Google and Garlic, Lamb Stew,

What did we do before Google? Saturday, and I am preparing to cook the lamb dish I posted as my recipe today. I decided to cut it in half. However, it calls for a whole garlic bulb. I actually buy peeled garlic cloves and had no idea how many were in a whole bulb. Google to the rescue - approximately 12 depending on the size of the bulb. Funny, when I first came across garlic, after WWII, we used to use it smeared on things, not whole cloves of it let alone lots of cloves. I remember my father used to cook Chorio which called for a coffee cup (the little tiny cups) full of garlic and everyone thought it was a heck of a lot of garlic in those days. Now Denise commented she had made a dish with 40 cloves in it, unpeeled too. I've told the story about my father taking me to France  to stay with a French family and when we got there Madame said she hadn't used garlic in dinner as she knew the English didn't

like it. My father always said  the place reeked of garlic. Of course, in our case, we loved the stuff.

These are the gladioli ladydog brought me last week. They are opening up nicely and really look pretty. I have never yet seen one open right to the top though. When she brought them, ladydog put them in warm water. That I had never heard of before. They seem to thrive on it and I have added warm water since. It is so nice to have fresh flowers.

I cooked the lamb dish I posted on Saturday (INSTANT POT CUMIN LAMB STEW WITH CURRY AND CHILIS), but, being an idiot, I cut back on the quantity of meat and then I cut down on the spices too. Duuuh. The sauce was good, but not spicy enough. I will remember next time, and there will be a next time. We  both enjoyed it.

I'm a sucker for anything made with Nutella. I never knew chocolate hazelnut paste was called Gianduja and that it was invented in Italy during the Napoleonic period. Learn something new every day.

Gianduja Mousse

Star Ingredient: Chocolate-Hazelnut Paste As if the chocolate-hazelnut spread gianduja isn't delicious enough straight off the spoon, Grace Parisi has folded in whipped cream and crème fraîche to create a

truly decadent (and ridiculously easy) mousse. For a supereasy ice cream sandwich, spoon the mousse between chocolate wafers and freeze overnight.

1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut paste, such as Nutella
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 1/2 tsp brandy or hazelnut liqueur
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chocolate wafer cookies, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the chocolate-hazelnut paste with the crème fraîche and brandy at low speed until smooth. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until firm peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate-hazelnut mixture until no streaks remain. Spoon the mousse into small bowls and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Serve with the chocolate wafer cookies

Servings: 4

Author: Grace Parisi
Source: Food & Wine

Have a great day