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Recipes: 513 results
Pear tart with almond cream
(Found inTextsStages)This is a very quick and easy tart to make, as everything (or almost) can be done in advance. A piece of sweetcrust pastry, some almond cream and pears? You have "everything you need".
March 17th 2011369 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
Crème brulée
(Found inTextsStages)Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust. This is a completely new version...
December 31th 20111.67 M 74.3 4 hours 40 min.
4 pears salad with vanilla
(Found inTextsStages)It's a very easy recipe, everything depends on the choice of differents kinds of pears all fully ripe, to give a delicious contrast in the mouth.
February 21th 2011233 K4.2 40 min.
Belle-helene in a glass
(Found inTextsStages)It's a recipe where you make 4 layers of different creams in a small glass: vanilla cream, small dice of pear cooked in maple syrup, chocolate mousse and whipped cream. It should be served to your guests cool but not too cold .
February 21th 2011262 K3.8 1 hour 50 min.
Finger biscuits
(Found inTexts)These small biscuits, that look a bit like savoy biscuits, are delicious alone or with Champagne, but are also the base for charlottes or Tiramisu.
July 30th 2021348 K5 50 min.
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
(Found inTextsStagesComments)This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...
October 3rd 20191.60 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
Citrus crunch
(Found inTexts)These are fine crumbs of candied citrus peel. It can be used to sprinkle a dessert or other preparation to add both crunch and the flavour of the chosen citrus fruit. It is easy to prepare well in advance, and will keep in an airtight jar. This recipe is given for clementines, but can be made with...
February 2nd 2016238 K3.7 1 hour 20 min.
French dressing (vinaigrette)
(Found inTexts)Here is a very simple recipe, but it could completely transform, maybe even transcend, your salad.
July 7th 20111.06 M4.5 7 min.
Breton galettes (pancakes)
(Found inTexts)Of uniquely Breton origin, this is a buckwheat pancake on which you cook an egg with ham and cheese before folding it over. Easy and quick to make, it's an ideal answer to the question "what are we going to eat this evening?".
February 21th 2011223 K 23.9 20 min.
Home-made terrine of foie gras
(Found inTextsStages)Preparing your own home-made foie gras from raw is immensively satisfying: good quality liver and a simply amazing flavour – much better than anything you can buy. This recipe is a bit tricky, but quite within everyone's grasp, as long as you follow the 3 most delicate stages carefully. These are,...
December 16th 20245.27 M 64.2 4 days 15 hours 50 min.
Foie gras cured in salt
(Found inTextsStages)This a quite different preparation from the terrine of foie gras, this time it does not go in the oven, the liver is salted for 48 hours and it "cooks" (or cures) in this way.
December 23th 2017569 K5 2 days 16 hours 30 min.
Artichoke hearts forestier
(Found inTexts)This recipe is not very complicated, but does involve some work: an artichoke heart with a layer of mushroom duxelle, a layer of fried bacon, topped with a poached egg and cream sauce. Everything can be prepared in advance (the day before for example), but the final assembly should be done just...
May 10th 2023273 K5 1 hour 50 min.
Cocotte eggs with Comté
(Found inTextsStages)A light delicious and quickly prepared dish, an easy and elegant answer to the frequent question "what are we going to eat this evening?". Here is version with Comté (a famous cheese from eastern France, like gruyère, but much better), but it can be made prepared many different ways.
February 21th 2011356 K4.3 1 hour
Four-tier glasses
(Found inTexts)This starter recipe, served in a glass, consists of four tiers of different vegetable preparations. Each can be made the day before, and it's only the assembly that is tricky.
June 2nd 2015267 K5 1 hour 40 min.
Natural leaven
(Found inTextsComments)Leaven is a natural raising agent, a fermented mixture of water, flour and the microscopic yeasts which are present in the air. It's a delicate living substance, sensitive to the external environment. The recipe is around 4000 years old and dates back to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, via a beautiful...
April 3rd 20201.71 M 304.0 7 days 15 min.
Sandwich bread
(Found inTexts)Soft and moist, almost like brioche, it can be made in a tin or mould or as a classic long French-style loaf.
October 24th 2017357 K3.9 3 hours 30 min.
Surprise bread
(Found inTextsStages)This recipe is for a large surprise bread so you can make six layers (48 small sandwiches if you divide each layer in 8), with three different flavours: smoked salmon/lime, smoked ham/butter, mayonnaise/chicken.
December 27th 2020710 K 84.5 6 hours 25 min.
Parisian-style chocolate custard tart
(Found inTextsStages)You may well already have met the classic French custard tart, with its vanilla filling. Here is a delicious chocolate-flavoured version.
