The Skinny French Chick

Learn how to eat the French way

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Elderflower cordial

Elderberry cordial is very popular, I know, but have you ever tried the elderflower version of it? 

It is easy, tasty, thirst-quenching, and so versatile. It can be used in cocktails, tonics and lemonade.

Those beautiful flowers bloom in April and May and to me, it is the scent of Spring. I always collect as much as I can to dry them for my Winter dishes and make a couple of bottles of cordial.

Ingredients (for 1L of cordial)

- 80 stalks of elderflower

- 2 lemons

- 300gm caster sugar

- 1L water

Method

- Shake the stalks to clear off dust and pollen. My advice is to do it outside! 

- Remove all the stems and only keep the little flowers in a large bowl. This step is quite long but the stems are very bitter and you really don’t want to use them.

- Dice the lemons thinly and mix them with the elderflower.

- Add the sugar in the bowl.

- Mix, cover with cling film, and leave it all to macerate over night.

- The next day, make sure your bottles are clean and ready to use. 

- Pour the mixture in a large saucepan and add the water.

- Mix well and turn on low heat. Stir regularly and simmer for 10 minutes. It shouldn’t boil. 

- Filter into the bottles while it’s still hot and seal immediately.

There are no preservatives in the recipe but if your bottles were perfectly clean and filled while the cordial was still hot, you should be able to store for a couple of months.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Gâteau façon pain-perdu

We all know how delicious pain-perdu is. It can be prepared in many ways: salty and peppery served with a salad, savory topped with maple syrup or chocolate sauce, ... it is such a versatile dish.

Today I’m mixing the well known French pain-perdu and the Anglo bread and butter pudding together.

Once more I would suggest you to make this recipe your own. I made mine today with what’s left of the cherries I found last year in my orchard and froze for later use, but you can replace the cherries by any fresh or frozen fruit you like. Strawberry, raspberry, apricot, etc... I also added chocolate chips in my recipe but you don’t have to. You can add seeds, nuts or grated coconut if you want. Also, feel free to spice up the recipe with nutmeg, cinnamon, Tonka bean, etc... 

Basically, I’m giving you a very basic recipe that can be made with whatever you’ll find in your pantry. Isn’t it fantastic?

Ingredients (for 3 servings)

- 6 slices of white bread with no crust

- 4 eggs

- 3 tbsp natural yogurt 

- 100g cherrie 

- cherry jam

- 60g sugar

- 50g chocolate chips (optional)

- Icing sugar for presentation

Method

- Spread the jam on three of the slices of bread, cover with the other three slices to make sandwiches. 

- Cut the sandwiches in half to make triangles and place into the oven dish.

- In a bowl, whisk the sugar and the eggs together.

- Add the yogurt and mix well.

- Pour the batter on the sandwiches.

- Sprinkle with cherries and chocolate chips.

- Set aside for ten minutes so the bread absorbs most of the batter.

- Bake for 25 minutes.

- Take the dish out of the oven and let it cool down for 15 minutes.

- Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Fontainebleau quail

Highly appreciated by food lovers, quail is at the same time rustic and sophisticated. Many chefs have their own way of cooking it and the variety of side dishes you can serve quails with is endless, but the popular grape-based Fontainebleau quail is my favorite. 

The Chasselas doré de Fontainebleau is a very sweet dessert grape with a green and golden skin, but if you can’t find this particular grape for your recipe another variety of white grape will do. The sweeter and firmer, the better.

In my recipe I use Sichuan pepper and ajwain (also known as ajowan caraway or carom - see the photo below). I love their subtle taste. If you can’t find those condiments don’t hesitate and make the recipe your own by using your favorite herbs and peppers. 

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

- 2 quails

- 300g Chasselas doré de Fontainebleau

- 3 tbsp butter

- 1 tbsp honey

- 2 tbsp Cognac

- 1 tsp salt/Sichuan pepper/Ajwain

- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method:

1/ Melt the butter and mix with the Cognac, honey, salt, pepper and ajwain.

