Cream-Puffy Goodness

In preparation for our cuisine exam next Monday, Kim invited Erika and I over for a cooking party aboard her cousins' houseboat in the canal near Bastille. I have never been on a houseboat before and didn't know quite what to expect. I certainly didn't anticipate the 6-burner gas stovetop and granite work surfaces, and was thrilled to have a real kitchen-- in a boat, no less-- for the first time in nearly three months. Paris apartments aren't known for their roomy kitchens, and it seems I've been lucky to even have an oven in my studio rental.

Choppin' away

We got to work right away with the help of Emma and Don, Kim's cousins. Erika and Kim turned and julienned carrots and fennel, then roasted a perfect chicken that would bring tears of pride to the eyes of LCB chefs. I gave in to my inexplicable intuition that St. Honore cake would be on the pastry final and prepared one for practice. (It was on the final, but I didn't pick the right colored token.) Emma tracked our progress with her camera, so I though this would be a good chance for a pictorial how-to on the making of St-Honore:







See how easy that was? Thanks to Kim, Emma, and Don for hosting a great party (and for providing wonderful wine).