Wednesday, 31 October 2012

It's Halloween!!


Happy Halloween everybody!

I don’t know if it’s because growing up in France we didn’t celebrate Halloween or if it’s something else but I LOVE Halloween!!! The dressing up, spooky movies, trick or treat… It’s brilliant! 

Unfortunately I can’t do the dressing up / trick or treat as I might be a bit too old but I always make sure that I’ve got a pumpkin ready by the front door to welcome the kids in the neighbourhood.

So, today, no recipe, well you might have one very soon, but just a few pictures of what I’ve done last night. I do have another pumpkin to carve later today, exciting times!


Ta-Dah!






Sunday, 28 October 2012

Dark chocolate & Orange tuiles

I don’t know how was your week but I’m glad it’s the weekend! Well, I am mainly trying to avoid thinking about going back to work tomorrow :-(

This week at work was actually that bad, I had to take my bottle of « Brain Bleach » out of my drawer, this is usually a sign!!!!!! But he-ho, let’s think about something else!

It might sound crazy for some of you but, this year my family is coming to the UK to celebrate Christmas and, therefore, I’m starting to plan my meal!! Crazy I know!

However, before Xmas, we have a friend from France coming to see us next weekend! Phlau is actually coming on his pushbike and plan to travel about 100km every day before he can make it here! Pretty brave I think!  So, after all these kilometres, I better make sure he is going to eat and drink like a King! I already have a « surprise drink » in mind for him and Mister Lapin…


Anyway, today’s recipe is Chocolate and orange tuiles.

Ingredients:
  • 120gr dark chocolate
  • 1 orange
  • 20gr butter
  • 1-tablespoon double cream
  • 1-tablespoon caster sugar


Method
Zest the orange and chop very finely the zest.

Boil a pot of water for the bain-marie. During that time, pour into a smaller pot or a bowl the chocolate, orange zest, butter and double cream.


Once the water is boiling, place the smaller pot into it and let the chocolate melt slowly (do forget to gently stir occasionally).

When your chocolate is ready, add the tablespoon of caster sugar, stir. This is done at the last minute to make sure the sugar will stay crispy when the tuiles are dry.


On a silicon-baking mat, make tuiles with the chocolate, usually the quantity of a big teaspoon.
Keep in a cool place or in the fridge for a few hours before eating.



Ta-dah!

Monday, 22 October 2012

Halloumi & Pomegranate Salad

Yesterday we went to the Combermere for Sunday lunch with some friends. It was a perfect day in Cheshire: Lovely weather, great company and delicious food! While Mister Lapin was driving I was admiring the Cheshire countryside. Whenever it is during the year, the countryside has always something charming here. Yesterday was sunny and, with the arrival of autumn, the trees leaves had these peculiars colours. You know, the ones where you want to jump in it and roll, roll, roll…



Yesterday was also the first time of my life for drinking a G&T (I know, shame on me, waiting all these years!) and I have to say, I don’t see what’s all the malarkey about it. It was good but (and maybe I put too much pressure on it) no big deal. Maybe I should give it another try...

Anyway, it was nice to see everybody, talking and eating around a big old wooden table with a pint. Few months back I was talking with my friend Rachael (she lives in London so couldn’t be with us) and we realised that in our group of friends, we are ALL passionate about food! I noticed it was the case once again yesterday. We were eating and we still managed to talk about recipes and cooking  (and it wasn’t the ones in our plates)!


So, I did this halloumi salad last night, because I wanted something fresh and we were still full from the Sunday lunch and starter and pudding… It was time for something light!

I really love halloumi: it’s easy to cook and the flavour and taste is very characteristic! I like to have it in my salad with pomegranate. Like that it will counterbalance the saltiness of the halloumi. After that, you can go wild: Add croutons, tomatoes, pines nuts… anything you want!


