Elegant fennel soup

click here for a printable version

serves 4-6

2-3         fennel bulbs (about 600 g)
1            onoin
1            garlic clove
1            medium sized potatoe
1/2 tsp   fennel seeds
1            star anise
3 tbsp    olive oil
1 l          homemade chicken stock
              sea salt, white pepper
100 ml   heavy cream
100 ml   milk
2 tsp      lemon juice

For serving:

4 tbsp    whipped cream
              best quality olive oil
              some fennel greens


Clean and trimm the fennel bulbs. Keep some of the greens and cut the fennel into small dice. Cut the onion and the potatoe into small dice as well.

Place the fennel seeds and the star anise into a little cloth and tie up well.

Heat the oil in a casserole  and sauté the onion. Then add the diced fennel and sauté for two more minutes stirring constantly.

Add the chicken stock, potatoes, garlic and spices and let cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
Now add the milk and cream and let come to a boil.

Remove the spices and puree the soup with a handmixer.

Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Serve in hot soup bowls and garnish with a little whipped cream, olive oil and fennel green

Leg of lamb

While my friend Tina was here last weekend, we made sure to eat all the things she likes and her hubby and daughter don´t care for that much like sushi and lamb (guess I´ve mentioned that before ;-) ). We decided on a nice leg of lamb since we both thought that lamb chops should definitely be prepared on a charcoal grill - ours is laying under quite a thick layer of snow right now - and lamb tenderloin has such a subtle flavour, we wanted something more hearty.

We prepared it with lots of garlic and fresh herbs and served it with green beans and a potato gratin. It was so good - although it was served at around 10:30 pm (somehow we forgot the time...)

click here for a printable recipe

Serves 4-6

1           Leg of lamb, 2 kg
8           garlic cloves
2 tsp      herbes de provence
5 tbsp    olive oil
3 twigs    fresh rosemary
3 twigs   fresh thyme
             freshly ground black pepper
             sea salt

2           large tomatoes
3           large carrots
3           onions

1 cup    redwine
50 g      ice cold butter, cut in small dice

Take your leg of lamb out of the fridge about 2 hours before preparing so it can take room temperature. Trimm off all the excess fat. Mince two garlic cloves, chop the leaves of 1 rosemary and thyme twig and mix with 2 tbsp olive oil, herbes de provence, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Massage this thoroughly into the meat.

Peel and cut the onions into wedges. Peel the carrots and cut in half and then in app. 4 cm long pieces. Cut the tomatoes in quarters.

Preheat your oven to 160° C/ 320°F.

Heat a large roasting pan on high heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Fry the leg of lamb from all sides until a nice crust has formed. Take out of the roasting pan, add the carrots, remaining garlic cloves and onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, fresh herbs, leg of lamb and redwine. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and set in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, basting with the liquid once in a while.

Turn off the oven. Place the vegetables and the leg of lamb on a platter in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Pour the cooking juices into a sauce pan and let reduce a couple of minutes.

Mount with the cold butter and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the Lamb, cut in slices from the bone, with the sauce and vegetables and maybe a potato gratin (recipe will follow) and green beans like we had it.

Elsässer Flammkuchen - Alsatian Tarte Flambée

During my stay in Germany in September/ October my sister-in-law prepared this dish twice and I am so so grateful to her for passing on this outstandingly delicious recipe to me. It was the first thing I prepared when I was back home in Stockholm and the whole family is completely crazy about it. You just can not stop eating... I hope you will enjoy it the same way we do. 


A little background information:


"Tarte Flambée is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of Alsace.

Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.

The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning "baked in the flames"."



These Tarte Flambée or also the similar german "Zwiebelkuchen" is served often during early fall when it´s time for "Federweisser". Since there is no english equivalent to this word I can only give you a definition of what it is


" - the cloudy beverage in the process of fermenting, i.e. somewhere in between must and wine, is called Federweisser. Once fermentation has ended, it is referred to as "young" wine - "


and can assure you that it is very pleasant to the taste and a perfect combination with Tarte Flambée. Regrettably the season is short for Federweisser and here - in Sweden - we  have no access to it. But any wine or even a cold beer is an equivalent "companion". 


