Fromage frais cheesecake

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 8/10
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
Pastry:
350g self raising flour
160g sugar
160g butter
100ml dry white wine
1 lemon
2 eggs
salt

Filling:
50g sugar
1 egg
1 sachet vanilla sugar or teaspoon vanilla essence
100g raisins
200g fromage frais

Recipe :
To make pastry:

Sieve the flour, sugar, salt and grated zest of half the lemon into a large bowl.
Make a well and add the eggs and butter, knead in fat.
Stir carefully, add white wine to give a supple pastry.
Line flan dish with half the pastry.

To make filling:

Mix fromage frais with sugar, vanilla, 1 egg and dried fruit.
Pour mixture onto pastry base.
Roll out rest of pastry and make roof pie.
With damp fingers, seal top and sides of pie.
Prick with fork and put in oven at 400°F (205°C, for 40 minutes.

Scotch shortbread

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
150g flour
100g chilled butter (not margarine)
50g sugar

Recipe :
1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Grease a round 20cm cake tin.
3. Sieve flour into large bowl.
4. Add butter, cut into small cubes and mix with fingers until it has consistency of breadcrumbs.
5. Add sugar, mix and make into a ball.
6. Place in cake tin and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.
7. Prick evenly with a fork and score into 8 with a knife.
8. Cook for 30 minutes until golden.
9. Remove from oven, allow 5 minutes to settle, take out of cake tin and leave to cool.



Advice :
Try pricking a design with your fork before putting shortbread in the oven, or using a cake cutter to make different shapes.

Drinks suggestions: tea, chocolate, cappuccino, coffee.

Pistou sauce

Type of dish : sauces
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh basil
3 very ripe tomatoes
100g grated cheese
5 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
1. Peel and crush garlic.
2. Strip basil leaves from stalks, rinse and dry carefully.
3. Blanch tomatoes, then peel and seed them.
4. Chop finely, then blend with garlic, basil, 3 pinches of salt and pepper in a food processer.
5. Add a little oil and grated cheese.
6. Blend again, then heat and serve with pasta or rice.


Advice :
Pistou is a French country recipe that makes an excellent accompaniment to cold meats and fish, or on a jacket potato... not to be confused with pesto!

Recommended wines: rosés from Provence, or a Tavel

Mango and raspberry soup

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
1 packet frozen mango
450g frozen raspberries
100g brown sugar
Mint

Recipe :
Make 4 tablespoons sugar into a syrup, with 150ml water. Leave to cool.

Add mango and brown sugar.

Pour into soup bowls or a large tureen, add raspberries and a few mint leaves.

Chill before serving.

Cucumber sushi

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 70 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Japan
Difficulty : Hard


Ingredients :
4 sheet dried seaweed
1 avocado
1 cucumber
125g smoked salmon or crab
1 teaspoon wasabi
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 cup japanese rice

Seasoning :
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Sauce :
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 bamboo mat, for rolling (maki-su)


Recipe :
Wash the rice several times wbefore cooking, under running water.
Cook in a cup of cold water, brought to the boil with the rice.
Turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste.

Prepare seasoning whilst rice is cooking :
In a saucepan, mix the vinegar, sugar and salt together.
Bring to the boil.
Pour over cooked rice.
Stir with a wooden spoon and leave to chill in fridge.

Cut the seaweed sheets (nori) in two.
Spread each piece with a thin layer of wasabi.
Put about 4 tablespoons of rice on each sheet of seaweed, leaving a gap of 2 cm at each edge.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Slice the smoked salmon, chop the cucumber and avocado.
Carefully put a line of chopped vegetable down the middle of the rice.
With the help of the rolling mat, roll each sheet of seaweed up so that the vegetables are surrounded by rice. You should have a tight cylinder.
Leave to settle for 5 minutes.
Cut each roll into 4 pieces. Serve fresh.


Advice :
Best eaten with sake!

Cucumber and prawns in cream cheese

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
1 cucumber
200g prepared prawns
200g low-fat cream cheese
1 lemon
1 teaspoon basil olive oil
1 bunch fresh mint
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
1. Wash, then grate cucumber.
2. Whip cream cheese with lemon juice and oil then season.
3. Keep back a couple of prawns for decoration, but add rest to mixture.
4. Snip mint into mixture, stir well.
5. Share out grated cucumber into four individual piles.
6. Cover with cheese mixture.
7. Serve chilled, decorated with a few prawns and mint leaves.


