A party without cake is really just a meeting. - My Mother's would be 70th Birthday

**This post is late because it is in real time**

Today would have been my mother's 70th birthday were she still with us. Though she is not with me physically, I know that those who knew her and loved her, will gladly join my joy in celebrating her memory. A woman of abounding love, energy, and joy. One thing she loved more than most was the French language, cuisine, and culture. So today I decided to make 2 of the best French dishes I know.
Boeuf Bourguignon and Reine De Saba (or Queen of Sheba) aka Chocolate and Almond Cake

< Also, humans landed a man made piece of technology on a comet and my friends released their new invention, so it is a pretty big day all around! >

Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients
4 oz bacon, shopped

3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2 inch cubes

1 sliced onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups (good quality) Pinot Noir

3 cups low-sodium beef stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp thyme

1 lb white or Cremini mushrooms

2 tbsp flour (SUB Cornstartch for GF friend)

Directions

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. While the oil is warming up, dry the beef in paper towels. (If the beef is damp, it won't brown!) Gently saute the beef until browned on all sides.

Add the browned beef and bacon to your slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, Pinot Noir, Beef Stock, tomato paste, and thyme. Make sure the beef is completely covered (add water if necessary)

Cover and cook on low for 8 -9 hours. With 1.5 hours, remaining, add the mushrooms. I don't add the mushrooms till later in the cooking process, because I like them to be slightly firm.

When the beef is nice and tender, remove the meat and vegetables from your slow cooker and keep warm. To the remaining sauce in your slow cooker, whisk in the 2 Tbsp of flour to thicken.

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables and enjoy!

The easy description is just calling it French Pot Roast.

I didn't follow the traditional recipe for the Boeuf Bourguignon, simply because this cat has to work to bring home the bacon. I figured as this is a slow cooked dish either way, that making it in the slow cooker only hurt the dish a tiny bit. So I went for it and it was well worth it. I browned the meat the night before while watching Parks and Rec and having a glass of "Chef Juice". Then this morning I awoke, cut up the veg, and put all the stuff needed for the first wave into the Crockpot (BEST Wedding present ever THANK YOU, DANA). Poor Husband was in pain the whole day with delicious scents wafting from our kitchen area, but nothing for him to eat yet. Muhahahaha! The Wife's Revenge! I ended up serving it with a small side salad and over potatoes as that is what was available in my kitchen.

After a long day of cooking, the meat was stupid tender and moist, the red wine sauce perfectly flavored and the mushroom, still firm and not that weird, squishy texture. It wasn't too much work, though to thicken the sauce, since I used cornstarch, I put it in a small saucepan and whisked over more direct heat to thicken. This was a great choice and Husband was more than happy to put it in his body. A friend of ours ended up coming for dinner, I left out the Bacon and Flour as she is allergic to pork and gluten. She loved it as well so I thinking this is a win win meal!

Juicy and meaty.

Reine De Saba (or Queen of Sheba) aka Chocolate and Almond Cake

Ingredients

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate melted with 2 tablespoon of rum or coffee

1/4 lb. or 1 stick softened butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs (separated)

pinch of salt

1tbsp caster sugar

1/3 cup pulverized almonds (I used almond meal)

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup cake flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 175 degree celcius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), butter and flour a 8 inch springform cake tin. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan over simmering watering; let melt.

cream the butter and sugar together until pale yellow and fluffy.

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well blended.

Beat the egg whites and salt in separate bowl until soft peaks, sprinkle on a tablespoon of sugar and Beat until stiff peaks are formed.

Use a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in the almonds and almond extract. Immediately stir in one fourth of the egg white to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg white and more flour until all are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, spread the batter all over and well level with a spatula. Put in the oven and bake in middle level for about 25 minutes.

Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2½ to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a skewer plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and the skewer comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

(Optional) Try and sprinkle with some sea salt on top before serving. <which I did>

The cake stand belonged to my Mother's mother. Generations!

Riene De Saba is a nearly flourless cake that is pretty much amazeballs. I have never made it before today, but have had several times in the past, at restaurants and made by my mother when she was living. I have seen it iced with a butter cream frosting from time to time, but I personally think that doing so is overkill. It is like trying to make oatmeal cry, why would you do it? This cake is spectacularly moist and dense without feeling like you are getting smacked in the mouth with Cacao.

So I made this cake in a 9 inch spring foam, as that is what I have in my cabinet, and I baked it for 20 minutes instead of 25 with a solid 15 cool time in the pan. oh man...words can't explain how good this cake is in my mouth. I am happy I didn't opt for frosting the cake as the cracked sea salt over the top was bomb.com. Even our friend who shouldn't do the gluten, did a little bit of gluten.

Make this. Make your life better.

You might notice the small cordial glass. That is filled with a dessert wine I got when I went to Callaway Winery in Temecula years ago and opened tonight in honor of 70 years. The wine is a late harvest Chenin Blanc and is called Sweet Nancy. Suiting, isn't it? While I think a late harvest Cabernet Sauvignon would have paired better, but it it would not have been called Sweet Nancy.

I think this is a valid tribute to my mother. No, it isn't a theatre named after her or a festival that she headed up to create, but it is reminds me of my mom. I figure it works.