DONE!!

Finished finished finished, here are the last two recipes. Cooked the choquettes this morning!!

Chouquettes (sugar puffs)

Mayonaise – 12/05/14

So the whole project is due tomorrow and I have been rushing all night to get the last few recipes done. Its been crazy but I got there in the end and I just want to say  a HUGE thank you for those following, commenting and supporting me through this massive adventure its been incredible!! I don’t have the time nor the energy to comment on the last few recipes since its 11.15pm and tomorrow I have to get up early to print out the recipes for my presentation and also cook one last recipe. Never the less here are the photos.

Steak tartare (steak tartare)

Vegetable stock – 13/05/14

Oeufs en cocotte (eggs in pots)

Croque Madame Muffins (Cheese, ham and egg sandwich muffins)

Financiers en apéritif (Aperitif financiers)

Bâtonnets de pastis (Pastis popsicles) – 13/05/14

Millefeuille aux pommes (Apple Millefeuille)

119 recipes down 1 to go!

Compotée de tomatoes cerises et vanille (Cherry tomato and vanilla compote) – 06/05/14

Easiest recipe out of the book to date. All I had to do was infuse olive oil with a split vanilla bean for 15 minutes, cut 250g of cherry tomatoes in half, place them in a baking tray and sprinkle them with salt and sugar. Once the olive oil had infused I poured it over the cherry tomatoes and baked them for 1 hour until the tomatoes were still intact but soft and oozing juices. It paired really nicely with the goats cheese and as for the french bri it didn’t really to it any favours.

Truffles de foie gras (Foie gras truffles) – 07/05/14

I made these for a pre-dinner this week and they weren’t particularly enjoyable. We bought duck liver pâté instead of frios grios (as I hate was they do to the ducks) from our local delicatessen which we love and the three coatings in which I rolled it in distracted from its meaty rich buttery flavour. I have been searching in supermarkets for mukwas which is indian candied spices, they sell them at a shop in the city but I haven’t been able to get them. I managed to find a variation at an indian bazar in boronia mall whilst waiting for my gloria jeans coffee. When I opened the bag it smelt like a cleaning product but I persisted and picked out all the candied spices to replicate rachels truffles, this is one of the first things I have ever refused to try. My mother and father said they were unpleasant and tasted like musk. The dutch cocoa was ok but still slightly ruined the pâtés divine taste. Lastly the crushed ginger biscuits was the only coating I found to be enjoyable as it just added a subtle sweetness to the pâté like having it with quince paste only with a hint of spice. An unnecessary dish that should not exist, pâté is to be enjoyed by itself on thick slices of fresh crusty baguette.

Tartines sucrées et salées (Sweet and savoury open-faced sandwiches) – 09/05/14

I made both the sweet and savoury open sandwiches as a pre-dinner for my mother, father and I. I used a baguette we had frozen previously and it was as stale as old boots when I took it out, so I toasted it and it went quite crispy but was twas a great textural contrast against the toppings. All the toppings were a pleasure to eat, the combinations all worked superbly together, my favourite from the savoury topping was the fig, goats cheese and walnut as they are all  some my favourite ingredients singing together in a flavoursome rapture. The most enjoyable from the sweet toppings would have to be either the dark chocolate and olive oil as I love dark chocolate and you could barely taste the olive oil or the peach (I used pear) and brie as the cheese was gorgeous and fruit + cheese is an uncontrollable flavour relationship.

Fig, walnuts and goats cheese, Pear and roast leg ham, Salted butter and radish, avocado and grapefruit.

Peach and brie, Dark chocolate and olive oil, mint crème fraîche and strawberries, caramelised apples.

Tonight we had crêpes filled with thyme, chicken and ricotta with a garlic, onion and tomato sauce baked in the oven topped with parmesan cheese, yum! I don’t have the time to make crêpes for a snack or breakfast with various topping so I just made it into a dinner for the family with the left over chicken in the fridge and thyme thats beginning to go quite dry and old. The crêpes were close to prefect, they were crisp on the outer edge and were unbelievably soft it was insane, a delicious meal after a long day at work!

108 recipes down 12 to go!

