Fatteh Spinach

 Fatteh  refer to the entire class of Levantine dishes that use crumbled flatbreads in their preparation.

Spinach Fatte
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh baby spinach rinsed
1 onion chopped
¼ cup oil
1 bunch of cilantro rinsed
1 tsp salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp red chili pepper (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
1 juice of lemon

2 cups of long grain rice

1 Pita bread cut up in cubes and toasted

½ cup Pine nuts fried with oil

1 pound yogurt whisk and add water to creamy consistency

In a large pot sauté onion in oil till translucent. Add spinach and sauté add salt pepper and nutmeg until leaves are wilted. Chop cilantro and add to the spinach. Add ½ cup water and the  lemon juice over cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the rice with three cups of water.
Cut pita into ½ inch squares toast in oven till gold in color. Put in a bowl and sprinkle olive oil and set aside. In a small pan sauté pine nuts in a bit of oil or butter, set aside.
Mix the yogurt together with ½ tsp salt and ½ cup water.
In a large serving bowl layer the rice then the spinach and the yogurt over. Add the toasted bread and pine nuts over, and sprinkle with red chili pepper and serve immediately.

Knafeh

Knafeh is a  cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup, typical of the regions of Lebanon, Jordan. It is consumed typically for breakfast in kaak bread or for desert. You can use a medium size baking dish or individual size oven proof ramekins.



Ingredients:

4 cups milk
1-cup semolina smid
1-cup sugar
2 sticks butter + 4 T
2-T rose water
Breadcrumbs
1-pound mozzarella or Akawi cheese shredded
Cornflakes for topping

In saucepan pour milk, add semolina, sugar and 2 sticks of butter boil and turn off heat. Add rose water.
Grease a baking dish, sprinkle with some breadcrumbs and divide milk mixture in half. Pour half in the baking dish and spread mozzarella. Pour the second half of milk mixture and layer. Sprinkle another layer of breadcrumbs.  Add the cut up butter and place in pre-heat 350-oven for 20 -25 minutes. Serve hot with syrup and ciabatta bread.


For Syrup:

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Slice of a lemon
1 T orange blossom
1 T rose water

Prepare syrup, Boil sugar water with the slice of lemon. Remove lemon 10-15 minutes and keep boiling without stirring another 10 minutes. Remove from heat add orange blossom and rose water, let cool.

Super Trio Green Pies

Kale is gaining popularity for its health benefits.  the Vitamins and minerals found in kale serve as anti-inflammatory agents, immune boosters, and aid in cancer prevention. Kale is also rich in antioxidants that help protect the body.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of fresh chopped baby spinach, baby kale and baby chard  

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

1 big onion diced

1 T sumac

1 lemon squeezed

¼ Cup toasted pine nuts

½ Teaspoon  salt

Fresh black pepper

Pinch of chili pepper

¼ cup olive oil

Empanadas readymade dough rounds for easy preparation or home made dough.

·        Prepare spinach and kale and the green mixture, pine nuts, onion and seasonings, combine and massage together and taste for seasonings.

·         Fill dough with 1 tablespoon or more spinach mixture. Close in half   and pinch the sides.

·        Preheat oven to 350F and on a baking sheet spray with vegetable oil arrange the pies and brush with an egg wash and bake till golden.

Katayif with Achta Pancakes Filled Cream



For dessert, for breakfast this is sure to satisfy the sweet tooth. Syrup and and cream filling can be prepared ahead of time. enjoy!

Ingredients for pancake:

1 cup of flour

1 ½ cups of water

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

Ingredients for filling:

1 pint half and half 

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

4 slices American white bread trimmed and shredded

1 Tablespoon blossom water

For Syrup:

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

Slice of a lemon

1 T orange blossom

1 T rose water

Prepare syrup, Boil sugar water with the slice of lemon stir till sugar disolves. Remove lemon 10-15 minutes and keep boiling without stirring another 10 minutes. Remove from heat add orange blossom and rose water, let cool.

Warm water and add yeast and sugar, baking powder and 1 Tablespoon flour stir and set aside to rise. Blend in blender water ingredients add the flour gradually until you have a thin batter.

Scoop the katayif on a lightly greased griddle until dry, do not turn over.

Stir half and half cornstarch and powdered sugar together in a pot and boil add the shredded bread and turn off heat. Add the blossom water.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of mix in the pancake arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with  pistachios and serve with syrup.

