For the anecdote, I made a soup last night. And something strange happened. My husband, who hardly ever drops his fork, or spoon, once he has started eating (yes, he eats quite fast), did drop his spoon twice for the occasion. Oops! I imagined the worst, that something serious had happened here, that it was not meeting with the basic requirements of his taste buds. But not at all... It actually was quite the opposite. He told me that he had to drop his spoon; it was sooo delicious, that he had to pause in order to fully savour it. So I thought that I really had to share the taste of that soup with you. Ho ho ho!
Ingredients: - 3 carrots - 3 leeks - 2 potatoes (cut them into cubes or dices) - 1 handful of fresh spinach leaves - 400 g of tomatoes ( I used them diced and canned, they were perfect!) - 4 cloves of garlic - 1 (or 2) yellow cooking onion - 1 tsp ground pink and green peppers - 1 tsp coriander - 1 tsp turmeric - 1 tsp ground cumin - 1 tbsp of soy sauce - 3 tbsp of olive oil - 1.5 L of chicken broth ( or a cube of dehydrated chicken broth diluted into hot water) - Roasted and salted pumpkin seeds for decoration
1 hand-held blender
Fry the onion, and garlic into the olive oil for 5-7 minutes, or until they are soft and brownish. Then add the potatoes, leeks, spinach and carrots, all cut roughly into small pieces. Cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are golden, then add the diced tomatoes. Season to taste with the spices and peppers. Then add water+chicken broth. Cook the soup for another 30 minutes. Finally, blend the soup with the hand-held mixer. When ready to serve the soup, sprinkle your plates with a spoonful of pumpkin seeds. It really adds beautiful flavours to the soup.
Best savoured with a slice of multigrain bread on the side, and a glass of claret (Bordeaux) within reach!
Would you like to advertise on Mon Cher Coco to kick off the new year? I'm now accepting ads for January 2010. I have a growing community of wonderful readers, and my rates are created with small businesses in mind.
Please email me for details at chezcocoandco (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you so much!
Getting ready for the Holidays...Ready, steady, GO!
This year, I did not make the whole wreath myself, shame on me! I actually found the perfect basic wreath made of evergreens. So I just needed to add pine cones, holly, and yew ornaments, tie a ribbon that I had saved from a Williams & Sonoma gift, and Tada! Look, here it is, crowning our door!
These last few weeks I've been busy baking Xmas goodies, or looking for gingerbread, chocolate mousse, or chocolate truffles recipes. But today, I have decided to get back to the surface, and started to deck the halls for Christmas. Yeah! Get out, breathe the air! I was on a mission : find a good wreath, made of natural evergreens - a symbol for the strength of life- and bring it back home, intact!
Christmas wreath? Checked! I am very happy with it, the perfect accent to our home during the holidays...as they say. I believe so.
Christmas tree and nativity scene? I failed. Still to be found...Well, I will take Marco to St Lawrence Market this Sunday, and we will methodically hunt down the valley of Christmas-land to find THE tree and crèche (nativity scene) of our dreams.
OK. Time to chill out and go gaga together for this season's decadent choco truffles. I get easily carried away with the enchantment of Xmas preparations, I must confess...
Recipe based on Trish Deseine's recipe. Watch the video ...
Trish Deseine performs her magic and shows us the way to basic truffles.
This other one is quite yummy too. Photos and recipe found in Le Chou de Bruxelles, the food blog of Sigrid, a Belgian in Italy. I love her blog!
Ingredients: chocolat noir à 70% 200g / dark chocolate crème fleurette 15cl / liquid cream beurre 25g /butter café soluble 1 généreuse càc / 1 big tsp of instant coffee cardamome en poudre 1 càc /1 tsp of ground cardamom cacao amer en poudre / bittersweet cocoa powder, for decoration
.Chauffer la crème avec le beurre jusqu'à ébulition. .Ajouter le café soluble et le cardamome, bien mélanger puis verser sur le chocolat cassé en morceaux. .Laisser reposer à couvert pendant 5 minutes puis mélanger vigoureusement jusqu'à l'obtention d'une ganache bien lisse. .Laisser figer au frais pendant plusieurs heures, voire une nuit entière. .Prélever des cuillérées de la ganache figée et façonner les truffes puis les rouler dans le cacao en poudre. Réserver au frais. Bring the cream and butter almost to a boil. Add the instant coffee and cardamom, stir well, and pour the mixture over the chocolate. Leave to cool for 5 min and then stir firmly to get a smooth ganache. Leave to cool for a couple of hours at least, overnight is even better. Using your fingers, shape the mixture into small balls and coat them in cocoa powder, dark chocolate, white chocolate....Then chill for about 2 hours.
For the decoration, may I suggest also: - Dark or white chocolate, in drops, grated, or chopped into small pieces. - Slivered coconut - Toasted sesame seeds - Ground toasted hazelnuts or almonds
Wishing you a merry dip into chocolate for the holiday!
Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon, according to Abhay & Co.Note the Beaujolais and the baguette to recreate the French touch!
