My latest endeavour

A lot of time has gone by (again) since my last post, that is not to say I haven't been busy, in fact a lot of cooking happened since.
A couple of cooking classes, a big catering gig and here I am again.
A few samples to water your mouths and the menu.

* Piquillo peppers dip served with home made whole wheat crackers
* Hot artichoke dip served with home made crostini
* Mini tourtes à la viande (spicy sausage meat pies)
* Bite size chicken cordon bleu
* Seafood mousse in an endive "spoon"
* Cucumber canapés topped with seafood mousse
* Wispy tartlets assortment = Puff pastry squares topped with various fillings (spinach, bacon, cream cheese; pepper), (mushroom mix), (tomato & anchovies), (tomato & mozzarella), (roasted peppers & feta)
* Mini onion & cheese "popovers"
* Cheese platter served with walnut & pumpkin seed bread & grapes
* Puffed cranberry & mandarin tartlets
* Mini chocolate “fondants”
* Mini financiers

Interested in any of the recipes? Leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

An autumn meal - Beef Bourguignon

Where have I been might you wonder, well, France, Ireland, US road trip, all this has kept me very busy and not afforded me a lot of time for blogging. So while autumn is upon us, here is a very easy and delicious recipe to make and share in these cooler days.
You start the marinade on day one, cook on day 2 and serve on day 3.

Boeuf Bourguignon
For 6 people
Ingredients
3 lbs Beef stew (preferably chuck) (5 to 7 oz of meat per person)
1 Carrot (peeled and cut in small sticks)
2 Shallots (chopped) 
2 Bay leaves (French laurel rather than California)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 bottle of red wine (preferably pinot noir)

5 Slices of bacon thinly diced 
1 clove of garlic chopped
2 Tbsp Brandy
2 to 3 Tbsp All purpose flour
1 to 2 tsp Coarse sea salt

Method
Day 1
Place meat in container, pour wine over the meat to cover, add 1 carrot in stick, 1 chopped shallot, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and pepper, cover and place in refrigerator overnight (best if marinated up to 24h).
Day 2
Brown the sliced bacon with remaining shallot and garlic, reserve in cast iron pot on very low heat.
Pan fry the meat (preferably in non stick pan), do not crowd the pan, place only a few pieces at a time, otherwise they will sweat and release all their juice.
Place the fried pieces in the cast iron pot as they get browned.
When all pieces have been fried deglaze the pan with a little water, reserve.
Pour the brandy over the hot meat pieces and flambé.
Sprinkle the flour and turn the meat over, then pour the liquid in the frying pan over the meat, add the marinade.
Sprinkle some salt, salt may be adjusted after cooking.
Bring all to a gentle simmer and let cook for 3 hours stirring occasionally. 
The next day warm up on low heat a couple of hours before serving, all the flavours will have developped.
 
For reference: this dish is from the Burgundy region famous for its fine pinot noir wines thus making it a perfect choice of wine to drink with.
This dish may be served with pasta or steamed potatoes, or for a distinctive experience puréed Jerusalem artichoke.

The perfect burger bun - Brioche burger bun

A few weeks ago we had our neigborhood progressive picnic and the main course of the picnic was held at our house, we had to provide the burger buns and I had wanted to make them for quite some time so I launched myself into this new project, after some investigation and calculation (who said you didn't need to know your maths for baking? it's all about percentages!) I developped this recipe that turned out quite nicely.


Light Brioche Burger Buns
For approx. 30 buns of 4" diameter

Ingredients
1 kg / Unbleached bread flour
250 ml / 1 cup Milk (warm)
250 ml / 1 cup Water (warm)
4 tsp Active dry yeast
5 Tbsp Sugar
6 Eggs
3 tsp Salt
113 gr / 1 stick Butter

Method
Combine the water, milk, yeast and sugar and let stand until foamy (5 or so minutes).
In the bowl of a standup mixer combine the flour and salt, then add the liquid mix and knead using the hook of the mixer and add 1 egg at a time while kneading continuously until the egg is absorbed.
Then knead on speed 2 for 10mn at which point you add the butter cut in small pieces and continue kneading for another 5 or 10mn until all the butter has been absorbed.
You will have a fairly sticky dough.
Shape dough into a ball in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours (until at least doubled in volume).
Line a cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper and divide the dough into balls of equal weight, place each ball 2 inches apart on the Silpat and flatten them into a bun shape. Cover loosely with a cotton or linen towel and let the buns rise in a draft free place for 1 or 2 hours until double in volume.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and set a pan of hot water on the sole of the oven.
When the buns have doubled up place in hot oven and bake for about 15mn, watch them after 10mn to prevent burning.
Transfer to a rack to cool completely, use immediately or store in air tight container for a couple of days or freeze.

