Christmas treats and spirits

Over Christmas I visited my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While I was there I made a few fires in my Grandparents fireplace. I also made cocktails with my uncle, and I received a chocolate and confections cookbook. 

Every night I made a fire with my grandpa and on the last night I made a extra big fire to roast some marshmallows. My papa said that the marshmallow I roasted for him was the best marshmallow he had every had. The outside was finished with a lovely honey color.

Also on the last night I made a really yummy cock-tail with my Uncle Paul. The grownups said it was amazing. It was called an Elderflower Martini, made with St. Germaine Liquore. 

My Aunt Jen got me a really cool cookbook named Chocolates And Confections from the Culinary Institute of America. For New Years Eve my mom and I are going to make a dessert from the book that has chocolate Fondant covered with a mint filling. This dessert is named Mint Patties. We will post the recipe and pictures after we make it.

Mint Patties

Some of the mint patties

For New Years Eve dinner my mom and me made a dessert that was named (Mint Patties). The recipe is from the cookbook Chocolates and Confections. It was our first attempt at making candy. Here's the recipe:

12 oz Fondant
20 mint leaves
1/8 tsp mint extract
12 oz Dark Chocolate, melted, tempered, or dark compound coating, melted


1. Combine the fondant and mint leaves in a food processor and process until the fondant is nearly a uniform green, 3 to 4 minutes
2. Put the fondant in a bowl and place over a hot water bath. Heat the fondant until it reaches 160 degrees fearenhight. Stir in the extract if you want a stronger flavor than the leaves alone provide.
3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Warm a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Pour the fondant into the warm cup.
4. Pour the hot fondant out of the cup onto parchment paper in small disks,about one and a half inches in diameter.
5. Allow the fondant disks to set about 15 minutes.
6. Release from the parchment. If they are left uncoated, they should be stored in a airtight container.
7. If desired, coat the patties in the chocolate or compound coating.

Christmas treats and spirits

Another pick of my studying my uncle

A Marshmellow that I roasted over one of the fires I made

Time to study how my uncle pours a
yummy cocktail for the grownups

One of the fires I made at my grandparents house

Over Christmas I visited my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While I was there I made a few fires in my Grandparents fireplace. I also made cocktails with my uncle, and I received a chocolate and confections cookbook.

Every night I made a fire with my grandpa and on the last night I made a extra big fire to roast some marshmallows. My papa said that the marshmallow I roasted for him was the best marshmallow he had every had. The outside was finished with a lovely honey color.

Also on the last night I made a really yummy cock-tail with my Uncle Paul. The grownups said it was amazing. It was called an Elderflower Martini, made with St. Germaine Liquore.

My Aunt Jen got me a really cool cookbook named Chocolates And Confections from the Culinary Institute of America. For New Years Eve my mom and I are going to make a dessert from the book that has chocolate Fondant covered with a mint filling. This dessert is named Mint Patties. We will post the recipe and pictures after we make it.

As 2010 was coming to an end I got interested in making candy and chocolate. With this new cookbook I got this year I will be able to post more about candy making and chocolate molds.

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

While my family was in town for Thanksgiving my uncle made a really yummy apple tarte tatin. I've been having trouble attaching the link so just go to the blog Smitten Kitchen then search for the recipe molly's apple tarte tatin. Good Luck. Hope you find it. It's worth the search!

Piet's Favorite Cookbooks

I thought I would post about some cookbooks I really like which are family friendly. Here they are:

1. Ice Cream & Sorbet (Lou Seibert Pappas)Chronicle Books.
2. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book byBen Cohen & Jerry Greenfiled with Nancy J.Steven; Workman Books
3. The Kids Cookbook - Williams Sonoma; Oxmoor House
4. The Family Kitchen by Debra Ponzek; Potter Books
5. The Best of Chef At Home by Chef Michael Smith; Whitecap Books
6. Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-In- Your Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich; Artisan books
7. Weber's Big Book of Grilling by McRae Purviance; Chronicle Books.
8. The Kids' Kitchen by Amanda Grant; Mitchell Beazley

Holiday party 2010

Yesterday my dad hosted a holiday party for his staff from work. I thought I would post some pictures of all of the yummy food we had with my dad's friends. One of my dad's friends brought a healthy serving of pigs in a blanket - they are some mini hot dogs wrapped in dough then baked to perfection. It was one of the favorite things served at the party. My dad made a Porketta and my mom made a really yummy Squash and Mushroom Lasagna. The Porketta was so tender, it melted in your mouth. We also had many varieties of desserts. One of the desserts was called Oreoballs. Here are some pictures of some of the things we had.