Tag: french dining

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Christmas cooking recipe

Raspberry, choc mousse and ginger nut verrine

Raspberry, choc mousse and ginger nut verrine

Picture of a trifle with a chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries on top, you can find the recipe on the blog of cookery school Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

Ingredients:

  • 250 g of fresh raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
  • 20 g of dark chocolate
  • 100 ml of double cream
  • 6 ginger nut biscuits
  • This quantity will make roughly two to three verrines
  • You will need cocktail glasses or wine glasses work too

Method:

In a bowl crush six raspberries. Place six ginger nut biscuits in a freezer bag and bash them to a crumble with a rolling pin. Add two tablespoons of that crumble to the raspberry mix. Melt your chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie. Add the icing sugar to the double cream and mix, then fold in the melted chocolate and whisk to a soft mousse consistency. Time to assemble your verrines. Start by adding two tablespoons of ginger nut crumble to the bottom of your glasses, then add your raspberry mix, and then the mousse. Decorate with fresh raspberries. 

Bon appétit!

Corinne

Check out my other recipes here 

Can you make a savoury verrine?

Yes you can. They are very popular as a starter in France especially during the festive season. Layers of cheesy biscuits with a salmon mousse topped with lime zest is a really tasty savoury version for example.

You can find out more about my cookery journey here 

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Christmas cooking

Duck and pheasant terrine

Duck and pheasant terrine

Picture of a terrine dish dish with an orange lid by the side of it. The terinne has been decorated with bay leaves on top. You can find the recipe at Gourmandises Academy, Cambridge

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 

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recipe

Green tomato galette with green tapenade and goat cheese

Green tomato galette with green tapenade and goat cheese

image of a tart with sliced green tomatoes and goat cheese on top, you can find the recipe on the blog of Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

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 

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recipe

Moules marinières à la créole

Picture of mussels cooked and opened in the pot, you can learn how to make this dish on the blog of the cookery school Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

Moules marinières à la créole

Picture of mussels cooked and opened in the pot, you can learn how to make this dish on the blog of the cookery school Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

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!

Corinne

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

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recipe

Basquaise style chicken

picture of a blue casserole dish on top of a towel with red stripes, with pieces of chicken, red and green peppers in a tomato sauce, the recipe is available on the blog of the cookery school Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

Basquaise style chicken

picture of a blue casserole dish on top of a towel with red stripes, with pieces of chicken, red and green peppers in a tomato sauce, the recipe is available on the blog of the cookery school Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

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.   

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.

Categories
recipe

Duck confit

picture of a terrine dish with a cloth around it, filled with goose fat and bits of meat appearing on the surface, you can learn how to make this confit on the blog of cooking school Gourmandises Academie

Duck confit

picture of a terrine dish with a cloth around it, filled with goose fat and bits of meat appearing on the surface, you can learn how to make this confit on the blog of cooking school Gourmandises Academie

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. 

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.

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recipe

Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert

image with a dark background with a spoon and a creme brulee, you can find the recipe on the blog of cookery school gourmandises academie, cambridge

Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert

image with a dark background with a spoon and a creme brulee, you can find the recipe on the blog of cookery school gourmandises academie, cambridge

Ingredients:

3 passion fruits

400 ml double cream

100 ml milk

1 vanilla pod

100 g granulated sugar

6 eggs yolks

2 to 3 tbs light brown sugar for the topping.

You will need 4 to six ramekins for this dessert and an oven proof tray for your bain marie

Pre-heat your oven at 150º C

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 150°C static. Whisk the sugar and egg  yolks until light and creamy.  Split your vanilla pod in half, with a knife take out the black seeds and mix them with the sugar and egg mixture and put the pod in the milk. Bring your milk and double cream to  boiling point. Then slowly pour onto your egg mix whisking all the time (you can use a strainer at this point, I personnally don’t, the choice is yours).

Add the passion fruit at the bottom of your ramekins and pour the cream over the top. This mix is enough for 4 to 6 pots.

Cook in a hot bain-marie in a 150°C oven for 40 minutes to an hour. (it’s cooked when you have a slight wobble).

