Sandra‘s Closet

WOMANITY
Sea bream tartare, hazelnuts and grapefruit zest,
cocoa bean mousseline, caviar de France

Fig chutney juice

Makes 4 hors d’oeuvre

Preparation time: 20 min.

Cooking time: 20 to 25 min. (not including the preparation of the mousseline and chutney to be done the day before)

Cocoa bean mousseline

• 200g (1 cup) of fresh beans (or 150g (3/4 cup) of dried beans)
• 80g (1/5 lb) of French country ham
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 small branch of celery
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 quart of poultry bouillon (otherwise, water)
• 20g (1/10 cup) of duck fat
• 20ml (1.1/3 tbsp) of liquid cream
• 2ml (1/2 tsp) of olive oil
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

If the beans are dried, soak them in a large bowl, covering well with water and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Dice the ham and chop the carrot, onion, garlic clove and celery into large pieces. In a cast iron crockpot, fry these ingredients in the duck fat.

When the mixture is slightly browned, add the beans, bouquet garni and pour in the poultry bouillon (Do not add salt or pepper as this toughens the skin of the bean).

Let cook: 20 minutes for fresh beans, 40 minutes for dried beans.

Once the beans are cooked, season with salt and Espelette pepper and let cool.

Separate the beans from the rest of the garnish and blend them in a mixer with two tablespoons of natural stock.

Sift the mixture into a fine puree.

Add the cream and olive oil, season with salt and Espelette pepper.

Sea bream tartare

• 200g (7oz) of sea bream
• Grapefruit zest
• Juice from 1/4 of a grapefruit
• 20g (1/10 cup) of hazelnuts
• 5ml (1tsp) of olive oil
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Coarsely chop the flesh of the sea bream with a knife, then season with salt and Espelette pepper in a small bowl.

Add the olive oil, crushed hazelnuts, zest and grapefruit juice according to taste and mix gently.

The little extra: fig chutney

• 350g (2.1/4 cups) of fresh black figs
• 175g (1 cup) of dried figs
• 100g (1/2 cup) of white wine vinegar
• 150g (2/3 cup) of Montbazillac wine
• 100g (1/2 cup)  of granulated sugar
• 100g  (1/3 cup)  of mountain honey
• 1g (1/2 tsp) of crushed bell pepper
• 2g (4/5 tsp) of ground cinnamon
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Orange zest

Cut the fresh figs into 8 sections and cut dried figs into large pieces.

Mix the fresh figs, sugar and lemon juice, then let macerate one hour.

In a separate bowl, combine the dried figs and wine.

Bring the vinegar and honey to a simmer in a pan and reduce by half.

Add in the spices, wine, zest, dried figs and macerated fresh figs.

Bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes and let cool.

Tip from the Chef: It is always better to prepare a chutney about two weeks before serving to allow the spices and fragrances to develop.

Presentation

• 12g (3 tsp) of French caviar
• Borage leaves (optional)

Cut out four quenelles of sea bream tartare with a pastry cutter and display them on four small plates.

Place 3g (4/5 tsp) of caviar on each quenelle and add a piece of silver leaf and a few borage leaves as decoration.

Add a wisp of green bean mousseline.

Taste as is at first, then top with a thin line of fig chutney jus.
Bon appétit!

LoL, Sandra

ANGEL

Sautéed duck breast in a pink praline crust,
beets, turnips and raspberries, beet and citrus sauce

Intense Mexican mole sauce

Serves 4

Preparation time: 45 min.

Cooking time: 7 to 8 min. (cooling time: 5 min.)

Duck breast

• 4 duck breasts
• 100g (1cup) of pink pralines
• 50g (1/5 cup) of duck fat
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Cut the skin of the duck breasts very thin with a small knife, taking care not to cut the fat all the way through to the meat.

Crush the pralines by wrapping them in a towel. Use the bottom of a heavy pot to crush them so that the pralines “burst”.

Season the duck breasts with salt and Espelette pepper. Place them in a very hot pan, skin side down, in a small amount of duck fat.

Cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes to sear the fat, which will melt.

Remove pan from heat and remove the separated fat from the pan, turning the duck breasts over to the meat side. Finish cooking them for 3 minutes in an oven preheated to 350° F (180°C).

Remove from the oven and take the duck breasts out of the pan. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Finally, dip the skin side of the duck breasts in the crushed pralines and continue to sauté the “skin and pralines side” for 2 minutes in a very hot pan.

Garnish

• 1 bunch of red beets
• 1 bunch of yellow beets
• 1 bunch of new turnips
• 50g (1/5 cup) of butter
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Peel the beets and turnips. Boil them separately in salted water.

Just before serving the dish, melt some butter in a pan and roll the beets and turnips in it to glaze them.

