Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/251527
62 BRAVA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2014 GO+DO SAVOR PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANNA WOLF KILLER COOKIES THE DISH RECIPE CRÈME BRÛLÉE A LA LAVANDE (Lavender Creme Brulee) From Chez Nanou 2 c. heavy cream 2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers 5 egg yolks 13 Tbsp. sugar, divided Heat heavy cream and lavender in a pot until hot. Turn off the heat, cover and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix the egg yolks and 7 Tbsp. sugar care- fully to avoid creating air bubbles. Pour the cream mixture through a sieve onto the egg yolks and sugar, while stirring gently. Pour into 6 crème brûlée molds and bake at 225 degrees in a water bath for 45 minutes. (Time may vary according to your oven.) Remove from oven, allow to cool and then refrigerate. (The crème brûlée can be prepared a day in advance.) Just before serving cover each serving evenly with 1 Tbsp. of sugar. Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch until it is golden brown. Serve immediately. TART ART Chocolate Korova: Batch Bakehouse In the bakery case, they don't look like much, but don't be fooled by their unassuming appearance. These rad rounders are off the hook. Unsweetened cocoa power and bittersweet chocolate give the Korova its deep chocolate flavor, and an unexpected sprinkle of fleur de sel balances the sweetness. 1402 Williamson St., Madison. batchbakehouse.com. Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich: Fresco Forget jelly—the marriage of peanut butter and chocolate is far better. And when that chocolate comes in the form of chewy, almost brownie-like outsides sandwiching creamy peanut butter semi- freddo, good things happen. Add a drizzle of caramel sauce and salted peanuts and you have a dessert worth devouring. 227 State St., Madison. frescomadison.com. Moreo: 4&20 Bakery & Café Think the kids have it better? Head to Madison's East Side for an adult take on everyone's favorite sandwich cookie. Two deeply chocolatey cookies, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, hug luscious pastry cream. They are monstrous- ly big, but you're an adult—eat the whole thing. 305 N. 4th St., Madison. 4and20bakery.com. –Corey Dane, Madison's community director for Yelp.com A TASTE OF FRANCE In May 2012, within one year of moving to Madison, Anne-Marie Rieunier ( just call her, "Nanou"), opened Chez Nanou and began sharing her love of French food and the art of la grande cuisine in a cozy Williamson Street space. One evening a month, Nanou leads a three-course meal class. "We cook together, we eat— it's very nice," says Nanou. At evening's end, each student leaves with recipes. A recent lesson taught me the trick to Nanou's signature dessert: Crème Brûlée a la Lavande, a delicate pale-yellow custard she infuses with lavender flowers from fields near her home in the south of France. Although a simple recipe, she says, "The secret to a good crème brûlée is the cooking process." It must be cooked slowly in the oven at a low temperature— just the morsel I needed, paired with this other Nanou insight: "Owning a restaurant is difficult and tiring but when I start cooking…it rebuilds my spirit." And mine. –Kathy Brozyna Nanou's Feb. 18 cooking class features French Onion Soup, Tourte au Saumon and Fondant a la Frangipane. Enjoy a Feb. 14, $50 prix fixe Valentine's Dinner. 805 Williamson St., Madison. cheznanoumadison.com. For more Madison-area cooking classes, see p. 67.