My latest TV Appearance

Watch me make caramel sauce with JC Hayward and Howard Bernstein of WUSA Channel 9 News at Noon. 


Link to YouTube Video 


Watch to the end to see the hilarious look on my face when I think the show is over!

Breakfast at Stephanie's

The story behind the chocolate:


In my 20's, I worked as a secretary for a stockbroker, unfortunately, not as glamourous as it sounds. My deskmate was a funny brunette, with a shockingly loud voice.  We shared phone lines, and helped each other out if we needed a break.  We 'backed each other up', which meant only one of us could take the day off, and one of us had to cover the phones while the other was at lunch, in a meeting, or even in the restroom!  


We planned the office Halloween party, I dressed as a naughty Catholic school girl, with requisite hickey and pigtails, and Steph kitted herself out in a very elegant Holly Golightly dress, making her own pillbox hat out of a I Can't Believe It's Not Butter tub.  The next morning we woke with massive hangovers and called to fight over who could call in sick.  As usual, I won and stayed in bed with a damp washcloth on my forehead, and Stephanie made herself a strong pot of coffee, filled a mug halfway, and completed the mixture with Bailey's Irish Cream.  


So in her honor, and her little dog too, and St Patrick's Day, I have made my newest chocolate:


Breakfast at Stephanie's -- 

Bailey's Irish Cream and coffee caramel covered in semi-sweet chocolate.  Creamy, chocolaty with just a jolt of loud coffee.

The twelve chocolates of christmas

Twelve chocolates - i bet they won't make it 12 days of christmas. I don't even know when those days are, but i think something chocolate should be included.

Chouquette Pop-Up Shop December 18th 2-4 PM

Happy Holidays! Are you looking for last minute gifts for your coworkers?  Do you need that perfect little something for a hostess gift?  Do you crave chocolate at 2:00 in the afternoon?  If so, come by Chouquette's Tasting and Pop-Up Shop in between that last minute shopping spree or before stopping off at a holiday party on Saturday afternoon... 

Artisan Chocolates, Caramels, Cookies, and Cupcakes

Chocolates and Chocolate Covered Caramels $1.50

 * Square - Salted Caramel, 

 * Round - Balsamic Caramel, 

 * Column - Mint Chocolate Ganache, 

 * Red Column - Maker's Mark and Gingerbread Spice, 

 * Crown - Caramelized White Chocolate Crunch, 

 * Rock - Crushed Crepes, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Praline Paste, Covered in 58% Dark Chocolate and Praline Pieces

 * Chocolate Candied Grapefruit Peel

Java Chip Cookies $1.00

Red Velvet Cupcakes $2.50 

Macarons $2.00

Brownie Cakes $2.00

Assorted Boxes Available and Special Orders Welcomed

Saturday December 18th 2-4 pm

Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center (Leland Center)

4301 Willow Lane

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Shop will be in the Community Room - past the front desk and to the right.

Thank you for supporting Chouquette!  

Please share this invitation with family, friends, and co-workers. 

Photos available on Chouquette's Facebook page and Etsy Shop - links below.

  

Link to Chouquette on Facebook

Chouquette Shop on Etsy

A Little Press For My Scary Cake

Although I had never made anything similar, when asked to make a coffin-shaped cake for Going-Away party on Halloween, I said yes, and figured it out.  The invitation was Victorian in style, black and silver.


The 12x18 cake was devil's food (appropriately), with coffee flavor, soft caramel, vanilla buttercream covered with chocolate fondant.  Putting the fondant on the cake was terrifying, I have never covered a cake that large, so I had to MacGuyver it together and cover my mistakes with a large fondant ruffle around the edge.  I have a die-cutting machine (called a Cricut Cake) that I used to make the white flourishes, which I then covered in silver luster dust (like eyeshadow, but food safe).  Around the edges, I stamped silver cobwebs and spiders. 


The guests of honor seemed very happy with the cake, and the reviews were positive.  I have already been contacted by one of the party-goers for another cake.


Here is the link to the article:
Chouquette Coffin Cake

Treats for a rainy day.

Mmmmmmm. Oatmeal raisin cookies warm from the oven. Perfect day for things flavored with cinnamon and cardamom. Just a little job, but who's counting?

