Bons petits cakes gourmands and a good soup~

During the holiday season..my husband had to go to Costco again..I am so not a big fan and crowds and shopping at those big stores during the holidays..but the outing does me good~
Remember I bought the Macarons set? Little boxes filled w/ goodies and a cookbook? All for such a reasonable price..We don't exchange gifts my husband and I..so I get little things like this during the holidays when we go shopping and we both benefit.:)

Well.. getting back to Costco ..I found the last one of yet another boxed set..

But ..let me start at the beginning..for this post..

I had seen a soup at Kate's..


It looked so good I had to make it.. and it IS so good!

Soup is enough for me..but I know Jacques likes a bit more to munch on..I perused my little book and found lovely little bacon ,sage and cheese cakes.. savory..Oh they popped up beautifully and tasted delicious.




Easy as 1-2-3..



It makes 6 little cakes..



Sliced up..served w/ appetizer forks..just right w/ an appéritif too..

Or wrapped as little gifts..



I decided to add a dash of salt at serving..only because I had watched an episode of A La DiStasio and could have sworn they had made Christmas Tree Salt:)


It was delicious on them..Jacques thought it was Rosemary..

You just pulse your salt w/ Christmas Tree needles..Fragrant and delicious..
The funny part? She had served Christmas Tree Sugar on citrus..
I'm sure that's excellent too!
But the salt works:)
Plus I wanted to use the Graphic's Fairy darling girl~
The kits..look like this in case you missed the Macarons post..


This is Marabout Collection~
PS I added a bit of milk to my soup..my potatoes were HUGE..:)I cooked my bacon before making les cakes.. as I was doing the soup and cakes at the same time~

Thank you Kate and Karen.

Kate's Recipe~


Potato Cheese (and a spot of ale) Soup

Serves 6

1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bottle (12 oz) ale
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups cheddar, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops for garnish

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate hear until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Retain about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. If there isn't enough, add enough oil to equal the amount. Reduce heat to low.

Add the onion and cook, stirring until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.

Add the potatoes and brown them a little. Then add the stock, beer, and water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Remove half the soup from the pan and puree it in a food processor or blender. Use a masher to mash some of the potatoes remaining in the pan. Return the puree to the pan. Over low heat, add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the paprika and apple cider vinegar. Stir until well combined. At this point the bacon may be added to the mix or it may be reserved to use as a garnish with the chives. (This time, I added mine to the pot!) Remove the pan from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve the soup topped with the bacon and chives.