Daurade à la Duglère

The photograph of this dish does not do it justice.  I was forced to cook this with whole sole as opened my packet of fish expecting to find find the requested fillets and was disappointed.  I made an attempt to fillet them myself but gave up.  I cooked the whole fish for 20 minutes. However, this is a really easy and tasty way of cooking fillets of white fish such as bream or bass. Sole is a suggested alternative but I won't use sole again - it needs something less delicate. The sauce is delicious with both sweetness and tartness from the tomato and lemon. Sieving the sauce was a fiddle but worth doing. The crème fraîche (I only added tablespoon or so) was a lovely addition. My repertoire of fish dishes is quite small so this will be a welcome addition.

 Sue

Serves 4.

4 fillets of sea-bream
salt, milled pepper
juice of half a lemon
55g (2 oz) butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
225g (8 oz) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 wineglass dry white wine
150 mil (1/4 pt) crème fraîche or soured cream
a little extra chopped parsley

Rinse the fish in cold water and dry on kitchen paper. Place on a plate, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice. 
Melt the butter in a wide pan and soften the shallot in it. Then add the tomatoes and parsley. Place the fish on top and pour in the wine. Cover with a buttered paper and cook on the hob or in a moderate oven (Mark 4, 180 degrees, 350 fahrenheit) for 7-9 minutes until the fish is cooked.
Transfer the fish to a hot serving dish. Sieve the sauce, pushing the vegetables through, and reduce over high heat until thick and syrupy. Stir in the cream and bring back to heat. 
Spoon the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Quatre-Quarts aux Cassis

This French pound cake was chosen by maman for dad's birthday cake, but handed over to me as I am in charge of the baking department. I love to bake and although I didn't get this completely right I think this is a really simple recipe that is a good one to have up your sleeve as the ingredients and method are really easy to remember. 

I had a slight issue with mixing the batter; following Holt's instructions of mixing the ingredients together gradually I ended up with a very stiff batter just before adding the melted butter, so that when I added the butter is was difficult to combine everything together. This meant a quick shout for mum and getting the electric whisk out, where a better looking batter was created!

The cake was sharp with lemon and raspberries and perfectly fluffy. Definitely a recipe to keep going back to, and it went down a treat with the birthday boy.

 Kate

4 eggs (in their shells)
flour to the same weight as the eggs
caster sugar to the same weight as the eggs
butter to the same weight as the eggs
zest of lemon, finely grated or 1 teaspoon orange-flower water
225g (8oz) blackcurrants or raspberries (fruit must be dry)

Break the eggs into a bowl and gradually mix in the flour, sugar and butter, first melted in a small pan with the zest of lemon or orange-flower water. Mix well.
Butter a 23-25 cm (9-10 in) tin, ideally with fluted sides for the prettiest cake. Place a disc of buttered greaseproof paper in the base. Spoon half the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle the fruit on top and cover with the remainder of the mixture. Smooth level.
Bake the cake in the centre of a moderate oven (Mark 4, 180 degrees, 350 fahrenheit) for about 45 minutes until springy to the touch in the centre. Cool in the tin for 2 minutes, and turn out to cool on a wire rack.
The cake is also good served warm with crème fraîche.


French Country Kitchen by Geraldene Holt, published 1987. ISBN 0 - 14 - 04674 1- 6

Poulet au Lard Fumé et à la Laitue

Chicken and cooked lettuce may not be the most appetising proposition but having previously enjoyed cooking and eating peas cooked with lettuce and bacon I decided to give it a try.  It was extremely easy to put together and the resulting dish was tasty with a good amount of well flavoured sauce. I cooked it exactly as given by the author (double quantities) but when I make it again I will use chicken thighs cooked for about an hour as I think that they are better value and tastier than chicken legs.  We ate this with the inevitable salad and garlic and rosemary mini roasties ( par boiled bite size potato pieces, tossed in olive oil and roasted on a high heat for 30 minutes and then a mixture of finely chopped rosemary, garlic and Maldon Salt added for a final 10 minutes).  This is likely to become a favourite.

 Sue

Loved loved loved this dish. Chicken is one of those things I can never get enough flavour into when I cook it myself, so I always look forward to having a chicken dish cooked by mum. Chicken and bacon is also a comforting, familiar flavour combination which gives this meal the makings of a firm family favourite.

 Kate

Serves 2 (easily doubled.)

2 chicken portions
85g (3 oz) lard fumé or mild smokey streaked bacon
30g (1 oz) butter
1 shallot, chopped
salt
1 wineglass rosé wine
2 large leaves of lettuce

Skin the chicken and remove any fat from the meat. Finely dice the bacon and sauté in a pan until the fat runs. Add one third of the butter and sear the chicken all over. Remove the chicken and stir in the shallot for 3-4 minutes. Place the chicken back in the pan and season lightly. Add the wine. Cover the pan tightly and cook over moderate heat for 25 - 40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken portions. Check the liquid now and again, and add a splash of water if necessary.
Shred the lettuce and cut across a few times.
Remove the chicken to a hot serving dish. Toss the lettuce into the pan and stir over high heat until softened and the liquid in the pan is reduced. Stir in the remainder of the butter and remove from the heat. Spoon the sauce with the lettuce and bacon over the chicken and serve.