2/ Preheat oven to 210C. Wash and dry the grapes.

3/ Stuff the quails with as many grapes as possible and coat the birds with the butter mixture. 

4/ Mix the remaining grapes with what’s left of the butter mixture.

5/ Place the quails and the grapes in an oven dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cover with tin foil. You can refrigerate over night if you intend to cook the following day. 

6/ Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the tin foil, and cook for another 25 minutes, basting regularly. 

7/ Place the quails on the plates and serve immediately.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Crêpes Suzette

Reputedly created by mistake by August Escoffier’s assistant at the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo in 1895, the Crêpes Suzette were served for the first time to Edward VII. The future king of England suggested they be named after the French actress Suzanne Reichenberg, one of his guests that day.

Initially Crêpes Suzette weren’t flambéed and curaçao was used instead of Grand-Marnier.

The orange-flavored Cognac-based liquor was created by the Marnier-Lapostolle family in 1880. Originally from Paris, the family moved the distillery to the Cognac region to be closer to the source of their main ingredient. 

A prime example of the French turning a simple dish into something special, Crêpes Suzette became a celebrated delicacy of the pre-war years.  

Ingredient (for 4 servings):

- 4 crêpes

- The juice and zest of 1 orange

- 3 tbsp caster sugar + 1 tbsp for sprinkling

- 1 tbsp butter

- 20cl Grand-Marnier 

Method:

1/ Preheat the oven to 120C.

2/ Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the orange juice, zest, sugar and half the Grand-Marnier.

3/ Fold the crêpes and place them in an oven dish. Pour the butter mixture on the crêpes.

4/ Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. 

5/ Place the crêpes on their serving plates, sprinkle with sugar.

6/ Present the plates to your guests, pour the rest of the Grand-Marnier on the crêpes and set them on fire immediately! (The crêpes, not your guests!) 

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Baked Coulommiers

Named for the town in which it was invented in the 1930s, Coulommiers is a cow’s milk cheese with the same buttery texture as Brie or Camembert. Originally served uncooked as part of a platter, a new generation of French food lovers, inspired by Spanish cuisine, has given it a new twist.

Once baked it is shared as tapas with crackers, bread or vegetable sticks. This is commonly eaten over drinks with friends. You can also serve individual portions with salad as a starter. 

I use pine nuts and rosemary, but don’t hesitate to adapt the recipe to your taste, or to whatever you have in your pantry. Walnuts, chives, cream... be creative when it comes to the toppings. Also, if you can’t find a Coulommiers in your local store, a Camembert will be a good substitute. 

Ingredients (for 4 people):

- 1 Coulommiers (usually 500g)

- 2 tbsp pine nuts

- 1 tsp rosemary

- 1 garlic clove

- 1 small onion

- 1 tsp honey

- 1 tbsp white wine

- 1 tbsp butter

- salt and pepper

Method:

1/ Peel and chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic and remove the top skin of the Coulommiers with a knife. 

2/ Preheat oven to 200C. Melt the butter in a saucepan and in it cook the onion. When it takes on a golden color add the crushed garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and honey. Stir well. When the honey is melted add the wine. Stir until there’s no more liquid left at the bottom of the pan.

3/ Place the Coulommiers in the middle of a sheet of tin foil or in a small oven dish. Top it with the butter-and-onion mixture and sprinkle with pine nuts. 

4/ Fold the tin foil tightly over the cheese and bake for 30 minutes. 

5/ Serve immediately. Mind the steam when you open the tin foil.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Paris-Brest in a forest of caramel

Made of choux pastry and praline cream, the Paris-Brest was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, a pastry chef in the Parisian suburb of Maison Laffite. 

Inspired by the annual cycling race between Paris and Brest, Durand shaped his dessert after the bicycles wheels. 

Initially a large cake that Durand sold by slice, the Paris-Brest is now more often sold in individual portions.

The Paris-Brest is one of my favorite desserts. I usually serve it in a forest of caramel that gives this soft and creamy treat a contrasting crunchy texture.

