I had some broccoli that I needed to use, and I did not feel like eating them in pieces, so I figured if I made purée, what else could I combine them with. One thing led to one other and one thought led to one other, so here it is, a little timbale as we call it in French. In the culinary world it’s a deep and tall mold, and any preparation that has been mounted this way can be called timbale.

If you are in the mood for some greens, and a little salmon, this could be it. Believe it or not, this is an express dish, that is done in 30 minutes, so it’s always something to consider when your time is limited in the kitchen like most working people.

You can use baby kale instead of spinach, or any leafy green you like and use cauliflower instead of broccoli. This can be served as an appetizer or entrée for a light meal.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 200 g cooked smoked salmon, shredded
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tbs olive oil + 1 tsp
• 2 garlic gloves, crushed
• 1 bag of baby spinach or baby kale
• salt and pepper

For the dill sauce

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 glass dry white wine
• fish fumet
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs dill, chopped
• 2 tb crème fraîche

 Preparation

Start by making the sauce. Heat olive oil in a small pot, add shallots and soften for about 2 minutes. Add wine and fumet and reduce for about 5-7 minutes. Add lemon juice, dill and crème fraîche.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook until tender. Drain well and mash using a potato masher. Adjust with salt and pepper and a little olive oil. Keep warm.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and add garlic crushed. Stir to get the flavor out, then add greens at high temperature until wilted. Adjust with salt and pepper. Keep warm

Using a rind, mount in a plate by starting first with some broccoli purée at the bottom. Add spinach, then salmon, then proceed with another layer and end with the salmon.

Place some dill sauce around and serve hot or warm.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2014/06/smoke-salmon-broccoli-puree-and-spinach-timbale-dill-sauce/feed/ 0 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/10/on-the-thumb-green-bean-salad-mimosa-with-herb-butter-shrimps-tartines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=on-the-thumb-green-bean-salad-mimosa-with-herb-butter-shrimps-tartines http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/10/on-the-thumb-green-bean-salad-mimosa-with-herb-butter-shrimps-tartines/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:56:58 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=13598 Sur le pouce – Salade de haricots verts mimosa et tartines de crevettes au beurre d’herbes

Sur le pouce, is literally translated by “on the thumb”, je mange sur le pouce, or I eat on the thumb, which means eating fast. It originated in the XIX century when workers didn’t have time to eat, they cut a piece of bread with a knife, and eating it using their thumbs.

Today two things made me happy and brightened up my day, this quick lunch sur le pouce (even though I used a fork!) and my new lamp (created by Shmulik Krampf, an extremely talented Israeli Artist who blows glass they way they do it in Murano, Italy). What do my lamp and this meal have in common? well they’re both colorful, vibrant and make me feel alive.

Sometimes when I come back from the gym, I don’t have time to cook for myself, so I eat snacks…and today I decided to not eat snacks and indulge myself…but still having a limited time, I had to make something quick. It all took me 20 minutes, which I think it’s almost like fast food.

Why do we call this mimosa? Mimosa refers to devil eggs, we call them “oeufs mimosa“, so here since we have boiled eggs, we can call them mimosa. I am not sure if “we” can, but I do.

Asparagus can be used if you don’t have green beans, it’s as delicious, and you can use scallops instead of the shrimps. Garlic, herb, butter those ingredients are a perfect match with seafood.

Ingredients for 2

For the green beans

• 250 g fine green beans
• 2 eggs, hard boiled and grated
• 2 tbs capers, rinced and chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1/2 tomato, seeds removed, and diced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

For the shrimps tartine (3 toasts each)

• 18 shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 ts paprika
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 tsp dill, chopped
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp butter
• 6 slices baguettes, or country bread, toasted
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the green beans

Bring a large pot to a boil with water. Cook grean beans for about 5-7 minutes until tender but still a little crunchy. Drain, and place in a container filled with iced water. Set aside.

Prepare the vinaigrette, mixing the capers, scallion, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Drain green beans, place on a plate. Add grated eggs, tomatoes, then pour vinaigrette on top.

For the shrimps tartines

Add paprika to the shrimps, and coat well. Add salt and pepper.

Mix butter, garlic and herbs with a fork and form an homogenous paste. In a pan melt butter/herbs slowly, then add shrimps. Cook at medium temperature until the shrimps are cooked but still juicy.

Toast bread slices. Place three shrimps on top of each tartine, and pour some butter/garlic mixture on top.

Serve with green bean salad on the side.

San Francisco has been under the rain today, and it might be a sign that fall is very much around, warning you that more rainy days are on their way.