 

 

Recipes Recipes Recipes

I can smell the end of this projects its coming closer to the end. I am trying to cram recipes in so I am making them for my parents lunches I am that desperate. I also discovered I had done another one of my sauces in my recipes so that crosses another recipe off with no extra work.

Iles flottantes (Floating islands) – 25/04/14

I have never been so happy to finish a dessert, the praline which was only a mere garnish took me 3 or 4 attempts. The first attempt all crystallised which I couldn’t understand as I did exactly to her instruction and watched youtube videos to clarify, still with no success. In the end I just caramelised a sugar syrup and poured it over my almonds. The creme angliase was on the verge of curdling but I saved it by adding a teaspoon of water and I resurrected it into a smooth silky custard. The Islands themselves were no trouble, made the meringue cooked them in some simmering water and all was swell. In the end the dessert was delicious but everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Poireaux vinaigrette avec oeuf poché et jambon de bayonne (Leeks in vinaigrette with a poached egg and bayonne ham) – 26/04/14

When I open a cafe this will definitely be a breakfast option on my menu, maybe with a few alterations. The leeks were tender and sweet drizzled with a punchy vignette, with a thin sheet of salty prosciutto finished off with a perfectly poached runny egg. I loved all the flavours together, it was a really simple and delightfully different breakfast which I think all of you reading my blog should give a crack this mothers day.

Tarte flambée (Onion and crème fraîche tart) – 26/04/14

Not possible, this tart was so easy but the flavours were just uncontrollably good and the base of the tart was like none other, just a stunning tart my gosh! Lets begin with the most unusual yet remarkable tart base it consisted of gar gum powder (powerful thickening agent), chestnuts flour (I subbed for ground almonds), tapioca starch, yeast, water and salt. It was so delicate before and after baking, the texture is indescribable you seriously would have to try it in order to understand. The topping was a thick layer of crème fraîche, followed by thinly sliced red onion, lardons and then sprinkled with thyme. These fabulous ingredients all melded together on top of that sensational base in which supplied crunch from the crust along with lardons crisp. Twas heavenly, one of my favourite recipes from the book!

Briochettes au dulce de leche (Dulce de leche brioche buns) – 26/04/14

This was my second attempt of brioche the first time the dough didn’t rise so I just made brioche buns which tasted lovely but were very dense, later I discovered the yeast was two years out of date. I then bought a new batch of yeast and opened it to make something that I can’t remember but didn’t read the packaging saying ‘once opened freeze or refrigerate’ so that lot of yeast didn’t activate either. I then went and bought my third batch of yeast, opened and dissolved it into my milk and butter, waited…..waited…. waited and no activation occurred. So I thought I can’t toss this out so I went with it, made my dough and put it into the fridge overnight. That night read some reviews on this recipe of Rachels and they all said ‘brilliant, dough rose to double its size in the fridge’. I woke up and no rising had occurred, I rolled it out spread the Dulce de leche on liberally, sprinkled on small cubes of apple, rolled it up, portioned it and placed it in the prepared cake tin to rise for 2 hours. FINALLY the scrolls rose to double their size, gave them a nice egg wash and baked them. They were absolutely irresistible, soft, sweet, light and airy pillows of haven!! When these turned out so spectacularly I was on the verge of tears, Hooray!!

Rouleaux de salade Niçoise (Salad Niçoise wraps) – 27/04/14

What an inventive reconstruction of the classic french Niçoise salad. This cute adaptation was clever as it still keeps the same ingredients and flavours of the salad but puts them into compact wraps to pass around at a gathering as a light appetiser before possibly beginning a rich meal. I very much enjoyed these wraps as they were packed with flavour, texture and the vinaigrette was glorious, I will definitely use this vinaigrette for my future salads.

Clafoutis versions sucré et salé (Sweet and savoury clafoutis) – 27/04/14

I made the sweet clafoutis for dessert and it was deliciously pleasant, a comforting warm dessert for a chilly night. The strawberries were plump and slightly bitter contrasting against the smooth, soft, sweet eggy batter and I dusted it all in a little icing sugar. The savoury clafoutis I made for my mother and fathers lunches at work. When the clafoutis first came out of the oven they were puffed up but when the savoury one cooled down it looked like an omelette with the cheese olives and herbs. Nothing too spectacular but a pleasant change for my parents usual sandwich or salad.