Ingredients for the choux pastry (for 4 individual portions):

- 4 eggs

- 25cl water

- 75g butter

- 150g plain flour

- 40g flaked almond or crushed hazelnut

- 1tbs caster sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- Icing sugar for topping

Ingredients for the praline cream:

- 25cl milk

- the yolk of 3 eggs

- 80g praline paste*

- 150g butter

- 75g caster sugar

- 25g plain flour

Ingredients for the caramel:

- 5 tbsp caster sugar

- 2 tbsp water

Method:

1/ Make the choux pastry. In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and salt in the water. Remove the pan from the heat when the mixture starts to boil and add the flour. Mix energetically and bring the pan back on a medium heat until you obtain a dry paste. Remove again from the heat, let it cool for a couple of minutes and add the eggs one after the other. Mix well in between. 

2/ Preheat the oven to 200C. Fill a piping bag with the pastry and form 8 circles on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds or crushed hazelnut and bake for 25 minutes.

3/ Make the praline cream. In a saucepan bring the milk to the boil with the praline paste. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar. Add in the flour, mix well. Add the egg-sugar-flour mixture to the hot milk, stir well and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat, let the cream cool for a couple of minutes then add the butter and mix well. 

4/ When the choux pastry is cooked and has cooled down, cut them in half lengthways. Spread the praline cream on the bottom halves with a piping bag or spoon. Cover the cream with the top halves of the choux. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Place the desserts on their serving plates.

5/ Make the caramel. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and mix on high heat. Keep stirring until the melted sugar takes on a golden color. Let the caramel cool until it forms ribbons when you pull the wooden spoon out of it. Drip the caramel in strings and drops on a baking sheet. Let the caramel cool and once hardened use it to decorate your serving plates. 

*Praline paste: I can find praline paste in the supermarket in France but don’t worry if you can’t find it anywhere. It’s actually really easy to make and it can become a must-have item in your pantry as it is an amazing spread. All you need is 250g of mixed almonds and hazelnuts, 160g caster sugar and 5cl water. Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is melted add in the nuts. Stir well. The sugar will give the nuts a solid white coating. Keep on stirring until they take on a nice golden color. Remove from the heat and spread the caramelized nuts on a baking tray. Let them cool then mix them in a blender until smooth. It can take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender. 

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Chouquettes for my girls

Everyday, when my girls come back home from school I give them a glass of milk, a fruit and a sweet snack. Chouquettes are their favorite. There are never enough of them on the plate. I make sure that I keep two chouquettes aside, one for my husband, and one for me. Our girls always devour the rest of the batch in one go. Chouquettes don’t require a lot of ingredients and they are so very easy to make. Oh, and you need to be warned, they are also so addictive. 

Ingredients

120ml water

50g butter

10g caster sugar

75g self-raising flour

2 eggs

2tbsp milk (for brushing)

1 handful of pearl sugar (if you don’t find them in the shop, you can crush sugar cubes)

Method

- Preheat the oven to 200C.

- Heat the water with the butter and caster sugar in a sauce pan.

- Once the butter is melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a soft sticky dough.

- Allow the dough to cool down for a couple of minutes and then beat in the eggs one at the time. 

- Cover your oven tray with a baking sheet.

- Using a pipping bag or two teaspoons, scoop up mounds of dough (the equivalent of unshelled walnuts) onto the baking sheet. 

- Brush the surface of each mound with milk (egg yolk is often used instead of milk but I find the egg yolk gives a burned color to the desserts) and sprinkle with pearl sugar (or crushed sugar cubes).

- Bake for 15 minutes.

- Allow to cool down before serving.

You’ll find the chouquettes will flatten a bit as soon as they are out of the oven. This is normal. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Chouquettes are best eaten on the day either as a dessert served with chocolate sauce, caramel, vanilla ice-cream or filled with pastry cream (easy recipe on this blog), or as they are as a snack with tea or coffee. 

