Tarte Poire Bourdaloue (Pear Almond Tart)

Poire Bordaloue 

French have a love affair with tarts and custards, this tart is a combination of both and the addition of almond makes it so heavenly.  This recipe is from Chef Cyril Lignac, a famous French chef, why not?

Ingredients :
250 gm pâte brisée http://zhelazycook.blogspot.com/2011/01/pate-brisee-short-crust-pastry.html
3-4 pear or a can of pear in syrup
500 ml milk
3 egg yolk
100 gm sugar
30 gm all purpose flour
75 gm almond powder
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla essence

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
Roll out the patê brisée onto a tart pan, chill.
Cut the vanilla pod into 2, remove the seeds and place them with the milk. Place the milk in a pot, heat it over slow fire.  In the meantime, whisk the egg yolk with the sugar till pale. Add the flour, continue to whisk till combine.  If you are using vanilla essence instead of vanilla pot, you can add it now. Add the warm milk into the egg mix.  Do not boil the milk because it might cook the egg mix. Mix well, then transfer the mix back to the pot.  Whisk over slow fire till thicken to custard like.  Turn off the heat and add the almond powder.  Let cool.
Once cool, pour the custard over the patê brisée.  Lazy cook don't pre-cook the pâte brisée.

Custard onto pâte brisée

Place the pears onto the custard.  Lazy cook uses the can pears. Put it in the oven at 200°C for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it cool.  Best easten slightly chilled.

Tarte Bourdaloue before putting in the oven

Pear Bordaloue after cooking

Banana Cheesecake

In Malaysia, normally when we have cheesecake it's made with Digestive biscuit as the base and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.  When I first arrived in France, I could not find any of those cream cheese, and to make cheese cake the cream cheese they use to replace the Philadelphia Cream Cheese is St Moret.
France is known to be land of many cheeses, I've discovered that the French make their cheese cake with cheeses available around the region.  It is not so creamy, and not so sinful eating them!
I have a banana left sitting in the kitchen, so I have chosen this Banana Cheesecake recipe, the recipe is for 4 person.
Ingredients:
125 gm speculoos (belgian cookie spiced with cinnamon)
60 gm butter, softened
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 eggs, separated
1 packet vanilla sugar
30 gm sugar
150 gm ricotta cheese
125 gm natural yoghurt/ fromage blanc

Pre-heat the oven at 150°C.
In a bowl, combine the speculoos crumbs with the softened butter. Press the crumbs onto the base of a greased 6 inch springfoam pan. Refrigerate while making the cheese mix.
Whisk the egg yolk, then add the sugar, if you don't have vanilla sugar just additional 10 gm sugar with a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Whisk till pale,  then add ricotta and yoghurt.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white, with a pinch of salt,  till stiff.  Fold the egg white into the cheese mix.  Arrange the bananas onto the speculoos crumbs, then pour the cheese mix on top of the banana on the speculoos crumbs.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
To serve, topped with honey.

Banana cheesecake

L'île Flottante

L'ile flottante

L'île flottante is a simple French Dessert, in English it's Floating Island and it's actually meringue served with creme anglaise and topped with caramel.  I normally buy the creme anglaise and caramel so only need to do the meringue only.  For every egg white, I add a tablespoon of sugar.  I use about 2 cups of egg white and add about 8 tablespoon of sugar and beat the egg white till stiff, then I placed the egg white into a baking pan and bake at 100°C for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let it cool then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  Cut them to the size that you want to serve and place them in a bowl, pour the creme anglaise around the meringue and topped with caramel.

Meringue

Kari Kapitan

Kari Kapitan served with fried rice and spicy vege

For the nyonyas in Penang, this chicken curry is what they are proud of!  My mom cooks this curry once a year during the eve of Chinese New Year for the family reunion dinner. This recipe is taken from Nonya Flavours cookbook.  The ones that my mom cooks according to my sista is the Portugese version, I would one fine day post that version but for today, its this yummy version from Nonya Flavours! And when I tell my mom about this version, she says that this is the one that her mom, my grandma cooks!
Ingredients :
1 kg meaty chicken pieces (lazy cook uses about 8 pieces of chicken thighs, no mess in chopping up those chicken)
1 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup oil, for deep frying
2 onions, skinned, halved and sliced (omitted this cos hubby hates the sight of onions)

1 cup thick coconut milk (from 1 grated coconut)
1 tbsp finely shredded kaffir lime leaves
1 tbsp brown sugar/palm sugar
2 tbsp lime juice