Blanquette de veau (Veal ragout) – 28/04/14

I could’t find veal belly its just not available in Victoria possibly not even Australian but I was able to source veal shanks at a dear price. It was worth it though the veal was incredibly soft and supple bathed in a light broth with a dollop of crème fraîche seasoned with orange zest. This additional dollop added an unusual depth of flavour which I am still unsure about. A great dish to celebrate this splendid protein in which I had never had before!

Les soufflés (Soufflés)

Tonight after a traditional Sunday lamb roast cooked by mother dearest I produced the goods by following a gorgeous meal with an impressive dessert. Chocolate soufflés are usually made with melted chocolate but this recipe was made with a dutch cocoa crème patissirè which was glossy and velvety and wasn’t too sweet nor rich which a tradition chocolate soufflé can often be. When the creme patisserie was folded into the sweet meringue and placed into sugar coated ramekins the dish wasn’t overly sweet at all. These chocolaty pillows were light and formed an exciting rust from the raw cane sugar used to coat the ramekins. Yum Yum.

(Cant insert the photo at the moment, will edit tomorrow)

 

 104 down 16 to go!

Beautiful Berries

Its now coming to the end of the project and of course its only now that I discover you can make the pictures bigger….. this is a little disappointing.

Le grand aïoli avec des crudités (Garlic mayonnaise with crunchy raw vegetables) – 16/04/14

The aioli was a lot of work for a poor outcome. I had to make this garlic mayo in a mortar and pestle and the only two things I gained from this was a lovely thick creamy consistency and a toned bicep. Rachel states in her recipe to add 250ml of olive oil (not extra virgin), a few drops at a time whilst pounding constantly. If I was to add this much oil I would be there for days and there would have been enough aioli to the last us the year! So a decision by both my mother was just add 100ml of oil which made the perfect quantity but was heavily potent on the garlic and the aioli came out an unpleasant green colour because we only had extra virgin olive oil. However when the crunchy baby vegetables were dipped in, the sweetness cut through the harshness of the garlic thus the dish wasn’t unbearable instead it was reasonably pleasant.  Although not quite accommodating to my taste buds never the less the family enjoyed it before a lovely asian stir-fry.

Tartelettes aux framboises et amandes (Raspberry and almond tartlets) – 19 /04/14

I took a photo before I baked these tartlets because they look absolutely gorgeous especially the raspberry ones! The pastry cases were golden, short and thin so no issues there, but the filling was a little disappointing. The almond cream filling consisted of 200g of sugar, almond meal and butter all creamed together to make a thick smooth paste for the centre of the pastry. I over filled the tartlets with the cream so they took far too long to cook, when they came out of the oven they were golden and the aromas were sensational. I took my first bite and only really experienced the short crisp pastry which was divine so I took another bite from the centre of the tartlet and for me it wasn’t enjoyable. The filling was far too buttery so it was just oily and rich luckily it had those sensational raspberries on the top to contrast against heavy filling. My grandmother and father enjoyed them but my mother and I found them to be too buttery and I only used 150g of butter as that is all I had. This would have to be my least favourite dessert from the book, not a complete failure as the pastry was exemplary.

Pain perdu avec compote de cerises et basilic (French toast with cherry and basil compote) – 20/04/14

On easter Sunday I treated the family to french toast in which we had never had before as a family for breakfast so it was exciting for all. I had made the compote in advance so the flavours had time to meld together and develop. The basil that was infused int eh sauce by a tea strainer was subtle but you could defiantly taste it and it was an unusual but punchy in flavour. The french toast itself was golden brown on the outside and spongy in the centre. A lovely feminine breakfast with that hidden surprise, must give it a go!

95 recipes down 25 to go!

Another update for the holidays!