Advice :
Great with a Tavel wine.

Stuffed sea bass

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : USA, Canada
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
Stuffing :
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon diced shallot
2 tablespoon pepper
1 peeked tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon of finely cut parsley
Salt, black pepper

1 sea bass
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 peeled and diced onion
1 pepper
1 bunch dill
100ml dry vermouth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt, black pepper

Recipe :
Stuffing :
Melt butter in a frying pan, add shallots.
Put to one side.
Add tomato, parsley and salt, mix well.
Preheat oven to 375°F(200°C).

Wash fish under cold running water, dry with paper towels.
Stuff the fish, tie with string.
Grease an oven dish with 2 tablespoons butter, add fish and surround with slices of onion, pepper and sprigs of dill.
Combine the remaining butter, vermouth and lemon juice, pour over fish.
Bring to the boil and add salt and pepper.
Cook in oven for 30 minutes, keep moist by sprinkling with water every 8 minutes.
The fish is ready when it is firm to the touch and the flesh falls away easily.


Advice :
Try replacing the sea bass with pollack, coley or trout.
Recommended Wine : Sauterne

Artichoke and almond salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
6 good-sized artichokes
1 lettuce
75g split almonds
200g creme fraiche
50ml cider vinegar
1 bunch mixed herbs, preferably fresh
50g flour
2 lemons
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Remove the hard outer leaves of the artichokes with a knife. Peel the head as you would a potato.
Sprinkle leaves with lemon juice.
Put a big pan of salt water on to boil.
Sieve flour into a small amount of water, and add to pot.
Add artichokes and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain and remove chokes.
Leave to cool and slice leaves.
Arrange on serving plate, on bed of washed lettuce. Arrange leaves on top of chokes and sprinkle with almonds.
Beat creme fraiche, until thick and frothy.
Add cider vinegar and chopped herbs.
Drizzle over artichokes.



Advice :
Great with a rosé on a summer's day!

Parma ham and melon skewers

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4/6
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
2 melons
Parma ham, cut into 1cm slices
Fresh mint leaves



Recipe :
Ball melon with a melon scoop or teaspoon.
Make kebabs alternating melon balls with mint leaves and Parma ham.
Serve chilled.




Advice :
Calories per 100g: 160

Vegetable soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 60 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
2 carrots
1 turnip
1 stick celery
1 onion
3 tomatoes
1 courgette
Half a head of fennel
1 leek
1.5 litres water
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Wash and peel vegetables.
Cut into chunks.
Pour water into a large pan and add vegetables.
Cook over a gentle heat for an hour.
Leave to cool and blend.
Reheat and serve with wholemeal bread.


Advice :
35 calories per person

Papaya with blueberries

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 2
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
1 papaya
100g blueberries
Fresh mint leaves
1/2 lemon

Recipe :
Cut one of the papayas in half.
Remove stone and flesh, leaving about 1cm on the skin. Put to one side.
Cut flesh into small pieces.
Wash and dry blueberries, then mix with papaya flesh.
Add juice from half lemon.
Take papaya skins and arrange papaya and blueberries in skins.
Chill.
Decorate with a few mint leaves just before serving.

Ratatouille

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
500g tomatoes
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper
300g courgettes
300g aubergines
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bouquet garni
1 sprig thyme
Salt & pepper
1 pinch chilli

Recipe :
Prepare vegetables:
Peel and chop tomatoes, pepper, onion, courgette, aubergine and garlic.

Sauté onions in a little oil in a saucepan.
Add tomatoes, bouquet garni, garlic, salt and pepper.
Leave to cook gently.
Brown courgettes in a separate pan and add to other vegetables.
Repeat with aubergines.
Add thyme and chilli.
Simmer for at least 30 minutes.


Advice :
Serve with baked potatoes and salad, try melting a little camembert on the potatoes...
Recommended wines:
- Alsace: Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux: Entre 2 mers
- Bourgogne: Maçon

Carpaccio of salmon

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
1 fresh fillet of salmon, boned
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lime
Dill
1 tbsp pink peppercorns (substitute mixed peppercorns if not available)

Recipe :
1. Slice fish very thinly, with a sharp knife.
2. Arrange on a large plate.
3. Sprinkle with olive oil and lime juice. Season, then sprinkle with dill.
4. Leave to chill for 10 minutes before serving.



