Recipe archive

Galette des rois à la frangipane (almond pie)

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:12:17 +0000

Recipe by: French traditional recipe
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 1 hr
Serves 8

Preheat oven to 210 degrees C
Divide the puff pastry in two and roll out each half into a 28-30 cm diameter circle. You can use an upside down cake mould or plate to help you cut the pastry into a perfect circle. The key thing is not to squash it with the mould otherwise it won’t puff as well. Cut it with a sharp knife.
Place one circle on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, reserve the other.
Beat with a fork the butter and sugar into a soft, creamy texture. Mix in the almonds, almond extract and egg until obtaining a homogenous paste. Stir the milk in. The paste should be granular and have a consistency similar to that of Nutella at room temperature, i.e. soft and easy to spread but not liquid.
Spoon the mixture evenly onto the first disk within about 2 cm (about 1 inch) off the edge.
Brush a bit of water on the outer edge of the pastry circle. Try not to wet the very side of the pastry (where it has been cut), this would glue the leaves together and prevent the pastry from rising.
Add the fève, coin or bean, if using, in the filling. Place it near the edge so as to minimise the chances of cutting through it when slicing the galette.
Cover the disk with the second pastry round and seal both circles by delicately pressing your fingers along the edge. Make sure the two disks are well sealed otherwise the filling could leak when baking.
With a knife, draw loosely spaced (4-5 cms, 2 inches) parallel lines on top of the pastry. Be careful not to pierce through it. Draw another set of lines at an angle so as to obtain a regular criss-cross pattern covering the entire pastry.
Mix the egg yolk with a bit of water and brush the yolk lightly on the galette. This will give it a lovely glossy finish.
Finally, with a thin sharp knife pierce discreetly through the puff pastry on 5 or 6 places to allow the air to escape. The most discrete points are where two lines of the criss-cross pattern intersect.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and acquires a deep golden brown shade. Cover with greaseproof paper and reduce the heat to 190 degrees C. Bbake for another 20 mins.
Serve with a crown on top and eat preferably warm or cold.

Currant stuffed guinea fowls with vegetable pot and walnut juice

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:19:34 +0000

Recipe by Christophe Renou, L’Aubergine restaurant, London
Busy: 50 min, Total prep time: about 4 hours
Serves: 8

The day before
Prepare the vegetables and the gravy:
Wash and peel the carrots. If using large carrots, cut them in half lengthways and chop each half into 3 to 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) long segments. Peel the turnips and quarter. Peel and chop the garlic. Peel the onions if needed, keep them whole.
In a large pan with tall sides, melt the butter in the olive oil on medium heat. Add all the vegetables and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme and pepper.
Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered on low heat for one hour. The water should not boil, just shiver a little.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the pot and cook all the vegetables together for another hour. This cooking process will yield superbly melting vegetables that have kept all their flavour as they have not been subjected to high heat.
Spoon the vegetables out and let cool in a large bowl.
Drain and stock and reduce for another hour to 90 minutes, until reaching a lightly syrupy texture. Dissolve the cornflour in a bit of stock and pour into the rest of the stock. Reduce for another 5 minutes, and let cool.
Store the cooled vegetables and the gravy in the fridge if not using on the day.
Prepare the guinea fowls and the stuffing:
Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan. Cook the guinea fowls on each leg for 5-7 minutes each. Make sure the breast is not leaning against the pan. The purpose of this step is to pre-cook the legs, which take longer to cook than the breast.
Place the raisins in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with water so the raisins sit 1 cm below the surface and add the all spice. Cook in the microwave for 7-8 minutes, until the raisins are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.
Chop the bread in 1 cm dice and mix all the stuffing ingredients together, including the raisins and their liquid, and finishing with the butter. Stir well and stuff both guinea fowls with the mixture. 45 minutes meal before meal
Store in the fridge if not cooking within the hour or on the day.
90 minutes before meal:
Take the guinea fowls out of the fridge.
1 hour 15 min before meal:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees
Place two slices of bacon on either side of the breast of each bird and roast for 50 mins to one hour, until cooked through.
10 minutes before serving:
Reheat the vegetables in the microwave in a bowl covered with cling film. Reheat the gravy on low heat. When coming out of the fridge, the gravy should have a jelly like consistency. Once the gravy has melted, add 2 tablespoons walnut oil and a bit of water to reach the desired consistency. stir well with a whisk to obtain a smooth texture and cook for a couple more minutes. Whn ready, stir in the walnuts.
Serve the guinea fowl carved with the vegetables, stuffing and gravy.

Clementine crème brulée

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:40:02 +0000

Recipe by Christophe Renou, L’Aubergine restaurant, London
Busy: 15 min, Total prep time: 3 hours (includes setting time)
Serves: about 6

In a large mixing bowl, beat with a fork the egg yolk and sugar until reaching a cream-coloured paste.
Boil the milk and the cream together. Add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean (sliced in two lengthways and seeds scraped into the cream) and allow to cool down for 10 minutes or so.
Poor slowly over the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Peel the clementines and separate the segments, Be careful to remove all the white, bitter parts from each segment otherwise they will make the cream bitter. Spread the segments on the bottom of 6 ramequins and fill them up with the mixture.
Preheat the oven to 100 degrees and cook for one hour.
Leave to cool and store in the fridge.
Two to three hours later or the next day, sprinkle thinly a teaspoon of brown sugar over each ramequin. Run the creams under the grill of your oven for one minute, until the sugar melts and the top browns nicely. Don’t leave it too long, the cream must stay cold and it will burn quickly!
Place back in the fridge until time of serving.

Chorizo, grapefruit, radish and bulgur salad

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:39:31 +0000

Recipe adapted from Cuisine et Vins de France, November 2005
Busy time: 25 min, Total prep time: 25 min
Serves 4 to 6

Cook the bulgur in boiling water for about 10 minutes, until tender but with a bite.
Drain and allow to cool down.
Peel the grapefruits, removing as much white stuff as possible, and leaving the flesh exposed (i.e. less poetically, cut through the outer membrane of the grapefruit segments). With a small sharp knife, remove the flesh off each grapefruit segment, trying to keep it whole. Do this by first cutting each grapefruit in two along the segments (do not cut across, you want the full segments if you can). Then unstick the first side membrane you encounter with your knife and remove the flesh. Go to the next membrane and repeat, as if flicking through the pages of a book, the membranes being the pages. With this technique you will go very fast.
Peel and chop the shallots finely.
Wash the radishes, top and tail and slice finely.
Remove the skin off the chorizo and slice it. If you are using a large diameter one, quarter the slices. If using a thin one, keep the slices whole.
Place the bulgur in a large bowl, add salt and pepper, lemon juice and oil. Mix well. Add the grapefruit segments, radishes, shallots and fresh thyme and mix gently.
Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Just before serving, cut the cheese into small cubes and add to the salad.

Herby fish cakes the French way

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:16:26 +0000

Recipe by French blog Le confit c’est pas gras
Busy time: 10 min, Total prep time: 35 min
Serves: 4-6

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
If using frozen peas, defreeze for one minute in boiling water and drain.
If using raw fish fillets, poach in salted water for about 4-5 minutes (7 to 8 if using frozen fillets). When the fish is cooked, drain and flake.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder. Mix in the eggs, garlic, cream, olive oil and herbs. Add the peas, cooked seafood (if using) and fish and mix gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Butter a muffin mould, individual ramequins or a loaf tin (if using a silicon mould, no need to butter it). Pour the mixture into the mould and bake for 25 minutes for individual portions or 1 hour for a loaf tin.
While the cakes are baking, prepare the yogurt vinaigrette: mix the yogurt with the oil and the vinegar. Stir in the mustard and season to taste. Keep in the fridge until serving.

Flavoured salts and gomasio

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:09:06 +0000

Recipe adapted from experience and many sources
Busy: 30 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Makes about 2 smack bags of each variety

For all varieties but the gomasio, mix all ingredients together and store in a sealed bag or jar
For the gomasio:
Toast the sesame seeds on low heat in a dry frying pan. Mix the seeds regularly to allow them to toast evenly. Watch them darken (keep your eyes on them as they can burn quickly!) and stop as soon as they start to pop. They should have reached a nice brown colour and your kitchen should have a delicious smell of coffee.
Mix with the salt and give it a quick grind in a coffee blender or with a food processor. A hand blender in a narrow container will work too. Don’t over blend, it is nice to keep a bit of texture.

