Chicken Basquaise is a typical Basque dish, cooked in ‘piperade‘ sauce.  It comes from the Basque word ‘biperra’ meaning chili.  The piperade sauce is composed of onions, garlic, chilis, Bayonne ham, tomatoes and olive oil.  Since fresh chilis (piments doux) aren’t always in season, they can be replaced by peppers and piment d’Espelette instead.

I have an admiration for Basque cuisine, so full of flavors, rich in colors, highly influenced by the taste of Gascony, Bearn and Spain. The vibrant dishes have such body and character, no wonder so many of my favourite chefs are of Basque origins.  The cuisine is all about generosity and happiness, respecting the natural flavors of the ingredients, themes that match my culinary mind.

Chicken Basquaise is one of those meals I often cook for my family.  We all love it and the kids appreciate the spicy touch, that’s why I always add that extra dose of piment d’Espelette.  Accompanied with red Camargue rice (you can also use Thai red rice), the explosion of colors make this dish exciting and delicious.  Just like ‘blanquette de veau’, poulet Basquaise is a basic staple dish in my household.  Simple, easy and so healthy.  Embellished with the piment d’Espellete, this is a dish that will awaken your senses!

To keep the Basque theme going, I decided to make the emblematic  ‘Basque cake’ (gâteau Basque).  This is a dessert I always look forward to order in a good bistrot.  There are so many versions, but I like the traditional one best, with a discreet rum and vanilla cream filling.  I have to say, it is so good you will want to make it again.  My daughter Louise said it reminded her of a canelé, but creamier.  I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it.  It’s a great way to end any meal, so perfect with the last sip of wine or the first sip of coffee.

Poulet Basquaise recipe: (serves 4-6)

1 good-quality chicken (cut in pieces), or 3-4 chicken legs and 4 small drumsticks (perfect for kids)
2 medium-sized red pepper
1 medium-sized green pepper
2 onions (sliced)
4 garlic cloves (finely sliced)
230 g/ 1/2 pound Bayonne ham (you can use pancetta), diced
6 tomatoes, (in France, I recommend ‘coeur de boeuf’ tomatoes, peeled and chopped
120 ml/1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 tbsp tomato paste concentrate
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper
1-2 tsp piment d’Espelette (if you can’t find this, try hot paprika instead)

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, add the tomatoes for 15-20 seconds.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Peel tomatoes and chop coarsely.  Set aside.

Deseed peppers, cut into halves.  Place skin-side up on a baking sheet and grill in oven on high, until it blisters.  Place the hot peppers in a ziplock bag and leave to cool.  Peel the skin and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and fry garlic for 2 minutes, followed by the Bayonne ham for 2 minutes, then the onions for 5 minutes.  Add the peeled peppers, fry for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, piment d’espellette and 1 tbsp of tomato paste.  Add 2 bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper.  Cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse and pat chicken dry with kitchen towel.  Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and fry until golden brown on each side.  Set aside.

Add the chicken and wine to the sauce, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on a very low heat.

Cook for a further 10 minutes on a medium to high heat uncovered so the sauce reduces and thickens.  You can adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and piment d’Espelette.

Serve with red rice, (other suggestions are rice pilaf, couscous/ semoule or steamed potatoes).

Gâteau Basque recipe

For the cake batter

400 g/ 3 & 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted
200 g/ 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 egg yolks and 2 eggs
200 g/ 1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp baking powder (levure chimique)

For the cream filling

500 ml/ 1 pint full cream milk
1 egg and two egg yolk
2 tbsp dark rum
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
100 g/ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
50 g/ 8 tbsp plain flour, sifted

Eggwash
1 egg yolk
1 pinch of salt

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the cake batter

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and butter (cut into small chunks).  Gradually add the egg yolks and eggs until the batter becomes smooth.  Add the sifted flour, salt and baking powder, mix well until dough is soft.  Divide dough in two balls, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

Prepare the cream filling. In a saucepan, bring the milk to soft boil with the vanilla seeds. Add the sugar, whisk for 30 seconds. Add the sifted flour gently, whisking away to avoid any lumps for 2 minutes. You can take the saucepan on and off the heat a few times. Add the egg and yolks, one at a time, whisking away until the cream has thickened, about 2-3 minutes (low heat). Take off the heat. Finally, add the rum and mix well. Set aside to cool completely.

When ready, roll two discs (1.5 cm/ 0.5 inch thick approx) to fit your cake pan – one base, slightly larger and one cover, slightly smaller on a floured surface (I always roll pastry on floured parchment paper).

Butter and dust the cake pan with flour, line the base with the larger disc leaving a 2 cm/ 0.7 inch overhang.  Pour the cream filling in the cake, cover with the second smaller disc.  Brush edges with eggwash, press and seal both discs.  Brush cover with egg wash, then use a fork to draw lines on the cake (see photos). Make 3-4 tiny incisions with the tip of a sharp knife on the cover (so the cake won’t puff up). Bake in a preheated oven 180°C/ 350°F for 30 minutes.

This week I’ve been under the spell of two very different but equally delightful things. A favorite movie and a grand old restaurant. All the magnolias surrounding me, in the house and as I drive through Médoc keep taking me back to my walks in Palais Royal. This special place in the middle of Paris, so full of history and beauty is at its most poetic in March when the magnolias blossom. The crown jewel of Palais Royal is Le Grand Véfour, which someone described as the “Most beautiful restaurant in the world”. I wouldn’t argue with that. The plush red velvet seats, the gilded decorations, the ghosts of Victor Hugo and Napoleon himself. And a sophisticated and soft-spoken maître d’ who always reminds me of Christopher Walken.

