I don't know whether it was the unseasonal early rainfall, followed by glorious late summer sunshine, that has produced a bumper crop of figs so early in September. Luscious fruits languish on laden branches, irresistible even to less greedy souls than me and constantly whispering, 'Eat me. Eat me.' I am a lost cause. I eat them by the half dozen, briefly bathed and nude, from the big basket on the Bardies kitchen table. We have so many though, I have to be creative, otherwise the thrill to the tastebuds will be dulled by excess. It is always a joy finding recipes that make just one treasure the centrepiece, so here is my choice for this year.
ANGELA HARTNETT"S FIG TAGLIATELLE
I've just bought Angela Hartnett's lovely new book, 'A Taste of Home' [2011] and was thrilled to find this simple but unusual recipe. I always love the combination of sweet and savoury, a sign of our ever evolving tastes in food. It's always good to challenge culinary convention.
350g dried tagliatelle
100ml olive oil
8 fresh figs, skin on, sliced
150ml double cream
handful of fresh basil, chopped
grated zest of 2 lemons
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 4
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and stir. Cook according to the packet instructions, until the pasta is al dente.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil oil in another pan, add the figs and heat through very gently.
Drain the pasta and put it back in the pan. Add the double cream and heat it through gently with the pasta. Add the figs, fresh basil and the lemon zest, season and serve immediately.
FIG AND BLUE CHEESE TART
I love fresh figs with Roquefort almost as much as with goat's cheese, so a savoury tart is a must. I think it would work equally well with either, but I would use a mature, crumbly goat's cheese rather than one that is 'frais'.
200g plain flour, plus a little extra for rolling
100g plain wholemeal flour
150g cold butter, diced into chunks
25g additional cold butter
100g walnuts, roughly chopped
3 eggs, plus 2 yolks
400g shallots, sliced
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves, plus a few stems to decorate
200ml creme fraiche
200ml double cream
140g Roquefort, or other blue cheese
3- 4 figs, halved, cut sides brushed with a little oil
Serves 6- 8
1. First make the pastry. Tip the flours into the food processor with a half tsp salt and the diced butter. Pulse to remove any lumps [but don't overwork], then add in the walnuts. Mix the egg yolks with 2- 3 tbs very cold water, and pour very slowly through the funnel as you continue to pulse. Immediately the pastry has come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and bring it lightly together into a ball. Roll out and line a deep 20- 23 cm tart tin, allowing it to overhang if necessary. Cover and chill for an hour.
2. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 25g butter in a large pan and cook the shallots for 10- 15 minutes until they are soft and caramelised. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat to infuse. Whisk the eggs in a jug with the creme fraiche and cream. Crumble in the cheese and season with pepper. As Roquefort is very salty, taste to see if you need to add any additional salt.
3. Heat the oven to 180C and bake the pastry blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 15- 20 minutes until golden. Add the cooled shallots to the cream mixture and pour into the pastry case. Arrange the fig halves on top cut side up, sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and bake on the middle shelf for 45 - 60 minutes until the tart has browned. The tart will have a slight wobble at this stage but don't worry; it will firm with cooling.
4. Cool for 15 minutes [a hot tart doesn't taste of anything, as Tamasin Day-Lewis always says!]. Remove from the tin and serve with a green salad and/ or a tomato and onion salad, dressed with a simple lemon and oil dressing.
NB You can easily cheat with readymade fresh shortcrust pastry but remember to put the walnuts into the cream mixture.
DIANA HENRY'S SMOKED DUCK, FIG AND SPELT SALAD WITH SWEET FIG VINEGAR DRESSING
My October copy of 'Country Living' magazine conveniently plopped through my letter box, so I couldn't resist reproducing this for our current visitors at Bardies.
SWEET FIG VINEGAR
Makes about 75ml [store any left over to deglaze pans or to enhance a winter stew]
8 ripe fresh figs, quartered
50g ready to eat dried figs, roughly chopped
400ml cider vinegar
granulated sugar
1. Put the fresh and dried figs into a large jar and pour in the vinegar. Crush the fruit with a potato masher, then cover and leave for a week, mashing the fruit a bit every few days. The vinegar will turn a fantastic colour.
2. After a week, suspend a jelly bag over a bowl and pour the mixture into it. Leave to drip overnight. Add 225g sugar for every 300ml fruit vinegar and put in a pan.
3. Bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Boil for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then pour into a sterilised bottle and seal.
SD, F & S SALAD
Serves 6
half an onion, finely chopped
half a stick of celery, finely chopped
half a tbs olive oil
15g butter
50g spelt
100g watercress
1 head red chicory, leaves separated
6 fresh figs, halved
170g smoked duck breast, cut into slices
FOR THE DRESSING
half tbs fig vinegar
quarter tsp Dijon mustard
1 and a half tbs good olive oil
1 and a half tbs walnut or hazlenut oil
1. Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil and butter until soft but not coloured. Add the spelt, stir around in the buttery juices and just cover with water. Simmer over a low heat for about 25 minutes until the spelt is tender and the water has been absorbed.
2. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together with a fork. Mix one third into the warm spelt. Dress the watercress, chicory and figs with the rest of the vinaigrette and divide between six plates. Add one tablespoon of spelt to each plate and top with the slices of smoked duck breast. Serve immediately.
FIG AND WALNUT CROSTATA
Another gem from Angela Hartnett. She makes home cooking feel like restaurant fare, without the fiddly bits!
FOR THE SWEET PASTRY
330g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
pinch salt
100g icing sugar
200g cold butter, diced
3 eggs
Serves 6
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs [alternatively, you can pulse it in a food processor]. Beat 2 of the eggs, add them to the bowl and mix well to form a dough. but don't overwork. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
Preheat the oven to 180C
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm and use it to line a 30cm flan tin. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and return the pastry case to the oven for another 5 minutes. remove and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.
Mix the eggs with the treacle, syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Put the figs and walnuts in a separate bowl and mix together.
Spread the figs and walnuts over the bottom of the pastry case, then pour on the egg and treacle mix. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until just cooked. Leave to cook in the tart tin before serving.
FIG AND ALMOND TART
350g all butter puff pastry
1 tbs double cream
1 egg yolk
125g blanched almonds
75g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 unwaxed lemon, zested
6- 8 fresh ripe figs, washed and dried
2 tbs apricot jam
1. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approx. 34cm x 18cm. Beat the double cream and egg yolk togetherand use to brush the edges of the pastry.Fold the edges of the pastry over to make a 1cm wide border. Brush with more of the glaze and chill the pastry on a baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 180C. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes or until pale golden. Cool.
Put a baking sheet into the oven.
3. Whizz the toasted almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add the caster sugar, softened butter, egg, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Whizz again until smooth. Spread the almond filling over the bottom of the pastry and chill for 10 minutes.
4. Cut each fig into quarters through the stalk. Arrange the figs cut side up over the almond mixture. Slide the baking sheet onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and cook the tart for about 30- 35 minutes until golden.
Serve with home made vanilla ice cream, or, if you're feeling lazy, creme fraiche.
FIG JAM
A perennial favourite chez nous! Delicious with croissants for breakfast, or on top of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
2 lemons
500mls water
2 vanilla pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2.5cm fresh ginger, peeled
1.5kg sugar
1.5 kg figs
Slice the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice with a squeezer. Put the lemon halves and the juice into a large preserving pan. Add the water, vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, ginger and sugar. Add the figs and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for at least an hour, stirring from time to time, until the mixture has thickened and become translucent. Remove the lemon halves, vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and ginger.
Spoon the hot jam into warm, clean jars, cover with wax discs, allow to cool, then cover with lids or cellophane.
Delish!
Friday, 23 September 2011
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
How Green Is My Potager
Gosh, the combination of early summer rainfall with penetrating sunshine has certainly boosted this year's chlorophyl quotient in the 'potager', as well as our lawns and the surrounding countryside. Even the hitherto barren space in front of the barn is verging towards the emerald of my youth. It's a joy to behold, although it was a bit of a pain for our 'locateurs' who yearned for the sunshine of Provence. Unfortunately, so I hear, 'ils l'ont emporte avec eux' and it chucked it down there too. All is well now that there is little to do but watch the heritage tomatoes ripen before our eyes. I spend my days dreaming up ways of fully utilising our bounty. August really is a month for savouring.
Each year I seem to evolve favourite recipes, which come about through trial and error. I still make my raw ribbons of courgette salad with mint but this year, for variation, I have been making a pickled cucumber salad to go with fish. Sicilian 'peperonata', roasted tomatoes Italian style [with lashings of garlic, freshly picked parsley and the best extra virgin olive oil I can find added at the end] and my griddled aubergine salad remain firm family favourites but this year I'm heavily into all things green - 'gazpacho' made with baby spinach instead of tomatoes, a delicious broad bean puree, which I use either as a crostini style starter or as a salad in its own right, and a Thai green curry paste, which I store in the fridge and use endlessly to make light, summery curries.
Herbs are the stuff of legend and, fresh from the potager and baked in the sunshine, they provide that essential taste of summer. More than anything, I want my children to remember what real summer food tasted like. The smell of freshly picked thyme, or oregano, or mint, or tarragon, or basil, will live in the olfactory memory forever; for it is the scent of lazy days and balmy, carefree nights. 'Sauce vierges', silky herby mayonnaises and barbecue marinades become central to a dish, rather than a bland addition plucked from a supermarket shelf in a rush.
I use anything and everything and no two outings of the same dish are ever the same. Whatever I've bought from the market in St Girons gets utilised alongside the day's gatherings, and I would be lying if I didn't admit to livening up the odd 'offre speciale' from Intermarche along the way. Summer is the best time to be creative with food because the colours provide you with a palette to play with worthy of Miro or Vincent. How you serve your food is, likewise, as essential an ingredient as what you put into it. The colours of a serving dish or plate really do matter, for there is nothing in this world more joyful on a summer's day than seeing food beautifully laid out on an outside table [and, equally, there is nothing more soul destroying than seeing guests throw a few bits and pieces onto plates, some still in their wrapping!].
