Recipes: 145 results
Clarified butter
(Found inTexts)This is a way of melting butter to eliminate all the impurities. The clarified butter can then be heated without spoiling, and is more digestible. It is ideal for cooking at high temperatures where small black specks would spoil the appearance, or for emulsified sauces like béarnaise or mousseline.
448K4.2 2 hours 14 min. June 21th 2017
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub)
(Found inTextsStagesComments)A sabayon is a delicious and delicate preparation based on egg yolks and sugar, with a liquid added (wine, alcohol, fruit juice, etc), which is then whipped in a bain-marie until it is both light and smooth. Usually sabayon is sweet (syllabub), but you can make it savoury, in which case there is...
920K 54 18 min. November 12th 2017
Cocotte eggs with Comté
(Found inTexts)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.
341K4.3 1 hour February 21th 2011
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...
1.7M 304.0 7 days 15 min. April 3rd 2020
Five hours poultry
(Found inTexts)Perhaps simplest recipe on this site, but what a result! The idea is to cook the bird, without fat, at low temperature, covered, and for a long time. In this way, the poultry cooks so as to be almost like a "confit": soft and very tasty. The effect is more spectacular with duck because it is a...
528K3.8 5 hours 12 min. January 27th 2012
How to prepare tomatoes
(Found inTexts)Yes, I know you will say to me: why peel tomatoes? The answer is very simple: it's much better, gives a better texture, softer in the mouth. The skin is tough, adds nothing to the taste (and you will have noticed that commercial tomatoes have practically no taste), and finally it's there (on/under...
322K 24 40 min. June 6th 2012
How to prevent butter burning during cooking
(Found inTextsStagesComments)Butter, which is excellent for fixing flavours in a recipe, burns if the temperature is too high. It darkens and produces unpleasant small black specks (by the way, note that the famous recipe "raie au beurre noir", ray in black butter, is a kind of sacrilege!).
130K 24.1 3 min. February 21th 2011
Cooking sugar
(Found inTextsStages)Cooking sugar, which is one of the basics of patisserie and sweet-making, is a delicate operation in which sugar is heated from 100°C or 212°F to 180°C or 356°F. Here is some information on this tricky subject. [Translator's note: the terms used below correspond to the French tradition, as often...
477K4.9 43 min. April 3rd 2019
How to heat plates
(Found inTexts)In restaurants serving "à l'assiette", wich means that your dish is presented already served on a plate, it's very important for the plates to be hot, otherwise dishes arrive cold and it's the customer that (rightly) becomes heated. At home it's worth doing the same thing: you are sure to serve hot...
209K 43.7 22 min. February 21th 2011
When to add salt to cooking water?
(Found inTextsStages)Is it better to salt cooking water, for vegetables for example, at the beginning when it is cold or when it boils? I always heard that one should salt "after", when water is boiling, because if it is salted "before" it will take longer to boil. True or false? Let's try the experiment...
140K4 12 min. July 25th 2017
Coconut-vanilla cream for Elsa
(Found inTextsStages)A dessert in three layers: a first of smooth vanilla cream, a second of coconut cream (also very smooth), and to finish, a thin crunchy layer of coconut tuiles. In the spirit of crème brulée: break through the crisp surface layer to discover the smooth melting coconut and vanilla creams beneath. A...
206K3.8 4 hours 58 min. February 21th 2011
Fillet of pollack cooked in two stages
(Found inTexts)This pollack fillet is cooked in two stages: first pan-fried briefly to seal it and colour the outside, then baked gently in the oven in a parcel (en papillotte) on a bed of melting onions, julienne carrots and peas. This double cooking will give you a fish that's lightly crisped on the outside and...
171K4.7 1 hour 40 min. January 23th 2011
Seven-hour lamb
(Found inTexts)Seven-hour lamb is a good old country recipe and very simple. There's really not much to do, just long, slow cooking and the result is always amazing: the lamb is so tender it can be cut with a fork.
220K3.9 7 hours 33 min. April 20th 2014
Quick orange marmalade
(Found inTextsStages)Just oranges (organic) and sugar in this simplified marmalade recipe.
145K3.9 1 hour 11 min. February 26th 2014
Fish in a seed crust
(Found inTexts)Fish fillets coated with a mixture of breadcrumbs and seeds, then fried.
