Mousse au Chocolat

If you crave chocolate and love a chocolate and orange combination, check out this one .......

For 6 people
Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Setting Time: 3 hours



200g/8 ozs. Nestlé/other good quality dark chocolate
6 eggs
pinch of salt
3 tablsp. Grand Marnier/Cointreau/Orange Juice
Grated rind of one orange.


Melt the chocolate in a microwave (for one minute on high) with 4 tablsp. orange juice ( or Cointreau/Grand Marnier) Whisk thoroughly.
Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with the salt until stiff.
Whisk the melted chocolate gradually into the egg yolks.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix very gently, so as to prevent the whites from flopping!
Add the grated rind of one orange and leave to set in a fridge for at least 3 hours.


Bon Appétit

Snow sculptors à la nature...et à la Ellen.....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow !!!!!

As you can see we've been having a fun time ot it here at La Blonderie......no school, a little work and lots of snow!!!!! Happy Days.......

What's seldom is wonderful!

No Monday morning blues in this house this week.....or Tuesday....or even Wednesday for that matter - il neige - yes, it's snowing........and what a treat for kids in Normandy!!

Our two, Ellen and Kate, apart from les sports d'hiver - skiing holidays - haven't ever seen so much of the white stuff......they're having a ball......the dogs too.....Maman too....Papa, who has to venture out to work, a little less, no doubt, although on Monday was able to enjoy the welcomed change from rain and wind with the rest of us....and off we went to our nearest wood - le bois de Saga - after which we enjoyed a mulled wine.......

Vin Chaud......... you will need:

1 bottle of fairly cheap Bordeaux

1/2 bottle of port and the same quantity of water

freshly ground nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

A few grains of Cardamon

Grated rind and juice of an orange

Sugar to taste

Slowely heat all up together and serve piping hot, preferably beside a roaring fire....

Santé!

Chicken/Lamb Tagine

'Tagine' simply means 'stew' in Morocco....and once you've grasped the idea you'll be hooked - they're easy and delicious - parfumé, as opposed to spicy!

In Morroco, nomads carry these conical vessels around as their mobile ovens along with a mini-barbeque style tin so that they can grill their merguez sausages whenever and wherever they like.
If you don't have a tagine, a large heavy based casserole will do.





For 4/6 people

1 chicken, jointed ( or chicken pieces)
2 onions, sliced
2 tablsp. olive oil
1 preserved lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teasp. ginger
½ teasp. cinnamon
1 tbsp coriander seeds,crushed
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 preserved lemon, chopped finely (optional)
Salt and pepper

Other optional extras:
Dried fruit, such as apricots and prunes.
A couple of handfuls of almonds, sesame seeds or pinenuts, toasted.

Heat the olive oil in a ‘tagine’ or a large casserole dish (with a lid)
Add the chicken pieces and onions and brown together.
Sprinkle in the spices and cook for a few minutes.

Add enough water to cover the meat and bring to the boil.
Add the preserved lemon, season well and cover.

Leave to simmer for at least 1 ½ hours. (you may need to add some water from time to time)
About 20 mins. before serving add the dried fruits.

If you like, sprinkle with nuts and herbs and serve with couscous.

Note:
You can replace the chicken with 1.5 kilos of lamb, from the shoulder, chopped into chunks. Just allow for extra simmering time – about 2 ½ hours.

Tagine is perfect cooked the day before eating, giving the flavours time to develop.

Leek,Potato and Onion Soup

A great believer in soups, here's another one....
LEEK, ONION AND POTATO SOUP
For 4 – 6 people you will need..
4 large leeks
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
50g butter
850 ml chicken stock /water
275 ml milk
Salt and pepper
To serve :1 ½ tablespoons chopped chives ( I buy frozen herbs in winter….available in all supermarkets here)
2 tablespoons crème fraîche (optional)

Trim off the tops and roots of the leeks, discarding the tough outer layer. Slice them up finely and rinse thoroughly.In a large pot, melt the butter and add the leeks, potatoes and onion stirring them with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, cover and let the vegetables sweat over a very low heat for about 15 mins.Then add the stock and milk, bring to a simmerinig point, replace the lid and simmer very gently for 20 mins. Liquidise to a purée. Reheat very gently. Add the chives and the cream just before serving.

La Galette des Rois

January 6th, the feast of the Ephinany, and the famous Galette des Rois takes it’s place among the mouth-watering gâteaux and breads in boulangeries throughout France! Haven’t the French heard of new year resolutions to cut out all things wickedly sweet and tasty following an overindulgance of the same over the festive season? Apparently not! Suppose 'Frencwomen don't get Fat' and all that!!

Quand l’appétit va, tout va....when the appetite is O.K, everything is O.K. And so, for the entire month of January, galettes are eaten and Kings and Queens crowned. The youngest members of each family/gathering is sent uner the table to allocate pieces of this traditional cake to all in sundry!

A celebration of when the three kings visited Jesus, bearing gifts, the galette is round in shape, representing the moon, made like a brioche, with a hole in the centre and decorated with candied fruit, or else from puff pastry and almond paste, depending on the region. (Here in Normandy, the almond paste is sometimes replaced by apple purée).

There’s always a fève (a charm) in the galette and he/she who gets it, without choking on it that is (!!!) is king/queen for the day, and has the priviledge of nominating his/her queen/king! Glossy,cardboard crowns are provided for the coronation!

Give it a try..kids love it!!

To make the Galette you will need:

1 packet of puff pastry

For the almond paste: 100g ground almonds

75g butter, softened

3 egg yolks

pinch of salt

Mix together the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Add the softened butter and mix thoroughly.Divide the puff pastry in two.Roll out and line a (greased) tin with half the pastry. Prick with a fork.Spread the almond paste on top, throw in a fève, and cover with the rest of the puff pastry.Bake in a hot oven for 20 – 30 minutes.