It’s where I had my wedding lunch, a very small and intimate affair filled with happiness and opulence. It was one wonderful plate after another of the most delicate and luxurious food you can imagine. It was a good day. I think all of us had the pigeon prince Rainier III, at least I did, a big classic at this restaurant that’s been on the menu for decades. Deboned pigeons, filled with truffles, foie gras & veal. These pigeons have been on my mind all week, it started with a flower but as so often is the case with me, ends with a craving for a certain taste or dish.

This week the kids have been on holiday and as a little treat we’ve tried to end each day by watching a classic movie together (it was my husband’s idea as he says he can’t take any more Barbie movies – lot of girls in this family). The two winners so far have been “Some like it Hot”, and one of my all time favorite food movies, “Big Night”. Two scenes from that film take my breath away: when the chef describes how he feels about ragù Bolognese and the timbale. Just the sheer idea of that dish, a whole dome filled with the most desirable ingredients, made with such reverence, served with expectation and caution. I’ve never made a timbale, one day I will, but this week I needed to satisfy my cravings, for foie gras & pigeon and for something so special that it would put me at ease after having watched Big Night. So I went in the classic French direction and made an old-fashioned pie filled with everything I wanted. Fresh pigeons from my butcher, a small piece of foie gras, sausages from Queyrac, savoy cabbage, a single carrot, pieces of veal and bacon drenched in Cognac along with the usual suspects of shallots, onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves.

It’s such a great feeling when you really know what you want and then you get it. It fills me with satisfaction and serenity so what better way to end the week than after a beautiful drive through the vineyards of Pauillac, past blossoming mimosa trees and pink cherry blossoms, to find myself in the town’s church. It wasn’t a planned visit but we had some errands to run in Pauillac and went our separate ways. When I was done with my duties I wound up in the main square and saw that the door of the church, usually closed, was open. It was so inviting that I had to go in and take a peek. The church was beautiful and completely abandoned except for one person, my husband who’d had the same idea and was already photographing the surprising sailboat hanging from the rafters.

It’s at moments like this that you think, I want nothing more … except perhaps another pigeon pie.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

500 g/ 4 cups plain flour
250 g/ 1 cup unsalted butter (cubed & at room temperature)
2 eggs
3-4 tbsp water
1 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.

For pie filling:

2 large pigeons
120 g/ ¼ pound foie gras (sliced into 8-10 small slices)
3 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
1 onion (sliced finely)
2 shallots (sliced finely)
3 good-quality pork sausages
150 g/ ¼  pound veal (chopped as finely as possible)
100 g/ ¼ pound bacon (chopped very finely)
1 egg
30 ml/ 1/8 cup cognac (or dry white wine, dry sherry, Armagnac)
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf (crumbled)
½ savoy cabbage (chopped finely)
1 carrot (diced very finely)
Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Eggwash (for pastry)

1 egg
1 tbsp full cream

Method:

1) Chop, dice, slice all the vegetables in the ingredients list.  Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix the uncooked sausage meat (slice the sausages and squeeze the meat out), veal, bacon, cognac, thyme and crumbled bay leaf.  Add 1 egg and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper very lightly as the sausages and bacon are quite salty.  Set aside.

3) Rinse the pigeons in cool water and pat them dry.  Slice the filets off the pigeons, keep the livers and set aside.

4) In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion, shallots and garlic until slightly golden and soft.  Set aside.  In the same pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and brown the pigeon filets and livers until golden for about 45 seconds on each side.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Brown the carcass in the same oil and remove any pieces of meat fit for use and set aside.  Discard the pigeon carcass. (It’s easier to remove meat when the pigeon is slightly cooked).  Chop the liver finely.

5) Again, in the same pan, add 1 more tbsp of olive oil, fry the cabbage and carrots for a few minutes, cooking them al dente.  Season with salt and pepper.

6) Add the cooked garlic/onion/shallots to the bowl of uncooked sausage/veal/bacon/egg mixture and mix gently.

7) Roll out 2 pastry discs to fit your pie dish.  Line the pie dish with the first disc, leaving 2 cm overhang.

8) Add a layer of meat mixture (sausage/veal/bacon/onion etc), followed by a layer of cabbage/carrots, then place the pigeon filets all over.  Add a layer of the foie gras slices over each pigeon filet, then finish with the remaining meat mixture, shredded meat and liver from the pigeons and cabbage/carrots.

9) Prepare the eggwash – Whisk egg with one tbsp of full cream and brush the edge of the pastry lining.  Cover with your second pastry disc and seal together by pressing firmly on the side of the dish with your thumbs. Cut off excess pastry dough and re-roll to create 5-7 leaves to decorate the pie. With the back of your knife, press lightly all around the edge.

10) Prick a hole in the center of the pie (I use a chopstick).

11) Brush the pie with the remaining eggwash.

12) Bake in a preheated oven (210°C/410°F) for 10 minutes then lower heat to 180°C/350°F and bake for a further 45-50 minutes.  If the pastry starts to brown too fast, cover with aluminium foil.  Leave pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

My heart fills with joy when I see March appear in my precious diary. This month marks the arrival of spring in Médoc, with pretty flowers blossoming on trees everywhere. If I had to match a painting to this month, it would be Gustav Klimt’s ‘Mäda Primavesi‘. The girl, the dress, the flowers – that’s March for me. When I lived in Paris, I would go to the Jardin du Palais Royal almost everyday in March to see if the magnolia trees had blossomed.  I consider it to be my birthday flower, and when I see the first flowers bloom it’s just like a blessing for a new year in my life.  It’s just one of those euphoric things, when you appreciate everything associated with spring and the possibilites are endless. Where flowers bloom so does hope.

