One of the perks of having a blog is sometimes getting a coveted invitation that you would otherwise not know existed. The drive from Savannah to Cincinnati is a long one, but it was made a little more exciting for me because I received a surprise email from the PR folks at Liberté yogurt inviting me to meet Pastry Chef Megan Ketover at the Orchids at Palm Court for a dessert tasting. This was very cool for a number of reasons…
1. Chef Megan is not only the Pastry Chef for Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza downtown {which just happens to be home to the Orchids at Palm Court, the #1 restaurant in Cincinnati} but was also a competitor on Food Network’s Challenge and Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts. So this was my first time to meet a “celebrity” chef. I was a bit star-struck and she was super-nice.
2. Did I mention the Orchids at Palm Court is our number one restaurant in Cincinnati? I’d only eaten there once before, during a restaurant week {which provides 3 delectable courses and is the rare time when my poor foodie self can afford to eat at such a fine establishment} and the food from start to finish was absolutely amazing. After the tasting {which my husband was also privileged to attend} he and I turned the evening into a date night and dined in the Orchids beautiful art-deco bar for Happy Hour. Tom and I both enjoyed a drink and appetizer each for a bill of only $27 {before tip}. It is truly the best deal in town, especially with drinks {blackberry collins} and apps {fried brussels sprouts with spicy Vietnamese shrimp} like these.
3. I’d noticed Liberté yogurt at my local Kroger in the past couple months and had already tried and LOVED their Méditerranée Coconut yogurt {Méditerranée by the way is simply the French word for Mediterranean style as this lovely artisan yogurt is a French-Canadian company}. So I was very excited to try their other yogurt flavors, especially as creatively used by Chef Megan in the four desserts she created for Liberté.
The tasting was simply divine. I received a warm and personalized welcome from Liberté and Chef Megan. It is obvious this company started by the Kaporovsky family back in 1936 in Montreal has stayed true to their artisan roots and remains passionate about their yogurt today. They are proudly beginning to distribute their six Greek yogurt flavors {fat-free} and seven Méditerranée yogurt flavors {unapologetically full-fat} here in the states. Their yogurts only contain fresh, real ingredients, including their slow-acting cultures which renders their Greek yogurts to be much less tart than other brands. I personally prefer the rich and fully satisfying Méditerranée styles, but my three trips to Europe in my younger years long ago biased me to real yogurt, instead of the various brands of sugar and chemically loaded yogurts that seem to take up most of the shelf space here. Thankfully brands like Liberté are now gaining more popularity as our attitudes about food have shifted.
My husband and I got to taste each and every style and flavor of yogurt Liberté makes. My personal favorites being Méditerranée Coconut and Strawberry and the Greek Lemon and Blackberry. We each enjoyed the four desserts Chef Megan created, which I’ve pictured above:
1. Blueberry-Lavender Pound Cake featuring Liberté Greek Blueberry
2. Basil-Infused Strawberry Shortcakes featuring Liberté Méditerranée Lemon and Vanilla
3. Dark Chocolate Candied Almond Crunch featuring Liberté Méditerranée Coconut
4. Honey Granola Biscotti featuring Liberté Greek Blackberry
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share all the recipes here on my blog because they are truly that delicious, but first I wanted to share my most favorite recipe I tasted, the Dark Chocolate Almond Crunch. It is a yogurt parfait that could be served as a decadent addition to a holiday brunch or as a fabulous dessert {special occasion or just because}. And really the crunch would be a thoughtful gift to package up for neighbors and friends at Christmas. Believe me, they’d love you for it. I prefer the parfait with fresh cherries, but if you don’t want to mess with pitting cherries, it would be equally delicious served with fresh raspberries, as Chef Megan also suggested in her recipe.
The first picture is my “glamour shot” of this crave-worthy parfait, but I also wanted to show you a shot before I dove in with my spoon. Really, you must make this!
Dark Chocolate Candied Almond Crunch with Liberté Méditerranée Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- dash of nutmeg ground
- 1/2 t. sea salt
- 2 c. almonds sliced
- 1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips I used Ghirardelli brand
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- Whip together the egg whites, sugar, nutmeg and salt with a whisk. Fold in the almonds.
- Spread evenly over the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the almond mixture every 10 minutes to ensure even browning.
- Remove from oven and allow the mixture to cool for a couple of minutes. Then transfer the almonds to a large glass bowl, stirring well to break up any large clumps.
- Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave. Begin with one minute. Stir. Then microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring well in between each, until chocolate is just melted.
- Pour melted chocolate over the almond mixture and stir until very well coated.
- Allow mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to thoroughly coat the almonds. Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate-coated almonds and toss or stir to combine.
- Serve the crunch atop Liberté Méditerranée Coconut Yogurt with fresh, pitted cherries or fresh raspberries. Makes enough crunch for 6 - 8 individual containers of yogurt, depending on how decadent you'd like to be!
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