Spice Paste :
350 gm (20-30) shallots
10 gm (2 cloves) garlic
20 gm (2 cm) ginger
20 gm (2 cm) galangal
10 gm (1 cm) tumeric
10 gm (3) candlenuts (lazy cook uses almond powder)
50 gm (2 stalks) lemongrass
75 gm (6) fresh red chillies
20 gm (10) dried chillies
20 gm belacan, toasted
5 gm (8-10) bird's eye chillies (optional)

Garnish (Optional) :
2 tbsp shallot crisps
2 sprigs mint leaves

Marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt overnight.  Lazy cook just marinate for 30 minutes cos forget this step.  Deep fry the chicken in hot oil till golden, drain and set aside.
For the spice paste, lazy cook uses a mix of onions and shallots because shallots are expensive.  Lazy cook uses dry ginger powder, dry galangal powder, dry turmeric powder, almond powder instead of candlenuts, dry lemongrass powder, dry chilli powder and a squirt of harissa (Tunisian chilli paste).  In a blender, I blend the onions, garlic and belacan, then I mix the dry spice into the onion paste to get my spice paste.
Heat half of the frying oil in a wok to saute the spice paste till fragrant.  Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes over medium flame.
Add the coconut milk (lazy cook uses canned), lime leaves (lazy cook uses frozen) and brown sugar.  Simmer till chicken is tender. Add the lime juice and mix well.
Dish onto servicng plate and garnish with shallot crisps and/or mint leaves.  Serve with bread or rice.

Lorbak

This is my son's favourite dish, in France we are fortunate because we could find the beancurd sheets and the five spice powder! 
Ingredients :
500 gm pork, cut into bite sizes
1 clove garlic chopped
1 shallot chopped
3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
2 tsp salt, or to taste
a dash of pepper
3 tsp five spice powder
2 tbsp tapioca flour
2 eggs

Beancurd sheets
oil for deep frying

Marinate all the above ingredients (except the beancurd sheets and oil for deep frying) overnight or for at least 4 hours.  Cut the beancurd sheets into the size that you would like, I normally follow the folds of the beancurd sheets that I buy.  Spoon the meat onto the beancurd sheet and roll them, if the beancurd sheet is too dry use a wet cloth to wet them a bit. Use the grave from the marinade to stick the edges.
Deep fry until golden brown and drain on paper towel.  My mom serves this with a mix of chilli sauce and tomato sauce and some crushed peanuts, also can serve with sliced cucumbers and deep fried tofu.

Lorbak

Chocolate Cupcakes

Yummy chocolate cupcakes

Cupcakes are so addictive, it is so good that I have to try doing another flavour and what other flavour than chocolate.  I gave some to my neighbour and she came back and said the gôut is so good that she cannot find them in the pastry shops!  This is a must try, really really good! Got this recipe from Joy of Baking website:

Ingredients

1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup (240 ml) boiling hot water

1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

4 ounces (120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups (160 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16 - 20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or if piping, use a large Wilton 1M open star tip to make lovely swirls. These cupcakes are best the day they are made, but can be covered and stored for a few days.

Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes). 

This time being lazy, I did not pipe the frosting but use a spoon to cover the top.

Makes about 16 cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcakes before frosting

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateCupcakes.html#ixzz1IAiVnDag

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes

Cupcakes are popular in Paris at the moment, where I am in France, I have not seen much of it.  Anyway, I have that urge to try out a cupcake recipe and this time I look to Joy of Baking website for their Vanilla Cupcakes recipe.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (outer yellow skin)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 - 20 minutes or just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting. If you want to pipe the frosting, I like to use a large Wilton 1M star decorating tip. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are made, but they can be covered and stored for a few days.

Buttercream Frosting: In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).

Makes about 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes before frosting

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/VanillaCupcakes.html#ixzz1H9t0YxvS

Panini

Panini is lazy cook's most most favourite meal to prepare... not much work and not much cleaning up!

The filling depends on what is in the fridge, normally consist of a cold cut and some cheese.  My daughter's favourite is with Nutella.  Today I am preparing one with Coppa and Emmental, and another with Ham and Raclette.  I buy my panini bread frozen and it de-frost in about an hour out of the freezer.  Panini bread is actually half size baguette.  So when I need to prepare panini I just need to take out the exact amount of bread I need and in an hour or two I can prepare dinner based on what I have in my fridge.

Panini bread de-frosted

Panini toaster

Panini with filing ready to toast

In the toaster at 150°C for 5 minutes

Panini ready to serve

Lamb Stew Provencale

A simple lamb stew with very few ingredients, there is another lamb stew in France called Lamb Navarin and it's a stew of Lamb in root vegetables.

Ingredients :
2 tbsp olive oil
1 kg lamb rack
1 medium onion, julienne
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1 can of whole tomatoes (400 gm)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 cup sliced button mushroom
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pot and brown lamb on both sides, remove.

