Strawberries in red wine with mascarpone cream

Tags

cooking with red wine, cream, dessert, fruit, mascarpone, red wine, strawberries

Fresh strawberries do not need much dressing up but these take on another flavour dimension in this incredibly simple yet elegant French dessert.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

400 g / 3/4 lb small strawberries, hulled and halved (if large)
250 ml / 1 cup dry red wine, I used a Merlot
50 g / 1/4 cup sugar
180 ml / 3/4 cup heavy cream
120 ml / 1/2 cup mascarpone
2 vanilla beans, split, seeds scraped out and reserved
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preparation:

Place the strawberries in a large bowl and pour the wine over them
Sprinkle in the sugar and stir
Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but not more than 12
Remove from refrigerator just before serving
In another bowl, whisk the cream, mascarpone, vanilla seeds and confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form
Spoon some cream into each bowl and top with the strawberries and wine
Enjoy!

 

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Lapin à la moutarde / Rabbit in mustard sauce

Tags

classic french, cream, Lapin, mustard, Rabbit

It’s easy to see why mustard is a classic ingredient in rabbit dishes. It’s delicious. This kind of thing would be really good made with chicken thighs and legs too. I’d take the skin off to minimize the amount of fat if using chicken. Domestic rabbits (farm-raised, not wild) give a very lean white meat that is not at all strongly flavoured.

Serve with rice or sautéed potatoes.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (about 3 to 4lbs / 1 1/2 to 2 kg), cut into serving pieces
3/4 bottle of dry white wine (I used a Chablis)
3 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used a combination of classic Dijon and wholegrain)
250ml / 1 cup crème fraîche
3 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5 shallots, finely sliced
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, sliced thinly (optional)
1 cube of sugar (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped roughly

Preparation:

Coat the pieces of rabbit with the Dijon mustard (3 tablespoons)
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat
Add the rabbit and brown on all sides
Meanwhile bring to the boil, in a saucepan, the wine with the bay leaves, thyme, garlic, sugar and carrot
When the rabbit is nicely browned, remove to a plate and keep warm
In the skillet add more butter, if needed, and cook the shallots until translucent
Add the rabbit and the wine mixture
Season and allow to simmer for about 1 hour
In a bowl, mix the cream, the 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and some parsley
Remove the rabbit when cooked and place on a serving platter
Add the cream and mustard mixture to the wine cooking juices and cook for 2 minutes, do not allow it to boil
Pour the sauce over the rabbit and serve
Bon Appétit!

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Moules Marinière

Tags

cream, french classic, garlic, mussels, parsley, wine

Mussels with wine, cream, garlic and parsley. A quintessential French bistro dish.

Examine mussels before using. If they’re gritty or have lots of beards (it’ll look like bits of hair coming out from between their shells), scrub them well under cold water and pull out the beards by grabbing them and pulling towards the hinge-end of the mussels. Farm-raised mussels are generally quite clean when they are sold. Discard any cracked mussels or open mussels that don’t close when tapped with another mussel.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 kg / 2 pounds mussels, cleaned
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt
Crusty baguette, to serve

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes
Add the mussels, wine and butter, and season well with salt
Give it a good stir, cover the pot, and cook until mussels open and are cooked through, about 5 minutes
Add the cream and the chopped parsley and remove from the heat
Spoon into two large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread
Enjoy!