Tag: french
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What Are Rillettes?
Rillettes are a preserved meat product, traditionally using pork meat that has been salted, cooked and stored in its own fat.
As such it is a type of confit.
Wow it is a show stopper! It tastes a bit like rough textured pate and despite appearances, is not fatty or greasy.
Try serving it on crusty bread alongside other preserved meats and pickled vegetables.
I also love it in salads and it makes a mean sandwich with cheese, tomatoes and leafy greens.
Enjoy,
PK
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Jacques Pépin’s Traditional Chicken Liver Pâté
Made from bird livers, Pâté is one of those things you either love or hate, there is no middle ground. I have eaten it ever since I was a small lad and my favourite is chicken with green peppercorns.
Edit – People have told me there is a middle ground if I would just stop mentioning that it is made from livers. 🙂
This is my first attempt at making it so I wanted to use a recipe from the amazing French chef, Jacques Pépin. The result was amazing and gave me the confidence to experiment with new ingredients going forward.
Steps
- Cooking the chicken livers
- Pureeing the livers with butter
- Setting the pâté over night
- Serving
Ingredients
- ~230g chicken livers
- 1/2 small brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 120g butter
- 2 tsp brandy
- Cracked black peppercorns to taste
- Additional butter to seal jars (optional), melted
Equipment
- 1 chef’s knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 wet blender
- Plastic wrap
- Jars or small bowls/ramekins
Cooking the chicken livers
- Bring enough water to cover the chicken livers to a boil.
- Add:
- 230g chicken livers
- 1/2 small brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- Reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until livers slightly pink in the middle.
- Remove pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Pureeing the livers with butter
- Take the bay leaf out of the saucepan.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers, onion, thyme and garlic to a wet blender.
- Add the 120g butter.
- Blend until you get the consistency you like (I like a smooth mousse texture).
- Add 2 tsp of brandy and blitz again, adding salt and pepper a bit at a time to get the taste you like.
Setting the pâté over night
- Scrape the pâté into your jars, bowls or ramekins, gently pressing out any air pockets.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pâté and refrigerate until firm. Serve chilled.
- The pâté containers can also be covered with a thin layer of melted butter before being wrapped in plastic.
The jars look oh so fancy if you top them with melted butter and some herbs to keep out nasties.
Serving
I love smearing pâté on water crackers, sandwiches and even on toast. Another guilty pleasure is topping a thick beef steak with large amounts of Pâté and slices of melted cheese!
Enjoy,
PK
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PK’s Easy Oyster Mushroom Omelette
I have to admit to being an omelette novice. So I went on the hunt for some help.
I learnt so much from watching two amazing youtube videos. One is by Jamie Oliver and the other by a chef I have only just stumbled upon called Jacques Pépin. I have attached their videos to the bottom of this post.
As I have a overwhelming amount of oyster mushrooms I decided to test my new knowledge with them. Practice makes perfect but I don’t mind as the not so good ones taste amazing too. 🙂
The Technique
The oyster mushrooms easily split/peel into nice little strips. I then cooked them quickly in some oil and butter.
I then whisked 2 eggs for about one minute. You really want to mix the white into the yolk but you don’t need to over do it either.
I then melted some butter in my fry pan. Note that I am using one that has curved sides as this helps when you come to fold the omelette over.
I added the egg and slowly moved the curds around using a spoon. I always thought you just left the egg alone until it ‘set’ and then flipped it. The liquid egg will move into the spots left behind by you moving the curds, forming more curds. This process gives the omelette a creamier texture.
Once you get the egg cooked to your liking (some like it runnier than others) stuff the omelette with the mushrooms and fold it over.
Then serve. 🙂
Cooked through but still lovely and creamy on the inside.
Please watch the master chefs’ videos below.
Enjoy,
PK
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PK’s NoRecipe Roasted Garlic Bulbs
You can use roasted garlic in so many ways. Cold on a tasting plate, warm spread on crusty bread, pizzas, pasta, anywhere you use garlic really!
It makes your kitchen smell amazing and the roasting process in olive oil gives the garlic a lovely soft texture and a nutty taste. It couldn’t be easier and I don’t even take the cloves out of their natural roasting bag. 🙂
This is what I recently used it for:
Simply
- Preheat your fan forced oven to about 180c
- Oil a very small garlic roaster or cast iron pot.
