I am particularly fond of bellflowers. These pretty purple blue flowers can be used for culinary purposes to garnish dishes and to serve as edible flowers in salads. When I was decorating my garden cake (see garden cake post), the bellflowers were so beautiful that I had to do something more with them. I thought of making ice-cubes and was amazed by the result – the cubes looked like little jewels. Now my freezer drawers look like the ones in jewelry stores!

Ingredients:

Organic Bellflowers (Campanula)
Ice-cube mold
Water

Place flowers in each ice-cube mold, fill with water and place in freezer until frozen.

Voilà!

It is impossible not to think of Marcel Proust’s Madeleine scene in his novel ‘In search of lost time’. How a delightful little cake can trigger such vivid childhood memories…

Madeleines are one of France’s most popular tea-time cakes, for all ages, ideal for dipping in a glass of milk or a cup of tea. Shaped like a shell, this little gem of a cake is always a special treat. There are various versions of this famous recipe, but for me, it has to have orange blossom, that is what I love most about madeleines. The smell is pure comfort and joy, reminding me of my children’s scent. Orange blossom is renowned for its purity and calming effects, especially mixed with honey. (That is why I added honey to the recipe).

No wonder Mr. Proust’s mind wandered off… it must have been the orange blossom!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
150 grs plain flour
125 grs butter or margarine (melted)
130 grs sugar
20 grs honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp orange blossom water
Madeleine cake molds (I have silicone ones)

Whisk sugar, honey, salt and eggs together until light and fluffy. Sift flour and baking powder together, then gradually fold in the egg mixture and mix gently. Add the melted butter, orange blossom water and lemon zest, stir lightly, cover and leave to rest for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. It is very important for the batter to be cold before baking – the thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bumpy’ round madeleine.

Pre-heat your oven 180 degrees celsius.

Butter and sprinkle your molds with flour. Add one good teaspoon of cold batter into the molds. Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on how big your molds are. When ready, use a round-edged knife to delicately lift each cake.

I was queuing at our local butcher the other day, and overheard a woman standing next to me saying – ‘Oh, I want the same as last time because ‘Je me suis régalée’ – meaning she really ‘deliciously’ enjoyed… her cigalines. I had never heard of cigalines before, and I was so intrigued that I asked Michel the butcher what it was: ‘It’s a specialité! It’s the meat from the hip of a pork, marinated in olive oil and Provence herbs. It’s even more tender than a filet mignon!’. This was so tempting, mainly because of how the lady expressed her joy. So I bought a few pieces of ‘cigalines’ and decided to make a gratin Dauphinois (baked potatoes in cream) to accompany this discovery.

Gratin Dauphinois is a typical French dish of the Dauphiné region, consisting of sliced potatoes, milk, cream, butter, nutmeg and lots of garlic. This creamy potato ‘gratin’ is the ultimate French comfort food, filled with garlic flavors.

The combination was truly delicious. The pork meat was indeed incredibly tender, juicy and succulent. Cigalines might not be easy to find, so I would recommend asking your butcher for porc meat near the hip bone (in France we call it araignée meat), and marinade them overnight with olive oil and Provence herbs.

Ingredients: (for 6)

1.5 kg medium-sized potatoes (sliced finely 4 millimeters)
100 grs butter
900 ml milk
25 cl liquid cream
5 garlic cloves
dash of ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper

Cigalines:

900 grs pork meat (near the hip bone as it is more tender)
160 ml olive oil
2 tbsp Provence mixed herbs
2 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

In a bowl, marinate the pork in the olive oil and herbs and leave in fridge overnight. When ready, heat a large frying pan on a medium to high heat and fry the cigalines. As they are quite fine, a couple of minutes on each sides should be good.

For the Gratin Dauphinois:

Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Rub a sliced garlic all over an oven-proof pan.

Peel and slice the potatoes (approx 3-4 mm slices) and garlic (thin slices). Do not rinse the sliced potatoes as you will need to keep the starch for a better binding. Heat the milk with salt, pepper, nutmeg and when it starts boiling, lower the heat and add the sliced potatoes and garlic – cook for 10 minutes, then pour mixture into the oven-proof pan. Pour the cream, and add slivers of butter all over. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve ‘cigalines’ pork filets and the gratin Dauphinois together. Enjoy!

