Myfrenchkitchen

31-07-2007

Closing...and opening!

I have locked the door of this blog....

Please come on in to my new blog here!

Welcome to the new myfrenchkitchen!

25-07-2007

Peas and mint cappuccino

A light and fresh, healthy summer soup. I serve it as a starter in a small glass, but it can also served as part of a summer buffet in individual portions. It is eaten cold, but if course, nothing wrong with it being served warm. Like all soups, it is so diverse in it's use and depends entirely upon the desires of the cook/host. If you want a riche, heartier soup, use cream instead of milk. I enjoy the natural sweetness of the peas with the freshness of garden mint. You might like to use sorrel in the place of the mint, or spinach with marjoram and pine nuts in the place of pistachios...be creative, play around with fresh ingredients, keep it simple and keep it healthy.

Peas and mint cappuccino.

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 250 g of shelled fresh peas or fozen peas
• about 12 mint leaves
• 2 cups of water
• an organic vegetable stock cube
• 2% milk or cream
• a few pistachio nuts, shelled
• lemon juice to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the shallot in some olive oil until transparent, don't brown it.
2. Add the peas, add the stock, made from the water and vegetable stock cube.
3. Bring to the boil and sommer over gentle heat for about 10 minutes. Add the mint leaves and simmer another minute or two.
4. Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Mix in a blender until smooth. If you really want a velouté, you can pass through a sieve.
5. Season with salt and pepper, some lemon juice to taste.
6. Add some milk or cream if you want a thinner soup.
7. Leave aside to cool down and refigerate if you want to serve it cold. I can be reheated at a low heat if you want to serve it warm.
8. Serve in a small glass and top with a scoop of milk froth: Use a whisk, or milk frother or even the frother of your coffee machine to make the froth. The milk froth can be substituted for whipped cream for a richer version.
9. Sprinkle some ground pistacho nuts over the froth topping, along with a touch of freshly ground pepper and decorate finally with a small mint leaf.
10. Serve with toast triangles.

24-07-2007

Being tagged

I was tagged by Jeanne, from Cook Sister for a meme.

I always find it so hard to do a meme, trying to find some interesting things to say about myself. Fact is, what I may think interesting, is so ordinary and downright boring to someone else.

I find this one an easier meme to do. Simply answering some questions. And it doesn't even have to be exciting or interesting.

• Ten years ago I was still living in Suffolk, England, after relocating there from SA, following my husband's career. An interesting time, difficult, testing, scary, lonely and exhilarating all at the same time.

• I enjoy snacking on a tomato sandwich, salty crisps, all fruit, ice cream and the BIG one...chocolate!

• Songs I can join in singing are Moonshadow from Cat Stevens; Woman in love from barbara Streisand; Ship to shore from Chris de burgh; and I got a girl from Lou Bega.

• If I were a millionaire, I would have had no clue as to how to handle it; I would have had my own jet and pilot; I would have had a house in every hemisphere, wherever the sun was; I would've never run out of chocolate; I would've seen to it that watermelon would always be in season.

• Five of my long list of bad habits are being impulsive to the point of selfdestruction; seeing the cup half empty, letting emotions dictate my life; overdramatizing; procrastinating.

• I like to sit in a streetcafe, sip a coffee and watch people go by; to make up stories about the people going by; to run around like a mad thing on the tennis court; to laugh out loud; and to smell perfumes in the perfumerie.

• I would never again wear high heels; eyeshadow; nylon blouses; red nail polish or dresses with the zip at the back( in reality much less romantic than in a movie).

• I enjoy playing with pretty tableware; complicated puzzles with many pieces; my art brush; words and my ever present camera.

I have to find 5 other people to tag, which is proving to be difficult, since I'm still very much the "new kid on the block"...I hope to have some names soon...

If you read here and haven't been tagged before or would like to be tagged or even know of someone I could tag, please help me out, I'd appreciate it!

Nectarines with a rosé wine syrup

There is no greater satisfaction than coming home from the market with a basket packed full of seasonal delights....like peaches of all sorts and nectarines, all at their peak right now. I hardly get time to do something with them, they disappear fresh into a mouth as soon as they hit the fruit bowl on the dresser. Yesterday I kept four aside with the intention of making this light and fresh dessert. I ended up eating them fresh myself. But I managed to get hold of four ones.

A recipe from  Cape Town food by Phillippa Cheifitz which I adapted a bit.