Add onions, stir till transparent then add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree and stir well.  Return the lamb, stir well and add the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer for 15 - 30 minutes, depends on the doneness that you like.  5 minutes before it is done, add the mushrooms.

I serve this with spaghetti.

Lamb stew provencale

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Spice cake 

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart website, did not turn out like the picture shown because I added the chopped walnuts into the batter, it turned out more like a spice cake.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the topping: In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and walnuts; set aside.

Make the cake: Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Spread half of the batter into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle with half of the topping. Repeat with remaining batter and topping.Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then remove sides of pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve topping side up. Serves 12.

I use my bread pan and did not seperate the topping with the batter and it turns out to be more of a spice cake.

Cake strait out of the oven

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Sour Cream Coffee Cake - Martha Stewart Recipes

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Creme Fraiche Pound Cake

I am doing Creme Fraiche Pound Cake instead!  Here is the recipe, that I got from Taste of Home website:

Ingredients :
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream / creme fraiche
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, optional

In a bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and vanilla. Beat on low just until blended. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 20 servings.

Creme Fraiche Pound Cake

Chicken Cacciatore

After doing the rabbit, now it's time to do the chicken, got the idea from Simply Recipe website. I did a twist to mine with what I could find in my fridge and stew with tomatoes.

Ingredients :
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, julienne
1 tbsp bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 chicken drumstick
1/3 cup white wine
1 can whole tomatoes 800gm
1/2 tsp herbs de provence
1 cup frozen zucchini, defrosted
10 olives

In a pot, place the olive oil and butter, add the onion, bacon and garlic. Stir till the onion is transparent, then add the chicken, cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the white wine, cook for about 5 minutes then add the tomatoes and herbs de provence.  If you don't have herbs de provence, mixed herbs are good enough. I add another cup of water and let it come to a boil, season to taste, then transfer to roasting pan.

Ready for oven

Place in the oven at 160°C for 45 minutes.

After roasting

Remove the chicken and transfer the sauce into the pan, add the zucchini and olive and boil till sauce thickens.  I roast the chicken for about another 10 minutes at 190°C before serving.  Remove the chicken from the oven and place the sauce on top of the roast chicken before serving.  I serve with rice pilaf.

Chicken cacciatore

Braised Ox Tongue in Madeira Sauce

Braised Ox Tongue in Madeira Sauce served with Tagliatelle

French are like Chinese, they eat everything, today I am doing Ox Tongue.

Ingredients :

1 ox tongue (approximately 1.8 kg)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallots, minced
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups beef stock
3 tbsp madeira
1/2 tsp dried thyme
7 button mushroom, sliced
7 cornichon (gherkins), sliced
salt & pepper to taste

First have to prepare the tongue, trim any extraneous matter on the underneath and large end of the tongue.  To freshen the tongue, and to dissolve any clinging saliva and remove all blood, scrub the tongue with a vegetable brush under warm running water, then let soak 2-3 hours in a sinkful of cold water, add a cup of vinegar.  After soaking, drain.

Ox tongue before cooking

In an enamled bowl, marinate the ox tongue with coarse salt, place a waxed paper on top, and a plate and refrigerate overnight.

Ox tongue after soaking and marinated in salt

Ox tongue ready for refrigerator

The next day, wash of the salt and place the tongue in a pot, boil for at least 2 hours.  Skim off any greyish scum until it ceases to rise.  If the tongue is not salted, add salt.
Drain and let the tongue cool.  When the tongue is cool enough, remove the outer skin.  Trim the fatty parts away, any loose meaty part and any bones. Then make about 1 cm thick slices.
To cook the sauce, place the oil and butter in the pan, then the shallots.  When the shallots are transparent, add the flour, then add the tomato paste, beef stock, madeira, thyme and mushroom.  Bring to boil, then add the sliced ox tongue.  Let it boil for about 5 minutes, then transfer to roasting dish, cover with tin foil and place in the oven at 160°C for an hour.

Ox tongue ready for oven

Remove from oven, and place the ox tongue in a pot, add the cornichon and reduce the sauce.  This may take up to 30 minutes.

Ox tongue ready to serve

Butter Cookies

Butter Cookies

Ingredients :
1 cup butter (227 gm)
3/4 cup sugar (170 gm)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour (250 gm)

Method :
1.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Since I use salted butter, I did not add any salt.  Add the vanilla essence and the egg yolk.  Continue to beat till smooth.  Then add the flour till a smooth batter.
2.  Roll the batter in a cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Ready for the fridge

3.  Cut the batter into about 3 mm and place them on parchment paper.

Ready for the oven

4.    Preheat the oven to 160°C.  Bake for 16 - 18 minutes.  Remove and cool.

Escargot in Creamy Spinach Sauce

Burgundy snails in creamy spinach sauce 

Escargot in english is garden snails.  It took me a long time before I got enough courage to try escargot, imagine eating garden snails, but then I thought, it's the same as eating balitong!  Burgundy snails are a higher quality of garden snails and taste better too.  I bought mine in a can of 800 gms.

