Sautéed scallops, chunky leeks with sorrel cream

                                                  Recipe

Step 1: Chunky leeks

• For 6 servings, trim 3 large leeks.  

• Slice small cylinders a touch larger than your scallops, and rinse out grit under cold water.  Drain well.  
• Melt 1 T butter in a medium pot (with a thick base) and add leeks, standing on end.  Crowd together in a single layer. 
• Cover and soften over low heat about 20 minutes with a bay leaf and 4 sprigs fresh thyme, with no stirring (breaks up the shape of the leeks.)  
• Add a couple spoons of water or dry white wine if necessary to keep from burning on pot bottom.  
• Once leeks are tender and cooked, add 2 T. chopped fresh dill, chives or tarragon. (We used chives.)  
• Optionally add 1/4 C cream.  Bring to simmer just before serving, thinning with a little water if necessary.  Season with sea salt. 

Step 2:  Sorrel cream

• Finely mince 1 shallot and place in small pot with 1 T. melted butter.  
• Soften over low heat, covered, 5 minutes with no browning.  
• Add 1 C. heavy cream, 1 bay leaf, and bring to simmer.  
• Meanwhile, slice finely about 20 fresh sorrel leaves and add to cream, simmering 5 minutes.  
• Season and add a sprinkle of water if sauce is too thick.

Step 3:  Sautéed scallops

• Clean and trim the scallops, 3 per person. 

• Heat 1 T. butter in a non-stick pan until foaming stops, but before smoking, and place scallops in pan.  (Be careful to leave space between each scallop to allow for better browning)
• Optionally, toss in the zest from one lemon during last minute of frying.   
• Depending on size, sauté about 3 minutes first side to brown nicely, then 1/2 minute on the other side.  
• Season with coarse sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon, and serve. 

Step 4 : Ready to eat

• Arrange 3 leeks standing up on plate, faced by 3 scallops, and between the two rows, some sorrel cream. 
• We dressed up some lamb's lettuce with olive oil to add some freshness to the plate.

Easter Dinner / Seven-hour Lamb

Slow and steady, soft and succulent

This traditional French way of dealing with mutton or tough lamb is increasingly finding its way into the urban bistros and homes of today, cheered on by a generation reared on fast grills and snappy salads. After two hours, the most wonderful smell starts to waft out of the kitchen. After seven hours, the meat will be so soft that the bone will literally fall out as you gently lift it from the pot. Just make sure that the leg of lamb you buy will fit into your heaviest lidded casserole.
 

Serve the lamb with its carrots, onions and garlic alongside a dish of white beans, puréed potatoes or Potato Gratin.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 5 to 7 hours  (5 hours if you have a younger lamb)

1 leg of mature lamb, about 2.5kg
2 whole heads of garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
3 medium onions, quartered
8 smallish carrots, peeled
Few sprigs thyme
250ml dry white wine
250ml water
Handful of flatleaf parsley

Method

Heat the oven to 120C. Coat the lamb with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Place in a large, lidded, ovenproof casserole, and scatter with thyme. Add the wine and water, cover tightly, and bake for 4 hours, then remove the casserole carefully from the oven and skim the fat from the broth.

Cut the heads of garlic in half across the cloves. Place the garlic, onions and carrots in with the lamb, and bake for another 3 hours (for younger lamb, cook first for 2 hours, skim and add the vegetables, then cook for a further 3 hours). Gently remove the lamb, and transfer the vegetables to a warm platter.

Strain the juices and bring to the boil in a small pan, skimming. Carve the lamb thickly and serve on warm dinner plates with the vegetables, garlic, parsley and some of the broth.

Very Berry Verinnes

Serves 4

250 grams of fresh Raspberries

250 grams of fresh Strawberries

150 grams of fresh or frozen raspberries

100 grams of sugar

500 grams of Natural yoghurt (or Vanilla Icecream)

Honey to taste

                                       Recipe

          You will need 4 large clear glasses or clear plastic cups

1
.   For the coulis, place frozen raspberries and sugar into a blender and mixer together until you have a smooth thick red juice.

2.    Mix half of the coulis with with 250 grams of the natural yoghurt and keep the rest of the coulis for later.

3.    Place some fresh raspberries and strawberries in the bottom of your glass

4.    Cover the berries with 2 or 3 tablespoons of yoghurt that has been mixed with the coulis.

5.    Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of Natural yoghurt to your glass.

         At each stage you are building up the layers in the glass

6.    Cover the Natural Yogurt with 2 tablespoons of Coulis

7.    Add more berries to fill the glass

8.    And drizzle with Honey to taste.

                                  DID YOU KNOW ?

An individual raspberry weighs about 4 g, on average and is made up of around 100 drupelets , each of which consists of a juicy pulp and a single central seed. Raspberry bushes can yield several hundred berries a year.

Cook'n with Paddy - Delicious Irish Stew

While we're talking about comfort foods, there's nothing more comforting than a nice hearty stew on a cold winters night. I've found that adding ale or Guinness not only makes the meat more tender, but it also gives the gravy a richer taste.

