It’s that golden time of the year again when I can finally make one of my favourite delicacies, acacia flower fritters. The English name is locust flowers, we call it fleurs d’acacia (Robinia Pseudoacaci). Real acacias are bright yellow (from the Mimosoideae family), quite different to what we call acacias here. The fragrant blossoms are only available a few weeks during this season, so it’s best to pick them when they have just opened. They look like little bundles of grapes, with tiny white flowers that smell, and taste like honey, with a hint of jasmine, bergamot and orange blossom. Sounds like a dream? An edible one at least.

You can’t imagine how much fun it was to pick the flowers, the kids loved participating, so excited to know they would be having them as fritters. I can’t think of a more beautiful way to eat something sweet, so fragrant and fresh from the garden. It’s such a delicate pleasure to eat these little ephemeral beauties. The flowers usually bloom between ten to fifteen days, a very short-lived thrill, making the whole experience even more exciting. I am so thankful for these little magical culinary moments, such a good excuse to savour each fritter with a sip of sweet white wine. I am always in search of timeless moments, food that is a feast for the imagination as well as the eye.

Acacia (locust flowers) flowers fritters

For approximately 20-25 fritters (depending on size)

250 g/ 2 cups plain flour
2 eggs
200 ml/ 3/4 cup half or whole (full-cream) milk
150 m/ 2/3 cup beer
50 g/ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum (optional)
1/2 tsp fine salt
2 1/2 cups vegetable oil, for cooking the fritters
Icing sugar/ confectioner’s sugar, to dust the fritters

Note: If you feel you need to rinse the flowers, make sure to dry them well before frying. Only the flowers and little stems are edible so make sure to throw out the rest!

Mix all the ingredients together (except the flowers) in a large bowl until you get a smooth batter. Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes to one hour.

Heat oil in a saucepan, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch deep in the pan. To test if the oil is ready, fry a few drops of batter. If it sizzles and turns golden brown within seconds, it’s ready. Dip the flowers in the batter, drain slightly and fry in batches (about 3 per batch) until the fritters become golden brown, approx 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove fritters with pliers or slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Dust lightly with icing/ confectioner’s sugar before serving.

I think I’m in love with artichokes. I love to eat them, I love to look at them, I even love to think about them. They are just so beautiful and delicious tasting. Sometimes I put them in a vase, they are as beautiful as any flower. I can’t get enough of these shades of green mixed with purple. When they are in season I simply want them every day.

Once when we were in Rome, looking for something special, we asked a friendly waiter at a winebar to recommend a nice place to go for dinner. The theory being that if the place is good, they will know other good places. At first the waiter gave us a few names, places we knew, places we didn’t really like. I guess he saw the disappointment in our eyes because the next time he came to our table, probably with another glass of Brunello, he dropped a name card on the table. “Maybe you will like this place, it’s a bit … special”. The card simply said, “Ristorante Piperno”. More importantly it had a lovely illustration of artichokes. My heart told me instantly, “go there”. So we found ourselves having a second lunch, deep-fried artichokes, then more deep-fried artichokes and the rest I can’t remember, but it was lovely. Everything else about the place was magical, the uniformed waiters, the forest green walls, the old school feel. We’ve gone back every time we’ve been in Rome and for years that card sat on my dressing table as a beautiful souvenir of my beloved artichokes in Rome. Over time it was smudged and ruffled by sticky little fingers but I always picked it up and put it back on the table. One day it was gone forever, with all the kids and dogs it can be difficult to hold onto fragile belongings. But I’ll always have the memories.

The point is that, for me, an artichoke can only lead to good things. It happened again last week. We have a habit of going to markets and one of our favorite stalls is “la famille Aubert”, real farm people who grow beautiful organic vegetables. Their stall always have a very seasonal feel, filled with exciting fruits and vegetables, especially the irresistible purple garlic. They also sell flowers and their daughter Elodie makes Médoc’s best organic bread. For the last few weeks they’ve had the most glorious artichokes, tight, fresh and unbelievably green. I’ve always wanted to see their farm and finally asked if I could. The answer was, but bien sûr (of course).

It was a magical place, incredible artichoke fields graced by a house that anybody would want to live in and looks like it’s been painted to go with the vegetables they grow. Calling this place special is an understatement. I arrived home with about thirty fabulous artichokes and wanted to do something great. The first few I simply steamed and enjoyed picking them apart and dipping them in olive oil, lemon, garlic and salt. But I wanted more, something I had not made before. And then it hit me, a soufflé with artichokes. I frequently make soufflés, for dessert, with cheese. But never with artichokes. I experimented with a few sorts. One turned out too lumpy but delicious. Another one was great but the cheese overpowered my precious artichokes and we can’t have that. Finally I got it right, to my taste anyway. The kids loved it, my husband begged for more and my mother-in-law liked it, and she’s not even an artichoke fan.

I wonder what I will do next with my little green wonders, perhaps stuffed with pistachios and mint, almond and garlic? Let’s see…

Artichoke Soufflés

Ingredients: (serves 4)

Note: You will only be using the artichoke hearts for this recipe.

4 large artichokes
4 eggs, separated
250 ml/ 1 cup full cream milk
60 g/ ¼ cup butter
30 g/ 4 tbsp flour + extra for dusting ramekins
25 g/ ¼ cup grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
Salt and black pepper

For the artichokes:
Trim artichokes stem and cook in boiling salted water until tender – approx 45 minutes to an hour depending on size. Drain, remove leaves, remove fuzzy choke and reserve the heart (fleshy center part). Purée artichoke hearts with a vegetable masher until smooth.

For the cheese béchamel:
On a medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Whisk until smooth and gradually add milk whisking away. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until sauce thickens. Off the heat, add grated Gruyère or Comté, stir until melted. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then add the egg yolks, one by one, followed by the artichoke purée. Mix well until smooth.

Finally:
Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Add a pinch of salt then continue whisking until stiff. Fold egg whites gently into in artichoke/béchamel mixture.
Grease 4 ramequins with butter and dust with flour on all sides including base lightly. Fill the ramequins to 1/2-inch from the top with mixture.

Cook in preheated oven 180°C/ 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

“Sometimes to have a little good luck is the most brilliant planning”. Woody Allen, Crimes & Misdemeanors.

And sometimes good luck comes in the form of little yellow flowers. A few weeks ago we were “trespassing” (my husband’s specialty) in a vineyard, mesmerized by a yellow carpet of flowers on a little hill. We were caught in the act by the owner, Fabien Courrian, and instead of taking it badly he took it so well that he sent us home with six bottles of his wine. On top of if all he turned out to be the nicest guy. Last monday he called us again and told us they were bottling the 2011 vintage that’s been biding its time in barrels. At château Tour Haut-Caussan, they tend to make a meal of such events and he invited us to join him for a ‘simple’ lunch with the team.  A quick affair as they had work to do and bottles to fill.