GREEN GAZPACHO
Serves 6
Quantities of greenery can vary, depending upon what you have to hand,but I do think that a whole cucumber, a large mound of freshly picked spinach, some fresh herbs, a green pepper and a green chilli are essential.
1 large cucumber, skin removed
1 or 2 celery sticks
large green pepper, seeds removed
small bunch spring onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves
green chilli, seeds removed
half a stale baguette, crusts removed
bunch basil
bunch parsley
pinch sugar
3 tbs sherry vinegar [very important]
a dozen or so toasted almonds or walnuts
6-8 tbs olive oil [I use half extra virgin, half regular but it must be of good quality]
water [add until you get the consistency that you want]
salt and pepper
4-6 tbs Greek style yoghurt to garnish
some finely diced cucumber, spring onions and chopped parsley to garnish
croutons [made with 2cm squares of baguette tossed in olive oil and salt and baked in the oven at 190C for 10 minutes]
Chop the nuts in the blender and blitz. Throw everything else in, except the yoghurt, spinach last, adding water as you go. You will need to judge this for yourself. Taste and season and chill for at least an hour, preferably two or three.
Serve over a couple of ice cubes with croutons and some finely chopped cucumber, spring onion and chopped parsley and a swirl of Greek yoghurt if desired.
Sometimes I add a ripe avocado and skip the nuts and bread and most of the olive oil.
BROAD BEAN PUREE
Serves 6
500g shelled broad beans, steamed for a few minutes then refreshed in cold water. Allow to dry then peel.
2 garlic cloves, chopped
small bunch mint, stalks removed, finely chopped [or fresh coriander]
5/6 dill fronds, finely chopped
half tsp cumin seeds, ground in a mortar
pinch paprika
juice of half a lemon
50 mls extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper to serve
lemon wedges to serve
Either pulse the beans in a food processor with the garlic [do not overdo otherwise the texture will be too smooth] or mash with a potato masher. Add the herbs, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil until you have a chunky paste. Serve in a shallow bowl with a fine dusting of cayenne pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges.
I do occasionally use a couple of tablespoonfuls of tahini paste to ring the changes, adding a few green Greek olives for extra punch.
PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD
2 cucumbers
salt
50mls rice wine vinegar
1 Marrakesh mint tea bag
1-2 tsp caster sugar
bunch fresh mint leaves, washed and and finely sliced [to do this, roll up the leaves 3 or 4 at a time]
sea salt
Peel and slice the cucumbers. Layer in a colander with salt between each layer and leave to drain for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly and dry with kitchen paper.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the vinegar and sugar with the tea bag. Once the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat, remove the tea bag and allow to cool.
Put the sliced cucumbers into a [blue?] shallow dish together with the chopped mint and sea salt. Pour the cooled vinegar over the cucumbers and toss together to serve.
I sometimes use white wine or tarragon vinegar, an Earl Grey tea bag and dill for a different take.
THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE
[Krung Khaeng Keo-Wan]
This recipe is from Pat Chapman, the founder of 'The Curry Club'. You may not be able to get all the ingredients in Ariege but there is an Asian supermarket in Toulouse. I bring fish sauce back from the UK. It's a good idea to make up quite a few batches and freeze them for winter.
Makes enough paste for one green curry.
2 tbs sunflower oil
2 tbs chopped green bell pepper
1 - 7 green cayenne chillies
3 cm ginger or galangal, chopped
60g spring onion leaves
2 cloves garlic, halved
half tsp ground coriander seed
half tsp ground cumin
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp finely chopped lemongrass
half tsp shrimp paste*
1 tsp fish sauce [the best quality Thai brand is 'Tipparous']
Mulch everything down in the food processor, using just enough water to achieve a thick paste
*To make shrimp paste at home, blend 175g prawns from a tub, 100mls of the brine, 60g packet dried prawns and 2tbs fish sauce to make a fine but thick puree.
TARRAGON MAYONNAISE
This is delicious with cold salmon, seafood, artichoke hearts or anything else you feel like dunking.
3 egg yolks
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs white wine vinegar
small handful of fresh tarragon leaves
a little hot water
salt
good quality olive oil [I use extra virgin but some people would disagree and prefer regular, or a flavourless alternative oil]
Put the egg yolks into the food processor, with the mustard, vinegar and tarragon. Blend continuously until pale and light. Begin to drizzle the olive oil through the funnel of the food processor very, very slowly. You will feel the mayonnaise slowly beginning to emulsify. Do not be tempted to rush. Add a small amount of hot water if required. Season with salt to taste. Heavenly!
Each year I seem to evolve favourite recipes, which come about through trial and error. I still make my raw ribbons of courgette salad with mint but this year, for variation, I have been making a pickled cucumber salad to go with fish. Sicilian 'peperonata', roasted tomatoes Italian style [with lashings of garlic, freshly picked parsley and the best extra virgin olive oil I can find added at the end] and my griddled aubergine salad remain firm family favourites but this year I'm heavily into all things green - 'gazpacho' made with baby spinach instead of tomatoes, a delicious broad bean puree, which I use either as a crostini style starter or as a salad in its own right, and a Thai green curry paste, which I store in the fridge and use endlessly to make light, summery curries.
Herbs are the stuff of legend and, fresh from the potager and baked in the sunshine, they provide that essential taste of summer. More than anything, I want my children to remember what real summer food tasted like. The smell of freshly picked thyme, or oregano, or mint, or tarragon, or basil, will live in the olfactory memory forever; for it is the scent of lazy days and balmy, carefree nights. 'Sauce vierges', silky herby mayonnaises and barbecue marinades become central to a dish, rather than a bland addition plucked from a supermarket shelf in a rush.
I use anything and everything and no two outings of the same dish are ever the same. Whatever I've bought from the market in St Girons gets utilised alongside the day's gatherings, and I would be lying if I didn't admit to livening up the odd 'offre speciale' from Intermarche along the way. Summer is the best time to be creative with food because the colours provide you with a palette to play with worthy of Miro or Vincent. How you serve your food is, likewise, as essential an ingredient as what you put into it. The colours of a serving dish or plate really do matter, for there is nothing in this world more joyful on a summer's day than seeing food beautifully laid out on an outside table [and, equally, there is nothing more soul destroying than seeing guests throw a few bits and pieces onto plates, some still in their wrapping!].
GREEN GAZPACHO
Serves 6
Quantities of greenery can vary, depending upon what you have to hand,but I do think that a whole cucumber, a large mound of freshly picked spinach, some fresh herbs, a green pepper and a green chilli are essential.
1 large cucumber, skin removed
1 or 2 celery sticks
large green pepper, seeds removed
small bunch spring onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves
green chilli, seeds removed
half a stale baguette, crusts removed
bunch basil
bunch parsley
pinch sugar
3 tbs sherry vinegar [very important]
a dozen or so toasted almonds or walnuts
6-8 tbs olive oil [I use half extra virgin, half regular but it must be of good quality]
water [add until you get the consistency that you want]
salt and pepper
4-6 tbs Greek style yoghurt to garnish
some finely diced cucumber, spring onions and chopped parsley to garnish
croutons [made with 2cm squares of baguette tossed in olive oil and salt and baked in the oven at 190C for 10 minutes]
Chop the nuts in the blender and blitz. Throw everything else in, except the yoghurt, spinach last, adding water as you go. You will need to judge this for yourself. Taste and season and chill for at least an hour, preferably two or three.
Serve over a couple of ice cubes with croutons and some finely chopped cucumber, spring onion and chopped parsley and a swirl of Greek yoghurt if desired.
Sometimes I add a ripe avocado and skip the nuts and bread and most of the olive oil.
BROAD BEAN PUREE
Serves 6
500g shelled broad beans, steamed for a few minutes then refreshed in cold water. Allow to dry then peel.
2 garlic cloves, chopped
small bunch mint, stalks removed, finely chopped [or fresh coriander]
5/6 dill fronds, finely chopped
half tsp cumin seeds, ground in a mortar
pinch paprika
juice of half a lemon
50 mls extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper to serve
lemon wedges to serve
Either pulse the beans in a food processor with the garlic [do not overdo otherwise the texture will be too smooth] or mash with a potato masher. Add the herbs, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil until you have a chunky paste. Serve in a shallow bowl with a fine dusting of cayenne pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges.
I do occasionally use a couple of tablespoonfuls of tahini paste to ring the changes, adding a few green Greek olives for extra punch.
PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD
2 cucumbers
salt
50mls rice wine vinegar
1 Marrakesh mint tea bag
1-2 tsp caster sugar
bunch fresh mint leaves, washed and and finely sliced [to do this, roll up the leaves 3 or 4 at a time]
sea salt
Peel and slice the cucumbers. Layer in a colander with salt between each layer and leave to drain for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly and dry with kitchen paper.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the vinegar and sugar with the tea bag. Once the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat, remove the tea bag and allow to cool.
Put the sliced cucumbers into a [blue?] shallow dish together with the chopped mint and sea salt. Pour the cooled vinegar over the cucumbers and toss together to serve.
I sometimes use white wine or tarragon vinegar, an Earl Grey tea bag and dill for a different take.
THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE
[Krung Khaeng Keo-Wan]
This recipe is from Pat Chapman, the founder of 'The Curry Club'. You may not be able to get all the ingredients in Ariege but there is an Asian supermarket in Toulouse. I bring fish sauce back from the UK. It's a good idea to make up quite a few batches and freeze them for winter.