Beet sauce

• 250g (1/2lb) of beets
• Lemon zest cut with a peeler
• Grapefruit zest cut with a peeler
• Orange zest cut with a peeler

Use a juicer to extract beet juice. Pour it into a small saucepan with the citrus zest.

Reduce the sauce by ¾ over gentle heat until it becomes syrupy.

The little extra: mole sauce

• 25cl ( 1 cup) of the cooking juice from poultry
• 25g (1.1/3 tbsp) of Mexican mole paste (otherwise, bitter cocoa paste)
• Raspberry vinegar
• Salt
• Espelette pepper

Melt the mole paste in a small pan, pour in the cooking juice and reduce by 1/3.

Season with salt and Espelette pepper and add a few drops of raspberry vinegar.

Presentation:

• 30g (1/3 cup) of beet sprouts
• 50g (1/2 cup) of raspberries

Cut each duck breast into 3 pieces and set them out on 4 plates.

Display the beets, turnips and a few raspberries on a serving plate, then pour a thin line of beet juice over the vegetables and top with beet sprouts.

Taste as is at first, then add the mole sauce.
Bon appétit!

LoL, Sandra

Thierry Mugler continues to overstep the boundaries of traditional perfume-making with his exceptional and legendary perfumes to launch more of his extraordinary creations. By venturing into unexplored territory, he appears where he is least expected.

The idea: experimenting beyond the innovative production processes
to create breathtaking perfumes.

The challenge: alter the structure without distorting the nature
of the four iconic fragrances by Thierry Mugler.

With the 2009 introduction of ‘Liqueurs de Parfum’, he drew on the ancestral know-how of winemakers to age his fragrances in wooden casks.

This year, Thierry Mugler Parfums continues to experiment, focusing its research on one of the senses showcased with its very first creation: taste.

With the 1992 release of Angel, Thierry Mugler invented a new olfactory family of “Oriental – Gourmand” fragrances, based on a “delicious” facet featuring red berries and praline notes.

In 2010, he repeated the experience with Womanity, creating the very first “Sweet – Savory” fragrance, which utilizes an exclusive molecular extraction process to achieve the fig and caviar accords.

An unforgettable experience… Today, Thierry Mugler invites perfume lovers on a journey of fragrances and flavors with his new collection: the Taste of Fragrance.

With the ‘Taste of Fragrance’, the precursor of Haute Gourmand Perfumery is guilty of twisting fragrances, offering the rediscovery of Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men through their fantasized flavors.

Thierry Mugler allowed the perfumers full freedom, challenging them to broaden their palettes of ingredients and introducing into each composition a “taste enhancer”.

An explosive collection of four gourmand fragrances,
with superbly concocted notes that will nearly make your mouth water…

Angel More Gourmand Than Gourmand (CHF 99)
– spiked with cocoa powder for a sweet and angelic scent.

Alien Carnal Sensuality (CHF 85)
– floral notes added with wood, amber and salted butter caramel for a sensual-sophisticated scent.

Womanity Sweet Femininity With A Savory Kick (CHF 109)
– sweet notes added with fig chutney which creates a feminine scent.

A*Men Spicy Instinct (CHF 105)
– enhanced with red pepper to bring out contrasting scents making a powerful fragrance.

All four limited editions are available now.

Taking this exercise in style a step further and establishing a genuine parallel between Haute Cuisine and Haute Perfumery, Thierry Mugler Parfums called on Hélène Darroze, one of the leading Michelin-starred French Chefs, to invent four recipes inspired by the new interpretations of these four fragrances.

Four sensory dishes for a ‘Taste of Fragrance’  MUGLERIAN dinner to be published on Sandra’s Closet during the next days. Probably an inspiration for your holiday feast…

LoL, Sandra

“I always wanted to make a perfume which would have the same resonance for everyone, something like tenderness, or childhood and I wanted there to be such a sensual contact with this perfume, that you almost feel like devouring the person you love.”

Thierry Mugler

Love it or hate it! It seems that this oriental-gourmand fragrance allows only the extreme. Since its creation in 1992, it is one of the bestselling scents around the globe.

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ANGEL…
A GOURMAND PERFUME THAT HAS BECOME LEGENDARY.

FROM STAR TO COMET – A NEW EAU DE TOILETTE

Almost 20 years later, a new satellite appears, Angel will be available as Eau de Toilette with a new shaped flacon in a modern interpretation.. Angel’s dazzling star gives birth to an undulating comet.

More than just a difference in concentration, Angel Eau de Toilette is a unique harmony of scents composed by Amandine Marie (Robertet). It has become “oriental-gourmand-powdery”.

Top Notes: Bergamot, red berries and pepper

Middle Notes: Praliné, caramel and berries

Base Notes: Patchouli, vanilla, cedar and white musk.

Faithful to Angel’s tradition, the Comet, available in 40 ml and in 80 ml, is refillable, thanks to its eco-source bottle (40 ml).

