近来臭小子一反以前还没到放假就开始血液沸腾想出门的状态，除了跟乐队出游，假期都不愿去哪里，他说那么好整段整段练琴的机会，出去玩了多可惜。我一开始还信以为真，欣慰之外隐约担心他太宅太书呆，谁知整个假期家里人流不断，有时候一天三拨！琴倒还真有得练，人说玩室内乐也算练琴的撒。饲养员我当然也就得忙着做饲料了。
儿子对我说，朋友们都惦记着上次的烤牛排，过两天来家里，能不能再做牛肉给他们吃？不过这么大块吃肉，姑娘们怕吃相不好看，而且不在饭点上，能不能做其他样子的？ 
好吧，那就做一口的惠灵顿牛肉试试？ 做了一半发现酥皮木有了，那就用phyllo dough 代替吧，牛肉还在，偷工减料的皮，就叫心火屯牛肉好了。
左面是酥皮的，右面是phyllo 皮的
这是蜜三刀姐姐的方子，虽然她现在已经不再做荤菜的帖子，我还是会常常去那里转转：－）
不能光吃肉啊，弄得我们茹毛饮血似的，那就文明点，第二天咱给他们一人砸块“砖” （brik) 。
Phyllo 皮层层刷油，蟹肉调味，放到phyllo 皮上，中间挖个洞，打个蛋进去，再盖点蟹肉上去，用Phyllo dough 包住，外层再刷点油，放到烤箱里，400 度F 烤到金黄就可以啦。上面再浇点酱汁，这次我用的蛋黄酱还加了点辣椒酱的。
还有两天下午排练，三点多休息，那就吃个三文鱼咸蛋糕。有天本想做点酥皮肉饼，怕小洋鬼子们吃不惯，赶紧换成意大利香肠馅的。再打点燕麦藜麦烤点黄油饼干，差不多tea time 就能糊弄过去了。
有两天小家伙们突然想继续排练，过午总得给他们整点吃的，那就一人一个土豆，管饱。后来学乖了，炖了一锅子猪肉防患于未然，过午也不怕了，给他们夹了面包吃，也管饱。
根茎蔬菜切块，和土豆一起用微波炉蒸熟，土豆不要断底切片，把培根嵌进去，撒点香料，放到根茎菜块上，一起去烤到培根熟脆，就可以了。我还放点牛油果，冷的热的红的绿的都有啦。
说他们宅其实也不完全对，人家还有一起去街上练摊的，多少有点收成，臭小子说要给我买礼物，我说，他这些比最低工资线才高那么一点点的收入自己留起来，将来追女孩子要用的，于是带他去银行开了个账户存钱，还带了张借贷卡放皮夹里。小人晚上就用上了，捐款给残疾儿童。老妈我私底下觉得，这一定是老妈的某种饲料成份对了。那就继续努力咯！
Meringue
3/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Buttercream
3/4 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons amaretto or water
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons corn syrup
12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
For the meringue:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, ink side down.
Process almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 pulse.
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. With mixer running at medium-high speed, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in 2 batches.
With offset spatula, spread meringue evenly into 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on parchment, using lines on parchment as guide. Using spray bottle, evenly mist surface of meringue with water until glistening. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringue to cool in oven for 1 1/2 hours. (Do not open oven during baking and cooling.) Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (Cooled meringue can be kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.)
For the buttercream:
Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in bowl until smooth. Remove milk from heat and, whisking constantly, add half of milk to yolk mixture to temper. Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to remaining milk in saucepan. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickens to consistency of warm pudding, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before using, warm gently to room temperature in microwave at 50 percent power, stirring every 10 seconds.
Stir together amaretto and espresso powder; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and light, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pastry cream in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add amaretto mixture and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes longer, scraping down bowl thoroughly halfway through mixing.
For the ganache:
Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool until chocolate mounds slightly when dripped from spoon, about 5 minutes.
Carefully invert meringue and peel off parchment. Reinvert meringue and place on cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle, repeated scoring motion, trim edges of meringue to form 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Discard trimmings. With long side of rectangle parallel to counter, use ruler to mark both long edges of meringue at 3-inch intervals. Using serrated knife, score surface of meringue by drawing knife toward you from mark on top edge to corresponding mark on bottom edge. Repeat scoring until meringue is fully cut through. Repeat until you have four 10 by 3-inch rectangles. (If any meringues break during cutting, use them as middle layers.)
Place 3 rectangles on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup ganache evenly over surface of each meringue. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 15 minutes. Set aside remaining ganache.
Using offset spatula, spread top of remaining rectangle with 1/2 cup buttercream; place on wire rack with ganache-coated meringues. Invert 1 ganache-coated meringue, place on top of buttercream, and press gently to level. Repeat, spreading meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream and topping with inverted ganache-coated meringue. Spread top with buttercream. Invert final ganache-coated strip on top of cake. Use 1 hand to steady top of cake and spread half of remaining buttercream to lightly coat sides of cake, then use remaining buttercream to coat top of cake. Smooth until cake resembles box. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 2 hours. (Once buttercream is firm, assembled cake may be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Warm remaining ganache in heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until mixture is very fluid but not hot. Keeping assembled cake on wire rack, pour ganache over top of cake. Using offset spatula, spread ganache in thin, even layer over top of cake, letting excess flow down sides. Spread ganache over sides in thin layer (top must be completely covered, but some small gaps on sides are OK).
Garnish top of cake with hazelnuts. Holding bottom of cake with 1 hand, gently press almonds onto sides with other hand. Chill on wire rack, uncovered, for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices with sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice. Serve.
