RECIPES - STARTER / MAIN / DESSERT

[Christine Animal]

A new crumble (à la française)  [:D]

Crumble de Ratatouille

Oh well, the link won't come out directly to it, so you'ill have to click on it, and try the other recipes too !

 

[JayJay]

Christine, nice & it's really good if you make the crumble topping with breadcrumbs, nuts & cheese too. [:)]

[Christine Animal]

Thanks JayJay, I'll have to try that !  [:)]

 

[[email protected]]

Starter - very quick and easy.

Two or three large fresh scallops per person.

Wash the scallops, cut into old penny size slices, and place in a shallow bowl of freshly squeezed lime juice for 15 minutes. This will cook the scallop slices.

Drain and serve with a few drops of good olive oil and pepper to taste.

If the scallops have the pink coral attached, keep it for a fish stock.

 

Peter.

[Celestine]

I have 2 recipes here for cheesecake. Its my favourite dessert ever and I missed this the most!

Dessert - dead easy.

Crush up packet of digestive biscuits (I found the cheap ones from Lidl with the choc on work the best). Add 55g butter to pan and melt it. Add crushed biscuits and coat with butter. I use foil to line the bottom of a glass pie dish but u could use foil dishes, add the biscuit base and press down with spoon. eave to cool in fridge. Meantime, put 500g of mascapone. Add 2-4 tbsp of sifted icing sugar depending on sweetness of tooth (u get the pleasure of tasting as u go alone!). Then add the rind and juice of either a lemon or 2 limes. Mix together and keep testing that the flavour is right for you, if theres any left place on top of the base. U could grate some more rind on the top or grate some choc or sprinkles or nothing. Chill. easypeasy and dead yummy!

 

Dessert - easy but take youre time!

Again use packet of digestives, crush. 55g butter melted in pan, add biscuits. Put into dish. Chill. In a bowl put 175g cream cheese. Then add a little at a time of 150ml single cream and tin of condensed milk. If u put it all in at once it wont be thick enough and there will be a huge mess on your base lol. So do it slowly. Again, keep tasting to check how u like it! Then add the juice and rind of a lemon (or limes), do this bit by bit too and use a hand whisk. The juice makes the mixture curdle and thicken. When its how u like it, pour over base. This is extremely rich and would only need a small piece!

[suein56]

[quote user="Celestine"]

I have 2 recipes here for cheesecake. Its my favourite dessert ever and I missed this the most!

Dessert - dead easy.

Crush up packet of digestive biscuits (I found the cheap ones from Lidl with the choc on work the best).

[/quote]

They sound yummy Celestine but our Lidls here in the southern Morbihan don't have digestive biscs, chocolate coated or otherwise, so whereabouts did you find them? Or are you in the UK?

Sue

[Celestine]

Im in the Vendee, we have a Lidl in every town! Can u not find digestives in the English bits of your supermarkets?

[suein56]

[quote user="Celestine"]Im in the Vendee, we have a Lidl in every town! Can u not find digestives in the English bits of your supermarkets?[/quote]

No, we haven't found any digestives anywhere here yet, though we have searched thoroughly. It would make my life a lot easier if we could find them as my OH loves them. At the moment we get UK visitors to bring them when they come to stay; which can give rise to hilarious exchanges as when my daughter was asked what those 'tubes' were in her suitcase last year.

Sue [:)]

[Christine Animal]

They're going crumble mad !

Craquez pour les Crumbles

 

[lorna]

[quote user="Christine Animal"]

They're going crumble mad !

Craquez pour les Crumbles

 

[/quote]

Just came across your crumble post Christine whilst searching for something else. Yesterday we went to an 'Apéretif dinatoire' we had been invited to. Everyone had to contribute something and it was suggested that we bring an 'English dessert'. In the end we took a crumble and they loved it!

Looking at your link I continue to be amazed at how inventive the French are with food, I'm not sure I would ever have thought of  making a ratatouille crumble or a crumble of endives and curry!

[Christine Animal]

Look delicious don't they Lorna.  What about the sardine and tomato crumble, I must get on and try them instead of just looking at them and thinking about it ! 

Sue, get out of Lidl, I've often seen Digestive biscuits at Super U.   [:)]  Don't buy them myself preferring the ginger biscuits.   [:)]   [:)]   [:)]

 

[mint]

We don't normally eat dessert in our house so this evening's dessert would have been a treat anyway.  The fact that it was really delicious was one of those serendipitous moments when you discover something and shouts "eureka!"

I had a large opened jar of apple purée (cômpote) and a bottle of opened mincemeat left over from Christmas (yes, I should clear out the fridge more often!)

Opened a couple of packs of ready-made flaky pastry, lined a flan dish with  pastry, bunged in the apple purée and mincemeat, put a lid on the lot and baked in a hot oven.

The smell was great and the taste even better.  Would have been wonderful with a big blob of vanilla ice-cream as it's a warm evening for a change.  But, like I said, we don't normally "do" puddings!

[Loiseau]

[quote user="spg"]

...we haven't found any digestives anywhere here yet, ...