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

The art of chicory - braised chicory, nutty and spicy couscous and crispy halloumi. When the cuisine du monde inspired a French cook.

Chicory is one of the least popular ingredients in my family and it’s true that a lot of us will find its bitterness a bit unpleasant. But I like it and I’m not willing to ban it from my kitchen. Quite the contrary. Today I tried hard to reconcile everybody with it and it worked!

In my quest to counterbalance the bitter taste of the chicory I turned to the Northern African Mesfouf, a sweet and nutty couscous. I love including nuts to my dishes and I added some extra spices to make it sparkle on the palate. Then I thought it was missing some salt to complete the ideal flavour spectrum you can find in one dish. Nothing better than cheese to add a savoury flavour to your meal. I’m French and I was facing a lot of options but the Cypriot halloumi was in my opinion the best choice. 

So there it is, a little bit of everything from everywhere in one plate. We do say that variety is the key to a good diet. Here we have a variety of ingredients, tastes, textures, colours, scents and origins - and with a little bit of art, we found a lovely way to use our chicory.

Ingredients (for 2)

4 chicories 125 gm medium couscous

2 bird’s eye chilies 

50 gm raisins

1 tsp spices (cumin, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg)

Salt, pepper

1 tbsp chopped coriander 

150 gm nuts (almond, hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, pine nut, peanut - whole, crushed, flaked; pick your favourite and make a mix of everything)

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp honey

1 block of halloumi

2 tbsp olive oil

Method 

Clean the chicory and cut a hole at the base to get rid of the bitter part of it. Set aside.

Drain and slice the halloumi - 1/2 cm thick approximately. Set aside.

Take the seeds out of the bird’s eye chillies and chop finely.

In a large bowl place the couscous, spices, chopped coriander and bird’s eye chilies, then cover with boiling water. There should be water all the way to the surface of the couscous but no more. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave to rest for 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle a frying pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil and place on medium heat. Arrange the slices of halloumi in the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side until they take a nice golden colour and crispy looking texture. 

In the same frying pan melt 1 tbsp of butter and add the chicories when the butter starts bubbling. Leave for a couple of minutes on medium heat, flipping sides until the chicories are completely golden brown. Add a tbsp of honey and stir gently to caramelise them all around. Take out of the saucepan and set aside - but leave the frying pan on medium heat.

Melt another tbsp of butter in the frying pan and add the nuts. Cook gently for a minute then add 2 tbsp of honey. Stir until all the nuts are caramelised. Turn the heat off, then take the nuts out of the frying pan and set aside. 

Open the lid of the couscous bowl and add 1 tbsp of butter to the mixture. Stir with a fork until the couscous has absorbed all the butter. Then stir in the nuts. 

Place all the ingredients in your plates and serve immediately.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Vegetarian fritters and chunky minty dip

It’s brunch time, or you need something nice to nibble on with your friends around a card game or the TV, or you’re looking for some tasty and healthy finger-food for your toddler to develop his taste buds on. I have the perfect solution for you.

My vegetarian fritters are tasty and easy to make and they are just like haven on earth when served with my minty dip.

You’ll find below my original recipe but feel free to make it your own. Add your favourite spices in the dip, make the fritters with your own grown vegetables even if they are not those that I chose for this recipe, or serve the fritters with your toddler’s favourite apple sauce if you think it’s going to make him eat them. This recipe will allow you to be creative and there are so many ways and opportunities to make it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 carrot

1 courgette

1 big onion

1 tsp mixed herbs

salt, pepper (no salt if it’s for your toddler ;-)

3 tbsp grated emmental

1 egg

50ml milk

5 tbsp plain flour

cooking oil

150ml natural yogurt

half an avocado

1 big tomato

the zest of 1 lemon

salt, pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1tsp olive oil

6 mint leaves finely chopped

Method

Clean the courgette, carrot and onion and grate grossly in your food processor.

Add the egg, herbs, salt, pepper, grated cheese and mix well. 

