‘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.

This delicious and healthy pasta dish is perfect for a week-night dinner.  The kids adore this pasta – and I love seeing them eat their greens!  It’s so easy to make – you can use fresh or frozen broccoli (I always have a big bag of frozen broccoli in my freezer – so practical), and you will need a mixer/food processor – I own a Magimix and I can’t live without it.

Ingredients (serves 4)

600 grs broccoli (frozen or fresh)

10 cl double cream

400 grs spaghetti pasta (or any of your choice)

1 onion (chopped)

4 tbsp olive oil

Butter

Salt & pepper

Garnishing:

6 – 8 small slices pancetta (fried & crumbled) – optional

30 grs parmesan

Pre-boil the broccoli for 8 minutes.

In a frying pan, fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and golden on a medium to low heat, add the broccoli and continue frying for 5 minutes.  Add the cream and turn off the heat.

Transfer to your food processor and mix until you get a good texture ‘sauce’.  Transfer back to your frying pan.  Re-heat on the lowest heat possible.

Fry the pancetta.  Once fried transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess fat.  Chop finely – so you can ‘sprinkle’ over your pasta.

Cook the pasta of your choice (mine is spaghetti).  Drain and mix the broccoli sauce.

Finally, sprinkle with parmesan and pancetta.

The weather turned amazing again – after a stint of summer here in Médoc, we had the classic April showers a tad too long. As a result, the flowers and foliage are sublime and the grass is greener than ever. I couldn’t resist picking a few flowers to decorate a cake I have been longing to make on this sunny day – the garden cake. I have always imagined this sweet temptation to be served in a garden, with a glass of Pimm’s (very Wimbledon) and a pretty summer dress à la Scott Fitzgerald. This lovely cake is composed of two large meringues with whipped cream and berries in the middle and on top. I like a ‘melt in your mouth’ Italian style meringue, so the center should be slightly soft. Here’s a few good tips – the egg whites should always be at room temperature before whipping, you should use minimum 50 grams sugar per egg white (or they won’t set properly), add sugar tablespoon by tablespoon, gradually when the egg white starts forming, and use a large glass bowl to whisk the eggs.

Ingredients:

6 egg whites
350 grs caster sugar
250 ml whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
Big handfuls of your favourite berries – in this cake there are raspberries, blueberries, and red berries
Pretty flowers & leaves of your choice – mine came from my garden, they are used for decoration and not to be ingested. (make sure to rinse them well).

You can make this cake even more special by decorating it with edible flowers, just make sure to choose them well for safety reasons.

Pre-heat your oven 140° celsius.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to appear, then you can start adding the sugar gradually, spoon by spoon, until the whites become glossy then stiff – this should take approx. 10-12 minutes. I use an electric whisk.

On a parchment-lined baking tray, form two meringues (20 cm width/5 cm height), one next to the other, and bake for 45-55 minutes. When ready, take out of the oven and leave to cool.

For the filling:

Whip 250 ml cream till light and fluffy, add vanilla essence. I don’t add sugar to the cream as the meringues are sweet enough.

When the meringues are totally cool, add the whipped cream, scatter as many berries as you like, then sandwich the other meringue on top. Add more whipped cream on top of the second meringue. Now you can simply enjoy the last part of decorating your cake with berries, leaves and flowers – all things bright and beautiful.

Note: The flowers and leaves in the photo of the cake are only used for decorative purposes and not to be ingested.

View post ‘Garden cake revisited‘.

I have always loved ‘bouchée à la Reine’ – this classic starter is exactly what I love about French cuisine – elegant and old-fashioned. I like to have it simply as a main course with a salad on the side. It’s the kind of food you would buy at the ‘traiteur’ (delicatessen) or served at your great-aunt’s house for a ‘Proustian’ lunch. My simplified version of this small puff pastry includes chicken, morel mushrooms, onions, white wine and a bechamel sauce. It looks so dressed up, with a little hat on top. I love making this meal on the week-ends, and as I do a lot of cooking, I buy ready-made pastry shells, available in most supermarkets. All you have to do is the filling, bechamel sauce, and heat up the shells. If you can’t find morel mushrooms, you can replace with any mushrooms of your choice whether they are fresh, canned or dried.

Ingredients

8 vol-au-vent pastry shells
3 chicken filets, diced
70 grs/ 1/2 cup morel mushrooms, chopped (or any mushroom of your choice)
1 small onion, chopped
30 grs/ 2 tbsp butter
15 ml/ 1 tbsp white wine
Handful of chopped parsley

Sauce:

60 grs/ 1/4 cup butter
40 grs/ 1/4 cup flour
480 ml/ 1 cup milk
a pinch of thyme
1/2 cube chicken stock, crumbled
half a glass of wine (optional)
Coarse salt and pepper for seasoning

In a pan, fry the onion in the butter until soft and golden, add the diced chicken and fry for 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and fry 4-5 minutes – add the white wine and let the sauce reduce for 3 minutes. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven 150° celsius.

