French Meringue

2 egg whites
75mg caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Bake in the oven at 110c / 90c fan for 1 1/2 hour. Without opening the door, leave in the oven for another 2 or more hours. For a nicer presentation, you can pipe the meringue; but I don't usually bother, instead I form shapes using two spoons.

Keralan Indian Chicken Curry

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

2T veg oil
2.5 cm cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
3 med (270g) red onions, thinly sliced
1T ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1T red chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 med chopped tomatoes (or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved)
800 g chicken pcs
400 ml coconut milk
1T tamarind paste
10-15 pcs green beans (optional)
coriander (optional)


Over medium heat, add the oil, then when the oil is bubbling, add the cinnamon and fennel. Saute for 30 sec or until fragrant.

Add the curry leaves and onions, and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Add the chopped garlic and ginger, and saute for 1 minute. Then add the coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and salt, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and saute for 5-6 minutes or until the tomatoes are pulpy.

Add the chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the oil comes to the top.

Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat. Cover and simmer for 30-40 min or until the chicken is cooked.

Add the tamarind and green beans and simmer for a further 5 min or until the green beans are cooked. Check seasoning then sprinkle coriander (optional)

Serve hot.

Palmier- Kristine Kawi

An impromptu bake using the left-over puff pastry from the galette des rois. Ingredients are threefold:
puff pastry
sprinkling of caster sugar
melted butter
egg wash (optional)

bake at 200c/180c fan for 20 min turning halfway.

Homemade Galette Des Rois

Homemade Plain Crusty Bread

Home made Pizza

Prehet the oven to 230c/210c

275 strong bread flour
1 7g sachet of easy blend yeast
1 t salt
200 ml water
2 T olive oil

Sift the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl. Make a well and add the water in the center a third at a time, mixing into a dough, then add the olive oil. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 min until it is soft and the dough come off clean from the surface.

Leave in a warm place for one hour to double in size. *Do not put in the fridge.

Take out the dough and on a lightly floured surface, knead it a little then roll out and shape into circle or rectangle. Lay the toppings, which could be among so many others:

Passata (tomato puree in a carton, not the concentrated tube)
mozarella
cheddar, gruyere, or any of the hard cheeses
caramelized onion
red onion
peppers
sweet corn
tuna
chorizo, pepperoni, ham
pineapple

Bake for about 20 min. Take out when the crust is golden and the topping is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Homemade Potato Crisps and Aioli

Note: You can also use sweet potatoes and parsnips.

Preheat the oven to 170c/150c fan

Peel and slice thinly the potatoes using a mandoline. Lay out the potato pieces on a sheet of kitchen towel and cover with another piece of kitchen towel. Press and squeeze out as much liquid from the potatoes. Now drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven and leave for about 18-22 minutes.

Pain Perdu with Bananas in Light Caramel Sauce

Sweet Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

Macaroni Pasta- allow 100 g per person (this recipe keeps well in the fridge so make double-triple serving as you like)

Mix the following into the pasta, allow quantity according to taste:

Mayonnaise
Double Cream
A bit of condensed milk (or icing sugar)
Parmesan Cheese
A can of fruit cocktail (drained)
A handful of raisins (optional)

Fruit Tarts

Fruit Tarts

(for 25 cm tart tin)

Make the Pate Sucree and bake blind with baking bean for 10 min on a 200 c/ 180c fan. Remove the baking beans and foil, and bake the pastry for another 10-15 min.

Make the Creme Patissiere

Fill with fruits on top the cream patissiere and glaze with apricot nappage or dredge with icing sugar.

* A fruit tart is only as good as the fruit filling. So the fruit has to be fresh and excellent quality.

Peach Tart

Kiwi, Grapes, and Strawberries Tart

Blueberries Tart

Snowhite Cupcakes (butterless cupcakes inspired from Angel Food Cake)

Ingredients: (Serves 24)

The Batter:
12 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
225 g caster sugar
80 g plain flour
20 g cornflour

(Serves 18)

9 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
170 g caster sugar
60 g plain flour
15 g cornflour

The Icing:
500 g tubs double or whipping cream
30 g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 170c/150c fan

Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue until they are stiff. Whisk in the sugar gradually to make a meringue.

Sift the plain flour and cornflour together (sifting them twice ensures the cake is light). Fold them into the meringue.