Caramelized endive and Comté tartlets

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:03:07 +0000

Recipe adapted from Cuisine et Vins de France, November 2005
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 40 min
Serves 4

Rinse the endives and boil them for 10 min in water with a piece of bread to neutralise their bitter taste.
While the endives are cooking, roll the puff pastry down to about 4 mm (under 1/4 inch). Cut 4 disks in the pastry using a large individual soup bowl or similar, turned up side down.
Place the pastry disks onto an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper. Pierce each disk 4 to 5 times with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming under the pastry when it is baking.
Brush the edges with the beaten egg yolk. This will give the pastry a nice, glossy finish.
Once the endives are ready, drain the water out and run them under cold water to reduce the temperature. Then press each endive with your hands to take out as much water as possible. Quarter lengthways.
Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Toss the endives quarters into the pan, add the sugar, salt and pepper. Sauté gently on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the cut sides of the endives have browned to a nice honey colour. Stir delicately from time to time to ensure all endives are allowed to caramelize.
Chop the cheese in small cubes.
Divide the caramelised endives across the 4 disks and toss the cheese dice on top.
Drizzle a teaspoon of walnut oil on each tart and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

Dill potato pancakes with smoked salmon and sweet and sour red onion salsa and lemon Chantilly

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:50:59 +0000

Recipe by: Christophe Renou, L’Aubergine restaurant, London
Busy: 40 min, Total prep time: 40 min (plus two hours marinating time)
Serves: 6

One day ahead, prepare the pancakes:
Cut the potato in large wedges and boil in salted water until tender. When ready, drain and cook for another minute to dry the flesh.
Peel and mash using the back of a fork.
Mix the flour, eggs, and milk. Stir the mixture into the mashed potato. Season with salt and pepper and add the dill.
Butter a non-stick pan (if you have a blinis pan, this is even better) and heat the pan on medium-low heat. Make small blinis by pouring two tablespoons of batter into a pastry circle, buttered and placed on the pan. You can also use a cookie cutter or simply allow the pancakes to spread as they cook. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, turn over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Allow the blinis to cool down and store in the fridge in a sealed container.
One day ahead or morning, prepare the tartare ingredients and the cream:
Chop the red onion finely. add the vinegar, sugar and stir. Marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours at least, or overnight.
Dice the smoked salmon in 1 cm squares and reserve in the fridge.
Mix the cream with a bit of salt and the lemon juice, and allow it to marinate in the fridge for 10 minutes (the lemon will change the consistency of the cream slightly and you want this process to happen before whipping it).
Whip the cream into a Chantilly (beat it very cold in a cold bowl). This should take you a minutes or less, stop as soon as the whisk leaves marks in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Keep in the fridge until time of serving.
10 minutes before serving:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
Warm the potato pancakes up on by placing them on the grid of the hot oven for about 5 minutes.
Mix the salmon with the drained onions and a bit of the marinade to moisten the mixture. Press it to make the pieces stick together.
Serve the blinis on each plate with the tartare, a bit of cream and a wedge of lemon (optional). You can either spoon the tartare over the blinis or press it into a pastry circle, as I did on the picture.

Slow roast lamb shoulder with dried apricots and pommes duchesse

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:29:38 +0000

Recipe inspired by Florian Lameul, chef at Château La Lagune, France (published in Coté Sud/Est/Ouest, 100 meilleures recettes et tables de fête (Dec 2009)
Busy: 50 min, Total prep time: 6 hours
Serves: 8

6 hours before meal or day before
Prepare the lamb. Preheat oven to 110 degrees C.
Using a cast-iron casserole or a large dish that goes in the oven, heat the olive oil and butter on the hob on medium heat. Sear the lamb shoulder on all sides.
Take the lamb out of the casserole and place on a chopping board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover all sides with the honey.
Quarter the carrots lengthways and cut each quarter into slices about 3-5 mm thick.
Peel and chop the shallots.
Toss the carrots, shallots and apricots into the casserole and add the brandy, water and sage. Place the lamb on top and roast for at least 5 hours (6 is fine)
If not eating right away, allow to cool down and cover. 30 minutes before the meal, pop the lamb back into the oven and reheat, covered with tin foil or your casserole lid, on low heat.
A few hours before meal or day before
Prepare the pommes duchesse. Boil the potatoes in their skin until cooked through.
Drain, allow to cool down a bit, and peel the potatoes. Mash with a masher or the back of a fork.
Add the melted butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks and mix well.
Transfer the mash into a piping bag fitted with a dented noozle. If, like me, you don’t have the kit, use a freezing bag instead and cut a bottom corner to let the mash out.
Line two oven trays with greaseproof paper and make the pommes duchesse by piping the mash in nice little twirls on the tray. Start with a round base of about 5 cm diameter and keep going up making a couple more smaller twirls, pressing the bag gently into the pomme duchesse as you finish to make sure the inside fills up. Don’t worry if the shapes are not perfect, they will look pretty once baked no matters what.
Wash the sprouts and remove any wilted leaves and cut an X shape into the stem side of each sprout to ensure faster and even cooking. Keep in the fridge until ready to cook.
45 min before meal: preheat oven to 220 degrees C
30 minute before meal:
Place the trays loaded with the pommes duchesse in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned.
10 min before meal:
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the sprouts and a little parsley (the parsley will reduce the cabbage flavour) and bring the water back to the boil. Boil for 7 minutes. When ready, drain, cut the sprouts in half, season to taste and mix gently with a generous knob of butter.
Place the lamb on a chopping board and flake the meat with your hands. Toss the meat chunks into a large and shallow serving bowl and pour the sauce and apricots over.
Serve with the pommes Duchesse and steamed Brussels sprouts.

Clams en persillade

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 21:46:15 +0000

Recipe by: my mum and dad, who in season forage clams, mussels, and oysters regularly and eat luxuriously from the sea every day.
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 25 min
Serves: 8

A couple hours before the meal (At least 1 hour before):
Mix the butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley and a good sprinkling of pepper. Form a ball, cover with cling film and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mix.
Wash the clams thoroughly and allow to sit in cold water for 10 minutes. Rinse them and chuck away any that don’t close if you tap them. Place them in an empty saucepan with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and cracked pepper. Steam, covered, on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until all the clams are open. Discard the clams that did not open.
Remove and discard the top shell of each clam and allow to cool down. Spread generously some butter over each (count a nice pea size for small clams and a bit more for larger ones). Store in the fridge if not using immediately. Don’t leave the cooked clams more than a couple of hours in the fridge otherwise they will become tough and chewy.
10 min before serving:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place the clams on the oven tray and cook until the butter starts bubbling, for about 5 minutes.
Take out immediately (if you leave them to long they will dry out) and serve right away with thick slices of rustic bread on the side.

Tagliatelle with cèpes, lemon and garlic

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 18:08:56 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 20 min
Serves 4

Cook the tagliatelle in salted water.
Gently wipe the mushrooms with a humid kitchen towel. Do not soak them in water as they will become all soggy.
Dry the mushrooms and separate the feet from the caps. Slice the feet, discarding the bottom part and cut the larger caps in half. Cut the caps into thick slices.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, until soft and tender. Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds.
Mix with the pasta, parmesan and another two tablespoons of olive oil and serve immediately.

Parmesan and rosemary feuilletés

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:47:56 +0000

Recipe adapted from Elle à Table, December 2007
Busy: 10 min, Total prep time: 50 min (includes 30 min chilling time)
Makes about 18 feuilletés

Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a thickness of just less than 1/4 inch (about 4 mm). You should aim to have a rectangle with a shorter side of no more than 20 cm.
Beat the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water, and brush it on the top side of the pastry.
Sprinkle with a bit of pepper, the parmesan and rosemary. It may seem a lot but you need the quantity to reach a nice, tasty feuilleté. Using the palms of your hands or the rolling pin, press gently the dry ingredients into the pastry.
Leave to set for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C and take the pastry out.
Slice it across its length into strips of about 1/2 inch wide (a bit over 1 cm) each. Use a sharp knife and run it backward or forward as you cut to help with slicing the pastry without crushing it, which would prevent it from rising properly.
Delicately place the strips on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper. Leave at least 2 cms between each strip as they will puff up when baking.
Reduce the heat to 180 degrees C and bake for about 10 mins, until the feuilletés are nicely browned.