French Country Kitchen by Geraldene Holt, published 1987. ISBN 0 - 14 - 04674 1- 6

Omelette Ardéchoise

I was looking for something quick and tasty for supper and came across this substantial omelette with mushrooms and garlic croutons.  When it came to wild mushrooms and french bread the cupboard was alas bare but I had some nice chestnut mushrooms and half a loaf of multigrain bread which I used instead.  With a simple salad this was a perfect meal for two.  I made two separate 3 egg omelettes. The recipe is given as published.

 Sue

Serves 2.

French bread, sliced (we used multigrain bread)
30g (1oz) butter
a little olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
4 eggs
salt, milled pepper
a handful of mixed cèpes, or the dried equivalent, soaked in warm water for a few minutes (we substituted with fresh button mushrooms)

Toast the bread until golden brown and cut into dice.
Melt some butter in an omelette pan and some oil and garlic, if you wish. Toss the croûtons in the butter and fry, turning them over until they are crisp and have absorbed the butter. Transfer the croûtons to a plate and keep hot. Wipe the pan with kitchen paper.

Lightly beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Cut the cèpes into pieces and, if desired, sauté briefly in a knob of butter. Add to the croûtons. 

Heat a little more butter in the pan and when it ceases to bubble pour in the egg mixture. When the omelette is half set but still runny (baveuse) on top, scatter the cèpes and the croûtons into the pan. Cook a little more, fold over the omelette and slide on to a hot plate. Rub a little butter over the top and serve.

French Country Kitchen by Geraldene Holt, published 1987. ISBN 0 - 14 - 04674 1- 6

Roots in Little Verzon

With the heat this week Mum's been keeping food really simple and light, which has suited me fine as it's been impossible to even lift a fork to your mouth without sweating like an Olympian athlete. We've been enjoying the sun by buying local cherries a mile up the road and visiting a small local garden centre / food shop that we normally drive past but never give the time of day to. It's the small things.

  Kate

It's All Good! Gwynie's Italian Tuna and Chickpea Salad

'It's All Good' was an 'in the supermarket so it doesn't count' buy. It has been sitting in the pile for a few weeks and I had debated whether or not to sling it as it looked a bit faddy on a cursory first viewing as Paltrow has 'eliminated' a lot of nasties from her diet (ie gluten, soy & dairy).

However it's hot, I don't feel like cooking and I have a lot of grains etc to use up so I have had a better look and ok, it's a bit too 'good' in places but there are some great ideas for summer weather cooking. Plus Kate and I have decided that we will try for a healthier approach to our summer food to make up for her 'student' diet for the last 8 months.

So yesterday we tried a very simple tuna salad with some additional salad veg. I also bought a garlic and herb flatbread - ok so it's not healthy but very good with  a salad.

I also plan to cook:

- Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Scallions and Parsley
- Carrots with Black Sesame and Ginger
- Korean Slaw
- Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle and Coriander
- Braised Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon.

First up, Gwynie's Italian Tuna and Chickpea Salad. 

Serves 4.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
8 ounces tuna packed in olive oil, drained
A 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
3 spring onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
A handful of rocket (about 1 ounce), finely chopped
Course sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and red wine vinegar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

A perfect main course salad for a hot day. The salad was, as billed, tasty and filling. The flavours combined well because everything is chopped small. I prepared it without vinegar but otherwise stuck to the recipe. We enjoyed the addition of lightly dressed cucumber and tomatoes, and a small amount of hot garlic and herb flat bread was a welcome addition.

I thought that it looked very pretty presented in my new JosephJoseph salad bowl, affectionately christened "The bed pan" by the family. This is a dish which will no doubt appear during the coming months.

  Sue


I haven't quite grasped the idea of a salad as the main meal of the day but Gwynie's offering might well have converted me. I'm not a fan of big leafy salads that stick in your throat, so the small chunks of tuna and delicate bits of red onion really did it for me. It looked really simple to prepare, but still impressive, and it keeps well overnight in the fridge to finish off the next day so I can see myself making this at uni (because despite what my mother says, my 'student' diet isn't that bad). If only living off this salad would guarantee looking like Gwynie. Apparently using the red wine vinegar would give the salad more of a tang, but I personally (stepping aside from my anti-vinegar stance) think the flavours were strong enough to only need the lemon juice.

 Kate

It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen, published 2013. ISBN 978 - 349 - 40083 - 9

French Country Kitchen - Geraldene Holt

Summer cooking has never been a strong point for me, so the aim of this first pass through my collection is to add to my repertoire of light but tasty meals suitable for the hot weather.

My first book is a Hay-on-Wye find, French Country Kitchen, by Geraldene Holt. This battered paperback is a treasure trove of recipes from the Ardeche and Provence, collected by the author. The recipes are organised by the key ingredient groups of the regions such as the Pig, the Olive, herbs, cheese, as well as the usual categories.

This little book is definitely a keeper. There are a few ingredients listed which are not available to the British shopper, but in the main the recipes are accessible and aside from the cheese based dishes (only to be produced when Joe is away) they are family friendly. The recipes that I am most drawn to are for winter cooking, including a couple of pork recipes, so I will be revisiting the book in the autumn, however I will be trying a couple of dishes this week - just for the girls (boys are away).

- Mushroom and Cucumber Salad
- Vermicelli with Pork and Prawns
- Madeleines
- Mushroom Tart
- Quatres-Quarts aux Cassis - a french pound cake with a layer of fresh fruit

Sue 

French Country Kitchen by Geraldene Holt, published 1987. ISBN 0 - 14 - 04674 1- 6