Tips
When baking do not use a black or dark tray as it tends to burn the bottoms while the tops have not yet acquired their golden colour.
This recipe can easily be devided to make fewer buns.

Mini brunch brioches

Here is a lighter brioche that can be enjoyed with sweet or savory food in-lieu of bread.
It is best to make this over 2 days, day one prepping the dough, day 2 shaping and rising.
Alternately you can prepare the dough in the morning and shape, rise and bake in the evening.




Mini brioches
For 43 brioches
Ingredients
3 Tbsp water
30 gr fresh yeast / 15 gr / 4 tsp active dry yeast
75 gr / 1/3 cup heap sugar
525 gr / 3 & 1/3 cup bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
6 eggs
255 gr / 2 sticks & 2 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
43 mini tartlet molds

Method
Day 1
Measure the water and mix the yeast + 1/2 tsp sugar, set aside.
Mix flour, remaining sugar and salt then add eggs one at a time mixing well between each.
Add the yeast mixture to the dough and continue kneading for 10mn to allow flour to absorb liquids and the gluten to develop.
Let the dough rest for 15mn in the bowl.
Cut the butter in small pieces and add them little by little while kneading for another 10mn or so until all the butter has been incorporated (it might take a little longer, that's OK)
Place the bowl in the fridge overnight (minimum 8 hours) to allow the flavours to develop.

Day 2
Roll out the dough and make 1 turn (as if you were folding a letter), do this twice.
As the dough is sticky using plastic wrap to roll it in between will help greatly.
Then roll it out one more time about 1 inch thick and cut the dough in small pieces weighing approx 30 gr each.
Shape each piece in a ball tucking the corners under and placing them in little tartlet molds.
Let them rise covered with a cotton towel for 4 hours at room temperature away from drafts.
Place them in cold oven and bake for 25mn or so at 350 F/175 C.

Tip
You can make them a day ahead of serving and warm them up for 5mn at 350 F.

A summer fare...

What better excuse than a birthday to organise a little get together and share some home made food?
Top it up with fantastic summer weather and you got it all!







On the menu of this simple brunch:






Vegetarian quiche









Crab quiche









Home smoked Alaska salmon - Poached Alaska salmon












Grilled vegetable terrine









Garden baby greens salad









Mini brioche (a lighter version than this one) - Check back for a future post with this recipe









Cheese board
And to conclude a raspberry bavarois/bavarois aux framboises - Check back for a future post with this recipe

Raspberried out!

With this hot weather we have been experiencing for the past 2 months the raspberry bushes are full of fruits, so I made my liquor again (pictured) and tried a new by product of the wonderful raspberries:







Raspberry vinegar
Ingredients
600 gr fruits
600 ml white wine vinegar
600 ml cider vinegar
6 Tbsp sugar
A couple of big clean jars

Method
Crush the berries in a food mill or with a fork, pour the vinegars and sugar over, mix all and fill the jars.
Let the jars rest in a dark place shaking them occasionally for minimum a week or until you decide the taste is good enough.
Filter the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and fill a few bottles.
Enjoy with a nice summer salad or all year round to remind you of the summer flavours.

Lucky shot of a tree frog

What's for dinner?...

For the past couple of month with the good weather I have spent so much time outside that my inspiration for cooking has taken a back seat, yesterday we finally had substantial rain fall (which is great for my garden and for my creativity in the kitchen) so we spent a few hours at the Seattle center for the Bastille day celebration and when we returned home I wanted to have a nice but easy dinner and after looking in the fridge inspiration finally struck me and I created this very nice and super quick meal.

Roasted chicken with mango sauce
For 2
Ingredients
2 skinless chicken breasts
1 ripe mango
1/2 lemon (zest and juice)
2 Tbsp honey
1 rosemary twig
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 390 F / 200 C
Place the chicken breast in an oven proof dish.
Peel the mango, reserve a few strips for serving and using a knife scrape all the "flesh" and juice surrounding the pit, cover the chicken with it.
Zest and juice the lemon over the chicken & mango.
Pour 1/2 Tbsp honey over each chicken breast and the remaining 1 Tbsp in the dish, add a little water (approx. 1/2 to 1 cup - 125 to 250 ml), sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, keep in mind that pepper gets stronger as it cooks/bakes. Cut rosemary twig in half and place each piece on the chicken.
Place dish in pre-heated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes untill juices run transparent.
You want the top of the chicken to be a little browned and the mango/honey/lemon to be slightly caramelised. By that time the water should have partially evaporated and form a sauce.

Tip
I served this with quinoa, it is a very versatile gluten free grain that I have been using recently. A nice alternative to rice, cooks in 15mns.