When I am in the mood for a robust traditional meal, there’s nothing more satisfying than a pan-fried veal liver with caramelised shallots and balsamic vinegar. This recipe is inspired from one of my favourite restaurants in Paris, ‘Au Moulin à Vent’, 20 Rue des Fossés-Saint Bernard 75005. They have a ‘foie de veau à la Lyonnaise'(veal liver à la Lyonnaise’) that melts in your mouth with an explosion of perfectly matched flavours. Just mention the magic word ‘Lyon’ and I will get hungry. Lyonnaise food is certainly one of the best in France. In the 19th century, the most popular bouchons (small typical home-style food eatery) and restaurants were run by women from bourgeois families – they were called the ‘Mères’ (mothers). Thanks to their cooking, the Lyonnaise food scene became famous.

I improvised the recipe to my liking, as the original has onions, beef stock and parsley. I use shallots instead. I also got a great tip from my butcher – dredge each liver lightly with flour – the result will be perfect.

Ingredients:

4 slices of good-quality veal liver (I like mine not too thick)
4 shallots
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
50 grs butter
4 tbsp olive oil
30 grs plain flour (for dredging)
Salt & pepper
Handful of chopped parsley (optional)

Chop the shallots finely. Set aside. Prepare the veal livers on a plate, and dredge them lightly with plain flour. Shake off any excess flour. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook livers – I usually fry each sides for 2 minutes max, but if you prefer well-cooked fry or rare you can adapt the timing. Set aside. Add 1 tbsp butter to the same pan, throw in the shallots on high heat and fry until golden brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Serve with shallots on top of the livers. Sprinkle with parsley (optional), season with salt and pepper, and serve with mashed potatoes.

One of the best things about France are the markets. Ever since I was a child, I always looked forward to Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday mornings and would wake up extra early to get ready. Discovering nature’s seasonal offerings, tasting honey and dried sausages, buying pottery and spices are all part of the gourmet carousel. Colours, smells, music, atmosphere – it’s the best way to buy food.

The market we most like in Médoc is the one in St-Vivien-de-Médoc. This small village is very charming, and the main square turns into a vivid market every Wednesday morning until noon. I love to choose my fruits and vegetables from local farmers – their produce is always seasonal and fresh. After going to the markets regularly, I know where to go for the best eggs, best foie gras, best sausages, best garlic. Everybody has something good to offer.

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I came across this recipe a long time ago in an article I read about Sophia Loren. It was about her sons favourite dish, Livia’s meatballs. Livia was Sophia Loren’s long-time cook full of gastronomic treats. I love this recipe and always think of the iconic Sophia Loren and her sons when I make it. These meatballs are so delicious, especially the sauce that goes with it. I serve it with mashed potatoes. Needless to say my kids, especially my boy Hudson, love this dish.

My son Hudson and I on vacation in Marche, Italy.

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

500 grs minced beef or veal
4 pieces of stale white bread
300 ml milk
240 ml double cream
100 ml white wine
30 ml chicken broth
Flour for meatballs
Olive oil
A handful of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, pour milk and add the bread. Set aside and let the milk get absorbed in the bread. Squeeze the excess milk and save the bread. Combine saved bread and ground meat in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and shape meatballs 4-5 cm in diameter. Dredge each meatball in flour.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil (about 2cm of oil) on a medium heat and fry the meatballs on both sides by batch if necessary. Drain on a plate with paper towel.

Pour the excess oil from the skillet and scrape off any residue. Pour in the wine, and cook again on a stronger heat until it reduces by a quarter. Add the chicken broth and cream, lower the heat, and cook for 1 minute. Return the meatballs to the pan making sure all the meatballs are covered in the sauce. You can re-heat again on a low heat for 1 minute – do not let the sauce boil.

Sprinkle with parsley, serve with mashed potatoes and lots of sauce.

