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Maison Travers

~ Living & Cooking in France

Maison Travers

Tag Archives: appetiser

Cauliflower soup with smoky bacon

28 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by Nadia in Appetizers, General, Soup

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

appetiser, appetizer, bacon, cauliflower, comfort food, Soup, starter

I recently made this soup for a weeknight dinner for Stuart and myself and posted a photo on my Instagram and Facebook pages.  By the following morning, I was inundated with requests for the recipe and thus begins my return to blogging.  It is so easy to make but looks like you spent hours slaving over a hot stove.  Perfect starter to a fancy meal or just dinner for two with some crusty bread.  Prep takes about 20 minutes and cooking time 40 minutes.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
400g/14oz potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
1 branch of celery, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 leek, white part only, cut into thin slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Parsley
1 bay leaf
80g/3oz freshly grated parmesan
3 tablespoons thick crème fraîche
1,5L/3 pints chicken stock
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat
Add the celery, onion, leek and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, do not let it colour
Add the potatoes, 3/4 of the cauliflower, stock, bay leaf and nutmeg
Bring to the boil, lower heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes until veggies cooked
Remove the bay leaf
Add the crème fraîche and parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste and keep warm
Place the remaining 1/4 cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Roast for 15 minutes
Add the bacon, cut into small pieces, to the hot baking sheet and return all to the oven for 5 minutes
Using a stick blender, purée the soup for a few minutes
Pour the soup into preheated soup bowls, add a few pieces of roasted cauliflower and some crispy bacon to each bowl
Add parmesan, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with olive oil

Bon appétit ! 

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Chestnut and foie gras “cappuccino”

24 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by Nadia in Appetizers, General, Soup

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

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

img_8897This 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

09 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by Nadia in Appetizers, Breakfast, General

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

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

imageA 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!

 

 

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