"Summertime, and the living is easy" . . . so it’s also time for you to roast some vegetables ! Well, to be honest, life is easier if you have a mandoline to slice the vegetables thinly and evenly before roasting them ! Yeah, yeah , ha ha ! Obviously with this summer heat, I try to make things as simple as possible which is why I...
It’s rhubarb season ! This unusually tangy vegetable is used for sweet as well as savoury dishes. My friend and neigbour was kind enough to bring me about two and a half kilograms of rhubarb stalks from his parents’ farm north of Paris last week so it was time for me to prepare 3 dishes with it ! We’ll start with the simplest and...
My next door neigbour in Paris who is originally from Beirut showed up one day at my door with these wonderful, moist, sweet coconut balls, topped with golden raisins. Usually I’m the one who is supposed to cooks stuff but her sweets were divine and as she mentioned, they were also quite easy to make so I wanted to share this recipe with...
I have a very dear friend who travels a lot and often brings me back fruit from far-and-away countries (legally of course !). This is a quick, simple, refreshing and very creamy frozen dessert that everyone should make ! Only 3 main ingredients, 1 mould for frozen desserts (or an ice-cube tray) and skewers or sticks ! In this recipe, I also tried...
This recipe is for what is called a "pound cake" in English or a "quatre-quarts" in French. Usually cmposed of 4 equal parts of eggs, sugar, dairy such as milk and butter and flour. Probably the simplest and yet most delicious and moist and honest cake you'll ever make. I always flavor mine with vanilla and sometimes also...
I have always found that the tart taste of rhubarb was fantastic with pork. My first trials with rhubarb were always with savory dishes, sweet dishes came much later ! I often cook my meat with lemon juice but this time, rhubarb would be enough, with a little honey and ginger and garlic. Don’t forget that the rhubarb must be disgorged of its...
These buns are neither cakes nor pastries and not to be confused with a dessert ! These breads are more like traditional bread in which there is cocoa powder, dried fruit and nuts and pieces of chocolate. To be enjoyed during breakfast with butter and honey or jam or simply as a snack. I used a dutch oven or hot pot (with lid) to bake them and a...
ASPARAGUS ... so weird & funny-looking ! I know I usually use filo dough pastry sheets when I bake but there are more varieties of prepared types of pastry dough out there than you expect ! Brik pastry sheets, usually used in North African countries is round, thicker and sturdier and there is no need to double it up as we do with filo...
This flatbread recipe can be made simply and with no toppings, as a snack or even as a thicker and heavier bread base for your pizza (I must admit that I often like a thick crust). I always have leftover fresh yeast when i make breads and leftover tomato sauce when I make pasta or pizza and this flatbread is perfect for them. This sun-dried tomato...
I always boil too much pasta to go along with my prepared sauce and always leave all that extra pasta on the side which just dries out the next day and is often nibbled on the next day and/or finally thrown away the day after that ! Enough with the wasting of food, you can turn this leftover pasta into a snack. All you need is for the pasta to be...
As I promised, here’s rhubarb recipe number 2 ! We began with a dessert a few days ago and now it’s time for a rhubarb syrup recipe with 3 versions, a simply sweet rhubarb syrup recipe, a spicy rhubarb syrup recipe and an herby rhubarb syrup recipe. With 1 kg of chopped rhubarb, you can probably end up with around 2 litres of syrup and...
Chicken is just one of those foods you can do so much with, whether using only the wings, the drumsticks, the breasts or the whole beast. Cooking it whole obviously takes longer and looks great, but then you have to carve it correctly, unless you’re eating it at home and simply attack it with your fingers that get stickier and stickier. My...
We are all familiar with falafels, chickpea balls or fritters that are wonderfully crispy-fried on the outside, soft on the inside, served as a main dish or in a bread as street food, often paired with pickled vegetables or coleslaw and salad and a few different sauces. Here is a version that is half spinach and just as great for vegetarians and...
Did you know that it is possible to buy a fresh ball of bread dough from your bakery ? Just simply ask for a ball of dough that weighs about 200-250 grams, the same weight as a baguette and there you go ! The idea behind this recipe is to to be able to enjoy a last minute urge and the speed of making an almost home-made pizza. Of course, we will...
A nice and tasty vegetarian and vegan version of a dish often prepared with ground beef and also mixed with rice. With this rice & herbs stuffed zucchini dish, the zucchini pulp replaces the meat and the fresh aromatic herbs give it those extra green flavours. You can also prepare this dish with bell peppers (very easy because they're already...