Haddock with passion fruit and lime glazing, coconut rice and pak choi.

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:11:53 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 30 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves: 4

Place the rice in a saucepan with the water, a bit of salt, and the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer on low heat until all the water has been absorbed, for about 10-12 minutes (depending on the rice, you may need to add a bit more water so check it after 7-8 minutes. If all the water has already been absorbed, quickly boil a bit more in the microwave and add it to the rice )
Cut the passion fruits in half and pass their juice through a sieve. Try to get as much juice as possible by scrubbing the seeds against the sieve with the back of a fork.
Mix one teaspoon of seeds with the strained juice. Add the lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, 1 tablespoon of water and reduce into a light syrup in a small saucepan on medium heat, for about 4 minutes.
Dip each fish into the syrup, cover well and place onto a lightly greased oven dish. Pour any remaining syrup on the fish.
Bake at 220 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
While the fish is cooking, wash the pak choi leaves and cut in half lengthways. Heat the olive oil in a wok or a frying pan and add the garlic. Sauté on medium low heat until flagrant (1 min) and add the pak choi. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened and wilted. Season to taste.
Serve the fish with the rice and the pak choi.

Ma bûche de Noël

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 21:07:38 +0000

Recipe inspired by Pierre Hermé’s Meringue d’Automne and Mary’s Berry’s meringue roulade.
Busy: 1 hour, Total prep time: 1H30 min (plus 3 hours setting time.)
Serves: about 8
Start with the pears:
Squeeze the lemon juice in a large saucepan. Mix with 200g sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 liter of water.
Wash, peel and quarter the pears. Remove the core and cut into thin slices (2-3 mm at the thick end). Place the slices into the saucepan as you are cutting them to prevent them from browning.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pears cool down in the water.
Prepare the meringue:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Put the egg whites in a large, grease-free bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk on medium-low speed until the whites turn into a grey foamy liquid, then slowly increase the speed. This will maximise the amount of air bubbles trapped in the whites and allow them to gain more volume. Beat at full speed until reaching stiff peaks (until the whites stand up in stiff, upward pointing peaks). Start whisking in the sugar, little by little, and keep whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. The meringue should not move when you turn the bowl upside down.
Spread the meringue on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, and shape it into a rectangle of roughly 40x30 cm, making sure the meringue is evenly spread and not thicker than 1/2 inch (less than 1.5 cms).
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the surface of the meringue is lightly golden and crisp and firm to the touch, but the inside is still soft. When ready, take the tray out of the oven and let the meringue cool down completely on the tray.
Prepare the chocolate mousse:
Cut the chocolate and butter into chunks and toss in a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Melt the mixture in 3 to 4 30 sec microwave sessions, mixing well between each to even out the temperature.
Allow the mixture to cool down to warm temperature and stir in the egg yolks.
Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks using the same process as for the meringue, adding the small amount of sugar at the very end.
Gently stir a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites using a soft spatula (or a wooden spoon if you don’t have a spatula).
Allow the mousse to set and thicken a little at room temperature, for 20 minutes or so, before spreading it on the bûche.
Make the bûche:
Drain the pears well in a colander. They should be at room temperature, soft and pliable.
Place the tray with the meringue on it so that it looks like a vertical portrait when you look at it.
Cover the meringue liberally with the chocolate mousse, leaving 2 cms clear along the short two edges. Expect to get leftover mousse.
Line the pears tightly on the mousse, their length parallel to the longer side of the rectangle. You should have just enough to cover the entire surface. With your hands, press the pears gently into the mousse
Using the greaseproof paper under the meringue, lift the far end of the meringue and fold it towards the centre of the rectangle (it should fold towards you). Don’t worry if a few pears fall in the process. Gently peel the paper off the folded side of the meringue (don’t tear it) and let it rest back on the tray.
Now fold the end near you over the part you just folded, using the greaseproof paper. Do this slowly and without stressing the meringue otherwise it may tear. If it does, don’t worry. The next few steps will allow it to set beautifully.
Gently peel the paper off the top part, going as as far down as you can.
Lift back the two paper ends and join them on top of the meringue. Clip, staple or tape them together so that they hold the bûche in a nice cylinder shape.
Transfer to the fridge and set for at least 3 hours or overnight. The paper will allow the bûche to set into a nice, regular shape. If the meringue tore a bit when folding it won’t matter, the mousse will set in the cracks.
Just before serving, unclip the paper and drizzle the bûche generously with icing sugar. Transfer it carefully onto a serving platter and decorate it according to your taste. I made a line of cocoa powder stars on top using a homemade paper cut out.

Rolled spinach pesto chicken with thyme roasted sweet potatoes

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 17:01:27 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 35 min
Serves 4

Prepare the potatoes:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
Was, dry and peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into 4 to 5 cm chunks.
Mix well with the olive oil and thyme. Spread on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, making sure the potatoes are not stacked on top of each other or too squashed against one another. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely roasted.
Prepare the chicken:
Set some water to boil at the bottom of your steamer.
Spread the chicken breasts on a chopping board and flatten them using a rolling pin. I find that beating them with it and pressing statically on the breasts is more effective that rolling the pin, try all techniques and use the one you like best.
With a hand blender or a food processor, prepare a quick pesto by mixing the pine nuts, grated parmesan, olive oil, chopped garlic and leaf or herb of your choice.
Spread the pesto on to top of each breast and roll delicately. Place each rolled breast on the centre of a square of non-PVC cling film and wrap tightly, making sure no chicken remains exposed.
Place the rolls on the top part of your steamer and steam for 20 minutes. When ready, take one roll out and check the chicken at the center of the roll, no red juices should come out when pressed.
Unwrap each chicken roll, cut in thick slices with a sharp knife and serve with the roast potatoes.

Prawn, pineapple and coconut curry

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:03:42 +0000

Recipe by Ketih Floyd, Great Curries
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves 4

Cook the rice according to packet instructions
Put the chillies, shallots, almonds, lemon grass and ginger into a food processor and whiz to a paste (alternatively use a hand blender).
Heat some oil in a frying pan or wok and fry the paste for a minute or so, then add the coconut milk and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the pineapple and simmer for another 5 minutes, then add the prawns to heat through. Add a little fish sauce to season and heat for a couple of minutes.
Just before serving, stir in fresh coriander

Hawaiian Croque-Monsieur

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:03:01 +0000

Recipe by me, adapted from national French tradition
Busy time: 10 min, Total prep time: 15 min
Serves: 4

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Lightly toast the bread slices in your toaster. Stop when they are lightly brown as they will keep browning in the oven.
Cut 4 slices 1.5 cm thick of pineapple. Peel and core them and cut in halves. If using canned pineapple, no need to halve the slices as these are much smaller.
On each toast, spread a bit of butter (go lightly) and stack the ingredients in the following order: half a slice of cheese, one slice of ham (or 1/2 if the slice is very large), possibly folded or cut in pieces so as to roughly fit the size of the toast, half a slice of fresh pineapple or a whole canned one, and one entire slice of cheese.
Place the tartines on the grid of your oven, with the tray lined with parchment paper underneath to catch any possible cheese drippings.
Allow to brown for 12 minutes or so.
Eat with a green leaves salad.

Christmas butter and lemon cookies with homemade icing

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:58:55 +0000

Cookie recipe by me, icing recipe (and design) by Allrecipes.com
Busy: 45 min, Total prep time: 1h30 min
Makes about 20 medium cookies

Make the cookies:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Pour the flower into a large mixing bowl, and with a wooden spatula make a hole in the middle.
Place in the hole the softened butter cut into chunks, sugar, egg white and finely chopped lemon zest, and mix until obtaining a homogeneous dough.
Roll into a ball, cover with cling film or a tea towel and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough down to a few mm on a flat floured surface and cut cookies using an inverted glass or cookie cutters. Reshape leftover dough into a ball and roll it back down to cut more cookies.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
Prepare the icing:
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Paint the cookies with a brush.
If piping decorations on top of the base icing, prepare a second batch of thicker icing and place at the bottom corner of a small freezing bag. Carefully make a tiny cut in the bag corner and pipe the icing through.
Wait at least 20 minutes before piping icing onto the base icing.
Allow the cookies to dry overnight before storing them. The icing will dry into a shiny, hard surface, which is great for stacking the cookies together.

