This fits in the category “entremet” in France.

Entremet literally means “entre“= between and “met“= meal. In the 17e century, it refers to a meal that is served after roastbeef, and before dessert. It evolved from a savory dish to a sweet one, nowadays all entremets are sweet. They are classified into three categories: hot entremets: Souffles, pudding, crepes, etc…; cold entremets: Flans, blanc-manger, etc…entremets with ice cream: mousses, sorbets, etc…

Blanc-manger goes back to Antiquity so it’s not a modern dessert. It’s literally translated into blanc = white, and manger= eat, due to its very white color. Originally, it’s made with milk, almonds and thickened with corn or potato starch. In the 18e century, they started using gelatin so I went with that recipe as well. Sometimes blanc-manger can be confused with panna cotta, which is cooked cream, sugar and gelatin. Nowadays when talking about blanc-manger, it’s usually referring to the recipe made with milk, almonds, cream, and gelatin.

This version is a bit different, I could call it revisited. I used almond milk, but the kind made with only almond and water from the brand “three trees” sold at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section. You have to look for the real almond milk, and not the one with added thickeners, and other unknown ingredients. It’s really delicious and natural. Then I used whipped coconut cream and I flavored the whole thing with almond extract. You can flavor it with vanilla or any other flavor of your choice.

Coconut cream can be whipped. You need to place a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator until very cold, and the mixing bowl you will be using to whip it as well. Then, take the thick part of the milk that lays on top of the can, and whip it. You can use heavy cream if you prefer.

Fruit compote is a lovely addition to this light dessert. Peaches and apricots are delicious with almond flavor, even though apricots are not at their best yet.

Ingredients for 3-4 (depending on the size of your cups)

For the blanc-manger

• 300 ml almond milk (the natural kind)
• 100 ml whipped coconut cream
• 4 tbs of sweetener of your choice (I used stevia)
• 4 gelatin sheets
• Almond extract

For the peach-apricot coulis

• 1 white nectarine, cut in pieces
• 1 large apricot, cut in pieces
• 1 large apricot, seed removed, and quartered
• 1 yellow peach, cut in peaces
• 1 tbs sweetener of your choice
• 3 tbs orange juice

Instructions

For the blanc-manger

Soak gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes, or until gelatin has softened. Boil almond milk with sweetener. Remove from heat and place gelatin sheet in milk, stirring until dissolved. Let it cool.

Whip coconut cream and add to the milk. Pour in small bowls, and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

For the coulis

Cook the cut fruits in a small pot with orange juice and sweetener until the fruits are soft. Let it cool.

Blend until smooth consistency.

It’s been ages I haven’t made soup for myself, I’ve had no desire for soups whatsoever. Maybe with winter coming this way and cooler weather, this will change.

Simple traditional minestrone is delicious, hearty, filled with vegetables, colors, etc… but as any dish, it can be modified a bit switching some ingredients and give it a little modern twist.

Some people might wonder why I used the provencal pistou instead of the Italian (Genovese) pesto since minestrone is originally from Italy. Pistou and pesto are probably related since Provence region and Genoa are not too far from each other, besides the ingredients are similar (but not the same!).

In France we have la soupe au pistou, a very famous soup from Provence made with lots of vegetables, that could be a relative of the Italian minestrone. Now let’s not argue on which one came first.

In this recipe, I decided to use a pistou whose ingredients are basil, garlic and olive oil  instead of a pesto which has those three ingredients in addition to pine nuts and parmesan cheese because of the shrimps. I have been taught by my mom to never use cheese with fish or seafood, so here I am, still following her strict rules. If you decide not to use shrimps, then a basic pesto will work fine….and if you want to use a traditional pesto to go with the shrimps, do so. My kitchen is not a dictatorship kind of regime! It’s just an idea box…so are you pistou or a pesto?

I substituted pasta with quinoa, but you could also use farro, wheat, barley, etc…I love the little grains of the quinoa, they keep me light for the day.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 3.52 oz (or 100 gr) cauliflower, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 potato diced
• 1 celery stick, diced
• 3.52 oz (or 100 gr) peas
• 1 leek, diced
• 1 cup kale, chopped (optional)
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 5.30 oz (or 150 gr) quinoa
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3.52 oz (or 200 gr) cooked cannellini beans or garbanzo beans
• 12 large shrimps
• salt and pepper

For the pistou

• 1 bunch basil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 150 ml olive oil
• 3 tbs parmesan (optional)

Preparation

In a large pan, heat olive oil, then add onion and soften. Add all the diced vegetables, quinoa crushed garlic. Cover with water and let cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, saute shrimps in a pan.