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush is very healthy and a whole meal by itself. I add purslane if i find it at specialty stores. Purslane is wonderful herb eaten as vegetable in Greek and Asian cuisine. Its succulent thick leaves are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, minerals. Its a powerhouse of nutrition. I add baby arugula when pursulane is not available. Sahten!


Ingredients:

1 romaine washed, trimmed, cut in 1inch slices

1 bunch of parsley snipped or chopped thick

1 bunch mint washed and stemmed

3 medium tomatoes sliced in 1 inch cubes

2 cucumbers cubed and peeled

3 scallions finely chopped

1 green or red pepper cored and cubed

1 bunch radishes washed trimmed and cubed

1 large pita bread cut into 1inch squares and toasted or fried

1 bunch of pursulane trimmed and washed or 1 bunch of baby arugula

For the dressing:

½ cup Olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 lemon juiced

1 teaspoon sumac

¼ teaspoon dried mint

Salt to taste

1teaspoon pomegranate (optional)

Cut and wash all the vegetable and place in a big salad bowl.

Toast the pita bread and then crumble it onto the salad, or serve on the side.

Mix everything together, add pita chips on top.


Serves 4 to 6

Mini Lasagna Cups

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 onion chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

Salt and fresh pepper to taste

½ tsp oregano ½ tsp red pepper flakes

3 cups béchamel sauce

24 wonton wrappers

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Béchamel Sauce

3 cups whole milk
¼ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose unbleached flour

Salt Fresh pepper nutmeg


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté chopped onion then brown beef (or turkey) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add tomato sauce, salt pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes to remaining meat mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

In a separate pan melt the unsalted butter with the flour over low heat. Stir rapidly with a Wisk. Cook this for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Add the milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stirring until the mixture thickens. During this process, stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, and arrange a wonton wrapper in each cup. Take meat sauce and layer with 1 tablespoon among the 12 cups. Top with another wonton wrapper, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Layer 1 tablespoons of béchamel sauce over and add another wonton wrapper over, and repeat the layers by adding the remaining meat sauce, béchamel, wonton and top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the wonton wrappers are golden. Cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Also an idea to make with wontons, sauce béchamel with spinach and layered with cheeses.

Hummus

Ingredients

2cups (1 ¼ pound) of dried chick peas ( garbanzo beans)

1 tablespoon of baking soda
¼ cup of tahini (sesame paste)
2 to 3 lemon juiced

¼ cup very cold icy water if needed
Salt

Olive oil for garnish

Sort through the chickpeas before you boil them to remove any disfigured or bad chickpeas.

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight with a lot of water (cover them completely, use twice the amount of water vs. the volume of chickpeas).

The next day, rinse the chickpeas well with cold water.


Fill a big (8 quart) pot with plenty of water, using the same amount as when you soaked them. Add the baking soda, and bring to the boil.

When the water is boiling turn the heat down and simmer until the chickpeas are cooked, 60 to 90 minutes. Remove froth with a skimmer as needed.

To test for doneness remove one chick pea with a spoon and smash  between thumb and index finger if its tender its done!

Take the pot off the heat and put it under the cold water tap. The cold water will shock the skins into cracking so that they will easily come off and float to the surface. In order to allow them to float up you need to gently stir the chickpeas and as the skins surface remove them with a slotted spoon. Keep stirring a little and removing the skins that surface until you’ve removed most skins.

Now strain the chickpeas and leave them in a colander to drain.

Place the tahini and lemon juice in the food processor add the chickpeas mix until you have a smooth paste, but still a little firm. If it’s too thick add little by little the icy cold water. Finally add salt to taste.

Serve with olive oil and pita bread.

Serves 4 to 6 people

Grilled Eggplant with Tomato-Basil Relish

2 large eggplants trimmed from stem and cut ½ inch thick

4 ripe tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

5 tablespoons olive oil or more

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 scallions thinly sliced

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 bunch finely chopped fresh basil plus fresh leaves, for garnish



Heat your grill to high or oven to 450.

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Do the same with the eggplants. Place tomatoes and eggplant slices on the grill and grill until charred on all sides, and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. If using oven put on a sheet and spray with cooking oil and bake 10 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill place the eggplant on a platter and remove skin from the tomatoes and coarsely chop.


Put the chopped tomatoes in a bowl, add 3 tablespoons of oil, onion, vinegar and basil and gently mix until combined. Let sit at room temperature for flavors to blend. Serve eggplant and drizzle tomato relish on top.

Italian Green Beans, Loubie Bzet

For meatless Monday green Italian beans with tomato sauce is a great option. If you cannot find flat green beans in season, you can find them in the freezer section.