Add the milk and mix well.

Add the flour and mix well. You should obtain a thick batter with the grated veg and cheese in it. Set aside.

Clean and dice thinly the tomato and the avocado. 

In a bowl mix the yogurt with the diced tomato and avocado, the lemon zest, the olive oil, the chopped mint leaves, salt, pepper and paprika. Place in your serving dish and set aside. 

Coat a frying pan with cooking oil and place on high heat. When the oil starts bubbling scoop one full tbsp of the batter and place in the frying pan. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes approximately on each side, or until it takes a beautiful golden colour. You can shallow fry a couple of fritters at the time. 

Once cook let the fritters cool down on a kitchen paper to absorb the excess of oil. 

Place in your serving dish and serve hot or cold with the dip.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Fancy a quickie? (It’s pronounced “quiche”.)

Quiche lorraine was originally a light main dish the women would quickly prepare on their bread-baking day if they were running out of time to prepare a fuller meal. As they were using the communal oven to bake their family bread for the week, they also cooked this dish for the day.

Now, of course, it's either a starter that we serve with a green salad, or the centrepiece of a light lunch.

This recipe, originally from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, was made of a thin crust topped with cream, bacon and eggs. As the bourgeoisie adopted it as a starter and could afford a larger quantity of ingredients the topping was made thicker and it took the shape of the savoury tart. It can be served hot with a salad as a starter or even cold. It's a very common thing we bring when we go on a picnic, pre-sliced with olives and cherry tomatoes on the side.

You can also dice it and serve it as a canapé during a buffet.

Ingredients

1 roll shortcrust pastry (I usually make it myself and you’ll find my recipe in the blog but sometimes you don’t feel like adding the extra work. Don't feel guilty about buying the ready-made stuff!)

250 gm diced unsmoked bacon

200 gm grated emmental

4 eggs

40 cl of fresh cream

Pepper and nutmeg (I don't add any salt as the emmental and bacon are already bringing a strong salty flavour)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Unroll the pastry in an oven tray and prick with a pointy knife.

If you find the bacon too fatty, boil in a saucepan for a minute to get rid of the excess of fat.

Dry in a kitchen towel and then cook in the frying pan for a couple of minutes. Place in a plate a allow to cool down.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, cream, nutmeg and pepper, then add the grated emmental.

Sprinkle the diced bacon on the shortcrust pastry.

Pour the mixture on top of the bacon making sure the cheese is evenly spread.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Of course you don’t have to make the traditional quiche lorraine. You can adapt the recipe to your taste or mood, or do a vegetarian version... or even just make do with the contents of your fridge and store-cupboard. 

Here are a few options for you:

The grilled pepper quiche

Keep the same method and just replace the bacon with 3 grilled and diced peppers.

You can also add mixed herbs to the cream, egg and emmental batter to bring the extra taste that will make the difference.

The seaside quiche

Again, all you have to do is replace the bacon with 200 gm of king prawns and 50 gm diced smoked salmon. 

Again, to bring something special to the dish you can add some dill in the batter.

The options are endless. Caramelised onion and diced camembert, grilled mushrooms, spinach and goat’s cheese, etc... 

Be creative and make your own recipe. Feel free to adapt to your taste, food habits and resources. Enjoy cooking just as much as you enjoy eating.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Baked ham and tangy mediterranean vegetables

Traditionally we would serve a ham with roasted potatoes. It’s good, it’s filling and comforting. But we all know that we need to increase our intake of vegetables in our diet. Surveys show that we just don’t consume enough veg.

How to make the baked ham dish attractive with veg instead of the nice crispy potatoes? Well, with the good sunny days come the summer vegetables and as I was born in Provence I often turn to my mediterranean veg when I need inspiration. 

Adding a tangy flavour to the dish came with my taste for sweet and savoury dishes. I love shaking things a little and combining ingredients we wouldn’t expect to go together. 

This is a surprising, tasty and comforting family dish and I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much as I do.