Serve minestrone in bowls, divide shrimps on each bowl, and add one tbs of pistou on top. Stir and enjoy.

For the pistou

In a mortar crush garlic and salt until it turns into a cream, then add basil and keep crushing. Add oil progressively to obtain a smooth paste.

This slang expression, Tu l’as eu dans le baba! (you need an exclamation point), is mainly used to express a failure, or when you expected something you didn’t get. It’s somehow a funny expression, used quite often. But baba is also a dessert, baba au rhum is a traditional rhum cake served with whipped cream (but you can serve it with fruits also)…and yes there is a little history behind it, because it involves Nancy my hometown. When recipes like this one are traced back 300 or 400 years, sometimes it’s difficult to really be 100% certain where the inspiration or the original recipe originated. It might have been someone who came back from a trip and “imported” the idea or the recipe from a foreign country, then developed it in its own country.

As far as baba au rhum is concerned, it’s linked to King Stanislas Leszczinzky (king of Poland) and also Duke of Lorraine in the XVIIIe, brought back the idea from Poland in his Luneville castle, then the recipe started to evolve a bit over time.

This was my first try at baba au rhum, usually pastries are my second choice when I have to eat something, I love to serve a great pastry after a meal when I have guests over, but not being a sweet tooth, I don’t go into some baking spree. Once in a while I like to try out baking new things, but salt is my element not sugar. The recipe has been inspired by the book called “La cuisine des bistrots” from edition “Tomawalk’. Even though baking time said 25 min, I think according to your oven you have to adapt it, and not over cook the baba, or it will get hard and difficult for the rum syrup to soak it. Next time I will decrease baking time. Then of course, you can add quantity of rum you like, it’s all up to your tastes!

Ingredients for 6 babas

For the batter

• 3.17 oz (or 90 g) butter + for molds
• 3.38 fl oz (or 10 cl) milk
• 3 eggs
• 7.76 oz (or 220 g) flour
• 0.35 oz (or 10 g) yeast
• 1 tbs sugar

For the syrup

• 8.81 oz (or 250 g) sugar
• 1 tbs rum
• 1.41 oz (or 40 cl) water

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk and let it rest for 10 min.

In a mixing container, mix flour, eggs, sugar and mixture milk/yeast. Mix well until you obtain an elastic batter. Soften butter at room. temperature. Let the batter rest for about one hour in a warm area. After the batter rested, incorporate soft butter and mix until the batter becomes smooth.

Butter molds, then divide batter in them, filling them in half. Let it rest for another hour or so.

Preheat oven at 390F and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Don’t overcook or the babas will turn hard and difficult to absorb the syrup.

When babas are cooked remove from oven and let them cool on a cookie rack.

Prepare the syrup, mix water with sugar and bring to a boil for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum.

Place babas in a deep plate and pour 2 tbs of hot syrup. Let the babas absorb the liquid, then proceed a few more times until the babas are well soaked. Place babas in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream.

I tried many versions of split pea soup and this one is my favorite. You can keep it vegan if you don’t add the pancetta at the end, so it’s versatile. You can use bacon instead of pancetta, or just nothing at all…it’s all up to you. I usually don’t soak peas in water as some people do with legumes to soften them and decrease cooking time. If you don’t add salt to the water, the peas cook quite fast. I blended in this version, but you can serve it unblended too, which adds texture to it.

Thinking about it, soups are my favorite things to eat (along with pasta) and nothing better to eat during cold winter days. This soup is hearty and simple, quite nutritious too. You can serve it with grilled country bread and it’s a meal in itself. Split pea soups are popular in France too (soupe de pois cassés) and cooked with ham (petit salé) or sausage, usually with smoked meat. In Italy smoked meat is not too used (except for regions bordering Austria). So here you can just use your imagination and make your own version of zuppa di piselli spezzati!