Scoop the mixture into 24 cupcake cases and level them out. Bake for 30-40 min until the cake has risen and is golden and springy to touch. Invert the cupcake cases on a rack. Leave to cool completely.

The icing:

Beat together the icing ingredients and pipe onto the cupcakes. Refrigerate.

Gratin Dauphinois

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

4 med Desiree or Belle de Fontenay, weighing about 450 g in total
300 ml full fat milk
100 ml double cream
Lots of nutmeg
100 g Gruyere
2 garlic cloves, peeled
S&P (preferably white pepper)

Preheat the oven to 120 C/100C fan/250 F

Prepare the potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and slice them with a mandolin. Do not wash the potato slices, as you need to keep the starch in them to help thicken the cream.

On a medium heat, in a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to the boil. Add the sliced potatoes and stir to coat them with the cream. Season with lots of nutmeg, 5 pinches of salt, and 2 pinches of pepper.

Lower the heat and simmer for 8-10 min, stirring every 2 min to prevent the mixture sticking to the base of the pan and to distribute the heat throughout the potatoes. Stir in the grated cheese and then remove the pan from the heat.

Bake the gratin:

Rub a 20 cm (8 in) gratin dish with the garlic. With a spatula, spread the potato mixture out evenly in the dish. Place in the oven and bake for 35 min; there should be tiny bubbles on the surface of the dish.

Preheat the grill about 10 min before the gratin is cooked.

The gratin is cooked when the tip of a sharp knife cuts into it with little resistance (you shouldn't feel the layers).

To brown the top, place under a hot grill for 2-3 min. (Optional)

Leave to rest for 5 min before serving.

New England Chowder

Ingredients:
1T olive oil
1t butter
4 small shallots, chopped
125 ml dry white wine
about 600 g potatoes, diced to 1cm squares
1 can clam with its juice
1 bay leaf
1T fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
A small dash of paprika
A small dash of cayenne
150 ml double or whipping cream
200ml milk
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
A quarter each of red and green bell peppers


In a large pot over medium heat, add both oil and butter until hot. Sweat the onions and potatoes, about 5 min. Add the wine and turn up the heat until the wine reduces by half.

Lower the heat back to medium and add the clam juice (from the can), bay leaf, thyme, S&P, paprika, and cayenne. The potatoes should be just barely covered with the liquid in the pot. If not, add water so that they are. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 min or when potatoes are almost done.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, gently heat the milk but be careful not to boil. Turn off heat and set aside.

Add in the clams and bell peppers to the potato mixture and cook further for 5 min until both potatoes, and peppers are cooked. Stir in the warmed milk, bring to simmer for a minute or two.

Switch off heat and mix in the fresh parsley and cream. Cover and let it rest for about 20 min before serving. Serve with crusty bread.

Spinach and Parmesan Souffle

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For infusing the milk:
150 milk
Half a small onion with about 4 cloves pinned to it
About 4 peppercorns
¼ bay leaf

40g of butter plus some for greasing
Around 235 g of spinach
4 med eggs (3 large) separated
2tsp flour
50 g parmesan
½ lemon (optional)
nutmeg

1 Infuse the milk

- bring to a gentle boil the following: milk, half a small onion with cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaf
- remove from heat and infuse for at least 10 min
- strain into a jug and keep warm

2 Cook and strain the Spinach

- wash spinach thoroughly
- in a saucepan, sweat a big bag of spinach (around 235g) with 15 g butter.
- Cover for 30 sec
- open lid, stir, and replace lid and time for another 30 sec.
- remove from heat and strain the spinach and squeeze out as much water.

3 Preheat oven to 190c/170 fan, butter very well four ramekins, chill, and butter again

4 Cook the white sauce

- melt 25 g butter over medium heat and stir in 2 tsp of plain flour
- lower the heat to minimum and add the milk gradually, stirring all the time.
- when all the milk is in, you should have a thick glossy paste.
- set aside

5 Blend/Process the Spinach with eggs

-separate the eggs.
- blend/process the drained spinach, juice of half a lemon (optional), egg yolks, grated parmesan, and plenty of nutmeg.
- transfer this mixture in a large bowl and mix in the white sauce. Mix thoroughly. Season.