Quick it was, just under four hours. We started nibbling on fresh, raw fava beans from their garden, saucissons secs, quiches and ham. Then came sizzling cuttlefish fillets, fried on the highest heat on coarse sea-salt, served with succulent confit red peppers. His sister Véronique mastered the tastiest chicken fresh from the nearby farm, beautifully flavoured with cognac, shallots and a very generous amount of garlic en chemise (with the skin on). She surprised us with the most irresistible lemon tart served with strawberries on the side. I felt so pampered, enjoying watching the sister/brother team preparing the food and entertaining us with enchanting stories.

Fabien was generous enough to let us pick any vintage we wanted of his delicious wine and he had even taken the trouble to find out my favorite Bordeaux white called ‘Elise ‘(which is by another happy coincidence made by his good friend). On top of all these goodies we sampled some of his father’s olive oil, which is made in the south of France and is as good as any I’ve tasted. But Fabien’s hospitality didn’t end there. After dinner he challenged my husband to a game of pétanque and then graciously lost 13 – 11. Since Fabien’s been playing the game since childhood and my husband has never played it before, it felt a generous gesture indeed – but don’t tell that to my husband.

Perhaps it was just beginner’s luck.

Squid with red peppers (serves 4)

8 slices fresh cuttlefish fillets (each fillet palm-sized)
2 red peppers, sliced into small squares
Coarse sea-salt
Olive oil
Black pepper, for seasoning

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté peppers for 20-25 minutes on a medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Using a sharp knife, lightly score to mark parallel lines 1/2 cm wide on the cuttlefish fillets. Heat a large pan and sprinkle coarse sea-salt all over (approx 3-4 tbsp). When the pan is sizzling hot, place cuttlefish fillets on top of salt and fry just under a minute on each side. Shake off excess salt and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, peppers and season with ground black pepper.

Roast chicken with shallots, garlic and onions with cognac

1 free-range farm chicken, 1.5 kg/ 3.3 pounds approx
2 heads of garlic (one head of unpeeled cloves, one head of cloves peeled and sliced)
4 shallots, sliced finely
1 large yellow onion, sliced finely
40 ml/ 1/8 cup cognac
Coarse sea-salt and black pepper
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven 180°C/ 350 F
Drizzle chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea-salt. Insert garlic cloves (from 1 head of garlic, unpeeled) in cavity.
Place into pre-heated oven and cook for 1 hour approx, until chicken is golden.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat olive oil. Combine sliced garlic (from the other garlic head), shallots and onions. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, then add the cognac. Reduce for a minute and continue to cook on a low heat for another 10-12 minutes, until soft, golden and glossy.  Add mixture to the chicken pan 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Lemon tart

Preheat oven 190°C/ 375 F
Juice of 1 and a half lemons
1 good-quality egg
150 g/ ¾ cup granulated sugar
50 g/ 3 ½ tbsp butter, melted
1 sheet ready-made shortcrust pastry roll

Line tart pan with pastry – spike base all over with a fork. Whisk egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine, butter and juice of lemons, whisk until blended. Pour mixture into tart. Place tart in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tart is golden. Leave to cool before serving.

Saint-Estèphe is a lovely village perched on a hill just above the banks of the Gironde estuary. It’s a tiny little place with a huge reputation – a reputation for making fine wines. Saint-Estèphe wines are considered to be some of the most robust and earthy of the region.  Saint-Estèphe also happens to be my favorite wine-making village in all of Médoc. It has a very charming little square with a church, a butcher, a wine store and a café that’s open sometimes. In summer, the banks of the estuary are covered with beautiful flowers in every color.  There are moments when Saint-Estèphe feels almost deserted and lost in time, it’s not a lively village by any means, but it’s just how I like it.

One of the rooms at Château Ormes de Pez.

In Pez, a nearby commune of  Saint-Estèphe, there is a small maison d’hôtes (guesthouse) in a château, Ormes de Pez, that I’ve always wanted to discover. It belongs to the Cazes family who own various other vineyards, such as Château Lynch-Bages, as well as restaurants and establishments in Médoc. As they’ve gone to great lengths in their endeavours to promote and improve the region I was curious to see what they had done with Ormes de Pez.

I found the château to be the sort of place I’d love to stay in if I didn’t live in Médoc. In fact I think I might like to stay there anyway, at least once. Beautifully understated rooms, incredible location and view. But then I expected that already. The real surprise of the day was L’Intendant, M. Gilles de Marcellus – the man who runs the place. As he took us through the rooms and garden I could sense that the kitchen was calling him. It turned out he had a rendez-vous with a nice piece of lamb he was cooking for guests that evening. Gilles kindly invited us to the kitchen and even if I just had lunch the inviting smell made me instantly hungry.

M. Gilles de Marcellus, L’Intendant at Château Ormes de Pez

In the car on the way home I had one thought in my head. I had to have that lamb. Now! So we turned the car around, headed back and asked Gilles for the recipe. He was only happy to oblige so we chatted a bit about different techniques and other recipes, including his version of ratatouille.  A crunchier, modern version he likes to serve with the lamb.  Then I headed to the butcher, M. Pigout, in Saint-Estèphe to get exactly the same lamb as Gilles had.  As they were preparing it we had a little moment in the church, me and my boys. It’s not a very big church but incredibly grand and beautiful for it’s size thus capturing perfectly the spirit of Saint-Estèphe. Small in size but full of character.

I made the lamb the following day and once it was in the oven I started reflecting on what to serve for dessert. With the lamb needing seven hours in the oven I had a lot of time to think. We had visited a cow farm with all the kids earlier in the week and I had several bags of fresh farm milk. They had to be used so milk would be the base of my dessert. In the end I decided on a simple chocolate creme pot served with my classic madeleines and a cachou Lajaunie cream on the side.  Those little licorice pastilles are another favorite, something I’ve cherished since my childhood. They’re little treats from Toulouse and I used to have them as a little girl spending summers with my grandmother. I like everything about them, the taste, the box, the memories they bring.

These little boxes are a reminder of everything I love about France and I hope they will never change.

For all information on Château Ormes de Pez, please send an email [email protected] Tel: +33(0)556593005

Lamb confit with thyme & ratatouille (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1.2 kg/ 2.6 pounds(approx) of lamb shoulder, deboned and tied

1 large carrot

1 tomato

1 onion

1 celery stalk

6 garlic cloves

A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary

1 bay leaf

30 g unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & black pepper

For this recipe, ask your butcher to debone and tie a 1.2 kg shoulder of lamb.

Preheat oven 140°C/ 280F

Chop all the vegetable coarsely. Set the garlic cloves aside, leaving the skin on.