79K4.2 30 min. June 1st 2014
Pets de nonne
(Found inTexts)These small fritters are like mini doughnuts: they're simply made with choux pastry dough, then tossed in a little sugar. [Translator's note: their amusing French name literally means "nun's farts". So, maybe we'll leave it French...].
63K4.1 45 min. June 18th 2014
Baked salmon fillet
(Found inTexts)This is a quick recipe for salmon fillet, surrounded by sliced potatoes and baked with lemon juice, olive oil and herbs.
102K4.6 33 min. March 26th 2015
Mixed tomato salad
(Found inTextsStages)This end-of-summer recipe is very simple: just fresh tomatoes with chopped shallot and herbs in a vinaigrette, but we can play up the variety of flavours and colours to make it something with real eye appeal and, above all, delicious!
42K4.3 20 min. September 21th 2016
Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole
(Found inTexts)In this recipe a good joint of beef is slow-cooked, surrounded by an assortment of vegetables in small chunks. To concentrate the flavours, the cooking time should be long at a moderate temperature and, most important of all, the dish should be sealed. By the end of cooking, the vegetables will be...
64K4.1 5 hours 28 min. December 30th 2019
Jura bread
(Found inTextsStages)This speciality bread is full of all the character of the Jura: dry white wine (made with Savagnin grapes, of course), diced Comté cheese and toasted walnuts. "Jurassic bread" was is first name... The loaves can be made long, as shown here, or as small rolls. This is ideal as an aperitif snack,...
54K4.4 6 hours 9 min. October 24th 2017
Pages: 16 results
Calculator for water temperature in bread-making
The temperature of the water, known as "process water" ("eau de coulage" in French), in a bakery recipe is very important, here is a small calculator allowing you to determine it quickly and simply.74K4.4 August 29th 2023
Films and papers in the kitchen
Various papers and plastic films used in cooking .568K 93.6 August 29th 2023
A bread oven
Building a bread oven was until a few years ago a job for the professionals. But now you can buy a kind of kit which allows you to build your own bred oven without professional masonry know-how. You should know that the kits only provide the main part of oven, the hearth, where you light the fire...1.1M3.5 August 29th 2023
Home made plancha
Make you own plancha and cook the Spanish way on this scorching hot metal plate.254K 43.7 August 29th 2023
Information on weights and measures in the kitchen
Weights, measures and volumes in a recipe.818K3.7 December 10th 2023
Finishing touches
Construction of a Fayol bread oven: finishing touches and accessories.71K4.4 August 29th 2023
Advice on heating oven
Construction of a Fayol bread oven: advice on heating and preparing for baking bread.175K4.0 August 29th 2023
Open fire cooking
Construction of a Fayol bread oven: open fire cooking, with the embers inside.88K3.9 August 29th 2023
Closed fire cooking
Construction of a Fayol bread oven: closed fire cooking, with the embers removed .50K4.4 August 29th 2023
A mist free mirror
Shave or put on make up with a clear mirror, even in a steamy bathroom: the anti-mist mirror.214K 13.6 August 29th 2023
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.303K 13.6 August 29th 2023
The amateur baker
You may have noticed over the pages of this site, I am passionate about everything that is related to the bakery: I love making bread, pastries, maintain my leaven, etc.. This page contains links to all the different parts of the site where we talk about bread: recipes, special pages, etc.162K 44.1 August 29th 2023
Make your own hot-wire or styrofoam cutter
Cut polystyrene and foams easily with your own hot-wire cutter.502K 433.5 February 20th 2024
Blog articles: 24 results
Herbs and temperature
I have already talked to you about herbs in cooking, and about their great power of "seduction". The example of a salad is a great classic: on its own, it's a salad, which is normal, but the same salad in which you have added finely chopped fresh herbs, just before serving, you have much more than a...6,4484.8 April 25th 2020
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...37K4.2 February 9th 2011
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. .25K4.4 April 19th 2011
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. .27K4.6 July 4th 2011
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.23K4.5 July 12th 2021
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...15K4.4 November 26th 2012
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;...68K4.0 March 6th 2013
The 3 kinds of meringue
Meringue – what could be simpler? Just beaten egg whites with sugar added. This makes a fairly stiff mixture which can then be cooked in a cool oven to create those lovely, light confections. But in the world of professional patisserie, meringue comes in three different kinds. Even if the...54K4.5 June 14th 2013
One should cover a pan while heating?
