HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR
Paris-Brest, a delicate pastry dessert that was a splashy finish to my Chinese New Year celebratory dinner.
For anyone believing this holiday has come, gone and you missed it, I’m about to make your day. For more than five-thousand years the Chinese people have observed New Years their way. In the simplest of terms, it’s about the moon and our earth’s creatures. Once upon a time Buddha invited all the animals to join him for New Years. Twelve came to his party, resulting in a year being named to honor each one. This year, we’re observing the Horse.
Astrology doesn’t interest me. “What’s your sign?” is a question I can’t answer. I never read horoscopes. Every year a friend buys the current Chinese horoscope book and insists I read the chapter pertaining to me. I am a Monkey. For each of the last three years, the prognosis has been lousy. This year I flat-out refused to read it. “No, no, Mary, it’s good,” she promised. “You’re going to have a great year.”
I read. I saw. I’ll believe it after I live it.
Mussels and Chorizo with Pasta is a delicious and filling main course for any festive celebration.
Admittedly, Mary the Monkey is looking good for the next twelve months. On a scale of 1 to 12, I’d give myself a 9.3. Since Chinese New Year is a two-week affair, I still could honor that Horse, who is hopefully filled with good fortune, with a celebratory meal. I decided to make two recipes my French Friday colleagues had already made. I also baked blueberry-corn muffins and visited the winery-of-the-horse for vino. If the year ahead is as scrumptious as the dinner honoring it, I will be one merry monkey.
Blueberry-Corn Muffins added a touch of sweetness to the spicy seafood.
My entrée was Mussels and Chorizo with Pasta. You may think this dish was created by committee but it’s a Basquaise. With a nod to the simplicity of French Basque cuisine, these recipes often include tomatoes and sweet or hot red peppers. This dish includes both.
I bought my mussels at Piers 46 Seafood and already had a spicy pork link in the fridge. Since there’s a limit to the nod I want to give a Basquaise, I cut the diced fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles by half. Fettuccine, with its slithery journey among the mussels, is the perfect pasta option. The sweetness of the blueberry-corn muffins provided just that tinge of sugar so needed with this spicy seafood dish.
It’s all about the horse, of course. I visited the Wild Horse Winery and picked a Pinot Noir.
If you’ll recall, last week’s FFWD recipe choice was a delicacy of caramelized almonds, pâte à choux and vanilla pastry cream. Knowing I didn’t have the proper equipment and pastry tips in my rental kitchen, I opted to save it until spring. Over the weekend, however, I experienced baker’s remorse. Each of my colleagues’ Paris-Brest write-ups were taste taunts to my stomach.
I used the heart pan to more easily pipe the Pâte à Choux into a shape.
Wasn’t the Year of the Horse worthy of a splashy dessert? Couldn’t this Monkey go the extra mile to cobble together the right stuff? Don’t Doristas always find a path? It took some scrambling but this week I put together my first Paris-Brest. Aside from its heart rather than round shape, I’m guessing it looked and tasted much like a novice’s Paris-Brest should.
Yum.
Here’s the recipe for the Mussels and Chorizo with Pasta. If you’re interested in the Paris-Brest recipe, here it is. If you’d like to see what my colleagues are making this week, go here. For the past three weeks I’ve been focused on Dorie’s recipes that this FFWD group made before I joined. I’ve completed my seafood and fish catch-up and next Friday I’ll be following our regular FFWD recipe schedule.
Happy New Year, readers. Horse or no horse, may we all find goodness and joy in the months ahead.
What a great post, Mary! Good for you for trying all these things and giving your new year a great chance!
I love it! And your Paris Brest is simply gorgeous! Those mussels and the muffins also sound terrific. Now I am curious as to what my sign would be. So far it’s a good year…
Lovely catch up there Mary! And I totally need to buy a heart-shaped pan too! Happy New Year!
Gorgeous! Every dish looks delicious. I’m a rat :-). I haven’t read my forecast for the year, I think I’ll go look. Take care, S.
Susan, I will give you my friend’s mobile number. Call her. She’ll love a convert.
Not for nothing, but I think the Paris-brest looks more beautiful in a heart-shape!! Circle, shmircle. I need to make one. I always fall behind on the desserts, b/c Matt will have one little piece and Charlie’s generally uninterested, meaning that I will eat the ENTIRE thing if I make it (and then Matt will ask 2 weeks later what happened to it, because he wants another piece. Uhhh…it’s gone.) Your mussels look great, too! I remember enjoying that meal, but I haven’t made it again since.
I think you aced both of these!!! I really want to attend one of your dinner parties…and I’ll even let you monkey around!!!
Great post! I was born in the year of the sheep…I am also supposed to have a banner year…so far 2014 stinks…but the Chinese New Year has just begun, so I am betting on the Horse…I sure hope the Chinese know what they’re talking about!!!
Gotcha, Elaine. Get well. Do you think this is a meal the Cahns and Salets and Wrigleys could handle upon my return?
Oh my! heart shaped gorgeousness! Gonna steal the idea! Mussels look great too! I am a Rooster!
Yay! I am glad you were able to make this! I love the heart shape!