In a large cast-iron pot, heat butter and olive oil. Brown meat on all sides, about 3-4 minutes each side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove meat from pot and set aside. In the same pot, add all the vegetable, garlic (skin left on), sauté for 2 minutes and return meat (with all its juices) to the pot. Add water (or chicken stock) halfway up to the meat. Add bay leaf. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Add sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top of meat. Season again with salt & pepper. Cover pot and place in the oven for 6-7 hours. Check on the meat every two hours, drizzle meat with cooking liquid. Slice meat, serve with ratatouille and drizzle with sauce and vegetables from the pot.

note: You can also heat the cooking liquid, add 400 ml/ 1 & 3/4 cups of lamb or veal stock, a small glass of white wine and reduce to half. Check the seasoning then pass it through a sieve into a bowl. Drizzle gravy on lamb before serving.

Ratatouille

5 tomatoes

2 aubergines/eggplant

2 zucchini

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

2 white onions

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

A few sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

Olive oil, for frying

Salt & black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tomatoes for 2 minutes or until the skin starts to crack. Drain and peel tomatoes. Deseed tomatoes. Dice all the vegetables into small cubes (see photos). Make sure to keep each vegetable in separate bowls.

Next, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Sauté each vegetable (they must be all al dente, slightly crunchy) at a time in the following order: onions, peppers, aubergines, zucchini, tomatoes with the crushed garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, mix all the ingredients together in the pan, mix well and turn heat off. Cover with a lid and set aside till serving time.

Petits pots au chocolat/ Chocolate creme pots (serves 6)

400 ml/ 1 & 3/4 cups full cream milk

100 ml/ 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp full cream

180 g/ 6 ounces black chocolate

2 egg yolks

25 g/ 1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat milk and cream in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half and remove the seeds with the edge of a knife.
Add seeds and bean to the mixture. Bring to a soft boil and take off the heat. Discard bean pod.
Pour mixture over egg yolks/sugar very slowly, whisking constantly until blended. Return to saucepan and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes, until mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Pour mixture slowly over chocolate, stirring constantly until melted. Pour into small ramequins. Leave to cool at room temperature and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.

Madeleines

Ingredients:

3 eggs

150 g/ 1 & 1/4 cup  plain flour

125 g/ 1/2 cup butter or margarine (melted)

130 g/ 2/3 cup granulated sugar

20 g/ 2 tbsp 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 (that’s better!). It is very important for the batter to be cold before baking – the thermal ‘shock’ is necessary for a good ‘bumpy’ round madeleine.

Preheat your oven 180°C/ 350 F

Butter and sprinkle your molds with flour. Add one good teaspoon of cold batter into the molds. Bake for 10 minutes depending on how big your molds are. When ready, use a round-edged knife to delicately lift each cake.  Makes about 15-20 cakes, depending on mould size.

Licorice custard cream sauce

180 ml/ 3/4 cup full cream milk

60 ml/ 1/4 cup  liquid cream

2 egg yolk

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

¼ tsp licorice Lajaunie (or you can use dark strong licorice, grated or sliced finely) – more or less, according to your taste

40 g/ 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl, set aside.

In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, vanilla, licorice and bring to a soft boil, making sure the licorice melts. Pour mixture slowly on egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and continue to stir on a low heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Take off heat and set aside to cool. Serve as a dipping sauce for the Madeleine cakes.

My grandmother always said that it takes time to adjust to a new season, so it’s important to gradually welcome the warmer days. She said ‘En Avril, ne te découvre pas d’un fil, et en Mai, fais ce qu’il te plaît‘. (In April, don’t undress to a thread, but in May, dress as you wish).  I was over-enthusiastic with the warm temperatures and caught a nasty cold last week.  April days can be so unreliable.  That’s why I was inspired to make the Tourin à l’ail, a delicious and nutritious garlic soup from the South of France, to fend away my debilitating state.  I made the Bordelais version which was the soup the vendangeurs (vineyard workers) would come home to.  This traditional soup, made with onions and garlic, is as earthy as it gets.  May I also add that garlic is an aphrodisiac? It was traditionally given to newlyweds on their wedding night, as a pick-me-up soup after all the drinking and dancing till the wee hours…  I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.  Could this be the miracle soup?  Mais oui!

From miracle soup we move to the world’s best cake.  To make our lunch more eclectic, my Icelandic mother-in-law baked her famous Icelandic ‘heimsins besta’, which translates ‘Best cake in the world’.  Johanna has been baking this cake for 30 years now.  It has become a must-make at birthday parties, confirmation parties, dinner parties, or just any occasion.  It’s so good and irresistible.  The kids were ecstatic that their grandmother baked such a treat for them.  I just find this cake so original, filled with surprising textures (caramelized rice crispies in the meringue) and taste.  After the last bite, I couldn’t wait to make it again.

Moving from amazing to peculiar things, I saw a white aubergine at the market.  I thought I had seen it all – but this white aubergine was a first.  As colours influence your mood, I felt very creative and wanted to make something pretty and floral as a dish.  I remembered Alain Passard’s beautiful rose apple tart, and got inspired to make a vegetable flower tart, filled with yellow zucchini, garlic and aubergine.  A whimsical thought can lead to wonderful things at the dinner table.  With the leftovers, I made a bright springy ratatouille, using the classing method without the peppers, rosé instead of red wine.  To jazz it up, a 5 & 1/2 minute boiled egg, which I gently fried in golden buttery breadcrumbs.  Soft inside with a slight crunchy outside, that’s what I call a little moment of culinary delight.

To end the day, Oddur, Louise and I went for a drive  to Saint Christoly de Médoc,  a charming village by the Gironde estuary.  Quaint and quiet, elegant and demure, I love this place.  There’s even a street called rue de Glycines, in other words Wisteria Lane, filled with purple and violet wisteria flowers everywhere.  Am I in a dream?  This is how I feel in Saint-Christoly.  I would love to share one of my best kept secret address, the antique store owned by Mme Anne Bouteiller called Côté Gironde.  It’s a gem in the heart of Médoc, and I think the photos speak for themselves.  Mme Bouteiller and I chatted, mostly about the beautiful old kitchen utensils, but also her love for food, her old cookbooks and what she was cooking for her friends that night.  As we know, in France, all conversations lead to the table.

Tourin à l’ail/ Garlic soup
1 whole head of garlic + 2 garlic cloves to fry/sprinkle, finely sliced
1 onion, finely diced
2 tbsp duck fat (alternatively olive oil)
1 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs (separated)
A few sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp xérès vinegar (or classic wine vinegar)
1.2 liters/ 5 cups chicken stock
Sea-salt & black pepper for seasoning

In a large pot, melt duck fat (or olive oil) and fry the onion for 2 minutes.  Add the peeled/ sliced head of garlic and continue frying for 2 more minutes.  The onion & garlic must not brown.  Add flour, stir and pour the chicken stock in the pot.  Bring to a soft boil, season with salt and pepper, add sprigs of thyme.  Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small frying pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and fry sliced garlic until golden and slightly crispy.  Drain on paper towel and set aside.
Purée soup using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender.  Return soup to pot and switch on medium heat.
Separate eggs.  Beat the egg whites in a small bowl and whisk continuously into the soup.  You should see thin strands in the soup.  Take immediately off the heat.  Whisk egg yolks with vinegar and dilute mixture into the soup, stir constantly to avoid any curdling.  Sprinkle with fried garlic and drizzle with a few drops of olive oil (optional).  Serve immediately with thinly toasted bread (I drizzle olive oil on baguette/ toast and grill for a few seconds or until golden.

