The Bisou

I haven’t been able to update in a while because things have been crazy hectic; I moved! I recently moved out of my tiny, subtly depressing, all-in-one kitchen-bed/living/dining room and moved into a new, luxurious 3 bedroom apartment at the heart of Seoul. How that happened could serve as the basis of a really bad sitcom pilot. And I now know that the new year or another birthday doesn’t age you, house hunting and moving do.

I’m really happy I ended up here, though I wonder how long I can stay, and if I’ll ever live in such a gorgeous place ever again… But then, I decided to just enjoy it while I’m here:)

Anyway, I was long overdue for a treat.

 Bisou means “kiss” in French, the little peck on the cheek kind…

They do look like little kisses, don’t they?

There were a lot of layers to this one: basic flaky crust, orange curd, light sponge cake layer, cocoa meringue with chocolate lace topping. Delightful! (Though a pain to make!) Orange and chocolate make a strange combination, but somehow it works. Tart and rich…I think the sugar brings it all together.

I like to make my pies the day of because if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s day-old pastry and cold fries. But I think this particular dish benefits from a day or two in the fridge, so that the flavors can mellow and mingle. The chocolate is deeper and the orange more citrusy. I guess the crust ends up a bit cardboardy, but that’s really not the highlight of this pie.

My sister (one of the very few more-or-less regular readers of this blog) is visiting from Nepal. I thought it was somewhat ironic that I make all this food for me and my friends, and sometimes random people, but I rarely cook for my family. It’s really their fault for living so far away!

So, I made boeuf bourguignon, the special-dinner-dish, gorgonzola twice-baked potatoes (by Bruno Albouze, my other favorite French chef!), and of course the bisou. It was a very French-themed meal:) Though I think I appreciated it more than my guests!