Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Recipes. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Recipes. Afficher tous les articles

lundi 17 mai 2010

Plaisirs du jour...

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"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop
whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention
to eating..."
Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright,
"Pavarotti, My Own Story"
.

.
I love sharing recipes that inspire me in the hope that they
will inspire others...
.
and many, many more...
.

vendredi 13 mars 2009

On the Menu this Weekend...

.
there will be Plantains...
.
.
They are delicious simply dry roasted and sprinkled with
unrefined sea salt or, if you prefer, you can roast them, boil or
fry them...
.

My absolute favourite plantain dish is
.
.Kelewele:
.
Ghanaian-style spiced fried plantains;
ripe yellow plantains that are generously seasoned with ginger
and other warm spices like cayenne and cinnamon...

Although Kelewele originated in Ghana it is now found
in much of West and Central Africa and is gaining
popularity in America.
.
Ingredients:
6 just-ripe plantains,
peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp freshly-grated ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

.Why not try these recipes too:






.Flickr photos : Bob pixel and nyamkitchen

mercredi 28 janvier 2009

Food of the Gods...

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Mangoes are considered in some cultures to be a food of the gods,
and in my opinion one of the best fruits in the world.
Smooth, juicy, and utterly delicious,
eating a ripe mango is an experience to relish...
.
IImages: flickr
.
No other fruit evokes the tropics quite like the mango...
I prefer them fresh off the tree, however,
I do know many many people who adore both
mango jam and mango sorbet
- both easy to make and delicious to eat...
.
Mango jam recipe here
Mango sorbet recipe here
.
BON APPETIT..!
.
Do let me know how you get on, if you try out these recipes
- they can both be made with fresh, tinned or frozen mangoes.

dimanche 4 janvier 2009

Feliz Ano Nuevo..!

.
Happy New Year !
.
My photo : café sur une terrasse, 1 janvier 2009, Aix en Provence
.
How nice to go straight from a holiday into the weekend..!
.

.We're all so exhausted after all the travelling and
Christmas/Birthday/New Year festivities,
today has been spent mostly unpacking and generally settling back home
at a slow pace... plus
baking and then indulging in the Galette des Roi,
accompanied, of course, by a glass of the very best champagne..!

J'aime beaucoup cette célébration synonyme de partage et de convivialité...

La Galette des Rois

this extremely popular French tradition that takes place in January
every year...

Recipe:
(Serves 8)
1 1/4 lb puff pastry
2 eggs
7 oz almond paste

Preheat the oven to 400°F .
Line a baking with baking parchment.
Roll each sheet of pastry into a circle about 12 inches across.

Place one circle on the prepared pan.
Mix the egg with the almond paste until smooth
and spread the mixture evenly on the prepared circle of pastry,
leaving a border 1 1/2 inches wide all around.
If you have a small china figurine, insert it into the almond mixture
(you may also use a dried hardened bean as the fève).
Place the second circle of pastry on top and press it down tightly
around the rim.
Beat the remaining egg lightly and brush it on the top of the cake.
With a long-bladed knife, press lightly but firmly
through the egg glaze marking a crisscross pattern.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and puffed.
Do not open the oven for at least 15 minutes,
as the pastry may collapse.
Best served slightly warm
.

BON APPETIT !

So, after all the indulging and great quality time spent with family and friends
here and there,
my routine should be returning to normal next week
(whatever that means..!?!)
- I'll be dealing with my Birthday giveaway asap, posting regularly
catching up with all your wonderful blogs...

mercredi 17 décembre 2008

A seasonal favourite...

..
Cinnamon and ginger Crisps
Ideal for hanging on the tree
like ornaments...they look good, taste wonderful and their aroma
is so Christmassy...

* My photo: the first, and, so far, only, Christmas decoration on our tree..!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup light corn syrup
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
Beat in molasses and corn syrup
until well combined.
Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until a smooth dough forms.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out thinly on a lightly floured.
Cut with floured cutters.
Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8 minutes
.
ENJOY !
.
* Both my girls have somehow managed to catch tonsilitis, laryngitis and
a dreadful cold all at the same time - so, instead of being out and about, I'm grounded..!
In between visits to the Doctor's surgery and the health shop for natural
remedies, I've been writing out Christmas cards, gift wrapping, decorating and baking..!
Quite a blessing in disguise actually - hopefully by stopping work earlier for the holiday break,
there won't be the usual last minute rush that we've all become
accustomed to...

lundi 1 décembre 2008

Weekend Sportif et Gourmand...

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It was sunny, extremely cold and windy
Snow conditions were just great
Traffic conditions were not
I can still hear the wind whistling in my ears...
.

