Roquefort pear salad

Ingredients


1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped - tin are just as good if you do not have fresh
5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard - we use dijon but any mustard will do
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.

2.In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with walnuts, and serve.

Note we serve it with chunks of crusty french bread....c'est tres delicieux!

Rôti de porc à la moutarde et au miel

Préparation : 10 mn
Cuisson : 1h30

Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes) :
- 1 rôti de porc de 1,2 kg environ
- 1 cuillère à soupe de moutarde de dijon
- 2 cuillères à soupe de miel
- 1 gousse d'ail pressée et dégermée ou 1 cuillère à café d'ail en poudre
- sel et poivre au goût
- 2 oignons coupés en rondelles
- 1/4 l de bouillon de volaille

Préparation :

Mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble, sauf le rôti et les rondelles d'oignons.

Badigeonner le rôti de cette sauce et le coucher sur les oignons. Rectifier l'assaisonnement si besoin.

Ajouter le bouillon, couvrir le rôti et mettre au four à 180°C (thermostat 6) pendant environ 1h30.

Pour vérifier la cuisson, piquer avec un cure-dent. S'il pénètre facilement, le rôti est à point.

French Style Roast Lamb with Potatoes Dauphinoise

Apologies for the lack of posts, but here is a recipe that I made for lunch today.......



FRENCH-STYLE ROAST LAMB WITH BEANS AND RED WINE

Serves up to 10

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 3.5 to 3.75 hours
Use a 40 cm rectangular dish

2 to 2 ⁄ 2 kg (4 to 5 pounds) leg of lamb
250 ml ( cup) chicken or lamb stock
2 garlic cloves, cut into quarters
500 ml (2 cups) full-bodied, dry red wine
8 sprigs rosemary, broken into small pieces
450 g (pound) canned flageolet or cannelli beans, drained and rinsed
2 shallots, peeled and left whole
8 large carrots, cut into large chunks
2 teaspoons redcurrant jelly
A little vegetable oil, for greasing
Tablespoon cornflour
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 80°C/Gas Mark 4.


Trim the lamb of any excess pieces of fat. Pierce the flesh several times and push pieces of garlic and rosemary into the holes.
Place the lamb in the lightly greased dish. Brush a little oil over the top and season well.

Put all the prepared vegetables around the lamb with any remaining pieces of rosemary,the stock, and 250 ml (cup) of the wine. Cover the top loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.

Transfer to the oven and roast for hour, then reduce the temperature to 325°F/ 60°C/Gas Mark 3 and continue roasting for about 2 hours longer. The meat should still be a little pink at this stage.
Remove the foil and add the beans around the meat. Return the pan, uncovered, to the oven for 30 to 45 minutes longer until the meat is cooked to the degree you prefer.

Transfer the lamb to a warm serving platter or carving tray. Cover with foil and a dish towel and leave to rest for 0 to 5 minutes. While the lamb is resting, make the sauce.

Remove most of the vegetables using a slotted spoon; keep these hot. Place the dish over a medium heat on the hob. Add the remaining wine and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and cornflour blended with a little cold water.
Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Carve the lamb thickly and serve each portion with a few of the vegetables and beans and some sauce spooned over.



POTATO DAUPHINOIS


Serves up to 10

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes + parboiling the potatoes

0.5 kg (3 pounds 5 ounces) waxy potatoes,
4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Peeled large garlic clove, halved
25 g ( cup) finely grated Gruyère cheese
5 g (tablespoon) butter, softened
250 ml ( cup) double cream
25 ml (1 ⁄2 cup) milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the potatoes into 5 mm (1 ⁄4 inch) slices. Put them into a large saucepan on the hob, cover with cold water and a little salt, and bring to a boil on a high heat.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Do not overcook at this stage because even waxy potatoes can begin to break up; drain well.

Rub the inside of the gratin dish with the cut garlic and grease with a little of the butter.

Preheat the oven to 325°F/60°C/Gas Mark 3. Put half the potatoes into the dish, spreading them evenly. Sprinkle with a little of the nutmeg and some seasoning.

Add half the cheese and then another layer of potatoes, nutmeg, and seasoning.

Beat together the cream and the milk and pour evenly over the potatoes. Finish by scattering the remaining cheese on top with a few small pieces of butter dotted over the surface.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until a deep crisp brown crust forms.
Serve immediately from the dish.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

50g butter
1kg brown onions , thinly sliced
2 tbsp thyme , picked leaves
3 tbsp dry sherry
beef stock fresh, cube or concentrate made up to 1.2 litres

CROUTONS
1 baguette , sliced
1 garlic clove , halved
extra-virgin olive oil
100g Gruyère , grated

Method:
1.Heat the butter in a large pan and gently cook the onion and thyme until the onion is softened but not browned - about 20 minutes. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 15 minutes, until the onion becomes dark golden, sticky and caramelised, stirring now and again to stop it catching. Add the sherry and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Season. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, toast the bread, rub each slice with garlic, then drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle with the cheese and grill until golden and bubbling. Serve the soup with the cheese croutons on top.

