cookeatblog.com » French Food

Puy Lentils

leej — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 12:16:42 +0000

Tonight I decided to have my first BBQ of the year – the sun had been shining all day and I had three mosquito bites, so I knew that summer was on its way. I had some delicious lamb cutlets in the waiting and wanted to accompany them with something a little different. I really love puy lentils as an alternative to potatoes or rice – they’re rich, hearty and very delicious. Quite often they’re seen as a wintery dish, but once cooked, left to come to room temperature they’re also a great summer dish. I cooked mine in some homemade chicken stock and it really did elevate them into taste sensation territory. Really pretty delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion (finely diced)
1 small carrot (finely diced)
1 stick celery (finely diced)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon mixed fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano, sage etc)
1 cup puy lentils
1/2 cup white wine
750ml chicken stock
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a moderate heat, when hot gently fry the onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and herbs and fry for 1 minute before adding the wine. Let it sizzle and reduce for 1-2 minutes before adding the stock. Let this come to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 1 hour – until the lentils are soft and the liquid all but gone. If you have too much liquid turn up the heat and reduce it for a few minutes. Similarly, if the liquid is gone before the lentils are soft, add either more chicken stock or a little water.

Season with salt & pepper to your taste before serving.

SERVING:
Tonight, I ate mine with BBQ lamb and a tomato and feta salad – but it’s also delicious with grilled Italian sausages.

Rabbit Liver Pâté

leej — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:16:08 +0000

I am a recent covert to the delights of pâté – for so long I turned my nose up when I was offered any. How time’s have changed, I could eat it with a large shovel these days. When I was left with some livers today from a couple of rabbits I’d stewed, rather than throw the livers away, I made this really delicious pâté instead. Talk about taste sensation – rabbit liver has a slightly sweeter taste than that of chicken, duck or goose but the same deep, rich characteristics. I made mine using a splash of sherry to round off the flavour and I must admit, it was a huge success! There was enough for two people as a snack or small starter with some crusty bread. Happiness.

INGREDIENTS:
200g rabbit liver (trimmed and cut into chunks)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion (very finely diced)
1 clove garlic (finely diced)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (very finely chopped)
1 teaspoon parsley (finely chopped)
generous splash fino sherry
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons cream (whipped to peaks)

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a small pan until bubbling. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently fot 5 minutes until golden brown and soft. Add the liver and cook for 2 minutes before adding the sherry, parsley, thyme salt & pepper stir for 1 minute then remove from the heat and leave for 2 minutes.

Place in a food processor and blend for a few minutes until the pâté is smooth.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then gently fold in the whipped cream. Spoon into a ramekin and smooth out. Cover with some plastic wrap or if you’re feeling fancy – melt 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a saucepan and pour over the pâté to form a protective skin.

Leave in the fridge for a few hours to develop in flavour and to firm up.

SERVING:
You can’t beat pate with some crunchy oven toasted bread – or even just crusty fresh bread.

Cauliflower & Blue Cheese Soup

leej — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:00:07 +0000

This is a simple and delicious little soup. Cauliflower is perfect for soup – it creates a lovely creamy consistency that is delicate, yet still filling. Combined with the rich flavour of blue cheese this soup is the ideal combination. Lovely.

INGREDIENTS:
500g cauliflower florets
1 medium onion (finely diced)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 sprigs fresh thyme (stalks removed)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 litre of light vegetable stock
90g blue cheese
Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the butter in a large saucepan until bubbling. Add the onions and fry gently for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the thyme and mustard and stir for 30 seconds before adding the cauliflower florets. Stir for 1-2 minutes to coat all the cauliflower before pouring over the stock. Season with salt & pepper then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the cauliflower is very tender.

Pour some of the soup into a blender and blend until very smooth – pour into a new pan (through a fine sieve to catch any lumps – if you can be bothered) and repeat process with the remaining soup. Bring the soup up to the point of simmer then add the blue cheese – stir to melt. With a slotted spoon, discard any of the blue vein from the cheese that floats to the top.

Check for seasoning and then serve hot.

SERVING:
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and some black pepper just before serving.

Chocolate, Almond & Pear Tart

leej — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:00:20 +0000

This one turned out a bit of a treat. Theres a great bakery in Sydney that makes a small, individual version of this tart, and it became a favourite very quickly when I worked in the city – since I left that job I haven’t had one, so when I saw that the last of some pears I’d bought were ‘on the turn’, a little excited lightbulb went off in my head. The chocolate and almond filling to this tart is sublime! The pear cuts through the sweetness perfectly – the pastry slightly sweet and crumbly. The whole thing is just heavenly. And coming from a man who doesn’t eat many cakes, or much chocolate – it turns out to be one of my favorite things to eat – ever.

