Simple Rice Pudding

Ingredients: 

• 1 litre milk


• 100g round rice


• 30g  caster sugar

Instructions: 

Pop it all in a saucepan and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Job done.

Basic Crêpe Mix

Ingredients: 

• 125g sifted flour


• 300ml milk


• 2 medium free-range eggs


• 25g butter


• 2 good pinches of salt

Instructions: 

• Mix together the flour and eggs


• Gradually add the milk, beating constantly so mix is smooth


• Add the salt


• Melt the butter and add gradually

The mix can be prepared an hour or so in advance but it is not essential.  I tend to cook the crêpes in advance and warm them through just before serving.

Cheese Soufflé

Ingredients: 

• 50g butter


• 50g flour


• 250ml milk


• 4 eggs, separated into whites and yolks


• 150g grated cheese (Gruyère, Comté or similar)


• Salt & pepper


• 2 pinches nutmeg


• Fine breadcrumbs

• Preheat oven: 180 C


• Prep time: 20 mins


• Oven time: 20 - 25 mins

Instructions: 

• Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan.


• Add the flour and stir for 1 minute before removing from the heat.


• Gradually add the milk, stirring thoroughly keep the mixture smooth.


• Return to heat and stir whilst it thickens.


• Remove from heat and stir in the egg yolks.


• Add the grated cheese, then the seasoning and nutmeg.


• Whip the egg whites to snow then, using a spatula, gently add the egg whites to the cheesey mixture in 3 or more stages.


• Butter the ramekins and line with breadcrumbs.


• Pour in the soufflé mix until they are 3/4 full.


• Pop in the oven and leave well alone!

Getting It Up

Soufflé is a word that often strikes fear into the heart of enthusiatic cooks, but it's really not that big of a deal.  Follow the instructions, use good ingredients and there is no reason why you can't get it up with best of 'em.  The Daughter was 10 years old when she whipped-up her first batch. I prefer to make individual, one-serving soufflés in ramekins.  They are less risky than one big soufflé, and if you are very concerned about the risk of a failure then you can always make a couple extra to hedge your bets :)

Oh, and try and resist the temptation to keep opening the oven door to check on them: left alone at the correct temperature for the correct amount of time they will be fine.  Keep opening the door and you'll interfere with the temperature, and therein lies disaster....

Moussaka

Ingredients: 

• 600g minced meat (lamb, beef or a mix of the two)


• 100g grated cheese (I used Gruyère)


• 2 medium aubergines


• 1kg potatoes


• 1 medium onion, finely chopped


• Fresh parsley, finely chopped


• Approx 8 biscotte ('French Toast') crushed into fine crumbs


• 70g tin of tomato purée


• 30g butter

Bechamel Sauce:

• 125g butter


• 4 heaped tablespoons plain flour


• 1 litre warm milk


• 2 egg yolks


• salt, pepper


• 30g grated cheese

• Prep time: around an hour


• Oven time: 45 mins at 180 C

Instructions:

• Peel and slice the potatoes and aubergines.  Fry lightly in olive oil on both sides and drain on absorbent kitchen roll.


• Melt the butter in a pan and add the onions and meat, cook intil browned.


• Add the tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper.  Cook gently until the liquid is reduced to nearly nothing.


• Remove from heat and stir in a third of the cheese and about 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs.


• Lightly grease a deep baking tray or gratin dish.  Scatter in a thin layer of breadcrumbs then evenly distribute about 3/4 of the potatoes.


• Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the potatoes then pour in all the meat sauce.  Layer in the rest of the potatoes and the aubergines.

To make the bechamel sauce

• Melt the butter in a saucepan.


• Stir in the flour and mix over a gentle heat for approx 30 seconds.


• Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring thoroughly to avoid lumps.


• Place over a low heat and stir constantly until the sauce thickens.


• N.B.  This is a very boring part but can be done one-handed, leaving the other hand free to hold your glass of wine.


• Mix in the cheese.


• Allow the sauce to cool slightly before stirring in the two egg yolks until thoroughly mixed.


• Pour the bechamel sauce evenly over the potato/aubergine layer, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Finish off with another scattering of breadcrumbs.


• Bake in oven for 40-45 mins or until nicely browned.


• Let it stand 10 mins before serving as it will be blimmin' hot.