Even though, it’s not Thanksgiving yet, I am already thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner menu…I think this year, there will be many appetizers like this one. I am simply in love with simple and flavorful bites that “mettent en appétit” (open your appetite) and can be enjoyed with a fresh glass of Champagne. I noticed many of my friends don’t like cauliflower, I am not sure if its the texture or the taste, so sometimes I just play with cauliflower and try to serve it in various forms and textures.

Of course, you can substitute cauliflower with other ingredients, such as avocado, carrots, etc…I served this a few times with an avocado purée and it was simply delightful.

If you don’t want to serve this in a spoon, you can serve it in a small plate, add one extra tbs of cauliflower mash, and add four shrimps. That would be sufficient as an appetizer and you really don’t have to spend hours cooking. This is a fairly simple dish to prepare and no one needs to know that it takes only a few minutes for the whole dish to be ready.

The only little trick about using small spoons, is that you need to pay attention to small details, and make sure your presentation is clean and tidy. All the ingredients being cut in tiny pieces, they need to be well put together in a regular order.

Ingredients for 10 spoons

• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• hot spicy habanero sauce or tabasco sauce
• salt and pepper
• 10 shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 tbs paprika
• 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• dill for decoration

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until soft. Drain, place in a mixing container and mash with a potato masher, leaving small pieces. Add habanero sauce, olive oil , salt and pepper. Mix well all ingredients and keep warm.

In a container, combine shrimps, curry and paprika powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute shrimps.

Place 1 tbs of cauliflower in each spoon. Top it with one shrimp and a little sprig of dill.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/11/light-sunday-treat-spicy-shrimps-on-a-bed-cauliflower-mash/feed/ 10 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/not-that-ordinary-chives-crepes-stuffed-with-herb-marinated-salmon-and-leek-mustard-sauce/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=not-that-ordinary-chives-crepes-stuffed-with-herb-marinated-salmon-and-leek-mustard-sauce http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/not-that-ordinary-chives-crepes-stuffed-with-herb-marinated-salmon-and-leek-mustard-sauce/#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:50:14 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=9354 Pas si ordinaires que ca – Crêpes à la ciboulette farcies au saumon mariné aux herbes et sauce blancs de poireaux-moutarde

Crêpes are not necessarily boring, ok you’ll tell me they’re just crêpes, and everyone knows how to make them, so what’s the big deal? The bid deal is that the batter is flavored with chives and stuffed with marinated salmon topped with a smooth leek sauce.

No, you don’t have to wait for la chandeleur (candlemas) or mardi gras to eat crêpes which are the two main celebrations in France when we make a big deal making crêpes. La chandeleur takes place 40 days after Christmas which is February 2nd. and comes from the word candle, it’s basically a mixture of pagan, christians and jewish traditions. The origin of crêpes goes back to a Celtic belief of worshiping the God of crops, with its round shape that looks like the sun and refering to the solar wheel. Basically chandeleur opens the period of carnival which derives from the latin Carnelevare, and meaning “removing the meat” and goes back to the 40 days before Easter.

Mardi Gras was the last day Christians could eat “gras” meaning fat before Ashes Wednesday (les cendres) then Lent (carême)…and during this time, would indulge in beignets (some kind of doughnuts, crepes, bugnes, etc…)

Nowadays, its religious meaning has been lost, but we still eat crêpes even if most people don’t know exactly why, other than because they’re just delicious.

Crêpes can be simple and ordinary such as crêpes au sucre, sprinkled with sugar, or sophisticated filled with delicate seafood stuffing and flavored batter…and so many variations in between those two.

I always remember frozen crêpes we eat in France you buy at the supermarket, that mostly kids love, they’re stuffed with a creamy mixture of ham and mushrooms, and or gruyère cheese, you just place them in a pan until they turn golden brown! I loved those when I was a child…Good memories…

Ingredients for about 6 crêpes

For the crêpe batter

• 2 eggs
• 8.45 fl oz (or 250 ml) milk
• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) flour
• a pinch salt
• 2 tbs chives, chopped finely
• 1.5 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbs beer (optional)

For the filling

• 1 lb (or 500 gr) salmon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs dill, chopped
• salt and pepper

For the mustard-leek sauce

• 2 leeks, using only the white part, chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• vegetable broth
• 2 tbs cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the crêpes

In a mixing container, place flour and eggs, then add milk gradually mixing well. Add salt, olive oil and chives. Mix well to obtain an homogenous mixture. (You can add beer at this time, it will make the batter lighter).  Let it rest for about one hour.