One of the new-found joys of country life must be the flowers. Back in Paris, we were so lucky to live just by the market of rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement, where we would buy our dose of flowers at the local florist, and extra special bouquets at the extraordinary Eric Chauvin. My kind of heaven consists of fluffy bouquets of peonies, sweetpeas and ranunculus. Now that we have become country folks, nothing can compare to the excitement of picking the most beautifully scented roses from our own garden and the surroundings. Wild cyclamens, daffodils, violets. I could go on and on. But the most exciting bouquets this month are branches from plum and magnolia trees. The combination of taupe brown wood with warm beigy pinks are exactly the kind of colors I would pick for my dream room.

The flowers just started to bloom this week, so you can imagine my level of happiness. Bright confetti petals exploding everywhere. My heart goes boum whenever I see un arbre heureux (happy tree). That’s how my kids call them – every blooming tree is a happy tree!  Let’s celebrate!

We are all admiring our latest flowers. I want to paint them so they will last forever. To accompany such a beautiful moment, I baked canelés. These little custardy cakes with a caramelized crust are a local delicacy, flavoured with vanilla beans and rum. Croustillants (crusty) outside and moelleux (soft) inside, each bite is pure pleasure. Canelés have a mysterious past, originating from Bordeaux. Traditionally , Bordeaux wines were clarified with egg whites, a vinification step called collage, leaving the yolk for cooking. Chateaux owners would give the egg yolks to local convents where the nuns conjured up their confections. This could have been the start of the canelés. They were apparently influenced by a cake called ‘canole’ made by bakers in Limoges and very popular in Bordeaux. I personally think that all of the above, as well as the influence of vanilla beans and exotic rum arriving at the port of Bordeaux all contributed to the legendary canelés.

When you buy them, you are always asked if you prefer a canelé bien cuit (well-cooked, more caramelized) or moelleux (more chewy). It’s really a matter of personal taste. I like them moelleux, to be exact, 55 minutes in the oven. The batter is as simple as it gets, then left 24 hours in the refrigerator. Let the batter have a good rest and develop all the right texture and taste, then it’s 55 minutes in the oven, not more not less. The only thing you have to do is lower the temperature after 5 minutes, and voila. Here are my tips: I use silicone moulds, I don’t line the moulds with butter because, in my opinion, it encourages the canelés to get crusty too fast. For those who prefer a more caramelized crust, you can bake them for 10 minutes longer.

Canelés are enjoyable any time of the day, as a tea time snack, as dessert, preferably with a sweet white wine, like a Bordeaux Sauternes or a Loupiac or at the end of the meal with coffee.  I am always in the mood for a canelé, if I have some left I’ll even have them for breakfast with my morning cup of Yorkshire tea.  A canelé is always appropriate, especially here in Bordeaux.

Ingredients: (makes about 16 canelés)
You will need a canelés mould (I use silicone moulds).

500 ml/ 2 cups and 1&1/2 tbsp  full cream milk
120 g/ 1 cup plain flour (sifted)
200 g/ 1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
60 ml/ 1/4 cup rum
30 g/ 2 tbsp butter (melted)

In a medium saucepan, combine seeds from vanilla bean and milk, mix well – bring to a boil and set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in sugar and sifted flour, mix well to avoid any lumps (if there are too many lumps, simply strain batter through a sieve). Add egg yolks, one by one, gently mix. Add melted butter, stir.  Finally, add the rum and whisk batter until smooth. The batter should be similar to a crèpes/ pancake batter – not too thick, not too thin.
When batter has cooled down, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

I use silicone moulds and I don’t line the moulds with butter. Fill canelés molds 2/3 of the way. Bake in a preheated oven 230°C/ 450°F for exactly 5 minutes, then lower temperature to 180°C/ 350°F and bake for an additional 50 minutes. Take out of the oven, leave canelés in molds for 5 minutes, then unmould them. Place on a wire rack and leave to cool.

Cooking food I love is my biggest passion. Our kitchen reminds me of a temple, plates covered with fruits and vegetables, brightening the room with all the bold colours. Inspiration comes from my past food memories. I’ll have a sudden idea, a craving for a taste. That’s when I get driven to create le plat du jour (dish of the day). You just can’t beat the feeling of getting exactly what you want, and the best part of it is that you made it at home.

My husband came back from our local épicerie fine having bought a lovely bottle of vin jaune du Jura, in other words yellow wine from Jura, a region in Eastern France. Made from the Savagnin grape, this wine is matured in a barrel under a film of yeast, known as voile, on the wine’s surface. The rich and powerful aroma is mesmerizing. Oddur poured a glass to sample with a few slices of twenty-four months aged Comté cheese, also from Jura. One sniff of the intense smell and I was completely spellbound. I knew I wanted to cook chicken, something similar to drunken chicken, a Shanghainese dish I adore. There’s such a strong resemblance in the aromas. So I cooked a poulet jaune with girolles, flavoured with this intense wine and crème fraîche.

The sun was pouring through the kitchen windows. I prepared the onion, garlic and girolles mushrooms. The yellow chicken from the Landes, renowned for their maize seed diet (giving the yellow colour to the meat), was ready to be drowned in the wine. The glow of the Comté cheese I was nibbling on the side, the butter melting in the pot, everything was gold and sun-kissed. There’s something so special about cooking with a little treasure that changes everything. It’s like magic, one touch and it turns into a golden dish. That’s what it’s like cooking with this wine.

On the gold and bright theme, there are little daffodils everywhere, brightening the scenery in the most charming way. These flowers remind me of littles poussins, baby chicks. Spring, Easter, more chocolate. William Wordsworth’s poem ‘Daffodils’ came to my mind.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

And how could I resist giving Squiffy and Bee a cuddle, they looked so heavenly and their smell is simply irresistible. To quote Colin Firth in a movie I love, ‘A single man’, their ears smell like buttered toast. What a memorable scene with a Proustian twist.