It's a classic British / Irish food that has been passed down for generations, and will continue to be a staple for years to come. It is easy to make, but delicious and very fulfilling.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 pounds lean beef, cubed. (Generally you would use stewing beef, as the Guinness helps tenderize it).
3 Tablespoons oil (I tend to use plain vegetable oil).
2 Tablespoons flour (to thicken).
Salt and pepper.
2 large chopped onions.
1 large clove garlic crushed.
2 Tablespoons tomato puree combined with 4 tablespoons water (you can replace this with any Tomato Sauce.
1-1/4 cups Guinness.
2 cups chopped carrots. (Note, you can add mushrooms, or any other vegtable you like).
2 cups of chopped potatoes.
add thyme and oregano).

Cooking instructions
Ensure the beef is cubed in 1-1/2 to 2 inch cubes, and has most of the fat cut off.
Mix the flour, salt and pepper together.
In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of oil and stir in the beef all surfaces are filmed with oil.
Place the beef in with the flour and mix so all surfaces are now covered with flour.
Heat the remaining oil on medium-high heat and brown the meat.
Add onions, garlic and tomato and simmer for four to five minutes.
Remove the meat from the frying pan and place in a casserole dish.
Add a little Guinness to the pan and boil so that the juices from the frying pan are not wasted.
Pour the contents of the frying pan, the remaining Guinness, the carrots and the potatoes over the meat.
Cook in an oven at 325 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. (Note this can be simmered on a stove for two to three hours)

Serving Suggestions:
There are many ways you can eat this wonderful stew:
In a bowl with a dollup of Sour Cream.
Mixed with some Egg Noodles.
With Mashed Potatoes.

Anyone for Quiche?

Quiche Lorraine is an all-around French classic that is easy to make and appreciated by all!

Chef Anne-Sophie Pic, the only woman Chef to hold a three-star Michelin rating shares a quick recipe adding mustard to give a delicious hint of acidity.

Fill the shortcrust pastry dough with 100g of thin strips of bacon, 50g of grated Comté or Gruyere cheese, then pour on a mixture of 12.5cl milk, 12.5 Cl cream, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 2 whole eggs and an egg yellow.

Put it in a hot oven at 180° for 35 minutes, then let it rest for 10 minutes out of the oven before tasting.

Small practical trick: Prick the bottom of the pastry dough & then place it in the refrigerator 30 minutes in order to prevent the pastry inflating while cooking; then fill it with the trimming and place in the oven. 

Bon Appetit!

Perfect tart for a great Valentine's evening (from Chef Pino Ficara)

TARTE BOUQUET DE ROSES

Dough

250g flour (all purpose)

150g butter, room temperature

70g icing sugar (superfine sugar)

2 yolks

1 pinch of salt

Frangipane filling

75g pistachios (or almonds, walnuts etc)

75g sugar

70g butter

40g thick yogurt (greek style)

1 egg

1 pinch of salt

Apple rosettes

700g water+350g sugar (for syrup)

1kg of red stark delicious (or other sweet apples)

icing sugar

pistachios chunks

=============

Dough  (pate sucree)

Cream butter sugar and salt, add eggs and flour. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Filling

15 minutes before rolling the dough mix in a food processor nuts and sugar, separately mix butter and yogurt then add it to the nuts+sugar mix, add egg and salt and mix until very smooth.

Apple rosettes

Make a syrup by boiling water and sugar. Slice the apples (without peeling them) and put them in the boiling syrup, when syrup comes back to a boil drain the apples, let cool a bit then cut the slices in half. It'll take about 3 slices for each "rose".

===

Baking

Roll the dough to 4mm thickness and line a 26cm tart pan, fill with frangipane and bake for 35' at 170C. Let rest 5 minutes then arrange the apple roses, sprinkle with icing sugar and bake again for 10 minutes. Let cool and then serve with chunks of pistachios.

An ancient tradition – The Galette of Kings

Yesterday we celebrated the Epiphany, or the Feast of the Kings with a delicious Galette des Rois. In France the tradition of serving this frangipane-filled tart can be traced back to the 14th century. A small bean, coin or porcelain fève is baked inside the cake and whoever receives the little favor is then crowned king or queen for the day. Tradition also dictates that the cake be cut into as many slices as there are people present, plus one extra. The extra piece is called either la part du Bon Dieu (God's piece), la part de la Vierge (the Virgin Mary's piece) or la part du pauvre (poor man's piece) and it is given to the first poor person who stops at the home.

Who will become king or queen for the day at your house? Bake a galette and have a little fun with the family. Make a foil crown to place atop the cake before eating it.

Et voilà:

Ingredients
---
1/2 lb (250g) almond paste
5 oz (150g) sugar [to be added only if the almond paste is unsweetened]
4 eggs
1/2 lb (250g) room temperature butter
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2.5 oz (75g) all purpose/plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

You will also need 2 discs of puff pastry (fresh or frozen)

1 egg yolk beaten with 1oz of whipping cream (egg wash).

Procedure
---
1. Combine almond paste [sugar, if needed] and 1 egg in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth.
2. Beat in butter and vanilla until smooth. Scrape bowl.
3. Add remaining eggs, one at the time, keep beating.
4. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the mixer at low speed and work just until absorbed.

Put cream in a pastry bag and refrigerate if too soft or runny.
---

On one disc of puff pastry, pipe a spiral of filling leaving about 2 cm border. Brush the border with the egg wash and place the second disc of puff pastry on top. With a fork seal the edges gently. Glaze the top of the cake with egg wash, cut a few vents and then with the tip of a paring knife draw some decorations (try not to cut through the dough).

Bake at 200C/420F until fully puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or cold, never hot.