A MESMERIZING CAMPAIGN

Eva Mendes is the glamorous woman for the Eau de Parfum and beguiling icon for the Eau de Toilette, she embodies all the addictions of Angel.

New muse, new campaign… I loved the illustrations so much that I wanted to share them with you.

Always spectacular, the Angel woman rediscovers a certain type of intimacy in her perfume and in her dreams, expressing a seduction more moving than ever.

One woman, two stories…

A deserted train station. A shimmering clear night. The Angel woman waits for the train that, with its guiding star, will take her to the depths of her dreams.

In the “Dream Machine”, comfortably seated, she sprays her wrist lightly. After scarcely a whiff, she gives into pleasure, eyes closed, and takes off…

Her first dream brings her back to childhood memories of a fair, the Ferris wheel and cotton candy. This vision becomes hazy and takes the shape of the Eau de Toilette bottle followed by the Eau de Parfum bottle that sets her off on her next trip. She dances in this day dream, as though completely spellbound, among constellations of stars. Enchanting…

And the imaginary odyssey ends, giving way to reality. As she gets off the train immersed in a blue light, her exalted expression keeps you guessing about the thrill and the transgression of her experience.

Looking up to the sky that welcomed her, she takes the ultimate memento of her recent experience out of her trench coat pocket: the scintillating Angel bottle.

Illustrations: © Stefano Canulli

The world wide campaign, conceived by Thierry Mugler and orchestrated by Christophe de Lataillade, the brand’s Artistic Director, has brought together an exceptional cast. British director, Baillie Walsh, directed the film and the image was immortalized by the duo of fashion photographers Inez van Lansweerde & Vinoodh Matadin.

Below is the new commercial with Eva Mendes singing. Hope that you like it.

LoL, Sandra

Thierry Mugler’s limited summer edition fragrances 2011 arrive on the market, providing us with a trio of extravaganza Angel Sunessence, Alien Sunessence and for men A*Men Pure Havane.
At a first glance, the whole concept promises and tempts with the outstanding designs of the flacons, just like the essences they conceal inside.

Angel Sunessence Ocean d’Argent for the Temptress

Mugler is back but not with the star designer himself. The brand that was formerly known as Thierry Mugler bowed yesterday in Paris. Nicola Formichetti’s first women’s collection for Mugler F/W 2011 included a famous runway debut: Lady Gaga walked in the very high platform heels much better than any other model. She was truly smoking in both ways, in the literal and the figurative senses.

The clothes were reminiscent of Thierry Mugler’s famous creations, exaggerated, peaked shoulders, alien-like silhouettes and very tight bodysuits. Thinking of the brand’s success in the eighties, it will be interesting to see how the comeback will be going. The biggest fan, Lady Gaga, bought the entire collection in every colour. Seems to be a bright future and if you are interested how Thierry Mugler, who calls himself now Manfred Mugler, looks today, click here.

LoL, Sandra

Last week in St. Moritz, Dianne Brill, whom you have met yesterday, and I went for a coffee to the Palace hotel. My American girlfriend fell immediately in love with my tribute for Alexander McQueen sweater. I had bought the striped piece with the slogan “God save McQueen” almost two years ago. It seems like his decision to kill himself aroused much earlier. Our conversation about the death of this fabulous designer started and we came up with a BRILLiant idea for the perfect successor: Thierry Mugler.

It would be kind of ironic. If you start looking closer, you will see that McQueen took a lot of his inspirations from Mugler`s amazing former collections. Thierry was the designer of the Eighties. His style was very much of its time: Extreme proportions like padded and broad shoulders, wasp waists, body-conscious, even fetish exaggerations of the human figures. He used a lot PVC as his favourite material. The insect kingdom was a constant influence along with futuristic and robot themes. Sounds a lot like McQueen and today`s trends, doesn`t it?

Thierry as Manfred Mugler today

Alexander McQueen is definitely the brainchild of Mugler. So it would be a true irony of fate if Mugler who lives today as Manfred Mugler in Las Vegas after his retreat from the fashion world in 2001 took over. Instead of designing fashion the last years, his body became his design work of art. He transformed himself completely. Nowadays he is still involved in his bestselling perfumes like Angel, Alien and A*Men.

As I am having quite a big archive, I was lucky to find a catalog from Thierry`s S/S 1995 collection. I scanned the best pictures for you. Have a look and you will see how Mugler and McQueen are somehow soul brothers.

Recently Mugler served as main costume designer for Beyoncé Knowles latest concert tour. He also contributed to develop the entire show, from lighting to choreography. Several of his famous vintage pieces are seen throughout Knowles` videos.

It seems like he is ready to break fresh ground. Please Thierry come back!

LoL, Sandra

Two living legends: Thierry Mugler and Dianne Brill. He called her his muse.