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Recipes: 159 results
How to know when a cake is cooked
How to know when a cake is cooked
(Found inTextsStages)
It's a frequently asked question and it's not so easy to answer it, especially for beginners: you can have a cake that's nice and golden brown outside, but which is not cooked enough in the middle.
273K4.1 1 min. May 7th 2020
Big knife-cut chips (French fries)
Big knife-cut chips (French fries)
(Found inTextsStages)
These chips (French fries) are made from potatoes steamed then fried in their skins. Usually we make big ones (3 times the usual French fry) and serve 2 or 3 per guest.
265K4.1 1 hour 19 min. February 21th 2011
You should not push with the sharp edge of a knife
You should not push with the sharp edge of a knife
(Found inTextsStages)
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.
57K5 1 min. February 21th 2011
How to prepare an onion or shallot
How to prepare an onion or shallot
(Found inTexts)
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.
171K5 10 min. February 21th 2011
Cheese Soufflé
Cheese Soufflé
(Found inTexts)
A soufflé - one of those dishes with a reputation for being tricky to get right. In fact, it's not as difficult as all that. The important thing is to break the process down into stages: start by making the bechamel sauce, add some cheese (this turns it into a Mornay sauce), then add the egg yolks...
118K 14.4 1 hour 34 min. September 11th 2013
Cigarettes Russes (Piroulines)
Cigarettes Russes (Piroulines)
(Found inTextsStages)
The French name for these tubular biscuits means "Russian cigarettes". Cigarettes Russes are perfect for serving with ice cream or other desserts. The basic biscuit is fairly easy to make; the tricky bit is rolling the tube once cooked.
94K 54.5 46 min. May 25th 2014
Spinach Croque-monsieur
Spinach Croque-monsieur
(Found inTexts)
A croque-monsieur is a French toasted sandwich. Here, the 2 slices of buttered bread are filled with bechamel sauce, hard-boiled eggs, blanched spinach and melted cheese. The assembled sandwich is popped in the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.
57K4.5 45 min. May 24th 2015
Brussels sprout salad
Brussels sprout salad
(Found inTextsStages)
It might seem unlikely, but Brussels sprouts are very good raw, like in this salad, pepped up with lemon and Parmesan.
20K 32 min. March 28th 2021
How to prepare celeriac
How to prepare celeriac
(Found inTextsStages)
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.
20K 15 min. April 10th 2022
Foie gras fingers
Foie gras fingers
(Found inStages)
An elegant canapé which consists of a crisp layer of shortcrust pastry topped with a layer of foie gras.
126K4.6 2 hours 50 min. December 21th 2011
How to extract passion fruit juice
How to extract passion fruit juice
(Found inStages)
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.
501K 32.3 20 min. March 23th 2011
How to prepare an avocado
How to prepare an avocado
(Found inStagesComments)
Here is how to get from an avocado only the flesh of the fruit.
188K 14 11 min. January 9th 2010
How to roll out pastry for a tart
How to roll out pastry for a tart
(Found inStages)
Rolling out pastry from a block and lining a tart mould or tin is not as straighforward as all that. To help you to succeed every time, here is a very simple tip. It will to change your opinion of tarts...
287K4.6 23 min. October 13th 2010
Caramelised walnuts
Caramelised walnuts
(Found inStages)
These delicious nuts can be used in several cakes, but you can also put them on ice-cream, pancakes, fruit salad, or eat them just as they are.
354K5 22 min. February 21th 2011
How to prepare rhubarb
How to prepare rhubarb
(Found inStages)
Rhubarb and its characteristic flavour can be the basis of delicious desserts, but it needs to be prepared a certain way before using.
203K4.9 30 min. October 13th 2010
Chocolate cereal bars
Chocolate cereal bars
(Found inStages)
These have a chocolate sweetcrust pastry base, topped with dried fruit, toasted nuts and seeds, bound with a brown-sugar and butter mixture, then gently baked. Once the flapjack-like cake has cooled, it can be cut into bars.
28K 1 hour 18 min. July 11th 2018
Olive twists
Olive twists
(Found inStages)
These savoury puff-pastry twists (rather like smoked salmon sacristains) make an ideal aperitif snack. The pastry is simply spread with tapenade.
57K3.7 1 hour 39 min. September 7th 2018
Tomato feuilleté with pesto
Tomato feuilleté with pesto
(Found inStages)
This is a fairly simple recipe, but the result is an elegant, thin tart, bursting with delicious Italian colour. The base is a a feuilletage, but savoury this time, topped with the concentrated flavours of Italian cuisine: pesto, tomatoes and Parmesan.
