Butter cream

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Butter cream is made with egg yolk, sugar syrup and, of course, butter. These days it has fallen rather out of fashion, probably because it's very rich, but it still has its aficionados. Here is the classic plain version, which you can lighten and flavour as you wish.

Cannelés

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Cannelés are a speciality from the French city of Bordeaux. These delicious little cakes have a crunchy exterior and a soft centre.

"Moelleux" cake batter

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This French-style "moelleux" cake batter gives a softer, moister texture than a classic cake batter. It can be made plain or varied with different flavourings.

Pistachio powder or paste

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Pistachio paste has a similar texture to almond paste, but the similarity ends there, as its flavour and colour are quite characteristic.

Beef braised in reduced red wine

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In classic recipes of this kind, the meat is simply cooked in the wine as it comes. This version is different: the red wine is reduced first separately on low heat with herbs, onion and carrot, then the meat is cooked long and slow in this. This method gives the meat a richer, more intense flavour.

Sausage and lentils "en cocotte"

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This is a casserole-style version of the traditional French sausage-and-lentils recipe with a special feature: the lentils are cooked in just the right amount of water. The other ingredients add flavour as does, most importantly, the sausage (preferably smoked). When pricked, this will release its full flavour into the lentils during cooking. Not only will the lentils be perfectly cooked and extra-tasty, thanks to the sausage, they are ideal to serve with the sausage itself.

Sauce Normande (for fish)

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Sauce Normande (or Normandy sauce) is a classic of French cuisine. It is rather "old school", but deliciously velvety and comes in two versions, one for meat and one for seafood. Here is the version to accompany fish or shellfish.

Spring Bread

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Spring bread is flavoured with little pieces of preserved tomatoes, Parmesan and chive flowers (hence the name, as the flowers only appear for a brief period in spring). Shaped into long loaves or thin sticks, slices of this bread make a delicious aperitif snack.

Roast beef "like they do it in Santa Fe"

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For this delicious roast, the beef joint is seared all over, then wrapped in slices of grilled (broiled) bacon before the final long, slow roasting in a bag with aromatic ingredients (bayleaf, shallots, carrot, thyme and chilli). Cooked this way, the meat will be well done on the outside, meltingly tender inside and can be pulled apart with a fork. The pepped-up spicy flavour is to die for!

Cured Pork Belly With Lentils

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Pork belly with lentils is a typical French bistro dish. In principal, it is a mixture of different cuts of pork, usually salt-cured, cooked slowly until "confit" and meltingly tender, served with lentils cooked in stock. This dish takes a good while to prepare, but it's a real treat! It reheats very well, tasting better each time, so do make plenty in one go.

Basic cake batter - the French way

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The cake is one of the classic cakes of the pastry world (The frenchs call them "journey cake"), and there are many ways to make it. Here's a new basic recipe for its dough, into which you can then add the flavors (pistachio, lemon, chocolate, etc.) and ingredients (dried fruit, fresh fruit, etc.) of your choice.

The aromatic power of sugar

In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...
December 25^th 20245,1725