This golden risotto is my favourite of all. The delicate taste of the infused saffron mixed with the white wine empowers your senses – it’s the simplicity of these luxurious ingredients that make this dish so special. My kids love this meal and often make requests for this ‘yellow rice’. Risotto is very easy to make, the key is to be totally devoted to your saucepan for 15-20 minutes as you have to stir often. Serve with a salad or boiled spinach with lemon.

When I go to Milan, I usually try to go straight to ‘Antica Trattoria della Pesa’ (Viale Pasubio, 10 20154 Milano, Italy) – this Milanese restaurant leaves me with the fondest Italian food memories, and their risotto Milanese is the best ever, especially served with an osso bucco.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

350 grs arborio or carnaroli rice
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 litre chicken stock
1 dash of saffron threads
40 ml white wine
5 tbsp butter
10 ml olive oil
A handful of chopped parsley

Prepare your pan of boiling chicken stock and add the saffron – mix well – you will get a lovely golden stock.

In a large saucepan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil on a medium heat. Fry the onion until they soften (4 minutes), then add the rice until it is nicely coated with the oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the wine and let in reduce for 2 minutes. Add the saffron/ chicken stock one ladle at a time – make sure the stock gets well absorbed until you add the other one. This should take you approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked al dente. Stir in the butter, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley (optional). You can also add a few strands of saffron threads.

We just had a great meal at ‘Antica Trattoria della Pesa’.

At ‘Antica Trattoria della Pesa’.

The parsley and garlic potato cake is inspired from good times at L’Ami Louis (32 Rue Vertbois, 75003 Paris), one of my favourite restaurants in Paris. L’Ami Louis is legendary for its gargantuan portions of amazing French food served with the finest old Parisian charm. I love going there, especially on Sunday nights, and have a feast. Amongst their superb menu, one dish stands out to my taste, and it’s the galette de pomme de terre (potato cake). This side dish is served with almost anything, topped with a huge amount of parsley and garlic. Pure pleasure.

Ingredients (for 2)

5 large potatoes
6 garlic cloves (sliced fine)
2 handfuls of chopped parsley
1 tbsp butter
8-10 tbsp duck fat
Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat the oven on 180° celsius.

Start frying on a medium heat the sliced potatoes with one tbsp butter for 8 minutes. Pour 8 tbps (or more if you wish and according to your taste) of the duck fat onto the potatoes and continue frying till cooked and golden. You’d be surprised at how fast it cooks with duck fat. Flip potatoes constantly. Add salt. By 20-25 minutes they should be cooked. Put potatoes in a small cake mold and press gently with a potato masher or a large spoon so the potatoes take a good shape. You don’t want to mash the potatoes, just press them. Place in the oven for 5-8 minutes.
Take the potato cake out of the oven, remove from mold and place on a serving plate. Put the chopped parsley and fried garlic on top. Serve immediately.

At L'Ami Louis.

Once upon a time, there was a Persian woman madly in love with a prince. To make him fall in love with her, she baked him this cake, filled with magical love powers. So the legend goes for this nightingale of all cakes.
If I had to imagine a cake representing love, this would be close to the real thing. With enchanting ingredients like cardamom, rose water, rose petals, saffron and whipped cream, how can anyone resist this sweet temptation? Cardamom is the queen of all spices – Cleopatra burnt cardamom incense when Mark Antony visited, and the ‘Arabian Nights’ often refers to cardamom’s aphrodisiac properties. The rose and saffron cream icing gives this cake a beautiful golden glow, and when you add the candied rose petals mixed with pistachio nuts, that’s when the magic begins.

