How to peel a fruit

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Usually French chefs says "peler à vif", which means to completely peel the fruit (removing skin and core) and keep only the very best of the flesh. Here is a method for grapefruit, but it can be used for all the other citrus fruit, and many other fruits.

Crunchy spring salad

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Fresh and crunchy, this colourful spring salad combines baby courgettes, radishes, cauliflower, beetroot and spring onions with chopped herbs in a good vinaigrette.

Saltimbocca

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Saltimbocca literally means "jumps into the mouth" in Italian. These delicious little meat rolls, made with veal, ham and sage, will do just that!

Croque-monsieur complet

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This is a "full Monty" version of the traditional French toasted sandwich: the bread is dipped in beaten egg with cream before cooking, rather like pain perdu, to make the fried bread rich and moist. The French term "complet" here means "with everything": egg, ham and cheese.

Pear, grapefruit and pistachio tart

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A sweetcrust pastry case filled with pistachio cream, topped with pear and grapefruit slices.

Eggs Arsène

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Eggs Arsène is a rather more rustic version (and definitely more Comtoise in style) of eggs Benedict , that indispensible breakfast dish in Ian Fleming's novels. And you're right, there is a nod to James Bond here.

You should not push with the sharp edge of a knife

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When you cut something into small pieces on your working surface, it's an automatic gesture to push the pile with your knife blade. It's a bad habit because this will blunt your blade.

How to prepare celeriac

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When faced with the ball of a whole celeriac, it's not obvious how to tackle it: what do you hold on to? Where do you start? Here's a fairly simple way to go about it.

Cajun pulled pork

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Pulled pork is a joint cooked long and slow so that it can be shredded easily with a fork. This Cajun-spiced version can be eaten like a classic meat meal or served in burger buns.

Apricot and pistachio clafoutis

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For this apricot and pistachio clafoutis, we'll first bake the apricots on their own in the oven, before pouring in the clafoutis dough for a second baking. This first baking apart will enhance the taste of the apricots in the clafoutis.

Escalope cordon bleu

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Escalope cordon bleu, or "cordon bleu", is a great classic of French family cooking: a cutlet of poultry (often chicken) that is folded over a slice of ham, béchamel sauce and strips of cheese, then breaded and baked in the oven. It's a delicacy that most French children have eaten at home, or at the canteen.

Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes

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Hasselback potatoes are cut into thin strips, leaving some of the flesh intact, to form a sort of puff pastry or "porte-feuilles". They are then baked in the oven, and topped with cheese and ham. It's a simple recipe, and at the same time quite technical.

Succès praliné (praline meringue)

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The "succès" (success) is a classic of traditional French patisserie, made with two layers of almond meringue filled with praline butter cream. It's very rich and a little old-fashioned these days, but still has many faithful fans. The original recipe comes from the master chef Gaston Lenôtre, and became one of his most famous cakes, but this version is a little easier to make.

Calissons

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Calissons are a sweet from Provence - Aix-en-Provence is famous for them - made with almonds and candied fruit, covered with royal icing. This is a slightly simplified version, which is every bit as good.

"Buttonhole" quail eggs

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This little appetizer consists of a small finger of toast, a slice of cured ham and three quail egg yolks arranged on a rectangle of egg white. It is a bit tricky to make, but very attractive to serve, and delicious, of course.

How to prepare an onion or shallot

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Onions and shallots are widely used in the recipes on this site, generally finely chopped. Here is a method to do it quite easily with a simple knife.

How to extract passion fruit juice

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Passion fruit are rather strange fruit as they do not really have much flesh, but rather seeds surrounded by a fine layer of pulp. Here is a way to extract the juice.

How to peel a pineapple

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For most recipes it is necessary to completely peel the pineapple, and to keep only the flesh which is then often cut into small pieces. Here is a method.

tarragon

Tarragon is a herb with strongly aromatic leaves. These are used for their characteristic flavour that goes very well with meat and fish.
August 29^th 202356 K4.1

It's a no-brainer, surely? If you want a chopping board, just find a piece of wood, and Bob's your uncle! You can happily chop away with a knife and not damage the table or worktop. But in reality, it's a bit more complicated than that. You need to be careful what you are buying, in particular the...
May 8^th 201252 K4.6

You must have heard a chef or cook say: "There’s no good cooking without good ingredients". This is very true, of course, but for any amateur or beginner it is equipment that really counts to start with. What I mean is that you should not skimp on kitchen equipment, good utensils, a food...
May 30^th 201827 K5

Although we are in the middle of winter as I write these lines, you should not hesitate to make salads at this time, it is actually quite simple, rather fast, and so pleasant. A while ago, I already told you that a salad is a salad, but a salad with herbs is immediately something much better:...
January 9^th 202117 K4.9

Whenever you have fresh herbs - parsley, chervil, coriander, mint, etc. - to incorporate into a recipe, we tell you to chop them up. In this case, "chopping" means separating the leaves from the stems, keeping only the leaves, and chopping them more or less finely. It's not very complicated,...
September 12^th 202315 K5

Your kitchen or bakery utensils may include a horn (left) or a pastry cutter (right). These practical utensils are normally used to scoop the contents of a bowl or salad bowl - the horn - or to cut dough - the pastry cutter. But they also have another, very practical use - let's see what it is.
May 9^th 20262,6153

Chopping board

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To cut safely, using your knives, on your work surface.
17 K4.4

Knife

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It's impossible to cook well without good knives. For cutting of course, but also slicing, chopping, etc.
16 K4.2