The Eiffel Tower Restaurant, located at Paris, Las Vegas is one of those places that is truly one of a kind. Not only does it offer a wonderful view of the Bellagio fountains and of the strip, but it is also one of those restaurants that is a true experience from beginning to end.

Starting with a ride up the restaurant’s exclusive elevator, the doors open up to reveal the open kitchen. I may have gasped! Such a wonderful surprise!

Having an open kitchen like this, merely a few feet away has to be one of my top foodie experiences. I had to take some photos to share with all of you. Just look at these strawberries!

Caviar…

Petite Fours…

My party and I were seated at the bar, and soon after, we had the pleasure of meeting Lyle Tolhurst, who really makes sure that this restaurant runs as smoothly as it does. I must thank Lyle for having us as guests and making sure we had a wonderful experience. While we waited, he let us browse through the Eiffel Tower Restaurant Cookbook.

The photographs within the cookbook were great and we were amused to see that we were seated in the exact spot featured on these pages! Right away, the bartender came over and took our drink order. You may recall from my Drago Centro post, that I don’t drink, so I am always weary of sitting at bars, thinking I will be delegated to drink water or soda. Well, I am pleased to say that the Eiffel Tower Restaurant bar really came through for us tonight! As soon as we told the bartender we wanted something non alcoholic he didn’t even bat an eyelash and came back with not 1, but 3 different non alcoholic drinks.

The drinks were fantastic. Fruity, yet each had a distinct taste. Very refreshing.

We were here to try the souffles and as we waited we could not stop admiring the view. It really does not matter where you sit because every table offers a different view. While we were there we were able to see the Bellagio Fountains from a totally new perspective. Everyone was in awe.

While we were there, we were witness to a wedding proposal! Honestly? This place is perfect for a proposal! So romantic and with a full view of the city. According to Lyle, he has seen up to 5-6 wedding proposals in a single night! Guys! Take note!

We ended up trying three different souffles including pistacho and Grand Marnier. They had a special pumpkin souffle on the menu because of the Thanksgiving holiday, and we were able to try it as well.

The souffles each had their own fantastic flavor and were perfect. So fluffy! I was able to eat from all three and although they were all great, the pistachio had to be my favorite.

After finishing the souffles and our drinks we said our goodbyes to Lyle and made our way over to the elevator. I could not resist taking just one more photo of the open kitchen.

As we made our way to the casino floor, I remembered how often we used to stay at Paris, Las Vegas. Before the Wynn came around, this was my favorite hotel to stay at and we used to stay here every Christmas before we started going to Canada instead.

So, to conclude this post, I would like to once again thank Lyle  for treating us to such a great experience at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. From the drinks, to the service, and the desserts (and the view of course) this was great from start to finish. If you are looking for a true experience that you can only have in Las Vegas, definitely consider the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant

3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109-4345
(702) 948-6937

The busyness of the holiday caused me to neglect my blog! So sorry (that’s what I get for leaving my laptop at home I guess)! But I’m home now, laden with leftovers and good cheer! As well as the tasty results of a few thanksgiving ventures! The first one I’m sharing is a new and slightly healthier twist on my families traditional holiday sweet potatoes. There was a unanimous inclination to dissconatinue the marshmalow toped version we have done for years. So I googled and came upon this lovely little gem!

Sweet Potato Soufflé (Adapted from TLC Cooking)

I think topping this with just a light sprinkle of brown sugar about 30 minutes into the baking would create a nicely caramelized crust, wish I had done it!

4 medium sweet potatoes

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¾ cup Coconut milk

5 egg whites
Boiling water

1. Peel and chunk sweet potatoes, place in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover with lid. Boil 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain well and cool to room temperature before continuing.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter 2 quart soufflé dish casserole.

3. Mash cooled potatoes with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and coconut milk until smooth.

4. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently but thoroughly fold egg whites into potato mixture until completely incorporated.

5. Pour into prepared soufflé dish. Place soufflé dish in 13X9-inch baking pan and place in oven. Pour enough boiling water into baking pan to come 1 inch up side of soufflé dish. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

nuage d’aluminium
immeuble de béton
dessinent un cadre
une fenêtre pour une bande
de coucher de soleil
braises
ou de lever de soleil
incisif comme une lame
de rasoir l’automne
scalpe la routine
texture sanguine
la bruine caresse la chaleur
du corps douché par la lumière
l’âme s’étonne de ce pouls
de ce son de ce souffle sort
hors du cadre distend déplie
ce plan sans horizon
en espace à trois dimensions
et le temps ce chemin
ne cesse de parcourir de courir
au travers de courir vers
quel enfer que ce paradis!
quel paradis que cet enfer!