[/quote]

 

As a substitute for digestives to make crumbled biscuit bases I have used "speculoos".  They are a bit finer-textured than digestives, but fairly similar - and widely available in supermarkets.

Angela

[sueyh]

STARTER - Weight Watchers - very tasty

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Preparation 15 minutes - Cooking Time 30 - 35 minutes. Freezing not recommended.

A hot and spicy autumnal soup with no points!! Perfect as a "stop gap" when hunger persists.

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 large onion chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1lb 10 oz pumpkin peeled, de-seeded and chopped roughly

1.2 litres (2 pts) vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground pepper (if necessary)

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (we used chilli powder)

snipped fresh chives to garnish

1. Heat a large saucepan and spray with the low fat cooking spray (not sure if this is available in France. Gently fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. add a little water to the pan if necessary to stop them sticking.

2. Add all the other ingredients except the chives and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20- 25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft, then puree in a food processor or push through a sieve with the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Just before serving check the seasoning and scatter with chives.

Variations: Butternut or other squash is equally delicious in this recipe.

[Christine Animal]

Here are some nice "plats mijotés" to keep you warm.  [:)]

http://cuisine.pourelles.orange.fr/articles/3678_cuisine-mijotee

 

[Christine Animal]

And after all the different crumbles, they're into cake

http://cuisine.pourelles.orange.fr/articles/3828_tranches-cake-recette-sucre-sale

(I'm storing them all here so that I can come back and find them!   [:P] )

 

[mint]

Forgotten about this thread until running out of ideas for the dinner I'm going to have to cook Saturday evening.

Ducks' breasts (see other thread), chocolate pud, scallop starter?  It's all here........Happy Cooking, Everyone!

PS  Where's Marton, who started the thread and where is Memb (Flunch), a worthy contributor?

[memb]

Hi sweet17, I'm here, I read LF every now and then!   Glad the cooking is going well !

[mint]

 Oh, there you are, memb!

Thanks to your advice, I can now knock up a batch of scones at the drop of a hat!

How're you keeping?

I'm really glad you dropped into the Forum tonight..........[:D]

[memb]

Thats great news, I'm good thankyou, and yourself?   Nice to have a yummy scone and a cuppa!  

[memb]

SCONES (the way Mam used to make them and the way I have continued for years)

Do NOT grease the baking tray!!!!!  This makes

about 8 and as they are so simple to make I'd rather make them fresh

than make a lot and freeze them.

Preheat oven 240deg C

8 ozs gateau flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, good pinch salt, 2ozs butter

(NOT marg), 1 oz. sugar, 2ozs sultanas, milk to mix (for plain scones

obviously omit the sultanas).

Add salt and baking powder to flour then rub in the butter to a fine mix.

Add the sugar and 2ozs raisins or sultana's (if using fruit), now mix to a soft manageable consistency with the milk.

Roll them out to 3/4" thick (this is important) for a lovely risen scone.

Bake quite near the top of the oven for 10 mins.  

When cool slice and fill with a spoon of jam or sliced strawberries and a dollop of fresh cream.   Heaven....good luck puzzled.

[Âme]

That's exactly how my Mum taught me to make them too. I have another tip, from her, to reduce the time it takes to rub the butter into the flour:

Use butter straight from the fridge. Toss the (2oz.) block into the flour mix to thickly coat it in flour.  Then using a coarse grater over the bowl** of flour, grate the butter. Keep coating the block in the flour and flicking flour over the grater to keep the gratings separate. It takes less time to rub the butter into the flour as most of the work is done.

I use the same recipe, without the sugar, to make savoury scones with cheese and/or herbs.  

**cul de poule! I learned that today [:)]

[mint]

Sorry, Puzzled, I have only just seen your post or I would have let you in on the secret. But I see that dear Memb has come to your rescue and posted her recipe for you.

I promise you, they will be brilliant and I can't tell you how proud I felt and still feels whenever I am able to place a plate of these wonderful objects in front of guests.

Sometimes, if unexpected visitors call, I can just about knock them up by the time my husband has taken them outside to look round the garden.  Yes, they are that quick and easy.  Once in the oven and you have cleared the table and made the tea, they are ready to enjoy..........

 

[splishsplash]

Thank you sooooo... much for this scone recipe.

I have never had any luck with  them so today I tried this recipe & they were FAB-U-LOUS!

It took me more time to clear the worktop than it did to make & cook them.

I have a fan oven, but I cooked them for 8 mins at 240 and then the last two mins at 220, they were just perfect.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[memb]

Hi again, so pleased to receive an email notification telling me how successful all your scones were.   That's a few more people pleased with Mam's recipe!     I've got this from the internet re conversions for fan ovens so it may help for future?

"Normal" gas; "Normal" Centigrade;Fan

1/4;100;100

1/4;110;110

1/2;130;120

1;140;130

2;150;140

3;160;150

4-5;180-190;160

6;200;170

7;220;180

8;230;190

9;250;200

Hope that helps!     Happy scone eating!    Cheers Memb