Clafoutis... So Simple, So Chic !

Bonjour tout le monde ! Welcome to another one of my articles featuring the best recipes around ! I am the gourmet traveller from France giving you creative dinner ideas, amazing dessert recipes, fabulous cake recipes and so much more. So get ready for some super easy recipes, great travel destinations and beautiful French food…Bon appétit !

whatkatieate.blogspot.co.uk

Today we will be making Clafoutis (pronounced Kla-foo-tee). It doesn't matter how you say it, just so long as you eat it right...and that's by sharing avec moi ! Oh clafoutis you are so delicious, healthy, and so diverse ! Did you know that you can put pretty much any fruit in a clafoutis ?!  You can even be a little naughty like me and add chocolate bits ... heaven.

via Johansen Karuse, emylaframboise.fr

Clafoutis originated in Limousin, and back in the day they used unpitted black cherries in the original version; it's said to give more flavour, but it's a little difficult to eat. The best part about clafoutis is its a dessert you can feast on for breakfast ! Oui, c'est correct ! Breakfast ! Typically, clafoutis is baked and served almost warm (so, that means it's left to cool down a little after baking). Alors, let's get down to the business of making this super easy dessert ! You will have France in your kitchen tonight ! Today's recipe is for about 8 people depending on the size of the dishes that you use (and how hungry you are for this sweet and simple delicacy)

blogs.cotemaison.fr

I will give you a traditional recipe...the one with cherries...the original recipe keeps the cherries whole (with the seed because it gives more flavour) but I don't really like biting in to seeds, so I hull them...and you can too ! You don't need a fancy cherry pitter, I just use my olive pitter - works perfectly.

Alors, get ready to become an expert in French desserts ! Make this for your family and friends...and for those who think they are uncoordinated when it comes to making desserts, just try making this for your partner as a surprise (see, no pressure), they will be forever impressed and happy because this dessert is so simple and quick and yum and très chic !

latendresseencuisine.com

You will probably have most of these on hand already:

- 700g ripe cherries (change this to what ever fruit you have on hand)
- 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks 
- 100g flour (just normal plain flour) 
- 100g brown sugar
- 250ml milk (skim milk works here too)
- 60g unsalted butter (+ some to grease the tin)
- 1 pinch of salt 
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Voila ! Not many ingredients and I'm sure you had everything at home already.

Ok, now the easy part...the prep takes about 10 mins and the baking time is about 45 mins

1. Wash and de-seed the cherries (or your choice of fruit)

2. Preheat your oven to 180°C 

3. Melt your 60g butter in the microwave and set aside

4. Beat the eggs, then add the pinch of salt and the sugar. Mix well (with a whisk or food processor - so easy !!) 

5. Add the vanilla extract, mix and add in the flour; mix it well until you get a thick and creamy liquid

6. While mixing, add the melted butter and the milk. Once it's all combined, add the cherries to the mixture

7. With a paper towel, grease your pie pan with the extra butter, then add the mixture. Add a few knobs of butter on top to help brown the surface when  baking

8. Bake for about 45 minutes (until the top begins to brown well), then remove from the oven and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Serve warm.

Now...let me know how you went making this, and feel free to drop me a line to share your wonderful creation ! Bon appétit ! A bientôt ! 

la-gourmandise-selon-angie.com, epicuria.fr 

Pot au Feu...It's Always Hot in My Kitchen !

Bonjour tout le monde ! Welcome to another one of my articles featuring the best recipes around ! I am the gourmet traveller from France giving you creative dinner ideas, amazing dessert recipes, fabulous cake recipes and so much more. So get ready for some super easy recipes, great travel destinations and beautiful French food…Bon appétit !

knoor.fr

Today my dear readers it's cold in Sydney... No I'm not joking this actually happens...apparently it's snowing in the Blue Mountains ! So to warm you up after a cold day at work I'm going to share with you the ultimate solution: Pot au Feu (aka: beef stew). So the inspiration for this classic French dish comes from my mother, her pot au feu is wicked ! You might know the expression "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's"... Well, this works with mother too ! And now we cook !

foodsogoodmall.com

As you know with slow cooker recipes, the prep is really easy, and so is the cooking ! So, the prep will take about 30 minutes and the cooking time is about 4 hours. 