Carrot, coriander and orange soup with yogurt and butter croutons.

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:57:24 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 45 min
Serves 8 (2 family meals)

Make the soup:
Peel and cut the onion in half and slice finely.
Peel the carrots and turnips, scrub the parsnips. Wash, top and tail all the vegetables and chop into 3 cm chunks.
Heat the olive oil in a large, tall pan and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat, until translucent.
Add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the stock, juice and zest of the orange, honey and curry powder. Bring back to the boil and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Using a hand blender, whizz the soup into a smooth liquid.
Make the croutons:
Toast the bread and cut into cubes.
Gently melt butter in a frying pan.
Add the croutons and sauté for about 3 minutes. Do this in batches if your pan can’t hold all the croutons in one single layer.
Serve the soup mixed with plenty of fresh chopped coriander and a dollop of yogurt in each plate, topped with the croutons. Add a bowl of grated parmesan on the side.

Lemon posset with rhubarb compote and crumble

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:55:37 +0000

Recipe by Anthony Boyd, the Glasshouse Restaurant, Kew
Busy: 40 min, Total prep time: 1h15 min (plus overnight setting / marinating time)
Serves: about 8
Start with the rhubarb compote:
Preheat oven to 130 degrees C.
Juice and zest the orange, chop the zest finely.
Wash and cut the rhubarb into inch size pieces.
Place in a tray or gratin dish with the sugar and orange and cover with tin foil.
Anthony says to cook for 45 mins or until soft, it took me almost 1 hour.
Prepare the lemon posset:
Place the cream, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a large heavy bottomed pan and bring to the boil, whisking constantly.
Once the cream is boiling, keep whisking for exactly two minutes while still on the burner. At boiling temperature, the lemon releases enzymes that will set the cream.
Take off the heat and pass through a fine sieve.
Set into moulds or glasses and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Prepare the crumble:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and mix for about 5 min on slow speed. If you don’t have a mixer, mix all the dry ingredients together and sprinkle with small chunks of softened butter. With your fingers, mix the butter to the dry ingredients, pressing, kneading and fluffing the mixture with the tips of your fingers until obtaining a texture similar to that of ground almonds.
Cook in the oven until golden brown, for about 20 minutes. Stir the crumble halfway through for even colouring.
Serve the compote either warm or cold on top of the posset and topped with crumble.

Garlic and cream velouté

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:53:55 +0000

Recipe by Anthony Boyd, the Glasshouse Restaurant, Kew
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 20 min
Serves: 8

Melt the butter in a large deep pan and sweat the onion, garlic, potatoes, bay, and thyme of medium low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, for about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and turn up the heat to reduce it, allowing it to bubble for about 2-3 minutes. When absorbed, add the stock and cream.
Bring the soup back to the boil and take off the heat.
Add the juice of the lemon and season to taste.
Serve with croutons.

Slow roast goose with roasted vegetables and potatoes

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:52:22 +0000

Recipe by Anthony Boyd, the Glasshouse Restaurant, Kew
Busy: 1 hr 20 min, Total prep time: 7 hours
Serves: 8

7 hours before the meal or night before
Place the goose on an oven tray. Place rosemary sprigs on the inside of its thighs and in its cavity. Lay each strip of bacon on either side of the goose breast, with a sprig of rosemary tucked under. Roast in oven at 110 degrees C for 6hrs (this can be done overnight). There is no need to cover it with foil at this low temperature. The goose will confit slowly and won’t become dry.
if you want to get really ahead, peel the potatoes and place them in a large container fully covered in water. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Make the gravy if using.
Morning before the meal (a few hours before)
If you have not done so the day before, peel the potatoes and jerusalem artichokes. In not using right away, store the potatoes in the fridge covered with water until ready to use. Coat the artichokes with lemon juice to prevent them from browning and place in the fridge in an airtight container.
Wash the carrots thoroughly and scrub the parsnips. Cut them to the same size as the carrots. Trim the fennel bulbs and cut them into 6 segments each. If not using right away, store them in the fridge in an airtight bag.
One hour and 10 minutes before the meal
Chop the rosemary leaves finely.
Cut the potatoes into large wedges of roughly the same size. Toss them in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes, until the outer edges start to be fluffy. Drain the water out, cover the pan with a tight fitting lid, and holding firmly pan and lid together with both hands, shake them vigourously for a minute. This is a trick by Delia Smith to make the roast potatoes fluffier (my addition to Anthony’s recipe).
Take the goose out of the oven and place it on a carving board. Cover with foil.
Crank oven up to 200 degrees C
Scoop all the fat from the tray (don’t throw it away!), leaving a very thin layer at the bottom (about 1 mm). Place the potatoes on the tray and baste each one so it is completely coated with fat.
Place the tray in the top part of the oven and roast for about 45-50 minutes, until nicely browned.
When ready, season with salt and pepper.
40 minutes before meal
Place all the vegetables (carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, and fennel) in another oven tray or a large oven dish. Coat the vegetables with 1/2 cup of goose fat, mixing them well to make sure they are all coated. Space the vegetables so they are not stacked on top of each other otherwise they will not all roast properly.
Roast in the oven to a nice colour, for about 30 minutes. If you cooked the goose overnight, place the goose covered in tin foil on the vegetables tray spreading the vegetables around it to heat it up.
When the vegetables are cooked, add the peeled crushed garlic, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and mix. Leave to rest on the tray for 10 mins.
10 minutes before meal
Carve the goose.
Serve it with the roasted vegetables and a large platter of roast potatoes on the side.

Stuffed turkey with honey roasted parsnips, carrots and sprouts

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:37:36 +0000

Turkey cooking technique by Jamie Oliver, stuffing and vegetable recipes by me
Busy: 80 min, Total prep time: 4 hours (plus overnight resting time)
Serves: 8

A day ahead:
Rub the turkey with table salt inside and out and put it in a clean plastic bag and refrigerate it overnight (12 to 24 hours). According to Jaime Oliver, this removes all the excess moisture and allows the turkey to cook beautifully.
Prep the vegetables. Cut the tops off the carrots and parsnips and any long ends, and discard. If the carrots are small and sweet don't bother peeling them. If they are large, cut them in half lengthways, you want them roughly a uniform size. Cut the parsnips into chunks of about the same size.
Bring a large saucepan full of water to the boil. Pop the carrots and parsnips into the water and boil them for 6-8 minutes, depending on how big they are. You want them to be slightly tender, but still firm in the middle.
Drain and rinse with cold water to maintain colour and stop the cooking. Allow to cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Prepare the Brussels sprouts: Remove any ragged or old-looking outer leaves on the brussels sprouts and discard. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and blanch the sprouts for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and allow to cool,. Cut the sprouts in halves and store in the fridge.
On the day, 4 hours before the meal: prepare the turkey
Start with the stuffing. Chop the onion and the pancetta finely.
Heat one table spoon of olive oil into a non stick frying pan. When hot, add the onion and pancetta. Sauté on medium-low heat until the onion is translucent.
Peel, core and cut the apple into 1-2 cm chunks
Chop the bread and mix all the stuffing ingredients together, adding the beaten eggs last.
Now prepare the turkey. I am using Jamie Oliver’s method, it works very well! Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350ºF).
Take the turkey out of the bag and rinse off excess salt by washing the turkey under running water. Pat it dry with paper towels and place on a board.
Slice the strips of pancetta in half and the peeled garlic into thin slivers. Place a 2 to 3 cms (1 inch) rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly. Repeat with the other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls.
Stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side. Push your finger into each slit to create a gap. Place each pancetta roll into the holes until it just peeps out.
Find the edge of the skin at the turkey neck and with a rubber spatula separate the skin from breast meat so that you can put the stuffing under the skin of the turkey breast. If you're careful you should be able to separate all the skin from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides but without ripping any holes in it.
From the neck end of the turkey, spoon the stuffing up between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop any leaking out during cooking. Jamie’s technique of placing the stuffing on top of the breast will allow the meat to remain moist throughout the cooking - unlike more traditional methods, which often results in overly dry turkey breasts.
Microwave the orange for 30 to 60 seconds to get it nice and hot. Poke a hole in the hot orange and stuff it into the turkey cavity. You can also add some rosemary to the cavity.
Make a bed of roughly chopped shallots and 6 unpeeled garlic cloves in your roasting pan. Place the bird in roasting pan, season well with salt and pepper, and rub olive oil all over. Weigh the stuffed bird, cover with foil, and roast for 18 minutes per pound, or until the juices run clear from the thigh if pierced with a knife or a skewer. Remove foil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird.
If you have extra stuffing, place in a gratin dish with one third of the stuffing’s volume in vegetable broth. You will bake it in the last 30 minutes.
When ready, remove the turkey and rest on a board for 20 minutes before carving.
40 min before serving: finish the vegetables
In a large pan that goes to the oven, melt the butter on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, toss the carrots and parsnips and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine, honey and rosemary and mix well. Cook for a few minutes and place the pan in the oven as soon as the turkey is out. Roast for about 30 minutes (the time to let the turkey rest and carve it), heat turned up to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
If you had extra stuffing to bake, place the stuffing dish in the oven
15 minutes into the cooking, add the sprouts to the vegetables dish and stir well. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the turkey is ready to serve.
10 minutes before serving: put the dish together
Remove the garlic from the turkey roasting pan and place the pan on a burner on medium-low heat. Add the cider vinegar and the same amount in water. Bubble for 5 minutes, and add the cream. Mix well, bring back to the boil and simmer for another couple of minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Carve the turkey and place it prettily on a large serving platter, garnished with the stuffing.
Transfer the vegetables to a large serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Add homemade mashed potatoes if you feel really, really hungry!

