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Tag: french cuisine

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recipe

Petites frangipane tarts with a chocolate surprise

Petites frangipane tarts with a chocolate surprise

I know Christmas is most certainly going to be different this year, but I am determined more than ever to just enjoy it and not even think about "what it could have been without Covid". At Christmas, as you can imagine, cooking and baking really take centre stage in my house and that is not going to change this year. Sadly, it can also become overwhelming for some, my secret to overwhelm, has always been preparation and simple, quick recipes. So I think you are going to enjoy this one very much, especially if you're not a big lover of mince pies. So here you have it, my "petites frangipane tarts with a chocolate surprise".

Ingredients:

A cupcake tray

A set of pastry cutters including a little star shape  cutter

One block of sweet shortcrust

2 Tbsp of plain flour

240 g ground almonds

4 eggs

240 g of sugar (any type of sugar will work)

240 g butter

One tablet of chocolate (milk, white or dark)

This amount should allow you to make two cupcake trays

Pre-heat your oven to 170° C

Method:

The frangipane mix:

Mix the butter, flour, grounds almonds, sugar and eggs into a paste and set aside.

Take your pastry out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before use. Then, using your pastry cutters, cut out some circles and place them in your tray (you’ll want your circles to be bigger than the cases so there is enough space to fill them).  Prick the bottom of your cases with a fork. Use the leftover bits of pastry to cut some stars. Then, place a square of dark chocolate at the bottom of the cases, and add a teaspoon of frangipane mix on top and place the star on top of your frangipane.

Place your tray in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown on top. Eat warm or cold, once cool pop them in an airtight container, they will last for a good week. You can also freeze them.

P.S. for more Chritmassy recipes head over here. If you enjoy pastry, how about booking yourself onto one of my pastry workshops.

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

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recipe

Beignets de courgettes

Beignets de courgettes

Every year, I ask myself, why did I plant so many courgettes? And every year somehow, I do. But a garden without a bounty of courgettes wouldn't look right, would it? So here is a recipe for you to try "beignets de courgettes". Easy, extremely moreish and perfect if you have plenty of courgettes in your garden.

Ingredients:

Note: this recipe is based on one normal size courgette (if you use 2 double the amount, 3 triple etc… as simple as that).

One courgette grated

100 g of self raising flour

1 tsp of baking powder

50 g of blue cheese (cheddar works too)

One spring onion finely chopped

One egg (medium size)

Vegetable oil to dip fry

Method:

Start by sifting baking powder and flour. Then add your grated courgette, cheese, spring onion and egg and mix to a batter consistency.

If you have a dip fat fryer use it for this recipe. I don’t, so I use a wok and do my dip fry in that.

Also, make sure to have a tray lined with tissue paper to soak the excess oil.

I always start by dropping a little bit of my batter in the oil to see if it’s hot enough. You’ll know it is if it floats on the surface and starts browning. At that stage, turn the temperature right down otherwise your fritters will turn dark brown but will not necessarily be cooked inside.

Now that your oil is at the right temperature, you can start cooking your courgettes fritters. Use a tsp if you want small bites and a tbsp for bigger morsels. Dip 4 to six spoons at a time so your oil doesn’t drop in temperature. Your beignets de courgettes will be cooked when they start browning on the outside. That is all!

Serve hot with some dips of your choice. I like mine wrapped in a salad leaf and dipped in sweet chilli sauce.

If you’re after a sweet recipe with courgettes you may want to try my “gateau de courgettes au chocolat“

Bon appétit!⠀

Corinne x

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recipe

Turkey roasted in a rich turmeric sauce

Turkey roasted in a rich turmeric sauce

This recipe takes me right back to my childhood. It is most certainly not your traditional Sunday roast, but it is utterly delicious. As many of you know, although I was brought up in the South of France, my culinary roots are from Reunion Island where I was born. Turmeric is at the heart of Reunion cuisine, it is used in every single dish we prepare. When I was a kid, my mum used to make this recipe a lot. She didn't actually roast the turkey, but cooked it in one of those iconic Dutch pan that we always use in Reunion, "la marmite". I have slightly altered the recipe by actually roasting my turkey and it works just as well. So here you have it "Turkey roasted in a rich turmeric sauce".

Turkey roasted in a rich turmeric sauce

Ingredients:

Turkey leg and thigh

Salt and pepper

Thyme

500 g of Brussels sprouts (if you’re not a big fan, you can also use French beans instead)

4 carrots roughly sliced

one onion

Half a tsp of turmeric

Oven pre-heated at 160º C

A large roasting pan that can go over the stove 

Method:

Start by rubbing salt and pepper on the turkey, I tend to use rock salt as it’s more flavoursome.

