Tag: entertaining at home

Easy couscous tray bake recipe

Post author By Corinne
Post date September 16, 2026

Easy couscous tray bake recipe

This is a great recipe if you're cooking for a crowd and I have been feeding a lot of people this summer. When cooking for a large group, I always go for tray bakes or one pot meals. I have a lot of courgettes in the garden right now, and couscous is a great way of using them. It's perfect for big gatherings. So easy to make too, 1.5-hour in the oven and you have a meal. No stress.

Ingredients:

I am not giving you exact quantities here as it all depends on the number of people. And the recipe is literally put it all in kind of thing.

I use chicken thighs because they are more flavourful, but you can use any cut.

Courgettes (use as many as you like)

Aubergine (I used one big one)

Turnip (I used one big one)

Two onions

One or two tomatoes (I used one big beef one)

Ras-el-hanout (I used 4 TBSP)

Harissa paste (I used 3 TBSP)

One tin of chick peas

Pre-heat your oven at 180º C

Method:

Use quite a deep oven dish for this.

Cut all your veggies, courgettes, turnip, aubergine and onions into big chunks (so they don’t dissolve completely into your sauce), add your chopped tomato too, pour all of the content of your chick pea tin, yes water included. Once the tin is empty, fill it half way with water and pour over the veggies. Add your ras-el-hanout and harissa paste, season with a little bit of salt, not too much salt as you will be adding salt to the meat too and mix everything well.

Season your chicken thighs and place them skin side up on top of your veggies, all the goodness from the meat will sip into your dish as it cooks (delicious!). The overall cooking time for this is 1.5-hour, but half way through the cooking, flip the meat so the over side gets golden too. After an 1h30 your tray bake will be ready, serve with couscous.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You can find a step by step video on YouTube

How much couscous should I cook?

I usually advise 80 g per person. Couscous is the easiest thing to cook. Put your couscous in a pan, season with salt and add a bit of olive oil and mix. Boil some water, then pour the water over the couscous leaving about a centimeter of water on top of your couscous. Cover with a lid, leave it for a good 10 minutes and the couscous will soak up all of the water, ready to serve with your yummy tray bake.

You can find out more about my cookery journey here

Tags comfort food, couscous tray bake, entertaining at home, harissa paste, north african food, ras el hanout, tray bake

recipe

Chicken blanquette

Post author By Corinne
Post date April 16, 2026

Chicken blanquette

This is more of a winter dish than something we eat in the middle of April! But, although spring has sprung here in the UK, there is still a bit of a chill in the air. So, something warm and comforting is a good compromise while we wait for the temperatures to catch up with the calendar. So here you have it my "chicken blanquette" or "blanquette de poulet" as we say in France, in its rich and creamy sauce!

Ingredients:

800g Chicken thighs or breast, cut into large chunks
1 Large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
1 Leek, cut into big chunks
1 Bouquet garni (thyme and bay leaf)
750ml of water
250g mushrooms, quartered
40g Butter
40g Plain flour
200ml Double cream
a glass of white wine

Method:

Start by browning the chicken pieces in a little bit of butter, season with salt and pepper (preferably white pepper as we don’t want to darken the sauce too much). Once lightly brown, set aside and add the onions and garlic, then the carrots, leek and bouquet garnie, deglaze with a glass of white wine.
Place the chicken pieces and all those lovely veg in a large pot and cover with the water. Bring to a light boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for an hour.

While the chicken simmers, melt a small knob of butter in a pan and sauté the mushrooms.

Once the chicken is cooked, strain the liquid into a bowl—do not throw it away! Keep the chicken and vegetables warm in the pot.
In a separate pan (remember, it has to be large enough to take chicken and veg), melt the 40g of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute (don’t let it brown). Gradually whisk in about 500ml of the hot cooking liquid until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the double cream and stir.

Then, pop the chicken, cooked vegetables, and mushrooms back into the creamy sauce. Simmer for another 30 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of chives or fresh parsley.

In France, we eat it with rice but mash potatoes is a good fit too.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

P.S: you can also find this recipe on YouTube

What else can I use instead of chicken?

A blanquette is traditionally made with veal in France. What makes a blanquette is its white sauce. Veal is used because of its tenderness and its light flavour as compared to beef or lamb. That’s why chicken is the best fit in this dish if you can’t get hold of veal.