Prepare the bechamel sauce – melt the butter in a casserole, and gradually add the flour and the milk with a whisk on medium heat. Crumble in the cube of chicken stock. It should become thicker and thicker. By now you can add the half glass of wine – (this is optional). Lower the heat and stir firmly and quickly until desired thickness. Set aside.

Take out the pastry shells and heat for 8-10 minutes. Now you can mix the chicken with the bechamel sauce. Reheat slightly for 2 minutes on a low-heat. Fill generously each shell and place top ‘hat’ shell on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serve either as a starter or as a main course with a salad on the side.

I love baking these healthy and delicious cakes for my kids – it’s a great ‘gouter’ (tea-time snack) when they come home ‘hungry like wolves’ from school. In France, ‘l’heure du gouter’ is a sacred time for the kids – they sit at the table, talk about their day at school, and enjoy this afternoon snack before they go to play and finish their homework. I think the gouter is their favourite moment of the day!

This healthy carrot cake is easy to make and extra delicious with chopped pecan nuts.

Ingredients: (for 10-12 mimi-cakes)

150 grs plain flour
110 grs caster sugar
150 ml canola oil
50 grs chopped pecan nuts
2 eggs
3 grated carrots
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 grs baking powder
butter for lining cake mold

Vanilla cream-cheese frosting:

60 grs unsalted butter (room temperature)
130 grs philadelphia cheese or kiri
40 grs icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat the oven 180° celsius.

Cream the eggs and sugar and fluffy and smooth – I use and electric whisks. Add the oil and whisk for 1 more minute. Add the grated carrots, flour, baking powder and the chopped pecan nuts. Mix well and pour into your little cake mold. (I like these small cake molds – perfect child portion)

Bake approx. 20-25 minutes or until you ‘test-knife’ (dipping the blade of a knife to see of the cake is cooked) and it comes out clean.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack. You have to wait until is is completely cool before icing the cake.

For the icing:

Mix butter and cream cheese with a large spatula. You want to achieve a smooth paste. Add the vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar (it has to be sifted or the icing will have lumps).

Cream your cakes with the icing.

I was in the mood for a spicy Asian meal on this rainy Tuesday, so I prepared a Thai dish called ‘Crying tiger’ (it’s supposed to be so spicy that even a tiger would cry). It’s one of the best meals ever, you just have to prepare in advance the ‘marinating’ of the beef (2-3 hours, or even better, the night before). I always keep a bottle of Cognac for cooking – it does wonder to my sauces. You will need a good griddle pan to char-grill the beef.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 x good-quality sirloin steaks (faux-filet)
2 tbsp fish sauce/ nuoc mam
1 tbsp oyster sauce (most supermarkets have this)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cognac
2 garlic cloves (minced)
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp. sugar

For the serving sauce:

1 tsp chopped red chilli (just add what you can handle)
1 finely chopped shallot
Handful of chopped coriander
1 tbsp fish sauce/ nuoc mam
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
Finely chopped fresh lemongrass (if you can’t find this, then you can buy dried lemongrass)

Garnishing:

More chopped coriander
Sliced cucumber
Steamed rice

In a large bowl, prepare the marinade sauce with the fish sauce, oyster sauce, soya sauce, minced garlic, oil, sugar & cognac and stir well. Place the beef in the bowl and make sure to cover the meat in the sauce. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 2-3 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Prepare the steamed rice of your choice (I always buy mine in Asian supermarkets and I have a wonderful Cuisinart rice cooker – can’t live without it). Make the side sauce in a small bowl, with the chopped chilli, finely chopped shallot, chopped coriander, fish sauce and lime juice. Should you prefer a spicier, sweeter or more acidic sauce, simply season to your liking. I usually prepare 2 sauces, one for the kids without chilli, and one bombarded with chilli for the adults!

Heat your griddle pan to a maximum heat and when the pan is sizzling hot, grill the beef approx 3 minutes on each side, or to your cooking preference (medium, well done or ‘saignant’). The beef is best underdone, so try not to evercook it.

When ready, slice the beef thinly, place a handful of chopped coriander on top and drizzle with sauce. Serve with hot steamed rice, sliced lime and cucumber on the side.

A beautiful simple meal.

My eldest daughter is called Tiger.

This special yet simple dish recipe was given to me by one of my butchers in Paris. I could stay hours talking to him – he had the knowledge and ‘savoir-faire’ that I seeked.   He always had inspiring ideas and old-fashioned recipes that I love, and he sure knows how to cook  the ‘viande’ to his liking. I tend to associate turkey with Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays, and never thought I could end up with such a succulent and different dish. The sauce is a delightful mix of white wine, mustard, and crème fraîche – it is so good I always make sure to make a copious amount as everybody at the table always asks for more. I was advised to use slim turkey filets because the meat is softer than veal or chicken. Once cooked I serve these rolls sliced, and they look so inviting with the layers of ham and cheese. I like serving this with simple wheat (I use Ebly) – it’s a nice change from pasta or rice. My kids love this dish – they even call it ‘a gourmet meal’ because they think the rolls look so fancy!