My ‘spring’ Ratatouille with a breadcrumbed egg
(for a classic ratatouille click here)

Ingredients: (serves 4)

2 medium-sized white onions, sliced
2 yellow courgettes/zucchini, sliced
1 large aubergine/eggplant, cut into cubes
12 small ‘cherry’ yellow tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
25 ml rosé wine (or white – optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Slice all the vegetables accordingly.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onions until they are transparent. Add aubergine, courgettes, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes. Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and the wine (optional), stir gently, cover and cook for 20 minutes on a low heat.

For the breadcrumbed eggs:
4 eggs
40 g unsalted butter
4 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper, for seasoning

Place eggs in cold water.  Bring to a boil for 5 and 1/2 minutes, drain and place in ice-cold water.  Peel eggs.  In a small pan, melt the butter on a low heat, roll the eggs.  Increase the heat to medium,  gently sprinkle breadcrumbs on eggs using a spoon to roll egg until golden brown.  If you can’t get all the breadcrumbs to stick, no worries, just spoon the remaining breadcrumbs and sprinkle on the eggs when you serve.

Zucchini & aubergine tart

2 zucchini
1 large aubergine
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Olive oil
Sea-salt & black pepper

For the pastry:
250 g/ 2 cups plain flour
125 g/ 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cubed & at room temperature)
1 egg
1-2 tbsp cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together, start kneading until you get a good soft dough. Make into a ball, cover with cling film and store in the refrigerator for 2 hours. On a clean surface covered with parchment paper, add a dash of flour and roll out a disc to line your tart dish.

For the filling:
Slice zucchini, aubergine and garlic finely.  Line slices alternating zucchini/aubergine to create a rose-like patter until you reach the center.  Slide in garlic slices. Drizzle olive oil all over, sprinkle salt, pepper, fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves (see photo).

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180°C/ 350F for approx 30 minutes. Drizzle with little bit of olive oil before serving. (optional)

Meringue cake ‘Heimsins Besta Kaka’
(serves 10)

Meringue base and cover:
3 egg whites
200 g granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
350 g/ 2 cups rice crispies

Cream (to be spread on ‘cover’ meringue):
100 g chocolate
2 egg yolk
1 tbsp liquid cream

For the cream filling:
425 ml full cream (for whipping)
50 g dark raisins
50 g dark chocolate
(alternatively you can buy ready-made chocolate raisins!)

Over simmering water, melt the chocolate and dip raisins.  Place on parchment paper and leave to set and cool for 20 minutes.

Method:

Making the meringues:
Preheat oven to 160°C/ 320 F

Prepare 2 equal-sized cake moulds and line base with parchment paper.  Whisk egg whites and sugar and until it reaches stiff peaks.  Sprinkle baking powder on rice crispies and gently fold into stiff egg whites .  Spoon equal amounts of egg white mixture into both moulds, flatten surface with spatula and bake approx 35 minutes.  Gently unmould after 10 minutes and leave to cool completely on a baking rack.  Set aside.

For the filling:
Whisk whipping cream until fluffy/ stiff, fold in chocolate raisins.

For the ‘icing’ cream: (make this just after spreading the filling between the two meringue layers)

Over boiling water, melt the chocolate.  Off the heat, whisk in 2 egg yolks, followed by 1 tbsp full cream and mix well.

To assemble cake:
Using a spatula, gently spread cream on the base meringue.  Add the top meringue.    Spread icing all over on top /cover meringue, creating soft waves. Place cake in refrigerator and leave to cool for 2 hours before serving.

Sometimes on Sundays I get the call of the sea, especially when the sun shines through my bedroom window as I wake up in the morning. The ocean is only a few minutes away and it’s as if the rays of the sun bring la mer closer to my home. On beautiful days like that, I love going to the market in Soulac-sur-Mer, a timeless belle époque sea-side village in Médoc.

For me, there is no better way to start a day than with the energy of a bustling morning market. The fishmongers, discussing the ocean’s sightings, the farmers pride on their local produce, the oyster man who sells his catch and a charming, rather short man, who grows the tallest tulips I’ve ever seen, the variety I always associate with France.
I just enjoy walking through the crowds getting lost in my thoughts. I go with the flow, interested in each stall, hoping to find something extra-special, like freshly baked cakes, beautiful flowers or in my case, fried acras de morue (salted cod fritters), which I nibbled with delight while shopping for food. It’s impossible to resist a mid-morning snack at the market because everything is just so appetizing.

As I was discussing which flowers were in season with Marie-Annick (who to my delight had lovely peonies so early in the season), I caught a glimpse of the catch of the day at my favorite fish stall. Beautiful daurades (sea bream), perfectly laid and ready to be adorned with handfuls of herbs, onion, garlic and lemon. I love the pleasure of cooking an entire fish. I made sure to ask my fishmonger to empty, scale and clean the fish. So really, what I had to do was a mere job of decorating. So fresh, so interesting and most of all such a delight to prepare. Just like my garden cake, I did the same with the fish. Out in the garden, I picked what I needed to create a lovely herb garden fish!

For starters, I served lovely amandes de mer sautéed with garlic, olive oil and parsley with a dash of piment d’espelette. The poetic amandes de mer, in other words ‘sea almonds’, are called dog cockles in English. They have an almond-like flavor, and are cooked just like clams. While I was preparing lunch I couldn’t resist a few bulots, French marine snails that are so delightful dipped in a freshly whipped mayonnaise with a glass of crisp white wine.

Médoc has such variety, beautiful vineyards on one side, the majesty of the Atlantic ocean on the other. I feel so blessed to have the ocean near, I guess having grown up by a fragrant harbour means I need to be close to the sea.
Last monday when Sunday’s fish was but a memory and when the beautiful sunshine had made way for more dramatic skies we had a long walk on the beach. It was just the two of us and a few dogs. Watching them run on the beach reminded me of a passage from Hemingway’s ‘The old man and the sea‘.

‘He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy’.

I guess in Médoc even dogs can be lions.

Poêlée d’amandes de mer/ Dog cockles with garlic, parsley and piment d’espelette (serves 4)

1 kg/ 2-2.5 pounds amandes de mer/ dog cockles (or medium-sized clams variety)
A bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
3 tbsp olive oil
1 glass of dry white wine
Sea-salt and black pepper
A dash of piment d’espelette

Rinse cockles in water several times and drain.
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stir for 1-2 minutes. Add cockles, stir 30 seconds. Add white wine, season with salt and pepper. Cover, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes, or until cockles open. Add a handful of chopped parsley and sprinkle with piment d’espelette. Serve immediately.