.It was the last weekend of November
We enjoyed an excellent "après-ski" evening with family
and friends
.
Fondue Savoyarde
.
Our first fondue of the season was a success
The great food, wine,open fire and music
really warmed
us all up...
Weekends really are far too short
- as I write this, reliving the weekend,
I can hear the crackling sound of logs burning
in the open fireplace, the laughter...
.
Fondue Recipe

Ingredients :
.
12 oz Emmental cheese, grated
12 oz Beaufort cheese, grated
12 oz Gruyere cheese grated
6 glasses dry white wine (from Savoy if possible)
1/2 glass kirsch liqueur
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
white pepper
1 or 2 loaves French bread
1 egg (optional)
.
On the day before or the morning of the meal, cube the bread,
and leave it out to let it dry a little.
Rub the bottom and sides of an earthenware pot or
cast iron saucepan with the garlic.
Pour wine into pot and place on stove over medium-high heat.
Bring wine to boil, add cheese and stir slowly with a wooden spoon.
Before cheese is fully melted, take pot off the stove and place
on a lighted fondue burner.
Season with pepper and add kirsch while stirring.
Once cheese has entirely melted, serve with bread on fondue forks,
stirring occasionally.
If cheese bubbles rapidly, turn down heat.
(the next stage is optional...)
When cheese is almost gone (maybe 3/4 cup left), break a raw egg
into the pot and stir rapidly with the cheese.
After a minute, add remaining bread into pot and stir together
with cheese and egg.
Then turn off the burner and enjoy what's left
.
BON APPETIT !
.

lundi 3 novembre 2008

Pause Déjeuner en Alpage...

.
après une bonne marche tonique sur les sentiers
du Plateau des Glières...
.
.
.Les Beignets de Pomme de Terre
accompagnés de salade,
.
Ingrédients
(4 personnes)

800 g de pommes de terre
1 gousse d’ail
2 cuillères à soupe de farine
4 œufs entiers
Crème, persil, sel et poivre

Râpez les pommes de terre et égouttez les biens.
Mélangez ensuite l’ensemble des ingrédients
et fabriquez de petits beignets.
Il ne reste plus qu’à les cuire à la friture.

Accompagnés de salade,
les beignets sont un met simple et facile à cuisiner...
.
BON APPETIT..!
.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you'd like a translation...

mardi 20 mai 2008

M for Mango...

.
Mango Jam
This jam is sweet;
it reminds me of the tropics.
It doesn't taste like any jam eaten here -
one mouthful transports you to warmth and heat,
somewhere exotic...
.

photo : MarketMan

Makes four small jars

1kg/2lb ripe mangoes
250g/8oz caster sugar
1tbsp lemon juice
4 small, sterilised jars

Peel and chop the mangoes, then stir with the sugar
in a large heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan.
Let the mixture stand for at least 30 minutes or overnight,
so that the mangoes release their juices and the sugar dissolves.
Then bring the saucepan of fruit to a vigorous boil over a high heat,
stirring every now and then to make sure the fruit doesn't stick
to the bottom of the pan.
The mixture will bubble up dramatically, rising high up the sides of the pot.
Skim off any light-coloured foam that rises to the surface.
The jam will soon boil down, beginning to form smaller, thicker bubbles.
When this happens, begin to test the jam by putting a teaspoonful
of the hot mixture on to a plate.
This will serve to cool off the jam quickly so you can tell what
the final texture will be like.
When the jam has cooked to the consistency that you like,
stir in the lemon juice.
Turn off the heat and carefully ladle the jam into the sterilised jars
screw the tops on tight and leave to cool.
When the jam is cool, store in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator.
.
Delicious on home-made crunchy and textured bread,
warm from the even..
.
The jam should last for up to a year if properly sealed.

lundi 17 mars 2008

Tarte Tatin Recipe...

X
by special request...
(R & N, let me know how you get on...)
x


Ingrédients:
- 100 gr de beurre doux, coupé en dés
- 185 gr de sucre roux
- 4 à 6 pommes selon la variété choisie, pelées et coupées en 8
- 1 pâte brisée
X
Préchauffez le four à 220°C.
Graissez un moule à tarte.
Faites fondre le beurre dans une poêle puis ajoutez le sucre et laissez cuire
4 à 5 minutes à feu moyen jusqu'à ce qu'il fonce.
Ajoutez les pommes et faites les revenir 20 à 25 min à feu doux.
Retournez-les délicatement et laissez-les dorer uniformément de l'autre côté.
Laissez l'eau s'évaporer. Le caramel doit être épais.
Retirez du feu et garnissez le moule à tarte avec les tranches de pomme.
Nappez-les de caramel.
Recouvrez les pommes de pâte en rentrant les bords à l'intérieur du moule
avec une cuillère.
Faites cuire 30 à 35 minutes, puis laissez reposer 15 minutes
à température ambiante avant de retourner la tarte sur un plat de service.
Servez chaud ou tiède
X