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

1/2 kg boneless ham

a dozen of cloves

2 oranges

2 courgettes

1 aubergine

3 peppers

150 gm baby corn

2 big onions

1 big carrot

2 tbsp pine nuts

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp marmelade + 2 tbsp for glazing

6 branches thyme and rosemary

salt, pepper

olive oil

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 star anise

1/2 tsp paprika

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Clean, dry and dice the courgettes, aubergine, carrot and peppers.

Peel and chop the onions grossly. 

In a big oven dish mix all the diced vegetables with the onions and the baby corn.

Sprinkle with crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp of marmelade, salt, pepper, paprika, pine nuts, 2 branches of rosemary and 2 branches of thyme, 3 tbsp of olive oil and the juice of one orange.

Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until all the veg are taking a shiny appearance. 

Cut the remaining orange into slices approximately 1cm thick. Arrange them on the top of the vegetables with the star anise and 2 branches of thyme and rosemary. Set aside.

Discard the fat around your ham if there is any. With a pointy sharp knife cut diamond patterns about 1/2cm deep into the meat. Insert a clove in each intersection. Place the ham in an oven tray. Coat the meat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 2 branches of thyme and rosemary on the top of the ham. 

Place the two oven dishes beside each other in the oven and cover with a single sheet of kitchen foil. Do not close it tightly around the dishes in order to allow the air to go through. 

Cook for half an hour. Take the kitchen foil out of the oven, give the vegetables a stir and cook uncovered for another half an hour. 

Once cooked, take both vegetables and ham out of the oven and cover with kitchen foil.

In a saucepan combine the balsamic vinegar with two tbsp of marmelade on medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until it starts taking an homogeneous shiny look. Using a silicone brush coat the ham with your balsamic and marmelade glaze. 

Carve the ham on a chopping board.

Place the sliced ham in a serving dish with the vegetables and serve immediately. 

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

My shortcrust pastry

I know it’s so quick and easy to just unroll the shortcrust pastry you can buy from the shop but do you know how easy and cheap it is to make your own?

I bet that once you’ll have tried this recipe you won’t even think about buying the ready stuff from the supermarket. (But don’t feel guilty if you do!)

Wether you want to make a fruit tart or a quiche you’ll turn to this recipe and if you’re anything like me, little by little you might not even need to measure anything. You’ll end up knowing the proportions by eye and texture.

Trust the Force, Luke!

No fancy ingredients and just 5 minutes of your time. It’s so worth it. Give it a go.

Ingredients

350 gm plain flour

100 gm soft butter

1 egg yolk

1 pinch of salt

80 ml water

Method

In a large bowl mix the flour and salt.

Add the egg yolk and soft butter. If you’re only taking the butter out of the fridge now zap it in the microwave for 10 seconds. 

Rub the egg yolk and butter in the flour with your finger until you obtain a thick powder.

Add the water little by little. You may not need everything. Keep on mixing with your fingers until you get a soft dough. If the dough is sticky, add a little bit of flour. If the dough is crumbly, add a little bit of water. 

Empty onto the kitchen surface and knead for a minute or two until the dough is homogeneous and all the ingredients are well combined. 

Your shortcrust pastry is now ready to be rolled and used!

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

My preserved citrus

Spiced preserved citrus fruits add a really interesting and refreshing taste to dishes like tajine, when you cook a duck, a chicken or fish, or even in a dip. I find it so rewarding to see my collection of homemade jars in the pantry. They make great gifts too - I often fill hampers for family and friends at Christmas with my own creations. 

So, today I’m planning ahead and I’m filling my store-cupboard with something a little bit fancy and very tasty.

Ingredients (for 2 jars of 400 ml each)

4 lemons

3 limes

3 clementines

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

10 tbsp salt

olive oil

Method

Top and tail the lemons, limes and clementines, then cut them into wedges. 

Place the wedges in a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt. 

Mix with a spoon until all the wedges are coated with the salt. 

Break the cinnamon stick in two.