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FWD:Happy hour treats.

A dozen macarons for kathleen. vanilla w caramelized white choc. coffee w dark choc ganache. strawberry with vanilla cream. cocoa w cinnamon cayenne ganache. available for all friends who treat @ happy hour.

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Happy hour treats.

A dozen macarons for kathleen. vanilla w caramelized white choc. coffee w dark choc ganache. strawberry with vanilla cream. cocoa w cinnamon cayenne ganache. available for all friends who treat @ happy hour.

Lemon mac shells

Lemon macarons ready to be filled with very tart lemon cream. Sweet sour and delicious. wish i had some with me at the tax office in baltimore. Sales tax is confusing - tax on one cookie, no tax on a dozen cookies. I am not kidding. Eat more cookies.

Chocolate chunk cookies with cinnamon and cayenne pepper

I guess this is like a mexican hot chocolate cookie. it has a nice kick and needs a glass of milk to wash down bc it is so fudgy.

Libby

These two paintings reminded me of my grandmother:  in her 1920's gear, and how she thought she looked at the beach. 


From the Beaux Arts Musee in Lyon - January 2010

It's about time.

Ha! Now boys havta wear spanx too. Ingenious.

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Clean tupperware club.

New concoction - chewy coffee chip Brownies. perfect for breakfast dessert. amy licked the cupcake wrapper. and paid for my breakfast in return. still working on cappuccino frosting.

My new obsession.

Well maybe my new crush, Thomas Keller. Working through the dessert chapter. Yum........

My TV Appearance

WOW!  It was so much fun, here is the link to the cooking segment on Channel 9 WUSA. 


Me on YouTube


My segment starts 40 seconds into the video.

For Jack M. who didn't want a birthday cake.

Happy Birthday. Big smiles when these were glimpsed in the oven. Now i just have to find a way to get candles to stand up in them.

Phew. Just one minute. Bumped by Obama talk.

At least i didnt spill chocolate on my dress until after the broadcast. thanks Channel 9. Next Food Network Star, here I come.

Im no food stylist but i think the set looks good.

Now if i could get lypo and botox in the next 20 minutes. or maybe just a manicure? see you on tv!!!

Gross or yummy? kitchen sink brownies.

Super chocolate brownies with heath bars, peppermint patties, walnuts, marshmallows and topped with potato chips. crazy good. might cure a hangover if i add a little bacon.

Boston Cream Pie Cake

My sister's friend asked me to make a cake for her family's summer birthday party - 12 people have birthday's this season, so they celebrate everyone's together.  We brainstormed about flavors that all the birthday boys and girls would like and she decided on Boston Cream Pie, which is really a cake, that was originally baked in a pie pan.  I think that is the story.  I made a Golden Cake (yellow cake) and cut it into three layers, covered each layer with Pastry Cream (Custard), frosted the cake with chocolate buttercream, and poured dark chocolate ganache over the whole thing and stuck cookies along the outside edge.  

I am not sure if other bakers feel this way, but it was weird to send a cake off knowing that I wouldn't even be able to take a bite of it.  I tasted all the pieces, and made a tiny cake from the scraps to be sure that everything was good, but it just wasn't the same as having a piece of the cake.  I guess I will just have to get myself invited to all events that my desserts are going to attend, so I don't feel so left out.

Magic Macarons

Plain macaron shells with dark chocolate ganache. Tiny but powerful, like Mary Lou Retton. These are much less likely to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated or the Wheaties box.

U.S. Open Cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing and white chocolate 'golf ball' covered with nonpareils. Grass technique needs a little work, but they are really cute. $2.50 each.

Homemade strawberry jam

I made jam! One jar is strawberry/raspberry. The other is straw/rasp with black pepper and balsamic vinegar. i am dying to taste them, but also want to save them like a depression-era housewife. Next I will be washing aluminium foil and reusing coffee grounds, if this trend continues.

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Chouquette mania!

Chouquettes (sugar puffs) for everyone! I have two tastings, and a meeting tomorrow so I made a LARGE recipe. i do think they look like little cabbages.

Ready for shrek 4 in 3D!!