I recently found myself with a little time on my hands, and decided to attempt something a little more adventurous than usual, a cheese soufflé. Well, actually, as this recipe is baked twice it takes all the panic factor out of soufflé-making so it was perfect for a beginner like me!

The basic principle of a cheese souffé is to make a roux sauce, enrich it with egg yolks, and then fold in stiffly whipped egg whites to make the soufflé rise.

Making the roux and folding in the egg whites

The mixture is placed in buttered ramekins and baked until pale gold and risen. Mine rose a little bit unevenly, but with this recipe the soufflés are turned on their heads therefore crushing down most of the first rise.

After first bake - a bit lopsided!

After loosening with a sharp knife I turned them out onto a baking tray and left to cool.

This picure sums up what kind of a day it was

I made the glaze for the soufflés, and baked them once more before serving. They developed a delicious, savoury crust which went brilliantly with the sharp apple and walnut salad!

This was a super-delicious starter!

Twice-baked Goat’s Cheese Soufflés

Fromwww.bbcgoodfood.com, recipe halved.

50g unsalted butter

50g plain flour

300ml full-fat milk , warmed

1 tbsp grated Parmesan

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

2 large eggs , separated, plus 1 large egg white (use the yolk, see below)

100g rindless goat’s cheese , crumbled

Parmesan Glaze

25ml double cream

15g grated Parmesan

1 large egg yolk

Apple and walnut salad

handful mixed baby salad leaves, picked and washed

handful rocket , washed

1 red apple , cut into fine matchsticks

1 tbsp chopped chives

25g walnut pieces, chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and use about 1 tbsp to grease 6 x 200ml soufflé dishes. Place the remaining butter back on the heat, then scatter over the flour and mix well. Cook for 5 mins, stirring constantly, then gradually whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until you have a thick, smooth mixture. Stir in the Parmesan, mustard and thyme, then set aside to cool slightly. Beat in the egg yolks, fold through the goat’s cheese, season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a large bowl.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they just start to stiffen and hold peaks. Use a metal spoon to fold them into the cheesy mixture, in 3 additions.

Heat oven to 180C . Spoon the mix into the soufflé dishes, then sit them in a roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the tin to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake the soufflés for 20-25 mins until they are risen and coloured. Remove the dishes and set aside for 10 mins. Run a knife around the edges, then turn out onto an ovenproof tray. The soufflés can now be kept covered in the fridge overnight or frozen for up to a month. Defrost fully before reheating as below. To make the Parmesan glaze, whisk the cream, Parmesan and egg yolk until combined.

About 15 mins before you are ready to eat, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Drizzle the tops of the soufflés with the glaze. Bake for 10 mins, then finally flash under the grill until the tops are golden.

Make the salad. Toss the salad leaves, apple, chives and walnuts. Mix the red wine vinegar and olive oil together, season, then dress the salad. To serve, place the soufflés in the centre of the plates and scatter salad around each.

More real food! And this looks supper sophisticated, but it’s easy. When you make anything with a french sounding names, people think you worked really hard. Now put pecans in it and you’re the dinner party hero.

No one likes the canned yams with gross high fructose corn syrup marshmallows burnt on them. That is the reason children think they don’t like sweet potatoes. Your kids will like this. Also, whipping egg whites is kid friendly kitchen magic.

Prep ahead: Bake 2 sweet potatoes in their skins. Peel them. Store them in the fridge for 4 days or freezer for 2 weeks. Thaw completely before making souffle.

4 eggs, separated
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup chopped pecans

Whip egg whites with brown sugar and dried spices to form stiff peaks.

In a separate bowl whip the sweet potatoes and egg yolks. Stir in pecans.

Fold egg whites with sweet potatoes. Transfer to a well buttered souffle dish. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until souffle is puffed and golden.

Ceci n’est pas une recette de cuisine. Ceci est une thèse de doctorat. Ceci est très sérieux.