July 13th 202259 K 1 hour 8 min.
Pages: 22 results
A mist free mirror
I don't know if you're like me, but I find it very annoying after a shower or bath to have to wipe down the bathroom mirror 36 times with a towel just so I can see myself shaving (or putting on make-up for the girls).How do you solve this tricky problem? First of all, by looking at the cause of the...August 29th 2023223 K 13.6
Films and papers in the kitchen
It's now fairly easy to find a range of papers and plastic films that are invaluable, and sometimes indispensable, kitchen aids. Here's a quick overview of the main products available, and what you can and can't do with them.August 29th 2023581 K 93.6
Ice-cream and sorbets
Making homemade ice cream may seem complex, but with the right methods and a few tricks, you can achieve a creamy texture and incomparable flavors. On this page, we'll be revealing the secrets of successful homemade ice cream, guiding you step by step through the various stages of preparation. ...August 12th 2024441 K4.0
Making your own bread
You'll find a whole range of bread and pastry recipes on this site, but before you get started, perhaps you'd like to know more about the subject, get some tips and tricks, and find out what the main mistakes beginners make? If so, this page is for you.August 22th 2024570 K 63.9
Homemade plancha
The plancha is a cooking method that originated in Spain. It consists of a very hot metal plate on which food, usually cut in small pieces, is cooked with little fat.Contact with the hot plate means that cooking is very rapid, only a few minutes, and there is an obvious "cooked" side. Food is well...June 3rd 2024263 K 43.7
Recipes
A recipe is really quite a simple thing (or should be): a list of ingredients, a method, and that's all there is to it. Unfortunately its not always the case. Sometimes you might get the impression that a recipe, found in a magazine or on a web site, has been concocted especially to make you fail:...June 3rd 2024176 K3.6
Some hints for a pizza-party
A pizza party is always a very pleasant and convivial occasion. Good people (friends and family) get together to enjoy delicious pizzas, baked right in the oven. Here are a few tips to help you make yours a success.July 14th 2025189 K3.7
My best addresses...
Quite a few of you often ask me where I can find this or that? or is such and such a thing a good buy? or which brand is best for this or that? On this page, I'm going to group together my good addresses for suppliers of this or that product or utensil, and good books on the subjects that interest...August 29th 2023305 K4.0
Cooking with herbs
Herbs: there's nothing else so small that can add so much to a recipe. They are not only for garnishing, but are a true part of the dish, sometimes one of the main ingredients. A small example of the "power" of herbs: you make a chopped carrot salad, which is very good with a vinaigrette, but if you...June 3rd 2024194 K 13.9
Finishing touches
Is an oven really ever finished? Well there are always ideas for improvements. Here are af few...August 30th 202474 K4.4
Advice on heating oven
For good results with a wood-fired oven, it's very important to manage the heating process well. Here is some advice to help you succeed in this delicate operation.August 24th 2024180 K4.0
Open fire cooking
In this method the fire is kept going in the oven, and we put in dishes that cook in a minute or two. It is, of course, the method for pizzas, pitta bread, etc...August 24th 202493 K3.9
Make your own hot-wire or styrofoam cutter
A filicoupeur is a hot-cutting tool for polystyrene, which can be used to enhance any piece of polystyrene you've salvaged, and to do all kinds of things with it: model building, model making, arts and crafts, and so on. See here how to make your own.February 20th 2024517 K 433.5
Slashing loaves
When it's time to put them in the oven, the dough pieces for future breads or viennoiseries need to be "lamés", i.e. made with a very sharp blade, by making quick incisions at the top, known as "grignes". Let's see how it's done.August 29th 2023285 K 43.6
The name of the elements
The names of the elements in Mendeleyev's table are generally derived from Latin, Greek or German, and refer to properties such as color, brilliance or geographical origin. Here's the origin of each element's name.August 24th 202475 K3.6
Solar lighting
As you know, every square feet of our planet receives huge amounts of energy which is sent by the sun. This energy, free, infinite, non-polluting is at our hands, but unfortunately for some sad reason we continue to use fossil fuels with all their harmful consequences to our environment.Is it...August 29th 2023240 K4.0
parsley
There are different kinds of parsley, the two main ones are curled parsley and flat-leaf (or Italian) parsley. The most important difference between the two, except the leaf shape, is taste: flat-leaf parsley has much more flavour.August 29th 202362 K4.1
sorrel
This is a plant of which only the leaves are used. There is a wild species, very tasty, with small red and green leaves, and a cultivated variety with large green leaves.August 29th 202344 K4.3
Submitting a comment or image
You can, if you wish, add a comment on the pages, articles and recipes of the site. This comment, or question, will be immediately put on line and available for consultation. Here are a few tips for your writing. .August 29th 202382 K 23.9
Start off well to cook well
What do I need to get started in the kitchen? First of all, a good website! That's it, you're there ;-), then a minimum of equipment, and the few products you should always have in your cupboards or fridge. Here are a few things to help you make your choices.August 29th 2023313 K 13.6
Blog articles: 121 results
The power of sayings and beliefs in the kitchen
One day, in the comments on the recipe for beaten egg whites, a young woman asked if you could beat egg whites stiff while having a period, as a friend had told her it wasn't possible. Sometime later another person commented that for mayonnaise it had been (get this!) scientifically proven that a...February 6th 201149 K4.4
Fried potatoes or fried mash?