It was such a big and rewarding lunch, dessert was out of the question.  We went with a French classic.  You can never go wrong with a black espresso and a Michoko (or in my case three, please get the pack out of my sight, they are dangerous).

Ingredients: (serves a 4-6)

Yellow chicken des Landes (poulet jaune des Landes) – approx. 2 kilos/ 4.5 pounds (alternatively you can use a good-quality free-range chicken) – cut into 6/7 portions.
350 ml/ 1 & 1/2 cups yellow Jura wine
350 ml/ 1 & 1/2 cups crème fraîche
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced finely
350 g/ 3/4 pounds girolles mushrooms (or any of your favourite mushrooms)
80 g/ 1/3 cup unsalted butter
Coarse sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
A few sprigs of chives (finely chopped)

In a large cast iron pot, melt the butter and fry the onion and 2 garlic cloves (sliced) on a medium to low heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper and fry on each side for a few minutes until slightly golden.  Pour the wine and reduce for 3-4 minutes, lower heat (as low as possible), cover and leave to cook for one hour.

When you are getting close to serving time, melt one tbsp of butter in a frying pan and fry the remaining garlic and mushrooms for a few minutes. Lower heat, add the crème fraîche along with 2/3 of the wine sauce from the chicken. Simmer on the lowest heat possible for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, place chicken on a serving plate and cover generously with the mushroom cream sauce. Garnish with finely chopped chives. Serve with steamed spinach and mashed potatoes as side dishes.

We had such a fun-filled week entertaining guests (à bientôt Jodie, Sophie & co.!). We were at least twelve at the table for dinner, so I proposed crowd pleasing succulent dishes to satisfy everybody’s appetite. Parmesan soup (those croutons were a hit), duck confit parmentier (duck cottage pie), an enormous chocolate tart with mascarpone and vanilla bean whipped cream. My husband took over the kitchen from time to time and fixed a smashing ratatouille, sausages and eggs lunch the next day. Just what everybody wanted in our rustic home. We also had the chance to sample some bright spring and summer weather, what a treat that was.

After our guests departed, I was left with a lot of extra ingredients in my pantry, especially Serrano ham, tomatoes, mascarpone and fromage blanc. It got me inspired to create a little family lunch yesterday. What was I in a the mood for? Fish, strawberries and something with a Basque touch. Basque cuisine is so tasty, highly influenced by seafood, cured hams, tomatoes, paprikas, peppers. It’s my kind of rustic cuisine. I bought a few slices of dos de cabillaud (codfish) and strawberries at the market then rushed home to start cooking. On my way home, I got tempted and decided to pop by the local brocante store (small antique and curiosity store), as if I knew something was waiting for me. I found a few delightful plates to add to our collection. It’s really one of my favourite hobbies, browsing through all the dishes, forks, glasses, paintings, furniture. There’s a suspense-like atmosphere in the air, as if I am looking for that one discovery that will scream ‘buy me’. There are sometimes such beautiful pieces, inspiring me to believe it comes from one of the local chateaux in ruins. There are certainly a lot of gems to be found around Médoc.

Back in the kitchen, I started chopping the tomatoes, onion, garlic and piquillo peppers to make the sauce. I prepared a celeriac and potato mash for the side dish, then wrapped the Serrano ham around the fish. For dessert, I completely improvised last-minute. With all the ingredients I had, I just closed my eyes and imagined what I would like to have. I painted in my mind a strawberry tartlet with whipped mascarpone, fromage blanc and vanilla bean. All shaped like a small dome. I ususally have all sorts of dough I prepare in advance in the freezer, so I picked the pâte sablée (shortcrust pastry), lined the smallest tartlets pans and blind-baked them approximately for 10 minutes.

We had such a lovely lunch, the kids finished everything on their plate, and loved the combination of the fish with the Serrano ham. It perfumes the fish in all the right way, and when you add a bite of the ‘very-red’ ratatouille (that’s what the kids call it), well it’s simply delicious. The strawberry dome tartlets were scrumptuous, we got all so excited that one fell on the floor (I won’t mention any names!).

Ingredients: (serves 6 – to be exact 2 adults, 3 kids and one toddler!)

Cod wrapped in Serrano ham on a bed of Basque sauce

For the Basque sauce:
6 tomatoes
225 g/ 1/2 pound piquillo peppers (if you can’t find fresh peppers you can use canned ones)
2 onions (sliced)
3 garlic cloves (sliced)
1 tbsp tomato concentrate paste
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp piment d’espelette/ mild chilli powder (or a bit more if you like it more spicy)
Salt & pepper for seasoning

Place the tomatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and peel tomatoes. Chop tomatoes coarsely. Set aside. Slice onions and garlic, coarsely chop piquillo peppers. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat olive oil (on a medium heat), add the onions and garlic – fry for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, fry for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sprig of thyme , tomato concentrate, piment d’espelette and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the fish:
6 small filets of fresh cod (900 g/ up to 2 pounds. You can use any of your favourite fish – filets are easier to roll – they should fit on the slices of ham)
6 medium slices Serrano ham
A large handful of finely chopped chives to garnish dish
Salt & pepper
Roll out a piece of parchment paper on your table. Place the Serrano ham on the paper, place one filet per piece of ham and roll. When the potato/ celeriac mash and basque sauce are ready, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the rolled fish/ham 3-4 minutes on each side. Salt lightly as the ham is quite salty and season with pepper. Place Basque sauce on a serving plate, place fish on top, garnish with finely chopped chives and serve with mashed potatoes/celeriac on the side.

