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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I look forward to baking this cake in autumn when mandarins are at their peak; some varieties continue into June and winter, which gives you time to get into the kitchen and start baking. In this cake, the lusciousness of the pistachios and the sweetness of the mandarins, make a perfect and flavoursome match. They [...]
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 [...]
Both Pâte Brissé and Pâte Sucrée are short cut pastry; Pâte Brissé is the same as Pâte Sucrée but without the sugar. Ingredients: 200g flour 100g cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 egg yolk ½ tsp salt, omit if using salted butter 3 tbsp, 45ml, ice cold water - or [...]
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 [...]
My preparation for the French cooking classes morning tea often includes making Madeleines, the plump, little cakes, the French love to eat. Madeleines are moulded in the fluted scallop shape of the pilgrim’s shell, adding a lot to their appeal. Here is my mise en place, with ingredients weighed and measured; next is the baking [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
