Les croustillants de chèvre / goat’s cheese in filo pastry makes a great starter. And in the hands of another person, would probably look elegant. I found the process a bit fiddly. I cut filo pastry into rectangles and brushed with melted butter. I wrapped these around discs of goat’s cheese, sealing the edges with more butter. I fried for two minutes on each side until golden. I served on a bed of salad leaves, dressed with a honey vinaigrette, and scattered with walnut pieces. The pastry was crunchy and the centre oozing. Yum!
At this time of year I always look out for the famous pruneau d’Agen in the market. There are the classic dried ones and the semi-dried (mi-cuit). The latter are where the dehydration has been stopped early leaving extra tender, plump prunes which are valued for their richer flavour. And these are the ones which I bought to make les aiguillettes de canard aux pruneaux / duck aiguillettes with prunes. I started by making a sauce with red wine, prune juice and honey. I combined all the ingredients and reduced until syrupy. Meanwhile I rolled up the prunes in the aiguillettes – the small, tender strips of duck meat cut from underneath the main breast fillet – secured with a toothpick and added salt and pepper. I heated duck fat in a frying pan and sautéed the parcels briefly turning them over to brown on all sides. I transferred to a serving dish, deglazed the pan with verjus, and added the pan juices to the sauce. The result was an attractive dish, combining the the richness of the duck with the sweetness of the prunes.
I wasn’t sure how this soup was going to work out. In fact I was a bit suspicious of it. Le gazpacho des almandes aux raisins / almond and grape cold soup has its origin in Spain. Food historians trace it back to the Moorish rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the list of ingredients, it was hard to imagine how it might taste. I soaked stale bread in water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile I combined blanched almonds and garlic in a food processor and pulsed until finely ground. I squeezed the water from the bread and added to the mixture, blending to a paste. Then, with the motor running, I added extra virgin olive oil, followed by white wine vinegar, salt and cold water, until I had a smooth liquid, like double cream. I served with Muscat grapes, halved and seeded. The result was a revelation. Difficult to describe – a bit nutty and garlicky, with a strong piquant taste off-set by the sweet, perfumed grapes. Thoroughly delicious and very moor-ish.
It’s been a while since I last posted. I have been taking a break, plus most of the recipes that I want to do from Magrets & Mushrooms are autumnal, and so will have to wait until later in the year. But I am in France and I have just cooked les souris d’agneau en casserole / casserole of lamb shanks for the second time. My usual butcher only had one shank which made me wonder whether the French cook this cut as a small joint. The supermarket butcher also only had one shank but, rather reluctantly, prepared two more, as I was cooking for three. They were large and, in retrospect, two would have been fine. I prepared the dish as before but, this time, I added a bouquet garni instead of cumin for a more Mediterranean flavour. Our guest, Eric, tucked in with gusto and we had a lovely meal together, remembering Angie who very sadly died a few weeks ago. It was she who introduced me to Jeanne Strang’s first book, Goose Fat & Garlic. Angie was a wonderful, intuitive cook and I knew I could always ask her to help me in the kitchen when things didn’t go according to plan. I will remember her with great fondness as I continue my quest to explore the traditional recipes from South-West France.
I made the recipe for la lotte au vin rouge de St-Émilion / monkfish cooked in red wine from St Emilion for the first time for a dinner party with friends Ann and Andrew. I fried small pickling onions slowly in olive oil with a sprinkling of sugar, then added pork lardons, garlic, shallots, cayenne pepper, mixed spice, salt and pepper and a bouquet garni. In another pan, I made a roux with flour and butter and added a bottle of red wine, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. I added this to the onion mixture and continued cooking. At this stage the sauce tasted quite raw and our guests had arrived. Then, I added sliced mushrooms and monkfish cut into large cubes and continued cooking gently for a further 25 minutes. I served the dish feeling a bit apologetic but it was pronounced delicious. The robust sauce had a hint of heat and spice, the onions were soft and slightly sweet, and the nuggets of fish fell apart.
This starter – la granita de gazpacho à la crême de cabécou / tomato and goats’ cheese ice – seemed rather different and so I was keen to try it. I made fresh tomato juice by simmering ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, and then filtered the liquid through a sieve. I added harissa paste, vinegar, sugar and a little tomato concentrate dissolved in water. I froze this mixture, stirring from time to time to distribute the ice crystals. To serve, I put the tomato sorbet into goblets topped with fresh goats’ cheese softened with a little yoghurt and lightly seasoned with pepper. I served to a discerning supper guest (Martin) and we all agreed it was great. The tomato was refreshing and spicy, and perfectly balanced by the creamy, mild cheese. A few days later, we treated ourselves to a Michelin starred restaurant lunch, and were surprised and delighted to be served a very similar amuse buche!
Apparently French beef can be tough and so long-slow-cooked stews are the answer. This is what I did for les joues de bœuf aux cèpes / beef cheeks with mushrooms. I started the dish by cooking fresh white haricots beans until tender. Then I fried the beef cheek (just one, in one piece) in butter and oil to seal the meat. I added some Armagnac and set it alight. When the flames had died down, I added orange slices, garlic cloves, salt and pepper and poured over red wine till it came about half way up the beef. I covered and simmered as gently as possible for two and half hours. Then I added the beans and some chopped cèpes and cooked for a further hour. At this point, I cut up the meat and served it with its sauce.
I noticed the recipe for les araignées de porc / pork scratchings and wondered what it was. Then, in the queue at the butchers, I was curious about the choice of a customer in front of me. I took a look at the label and saw “araignées marinées” – literal translation “marinated spider crabs”. However, these are actually the small pieces of pork which are left on the carcass after all the other cuts are taken. So I changed my mind and bought some too! To cook them, I fried the araignées in duck fat with chopped shallots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and a little white wine and verjus. Tender and succulent, they made a great supper.
There are beautiful, ripe tomatoes in the market, of all sorts of varieties. I chose cœur de bœuf for les tomates farçies / stuffed tomatoes. I made rustic breadcrumbs using the crust as well as the soft insides, and mixed with chopped parsley, salt and pepper and virgin olive oil. I scooped out the insides of my tomatoes (keeping these bits for a pasta dish) and added the filling. I placed in an oven-proof dish, drizzled a little more olive oil, and baked in a hot oven for half an hour. This is an easy dish, looks good and makes a lovely accompaniment.
Les manchons de canard / duck wings might not sound very exciting but they turned out to be a real treat. I bought a jar of preserved duck wings (en confit) at market and decided to use them for an easy supper. I heated them in a frying pan and, at the same time, softened some shallots in the melted fat. I added diced candied orange, some capers and a little red wine to make a sauce. Simple and delicious.