Tapenade

Ingredients: 

• 300g pitted olives


• 3 anchovy filets


• 1 large garlic clove


• 2 tablespoons pine kernels


• 1/2 tablespoon capers (rinsed)


• 100ml extra virgin olive oil


• Lemon juice


• Salt & pepper

Instructions: 

• Put olives, anchovies, garlic, pine kernels and capers in a blender and chop til fine.


• Add oil, lemon juice and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper.


• Place in an airtight container (I usually use an old olive jar or similar) and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavour to mature.


• Delicious smeared on slices of fresh baguette or toast.

Going Greek

We have a very dear friend who insists that he only likes 'meat and potatoes' meals (and only drinks red wine, but that's another story) so I usually cook a boeuf bourguignon or similar when he comes to dinner.  Nobody wants to serve up the same meals to the same guests time after time, though, so The Husband suggested Moussaka.  I love Greek food and figured 'how hard can it be?'.  My memories of Moussaka were that 'it's a bit like lasagna but with aubergine or potato instead of pasta'.  Kind of.

I poked around the ol' internet and compared recipes, working out my own version based on the variations I found.  Some people only use aubergine (eggplant) for the layers, some use potato or both.  I chose to do one layer just potato and one layer of both as I am not a huge fan of the texture of aubergine.  I don't know how 'authentic' my version could be called, but it was utterly delicious and, despite the fiddly aspect of frying and draining the vegetable layers etc I would be happy to make it regularly.

N.B.  I forgot to take a picture of the end result, but in my defence the wine had been flowing.....

Gratin Dauphinois

Ingredients: 

• 300g crème fraîche


• 750g potatoes


• 300ml milk


• 1 clove of garlic


• Salt & pepper


• Ground nutmeg

• Preheat oven to 200 C


• Prep time: around 30 mins


• Cooking time: 45 mins

Instructions: 

• Put milk and cream in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over a low heat


• Season with salt & pepper and a good pinch of nutmeg, stir well


• Chop the clove of garlic very finely and add to the mix


• Once the surface of the liquid begins to bubble, remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep.


• Peel and finely slice the potatoes and distribute them evenly in a gratin dish, lightly salting each layer


• Pour in the creamy mixture and place in the oven for 45 minutes

A Bit On The Side

 Gratin Dauphinois is a nice, simple side dish that can be prepared in advance, making it ideal for dinner parties and special family dinners. There are many subtle variations in the traditional recipes. For years I have been using a version where the potatoes are simmered in the milky mixture before oven baking, but I have always found it a bit fiddly and the results sometimes a bit too runny.  In the recipe I have published on this site there are fewer steps and the results were very satisfying.  Just be sure to slice your potatoes nice and thinly and don't skimp on the oven time.Other vegetables such as courgettes are a popular addition to the basic potato recipe, although not as popular with The Family as the addition of lardons. Mmm...bacon.....

English Muffins

Ingredients: 

• 225ml milk


• 2 tsp (approx 7.5g) dried yeast


• 1 tsp sugar


• 450g flour


• 1 tsp salt


• Sunflower oil for pan

• Prep time: approximately 2 hours


• Cooking time: around 15 minutes

Instructions: 

• Warm the milk gently until warm to the touch, but not boiling.


• Pour milk into a jug or bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir well.  Leave in a warm place for 10-15minutes until it begins to bubble on the surface.


• Sift together the flour and salt.


• Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture.


• Work into a dough, adding a little water or a little flour if necessary so not too wet or dry.


• Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth dough (I recommend about 10 mins).


• Place back in mixing bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).


• Roll out the dough until around 1.5cm thick and cut into rounds.  Place on lightly oiled tray and leave to rise for another 30 mins.


• Lightly oil a frying pan and heat gently.


• Cook the muffins in the frying pan for around 7 mins each side.

NOTES:The pan will need to be on a VERY low heat to cook muffins thoroughly and allow them to rise properly.Most recipes I read listed lard instead of oil.  I can't easily get my hands on lard ans it's very bad for you anyway!  I found that a light covering of sunflower oil worked perfectly well.

Nice Muffins!

***SPOILER!!***

They're not baked!

English muffins.  When I was a kid they were just 'muffins' and those other things were small cakes.  Toasted muffins make a great breakfast or snack but good quality ones are not easily available from supermarkets.  When we lived in the UK, I often found supermarket muffins tasted 'chemically'.  The Family was very happy when our nearest supermarket here in France started stocking them; not so happy when they went moldy overnight.