Nectarines with a rosé wine syrup

• 4 ripe nectarines: washed, unpeeled, halved and seeded
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of dry rosé wine
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, cut in half and seeds scraped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• a handful of summer berries of your choice
• mint leaves

1. Bring the water, wine, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds and cinnamon stick to the boil in a large saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the nectarines and immerse completely in the syrup, cut side down. Simmer gently for about 6 minutes, depending on the size of the nectarines. They should still have some firmness. Remove from the syrup.
3. Reduce the wine syrup over high heat until slightly thickened.
4. Pour over the nectarines and keep in cool place to infuse. If desired, it kan be refrigerated, until served. I prefer it room temperature.
5. Serve 2 halves in a pretty bowl, drizzle some syrup over and decorate with some summerberries of your choice and a mint leaf.

                                                                   Serves 4

22-07-2007

Decadent chocolate cake

Baked for a friend's brithday. He adores rich, heavy chocolate cakes. So I baked him one. The one day it was still under the cloche on the dresser, the next morning it was gone. We had eaten the birthday cake at midnight. So I had to bake another one.

Decadent chocolate cake

• 250 ml ( 1 cup)plain flour
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) cacao powder
• 62,5 ml (1/4 cup) jam of your choice ( I prefer apricot)
• 250 ml (1 cup) castor sugar
• 125 g (about 4 1/2oz ) butter
• 4 large eggs, seperated
• extra jam of your choice, heated for easier brushing
• 125 g ( about 4 1/2 oz) dark chocolate
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) thick cream
• a knob of butter

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Line and a 20 cm round cake tin with baking powder and butter.
3. Sift the cacao and flour together in a mixing bowl.
4. Combine the sugar, jam and butter and melt over low heat(on the stove or in the microwave), stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
5. Add the melted sugar mixture into the flour, add the eggs yolks and mix well.
6. Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into the cake mixture.
7. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until a testing skewer pulls out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Leave to cool and turn out onto a wire rack.
8. Ganache topping: Combine the chocolate and cream and heat over low heat (on tove or in the microwave, stirring often) until melted. Take off the heat and whisk in the knob of butter until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
9. To assemble: Cut the cake horizontally into two or three layers using a long serrated knife, depending on your desire. Brush each layer with some heated jam of your choice, assemble and brush the top and sides with jam as well. While still on a wire rack, pour the ganache topping over the cake and smooth the top and sides with a spatula. Allow to set before decorating and transferring to a plate.
10. Chocolate shavings: melt dark chocolate over low heat and pour onto a cool, flat surface. Place into the refigerator to become hard. Using a sharp knife scrape at an angle of about 45 degrees over the chocolate spread away from you. You can use an ice cream scoop for thicker and biffer curls. Refrigerate the shavings between baking paper until needed.
11. Use for decoration on your chocolate cake and finish off with a touch of silver leaf or gold leaf.

                                                                  a medium cake

21-07-2007

Poached eggs in a red wine sauce

This is probably a dish more fit for winter, but I love a poached egg and I love a red wine sauce, which we use frequently for a multitude of dishes, so we often enjoy this meal, winter or summer. It can be served as a starter or main course, consider even using some quail eggs if used for a starter.

It's origins lie in Burgundy, a heartwarming rustic meal, to be served with some crusty bread and accompanied with the wine you've used in your sauce. I don't give any specifications for the wine, but I'm leaving you with my motto: If you can't drink the wine, you can't cook with it either!

There are as many versions of this recipe as there are for all the classic recipes , so here is mine, worked out in the cooking class a few years ago with my good friend Lisa, who now cooks and entertains in Chicago. She had weak knees when it comes to Oeufs en meurette ...and a good croissant! The eggs we could make, the croissants we simply bought at our favorite boulangerie.

Poached eggs in red wine sauce

(Oeufs en meurette)

• 1/2 cup of chopped bacon
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into dice
• 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 branch of celery, chopped
• a sprig of thyme and rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• some olive olive oil and butter for sauteeing
• 500 ml of a full bodied red wine
• 1 tablespoon fo butter
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• a tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• a clove of garlic
• a baguette
• salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Sauce: In a saucepan, add the olive oil en butter and saute the bacon with the carrots, shallots, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves until the shallots are just transparent, don't brown. Add the red wine and simmer until reduced by 1/2.
2. Blend the butter and flour to a paste(beurre manié).
3. Strain the wine and bring it back to a simmer.
4. Whisk the beurre manié into the sauce, little by little, while continuing whisking until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of cream. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
5. Eggs: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the tablespoon of vinegar. Carefully break the egg one at a time into a cup and slide gently into the boiling water, to prevent baking. Poach the eggs for 2 minutes, or until the whites are opaque. Gently lift the eggs from the water, dry on a plate covered with kitchen towel and cut off the fringes of the egg white.
6. While the eggs are poaching, rub 4 slices of baguette with the clove of garlic and grill/toast under the grill.
7. To serve: Place a slice of toast on each plate, top with a poached egg and carefully spoon the red wine sauce around the egg.
8. Finish off with some salt and freshly ground pepper and decorate with a sprig of herb. Serve immediately  with some more bread on the side.