Today I would like to introduce you to Abhay, a real food lover. A week ago, I received a very enthusiastic message of his saying: "I'd love to share my experience of making boeuf bourguignon with you. Actually it was quite an experience. (...) Last night I tried making Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon recipe. It was very good. Me and my friend did it together. We served it with broccoli and roasted potatoes. I am attaching a very amateur pic I took of it (Abhay is very modest, as you can see)... I had never really cooked long and complicated recipes with anyone and it was so much fun. Not to mention the laughs we had since the recipe required very specific instructions by Ms.Child." I couldn't be more pleased with his description of the experience! The making of Bourgogne's staple stew invites the cook(s) on quite a journey! See the décor they chose to lay their table: the Beaujolais and the baguette. They paid attention to every detail, as if they wanted to recreate the perfect setting to fully savour the stew, the French way. Nice! In Burgundy, people are proud of their wine. Actually I guess that is a recurrent pattern all over France. It is no surprise then, if the boeuf bourguignon, this typically peasant, turned-haute-cuisine dish, involves the beef to be braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy...
I first met our guest, Abhay, a month ago, at Toronto's LG Fashion week. Marco and I were waiting for a show in the hall, when we saw two fashion photographer friends, an amazing pair of female twins: Lily & Lilac.
Abhay was with the girls. And as we were all gently chatting, he and I suddenly started a very animate conversation about seasonal soups, impromptu salads, tarts, stews and daubes...It was most unexpected in this fashion environment!
As a matter of fact, we realized he had never tried Julia Child's recipes. I warmly recommended the Boeuf Bourguignon, he said he would try it... And, that's what he did! Some people are just like that, reliable. Now is your turn... Mind you, it makes a perfect Sunday meal to share with your loved ones. Have fun! Oh, one last thing...As Abhay noted, Julia's style can be a bit confusing at first, but you'll quickly get used to it! "The way Julia wrote her recipes was a bit different from what it is nowadays. She had little side notes of ingredients instead of a list before the start of the recipe.I found this very interesting, and actually it was kind of mysterious! But a lot of what she writes makes sense after you have finished making the recipe!
For example- She talks about doing the onions and mushrooms separately and then adding it to the bourguignon later on. I was intrigued since most north-American recipes usually ask you to put everything together. There were two advantages of doing Julia's way! First- you could actually taste mushrooms and white onions in their own flavor, which was refreshing on your dinner plate, and second, due to the water given out by mushrooms during cooking, the sauce was not diluted and maintained its flavor. I am always now going to cook mushrooms separately and then add them to the recipe! We also found that the meat nowadays ( and not lean meat) doesn't have that much fat. Hence we had to add extra oil while browning the beef and the bacon. I found the usage of rind very interesting since some say the flavor resides of the bacon resides there!
Its certainly was an experience was the total time taken is usually longer since a lot of preparation has to be done. I suggest having another person helping out. Once again cooking with others is always the best way to go!" Thank you so much, Abhay, for having shared this experience with us. You've been a wonderful guest at Mon Cher Coco!
And, now it is on to you, dear Julia...
Boeuf Bourguignon
(Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onions, and Mushrooms)
As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.
Vegetable and Wine Suggestions Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.
Kitchen Supplies:
9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
Slotted spoon
Ingredients: Serves 6
6 ounces bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
Blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs
.Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
.Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
.Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.
.Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
.In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
.Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
.Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
.While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
.When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
.Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.
For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce."
Just before leaving you, mon cher Coco, just before you get boeuf-bourguignon ready, allow me to share this golden nugget with you. I most particularly enjoy it at 2 min 10 sec, when Julia goes through LeFestin Joyeux ou la Cuisine en Musique, an innovative French 18th-century cookbook that gives recipes, based on musical tones and songs.
My lemon-flavoured madeleines of the day. I love them, and so does my personal goûteur, my dear husband!
Here is an unmissable recipe for Madeleines. No recipe for disaster, promised!
I got it from Magali and Chantal, two French ladies that I met at a party last month. The discussion was easy for me to launch as I was first sampling, and then devouring several of their delicious homemade madeleines.
Their madeleines were incredibly scrumptious, plump and perfectly unctuous.
I made them today. I added the zest of a lemon and the juice of half a lemon to give them some nice zingy flavour.
And the result is...MEMORABLE, to quote Marcel Proust!
Preparation time: 15 min. Chilling time: 30 min Cooking time : 7 min
For a batch of 24 madeleines Preheat the oven at450*F Ingredients:
4 eggs
225 g flour
150g sugar 1 1/2 tbsp of baking powder
130 g melted butter Flavour : Add a zest of lemon and /or the juice of 1/2 a lemon or orange (or 1 to 2 tbsp of liqueur: Grand Marnier, for instance), or vanilla extract...to taste, really!
.Whisk the eggs with the sugar
.Then add the flour and baking powder
.Stir in the flavour of your choice
.Add the melted butter to the mixture
.Let the mixture cool down for 30 min before pouring into the non-stick madeleine pan
.Bake for 7 min (per tray) at 450*F.
.Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before turning them out on a cooling rack.
Article sur notre voyage "d'avant-noces", publié dans l'hebdomadaire L'Express de Toronto, oct. 2009. Pour lire l'article, cliquez sur l'image!
A Labour of Love!
Our French Wedding in the Toronto Star (click on the photo). For more details, go to my other blog: Christine Rochet-Jacob //topic: Wedlock. See you there!
Visit my other blog!
Christine Rochet-Jacob or the impressions of a French Woman Abroad
Coco (Chanel) & Co.
Coco (Eggs) & Co.
Dans le langage familier et enfantin, un coco est un œuf!
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