Advice :
Chill salmon for an hour in the freezer, to make it easier to cut.
Recommended wine: Chablis

Monkfish and orange salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
850g monkfish
1 fish or vegetable stock cube
1 curly-leaf lettuce
300g strawberries
60g raspberries
90g cherries
75g redcurrants
3 oranges
3 tablespoons olive oil
50g fresh ginger

For the dressing:
Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
4 tablespoons nut oil
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Put the fish in a pan, sprinkle with crumbled stock cube and cover with water.
Bring to the boil, leave to simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool down.
Once cool, strain fish from stock.

Wash fruit, then dry.
Spin salad.
Peel ginger, slice thinly and saute lightly in a little olive oil.

To make sauce, by combining all ingredients, mixing well.
Arrange leaves and fish on plates, decorate with fruit and slices of orange. Sprinkle with slices of ginger, drizzle with dressing, then serve.

Fresh orange juice with mint

Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
Serves 4 :
Juice of 8 oranges
A few leaves fresh mint
Ice cubes


Recipe :
Squeeze the oranges.
Roughly chop mint, add to juice.
Serve over ice.



Advice :
Only 60 calories per 100g and full of vitamin C!

Curried cucumber and cheese carpaccio

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
2 cucumbers
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine with a litle tarragon
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons pastis
1 packet Corsican Broccio cheese (similar to Feta)
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Thinly slice cucumber and marinate for 15 minutes in white wine, tarragon, olive oil, curry, pastis.

Arrange slices of broccio on top.

Serve as a starter.


Advice :
Recommended wine: Domaine Henry Marionnet Gamay Touraine, red, 1999

Mini herb omelettes

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
15 large eggs
100ml cream
50ml milk
50g grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons snipped chives
3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt, milled black pepper


Recipe :
Combine creme fraiche and milk.
Beat eggs into an omelette mixture. Add milk and cream, then parmesan. Season.
In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil, then add a small ladle of omelette mixture.
Sprinkle with a teaspoon of chives, then cook omelette.
Repeat five times for chive omelettes, then six time each for mint and basil omelettes.
Serve with salad.



Advice :
Recommended wines:
Alsace: Klevener
Loire: Pouilly, Sancerre

Chicken and lime kebabs

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
800g chicken breast
6 limes
6 small green chillis
Herbes de Provence, or mixed herbs
3 apples, unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper

Marinating time: 6 hours
Chilling time: 30 minutes

Recipe :
Cut chicken into cubes.
Marinate for 6 hours, in the juice of 4 limes and chopped chillis.
Season, then sprinkle with herbs.
Cut apples into cubes.
Sprinkle with juice of two remaining limes.
Leave to chill for 30 minutes.
Skewer meat, alternating chicken with apples.
Brush with oil and grill or barbecue for 15 minutes.



Advice :
Recommended wine:
Chateau Barbanau, Côtes de Provence, 1999

Sole and citrus skewers

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
4 limes
600g sole fillets
24 large prawns, prepared
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt & pepper

Sauce:
200ml olive oil
50g desiccated coconut
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 small red chilli, seeded

Recipe :
To make the sauce:
Combine all ingredients (do not chop chilli), then leave in a bain-marie or heat gently for 30 minutes.

To make kebabs:
Wash, dry and chop limes into chunks.
Cut fish into pieces of about 3cm.
Skewer fish, alternating with prawns and lime, until all ingredients used.
Brush with peanut oil, then brush fish with a little sesame oil and arrange on a plate.
Remove chilli from sauce and pour sauce into a jug, ready to serve.
Grill or barbecue kebabs, serve immediately, with sauce.

Tahitian fish ceviche

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
Marinating time: 40 minutes

400ml coconut milk
400g fish fillets (whiting, salmon, scorpion fish, sea bream...)
12 prawns
1 carrot
1/2 red pepper
1/2 cucumber
Parsley
A handful chives
A bunch fresh mint
1 lime
2 lemons
1 dash chilli paste, harissa or tabasco sauce
Salt & black pepper

Recipe :
Wash fish, cut into small pieces. Arrange in a serving dish and sprinkle with salt.
Squeeze lemons and sprinkle juice over fish.
Prepare prawns, then cut in two lengthways.
Add to fish, then chill for 10 minutes.
Wash and peel vegetables, grate carrot, then dice red pepper and courgette.
Pour coconut milk and fish marinade into a large salad bowl, add fish, vegetables and prawns, then stir. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Serve in a large bowl or on individual plates, sprinkled with chopped mint, parsley and chives.



