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

Piperade with homegrown sweet peppers

We still have sweet peppers in the potager and they are super sweet and colourful. This will probably be the last batch for this season. So I decided to make piperade which we love. I do it a bit different than the original way that comes from the southwest in France, particularly the Basque region. I make mine seperately in the oven and mix it all together at the last minute before serving. Its a bit less juicy and saucy and the flavors of all the ingredients harmonize without losing their individuality. We especially enjoy it on rustic toasted country bread for a lunch.

Piperade with homegrown peppers

Recipe:

  • 4 large pepper of different colours.
  • On large onion
  • A big handful of cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 4 cloves of garlic, cleaned and lightly squashed
  • salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh thyme
  • Raspberry flavoured balsamic vinegar
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degr C.
  2. Wash the peppers and slice into chunks, or thin slices if you prefer. Add to an oven pan with fresh thyme and drizzle liberally with olive oil.
  3. Clean the onion and cut into medium chunks. Add to another oven pan .
  4. Wash the cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes and slice in half. Add the tomatoes to the onion and add the cleaned and squashed garlic cloves.
  5. Roast the vegetables in the oven pans until tender and slithgly charred, for about 30 minutes. Take care not to burn the peppers. If youve sliced them thinly, they will roast quicker.
  6. Remove from the oven, mix the vegetables together, drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle finally with some raspberry flavouredbalsamic vinegar.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread or as a side with meat or fish.

Serves about 4 people as side dish

A pinch of salt:

  • Enjoy with slices of toasted whole wheat bread.
  • Serve as a side with fish or chicken.
  • Add tarragon instead of thyme if you serve it with chicken.
  • A full vegetarian meal.
  • For a meat version, add grilled sliced chorizo before serving.
  • If you slice the peppers into thin slices, they will roast quicker, about 20 minutes.
  • Add some piment d’espelette chilli peppers if you’d like it spicy.