You can find out more about my cookery journey here

Tags blanquette de poulet, chicken blanquette, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food, french gastronomy

Christmas cooking

Duck and pheasant terrine

Post author By Corinne
Post date October 31, 2024

Duck and pheasant terrine

It's the first of November tomorrow and before we know it Christmas will come around so fast. This is a dish that I tend to serve during the festive season. It was definitely a success at my Bistrot last weekend. So I thought why not share this beautiful recipe with you. You'll need to arm yourself with a bit of patience but it's well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

Two deboned duck legs

Two pheasant breasts

3 chicken livers

5 slices of belly pork (without the bone and the skin)

Freshly ground pepper and salt

4 bay leaves

Three table spoon of plum rum ( you can use whisky or port too)

Plenty of fresh thyme

One egg

Pre-heat your oven at 170º C

You will need a terrine dish for this (mine is roughly 20 cm X 17 cm and 9 cm deep)

Method:

You will need to mince your belly pork and livers first, if you don’t have a mincer you can use a knife instead (a really sharp one) that will allow you to mince manually. The duck and the pheasant will need to be chopped with their skin (the fat coming from the skin is really important here) into small pieces, we don’t want them to be totally minced like the pork.

Then mix everything together in a large bowl, rum, egg, thyme included. Season with salt and pepper. For that amount start with half a tsp of salt.

To see whether you have enough salt, cook a little bit of the mixture and taste it, if you need to add more salt do so.

Pop your mixed ingredients in your terrine, place the bay leaves on top, lid on and let your terrine cook in a 170°C oven for a good 1H30. Once cooked, leave the terrine to cool and pop it in the fridge. It’s best to eat your terrine the day after you made it, to allow the flavours to develop.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

How do you eat duck terrine?

Slice your terrine into small chunks. In France we tend to serve it with cornichons (gherkins) and bread. But it also works well with a good chutney or a piccalilli. It’s the perfect dish to serve during the festive season, especially at a party with a buffet.

You can find out more about my cookery journey here

Tags duck terrine, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food, game terrine, pheasant terrine

recipe

Green tomato galette with green tapenade and goat cheese

Post author By Corinne
Post date September 13, 2024

Green tomato galette with green tapenade and goat cheese

The weather has turned really cold here in the UK with temperatures close to freezing at night. And tomatoes don't like it, they develop brown patches if we don't pick them. This recipe is just perfect if like me your tomatoes haven't had time to reach their gorgeous red. So here you have it my "green tomato galette with green tapenade and goat cheese".

Ingredients:

One to two tomatoes sliced

I make my own shortcrust but one roll of shop bought shortcrust pastry is fine too.

One jar of green olives

3 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Plenty of fresh thyme

Goat cheese (if you don’t like goat cheese, you can replace with camembert or cheddar)

Pre-heat your oven at 180º C

Method:

Start by making the tapenade. In a food processor, blend the olives, garlic and thyme to a coarse paste.

Roll out your pastry and prick the bottom with a fork. Spread two to three TBSP of tapenade on the base, don’t cover all of the pastry, leave a 2 cm gap for a border. Then, place the tomatoes on top and then the goat cheese, as much cheese as you like. Then fold the 2 cm gap of pastry that you left to form a border (as per picture above). Pop in the oven for a good 30 minutes until the pastry is golden on top. Serve hot or cold with a salad.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

What can I do with a lot of green tomatoes?

Apart from the obvious pickle and chutney, did you know that you can get them to ripe? Pop them in a draw with a few tomatoes that are already red and a banana or two. And they will ripe eventually, just be patient. Trust me it works. You just have to remember to change the bananas.

If not, you can also use them in a curry like you would with a ripe tomato or a even in a chilli. I also make a delicious tomato salsa with them. So don’t panic if you have green tomatoes!

You can find out more about my cookery journey here

Tags entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food, green tomato galette, green tomatoes, vegetarian recipe

recipe

Cherry and rum ice cream

Post author By Corinne
Post date June 28, 2024

Cherry and rum ice cream

We had a glut of cherries this year. We used a net to keep the birds away from the tree and it just worked its magic. But like anything else in the garden, they all come at once. So I have been rather busy in the kitchen making jams, cakes and whatever else to use up those beautiful cherries. So here's a recipe, I'm sure you will all enjoy at this time of year, "cherry and rum ice cream". It's super easy and oh! so delicious!

Ingredients:

600 g of cherries, pitted (you can use frozen for this)

One tin of condensed milk (397 g tin)

600 ml of double cream

150 g of icing sugar

Three TBSP of cherry rum (or kirsch)

Method:

If you are using fresh cherries like I did, you are gonna have to remove the stone first. Once pitted, pass them through a food processor and give them a quick blast, you don’t want them puréed, just roughly crushed. In a bowl, pour your cream, condensed milk, icing sugar and whisk to a thick consistency. Then fold in your cherries with three TBSP of rum. Pour everything into a Tupperware and freeze overnight. The ice cream comes out soft and creamy like an Italian gelato. Pure joy!

