Cook for the Cook

The Pleasures of Eating Someone Else’s Food

Although we still enjoy it, my wife and I do not entertain at home as much as we once did. Gail and I met at a large catering function at which I prepared the food, and she went on to become a student in my cooking classes. Needless to say, food has always been at the heart of our relationship and still is. Gail is a fine cook in her own right and is very accomplished at making pickles, jams, jellies and preserving other goodies from our garden. I’ve joked about my being “a pretend farmer on a pretend farm” many times, but her talent with fresh food is no joke.

In the early years of our marriage, I must admit that I really enjoyed “showing off” for my wife with elaborate dinner parties and my versions of culinary classics. As time went on the urge to impress her became less, even though from time to time we do still host friends at our table. Recently, we had the opportunity to have a young couple come to dinner as a “Thank-You” for a favor that they had done for us.

Dane and Astrid are a good deal younger than we are and I certainly anticipated a wide ranging and stimulating conversation. What was not anticipated was their offer to bring part of the dinner. Over the years it has been an ongoing disappointment to me that so many acquaintances have been intimidated to cook for me because of my status as a professional. I can’t count the times I’ve heard “Oh! I’d be afraid to have you over for dinner because you are a chef “or “we just eat simple food, and you wouldn’t like that” or some such disclaimer. Now, the truth is that I like simple, homemade food very much and I simply love to have someone else cook for me!

As it turns out, even though she has now received an education in another field, Astrid has experience working as a pastry chef. So, I think that helped her approach us with a pretty matter of fact attitude about dinner. I know it certainly was a surprise and a pleasure for us. After greeting us at our front door, Astrid zipped into the kitchen asking for a sharp knife and a cutting board and quickly went to work In short order, while Dane and I concentrated on opening wine and selecting music (Dane is something of a music historian), Astrid reappeared with a tray of luscious crostini topped with warm goat cheese and pears. Perfect for the occasion and perfect with the Masa Cannoli Pinot Grigio that I had selected.

Our contribution to the feast that evening was a simple green salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette and a good old bistro standby Beef Bourguignon. A loaf of homemade bread was on hand as well. Things got interesting when the Rosenblum Petite Syrah that I had selected reeked of “finger nail polish remover”, that is to say the presence of Ethyl Acetate and we had to switch to an alternative Petite Syrah by Bogel. The second wine was nice with the salad course and the beef and a flawed wine is always a good opportunity for a shared learning experience and discussion.

Astrid provided the dessert course of flawless, dreamy chocolate truffles flavored with cognac which demonstrated her confidence with chocolate. A Bonny Doon Framboise worked beautifully, as it usually does with just about any dark chocolate dessert.

What made the event so pleasant for us was the comfort and utter lack of pretension with which Astrid made her contributions. Not only did she cook for me but she also listened to my old culinary “war stories” with attention and interest. This was cool! We hope that you will enjoy Astrid’s Cognac Chocolate Truffles. The only change that we will make is to substitute one of our own Avanti Savoia products, Castagna Extra Fonente 61% Dark Chocolate. Great chocolate for a great truffle. Way to go, Dane!

Astrid’s Cognac Chocolate Truffles

Preparation time: 30 minutes to 1 hour plus cooling time
Servings: 25 to 30 pieces

Ingredients: (*Available at Avanti Savoia)

½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tblsp. unsalted butter
1 Tblsp. light corn syrup
9 ozs. Dark Chocolate Extra Fonente 61% by Castagna* #50015
2 Tblsp. Cognac
Cocoa powder for coating by Castagna* #50120

Recipe:
Combine cream, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.
Break chocolate into small pieces and stir into the cream mixture. Stir until melted and add cognac.
Cool 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.
Whip truffle mix with an electric mixer, on medium for about 1 minute.
Use a mini ice cream scoop to shape truffles. Place truffles on a tray lined with parchment paper and chill for 1 hour.
Roll chilled truffles in cocoa powder and enjoy.

The real point I would like to make here is… Cook for the cooks in your life, I promise you that they will love it.

Bon Appetit Y’all!