INGREDIENTS:
Pastry:
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter (cold, and cubed)
1 egg
100g icing sugar

Filling:
125g almond meal
2 eggs
95g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter (melted)
1 teaspoon orange zest
90g good quality dark chocolate (melted)
2 pears (peeled and quartered)

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, combine the flour and icing sugar and pulse to aerate. Add the butter and process till you form a consistency of breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg with 3 tablespoons water and gradually pour into the flour with the motor running till it comes together in a clump.

Tip onto a floured surface and knead with your hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll into a large ball, cover in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Halve the dough and roll out into a 3mm thick circle and then coat a lightly greased 20cm (loose bottom) tart tin. leave the edges overhanging slightly.

Freeze the remaining dough for another use.

Preheat oven to 190ºC – blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes, remove and set aside.

Turn down the oven to 170ºC

To make the filling:
In a food processor, combine the butter, almond meal, eggs and sugar and orange zest into a thick paste. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate and mix well.

Spoon the filling into the tart case and then press in the pear pieces in a circle. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

SERVING:
Dust with a little soft icing sugar and serve with cream or ice cream. This is also absolutely perfect with a hot cup of coffee and an episode of ‘I Survived’ as I enjoyed this afternoon.

Roast Duck with Cherry Sauce

leej — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:00:25 +0000

I happened to spot some ducks on special today at the supermarket. It’s a great tasting meat, gamey & rich – which I love. I also love the crisp, melt-in-the-mouth skin that you get from roasting it. Being a gamey meat, it works wonderfully with a sweeter sauce to counteract. This cherry sauce is just that, I actually thought it was too sweet when I was preparing it but once it was married with the duck it melded perfectly. I loved it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 x 1.5-2kg duck.
Salt & pepper

For the sauce:
300g sour cherries from a can or jar (drained – reserving the liquid)
1 orange (zest of half, juice of the whole orange)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup red wine
2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons plain flour
3 tablespoons reserved cherry juice

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 220ºC
Lay the duck on a roasting rack and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper then roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 150ºC and cook the duck for 3 hours, basting and pricking the skin randomly with a sharp knife every 30 minutes. After 3 hours, turn up the heat to 220ºC for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cover with foil to rest for 15 minutes.

While the duck is cooking, to make the sauce, put all the sauce ingredients, except the flour and cherry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Gently simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat. Pass through a sieve then discard the solids. Place over a moderate heat and bring to a simmer. Mix together the flour and cherry juice and stir into the sauce to thicken. Simmer for 2-3 minutes then remove from the heat. Cover and reheat to just simmering when you’re ready to serve if the sauce is too thick, thin out with a little water or cherry juice.

To carve the duck, cut down the centre of the breast bone to remove the fillets, then cut off the legs and thighs and then with a fork, shred off as much of the excess meat as you can. Place on a serving platter and spoon over some of the sauce.

SERVING:
I served mine with roast potatoes which I’d cooked in some of the duck fat (delicious!) and some mixed vegetables.

Baked Portabello Mushrooms with Garlic

leej — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:00:09 +0000

Some foods are meant to be together. Pie with mash, tomato with basil and most deliciously – mushrooms with garlic. I can’t think of anything simpler and more satisfying than a huge portabello mushroom soaked in the sweet aroma of garlic. This is a brilliant side dish for anything! Meat, fish, chicken or dare I say it, as a little vegetarian starter snack. Wonderfuel.

RECIPE: (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
4 x large portabello mushrooms (stems removed)
6-8 cloves garlic (very finely chopped)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Place a mushroom on a large square of kitchen foil then sprinkle with 1/4 of the garlic. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle a little tarragon, if using, then wrap the mushroom loosely. Repeat process for the remaining mushrooms then place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

SERVING:
Serve as a side dish to any meat, poultry or fish dish.

Tomato And Red Onion Salad

leej — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:00:30 +0000

I always fall back to this delicious salad when I’m in a hurry. I had no time to create an involved salad for tonight’s dinner, mainly as I was feeling very lazy but also the the sun was still shining. I wanted to be outdoors enjoying it before the mozzies came out. I threw this on a plate and it was absolutely perfect for the barbecued fish I ate it with. It’s a summer on a plate.