Un soufflé est un mets, certes, mais pas uniquement. C’est aussi un phénomène assez largement observé parmi mes congénères et qui crée de nombreuses incompréhensions. “Faire le soufflé” (©La Meuf), ça signifie descendre plus vite que nous ne sommes montés. Une bonne illustration tant visuelle qu’auditive est le prout du kloug de M. Preskovic dans Le Père Noël est une ordure, dès que Thérèse tente de le couper.

Je suis un soufflé. Avec les hommes. Non, je ne leur pète pas à la face. Simplement, je m’emballe vite, je me gonfle toute seule dans mon coin, d’espoir et de certitudes, et d’un coup, sans prévenir, je redescends et plus rien ne peut me faire remonter. Souvent, par malhonnêteté je dis à mon entourage que je ne sais pas ce qui s’est passé, ça a fait pschitt, c’est tout. En réalité, si je suis parfaitement honnête, je connais toujours la ou les raisons de ce soufflé. Et elles sont à chercher parmi mes nombreuses névroses ainsi que parmi les problémances (©Le Pédé) de l’homme en face.

Pour celui ou celle qui est de l’autre côté et qui subit l’effet soufflé ça peut parfois être très perturbant, surtout pour ceux qui ne l’ont jamais vécu eux-mêmes, c’est pourquoi il vaut mieux savoir que ça existe et que personne n’est à l’abri de provoquer (le plus souvent à son insu) et d’être ainsi la victime d’un effet soufflé. Voici donc la raison pour laquelle j’ai décidé de vous parler de ce phénomène, dans une démarche à la fois altruiste et préventive mais aussi purement égocentrée. Et puisque beaucoup de mes copains et copines et collègues et voisins et génitrices persistent à me dire que je dois avoir un problème pour me dégonfler si souvent, j’ai pensé qu’il était temps que je m’explique.

Ainsi, le phénomène du soufflé pourrait être considéré, à tort, par ceux qui ne l’ont jamais vécu, comme un caprice d’enfant gâtée. Je veux un chien, je veux un chien, je veux un chien. On m’offre un chien, je lui lance deux fois la balle et je l’oublie sous un canapé, je l’ai eu, il ne m’intéresse plus.

Or, ça n’a rien à voir. La personne qui fait le soufflé est en général très déçue. C’est tellement mieux de rester tout gonflé et séduit. Et puis il n’y a pas d’effet soufflé pour un emballement minime. C’est pour cela que c’est tout aussi brutal pour celui qui le vit que pour celui qui en est la victime. Ce que je vais donc essayer de faire, pour le bien de la collectivité et parce que j’en ai un peu marre d’être un serial-soufflé, c’est d’analyser les raisons (les plus notables et fréquemment observées jusque-là) du prout, afin de pouvoir les prévenir ou éventuellement d’y remédier si tant est que la faute vienne de moi. Vous allez donc assister à un réel exercice d’honnêteté et d’introspection inédit de ma part et j’espère qu’on trouvera des réponses à mes questionnements (et accessoirement aux vôtres) et des arguments pour clouer le bec de ceux qui m’embêtent. Allons-y :