Ingredients for 4

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 leek, chopped
• 1 branch thyme
• 10.5 oz (or 300 g) split peas
• broth as needed
• 2 slices pancetta (optional), diced
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a pot, heat oil, then add onion, soften them add garlic then add the rest of the vegetables and thyme. Cover with broth and let cook at slow heat for about 40 minutes or until the peas are tender. Cook pancetta in a pan until crisp. Adjust with salt and pepper and serve hot with pancetta on top.

 I have been wanting to eat this for a long time, but salt cod is not always easy to find and not all the stores carry it. Fortunately Berkeley Bowl does…unfortunately it’s not of a great quality. I am used of thick and very dry salt cod pieces sold in markets in France or Italy. The one I have found here, is more like fresh fish in which salt has been added and is found in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets. I have to figure out why they store in the refrigerator, since salt is a natural preservative.

Anyway, Brandade de morue, is a fish specialty from the city of Nîmes, in the Gard region, in the South of France…some other versions are seen in Pays Basque and Charente regions as well. It seems like the most authentic brandade does not have potatoes in it, just salt cod, olive oil, milk and garlic. Then the ingredients should be crushed using a mortar. Nowadays, you see a lot of recipes with potatoes in it, and most people do use potatoes, or cream or parsley. Morue parmentière is another derivative and does contain potatoes and is gratinée in the oven (but NEVER EVER with cheese on top, that would be a sacrilège!).

This version has potatoes and was not gratinée in the oven. I wanted to display it on top of zucchini ribbons and putting it in the oven would have been a problem for this presentation. You could place it in some clay ramequins and brown it in the oven and serve it in the dish. I don’t like to serve it with toasted bread since there are potatoes in it, so that would be too much starch.

For the milk quantity, I am afraid I did not measure it. I decided to use my “bon jugement” (good judgment) and went with what I thought would be enough, so you need to obtain a nice smooth texture, but not too thick. Usually, since cod is salted, you might not need to add any, but taste first.

Ingredients for 4

For the brandade

• 2 lbs (or 900 g) salt cod
• 0.9 lb (or 400 g) potatoes
• 1 laurel leaf
• 1 thyme leaf
• milk (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 5 tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• pepper

For the zucchini ribbons

• 4 zucchini
• 1 tbs Meyer lemon oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Fleur de sel
• Pepper

Preparation

For the brandade

Soak cod in cold water for about 24 hours, changing water approximately 3 to 4 times. Simmer cod in water with laurel and thyme for about 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Drain, let cool and using your finger start taking the fish apart in small pieces. In the meantime, peel potatoes and boil in water for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Drain and crush using a potato masher.

Mix cod and potatoes in a pot and using a wooden spoon or whip stir vigorously, add garlic, milk and olive oil gradually, still stirring, the mixture needs to be smooth.

For the zucchini

Using a potato peeler, make ribbons. Combine all other ingredients together except for the fleur de sel and marinate for about 20 minutes or more. When ready to serve, add fleur de sel.

Place a good amount of zucchini in the middle of a plate and using a ring, mount the brandade on top. Decorate with red pepper corn and basil.

Some people call this gâteau, it’s more like a flan to me than a cake, no matter how you call it, this is a very traditional French dessert. It took me a while to find coarse semolina and even thought of bringing it back from France at some point. But I figured, since you can find anything in San Francisco, with a little effort, I knew it would be out there. So this was another find at Samiramis, the Middle Eastern store. Semolina based desserts being common in Middle Eastern countries, here it was among other grains and cereals.

Flan de semoule is a very simple dessert, yet quite delicious. It does not have the consistency of a flan, it’s thicker and more dense because of the semolina, but the flavor reminds me of a flan. You can also add raisins and flavor it with rum for a little twist.

As for the caramel, it’s very easy to make, you need the right pan…when I use certain non-stick pan, my caramel crystallizes. It took me a while to figure that out. First, I thought it was my stove, then I was convinced it was the sugar…but no it was the pan material. So if your sugar doesn’t melt and crystallizes, before throwing away pounds of sugar, try out changing your pan, it might just be the trick!

Ingredients for 3-4 flans (depending on the size of the ramequins)

For the flans

• 1 pint (or 500 ml) milk
• 2.10 oz (or 60 g) coarse semolina
• 2.45 oz (or 70 g) sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the caramel

• 5.30 oz (or 150 g) sugar

Preparation

Heat milk in a pot with vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, beans scraped). When the milk starts boiling, add semolina and keep stirring so that the semolina doesn’t stick. Cook and stir for about 15 minutes. Remove from stove and add sugar and egg.