Start placing the wedges up to a third of the jars, then place one half of cinnamon stick in each jar. 

Keep filling the jar with the wedges up to another third level and place a star anise in each jar. 

Fill all the way to the top of the jar and squash the citrus if necessary so it all fits in. 

Top up with the excess of salt and juice from your mixing bowl.

Fill the jars all the way to the top with olive oil.

Close the jars tight.

Keep at room temperature for three days and give it a shake or turn the jars upside down every now and then to allow the salt to mix well with the olive oil and citrus juice. 

Then keep in the fridge until you need for cooking.

Enjoy!

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Canelés

This recipe was created by nuns in the 18th century in the Bordeaux region of France. Traditionally the canelés are 5 cm high but I make mine smaller and I use mini canelés silicone moulds to make them. If you can’t find them in your local store they are very accessible online. Canelés are perfect for every occasion and moment of the day. They go well with tea or coffee, mulled wine or cider, a sweet white wine, and even champagne.

They have a dark caramelised crust and the inside is soft, almost custardy. Don’t prepare them too far in advance as they’ll lose that crusty texture.

Ingredients

50 cl milk

A pinch of salt

2 egg yolks

A vanilla pod

1 tbsp of rum

100 g plain flour

250 g caster sugar

50 g butter (+ another 50 g to grease the silicone tray)

Method

Cut open the vanilla pod lengthwise with a sharp knife.

In a saucepan bring the milk and butter to the boil with the vanilla pod.

In the meantime mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add in the egg yolks, mix well.

Pour the boiling milk in the flour/egg yolk mixture and mix slowly until the batter is homogeneous. It is meant to be very fluid, like a crêpe batter.

Let it cool down and add the rum.

Keep in the fridge for at least an hour.

In the meantime preheat your oven at 220°C and grease your silicone moulds with butter. The canelés are very delicate and will break easily if your tray isn’t properly greased.

Once the batter is cold, fill in your moulds three quarters of the way to the top to allow the canelés to rise. Place in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

Turn the oven temperature down to 180°C and leave for another hour. Don’t be alarmed if you see that the canelés are darkening. They are not burning, they are meant to have that dark brown colour. It is the caramelising process.

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

Lamb chops, asparagus and creamy roquefort sauce.

Once more I’ve put Irish food to the test and added my French touch to it. It seems that each time it works super well. 

This dish is tasty, will make you feel like you’re eating in a four star restaurant and is still quick and easy to make. 

Ingredients

4 lamb chops

250 gm asparagus

50 gm roquefort

80 ml liquid cream

salt

Method

Using a vegetable peeler take off the tough outer layer of the asparagus right from under the head to the stem. The asparagus will then take less time to cook, will take a beautiful green colour once cooked and will be lovely and soft.

Steam or boil for 10 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking sprinkle a non-stick frying pan with salt and place on the highest heat setting. Sprinkle the lamb chops with pepper and place in the frying pan once it’s hot. We need to sear the meat. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, then remove from the pan, place on a plate and cover with kitchen foil. We’re going to re-use the pan later.

Melt the roquefort and cream in a small saucepan on medium heat and stir regularly. Once the cheese is melted reduce the heat to the minimum just to keep the sauce warm.

Drain the asparagus in a colander and dry them with a kitchen towel. Place them in the frying pan we used for the lamb chops. Don’t add any oil or butter. Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Stir gently so the asparagus heads don’t break and take out of the pan once they start taking a shiny golden colour. 

Arrange the lamb chops and asparagus in your serving plates and drizzle the roquefort sauce over the food. 

Serve immediately. 

I just ate this and, if I say so myself, it was amazing!

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

The skinny French chick’s mediterranean pizza

In my house it’s pizza night nearly every Friday night. It’s my night off. I don’t cook on Friday night and it marks the beginning of the weekend. We get a nice store-bought pizza and throw it in the oven or we order out. But I love my pizza most so every now and then I give up my night off and make my own anyway. 

I was born in Provence and I often turn to my Mediterranean ingredients and cooking style to develop my own recipes. I made no exception when I made this pizza.