Makes enough paste for one green curry.
2 tbs sunflower oil
2 tbs chopped green bell pepper
1 - 7 green cayenne chillies
3 cm ginger or galangal, chopped
60g spring onion leaves
2 cloves garlic, halved
half tsp ground coriander seed
half tsp ground cumin
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp finely chopped lemongrass
half tsp shrimp paste*
1 tsp fish sauce [the best quality Thai brand is 'Tipparous']
Mulch everything down in the food processor, using just enough water to achieve a thick paste
*To make shrimp paste at home, blend 175g prawns from a tub, 100mls of the brine, 60g packet dried prawns and 2tbs fish sauce to make a fine but thick puree.
TARRAGON MAYONNAISE
This is delicious with cold salmon, seafood, artichoke hearts or anything else you feel like dunking.
3 egg yolks
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs white wine vinegar
small handful of fresh tarragon leaves
a little hot water
salt
good quality olive oil [I use extra virgin but some people would disagree and prefer regular, or a flavourless alternative oil]
Put the egg yolks into the food processor, with the mustard, vinegar and tarragon. Blend continuously until pale and light. Begin to drizzle the olive oil through the funnel of the food processor very, very slowly. You will feel the mayonnaise slowly beginning to emulsify. Do not be tempted to rush. Add a small amount of hot water if required. Season with salt to taste. Heavenly!
Thursday, 23 June 2011
A Tuscan Treat
I have just returned from the most divine trip to Tuscany, a special treat from a dear friend in advance of a major birthday milestone. She has a lovely converted farmhouse near Gaiole-in-Chianti, where four of us met up for almost a week of delicious food, fine wines and much laughter and merriment. We were without our partners. It rained all week, often in torrential floods, but none of us noticed; we were too busy giggling and reminiscing about times old and new. It seemed as though the sun shone down on us every minute of every fun packed day.
The highlights of the trip were a visit to Arezzo to see the beautifully restored Piero della Francesca frescoes in the Cappella Maggiore in the church of San Francesco, and, of course, the glory that is Florence. But, best of all, was a day's cooking class with the amazing Orsa Pellion di Persano, a well known Italian food writer, anthropologist and proprietor of a famous Tuscan cookery school at Borgo Personatina. It was a surprise, and extremely generous, early birthday gift from Helen. Orsa came to L'Aiaccia laden with fresh produce and implements to instruct the four of us in her own unique style of traditional Tuscan cooking. She is an expert in her field and has spent many years researching the culture of Italian food, which she documents in her lovely, and very original, cookery book, 'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen'.
I was in seventh heaven! There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time with people who are interested in the history and culture of food. It is what makes us different and the essence of who we are. It tells the story of the movements of humankind across the globe, of the men who sailed the ships to faraway lands and the women who sought to grow and preserve what they eventually brought home. Along with language, it tells the story of our past. Bread came with the Romans, who had captured Greek bakers as slaves when Rome destroyed the Persian armies. Rice came with the Arab invaders in the 5th century and pasta was born of the need to preserve a flour and water dough, possibly from China. Polenta may have come from the Americas, or, much earlier, from the Euphrates basin.
Someone once said [quoted by Rick Stein in his book, 'Mediterranean Escapes'], "In France food is all about the genius of cooks; in Italy it's about the glory of God." As someone who loves French food and French cookery, I totally understand the sentiment. Much of French food, as we now know and understand it, has devolved from the out of work chefs displaced by the horrors of the French Revolution, when their grand masters lost their heads or their incomes. They set up restaurants to replace their lost revenues and the culinary traditions of the great houses [many influenced by the Italian, Catherine de Medici!] were passed on into the canon that has become 'la cusine francaise'.
Of course there is a peasant cuisine in France, glorified in the twentieth century by writers like Elizabeth David and Elizabeth Luard. Here in the Ariege, there is little that is grand in our local cuisine. Michelin stars are sadly missing from our maps. Here it is the exception that proves the rule. In Italy, it seems to me, 'la cucina povera' is the rule. The food traditions of Italy are all about making the very best of the best ingredients, to feed a family or a restaurant. What you eat when you go out to dinner in Italy is, generally, not so very different from what you might eat at home. In France, when we go out, we eat something that shows off the skills of the chef. Lesser ingredients are often reassembled with finesse to make a stunning dish. No French chef would dream of serving a dish of wild greens sprinkled with olive oil and lemon juice or a simple salad of stale bread and tomatoes!
We made five dishes with Orsa. The first was a torta di ricotta cake, in honour of my birthday, a really simple but delicious cake. Then we made a delicious terrina di melanzane [aubergine terrine], which would make either a great starter or vegetable side dish. Next we made gnocchi di patate [potato gnocchi], which was so far removed from the insipid supermarket pre-packaged variety that it would be impossible ever to eat anything but the real thing again. Gnocchi are very easy to make and a great way to use up all those surplus potatoes that always seem to clutter the vegetable basket. As an accompaniment to the gnocchi, we made the most fabulous pink pesto sauce, pesto Trapanese, a Sicilian take on the traditional Genovese basil and pine nut pesto. Finally, we made calamari ripieni [stuffed squid], which elevates a simple supper dish to the sublime.
TERRINA DI MELANZANE*
Serves 6
3 aubergines
2 mozzarella
basil and mint leaves cut into fine shreds
2 tbs breadcrumbs
salt and peeper to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Bake the aubergine in a pre-heated oven [200C fan, 220C regular] until browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When the aubergine is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh taking care not to damage the skin. Oil 6 ramekins and dress inside with the skins of the aubergine, shiny side on the outside. Chop the aubergine flesh roughly and drain of surplus liquid, cut the mozzarella into strips, and mix in a bowl with the basil, mint, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the ramekins in the pre-heated oven and heat through for about 15 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Turn out onto a plate. Decorate with a basil leaf and a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.
GNOCCHI DI PATATE*
1 kg potatoes
250g flour
salt
white flour for dusting
Boil the potatoes gently with a tablespoon of coarse salt with their skins on. Do not allow the skins to break. Drain and peel immediately. The potatoes should be dry and flaky. Pass the potatoes through a food mill as soon as they are able to be handled and knead in the flour a little at a time.
Divide the dough into 4 parts, then roll into a snake. Cut into diagonal pieces of 2 -3 cms. Leave them to dry on a tea towel that has been dusted with flour [or a mixture of flour and semolina].
Boil the gnocchi in salted water, 15 -20 at a time, and when they rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately with a pesto or ragu sauce.
PESTO TRAPANESE*
Sicilian Pink Pesto Sauce
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tbs toasted almonds
1 tbs salted capers
4 tomatoes
salt and pepper
half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
quarter of a cup of Dry Pecorino cheese, grated
Peel and chop the garlic. Wash, dry and remove the stems from the fresh basil. Grate the Pecorino cheese.
Add the garlic to the food processor and mince. Add the basil leaves, tomatoes, almonds, salt and pepper. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all the ingredients are pureed. Add the Pecorino and mix in to the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add more oil.
Serve with the gnocchi, or trenette, linguine or tagliatelle pasta.
* All recipes Copyright 2011 by Orsa Pellion di Persano.
'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen; Recipes from Borgo Personata', 2009, by June Bellamy and Orsa Pellion di Persano
We ate our way through our lovingly produced fare, sitting on Helen's lovely terrace overlooking a lavender garden in full bloom. Later, replete with too much good food and wine, watching the fireflies dancing in the moonlight, we pondered the simple pleasures of life. Food, wine and friends [and, because we were in Italy, Verdi in the background]; who needs anything more? I shall be back at Bardies soon, to experiment with the ripening produce from my 'potager', but I suspect that much of what I produce will show the cultural influences of my life long love affair with Italy. There is no getting away from it. I am wedded to French food but Italy has become my mistress! Well, at least for a summer.....Bella Toscana!
The highlights of the trip were a visit to Arezzo to see the beautifully restored Piero della Francesca frescoes in the Cappella Maggiore in the church of San Francesco, and, of course, the glory that is Florence. But, best of all, was a day's cooking class with the amazing Orsa Pellion di Persano, a well known Italian food writer, anthropologist and proprietor of a famous Tuscan cookery school at Borgo Personatina. It was a surprise, and extremely generous, early birthday gift from Helen. Orsa came to L'Aiaccia laden with fresh produce and implements to instruct the four of us in her own unique style of traditional Tuscan cooking. She is an expert in her field and has spent many years researching the culture of Italian food, which she documents in her lovely, and very original, cookery book, 'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen'.
I was in seventh heaven! There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time with people who are interested in the history and culture of food. It is what makes us different and the essence of who we are. It tells the story of the movements of humankind across the globe, of the men who sailed the ships to faraway lands and the women who sought to grow and preserve what they eventually brought home. Along with language, it tells the story of our past. Bread came with the Romans, who had captured Greek bakers as slaves when Rome destroyed the Persian armies. Rice came with the Arab invaders in the 5th century and pasta was born of the need to preserve a flour and water dough, possibly from China. Polenta may have come from the Americas, or, much earlier, from the Euphrates basin.
Someone once said [quoted by Rick Stein in his book, 'Mediterranean Escapes'], "In France food is all about the genius of cooks; in Italy it's about the glory of God." As someone who loves French food and French cookery, I totally understand the sentiment. Much of French food, as we now know and understand it, has devolved from the out of work chefs displaced by the horrors of the French Revolution, when their grand masters lost their heads or their incomes. They set up restaurants to replace their lost revenues and the culinary traditions of the great houses [many influenced by the Italian, Catherine de Medici!] were passed on into the canon that has become 'la cusine francaise'.