- Pop the garlic bulb into the pot and drizzle generously with oil.
- Put the pot in the oven, covered, and cook for about an hour.
- Carefully pull the bulb out and let it cool some.
- Chop the top off the bulb and squeeze the bulb from the bottom to release the soft garlic paste.
Enjoy,
PK
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Jamie Oliver’s Egg Mayonnaise
Growing up, traditional egg mayonnaise took on an almost mythical status. No salad cream for us.
We bought Heinz Whole Egg Mayonnaise exclusively.
They stopped making it in Australia for a while so we would stock up when we travelled. We even requested care packages from people overseas.
So you understand what it means to me when I say Jamie’s version is every bit as magical!
I also however have a new nemesis in my life, the egg yolk that refuses to thicken. 😮
If that happens try this fix from Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s blog.Steps
- Whisking, lots of whisking
Ingredients*
* reduced from original, to make smaller amounts
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup olive oil
- A tiny splash of white wine vinegar
- A very generous squirt of fresh lemon juice
- Table salt to taste
Equipment
- 1 slotted spoon or egg yolk separator
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 serving bowl
Whisking, lots of whisking
- Separate the egg yolk and whisk it in a bowl.
- Add the mustard and whisk together.
- Slowly add half the olive oil, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens.
- Now whisk in a tiny splash of white wine vinegar
- Slowly add the rest of the olive oil, whisking continuously.
- Add salt to taste and also a big slug of lemon juice.
- You could optionally add a tiny bit of raw sugar (my little addition)
Enjoy,
PK
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Porcini Mushrooms
As a recently born again mushroom addict I am making up for lost time. I am always on the look out for new varieties to try and Porcini are my current favourite. 🙂
I buy them dried from France as they don’t grow wild in Australia and they have resisted domestication. When you open the packet you are rewarded with a lovely nutty umami smell. They taste just as good and I use them as a flavour base in my stews, casseroles and soups.
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Fresh they look stunning and I would love to get my hands on some.
Try them in my PK’s Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon.
Enjoy,
PK
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PK’s Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon is a very yummy and very ‘French’ slow cooked beef dish that sounds hard to make. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially if you grew up calling it Beef Burgundy. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting the 4 hours to get to eat it. 🙂 🙂
The French sure know how to take basic peasant farm yard ingredients, the chewier cuts of meat and turn them into a meal fit for royalty.
You will be:
- Preparing everything
- Boiling the wine
- Rendering the bacon
- Browning the meat
- Softening the vegetables
- Cooking low and slow
- Serving
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 1kg (2.2lb) beef chuck steak (a bit more or less is fine too), cubed
- 6 slices short cut bacon, cut into strips
- 2 cups red wine (plus a splash for glazing the casserole dish)
- 1 cup stock (any will do but I used beef)
- A Bouquet Garni
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- A handful of dried mushrooms (or 2 of fresh)
- 2 brown onions, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 baby carrots, scrubbed clean but left whole
- 3 Tbsp duck fat
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Equipment:
- 2 chef’s knives (or 1 if you wash it after the meat)
- 2 chopping boards
- 1 large casserole dish or equivalent
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 slotted spoon
Preparing everything
I like to bring everything together before I start cooking. Not only does it look and smell amazing but it leads to stress free cooking.
I used a handful of rough chopped dried mixed forest mushrooms (Bolets, Pleurotes and Champignons noirs). I am sorry mushroom haters (I used to be one so I understand) but the mushrooms are integral to the dish.
I had already premade my Bouquet Garni bag with my go to mix of bay leaves, thyme, savoury and parsley.
Boiling the wine
- Pop the casserole dish on the hob and slowly bring the 2 cups of red wine to the boil, keep it there for a few minutes.
- Turn your slow cooker on to low and transfer the wine to it when safe to do so.
- Also add the 1 cup of stock and the bouquet garni bag to the slow cooker.
- Wipe the casserole dish clean.
Rendering the bacon
- On medium heat, add the 3 Tbsp duck fat to the casserole dish along with the 2 garlic cloves.