Its getting oh so close to the end I have completed all the entrees now and only have two more mains the rest are just snacks, desserts and sauces! Also if your wondering why the amount of recipes I have done has gone up so dramatically this post is because I have now included all the sauced and stocks I have made

Sabayon aux Saint-Jacques (Scallop sabayon) – 04/04/14

Unfortunately I was unable to get the large white scallops used in restaurants as I didn’t want to buy them frozen and the market doesn’t sell the large ones fresh so I had to settle for the little ones we often use in seafood risotto. Despite the scallops not being the size and colour I had imagined they were fresh and cooked in a matter of seconds. They were a lovely and browned on either side and the Sabayon which is simply egg yolks and white wine whisked over a bain-marie was light and foaming and was a suburb match to the scallops with the rocket just adding some bitterness and a vibrant look to the presentation of the stunning dish.

Galettes (Buckwheat pancakes) – 04/04/14

These savoury crêpes looked rather different in colour to Rachels as my buckwheat flour is an organic wholemeal one from the imported section of the supermarket and so its much darker. Instead of serving the galettes as a snack with melted cheese and ham etc I decided to have them for dinner, so I stuffed them with poached tarragon chicken and made one of the sauces from the book to bake them in with cheese to go golden and crispy on the top. This was was much nicer as the buckwheat flour is very strong in flavour so by themselves with only a spread or something wouldn’t of been too pleasant. Having them this way with rich sauce and  flavoursome protein toned down the intensity of the raw flour.  They were lovely and paper thin with a golden finish on either side just how a crêpe should be.

Escoffier’s Tomato sauce – 04/04/14

This was the sauce I made for the savoury crêpes, it was lovely and thick almost like a tomato soup with a slight smokiness from the bacon that was used to for enriching the flavour.  I love making my own sauces from scratch because you know exactly whats in it and is delightfully fresh.

Tartelettes au pamplemousse et poivre meringuées (Grapefruit and popper meringue tartlets) – 05/04/14

My mother and I went to see the X-factor auditions in the city and we didn’t have lunch until about 4.30-5 and it was a decent sized lunch so we didn’t feel like having any dinner. As it swung around to about 8.30 we were a little peckish and luckily the day before I had made my grapefruit curd for this interesting dessert so all I had to do was make italian meringue and a lemon sponge biscuit. The biscuits were quite simple to make all mixed in the kitchen-aid and then baked for about 15 minutes. The meringue on the other hand was a different story I had to make a sugar syrup that had to reach 118º before I could poor it slowly into my whisking cracked pepper egg whites to form stiff peaks. Rachel khoo had mention this was a difficult dessert that can take many attempts to perfect. I managed to make the biscuit base an curd with no hassles but the meringue wasn’t as glossy as I had hoped to it didn’t brown as magnificently when I blow torched it. Although the meringue wasn’t 110% it was a gorgeous dessert, the lemony warm biscuit base that when cut open oozed the grapefruit curd beginning to melt on top incased by a sweet yet hint of peppery meringue with a slight crust on top for extra textural appeal, a sensational dessert and if done well quite impressive.

 

Fougasse aux romarin, lavande et fromage du chèvre (Rosemary, lavender and goats cheese bread) – 06/04/14

My grandmother has come over for the easter holidays and she adores lavender so as a pre dinner I made this aromatic and luscious freshly baked bread.  You could taste the lavender but it was subtle as the rosemary is quite a strong robust herb and the goats cheese was lovely and golden on the top with the fluffy dough and crisp outer crust. My grandmother loved it which was the main goal and has been asking for more!

Galette aux pommes de terre et poires avec Roquefort (potato and pear galette with Roquefort) – 12/04/14

We had a week at Phillip Island which meant a week off from cooking out of the book but as soon as I arrived home I got stuck into another recipe. We had steak for dinner so my contribution was this elegant potato galette with my favourite of all cheeses blue vein! The recipe calls for Roquefort but it was ridiculously priced so I used gorgonzola instead which is still a great cheese. The potato was thin and tender, the cheese melted, rich and creamy with the sweet pear to cut through the intensity of the strong cheese. A gorgeous and simple match to a beautiful eye fillet steak.

Mini chevreuil en croûte (Mini Venison Wellington) – 14/04/14

Last night we delved into an old favourite wellington but instead of the whole slab of eye fillet rubbed in mustard, mushroom duxelle, pâté, prosciutto and finished with a thick layer of puff pastry, this was a little different. These were petite parcels of heaven; each medium rare venison fillet rubbed in dijon mustard and coasted in caramelised red onion whizzed to a smooth paste thus having the texture of pâté was incased by all butter puff pastry. In my opinion this is so much nicer than the usual beef wellington as it wasn’t as rich and the pastry was able to get crispy and golden. I clever rendition of a classic which I am looking forward to re-creating!