In cooking there are a lot of dishes that appear to be extremely simple but which can actually prove to be very tricky. Amongst those that I'm aware of having this reputation are omelette and fried potatoes.February 6th 201122 K4.5
Properly cooked! (the taste)
Going out to a restaurant is getting harder at the moment. In France, at least, you have to try and find one that has agreed to pass on the new lower rate of VAT at anything other than a symbolic level, and there aren't many. And then, most importantly, you have to find a good one: one where you...February 6th 201115 K 14.6
In praise of slow cooking
You will no doubt have noticed that in cookery, it's often the actual cooking process that gets neglected. This is understandable; it comes at the end of the recipe and getting the dish in the oven is something of a relief (ah, that's done!), which frees us to cope with what's left: tidying the...February 9th 201139 K4.2
The ideal restaurant
Like all passionate cooks (I suppose), from time to time I dream of opening my own restaurant. I imagine loads of things: it will be like this or like that, we'll do this, I'll cook that, the room will have this or that – in short, I dream.October 15th 201214 K4.4
Good fridge management
We all have a fridge at home – it's an indispensible part of the kitchen and so much a part of the furniture that we tend not to pay it much attention. But often, out of habit, we don't use it properly. Here are a few tips to help you get more from your fridge. .April 19th 201127 K4.4
A memo of utensil weights
You will no doubt have come across this problem while cooking: after starting a recipe, when you already have some ingredients in a pan and have maybe cooked them, you need to know the weight of the pan's contents so that you can take half out, or add the same weight of sugar, for example.May 9th 201126 K4.6
Well-cooked meat
Have you ever noticed that if you like your meat well done, it invites strange looks? For instance, in a restaurant, when asked “How would you like that cooked?” If you reply, “Well done,” it is almost as if you are swearing….May 21th 201131 K 14.4
Should I believe my oven?
Can you really trust your oven? This is an important question as we are always tempted to take the temperature indicated as gospel truth and, unfortunately, this is rarely very precise. .July 4th 201130 K4.6
Too much sweet and savoury
There is a food trend which is creeping in everywhere in France right now: mixing sweet with savoury. In some restaurants, it is becoming difficult to order a classic dish, like “roast veal” for instance, without being served fruits in the garnish or honey/conserves/syrup in the sauce or cooked...November 3rd 201124 K4.5
The time of the jams
We are well into summer as I write this, and this is the time when most of the fruit is giving or about to give in full. And for many of us, it will also be the time for jams and jellies, one of the best ways to preserve fruit for the next winter.July 12th 202125 K4.5
Butter doesn't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it.
Whenever I'm discussing cooking and recipes, there is one idea which comes up frequently, like this: "Oh no! But that's got butter in it" (I should add, for the sake of accuracy, that this is something I hear more frequently from women, who are almost all concerned with keeping their figure). ...March 26th 201241 K4.5
Choosing a chopping board
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 8th 201248 K4.6
The painter, the restaurant owners and the opera singer
You might well have noticed that there are recipes involving names that have been so overused (often for any old thing) that they have almost become common nouns.September 25th 201218 K4.4
Markers in cooking
When it comes to cooking, there is only one real rule, and that is that there are no rules! By that I mean that everything is possible, everything can be combined, everything or almost everything can go with everything, but you have to like it, you have to find it good. I have friends who...July 3rd 20219,4165
The secret of cooking until "done"
This is a real chef's skill: being able to look at a fish fillet cooking and say, "Stop – that's enough, it's cooked". I always admire this ability to see at a glance if something is done. It is what sets the professionals apart from us mere amateurs. And it's true that how fish is cooked is...November 26th 201218 K4.4
The art of the charlotte
In cooking, a charlotte is a delicious moulded dessert, with biscuits around the outside that have been soaked in a flavoured syrup, filled with a light cream or mousse. The charlotte is left to set in the fridge before being turned out and served in slices. It is very light and a lovely sweet...February 27th 201341 K4.3
Fruits which can ruin your jelly
There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...March 6th 201374 K4.0
Preserving egg yolks
If you're using only the egg whites in a recipe (such as meringues ), you'll need to store the yolks until you're ready to use them again. There's nothing very complicated about this in principle - all you have to do is chill them, but there are a few pitfalls to be avoided in practice.June 18th 20245,3115
How to choose a good password
These days more and more websites ask you to create a user account, so that you can be identified before being allowed to access some service or other. To create an account you need to choose a user identity. This is simple, as your email address is used in most cases (ann.other@gmail.com, for...March 29th 201318 K4.1
Lexicon: 5 results
Brunoise (tiny diced vegetables as garnish)
(Found inTexts)Cutting a product into very small dice.
