Chocolate – how to temper it and why it is important to do so

To temper dark chocolate in the microwave Place the dark chocolate, a maximum of 500 grams at a time, into a microwave-safe glass or plastic bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, once or twice, stirring in between. It may take 1.30 seconds depending on your microwave. Once you have 50 % solids and 50 % liquid, [...]

By |2024-08-17T13:39:15+10:00August 17th, 2024|Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate - how to temper, Cook Real Food, Desserts - fruit, Festive, French Odyssey cooking class|Comments Off on Chocolate – how to temper it and why it is important to do so

Ras el hanout – the magical Moroccan spice blend

In Morocco, the spice shops in the souks sell a large variety of both ground and whole spices that are the foundation of Moroccan cooking. When you buy your spices from the spice merchant, he grinds them for you on the spot, so they are always full of flavour with intense aromas. They typically grind [...]

By |2024-08-16T18:20:08+10:00August 16th, 2024|Cooking classes, Marrakesh, Moroccan spices, Moroccan spices, Morocco, Ras el hanout, Recipes, Spices|Comments Off on Ras el hanout – the magical Moroccan spice blend

Walnut and onion bread

I often bake this bread for the French Odyssey - Journey through France cooking classes, especially if we are making the walnut and Roquefort cheese terrine.  Walnuts are grown widely in SW France, and when I was in the Dordogne with various culinary tours we always took the group to an ancient walnut mill and [...]

By |2024-04-27T16:28:44+10:00April 27th, 2024|Breads, French Cooking Classes, French food, French Regional Cooking, Walnut and Onion Bread, Walnuts|Comments Off on Walnut and onion bread

Pithiviers with duck confit and mushrooms

On one of my early visits to France years ago, we stayed in a divine little Chambre d’Hôte, L ’Impasse du Temple, now called a Maison de Maître. It was located down a difficult to find narrow laneway, pre-GPS days, in a pretty, tiny town called Léran, in the Midi Pyrenées, near Mirepoix, a beautiful [...]

By |2023-08-19T16:49:05+10:00August 19th, 2023|Braising, Culinary Travel, Duck confit, Duck confit, Food, France, French food, French food, French Regional Cooking, On the Ridge at Kureelpa, Pithiviers - duck|Comments Off on Pithiviers with duck confit and mushrooms

Coronation Quiche

A few days before the Coronation of King Charles III, the BBC published this ‘official’ recipe from Buckingham Palace, created by Mark Flanagan and Lucy Wilson.  My long-time friend and cooking ‘partner’ Christine, who years ago inspired me to join her in learning to cook good French food, was quite taken by this quiche [...]

By |2023-06-19T12:04:58+10:00June 14th, 2023|Broad beans, Eggs, Mayonnaise, Mayonnaise, Recipes, Salads, Spinach, Tarts, Vegetables, Vinaigrete, Vinaigrette, Vinaigrette for salads|Comments Off on Coronation Quiche

Bûche de Noël – French Yule Log ‘Christmas cake’ – the tradition

At Christmas time, in our French Odyssey – Journey through France and the French Bistro Classics Desserts cooking classes we make this beautiful and delicious Bûche de Noël - French Yule Log 'Christmas cake'.  During the last class, I was asked about the French traditions behind this cake and so after a little research and [...]

By |2021-12-07T13:21:46+11:00December 7th, 2021|Christmas Fruit Cake, Christmas Fruit Cakr, Festive Food, Festive Food, French Cooking Classes, French food, French food, French Odyssey cooking class|Comments Off on Bûche de Noël – French Yule Log ‘Christmas cake’ – the tradition

Lemons – the ‘Queen of fruits’ and the Zest of Life!  A winner in my kitchen

Lemons are one of my favourite fruits, I use them almost every day; they are an indispensable part of my cooking. I just love having a large bowl of lemons decoratively gracing my kitchen bench.  There is always a refreshing squeeze of lemon in my water glass; lemon juice is also very rich in anti-scorbutic [...]

Lemon butter sauce – a lemon ‘beurre blanc’ – a wine butter sauce

This is a simple, rich and delicious sauce to accompany a variety of fish dishes as well as scallops, prawns, chicken, pork, and vegetables too. Like the classic wine butter sauces, it is less stable than the classic emulsion sauces because no eggs are used. This lemon butter sauce is simply a reduction of [...]

By |2021-10-20T16:31:11+11:00October 20th, 2021|Condiments, Cook Real Food, French Odyssey cooking class, Lemon butter Sauce, Lemon Butter sauce, Lemons, Lemons, Recipes, Sauces, Seafood, Vegetables in season|Comments Off on Lemon butter sauce – a lemon ‘beurre blanc’ – a wine butter sauce
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