For the mash:
6 medium-sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 small celeriac (peeled and cubed)
A pinch of nutmeg
25 g/ 1-2 tbsp butter
60 ml/ 1/4 cup milk
A few tbsp of crème fraîche or heavy cream (to your liking)

Place potatoes and celeriac (chopped/cubed) in a big pot of boiling salted water for approx 30-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Add milk, butter, a pinch of nutmeg and crème fraîche. Heat the mash on a medium heat for a couple of minutes before serving (stirring constantly).

For the strawberries dome tartlets:
150 ml/ 2/3 cup mascarpone
100 ml/ 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp fromage blanc
60 ml/ 1/4 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
1 vanilla pod (cut a slit on the entire length and scrape off the beans with the tip of your knife)
5 tbsp icing confectioner’s sugar – sifted (you can add more or less according to your taste)
6-8 strawberries

When the pastry is cool, place mascarpone, heavy cream, fromage blanc, vanilla beans and sifted icing sugar in a large bowl. Whisk for 4-5 minutes (I use electric whisks) until stiff. Place cream mixture in a piping bag and pipe a smooth ‘dome-shaped’ meringue on the tartlets. Slice strawberries (see photos) and decorate tartlets.

Note: I used small individual tartlet pans to blind bake the pastry.

For the shortcrust pastry:
125 g/ 1 cup plain flour
75 g/ 1/3 cup butter (softened at room temperature)
15 g/ 1 tbsp sugar
30 g icing/ 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
40 g/ 1/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 egg
1/2 pinch of salt

1) In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until the mixture forms a homogenous dough. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2) On a floured parchment covered surface, roll out the dough to fit your small
tart pan. Line your tart pans. Gently press the edges of pastry against the interior of the tart pan rings and prick the base with a fork. Use a piece of leftover dough to press down the edges (this trick will prevent any over-stretching or finger marks).
3) Cover with cling film and place in the freezer for a least 30 minutes (the longer the better). This is a good trick to prevent shrinking.
4) Cut out a piece of parchment paper and line the bottom of the tarts. Place beans/marbles/any oven proof weight and blind bake in a preheated oven 180°C/ 350°F for 6-7 minutes. Remove weight and parchment paper and bake for a further 2 minutes, or until slightly golden. Set aside and leave to cool before unmoulding.

Dates, otherwise known as the fruits of paradise, certainly live up to their reputation. I’ve always had a passion for this sticky fruit, mostly because my mother loves them so much. We always had dates at home, as well as almonds. Eating them together is so pleasurable, especially with a hot drink to warm up the palate. I recently read about all the benefits of dates, and was amazed to see that they are renowned to uplift your mood and cure mild winter blues. I couldn’t wait to make a date and almond cake, and added two of my favourite ingredients – orange blossom water and a shot of espresso. So nutritious, delicious and such a hit! I wanted to bake it in a bundt cake pan to give it an old-fashioned twist along with the dripping salted caramel glaze. Everybody loved it. I highly recommend serving this cake with a cup of hot almond milk, a drink I love ordering in Chinese cafés. You can find this drink at Asian supermarkets, or in health food stores.

For the date & almond cake:

300 g/ 2/3 pounds dates, stoned and coarsely chopped
350 ml/ 1 & 1/2 cup water
3 tsp instant coffee, or a small shot of expresso (if you have an expresso machine at home)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
80 g/ 1/3 cup butter + butter to line cake pan, softened
220 g/ 2 cups self-raising flour (sifted)
220 g/ 1 & 1/4 cup brown sugar
100 g/ 3/4 cup almonds (blanched and coarsely chopped)
4 tbsp orange blossom water
3 eggs, beaten lightly
1 pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. I used a bundt cake pan (you can use any type of pans you wish).

Chop dates coarsely, place in a saucepan add water and the shot of espresso (or instant coffee + one tbsp water). Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda. Let it fizz for a few minutes and mix well. Set aside.
Chop almonds coarsely, place in a small bowl and pour the orange blossom water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (you can use electric whisks). Add sifted flour, eggs (one at a time), mix well until batter is creamy. Stir in the date mixture and chopped almonds and the orange blossom water. Spread butter generously around sides, bottom and into crevices of the cake pan. Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.

For the salted butter caramel glaze:

60 g/ 4 tbsp butter (cut into cubes)
90 g/ 1/2 cup brown sugar
80 ml/ 1/3 cup cream
70 g/ 3/4 cup sifted icing/ confectioner’s sugar (just use enough until you get desired thickness)

In a saucepan, melt the salted butter, brown sugar, cream and bring to a full boil. Lower heat, stir constantly for two minutes, then set aside and leave to rest for a few minutes. Whisk in sifted icing sugar gradually until you get the desired consistency. You should be able to pour the glaze on the cake so the sauce should not be too thick. Pour glaze all over the top of the cake. Let the glaze set before serving (a few minutes should do).

One would think that after all these recent festivities, I’d had my dose of chocolate. But no. I wanted more. My friend Sheyenne gave me a recipe during the Christmas holidays for passion fruit chocolate truffles. Just the name is inviting enough. When I saw all the passion fruits at the market, I knew I had the perfect recipe up my sleeve. I love the slight sting you get on your palate after one bite. I was amazed at how simple the recipe was, and most of all how much fun I had making the truffles. All the ingredients are so beautiful and luxurious. The lusciousness of the honey, tender flesh of the passion fruit mixed with rich dark chocolate, cream and butter. Just a little something to make you happy. Merci Sheyenne!

Ingredients: (makes about 18-20 truffles)
2 passion fruits
60 ml/ 1/4 cup cream
230 g/ 8 ounces good quality black chocolate
15 ml/ 1 tbsp honey
30 g/ 2 tbsp butter
Cocoa powder (for dusting – you can also use confectioner’s sugar if you prefer)

1) Break chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl. Set aside.
2) Place a sieve on top of a saucepan, take the passion fruit pulp and mash it up until all the juice drip into the recipient. Discard the seeds. Add the cream and honey, stir and bring the mixture to a soft boil.
3) Pour mixture on chocolate, stir until smooth. Add butter.
4) Leave to cool and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
5) Shape the chocolate paste into small truffles with the help of a small slotted spoon and roll them in cocoa powder.