It’s vegetarian, and it’s super tasty. 

Ingredients

1 courgette

1 branch of thyme

1 aubergine

2 peppers (I chose red and green this time but there’s no rule)

8 baby corn

1 big branch of vine tomatoes

Olive oil

1 sachet of grated mozzarella

1 tbsp oregano

1 pizza base

100ml tomato purée

Salt, pepper

Method

Take the pizza base out of the fridge.

Clean and slice the courgette and aubergine (1/2 cm thick approximately)

Clean the peppers and place them under the grill. Flip over when the skin on the top becomes black. Take out of the oven and allow to cool down. Then peel the pepper, cut the tail off and take the seeds out. Thinly dice the remaining flesh.

Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Place a large frying pan on medium heat. Sprinkle with olive oil and shallow fry the slices of courgette and aubergine for a couple of minutes on each side. 

Once cooked allow the slices to rest on a kitchen towel to get rid of the excess oil. 

Unroll the pizza base on an oven tray and coat it with the tomato purée. Sprinkle a little bit of salt, pepper, thyme and the diced grilled peppers. 

Add the sliced aubergine and courgette. 

Sprinkle with the grated mozzarella and arrange the baby corn evenly and vine tomatoes in the center of the pizza. Sprinkle with oregano. 

Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Then serve hot! 

[theskinnyfrenchchick]

My goat’s cheese mille-feuilles - the perfect light summery starter.

You may have heard of mille-feuille, the delicious creamy pastry dessert, and you must know that we French are mad about our cheeses and in particular our goat’s cheese. Well, today I tried to combine the two and it works really well.

If you’re looking for a light and easy vegetarian starter ideal for both everyday meals and dinner parties, don’t look any further.

My goat’s cheese mille-feuilles will brighten your table, impress your guests and will make your taste buds do a dance of joy. It’s good, affordable, quick and easy to make. Just perfect!

Ingredients (for 4 mille-feuilles)

1 goat’s cheese log

4 big mint leaves

2 tomatoes

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 roll of puff pastry

Your favourite salad and dressing on the side

200 gm grated parmesan for the crisps

Method

Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and allow it to warm to room temperature so it doesn’t break as you unroll it.

Place a layer of good-quality baking paper - don’t buy the cheap stuff, it’s not worth the saving - on an oven tray and sprinkle the grated parmesan on it. Place the tray under the grill for a couple of minutes until the parmesan takes a golden brown colour and the cheese starts bubbling. Keep an eye on it as it doesn’t take long to make and can burn easily. Take the tray out of the oven, allow to cool down for a couple of minutes and break into pieces. Keep aside.

Turn the grill off and pre-heat oven to 180°C.

Unroll the puff pastry and cut 8 round shapes out of it using a cookie cutter - or a glass if you don’t have a cookie cutter. Place the shapes on an oven tray covered with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes. 

While the puff pastry is baking, clean and slice the tomatoes (1 cm thick approximately), clean the mint leaves and slice the goat cheese log. You’re going to need 4 tomato slices and 8 goat’s cheese slices. 

Take the puff pastry out of the oven. Leave the oven on. 

Start assembling the mille-feuille. 

Using your fingers break a hole in the middle of 4 of the round shapes. We’re going to top them with one slice of goat’s cheese. As the cheese will melt it will fill the hole rather than leak on the side. 

Top the goat’s cheese with one slice of tomato, then one mint leaf.

Top up with the last puff pastry layer, then another slice of goat’s cheese and finally sprinkle some sesame seeds over it. 

Place gently in the oven without knocking the structures down.

While we wait for the goat’s cheese to melt you can work on the preparation of the serving plates and place your salad and dressing on one side, leaving enough space for the mille-feuille next to it.

Once the goat’s cheese melted (you’ll notice it leaking and bubbling from the top layer) take the mille-feuilles out of the oven, place on your serving plates and decorate with the parmesan crisps.

Serve immediately.