92 recipes down 28 to go!

10 more!

I haven’t blogged in ages but I am back with 10 more recipes. I decided to count all the recipes to check if there is actually 120 recipes, and there are but the sauces count as well like the béchamel and stocks I have made already so I have done more than I thought. Sorry about some of the shocking photography.

Rillettes au porc (coarse pork pâté) – 10/03/14

I have had duck rillettes before and it was divine , meaty and buttery with a lovely nutty flavour. My rillets were a little dryer I think this was because I didn’t blend up all the fat I only added the fat that had rendered down into a fragrant juice. I enjoyed it this way as you could really taste the pork with the savoury flavour of rosemary that just reminds me of a lamb roast. I slow roasted the pork for 3 hours so it was succulent and moist, the family and I enjoyed it on some crust white bread.

Moules marinières (Mussels with white wine) – 21/03/14

I have been waiting to make this entree for ages as the last couple time I went to the market they were out of mussels. The mussels were juicy and extremely fresh like little burst of the sea in a creamy white wine sauce with hints of aniseed from the fennel, a sensational and exceptionally easy entree.

Mont blanc (Meringue and chestnut-cream mountain) – 22/03/14

This dessert was a bit of a disappointment sadly. The meringue had far too much sugar causing the meringue to be chewy which was unfortunate as it was the most perfect looking meringue I had ever made. The whipped cream on top of the meringue was unnecessary as I had made the chestnut cream as well. Although the cream was redundant and the meringue a let down the chestnut-cream made this dish worth while. It was subtly sweet and the vanilla enhanced the flavour dramatically, the french canned chestnuts I bought were heavenly! The chestnut-cream was a success but overall the dessert was a bit of a flop.

Crème brûlée aux oignons (Onion crème brûlée) – 23/03/14

YAY, I had been waiting to whip out my blow torch and the time had finally come! Although classified a savoury entree it was sweet but in a savoury kind of way. The cream and milk I infused with onions that had been sautéed in butter then squeezed all the the liquid leaving me with a thick sweet sauce. I added gruyere cheese and egg yolks making for the most rich custard that just tasted incredible. The crust on top was thin and when I cracked it open just made me feel so proud, an outstanding interpretation of a crème brûlée. 

Salade de figues et foies de volailles (Fig and chicken liver salad) – 24/03/14

Very odd chicken liver and figs in a salad… yum? Mum couldn’t do it she tried a tinny bit of liver and took a sip of water my brother was much the same, my father and I quite enjoyed the dish. The livers to me tasted like eating pâte, the figs were not the best as they were just off dads work fig tree but the sautéed red onion in vinegar really tied together the dish. Not an amazing dish but palatable. 

Café Gourmand (orange mousse, Blackcurrant trifle, strawberry tartlets) – 28/03/14

All three of these little desserts were gorgeous. My favorite was probably the buttery shortbread biscuit topped with thick, sweet silky creme patisserie and slightly tangy strawberries to cut through it all. The trifle was sweet and fruity with the threes layers complementing and contrasting one another. Lastly the orange mouse was smooth and intense in orange with the contreou marmalade at the bottom for some punch. These looked endearing and were delightful to eat infront of a good movie. 

Gougères (Cheese puffs) – 29/03/14

Mum and dad had some friends over for dinner so I pitched in with these little mouthfuls of cheesy goodness. I began pipping them and according to my mother they were too small but in the end I pipped them too large, not to worry they had moreish flavour but were missing a more fierce crunch. Would be great for finger food at a party.

Tarte Tatin (Upside-down apple tart) – 29/03/14

I also produced dessert for mums little gathering and this was the perfect occasions to do the apple Tarte Tatin. I have never had a Tarte Tatin before and this was Rachel Khoo’s twist so it wasn’t classic but still had decent flavour. Not a phenomenal dish but it was ok, the salted caramel was sophisticated and soaked into the tender apples. Mum lashed out and bough good quality puff pastry and I had to cook it separately to the apples and caramel and it puffed up to about 15cm above the baking try it was quite impressive. The reason this dish was nothing special as it was kind of like baked apples on top of deflated puff pastry, nice flavour but a bit boring. 

