Chestnut and foie gras “cappuccino”

Tags

appetiser, appetizer, cappuccino, chestnuts, entree, Foie Gras, Soup, starter

This is one of those recipes that never fails to impress guests and draws oohs and aahs each time I make it. Yet, it is, as are all my recipes, very easy to put together. It consists of a chestnut and foie gras purée (very thick soup) as the base topped with a creamy whipped cream topping as the foam and a few bits on top for texture and visual appeal. The foie gras makes it extra special but if you do not like foie gras then feel free to leave it out. You could then add bacon pieces as a topping instead or if you wanted a vegetarian version, simply substitute some same dices of your favourite vegetable.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 slice of gingerbread
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
300g / 10 1/2oz whole chestnuts (vacuum sealed or in a jar)
500ml / 2 cups chicken stock
60g / 2oz of foie gras (duck, mi-cuit)
100 ml / 1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of piment d’Espelette or cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 120C / 250F
Cut the slice of gingerbread into small cubes to make croutons
Place them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper
Add the almonds and bake for 15 minutes
Allow to cool
Place the chestnuts in a saucepan, add the bouillon and cook on a simmer for 12 minutes, uncovered
Using a slotted spoon, place the chestnuts in a food processor or blender – keep the liquid
Add half the foie gras and blitz, adding a little of the remaining bouillon until you obtain the desired consistency (I added all the bouillon) it should be between a soup and a purée
Season to taste
Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks
Cut the remaining foie gras into small cubes
Pour the chestnut and foie gras cream into cups, top with the whipped cream
Sprinkle on the gingerbread croutons, the almonds and the foie gras
Sprinkle some piment d’Espelette or cayenne pepper
Enjoy!

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Œuf cocotte aux champignons / Coddled eggs with mushrooms

Tags

appetiser, baked eggs, Breakfast, brunch, cream, eggs, mushrooms

A traditional French dish, oeufs en cocotte (or coddled eggs) makes for an elegant and nourishing breakfast, brunch, lunch or starter. Oeuf cocotte is made by cooking an egg in a ramekin, along with other ingredients — usually ham and crème fraîche or heavy cream, with an optional topping of grated cheese. But where does the name originate? “Cocotte” is a cute word for a hen, and is also an old-fashioned endearing – or condescending, depending on the tone – term for a girl. However another explanation: You probably know that in French, a cocotte is an oval or round casserole with a lid and two hand grips on each side used for stewing or boiling. The reason why we call this egg dish an “oeuf en cocotte” is because the eggs — gently broken in the cup — are cooked in a small cocotte; nowadays a glass or ceramic ramekin is more often used. But I generally use glass because I like the idea of seeing the food.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 eggs
200 ml / 3/4 cup cream
150 g / 5 oz wild mushrooms, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chives and parsley, cut finely

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 c / 360 F
Prepare a bain-marie and place in the oven with boiling water
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat
Add the shallots and the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes
Place the mushroom and shallot mixture evenly in the 4 ramekins
Heat the cream
Add salt and pepper
Pour the cream evenly into the ramekins
Gently break an egg into each
Place in the bain-marie and cook about 15 minutes, until the white of the egg is cooked but the yolk still runny
Sprinkle on the fresh herbs and serve immediately
Enjoy!

 

 

Courgette flower fritters – shrimp and fromage frais filled

Tags

appetiser, appetizer, courgette flowers, fritters, fromage frais, shrimp, tempura, zucchini blossoms

Deep fried stuffed courgette blossoms have a special place in my food memory banks. To be honest, I do not remember the restaurant but I remember that I was about 12 years old, in Paris, with my mother and we went out to eat and were served this amazing amuse bouche, a tasty mouthful of hot, beignet or fritter. It was simple yet fabulous. I had no idea what it was but so enjoyed it that we asked the chef and discovered that we had just eaten a deep fried courgette flower stuffed with goat cheese and fresh herbs. Since then, they are one of my favourite starters or nibbles with an aperitif so when it is courgette season, do yourself a favour and get some fresh flowers and make this quick, simple yet superb recipe. By the way, courgettes are known as zucchini or marrows in different countries. These flowers I picked from my garden a few minutes before making the dish.

The fritters are coated in a tempura batter which is very quick and easy to whip up. It is very light and crispy when cooked and not in the slightest bit oily. The traditional way of making tempura calls for cold water and ice cubes but I find that ice cold sparkling water makes an excellent light batter.

Straight from my garden

The filling

Filled and ready to be dipped in the batter and fried

Serves 4

Ingredients:

fritters
3 or 4 blossoms per person (12 to 16)
16 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup fromage frais or ricotta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mixed fresh herbs, minced (basil, parsley, chives)
batter
100 g / 3 1/2 oz flour
40 g / 1 1/2 oz cornflour (maizena)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200 ml / 3/4 to 1 cup ice cold sparkling water

Peanut oil, for frying
Tartar sauce and chilli sauce for serving

Preparation:

batter
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cornflour into a bowl
Whisk in the cold sparkling water and mix well but do not overmix
Place in the refrigerator until ready to use, not more than 1 hour
The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream
fritters
Cut the shrimp into small pieces and place in a bowl
Add the soft fromage frais, salt and pepper and mixed herbs and mix well
Clean the blossoms with a damp towel, do not wash them
Gently pry the blossoms open and with your fingers carefully remove the pistil and stamen and discard
Divide the filling among the blossoms and twist the top of each blossom gently to seal it
Heat the oil, you want about 1 1/2 cm / 1/2 ” in a large skillet, until very hot but not smoking
Working one by one, dip the blossoms in the batter, coating them well and place in the hot oil
You will need to do this in batches as you do not want to crowd the skillet
Fry the fritters about 1 1/2 minutes per side, the coating should be golden brown
Remove from the oil and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel
Serve immediately with the dipping sauces
Enjoy!