Of course there is a peasant cuisine in France, glorified in the twentieth century by writers like Elizabeth David and Elizabeth Luard. Here in the Ariege, there is little that is grand in our local cuisine. Michelin stars are sadly missing from our maps. Here it is the exception that proves the rule. In Italy, it seems to me, 'la cucina povera' is the rule. The food traditions of Italy are all about making the very best of the best ingredients, to feed a family or a restaurant. What you eat when you go out to dinner in Italy is, generally, not so very different from what you might eat at home. In France, when we go out, we eat something that shows off the skills of the chef. Lesser ingredients are often reassembled with finesse to make a stunning dish. No French chef would dream of serving a dish of wild greens sprinkled with olive oil and lemon juice or a simple salad of stale bread and tomatoes!
We made five dishes with Orsa. The first was a torta di ricotta cake, in honour of my birthday, a really simple but delicious cake. Then we made a delicious terrina di melanzane [aubergine terrine], which would make either a great starter or vegetable side dish. Next we made gnocchi di patate [potato gnocchi], which was so far removed from the insipid supermarket pre-packaged variety that it would be impossible ever to eat anything but the real thing again. Gnocchi are very easy to make and a great way to use up all those surplus potatoes that always seem to clutter the vegetable basket. As an accompaniment to the gnocchi, we made the most fabulous pink pesto sauce, pesto Trapanese, a Sicilian take on the traditional Genovese basil and pine nut pesto. Finally, we made calamari ripieni [stuffed squid], which elevates a simple supper dish to the sublime.
TERRINA DI MELANZANE*
Serves 6
3 aubergines
2 mozzarella
basil and mint leaves cut into fine shreds
2 tbs breadcrumbs
salt and peeper to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Bake the aubergine in a pre-heated oven [200C fan, 220C regular] until browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When the aubergine is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh taking care not to damage the skin. Oil 6 ramekins and dress inside with the skins of the aubergine, shiny side on the outside. Chop the aubergine flesh roughly and drain of surplus liquid, cut the mozzarella into strips, and mix in a bowl with the basil, mint, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the ramekins in the pre-heated oven and heat through for about 15 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Turn out onto a plate. Decorate with a basil leaf and a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.
GNOCCHI DI PATATE*
1 kg potatoes
250g flour
salt
white flour for dusting
Boil the potatoes gently with a tablespoon of coarse salt with their skins on. Do not allow the skins to break. Drain and peel immediately. The potatoes should be dry and flaky. Pass the potatoes through a food mill as soon as they are able to be handled and knead in the flour a little at a time.
Divide the dough into 4 parts, then roll into a snake. Cut into diagonal pieces of 2 -3 cms. Leave them to dry on a tea towel that has been dusted with flour [or a mixture of flour and semolina].
Boil the gnocchi in salted water, 15 -20 at a time, and when they rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately with a pesto or ragu sauce.
PESTO TRAPANESE*
Sicilian Pink Pesto Sauce
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tbs toasted almonds
1 tbs salted capers
4 tomatoes
salt and pepper
half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
quarter of a cup of Dry Pecorino cheese, grated
Peel and chop the garlic. Wash, dry and remove the stems from the fresh basil. Grate the Pecorino cheese.
Add the garlic to the food processor and mince. Add the basil leaves, tomatoes, almonds, salt and pepper. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all the ingredients are pureed. Add the Pecorino and mix in to the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add more oil.
Serve with the gnocchi, or trenette, linguine or tagliatelle pasta.
* All recipes Copyright 2011 by Orsa Pellion di Persano.
'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen; Recipes from Borgo Personata', 2009, by June Bellamy and Orsa Pellion di Persano
We ate our way through our lovingly produced fare, sitting on Helen's lovely terrace overlooking a lavender garden in full bloom. Later, replete with too much good food and wine, watching the fireflies dancing in the moonlight, we pondered the simple pleasures of life. Food, wine and friends [and, because we were in Italy, Verdi in the background]; who needs anything more? I shall be back at Bardies soon, to experiment with the ripening produce from my 'potager', but I suspect that much of what I produce will show the cultural influences of my life long love affair with Italy. There is no getting away from it. I am wedded to French food but Italy has become my mistress! Well, at least for a summer.....Bella Toscana!
Friday, 20 May 2011
Lola's List of Favourite Cookery Books
Having just written a 'Blog at Bardies' post about building a 'biblioteque' at Bardies, I was minded to embellish my cursory references to our collection of cookery books. Strictly speaking, rather a large number of them are in the kitchen or on the dresser in the 'salle a manger', rather than on the library bookshelves. They are, nevertheless, part of my grand project. If guests are going to have a go at cooking 'chez nous', they need inspiration. And, anyway, so many cookery books nowadays are beautiful things to treasure, as well as drool over.
I have always wanted to have a little cookery school at Bardies, running maybe half a dozen short courses each year, where clients hone their new skills sharing in the food preparation and cooking of our legendary long lunches and dinners - team spirit and all that. I still dream of a suitable space, especially as the budgets for the restoration of our huge barn have scaled even greater heights. 'Il y a le reve et la realite!' Perhaps, I will brave it and go for a small, select group of guinea pigs under the tutelage of someone more professional than me, ideally a patissier or charcutier, and see how we go. But I digress.....
Compiling this list took days, not least because I kept changing the criteria upon which it was based. 'Favourites' was a favourite, followed by 'most used', 'best read' and 'prettiest pictures'. The world of cookery book publishing has changed so much since my mother-in-law first starting buying them for me for fear that I might fail to live up to her exacting standards. For one thing, few of them had pictures and those that did looked as though someone had taken them with a Box Brownie. Our first 'dinner parties' were created with recipes from Robert Carrier's, 'Cooking for You' [1973] and Marguerite Patten's, 'International Cookery in Colour' [1973], which were illustrated, and Julia Child et al's, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' [1961], Elizabeth David's, 'French Provincial Cooking' [1960] and Jane Grigson's 'Good Things' [1971], which were not.
Amazon has revolutionised our book buying habits and it is no coincidence that so many books on my list have been published relatively recently. The rise and rise of the so-called celebrity chef has also altered the way we buy cookery books. I have to nail my colours to the mast here and say that I am seldom impressed with hastily published books designed to tie in with a massively hyped TV show. I don't want a recipe compilation with a famous name on the cover. There is not very much that is new in food that I would have the inclination to cook. I'd rather save up and go to 'The Fat Duck', 'El Bulli' or 'Noma' since, after all, for the famous chefs that run them, it's as much about theatre as food. No, I just want a good read, and some lovely photographs. So, here, goes:
'French Provincial Cooking' [Elisabeth David [1960]
'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' [Julia Child, Simone Beck, Louise Bertholle [1961]
'Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery' [Jane Grigson [1967]
'The French Menu Cookbook' [Richard Olney [1970]
'The Observer French Cookery School' [Anne Willan and Jane Grigson [1980]
'European Peasant Cookery [Elizabeth Luard, 1986]
'I Risotti' [Anna del Conti [1993]
'Tamarind and Saffron' [Claudia Roden [2000]
'How to be a Domestic Goddess' [Nigella Lawson [2000]
'A Celebration of Soup' [Lindsey Bareham [2001]
'Moro, The Cookbook' [Sam and Sam Clark [2001]
'Second Helpings of Roast Chicken' [Simon Hopkinson [2001]
'Seafood' [Rick Stein [2001]
'Pasta Cooking' [Diana Seed [2002]
'The Art of the Tart' [Tamasin Day Lewis [2003]
'Goosefat and Garlic' [Jeanne Strang [2003]
'Ultimate Curry Bible' [Madhur Jaffrey, 2003]
'The Handmade Loaf' [Dan Lepard [2004]
'Falling Cloudberries' [Tessa Kiros [2004]
'The River Cottage Meatbook' [Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall [2004]
'My Cookbook' [Gerard Depardieu [2005]
'The Oxford Companion to Food' [Alan Davidson, 2006]
'The River Cafe, Puddings, Cakes and Ice Creams' [Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers [2006]
'The Concise Larousse Gastronomique' [2007]
'Ballymaloe Cookery School' [Darina Allen [2007]
'Citrus and Spice' [Sybil Kapoor [2008]
'Terrines and Verrines' [Franck Pontais [2008]
'Warm Bread and Honey Cake' [Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra [2009]
'Tender' [Nigel Slater [2009]
'Plenty' [Yotam Ottolenghi [2010]
I could put them in a different order, but that would require an even greater degree of subjectivity. It is not, I hope, a pretentious list, but rather, a list of exceedingly useful books in which to delve for inspiration. I apologise for the lack of books on oriental food, which I love too, but seldom cook at Bardies - I leave that to my darling friends over at Rieucaze! I love everything by Elisabeth David, Elisabeth Luard, Jane Grigson, Anna del Conti, Diana Seed, Claudia Roden, Nigel Slater and Nigella, and could have selected different choices if my mood on the day had been different.
Right now, if I had to choose just one book, it would be 'Plenty', because Yotam embodies everything that has moved on since I first began to cook in 1973. He is a genius and a cultural icon, and I love everything he stands for. Tomorrow? Who knows? Doubtless, many people will have better lists, but this one is mine.....and it's for Bardies. C'est tout!
I have always wanted to have a little cookery school at Bardies, running maybe half a dozen short courses each year, where clients hone their new skills sharing in the food preparation and cooking of our legendary long lunches and dinners - team spirit and all that. I still dream of a suitable space, especially as the budgets for the restoration of our huge barn have scaled even greater heights. 'Il y a le reve et la realite!' Perhaps, I will brave it and go for a small, select group of guinea pigs under the tutelage of someone more professional than me, ideally a patissier or charcutier, and see how we go. But I digress.....