Daurade with herbs (serves 2)

1 daurade/ sea bream fish, approx 800-900 g, scaled and gutted
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tbsp mustard of Dijon
2 spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
8 sprigs of thyme
6 bay leaves
A handful of parsley
1 tbsp mustard
Sea-salt & black pepper

Preheat the oven to 210°C/ 410 F.

Place a large piece of aluminium foil onto a clean surface. Add an equal-sized layer of foil on top. Fold over the edges so they are secured together.
Place the fish onto the foil. Spoon one tablespoon of mustard and rub inside the fish cavity. Stuff the diced onion inside (keep 1 tbsp to scatter later on fish). Sprinkle fish with lemon zest, chopped parsley, thyme, diced onion, garlic, sliced spring onions and lemon juice. Drizzle olive oil all over fish, and add the bay leaves, inserting one in the fish cavity. Season with sea-salt and black pepper. Add another sheet of aluminium foil and carefully seal all edges of the foil to form an enclosed parcel. It should be tightly sealed so that the fish steams as it cooks without any steam escaping.
Place the fish in a roasting tray and transfer to the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on oven strength. When cooked, remove from the oven and place onto a large serving plate. Carefully undo the foil.
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley and squeeze fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately with steamed vegetables.

Two nights ago we were driving through the vineyards and saw the most spectacular view in Blaignan-Médoc. Millions of golden yellow flowers drizzled all over the growing vineyards, and to add to the show, a beautiful old windmill in the middle of it all . It was a picture perfect moment, but as my husband had forgotten his camera, we decided to return the next morning.

M. Fabien Courrian

We came back to the beautiful spot, and walked through the vineyards with our beloved fox-terrier Sky. She’s our most joyful dog, so it suited her to run through the yellow field of dreams without a care in the world. We were just in time, as the flowers were being removed by the workers, patch by patch. A necessary procedure to prevent the flowers and roots to interfere with the vines. Oh well, at least we enjoyed the last of it!

To make our picturesque moment even more special, we bumped into the owner of Château Tour Haut-Caussan, Mr. Fabien Courrian. The Courrian family have lived in Blaignan-Médoc since 1634. Fabien greeted us so warmly, told wonderful stories, and gave us a tour of the fully functional family windmill (it was restored in 1981), followed by a visit to the château. What I loved most about the château/ family home is the warmth it exudes. You can feel the laughter, the close-knit family and above all the generosity of its owners. Fabien was very proud to show us his open table, where he greets friends and clients who drop by. If you are lucky, there will be good food waiting for you, an entrecôte grilling in the fireplace or a rustic stew. What an idyllic life! Wine, food, friends, a château and a windmill – a dream come true and an inspiration for all.  We left his home with a case of wine, a generous gift from Fabien. The windmill is on every label, just like a family crest. I told my husband that life was just like in the movies, and we’re right in it!

When we arrived home, the kids were anxiously waiting with my mother-in-law to jump in the pool. We set a table in the garden, and I rushed in the kitchen to make a perfect starter dish after our little vineyard visit. A vignarola, in other words a spring vegetable stew. Fresh fava beans, peas, artichokes, spring onion, parsley, mint and a dash of pancetta (or guanciale) are the ingredients for this delightful Roman dish. As a matter of fact, this dish is called vignarola (vigna, vine in Italian) because all the vegetables were known to be grown in between rows of Roman grapevines. As they had to be picked to give the vines space to grow, the vignarola recipe was born. At least that is what I heard from my Roman friends. When we were walking through Fabien Courrian’s vineyards, he plucked a few tender spring onions from the vines. We tasted a few, raw and fresh from the earth. ‘Best to be eaten steamed, accompanied by a vinaigrette, just like asparagus!’ he said.

For the main course, I made my family’s favorite chicken dish. Roast chicken with crème fraîche, garlic, shallots and herbs. I love the simplicity of the recipe. The result is the softest, juiciest chicken, filled with all the aromas of a rustic French kitchen. Who would have known that crème fraîche could work such magic in the oven.

After a beautiful lunch al fresco, we enjoyed a family gardening day – Wednesday afternoons are leisure days, because the kids don’t have school. I love this break-free day, making us feel that the school week is slightly shorter. We planted more roses, lavender, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs and camelias. I am especially excited about the tomato crops, as they were such a success last year. We all refilled our energy with a nutritious gâteau au miel, a golden brown honey cake, so old-fashioned, perfumed with orange blossom water.

It was a magical day, as if summer visited spring for one brief moment. All I can think of now are windmills and the warm, bright fun filled days that await us. This week was a sneak preview and I must say it’s looking good.

ps: By the way, I need your vote! I was recently nominated on Saveur magazine’s annual food blog awards 2013 for ‘Best Regional Cuisine Blog’! Voting closes on April 19th – that’s tomorrow! Click here to vote (you’ll just need to register – takes a minute). Merci! Mimixx

La Vignarola (spring vegetable stew)

2 large artichokes or 4-5 small artichokes (usually sold in a bunch), trimmed and quartered
250-300g/ 2 cups fresh fava beans (or frozen), shelled
250-300g 2 cups fresh peas (or frozen)
1/2 small head of romaine lettuce, chopped finely
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced
50 g/ 2 ounces pancetta or guanciale, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice + a few squeezes of lemon for the artichokes
A small handful of parsley, chopped
A small handful of fresh mint, chopped

If you are using large artichokes: Using a sharp knife, trim the artichoke bottom and stem until the pale leaves appear. Cut in half. With a spoon, remove the prickly spines and fuzzy choke. Cut into 4 wedges.
If you are using small artichokes: Same as above, but you don’t have to remove any fuzzy choke. Set aside.

For the fava beans and peas: Pod the fava beans and peas. Remove the skin on the fava beans (unless you buy ready-peeled fava beans). Set aside

In a medium-sized pot or shallow saucepan, sauté the sliced pancetta along with the spring onions in 2 tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes.
Add the artichokes, season with salt and pepper, add 2-3 tbsp water, cover and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the fava beans, peas and romaine lettuce. Add a tbsp or two of water if necessary. Cover again and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Drizzle with 1 tsp lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley/mint just before serving.

Roast chicken with crème fraîche and herbs

1 whole chicken, approx 1.2 kg/ approx. 3 pounds
300 ml/ 1 & 1/4 cup crème fraîche (you can also use fromage blanc – alternatively, you can mix 2 tbsp buttermilk or sour cream with 1 cup heavy cream)
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 shallot, finely sliced
A large bunch of parsley, chopped
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Sea-salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350F

Take out the chicken approx 30 minutes before cooking so it is at room temperature. Mix crème fraîche with finely chopped garlic, parsley, thyme, sea-salt and black pepper. Spoon half of the mixture inside the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken securely with kitchen twine.  Rub the remaining cream all over the chicken (make sure to rub under the thighs and wings).   The cream must be thickly spread on chicken (see photo).  Sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea-salt on top of chicken.
Transfer to preheated oven and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Check pan halfway and add 2-3 tbsp of water if the sauce in the pan starts to dry out.