Ingredients (for 4 people or 2 really hungry people):

- 500g stewing beef (so something like brisket or chuck steak - with the fat left intact)

- 500g lean beef 
(if you want to add some more intense flavour, put some beef bones in the pot too...it's so good ! My mother does this and it really makes a great pot au feu.)

- 4 medium sized leeks

- 4 medium sized carrots

- 1 stalk celery

- 2 onions

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)

- 2 cloves

- Coarse salt (to taste)

- 12 black pepper corns (whole)

hyperwicked.com

Alors, down to the business end of the recipe:

1. Tie up the meat to help keep it in shape during cooking. If you don't have string, just cut the meat into chunks

2. Wash and peel the carrots, leeks and celery, and cut in to large chunks (about the same size as the beef)

3. Prick one onion with the 2 cloves. 

4. Chop and brown the second onion on the stove. To colour the broth (to colour the broth, add 1/2 teaspoon of flavoring, I use Patrelle which is 100% natural glucose based flavour and colouring for food but in Australia you can use the gelatinous individual concentrated beef stock).

5. Put all the meat, bones and stock in a pot and add 5 liters of cold water

6. Bring to the boil, making sure you skim the broth often, until it no longer forms foam on the top

7. Add the onions, carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, bouquet garni and 12 whole peppercorns

8. Bring back to the boil, cover and let simmer over a very low heat for at least 4 hours

9. Remove the meat and veggies from the broth and place them in a plate, then ladle over a little bit of the broth

10. Serve immediately with pickles, salt and mustard to taste

Bon appétit !

buzzfeed.com

A Célébration at Chez Moi !!!

Bonjour tout le monde ! Welcome to another one of my articles featuring the best recipes around ! I am the gourmet traveller from France giving you creative dinner ideas, amazing dessert recipes, fabulous cake recipes and so much more. So get ready for some super easy recipes, great travel destinations and beautiful French food…Bon appetit !

my preciouscofessions.blogspot.com, via Dorian Ortowski, bbqcatering.com, frenchweddingstle.com, justluxe.com,  via Pearls & Grace 

Pâté, Foie Gras, Champagne et Caviar... Oh La La ! Célébration ! I have just booked my tickets back home to have some fun in the French summer sun... and I'm excited ! The champagne will flow like water until the early hours of the morning, oh sweet summer nights of Paris, j'adore ! When I was a child, I used to wish the summer days would never end, that the laughter and parties would continue forever. Magical memories of family and friends gathered around, beautiful and creative food, cold drinks in abundance and friends all around.

femmeactuelle.fr

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't an everyday affair...no, this was special occasions, soirées to celebrate the gift of life, strong friendships and the gathering of family on hot summer nights. There was always an abundance of foie gras creatively worked into the food, pâté that never ended, caviar topped blinis with saumon fumé (smoked salmon), and (I think I'm about to blow your mind)...macarons salés (savoury macarons) as well as the usual French wine, champagne and caviar.

femmeactuelle.fr, artisans-du-foiegras.fr 

The foie gras was best with compote de fruits (fruit compote) or on little bits of baguette... All my childhood memories are flooding back to me now ! I remember my father would spend his days outside preparing the yard with tables and chairs, putting little lights around the stone façade of our home; as my mother worked around the clock preparing macarons salés ! Have you had macarons salés ? You must try them at least once...

canalblog.com, santaletchocolat.canalblog.com, laocook.com, muriele.com, hipparis.com, via Christelle Flourez    

Alors, what will I do this time, when I return to France ? Well, I will eat ! Oysters and caviar, blinis with saumon fume, truffles, truffles and more truffles ! Truffles with foie gras, truffle palmiers, truffle butter on freshly baked pain de campagne (country style bread)...

femmeactuelle.fr, edelices.com 

Did you know that one of my all time favourite things to eat is foie gras ? I loved it as a child, and I still do. Many people think that foie gras is eaten just like that, but it can be turned into so many creative bites of heaven with just a little imagination. When I was little, my mother used to make me foie gras sucettes (crumbed and fried foie gras on a little stick), she would also make them into madeleines ! What an amazing cook... I can safely say she is my inspiration for my love of French food.