Ingredients:

4 thinly sliced turkey breast filet

4 slices ham

200 grs grated Gruyère or Emmental cheese

200 grs crème fraîche

1 tbsp mustard (or 2 if you like it stronger)

150 ml white wine

Cooking ficelle/string to wrap your turkey rolls

Salt and pepper to taste

You’ll be needing a clean working surface, and aluminium foil to lay out the turkey filet. I always work with silicone gloves to make these roulades (rolls).

Lay the turkey filet flat and start layering with a slice of ham, then sprinkle a  generous  amount of grated cheese – make sure not to over fill as it won’t roll properly. Add some salt and pepper and roll the filet into a roulade and secure it with the ficelle (as if you were tying a string on a parcel).  See photo.  Repeat with the other filets.

Now you can start cooking your parcels.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan/ cocotte, when it starts to sizzle add the parcels until golden on all sides.  Don’t worry if it’s not cooked through as you will let it cook slowly later on.  When the turkey filets are golden, add the white wine and let it reduce for 4 minutes.  Lower the heat to its lowest setting and cover, letting it simmer for 20 minutes.  Finally add the crème fraîche and mustard for 1 minute and stir.  Before serving cut off and remove the strings, slice the roll (see photo). Voilà, c’est prêt!

Georges, my butcher in Paris.

I love having these little fish cakes – they always remind me of summer days, being by the pool at the Jockey Club in Hong-Kong, sipping ice-cold lemonades. It’s the typical food you would get at a ‘gastropub’, very cozy and British. I serve this dish with a simple purple endive salad – the bitter-sweet taste of the salad goes well with the lemon in the fish cakes, and the colour is so appetizing. Serve with a good quality mayonnaise (or home-made of course!). I buy the one from Maille (in the fresh dairy department) – it’s excellent.
Here’s a good tip, I make these cakes the day before and freeze them. Just wrap each fish cake in cling film. You can also make them early in the day, so you have time to refrigerate them. It’s important to let them get firm or they will break easily the frying process.

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes (about 5 large potatoes – peeled, chopped/cubed)
800 grs fresh salmon
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp mustard
A large handful finely chopped parsley
5 tbsp flour for dusting
1 lemon for garnishing
Salt & pepper

In boiling salted water, boil the chopped/cubed potatoes until cooked. When ready set aside to cool. In the same water, add a bay leaf and boil salmon for 5 minutes max. When ready set aside and discard skin. Let it cool.
When these ingredients are completely cool, mash the potatoes coarsely. I use silicone gloves and mash with my hands – much more fun. Add the mustard, juice and zest of half a lemon, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. ‘Flake’ in the salmon and mix together. Shape about 16 patties with your hands, and dust each patties with flour on each sides. Leave in fridge to set for minimum an hour. It’s important for the fish cakes to harden.

Fry in olive oil on each side until golden, about 4 minutes. Serve with mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon. Perfect with a glass of Saint-Aubin wine.

Yesterday the weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, so I wanted to have lunch ‘al fresco’. I decided to make a Niçoise salad, a perfect classic dish with all my favourite ingredients. And so healthy. I don’t put anchovies because my kids always pull a face when they see them – I try my best to make them eat and taste new and different things, but anchovies are hard to swallow. I learnt a little trick from chef Yves Camdeborde (he is the chef at Le comptoir du relais, 9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris it’s my favourite place in Paris to eat a salad Niçoise) – sprinkling little fried onions on the salad. You can buy them at the supermarket. It’s delicious! There are many versions of this salad, and here’s mine.

Ingredients (for 4)

2 cans of good-quality white tuna
A handful of french green beans (boiled)
3 potatoes (boiled and cut in slices)
15 cherry tomatoes (halved)
2 heads sucrine lettuce
3 boiled eggs
100 grs black olives
8 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 crushed garlic
Small handful of fried onions
Salt & pepper

Boil the eggs, set aside to cool. Boil the sliced potatoes and French green beans until cooked. Set aside to cool.

Wash and prepare the lettuce, slice the tomatoes, set aside. In a dressing bowl, prepare a basic vinaigrette with the olive oil, vinegar, crushed garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.

In a large salad plate or bowl, garnish the base with the lettuce salad. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, French beans, quartered eggs and olives in a circular display. Add the coarsely chopped tuna all over the salad, and drizzle with the dressing. Finally, sprinkle with the fried onions.

‘Eggs and soldiers’ is a perfect meal whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We often have it on Wednesdays because the kids don’t have school that day, and we love going to the charming Saint-Vivien de Médoc food market to buy fresh farm eggs from the fromagerie (cheese store). When you buy your eggs, you have to specify that you want to eat them soft-boiled. You will then be offered extra-fresh farm eggs to be eaten ‘à la coque’ (soft-boiled) within 5 days.
I like to serve the eggs with ‘ham’ soldiers (buttered sliced toast with ham). A truly satisfying meal.

Ingredients

4 fresh farm eggs
1 loaf of bread or baguette
4 slices ham
Butter
Salt

Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Place the eggs gently in the boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes. In the same time, toast the bread, butter lightly and slice into ‘soldiers’. Cut strips of ham and place on each piece of bread.

Serve egg in egg cup with the buttered ‘ham’ soldiers. Salt egg to your taste.