It’s a light, flaky and tender pastry made by mixing flour, salt, chilled butter (or other fat) and water to form a dough. This is the process to make short pastry as well, however with puff pastry, the dough is then layered with butter, rolled out and folded into thirds. This process, which is repeated 6 to 8 times, produces a pastry comprising hundreds of layers of dough and butter. When baked, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the dough to puff and separate into hundreds of extremely thin and delicate, flaky layers.

Puff pastry is used for delicate pastry like cream puffs, éclairs, napoleons and some danish pastries; for sweet and savory pies and vol-au-vents; for cookies such as palmiers; and for breakfast breads such as croissants and pain au chocolat. It is also used as a wrapping pastry for dishes en croûte.

• If you’re hungry for pastry right now, head over to THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet Pies & Pastry Section and take a bite of the product reviews, recipes and our fab Pie & Pastry Glossary.
• Learn how to make puff pastry from scratch from pastry chef Jean-Yves Charon.
• Make cream puffs with this recipe from chocolatier Michael Recchiuti.

We’ll start you out with this Rocky Road Brownie recipe from San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti.

The brownie, one of America’s favorite baked treats, was born in the U.S.A.—we just aren’t quite sure where, although evidence points to New England in the first few years of the 20th century.

Although cake-like and baked in a cake pan, the brownie is classified as a bar cookie rather than a cake.

There are thousands of recipes, both “cake” types and “fudge” types. Either is perfectly correct—and delicious.

Not every brownie has to be a “moist, fudgy brownie”—although even the people who sell them tend not to know the difference. See our discussion on the different styles of brownies.

• If you truly love brownies, check out the history of the brownie.
• > The History Of Brownies

This year, why not march to the beat of a different drummer and rock around a designer color tree on Christmas morning? Deck your halls differently with a Christmas tree from Treetopia, a premiere resource for artificial Christmas trees with attitude.

The pre-lit, stylish trees come in a variety of types, sizes and colors, but we liked the food-friendly sound of the “Cranberry Crush” tree (other designer colors available). The winner will receive a four-foot-tall tree decked out with clear lights. You’ll enjoy this “sustainable” Christmas tree for many years to come. If you prefer, you can donate it to your local children’s hospital or other group in need of holiday cheer.

Approximate Retail Value: $259.00

Celebrate Christmas with a chic colored tree from Treetopia.

A second winner may wake up on Christmas morning to his or her very own custom-blended MojaMix cereal. The prize is a $30 gift certificate to build one’s own dream breakfast cereal from scratch. Choose your favorite base cereal, dried fruit, nuts and possibly some “extras” like cacao nibs. Name your cereal and choose a quote or a photo for the front of the bag.

Retail Value: $30.00

• To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Cereals, Pancakes & Waffles Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing by noon on Monday, December 14th. (Privacy is observed; your email address will not be used for any other purpose.)

Lick the envelope—it tastes like bacon. Photo
by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

From J&D’s, the folks who brought you Bacon Salt, here are envelopes that anyone will want to lick. J&D’s Bacon-Flavored Mmmvelopes not only taste like bacon, they can be enjoyed by those who are halal and kosher. All of J&D’s products are vegetarian and K-OF K kosher certified.

The envelopes have a pork belly design on both sides. Under the flap are the words, “Everything Should Taste Like Bacon.”

Well, not everything, guys. There’s still ice cream, cake, cookies, chocolate (with or without bacon), peanut butter, brioche, fries, onion rings, crab cakes, sushi, guacamole (add your own favorites here __________), and every great food that isn’t bacon.

• Get your Mmmvelopes at JDFoods.net.
• The Bacon Boys from J&D’s have a contest going. Submit your own recipe using any J&D’s product, or recipes using real bacon, by December 15th. You could win a J&D’s Everything Pack that includes one of everything they make. Go to the Recipes Section on J&D’s website and use the Submit Your Own Recipe; all submissions will be judged for the prize.

[1] A slice of foie gras, known as a “scallop,” is briefly sautéed and served with peaches, marmalade and marigold salad (photo © Restaurant Daniel| NYC).

[2] Foie gras-stuffed prunes (photo © Caviar Russe.

On festive occasions we serve “Foie Gras Variées,” a dinner plate comprising small amounts of different foie gras* preparations that make a luxurious course.

The plate typically includes:

 
The same can be done with chicken livers: chicken liver mousse, terrine, and sautéed livers.

It’s just as satisfying for those without a hunger for the duck or goose version, and much more affordable.

Serve the plate with a glass of Gewürtztraminer, Late Harvest Vouvray, Riesling or Sauternes, makes guests very happy.

In fact, sybarite that we are, we often serve two different wines so your guests can experience different pairings.

Want some chocolate with your foie gras?

Here’s a recipe for Foie Gras Served With French Toast and Spiced Chocolate Ganache, from Chef Mark Gold.

Serve it as the first course of a very opulent dinner.

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*Foie gras is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been especially fattened. Here’s more about it.

†Quince is a winter fruit. Other options include a dried fruit compote, apples, figs, black cherry jam or fig jam. In the spring, we like fresh figs, gooseberries or green grapes (the smaller the better). While few of us have 50-year-old balsamic vinegar, if you have balsamic glaze (commercial balsamic vinegar boiled down to thicken it), you can add a few drops to the plate in any season.