Tag: french

• 

  Garlic And Rosemary Confit

  Making garlic confit is delightfully simple. It is garlic cloves slowly cooked in olive oil until they are soft and spreadable.

  Over the course of 2 hours on a low heat, the garlic looses its bight and takes on a mellow, nutty flavour.

  You can use it many novel ways, anything from spreads to garnishes to cheese platters. Oh and in all the ways you would normally use raw garlic.

  I generally use a whole head of garlic (two sometimes) at a time because the confit will keep in the fridge for several weeks.

  

  Simply

  Peel and clean the garlic cloves. Chuck them into a small pot or an oven proof ramekin, with some rosemary.

  

  Then cover everything with olive oil and pop the pot into a preheated 100c oven for about 2 hours.

  

  After about 1.5 hours, start using a spoon to gently squeeze a clove against the side of the pot. Repeat this process every half an hour or so. Everything is ready when the clove gives way easily and forms a paste.

  

  Once the oil has cooled, spoon the cloves into a jar and cover them with the oil. Store the jar in the fridge and never at room temperature. The olive oil will solidify in the fridge but that is not a problem. Simply spoon the cloves that you want to use out and the oil will run off them as it warms up.

  

  I love smearing it on crusty, buttered bread for instant garlic bread:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are more cooking ingredients and sauces, marinades and seasoning posts:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 20, 2023

• 

  Lemon, Garlic And Olive Oil Sauce And Marinade

   

  Perfectly balanced, this garlic and rosemary infused emulsion of lemon juice and olive oil provides a Mediterranean flavour punch. I use it as a marinade and for drizzling on salads and cooked meat.

  Simply mix a 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/3 cup of olive oil and two garlic cloves in a blender.

  

  

  Let it whiz for a minute to force the oil into the lemon juice, giving you creamy, tangy sauce. I recommend tasting it at this point and adding a bit more oil if the lemon juice is overbearing. Whiz for another 30 seconds.

  Chuck in some rosemary and you are done. It keeps about 10 days in the fridge but might need another whisking/shaking if the oil settles out.

  

  Here I have marinated lamb ribs for 48 hours and cooked them low on the Weber:

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are more cooking ingredients and sauces\marinades:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  January 23, 2023

• 

  Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin Blanc

  Coq Au Vin is a French culinary masterpiece, despite its simplicity and traditionally less expensive ingredients.

  I make a slightly quicker red wine version but I also like to make a slow cooker version, using white wine, that takes 2 to 3 hours.

  Note: I think the thigh and leg (bone in) pieces are the best choice here, as they don’t dry out.

  

  Simply use the ingredients from the red wine version I linked above but:

  • After using the oven dish, put everything post browning the chicken into the slow cooker.
  • Use 2 cups of dry white wine instead of red.
  • Increase the amount of stock to 2 cups.
  • Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours.

  I still like to reduce the sauce.

  Serve with crusty bread and rice:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are more chicken dishes and French cuisine posts:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  November 18, 2022

• 

  Condensed Mushroom Broth From Scratch

  I love making this simple mushroom broth concentrate. Easily stored as cubes in the freezer it brings depth to soups, stews, pastas and the like. The ingredients are simple, 3l of water, your mushrooms of choice, an onion and several pinches of salt to get the flavours going.

  Note: Takes about 8 hours in a slow cooker and around 4 hours in an electric skillet.

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing ingredients
  2. Simmering
  3. Straining
  4. Storing and using

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 soup pot or electric skillet
  • Small meshed sieve/strainer

  Ingredients

  • 3L water
  • 1 brown onion, halved
  • 6 – 8 large white mushrooms, rough chopped
  • Salt, a small amount to bring out the flavours

  Preparing the ingredients

  Gently rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt, then chop them into large pieces.

  

  Peel the onion then slice in half. Add everything to your slow cooker pot or skillet and add 3l of water.

  Simmering

  Slowly reduce the liquid, at a simmer, until you have about 1.5 cups remaining. Remove the onion and the mushrooms.

  

  Straining

  You don’t have to but I strained the broth using a fine mesh.

  

  Storing and using

  If you are using a  portion in the next few days, simply pour some into a reused glass jar and pop it in the fridge.

  Otherwise, you can use an ice cube tray to make handy to use portions.

  

   

  

  Chuck them straight from the freezer into your dishes, for that flavour boost.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more stock making posts and kitchen related thriftiness : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 10, 2022

• 

  Condensed Chicken Bone Broth From Scratch

  This simple chicken bone broth is slowly reduced, over the course of a day, into a protein and collagen rich flavour boosting concentrate. Easily stored as cubes in the freezer, I make it anytime I get enough chicken frames. The flavours are kept simple, just chicken bones,  one onion and several pinches of salt to get the flavours going.

  Note: Takes about 8 hours in a slow cooker.

  When chilled it will set and keep for a several days in the fridge: 

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing the frames
  2. Simmering
  3. Straining and removing fat
  4. Storing and using

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 slow cooker
  • Small meshed sieve/strainer

  Ingredients

  • 3L water
  • 1 brown onion, halved
  • ~4 chicken frames or the equivalent in mixed off cuts
  • Salt, a small amount to bring out the flavours

  Preparing the frames

  1. Blanche all of the chicken frames to get a cleaner bone broth.
  2. Peel the onion then slice in half. 
  3. Add everything to your slow cooker pot and cover with water to the max limit.

  

  Simmering

  Slowly reduce the liquid you have about 2 cups remaining. I used my slow cooker for 8 hours and then a high simmer until I got the consistency I was after. 

  

  Straining and removing fat

  I use a fat seperating jug to remove the skim of fat you will get as the liquid cools. Then you can use a fine mesh to remove any small bones and the onion.

