Category: Walnuts

A classic salad

While la salade de noix aux gésiers / salad of walnuts with gizzards might not sound appetising, it turns out to be an easy and delicious starter. Gesiers confit are preserved duck gizzards which have been cooked in duck fat over low heat for a long time. They are tender and full of flavour and considered a delicacy in South-West France. I placed the opened tin of gésiers (brought back from our last visit to the Lot) in a pan of simmering water until the fat melted. I poured this off and patted the gésiers dry with kitchen paper. I cut them into small pieces. I placed sliced chicory in the centre of each plate and surrounded this with slices of orange. I scattered the gésiers and walnut pieces over the top and sprinkled with a walnut oil vinaigrette.

Easy on the garlic

A whole year has gone by since I started My Year of French Cookery. I challenged myself to cook all the recipes from Goose Fat & Garlic by Jeanne Strang … but, I realised early on that, without a lot of stress (thereby following in the footsteps of Julie & Julia), it wasn’t going to be possible. So, I have fitted in recipes as I can and, consequently, really enjoyed the process. I have completed 137 in total – two to three a week on average, about 60% of the total. Without exception, all the recipes have worked brilliantly and I already have many favourites. It’s a real tribute to Jeanne Strang’s research and clear instructions, and I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me, clicked the Like button, and sent me encouraging comments. It’s meant a lot. I hope you will be pleased to hear that I have decided to continue the project for another year! Fittingly, I have started My Year of French Cookery … continued with l’aillade Toulousaine / garlic and walnut sauce, using the fresh walnuts and purple garlic that I recently brought back from France. I pounded the two with a pestle and mortar, adding a little cold water, to get a thick paste. Then, I slowly beat in walnut oil until I had a thick sauce, almost like a mayonnaise. I finished with salt and pepper and chopped parsley. We ate it with roast duck legs and lentils and it was wonderful. But, next time, I think I will go easy on the garlic!

A sauce for garlic lovers

A sweet treat

I love le tarte aux noix / walnut tart and often buy one from the pâtisserie when we are in France. But I was keen to make one myself, especially as I still have some walnuts, which we gathered last autumn. I made pâté sucrée with flour, sugar, salt, butter, and an egg yolk, and chilled it in the fridge till firm. I lined a flan case with the pastry and baked it ‘blind’ in a hot oven for 10 minutes. I ground some walnuts, added breadcrumbs (which had been soaked in milk and squeezed dry), sugar, a little black coffee and a couple of beaten egg yolks. I filled the pastry case with this mixture and put it back into a moderate oven to cook for 20 minutes until firm. I finished the tart by spreading some molten chocolate on the top. 

  • The very tree that produced our walnuts
  • Absolutely delicious