Parmesan sablés

Tags

apero, biscuits, hors d'œuvres, nibbles, parmesan, savoury cookies

These savoury biscuits are crisp, delicate, buttery and oh-so-cheesy! They are perfect for snacking on, especially as party nibbles and apèro snacks.

Makes about 24

Ingredients:

150g / 11 tablespoons salted butter, soft but not melted
150g / 1 1/4 cup flour
150g / 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F
In a large bowl mix the flour, butter cut into small pieces and Parmesan
Add the thyme leaves
Add the egg and mix with your finger tips until all comes together
Remove the dough and form it into a ball
Place it in between 2 pieces of baking parchment
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 5mm / 1/2″
Place on a tray and chill for 1 hour
The dough can be frozen at this point until ready to use
Line a baking tray with baking parchment
Unwrap the dough and using a cookie cutter, cut out circles
Arrange slices on the baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden
Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool
Store in an airtight container until ready to serve
Enjoy!

 

Gougères

Tags

apero, appetizer, Cheese, chou pastry, gougeres, gruyere, hors d'œuvres

The best way to describe gougères is to call them cheese puffs. Their dough, pâte à choux, is the same one you’d use for sweet cream puffs or profiteroles, but when the pâte à choux is destined to become gougères, you fold in a good amount of grated cheese. I use Gruyère, Comté, Emmenthal or sharp cheddar. These delicate bites originated in Burgundy and are traditionally served with a kir or a glass of champagne. Who am I to not follow tradition, so either a kir royale (cassis with bubbly) or plain champagne is my drink of choice with these cheesy puffs.

note:
Cook the paste until its dry. It’s important to cook the dough for a few minutes before adding the eggs; this dries it out and makes it more able to absorb the eggs.
Use the right number of eggs for your dough. Depending on your flour and the humidity of the day you are making the gougères, you might not need all the eggs. Add the eggs in three additions, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl before the next batch, and checking for doneness. If you scoop up a little bit with your spatula and let it slide back into the bowl, it should leave behind a little “V” of dough on the spatula.

Makes about 18

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated cheese, such as Gruyère or cheddar

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 210 C / 425 F
• Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
• Bring the milk, water, butter and salt to a rapid boil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan
• Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low and immediately start stirring energetically
• Keep stirring for a minute or two to dry the dough.  It should now be very smooth
• Turn the dough into the bowl
• Let the dough sit for a minute then add the eggs one by one while beating energetically.  The dough should become thick and shiny
• Beat in the grated cheese
• Using about 1 tablespoon for each gougère, drop the dough from a spoon onto the lined baking sheet
• Leave about 5cm / 2 inches between each
• Slide the sheets into the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 185 C / 375 F
• Bake for about 25 minutes until they are firm, golden and puffed
• Enjoy!

La macédoine de legumes / macédoine of vegetables in salad

Tags

bistrot cooking, classic french recipe, hors d'œuvres, macedoine, mayonnaise, salad, starter, vegetables

 

Macédoine is a salad composed of small pieces of fruit or vegetables. Vegetable Macedonia or Macédoine de légumes nowadays is usually a cold salad or hors d’oeuvre of diced vegetables served with mayonnaise. Of course, a good homemade mayonnaise will turn this simple starter salad in something quite special, so I highly recommend taking the time to make your own, if at all possible. I added a few flagolets or lima beans that I had left over to mine but this is not part of the classic recipe so I have not included them below. I wanted to serve my macédoine for lunch so included a few slices of excellent ham freshly shaved by my local butcher.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

350g / 12oz carrots
150g / 5oz long turnips
180g / 6oz fine green beans
500g / 1 lb fresh peas
Small bunch of chives, chopped finely
450g / 1 lb ham (jambon blanc de Paris) sliced thinly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine or champagne vinegar
3/4 cup / 180 ml sunflower oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Start with the mayonnaise
Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl
Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds
Whisking constantly, add 1/4 cup oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4 minutes
Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color)
Cover and chill
Can be made up to 2 days ahead
Keep chilled
Salad
Peel the carrots and turnips, trim the green beans and shell the peas
Cut the veggies into small cubes
Cook all the vegetables separately in lightly salted boiling water, 7 minutes for carrots, 5 minutes for turnips, 6 minutes for the green beans and 4 minutes for the peas
Drain, plunge in ice cold water to retain the colour and allow to cool
Combine all the vegetables in a bowl, add chives and mayonnaise
Season to taste and toss lightly
Divide the salad between the plates and add a slice or two of ham
Enjoy!

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