- Add bacon strips to the fat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- We are trying to get the bacon fat to render down and release its flavour into the duck fat, not trying to crisp it up, so adjust the heat accordingly,
Browning the beef
- Season the 1kg of cubed beef with salt and pepper.
- In batches, brown the meat in the fat and transfer to the slow cooker (using the slotted spoon) as you go.
Softening the vegetables
- Now add the 2 brown onions, 3 celery stalks and 6 baby carrots to the casserole dish.
- Cook them on low heat, occasionally and very gently moving them around, until they have softened somewhat.
- Add them and the handful of dried mushrooms to the slow cooker.
- Deglaze the casserole dish with a splash of red wine and then add that to the slow cooker too.
Cooking low and slow
Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, turning everything over occasionally.
Serving
The options are endless but I served it with some boiled peeled potatoes and garnished with parsley. Perhaps the most interesting serving idea I have seen on the internet was on a bed of flat pasta.
Enjoy,
PK
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PK’s Bouquet Garni
One of the perks of having a kitchen garden is that you always have fresh herbs and spices at your finger tips. This is great if you want to make a fresh homemade bouquet garni.
A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs that were traditionally woven together (I tend to use little cloth bags for convenience however). They are used to flavour soups, stews, stocks, casseroles etc etc without having to fish the herbs out one by one at cooking’s end.
There are millions of combinations but I tend to use bay leaves, thyme, savoury and parsley the most.
When you have finished cooking the dish, simply remove the bag and chuck it in your compost or worm farm.
You can buy premade dried bouquet garni sachets but I encourage you to try making one using fresh herbs. You will never look back. 🙂
Dietary Info: Great for vegetarians, vegans and is gluten free.
Enjoy,
PK
P.S. I get my bags on ebay.
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How To Make Browned Butter Sauce
Browned butter sauce has a caramel/nutty flavour and I think the addition of sage works just as well for seafood, pasta, chicken and beef.
The pleasure of watching and smelling this sauce cook is sublime. The stages are so clear that they belie the difficulty level. When you get it right for the first time you will be pretty chuffed with yourself.
🙂
Notes:
- It is so easy to burn this sauce so don’t get distracted like I do
- Keep the sauce moving slowly the whole time after the milk fats and proteins separate (see below)
- I make it ahead of schedule so I don’t have to stress
- You will quickly learn if you have cooked it too long and can adjust for next time
You will be:
- Heating on medium
- Heating on low
- Cooling
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 200g of pure butter (ie not a blend)
- sage leaves to taste
- Equipment:
- a sauce pan
- a small whisk
Heating on medium
Start melting the butter on the hob over a medium heat.
You will start to see the milk proteins and fats make two distinct layers
Next, the water content of the butter will begin to boil away. Keep stirring slowly now.
This is what it looks like after that happens.
Heating on low
Now turn the hob down to low and add the sage leaves.
After a while parts of the sauce will start to brown. Keep stirring slowly.
You can test if it i ready by spooning some onto a white surface. Perfect 🙂
Cooling
I pour it into another vessel to cool down, stirring every now and again. At this point you can tell if it was on the heat too long and adjust accordingly next time you make the sauce. You want nutty not acrid.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see all recipes using butter here
- see more sauces and condiment posts here
- see more French cooking posts here
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Hyssop
An annual herb that if you like it you will have to grow it yourself. Most places don’t sell it fresh and you are missing out if you can even get it dried.
It is very easy to grow and I keep it trimmed down to a 15cm box as it is vigorous vertically. It is at home in European, Middle-eastern and Indian cuisine but you don’t need to use a lot.
Taste/Aroma:
Hyssop has a bitter taste with hints of citrus, mint and rosemary. It pairs well with other “Mediterranean herbs” such as rosemary and it compliments tomato dishes well. Indeed I use it as I would those herbs in salads, pasta, soups, curries etc.
Flower:
Leaves:
Planting/Care:
Please see the link at the bottom of the page for when to grow this plant in my Grow It Perth calendar.
Best in full sun and it requires little water making it perfect for Perth conditions.
Related Links:
- go to all meal ingredients here
- go the Grow It Perth calendar
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