2 pounds of green beans trimmed and cut in bite size

3 – 4 big tomatoes peeled and chopped or canned crushed tomato

1 large onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic whole

½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon allspice



In a pot sauté onion till translucent add green beans and sauté till they change their color add garlic, salt and allspice and the tomatoes. Add water to cover beans, cover and cook over medium heat for 35 to 40 minutes or until beans are cooked and sauce has reduced and thickened. Serve cold with pita bread. Sahten!

Tuna Tartar

Here’s an appetizer to please a crowd. I buy grade A tuna frozen  for sushi. My family and guests always request it. It will sure impress even the non raw fish eaters!!!! Enjoy.




1 bag of good quality chips

1-pound fresh tuna cut into small cubes ¼ in

1 teaspoon of wasabi

3 Tablespoons oriental sesame oil

2 Tablespoons chives minced

5 Tablespoons of soy sauce or more

3 to 4 dashes Tabasco

Coarse salt and fresh black pepper



Mix tuna with sesame oil, chives, wasabi and Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.

Spinach and Rice with Yogurt (Spinach Fatte)

This is a meatless dinner that everyone I know enjoys. You can also make it with lamb or beef stew added to the spinach. The Fatte is assembled last minute and serve immediately otherwise the bread becomes soggy. Thanks for Tommy for taking a great picture!



Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh baby spinach rinsed

1 onion chopped

¼ cup oil

1 bunch of cilantro rinsed

1 tsp salt

Freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp red chili pepper (optional)

½ tsp cinnamon

1 juice of lemon

2 cups of long grain rice

Pita bread

½ cup Pine nuts fried with oil

1 pound yogurt



In a large pot sauté onion in oil till translucent. Add spinach and sauté add salt pepper and nutmeg until leaves are wilted. Chop cilantro and add to the spinach. Add ½ cup water and the lemon juice over cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the rice with three cups of water.

Cut pita into ½ inch squares toast in oven till gold in color. Put in a bowl and sprinkle olive oil and set aside. In a small pan sauté pine nuts in a bit of oil or butter, set aside.

Mix the yogurt together with ½ tsp salt and ½ cup water.

In a large serving bowl layer the rice then the spinach and the yogurt over. Add the toasted bread and pine nuts over, and sprinkle with red chili pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Creamy Asparagus Soup

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine. I changed it a bit added some spice to it to give it a kick. It’s great for this time of year all you need is a pot and hand held blender and you will have a fancy restaurant style soup.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh asparagus

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter or 3 swirls of olive oil

• 5 cups chicken broth preferably home made

• Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• Tabasco to taste

• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

• Salt and pepper

Method

Cut asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces. Reserve some of the tops for garnish.

Cook onion in butter in a 4 quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer covered until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove aspargus tips and set aside.

Purée soup with the hand held blender away from the heat, until smooth. Return to heat and stir in cream, Tabasco and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and fresh pepper.

Garnish with asparagus tips.

Serves 4-6.

Pickled Turnips

Very easy to make these turnips (kabiss lift) they are good with lentil dish Moujadara and with falafel, they are also good as appetizer. I like to eat them right out of the jar. The reason I make my own is because they are much better than store bought and they have a great crunch to them!

Ingredients:

2 pounds Turnips peeled and sliced thinly

½ beets for coloring

1 part (cup) boiling water

1part (cup) vinegar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt



Fill the turnips in jars add water and empty in a measuring cup. With a half the amount fill a pot with the kosher salt and let boil to dissolve, let cool. Add the rest of amount with vinegar. When cool add it to the jar seal and keep refrigerated for at least one week.

Baked Chicken and Potatoes

Easy chicken in the oven prep time 10 -15 minutes, bake and ready in no time. You can change seasonings omit or add vegetables to make it your own. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh garlic and salt made a paste.

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme or oregano leaves.

• 1 tablespoons grated lemon zest.

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon.

• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes.

• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

• 1 (3-pound) whole chicken, cut up into 4 pieces.

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• Juice of 1 or 2 lemons freshly squeezed.

• 3 baking potatoes peeled and sliced into ½ inch slices

Whisk together the oil, 2 tablespoons of the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest and salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice in a large baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the oil. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Pre-heat medium size pan and with 1 Tablespoon of oil and brown potatoes and layer in a baking dish, add pepper and salt. Brown chicken on both sides and place over potatoes along with the marinade. Bake for 35-40 minutes until chicken is done. Serve.

