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!