Compiling this list took days, not least because I kept changing the criteria upon which it was based. 'Favourites' was a favourite, followed by 'most used', 'best read' and 'prettiest pictures'. The world of cookery book publishing has changed so much since my mother-in-law first starting buying them for me for fear that I might fail to live up to her exacting standards. For one thing, few of them had pictures and those that did looked as though someone had taken them with a Box Brownie. Our first 'dinner parties' were created with recipes from Robert Carrier's, 'Cooking for You' [1973] and Marguerite Patten's, 'International Cookery in Colour' [1973], which were illustrated, and Julia Child et al's, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' [1961], Elizabeth David's, 'French Provincial Cooking' [1960] and Jane Grigson's 'Good Things' [1971], which were not.
Amazon has revolutionised our book buying habits and it is no coincidence that so many books on my list have been published relatively recently. The rise and rise of the so-called celebrity chef has also altered the way we buy cookery books. I have to nail my colours to the mast here and say that I am seldom impressed with hastily published books designed to tie in with a massively hyped TV show. I don't want a recipe compilation with a famous name on the cover. There is not very much that is new in food that I would have the inclination to cook. I'd rather save up and go to 'The Fat Duck', 'El Bulli' or 'Noma' since, after all, for the famous chefs that run them, it's as much about theatre as food. No, I just want a good read, and some lovely photographs. So, here, goes:
'French Provincial Cooking' [Elisabeth David [1960]
'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' [Julia Child, Simone Beck, Louise Bertholle [1961]
'Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery' [Jane Grigson [1967]
'The French Menu Cookbook' [Richard Olney [1970]
'The Observer French Cookery School' [Anne Willan and Jane Grigson [1980]
'European Peasant Cookery [Elizabeth Luard, 1986]
'I Risotti' [Anna del Conti [1993]
'Tamarind and Saffron' [Claudia Roden [2000]
'How to be a Domestic Goddess' [Nigella Lawson [2000]
'A Celebration of Soup' [Lindsey Bareham [2001]
'Moro, The Cookbook' [Sam and Sam Clark [2001]
'Second Helpings of Roast Chicken' [Simon Hopkinson [2001]
'Seafood' [Rick Stein [2001]
'Pasta Cooking' [Diana Seed [2002]
'The Art of the Tart' [Tamasin Day Lewis [2003]
'Goosefat and Garlic' [Jeanne Strang [2003]
'Ultimate Curry Bible' [Madhur Jaffrey, 2003]
'The Handmade Loaf' [Dan Lepard [2004]
'Falling Cloudberries' [Tessa Kiros [2004]
'The River Cottage Meatbook' [Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall [2004]
'My Cookbook' [Gerard Depardieu [2005]
'The Oxford Companion to Food' [Alan Davidson, 2006]
'The River Cafe, Puddings, Cakes and Ice Creams' [Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers [2006]
'The Concise Larousse Gastronomique' [2007]
'Ballymaloe Cookery School' [Darina Allen [2007]
'Citrus and Spice' [Sybil Kapoor [2008]
'Terrines and Verrines' [Franck Pontais [2008]
'Warm Bread and Honey Cake' [Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra [2009]
'Tender' [Nigel Slater [2009]
'Plenty' [Yotam Ottolenghi [2010]
I could put them in a different order, but that would require an even greater degree of subjectivity. It is not, I hope, a pretentious list, but rather, a list of exceedingly useful books in which to delve for inspiration. I apologise for the lack of books on oriental food, which I love too, but seldom cook at Bardies - I leave that to my darling friends over at Rieucaze! I love everything by Elisabeth David, Elisabeth Luard, Jane Grigson, Anna del Conti, Diana Seed, Claudia Roden, Nigel Slater and Nigella, and could have selected different choices if my mood on the day had been different.
Right now, if I had to choose just one book, it would be 'Plenty', because Yotam embodies everything that has moved on since I first began to cook in 1973. He is a genius and a cultural icon, and I love everything he stands for. Tomorrow? Who knows? Doubtless, many people will have better lists, but this one is mine.....and it's for Bardies. C'est tout!
Monday, 16 May 2011
Charity Begins Chez Nous
A few weeks ago, the daughters of a good friend of mine decided to do a charity event to help raise money for their forthcoming school trip. Having rigidly stuck to my deeply tedious slimming regime since January, I jumped at the chance to offer some homemade sweet and sugary delicacies from the Bardies repertoire. It doesn't take much to have me rustling around amongst jars of vanilla or lavender sugar, rosewater, orange or lemon essence and the ubiquitous white or dark chocolate chips. I'm like a kid at Christmas. "Would you like me to make you a couple of posh pastries for one of your stalls?" I asked plaintively. Yeeeeeeeeees! Any opportunity to experiment with new flavours and away I go.
The French, I always feel, are so locked into convention that it's best not to tell them what that 'petit element tres secret' consists of. It happens all the time. Mention chilli, or lemongrass or, heaven forbid, garum masala and you'll find your elegant 'assiette' politely ignored as they make a dash for the Proustian, and ever safe, 'madeleines' nearby. I once put rosewater in my 'madeleines', 'a la Nigella', which caused a few eyebrows to rise; in pleasure rather than disapproval, I hope. So despairing have I become of the capacity of rural French people to challenge centuries old culinary orthodoxies, I'm thinking of writing our very own cookbook. Watch this space! I know that I am always banging on about how well the British have absorbed their immigrant food cultures but, as far as I can see, French cuisine has moved on very little since Brillat-Savarin, Careme and Escoffier. Just think cous-cous and you get my gist.
Anyway, enough ranting for today. Like all of us, I have my favourite standby posh cakes. Apart from my Jewish orange cake and chocolate torte, my favourite, and easiest, is a raspberry and lemon curd tart, assembled, for an extra bit of style, in a rectangular, loose bottomed flan tin. It's so easy and looks stunning.
RECTANGULAR RASPBERRY AND LEMON CURD TARTS
You will need 2 x 35cm x 12cm tart tins
I use the River Cafe recipe for pastry as I find that grating the pastry gives a better finish in square tins and saves all those odd, manky bits of pastry that are left over after rolling out.
PASTRY:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
350 g plain flour [you can use 200g plain flour and 150 g ground hazlenuts for a yummy dessert version]
pinch fine sea salt
125 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes and kept cold in the fridge before use
100 g icing sugar
3 large egg yolks
Pulse the flour, salt and butter in the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then the egg yolks, and pulse again. The mixture will immediately combine and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Stop immediately or your pastry will be overworked. Remove and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and leave for at least an hour.
Divide the pastry ball evenly into two. Using the large holes of a cheese grater, coarsely grate the pastry into two 35cm x 12cm rectangular fluted flan tins. Press the pastry evenly onto the sides and base of each. Prick the bases with a fork and chill for 15 minutes. Bake them blind for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C, until pale honey in colour. Cool and remove from the tins.
FILLING:
800 g fresh raspberries
2-3 jars of zesty lemon curd
icing sugar to sprinkle
a few sprigs of mint to decorate
You can, of course, make your own lemon curd, which is incredibly easy to do*.
Spoon the lemon curd into the tins and arrange the raspberries very neatly in each tin. You want it to look like a French patisserie so it will take a bit of time. The extra effort more than pays off in admiration. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar from a tea strainer and add a few mint sprigs for additional creative effect. Voila! There is nothing contentious in these divine tarts.
* EASY LEMON CURD
Makes approximately 4 jars
325 g organic golden caster sugar
125 g organic unsalted butter, cut into cubes
juice and finely grated zest of 4 organic, unwaxed lemons
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Put the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, butter and eggs into a large heatproof bowl on top of a pan of gently simmering water. The bottom of the pan must not touch the water, otherwise you will get a sticky, lemony, scrambled eggie gloop. Stir constantly [as with a risotto, don't answer the phone or nip quickly to the loo!] with a clean, fragrance free wooden spoon [nothing worse than the smell of tomato paste or garlic in something sweet], until the mixture is thick and coats the back of the spoon.
Pour the curd into hot, sterilised jars, cover and seal. The lemon curd should last in the fridge for up to two weeks. Once a jar has been opened, though, eat within three days to be on the safe side.
QUICK AND EASY LEMON CURD DESSERT SLICES
Bake a ready rolled rectangle of all butter puff pastry between two baking sheets for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C. When golden brown, remove from the oven, cool and cut into three smaller rectangles with a pizza cutter.
Spread one piece with a generous dollop of freshly made lemon curd and either whipped cream or mascarpone cream. Place the second rectangle on top and repeat. Put the final, preferably best, piece on top and dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices and serve. Voila!
CARAWAY AND ROSEWATER YOGHURT CAKE
It had to be done! See my last blog for the basic recipe but add a teaspoonful of carraway seeds - no more or your cake will have a metallic taste. Decorate with sifted icing sugar, confectioners' pink rose petals and a pink ribbon. Delish!
CHILLI CHOCOLATE, GINGER AND LEMONGRASS TORTE
This one was a new creation! Every so often I have a Heston moment and feel like turning traditional notions of sweet and sour upside down. This one was a huge hit with Brits at a clothes sale but I think that the jury is still out vis a vis the French!
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Grease the base and sides of a 25cm springform cake tin with butter and line with baking parchment.
200 g Lindt and Sprungli 'Excellence' Chilli Chocolate
50 g Lindt and Srungli 85% cocoa solids dark chocolate
4 large eggs
175g organic caster sugar
250 g ground almonds
200 g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsps Ginger extract [I use Star Kay White from Lakeland, which has to travel as hold baggage because, being in American measurements, it comes in bottles of 106g]
2 tsp Uncle Roy's Lemongrass concentrated extract [available in 50 ml bottles from good specialist baking shops or by mail order]
2 tbs Green and Black's Organic Cocoa to decorate
Finely shredded and dried red chilli to decorate [or crystallise with a little egg white and caster sugar]
Melt the butter gently and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar for about 10 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over hot water. Do not let the chocolate come into contact with the water or you will have a horrible, gloopy mess - I use my vegetable steamer with the lid removed. Add the concentrated ginger and lemongrass extract.
