Cooking recipes

Ingredients for an 8 x 12 inch baking pan :
4½ oz (ounces) dark chocolate (70% cacao)
½ lb (pound) butter
5 eggs
6 oz (ounces) brown sugar
6 oz (ounces) white sugar
2 oz (ounces) flour
½ ounce powdered chocolate (cacao)
3 ½ (oz) ounces broken walnuts

Preparation :
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C)
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly. As soon as the chocolate has melted, add the butter previously cut up into little pieces. Once the sauce has become smooth, take it off the heat and let it cool down, about three minutes.
3. Separate the yolks from the white of the eggs, and beat the whites till just about stiff (with an electric mixer or an electric whisk).
4. Add the yolks to the chocolate mixture which should be tepid, not hot ; then add the white and brown sugar.
5. Add the flour and the chocolate powder, along with the crushed walnuts (cut them up with a knife), and lastly, fold in the egg whites with a spatula.
6. Butter the baking pan and add a piece of waxed paper to the bottom in order to avoid the brownie from sticking during baking.
7. Put into the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.
8. The « Toothpick Test » will tell you when it’s done… Insert the blade of a paring knife into the middle and if it comes out clean, the brownie is baked..
9. Let it cool down, on a baking rack if possible, and then sprinkle with a bit of confectioner’s sugar, or serve it with a spoon of vanilla ice cream.

Bon appetit !

For 8 people :
1 puff pastry
3 apples
40g caster sugar
1 packet of vanilla sugar
50g butter
1 egg
Nutmeg (powdered or grated)

Preparation :
1. Preheat oven to 180 C° degrees 10 minutes.
2. Peel and slice apples very thinly into quarters.
3. Butter a pie plate, add a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom and then roll the pastry. Prick pastry with a fork.
4. Place apples on dough, forming a rosette.
5. Pour 20g of sugar in the rain on apples, then add the vanilla sugar in the same way.
6. Cut 30g of fine shavings of butter and spread over pie.
7. Add a little grated nutmeg or powdered.
8. Bake 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
9. While cooking, prepare a napage mixing 20g of melted butter, egg yolk and 20g sugar.
10. After 30 minutes of cooking, remove pie from oven and gently spread your topping on top with a brush. Put the pie in the oven about 10 minutes to caramelize.

Bon appetit !

For 6 people :
1kg of tomatoes
2 spoonfuls of caper
salt, pepper
1/2 bunch of basil
1 ball of mozzarella ("di buffala" if possible)
a few drops of Tabasco
1 spoonful of Worcester sauce
10cl of liquid cream (20% fat minimum)

Preparation :
1. boil the tomatoes in water for 30 seconds. Cool them with cold water. Peal the tomatoes, cut away peduncle and seeds. Salt them and leave them to drain in a sieve for one hour.
2. Once drained, cut them in small cubes. Incorporate the chopped capers, pepper, of few drops of Tabasco, Worcester sauce and a few basil leaves thinly sliced. Adjust seasoning and store in fridge for a few hours. It would be best to prepare this tartar the day before to release all the flavors.
3. Mix very thinly the mozzarella with the liquid cream in a blender. Pour in a siphon bottle, add a gas cartridge, shake very energetically and palce the siphon in the fridge for at least 3 hours in a vertical position.
4. Add a bit of olive oil to the tartar. pour it in a small glass and cover with mozzarella mousse. Add some pepper and garnish with basil.

Bon appétit !

For 6 people :
1 bloc of foie gras
2 pears
1 spoonful of honey
2 dashes of cinnamon
Pepper

Préparation :
1. Peal the pears, take away the heart and seeds, then cut in small cubes.
2. Mix the pears, honey and cinnamon in a saucepan, then let it stew for 20 minutes on low fire and stir regularly.
3. Keep in fridge at least 2 hours. You can also mix this marmalade (no more than 3 seconds to save a few chunks).
4. When serving, slice the foie gras in small cubes, with a knife rinsed with hot water.
5. Spread the marmalade in a spoon and add a cube of foie gras. top with pepper.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
250g of mesclun
2 peaches
8 slices of smoked salmon
50g of goats cheese
A few branches of tarragon
Rosemary
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. Cut the peaches in thin quarters. Season them with salt and pepper, coat them with rosemary and a bit of olive oil.
2. Grill the peaches a few minutes on each side.
3. Add a few tarragon leaves to the mesclun. Season this salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
4. Lay 2 slices of smoked salmon on each plate, cover with mesclun salad and grilled peaches, add a few pieces of goats cheese, a bit of olive oil and pepper.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
250g of rice for risotto: Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone
1 glass of white wine
1 vegetable stock cube
Parmesan
Green asparaguses (15 more or less)
1 red onion
50g of fennel
50g of Ricotta (Italian cheese) or fresh cream
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
30g of butter
salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. Separate the tails from the heads of the asparaguses. slightly peel the tails using a peeler.
2. Steam cook the asparaguses or boil them in salty water. Caution : the cooked asparaguses must remain crunchy. Cut the tails roughly and keep the heads for presentation.
3. Thinly slice the red onion and fennel. Peel the garlic cloves.
4. Prepare 1 liter of stock with your vegetable cub.
5. In a thick pan, brown the onion and fennel with a bit of butter and olive oil (around 2 minutes).
6. Turn the heat down, add the rice and the garlic cloves while blending the lot with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
7. Add a glass of white wine while scrubbing the bottom of the pan with the spoon. All the alcohol must evaporate (1 minute maximum)
8. Once this done, at low temperature (very thin smoke above the pan), add bit by bit the stock until the rice is cooked (around 22 minutes). Caution : you must wait for the rice to absorb the stock added before adding some more.
9. Halfway through, add the tails to the preparation. It may possible that you might not need the hole stock to cook your rice.
10. Once the rice cooked, and the last of the stock almost absorbed, take away from the heat and add some butter, the Ricotta and some grated Parmesan. Let the preparation rest for 3 minutes.
11. Take the garlic cloves away. Lay the risotto in the center of the plate, add the heads of the asparaguses, a few shavings of Parmesan, a bit of olive oil and some pepper.