What is cherry rum?

Every country has their own way of fermenting fruits when they come in abundance. In Reunion Island, where I come from, Rum is often flavoured with the glut of the summer, such as pineapples, mango and litchis. I am in the UK, so I do the same using the fruits we grow here. Cherries are perfect for this, when ripe, put them in a jar with a bit of sugar and cover them with dark rum. Let them infuse for a good six months and use it in cocktails or any of your bakes. That is cherry rum.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You can watch the step by step method of this recipe on YouTube

Check out my other recipes here

You can find out more about my cookery journey here

Bon appétit!

Tags cherry recipe, cherry rum ice cream, cooking class, entertaining at home, summer recipe

recipe

Moules marinières à la créole

Post author By Corinne
Post date April 11, 2024
No Comments on Moules marinières à la créole

Moules marinières à la créole

I was told once, that the best recipes often come from mistakes or lack of ingredients, Tarte Tatin is one of them. "Moules marinières à la créole" is most definitely one of those too. I know what you're thinking, how can "moules marinières" be creole? Well, let me tell you how. I love mussels. I tend to cook them the same way we cook fish in Reunion Island, i.e in a rich tomato sauce flavoured with thyme, ginger, lost of garlic and turmeric. So, here I am in the kitchen prepping everything for my creole mussels. The pan is on the stove, I add the oil, fry my onions, then go and look for the tin of tomato, and I haven't got one! Damn it! I had everything prepped for it, what do I do now? Plan B, what do I have in my fridge that I could accommodate with those ingredients? A bottle of white wine and a little bit of tomato puree... So, my onions are now cooked so let's rustle up something new then...

Ingredients:

1 kg of fresh mussels

Ginger, the size of a TBSP

5 cloves of garlic

Half bottle of white wine

Fresh thyme

A little bit of turmeric

A TBSP of tomato puree

Double cream

One onion

Three TBSP of vegetable oil

You will need a deep pan for this.

Method:

First thing first, clean your mussels. I plunge them in cold water and scrub off the barnacles and hairy beard that are on the shells. Discard of the ones that are open still. In a pan, add your vegetable oil and onions and fry until the onions are translucent. Crush your garlic and ginger into a paste and add to the pan, stir and cook for a minute, add a little bit of turmeric at this point, not too much, less than a 1/4 of a tsp. Then add your white wine, the fresh thyme and the tomato puree. Stir everything and let your sauce simmer for about 15 minutes. Add your mussels and a little bit of double cream, lid on and let them cook for a good five minutes until they’re all opened. Et voilà! I didn’t think that turmeric, ginger and garlic would work with white wine, but it absolutely does! I hope you give it a go, well worth it!

Bon appétit!

Corinne

If you enjoy shell fish you might like to try “Lobster tail in a rich tomato and turmeric sauce”.

Tags creole cuisine, cuisine reunionnaise, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food, moules marinieres, mussels, reunion cuisine, reunion island food

recipe

Basquaise style chicken

Basquaise style chicken, is so easy to make and so comforting too. "Poulet Basquaise" is a classic of the Basque region. The key ingredient is "Espelette chilli", but as it's not always easy to find in the UK, I have replaced it with paprika, which is very similar. This dish is also perfect for entertaining, its velvety sauce at the end is always a hit.

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs (chicken legs work well too)

Two peppers (green and red for contrast)

A glass of white wine

One onion (thinly sliced)

5 cloves of garlic (crushed and sliced)

Fresh thyme

A table spoon of tomato paste

Method:

I use a cast iron pan, but any heavy base pan will do. Season your thighs with salt and pepper first. Then, brown the chicken on both sides, in a little bit of olive oil. Take the meat out of the pan. Then add the thyme and the onion. Once the onion has reached that translucent colour, add the garlic and stir. Slice the peppers into strips and add them to the pan, give them a good stir again. Add the tomato puree, a glass of wine and a sprinkle of paprika. Put the chicken thighs back on top, cover, reduce the heat and let it simmer for a good 45 minutes, giving it a stir now and then. The dish is ready once the peppers are soft and the sauce velvety. I serve my poulet basquaise with rice.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You can watch the step by step method of this recipe on YouTube

If you enjoy peppers you may want to give my padrón peppers recipe a go.

Tags basquaise chicken, comfort food, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food, poulet basquaise

recipe

Duck confit

Duck confit or confit de canard is something I really miss from France. It's so versatile and can be used in so many ways all year round, in a super comforting cassoulet or to accompany a simple salade verte in the summer. So I thought I would show you how to make it. It's not really difficult, you just need a little bit of patience as it will take you a good two days to get together. But the result is so worth it. So I do hope you give it a go.