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Pointage (starting)
(Found inTexts)In bakery, "pointage" (starting), it's the first resting period, just after kneading. The dough, in one piece, is put for resting in a bowl, at ambient temperature, covered to prevent from making crust. During this step, dough is starting fermentation.
959 K
Chablonnage (sealing pastry with chocolate)
(Found inTexts)Chablonnage is a French pâtisserie term which means sealing the inside of a pastry tart case with a thin coating of melted white or dark chocolate, normally applied with a brush. After cooling, the chocolate hardens to form a fine, moisture-proof layer. The chocolate prevents the tart filling...
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Off the heat
(Found inTexts)To "take off the heat" means to take a pan off the hob and stop it heating any further in order to bring down the temperature of the contents rapidly, usually to stop the cooking.
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Utensil: 10 results
Weighing scales
(Found inTexts)With it you can weigh everything, even in small quantities (10-20 g, sometimes less).
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Pique-vite (pastry pricker)
(Found inTexts)For pricking over the base of a tart, or sheet of puff pastry, to prevent bubbles during cooking. This is usually done with a fork, but this small roller does the same thing very fast and evenly. It's very cheap and useful.
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Short-handled brush
(Found inTexts)This is a small hand brush with very fine bristles, used for gently brushing the dough during bread making, to remove excess flour. Very useful, indispensable even, for bread recipes where the soft dough has a high water content, like French baguettes.
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Tart rings, moulds or tins
(Found inTexts)For cooking tarts and tartlets, you can use classic moulds or tins (left photo), or rings (right photo) which are moulds with no base that are placed on a non-stick baking sheet for cooking. This is what pastry chefs use, because with no base, tart cook faster and more evenly, and it's easier to...
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Pommes parisiennes spoon
(Found inTexts)This is a metal scoop, half spherical in shape, used to cut small even balls of fruit or vegetables. Sometimes sold as a melon ball spoon.
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Mixing bowl (of food processor)
(Found inTexts)Very useful for hard work that's difficult to do with your hands: kneading evenly.
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Bannetons (bread rising baskets)
(Found inTexts)Once dough is kneaded and worked, it needs to be left to rise in a warm place before baking. Turning the risen uncooked dough onto the peel for transfering to the oven can be a tricky moment, especially if the dough has stuck to the container. To avoid this, bread is traditionally left for its final...
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Bread dough at the right temperature
(Found inTexts)For the dough to rise properly, it needs to be at a temperature of around 25°C, sheltered from draughts. To achieve this, bakers have what they call a "rising chamber", a small closed room at the right temperature. At home, it's hard to afford this luxury, but you can cobble together something...
959 K
Oven brush
(Found inTexts)Once the embers have been removed from the oven, the ashes missed by the rake need to be swept out, and for that you will need an oven brush.
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Ingredient, product: 7 results
pepper
(Found inTexts)Pepper is a spice obtained from the berries of two kinds of tree. The berries (peppercorns once dried), yield three kinds of pepper, depending of harvest period and processing:Green pepper (immature berries)Black pepper (mature)White pepper (black pepper without skin)White and black pepper are the...
959 K
chestnut flour
(Found inTexts)Made from dried chestnuts, this is a light brown flour without gluten. Not suitable for making bread (unless mixed with a proportion of wheat flour), but it's excellent for cakes, biscuits, pancakes,...
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fondant icing
(Found inTexts)Fondant icing is a mixture of sugars and water, in the form of a white paste, fairly hard when cold, but which softens when warmed. It's used for icing the tops of cakes and pastries such as millefeuilles or eclairs. It can be used white or coloured.
959 K
butter
(Found inTexts)Butter is a fat obtained from dairy cream by the mechanical process known as "churning" (traditionally done from ancient times in a receptacle called a churn, in which the cream is agitated until it turns into butter). Simply put, the cream goes in and comes out as butter. .
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