INGREDIENTS:
4-6 large tomatoes (cut into thick slices)
½ red onion (very finely sliced)
¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon (zest and juice)
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and lemon zest and juice and set aside. Arrange the tomatoes on a platter in one layer, pour over the vinegar dressing to coat all the tomatoes, then sprinkle evenly with the onions and herbs. Season generously with salt & pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
I ate mine with fish, but it works with pretty much any meat or vegetarian dish.

Pineapple Sorbet

leej — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:00:56 +0000

I bought an ice cream maker. It was a hot balmy day in Sydney, and I was out driving. I parked next to a kitchen store on my way to buy some food and had a quick look round. Two minutes later I walked out with a whisk and an ice cream maker. On arrival back home I immediately set out to make this sorbet. Naturally, not reading the instruction booklet, I hadn’t realised that I was supposed to freeze the bowl for 24 hours before use, so I sat patiently waiting for this Pineapple sorbet to eventually go cold – which it didn’t. Eventually after reading the instructions and freezing the bowl (24 hours later) this delicious sorbet was ready. It was worth the wait – sweet, delicious and cooling! Lovely.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small pineapple (peeled, cored and chopped)
½ cup sugar
1 lemon (juice of)

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, blend until smooth the pineapple, sugar and lemon juice. Pass through a fine sieve and discard the solids. Pour the mixture into a chilled ice-cream maker and churn for 25 minutes until the sorbet is formed. Remove from the bowl into a plastic container and seal. Freeze for another hour to firm up before serving.

SERVING:
I served mine on its own.

Potato Dauphinoise

leej — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:00:48 +0000

I absolutely love this way to prepare potatoes. I know it’s not the healthiest way to eat them, but I firmly believe it’s better than eating a bag of chips. It’s way more refined too. The creamy, garlicky flavours are out of this world. I’d be happy with a bowl of this to myself without anything else. In-fact, I think I’ve done that at some point. I did make up for the less-than-healthy-serving by accompanying with a huge bowl of vegetables – quite a memorable dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
5 medium potatoes (peeled and very thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic (very finely chopped)
1 tablespoon onion (very finely chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or thyme (finely chopped)
salt & pepper
25g unsalted butter (cut into very small cubes)
100ml double cream

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 220ºC.

Lightly grease a 15x15cm ovenproof dish. Make a layer of potatoes on the bottom, slightly overlapping each potato. Sprinkle very lightly with garlic, onion, oregano, salt & pepper, 3-4 butter cubes, and about ½ tablespoon of cream. Add another layer of potatoes and then repeat the process. Keep doing this until you run out of potatoes. The last layer should be a clean layer of potatoes. Sprinkle over some butter and cover in foil.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Take off the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing a knife into the centre. The potatoes should be very soft and the knife should go in very easily. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes then serve.

SERVING:
Serve hot with whatever takes your fancy. I ate mine with a lovely juicy steak and lots of steamed vegetables.

Rabbit with Mushroom and Smoked Speck

leej — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:00:22 +0000

I love rabbit. It’s a great, cheap alternative to chicken with a delicious, rich and slightly gamey taste all of its own. This recipe is fabulous! A lovely combination of tastes and textures with a wonderful creamy sauce. It looks impressive when plated up too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 rabbit (cut into 6 pieces) (about 1.2 kg)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
15g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove peeled and lightly bruised
150g smoked speck (cut into lardons)
250g button mushrooms (cut into quarters)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the rabbit, thyme, tarragon and mustard with a little salt & pepper. Cover and leave to marinade for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to a low 110ºC.

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over a moderate heat until bubbling. Add the rabbit and stir once. Reduce the heat to very low and cover the pan. Cook the rabbit gently for 20 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for a further 20 minutes. Take the rabbit out of the pan and place in a bowl covered in foil. Keep warm in the oven.

Bring all the juices in the pan to a simmer, then pour in the chicken stock and simmer gently for 5 minutes until reduced by half. Pour in the cream and simmer again for about 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and keep warm in a small saucepan.

Heat a frying pan with the olive oil and garlic over a moderate/low heat and cook the lardons for 4-5 minutes until just crisp. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 5 minutes – take out the garlic clove and discard. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the rabbit on a warm platter then arrange the mushroom mixture around. Pour over all the sauce then sprinkle with the parsley.

SERVING:
You can eat this on its own with some crusty bread or like I did, with some steamed vegetables and some amazing pomme puree.