Once cooked, leave to cool and put in the fridge for at least three hours. Once completely cold sprinkle some light brown sugar on the top of your ramekins. You can either use a blow torch or the grill to caramelise the top.

Serve immediately.

Bon appétit!

Corinne

 

If you’re looking for a more chocolaty dessert for Easter you my like to try my boozy raspberry brownies

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recipe

Apple tarte fine

Apple tarte fine

Image of an apple pie on a wooden table, the recipe can be found on the blog of cooking school Gourmandises Academie

Ingredients:

A roll of puff pastry

Muscovado or demerara sugar (you can use caster sugar but you won’t get that indulgent caramel flavour)

70 g salted butter

3 to 4  apples depending how big they are (you can use any type of apples for this)

A baking tray big enough to hold your pastry (lined with baking paper, I personally keep the paper the pastry comes with) 

Pre-heat your oven at 180º C

Method:

First thing first, slice your apples thinly, about 3 to 5 mm thick. Then prepare your pastry, with a knife I draw a rectangle close to the edges of my pastry to create a border. Then I lay my apples in rows until they have completely covered my puff pastry.  At that point, sprinkle your apples with a generous amount of muscovado sugar, and add nuggets of butter on top of your apples. To add a bit of colour I also added a few blueberries, you could use blackberries also at this time of year. Pop your tart in the oven, for 20 minutes or until the edges and bottom of the tart are cooked. This is a dessert that can be eaten warm or cold, the choice is yours.  

Bon appetit!

Corinne

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

As it is apple season, you might also want to check out my mince meat recipe

Categories
recipe

Asparagus Tart with creme fraiche and comte

Asparagus tart with creme fraiche and comte

image of an asparagus tart topped with melted cheese, you can learn how to make this tart on the blog of Gourmandises Academie, Cambridge

Ingredients:

One block of puff pastry 

Two bunches of asparagus 

3 TBSP of creme fraiche

100 g of comte cheese (you can also use cheddar)

Black pepper to season

 

 

Method:

Start by cutting the end of your asparagus stems as they tend to be hard.

In a pan pour a litre of water with a tbsp of salt and bring to the boil and then throw your asparagus. Leave them to cook for 3 minutes, then drain them and let them cool.

Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 180° C and start preparing your puff pastry. I keep the pastry on the parchment paper it comes with. Then, with a knife I draw a rectangle close to the edges of my pastry, to create a border. Spread 3 tbsp of creme fraiche and add your asparagus, season with a bit of black pepper and add the cheese on top. (At this point, you could easily add pieces of prociutto or parma ham).

Et voilà, baked in a hot oven for a good 30 minutes. Serve with a gorgeous salad.

Corinne x

You may also like to try this other gorgeous summer recipe using puff pastry, click here

Categories
recipe

Lobster tail in a rich tomato and turmeric sauce

Lobster tail in a rich tomato and turmeric sauce

picture with lobster tails in a tomato sauce, you can learn how to make this at cookery school Gourmandises Academie in Cottenham, Cambridge

Ingredients:

2 lobster tails ( one tail per person)

2 tomatoes roughly chopped

1 finely chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic crushed

Fresh thyme

Fresh parsley

Two chillies (mild or hot depending on your taste buds)roughly chopped

1/4 tsp of turmeric

Fresh grated ginger (about the size of half a tsp)

Method:

In a pan, add a tbsp of vegetable oil (not olive oil as you want the full flavour of the lobster). Start by adding your onions and thyme, stir until the onion becomes translucent. Then add your garlic, your ginger and your chilli and stir again for a minute then add your turmeric and your tomatoes. Stir and let this lovely sauce simmer for 30 minutes (if the sauce dries out a little bit, add a little bit of hot water), then add your lobster tails and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring after 5. That’s it, add some chopped fresh parsley before serving. In Reunion, we tend to serve it with plain Basmati rice. Delicious! Et voilà!

You can find lobster tails at Waitrose, but also The Fin Boys, or Crystal Waters Ltd on Cambridge market.

Corrine x