Salade tiède de pommes de terre et pommes avec des miettes de boudin noir (Warm potato and apple salad with black-pudding crumbs) – 30/03/14

These past few weeks have been full of new things to try livers, Tarte Tatin, blow torching and now black pudding which is essentially pigs blood in a sausage. I was a little apprehensive about the whole concept of black pudding but I loved it! The sausage alone was delish but the dish with all the components together was stunning. The saltiness and crunch of the black pudding, sweetness and moisture from the apple puree, crunch factor from the golden potato, sweet/ tanginess from the granny smith and the fresh mint all together was angelic. I very much enjoyed this and since I have some black pudding left, I am considering making it again!

Modern tomato sauce (vegan) – 30/03.14

Last night the boys had boring old spaghetti Bolognese  and mum and I had left over ricotta gnocchi we had frozen. We hadn’t any sauce for the gnocchi and mum and I enjoy a tomato base sauce so I flicked through my book and at the back there amongst the french basics was a tomato sauce so I thought it would be best to whip that up. Simple, delicious and to please my mother I put shredded basil leaves in for the added flavour.

 

70 recipes down 50 to go!

5 more!!

Omelette Soufflée et piperade (Soufflé omelette with a basque pepper relish) – 23/02/14

This was an impressive looking breakfast and had a light foamy texture but it was quite bland and very eggy, it nailed the soufflé component but the omelette part was lacking. When I make this dish again in the future I would season the eggs, add cheese and herbs much like an omelette to give this dish flavour. The relish was nice and complemented the egg but nothing to rave about.

Nids de tartiflette (Cheese and potato nests) – 25/02/14

This recipe was in the ‘snack’ section of the cookbook but I cooked it for dinner with steak and veggies as it acted like a potato rosti. It was beautifully rich and was layered with many flavours; smokiness from the bacon, strong goat flavour from the cheese and those extra flavour boosters like the thyme and bay leaves to flavour the sautéed sweet onion. There was also texture contrast between the softness from the shredded potato, crunch from the top of the nests and smoothness from the heavy sauce created by the goats cheese melted in the juices from the fried bacon and onion. A tremendous take on a potato rosti.

Endives au jambon (chicory with ham) – 02/03/14

Mum made marinated lemon and garlic chicken breast for dinner so I contributed with this creamy vegetable delight.  I have never had chicory before but have heard that its rather bitter luckily in this dish I hugged it in a layer of smoked leg ham and bathed it in a flavoursome silky béchamel sauce which cut through its bitterness. The chicory itself was tender and juicy which along with the ham and sensational sauce made for a gorgeous side dish, which would be perfect with a Sunday roast.

Crêpes avec une sauce Suzette caramelisée (Pancakes with a caramel Suzette sauce) – 04/03/14

After dinner on shrove Tuesday I did the traditional thing  and decided to make pancakes but instead I took it that step further and made crêpe suzette, my grandfathers favourite dessert. I have never made crêpes before but these were thin and light so I think I did reasonably well. The sauce had a slight twist as I caramelised it in the pan before pouring it generously over the crêpes, another outstanding dish.

Canard à l’Orangina (Duck with fizzy orange) – 09/03/14

On Saturday mum and I went to the Boxhill market to get a couple ingredients for my project and one of those were these plump duck legs. The orange flavour from the marinade leached in the skin skin which was exceptionally intense along with the sweet sauce which just made this dish outstanding. It was sweet and zesty, the only negative is that one duck leg was not enough!!

60 recipes down 60 to go!

 

5 More!

Fajita de pot-au-feu (French beef stew wraps) – 18/02/14

This was the other dish I made using the 7 hour slow cooked lamb neck and ox tail. As the meat was already cooked it was a relatively easy dish to make, as the sauce was just crème fraîche, cornichons, lemon, dijon mustard, sugar, salt and pepper all mixed together and witht shredded red cabbage and carrot ribbons. The tortillas I made by hand, and were so much more flavoursome and soft then the bought thin, soggy packaged ones. The bread was just dry and wet ingredients mixed together, left to rest for 20mins and then roll into 6 round breads and pan fry, easy. Twas a juicy and tasteful dish but if I were to do it again instead of the hard chewy cabbage and carrot I would just have shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onion and possibly some tomato.