In a roasting pan add two tbsp of vegetable oil, and over the stove start colouring both sides of your turkey until golden brown, add the onion and thyme and let them cook for a minute, then add the turmeric and stir it well into the pan. Off the stove pour 250 ml of boiling water and pop your turkey into the oven and let it slow cook for a good 3 hours. Half way through the cooking time add your carrots and Brussels sprouts (At that point you may need to top up with a bit more boiling water, no more that a 100 ml). Once cooked, your turkey will literally fall off the bone and your sauce should be velvety (a thick gravy like appearance).

And that is it! Enjoy with roast potatoes.

Tip: use a good free range turkey for this. Leech and Sons at Burwash Manor provide the most amazing meat for example. 

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

Categories
Supper club

Le bistrot clandestin, a little soiree

Le Bistrot Clandestin, a little soiree...

Over a year ago, Le Bistrot Clandestin was launched, what started as a seed of an idea has now become a very popular affair. Most events have been about the food of Reunion Island but back in December, as we were getting close to the start of the festive season, I decided to give it a twist by having a true French soirée instead.

Here is a little account of what happened that night.

Le Bistrot is not your standard pop-up or supper club, it’s a culinary experience that takes place in my house, in the village of Cottenham to be precise.

It’s a very cosy and welcoming affair for any adventurous foodie out there. The table was set in true French style, with my mum’s beautiful napkins and some holly and rose buds as decorations.

On arrival, guests were welcomed to a complementary glass of “mousseux” (bubbly), served with two beautiful canapes. This time, it was a little croustade with avocado, roquefort and roasted tomatoe and a bruschetta of tapenade and roasted peppers.

As a starter, I prepared one of my favourite, a terrine de gibiers (game terrine) served with my home made cranberry chutney and a chunky piece of sourdough.

The pièce de résistance was a Boeuf Bourguigon served with pommes de terre dauphinoises and a watercress salad.

 

 

Dessert was a comforting and delicious tarte tatin served with a vanilla and litchi rum chantilly.

To finish off, guests were served a café gourmand (coffee or tea with a little sweet treat) with home made chocolates, one filled with my mint from the garden and another with a passion fruit ganache.

It was such a delicious way to kick off the festive season.

I will soon be annoucing another Bistrot, if you are interested to attend, send me an email contact@gourmandises.co.uk and I will add you to my email list.

These events are an excellent way to celebrate local producers. Here is a list of the ones I used in December.

Longhorn farmshop

Not just baguettes

Leech and Sons at Burwash Larder

Les Ward

Categories
recipe

Quick and simple Christmas canape of tapenade and roasted peppers

Quick and simple Christmas canape of tapenade and roasted peppers

Only 5 days to go until Christmas. So here is a little recipe of mine you might like to try over the festive season. I used to have this a lot as an apéritif when I was in the South of France, with a glass of Rosé or white wine it's just perfect. So here it is, my quick and simple Christmas canape of tapenade and roasted peppers.

Quick and simple Christmas canape of tapenade and roasted peppers

Ingredients:

300 g of kalamata olives

A jar of roasted peppers or if you choose to make your own, pop some yellow and red peppers in a 200º C oven drizzle with olive oil and a bit of salt. Let them cook for 30 minutes, until they are charcoaled. Remove the charcoal skin.

2 cloves of garlic crushed

A good pinch of fresh thyme

The juice of half a lemon

Your favourite bread cut into small pieces and toasted

2 table spoons of olive oil

Method:

In a food processor add the olives, thyme, garlic and olive oil and mix until you have a paste. That delicious paste is called “tapenade”

Pour the mixture into a jar, add the lemon juice and mix. If you are no using it straight away, this tapenade will keep for a good week or two in the fridge. Pour some olive oil to cover the top of your paste, this will help to keep it longer.

Now to make the canape, spread a bit of your tapenade onto your toast (I personally use ciabatta, but any bread will do) then add some strings of pepper on top and drizzle your canapes with a bit of olive oil.

Tip: when you are mixing everything in the food processor add a tin of anchovies and that will give you an “anchoiaide” it’s delicious too 

P.S. if you are not using kalamata olives try to use some good quality ones for this recipe, it does make a difference in taste. There are plenty of good delis in Cambridge to get them from such as Burwash and Balzanos or even your local supermarket.