Tip the ground almonds into the egg and sugar mixture and fold in, followed by the melted chocolate and butter. Fold in well, making sure that the chocolate is completely absorbed.
Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes [check after 35] until a skewer comes out cleanly. Turn out and allow to cool. Decorate with the sifted cocoa powder and chilli pieces. You could even put a bright red ribbon around the cake for maximum visual effect.
NO MORE CAKE RECIPES FOR A WHILE, I PROMISE!
The French, I always feel, are so locked into convention that it's best not to tell them what that 'petit element tres secret' consists of. It happens all the time. Mention chilli, or lemongrass or, heaven forbid, garum masala and you'll find your elegant 'assiette' politely ignored as they make a dash for the Proustian, and ever safe, 'madeleines' nearby. I once put rosewater in my 'madeleines', 'a la Nigella', which caused a few eyebrows to rise; in pleasure rather than disapproval, I hope. So despairing have I become of the capacity of rural French people to challenge centuries old culinary orthodoxies, I'm thinking of writing our very own cookbook. Watch this space! I know that I am always banging on about how well the British have absorbed their immigrant food cultures but, as far as I can see, French cuisine has moved on very little since Brillat-Savarin, Careme and Escoffier. Just think cous-cous and you get my gist.
Anyway, enough ranting for today. Like all of us, I have my favourite standby posh cakes. Apart from my Jewish orange cake and chocolate torte, my favourite, and easiest, is a raspberry and lemon curd tart, assembled, for an extra bit of style, in a rectangular, loose bottomed flan tin. It's so easy and looks stunning.
RECTANGULAR RASPBERRY AND LEMON CURD TARTS
You will need 2 x 35cm x 12cm tart tins
I use the River Cafe recipe for pastry as I find that grating the pastry gives a better finish in square tins and saves all those odd, manky bits of pastry that are left over after rolling out.
PASTRY:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
350 g plain flour [you can use 200g plain flour and 150 g ground hazlenuts for a yummy dessert version]
pinch fine sea salt
125 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes and kept cold in the fridge before use
100 g icing sugar
3 large egg yolks
Pulse the flour, salt and butter in the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then the egg yolks, and pulse again. The mixture will immediately combine and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Stop immediately or your pastry will be overworked. Remove and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and leave for at least an hour.
Divide the pastry ball evenly into two. Using the large holes of a cheese grater, coarsely grate the pastry into two 35cm x 12cm rectangular fluted flan tins. Press the pastry evenly onto the sides and base of each. Prick the bases with a fork and chill for 15 minutes. Bake them blind for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C, until pale honey in colour. Cool and remove from the tins.
FILLING:
800 g fresh raspberries
2-3 jars of zesty lemon curd
icing sugar to sprinkle
a few sprigs of mint to decorate
You can, of course, make your own lemon curd, which is incredibly easy to do*.
Spoon the lemon curd into the tins and arrange the raspberries very neatly in each tin. You want it to look like a French patisserie so it will take a bit of time. The extra effort more than pays off in admiration. Sprinkle the top with icing sugar from a tea strainer and add a few mint sprigs for additional creative effect. Voila! There is nothing contentious in these divine tarts.
* EASY LEMON CURD
Makes approximately 4 jars
325 g organic golden caster sugar
125 g organic unsalted butter, cut into cubes
juice and finely grated zest of 4 organic, unwaxed lemons
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Put the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, butter and eggs into a large heatproof bowl on top of a pan of gently simmering water. The bottom of the pan must not touch the water, otherwise you will get a sticky, lemony, scrambled eggie gloop. Stir constantly [as with a risotto, don't answer the phone or nip quickly to the loo!] with a clean, fragrance free wooden spoon [nothing worse than the smell of tomato paste or garlic in something sweet], until the mixture is thick and coats the back of the spoon.
Pour the curd into hot, sterilised jars, cover and seal. The lemon curd should last in the fridge for up to two weeks. Once a jar has been opened, though, eat within three days to be on the safe side.
QUICK AND EASY LEMON CURD DESSERT SLICES
Bake a ready rolled rectangle of all butter puff pastry between two baking sheets for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C. When golden brown, remove from the oven, cool and cut into three smaller rectangles with a pizza cutter.
Spread one piece with a generous dollop of freshly made lemon curd and either whipped cream or mascarpone cream. Place the second rectangle on top and repeat. Put the final, preferably best, piece on top and dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices and serve. Voila!
CARAWAY AND ROSEWATER YOGHURT CAKE
It had to be done! See my last blog for the basic recipe but add a teaspoonful of carraway seeds - no more or your cake will have a metallic taste. Decorate with sifted icing sugar, confectioners' pink rose petals and a pink ribbon. Delish!
CHILLI CHOCOLATE, GINGER AND LEMONGRASS TORTE
This one was a new creation! Every so often I have a Heston moment and feel like turning traditional notions of sweet and sour upside down. This one was a huge hit with Brits at a clothes sale but I think that the jury is still out vis a vis the French!
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Grease the base and sides of a 25cm springform cake tin with butter and line with baking parchment.
200 g Lindt and Sprungli 'Excellence' Chilli Chocolate
50 g Lindt and Srungli 85% cocoa solids dark chocolate
4 large eggs
175g organic caster sugar
250 g ground almonds
200 g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsps Ginger extract [I use Star Kay White from Lakeland, which has to travel as hold baggage because, being in American measurements, it comes in bottles of 106g]
2 tsp Uncle Roy's Lemongrass concentrated extract [available in 50 ml bottles from good specialist baking shops or by mail order]
2 tbs Green and Black's Organic Cocoa to decorate
Finely shredded and dried red chilli to decorate [or crystallise with a little egg white and caster sugar]
Melt the butter gently and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugar for about 10 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over hot water. Do not let the chocolate come into contact with the water or you will have a horrible, gloopy mess - I use my vegetable steamer with the lid removed. Add the concentrated ginger and lemongrass extract.
Tip the ground almonds into the egg and sugar mixture and fold in, followed by the melted chocolate and butter. Fold in well, making sure that the chocolate is completely absorbed.
Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes [check after 35] until a skewer comes out cleanly. Turn out and allow to cool. Decorate with the sifted cocoa powder and chilli pieces. You could even put a bright red ribbon around the cake for maximum visual effect.
NO MORE CAKE RECIPES FOR A WHILE, I PROMISE!
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Curry Supper at the Chateau
I love French food with a passion and spend endless hours trying to master century old techniques. The tradition of excellent food at Bardies is, I hope, safe in my hands, especially since I have discovered three ancient hand written exercise books full of lovingly sourced recipes. The previous chatelaines of Bardies certainly knew how to cook and I consider myself privileged to continue this worthy tradition. That said, as a passionate exponent of multi-culturalism, I cannot wean myself off the strong flavours of North Africa, the Middle East and the Indian sub continent. The 'spice trail' is hard wired into my psyche. After a week of cooking traditional native fayre, I am driven by an all-consuming addiction to the heat and vitality of curried foods. I know a French food blog should be about French food, so I beg you to indulge me.
It seems to me that most French people have not allowed their own colonial heritage to enhance their wonderful home food traditions. Of course, in cities like Marseilles, things are very different. As an 'etranger' from a country whose national dish is now chicken tikka masala, I do like to offer up to my guests something other than a traditional French dish which would probably be better constructed at a local restaurant [well, maybe not, but you know what I mean!]. Usually guests are polite but I can see from the rate at which they down iced water and chilled wine that they are unused to the fire of foreign food. Garlic, ginger and chilli peppers seldom make an appearance in native Ariegois cuisine. Fortunately, friends who have spent time in England adore such deviance and the more adventurous 'invitees' love the change.
I restock my spice cupboards every year with our pre- Easter car trip en famille, although there is a very good little shop in St Girons which carries a basic stock. Curry and fenugreek leaves are especially important so I always buy these from specialist Asian shops. I do not like to use supermarket bought 'garum masalas' or curry powders if I can avoid it, so I mix mine from scratch, which I think transforms the flavours from the simply average to the utterly mind blowing. There is such liberation in cooking Indian food. All you need is confidence in your own taste buds.
GARUM MASALA
The meaning is 'hot spices', which are ground together. Recipes vary so you can play around with them to your tastebud's content!
Grind together equal quantities of cloves, cardamon, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon and dried bay leaves [I find a coffee grinder works really well]. You can add ginger and turmeric for fish dishes, fennel seeds for lamb.
GARLIC AND GINGER PASTE
This is a really useful standby ingredient - I use it more often than anything else for many styles of cooking. It's really great cooked in a little olive oil with some chopped red chilli as a base for spinach, or with chopped green chilli for Thai green curries.
Peel equal quantities of garlic and ginger and whizz through the food processor until finely chopped. Store in a jar in the fridge. I keep a few plastic pots of this in the freezer too - you can use it straight away.
PUNJABI PRAWN SALAD
500g raw prawns, de-veined, shells removed but tails left on
salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tbs olive oil
2 large pieces ginger, cut into fine strips
1 or 2 [depending on taste] medium green chillies, finely chopped
2 red onions finely sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, finely sliced
large bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
DRESSING
3 tbs good olive oil
juice of 1 lemon or lime [you can also finely grate in the peel for extra citrus 'zing']
1 tsp chat masala
small bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
Mix together the salt, turmeric, chilli powder, ground cumin and ground coriander with a little oil and toss the prawns until coated. Heat the remainder of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the prawns until they are just pink and translucent. Remove from the heat, cool and chill for 1 hour.