Hot smoked trout, raspberry and hazelnut salad

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:34:57 +0000

Adapted from recipe in Elle a Table, December 2007
Busy: 15 min, Total prep time: 15 min
Serves: 6

Can be done ahead:
Top and tail the green beans and cook in hot boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking and keep their colour. Set aside.
Place the chopped hazelnut on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake at 200 degrees C until the nuts start to brown. Set aside.
Crush 1/3 of the raspberries and save the rest. Mix the crushed raspberries with all the dressing ingredients in a small container than can be sealed. Put the lid on and shake well.
Wash and dry the salad.
Just before serving:
Mix the salad leaves with the green beans and arrange neatly on individual plates.
Shred the fish and sprinkle on the salad. Add the raspberries and 1 tablespoon of hazelnuts on each plate.
Sprinkele the dressing on the salad, and finish with parmesan shavings.
Serve with toasted bread.

Vanilla and raspberry vacherin

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:23 +0000

Recipe by me (meringue recipe by Pierre Hermé)
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 20 min (plus overnight chilling time)
Serves: about 8

If you are making the meringue (a day ahead):
Take the egg whites out of the fridge 20 minutes before starting. They will become more voluminous when beaten if at room temperature. If you have older eggs the better, the meringue will be softer inside.
Preheat oven to 120 degrees C.
Using an electric beater, beat the eggs into peaks, slowly pouring half the sugar. Once the eggs have doubled in volume, add half of the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract. Keep beating until the whites become firm and shiny. Add the remaining sugar in a fine rain and beat a bit more, until all the sugar is folded in. The egg peaks should solidly hold onto the whisk.
Line your oven tray with greaseproof paper and scoop large dollops of meringue onto the paper. Bake for about 1 hour (or less if your merigues are small) with the oven door kept slightly open with a rolled kitchen towel. Take out of the oven and allow to cool down.
Prepare the vacherin (a day ahead)
Take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow to soften until you can easily spoon and shape it (it should be a bit thicker than thick yogurt).
Wash the raspberries, keep a few for garnish (3 per person) and crush the remaining ones into a coulis with the back of a fork. Mix in a drizzle of lemon juice and 2 heaped teaspoons of icing sugar.
Crush the meringues into 2-3 cm chunks
When the icre cream has softened, gently fold in the coulis, Don’t mix homogeneously, the coulis should make some swirls in the ice cream, tainting it pink in places while leaving white chunks in others.
Press a layer of about 1.5 cm of ice cream at the bottom of a loaf-shaped tin or individual ramequins. Press into the ice cream the same height in meringue chunks.
Alternate the layers until reaching the top or finishing up the meringues and ice cream.
Always press each layer well, focussing your attention on the edges as you want the ice cream layers on either side of the meringue chunks to join up - otherwise when you unmould the vacherin. you may end up with holes and meringue chunks may fall off.
When finished, place in the freezer and chill overnight.
If you want to minimize time in the kitchen when serving, prepare the chocolate sauce ahead and refrigerate.
Just before serving:
To unmould, dip the mould or ramequins quickly into a bath of hot water in your sink, of about halfway the height of your pan/ramequins. Slide the blade of a blunt knife along the edges of the pan, and turn upside down on a serving platter.
Serve with fresh raspberries and the warm chocolate sauce, prepared in 2 minutes in the microwave or warmed up with a bit of water if you prepared if beforehand.

Crunchy bulgur wheat couscous with caramelised Brussels sprouts

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:20:37 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 25 min
Serves 4

Bring 2 saucepans of water to the boil and preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.
When the water is boiling, toss the washed baby sprouts in one and the bulghur int he other.
Bring back to the boil and cook the bulghur for 12 minutes.
Boil the sprouts for 3 minutes, and drain. Cut the sprouts in halves.
Warm the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the crushed garlic and sauté on medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the baby sprouts, and coat them gently in the oil and garlic. Leave to caramelise for 10-12 minutes, stirring at regular intervals.
Place the almonds on grease-proof paper on your oven tray and brown in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the almonds start to get a nice, honeyed, colour. Be careful, once they start changing colour they can burn quickly so keep your eye on them.
When the sprouts are ready, add the almonds to the pan and mix. Turn off the heat.
Grate the cauliflower and crumble the cheese.
When the bulghur is ready, transfer to a serving platter. Toss the sprouts and almonds and mix. Serve, sprinkled with cauliflower and feta and a bit of olive oil.

Simplest and most delightful truffles

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:12:03 +0000

Recipe adapted from Pierre Hermé
Busy: 45 min, Total prep time: 45 min (plus 2 hours chilling time)
Makes about 40-50 truffles (depending on their size!)

Prepare the truffle ganache:
Cut the chocolate into small chunks and toss in a heat proof bowl.
Boil the cream in a small saucepan and pour the cream on top of the chocolate in three times, stirring well to melt the chocolate every time.
Once the chocolate is melted, stir the butter into the mixture.
Spread the chocolate ganache into a 28x30 cm tray lined with grease proof paper so as to obtain a 1 cm thick layer.
Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
Prepare the truffles:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C
Break the almond flakes coarsely.
Line the oven tray with grease-proof paper and spread the almonds on one side and crushed hazelnuts on the other. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the nuts start to brown nicely. When this is achieved, take out of the oven and let cool. Set aside, putting the almonds in one bowl and hazelnuts in another. Place the coconut flakes and cocoa powder in two other bowls.
Take the ganache out of the fridge and cut into rectangles of about 1.5x3 cm. Roll into balls between the palms of your hands and roll each ball into one of the four topping bowls, making sure the truffle is well covered in the topping of your choice and pressing it lightly in the ganache with the tip of your fingers if needed. If the ganache becomes too warm, place it back in the fridge for an hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.
Once ready, keep in the fridge in a sealed container. These truffles will keep up to a week.

Spiced lemon and coconut milk chicken with rice and mangetout beans

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:46:39 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 20 min
Serves: 4

Boil some rice.
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks of about 3 x4 cm in size.
Mix a bit of coconut milk with the cornflour to form a paste. Add a bit more coconut milk to dilute the paste, and mix with the remaining milk.
In a large, non stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Toss the chicken and crushed garlic into the pan and cook until the chicken starts to brown, for about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, honey, ginger, and chilli powder. Mix well and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Scoop the chicken out and bubble the sauce a bit longer to allow it to thicken. If the heat is very high, the coconut milk may split (its fat contents separate out and form an oily layer). Don’t worry, just stir in a bit of cold water after removing it from the heat, and the sauce will become creamy again.
Top and tail the mangetout beans (optional). Bring some water to the boil and blanch the beans for one minute. Drain and mix gently with the rice.
Serve the chicken with the rice and some sauce drizzled on top.

