June 2013 – Myfrenchkitchen

If ever you are in the area of Beaulieu sur Dordogne, be sure to drop in at Café Douceur for either a coffee or tea accompanied by homemade treats, or for a light lunch.

Si vous vous trouvez dans la région de Beaulieu, ne continuez pas tout droit sur votre chemin sans faire un stop au Café Douceur pour prendre un lunch, un cafe ou un thé avec un goûter fait maison,

You can judge from the photos that it has a warm atmosphere, welcoming and intimate. Everybody feels instantly at home which is no wonder, because Sophie, the owner and the chef of her café has a big heart and wide smile.

Ces photos montrent clairement l’ambiance chaleureuse, intime et conviviale. C’est normal, car Sophie, la petite propriétaire et la cuisiniére, dirige son café avec en grand coeur et un sourire pétillant.

As a young girl, Sophie was enchanted by l’heure du goûter..(late afternoon tea in France). From then on, her dream was a little café where she could bake, serve and sell madeleines, canelés, sablés and other delicacies she grew up with around l’heure du gouter. At the young age of 24 she took the plunge and opened up Café Douceur, not regretting one minute of her decision since.

Depuis son enfance, Sophie a été enchantée par l’heure du gouter. Son rêve était d’ avoir son propre petit coin pour partager cette passion. Les madeleines, les sablés, les cannelées..ce sont tous ces gourmandises qu’elle a savourée pendant son enfance et qu’elle fait aujourd’hui elle-même. Dèja il y a quelques années, à 24 ans, elle a décidée de réaliser ce rêve en ouvrant son propre café.

La terrasse has a view on centre ville, where everything happens in Beaulieu and everybody knows everybody.

Sur la terrasse, on peut s’amuser en voyant tout ce que et ceux qui arrivent en centre ville de Beaulieu.

In the image below is how she is frequently seen in la salle ..peeking around the corner from the kitchen to say hi and throw a smile at everybody.

Une image très typique…la chef cuisinière souriante jette un coup d’oeil sur la salle pour dire un petit bonjour à ses clients..

With tables and chairs as well as comfy canapés, wooden games and toys for kids, gentle colours, you are invited to take a seat, linger with a magazine and have a second coffee or tea.

On est invité à s’installer dans la salle pour l’ambiance conviviale. On oublie le temps sur un canapé soit avec un livre, soit on découvre les jouets anciens tout en attendant un deuxième café..ou thé.

.. a little bouquet de fleurs at the lunch table..

The meals coming from the kitchen are homemade by Sophie herself, using seasonal fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables, many coming from her own potager(vegetable garden).

Les plats arrivent de la cuisine faits maison avec des produits saisonnièrs et les herbes fraîche, les légumes et fruits, quand possible, cueillis dans son propre potager.

..fraisier..

..crépe complete et salade de jardin..

..Tarte citron au sorbet exotique..

……………………………………………………………..

..Tarte pomme..

La pate a brioche:

For a very large tart: 6 eggs, 350g melted butter, 750g flour, 30g yeast diluted in some lukewarm water, pinch of salt. The recipe can be divided by three or even 4 for a large family size tart.

Add 117g yeast to 1 glass of warm water. Mix it into 250g flour, a pinch of salt and 2 eggs.
Cover an oven pan with baking paper.
Spread the dough to an equal thickness on the paper. Leave aside in a warm corner to rise for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the apples.
Peel and core 3 apples, cut into pieces and place into a casserole with some sugar, a few drops lemon juice , a few juniper berries, a pinch of salt. Simmer to reduce to a compote.
Peel 2 to 3 more apples and slice. Drizzle with lemon juice.
Spread the compote on the prepared brioche dough and arrange the apples slices on top.
Top with sprinkled cassonade/vergeoise/brown sugar and dollops of butter.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 180 degr. C or until the apples are caramelized and the dough is cooked through.

………………………………………………….

La suggestion du moment changes every day, depending on season and availability of produce. This day had Papillote de saumon aux petits légumes (salmon parcels with vegetables)on the menu.

La suggestion du moment change quotidiennement selon la saison et les produits disponibles. Ce jour là…une papillote de saumon aux petits légumes.

At the counter/bar, is always a lot of laughter and chatter going on..around a cup of coffee of course.

Autour du bar, toujours de la rigolade!

