: 20 minutes for fresh beans, 40 minutes for dried beans.

Once the beans are cooked, season with salt and Espelette pepper and let cool.

Separate the beans from the rest of the garnish and blend them in a mixer with two tablespoons of natural stock.

Sift the mixture into a fine puree.

Add the cream and olive oil, season with salt and Espelette pepper.

Sea bream tartare

• 200g (7oz) of sea bream
• Grapefruit zest
• Juice from 1/4 of a grapefruit
• 20g (1/10 cup) of hazelnuts
• 5ml (1tsp) of olive oil
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Coarsely chop the flesh of the sea bream with a knife, then season with salt and Espelette pepper in a small bowl.

Add the olive oil, crushed hazelnuts, zest and grapefruit juice according to taste and mix gently.

The little extra: fig chutney

• 350g (2.1/4 cups) of fresh black figs
• 175g (1 cup) of dried figs
• 100g (1/2 cup) of white wine vinegar
• 150g (2/3 cup) of Montbazillac wine
• 100g (1/2 cup)  of granulated sugar
• 100g  (1/3 cup)  of mountain honey
• 1g (1/2 tsp) of crushed bell pepper
• 2g (4/5 tsp) of ground cinnamon
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Orange zest

Cut the fresh figs into 8 sections and cut dried figs into large pieces.

Mix the fresh figs, sugar and lemon juice, then let macerate one hour.

In a separate bowl, combine the dried figs and wine.

Bring the vinegar and honey to a simmer in a pan and reduce by half.

Add in the spices, wine, zest, dried figs and macerated fresh figs.

Bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes and let cool.

Tip from the Chef: It is always better to prepare a chutney about two weeks before serving to allow the spices and fragrances to develop.

Presentation

• 12g (3 tsp) of French caviar
• Borage leaves (optional)

Cut out four quenelles of sea bream tartare with a pastry cutter and display them on four small plates.

Place 3g (4/5 tsp) of caviar on each quenelle and add a piece of silver leaf and a few borage leaves as decoration.

Add a wisp of green bean mousseline.

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

LoL, Sandra

ANGEL

Sautéed duck breast in a pink praline crust,
beets, turnips and raspberries, beet and citrus sauce

Intense Mexican mole sauce

Serves 4

Preparation time: 45 min.

Cooking time: 7 to 8 min. (cooling time: 5 min.)

Duck breast

• 4 duck breasts
• 100g (1cup) of pink pralines
• 50g (1/5 cup) of duck fat
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Cut the skin of the duck breasts very thin with a small knife, taking care not to cut the fat all the way through to the meat.

Crush the pralines by wrapping them in a towel. Use the bottom of a heavy pot to crush them so that the pralines “burst”.

Season the duck breasts with salt and Espelette pepper. Place them in a very hot pan, skin side down, in a small amount of duck fat.

Cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes to sear the fat, which will melt.

Remove pan from heat and remove the separated fat from the pan, turning the duck breasts over to the meat side. Finish cooking them for 3 minutes in an oven preheated to 350° F (180°C).

Remove from the oven and take the duck breasts out of the pan. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Finally, dip the skin side of the duck breasts in the crushed pralines and continue to sauté the “skin and pralines side” for 2 minutes in a very hot pan.

Garnish

• 1 bunch of red beets
• 1 bunch of yellow beets
• 1 bunch of new turnips
• 50g (1/5 cup) of butter
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Peel the beets and turnips. Boil them separately in salted water.

Just before serving the dish, melt some butter in a pan and roll the beets and turnips in it to glaze them.

Beet sauce

• 250g (1/2lb) of beets
• Lemon zest cut with a peeler
• Grapefruit zest cut with a peeler
• Orange zest cut with a peeler

Use a juicer to extract beet juice. Pour it into a small saucepan with the citrus zest.

Reduce the sauce by ¾ over gentle heat until it becomes syrupy.

The little extra: mole sauce

• 25cl ( 1 cup) of the cooking juice from poultry
• 25g (1.1/3 tbsp) of Mexican mole paste (otherwise, bitter cocoa paste)
• Raspberry vinegar
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Melt the mole paste in a small pan, pour in the cooking juice and reduce by 1/3.

Season with salt and Espelette pepper and add a few drops of raspberry vinegar.