Green spinach pancake with smoked salmon, fresh cheese and capers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:58:10 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 20 min, Total prep time: 20 min
Serves 4 (makes 2 large pancakes)

Wash and dry the spinach
In a large mixing bowl, mix the two flours and baking powder. Add the eggs, milk and melted butter mix until there are no remaining dry ingredients. Toss the spinach leaves into the bowl, and using a hand mixer, blitz the leaves into the batter, just enough to get a homogeneous mixture.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan wiped on its entire surface with a bit of oil on medium-low heat. Pour half the batter into the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom appears nicely browned. Slide the pancake gently onto a plate and turn it carefully over, back into the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until browned on both sides and firm and springy when pressed in the middle.
Transfer to a plate and cut in quarters. Make the second pancake.
While the pancake is cooking, beat the cheese with the lemon juice and fold the capers in if using.
Serve the pancake segments with the cheese and a slice of smoked salmon, generously sprinkled with cracked pepper.

Chestnut potage with truffle cream and truffle shavings

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:04:32 +0000

Adapted from recipe by Pascal Aussignac, Cuisinier Gascon (2009)
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 90 min
Serves: 4

Can be made a day ahead:
First make the stock. Place the chopped vegetables in a large pan with the olive oil and garlic. Heat until sizzling, then sauté gently for about 10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the ham in and cook for a few minutes more. Add about 3 l of water, bring to the boil, then turn down to a very gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for about an hour until reduced by half. Strain into a jug: you should have around 1.5 l.
Discard the vegetables and ham. Clean the saucepan and return 1 liter of the stock with the chestnuts.
Bring back to the boil, then simmer gently for 20–30 minutes until the chestnuts are softened.
Whizz with a blender until smooth and creamy. Pascal then suggests to pass the soup through a sieve into a clean pan, rubbing with the back of a ladle. I skipped that step as I found my soup was already really smooth.
Add some broth to get the soup to the consistency you like. It should not be too thick otherwise it will fill you up before you even start the main. Add some salt and peppers to taste, remembering that the ham will have already seasoned the stock.
Just before serving:
Blend the cheese until softened, and mix in the truffle oil to taste. Slice the truffles as finely as you can.
Reheat the soup if needed but do not boil, then divide between four warmed bowls.
Top each with a quenelle of truffle cream if wanting to impress, or a dollop if feeling relaxed, and sprinkle the truffle shavings on top.

Le Russe

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:52:02 +0000

Recipe by Pascal Aussignac, Cuisinier Gascon (2009)
Busy: 1 hr, Total prep time: 1H30 min (plus one hour chilling time)
Serves: about 8

First make the crème patissiere. Shell the pistachios and blanch them for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and peel the skin off the pistachio. Place in a small bowl and blend with a hand blender, or in a food processor until reaching a as homogenous as possible paste.
Beat the sugar, yolks and cornflour together in a heatproof bowl until creamy.
In a small saucepan, dilute the pistachio paste in the vanilla and milk and heat until boiling point. Pour the hot nutty milk onto the egg and sugar, whisking as you pour so the mixture blends smoothly.
Pour this back into the saucepan and reheat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth and thick. Pour the mixture back into the bowl you beat the yolks and sugar in, and cool for a minute or two. Then beat in the butter, cover the bowl with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming and cool, whilst you make the meringue.
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Line a large flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks in a large grease-free bowl using a whisk or an electric beater, then gradually whisk in the sugar until thick and glossy. Using a soft spatula, fold in the ground almonds.
Spread the meringue out in a large 32cm square and 1 cm thick tray lined with grease-proof paper. I did not have a tray so I spread my meringue in a nice square shape onto the paper directly placed on my oven tray, and it worked perfectly well as the meringue kept its shape when heated.
Bake 18–20 minutes until firm, browned and crisp. As you remove the meringue sheet from the oven, spray the hot tray with a bit of cold water, this will help moisten the meringue while leaving the outside crisp.
Cool, then slide off the paper onto a chopping board and cut the square into two.
Place one meringue half upside down on a serving plate or board cover with the cream. Top with the other meringue half.
Chill for at least one hour, dust with sifted icing sugar and serve, cut in slices with some soft red berry fruits. I made a coulis by crushing raspberries with a bit of icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, saving a few raspberries for decorating the cake.

Glazed Turbot fillet with jerusalem artichokes purée and crunchy grapes

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:42:57 +0000

Adapted from recipe by Pascal Aussignac, Cuisinier Gascon (2009)
Busy: 30 min, Total prep time: 40 min
Serves: 4

Can be prepared a day ahead:
Trim the fillets to neaten, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the salt and set aside in the fridge for 2 hours. When ready, wash off the salt off the fillets under running water and pat dry. If not using the fish right away, store covered on a plate and place back in the fridge.
Meanwhile, make the verjuice sauce. Boil the lemon juice with the maple syrup for a minute then add the verjuice (or wine plus vinegar mixture) and simmer for about 15 minutes, until reduced by half. Strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl and set aside. If using wine, there is no need to strain.
Make the artichoke purée. Cut the peeled artichokes into even-sized chunks and boil in lightly salted water with the lemon juice for 10–15 minutes until tender. Drain and return the artichokes to the pan with the cream, ground almonds, olive oil and some seasoning. Bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then whizz to a smooth purée with a mixer. Season with pepper and go light on the salt. The fish, which has been cured, will feel quite salty.
Prepare the crunchy grapes. Roughly crush or chop the sunflower seeds and pine nuts. Mix with the chopped fresh dill.
Sprinkle the base of a medium non-stick frying with the caster sugar and heat on the hob on medium-low, without stirring, until it starts to dissolve, but not caramelise.
Then stir in the green grapes until coated and mix in the seeds, nuts and dill.
Remove and tip out onto some non-stick baking paper. Cool until crunchy and store in the fridge if not using within the hour.
Just before serving:
If you made the grapes a day before, take them out of the fridge so they can warm up to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
Remove the turbot fillets from the fridge, Rub them with olive oil and place in a lightly oiled roasting pan, skin-side down. Pour over the verjuice/wine sauce.
Bake for about 10 minutes in total, basting the fish once or twice with the sauce until nicely glazed. The fish is ready when the flesh feels firm when pressed.
Reheat the artichoke purée and divide between four warm plates.
Take the fillets out of the dish, remove their skin (it should peel off really easily) and divide them in two lengthways. Top the purée with the fillets and surround with the crunchy grapes.
Drizzle the remaining sauce around and the pomegranate seeds if using.

Quick assembly Parmentier of pea and cauliflower purée with curried beef

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:37:58 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 25 min, Total prep time: 25 min
Serves 4

Preheat the oven to maximum heat.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
Slice finely the cauliflower and toss into the boiling water. When the water starts boiling again, add the peas and simmer for 4 minutes, or until both peas and cauliflower are tender.
Drain the water out and whizz into a purée using a hand blender. Stir in the butter and season to taste. You may want to add a bit of milk if you find the purée a bit thick.
Chop the 1/2 onion and sauté in the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the meat and curry. Mix well and cook until the meat is browned through, stirring regularly to spread the heat, for about 5-7 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, lay a sheet of grease-proof paper on your oven tray. Sprinkle the cheese into four 10 to 12 cm disks and bake for about 6-8 minute or until the disks start to brown. Take out of the oven, let cool for 1 minute or so and delicately peel off the paper.
I used a small pastry ring to layer the mash and the meat on the plates, but you can just serve a dollop of mash with meat on top and cover the whole thing prettily with a lovely cheese disk.