So, next time you are in the vallée de la Dordogne, do make the effort to turn off to Beaulieu sur Dordogne and drop in to meet Sophie and Pascale and Michel and have a seat by the counter with a coffee, or on a couch with a magazine, or enjoy a light lunch at a table.

Alors. La prochaine fois que vous passez par la vallée de la Dordogne, faites demi tour et arretez-vous devant le Café Douceur en centre ville pour fair la connaisance de Sophie, Pascale et Michel. Surtout, n’soyez pas pressés et restez un bon moment sur un canapé tout confortable!

..à bientôt..

Ronelle

Unimaginable that nettle soup can be delicious and yet, it is! Once cooked, the stinging effect disappears completely and all that is left, is a dark green, flavorful soup. Stinging nettle grows everywhere, the sign of fertile soil, and costs nothing. So why not make use of it? It reminds me somewhat of watercress, of which I often make soup too. Along with the spring petit pois pesto, it makers for a typical spring lunch or dinner or even a starter. See the Pincée de fleur de sel below for more ideas. I do hope you’ll try it.

Nettle soup with petit pois pesto

Recette:

Soup:

Pick nettle leaves, wearing a pair of leather or other thick gloves. Separate the leaves from the stems, keeping only the tender leaves and stems. Harvest about 3 large colanders full of leaves for 4 people.
Rinse the leaves in cold water to get rid of sand and grit. Don’t forget using the gloves, or switch to tongs.
Clean and chop two spring onions and sauté in coconut oil(not to be confused with palm oil)or olive oil. Add 5 stems of garlic along and its flowers.(optional)
Mix the nettle leaves with the onion and add enough vegetable stock to JUST cover the nettle/onion mixture. Adding too much liquid will result in a watery soup.
Simmer on medium heat for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and mix with a hand mixer to a creamy soup.
Add 3/4 can of coconut milk and 1 large TBSP of mascarpone cheese to the soup. Stir and leave to simmer very gently over low heat for another 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Leave aside until needed.

Petit pois pesto:

Boil 1 large cup of freshly shelled petit pois for 2-3 minutes and rinsed under cold water. Leave to dry.
Mix together in a mortar and pestle with 5 sprigs chives, 2-3 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP pine nuts.
Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a drizzle of white balsamic vinegar.
Don’t overwork to a puree.

To serve: Serve the soup warm OR cold with a quenelle of petit pois . Finish off with sprinkling of milled pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bon appétit!

Pick nettles with a pair of leather or other thick gloves!

I picked the leaves(with gloves of course) early morning, separated the leaves from the harder stems, kept the softer ones, rinsed it very well and kept it in the fridge until I started the preparation.

Rinse very well!

Pincée de fleur de sel:

Remember to pick the leaves with gloves, rinsing and adding to the casserole, working with gloves or tongs all the time.
Like spinach, nettle must be rinsed well, preferably under running water. Catch the water in a bowl and add to you plants.
It resembles spinach when cooked.
Use watercress, or spinach leaves instead of nettle.
If you fear the nettle to be too “wild” to your liking, add 1 large peeled, boiled and mashed potato, OR add some spinach leaves along with the nettle.
Don’t add too much stock or else the soup will be watery. It is always possible to add some stock afterwards.
Serve the soup cold in glasses or cups, topped with a room temperature pesto, or serve warm in bowls with room temperature pesto.
If using frozen petit pois, boil longer than fresh peas..about 4 minutes. Stop the cooking process by placing in ice cold water.
For a nice apéro, make a cuppacino – Place a layer of petit pois a the bottom of a small glass,pour over some soup and finsih off with whipped cream. sprinkle with grean matcha tea powder.

Freshly shelled petit pois.

Last, but not least..the pea shells are off to the compost heap!

*Note: I have finally gotten the chance to redo my photos for the Washing day post and if you would like to see and read my thoughts on a washing day..just follow this link to Coin Perdu –Laundry day!

* Thank you to everybody who shared their laundry stories either on Facebook, in an email or on the blog..I loved reading them..if there are more of you who want to share..please do so, I would love to hear your washing day stories and I know others would like to read them too!

Bon appétit et à la prochaine!

Ronelle

Myfrenchkitchen

Month: June 2013

Café Douceur in Beaulieu sur Dordogne et sa tarte aux pommes

Nettle velouté with petit pois pesto.

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