Go to the recipe in german



Alsation Tarte Flambée - Elsässer Flammkuchen


click HERE for a printable version


Ingredients
for 4-8 servings (depending on your appetite)

20 g      fresh yeast
500 g    flour
200 ml  butter milk
3 tbsp   olive oil
1-2 tsp  salt
400 g    red onion
200 g    bacon, diced (lardons)
250 g    Crème fraîche
             black pepper, freshly ground
             Baking paper
             Cling wrap





Preparation

• Dissolve the yeast in 50 ml of lukewarm water. Sieve the flour into a bowl and press a hollow in the center. Pour the yeast in the hollow and mix in some flour from the edge. Add the buttermilk, olive oil and salt. Mix all ingredients into a smooth, supple dough (this will take app. 10 minutes). Knead the dough into a ball and place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (such as in the oven at 50 degrees) at least 1 hour.
  
• Cut 8 sheets of baking paper and plastic wrap into your baking tray size.
  
• Peel onions and cut into very thin rings. Finely dice the bacon. Preheat the baking tray in the oven on highest level (about 250 degrees) for at least 30 minutes (convection not suitable).
  
• Knead the risen dough once more and then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Place each piece of dough on a lightly floured baking paper sheet and roll out with a rolling pin into an oval. Cover with plastic wrap. The dough has to relax a little before rolling it out further (remove the plastic wrap for rolling out).  Repeat this procedure until the dough is  approximately 2 mm thick.
  
• With a tablespoon spread app 3 tablespoons crème fraîche on each Tarte and add 2 tablespoons of bacon bits and 4 tablespoons of red onions on each. Season with a good amount of freshly ground pepper. Place the tarte with the baking paper on the baking tray on the middle rack and bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Proceed the same way with the remaining Tartes. 

Velouté aux moules

An elegant starter for a menu taking advantage of the mussel season.
I apologize for the picture - I guess a course in photography should be one of my next projects.


click here for a printable version

To prepare the mussels:


1                   Onion
100 ml           Fish stock
100 ml           White wine
1 kg               Mussels, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp            Olive oil
2                    Garlic cloves


To prepare the Velouté:


2 tbsp            Olive oil
1                    Fennel bulb, cut into thin slices
1/4 tsp           Fennel seeds
1 piece          Orange peel (app. 10 cm)
1 tbsp             Flour
2 tsp               Tomato paste
300 ml            Fish stock
                        Reserved cooking liquid from the mussels
100 ml            Heavy cream
1 capsule       Saffron
                        Salt, freshly ground white pepper              


For serving:


Fennel cut into brunoise (small dice)
Fennel green, chopped




Cut the onion in thin slices and chop the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan with cover and sauté the onions and the garlic. Deglaze with the wine and let evaporate a little. Add the fish stock. Once boiling, add the mussels, cover and  let boil until all the shells have opened. Pass through a sieve and reserve the cooking liquid. Sort out all the closed shells. Separate the meat from the shells and reserve.


Clean the fennel bulb and cut into thin slices. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the fennel and the fennel seeds until the fennel is tender. Add the flour and the tomato paste and cook over medium heat for three minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk - with a wire whisk - in the fish stock and the reserved cooking liquid (passed through a very fine sieve previously). Add the orange peel and let cook for 10 minutes.


Strain once more through a sieve and return to the cleaned pot. Add the saffron and cream and continue to cook over low heat for 5 more minutes.


Divide the mussels into individual bowls, fill in the hot soup and sprinkle with fennel brunoise and fennel green.

©just-cook!

Magrets de canard aux cerises - Duckbreast with cherries

click HERE for a printable version

Since I still had some beautiful cherries from the tree in our garden available and was starving for a tender duckbreast I remembered this recipe from the south of france. It´s worth trying!