femmeactuelle.fr

Well...I think I should get started packing my suitcase...and maybe take a trip down to Circular Quay to buy an "I love Australia" mug. Speaking of tea and champagne...that reminds me of a quote I read many years ago by Honore de Balzac...I hope you like it: "Great love affairs start with Champagne and end with tisane" ... Bon appetit ! A bientôt ! 

brilliantbethany.tumblr.com, bourbonandpearls.tumblr.com, thisisglamorous.com, via Glam Girl, blanchhouse.co.uk

Daring Savoury Crêpes & Delectable Sweet Crêpes

Bonjour tout le monde ! Welcome to another one of my articles featuring the best recipes around! I am the gourmet traveller from France giving you creative dinner ideas, amazing dessert recipes, fabulous cake recipes and so much more. So get ready for some super easy recipes, great travel destinations and beautiful French food…Bon appetit !

Bonne Table

I heard that most people eat French crêpes just for dessert...well, I'm here to tell you that you can eat them both sweet and savoury ... oui, c'est vrai ! I want to give you two recipes for crêpes...the plain crêpe recipe (the one I grew up with - so good!) and the other one is from my sweet side ... I mean the chocaholic in me. 

Ok, the first recipe is for the Crêpes au chocolat (chocolate crêpes). These are intense ! You can have them with chocolate sauce, crème chantilly, crushed nuts and salted caramel ... or just like that !

via william miskiewicz through twitter, rockthekitchen.de, via fiona guas

Crêpes au Chocolat ... you will need:

- 200g flour (plain flour)

- 100g sugar

- 50g corn starch

- 1 pinch salt 

- 60ml milk

- 40g butter (unsalted)

- 6 eggs (whole)

- 200g dark chocolate at 51% cacao (like Haigh's Premium Dark Chocolate, 51% cocoa). If you don't want it too sweet, you can go up to 60% cocoa chocolate

1. Grab a pot, turn on the stove, and add the sugar, salt and milk (don't boil it, just heat it up)

2. Add your butter and chocolate - it's best if you cut the butter up and break up the chocolate into the little squares (and remember, if you are buying a chocolate, check the grams - some are only 100g and you will need 200g)

3. Grab a bowl and combine the corn starch and flour

4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add your eggs one by one. Whisk in the flour slowly from the bottom sides of the bowl.

5. Pour your chocolate mix into the bowl and slowly mix in

6. Let it stand for an hour or so to rest

cuisinecampagne.com, coupdepouce.com 


Some creative ways to work crêpes into your breakfast or dessert...make a sweet rice, cut up some fruit and roll like sushi it's cute, fun and delicious. Or...you can do what I do and drown them in chocolate sauce.

journaldesfemmes.com, gorobina via flickr, flickr.com

Alors, the second recipe is for savoury crêpe - we just call them crêpes or crêpes salées. The great thing about these crêpes is that you can use them for both sweet and savoury recipe ! Oui, c'est correct ! This is the easiest recipe in the world, I make it often because it takes about 2 minutes to make and I usually have all of the ingredients at home. 

via pilar pg

Crêpes Salées ... you will need:

- 250g flour (plain flour)

- 1 cup beer (in Australia, I use Coopers green)

- 2 cups milk

- 5 tablespoons oil

- 3 eggs (whole)

- 1 pinch salt

1. Get your food processor, and put all the ingredients in and mix on medium to high until combined. Keep the beer aside as you might need a little more ... feel free to drink the rest

2. Pour the mixture in a bowl and let it stand for an hour or so. (I usually put a tea towel over mine and sit it in the oven because it's dark - don't turn the oven on)...et voilà !

lexpress.fr

I just want to add a few things to the above recipes, give you some ideas and describe the cooking method of crêpes. Have you ever wanted to make a lasagne with fresh pasta but never got around to doing it because it was too difficult ? Well, here's an idea for you: crêpe lasagne. It cooks faster, it's fresh and it's easy to bake. Just lay the sauce on the bottom of the baking tray, add a layer of crêpes, add ricotta, spinach, (any vegetables) sauce and repeat ! What do you think ?

