Gougères

1 cup (250 ml) water

3,5 ounces (100 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubs

Large pinch of salt

1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1/3 cup (50 g) shredded Gruyère cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg 

  

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms. Stir over until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 2 minutes.

Scrape the dough into a bowl; let cool for 1 minute. Beat the eggs into the dough, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly between each one. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate or freeze.

Notes

When making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don't worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely. 

Apple Tart

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 ¼ cups flour (150 g)
1 tbsp sugar (12 g)
¼ tsp salt (1.5 g)
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed (120 g)
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice water (30 ml)
For the compote:
3 gala apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
2 tbsp sugar (25 g)
¼ cup of apple juice (60 ml)
¼ cup of water (60 ml)
1/8 tsp of cinnamon (2 g)
zest of 1 lemon
For the topping:
2 gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 " thin
½ tsp of sugar (2 g)
2 tbsp apricot (or other) jam, heated until liquefied (30 ml)
juice of ½ a lemon
Instructions:
In a bowl of a food processor combine flour, salt and sugar and pulse until combined. And butter cubes a few at a time, pulsing quickly until dough resembles a coarse meal. Beat egg together with water. Add egg mixture, slowly, pulsing just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball and then pat down into a disk. Wrap disk in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or pop in the freezer for 10)
Meanwhile, place apple chunks, juice, water cinnamon and zest in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil and let cook for 10 mins.
Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated. Mask apples into a paste with a fork. Allow to cool completely, it will thicken as it cools.
Roll out dough onto a floured surface and fit into a 9" tart pan. Spread a single layer of compote on the bottom, and place in freezer while you prep your apples.
Peel, core and slice apples very thin, about 1/8 " thick. Place in bowl and squeeze with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Remove tart from the freezer. When you are placing the apples the idea is to create an escargot pattern. Starting from the outside and working your way into the center. Layer each apple, cut side down, one slightly overlapping the other, making your way all around the tart until you reach the center.

Bake at 400F (200 c) for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350F (175 c) and bake for 20 more minutes, or until golden brown. Then place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes just until the apples begin to get lightly charred.

Place the jam in the microwave and heat on high for 15 secs or until melted. Brush tart with jam to create a nice shine.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

Pot au feu

Ingredients:

1 lb. Tender beef shoulder or brisket

(4 pieces of oxtail, cut 1½ inches thick)

6 beef short ribs

(1 veal shank, on the bone)

2 onions

4 leeks, white part only

2 small celery roots, cut into quarters

4 carrots, cut into 4-inch lengths

4 turnips, cut in half

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Bouquet garni*

Salt and pepper

Lovage for decoration.

Instructions:

In a huge pot, combine the beef, oxtail, short ribs, and veal shank, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Push 2 cloves into each onion and add the onions to the pot and bouquet garni. Bring the pot to a slow simmer, gradually, and let cook over medium-low heat for around 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Skim the cooking liquid with a ladle periodically to remove scum and foam. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the meat from the broth and discard the trussing strings.

Carefully remove the vegetables from the broth, place them on a large serving platter, and moisten with some broth. Cover and keep warm. Separate the broth in two pots. Return in the biggest one the meal with onions and add the celery roots, carrots and the turnips. Cook for an additional hour. 40 minutes after that add the leeks. In the smaller pot with broth add the potatoes and cook, until soft.

Arrange the oxtails, the meats and the vegetables on the serving platter and spoon some of the cooking liquid over and around it. Serve the rest of the liquid in a soup terrine. You can offer to your friends the meats and vegetables with some homemade mayonnaise and some cornichons. Or, alternatively, you can arrange the meats uncarved, with the vegetables around them, swimming in broth in a big, beautiful pile in a deep serving platter. Decorate with some lovage.

Notes:

A bouquet garni generally consists of 1 spring of celery leaves, 1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied with a string and used for flavoring.

Snow-White Salad

For my dear friend Sindhu :)

Ingredients: 

1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 cups strained Greek yogurt

1-2 garlic cloves, mashed

Olive oil

Dill, finely chopped

Salt

Olives (and 1/3 cup crushed walnuts) for decoration

Preparation:
Wash, peel and finely dice the cucumbers. Add mashed garlic cloves, salt, dill and the strained yoghurt. Drizzle with some olive oil. Stir the mixture, pour into a plate or a small bowl and garnish with olives and crushed walnuts.

Banana Coconut Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup White flour

1 cup Pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk
2 eggs
¾ cup light brown sugar
3-4 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda and powder, salt. In a large bowl cream together coconut oil and sugar. Add the eggs. Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla extract, cinnamon and milk. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time, until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. 

Cool completely on wire rack.

Light Summer Fish Soup

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons butter                                                   

¾ cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

4 ½ cups fish broth

2 tablespoons flour

1 sliced onion

1 minced garlic clove

½ fennel bulb, sliced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 diced potatoes

0,50 lbs. cut salmon

0.50 lbs. cut cod

Dill
Salt, pepper

Lovage

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, garlic, and the fennel until onions are tender. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the flour. Reduce the heat, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and dill. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add in salmon and cod. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Pour the milk and heavy cream. Add the dill. Cook until heated through. Decorate with some freshly chopped lovage. Serve with some croutons. 

Vegetarian Quiche

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup All-Purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup of ice water

Directions:

Mix flour and salt with fork. Beat oil and water whisk or fork to thicken. Pour into flour and mix with fork. Press into 9’’ pie pan.

Ingredients for the filling:

3 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup Bulgarian cheese (or Feta cheese), grated

1 garlic clove minced

4-5 sliced mushrooms

1 cup grated zucchini

½ cup grated carrots

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

Salt, pepper and mint

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (or 180 degrees C). Line pie pan with piecrust. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes. After that remove from oven. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, stir in the onion, mushrooms, grated zucchini, carrots and Feta cheese. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and mint. Pour mixture into hot crust. Bake the quiche at 380 degrees F for 45 minutes. The quiche is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.