• L’Objet de mon Affection (OdmA) m’invite dans sa voiture et conduit avec les deux mains sur le volant à 10h10 comme on nous l’apprend en Auto école. Gérable à 18 ans et quelques jours, plus gérable à 30 ans.
• L’OdmA  porte des chaussures aux lacets beaucoup trop serrés.
• L’OdmA mange des galettes de riz complet bio au petit déjeuner et ne comprend pas quand je lui parle de vraie nourriture.
• L’OdmA aime beaucoup, comme moi, les autobiographies, surtout que, dit-il, c’est pas facile pour un auteur de raconter la vie de quelqu’un d’autre. (Certes)
• L’OdmA décide de se faire poser des bagues (oui, sur les dents ! Et devant, même pas derrière !) à 30 ans ! Parce qu’elles ne sont pas assez parfaites à son goût ! Désolée, mais fallait y penser avant. A 13 ans par exemple. Quel toupet.
• L’OdmA est un intello qui n’oublie jamais qu’il en est un, même quand il dort. Tu es sérieuse, tu as vraiment une télé chez toi ? Tu as vraiment vu Titanic ? Tu écoutes ChérieFM et pas FranceCulture ? Tu n’as pas vu la dernière expo du Musée de la marine ? Au bout de dix minutes comme ça, j’ai explosé. Oui, oui, oui, j’écoute ChérieFM et j’ai même un disc de Richard Cocciante dans ma voiture, et je regardais Hélène et les garçons à 13 ans, et je t’emmerde et tu m’ennuies et je m’en fous de ton agrégation de philo, voilà, c’est comme ça ! Et puis Kant, il PUE DU CUL !!!!!!
• L’OdmA vous explique, au 2ème rendez-vous, qu’une Femme selon lui, ne doit jamais être en jogging, ni en jean, ni en baskets, mais doit toujours porter une jupe ou une robe, avoir un brushing, les pieds et les mains peinturlurés et les chaussures talonnées. Je glousse en pensant qu’il a beaucoup d’humour mais il ajoute : tu vas vraiment finir toutes les frites dans ton assiette là ? Euh non, en fait, je vais me les mettre dans le nez et dans les oreilles, ça fera de beaux bijoux. Et puis tiens, il en reste une, tu ferais bien de te la mettre dans le cul, ça te détendra.
• L’OdmA drague par messages Facebook. Jamais plus d’une phrase par message, jamais plus de trois mots par phrase, jamais moins d’une faute par phrase. Beaucoup d’onomatopées. Désolée, mais je ne fréquente pas d’analphabètes de plus de 6 ans.
• L’OdmA envoie des textos ridicules après le premier rendez-vous, du genre : j’ai passé un exquis moment (©L’Arabe) en ta compagnie et je suis impatient de te revoir, tu me manques déjà mon petit lapin en sucre. Et puis deux secondes plus tard : j’y suis allé un peu fort sur le texto non ? Euh ouais, un peu.
• L’OdmA se trouve sublime. Il se couche le soir en me demandant si je me rends compte de la chance que j’ai. Et se regarde dans la glace le matin en disant : suis pas mal, quand même non ? Alors que je me disais justement : il est vraiment moins bien que mon ex.

La liste dressée, il me semble désormais évident que le problème ne vient pas de moi. D’ailleurs il m’est bien arrivé 2 ou 3 fois de ne pas faire le soufflé. C’est bien la preuve que je n’y suis pour rien. Me voilà rassurée.

Sunday my good friend Eileen and her boyfriend Grant joined Eric and me in the kitchen. Eileen recently took a cooking class on souffles at Flavour Cooking School in Forest Park, IL and was anxious to practice what she learned. Fortunately I was also anxious- to eat cheese souffle, so I was more than happy to have them over.

The recipe Eileen used was Flavour’s Three Cheese Souffle. It calls for asiago, gruyere and cheddar, but you can pretty much use any firm cheese you want. She brought a little roux whisk, which is flat on the bottom and of which I immediately became jealous. I don’t make a whole lot of rouxs, but I feel like I should own one of those. It was very efficient. Look at her go!

We used the stand mixer for the egg whites. It just goes so much faster than using a handheld. But I think this part made Eileen particularly nervous, so she asked me to fold the whites into the rest of the mixture. That way if it didn’t rise she could blame me and not herself. Thanks, Eileen.

We poured it into a 9″ rammekin, put it in the oven and prayed for it to rise. It did. Hooray! Didn’t take very long either. It’s always amazing to me how things look before they go into the oven versus how they look when they come out a short time later. Our souffle went from this

to this

Nice and tall and browned with gorgeous herb speckles. It was awesome. So light and airy. Before we knew it we’d eaten almost the entire thing. So souffle day was a success, and after making one I feel completely confident that I could make a hundred more. They’re really much easier than they seem. Sometime soon Eileen, Sarah and I will get together and do more desserts, one of which will be a chocolate souffle. Yum.

Don’t be afraid of the souffle, people! They may be tempermental, but if you treat them right they really rise to the occassion (har har har). 

Cheers!

¿De qué trata?: Basada en dos historias reales, la última película de Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle 1993, You’ve Got Mail 1998) Julie & Julia 2009 narra la historia de Julie Powell (Amy Adams), una joven que siente que está desperdiciando su vida y que decide dedicar un año a preparar todas las recetas de “Dominando el Arte de la Cocina Francesa” (Mastering the art of french cooking), clásico libro de cocina de la célebre cocinera Julia Child (Meryl Streep) Así, Julie decide aprender a cocinar a su manera con la legendaria cocinera Julia. Durante el año que supone su experiencia como alumna de Child, escribe cada día sus experiencias en un blog que ganará múltiples adeptos.

