Poppies galore / Des coquelicots en folie

Recette: Poppy Cocktail


A delicious, sweet, summery cocktail that Chéri introduced me to this summer while he was working as a barman for Martell, one of the oldest and most prestigious cognac houses. Living so close to the town of Cognac itself, it was only a matter of time before I became seduced by this elegant and refined alcohol that continues to shape the economy and history of the area. However, while I am now learning to appreciate older cognacs in their natural state, the younger and more agressive cognacs are too strong to drink by themselves. Hence the beauty of this original little cocktail recipe! 

Mix together 2cl cognac VS, 2 cl ginger liqueur and a small amount of poppy cordial. Dilute with Perrier. 

This delicious poppy sirop is not easy to come by. I had to go to our local Jardiland that also boasts an epicerie fine to find it! While it was quite expensive (5 euros a bottle!) you only need to put a tiny amount into the cocktail and they have other interesting flavours (candyfloss, lavender, toffee apple, basil etc). 

See Greedy Guide to Cordial for other cordial experiences!

Stuffed garden tomatoes / Tomates farcies du jardin

While Chéri and I don't have the luck of having a garden at the minute (admittedly quite rare for a second story appartement), our generous country-living friends have kept us in fresh produce from their vegetable patch all throughout summer.

The most recent basketful contained some enormous corgettes that I've chopped up and frozen, as well as some tasty little peppers that Chéri and I roasted and chopped into fresh pasta with a bit of chorizo, and last but not least some small but sweet and juicy melons. 

The best surprises, however, were definitely the huge garden tomatoes. One of the French dishes I love the most are stuffed tomatoes, not stuffed with rice as is often the English tradition, but with sausagemeat. Slow cooking in the oven means that the meat and tomatoes become tender and deliciously salty and this is a dish that can be enjoyed all year round. Try these stuffed tomatoes with a salad in summer and with rice in winter. 

To make room for the sausagemeat, I needed to scoop out the majority of the tomato flesh and seeds. This often ends up in the bin but I don't like wasting what can be used up, especially as these were some amazing tomatoes. 

After hesitating over what to do with my leftovers, I decided to make my own tasty pasta sauce, much fresher and cheaper than supermarket bought ones. 

Pop all of the tomato flesh and seeds into a large pan and add salt and pepper as well as a bit of water. Mix well to get rid of any large lumps and leave to simmer for at least 1 hour on a low heat. Stir from time to time so the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.

Once the liquid has reduced (as you can see by looking at the level of the mixture on the side of the pan), adjust the seasoning and leave to cool. 

The result is a sweet and tasty pasta sauce that you can then spice up with whatever takes your fancy: fresh basil, parmesan, garlic, chillies. 

However, as there are no additives in the sauce you will need to eat it up within the week. A great excuse to make yourself a big bowl of pasta!

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! 

Leftovers / Les restes

End of the month sadly means less money in the piggy bank for food shopping. For Chéri and I it often means eating up what's left in the fridge. 

On the menu this month: sliced coppa, creamy scrambled eggs and a pear, walnut and rocket salad.

With a bit of imagination and by mixing different flavours and ingredients that you might not always put together, leftovers can become a delicious meal in their own right. I quite like the picnic feel to these kinds of meals too, where you can pick at bits of everything. 

Bon appétit!

Life is peachy / La vie au goût des pêches

After losing at crazy golf, Cheri's forfeit was to cook dinner for four all by himself. I have to say I did doubt a little as to how he was going to manage saying as I do most of the cooking à la maison but I shouldn't have worried. Take a look at the peach tart he made for dessert! 

This is admittedly quite a simple recipe, but really tasty. Roll out a ready prepared packet of puff pastry, cover with sliced fresh peaches and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle all over with sugar (you need to use quite a bit to caramelise the peaches) then pop in the oven for 30 mins. Half way through cooking, brush with a little more butter and sugar if you think it's needed.

 A perfect dessert - fruity, not too stodgy and very gourmand! It's worth waiting until the summer months to try it out as that's when peaches are at their juciest and cheapest.

Chicken in a bag / Les papillotes de poulet

Nothing makes me think more of home than a good old roast dinner, lovingly cooked by my Mam. When I'm feeling homesick I like to give the Sunday lunch a try but whereas Mam's chicken is always lovely and juicy, mine has the unfortunate habit of turning out dry. 

I was therefore intrigued to see a new product in the supermarket designed to overcome this problem: Les papillotes de poulet, or chicken in a bag. 

The magic bag

There are a variety of flavours available (lemon and herb, tarragon and garlic) but I opted for tomato and paprika, knowing that Cheri likes a bit of spice. The instructions are clear and simple: Unfold the plastic sachet and pop in your chicken, then add the packet contents and a couple of soup spoons of water. Close up the bag and pop in the oven for approximately 1 hour 30 depending on the size of the bird.

Ready for the oven!

Cooking time over, it was time to see the results! Even before taking the chicken out of the oven, an inviting smell of roasted tomatoes managed to coax Cheri down from the study. And taste-wise? I have to say I'm impressed! The chicken was well-cooked, moist and juicy, and the mixture of paprika and tomato made a lovely jus for our mashed potatoes. The fact that you only add water (no oil or butter) to the chicken is also a plus.

The only down-side is that the sachets are quite pricey, on average at least 1 euro 50, but the results are worth it, especially if you only cook a roast chicken from time to time. 

The only test that remains will be to cook this for my Mam the next time she comes over! 

Greedy is back / La gourmande est de retour

A big thank you to my good friend for inviting Cheri and I to dinner last Saturday. After a week's recuperation where I did little else than change my ice packs and mope around in the thirty degree heat (note to self: listen to the dentist when she tells you not to get teeth taken out over summer) I was both excited and apprehensive at the thought of my first real meal in a week as my poor mouth was still a bit tender and there are quite a lot of restrictions as to what you can and can't eat post-operation.

I needn't have been worried as ma copine had thought of everything! For nibbles we had ripe melon from the garden cut into tiny pieces that just melted in the mouth and some crabsticks with a homemade chive and cream dip. I must say at this point that crabsticks are one of my guilty pleasures as I know there is loads of rubbish in them but I just can't help myself, I love them!

Starter was a nice creamy vegetable soup, admittedly not a seasonal choice as it is pretty warm outside but it felt so good just sliding down with no chewing required.

Main course arrived and I was ecstatic to see we were eating some meat as this is one if the things I missed over the week. Lots of things can be mixed and liquidised to be suitable for post dental surgery diets but meat is just not one of them. I did buy some rilletes which filled a bit of the meaty void but nothing could compare to the delicious sausage meat casserole that was set down before me. Anyone who knows me well knows I am a fan of sausage in all its forms and so there couldn't really have been a more welcome ingredient! Combined with courgettes and tomatoes from the garden, slowly stewed until they became almost melting, this is a perfect summer dish. Only regret is that the sausage meat is a bit salty when prepared like this as it breaks down during the long cooking time. As a helpful gourmande I advised mon ami to put a raw potato cut in half in to the casserole dish the next time as this would absorb the extra salt.

Dessert didn't disappoint either. My mate excelled herself and dished up a bowl of egg custard, which I absolutely LOVE, served with homemade vanilla cream. This was always my favourite food as a baby and then even as a teenager I would sometimes allow myself to buy a pot of egg custard with rice baby food..Mmmm heaven! 

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me to document my return to real eating as the anaeasthetic has made me a bit dozy this week and I forgot it.