Mary the Monkey. That sounds like the beginning of a story 🙂
I had no idea what I was, but I just Googled it (as one does when presented with an unknown) and I am firmly an Ox (of the water branch). I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I know that at times I can be rather bullish. Oh, and weren’t we supposed to use Ox shanks when making the beef bouillon this week???? Hmmmm – maybe my subconscious was objecting on my behalf.
Lovely makeup – and I like your creative solution for making that heart!
Whatever you are, you turned out pretty good. My advice in 2014? Hang out with a horse. I’m thinking, Trigger. (Do you even know about Trigger. You’re such a baby.)
I’ve never paid the slightest bit of attention to horoscopes either Mary but I do hope this is a wonderful year for you. Your Paris Brest looks amazing, definitely a special occasion worthy dessert or maybe it’s better to say it could make an ordinary day quite special!
Ha, ha – I’m a tiger (a really nice way of saying “crazy cat lady”)! I love that you made the Paris-Brest in a heart shape.
Mussels, yeah, one thing at a time! I can’t wait to come see you!
One month.
I think I’m an Ox too. I love the heart pan, Mary. But you’ve got me wondering whether that was in the kitchen setup you brought out from Aspen or part of the equipment at your rental house. Not an everyday item, for sure. I’m glad you tried out the Paris-Brest. Quite a fun thing to put together. And the mussels look great. I remember enjoying those as well.
Betsy, look at my pix of last week’s Post. Two heart pans were something I brought from Aspen. I love to celebrate every holiday that God and man have decreed. Michael was a Grinch about Valentines Day – said it was a manufactured holiday and he wasn’t going to celebrate it. Guess what? He did. Every single year. I harrassed him until he gave in. (which kinda worked with everything I really wanted) So I have all kinds of heart stuff. Sorta a bittersweet holiday but since I know he’s watching over me, I just am not going to give him the satisfaction of my not celebrating this Hallmark holiday.
Everything looks delicious!! I especially love your heart shaped Paris Brest. Happy Chinese New Year!
Every year is a good year for us Dragons… at least we make it appear to be. We are all about appearance, such a vain group, us last year of the baby boom. We do have a good qualities… never dull, which is the worst sin of all. From what I know about monkeys in Chinese literature you may be a bit of a trouble maker… I’m liking you more and more.
I haven’t tried the chorizo mussel dish, reminds me of something I had in Portugal.. looks wonderful and you covered Valentine’s too with your beautiful heart shaped Brest. Happy New Year Mary the Monkey… may you gallop through troubles and find health and happiness in 4712.
Here Doristas, have a fun read!
http://www.futuresobright.com/article/318-chinese-zodiac-2014-astrology-predictions/
Emily, thank you. It’s fun to know what animals my colleagues are – so far we have a rat, an oxen, a monkey, Diane, the lucky fire-eating golden dragon, a tiger. Makes me think of Noah. I know, I cannot mix my religions. That’s trouble.
from a rat to a monkey, I can understand why the Chinese horoscope would make you frown, mine never looks good either and 2014 is no exception! Hope you continue to have a wonderful year!!
Your Paris-Brest looks great! 😉 I’m going to get mine done this weekend! 🙂
The mussels with chorizo was amazing….. we love making this one!
Happy New Year, Mary!! Glad your horoscope looks promising this year! I have to admit I never read them either…I do know my sign is Sagittarius, that’s about it!
You had a wonderful celebration dinner! From your delicious looking mussels to your absolutely gorgeous Paris Brest! You my friend deserve a high five!! Have a great weekend!
What a great menu! It’s breakfast time here, and those muffins sound incredible right about now. I love the heart-shaped Paris-Brest. Best wishes for the year of the horse.
Wow wow wow. Happy Monkey Horse of a fabulous year 🙂 I think your friend and the Chinese zodiac have it correct because them and MY GUT also say you are going to have a great year. That said, I am now worried about my own year as I just for the first time looked up my own zodiac and was disappointed to see that I am indeed a snake. The chinese zodiac has declared it. On the upside, this is defined in part as someone who has the ability to distinguish herbs. Not so much (thank goodness for Google images). I also am supposed to be good at communicating but do not actually speak much. Clearly I was not meant to be a snake. When I visited Ireland my Irish friends suggested I need not actually kiss the Blarney stone – there was just no need 🙂 Anyhow, gorgeous post with a lovely and hunger inducing set of photos and menu. Even though they were not a “Dorie” assignment- I am now craving those delicious muffins. And in addition to encouraging me to look up my zodiac, you have inspired me to go to the basement reserves and look for my heart pan collection. Because that Paris Brest is simply gorgeous. Gorgeous. So glad you made it and enjoyed it. A requirement for a fabulous year 🙂
I can’t say that I’m much of a believer either, but I know that I’m a Rabbit because the Chinese restaurant which we used to go to when I was a kid always had the descriptions on their place mats. Here’s hoping that your friend’s forecast was right and that 2014 proves to be a good year for Monkeys:-)
Wowzer! What a feast for the year of the Horse! I think that 2014 looks like it is a great year for Monkeys!