Ingredients

Cake:
140 grs plain flour
60 grs sugar
9 grs baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
60 grs canola oil
80 ml water
1 tsp lemon peel
¼ tsp ground cardamom
8 strawberries or raspberries (sliced and optional)

Cream icing:
25 cl whipping cream
60 grs fine sugar
A good pinch of saffron
1 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp pistachios (unsalted)

Candied petal roses
Untreated organic rose petals
1 egg white (whisked until foamy)
30 grs crystal sugar

Clean delicately the rose petals, and brush each rose petal gently with the frothy egg white. Sprinkle each rose petal with sugar and dry on a small wire rack or parchment paper covered plate for half a day, or even overnight. I put mine in the fridge because the weather is getting warm.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Prepare two cake tins of approx 20 cm with parchment paper and butter on the sides. Mix all the dry ingredients together: Flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Whisk egg yolks with the water and oil until double in size and fluffy then add the lemon rind. Add to the dry mixture. Whisk the egg white until stiff then fold in very gently to the batter. The key is to have an angel light fluffy chiffon cake so this part is very important. Pour equal parts in both cake tins and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes or until test-knife comes out clean. Leave to rest and remove from pans to cool on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool so you can spread the icing.
For the cream frosting:
Whisk the cream to ‘stiff’ peaks, gradually add the sugar, rose essence and saffron.
When cakes are cooled, spread the first cake with the cream frosting, add the sliced strawberries (optional) all over. Add the second cake (like a sandwich) and continue spreading the cream frosting. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and candied rose petals. I like to add some additional fresh rose petals (cleaned and rinsed) on and around the cake for maximum ‘beauty’ effect.

Now you can fall in love (or vice-versa!).

‘Eggs Benedict is the star, the Marilyn Monroe of brunch’ wrote A.A. Gill in ‘Breakfast at the Wolseley’. He is so right.

This decadent wonder dish, rich and voluptuous, is always a special meal, that’s why I made it last week for my husband’s birthday brunch. I decided to make my own English muffins, and they turned out exactly how I wanted them to be. Light, airy, and golden. I often hear rumours about Hollandaise sauce, on how hard it is made, whether it ‘splits’ or not, but I have to admit I find it rather easy. Perhaps I have had good practice, it takes me less than 10 minutes to make a good hollandaise. It’s really about timing and temperature. Once you got the hang of it, it’s easy. Egg poaching is successful if you stick to one golden rule – once you put them in the boiling water, leave them alone for 3 minutes and put a lid on. I added a few asparagus to this dish as they were in season and go so well with the sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 slices bacon (fried)
8 organic eggs (poached)
4 English muffins (see recipe)
12 asparagus – base trimed (optional)

Poached eggs:
8 organic eggs
2 tsp white distilled vinegar

Poached eggs:
In a shallow pan of boiling water, add 2 tsp of vinegar. Prepare your eggs by breaking them into little cups/pots so it’s easier to pour into the boiling water. When the water is boiling, pour in the eggs in different areas (maximum four at a time – or the water temperature will get cooler). Leave them alone, cover with a lid for 3 minutes, then check if they need a bit of ‘pushing and shoving’ to make their form rounder. You can use a large slotted spoon for this. Depending on how well you like your eggs cooked, 3-5 minutes should complete the task. When ready spoon each egg at a time onto a plate. Set aside.

Hollandaise sauce:
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp cold water
175 grs clarified butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper

Whisk the egg yolks with the water until light and foamy in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk non-stop until it becomes smooth and creamy, add the butter slowly and whisk away. I have a little trick – I lift the bowl on and off the heat regularly, so there is no chance I overcook the sauce. Finally add the lemon juice and continue whisking. The sauce should be creamy and fluffy. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Home-made muffins

English muffins:
300 ml lukewarm water
560 grs plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 egg whites

In a large bowl, pour the lukewarm water and mix first, the yeast, then the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well until smooth and add the stiff egg whites. Mix well. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour, if it’s too dry, add a bit of water. On a floured surface, knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. It’s quite an exercise, but well worth it. The dough should be elastic and silky. Place in an oil coated bowl (just rub a bit of oil on the sides and base of the bowl) and cover with a clean cloth. Let rise 1 hour in a warm place. Once risen, roll out again onto a floured surface and shape either with a round cookie cutter, a glass or simply with your hands (8 cm width and 2 cm thickness). Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and you can start frying them in a slightly oiled frying pan 4 minutes on each sides on medium heat.

Fry the bacon. Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 8 minutes max.

Finally, when all your ingredients are ready, all you have to do is assemble. First the muffin (toasted is better), buttered or not, add the bacon, then the poached egg, the hollandaise, the asparagus. Now you can indulge.