lexpress.fr, undejeunerdesoleil

How about making a cake out of crêpes ? I'm sure you've seen them before, and maybe said "one day I'll make that" - well, today is your day ! Use the crêpes salées recipe and add chocolate, cream, strawberries, honey, anything you want !

huffingtonpost.com

So, some final words from me to you...you don't need a crêpe pan to make crêpes. I know, a French man saying that ! It's ok, just use spray oil (very, very little) in a normal pan and that's all you need. I use a soup ladle (you will find what ladle size best suits your pan size) and just remember, you can eat your mistakes ! The first crêpe never comes out a good colour for me, so it's a good time to test your method. Ladle a spoonful of batter into the centre of your pan, and swill it around until it just covers the entire surface of the base then you just watch for little bubbles that form on the surface of your crêpe, that's when you know it's time to flip !

Bon appétit ! A bientôt ! 

thebakerupstairs.com

Double Chocolate Fantasy Tart with Sexy Salty Caramel

Bonjour tout le monde ! Do you dream of chocolate ?  I don't mean little bonbons...I mean real chocolate...like a salted caramel chocolate tart encased in a chocolate crust...? Well I do, so here's today's inspiration ... Double chocolate tart with my Sexy Salty Caramel ... miam !



heathersfrenchpress.com

In case you didn't already know, j'adore chocolate and all things sweet and savoury. This tart combines my love of chocolate with my daring side of adventure (that's the salted caramel part...pretty daring, no ?) check this out ... Sexy Salty Caramel.

superdessert.com



There are 3 parts to this simple recipe, the pâte sablée cacao (chocolate tart base), the Sexy Salty Caramel and the chocolate ganache. All with enough goodness to taste test along the way.

La Pâte Sablée Cacao ... you will need:

- 300g unsalted butter

- 50g cocoa powder

- 150g icing sugar

- A pinch of salt

- 1 vanilla pod contents

- 2-3 eggs (depending on their size)

- 50g almond (or hazelnut) powder

- 500g plain flour

- 10g baking powder

1. Grab a bowl and mix together flour, almond powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt - set aside (no tasting just yet)

2. In a different bowl, using a mixer, combine the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together to combine

4. [You should end up with a dough that looks similar to the picture below]. Divide the dough into 6 portions, and roll out the dough into your mini tart tins (9cm/3.5 inches with removable base) and refrigerate for 30 minutes (If you want to make one large tart, use a 9 inch tart tin and refrigerate for 30 minutes). Pre-heat your oven to 180°C

5. Take out your tarts from the fridge, poke the bottom of them with a fork and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 180°C then set aside to cool down. (If you are making one large tart, bake for about 17-20 minutes or until cooked through).

tastespotting.com

The Sexy Salty Caramel ... you will need:

- 300g sugar

- 2 tablespoons of water

- 250ml thickened cream

- 80g salted butter

- Pinch of sel de Guérande (or salt flakes - not rock salt)

1. Put some water in your pot, swish it around and then pour it back out again (this stops the caramel from sticking to the sides)

2. Combine 300g sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan over a low heat

3. As the mixture comes to a boil, the sugar will slowly dissolve. Stir once or twice with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the sugar and water

4. This stage is hands-off, but make sure you keep a close eye as the mixture boils. After a few minutes, it will start to caramelize in spots. Once you see that, liberally stir again to encourage even browning. When the mixture is a light-golden colour, the process will begin to speed up rapidly. Lower the heat (this will give you more control) and cook, without stirring (you can move the pot in a circular motion to combine), until mixture is a deep golden colour

5. When you reach the deep golden colour, turn off the heat, and carefully, very carefully, stir in 250ml of heavy cream, after this is combined, add in your 80g of salted butter and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth

6. Pour in to your tarts and put them back in the fridge for about 15 minutes to cool down and solidify a little

twopeasandtheirpod.com

The Chocolate Ganache ... you will need:

- 1 & 1/2 cups thickened cream

- 300g bittersweet chocolate chopped into small pieces (minimum 70% cocoa)

- 125g unsalted butter

1. Grab a small pot and bring the 1 & 1/2 cups of cream to the boil then remove from the heat

2. Add your 300g chocolate pieces to the cream and wait about a minute before mixing it all together

3. Get your tarts out of the fridge, and spoon the chocolate ganache over the caramel - return the back to the fridge for about 5 hours to cool down...if you can wait that long...

