Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Quince compote and spices

I simply adore quince. As a child I ate it raw with a pinch of salt. A fond memory. I like to bake it in the oven, as in here, or on pan fried on the stove like here or a crumble like here. Today I made a simple compote that is delicious with a scoop of créme fraiche or even ice cream. It can be served with duck or chicken or how about pork, giving you that sweet sour taste. It is so easy to make, a proper seasonal fruit and along with some spices, falls right into perfection for autumn. I give relative quantities. The best way is to find your own path, taste and adjust and add as you go along.

Small wild quince.

Recipe:

  • 2 large quinces
  • 2 lemons
  • 2 star anis
  • tsp red peppercorns (optional)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • grated nutmeg
  • a pinch of fleur de sel
  • 500 ml water
  • 350 ml sugar
  1. Peel the quinces, cut off the ends and cut into pieces along with the core and seeds.
  2. Add to a bowl and drizzle liberally with lemon juice.
  3. Sprinkle with the spices and fleur de sel and add to a casserole, along with the lemon juice.
  4. Add the water and sugar and simmer gently for about 45 minute or until the water has dissolved and the quince are tender. Dont stir too much if you dont want a puree.
  5. Remove the cinnamon stick and the star anis after 15 minutes of cooking.
  6. Sterilize 2 canfruit bottles and pour in the hot quince. Let it cool and store in the fridge.

Pinch of salt.

  • Tplace the spices with a vanilla pod, seeds scraped out and pod and seeds addd to the quince.
  • If you dont like the seedsand core of th quince, add them to a little bouquet garni muslin pouch and remove at the end of cooking.
  • The seeds and core are important for the red coloring of the quince and they are full of gelatin which helps to thicken the syrup.
  • Replace the lemon juice with orange juice.
  • Dont worry about the coloration of the quince when you peel it. It is normal. Add some lemon juice, but it wont stop the coloration completely.
  • Add some apple pieces to the quince mixture for variation.
Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Wild mushrooms with lemon and nutmeg

It is time! For wild mushrooms! One of our favorite meals in autumn. We prefer it pretty simple, with either an omelette or a risotto or, as in this case, a crusty baguette. Bolets and girolles are sautéed in olive oil, a little knob of butter and served with lemon juice, nutmeg and a persillade(mix of shallots, garlic and parsley. It speaks of autumn and forest and cool days. And what else is autumn about after all.

I dont give exact quantities because it depends on the type of mushrooms you have and on your appetite. I used about 200g.

Bolets and girolles wild mushrooms

Recipe:

  • About 200g mix of different wild mushrooms like girolles, chanterelles, trompettes de mort, bolets, cepes and whatever safe edible ones you can find in the woods or on the market.
  • 1 onion or two shallots
  • A bouquet of fresh parsley
  • 1 big clove of garlic
  • juice of half a lemon
  • nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • knob of butter
  1. Clean the mushrooms with a brush or rinse under running water and dry immediately with a dry towel.
  2. Melt the butter along with olive oil in a pan.
  3. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are almost tender and caramelized.
  4. Chop the onion or shallots and garlic and add to the mushrooms. Sauté for another few minutes until soft and translucent and the mushrooms caramelized.
  5. Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice and grated nutmeg to taste.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve warm with crusty baguette and butter.

Serves 2 people

Girolles washed and dried with a dry towel and the bolets cleaned with a soft brush while the stems are scraped with a knife.

Pinch of salt:

  1. Mushrooms shrink a lot when cooked, so get more than you think you need..
  2. Don’t soak mushrooms in water, they absorb water very quickly and get soggy. I prefer to use asoft brush.
  3. Make sure you pick edible safe mushrooms when you go pick in the woods, or take to your pharmacist for identification.
  4. Serve sautéed wild mushrooms with an omelette or a risotto or top off a mushroom soup with a mix of wild mushrooms.
  5. A venison pie is delicious with wild mushrooms.