Make crêpes as you would for regular crêpes using a non-stick pan or a crêpe maker. Proceed until all the batter has been used. Keep aside.

For the salmon

Cut salmon in small cubes, place in a container, add soy sauce, lemon juice, dill, a little salt and pepper. Let it marinate for a few hours (overnight would be best).

Place salmon mixture in the middle of each crêpe and fold each side toward the middle in a square shape parcel.

Cook in a 370F pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked but still slightly pink in the middle or well cooked according to your tastes. The top of the crêpes should be a little crispy.

Serve hot with sauce on top.

For the mustard-leek sauce

Cut the white part of leeks, wash well. Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and brown them. Add leeks and let them sweat at low temperature until they become tender, add salt and pepper. Add broth and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add cream. Cook fo another minute or so, then blend in a mixer to obtain a smooth sauce. You might need to add broth if the sauce is too thick. Add mustard and mix for a few more seconds.

I love my rectangular molds and think I haven’t used them that much, so I need to place them somewhere I can see them, otherwise I tend to forget I have them. What a shame. Well, it’s the same thing with clothes, the ones you don’t see, you don’t wear.

I just realized the sun goes down sooner, it’s completely dark at 8pm in San Francisco, despite the weather being sunnier. Completely the opposite of where I grew up. The longest days are in June, you still have light at 10pm and it’s really a wonderful feeling. So fall is just around the corner, I feel time goes by so fast, you blink, and one month is already gone.

Fall recipes are coming and I will be exploring plenty of delicious savory tarts. They are a perfect light lunch of appetizer. J’adore les tartes salées! Tu veux une tarte? Do you want a tart? In French slang than can also mean a slap! Not sure exactly where that comes from.

The particularity of this tart is its crust. I have decided to use less and less refined white flours, and use organic spelt, whole wheat or other nutritious flours made out of grains. Then, in addition, I decided to flavor the crust. This crust has black sesame seeds, chili flakes and dried mixed herbs…and olive oil instead of butter. So we have a healthy version of the traditional French tarts with pate brisee made with white flour and butter. I prefer to use olive oil for savory tarts than butter, the crust is lighter, and you can taste the olive oil which adds a lot of character to the tart.

I am still dealing with the dilemma of eating wild salmon vs. the farm raised one, and I really don’t know what to do. I don’t want to eat salmon that had been injected with coloring, nor eat grey salmon (I don’t think they would sell it anyway) but I don’t want to contribute to destruction of environment. So I am confused.

I had leftover dough that I will use to make some other tart, but the quantities for the tart are good for a round medium size mold of maybe 8.5 inches diameter. My rectangular one is 14×4 inches. If you are using a larger mold, you need to adjust quantities, add 1 egg and more milk and cream and probably extra spinach.

The below pictures are a traditional French mustard, tomato and tuna tart, made with leftover crust I had. This is a very quick and easy savory tart, nonetheless delicious. You can use any type of dough for this an it turned out great with the sesame, chili and herb crust. You just need Dijon mustard, tomatoes, tuna, chives, and of course the egg/cream/milk mixture. This is what we make when you don’t know what to cook and you have some unexpected guest that pop in.

Ingredients for about 6 people

For the crust

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• 1/2 tps chili flakes
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs like herbes de Provences, etc…
• 80 ml olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• a few pinches of salt

For the topping

• 6 cups raw baby spinach (or 1 cup of unfrozen spinach)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 salmon steak (about 1/2 lb), cut in cubes
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup low fat milk (or regular milk)
• 1 1/2 tbs dill, chopped
• 1 tbs chives, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the crust

Mix all flours in a mixing container. Add sesame seeds, chili and herbs, mix well to combine all ingredients. Add olive oil and salt.  Add water gradually, while mixing to obtain a smooth dough. Do not over knead. Form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 min.

In large pot, heat olive oil, add garlic, cook for a few seconds to get flavor out, then add spinach. Add salt and pepper, and keep stirring until the spincah are wilted. Remove from heat and squeez excess water. Set aside.

In a pan, heat olive oil, and add onions. Cook the onions slowly until the melt and become soft. When cooked, add 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a mixing container, mix eggs, eggs, cream, salt and pepper.

Roll the dough and place in your greased non-stick mold (it’s better to grease them anyway even if they don’t stick). Add onion layer, then place spinach, followed by the cubed salmon. Add dill and pour egg mixture on top. Add cracked black pepper.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 30 minutes or until the top of the tart is golden brown. Serve hot with a simple green salad.