For the caramel, melt sugar in a pan at low heat until the sugar melts and turns golden brown.

Divide caramel in ramequins, then pour semolina mixture on top. Cook in a water bath at 360F for about 25 minutes.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

I am a heavy smoker of those cigarettes! The excitement is more related to the feuilles de brick (the wrapping sheets, literally translated into “sheet brick”) than to those cigarettes themselves. I used to bring feuilles de brick from France anytime I went there, just because I cannot find them in the US. Strangely enough, no store carries them (even though feuilles de brick are Middle Eastern), not even the Middle Eastern stores. Most people here use filo dough instead or won ton wrappers, which are very different.

I love feuilles de brick just because they are not as fragile as filo dough and the texture is much more pleasant, the “crunch” is very different. You can check more recipe here with feuille de brick.

Now my frustration ended, thanks to Laurent and his “Gourmet and More” Epicerie he opened in San Francisco, in Hayes Valley. Whoever lives in the city has to go to Gourmet and More if they’re into real French products (not imitation). They even have a “cheese room” where they cut the cheese for you, yes! you have “Fromage à la coupe“, like in France, and not wrapped in plastic like at Whole Foods or most stores. They sell boudin noir, boudin blanc, saucisse de Toulouse, de lapin, rillettes, crozet (pasta specialty from Savoie), many olive oil, teas, etc… a heaven for French people or those who like French products.

Anyway, those cigarettes are filled with leeks, shrimps and mushrooms and baked in the oven. You can also fried the cigarettes in a pan with oil but I prefer to bake them to make them lighter and not as oilier. You can fill them with whatever you like and served with a simple green salad as an appetizer or light lunch, they’re delightful.

Don’t forget, if you are rooming around San Francisco one of those days, drop by “Gourmet and More“, say Bonjour to Laurent and Josiane (his wife), get some cheese…and some feuilles de brick!

Ingredients for 4 cigarettes

• 1 tbs olive oil + 1 tsp for basting
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 6 large shiitake, finely diced
• 20 medium shrimps, cut finely
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs crème fraîche
• 1 tbs chives, chopped finely
• 4 feuilles de brick
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and cook them for a few minutes until soft. Add leeks and shiitake, cover and cook at medium heat until the vegetables are cooked and the water evaporated. Add shrimps and cook for a few minutes. Adjust with salt and pepper. Add garlic and stir well. Add crème fraîche and cook until the cream has thickened and reduced (no liquid in the pan). Add chives and mix well.

Place about 3 tbs of mixture in a feuille de brick and roll in order to form cylinders, like you would do to make egg rolls.

Baste with some olive oil. Pre-heat oven at 370F and bake for about 20 minutes or until all the sides are golden brown and crunchy. Serve hot on a beg of green mâche or peppery salad.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/08/do-you-smoke-cigarettes-with-leeks-shrimps-and-shiitake/feed/ 3 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/07/in-season-apricot-and-rosemary-tart/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-season-apricot-and-rosemary-tart http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/07/in-season-apricot-and-rosemary-tart/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:06:21 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=14576 De saison – Tarte à l’abricot et romarin

I love summer, partly because I can eat peaches and apricots sans limites! My two favorites fruits are in season, and I only wait for summer to come, just to indulge in juicy peaches, nectarines, and apricots.

My friend Simon in France asked me why I was working so much, aren’t people gone on vacation in July-August in the US?…well it’s true that summer in France and Europe in general, is the dead season, especially July-August, where everything closes and businesses work “au ralenti“. Everyone goes on vacation and big cities are deserted. Well, not here, I cannot tell that this is summer, other than by the fog rolling in the city and the peaches and apricots are on the shelves (which is good enough for me).

I had some whole wheat pâte brisée left that I wanted to use, and decided to make one peach tart and one apricot tart slightly different. The peach tart was sprinkled with vanilla and I added cookies on the crust, so that they absorb the juice of the fruits while cooking. The apricot tart was sprinkled with rosemary and I spread raspberry jam on the crust…so two different flavors. You need to use well ripe fruits, especially apricots if they’re not ripe enough, they tend to be a little acidic and tart, then you need to add more sugar.