Asperges à la parisienne (Parisian asparagus) – 23/02/14

I enjoy basic blanched or steamed vegetable simply because I love their earthly sweet flavour, so unfortunately this sauce kind of ruined this for me. Although the sauce had beautiful smoothness it lacked kick and seasoning which drowned out my vegetables beloved natural flavour.  A satisfactory dish, but I wouldn’t make it again as I prefer asparagus with a little butter at most.

Moelleux au chocolat coeur fondant caramel salé (Chocolate lava cake with salted caramel filling) – 23/02/14

Luckily this heavenly dessert knocked two recipes out of the way as you could just make the dessert only with chocolate but I did the extended recipe with a sophisticated salted caramel filling. This decadent chocolate pudding has pushed its way up to my favourite chocolate dessert! Its rich solid chocolate case that when cut open oozes a liquid chocolate centre mixed with a divine salted caramel. An impressive dessert for minimal effort, HEAVENLY!!

Poires Belle Hélène (Beautiful Helen pears) – 25/02/14

Yet again another gorgeous dessert! The sauce was lovely and thick so it almost set onto the pear and gave it a thick rich coating around the sweet vanilla pear. It would have been easier to eat if the pears were cooked a little longer but I wanted them to remain tender and plump. Despite the sauce wasn’t quite as smooth as I had hoped it had the most amazing cardamon flavour which was surprisingly delicious. Its inspired me to work with chocolate and cardamon again as they were a match made in heaven. (sorry about the terrible photography!)

Choucroute garnie (Alsatian pork, crackling and sausages with a ‘speedy sauerkraut) 

Tonight we indulged in pork belly with all the trimmings which was quote my brother ‘the best recipe yet’ although he has said this about a few recipes. The sauerkraut was simple to make and I would definitely make this again instead of buying it out of the can, as it had all the flavours of the canned goodness but fresher. The thick slices of bacon took on such sweet smoking flavours when baked in the oven , the sausage was delicious but the pork belly was ravishing! The meat was succulent and soft falling apart in strings across the grain of the meat with crunchy salty crackling  which is always a crowed pleaser. The bouillon was the smoked bacon broth that a ladle it each bowl and brought all the components of the dish together, an outstanding meal.

55 recipes down 65 to go!

Its been while

With school and dancing stating back I have had little time to not only cook but blog too! I am back now and have a lot of dishes here for you all to look over.

Tartare de maquereau avec un condiment rhubarbe et concombre (Mackerel tartare with a rhubarb and cucumber relish) – 28/01/14

What a tedious dish to make it would be terrible to ever make more than the four that I did. Despite the rather annoying prep the dish was magnificent, my brother said its the best yet. Yet again a very texture intense dish, although all cut into the same tiny cubes there was the softness from the fresh fish (I had to use traditional salmon as I couldn’t source haddock), crunch from the cucumber and a subtle chewiness from the rhubarb. Although it may have pleased my brother I wasn’t a huge fan, not that it didn’t taste good its just nothing really grabbed me. A fresh dish for a warm night.

Les huîtres avec mignonette, calvados apple mignonette et watermelon and cucumber brunoise (Oysters) – 29/01/14 

This was a twist on the simple oysters and lemon juice, and its perfect for those that don’t mind oysters but still find them difficult texturally. The three dressings worked perfectly well with the oysters, giving it a more pleasant texture against the unique feeling of swallowing a slimy oyster. The three vingerettes worked well as it replaced the acidity of the normal lemon juice. I loved this take on oysters as it was new, fresh and distracted from the unpleasant texture of an oyster.

Magret de canard avec salade d’endives et framboises (Duck breast with an endive and raspberry salade) – 29/01/14

After the oysters we had this gorgeous salad. The components of the salad alone tasted pretty average but when they all came together they just matched each other perfectly to produce a luscious flavour and textural heaven in your mouth. The bitterness and crunch of the radicchio was eased by the soft, sweetness of the raspberry, the duck gave a bold savoury, seasoned and warmness, and to mould it all together an acidic, simple raspberry vinaigrette. All my grandfathers favourite things in one dish; duck, raspberry and radicchio how could it not be good.