Ingredients: (for 2 pers)
Young leafs salad
225gr halloumi
3 tomatoes
2 slices dried bread
1 handful pine nuts
1/2 pomegranate
Dressing
1 garlic clove


Method:
Heat a Small pan. Add the pine nuts so they slowly toast. Toss on a regular basis. During that time, rub the bread with a garlic clove and cut in cubes. In another pan, heat some olive oil and toast the bread until golden.

Dice the tomatoes, leave in a salad bowl and add the salad. By now the pines nuts should have cooled down. If so, add to the salad.


Bash the pomegranate to get the seeds out. Note that the white part is very bitter! Add the seeds to the salad. Slice the halloumi (about 1 cm thick).

Heat a griddle pan, on high. Cook the halloumi for a few minutes on each side. Season your salad to taste and serve in individual plates. Cover with croutons and finally, arrange the griddled halloumi.



Ta-dah!



Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Leek fondue, bacon & eggs bagels

I did this meal last weekend simply based on the fact that I wanted to cook something quick BUT, more importantly, doing a cross between comfort food and a cure for my hangover. For this reason, I would like to blame Matt and Caz and their house warming! Well, I don't blame them as in the end this meal was ace (and the party too of course!!!)!  

The party at Matt and Caz was truly great! Home-made pizzas made from scratch (and thanks a lot for taking my allergies into consideration guys!), garlic bread Matt's style who made the dough himself and Caz oh Caz!!!!!!!!!!! Your cakes!!!!! I still think about them!    
 

So, I don't know if it's the same for you but I noticed that the best way to cure a hangover is to eat, well, let's say it: something GREASSY! I know most our GPs will say it's bad for you blah-blah-blah and yes it is! But let's face it, when you need to choose between eating something unhealthy once in a while or being hungover for the day (sometimes more, but that's another story...) I go for the first option! No doubt!  

Taking that into consideration, I decided that I needed to "incorporate" some form of veg into it (mainly to shut up that little voice saying: Bad Sophie! Bad!) And went for the leek fondue, which was a smart move! Therefore, be ready for this!
 

Ingredients:
- 2 bagels
- 3 small leeks 
- 3 eggs 
- 4 slices of bacon   
- 10cl double cream 
- Butter   
- 1 shopped shallot
 

Method: In a pot on low heat, melt some butter. Add the shallot and the finely chopped leeks. Put the lid on and cook for about 20 mins. The idea is to make the leeks "sweat". Don’t forget to stir on a regular basis.

During that time, you can toast the bagels. Personally I prefer to let them cool down before spreading butter on them.  Fry your bacon in a pan, until crispy. Keep the pan and leave the bacon in the oven on low heat.
 

Beat the eggs with a tiny bit of milk (makes them more creamy) and a bit of grated cheese if you have any. Season to taste and, by using the same pan as the bacon one; start to scramble your eggs. The reason why I kept the same pan is because, like that, my eggs will take a bit of the bacon's flavour. Keep it in the oven.   

By now, your leeks should be all melted. Add the double cream and leave to thicken. Stir. 
   
   
 On one side of the bagel, put half the scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon and cover with some leek fondue. Top up with the other half of the bagel and enjoy while it's hot!     


 Ta-Dah!  

 
 

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Canapés de Preaux

I’m calling this little gem like that as I invented it last summer at my sister’s farm, which is located in a tiny village called Preaux.

What I love about cooking at my sister’s is that first, you need to deal with everybody’s tastes (Mister Lapin, my sister Juliette, her boyfriend Freddy and accessorily, all the people who stop by!) and secondly, as the closest supermarket is quite far away, you need to be a little creative when you open the fridge.


I always have great memories when we go to Preaux, it gives me the opportunity to catch up with my sister that I don’t see a lot and the cooking process is WILD! We often go by the river with a small boat, wood for the BBQ, the dog, fishing rods and lots of rose wine and beers! After a few days of chipolatas, salads and beef skewers, you need to think outside the box!  Which bring me to this creation.