4. If you want to create a beautiful display on the top of your tarts, just dip a spoon in to your caramel sauce, and over baking paper, flick the spook gently to loosen the caramel sauce into fine strands [warning: the caramel is hot !!!]

cookinghobby.net

Alors, I hope you enjoyed this delicious and decadent dessert. It is truly a fantasy cake with lots of little moments of happiness....Bon appetit ! A bientôt !

bestthingieveratelocations.com

 
 

The Secrets of Sarlat

Bonjour tout le monde ! Today our journey will take us to the French village of Sarlat. A charming and well preserved medieval town with resounding dark and mystical oak forests full of black truffles, mazes of small streets and rolling green hills that inspire an amazing sense of adventure ! Pack your bags and get ready to uncover the secrets of Sarlat with me ...

perigord-dordogne-montgolfieres.com-DSC_2449

Located in the Dordogne province in Aquitaine, south west of France, le Périgord Noir, as it's most commonly known, gets its name from the dark forests surrounding the village...and (surprisingly) not from the black truffles its known to abundantly possess.

Sarlat offers many quaint, curious and picturesque cobble stoned streets and narrow laneways with exceptionally well preserved medieval buildings. Imagine walking the streets that were once under the authority of the church through the Benedictine Abbey since the 9th century ! You will walk the streets of history... literally !!



francetravelplanner.com

It is said that Sarlat has the highest density of historical and classified monuments of any town in France. The old facades of the buildings have stood the test of time, giving us a modern day feel of what life was like in medieval times. These magnificent architectural masterpieces are magical at the break of dawn. Try something different and take in the sights of surrounding villages by taking a hot air balloon ride at sunset...romance is in the air...



perigord-dordogne-montgolfieres.com

Alors, I was walking around, contemplating what life would have been like back then, the architecture and the intriguing rooves made out of lauze (artisanal cut stone)...and I could  so easily picture, many centuries ago, the people of Sarlat travelling by horse and carriage through the old little winding lanes...hearing the clip clop of the black horses of le Périgord Noir echo through the modest and intimate flame lit streets. Don't worry, although they have managed to preserve the village, they do have cars now...they even have buses...and I still haven't got a clue as to how bus drivers manage to navigate such narrow little streets...

Sarlat is such a dynamic little city made even more charming by la place de la Liberté. Here you can find everything. Breathtaking views of the bell tower and cathedral, an abundance of eateries, (all equally as good as the next) markets, cafes and lots of little boutiques. 

I'm sure you can imagine my first stop was the market ;) I know, I know...French food ! What more can I say guys ..? Each stand was oozing with amazing products such as foie gras, magret de canard, truffe du Périgord...indulgent little moi...I had them all ! The market runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so, I guess you can understand my dilemma.

truffe-sarladaise.com

At night on humble streets you can see the people of Sarlat laughing and collectively enjoying a fragrant glass of wine from Bergerac. Imagine generations of people sitting in this little square sharing stories over centuries, I can now say I was a part of history.

In Sarlat you can joke about many things...except the geese, they are the pride of Sarlat. The geese even have their own festival aptly named Fest'Oie (a goose fair). Each year, on the third weekend of February Sarlat celebrates its favourite animal and they invite you to celebrate with them !

Could you just imagine a noisy flock of geese honking and waddling their way through this medieval village ! It's both a good laugh and a very intriguing experience I must say. Make sure you don't eat too much in preparation for the fine food, foie gras and soups that are to die for... you will dream of this moment and relish the memories of eating amongst the geese of Sarlat.