French omelette with sautéed potatoes and watercress pesto

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:35:07 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 30 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves 4

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Peel the potatoes and slice finely. Toss the slices into the water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain.
Heat the olive oil In a large non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat and toss the potato slices in. Sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, gently moving the potatoes around with a large spatula to make sure they all reach the bottom of the pan to brown. Stop when the potatoes are tender and browned. Season with salt and cracked pepper and transfer to a warm plate.
While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the pesto: whizz together the watercress (thick stems discarded), grated parmesan, peeled and chopped garlic clove and olive oil into a coarse pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Beat 8 eggs into an omelette, mixing in 5 cl milk to make it moister.
Clean the frying pan and warm a bit of olive oil in it. Pour half the eggs into the pan and cook on medium-low heat, without stirring. When the omelette is nearly cooked (golden underneath with eggs still uncooked on top), add generous dollops of pesto on the right half of the omelette and gently slide half the potatoes on top, leaving the left half clear. With a spatula, peel gently the left half of the omelette off the pan and roll it over the potatoes. Slide the omelette carefully into a serving platter and make a second one. Each omelette will serve two.
Top each omelette with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

TGV fish soup

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:34:05 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 10 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves: 4

Prepare the soup:
Wash and chop the onion and leek.
Sauté in hot olive oil in a large pan with tall sides, for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the cornflour and mix well.
Add the tuna, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and 1-1/4 liter of water, and cook for about 20 min.
Add the breadcrumbs and whizz the mixture into a soup. Add a bit of water if you find it too thick, although I find the consistency just right. Adjust the seasoning, you want the soup to be peppery and spiced. If you have children, scoop some of the soup out before adding further seasoning.
Prepare the rouille:
Mix the mayonnaise with the thinly crushed or chopped garlic and spices. The rouille should sting the tongue, so don’t hesitate to add more garlic or spices if needed. Stir one tablespoon of the soup in for adding a bit more colour.
Serve the soup with grated emmental cheese, the rouille on the side and plenty of croutons.

Meltingly chewy and sweet vanilla and almond caramels

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:15:50 +0000

Recipe by: Pierre Hermé
Busy: 45 min, Total prep time: 45 min (plus 6 hours setting time)
Makes 80 squares

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
Spread the almonds on the oven tray lined with grease-proof paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until the almonds start to brown nicely. When this is achieved, open your oven door slightly, turn the oven off and leave the almonds in the oven. This will keep them warm.
Oil the sides of a 30 cm long tray and place a lightly oiled piece of grease proof paper at the bottom.
Slice lengthways the vanilla pods and scrape the seeds out. Drop the seeds into a thick bottomed saucepan. Add the glucose and sugar, mix and heat on medium-low heat., until the colour of the mixture turns to a golden honey colour.
In the meantime, bring the cream to the boil in a separate saucepan.
Once the glucose mixture has caramelised, stir in the butter, salt then the boiling cream.
Keep stirring to even out the heat and place you thermometer in the saucepan. Once the heat reaches 118-119 degrees C, stir in the warm almonds and poor the caramel into the tray.
Let cool completely on a flat surface for a few hours. Remove the caramel from the tray and cut in little squares.
To prevent them from sticking together, wrap them in candy paper. If your caramel is too soft an gets squashed as you cut it, chill in the fridge for one hour, it will become harder and easier to cut.

Marvelous homemade tapenade (olives, anchovies and capers spread)

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:51:56 +0000

Recipe by: universal!
Busy: 10 min, Total prep time: 10 min
Makes a small jar

Peel the garlic clove and chop coarsely.
Using a mixer, blend the olives, anchovies, garlic and lemon juice together. Pour the olive oil slowly and mix it in.
Depending on your taste, you may want to blend the ingredients into a chunky texture or keep blending until smooth. I like it slightly chunky.

Pasta shells with cherry tomatoes, tapenade and roast chicken

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:49:19 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 15 min
Serves: 4

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
Wash and quarter the cherry tomatoes.
Dilute the tapenade into the oil, add 50 g parmesan, a good grinding of pepper and mix well.
Shred the chicken into bite size strips.
When the pasta is ready, drain and return to the saucepan on low heat. Mix with the tapenade sauce, tomatoes, chicken and fresh thyme leaves. Warm up for a few minutes and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Serve immediately with a bowl of parmesan on the side.

Cherry tomato, goat’s cheese and tapenade tatin

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:47:46 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 45 min
Serves 4

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Wash the tomatoes and remove their stems. cut through their skin at the top with a small pointy knife (don’t go too far, just a small slit to let some of the juices out.)
Warm in a large nonstick frying pan the vinegar and brown sugar. Once the sugar has melted, stir well and toss the tomatoes into the pan. Sauté on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring gently the tomatoes to make sure they are coated in the caramelizing syrup and cooked on all sides. Halfway through, press the tomatoes lightly with the flat of a spatula to extract some of their juices out.
Butter a gratin dish and place the tomatoes into the dish, cut side up if you see it (if not don’t worry to0 much about it), they should fit snugly into the dish. Sprinkle evenly with small knobs of goat’s cheese.
Shape your shortcrust pastry to be slightly larger than the dish (don’t hesitate to do cut ‘s and paste’s by pressing the edges of the pieces you are pasting together with your fingers, until you reach the desired shape). Spread the tapenade on the dough and lay it flat on the tomatoes, tapenade face down. Pierce it gently with a fork in various places to let the steam out when the tart is in the oven, and tuck the edges down the sides of the dish and around the tomatoes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.
Remove from the oven, plate a large plate over the dish and carefully turn the tart upside down onto the plate. If some tomatoes stuck to the dish, place them back on the tart where they belong. Sprinkle with a few fresh and soft thyme sprigs and allow to cool a little before cutting into slices.

Sausages, caramelized baby cabbages and potatoes with warm mustard vinaigrette

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:39:30 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves 4 generously

Place the sausages in a lightly oiled thick-bottomed frying pan and cook on medium-low heat for 30 min. Change sides half-way through, flattening the sausages with a spatula if they have curled up.
Halve the cabbages and slice finely. Warm a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium heat and toss the cabbage shreds into the pan. Sauté for 20-25 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the caramelized shreds at the bottom of the pan regularly. Season to taste.
Cut the potatoes into 4 to 6 wedges, depending on their sizes. Keep the skin on. Cook in boiling water until tender, for 12 to 15 min.
Prepare the vinaigrette: Peel and chop the shallop finely. Mix the mustard and vinegar together and beat in with a fork 4 tablespoons of oil. Add the shallots and season with a bit of salt and plenty of pepper.
Serve the steamed potatoes topped with cabbage shreds and sausages and pour over the vinaigrette. (Note that on the picture I used mini sausages prepared by my butcher. I just thought I would try these for a change!).

Warming pine nut, pear and honey cake

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:36:53 +0000

Recipe by Jason Gibb, Dolce Vita Diaries
Busy: 15 min, Total prep time: 50 min
Serves: about 8

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a round cake or bundt tin. If using a standard round cake mould, line with baking paper.
Melt together the honey, butter and sugar. Boil for one minute then remove from the heat. Cool until just warm.
Dry fry the pine nuts till they have a bit of colour.
Sift the flour, ground almonds and baking powder into a bowl, mix a bit and then add the honey mixture, beaten eggs and pinenuts.
Peel and core the pears and cut into small pieces (about 1 cm). Gently fold into the cake mixture.
Pour into the cake tin, pop in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed. Leave for cool for a few minutes minutes and then turn out.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy the beauty you just created before slicing through it. :-)

Pear, parmesan and rocket risotto

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:28:06 +0000

Recipe adapted from Dolce Vita Diaries
Busy: 30 min, Total prep time: 40 min
Serves: 4

Chop the onion finely.
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the rice and the chopped onion; coat in the mixture and stir for a couple of minutes over low heat until the rice becomes translucent.
Add the wine and continue cooking until most of the wine has been absorbed.
Add a ladle full of stock at a time, adding more as it is absorbed. Cook until the rice is soft and tender on the outside but still has a bit of bite on the inside. This should take 30 to 35 minutes. You may not need to use all the broth.
When ready, add a couple of pinches of salt and lots of pepper, stir in the parmesan, then the rocket and then at the last minute the pears, cut in small dice with the skin on.
Serve immediately. If you have some broth left, you may spoon a bit over the risotto in each plate. Finish by sprinkling a few parmesan shavings on each serving.

Mozzarella and fig jam with lemon and chilli oil

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:26:15 +0000

Recipe adapted from Jason Gibb, Dolce Vita Diaries
Busy: 10 min, Total prep time: 10 min
Serves: 4

Zest and juice half a lemon. Chop the zest and 1/4 chilli pepper finely. Mix the chili, lemon zest, juice and olive oil together.
Slice the mozzarella and alternate the slices with a spoonful of the jam.
Sprinkle some salt and cracked pepper over the top and drizzle the lemon olive oil before serving.

Roast chestnuts

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:26:13 +0000

Recipe by: universal!
Busy: 5 min, Total prep time: 35 min

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each chestnut, making sure you cut through it. This will allow the steam to escape.
Place the chestnuts onto your oven tray with 1/3 of a glass of water. The water will keep them moist and stop them from shriveling up.
Sprinkle with salt and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until chestnuts are tender and easy to peel.
Peel the nuts when they are cool enough to handle, and enjoy. If they have become too cold to peel, just reheat them briefly and you will be able to finish the job.