Except the Bresaola, every produce has been grown locally and made by somebody I know:

- The Sainte-Maure de Touraine is made by Freddy (or at least the company he works for).
- The tomatoes has been grown by Rene & Simone, friends of Juliette and Freddy and then dried by me (the tomatoes of course!).
- The breadcrumbs are from my sister’s homemade bread.

If you wish to know more about the Sainte-Maure de Touraine, click here.


So for the recipe (at last!):



Ingredients (2 pers)
12 Slices of Bresaola
1 Ste Maure de Touraine (or about 250gr of goat cheese)
18 sundried tomatoes
1 ½ handful of breadcrumbs (ideally from left over bread)
Herb sea salt (if you don’t have any, do a mix of sea salt and herbes de Provence)
Olive oil
Thyme



Method
Pre heat your oven at 85°C. In a silicon muffin mould, put a slice of Bresaola in each mark to make something like a little basket.

Put into the oven for about 20min. The idea is to slightly dry out the Bresaola so it become a bit crispy. But that is up to your taste, if you don't like crispy meat, don't do it.

Once it’s done, leave it to cool down. During that time, heat a small frying pan with olive oil. Add a few pinches of the herb salt. When the oil is hot, had the breadcrumbs and toss until golden. Leave your “crouton’s crumble” to cool down.

In the Bresaola baskets, put a slice of goat cheese (about 1cm thick). Top it with a 1 ½ sundried tomato and cover it all with a spoonful of crouton’s crumble. You can leave it in the fridge for a few hours before eating but keep in mind it taste better at room temperature.

You can also add a bit of fresh thyme on top before serving.



Ta-dah!





Sunday, 7 October 2012

Sainte-Maure de Touraine



When I was writing the draft for my next recipe (Canapés de Preaux), I thought it would be useful to give you a quick introduction to the Sainte-Maure de Touraine. As I was doing so, I realised that I had a lot to say about it! I reached the conclusion that a post dedicated to this produce would be better (but don’t worry, you will have the recipe very soon!).


So, here it is, my story of one of my favourite cheese: The Sainte-Maure de Touraine!  

The Sainte-Maure de Touraine is an AOC unpasteurized goat cheese in the form of a small log of 16-17cm length.

A Straw is used in the making, to keep the roll together and the maturing process is done in 
a cellar for at least 10 days.


The reason why this goat cheese is an AOC is because it’s produced in a well defined part of France. This area used to be known as the Touraine but it now is the department of Indre-et-Loire.    

   
If you find some of this goat cheese in French supermarkets, don’t even bother, you will be highly disappointed, go straight to a cheese seller to be sure you try the real one! But more importantly make sure you see DE TOURAINE after Sainte-Maure. No Touraine= No AOC.

It’s quite important because the AOC is there to protect the local producers but also guaranty you that the goat milk used to make the cheese is coming from local farms from the Touraine.   

I’m sure you know that milk from the north of the country has a different taste to the one in south because of weather conditions, taste of the grass… it’s also the case with the maturing of the cheese in the cellars.


The second important thing about the Sainte-Maure de Touraine is that you will find a rye straw inside the log. Once again, the straw is a local product, handpicked, strictly controlled and, amazingly, marked by the AOC seal and a number indicating the producer.


The Sainte-Maure is creamy on the Inside (but can by matured if you leave it in the fridge unwrapped for a few days, even weeks) with a grey mold on the outside. This is obtained by rolling the log into edible ashes and salt.




You can do lots of stuff with this cheese. You can simply eat it on a baguette with some wine, grilled on toast (topped with a dollop of honey) with a crispy salad, topping for a pizza, in a risotto… you name it! You can also preserve it for longer by slicing it, storing it into a jar and topped up with olive oil and rosemary.






I know that goat cheese is a bit like marmite: You love it or you hate it but I hope that, if you like goat cheese, you will have the chance to try this amazing one as it worth it!!!!



Give a shot to that one: Canapés de Preaux




N.B: Pictures found on the Internet, except the last one.