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Quick tagliatelle in a prawn, chorizo, leek and white wine sauce

Quick tagliatelle in a prawn, chorizo, leek and white wine sauce

It is the party season. It is also weirdly enough a time of year when people tend to stress about the food side of the party. My motto for this is go for tried and tested recipes. They don't have to be complicated either. Simple hearty dishes that you can rustle-up in minutes is what I go for. So here's one that is easy and delicious my "Quick tagliatelle in a prawn, chorizo, leek and white wine sauce "

Quick tagliatelle in a prawn, chorizo, leek and white wine sauce

Ingredients:

500 g of fresh prawns preferably

100 g of chorizo cut into cubes

one leek (chopped finely)

One glass of white wine

One tbsp of mascarpone

Half a glass of double cream

Parsley

Method:

Boil a pan of water for your tagliatelle, once boil add your pasta

Start by frying your prawns in a little bit of olive oil, when they start turning red take them off the pan and put them aside. Add the chorizo and leek to the pan, let it cook for about 3 minutes until the leeks have gone soft. At that point, add your wine. Let it boil for a minute and then add your mascarpone and the cream and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Add your parsley and prawns, by now your tagliatelle should be cooked, add them to the sauce, sprinkle a bit more parsley on top. Et voilà

If you are interested in more sweet recipes, have a browse here

For more information about my classes click here   

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter

Mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter

48 days until Christmas! I love this time of year, as I don't really have to find any excuse to indulge. But for many, this is also a time were stress levels are high, especially when it comes down to party food. My rule for this has always been, simple, quick and delicious recipes. So I think you are going to enjoy this one. My mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter. It's perfect, especially if you have vegetarian guests. It's just a crowd pleasing one. I actually got the recipe from my mother in Law who is Japanese. She makes these with ramen. But they are also perfect as little canapes served with a sweet chilli sauce.

Mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter

Ingredients:

A punnet of mushrooms

200 g of self raising flour

1 large egg

3 tbsp of light soy sauce

1/2 tsp black pepper

As much or as little parsley as you like (finely chopped)

A bit of water

Vegetable oil

A non stick pan

Kitchen towels

Method:

In a bowl, mix your flour, egg, soy, black pepper and parsley and slowly add a little bit of water, until you reach a thick batter. If you’ve ever made Yorkshire pudding that’s the consistency you want to get.

Finely chop your mushrooms, add them to your batter and stir.

Place some kitchen towels in a plate or even better a tray.

In your pan, add about a 1 cm deep of oil, and heat it up. Add spoonfuls of your mushroom mix to the hot oil. Once cooked place them on the kitchen towels to soak-up the excess oil. And repeat this process until you have no batter left.

Serve warm with a sweet chilli sauce.

If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can easily do so by removing the egg.

If you would like to attend one of our cooking classes, have a browse here

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Lovely seasonal quiche with ham and baby spinach

Lovely seasonal quiche with ham and baby spinach

I don't know about you but I love this time of year. Although we've had a bit of rain this past week, the weather has been extremely kind to us. It's not too hot yet, so you can really enjoy the garden. I have been beavering away in mine, planting all sorts of vegetables, and spinach is one of them. Just perfect for a foodie like me. Here is a very simple recipe for you to try this weekend, a lovely seasonal quiche with ham and baby spinach.

Lovely seasonal quiche with ham and baby spinach

Ingredients:

A 9″ loose tin, parchment paper and a really cheap bag of rice

One roll of shortcrust pastry

300 ml of double cream

4 eggs (medium)

A bag of fresh spinach (best for this recipe as frozen will give too much water)

Ham (enough to cover the base of your cake tin, ham can easily be replaced by bits of chorizo or haloumi if you’re vegetarian)

Camembert

One small onion

A TBS of olive oil

Method:

Pre-heat your oven at 170°c (static oven) 160°c (fan oven)

Start by laying your pastry in your tin. Prick the bottom with a fork, then place your tin in the freezer for a good 5 minutes.

In the meantime, in a pan, fry your onion with the olive oil. Once the onion is soft, add your spinach and cover your pan with a lid, no need to add water or anything, after 2 to 3 minutes lift the lid, the spinach will have wilted by then, stir and leave to the side to cool.

Take your tart out of the freezer, cover the top with parchment paper and add your rice, put your tart in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes get rid of the parchment and rice on top, put the tart back in the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. Then take out of the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

In a jar, mix your eggs with your double cream, add a bit of pepper and a bit of salt (not too much as the ham is salty).

Start assembling the quiche, (don’t panic if your pastry is still warm at this stage, it doesn’t really matter). Distribute the cooked spinach and onion at the bottom of your quiche, add the ham on top and then pour your egg/cream mix. Add some bits of camembert on top. Pop your quiche back in the oven and let it cook until golden brown on top. (this can take up to 30 minutes depending on your oven).

Let the quiche cool and serve with a lovely rocket salad.

If you are vegetarian, you can easily replace the ham with a good goat cheese for example.

Chef’s tip: in the summer time, if you grow your own herbs, add the flowers of your chives on top of your quiche, thyme flowers work well too.

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x

Categories
Supper club

Le Bistrot Clandestin: The food of Reunion Island, saveurs indiennes

Le Bistrot Clandestin: The food of Reunion Island, saveurs indiennes

Last Saturday, I hosted my third Bistrot. The focus this time, was on the amazing heritage the first Hindus of the Pondichery region left on Reunion Island food and its culture. 16 guests, locals of the Cambridge area and some as far as Surrey and Yorkshire, gathered around my table for this very special culinary experience.