Serve with mashed potatoes. After boiling peeled potatoes (I count 2 medium potatoes per person) add one egg yolk and 30 g/ 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp crème fraîche, salt to season)

Gâteau au miel (Honey cake)

150 g/ 1 & 1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp orange blossom water
100 g/ 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
50 g/ 1/4 muscovado sugar (you can also use brown cassonade sugar, the cake will be slightly lighter colored)
100 ml/ 7 tbsp honey + 3-4 tbsp to drizzle on cake

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350F

In a bowl, mix sifted flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until frothy. Add honey, milk, orange blossom water, butter and mix well. Add sifted flour and baking powder.

Butter and base-line a cake mould with parchment paper (my cake mould is approx 8 inches wide).

Pour batter into cake mould and bake in preheated oven for approx 25 minutes. Unmould after 5 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.  Just before serving, drizzle honey all over cake. (if honey is too thick, heat it gently for a few seconds on a very low heat)

April is the month for asparagus. They stick out their pretty little heads, as if to see that spring is really here and then they come out in force, taking over market stalls, supermarket shelves, restaurant tables and domestic kitchens. For a precious few weeks they even dominate the conversation in big parts of Europe. I just love the delicate flavor of a superb white asparagus, slightly nutty and bitter with a sweet aftertaste. Forged in darkness, protected from the sun, they have an iridescent pale ivory color with hints of pink and violet. I can’t think of a prettier hue, to me they are like porcelain magic wands found under a rainbow, somewhere out there.

Which brings me to the delightful Monsieur & Madame Benard who grow some of the best white asparagus (asperges des Sables des Landes) I’ve ever had. Yesterday morning I was lucky enough to spend some time on their asparagus farm, learning all about asparagus growing and even more importantly, bringing home a basketful. The Benard’s are very lively people, fun to be around and full of pride for their earthy produce and the possibilities they bring to the kitchen. The asparagus looked so inviting laid out on the table, some of them so fine, so delicate, others more robust but more flavorful. We talked about cooking and countless recipes. Other customers pitched in with their ideas, a local doctor with very thick hair said that his favorite was green asparagus with morilles mushrooms, a lady and her husband preferred big white ones with Hollandaise sauce. In the end Astrid (Mme Benard) and I decided on three recipes. My favorite with poached egg and vinaigrette, her favorite wrapped in local smoked trout from Aquitaine and a classic gratin that I thought might please my mother-in-law who has just come to stay with us. Don’t we all want to please our mothers-in-law.

Asparagus really is a regal vegetable (the privilege of kings and their court in days gone by), growing it requires a lot of work and it is always picked by hand. Watching Astrid and her team carefully going over the fields, excavating the asparagus one by one from the sand was very informative and the strenuous efforts behind each and every asparagus make me appreciate it even more. Which is why no part of it should be wasted. As I was leaving Astrid reminded me to use the end bits for a soup. Making that soup is a lovely way to feel thrifty and luxurious at the same time.

I addition to their asparagus endeavours the Benard’s have just started growing apple trees, eight varieties no less. In a fortnight they will be in bloom and in the fall they’ve invited me for the harvest so well be seeing more of them this year.

Merci Astrid! Quel plaisir gourmand!

Asparagus with vinaigrette & poached egg (serves 4)

For the vinaigrette:

5 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mustard
1-2 garlic cloves, ground
1 & 1/2 tsp walnut vinegar (alternatively, you can use wine vinegar)
Salt & pepper – for seasoning
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir until the vinaigrette is smooth.

For the poached eggs:


4-6 eggs
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

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 minutes should complete the task. When ready spoon each egg at a time onto a plate. Set aside.

For the asparagus:

A bunch of asparagus, depending on size count 4-6 asparagus per person.
A handful of chives (chopped finely)

Wash the asparagus under cool running water and trim away the bottom 1/3 of the stalk. With a vegetable peeler, peel off the rough part (leave the tip intact).

Fill a medium to large saucepan with water, about half way to the top. Add salt and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly – cook for 10 minutes, or until crisp and tender, depending on thickness of asparagus. Drain and place on a serving plate. Place poached egg on top, drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with chives.

Gratin of asparagus with cheese béchamel

1 large bunch of fresh asparagus, approx 500-600 g/ 1 -1&1/2 pounds

For the béchamel sauce.

40 g/ 3 tbsp butter
40 g/ 1/3 cup plain flour
350 ml/ 1 & 1/2 cup milk
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
80 g/ 3/4 cup grated Comté cheese (or any of your favourite hard cheese)
80 g/ 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
A small handful of fresh breadcrumbs (one slice of bread will do)

Preheat oven 210°C/ 410F

For the béchamel sauce:

In a saucepan, on a medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Whisk until smooth and gradually add milk whisking away. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until sauce thickens. Off the heat, add grated Comté, parmesan cheese and black pepper, mix well until melted. Set aside.

Wash the asparagus under cool running water and trim away the bottom 1/3 of the stalk. With a vegetable peeler, peel off the rough part (leave the tip intact).

Fill a medium to large saucepan with water, about half way to the top. Add salt and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly – cook for 10 minutes, or until crisp and tender, depending on thickness of asparagus. Drain and place on a buttered oven-proof dish. Pour béchamel sauce over asparagus, drizzle with breadcrumbs. Cook in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. You can place dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes towards the end if you prefer (it will brown faster).

Trout & asparagus rolls (Mme Benard’s favorite recipe – for 4 small rolls)

4 slices of smoked trout, about the size of a palm (alternatively, you can use smoked salmon)
8-10 fine asparagus
Black pepper, for seasoning
Fresh chives, chopped finely

Preheat oven 210°C/ 410F

Wash the asparagus under cool running water and trim away the bottom 1/3 of the stalk. As the asparagus should be quite fine, you don’t need to peel off any hard skin.

Fill a medium to large saucepan with water, about half way to the top. Bring to a boil (do not add salt as the smoked trout is very salty). Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly – cook for 4 minutes, or until crisp and tender.

Divide/cut asparagus into 3 equally sized pieces. Place three to four pieces diagonally on each slice of smoked trout and roll tightly. Sprinkle with Comté cheese and cook in a preheated oven, on a high rack, for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and slightly golden. Sprinkle with black pepper and finely chopped chives.