34K4.1 59 min. September 8th 2018
Ham "friand" pie
Ham "friand" pie
(Found inStages)
A "friand" (the word means "fond"!) is a sort of French pasty. This pie-style version has two layers of puff pastry filled with a mixture of cheese, ham and bechamel sauce.
79K4.2 1 hour 5 min. September 8th 2018
Chinois
Chinois
(Found inStages)
"Chinese" - what a strange name for this cake! A kind of brioche, filled with confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière) which can be decorated with fondant icing.
256K 24.7 5 hours 29 min. September 10th 2018
Pages: 10 results
Home made plancha
Home made plancha
Make you own plancha and cook the Spanish way on this scorching hot metal plate.
253K 43.7 August 29th 2023
Herbs in the kitchen
Herbs in the kitchen
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...
182K 13.9 August 29th 2023
Make your own hot-wire or styrofoam cutter
Make your own hot-wire or styrofoam cutter
Cut polystyrene and foams easily with your own hot-wire cutter.
500K 433.5 February 20th 2024
Slashing loaves
Slashing loaves
Cutting the top of the loaf so that it rises better during baking: slashing.
278K 43.6 August 29th 2023
chives
chives
Chives grow in clumps, and the leaves used as a herb have an extraodinary taste. It's an essential for adding to salads, and everything else that can be eaten cold, because it doesn't like long cooking during which it loses most of its flavour.
75K3.8 August 29th 2023
parsley
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.
59K4.1 August 29th 2023
fresh coriander (cilantro)
fresh coriander (cilantro)
This is a plant of which the leaves are used fresh. It has a very subtle flavour which is remarkable in salads. It is an indispensible ingredient in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. The seeds are also available (like white pepper grains but paler), which have a different taste.
40K4.2 August 29th 2023
tarragon
tarragon
Tarragon is a herb with strongly aromatic leaves. These are used for their characteristic flavour that goes very well with meat and fish.
49K4.1 August 29th 2023
mint
mint
There are several kinds of mint with different flavours, some stronger than others. The important thing, if you have the choice, is to use the strongest flavour possible (crush a leaf with your fingers, and smell to compare).
36K4.2 August 29th 2023
Start off well to cook well
Start off well to cook well
How to get off to a good start in cooking; what equipment and basic ingredients you should always have to hand.
301K 13.6 August 29th 2023
Blog articles: 26 results
When should I change my knife?
When should I change my knife?
I already spoke to you in a previous post about knives, those without which nothing is possible (or almost) in the kitchen, so I'm going to come back to them a bit and try to answer the question "When should I change my knife?
11K4.7 November 2nd 2017
The right bread knife
The right bread knife
We almost all have a bread knife in our kitchen, that is to say the knife we use almost exclusively to cut bread. Is this knife efficient, is it really the one you need? Here is some information to guide you in your choice. .
7,281 September 15th 2022
Choosing a chopping board
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...
45K4.6 May 8th 2012
How to zest a fruit?
How to zest a fruit?
You will have no doubt noticed that many recipes call for the zest of citrus fruit. The zest is that outer layer of the skin which adds so much flavour to a dish. There are many different ways to peel off the zest and various tools are available. Here is a summary of the “dos and don'ts” of...
40K3.8 November 5th 2013
Artichoke stalks
Artichoke stalks
When preparing artichokes for cooking, you may well already know that we often need to remove the first round of leaves, if they are tatty or dirty, as well as the inedible stalk. The operative word here is “remove” , rather than “cut off”.
47K4.3 October 25th 2016
There is vanilla and vanilla
There is vanilla and vanilla
The vanilla is a delicious taste that can be found in many many dessert recipes, creams (the cream and the cream for example), ice creams, but also cakes and entremets. Whenever you need to add this vanilla note, you have several possible choices because vanilla is commercially available in...
8,4025 December 14th 2017
The mock CAP baker's certificate exam
The mock CAP baker's certificate exam
The next instalment in my life as an apprentice baker at the French INBP professional school. I’m now halfway through training and it’s still as exciting as ever, and exhausting – but maybe I’m just getting old, or both… Anyway, a few days ago we had to go through the mock CAP exam. A sort...
16K4.4 May 1st 2018
The 3 essential knives
The 3 essential knives
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...
19K5 May 30th 2018
For well opened (puffed) cakes
For well opened (puffed) cakes
It's always nice to have a well puffed up cake after baking, not only will it taste good but it looks great too. Let's see how to get this beautiful shape almost every time.
26K4.2 January 23th 2019
The bitterness of endives
The bitterness of endives
As I write these lines, we are entering the endive season, and if you like it, it's time to enjoy it, if possible with your local producers. Endive is good, but the reproach that is often made of it, and children in particular, is: "It's bitter! And it is (somewhat) true of course, endives...
