lunch – Page 7 – Myfrenchkitchen

I love sorrel, especially with salmon. This time round, I thought a sorrel gazpacho could be nice too with its slightly sour characteristic. Topped with some apple brunoise and croûtons, it could only be gorgeous. So, why not try it and see if you love it as much as I did and still do. I tried it out on mon chéri and he devoured two bowls, practically licking them out. A sure winner for this spring and summer.

La recette:

Peel and cut 3/4 cucumber and 5 kiwis in cubes. Place in mixer/blender.
Wash 1 large handful of green sorrel leaves(or mix of green and red sorrel) and remove the hard stems. Add to the blender.
Blend together until a puree.
Remove to a bowl.
Season with salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and chopped tarragon.
Cut 1 apple and the other 1/4 cucmber (with peel) into small dice(brunoise). Drizzle with apple cider vinegar.
Cut 3 slices of stale country bread in small cubes, drizzle with olive oil, season with fleur de sel and chopped tarragon and roast in the oven until crisp.
Serve the gazpacho in individual glass bowls, top with the cubes of apple, cucumber, croutons and tarragon.
Drizzle with olive oil and a drop of french mustard and serve at room temperature with extra toppings on the side.

Serves 3-4 people

Pincée de fleur de sel:

Use a mix of sorrel and a green with a more peppery taste, like watercress, or even young spinach leaves, some salad leaves with a pronounced taste, lamb’s ears salad leaves(which are sweet and mild), even radish leaves could be delicious.
Add some green tomato(peeled) and for those with strong digestive systems, greenpepper.
Stick to crispy toppings which contrast beautifully with the gazpacho.
Don’t serve directly from the fridge…too cold a temperature kills the taste , room temperature or just below is the best.

The greens in April are quite special with all its new shoots, young leaves and colourful buds, while some trees and branches are still bare. Below some photos of the area with its greens, from dark to yellow to almost white.

In the garden, the tulipes dentelle “Snow valley” are in full bloom, my favorite tulip. The bees are back, the Jack Frost is happy with its little blue flowers and the strawberries are plentiful.

I couldn’t resit playing around with all the greens from the market and the greens from the fields…the greens in April, wild or cultivated, beautiful in their own right.

..asparagus and dandelion seedhead..

..avocado and forest fern..

..cucumber and dandelion seed head..

..peas and forget-me-nots..

..Until next time, enjoy your last week of April..

Ronelle

Easter is coming up pretty fast and everybody is munching on Easter chocolate. So are we. But one can’t live on chocolate alone. An egg every now and then will help. An “oeuf cocotte”. It is easy to make with many variations to suit each taste an ddesire.

La recette:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. (39°F, gas 6)
Butter 4 ramekins(with volume of 125 ml or 1/2 cup) liberally with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place some shredded spinach on the bottom.
Spoon 1 heaped TBS of créme fraîche onto the spinach and spread it evenly over the spinach.
Break open 1 egg into a little bowl and and slide onto the créme fraîche in each ramekin without breaking the egg yolk.
Drizzle a little cream over the egg yolk to protect it during cooking.
Place in a deep ovenproof dish, fill with boiling water up to half the height of the ramekins and bake at 200°C for 9 minutes for a runny yolk. The egg white should just be coagulated and don’t worry if there is still a little transparent egg white left…while standing the eggs will still continue cooking a bit.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper, some fried bacon pieces and chopped chives. Serve immediately with toasted bread fingers to dip into the eggs.

Pincée de fleur de sel:

Use any nice containers for the eggs as long as they are ovenproof. Glass looks especially nice with the layers of egg and cream showing through the sides.
Place bacon pieces or asparagus tips, frozen creamed spinach, mushrooms, strips of ham… and place at the bottom before filled with créme fraîche. the list is endless.
Use small brioche buns instead of ramekins and steady them in muffin pans, fill with eggs and bake…especially popular with children.
Infuse cream with saffron, or other spices/herbs of your choice, bring cream to a boil and simmer a few minutes to reduce and use instead of créme fraîche.

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I am not one for a lot of Easter decoration. But I love having spring flowers in my house and the chickns provide me with a moutain of eggs, which I use simply in bowls to add an Easter flavor.

..Eggs from the poulaillier, rosemary and terracotta in which the eggs end up when stolen from the poullaillier…a winning combination for me..

..For a little playfulness – an empty egg carton filled with shredded wooden strips colour green, the egg shells used for the recipe filled with water and holding spring flowers and herbs, some eggs and tiny quail eggs..