I wanted to cook a special Valentine’s day menu, filled with some of the favourite flavors I’ve shared with my husband a few romantic meals ago.  I’ve always felt a link with Saint-Valentine, perhaps because my middle name is actually Valentine.  My full name is Marie-France Valentine Thorisson, sounds very old-fashioned to say the least!  That’s why everybody calls me Mimi.

Yesterday morning, despite the cold rain pouring in Médoc, we headed to the market inspired to hunt for beautiful ingredients to make this post a special one.  Little did I know that my morning turned out to be a bit of an eclectic adventure.  En route, we saw a group of hunters hunting for the bécasse (woodcock).  There were a few familiar faces so we stopped to say bonjour.  At the market, we met ‘the artist’.  Such a charming man, certainly the best dressed that morning.  He had such allure, humor and passion for life.  As we kindly asked if  we could take his photo, he accepted and declared ‘Je suis un artiste’.  He is in Médoc to produce a musical show, just like in the old days.  It’s nice to know that characters like that still exist.  With a smile on my face, I went on with my shopping list.  A dozen red roses, two dozen oysters from Arcachon, four slices of bacon ‘noir de bigorre’, a few veal chops, five large sweet potatoes and rose water.

On my way back home, we bumped into a big group of hunters again.   They looked so happy, and it didn’t take me too long to figure out why.  They proudly showed us their prize, a huge wild boar they had hunted.  It’s their passion, their culture, they are true Médocain hunters.  I could hear discussions and debates on how to cook the animal, echos of a grandmother’s recipe for sausages with white wine.  Hunting is as big of an activity as wine making in Médoc.

Back home, after such an interesting morning, I got to work on the menu.  The starter, oyster fritters with a wasabi cream dip, is inspired from a dish I had years ago in Sydney.  Some of my fondest food memories are from meals I’ve had there.  The freshness, the creativity and beauty of it all.  The main course is simply a lovely piece of veal chop, pan-fried in butter and olive oil, served with roasted sweet potatoes, thyme, rosemary and garlic.  And the obligatoire bacon noir de bigorre (black pig bacon from Bigorre) with its incredible nutty taste.  Add some fresh parsley, garlic and use the juices from the pan to drizzle all over the dish.  It’s such an incredible mixture of sensations.  Living in Médoc we naturally tend to drink mostly local wine. But for this meal I was in the mood for something different, something very red and clear and slightly chilled to match the occasion. I chose a lovely Pinot Noir from Burgundy, it was a perfect fit. To end this meal, I prepared a rose crème brûlée, and instead of using cassonade brown sugar, I used pink crystal sugar (something I bought for my daughter’s birthday last November).  Everything looks prettier in pink, especially on Valentine’s day.

Oyster fritters with wasabi cream dip

Ingredients: (serves a generous 2)

24 fresh oysters (if you can’t find oysters, why don’t you try using shrimps, crab, fish, or even vegetables.  The wasabi cream dip goes with everything.)

For the batter:
55 g/ 1/2 cup corn flour (I use maïzana)
70 g/ 2/3 plain flour
Enough ice-cold fizzy/sparkling water to make a sticky thick batter – not too liquid, not too thick – it should coat the oysters).
For the wasabi cream dip:
120 ml/ 1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp wasabi paste (you can add more or less according to your taste)
In a bowl, pour whipping cream, add the wasabi and whisk till stiff.
Other ingredients:
Coarse salt & black pepper (for seasoning)
Peanut oil (for frying)

Open the oysters and drain the water.  With a sharp knife, cut of the oyster off. In a medium pan, heat peanut oil until approx 180°C (8 cm/3-3.5 inches deep).  You can measure the temperature with a thermometer or test with a drop of batter – if it sizzles and turns golden within 5 seconds, it’s ready.

Place each oyster in a teaspoon, dip in the batter until coated all over.  Fry in oil until golden.  The fritters will puff up instantly.  Fry oysters by batches (5 by batch).  Drain on kitchen towel before serving.

Drizzle oyster fritters with coarse salt and black pepper.  Serve with salad and wasabi cream dip.  Serve immediately.

Pan-fried veal with sweet potato wedges  (serves 2)

2 good-quality côtes de veau (veal chops)
3 large sweet potatoes (sliced in wedges)
6 garlic cloves (4 for the sweet potatoes, 2 finely sliced for the veal)
A bunch of fresh rosemary
A bunch of fresh thyme
A bunch of fresh parsley
2 slices good quality bacon (I used bacon ‘noir de Bigorre’/ black pig – optional)
1 tbsp unsalted butter (for frying veal)
Olive oil (for frying and for the roast sweet potatoes)
Coarse salt and black pepper (for seasoning)

Preheat oven to 210°C/ 400°F

Slice sweet potatoes into medium-sized wedges, place on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, shake the pan so all the wedges get coated in oil.  Season with salt and pepper, add a branch of rosemary, thyme and garlic cloves (you can leave the skin on).  Cook for 30 minutes, stirring the potatoes frequently (and gently as sweet potatoes are softer).

Chop parsley and garlic finely.  Set aside. Season veal with coarse salt and pepper.  In a frying pan, melt a tbsp of butter and a tsp of olive oil on a medium to high heat.  When sizzling hot, add the veal and fry on each side for approx 2-3 minutes (depending on your choice of ‘cuisson’) – the veal should be golden on each side .  At the same time, fry the bacon in another pan (or in the same pan as the veal if you don’t mind).