When you are ready to assemble the salad, put the red onions, tomato, ginger, chopped chillis and coriander into a large salad bowl with the cooled prawns. Season to taste. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a jar and pour over the salad. Mix together with your hands and serve on individual plates.
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Sorry, but it had to be done!
MARINADE
100g plain yoghurt [preferably pro-biotic]
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp Tikka Massala
2 tbs garlic and ginger paste
4 organic chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl with the chicken, making sure that all the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
TIKKA MASALA
3 tbs olive oil
2 large Spanish onions, finely chopped
3 tsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
3 tbs coconut powder
50 mls single cream
1 tbs fenugreek leaves
2 tsp butter [to finish]
1 tbs honey
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
salt to taste
Remove chicken from fridge. Preheat oven to 200 C and bake the chicken for 5 minutes on each side.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish and add the onion and garlic and ginger paste. Cook for at least 25 minutes until the onion has caramelised. Add a little water if necessary. When the onion is caramelised [very important] add the cumin seeds and tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the turmeric, chilli powder and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut powder and allow the flavour of the coconut to be released in the oils, before adding the lemon juice and fenugreek leaves. Add the cooked chicken and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and 3 tablespoons of water and cook for 1 minute [I add the remainder of the marinade ingredients at this point too]. Add the honey and cream and leave on a low heat for a further 3-5 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through. Finally, add the butter and stir before serving.
I find that plain boiled basmati rice is perfect with such strong but subtle and delicate flavours. A simple salad is the perfect accompaniment, but a spinach dahl or vegetable curry would also be delicious.
YOGHURT CAKE
This is not an Indian dessert but I find that it works really well, especially after a long respite and with a good strong after dinner coffee and a digestif. This is a take on a classic French cake but the addition of rosewater gives it a slightly exotic feel. You could also sustitute 1 tsp caraway seeds for the vanilla seeds and add 1 tsp vanilla extract. For an after dinner dessert, I like it garnished with a little more natural yoghurt and some slivered almonds, pistachios, raisins and sultanas.
75 mls groundnut oil
250 g Greek style yoghurt
180 g organic caster sugar
2 large organic eggs
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1-2 tsp rosewater
240g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/8 tsp finely ground sea salt
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Line and oil a 23cm springform cake tin.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together with an electric whisk or mixer until light and fluffy. Add the yoghurt, oil, vanilla seeds and rosewater and mix together well.
Carefully sieve the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine well using a palette knife. Put into the cake tin and bake for approximately 30 -35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a cooling rack and decorate or garnish as your fancy takes you.
As Julia Child always exited with, 'Bon Appetit!'
It seems to me that most French people have not allowed their own colonial heritage to enhance their wonderful home food traditions. Of course, in cities like Marseilles, things are very different. As an 'etranger' from a country whose national dish is now chicken tikka masala, I do like to offer up to my guests something other than a traditional French dish which would probably be better constructed at a local restaurant [well, maybe not, but you know what I mean!]. Usually guests are polite but I can see from the rate at which they down iced water and chilled wine that they are unused to the fire of foreign food. Garlic, ginger and chilli peppers seldom make an appearance in native Ariegois cuisine. Fortunately, friends who have spent time in England adore such deviance and the more adventurous 'invitees' love the change.
I restock my spice cupboards every year with our pre- Easter car trip en famille, although there is a very good little shop in St Girons which carries a basic stock. Curry and fenugreek leaves are especially important so I always buy these from specialist Asian shops. I do not like to use supermarket bought 'garum masalas' or curry powders if I can avoid it, so I mix mine from scratch, which I think transforms the flavours from the simply average to the utterly mind blowing. There is such liberation in cooking Indian food. All you need is confidence in your own taste buds.
GARUM MASALA
The meaning is 'hot spices', which are ground together. Recipes vary so you can play around with them to your tastebud's content!
Grind together equal quantities of cloves, cardamon, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon and dried bay leaves [I find a coffee grinder works really well]. You can add ginger and turmeric for fish dishes, fennel seeds for lamb.
GARLIC AND GINGER PASTE
This is a really useful standby ingredient - I use it more often than anything else for many styles of cooking. It's really great cooked in a little olive oil with some chopped red chilli as a base for spinach, or with chopped green chilli for Thai green curries.
Peel equal quantities of garlic and ginger and whizz through the food processor until finely chopped. Store in a jar in the fridge. I keep a few plastic pots of this in the freezer too - you can use it straight away.
PUNJABI PRAWN SALAD
500g raw prawns, de-veined, shells removed but tails left on
salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tbs olive oil
2 large pieces ginger, cut into fine strips
1 or 2 [depending on taste] medium green chillies, finely chopped
2 red onions finely sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, finely sliced
large bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
DRESSING
3 tbs good olive oil
juice of 1 lemon or lime [you can also finely grate in the peel for extra citrus 'zing']
1 tsp chat masala
small bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
Mix together the salt, turmeric, chilli powder, ground cumin and ground coriander with a little oil and toss the prawns until coated. Heat the remainder of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the prawns until they are just pink and translucent. Remove from the heat, cool and chill for 1 hour.
When you are ready to assemble the salad, put the red onions, tomato, ginger, chopped chillis and coriander into a large salad bowl with the cooled prawns. Season to taste. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a jar and pour over the salad. Mix together with your hands and serve on individual plates.
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Sorry, but it had to be done!
MARINADE
100g plain yoghurt [preferably pro-biotic]
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp Tikka Massala
2 tbs garlic and ginger paste
4 organic chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl with the chicken, making sure that all the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
TIKKA MASALA
3 tbs olive oil
2 large Spanish onions, finely chopped
3 tsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
3 tbs coconut powder
50 mls single cream
1 tbs fenugreek leaves
2 tsp butter [to finish]
1 tbs honey
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
salt to taste
Remove chicken from fridge. Preheat oven to 200 C and bake the chicken for 5 minutes on each side.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish and add the onion and garlic and ginger paste. Cook for at least 25 minutes until the onion has caramelised. Add a little water if necessary. When the onion is caramelised [very important] add the cumin seeds and tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the turmeric, chilli powder and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut powder and allow the flavour of the coconut to be released in the oils, before adding the lemon juice and fenugreek leaves. Add the cooked chicken and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and 3 tablespoons of water and cook for 1 minute [I add the remainder of the marinade ingredients at this point too]. Add the honey and cream and leave on a low heat for a further 3-5 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through. Finally, add the butter and stir before serving.
I find that plain boiled basmati rice is perfect with such strong but subtle and delicate flavours. A simple salad is the perfect accompaniment, but a spinach dahl or vegetable curry would also be delicious.
YOGHURT CAKE
This is not an Indian dessert but I find that it works really well, especially after a long respite and with a good strong after dinner coffee and a digestif. This is a take on a classic French cake but the addition of rosewater gives it a slightly exotic feel. You could also sustitute 1 tsp caraway seeds for the vanilla seeds and add 1 tsp vanilla extract. For an after dinner dessert, I like it garnished with a little more natural yoghurt and some slivered almonds, pistachios, raisins and sultanas.
75 mls groundnut oil
250 g Greek style yoghurt
180 g organic caster sugar
2 large organic eggs
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1-2 tsp rosewater
240g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/8 tsp finely ground sea salt
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Line and oil a 23cm springform cake tin.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together with an electric whisk or mixer until light and fluffy. Add the yoghurt, oil, vanilla seeds and rosewater and mix together well.
Carefully sieve the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine well using a palette knife. Put into the cake tin and bake for approximately 30 -35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a cooling rack and decorate or garnish as your fancy takes you.
As Julia Child always exited with, 'Bon Appetit!'
Monday, 21 February 2011
Baking Mad!
I read in one of the Sunday papers over the weekend that men find baking sexy. As someone who's had to sign up to 'Slimming World' to help reduce the less positive benefits of baking, it's news to me. Perhaps it's more to do with the essential time required to lavish the ultimate expression of love on a loved one, rather than the inevitable splattering of flour on one's nose and grease and gunge on one's 'pinny'. Our sexy, female size eight role models wouldn't be seen dead in a dirty apron and hairband. Having said that, the black and gorgeous ex-model and car mechanic, now 'patissiere extraordinaire', Lorraine Pascale, has become the hottest prime time TV chef in town.
Trends in food move as quickly as trends in cars and fashion. You only have to look back at your old cookery books to see how
much things have moved on and tastes and styles of cooking have changed. We have all become much more multi-cultural for one thing. But baking is different. Of course, there are national variations to do with the availability of certain key ingredients, but essentially baking remains in a class of its own [I use baking here in the sense of baking cakes and puddings, rather than anything cooked in an oven]. It remains the stuff of memory, of long forgotten afternoons when mums and grandmas put something freshly baked on to the table to welcome us home. In this sense, it has always been about love for it is the ultimate gift. It is always proffered 'de la coeur', for why else would you give so much precious time when, even in France, supermarket shelves are full of ready made sweet temptations?
But baking is also, in many ways, pure chemistry. You do things in one way, weighed and measured exactly with a specific amount of heat for a certain time, and you get one thing. You jumble all the component parts around, adding more of something here and less of something there, and you get something totally different. It is a unique combination of art and science, which is perhaps another reason why its mysteries are so enticing. For, if it's a patisserie or cake, joy oh joy, you get to indulge your artistic self to your heart's content. Bliss! Heaven! Dare I say the 'O' word? Matisse or Monet couldn't have been happier with the fruits of their labours!
