Pete Campbell from Mad Men infamously said “adding money and education doesn’t take the rude edge out of people.” This is most likely true, pretentious Thursdays doesn’t come out of thin air, but money and education can, however, every once and a while, give you an edge in the kitchen…

Putzing around town with a few extra coins in our pocket, me and my fellow chef and food enthusiast, slowly added some beautiful ingredients to our bags: two legs of lamb of the ‘best quality money can buy’ (or so the South Street butcher said), goose fat (which the fish mongers at Keracher told me would also be amazing for chips, if i’m not watching my cholesterol), Millers gin (so smooth, you can barely notice it, or so it goes at Luvians), blocks of stilton cheese (Mellis, enough said), purple sprouting brocoli (from the UK!), homemade profiteroles (my hands and the 4 Hope Street kitchen), and cheesecake pops (a la Kim).
Staying in character I let my fellow, male, counterpart handle the meat (I hid my disdain well) and the gin martinis. I myself, donned in heals and pearls, roasted the potatoes, made the profiteroles and helped served the meal. Who knew I could be so docile?
Now let me explain a secret to you: decadence is easy (if you have a few key ingredients)! Take goose fat for example. To make the perfect roasted potato the only other ingredients you need are good quality roasting potatoes, semolina and boiled water. Then:
- Get a pot of water boiling. Cut the potatoes so that as many edges are exposed as possible. Par boil them until almost cooked (the tip of a knife enters the potato but with slight resistance).
- While they’re boiling, place A LOT of goose fat in a roasting tray (1/2 – 1 inch deep) and place in an oven on high heat. Get the oil HOT.
- Once cooked, drain the potatoes and sprinkle with semolina until thoroughly coated.
- Place the potatoes in the hot goose fat, turn every 10-15 minutes or so. Take out of the oven once golden brown on all sides.
- Sprinkle with good quality sea salt.

Another easy decadence, pate aux choux, the basis for gougers, profiteroles, eclairs, etc. It has a fancy name, but an easy method. The best recipe I’ve found so far is from Gourmet:
Profiteroles with Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients for profiteroles:
1 quart coffee ice cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Ingredients for chocolate sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
7 ounce fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy (optional)
Make profiteroles:
Chill a small metal baking pan in freezer. Form 18 ice cream balls with scoop and freeze in chilled pan at least 1 hour (this will make serving faster). Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Butter a large baking sheet. Bring butter, water, and salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until butter is melted. Reduce heat to medium, then add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition. Transfer warm mixture to pastry bag and pipe 18 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches wide and 1 inch high) 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes total. Prick each profiterole once with a skewer, then return to oven to dry, propping oven door slightly ajar, 3 minutes. Cool on sheet on a rack.
Directions chocolate sauce:
Heat sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling pan occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Remove from heat, then add cream and a pinch of salt (mixture will bubble and steam). Return to heat and cook, stirring, until caramel has dissolved. Remove from heat and add chocolate, whisking until melted, then whisk in vanilla and Cognac (if using). Keep warm, covered.
Serve profiteroles:
Halve profiteroles horizontally, then fill each with a ball of ice cream. Put 3 profiteroles on each plate and drizzle generously with warm chocolate sauce.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Profiteroles-with-Coffee-Ice-Cream-241770#ixzz0nL0gKdXc

Live life. Eat life. Love life.