Asparagus soup (serves 4)

400 g/ approx 1 pound asparagus (You can also use Mme Benard’s tip and use leftover peeled coarse ends – if the end result is a bit stringy, just pass the soup through a sieve).
2 small potatoes, peeled
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 litre/ 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
120 ml/ ½ cup crème fraîche (or sour cream or heavy cream)
Salt & pepper

Chop the asparagus coarsely, keep the tips and set aside. In a pot, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, fry the potatoes and onion for two minutes, add the chopped asparagus (not the tips), stock, salt and pepper, bring to a soft boil and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Towards the end, add the asparagus tips for 4 minutes and remove them – set aside. Transfer soup to a blender and blitz briefly until soup is smooth. Add crème fraîche, reserved asparagus tips, stir and serve immediately. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives.

A well-spent Sunday is one of my favorite things. No matter what we do on a Sunday, it always involves a long family walk in the forest or by the sea, with all our children and most of the dogs. It’s a heart-warming ritual, good for the soul and revitalizing for the mind. There’s an absence of structure and restrictions, where I want to forget about time and go with the flow.

Yesterday, we woke up rather late because the kids had their annual school ‘spectacle’ the night before. We started the day feeling light and happy, recalling all the highlights of their wonderful show. It’s so sweet to see how emotional children get when the show is over. They enjoyed the rehearsals, the costumes and the music – it’s been a big musical build-up. During our long walk in the woods towards the end of our lazy day, the dogs enjoyed harassing cows at a nearby farm, the kids tried to collect as many insects and flowers as they could find, and I, armed with my best pair of garden cutters even got myself a big bunch of fresh bay leaves.

Preparing a Peshwari naan bread.

On our way back home, we suddenly realized it was much later than we thought. We seem to have lost one hour of the day recently and I don’t think we will find it again until the fall. I started hearing small drum beats in my head, thinking that Monday was coming, the kids had to get organized for school, no one had done their homework. Oh well, sometimes it’s just fine to let go and take it easy. So we hurried home and each took care of our business, the kids did their math and grammar, my husband fed his ever-hungry dogs and I got down to cooking. Thankfully all I had to do was my quick and easy butter chicken, steam some rice and roll out my naan bread dough (previously prepared in the morning). I often make this on Sunday or Monday nights. This recipe is like a little weapon in my life, something I can take out and turn an unplanned meal into a smashing meal in less than 30 minutes. I always have all sorts of spices, cans of tomatoes, tomato paste and a few chicken filets in the fridge. I recently started using crème fraîche instead of greek yogurt, resulting in a richer and creamier sauce. If you want to make this dish extra-special, you should try the Peshwari naan bread recipe. Filled with pistachios, almonds, coconut, raisins and fennel seeds, these naans are a perfect match to the butter chicken dish. It’s best to prepare them in advance, but it’s well-worth it and very easy to make. I prepared the naan dough in the morning, so all I had to do was add the filling, roll them and put the oval-shaped wonders under the grill. All so smooth and easy like Sunday … evening.

Butter chicken & peshawari naan.

Butter chicken

4-5 chicken filets, sliced into small pieces
60 g/ 1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped finely
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 can chopped tomatoes (400 ml – drained)
4 tbsp tomato concentrate
2 tsp fenugreek
2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp chilli powder (or more if you like it hot)
3 tsp garam masala
200 ml/ 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp  crème fraîche (you can also use sour cream or greek yogurt)
1 bay leaf
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper
A handful of fresh coriander leaves, to sprinkle on each serving
A small handful of flaked almonds, to sprinkle on each serving.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and brown chicken pieces for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside. Add butter to the pot, once melted add the onion, garlic and ginger. Let the ingredients sweat for a 2 minutes, then add all the spices, salt and pepper, cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, cook for another minute. Return chicken to the pot, mix all the ingredients together. Add the crème fraîche, stir again and lower heat. Simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add additional salt if necessary.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves, flaked almonds and serve with freshly steamed basmati rice.

Peshwari naan bread (makes about 5 medium-sized naans)

240g/ 2 cups plain flour, sifted , plus extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp active yeast (grains)
1 tsp sugar
120 ml/ ½ cup milk, lukewarm
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter, melted, for serving
A handful of flaked almonds
A small handful of chopped coriander

Filling:
150 g/ 2/3 cups mixture of dried coconut, ground pistachios, chopped raisins and ground almonds.
½ tsp ground fennel seeds (optional)

In a small bowl, mix milk, active yeast and oil together. Leave for 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift flour. Add salt, sugar, baking powder and mix well. Make a well in the center, add the liquid ingredients and start mixing the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until you get a soft dough. Shape into a ball, leave in the bowl (oiled), cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour.

Divide the dough into 5-6 balls, cover, leave to rise in a warm place for a further 15 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the balls to a small palm-sized circle, add a tbsp of nut mixture in the center (making sure to leave 2 cm/ 1 inch to the edge). Wet the edges with a bit of water, fold the circles in half. Roll again to an oval shape, so all the nut mixture get spread out in the naan.

Place the naans on a hot pre-heated baking tray, and place in the oven on the grill setting for about 2 minutes, until they puff and have a few brown patches.
When ready, brush naans with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked almonds and chopped coriander. Serve immediately.

The sails go round with a heavy swing

As the wild wind plays on the hill;

And the corn is crushed, and the flour is ground

Right merrily at the mill.

March 30^th, Birthday Book for Children , Kate Greenaway

I couldn’t resist sharing this extract from Kate Greenaway’s ‘Birthday book for children’.  It’s impossible not to flick through the wonderfully illustrated pages filled with delightful writing for each birthday of the year.  Her work is a gentle reminder to keep our inner child awake forever.

This week-end has been all about Easter, eggs and my birthday.  I consider myself lucky to have an ‘all-in-one’ theme during this long Easter week-end.  Pretty pastel-colored eggs, chocolate, bunnies and cherry blossoms are such inspiration and joy.  I have the most delightful tradition on my birthday every year, to sit under my favorite tree and make a wish.  Nothing beats the intense feeling of looking up through the dreamy branches of pink petals under the early spring sun.  A magical moment.

We decided to combine Easter and my birthday lunch on Saturday.  Symbolic food adorned the table, from the potage aux primeurs, a simple yet beautiful soup dedicated to spring.  Eggs in cocotte with foie gras, bread-crumbed milk-fed lamb with roast potatoes for the main course.  For my birthday cake, I got to choose.  It’s all about getting what you want, right?  So I decided to make a Tropézienne tart.  Brioche, gently perfumed with orange blossom water with a beautiful vanilla custard and Chantilly cream in the middle.  In 1955, Alexandre Micka, a boulanger and pâtissier in St Tropez,  was hired to cater all the meals for Roger Vadim and his crew when they shot the movie ‘Et dieu créa la femme’ (When God created woman’) with Brigitte Bardot.  He once made a tart, inspired from his native Polish roots.  Everyone loved it so much, especially Brigitte Bardot, so they decided to call it ‘La tarte Tropézienne’.  There are quite a few versions, and this is the one I like most, so I hope you will enjoy it.

