Inès de la Fressange, la Parisienne, a "Petit Noir" (an espresso), a Chestnut Compote/Gelée Tartlet and my 100th Post !!!!

Tarte, 6 servings

What do I have in common with Inès de la Fressange, the N°1 French top model (in spite of being 53 ???!!!!) Not the age....yet !!! (but I would love to look like her at 53 !!) Ok, both of us have brown eyes...hair...and Argentinian blood!! Yes, Inès's mother is Argentinian!

Well, the thing is that Inès has been chosen for the second time as "LA Parisienne", that is, the woman that best embodies this abstract concept of French elegance: the anti-"bling-bling" (French phrase for "flashy" colors, brands), this idea, as somebody said of: "spending time on your personal appearance...ONLY to pass unnoticed"...But you don't pass unnoticed finally, because people admire your good taste! 

Inès recently published a book, a kind of French elegance encyclopedia, called La Parisienne. The book sold out the first week, and it was re-printed. I browsed it yesterday and I amused myself seeing that she also includes a section of where to eat chic in Paris...the classics: Café di Fiori, in St Germain des Près...new places...but then she says "out of diet, and just for pleasure...go to Unico, the Argentinian restaurant housed in a former butchery, and eat Argentinian beef, AND banana with dulce de leche!! (didn't I tell you she had my blood?!! ;D

Reader (getting impatient): "Now Cristina, could you please tell us what all this has to do with your food-blog and your recipe?"

Well, I thought....what represents "la parisienne" food-wise, in her every day life? Probably, taking some minutes off her daily routine, to have an espresso (the "petit noir") with a tartelette...and being the winter season, a chestnut tartelette would be more than appropiate! (and since cafés are sometimes too hot inside, she would probably take off her Hermès foulard...orange, of course, because that is THE colour of "la Maison Hermès" ;D

This tartelette repeats a flavor combination that I loved in my bûche de Noël here. You have a chestnut compote, and then an exquisitely shaky gelée, yes! you barely touch the tartelette, and it trembles!! this is due to the low quantity of gelatine in the gelée..yes, because there is nothing less refined than eating a gelée that feels like plastic due to a badly-calculated quantity of gelatine! Of course, the "refinement" of having little gelatine has a cost...the tartelette becomes difficult to deal with, almost unapproachable I would say!  Believe me that to make it stand took all of my skill and precision, but this pays off, because it will be only "delight" for your palate!! 

In spite of its very "creamy" appearance, it barely has cream, it is a compote, not a mousse, so it is not extremely high in calories...The presence of the black cherry jam balances any potential too-sugary inclination, but believe me, it is not "too sweet" at all. My husband defined it as "surprisingly fresh"! (The boy is learning !!?! lol)

And this is all, I hope you have enjoyed reading all my erratic wanderings, because my 100 posts represent me: this is me, one moment serious and philosophical, the other moment, playful, superficial, capable of saying (AND doing) the most stupid things!! Highly technical and strict for some things...complete nonchalance for some others...

Thanks for being here..100 times!!!

For this Chestnut Compote/Gelée Tartlet, you will need:
(adapted from a recipe by P Conticini) - 6 servings


For the Pâte Sucrée:
* flour, 230gr *butter, 140gr *egg, 1 *egg yolk, 1 *icing sugar, 90gr *almond flour, 40gr *salt,  4 pinches *lemon zest, 1 vanilla pod, 1/2

Put the butter (previously out of the fridge for 1hr 30') in the bowl of a stand mixer (or food processor), with the paddle attachment. Whisk at low speed, forming a sort of cream. Incorporate sugar. Add then, the lemon zest, the almond flour. Continue whisking, adding the egg and yolk, and the vanilla seeds. When you add the flour previously sifted with the salt, just press 2 or 3 times..No whisking here!! Flour lightly your work top, put the dough on it, and barely knead to put all the ingredients together (don't take more than 1' to do this!!) Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Roll out the dough. Cut a circle larger than your ring molds (consider height) Give an even finishing cutting excess dough with a knife. Put some alum. film inside the tartlets and bakery weights or dried beans. Refrigerate again for 45' at least. Bake oven 160°C for 10/15 ' (till slightly golden)

I made two 8cm tartlets, and a 16cm one.

For the Chestnut Compote

* chestnut cream, 140gr *chestnut paste, 140gr *cognac or armagnac, 25gr *vanilla extract, 1tbsp *cream, 40gr

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. (If you can't get chestnut paste, use 280gr of chestnut cream, but then add 4gr of gelatine)

For the Chestnut Gelée
*water, 350ml *honey, 50gr *sugar, 35gr *chestnut cream, 55gr *armagnac, 1 tbsp *vanilla extract, 1/2 coffeespoon *gelatine sheets, 2,5 (5gr)
In a saucepan, heat the water. Then add the chestnut cream, honey and sugar, till disssolved. Add in the armagnac, the vanilla extract, and the gelatine, previously soaked in cold water and rinsed. Whisk to combine well. Refrigerate. 


 To assemble: Put some cherry jam on the tartlets. Then cover with the chestnut cream up to the edge. Refrigerate. Cut cellophane bands. Place them around the inner part of the tartlets.

Before the gelée is hard (but not when it is liquid), remove it from the fridge. Whisk a bit if it is somewhat stiff. Pour on the tartlets (a little less than 1 cm in height) Refrigerate. Decorate with chocolate shavings, caramelised almonds or marrons glacés.