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

Sea bream Ceviche with mango and ginger.

I adore a ceviche in summer. Its cool and fresh and tangy. Its easy and quick and without fuss. An none dancing around a hot stove or oven. And everybody loves it. There are so many variations, play around with fresh, fresh fish and ingredients and create your own ceviche, according to your likes. You need fresh fish and fresh herbs and limes and the rest is up to you.

Recipe:

  • olive oil
  • 2 large spring onions with medium bulb
  • 2 cloves of garlic, cleaned
  • fresh ginger, cleaned
  • 250g sea bream or other delicate white fish
  • 3 green limes
  • 1 lemon
  • Grated rind of one lime
  • 4 TBSP of cold fish stock
  • fresh coriander leaves
  • Half green chilli pepper, seeds removed
  • 1 mango, sliced into cubes
  • Small cucumber, sliced into cubes
  • 1 red onion, halved and sliced.
  • Small edible flowers (optional)
  1. Leche de tigre: Roughly cut the spring onion whites, the garlic, the chilli pepper and the cleaned ginger and add to an electric mixer.
  2. Add the juice of the limes and lemon, the cold fish stock and the grated rind of the lime to the mixture.
  3. Mix it all together until a smooth liquid. Add about 2 TBSP of olive oil.
  4. Clean and dry the fish filets, cut into thin slices and add to a large porcelain bowl.
  5. Pour the leche de tigre over the fish to cover and marinate the fish in the fridge for about 30 minutes to and hour.
  6. Add the cubed mango and cucumber to the fish mixture.
  7. Divide the mixed ceviche between 4 plates.
  8. Spoon over the rest of the marinade(leche de tigre).
  9. Add some sliced green of the spring onion, some chilli pepper rounds without the seeds and some sliced red onion. Drizzle with olive oil.
  10. Lastly, decorate with fresh coriander leaves and one or two small, colourful edible flowers.
  11. Serve cold.

Serves four as a starter

Pinch of salt:

  • Use very fresh fish and keep cold.
  • Leche de tigre – tigers milk…. lime juice, fresh herbs and some fish stock.
  • Skip the fruit and use only the cucumber or use another fruit of your choice.
  • The leche de tigre, or marinade cooks the raw fish.
  • Enjoy