                                                                   Serves 4 people

I'm entering this recipe for Waiter, there is something in my ...sauce! of which Andrew is host.

18-07-2007

Karin's summer salad

I have had this salad in my repertoire for many summers. Some years it has been a regular item on the menu, other years it is forgotten. I suppose it is closely connected to my mood. When I miss my friends and family in SA, it makes its appearance on the menu. This summer has seen it featuring as a lunch at our home many times. And then I think of Karin and remember those wonderful summers, years ago when our children were splashing in her pool and we would indulge in this salad. It brings the sun, as well as my friends and family, to me here in Europe, especially this year, since we're trying our best to grab a hold on summer. Karin in turn, got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend, so maybe it is more appropriate to call it something like ..The friendship salad. I don't know the real name, if ever it had a real name. To me it will always be...

Karin's summer salad

I don't have any quantities, just go with your instinct, because nothing goes to waste; whatever is left over, can go right back into the fridge or eaten right there while you're preparing.

• Some fresh salad leaves of your choice - butter lettuce, rocket, curly endive, romaine, lollo...
• A cucumber, seeded and cut into cubes
• Some Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into cubes and drizzled with lemon juice
• A bag of frozen petit pois, left at room temperature to defrost
• A good quality bought or homemade mayonnaise
• Kraft miracle whip
• Lemon pepper
• A well aged Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• Smoked bacon pieces, sauteed until crispy

1. In a glass salad bowl, layer the salad by starting with a layer of torn salad leaves at the bottom.
2. Follow up with the cucumber cubes, then the apple cubes, a thick layer of petit pois.
3. Mix the mayonnaise and Kraft salad dressing to taste and add a well coated layer on top of the petit pois.
4. Cover with the grated cheese and end with a sprinkling of crispy bacon pieces and lemon pepper.

You can use a big glass bowl or as in the photo above, individual glass bowls.

Another option is to serve it as an amuse bouche, using a serving ring (about 9cm) to assemble it.(Picure below). It can be done ahead of time and be served, ready on the plates, covered with a cloche, when your guests arrive for lunch.

16-07-2007

Champagne and a river

Summer arrived at last on Friday. Glorious skies, bright sunshine, and wonderfully hot, like summer should be. I left my husband, who just arrived back from a business trip, a note. We had a date at 18:00. By the Loire. He was not to be late.

I packed a basket full of niceties, and had it all on the ready when he arrived; All that was left to do, was for him to carry it down to the Loire. We live right opposite the Loire river, the only wild and uncontrolled river left in France, so the walk to our favorite spot took 5 minutes.

.......A fresh baguette, some fleur de sel(or rock salt), a soft olive oil...nothing like a torn off piece of baguette, dipped into olive oil and then into fresh salt. A cold champagne or rather, sparkling wine, from our region. Fruit. And some quick delights, favorites of my husband.(see below for recipes)

Delights: Peaches, prioscutto, scallops and oranges with a saffron mayonnaise.

I don't have quantities for these snacks. It just comes down to tasting and preferences.

Peach and prioscutto aperitif: Wash some peaches, nectarines and half them, taking out the seed. Cut each half into 3 or 4 slices, depending on the size of the peach. Roll some prioscutto or other ham of your choice around each slice and place on a baking tin. Drizzle with some olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly milled pepper. Grill until the ham is nicely colored and starts to crisp. Arrange on a platter with a basil leaf and a cocktail/toothpick.

Scallop and orange aperitif: Wash some fresh scallops, dry and saute quickly in a hot pan with some coconut oil until caramelized. Don't overcook, since they quickly go "leathery". Cut the peel of an orange or two and cut out slices of orange between the membranes. If you prefer, you can leave the orange unpeeled, in which case you'll half it and cut slices from each half. Add a slice of orange to each scallop and secure with a cocktail stick or toothpick and a chervil leaf. Sprinkle some "fleur de sel" or Kosher salt or rock salt over the scallop.