6 The egg whites

- whisk the egg whites in another mixing bowl that's thoroughly clean and free of grease. Whisk until medium peaks.*

*beat to soft peak (i.e. if you lift the whisk, a peak of foam forms with a little curl on top). Then whisk further for about 5 sec or so. If the peak holds itself straight and pointed up (i.e. stiff peak), you went a bit far.

7 Incorporate and bake

- spoon in a third of the egg whites to the spinach/yolk mixture and stir. Then gently fold in the remaining whites.
- spoon in the mixture into the ramekins, filling them about 1/3 cm to the top. Level off with a spatula. Sprinkle the middle with grated parmesan and nutmeg. then run your thumb around the very edge of each ramekin to make a groove.
-put the ramekins onto a baking tray and bake for 18-22 min until risen and golden.
- Serve immediately

Pissaladiere and Tomato-less Pizza made with Chorizo, Onions, Peppers, and Mozarella

Ingredients
For the Pizza dough:
450 g strong flour
1 sachet easy blend yeast
1 tsp salt
300 ml warm water
3 -4 T olive oil

For the Pissaladiere topping:
50 ml olive oil
1 k onions, thinly sliced (half used for Pissaladiere and half used for the Chorizo pizza
Boquet garni of fresh parsley, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary and oregano
2 t anchovy paste
6-8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and halved lengthways
A handful of small black Nicoise, olives

For the Onion, Chorizo, Pepper, Mozarella topping:
A few slices of Chorizo
A few slices of Green and Red Peppers
A handful of Mozarella
Half of the onions from the Pissaladiere topping

Make the dough

Sift the flour, yeast, salt into a bowl. Make a deep hollow in the flour and pour into the water and olive oil. Mix together into a soft dough.

Knead by hand for 5-10 min or in a mixer with a dough hook for 2 1/2 min, until the dough wis smooth and elastic. Gather the soft dough into a ball. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or so, or until doubled in size.

Make the topping

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Heat the oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onions, boquet garni and pepper to season (no further salt). Cover and cook gently for 45 min, stirring occasionally. Uncover, increase the heat a little and continue to cook for 10 min or until all the moisture from the onions has evaporated and they are thick and pale brown. Discard the boquet garni, adjust the seasoning if necessary and set aside (no salt).

Assemble the Pissaladiere

Preheat the oven to 230 c/210 c fan and line 2 baking sheets with oiled baking papers.

Turn out the dough into a lightly floured surface, knock out the air and knead again for a few seconds by hand. Then roll it out into two rectangles and lift them out into each of the baking sheets.

For the Pissaladiere:

Spread a thin layer of the anchovy paste, then spread half the onion mixture evenly over the top, leaving a 1.5 cm border all around the edge, then criss-cross the top with the halved anchovy fillets. Season with black pepper

For the Chorizo topping:

Spread the remaining half of the onion mixture over the top, also leaving a rim of 1.5 cm. Sprinkle the grated mozarella, then add in the chorizo and peppers. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake

Time for 12 min initially, then take out the Pissaladiere and dot with black olives. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 min or until the crust has browned and the edges of the onions are starting to caramelize

Bake the Chorizo pizza for a full 15-20 min, until the crust has browned and the edges of the onions are starting to caramelise.

* Freeze spare raw dough, ready-rolled into circles or rectangles, on trays in the freezer, then stack in freezer bags. To use, take out of the freezer, put on the toppings and slap straight in the oven.

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Tart

Ingredients:

Pate Brisee good for 25 cm quiche tin
2 eggs
1 egg yolk+1 more for sealing the pastry
300 ml milk
10-15 pcs chorizo rounds
450 g butternut squash, cubed to 1cm squares.
One quarter each of red and green pepper
1 red onion, sliced
S&P

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan

The Pate Brisee

Make a Pate Brisee enough for a 25 cm flan tin. Let rest for 30 min.

Roast the Vegetables:

Lay the squash, peppers, and red onion on to a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for about 30 min.

Roll out Pate Brisee and Bake Blind

Roll out the Pate Brisee over a lightly floured surface, thicker than sweet pastries. Cut out a circle large enough to line a 25 cm flan tin. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin, pushing down the sides. Trim off any excess.

Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10-15 min or until just about golden brown. Remove the baking beans and baking paper. Brush the surface of the pastry to seal. Return the pastry to bake for a further 10 min.

