Winter soup / Soupe d'hiver

After catching a mini-winter cold last week, I have to admit that I didn't feel much like spending time in the kitchen. A big thank you to Cheri for making this delicious winter vegetable soup to warm me up and make me feel better. 

A simple and healthy recipe bursting with vitamins and based on good quality, seasonal vegetables: carrots, swede, potatoes and leeks. 

All that was left for me to do was grill and cut up some strips of streaky bacon and sprinkle over some grated Gruyere cheese to serve with this heartwarming winter soup. 

Merci mon coeur ! 

Food crush: Caramelised Red Onions

After Cheri recently found out that he is slightly iron deficient, I decided to use this piece of information as a greedy excuse to grill us some lovely steaks for dinner, accompanied by some new potatoes that I picked up for less than a euro at Leclerc, and which you simply pop in the microwave for 15 minutes. While I am a big advocate of home cooking, sometimes I just don't have the time to get out the pots and pans so I was eager to see what these time and energy-saving spuds would be like! 

As Cheri likes his veg quite well cooked, I decided to leave the pommes de terre in the microwave for 5 more minutes (20 in total). We were both impressed with the results: the potatoes were well cooked, not too floury or watery as can sometimes be the case with vegetables cooked in the microwave, and the fact to cook them in their plastic packaging actually means they retain more nutrients than if you boiled them: lots of good reasons to try them out! 

The time I saved on the spuds also meant I could make some caramelised red onions to go with the meal. After eating them several times with goat's cheese salads or with my filet de boeuf when eating out, I couldn't resist trying these beauties myself. 

Recette: Caramelised Red Onions

Cut one or two red onions (1 onion will serve 2 people)into thin strips. Heat a knob of lightly salted butter in a frying pan over a medium until melted. Add the red onion and stir well, coating the onion with the butter. Fry until soft. 

Sprinkle over some brown sugar and stir again. Leave to cook over a low heat until the onions start to become crispy (about 15-20 mins). Stir from time to time to avoid any sticking. Done! 

The crispy texture of the slowly cooked onions combined with the sweet, syrupy taste is an absolute delice! While I do normally only make them now to go with red meat, this is also the perfect side dish for your festive cheese board if you're not a meaty fan. 

 
Pour yourself a big glass of wine (I chose a Bourgogne Pinot Noir) and get ready for Christmas!

Confit duck / Confit de canard

There's a good reason that confit duck is a French classic. It's one of the most tender ways of cooking meat that exists, and the side-dishes that normally accompany said duck are just as flavoursome if admittedly not too diet-conscious, notably thin sautée potatoes cooked in duck fat and sprinkled with lots of garlic and fresh parsely. 

While this is a dish I love eating, it has the reputation of being a bit tricky to get right at home so I normally only have confit duck when Chéri and I eat out.

But being the adventurous gourmande that I am, it wasn't long before I decided to give it a go especially saying as Lidl had tins of brand-name confit on special offer! 

The result was not bad at all really. The duck turned out crispy on the skin side and stayed tender. This is one of the main problems when cooking a confit duck, as cooking over too high a heat can dry out the meat. I chose, for this reason, to cook mine in a large frying pan for about 25 minutes over a low heat, or until the duck was warmed through.

As for the potatoes, no real problems there either. You need quite a lot of duck fat when frying, as the potatoes seem to drink it up. Add the parsely and garlic just at the end so as not to lose their flavour and turn the potatoes constantly so they don't burn. 

Maybe I'll give coq au vin a try next!

Little fishes / Petits poissons

I have always loved living close to the sea. There is something so calming about going and looking out at the waves and I love the smell of sea air. When I'm feeling homesick (those of you who read this blog will have guessed, that happens a lot!), I drive out to La Tremblade to look out at the Atlantic Ocean and its infinite blueness.

The other good thing about living close to the coast is the fish. I love meat in all its forms but I am also a huge fan of seafood. Oysters, prawns, cockles, clams, mussels: I'd eat them every day!

Cheri is a little more reticent, however, when it comes to our fishy friends. I think being brought up on the bland steamed white haddock that Belle-Maman loves may have put him off a bit! So it's up to this persistant gourmande to get him loving the taste of the sea...

Recette: Smoked salmon served with steamed garden potatoes, crème fraîche and salmon roe. Serves 2 as a main course.

You will need: a small packet of smoked salmon, 3 large potatoes, a tub of crème fraîche, a jar of salmon roe and some sprigs of dill to decorate. 

Scrub the potatoes and steam them until soft. Cut in half and pose 3 halves on each plate. Top with a spoonful of crème fraîche and the salmon roe. Divide the smoked salmon between the plates and add a few sprigs of dill as decoration. Easy!

A light, quick and easy lunch that will conquer even the most ardent fish-haters!