Bon appétit!

For 4 people :
500g of chicken
1 Greek yogurt
1/2 a bunch of coriander
1 tea spoon of colombo
1 tea spoon of tandori
1/2 a lime
olive oil
50g of meted butter
salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. The evening before, shop the chicken into pieces of 2cm roughly.
2. In a salad bowl, mix the yogurt, minced coriander, the spices, the lime juice and olive oil. Adjust seasoning.
3. Daub the chicken with melted butter and marinate them for a whole day in the yogurt and spices.
4. Before serving, fry the chicken in pan without the sauce.
5. Use three pieces of chicken per skewer and top them with the spiced and yogurt sauce.

Enjoy!

For 4 people :
200g of fresh beef steak for tartar
1 bunch of basil
1/2 a garlic clove
30g of pin
1/2 a lime
30g of Parmesan shavings
6 spoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. mix the basil (without the branches), the garlic and 2/3 of the pin little by little in a mixer.
2. Add the lime juice, olive oil and vinegar to the preparation. adjust seasoning.
3. Lay at the bottom of each small dish some minced beef and top with pesto sauce.
4. To decorate, spread some Parmesan shavings and a few whole pins. If you make them in advance do not forget to cover them and place them in the fridge.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
500g of fresh salmon fillet
1/2 courgette
1 tomato "coeur de boeuf"
1/2 lime
2 clementines
a bit of dill
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. peel the skin from the salmon and excess fat if necessary.
2. peel the courgette and clementines.
3. chop the dill but spear some for decoration.
4. cut in small dices the salmon, tomato, courgette and clementines. Mix the lot in a salad bowl and top with lime.
5. season the preparation and add a bit of olive oil when serving.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
250g of cooked beetroot (whole)
1 Greek yogurt
2 sliced garlic cloves
1/2 a lemon
A touch of cinnamon
Parsley
olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. Thinly slice one little beetroot for the carpaccio. Keep fresh.
2. Mix with the blender the beetroot, the lemon juice, the Greek yogurt and add a touch of cinnamon. Adjust seasoning.
3. Keep to one side a few parsley leaves for decoration. Chop very thinly the parsley, do the same for a garlic clove.
4. Mix the beetroot mousse with the chopped parsley.
5. In glasses, delicately lay beetroot mousse. powder them with chopped parsley and minced garlic.
6. Top the mousse with 3 slice of beetroot carpaccio and decorate with parsley.
7. This dish can served with toasted bread scrubbed with garlic and parsley.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
10 tomatoes
2 red sweet peppers
1 minced shallot
1 chopped garlic clove
1 thinly minced green pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
1 sprig of basil
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preparation :
1. Grill the whole sweet peppers until blackened (20 minutes in hot oven, under the grill). Place them in a tightly closed recipient for several minutes. The vapors coming out from them will enable you to peel them simply with a knife. Get rid of all the seeds and save the tender flesh.
2. Take the tomatoes peduncles away then boil them for a couple of minutes to peel them easily. Get rid of the seeds and save the flesh.
3. In a pan, fry the sweet peppers with a spoonful of olive oil. Add the minced shallot, and half of the green peppers without the seeds. After 3 minutes, add the garlic, then the roughly cut tomatoes. Adjust seasoning and add a spoonful of balsamic vinegar.
4. After 10 minutes, wet it with vegetable stock. the soup must cook gently at low temperature for 20 minutes.
5. Make a mash out of the basil with a mixer. Spread a spoonful on each plate with a bit of black pepper and olive oil.

Bon appétit !

For 4 people :
The pasta :
6 fresh eggs
400g of thin semolina
200g of flour

The garnishing :
1/4 of a garlic clove
250g of roquette
100g of pine kernels
100g of Parmesan
1/2 a lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Few mint leaves for decoration

Preparation :
1. Prepare the pasta : mix flour and semolina with a mixer. Add the already mixed eggs then blend the pasta
2. Peal the garlic after splitting the clove in two. Mix the roquette leaves, pine kernels, Parmesan and half a lemon. Add a bit of olive oil until you get an even sauce.
3. Lower the pasta with a rolling mill or rolling-pin. Lay on the center of the strip, with regular spaces, a spoonful of garnishing. Make only 4 or 5 ravioli at a time. Cover the first layer with a second layer of pasta. Then, delicately close tightly by pinching with your fingers. Cut the ravioli out.
4. Plunge the ravioli 3 minutes in salty boiling water. You may fry them after boiling to give them a bit of color.
5. Serve with Parmesan shavings, a bit of olive oil and a few mint leaves for decoration.

Bon appétit !