You may already know of Sarlat if you have watched the film Chocolat with Juliette Binoche, Dame Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp. The beauty of this village is as alluring as the chocolate in this film, as timeless as Juliette's looks and as adventurous as Johnny's life.

hostellerie-sarlat.com

My friends our French journey in Sarlat has regrettably come to an end. I hope you enjoyed our trip...I will be back soon for a new article of my journey in sharing the delights of French gastronomy and lots more ! A bientôt !

 

Espelette...A Spicy Destination

Bonjour tout le monde!

Welcome to the Basque country near the Spanish border ... Olé ! Today our French journey will take us to Espelette in the Pyrenees-Atlantique province of Aquitaine in the south-west of France. Alors, lets discover this Basque village at the border between France and Spain together mes chers lecteurs...

eyhartzea.com

The first thing to know in Espelette...you might hear people speak in a language other than French and Spanish they speak in Basque and they're proud of that fact ... So let's get started with some Basque, after all, it's one thing to know bonjour and hola... and a completely different thing to know..."Kaixo, zer moduz ? Nire izena Jerome da. Sydney ko naiz urte askotarako" - translated in English - "Hello, how are you ? My name is Jerome. I'm from Sydney, pleased to meet you". Ok, now that you are able to speak Basque, the world is your oyster (or Espelette) !

Espelette is known for its piments d'Espelette (dried red chillis of Espelette). It was the piment d'Espelette which brought fame to the little town of Espelette. People come from the four corners of the world to try this famous chilli and they are not disappointed ! 

cannellevanille.com

During the summer, piment d'Espelette are hung to dry outside many of the local shops and houses in the village, on little stands and on every single building ! You might think to yourself, 'what on earth do they do with of all these chillis ?' ... Well you can find piment d'Espelette is used whole or ground into a hot powder, but aside from the typical uses, you can find piment d'Espelette in mustards, salts, caviar, confit, jelly, pâté, cheese, foie gras, macarons, chocolate, Bayonne ham, wine and much more! Did you know, that back in the old days, they used to use piment d'Espelette to cure their ham ? 

walk-and-bike-in-france.com

The town created the "Fête du Piment" which is held each year during the last weekend of October to celebrate the piment d'Espelette. During the Fête du Piment, the town organises a lot of festivities and all the local producers and farmers are present to transform Espelette into a giant street market. This tradition started in 1968, and since then, the enthusiasm for the local production hasn't stopped growing. Today there are more than 20,000 visitors each year marking this a hot event ... not too bad for a little town of 2000 people !

sudouest.com

I found a bistro which had an intriguing collection of beers called Etxeko Bob's Beer. I asked the owner of the shop if it was a local beer ... yes I'm the curious kind ... He explained to me that it was a local production craft beer brewed in the heart of Pays Basque by an Englishman from London. This was enough to convince me to try them (not that I ever need convincing to try a new beer). Blonde ale, wheat beer, dry stout and my favorite one chili beer ! So now, imagine eating some barbecued chilli meat with some chilli salt, sitting on the terrace of a little pub enjoying the food, beer and views ... what more could you ask for ..?

survivefrance.com

And just when you thought that Espelette couldn't get any better you find out that they even have their own type of ponies call Pottok. They live in wild liberty in the Pyrenees mountains of the Basque Country. These guys are not shy either ... so, it's not rare to see them on the road when driving through the mountains. These ponies have been living in this area for at least several thousands of years and they are considered iconic by the people of Basque. When I see how beautiful these ponies are, I can easily understand why they are so loved and accepted in the region.

christophoto.com

If one day you have the good fortune of visiting Espelette, you should bring some good walking shoes...let me tell you why... All around Espelette you can find lots of little tracks, and if you follow these tracks, they will take you directly to local producers of piment d'Espelette but not only this...you will find some artisanal goat cheese producers and you will be able to visit the farm and try their cheeses on site !! And the view is stunning...breath taking...incredibly serene - it's a truly wonderful experience and I really recommend trying the roads less traveled.

villes-en-france.fr

Merci for your company...our Basque adventure in Espelette has reached the end. I really hope you enjoyed our journey together, I will be back soon with another adventure and hope you will join me again in sharing the delights of French gastronomy and lots more !

A bientôt !

telegraph.co.uk