Place veal on a serving plate, pour all the juices from the pan in a small bowl.  Add the chopped parsley, garlic and bacon on veal.  Serve with the sweet potato wedges.  Pour the reserved juices all over the meat and potatoes.  Serve immediately.

Crème brûlée (serves 2)
3 egg yolks
40 g/ 3 tbsp granulated sugar
80 ml/ 1/3  cup ml cream
80 ml/1/3 cup full fat milk
2-3 tbsp rose essence extract (depending on strength)
1 tbsp pink sugar crystals (or plain sugar/ brown sugar – to be sprinkle and caramelized)

Preheat oven 120°C/ 240 F

Pour milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a soft boil.  Set aside.  Whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until fluffy.  Add rose essence extract in the milk/cream mixture and pour on egg yolks.  Mix well until smooth.

Place ramequins in a roasting pan (deep enough to add some water).  Pour the mixture in the ramequins. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for approx. 50 minutes, until they are set but still trembling.  Set aside and chill before serving. Just before serving, sprinkle the crème brulées with sugar, and use a blowtorch or hot grill to caramelise the tops (be extra careful not to burn as it heats up fast).

What a pleasant surprise I had when my heliciculturalist (snail farmers) friends Francis and Françoise dropped by to say Bonjour. After saying our belated ‘happy new year’, they gave me a pack of snails from their ‘petit gris’ farm as a gift. There was also a little bonus. A succulent recipe for a garlic and almond cream sauce to go with the snails. I couldn’t wait to share this gastronomical delight. I love the surprises I get from my everyday country life. Like Françoise said, c’est un vrai délice! (it’s delicious)

Just like the other day, when I had to call in a plumber who lives a few farms away. He was the kindest man, solving all the little and big problems I had around the house. What I enjoyed most during his visit was the conversation we had. As he was assembling the pipes and screws, he spoke with pride about his eldest daughter, currently studying in Bordeaux to be a pastry chef. He also loves hunting woodcock (bécasse in French), a passion for locals in Médoc. He explained to me how he cooks the bird, à la ficelle. It’s a technique where the bird is simply hung by a string in front of an open fire. You place a few pieces of bread under the bird while it melts with the heat, pouring a few teaspoons of Armagnac ever so often. You can just imagine how tasty everything is, especially those drenched toasts. As soon as I get a hook in my fireplace, I will try the bécasse à la ficelle. Fine rustic cooking par excellence.

The breaking news this month is the arrival of the newest member of the family, Squiffy. Officially called Glendraterra Pie Eyed, Squiffy is a Smooth Fox Terrier puppy from England. He was bred by Jenny Thornton and Roger Bebbington who are, in our opinion, the finest breeders in the world. It’s been my husband’s dream for years to have a dog from their kennel so you can imagine the pride and joy in his face when he brought him back home. Boys will be boys … and some more than others. Squiffy has settled in well and proven himself to be a good sport and a bit of a humorist, his latest achievement is thrashing a book called ‘How to restore and repair practically everything’. Fortunately he gets along well with the other dogs and has found a perfect playmate in Bee who is just a few weeks older. Who knows, maybe one day they will be more than just friends. At the moment, though, they are just like two silly characters from one of my favourite movies, The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson.

There’s a new smell in the air, a mixture of earthy and minty scents. As I wander around the garden, dreaming of summer roses, sweetpeas and lavender, I greeted a hint of spring. The first buds and pink flowers popped out on a few branches, elevating me to an April state of mind. To quote William Shakespeare,’ April hath put a spirit of youth in everything’.

A new puppy, a new season and fully functioning plumbing certainly calls for a good lunch. My latest menu consisted of snails with garlic and almond cream, pan-fried lamb chops (just like the ones I love in Rome at Ristorante Matricianella) with rosemary and garlic, served with baked potatoes. For dessert, a great classic we all love, fromage blanc with lavender honey and almonds. I serve them in terracotta pots I keep from St Félicien cheese (excellent cheese, and you get to keep the rustic pots!).

For those who are just not really into snails, you must at least try the garlic and almond cream recipe. I recommend it with chicken breasts, vegetables (especially potatoes) and even pasta for a side dish. It’s all about the sauce!

Snails with garlic cream sauce (serves 4)

5-6 large garlic cloves
36 snails (cooked/ canned or frozen)
240 ml/ 1 cup full cream milk
254 ml/ 1 cup full cream
100 g/ 2/3 cups almonds
8 g/ 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
A small handful of parsley
Salt and black pepper

In a saucepan, bring the garlic, milk and cream to a soft boil. Add the cornstarch (maïzana), mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Leave to cool and mix in a food processor until smooth.

Pour boiling hot water on the almonds, leave for a couple of minutes and remove the skin on the almonds. Chop them coarsely and fry them in a pan (no oil required) until slightly golden. Set aside.

Melt 1-2 tbsp of butter in a frying pan, fry the snails for 5 minutes on a medium heat, add salt and pepper. Reheat garlic cream sauce on a very low heat.

Place the snails in a large ramequin, pour garlic cream sauce all over and serve with sprinkled almonds and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic (serves 4)

12 good-quality lamb chops
A large bunch of fresh rosemary (coarsely chopped leaves)
6 cloves of garlic (sliced finely)
20 ml/ 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt & black pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Fry the garlic until golden and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside. Fry the rosemary for 3 minutes. Set aside. Add the lamb chops to skillet, cook approx. 3 minutes per side (or to desired ‘cuisson’). Return rosemary to skillet and give the meat and herbs a good stir. Transfer to a large plate, garnish with a few fresh rosemary sprigs and sprinkle with fried garlic.