Cooking abounds with old sayings and proverbs, which are sometimes useful tips and sometimes myths. We learn or hear them somewhere, and often trust them completely, even when they're wrong. I propose simply to verify them, to see whether they are real useful tips that we can use, or just...26K 13.4 February 27th 2015
Foie gras service
For the upcoming christmas meals you too may be sacrificing to the tradition of foie gras? If so, I suggest you take a look at everything that revolves around serving foie gras: how to serve it, and what to eat and drink with it.10K4.9 December 23th 2017
Fats for cooking
If you need to fry or sear anything a frying pan or saucepan, the temperature is likely to be high. In particular, I have cooking red meat in mind. In this case, what should fat should we use? And at what temperature?16K5 January 23th 2018
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
Should a sausage be pricked before cooking?
If you are using sausages in a recipe, you may have already asked yourself the question: Should you prick it before cooking it, or not? You will certainly find as many opinions "you should prick" as "you should not". Let's try to untangle all this.42K4.1 September 29th 2018
Kitchen ovens
You certainly have one in your kitchen, an oven, the essential tool for all kinds of cooking, whether in the kitchen of course, but also in pastry, bakery, pizza, and many others. Here is some information on its structure and operation.22K4.4 May 16th 2020
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
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...33K4.6 February 6th 2021
In praise of Mont d'Or cheese
Do you know the Mont d'Or, this extraordinary cheese from the Haut-Doubs in France, with a unique taste and appearance, which can be eaten both raw and cooked? I'll tell you a few words about it, and with some tips on how to choose it and cook it. .7,0705 November 27th 2021
The super powers of cornstarch
I start this new year by evoking an old product, that you most probably have in your cupboards, a white powder, often in a small cardboard package with a slightly outdated look, only the "gluten free" is relatively recent, it is simply cornstarch, hence its name of maïzena. It's used for a lot...8,359 January 14th 2022
Celeriac soups and the 3rd ingredient
Do you like celeriac, a vegetable that is not always a big hit? If your answer is "no" or "not so much", it is perhaps that you have in mind the celery remoulade, the emblematic starter, with the eggs mimosa, of the bistrot kitchen. It's very good, well if you like it of course, but it's a bit...8,7024.9 May 21th 2022
The gelling agent in a cream
If you start making a Bavarian cream for example, or any other that contains a gelling agent such as gelatin or agar-agar, you will sooner or later be confronted with the problem: How to properly incorporate this gelling agent into my cream? (and we will focus on gelatin).9,5544.9 June 18th 2022
Lexicon: 3 results
Dry roasting
(Found inTexts)Dry roasting (torréfication in French), usually seeds (sesame, linseed,...) or nuts (almonds, walnuts, ...), means to heat without water or fat, in the oven or a heavy pan, to drive off all water they contain.It make seeds crunchier, very pleasant in the mouth, with an improved flavour.
738K 1
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.
738K
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.
738K
Utensil: 3 results
Electronic thermometer
(Found inTexts)When cooking it is frequently necessary to know the temperature of a preparation. Sometimes it's indispensable, like for recipes using cooked sugar or foie gras.
738K
Bread dough at the right temperature
(Found inTexts)For bread dough to rise well, it should be left in a warm place, protected from draughts. Bakers use a special room, for this called a "chambre de pousse" (growing room). Difficult to do this at home...Instead I use my kitchen oven (off) where I put a small light bulb of 15-20 watts. This light bulb...
738K
Rake
(Found inTexts)This is a kind of metal scraper, used to move or remove embers and ash from the oven, especially just before closed fire cooking.It's also useful for tending the fire, rearranging the woo, the embers....Apparently in days gone by such rakes were often made of wood so as not to damage the fragile...
738K 2
Ingredient, product: 5 results
cream
(Found inTexts)If you leave milk to stand (real milk that is, full-fat, coming straight from the cow), after a while small droplets of fat float to the top, they come together and create the fat part of the milk: cream.This cream, naturally liquid but which thickens over time, is drawn off the milk and sold as...
738K
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.
738K