Wary as I was of the challenge of producing the right texture, I decided to give muffin-making a go one wintery morning when I was awake far too early. I had always assumed that muffins were oven-baked, but I had a good surf around comparing recipes and techniques and this is the result.

Next time I plan to dust them in fine semolina before cooking to obtain the same crumb as the muffins I remember.

The Shooter's Sandwich

Ingredients: 

• 1 round, crusty loaf


• 2 steaks, similar in shape and size to base of loaf


• Approx. 500g mushrooms


• 200g shallots


• Horseradish sauce


• Dijon mustard


• Assorted seasoning

Instructions: 

Slice off the top of the loaf and pull out most of the crumb.  Finely chop the mushrooms and shallots and cook them in approximately 75g of butter until they are soft and reduced in size and moisture.  Season according to taste.  I used powdered garlic, lots of salt and pepper, a little Worcestershire sauce and a sploosh of Bushmills whisky.Cook the steaks until they are pink (not too rare or the juices will destroy the bread) and tuck one into the bottom of the bread.  Dollop in the mushroom mixture, then add the second steak.  Smear horseradish on top of the steak, and Dijon mustard on the inside of the lid.  Replace the lid on the bread, wrap in greaseproof/baking paper and tie with string.  Wrap the resulting parcel in a double layer of tin foil.The sandwich should be placed under a heavy cutting board or similar, and additional weight placed on top (I used my heaviest crock pot) to compress it.  Leave in a cool place (but do not refrigerate) overnight.Remove foil, slice, serve, experience a sense of enormous well-being.

One Sandwich To Rule Them All

Some time ago I came across an article about 'The Shooter's Sandwich' - an Edwardian recipe for a hearty, meal-in-one sandwich from another era that sounded mouth-wateringly good.  So of course I bookmarked it, declaring my intention to recreate this delight at the earliest opportunity.  Nearly two years and a house-move later and voila!I had a spare bit of steak knocking about (like you do) and decided it had a great future ahead of it.Steak, mushrooms, shallots and crusty bread all come together in a gastronomic experience that still makes me smile when I think about it two days later.  I made a token effort of slicing up a little fresh tomato and cucumber to have on the side but this went largely ignored by the family.  Washed down with a glass or two of robust red.  I made The Sandwich and The Sandwich was goooooooood.

Who Doesn't Like A Nice Bit Of Sausage?

So I had a main meal to produce, three sausages and couldn't be bugg no desire to go shopping in sub-zero temperatures.  Some creativity required.  And thus was born a new family favourite: the rather grandly-titled Saucisse En Croute or Sossidges In Pastry.  Sausagey goodness, smothered in caramelised onions and wrapped in golden puff pastry.  Serve with mashed potatoes and a nice, rich gravy. Apologies, but I forgot to take a pic this time around, so will have to upload one next time.Where we live ready-made, ready-rolled puff pastry of very good quality is available very cheaply, so when we do the supermarket shop each month I literally gather up an armful of the stuff to chuck in the freezer.  Defrosts quickly, especially when placed on or by the cooker when the oven is heating up, and incredibly useful.  I bake a lot of savoury pastries for packed lunches, starters and apéro snacks so I try to always have a stock of such basics.  I can and do, occasionally, make my own puff pastry from scratch but the ready-rolled is just as good for everyday baking.

Saucisse En Croute

Ingredients:

• Long, coarse-ground sausages (1 per person)


• Puff pastry


• Onions (1 medium per person)


• Brown sugar


• Balsamic vinegar


• Egg wash for glaze

• Prep: 20 mins


• Cooking time: 20mins


• Preheat oven: 200C

Instructions:

Finely chop onions, drop into a pan containing a little hot olive oil and toss until coated. Cook until onions begin to soften. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over the surface of the onions, then sploosh in some Balsamic vinegar - about a teaspoon per onion.  Leave to cook gently on a very low heat, stirring occasionally until a rich, brown colour.

Lay out your sausages on rectangles of puff pastry large enough to make 'envelopes'.  Once the onions are cooked, smother the sausages with them, fold over the pastry and seal on all sides using egg wash (beaten egg with a dash of water).  Glaze the outside, score lightly so the sausages can 'breath' during cooking, and pop in the oven on either a silicone tray or a lined metal baking tray for approx. 20 mins or until until a nice, even golden brown.