Saffron mayonnaise: Make your own, it'll only take 5 minutes - Two egg yolks, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard. Add olive oil(a softly flavored one) in a thin stream while you continue to whisk until the mixture is nice and thick.(about 1 cup) Don't overbeat or else your mixture might split. Use a softly flavored olive oil or a mixture or olive oil and Canola oil. You can also use a good store bought mayonnaise.

Mix into a bowl about 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of creme fraiche and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Infuse a pinch of saffron threads in about 2 tablespoons of warm water. Stir into the mayonnaise and mix well. The longer the mayonnaise stand, the better it will infuse. Serve alongside the aperitif.

09-07-2007

Flavors of summer

Melon carpaccio with goats cheese and olives

When having guests over, I enjoy having something ready on their plates when arriving at the table. It makes the table look festive and inviting. I always choose something that can be made and plated ahead, doesn't need heating up and can stand a while.It also adds to atmosphere, giving people immediately something to do, and everybody is usually quite eager to taste what is in front of them. I found this recipe in Coté Sud (Express editions).

• about 200g of fresh goats cheese
• about 100g of black olives
• 2 small melons
• about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 250 ml elderflower vinegar or verjus
• 25g sugar
• Some toothpicks

1. Chop the olives and mix with the chopped rosemary. Slice a few olives in "rings" for decoration.
2. Shape teaspoonfulls of cheese into balls and roll in the olive/rosemary mixture. Place in fridge until needed.
3. Peel the melon like an apple. Start at one end and slice thin rings until you get to the seeds. Turn the melon 90 degrees and start again at the end, slicing thin rings. Keep turning until you have only the middle section with seeds left.
4. Mix the vinegar and sugar in a small casserole and let it reduce to a syrup.
5. Cover a pretty plate with the thin slices of melon, overlapping slightly. Pick some goats cheese balls with a toothpick and place on the melon.
6. Drizzle with the reduced vinegar syrup and decorate with some olive rings and fresh rosemary.

                                           Serve 6

Marinated stuffed courgettes

Another find in Elle à table magazine, no 51 this time. It is great on a bed of mesclun or even served warmed. I serve it at room temperature and with a nice crusty bread to mop up the wonderful sauce.

• 4 small round courgettes
• 2 long courgettes
• 2 spring onions with their greens
• 1/2 lemon juice and zest
• 2 tablespoons Tamari sauce
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
• some mixed pepper
• some chives
• a few thin shavings of parmesan cheese

1. Cut the tops off the round courgettes and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Steam until just tender.
2. Wash the long courgettes and with a potato peeler, slice into thin roundsstarting at one end.
3. Peel and wash the onions and slice into thin rings. Slice the greens on the the dagonal for interest.
4. blanch in boiled water for 1 minute to get rid of the "bite" of the onions(optional). Mix with the sliced rounds in a small bowl.
5. Mix the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, sesame oil, Tamari sauce and chives and the mixed milled pepper and pour over the courgette mixture. Leave to marinade for about 15 minutes.
6. Fill the round courgettes with the marinated filling and pour some of the marine over the filling.
7. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, some milled pepper and a shaving of parmesan cheese. Decorate with some chives.
8. Optional: For a more substantial meal, serve on a bed of fresh mesclun with a crusty bread.

                                                     Serves 4

Apricots with thyme

And finally, summer sees apricots at their peak. An adaptation from Ma cuisine aux herbes et aromates, Françoise di Vanni (Larousse).

• about 800g apricots
• 250g of gingerbread
• a bunch of thyme
• teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cardamom
• pinch of sichuan pepper(subsitute black pepper)
• 2 eggs
• 125 ml thick cream
• brown sugar 60 g grilled almonds
• some sugar
• butter to grease the ramekins

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Butter 6 ramekins and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Wash the apricots, half and take out the seeds.
4. Mix the gingerbread into fine crumbs.
5. Grind the cinnamon, cardamom and sichuan pepper together in a mortar and pestle, add the thyme and mix together with the gingerbread crumbs.
6. Cover the base of the ramekins with a layer of gingerbread crumbs. Cover with the apricots, round side facing up.
7. Whisk together the eggs and cream. Pour over the apricots.
8. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until set and nicely browned.
9. Grill the almonds in a dry pan until golden and sprinkle over the apricots after baking.
10. Serve while still warm with a dollop of ice cream or créme fraiche and a branch of thyme for decoration.

                                                    Serves 6