Tag: french food

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recipe

Tarte provençale with tapenade, goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and peppers

Tarte provençale with tapenade, goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and peppers

image of a piece of pie with roasted tomatoes, pepper and cheese on top, you can learn how to make this at the baking school Gourmandises Academie

Ingredients:

400 g roasted cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper

280 g of tapenade

One roll of puff pastry (try to purchase puff pastry entirely made with butter and not palm oil).

100 g goat cheese

Method:

You will need to have roasted your pepper and tomatoes first, and let them cool down before you start. I roast my tomatoes separately from the pepper with a drizzle of olive oil (it usually takes 30 minutes), in a hot oven at 180 ° C fan.

Once that’s done, put a baking tray in a pre-heated 180 ° C oven. This process will prevent the “soggy bottom” scenario.

Then start assembling your tart.

Roll out your pastry. Tip: I leave my pastry on the baking parchment it comes with. Then, I spread the tapenade evenly on top (Tapenade is very easy to make yourself you can find the recipe here), add your tomatoes and pepper (I sliced it into strips) and finish by adding bits of goat cheese on top. It is as simple as that. Then I take out my tray that has nicely been warming up in the oven and lift my tart onto the tray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Et voilà

P.S. If you are making your own tapenade, use good black olives, like kalamata. You can find these in the supermarket but also very good delis such as Burwash for example.

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Roast chicken with orzo, chorizo and haricot verts

Roast chicken with orzo, chorizo and haricot verts

Ingredients:

For a family of four:

4 chicken legs

one onion roughly chopped

one punnet of cherry tomatoes

Fresh thyme

225 g of Spanish chorizo sliced

One glass of white wine

300 g of haricots verts (can be fresh or frozen)

400 g of Orzo

Pre-heat your oven at 180° C

Method:

Cook your orzo, using the same method for cooking pasta. Bring a pan of water to the boil and then add your orzo, let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Once cooked drain the water.

In an oven tray start by adding the thyme, onion, tomatoes, haricots verts and  chorizo, season your chicken with salt and pepper and place it on top. Then add one glass of white wine and one glass of water and place in the oven. Let it cook until the chicken starts getting brown but not completely brown. That should take 40 to 45 minutes depending on your oven. At that point, take your tray out of the oven, there should still be quite a bit of sauce , but that is fine. Take the chicken out of the tray, then add your orzo and mix in the sauce, put the chicken back on top and back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until your chicken is totally brown. Serve hot…

P.S if you don’t have orzo, you can use paella rice for this

Try to go for a very good quality chicken I get mine from either Burwash or Longhorn Farmshop

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

A mother’s day treat, vols au vent filled with a salmon mousse

A mother's day treat, vols au vent filled with a salmon mousse

A mother's day treat, vols au vent filled with a salmon mousse

Ingredients:

A roll of puff pastry

200 g of smoked salmon

Juice and zest of one lime

50 ml of double cream

One egg

Preparation:

Line a tray with baking paper. Pre-heat your oven at 180° C

Start by preparing your egg wash. Add 2 pinch of salt to your egg and mix. Leave to the side while you prepare your mousse.  This method will prevent your egg wash from being lumpy.

To make the vols au vent, you will need two round cookie cutters, one bigger than the other. Start by cutting with the big one, then using the small cutter cut into the middle of the one you’ve cut before as per picture below. Make sure not to go too dip the second time. Make as many as you can with your pastry. Brush them with your egg wash and pop them in the oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown on top. Once cooked, pop them onto a cooling rack.

 Now pop all your salmon into a food processor and mix until totally smooth in texture, then add your cream. Now, this is where you have to be super careful, mix again, but only for 2 seconds, it’s more a quick whisk than anything else. If you mix too much you won’t have a smooth mousse but a split like butter texture and you don’t want that. Poor into a bowl, add your lime juice and zest and mix.

Cut the top of your vols au vent and spoon your lovely salmon mousse into them, I tend to use a pipping bag at that stage, but if you don’t have one, spooning your mousse is fine. Et voilà.

I like to enjoy these with a glass of bubbly

If you’re looking for a Mother’s day treat, head over to Gourmandises

Or you might also be interested in my pâtisserie box or a cookery voucher, these are valid for a year.

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Financiers filled with chocolate and hazelnut

Financiers filled with chocolate and hazelnut

Financiers filled with chocolate and hazelnut

Ingredients:

I used a financier mould for mine, but no need to buy one, just use a muffin or cupcake tray, it will work just as well.

260 g of icing sugar

300 g butter

180 g egg whites (the equivalent of 6 eggs)

160 g ground almonds

100 g plain flour

2 TBSP of chopped hazelnuts

100 g of dark chocolate, no need for an expensive chocolate for this.

Pre-heat your oven to 180° C

Method:

Melt your butter in a pan until it becomes brown butter, it is important to get it brown as it will enhance the nutty flavour of the financiers. Let it cool.

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, sugar, almond, flour and hazelnut, then add the egg whites. Once the butter is cool add it to your dry mix. Pour your mix in your tray, not all the way to the top only half way, then add a square of chocolate on top and pop in your oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until brown on top. Et voilà, as simple as this!

Other suggestions: you could replace the chocolate with raspberry or even bits of bananas or even pineapple

If you enjoy baking do check out my latest online baking classes

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Beignets de courgettes

Beignets de courgettes

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“

Corinne x

Categories
recipe

Turkey roasted in a rich turmeric sauce

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. 

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

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.

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

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   

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter

Mushroom beignets with a soy, black pepper and parsley batter

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

Corrine x