Serves 4

Mouhamara, Walnut Spicy Spread

Last night went to dinner and had a great mezza at “Halabi”. Great food like always. One of their dishes that I like is Mouhamara, great for appetizer served with toasted pita. I make it every time I have a crowd and its always a success! Good to make for the superbowl.



Ingredients:



1-cup ground walnuts

1 teaspoon red pepper paste

½ teaspoon red pepper

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (if needed)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 jar red bell pepper roasted drained and crushed

Dash of salt

1-T pomegranate syrup





In a food processor finely grind walnuts. Remove from food processor to a bowl. Back in the food processor add pimentos, pepper paste, lemon juice, and salt. Pour over the walnuts and blend; if the mixture is runny add some breadcrumbs.

Spread on a platter garnish with halved walnuts, jalapeno slices and drizzle with olive oil.



You can use mouhamara on pies and sprinkle with sesame seeds, bake and serve.

Black Bean Salad

Try this great salad it’s so refreshing. You can also add some mango juice from the mango to the dressing it will enhance the flavors. Enjoy!





Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans, drained

• 1 can corn, drained

• 1 red bell pepper diced

• 1 red onion diced

• 1 green onion diced

• 1 mango diced

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

• 1/2 tablespoons salt

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

• ¼ cup vinaigrette dressing 

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Itch Salad - Pomegranate Tabboule

This Armenian salad is so good. Make it your own by adding or omitting any ingredient. I had this idea I will make it next time with quinoa instead of burgul. Thanks to my lovely niece Eliana who helped with the recipe. Love you J

Serves 8

2 cups fine burgul

1 bunch parsley chopped

1 red onion chopped

3 scallions chopped

3 tomatoes chopped

½ bunch mint stemmed and chopped or 1 teaspoon dried mint

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

4 Tablespoons pomegranate syrup

1 ½ cup tomato puree

Salt to taste

1 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon red pepper paste

1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped (optional)



Rinse burgul and place in a salad bowl, add warm water, tomato puree, red pepper paste and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare and chop parsley, tomatoes, mint, green onion, red onion add salt lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, olive oil, jalapeno if using and mix with the burgul an adjust seasonings.

Note if you don’t have red onion on hand use yellow onion and fry with a little of olive oil before adding.

Chicken Pine Nuts and Sumac Rolls

Yummy chicken rolls can be your lunch or dinner or cut up small for appetizers. Have them with salad, sour cream, salsa, hummus or just alone. You can make them with leftover chicken or the store bought already roasted ones. (Happy to report that my daughter made them tonight with the help from this site yay my plan is working :) She did the one in this picture. She added some jalapenos too, bravo Reya.

Serves 4


1 chicken breast boneless skinless

2 Tablespoons olive oil + 2 Tablespoons

1 onion chopped + 1 whole

1 Tablespoon sumac

Salt

Pepper

1 bay leaf

1 pack tortilla bread or mountain bread (Markouk found in specialty stores) or pita bread.

¼ cup pine nuts




Rinse the chicken breast and sauté in small pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil add whole onion, 1 bay leaf, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cover with water. Let cook for 30 -35 minutes or until done. Remove water and reserve for soup.With the help of two forks tear the meat apart into small bites and set aside.

In another pot sauté chopped onion with the rest of the olive oil for 5 minutes till translucent in color, add pine nuts and sauté till they are gold in color. Now add the torn chicken and the sumac and blend well. Remove from heat.

Prepare the bread you have available. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of filling and roll like a burrito secure with a toothpick. Repeat until you use all the chicken filling.

Pre-heat oven 350. Spray oil on a cookie sheet, place rolls and bake 10-15 minutes until warm and gold in color.

Serve hot with salad or cut them into half for appetizers.

Non Traditional Roast Turkey

Merry Christmas!
Christmas is nine days away and it’s time to get ready. If you’re preparing turkey like me, it is time to order your fresh turkey. With some organization you should be able to prepare a fantastic meal and enjoy it too! So here is my version hope you will like.



Preparation time: About 5 hours.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

• 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs( 6-7 kilos)

• Juice of a lemon

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil or 1 stick melted butter

• 1 orange zest plus whole quartered

• Ginger ½ inch piece peeled and grated

• Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon paprika

Method

To start, if the turkey has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before cooking. Keep it in its plastic wrapping until you are ready to cook. If you get a frozen turkey, you will need to defrost it in the refrigerator for several days first.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash out the turkey with water. Pull out any remaining feather stubs in the turkey skin. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Lather the outside and the inside of the cavity with the juice of half a lemon. Take a small handful of salt and rub all over the inside of the turkey.

