Monday, December 31, 2012

Ring in 2013 - Chez Daniel Style


In France, New Year's Eve, known as la Saint-Sylvestre, is generally celebrated with a feast. Here at Chez Daniel  we felt that our New Year's Eve celebration should be no different.


Tonight, Monday, December 31st, Chez Daniel will again be offering our famous Prime Rib feast for just $35. We'll also have a King Crab Legs Dinner for $42 as well as a Fresh Lobster Tail Dinner for $45. All of the specials will come with starch and veg du jour along with our house salad and freshly baked bread.

For a broader selection, our full dinner menu will also be available. Accompany your feast with a bottle from our hand-picked selection of choice sparkling and traditional wines, and let Chez Daniel be your New Year's Eve dining destination.

Should you choose to make a night of it, our convenient location within the Embassy Suites Bloomington West hotel means you're in close proximity to one of the best lodging options in the city! Plus, if you stay over, you get to take advantage of the nightly manager's reception, offering free cocktails and snacks to hotel guests as well as our complimentary cooked to order breakfast on New Year's Day!

Dinner service runs from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and dining reservations may be made online at Open Table or by calling Chez Daniel at 952-888-4447.

To make a reservation with the hotel, please CLICK HERE.

Please note, Chez Daniel will be closed on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 to celebrate New Year's Day.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Bûche de Noël

REPOST - This post originally appeared last holiday season. 

The Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log, is a traditional French treat that is served at Christmastime. As you can see, the sweet interpretation of the Yule Log is taken quite literally, in that it is baked and decorated to look specifically like a log for the fire.

Dating back to ancient festivals, the Yule Log tradition was handed down from the ancient fire-festival of the Winter Solstice. Nowadays, the Bûche de Noël is a holiday treat that is eagerly awaited all year by Francophiles.


Grab a Bûche de Noël at a local French bakery or even create your own to share at your holiday celebrations. One of the most comprehensive recipes we've found comes from Saveur, and it does require some time, patience, and baking ability. However, we can't think of a more perfect gift for the foodies in your life!

SAVEUR's Bûche de Noël
Serves 8

The edible Yule log became popular on French tables in the early part of the 1900s, when Christmas became more of a secular holiday. This recipe was inspired by the celebrated Paris pastry shop Ladurée.

FOR THE ICING:
12 oz. semisweet chocolate
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
2⁄3 cup heavy cream

FOR THE MERINGUE:
10 tbsp. sugar
2 large egg whites
2 pinches cream of tartar
Pinch salt
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
1⁄2 cup confectioners' sugar

FOR THE ROULADE:
2 tbsp. softened butter
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
7 egg whites
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. dark rum

FOR THE FILLING:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
6 tbsp. sugar
3 egg yolks
12 tbsp. unsalted butter

1. For the icing: Melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water over medium-low heat, whisking often. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in cream. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until icing thickens, about 4 hours. (Don't refrigerate; it makes icing hard to spread.)

2. For the meringue: Preheat oven to 200°. Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, swirling pan several times until sugar has dissolved, 1–2 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to boil until syrup reaches softball stage or 236° on a candy thermometer, about 4 minutes more. Put egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form, about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in sugar syrup while continuing to beat until whites cool to room temperature and become thick and shiny, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Use a rubber spatula to transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" plain pastry tip. To make meringue mushrooms, hold pastry tip perpendicular to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and pipe meringue into the shapes of mushroom caps and stems of various sizes, then set aside for 5 minutes. Lightly moisten a fingertip in cold water and smooth out any "tails" left behind on mushroom caps. Bake meringues for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringues to rest in oven until dry and crisp, about 1 hour. Bore a small, shallow hole in center of underside of each mushroom cap with the tip of a paring knife. "Glue" stems to caps by dipping tips of stems into icing, then sticking into holes in caps. Sift a little cocoa powder on tops of caps. Meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

3. For the roulade: Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 16 1/2" × 12" heavy baking pan with buttered parchment paper, cut large enough to hang over sides of the pan by about 1". Put chocolate in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Bring cream just to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, then pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool. Beat egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk on medium speed until frothy; increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar, beating constantly, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 30-40 seconds more. (Don't overbeat.) Mix one-third of the whites into chocolate using a rubber spatula, then gently fold in remaining whites in two batches, taking care not to deflate batter. Spread in prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 10–12 minutes. Set aside to cool in the pan.

4. For the filling: Melt chocolate with 2 tbsp. water in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water over medium heat. Stir to combine, then set aside to cool. Combine sugar and 3 tbsp. water in a small heavy saucepan; cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling pan several times until sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Uncover and continue to boil until syrup reaches the softball stage or 236° on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, beat yolks in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and gradually pour in hot syrup. Beat constantly until mixture cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Allow butter to soften, then beat into egg mixture 1 tbsp. at a time, waiting until it's completely incorporated before adding more; continue beating until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes total. Stir in cooled chocolate and set aside.

5. To assemble the bûche: Transfer roulade with parchment to a clean work surface, sprinkle with rum, then spread filling evenly over top using a metal spatula. Grab the long edge of the parchment paper with two hands and gently roll roulade onto itself, pulling off paper as you roll. To make stumps, diagonally cut a 2" length from each end of bûche; then, to make the stumps thinner than the bûche, partially unroll each piece, trim off flap, and discard. Set stumps aside.

6. Using two long metal spatulas, carefully transfer bûche to a serving platter lined with strips of waxed paper. "Glue" stumps onto bûche with some of the icing. Melt 1/4 cup of icing in a saucepan over low heat, then spoon it over stumps to coat completely. Spread remaining icing on bûche, dragging spatula along icing to simulate tree bark. Remove waxed-paper strips. Decorate with mushrooms, then sift confectioners' sugar over mushrooms and bûche.