Navaroin d’agneau printanier (Spring lamb stew) – 03/02/14

Another unusual cut of meat that I had to pain-stakingly cut and trim as I seemed to get half the lamb. It was definitely worth it, the broth like all the others packed with flavour, the meat sweet and just falling off the bone and the beautiful greens to just freshen it up. I feel good meal great to scoff down after a hard session of dancing.

Gratin dauphinois (Creamy potato bake) – 09/02/14

Last night we had steak and steamed veggies so I accompanied it with this creamy potato bake. I don’t want to brag but probably the best creamy based potato bake I have had because it wasn’t too rich and had subtle hints of the Djion mustard and garlic. Just those extra flavours brought so much to the classic and took it that next step that just ticked all the boxes for me.

Sabayon de Champagne avec fraises gariguettes et tomates cerises (Champagne sabayon with strawberries and cherry tomatoes) – 11/02/14

Yet again Rachel’s quantities were quite a way off, the sabayon was very minimal. In the end it was the perfect amount! This light foamy pastel yellow coloured custard was incredibly rich, but probably my favourite dessert from the book thus far.  The Champagne was intense and it had the most sensational buttery flavour and texture, just divine. I could of done without the cherry tomatoes but was still sweet with the strong sabayon.

 

Salade d’hiver avec une mousse ay fromage de chèvre (Winter salad with a goats cheese mousse) – 16/02/14

My grandparents came for dinner on Sunday night as it was my grandmothers birthday so I cooked them a three course dinner. As the entree I thought this would be ideal before the main course, and it was gorgeous. When the veggies were baked and came out caramelised from the natural sugar content which gave the dish sweetness and a slight crunch. The mousse was light, subtle and smooth and there were bursts of saltiness from the lardons. The only downfall was the amount of cream added to the goats cheese it took away from the flavour from the cheese.

Gratin de choufleur avec une chapelure aux noisettes (Cauliflower bake with hazelnut crunch crust) – 16/02/14

For main we had eye fillet on a bed of mash, side of sautéed greens and a red wine jus. So I picked this dish from my book as I though it was an ideal pair for this main. Very much like the potato bake as it was creamy and decadent but had that fun stringiness from the gruyère cheese and the toasted hazelnuts and toast crumbs just to give the dish a crunch factor.  A wonderful adaptation of cauliflower bake, definitely keep this in the back of my mind.

 

Pommes rôties au four avec une sauce béchamel sucrée at épicée (Baked apples with sweet spiced béchamel sauce) – 16/02/14

Lastly dessert, as my grandmother is diabetic I did these baked apples with an infused cinnamon flavour. Grandma simply had the tender apple with whipped cream but as for the rest of us we got to pour thick béchamel sauce that was spiced, sweet and had a wicked orange flavour that just reminded me of christmas. The sauce was just surprising flavoursome and was very complementary with the apple, phwaaa!!

Hachis Parmentier tricolore (Three-coloured ‘shepherd’s pie’) – 17/02/14

Last night my family and I got to experience the best shepherd’s pie ever. The Meat was 7 hour slow cooked lamb shoulder and ox tail which took on these sweet flavours and was simply magical. The twist on the mash really won me over; simple mashed potato, roast pumpkin puree and mashed potato with parsley. I had great difficulty piping the darn topping as it was squirting out of the sandwich bags I had converted into pipping bags. We had it with some plain peas which is kind of essential with shepherd’s pie, I just can’t get over how good it was!!

 

Poisson meunière (Fish with lemon and brown butter sauce)

Tonight we had panko crusted white head tails fried with mushy peas, steamed veggies and caper and mayo potatoes. On top of this I made this dish as it was only for two people. The star of this dish was the lemon in the brown butter sauce, it cut through the richness and fat of the butter. The parsley was fresh and the capers were lovely and salty. A very simple and quick dish perfect for a couple or just if your living alone and want something delicious and easy. Yet again another surprisingly tasteful dish I wouldn’t mind delving into once and a while for a change on the usual wine baked fish.

49 recipes down 71 to go!