Ingredients for 4-6 tartlets

For the crust

• 200 g whole wheat flour
• 100 g butter
• 30 g sugar, soft at room temperature
• water

For apricot tartlets filling

• 1 lb apricots, well ripe and cut in half
• 2 tbs raspberry jam
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 30 g butter, cut in small cubes
• 1 rosemary sprig

For the peach tartlets filling

• 4 peaches, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 5 tbs crumbles shortbread cookies
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
• 30 g butter, cut in small cubes

 Preparation

Start making the crust. In a mixing container, add flour and sugar, then incorporate butter using the tip of your fingers, not kneading dough too long, or it will break. Wrap in a plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll dough and place in a tart pan. For the apricot tart, spread jam all over the crust and fill it with apricot halves. Sprinkle with sugar and place little bits of butter on top of the fruits. For the peach tart, cover crust with crushed cookies. Cover with peaches segments, sprinkle with vanilla powder and add bits of butter on top.

Cook for about 35 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 370F. Check to see the bottom of the crust is not over cooked.

 Anytime I eat a poached egg, it reminds me of this teenager sitting next to our table, at Gary Danko, a well known San Francisco restaurant, who was astonished to see a yolk running while he poked a poached egg on top of his salad. He could not believe his eyes. He shout out loud, Oh it’s fascinating!!!

Fascinating might not be the word, but poached eggs are certainly delicious. Lentils and eggs are a quite a good match.

I used lentilles du Puy, which is a French green lentil and the best of all green lentils. Lentilles du Puy only comes from a little town called Puy-en-Velay in France, in a region of Haute-Loire where you can find a micro climat perfect for growing lentils (what you can find in the US under the name French lentils, are not necessary French). They still use traditional methods to grow them, with no fertilizer and natural irrigation, the crops are harvested the first two weeks of September.

Lentils from Puy-en-Velay are traced back to 1600 so it’s nothing new. They call lentils in France, “caviar des pauvres“, “caviar of the poor”, which was long considered a poor people’s meal. The difference between green lentils and brown lentils (lentilles blondes) is that they are less starchy, don’t loose their shape, and more flavorful.

Of course, you could use brown lentils if you don’t have the other kind, but don’t overcook them, or they’ll turn into a purée. I call this a stew because it’s thicker than a soup, but you can make it thinner and make into a soup, you can also, blend the lentils and make it into a cream…it’s all about the way you like it.

Ingredients or 4

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1/2 leek, diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 300 g lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cloves
• 5 tbs crushed tomatoes
• vegetable bouillon or water
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 4 eggs
• truffle oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and brown them. Add garlic, stir for a few minutes, add all the other vegetables. Add bayleaf and cloves and mix well. Add broth and cover until lentils are cooked but a bit firm. Add salt and pepper.

Poach eggs in water (see for technique).

Divide lentils among four plates, place one egg in each plate, drizzle with truffle oil, pepper and parsley and serve hot.

 
Yes, this one is definitely my last post before I fly to France next week. I was going through one of my books called “La cuisine de Bistrot” from Tomawalk Editions, yesterday and this recipe really caught my eye. This is such a simple and yet delightful little dessert. For me, nothing beats fruit based desserts and this warm and soft banana swimming in rum and brown sugar is a winner, besides it’s very simple and quick. These days, I have very little time to cook for myself, I am too busy cooking for others, so something so simple and delicious is a big winner in my book. If you have guests, and have no idea what to make for dessert, try theses bananas, they will certainly make a “bel effet” (a great impression, I hope this is proper English).

Papillote always make great presentations…opening them is like opening a surprise, you never know what you are getting inside. You can use parchment paper (that’s what I use most), but today I was out so, I had to use aluminum paper even though there has been some warning about the use of aluminum. It’s bad if it gets into your system at some small doses, but I figured I will not die if I use it once.

Ingredients for 2

• 2 bananas, cut in half (ends removed)
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 vanilla bean
• vanilla powder
• 2 tbs rum

Preparation

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the beans with a knife. Insert them on sides of the banana between the peel and the flesh. Using a parchment paper place banana trunks in the middle of the foil of paper, top with sugar and butter cut in pieces. Close the papillote and cook in a pre-heated over at 370F for about 20 minutes. Open the papillote and add rum. Serve in plates, pouring the juice on top of bananas.