            Si bien Nora Ephron no es santo de la devoción de casi nadie, puesto que a pesar de alguna película interesante no ha dejado una gran marca en el séptimo arte, no se puede objetar que el atractivo reparto y ese toque de dulce comedia que inspira la película es una poderosa razón para acercarse a ver Julie & Julia. Lo mejor de la película son sin duda sus actrices: Meryl Streep y Amy Adams vuelven a juntarse tras la fuerza que ambas demostraron en ‘La Duda’, haciendo que Julie & Julia tenga dos de las mejores interpretaciones femeninas del año, dándole un punto a favor para no ser otra comedia del montón. En cuanto a la parte cinéfila se refiere, subrayar el realismo en cuanto a localizaciones y temporalidad se refiere.

            La película además posee una narración curiosa, pues cuenta dos historias paralelas y entremezcladas muy parecidas, las de Julie y Julia. Pero no en el mismo tiempo, pues mientras una trascurre en 1949, la otra sucede en el 2002. Más que una comedia romántica, Julie & Julia es un manual sobre la superación personal y el alcance de metas imprescindibles para nuestra satisfacción. En este sentido, se presenta la historia de Julia (Streep), que en los años 50 y siendo extranjera allá donde iba (países o aprendizajes: mujer americana en Europa), superaba las trabas de los prejuicios con tal de exprimir hasta la última gota de su creatividad y de su vitalidad, lastrada además por su incapacidad de tener hijos a los que alimentar. Y en el Nueva York, post 11 – S, Julie (Adams), una treintañera más, perdida en la insatisfacción de una generación destinada a lo superficial, a lo práctico, a lo acomodaticio, que encuentra en el legado de Julia y en su vivaz espíritu, la brújula para reorientar sus pasiones, sus ambiciones y su ansia de vida.

          Y aunque hacia la mitad del metraje este se vuelve excesivamente repetitivo y no aprovecha historias ya presentes, Ephron tiene tal pulso emotivo en lo dramático y en lo cómico durante la primera mitad, que todo se perdona, más contando con dos actrices tan extraordinarias como Adams y Streep, que asumen el timing cómico y la sensibilidad de la historia. Tal vez Un poco menos de duración no hubiera estado mal, ya que al película se llega a sentir un tanto cansada, desluciendo grados de ese sabor que la sustenta.

Al grano: Lo mejor es ver esta película con el estómago vacío porque al salir de ella, estarás deseando degustar una buena comida o cena. Y para terminar una pequeña frase repetida por Julia Child: ¡Bon appetit!

* * * 1/2  de 5

°

À bout de souffle
les feuilles s’arrêtent -
cour de la gare

°

d.(Millau, 3/11/09)

Ok, so they can’t all be winners, right? Basically this is a cheese souffle. I really should not have attempted this recipe, since I had an needy toddler running around, and the recipe was on my laptop, which was across the kitchen, and I would have to read out the recipe to myself a sentence at a time. Whew! This “puff” did not rise all the way to the top of the dish like it should have. I think I may have overmixed it while adding the egg whites. In any case, it TASTED good. This one bad experience will not ruin souffles for me in the future. I will bounce back from this and give them another try.

rating: 6

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/grains/cheddar-polenta-puff/
Ingredients

* 4  egg whites
* 1-1/2  cups fat-free milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
* 2  tablespoons finely chopped red sweet pepper
* 1  tablespoon thinly sliced green onion (I omitted)
* 1/4  teaspoon salt
* 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/3  cup cornmeal
* 1  egg yolk, slightly beaten
* 1/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4  cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (1 ounce)*
*   Nonstick spray coating

Directions

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan combine milk, sweet pepper, green onion, salt, and red pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just begins to bubble. Slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat about 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir half of the cornmeal mixture into the egg yolk. Return mixture to the saucepan. Stir in Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese until melted.

Lightly spray a 1-1/2-quart soufflé dish with nonstick coating; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gently fold about half of the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Gradually pour cheese mixture over remaining beaten egg whites, folding to combine. Pour into prepared soufflé dish.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

I felt the approving nods of my elderly train companions as I sat on the train clutching my foil-covered casserole dish, an onion and cheese egg bake that I made all by myself for brunch at A. and C.’s house, with L. and A., who was visiting from Boston. For two people with a joint paper due in January, A. and I talked remarkably little about David Wojnarowicz. I shouldn’t have worried over the casserole; we scarfed it down in six seconds while waiting patiently for A.’s souffle, which emerged from the oven looking exactly like the photo in the magazine.