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L x

Pain Perdu aux Pommes

Yesterday we had lunch at the Divine Mme M's maison. For dessert she made the most delicious Pain Perdu which literally translates to lost bread which is similar to eggy bread.

Here is a recipe for Pain Perdu aux Pommes


A delicious, homely dessert that requires 4 different preparations, but you can make custard and caramel sauce in advance, and even fry the apples, leaving only the bread to do at the last minute.

If you can’t be bothered to make custard, I’m sure it would be lovely with a scoop of good-quality ice cream (vanilla or maybe even cinnamon).

Serves 4. Calories: about a million per serving.


Custard:
250 ml milk
split vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
50 g caster sugar

Caramel sauce:
50 g butter
60 g caster sugar
3 tbs whipping cream

Apples:
30g butter
3-4 eating apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thick wedges

Bread:
30 g butter
2 egg yolks
60 g caster sugar
3 tbs whipping cream
4 thick slices of day-old baguette, cut on the diagonal (to maximise the bread-to-crust ratio)

To make the custard, heat the milk with the vanilla pod, cover, and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks lightly with the sugar. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk and whisk it into the egg yolk mixture, then pour into the pan, and stir over low heat until thickened, without boiling. Pour into a jug, cover, and leave to cool.

Make the caramel sauce: melt the butter and sugar over a low heat without stirring, till the sugar is dissolved, then raise the heat and bubble until it caramelises (it might look a bit lumpy, but it will smooth out as it heats). Once it’s a nice toffee colour, remove from the heat and pour in the cream, keeping your had well clear of spatters. Stir to blend, set aside.

For the bread, mix the egg yolks, cream, and sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. About 10 minutes before you want to eat, put the bread slices in to soak. Turn them over aftar 5 minutes; they shouid absorb all of the egg mixture. Meanwhile, put the caramel sauce over a low heat, and heat 30 g butter in a frying pan. Fry the apples quickly until lightly browned, then add them to the caramel sauce to finish cooking. Add the remaining 30 g butter to the frying pan and fry the bread on each side over a fairly high heat until golden and crispy. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.

To serve, put a slice of bread on each plate and spoon over some apples and sauce. Pour a lake of custard around (or add a scoop of ice cream) and serve immediately.

Not strictly french....

As you probably know, the French love Morocco and all things Morrocan so as a result you will find a lot of interior decoration magazines on moroccan inspired decor and a lot of moroccan recipes.

I lived in Dubai for a while so indulged myself in all things Moroccan and even decorated our house with lots of fabulous pieces from Morocco.

Last night I cooked this recipe for dinner:

Moroccan chicken with minted couscous

Ingredients:
8 chicken fillets or 4 chicken breasts – without skin, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil – for sautéing
1 spanish onion – finely chopped
2 red capsicums – finely chopped
1/2 dried apricots
1 tin diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
4 cloves garlic – crushed
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon rind – grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
ground black pepper to taste

small handful of toasted, flaked almonds - optional

small bunch of chopped coriander - optional

Method:
1.Combine garlic, ginger, lemon rind and juice, honey and all of the spices in a bowl, and add chicken cubes – stir around to coat the chicken.

2. Cover and leave to marinate for 2 hours (or overnight if preferred). 3. Heat oil in large saucepan and sauté chicken cubes until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

4. Add a little more oil to pan if necessary, and brown the onions and capsicum.

5. Return chicken to the pan and add tinned tomatoes,dried apricots, and stock.
6. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until chicken is completely cooked and liquid has reduced slightly.

7. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and chopped coriander (optional)

About 10 minutes before the chicken is ready, I make the minted cous cous.

Minted couscous

Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups fresh mint – roughly chopped
1 cup spring onions – chopped
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

1. Put the couscous into a large serving bowl and pour over the boiling water. Allow to sit for 5 – 7 minutes for water to be absorbed then stir with a fork.

2. Add oil and lemon juice.

3. Stir in mint and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper.

I like to serve these in shallow flat bowls with the cous cous on the bottom and then put the chicken on top - delicious.

Coq au vin

Coq au Vin

Serves 4



8 chicken thighs – skin on, bone in
1 bottle of red wine
2 bay leaves
Sprigs of fresh thyme
20 small button onions
250g button mushrooms
250g diced bacon
1 litre chicken stock
50g tomato puree
100g flour
Salt and pepper

1. Sauté the chicken thighs until brown in oil and butter.
2. Place in a casserole dish. In the same pan sauté the onions, mushrooms and bacon till brown. Add to the chicken.
3. Sprinkle flour over the chicken, add seasoning, bay leaves, thyme and rub together until well mixed.
4. Add tomato puree, chicken stock, red wine and cover with greaseproof paper and a lid or tinfoil.
5. Cook at 180ºC for 20 mins and then 160ºC for 30 mins.
6. Serve with toasted croutons spread with chicken liver pate or parfait.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve.


In the summer serve with a crisp green salad and in the colder months a nice mound of mashed potato.

Bienvenue....

Welcome to fabulously french recipes.

This is where you will find a lot of our favourite recipes. Note if you have any favourites that you would like to share, please email me with details.

A bientot,

L x