Reduce the oven to 180c/160cfan

Make the filling and Assemble

In a measuring jug, beat the eggs and 1 egg yolk. Add the milk and stir well.

Scatter the chorizo and the roasted vegetables over the base of the tart, then pour the egg mixture and grind over some black pepper. Check the seasoning.

Bake for 20-30 min or until the egg mixture is set.

Bake the quiche for 20 min or until the filling is set and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bearnaise Sauce

Bearnaise Sauce (makes 175 ml)

250 g unsalted butter
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 T snipped tarragon
3 T white wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed white peppercorns (or black) ground white?
1 T water
4 egg yolks
S&P, cayenne
2 T snipped chervil (optional)
?100 ml white wine (DS)
?1 tsp mustard (DS)

First, make clarified butter: Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat until it foams. Spoon off the foam and let the butter settle. Remove this clarified butter with a ladle, discarding the whitish residue in the base of the pan.

Put the shallots in a pan with the tarragon, vinegar, pepper, ? white wine (DS)and the water and boil to reduce by half. Cool.

When cold, transfer the shallots mixture into a glass bowl suitable for a double boiler, add the egg yolks ? and mustard?, and whisk over a pan of simmering water (being careful that the bowl does not touch the water), for 8-10 min until the yolks are light and creamy.

Take off the heat and, whisking continuously, pour in the clarified butter. Add salt and cayenne to taste. Add the chervil (if using) before serving.

Roast Beef

Roast Beef

Try to get Sirloin on the bone

Preheat the oven at 475 F or 245 C (225 C fan)

Rub the fat-surface with a mixture of flour and mustard, and sprinkle with freshly milled pepper (but no salt because this encourages the juices to escape).

Roast for 20 min, then lower the heat to 375 F, 190 C, 170 C fan, and cook for:

- 15 min per 450 g
-plus 15 extra min for medium rare
-plus 30 extra min for well-done.

Baste the meat with the pan juices from time to time during the cooking.

Remove from heat. Then it is important to rest the meat for about 30 min before carving.

How to make Pate Brisee and Pate Sucree

How to make Pate Brisee

good for 25 cm tart tin:

250 g flour
125 g unsalted butter- cold
3 egg yolks
around 30-ml water

How to make Pate Sucree:

good for 25 cm tart tin:

225 g flour
112 g unsalted butter- cold
2 egg yolks
33-66 g icing sugar
around 30-ml water

Procedure for Pate Sucre

To the total of flour and butter, add 10-20% icing sugar. So with the above quantity, add 33 g to 66 g of icing sugar. Add the water little by little. You may need even less than 30 ml.

*Once the flour is mixed with liquid (water and beaten eggs), work the flour mixture lightly, rolling it and kneading gently on a lightly floured surface, maximum of 30 sec.

Follow the same for Pate Brisee, except that no icing sugar is added.

How to Make Creme Patissiere

How to make Creme Patissiere

(good for 25 cm tart tin)

500 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
125 caster sugar
25 g plain flour
25 g cornflour


Heat the milk and vanilla extract until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick, then stir in the flour and cornflour. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and heat gently, beating continuously until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Pour into a large bowl and cover. Set aside to cool. Beat until smooth before using.

* Lumps:

This Creme is thickened with flour and cornflour. To avoid a lumpy mixture, vigorous mixing is essential throughout cooking. Do not be alarmed if lumps form, just beat hard and thy will break up as the custard thickens and comes to the boil. The cold custard can be enriched by folding in whipped cream.

How to Cook Spinach

How to cook spinach

wash very thoroughly.
15 g of butter (to 200g of spinach) in a sauce pan until foaming but not burning.
put in spinach- medium heat.
cover with a lid, and time for 30 sec.
open lid and stir, close lid again and cook for another 30 sec
Finished

How to Bake Blind

How to Bake Blind

Preheat oven to 200c/ 180c fan

Having rested the pastry, take it out of the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, pat it with lighly floured rolling pin, turning it then pat again. Roll out to the thickness of a pound coin.

Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough onto the tart tin. PRICK the surface with a fork, then put foil and baking beans.

* If the filling requires no cooking, cook the pastry shell for 15-25 min. Take out the foil and baking beans halfway.

* If the pastry has to be partly baked, leave in the oven for 15 min, taking out the foil and baking beans after 10 min, and return the tin with the shell to bake further for 5-10 min more.