A perfect treat for a holiday tradition!

Joyeux Noël!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Lait de Poule

As we continue our foray into Christmas in France and accompanying French traditions for the holidays, we had to include Lait de Poule. In fact, you're probably already quite familiar with Lait de Poule at the holidays, but under its English name, eggnog. Literally translated to Hen's Milk, Lait de Poule is a holiday drink that was traditionally enjoyed on Christmas night, but is now embraced throughout the winter season, especially around the holidays.

Pretty identical in composition to the traditional eggnog that you've undoubtedly tasted, Lait de Poule is composed of milk/cream, sugar, and eggs and is often mixed with an liquor component as well.

Whether or not you decide to go boozy, you definitely have to whip up a batch of homemade Lait de Poule this holiday season. That stuff in the carton just cannot compare!


You can even cut the batch and make enough for one in a martini shaker. If making for children and the under-21 crowd, simply omit the alcohol. 

The typical homemade eggnog calls for raw eggs; however, if you're feeling that's just a bit too daring for your holiday celebration, you can follow a cooked egg recipe as well. 

For the traditional uncooked version, we like CHOW's Best Eggnog Recipe (adapted from Jonathan Hunt), but feel free to Google a variety you prefer or come up with your own! If you're looking to whip up a batch of Lait de Poule, Cate from Girl Cooks World can you help you out with her recipe for Lait de Poule - Spiked Eggnog

À votre santé and Joyeux Noël!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Chez Daniel's Famous Christmas Day Champagne Brunch

Celebrate the joys of Christmas with this harmony of French and American cuisine designed by Executive Chef Pierre Jean Laupies. Our Christmas Day Champagne Brunch combines the best of breakfast, lunch and dinner in one magnificent buffet spread.

And this year promises to be no different! Join us on Tuesday, December 25 from 10:30am - 2pm.
 

Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling Chez Daniel at 952.888.4447 or online at Open Table.

If you're looking for a great way to break bread with your family and friends on Christmas Day without the hassle of cooking or cleaning up, we hope you'll join us!

Joyeux Noël!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Cookie Exchange en Français

'Tis the season for drinks with friends, holiday parties, gift giving, and the cookie exchange, of course! This year, add a little French flair to your holiday baking and whip up a batch (or five) of some traditional French cookies to delight guests at your next party.

Below, we've listed some of our favorite French cookies for your holiday baking pleasure. (Otherwise, if baking just isn't your thing, you're lucky we live in a metropolitan area that has so many great bakeries. In which case, you can just purchase cookies to your heart's content).

French Christmas Cookies

Madeleines - A French cookie favorite, Madeleines delight in any season; however their warm buttery flavors with just a hint of lemon and pretty shell shape are sure to brighten any cookie exchange!

French Macarons - Can you just imagine receiving a jar full of these beautifully colored meringue delights as a gift? Perfection! We advise going for a holiday-esque flavor like Peppermint (and roll the cream-edged middles in crushed candy canes), Chocolate Mint, or maybe even Egg Nog!

Gaufrettes - Gaufrettes are the pretty French cousin of Christmas cookies that many of us Midwesterners have long enjoyed at our family celebrations, Krumkake. Similar to Krumkake, Gaufrettes also have mercifully few ingredients and are also cooked on a waffle-type iron. Enjoy your Gaufrettes sandwiched around caramel sauce with your coffee this holiday season!

Forgotten Cookies (or Kisses) - The fun of these chocolate meringue delights is that they're simply "forgotten" in a turned-off (but pre-heated) oven overnight. Quite the fun surprise find for the kids on Christmas morning!

Cinnamon Palmiers - An easy cookie for the pastry lover, Palmiers incorporate cinnamon sugar and store-bought puff pastry. However, the taste and pretty rolled shape alone are sure to win you accolades at your cookie exchange!

We hope this gives you a good head-start on that holiday baking. Plus, if you ever need any taste testers, you know where to find us!

What are your favorite holiday cookies to bake (and/or eat)?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Le Gros Souper

Since it's officially December, it's time to turn our focus to the season at hand, the holidays. From French holiday food traditions to holiday happenings around Chez Daniel, we'll keep you up-to-date on the best of the season, so you can enjoy your "Noel" to the fullest.

In Provence, the southern French region that borders Italy and the Mediterranean, a Christmas tradition centers around Le Gros Souper. Literally translated to The Great Supper, Le Gros Souper refers to the Christmas feast. Typically served on Christmas Eve (before revelers attend Midnight Mass), the feast is very symbolic in that each portion of the feast means something.

The feast is set up on a large table covered in three white tablecloths. On the table, three candlesticks and three saucers of St. Barbe's sprouted wheat are placed, the repetition of threes being symbolic of the Holy Trinity. Then, Le Gros Souper begins with seven meatless dishes that are said to symbolize Mary's labor pains. These meatless dishes are generally comprised of seafood and vegetable dishes.


Last, but certainly not least, the meal concludes in grand fashion with the 13 Desserts. Representing Jesus and the 12 disciples, the 13 desserts are served all at once at the end of the meal and it is customary for each guests to take one of each offering. Dried fruits and nuts, fresh fruit, and of course sweets are all included in the 13 separate desserts. A recent addition to the 13, the Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log as it's commonly known, now graces the finale of most Gros Soupers. Additionally, French children will often be required to name each of the 13 offerings prior to being allowed to take part.

This holiday season, we advise incorporating the 13 desserts into your feast, especially the Bûche de Noël!