  

  Storing and using

  If you are using a  portion in the next few days, simply pour some into a reused glass jar and pop it in the fridge.

  

  Otherwise, you can use an ice cube tray to make handy to use portions.

  

  

  You can then defrost the cubes, add some water and hey presto, you have liquid broth.

  

   

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more stock\broth making posts and kitchen related thriftiness : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 7, 2022

• 

  What Are Amuse-Bouches?

  ‘Amuse-bouche’ is a lovely French cooking term meaning ‘mouth amuser’. They are creative little morsels that are not on the menu, instead they are offered free by a chef or cook to excite guests for the coming feast.

  If you are thinking ‘appetisers’ then you are on the right track.

  I like to make little whimsical pasta creations.

  

  Just make them small, colourful and aromatic and your guests will be begging for more. 🙂

  Pickled baby octopus, slices of green olive and rosemary:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more cooking techniques and French cuisine:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 18, 2021

• 

  What Does Mise en Place Mean?

  Mise en Place is a lovely French cooking term for getting ourselves organised before we cook. We all do it in varying degrees.

  I like to prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time, it makes me less stressed in the kitchen.  🙂

  I even get all the utensils, pans, bowls etc out that I need ahead of time.

  Let’s get ready:

  

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more cooking techniques:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 18, 2021

• 

  Chicken Livers

  I think it is very important that if you eat meat you should be trying to use as much of the animal as you can for human consumption or utility. 

  To that end I have started (very recently because I was possibly like you are now turned off by the thought) sourcing and cooking with offal. A terrible sounding word for, as it turns out, a useful and versatile cooking ingredient.

  Fair call, looking at/working with raw liver, chicken in this case, is not for everyone but please give it a chance:

  

  Chicken livers are full of essential vitamins and minerals. You can bake, boil, and fry them and they pair perfectly with many other ingredients such as onions, garlic, spinach and potatoes. 

  They are famously used to make pâté. 

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more posts about some common and not so common meat cuts: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  January 4, 2021

• 

  One Pot Chicken Chasseur

  This hearty chicken stew is a signature dish in French cuisine. I have read that the pairing of mushrooms and chicken (the stars of the show) is not just a coincidence. During the hunt for chicken and other game, hunters would forage for mushrooms as they went.

  I can see how this dish would be perfect after a long cold day hunting. The fresh ingredients come together perfectly and leave you satisfied without being heavy. 

  This is my take and it all happens in one casserole pot.

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing the chicken and the vegetables
  2. Browning the chicken
  3. Cooking the vegetables
  4. Simmering for about an hour then reducing the sauce
  5. Serving

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 casserole dish or hob suitable dish

  Ingredients

  • 4 – 6 chicken thighs, skinless, deboned
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced
  • Mushrooms (I used a handful of buttons and another of shitake)
  • A good slug of tomato paste
  • white wine or chinese cooking wine, to deglaze
  • Thyme sprigs to taste
  • 1L chicken stock (I used this home-made stock)
  • olive oil
  • Flour, enough to coat the chicken thighs
  • Salt to taste
  • Black peppercorns (cracked or ground) to taste

  Preparing the chicken and the vegetables

  1. Coat the chicken in a mix of flour and pepper and set aside.
  2. Prepare the:
     • 1 brown onion, diced
     • 2 garlic cloves, diced
     • 2 carrots, sliced
     • 2 celery sticks, sliced
     • Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced or left whole but stems separated
     • Thyme, rinsed

  

  Browning the chicken

  1. Add a slug of olive oil to your pot and bring to medium heat.
  2. Cook the chicken thighs in batches for about 5 minutes a side.
  3. Remove them to a plate and cover to keep them warm

  

  

  

  Cooking the vegetables

  1. Deglaze the pan with some white wine or fortified cooking wine.
  2. Add the onions and and cook until soft.
  3. Add the garlic cloves and cook for a minute or so.
  4. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and thyme.
  5. Cook for another minute or so and add a good slug of tomato paste.
  6. Add the 1L chicken stock and bring to the boil.

  

  

  Simmering for an hour then reducing the sauce

  1. Turn the heat to a low simmer.
  2. Put the chicken thighs back into the pot and giver everything a gentle mix.
  3. Simmer for about an hour.
  4. Remove the chicken thighs again and keep them warm.
  5. Turn the heat back up and reduce the remaining liquid until it is thickened considerably (10 to 15 minutes should do it).
  6. Return the thighs again and give a gentle mix.

  At the start of simmering:

  After simmering for an hour:

  After the sauce has been reduced:

  Serving

  I simply placed the dish in the middle of the table and let everyone serve themselves. Crusty bread and mashed potatoes were the accompanying act but it also goes great with rice.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more French cooking secrets and chicken recipes : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 30, 2020

• 

  Cheese: Langres

  Langres is a delightfully smelly and gooey washed rind cheese from France. Eating this cheese is a must have experience. 

  

  Milk

  Cow

  Origin

  France

  Aged

  No

  Aroma

  Strong and salty.

  Taste

  Salty but it has a smooth rounding. Initially you might think the salt is too overpowering but the finish reassures you. 

  Texture

  Gooey

  Look

  I has an enticing folded skin and and a pale yellow interior. The rind is edible.

   

  Manufacturing and Salting Method

  A high acid curd is pressed into small moulds and pressed. Then the small wheels are brine washed as they mature.

  Serving

  Perfect on a cheeseboard or smeared on crusty bread or grissini.

  

  Wine

  Cheese.com suggests ‘…red Wine from Burgundy, Marc de Bourgogne or Champagne’.

  Here are some more posts about cheese: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  February 15, 2020