Presentation:

• 30g (1/3 cup) of beet sprouts
• 50g (1/2 cup) of raspberries

Cut each duck breast into 3 pieces and set them out on 4 plates.

Display the beets, turnips and a few raspberries on a serving plate, then pour a thin line of beet juice over the vegetables and top with beet sprouts.

Taste as is at first, then add the mole sauce.
Bon appétit!

LoL, Sandra

Thierry Mugler continues to overstep the boundaries of traditional perfume-making with his exceptional and legendary perfumes to launch more of his extraordinary creations. By venturing into unexplored territory, he appears where he is least expected.

The idea: experimenting beyond the innovative production processes
to create breathtaking perfumes.

The challenge: alter the structure without distorting the nature
of the four iconic fragrances by Thierry Mugler.

With the 2009 introduction of ‘Liqueurs de Parfum’, he drew on the ancestral know-how of winemakers to age his fragrances in wooden casks.

This year, Thierry Mugler Parfums continues to experiment, focusing its research on one of the senses showcased with its very first creation: taste.

With the 1992 release of Angel, Thierry Mugler invented a new olfactory family of “Oriental – Gourmand” fragrances, based on a “delicious” facet featuring red berries and praline notes.

In 2010, he repeated the experience with Womanity, creating the very first “Sweet – Savory” fragrance, which utilizes an exclusive molecular extraction process to achieve the fig and caviar accords.

An unforgettable experience… Today, Thierry Mugler invites perfume lovers on a journey of fragrances and flavors with his new collection: the Taste of Fragrance.

With the ‘Taste of Fragrance’, the precursor of Haute Gourmand Perfumery is guilty of twisting fragrances, offering the rediscovery of Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men through their fantasized flavors.

Thierry Mugler allowed the perfumers full freedom, challenging them to broaden their palettes of ingredients and introducing into each composition a “taste enhancer”.

An explosive collection of four gourmand fragrances,
with superbly concocted notes that will nearly make your mouth water…

Angel More Gourmand Than Gourmand (CHF 99)
– spiked with cocoa powder for a sweet and angelic scent.

Alien Carnal Sensuality (CHF 85)
– floral notes added with wood, amber and salted butter caramel for a sensual-sophisticated scent.

Womanity Sweet Femininity With A Savory Kick (CHF 109)
– sweet notes added with fig chutney which creates a feminine scent.

A*Men Spicy Instinct (CHF 105)
– enhanced with red pepper to bring out contrasting scents making a powerful fragrance.

All four limited editions are available now.

Taking this exercise in style a step further and establishing a genuine parallel between Haute Cuisine and Haute Perfumery, Thierry Mugler Parfums called on Hélène Darroze, one of the leading Michelin-starred French Chefs, to invent four recipes inspired by the new interpretations of these four fragrances.

Four sensory dishes for a ‘Taste of Fragrance’  MUGLERIAN dinner to be published on Sandra’s Closet during the next days. Probably an inspiration for your holiday feast…

LoL, Sandra

For my Swiss based readers, some good news: There has never been a better time to shop Christmas treats than now at Globus. There’s only nine weeks to go until the most wonderful time of the year and the Swiss department store  is tempting us with sweet treats and magical decorations. Knitted Christmas ornaments and beautiful vintage details are bringing alpine charm to your living room. Vienna with its famous icons Mozart and Princess Sissi has served as a huge inspiration. Enjoy the photos that I took during the press preview in the showroom.

Shop the finest fare from the famous Globus Food Halls with yummy delicacies from Austria and other countries.

I love the Austrian chocolatier Bachhalm. They make the most amazing creations with dark chocolat. My favourite one is with rose petals.

With the festive season just around the corner, I am already in the mood for decorating. And with a Pucci oufit from the F/W 2011 collection, you will perfectly match your Christmas decoration.

See you at Globus!

LoL, Sandra

Recently I came across the work of Swedish photographer Linus Morales. His “Fabfood” is really fun, my favourites are the Chanel sausages (no wonder being a German girl).

The Fabfood prints are available for sale. In edition of 100 c type prints (84.1 x 59.4 cm) signed and numbered by the artist, for 100£ plus shipping. If your interested in a print or have any questions, please contact the artist via e-mail .

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Linus Morales