Serves 4

4 small               duckbreasts (app. 200 g each)

350 g                 sweet cherries

1                        red onion

1                       sprig fresh rosemary

1  tablespoon    Olive oil

150 ml              Banyul (or portwine)

1-2 teaspoons   honey

1-2 tablespoons winevinegar

• Preheat your oven to 80°C. Carefully cut the skin of your duckbreasts crosswise without cutting into the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat an oven safe frying pan on high heat and fry the breasts - skinside down - for 2 minutes. Then turn and fry for one mor minute. Set the pan in the oven for 20 minutes.
• In the meantime pit the cherries. Peel the onion, cut them in quarters and then in thin slices. Wash and pat-dry the rosemary, pluck off the needles and cut them coarsely.
• Heat another frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the onions and rosemary until translucent. Add the wine and honey and let cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add the cherries and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Remove the breasts from the oven and wrap them in aluminum foil. Let rest for a couple of minutes. Then cut into thin slices. Add the cooking juice to the cherries and serve with baguette or wild rice.

Loup de mer et mousseline - Sea bass with potatoe-Olive-purée

click HERE for a printable version

Serving 4:

800 g                potatoes (hard boiling - vorwiegend festkochend)

100 g                pitted green olives (if possible buy them with the pit and

                         take them out yourself - the quality is much better)

                         sea salt

2                       sea bass (400 g each, filleted, skin on)

                         pepper

100 ml              vegetable stock

8 tablespoons    olive oil

                         lemonwedges, green olives, fresh herbs to decorate

• Peel, rinse and cut in cubes the potatoes. Cook covered in salted water on medium heat for app. 20 minutes until soft.
• Meanwhile chop the olives very fine. If you somehow manage to find "Picholines" - green olives from the Provence - buy them! It´s worth it. 
•  Rinse the fish fillets with cold water and pat dry with paper towl. Season with sea salt and pepper.
• Drain the cooked potatoes, mix with the vegetable stock and mash. Add 6 tablespoons of olive oil and the olives and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, cover and keep it warm on the turned off burner (or in the oven at 80°C if you cook with gas).
• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and sear the fish on high heat, skin side down. Reduce the heat to medium and fry for app. 3 more minutes until the skin is nicely browned. Turn the fillets, turn off the heat and leave the fish in the pan for 1 more minute.
• Arrange the fish with the purée on plates and garnish with lemonwedges, olives and fresh herbs as you like.

Gratin d`abricots - scalloped apricots

click HERE for a printable version


Serves 4:

700 g                ripe apricots

1 tablespoon     lemon juice

2                      eggs

50 g                 sugar
1 tablespoon     vanilla sugar

1/8 l                Muscat or other late harvest wine

100 g               goat (or cowmilk) cream cheese
2 tablespoons   flaked almonds

2 tablespoons   honey (the runny sort)

                       mint leaves to decorate

• Wash the apricots, cut them in halves and take out the stone. Set the halves next to each other in small oven-safe molds (you can also use a big Tarte mold) and drizzle with lemon juice
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg yolk with sugar and vanilla sugar until white. Thouroughly whisk in the cream cheese and wine little by little. In another bowl beat the egg whites until firm and fold in carefully to the cheese mixture.
• Divide the cream evenly on the apricots. Sprinkle with the almond flakes and drizzle with the honey. Bake on the middle rack for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve lukewarm and decorate with some mint leaves.

Poivrons rôtis aux anchois - grilled bell pepper with anchovis

click HERE for a printable version

Let´s start with

Poivrons rôtis aux anchois - grilled bell pepper with anchovis

Ingredients for 4 portions:

150 g                               Anchovis filets in salt (if you can´t find those substitute with anchovis in oil)
4                                      large red bell peppers

1                                      small bunch flat leaf parsley

3-4                                  garlic cloves

1 tablespoon                    vinegar (e.g. Banyulvinegar - Banyul is a sweet wine from the region)

5 tablespoons                  fruity olive oil

                                       Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Rinse the anchovis and let them sit in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water as often as possible.

• Heat the oven to 250° C. Cut the bell peppers in halves, clean and rinse them and lay them - skin part up - on a baking sheet. Bake them for about 15 minutes until they turned dark. Let them cool for 10 minutes. In the meanwhile wash and dry the parsley. Pick off the leaves and cut/chop them finely. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely as well. Whisk the vinegar with the oil until you have a creamy consistency and add salt and pepper.

• Skin the bell peppers and cut lengthwise into stripes. Place them on a nice serving dish and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Mix the parsley and garlic and sprinkle over the dish. Let the anchovis dripp off thoroughly and arrange them on the bell pepper.