We organized an Easter hunt in the garden, hiding eggs and chocolate bunnies everywhere, especially on the blossoming trees to make it extra difficult for the kids.  It was so much fun to see our littlest Gaïa Johanna egg-hunting.  This is her first ‘real’ hunt for eggs, you should have seen the look on her face when she found a chocolate bunny hidden in the tree!  Chocolate is her favorite thing, she calls it ‘colo’.  Now she thinks there is ‘colo’ in the garden everyday, everywhere.

To complete the chocolate theme, my husband surprised me with a gorgeous Smooth Fox Terrier puppy he brought back from England. She’s from our favorite Smooth breeders, Jenny and Roger of Glendraterra, our second one from them. Her name is Glendraterra Jean Genie after the Bowie song, she even likes his new album and so do I.  She’s a striking brunette, refined and elegant as only a Smooth Fox Terrier can be.  I am overwhelmed by her beauty and grace.

Recipes:

Potage aux primeurs (spring soup)

Ingredients:

2 leeks, white part only, cut in julienne strips
150 g/ 1 cup green peas (preferably fresh peas, but frozen are fine too)
150 g/ 1 cup fava beans (shelled)
1 large carrot, cut in julienne strips
2 turnips, diced finely
2 litres/ 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
A handful of celery leaves, chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped (to be sprinkled on soup when served)
Salt and black pepper, for seasoning
4 egg yolks
Croûtons

For the croutons:
Half a stale baguette/ small country bread
Olive oil
Salt
1 garlic clove

Slice stale bread into small cubes.  Place in a bowl, add the ground garlic, salt and drizzle with olive oil.  Mix well.  Place on a baking tray (lined with parchment paper) and place in pre-heated oven (350° on grill mode for minutes.

For the soup:
Wash all vegetables, slice and chop according to ingredients list.  In a large pot, bring the stock to a boil and add all the vegetables.  Turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of  the soup to blend.  Take soup off the heat and add the egg yolks, making sure to whisk continuously to avoid any egg curdling.

Spoon soup into bowls, season with salt and pepper to your taste, sprinkle a few parsley leaves and croutons.  Serve immediately.

Eggs in cocotte with foie gras

3/4 cups full cream (200 ml)
4
eggs
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
2
clove garlic
1/2
teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1
tablespoon salted butter
A dash of piment d’Espellete (optional)
6 small chunks of foie gras (optional)
Coarse salt and black pepper
A few slices of toasted baguette bread (or any bread you like)

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

Prepare 4 individual ramekins.

In a saucepan, bring the cream to a soft boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and mix well. Set aside.

Rub garlic in the base of each cocotte (keep remaining garlic for the bread). Pour the hot cream evenly into each cocotte, and break the eggs in one by one into the cream. Place a sprig of thyme, add black pepper, a dot of butter and cook uncovered in a preheated oven for approximately 5 minutes.  Put in a slice of foie gras on top of each egg and bake for 2-3 more minutes.  The eggs should not be overcooked and slightly runny.  (note: If you do not use foie gras, bake the eggs in cocotte for 7-8 minutes)

Rub toasted baguette bread with the remaining garlic clove. Sprinkle each cocotte with piment d’Espelette (optional).  Serve with eggs immediately.

Roast bread-crumbed lamb with potatoes, garlic and parsley

1 milk-fed lamb shoulder – approx. 1 kg/ 2-2.5 pounds (épaule d’agneau de lait)
½ cup olive oil
5 slices of stale bread (for breadcrumbs)
850 g/ 1 & ½ pounds potatoes (peeled and sliced in rondelles)
9 cloves garlic (keep 4 for the lamb, and 5 sliced for seasoning)
80 ml/ 1/3 cup good-quality beef or vegetable stock
A large bunch of parsley
60 g/ 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper, for seasoning

Preheat oven to 210°C/410°F

Rub meat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat lamb with the breadcrumbs and place in a large roasting pan. Dot lamb with butter and place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove lamb from roasting pan and set aside on a large plate.  Cover loosely with aluminium foil.  Add potatoes and garlic cloves to the roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.  Return lamb to the roasting pan (place on top of potatoes), pour in the stock,  and cook for a further 25-30 minutes (or until lamb is cooked to your taste).  You can cover lamb with a piece of foil to avoid the breadcrumbs to burn.

Chop garlic and parsley finely and sauté in a little olive oil for 3 minutes on a medium heat.

Place potatoes and lamb on a large serving plate.  Sprinkle garlic and parsley on top of lamb.  Serve immediately with flageolets beans.

Tropézienne tart

300 g/ 2 & ½ cups plain flour, sifted
25/ 2 tbsp granulated sugar
3 eggs
120 g/ ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
50 ml/ 3 & ½ tbsp lukewarm full-cream milk
12 g fresh yeast (levure boulangère)
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp orange blossom water
A good handful of small sugar grains (to sprinkle on brioche)
A dash of icing/confectioner’s sugar (to sprinkle on tart just before serving)

For the eggwash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water

Mix both ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the brioche:
Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl the lukewarm milk. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it turns frothy. In a large bowl, mix sifted flour, salt, sugar, yeast and butter. Add eggs, orange blossom water and mix well with a big wooden spoon. Start kneading until you get a smooth ball-shaped dough, about 8-10 minutes. Cover bowl with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm room/environment for 2 hours.

Start kneading the dough on a non floured surface, just to get rid of a few trapped air bubbles, about 1-2 minutes. Line the brioche mould generously with butter and place the dough inside. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise again for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. With the help of a brush, glaze the surface of the brioche with the egg yolk. Sprinkle with sugar grains all over and bake brioche for 30 minutes. If the top starts to brown too much, place a sheet of parchment paper to protect.  Set aside, unmould after 10 minutes and leave to cool on a pastry rack.

For the crème patissière (vanilla custard cream)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
400 ml/ 1 & ¾ cup full-cream milk
200 g/ 1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
60 g/ ½ cup corn starch (maïzena)
160 g/ 2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp orange blossom water
180 ml/ ¾ cup  whipping cream

In a saucepan, bring the milk to soft boil with the vanilla seeds and sugar.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the corn starch.  Pour the milk into the egg/corn starch bowl, whisk continuously.  Return mixture to saucepan and stir on a low heat until the cream thickens (it should have a thick cream consistency).  Set aside.  Add half of the butter and stir until blended.  Pour cream in a bowl, cover and set aside until completely cooled.  When cooled, whisk until it becomes smooth, add the rest of the butter and continue to whisk until the cream becomes fluffy and light. Prepare the whipped cream and combine to the vanilla custard cream.

Carefully slice brioche in half horizontally. Smooth cream mixture over bottom layer, and place second layer on top. Make sure to refrigerate for 1 hour.  Just before serving, sprinkle the cake with icing sugar.