 

The Bistrot so far, has been focusing on my culinary background with the cuisine of Reunion Island, where I was born. The island is not very well known here in the UK, nor is its food. Nestled in the middle of the Indian Ocean, near Mauritius, Reunion island food is a melting pot of Chinese, African, Indian, French and creole.

A little bit of history:

On Saturday, my guests were treated to yet another beautiful meal with a focus on the Indian influence “saveurs indiennes”. The Hindus of Reunion arrived on the island in the 17th century. They came as slaves. The Governor at the time, was particularly interested in their carpentry and building skills. After the abolition of slavery, they stayed on the island and built very prolific businesses. Today they are just an integral part of who we are as Reunionnais. We don’t think of them as people from India nor do they. But, the influence they left on our food is immense. Saturday was a celebration of this.

Apéritif créole:

Every meal in Reunion, like in France starts with a little nibble, “apéritif”. Typically, it is a glass of “rhum arrangé” (Rhum flavoured with local fruits) and savoury nibbles. Guests were welcomed with a glass of rhum flavoured with coconut water and grape fruit. They also enjoyed a “samoussa cari poulet” . The samossa was filled with the traditional reunionnais chicken cari, pieces of chicken slowly cooked in turmeric.

Let’s start:

For Starter, I served a street food favourite “achards de légumes”. If you go to Reunion these would be served in baguettes in street food vans or as a side dish. This one is definitely packed with Indian flavours. A mix of fresh vegetables, green beans, white cabbage and carrots, cooked with turmeric and ginger. It was served on a shortcrust pastry base called croustade.

Le plat de résistance:

As main, I wanted my guests to experience a traditional Reunionnais curry, and surprise them with how different it would taste, “looks like a curry but doesn’t taste like what I know at all” kind of thing. I did exactly that with my “agneau massalé” , a slow cooked lamb in massala spices (but not the massala served here, a very special creole blend), served with rice, beans and a tomatoe rougail. In Reunion, this dish is actually made with goat, but I didn’t know how adventurous my guests would be, so kept it safe. When I told them, they all asked to have it served at my next Bistrot.

The star of the show:

Dessert was not quite what you’d see in Reunion, but the flavours were: an entremet with a mango and chocolate mousse on a coconut biscuits, served with a fresh mango coulis.

Miniardises:

Go on, say it, that was a meal and a half! But oh! no, of course it didn’t finish there. Each time, I like to finish the meal with either coffee or tea and a little treat. This time to keep-up with the Indian theme, there were cardamon and mint truffles.

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and I can say my guests did too.

If you’d like to attend the next supper club, just email me contact@gourmandises.co.uk and I will add you to my mailing list.

You can find more information about Reunion Island food here.

Categories
recipe

Delicious Easter petits fours

Delicious Easter Petits Fours

What a gorgeous and sunny Easter holiday we've had so far. I have been tempted to just sit in my garden and not do any work this week. I am going to be honest, unlike Christmas time where I tend to get excited about the food I will be serving to family and friends, Easter tends to go pass almost like any other days in our family. I know, sacrilege! The only thing reminding us that it's not the case is a big Easter egg for my daughters, that I don't fail to buy and a few chocolatey treats that I rustle-up here and there. So here is one for you to try, delicious Easter Petits Fours, with a frangipane base and topped with a lush chocolate ganache and mini Easter eggs.

Ingredients:

  • You will need a cupcake tray buttered. With the quantities in this recipe you will be able to make 24 petits fours.
  • Chocolate mini eggs
  • A star nozzle
  • A piping bag
  • 200 g dark chocolate
  • 200 ml double cream
  • Set your oven at 170º C (static oven) 160º C (fan oven)

Method:

For the frangipane:

  • You can get the frangipane recipe here. The only difference from the original recipe is that I added a table spoon of cocoa powder to the mix.
  • Add one tsp of the frangipane mix in each of your cupcakes base and cook for 15 minutes. Once out of the oven, take your frangipane cups out of the tray and let them cool on a rack.

For the ganache:

Bring your double cream to the boil, leave it to cool for 2 to 3 minutes then add your chocolate and stir until completely melted. Put your ganache in the fridge for a good hour and a half. Take it out of the fridge and bring it back to room temperature by stirring it vigorously. Transfer your ganache in a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Decorate your frangiane cups with the ganache, try to make a twirl shape. Add the mini eggs for the finishing touch.

P.S : These will keep for a good week in an airtight container, as the ganache has been pasteurised by boiling the double cream.

If you enjoy baking, I have a range of courses for you to try, check them out here. 

Bon appétit!⠀

Corrine x