Amuse bouche – Page 14 – Myfrenchkitchen

“Dear Mom

Thank you for your letter and the parcel with all the delicious goodies….

…I invited some friends over this past weekend for lunch and I made this little salad for a starter. It reminded me of home and early summers in your garden. Everybody loved the combination of crab with kiwi and I got so many compliments, I almost felt like a renowned chef! It is light which had everybody enjoying their chocolate dessert with full gusto! I am amazed at how many men are keeping an eye on their weight! I am sure you and Dad will love it too….

With much love from me.”

“Oh, and by the way, could you send me some recipes on healthy summer lunches; there’s this new cute guy at the tennis club I need to impress…”

Kiwi and crab salad

6 kiwis
2 cans of crabmeat
grated rind of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
toasted sesame seeds
a few sprigs of chives
a few chervil leaves
a few crushed red pepercorns(optional)
salt and pepper

Cut the tops off the kiwis, remove the flesh with a spoon and dice finely. Turn the hollowed out kiwis upside down on toweling paper to drain.
Drain the crab meat and add to the diced kiwi. (Don’t use all the kiwi flesh if it seem too much)
Add the lemon juice, lemon rind, chopped herbs and toasted sesame seeds to the crab meat. Season to taste
Fill the kiwis with the crabfilling and decorate with a sprig of chervil and a sprinkling of crushed red peppercorns.

Serves 6

Alternative: serve the crab salad on a bed on mixed salad leaves or on slices of toasted baguettes.

Few people like beetroot. I was one of them, until I started playing around with beetroot….roasting them, making a creamy soup, combining them with different flavours, of which mint and apple and pear are my favourite.

I made them into a terrine here, combined with mint and red onion and served with a minty lemon zest yogurt…which my judging panel all seemed to enjoy. I hope you do too.

Beetroot terrine

4 large beetroots, cooked and skin peeled off
1 small red onion
a handful of mint leaves
5 gelatin leaves
45 ml white wine vinegar
45 ml white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey
45 ml water
salt and pepper
Yogurt sauce: a cup of natural yogurt
chopped mint leaves
lemon juice
zest of a lemon

Line a terrine pot with baking paper.
Chop the onion and mint leaves finely.
Cut the beetroot into small cubes or thin rounds. Layer some beetroot at the bottom of the terrine. Follow with a layer of chopped onion and then a generous layer of chopped mint. Repeat and finish with a layer of beetroot.
Mix the vinegars, the water, teaspoon of honey and salt and pepper in a small bowl and heat together, until the honey is dissolved.
Soften the gelatin leaves in a bowl with cold water, completely covered. Once soft, squeeze the excess water from the leaves and add to the warm vinegar/water sauce. Stir until completely dissolved. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the warm, runny gelatin over the terrine until covered. Press slightly down, cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight or longer for a better flavour.
Mix all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce and leave to infuse.
Serve a fairly thick slice of terrine with some drizzled sauce, alongside a green salad for an interesting starter and decorate with some mint leaves and fresh pepper.