It’s the season for those gorgeous keitt mangoes, so nothing better that using seasonal fruits. They only last for a couple of months so don’t miss on that. You will recognize them because they’re very large, and whose skin remains green even when ripe. They’re so large that I used one for this dessert. I made some mango vinegar and wanted to experiment its use in different preparations. This turned out really well. The warm and soft mango is topped with mango coulis and diced mango with Poivre la Luna.

Poivre La Luna is a pepper from Madagascar with a vanilla and cocoa aroma that a friend of mine brought me from France. It’s a mild pepper but very aromatic that you can use on fruits, and seafood. I was reading about it and apparently it’s unknown to chefs in America, whereas chefs in France refuse to use something else. I guess, it’s worth a try. Madagascar was a French colony, so we got a lot of their wonderful products exported to France.

This can be a snack, a treat, a dessert or whatever suits you. It was my dinner one of those nights, and perfect for when you need something light yet delicious. You can substitute Greek yogurt with vanilla whipped cream, to make it more like a dessert and less of a snack.

For the mango papillote

• 1/2 keitt mango sliced
• coconut sugar (to taste)
• vanilla bean powder
• 1 tbs pistachios, toasted
• Greek yogurt or whipped cream

For the mango coulis

• 1/3 mango
• 1 tsp mango vinegar (optional)
• sugar of your choice to taste (stevia, coconut sugar, etc…)
• 1/2 tsp orange blossom water

For the mango salad

• 1/4 (about 2 tbs) finely diced mango
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp Poivre la Luna

Preparation

For the papillote

Pre heat oven at 380F. Using parchment paper, cut a circle of about 25 cm diameter. Place cut mango on one half of the circle. Add coconut sugar and vanilla bean powder. Fold the other half of the circle on top of the mangoes and start sealing the border all around.

Place in the oven and cook for about 15-20 min. Remove from oven and let it cool a bit.

For the mango coulis

Place mango and sugar in a blender and mix until smooth. Add mango vinegar and orange blossom water and mix well.

For the mango salad

Mix mango and lime juice and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add Poivre la Luna at the end, when ready to serve.

When the papillote is ready, remove from oven. Cut the top part with scissors to open it. Let it cool a little.  Add mango coulis, then add a spoon of yogurt and top it with mango salad and pistachios.

 
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.

If you like a light and healthy cuisine and yet very easy to prepare, well papillotes are for you. This cooking technique can accommodate any ingredient, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, etc… and papillotes can be prepared in advance and are cooked at the last minute, so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen when the guest are having fun.

Even though easy to prepare, there are some basic rules that need to be followed when preparing a papillote, such as cutting finely and regularly the fruits or vegetables to reduce cooking time and keep the flavors. Also marinating some fishes, seafood, or poultry to enhance the dish. Aren’t those a delightful way to serve your side dish when you have guests? It’s like a little present on your plate, you open it like a candy et voilà, surprise!

You can play with the folding of the papillote, as a rectangle, triangle, as a candy shape, or even heart shape and be creative with it.

Today I found those gorgeous and fresh baby artichokes at my favorite market, and I gave them a provençal makover. You need small creamer potatoes that will remain firm when cooked and you get a delicious dish avec un petit air de Provence. These papillotes would be perfect served with a white fish or poultry. I ate mine as a main meal and it was perfect.

While in France I searched all the new products such as salts, peppers, etc…I found this amazing salt and I fall madly in love with it. It’s a sel gris de Guérande (Grey Guérande salt) with Piment d’Espelette (a fragrant Basque pepper), I love it so much that I just add it in any dish. You could make this yourself, if you buy Piment d’Espelette and Sel gris de Guérande, then mix them together and keep them in an air-tight container for a while to get the salt infused.

You can add sun dried tomatoes and onions to give a little more character to the dish. Also, both aluminum foil or parchment paper can be used, so have fun with your papillotes!

Ingredients for 2

• 1/2 lb baby artichokes, trimmed and cut in halves
• 1/2 lb creamer potatoes, cut in halves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbs dry white wine
• 1 tsp herbes de Provence
• about 10 kalamata olives
• Sel de Guérande au Piment d’Espelette (optional)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and stir for a few seconds, then add artichokes and potatoes. Coat the vegetables with the olive oil, then add wine. Decrease heat and cover with lid. Cook for about 5 minutes. In a mixing container, add vegetables to herbes de Provence, olives, sun dried tomatoes (if using them), Piment d’Espelette salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a aluminum foil, add a little olive oil, place vegetables on top and close papillote very tightly so no air can get through it.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 15 minutes. remove from the oven and serve.

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