Pumpkin, orange and apple soup with roast chestnuts

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:33:23 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy time: 15 min, Total prep time: 35 min
Serves 6-8

Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin into 3-4 cms chunks
Peel, halve and slice the onion
Core and quarter the apple (keep the skin), zest and juice the orange.
Heat butter and oil in large pan with tall sides.
Add onion and sauté over gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent (4-5 min).
Add pumpkin, apple and sugar and toss together for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar melts.
Add curry, orange zest, orange juice and 3/4 of the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.
Purée the soup until smooth and add the remaining stock until you reach the desired consistency. Stir the cream in (optional - I usually don’t use it).
Serve topped with crumbed roast chestnuts or roasted pumpkin seeds and feta or parmesan cheese.

Sticky orange turkey fingers with puréed artichoke gourmandise

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:32:50 +0000

Recipe from “Gourmande et maman” by Corinne Clavel and Christine Craplet
Busy time: 10 min, Total prep time: 30 min
Serves 6-8 (24 slices)

Start with the Gourmandise d’artichauts
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C
Rinse the artichoke hearts under warm water
Place them in a mixing bowl with the cream, 8 tablespoons (4/5) of the parmesan, eggs and some cracked pepper and blitz into a smooth puree. Make sure you have blitzed long enough to have disintegrated the little hair that may have remained on the artichoke hearts.
Spread the purée in a lightly greased gratin dish, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and dot with small knobs of butter.
Bake for about 20 mins or until the top is nicely browned.
Prepare the sticky turkey (start sautéing as soon as the gratin is out of the oven)
Grate the zest of one orange and chop finely. Press the two oranges and mix the zest with the juice.
Slice the turkey steaks into strips about 1/2 inch wide.
Warm the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add the turkey, sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the orange juice, soy sauce and honey and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure the turkey strips are evenly coated in the sauce. Stop when the liquid has evaporated and turned into a sticky and dark texture. Do not overcook otherwise the turkey will be disappointingly dry.

Pumpkin pancakes with hot smoked salmon, feta and parsley

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:31:56 +0000

Recipe adapted from French magazine Avantages
Busy time: 30 min, Total prep time: 40 min
Makes about 12 pancakes

Cut the pumpkin into chunks of about 3 cms and cook for 8 minutes in boiling water or until the pumpkin is tender.
While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare the garnish: crumb the feta and mix with the parsley, olive oil and lemon. Add the flaked salmon last and mix it in very gently to keep the large flakes intact. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix together all the dry pancake ingredients.
When the pumpkin is cooked, blitz into a smooth puree. Mix in a large bowl with the cold milk, oil and vinegar and add the eggs, slightly beaten, into the mixture.
Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Now start the pancakes. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
Brown on both sides and store on a plate sitting over a saucepan of water kept hot on a low heat burner.
Once you have made eight pancakes, serve two on a green salad on each plate and top with the salmon and feta mixture. Enjoy, it is truly fabulous!

Vanilla mousse with satsumas and pomegranate

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:31:23 +0000

Recipe by me
Busy: 20 min, Total prep time: 2 hours (includes 1h30 chilling time)
Serves: about 6-8

Prepare the mousse:
Ideally, do this first stage a few hours before the rest of the recipe: Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds with the blade of a small knife. Add the seeds and vanilla pod to the cream and bring to the boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove from the heat and let the vanilla infuse in the cream. When cold, place in the fridge until really cold.
If you can’t wait, pour the cream into a bowl and place the bowl into a larger one filled with ice cubes. As soon as the cream is cold enough, place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Don’t worry if a skin or a thick layer forms at the top of the cream, it will all be beaten away.
Once the cream is really cold, mix it with the egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of icing sugar, and beat the mixture with an electric whisk into a chantilly. It will help if your bowl is really cold so swirl ice cubes in it beforehand and wipe it carefully before pouring the cream in. Stop beating as soon as the whisk leaves well defined and fine marks into the cream.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites into stiff, shiny peaks. Stop as soon as the peaks stop drooping.
Gently stir 1/3 of the whites into the cream, and fold the remaining whites in. Pour the mixture into 6 glasses (try martini glasses or flat, large ones) and chill in the fridge for at last one hour.
Prepare the fruit salad:
Peel and segment the satsumas. Using a small, pointy knife, peel the skin off each segment and remove any seeds.
Remove the seeds of the pomegranate and gently mix the seeds with the satsuma segments and 1 tablespoon icing sugar. Marinate in the fridge, covered.
Just before serving, spoon prettily some fruit salad on the vanilla mousse into each glass and serve immediately.

Pears poached in wine and sherry with Saint-Agur balls rolled in walnuts

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:30:51 +0000

Recipe adapted from La cuisine de Mercotte
Busy: 15 min, Total prep time: 35 min (plus overnight chilling time)
Serves: 6

Pour in a saucepan the wine, sherry, sugar and spices and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and infuse, covered, for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mash the Saint-Agur with the mascarpone using a fork.
With your hands, roll the cheese mixture into 6 balls and place in the fridge.
Crush the walnuts. An easy way to do this is to place them between 2 sheets of kitchen towels and roll a rolling pin on top. Remove the top sheet, mix the walnuts, cover and roll the pin again. Three rolling sessions should be enough to get nice little pieces.
Peel the pears, cut in half and core each pear half, trying to preserve the shape of the pears as well as possible. Toss the pears into the wine mixture and boil for 20 minutes on low heat. Leave to cool in the liquid. If you can store overnight in the fridge, do. The pears will darken all the way to the core, producing a dramatic effect.
Take the pears out of the marinade and reduce the liquid into a thick syrup, for about 10 minutes. Dip the pears back into the syrup and take them right out, this will cover them with a silky layer of syrup.
Just before serving, drizzle each plate with the syrup (or spoon a generous teaspoon of syrup on each plate), place a ball of cheese next to it and top prettily with a pear half. Serve immediately with a basket or bread slices. Wow effect guaranteed!!

Sticky coriander lamb with lemon and purple sprouting broccoli risotto

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:30:12 +0000

Lamb recipe adapted from Harbourguides.com, Risotto recipe inspired by Smitten Kitchen
Busy: 35 min, Total prep time: 1 hour 40 min (plus overnight marinating time)
Serves: 6

Start with the lamb:
To minimise washing up, use a deep dish that goes both on the burner and in the oven. I used my treasured Le Creuset cast iron casserole.
Squeeze the limes. Add to the juice the powdered coriander, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, the crushed garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well.
Place the lamb in a bowl and using your hands massage vigorously the lime marinade into the meat. Cover and leave for as long as you can (24 hours is best), stirring or shaking occasionally.
1 hour and a half to 2 hours before serving, drain the marinade into a bowl and put to one side. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Warm on medium-low heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan that also goes in the oven, and sweat the onion until translucent. Add the lamb and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the lamb is browned and coated with the onions. Remove from the pan.
Pour the marinade into the pan and add the chilli, white wine and sugar. Bring to the boil and remove the pan from the heat.
Add the meat back into the dish and place in the oven. Cook for an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally to coat the meat into the slowly thickening juices, and ensuring it doesn’t get too dry. If it does, add a bit of wine or water. At the end of the cooking period, most of the juices should have evaporated and the meat should be melting and sticky. If not, stir the meat into the juice, drain the juice off the dish and cook for another 10 minutes to get to the sticky stage.
When ready, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving platter. Top generously with chopped coriander.

Prepare the risotto
Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm.
Wash the broccoli, discard the bottom half the the stems. Cut off the florets and slice finely the remaining parts of the broccoli at an angle. Keep aside.
Melt 1/3 of the butter with the oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add the rice and stir 1 minute until the grains become translucent. Add the wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
Add a ladle of hot broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth a laddle at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently, until the rice is creamy and tender while keeping a bite at its core, about 35 minutes.
5 minutes before the end, stir the broccoli into the rice and cook.
When ready, stir in the parmesan, remaining butter, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Place the lamb and the risotto on the table with a bowl of coriander and a bowl of shaved or grated parmesan to allow your guests to top up to their taste.