Tag: french dining

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 recipe

Raspberry, choc mousse and ginger nut verrine

Post author By Corinne
Post date November 28, 2024

Raspberry, choc mousse and ginger nut verrine

I think sometimes we tend to overthink desserts at Christmas, meaning it all needs to be grand which often equals to a lot of hours in the kitchen. Who wants that kind of stress? You may think I do but actually I'm all for simple yet delicious entertaining at Christmas, what's the point of a party if you're glued to your kitchen! Well here's a showstopper of a dessert that won't take long to rustle up, my "Raspberry, choc mousse and ginger nut verrine"

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

Bon appétit!

Tags elegant dessert, French cooking, french dining, french gastronomy, raspberry verrine, verrine

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

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

Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert

Post author By Corinne
Post date April 2, 2023
No Comments on Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert

Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert

I know, why passion fruit for Easter and not chocolate? Well, because why not? Life is too short I say, plus trust me it's a delicious dessert, indulgent and sophisticated at the same time. So here you have it "Passion fruit crême brulée: my Easter dessert" And it's super easy to make, so what's not to like?

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

Tags creme brulee, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food

recipe

Apple tarte fine

Apple tarte fine, is the simplest recipe ever! It's perfect at this time of year, especially if you have a glut of apples. You can also easily adapt it and use plums instead of apples or even jazz it up by adding a few blueberries or blackberries for example. So what's not to like? Here you have it "apple tarte fine"

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

Tags apple recipe, apple tarte fine, autumn recipe, entertaining at home, french cuisine, french dining, french food

recipe

Asparagus Tart with creme fraiche and comte

Post author By Corinne
Post date May 6, 2022
No Comments on Asparagus Tart with creme fraiche and comte

Asparagus tart with creme fraiche and comte

It may have been rather chilly lately but that does not mean one can't dream about those gorgeous alfresco evenings that the summer brings. And I may have the perfect recipe for you. My "asparagus tart with creme fraiche and comte", it's also one I like to serve for lunch at the Academie, at this time of year. Asparagus are in season, and this recipe is perfect for them.

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.

Bon appétit!⠀

Corinne x

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

Tags alfresco at home, asparagus tart, food and wine, french dining, summer recipe, Tarte aux asperges

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