Advice :
Recommended wines: any white from Savoie, especially Apremont

Spiced tabbouleh

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 50 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
2 shallots
1 bunch coriander
1 lime
250g cracked wheat (available from health food shops)
2 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 cloves
1 cube chicken stock
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon ginger
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Peel and slice shallots.
Wash and chop coriander.
Grate lime zest.
Heat oil over a high heat.
Saute shallots with salt and cloves.
Rinse wheat in cold running water.
Add to onions and saute for a couple of minutes.
Turn heat down, add lime zest and coriander.
Add a litre of warm water and crumble in stock cube.
Stir and bring to the boil.
Turn heat down, cover and leave to cook for 45 minutes.
Drain off some liquid after cooking if there's too much.
10 minutes before end of cooking time, preheat oven to 450°F (240°C).
Once cooking has finished, season with spices and cook in oven for 5 minutes, the wheat should dry out slightly and start to caramelise.
Serve hot.


Advice :
Serve with grilled meat or fish.

If you have a wheat intolerance, substitute the cracked wheat with wholegrain rice.

Tricolore purée

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 8
Preparation : 60 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
400g frozen broad beans
300g carrots
300g potatoes
300g celeriac
200g crème fraîche
Salt & black pepper

Recipe :
Peel celeriac, slice and bring to boil in salt water with peeled potatoes.
Boil carrots and broad beans, remove scum.
Liquidise each vegetable separately.
Put the celeriac purée to one side.
Add an equal amount of potato purée to the carrot, celeriac and braod bean purées, mix in well.
Add 1/3 of the crème fraîche to each purée.
Season, then cook over a low heat, stirring constantly.
Serve immediately.


Advice :
Try serving with Roast Turkey in Chestnut Sauce or cold meats.

Duck with pineapple and ginger

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 35 min
Cooking : 70 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : China
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
Serves 4

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Marinating time: 48 hours
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

2 duck fillets
2 tablespoon peanut oil
Szechuan pepper
1 pineapple
100 + 100g sugar
1 ginger root
1/2 glass white wine vinegar
500 ml sherry vinegar
500 ml chicken stock
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Marinate the duck in the peanut oil and Szechuan pepper for 48 hours, turning from time to time.

Peel the ginger and chop thinly.
Put the ginger in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and remove. Cool under cold water, then repeat.

Bring the white wine vinegar and 100g sugar to the boil in another pan, add the ginger and leave for an hour.

Melt the remaining sugar in the sherry vinegar to make a caramel sauce, remove from heat and add the chicken stock. Add the flesh of 1/2 the pineapple and season.

Leave to stand for 15 minutes, then stir and sieve sauce.

Dice the other half of the pineapple and mix into the ginger sauce.

Mix both sauces together, slice the duck thinly, cover with sauce and serve.


Advice:
This dish can be served cold with salad, or hot with potatoes or noodles.

Carpaccio of veal with tuna

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
400g veal
100g tuna in oil
12 cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon olive oil
10 blanched almonds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 sprigs fresh oregano
Sea salt, pepper

Recipe :
Thinly slice the veal, then arrange on plates.
Sprinkle meat with tuna, half of the oregano, coriander seeds, finely sliced garlic and blanched almonds.
Add pepper, drizzle with olive oil then chill for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, decorate with remaining oregano and quartered cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt.



Advice :
Put meat in freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice.

Try with: Château de l'Engarran, Côteaux du Languedoc, red, 1998

Catalan red mullet

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy


Ingredients :
4 red mullets (if small, use two per person)
800g tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Steamed white rice


Recipe :
Wash and cut the tomatoes into quarters, crush the garlic and slice the onion.
Brown the onion and garlic in a little oil, add tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
Liquidise.
Seal the fish in oil in a frying pan, making sure they do not stick.
Season.
Slide the fish onto a baking tray, cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with parsley and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
Serve with rice and more sauce.


Advice :
Recommended wines:
- Alsace: Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux: Entre 2 mers, Graves Blanc
- Bourgogne: Maçon, St Véran
- Loire: Sancerre, Pouilly