Categories
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!

Categories
recipe

Baked cauliflower with turmeric

Baked cauliflower with turmeric

image with a baking tray filled with baked yellow cauliflower and cheese, you can find the recipe on the blog of cooking school, gourmandises academie, cottenham

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

 

Categories
recipe

A summer time favourite: courgettes souffle

A summer time favourite: courgettes souffle

Ingredients:

120 g of cheddar grated

350 ml of milk

4 small courgettes grated (they will cook quicker if you do so)

one table spoon of olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely grated

4 large eggs

60 g of butter,

60 g of plain flour

6 ramekins buttered and floured

Step one: cook the courgettes

In a pan add the olive oil and the onion finely chopped, cook the onions until soft, then add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Then add your grated courgettes, a bit of salt and pepper and stir, lid on, let them cook on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until they are soft.

Step two: make a bechamel sauce

In a pan melt your butter, once melted add the flour and stir constantly for a good minute or so. Off the heat, using a whisk, slowly add your milk and stir until all the milk is incorporated. Then put it back on the heat and stir constantly until your bechamel thickens. Off  the heat add your cheese and your cooked courgettes and stir. Separate the egg yolks, keep the whites. Add the yolks to the mixture and stir.

Step three: the final stage

Pre-heat your oven at 180° C

Whisk your egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold your whites into your bechamel, courgettes sauce, one spoonful at a time. It is very important to take time to do this correctly. Once all your whites are incorporated fill your ramekins to the top. Pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Radishes with spring onions and chillies

Radishes with spring onions and chillies

Radishes with spring onions and chillies

Ingredients:

One bunch of radishes

Rock  salt (you can use normal salt, but rock salt is best)

2 spring onions finely chopped

Depending on your chilli tolerance, as many as you want

One TBSP of vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil for this, as it will over power the radishes taste)

Half a lime

Method:

Slice the radishes. In a bowl, mix them with the chopped onions and chillies. Add the oil and the juice of the lime, season with rock salt and mix. And that’s it! It is as simple as that.

This dish is also super tasty in pitta bread with a bit of fish or any strong cheese. I personally serve it as a side dish with a traditional “cari” from Reunion Island. You can do the same with any curry.

P.S: I regularly run a supper club about Reunion Island food, check it out here

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Padrón peppers, chorizo and poached eggs

Padrón peppers, chorizo and poached eggs

Ingredients:

Padrón peppers (about 4 to 6 per person)

Chorizo ( you don’t need a lot, about 50 g or so cut into cubes)

1 or 2 poached eggs per person

Your favourite slice of bread

A non stick pan

One tbsp of olive oil

Method:

Start by poaching your eggs. While they are poaching, in a pan, fry the padrón peppers until they become soft and a bit char on top. Then, add your chorizo and lightly fry for a minute or so.

For this recipe I like to use either a piece of sourdough or a chunky piece of multi-seed loaf that I toast.

I don’t butter my toast, that’s just me but please feel free to do so. Place your padrón peppers on top first then the poached eggs and the pieces of chorizo.

P.S: you can replace the chorizo with cottage cheese or even a beautiful goat cheese, if you are vegetarian. Also, if you don’t have padrón, you can use normal peppers sliced in quarters.

Bakeries: Cambridge is lucky to have a good variety of bakeries, here are some that I use, Balzano’s, Stir and Burwash Larder.

Corrine x

Categories
recipe

Quick lunch of cannellini beans and spinach

Quick Lunch of Cannellini beans and spinach

Ingredients:

A tin of cannellini beans in water

A bag of fresh spinach

A table spoon of your favourite chilli sauce or paste

An Egg

A frying pan (I prefer to use a frying pan instead of a normal pan, as it allows the egg to spread and cook evenly)

Method:

This is so simple to make I tell you. Pour your tin of cannellini beans into your pan, bring to the boil and add a table spoon of your favourite chilli sauce, then add the bag of spinach. When the spinach have wilted add an egg on top, and let everything simmer until your egg is cooked.

Et voilà! Serve with a piece of your favourite bread. 

Corrine x