Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Oven roasted apricot and thyme soup.

This is a delicious little cold velouté for an aperitif or a starter on a hot summers day. It looks delicious and is also very handsome presented in a little glass or bowl with a sliced bread finger alongside. Just enough to get the appetite going.

Recipe:

  • About 20 ripe soft apricots
  • 2 TBSP of thyme honey or flower honey
  • a bunch of fresh thyme
  • fleur de sel
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Olive oil
  • A few sprigs of fresh chives
  • TBSP crème fraiche(optional)
  • Fresh cream for décoration
  1. Heat the oven to 200 degr C
  2. Wash and dry and break the apricots in half and remove the pit.
  3. Place them snug in an oven proof dish.
  4. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and the honey, sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.
  5. Scrape the leaves off the stems of the thyme and sprinkle over the apricots. Spread a few branches on top of the apricots.
  6. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, until very tender. Take care not to burn the apricots.
  7. Remove from the oven, remove the thyme branches and let cool to room temperature.
  8. Mix with a handblender until liquid and pass through fine sieve to get a smooth veloute.
  9. Add a bit of creme fraiche and blend.(optional)
  10. Keep in the fridge until cold.
  11. Serve in a pretty small glass or bowl, swirl a tsp of cream and olive oil on the top, add a sprig of chive and a turn of the pepper mill.
  12. Serve cold with a toasted bread finger on the side. (optional)

Pinch of salt:

  • Use thyme honey or flower honey.
  • Softer apricots are more flavourful.
  • Replace the thyme with sprigs of rosemary., in which case you will use flower honey.
  • Make sure to blend in all the juices from the roasted apricots.
  • Sauté a chopped shallot and add to the apricot mixture as a more savory option.
  • The soup can be prepared a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge until serving.
  • Passing the apricots through a sieve is improtant to get a nice smooth velouté.

Serves 6 a amuse bouche and 4 as starter

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 1 Comment

Two tone gazpacho with tomatoes and cucumber, and crunchy salsa.

A gazpacho for summer is a winner with everybody. Why not try a duo with two gazpachos served in one bowl.Its colourful and flacourfull and it is summer in a bowl. Add with that a crunchy salsa and slices of sourdough bread and it can make for a good vegetarian meal.

Recipe:

  • Green: 1 large cucumber
  • 1 large spring onion, white bulb and green stem and green leaves
  • 1 large granny smith apple
  • Half a cup of mint leaves, removed from the stems
  • 1 large green pepper
  • juice of half a lime
  • 2 TBSP of white balsamic vinegar
  • 100ml apple juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Red: 4 large tomatoes, skin removed by making a cross at the top, dipping into boiled water for about 5 minutes, rinse under cold water and peel off the skin.
  • 1 large spring onion, only the white bulb
  • Half a cup of basil leaves
  • 1 large red pepper
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 3 TBSP of tomato paste
  • 2 TBSP of balsamic vinegar
  • 100 ml tomato juice juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Salsa: Half a red onion diced
  • Half yellow pepper diced
  • Small spring onion
  • 2 slices of bread, cut into cubes and toasted in the oven (optional)
  • Olive oil
  1. Chop and blend all the ingredients for green gazpacho together until liquid. It doesnt have to be velvety smooth.
  2. Season to taste and pour into a jug.
  3. Chop and blend all the ingredients together for the red gazpacho.
  4. Season to taste and pour into a jug.
  5. Dice the ingredients for the salsa and mix. Add the cubes of toasted bread just before serving.
  6. Let the gazpachos and salsa cool in the fridge until serving.
  7. Take the two jugs,(or two ladels), one in each hand and pour the two gazpachos slowly at the same time, left and right, into a bowl until the two liquids meet in the middle.
  8. Add the salsa on top of the line where the two gazpachos meet.
  9. Add the toasted croutons on the salsa.(optional)
  10. Drizzle the bowl with olive oil and sprinkle with milled pepper.
  11. Repeat with three other bowls.
  12. Serve cold with extra bread on the side.

Serves Four as a starter

Pinch of salt:

  • Add some apple juice to the green gazpacho if its too thick to your liking.
  • Add some tomato juice to the red gazpacho if its too thick to your liking.
  • Add some cubed avocado to the salsa.
  • Add some kiwi to the salsa.
  • Add crumbed feta to the salsa.
  • Add 2 kiwis to the green gazpacho instead of the apple.
  • Use shallots in the red gazpacho instead of the green onion bulb.