Recipe: Rosemary Pots aux Chocolat

I have a rosemary bush in the garden that is as tall as me ... what to do with all this rosemary?! while a Fall herb, it can be nice and refreshing when mixed with lemon and ... dare I say chocolate? :O) of course I dare.

juice 1/2 fresh lemon
100 gram sugar
120 ml white wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
75 gram dark chocolate
250 ml cream

Heat lemon juice, wine and sugar in pan until sugar dissolves.
Strip rosemary leaves and add with finely grated chocolate to mixture.
Add cream and bring to gentle boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
Stir mixture together, remove from heat, strain rosemary leaves.
pour into 6 small glasses, let cool, gently chill.

Recipe: White Chocolate Lavender Truffles

the white chocolate melts in your mouth and then you get this lovely lavender taste ...
wonderfully delicious!!

200 gram white chocolate

100 gram creme fraiche

50 gram butter

3-5 shoots fresh lavender from garden

melt the butter and white chocolate, add the lavender.

let infuse for one hour away from heat.

reheat the mass and gently add creme fraiche.

let drip out of a sieve into a bowl.

press the remaining chocolate out of sieve, crushing lavender in process.

when cool, form into balls with small scoop - size of truffle, or roll in hands.

serve cool but not chilled.

WOW! voted Top9 in foodbuzz on July 27th 2009.

Thanks to all! :O) Katrin

dripping wet but happy - back from Niagara

it has been too long, and probably never, that i took a vacation and wrote nothing. actually writing nothing for two weeks! twitter does not count. fingers must be kept lubricated other than by covering squirming children with sunscreen or with bbq sauce. so after two years and another squirming child to entertain, we retravelled niagara and i revisited some of my past lovers - jackson triggs and walter pelham - made a new lover - lailey - and felt utterly relaxed and happy to be be away but in familiar waters. jet lag means i am still awake and i hear through the stillness of the house the movement of children also awake in the middle of the night. we went for groceries this evening - after a few hours stolen sleep as the washing machine ran and the kitchen became an obstacle course of open and half empty suitcases. we walked through the german store speaking english ... i gave in to a frozen pizza but not ice cream ... and when we returned i held a heavy bottle of golden coloured chardonnay, covered in condensation, in my hand. I poured a glass and thought of the hot sunshine of a very few days previous, of old friends and new, of laughing and enjoying so many flavours of summer - of the tang of new wines on my tongue, of the smell of asparagus and chocolate, rich peppery steaks and grilled peppers lingering in the back of my mouth ... this was all just a few days and hours ago - and I was very sad. ciao for now - katrin

almost packed

and now I can't find the travellers checks ... hmmm. well, we got a great rate rom the Delta Chelsea in Toronto and now we're almost ready to sit back and relaaaaaaaax. oh I cannot wait for the Niagara foods & wines as they can ONLY be prepared in SW Ontario to grace my lips! heaven. you really MUST go to that place. Don't order it in. Go. Enjoy it where it grows, where it is at home. The S&L of food. Seasonal & Local. ... wait a moment ... why is the hamster not in his cage ... ?! see you in two weeks - Katrin