Potatoes with garlic and rosemary:

10 small potatoes (slice)
3 garlic cloves (whole)
30 ml/ 2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (leaves picked)
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Slice potatoes, leave the skin on (4 mm thick). Place them in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt, black pepper and rosemary leaves. Add whole garlic cloves. Cook in a 210°C / 410 F preheated oven for 30 minutes. Stir potatoes halfway.

Fromage blanc with almonds and honey

Fromage blanc
Lavender honey (or any of your favourite honey – to drizzle)
Flaked almonds

Scoop a few tablespoons of fromage blanc in a small bowl. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Serve immediately.

Some of my most delicious childhood food memories are linked with Shanghai. Growing up in Hong Kong, my family had a lot of Shanghainese friends with whom we would often feast on amazing meals from their region. I have such a soft spot for Shanghainese style cuisine.  The food is all about slow cooking, seasonal and fresh ingredients braised in rice wine, vinegar, soy sauces and a large variety of spices. We would go to restaurants called ‘associations’ where you can eat the most authentic regional cuisine. They were originally intended for homesick locals to rejoice on their provincial food after settling in Hong Kong. Today, these restaurants have become a must for food lovers. I would particularly enjoy the Kiangsu Chekiang and Shanghai residents association restaurant, as well as the Ningbo resident’s association – those sautéed prawns in wine, tofu soup with cured ham, steamed hairy crabs with rice wine vinegar, drunken chicken. Just don’t get me started, I could go on forever. As a matter of fact, I occasionally find myself in a ‘day-dreaming’ state, imagining the dishes I will order as soon as I have a chance. Food memories embedded in my palate forever.

This slow-cooked braised pork is a family-style dish, filled with amazing flavours like star anise, cinnamon and fennel seeds. The rich dark soya sauce and shaoxing wine thickens while the sugar caramelizes. This kind of cuisine is called hong shao, in other words ‘red cooking’. The deep mahogany colours shine through the meat and sauce, producing a true culinary delight. If you are new to Chinese cooking, perhaps this could be a good way to start.

We had such a lovely lunch last Friday, the sun was shining after the torrential rain, the kitchen smelt like a thousand spices. I served this dish with freshly steamed white rice, tea eggs and fava bean fritters (to be dipped in the pork sauce). I was inspired by an appetizer I loved, fava bean terrine with sesame oil. Have you ever tried tea eggs? I loved having them as a snack after school. Memories of buying one or two eggs, sold by the lady at the local tuck shop in my old neighbourhood, Happy Valley. They are so wholesome and deeply nutritious, the taste is nearly addictive. They are first boiled, then slow-cooked in a mixture of tea, star anise, soya sauce, cinnamon. The rich colours and mesmerizing smells invade the kitchen, bringing me back to my schoolgirl days. There was always a daily soup brewing in my home, always filled with a special ingredients, something to enhance your health. Goji berries, bird nest, ginseng with chicken in winter. Food was all about prevention and good health.

Red braised pork with spices:

1 kg/ approx. 2 pounds pork hock or pork belly (if you are using pork belly, chop into brownie-sized squares)
5 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 slice orange peel
10 slices of fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
A handful of chopped scallions

For the sauce:

4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
240 ml/ 1 cup shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine – you can use dry sherry as a substitute)

Blanch the pork in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Skim off scum from surface. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Set aside.
In a pan or wok, melt the sugar with 1 tbsp water on a medium heat. When it starts to turn slightly golden, add the pork coating it all over. Immediately set aside with all the syrupy sauce.
In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the ginger, shallot and garlic for a minute. Add all the other spices, orange peel and stir until the fragrances are released. Add the sesame oil, stir for 30 seconds. Add the dark, light soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, continue stirring for 1 minute. Add the shaoxing wine and reduce for 1 minute. Add the pork along with all its juices and syrup. Pour enough water to cover the pork, bring to a boil and cover. Simmer on a low heat for 3 hours, or until the meat is so tender it falls apart. Before serving, remove the pork and spices from the pot and set aside. Turn the heat up on high for about a minute or two to reduce the sauce (or a bit longer if necessary). It should become thick and glossy. Return pork and spices to the pot and serve immediately.
Drizzle the pork with finely chopped scallions and serve with freshly steamed white rice.

Fava bean fritters

450 g/ 2 1/2 cups fava beans (fresh, frozen or tinned)
70 g/ 1/2 cup finely chopped spring onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp sesame oil
2-3 tbsp water
Frying oil (for deep-frying)

Remove shells from fava beans, rinse and drain. In a food processor, mix the beans, spring onion, garlic, salt, pepper water and sesame oil.
Shape small patties, about one large tbsp of mixture at a time. In a medium-sized pan, heat oil (approx 1 inch high). You can test if the oil is ready by throwing in a small piece of bread – it should sizzle and turn golden within 45 seconds. Fry patties by batches (about 4 each time) for 3 minutes (or until they become golden brown). Drain on kitchen towel before serving. Drizzle with chopped scallions.

Tea eggs

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs (up to 12 if you wish)
2 tbsp black tea leaves
120 ml/ 1/2 cup soya sauce
2 star anise
2 pieces of dried orange peel (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp brown sugar

Put the eggs into a pot of cold water and boil for 10-12 minutes on a medium heat. Drain the eggs, soak them in cold water, and gently tap on all sides of the eggs with the back of a spoon. You want to crack them gently, so be careful not to tap too hard. This technique will alow the tea mixture to create the marble effect on the eggs as well as flavouring them.
In a pot add 950 ml/ 4 cups of water and all the recipe ingredients, including the cracked eggs. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and leave to simmer for 3 hours. Leave to cool in the tea mixture. You can let them soak in the mixture overnight to get more intensity in the flavours if you wish.