Ingredients:

4 duck legs

Sea salt

Bay leaves

Thyme

Garlic

Black pepper corns

750 g of duck fat

A glass of water

Method:

This recipe happens over two days.

On day one, place your duck legs on a tray and add your garlic, pepper corns and your herbs, as much or as little depending on your taste. Rub your duck legs generously with salt. Cover the tray with cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 24 hours.

On day two. Slowly melt your duck fat in a pan, be careful not to bring it to the boil. Rinse your duck legs thoroughly under a cold tap to get rid of the salt. Put them in a pan with the herbs, pepper corns and garlic and pour the melted duck fat over them, don’t forget to add a glass of water also (the water prevents the legs from sticking and burning at the bottom of the pan). Cook them on a very low heat for a good 3 hours, until the meat is nice and tender, almost falling off the bone. At that stage, I transfer the legs in a smaller container, like a terrine and cover them with the duck fat. The confit will keep in the fridge, for a good month or more if totally covered with fat. You can use them in a cassoulet, or lightly fry them in a pan and eat them with sautéed potatoes or even a green salad.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You can watch the step by step method of this recipe on YouTube, part one and part two.

This is the season for comfort food, here’s another recipe you might like to try, chicken parcels.

Tags comfort food, Duck confit, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food

recipe

Chicken curry with courgettes

Post author By Corinne
Post date August 11, 2023
No Comments on Chicken curry with courgettes

Chicken curry with courgettes

Courgettes, no matter the weather are a great crop to have in a kitchen garden. But they always produce so much. The good thing is, they can be added to just about any dish, a curry is always a good option. So here is mine "chicken curry with courgettes" and a good dollop of creme fraiche at the end, yep never too far from my French roots!

Ingredients:

This recipe is for 4 people

3 courgettes cut into small pieces

1 chopped onion

4 cloves of garlic

Ginger (the size of a table spoon)

1 TBSP of tomato puree

2 TBSP of hot chicken curry powder (mild, if you don’t like the heat)

4 chicken thighs, cut into pieces, with the bone and skin

200 ml of water

A dollop of creme fraiche

Fresh coriander to sprinkle on before serving

Vegetable oil

Method:

I use chicken thighs because they have much more flavour than the breast, with the skin on please! But if you must, use breast.

I know this is not the way they do it in India, but I like to brown my meat for extra flavour. So, in a pan, add two to 3 TBSP of vegetable oil and fry your pieces of chicken until golden brown. Then, add your chopped onion and stir for a minute or two. Crush your garlic and ginger into a paste and add to the mix. Add your curry powder and courgettes and stir. Finally add your tomato puree. Pour your water, stir, turn the heat down and let your curry seemer for half an hour. 10 minutes before the end, add a good dollop of creme fraiche. Springle with fresh coriander before serving. Serve with basmati rice or a gorgeous bit of naan bread.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You can find my latest recipes here

Tags chicken curry, courgettes recipe, entertaining at home, Indian food, Quick supper

recipe

Baked cauliflower with turmeric

Post author By Corinne
Post date April 7, 2023
No Comments on Baked cauliflower with turmeric

Baked cauliflower with turmeric

Baked cauliflower with turmeric, not your standard cauliflower cheese, but a really good match for your roast lamb this Easter weekend. It will also complement any vegetarian option beautifully. So what's not to like!

Ingredients:

To serve 4 people

Two cauliflowers

Salt and pepper to season

5 TBSP of vegetable oil

4 TBSP of creme fraiche

150 g grated cheddar (gruyere, or a good Italian cheese works well too).

2 TBSP of turmeric

A baking tray

Pre-heat your oven at 180º C

Method:

Cut your cauliflower into florets and place them in your baking tray. Drizzle your florets with vegetable oil and add your turmeric. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, I suggest wearing surgical gloves for this, as it is best to mix everything by hand, but you’ll end-up with yellow hands if you don’t wear gloves. Once your cauliflower is coated with turmeric and oil, place your tray in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes then mix again with a spoon and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Then add your creme fraiche and mix and add your cheese on top. Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes. And that is it! So a very easy recipe indeed. Serve hot with your roast lamb or whatever vegetarian option you are serving.

Note: don’t use frozen cauliflower for this dish as it would release too much moisture. Also don’t throw away the green leaves, chop them up and place them in a tupperware box in your fridge. They will keep for a week and can be used in stir fries, curries or cooked like any other greens.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

You might also want to try my passion fruit crême brulée for dessert

Tags baked cauliflower, entertaining at home, reunion cuisine, vegetarian recipe

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