Serve with fresh baguette (if possible on your terrace), a chilled glass of white wine and some french music

The ultimate summer soup

This cold little soup is so very yummy on a hot summer day but you have to see to it to use tomatoes of a really good quality (organic if possible) and they have to be ripe.

It has a nice effect if you serve this soup in a glas that was cooled in the freezer before.

This recipes I´ve drawn from one of my favorite cookbooks from Lea Linster, Avec amour. Her cooking is unpretentious so you don´t spend hours over preparing a single dish but the results always are really satisfying.

Leas cold tomatosoup

click HERE for a printable version

For 4 - 6

1 kg                        ripe Tomatoes (e.g. Roma)

1 teaspoon               Salt

                               Pepper
1 tablespoon            powdered sugar

4 tablespoons           very good Olive Oil

2 tablespoons           Sherry vinegar
4-6 teaspoons          Goat Cream Cheese
8-12                         Mintleaves
                                a bit of coarsely crushed black pepper

Wash the tomatoes and cut out the green core (is it called that? Well, I hope you know what I mean). Cut up roughly then puree with the hand blender and add salt, freshly ground pepper and the powdered sugar. This you now pass through a hair sieve into a stainless steel bowl (if you have one, otherwise glas will do). With a wire whisk mix in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sherry vinegar. That´s all for the moment. Now your soup has to rest some hours in the fridge. Before serving it stir it once more. Add a teaspoon of the goat cream cheese to each glas or bowl, fill up with the soup, pour a couple of drops of the remaining olive oil onto each serving and devorate with the finely cut mint and the coarsely crushed black pepper. Perfect.

Chicken breast in puff pastry

Since I had two beautiful organic chicken breasts in my fridge I thought they´d deserve a "special treatment". The following recipe I found adequate for them. Just served with some baby leaf spinach that I only leave in a pan with a little melted butter, salt and a dash of pepper for a minute. The chicken takes a little time but is worth it.


Stuffed chicken breast in puff pastry


click HERE for a printable version

4                          single chicken breasts without skin (each 130 g)

                            salt

                            pepper, freshly ground

2-3 tablespoons   Butter

200 g                  white mushroom

1                         shallot

50 g                    heavy cream

1                         thin slice of cooked ham (50g)

420 g                  frozen puff pastry

1                         egg yolk

                           little flour

For the chanterelle:

250 g                 chanterelle (or brown mushroom)

1 tablespoon      butter

                         salt, pepper

For the sauce:

200 ml                  chickenstock (homemade if possible)

2-3 tablespoons    dry sherry

20 g                      butter, very cold

                       

Rinse the chickenbreast and pat dry with a paper towel. Give some salt and pepper over them and fry them in hot butter one to two minutes on each side. Let them cool off on an oven rack that you´ve covered with paper towels first.

Now you clean the mushrooms and cut them into very small cubes (this needs some dedication). The same happens with the shallot. Fry the shallot in one tablespoon butter until they are transparent. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and let them fry on medium heat for 10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated. Then add the cream, let it cook for 2 more minutes and take it from the stove to cool. Cut the ham into tiny dice and mixe with the cooled mushrooms. Preheat your oven to 200C°.

Take always two of the rectangular puff pastry pieces, lay them ontop of each other and roll them out on some flour. Then cut 4 rounds of 20 - 24 cm diameter from them. Lay them on a baking tray and leave them (if you have the space) in the freezer.

Make two deep cuts lenghtwise on each chickenbreast and fill each cut with one to two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture. Place each breast onto the lower half of a puff pastry circle, paint the edges with egg yolk fold over the other half of the pastry and press the edges together firmly. Paint the rest of the egg yolk onto the pastry and place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake them in the oven until golden brown for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Now you have time to clean your chanterelle mushrooms. Once clean you fry them in the hot butter and then add salt and pepper. Fry them until all the liquids have evaporated and take them out of the pan. Pour the good quality chicken stock into the pan and let reduce a little (careful, might otherwise get to salty). Then add the Sherry. Mix in the ice cold butter. If you like you can add a shot of cream.

Arrange on pre-warmed plates with the baby leaf spinach.

Bon appétit!