Perhaps men think women are sexier when they bake because they are happy. There must be a lot of endorphins flying around a warm and cosy kitchen after a cake has been iced! In a world where we have surrendered so many of our traditional skills to mass produced commercial alternatives, the sheer pleasure of personal achievement at something we have created ourselves is, sadly, the exception rather than the norm for most people. I'm not sure whether my output this weekend could be considered 'sexy' but it was certainly prolific. With teenage kids around for half term, it certainly went down a treat. I actually made my own puff pastry for the first time [wow, did I feel chuffed!], some choux buns for profiteroles and chocolate sauce [guaranteed to make my children dote on me for at least a day!], and a 'pate sucre' for some frangipani tarts for a family reunion. Who needs the 'Hummingbird Bakery'?
SIMPLE PUFF PASTRY
Stir together in a mixing bowl with a metal spoon 150g plain flour, 100g diced cold butter and 5-6 tablespoons of cold water until everything comes together in a dough.
Lift onto a sheet of clingfilm, cover the ball of dough and put in the fridge for half an hour. Do not knead the dough.
Dust your work surface with plenty of flour and roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold into three then turn the dough at a 90 degree angle and roll, then fold, again. Repeat this process eight times. Leave the dough in its folded state and put in the fridge for another half an hour. Roll out and prick the base, leaving an inch around the edge for a border. Add fillings as desired. I used creme fraiche, diced bacon and mozzarella but you could use anything that you have in the fridge that takes your fancy. Prosciutto, mozzarella, mi-cuit baby tomatoes and basil would be good. Any fruit in season, finely sliced and covered with a glaze, would work well too. So would berries or figs. Bake in a moderately hot oven until golden and puffed up around the border.
PATE SUCRE
Rub 75g butter into 175g plain flour until the lumps have disappeared and your mixture smells buttery and is a lovely yellow colour. Sieve 75 g icing sugar in to the mixture and stir through. Add a large egg, 'biologique' if possible, and mix through quickly with a knife. When the mixture clumps together, bring it together with your hand. If it seems a little too dry to bind, add a spoonful or two of milk to loosen it. When you are happy that the consistency is that of a soft pastry dough, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
PLUM AND FRANGIPANE TARTS
You can use any fruits in season for this, as well as 'pruneaux d'Agen', which taste exquisite with almond.
Preheat the oven to 200C and place a baking sheet inside to heat.
6tbs plum jam [or apricot for apricot tarts, raspberry, strawberry etc etc]
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
3 medium 'biologique' eggs
200g ground almonds
1/2 tsp pure almond essence
100g plain flour
6 ripe plums
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about half a centimetre and line a 23cm loose bottomed fluted flan tin or 6 individual flan tins. Spread half the jam on the base.
Cream together the butter and flour with an electric mixture until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the ground almonds, almond essence and flour. Spread the mixture evenly over the pastry base.
Stone and halve the plums and carefully place them skin side up in the frangipane mixture. Place on a pre-heated baking tray and bake for somewhere in the region of 45 minutes until the frangipane has risen well and set. Test with a skewer after 30 minutes.
Heat the remaining jam with 2 tablespoons of water and sieve out any pips or skin or rind. Brush over the top and serve either warm or cold with cream or vanilla ice cream [home-made if possible].
CHOUX PASTRY
75g butter, cubed
115g plain flour
3 medium 'biologique' eggs, beaten
100 mls water
pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 200C
Put the butter into a medium saucepan with 200mls of water and bring to the boil, until all the butter has melted. Then tip in all the flour and a pinch of salt, and remove from the heat.
With a wooden spoon, beat the mixture hard for about 20 seconds until it comes away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball. You need good muscles for this! Leave to cool, then start beating in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is soft and shiny. It needs to have a consistency which can be dropped with a spoon onto the baking sheet [you may not need to use all of the third egg to reach a dropping consistency].
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment - you should get about 20 balls out of the mixture. You can be posh and use a piping bag but I prefer a more rustic 'blob'. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 30- 40 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the oven door for at least half an hour. The profiteroles should be golden brown and sound 'hollow' to the touch.
Cool and fill with whipped cream.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
100g good dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
15g unsalted butter
2 tbs 'Golden Syrup'
3 tbs water
Break the chocolate into pieces. Bring 3 tbs water and the butter to the boil in a small saucepan, then stir in the chocolate and 'Golden Syrup' until blended and smooth. Pour over the profiteroles and indulge! Sex doesn't get much better than this.
Trends in food move as quickly as trends in cars and fashion. You only have to look back at your old cookery books to see how
much things have moved on and tastes and styles of cooking have changed. We have all become much more multi-cultural for one thing. But baking is different. Of course, there are national variations to do with the availability of certain key ingredients, but essentially baking remains in a class of its own [I use baking here in the sense of baking cakes and puddings, rather than anything cooked in an oven]. It remains the stuff of memory, of long forgotten afternoons when mums and grandmas put something freshly baked on to the table to welcome us home. In this sense, it has always been about love for it is the ultimate gift. It is always proffered 'de la coeur', for why else would you give so much precious time when, even in France, supermarket shelves are full of ready made sweet temptations?
But baking is also, in many ways, pure chemistry. You do things in one way, weighed and measured exactly with a specific amount of heat for a certain time, and you get one thing. You jumble all the component parts around, adding more of something here and less of something there, and you get something totally different. It is a unique combination of art and science, which is perhaps another reason why its mysteries are so enticing. For, if it's a patisserie or cake, joy oh joy, you get to indulge your artistic self to your heart's content. Bliss! Heaven! Dare I say the 'O' word? Matisse or Monet couldn't have been happier with the fruits of their labours!
Perhaps men think women are sexier when they bake because they are happy. There must be a lot of endorphins flying around a warm and cosy kitchen after a cake has been iced! In a world where we have surrendered so many of our traditional skills to mass produced commercial alternatives, the sheer pleasure of personal achievement at something we have created ourselves is, sadly, the exception rather than the norm for most people. I'm not sure whether my output this weekend could be considered 'sexy' but it was certainly prolific. With teenage kids around for half term, it certainly went down a treat. I actually made my own puff pastry for the first time [wow, did I feel chuffed!], some choux buns for profiteroles and chocolate sauce [guaranteed to make my children dote on me for at least a day!], and a 'pate sucre' for some frangipani tarts for a family reunion. Who needs the 'Hummingbird Bakery'?
SIMPLE PUFF PASTRY
Stir together in a mixing bowl with a metal spoon 150g plain flour, 100g diced cold butter and 5-6 tablespoons of cold water until everything comes together in a dough.
Lift onto a sheet of clingfilm, cover the ball of dough and put in the fridge for half an hour. Do not knead the dough.
Dust your work surface with plenty of flour and roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold into three then turn the dough at a 90 degree angle and roll, then fold, again. Repeat this process eight times. Leave the dough in its folded state and put in the fridge for another half an hour. Roll out and prick the base, leaving an inch around the edge for a border. Add fillings as desired. I used creme fraiche, diced bacon and mozzarella but you could use anything that you have in the fridge that takes your fancy. Prosciutto, mozzarella, mi-cuit baby tomatoes and basil would be good. Any fruit in season, finely sliced and covered with a glaze, would work well too. So would berries or figs. Bake in a moderately hot oven until golden and puffed up around the border.
PATE SUCRE
Rub 75g butter into 175g plain flour until the lumps have disappeared and your mixture smells buttery and is a lovely yellow colour. Sieve 75 g icing sugar in to the mixture and stir through. Add a large egg, 'biologique' if possible, and mix through quickly with a knife. When the mixture clumps together, bring it together with your hand. If it seems a little too dry to bind, add a spoonful or two of milk to loosen it. When you are happy that the consistency is that of a soft pastry dough, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
PLUM AND FRANGIPANE TARTS
You can use any fruits in season for this, as well as 'pruneaux d'Agen', which taste exquisite with almond.
Preheat the oven to 200C and place a baking sheet inside to heat.
6tbs plum jam [or apricot for apricot tarts, raspberry, strawberry etc etc]
150g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
3 medium 'biologique' eggs
200g ground almonds
1/2 tsp pure almond essence
100g plain flour
6 ripe plums
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about half a centimetre and line a 23cm loose bottomed fluted flan tin or 6 individual flan tins. Spread half the jam on the base.
Cream together the butter and flour with an electric mixture until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the ground almonds, almond essence and flour. Spread the mixture evenly over the pastry base.
Stone and halve the plums and carefully place them skin side up in the frangipane mixture. Place on a pre-heated baking tray and bake for somewhere in the region of 45 minutes until the frangipane has risen well and set. Test with a skewer after 30 minutes.
Heat the remaining jam with 2 tablespoons of water and sieve out any pips or skin or rind. Brush over the top and serve either warm or cold with cream or vanilla ice cream [home-made if possible].
CHOUX PASTRY
75g butter, cubed
115g plain flour
3 medium 'biologique' eggs, beaten
100 mls water
pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 200C
Put the butter into a medium saucepan with 200mls of water and bring to the boil, until all the butter has melted. Then tip in all the flour and a pinch of salt, and remove from the heat.
With a wooden spoon, beat the mixture hard for about 20 seconds until it comes away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball. You need good muscles for this! Leave to cool, then start beating in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is soft and shiny. It needs to have a consistency which can be dropped with a spoon onto the baking sheet [you may not need to use all of the third egg to reach a dropping consistency].
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment - you should get about 20 balls out of the mixture. You can be posh and use a piping bag but I prefer a more rustic 'blob'. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 30- 40 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the oven door for at least half an hour. The profiteroles should be golden brown and sound 'hollow' to the touch.
Cool and fill with whipped cream.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
100g good dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
15g unsalted butter
2 tbs 'Golden Syrup'
3 tbs water
Break the chocolate into pieces. Bring 3 tbs water and the butter to the boil in a small saucepan, then stir in the chocolate and 'Golden Syrup' until blended and smooth. Pour over the profiteroles and indulge! Sex doesn't get much better than this.
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