8,6464.9 February 9th 2019
Drawing a pattern in pastry
Drawing a pattern in pastry
Often in the kitchen, in pastry-making, or in baking, we need to trace a pattern on a pastry. It's just a question of aesthetics but it has its effect after baking on a galette, pithiviers, pâté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), etc.
25K4.1 May 23th 2019
The right way to cook potatoes
The right way to cook potatoes
If you simply boil them (not steam them), or bake them in the oven, at some point you will have to ask yourself the question "are they well cooked?".
10K4.7 March 23th 2020
Zester like a pro
Zester like a pro
Have you heard of the microplane? It's an extraordinary tool that allows you to grate very, very finely, and therefore zest with disconcerting ease. Here's some information about it.
3,7104.9 December 25th 2020
Coarsely chopped herbs
Coarsely chopped herbs
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:...
7,7444.9 January 9th 2021
The perfect boiled egg
The perfect boiled egg
Making boiled eggs is always a delight and it pleases the young and old alike. This little transgenerational side puts them on the list of "things to do on Sunday evening when you don't know what to do" in many families (including mine)... That said, it's not that simple, you have to pay...
12K4.7 January 30th 2021
Unmoulding cakes while hot
Unmoulding cakes while hot
When you make a cake, pound cake or whatever (what bakers call a "travel cake" because it's easy to carry around) you've most likely made a batter, either by hand or in a food processor, which you then pour into a buttered pan. It's a classic, and I've already talked to you about 2 or 3 tips on...
32K4.6 February 6th 2021
The skin side of the fish first?
The skin side of the fish first?
When it comes to cooking fresh fish, if it's filleted with its skin on and you're planning to pan-fry it in a little olive oil, for example, you might ask yourself the following question: Which side, skin or flesh, should come into contact with the pan first?
17K4.4 February 13th 2021
Let's rehabilitate the burger
Let's rehabilitate the burger
The burger is a sandwich that is very fashionable at the moment, and as for all other sandwiches, the worst (often) rubs shoulders with the best (much more rare). In principle, I'm probably not teaching you anything, it's a sandwich made of a small round bun, rather soft, like a sandwich bread,...
4,6904.9 April 10th 2021
In praise of the whetstone
In praise of the whetstone
Have you ever seen a butcher or a chef sharpen his knife before using it? Usually he uses a special tool, a long thin cylinder made of very hard metal. And in a smooth and elegant gesture, he very quickly passes the edge of the knife against the rifle, which makes a very characteristic noise,...
5,6334.8 June 5th 2021
Incise some meats before cooking
Incise some meats before cooking
Have you ever had this rather unpleasant phenomenon: you grill a meat, a pork chop or a veal cutlet for example, and during cooking it becomes completely deformed? It takes a very strange shape, a bit difficult to describe, a sort of cone around the central area of the meat, which also hinders...
7,0204.9 June 19th 2021
Lexicon: 2 results
Ménagère
Ménagère
(Found inTexts)
Housewife. The term, unfortunately condescending and rather pejorative, used by chefs to refer to someone who cooks at home and is therefore not a professional chef. In France, a "Ménagère" it's also a nice set of spoons, forks and knifes presented in a pretty box. A classical wedding gift...
716K
Zesting
Zesting
(Found inTexts)
"Zesting" / "to zest" means to take off the zest, the thin outer layer of peel on citrus fruit (lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc.), to add the fruit's flavour with a hint of bitterness to a mixture. This can be done with an ordinary knife, a vegetable peeler, or a more specialised utensil: a zesting...
716K
Utensil: 5 results
Knife
Knife
(Found inTexts)
It's impossible to cook well without good knives. For cutting of course, but also slicing, chopping, etc.
716K
Palette-knife
Palette-knife
(Found inTexts)
For moving small items without breaking them, or lifting up pastry without making a hole it.
716K
Chopping board
Chopping board
(Found inTexts)
To cut safely, using your knives, on your work surface.
716K 1
Serrated knife
Serrated knife
(Found inTexts)
Unlike a classic knife, which is ground to produce a fine cutting edge to the blade, a serrated knife has teeth like a saw. This kind of knife doesn't need sharpening, and cuts certain foods, bread and cakes for instance, more easily than a normal knife.
716K
Blender
Blender
(Found inTexts)
A blender consists of a sort of "propellor" or knife blade, driven by an electrc motor. Ideal for transforming a lumpy mixture into something smooth and homogenized. There are two kinds: classic blenders with a goblet into which one pours the substance to be blended, and hand blenders which are...
716K 1


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