Today's recipe

Madeleines

Ingredients:

3 eggs

½  cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon of orange blossom water

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons salted butter

Preparation:

Pre heat the oven at 420.

Melt the butter and let it cool down.

In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and mix. Add flour and baking powder combined.

Mix with butter and orange blossom water.

Let it stand for about 30 minutes.

Butter the molds.

Pour the batter into the Madeleine molds (about ¾ of the molds) and bake for about 5 minutes at 420 and then about 8 minutes at 400.

Today's recipe

Papillote de sea bass (or other fish like salmon, cod…)

On one square of parchment paper:

•  1Tablespoon of Jerusalem couscous
• 1 fish filet (6oz)
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper
• ½ Grated zucchini
• 1teaspoon of capers
• A few thin strips of lemon preserve
• 3 or 4 pieces of sun dried tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon of dry white wine

Close the paper carefully so no liquid gets out and it cooks in its own juice.

Cook at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes

serve into the paper. Each person open it's own papillote.

Today's recipe

Ratatouille

Ingredients:

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 large onion, sliced

·         1 small eggplant, sliced

·         1 bell pepper (yellow or red, will be sweeter), chopped

·         4 large tomatoes, chopped

·         3 to 4 small zucchini, sliced

·         1/4 teaspoon thyme

·         2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

·         1 teaspoon rosemary

·         Salt and pepper
 

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant; stir until coated with oil. Add peppers; stir to combine.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Then add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Ratatouille is even better when reheated. Can be eaten as a cold side as well.

Today's recipe

Cold asparagus soup

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs. asparagus

1 yellow onion

2 leeks

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 gold potatoes

1 bay leaf

8 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp. crème fraiche

Butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Hazelnuts

Balsamic glaze

Directions:

Melt a little bit of butter and oil in a heavy saucepan (Dutch oven type), add the chopped onion. When transparent, add the chopped leeks, chopped celery. Cook until tender, but not brown. Add the potatoes cut in cubes. Add the stock, the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the asparagus, cook again for another 10 minutes.

When asparagus are tender, mix the soup in a blender.

Add some crème fraiche, salt and pepper to taste.

 Let it chill in a refrigerator for a few hours. 

For decoration: add a little bit of crushed hazelnuts, a few drops of balsamic glaze.

Today's recipe

Hummus

Ingredients:
250 gr of dry chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
2 TSP of olive oil
1 TSP of Tahini
The juice of 1 lemons
The juice of 2 oranges
For decoration:
Cilantro
Pomegranate seeds

Directions:
Let the chickpeas soak for one night, covering them with water (twice the amount of chickpeas) then drain them.
Cook them (20 minutes in a pressure cooker, or 1h30 minutes in a saucepan).
When ready, mix them in a blender with olive oil, garlic, salt, tahini lemon and orange.

Serve with pomegranate seeds and cilantro for decoration.

Today's recipe

 

Bread

Ingredients:
400 gr bread flour
300 gr lukewarm water
8gr salt
5 gr active dry yeast

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients first with a spatula and then add water until you have an even consistency.

Place a dishtowel on top of the bowl, let the dough rise for about 10/12 hours.

Spread some flour on the countertop and make a bowl. Start kneading the dough about 6 times, until it becomes harder to do.

Let it stand again for about one hour.

Preheat the oven (with a Dutch oven in it) up to 475 F.
When the oven is ready, score the bread with a very sharp knife.

Place the loaf into the Dutch oven.

Let it bake for 30 to 35 minutes, then remove the lead (to finish the crust) for another 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it stand for, at least a half hour in order for the crust to finish forming.

 

Today's recipe

Fish Blanquette

(serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 pieces (about 150 gr each) cod
150 gr white mushrooms
2 carrots
30 gr butter
5gr sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
150gr heavy whipping cream
1 clove garlic
Thyme
4 scallions
Salt and pepper
1 star anise

Directions:
Cut the cod into large cubes. Peel and cut the carrots, cut the mushrooms in 4 pieces each. Keep only the white end of the scallions.
Glaze the vegetables: in a large pot, place the carrots as well as the scallions. Add half the butter, the sugar, salt and pepper. Add water up to half the carrots. Let the vegetable cook until the water has evaporated.  
In a pan, melt the rest of the butter with one spoon of olive oil. Add the pieces of fish, let them cook for one or two minutes. Add the mushrooms. Place the pieces of fish on a plate. Pour the cream into the pan (it's called deglazing). Add the garlic and thyme,  the star anise, salt and pepper. Let it boil a few seconds and return the pieces of fish into the cream to finish the cooking, for one or two minutes. Do not overcook, or the fish will disintegrates.
Place the vegetables and pieces of fish in a plate, add the reduced cream on top. Serve with potatoes or fresh pastas, or only with the vegetables.
You can also decorate your plate with nice slices of the green parts of the scallions, or chives etc...