For flavor, put inside the turkey the quartered orange. Close up the turkey cavity with either string or metal skewers. Make sure that the turkey's legs are tied together, held close to the body, and tie a string around the turkey body to hold the wings in close.

The neck cavity can be stuffed with thyme, rosemary and tied closed with thin skewers and string.

Rub either melted butter or olive oil all over the outside of the turkey. Continue with Grand Marnier, soy sauce then sprinkle salt generously all over the outside of the turkey. Add the pepper and orange zest, paprika, and grated ginger, rosemary thyme.

Place turkey on the bottom of a rack over a sturdy roasting pan big enough to catch all the drippings.

Put the turkey in the oven. The recommended cooking time is about 15 minutes for every pound (1/2 Kilo). For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400 F for the first 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350F for the next 2 hours. Then reduce the heat further to 225 F for the next hour to hour and a half.

Take the temperature readings with a meat thermometer, the dark meat in the thigh should be about 175°F. The white meat in the breast should be 160°F to 165°F. If you don't have a meat thermometer, spear the breast with a knife. The turkey juices should be clear, not pink.

Note when breast turn golden brown in color cover with foil to prevent from turning black

Once you remove the turkey from the oven, let it rest for 15 -20 minutes.

Gravy:

Scrape all the drippings off of the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour drippings into a smaller skillet. Ladle off excess fat with a gravy cup and discard. In a separate small bowl take a quarter cup of corn starch and add just enough water to dissolve the corn starch. Beat cornstarch with a whisk to remove lumps. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the drippings, stirring constantly. You may not end up using all of the cornstarch mixture. Only add as much as you need to get the desired thickness. Allow time for the cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, or other seasonings to taste.

Note: you can substitute Grand Marnier and soy sauce for dry white wine and some bacon for a different flavor.

Bûche de Noël

This Classic French dessert that has been traced back to the Celtic tradition of celebrating the winter solstice by burning a large wood trunk.The cake is a thin layer of rolled sponge cake flavored with buttercream that’s shaped and decorated as a yule log.

This desert is must for Christmas for my family it is as traditional as the Christmas tree. I get many requests for the recipe, you may change and adjust flavorings, drizzle the cake with  rum or a sugar syrup flavored with vanilla after it's cooled, or do any number of things to make it your own. I prepare the bûche de Noël a week in advance put the filling and wrap in clean kitchen towels and refrigerate. On Christmas Eve I add the frosting, shaved chocolate and sprinkle with powder sugar and voila.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10



For the cake:

1-1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 large eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

5 tablespoons of melted and skimmed butter (optional)

1 zest of a whole orange

2 T Grand Marnier (Rum for chestnut cake)

1/3 Cup Cocoa powder



For the filling and frosting:

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt

10 ounces chocolate milk

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Line a 17 x 11 x 1-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Brush it with melted butter, and dust it with flour.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper. Beat the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the sugar with the whisk attachment in an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and lemon colored. Add orange zest and the Grand Marnier then the dry ingredients at low speed, mixing until just incorporated. Add the vanilla, mix quickly and thoroughly, and set aside (the batter will be quite thick). Add the melted butter now if using.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft points. Add the remaining 1/4-cup of sugar and whisk until the egg whites are glossy and form points that stand up but are not too stiff.

Fold one-fourth of the egg whites into the cake batter until they are incorporated, then fold in the remaining egg whites, working quickly. They should be incorporated into the batter, but do not over mix it.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and bake until the cake is golden and your finger makes a slight indentation in the top of the cake when you press it, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the cake is baking, sift the confectioner's sugar over a clean kitchen towel.

Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately invert it onto the sugar-dusted towel. Peel the parchment paper from the cake, and starting from one long side, gently roll the cake up in the towel. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.



Make the frosting:

Melt the chocolate and the cream together in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally, and when the chocolate has completely melted, whisk the mixture so it is completely combined. Let it cool to room temperature, so it is thick enough to spread. Season with vanilla: if you like.

When the cake has cooled, unroll it carefully and trim off the edges so it is perfectly even, reserving the trimmings. Spread the filling evenly over the cake to within about 1/8-inch from the edges, and roll the cake back up. Roll the trimmings into spirals, and affix these to the sides of the cake with any leftover filling (two "knots" are sufficient).

Using the frosting, generously frost the cake, including the knots and the ends. Let the cake rest for about 15 minutes, when it cools decorate add the knots, one on the side of cake and one sitting on top with the help of a wooden skewer. Now add some chocolate shavings, then sift some powdered sugar for the snow effect.