Burgundy snails in a can

This is a very simple dish and taste good too.

Ingredients :
1 tbsp unsalted butter
a can of burgundy snails
1 liter double cream
150 gm frozen spinach
Grated emmental

Drain the burgundy snails and wash them.  In a pot, place the butter, then the burgundy snails, stir for about 3 minutes, then add the cream.  Bring to slow boil for about 15 minutes, then add the frozen spinach,  slow boil for another 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool.
In an escargot dish, place one escargot into each hole, if you don't have just use a small plate and divide the escargot.  Top with grated emmental, cook in the oven for another 10 minutes at 190°C, serve hot.

Escargot in the escargot dish

Escargot topped with cheese, one customer don't want cheese

Tiramisu

I don't fancy eating raw eggs, so I was happy that I found my favourite chef's recipe without egg for tiramisu.  Yes, it's Gordon Ramsey's recipe again and it is so good and so easy!

Ingredients :
150 ml double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
250 mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Marsala (or brandy or Tia Maria)
200ml strong coffee or espresso, cooled to room temperature
12 boudoirs (a light, melt-in-your-mouth eggwhite-leavened sugar-dusted biscuit)
chocolate powder

Whisk the cream with icing sugar, you can use single cream but I like mine very creamy so I use double cream.  Then whisk in the mascarpone, vanilla extract and marsala.  The recipe requires that the sugar be added to the coffee with marsala, I just use strong coffee without any addition of sugar and marsala.  This is because the boudoirs are already very sweet.

Dip the boudoirs into the coffee and line the base of the ice cream cup, then spoon the tiramisu on top of the boudoirs.  Chill before serving. Sprinkle chocolate powder on top before serving. I make 4 servings.

Tiramisu side view

Tiramisu top view

Coq au Vin

Coq au vin is a another popular dish in France.  This is normally cooked using a cockerel and stewed in red wine.  As usual I would be using my chicken drumstick and not cockerel.

Ingredients :
Marinate overnight the following:-
75 cl red wine
2 medium carrots, cut into bite sizes
2 onions, julienne
3 celery stalks, julienne
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
2 bay leaves
6 chicken drumstick

The next day,
100 gm butter
100 ml vegetable oil
200 gm bacon
Bouquet garni 
500 gm button mushroom, sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into bite sizes
1 tbsp tomato puree
60 gm all purpose flour
50 ml brandy

In a pot, place the butter and vegetable oil and then the bacon and onion.  Stir fry till the onion is translucent.
Then add the chicken, chopped garlic, bouquet garni, button mushrooms, tomatoes and tomato puree, stir for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the chicken with flour, mix well, then pour the brandy and light.  Then add the wine marinate with the vegetables and cook for 45 minutes.  I serve this with spaghetti.

Coq au Vin

Leek Quiche

Leek Quiche

I love using Gordon Ramsey's recipes, this time I am doing Leek Quiche using his recipe.

Ingredients :
20 gm unsalted butter,
300 gm leek, sliced white part only
thyme
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
200 ml double cream
200 ml milk
4 tbsp grated parmesan
150 gm reblochon cheese, rind removed (or chaource cheese)
1 portion pate brisée (http://zhelazycook.blogspot.com/2011/01/pate-brisee-short-crust-pastry.html)

I de-frost 1 portion of my pate brisée , and line my 11 inch tart pan, with a fork make a lot of holes on the pate brisée and place them in the fridge.
In a hot pan, place the butter, leek, thyme, seasoning for about 5 minutes, then remove and let it cool.
Whisk egg, egg yolk, cream, milk, parmesan and seasoning.
Spread the leek onto the short crust pastry, then tear the reblochon cheese on top of  the leek, place in the oven and pour the egg mix into the quiche.  If you place the egg mix and then place in the oven, you might spill the egg mix, so I always place the quiche into the oven then pour the egg mix.
Gordon's recipe requires to cook the short crust pastry at 200°C before placing the filing.  Lazy cook don't like to cook the short crust pastry before placing the filing because the pastry has their moods and too much work.  Normally, I place the quiche into raw short crust pastry and cook for 200°C for between 5 - 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 170°C and cook for a further 25 - 40 minutes.

Leek Quiche

Other variations with their cheese that I make are :
Brocolli & Brie cheese
Mushroom & Roquefort cheese
Spinach & Emmental cheese

Pangas Meuniere

I bought some Pangas fish on offer, this fish is imported from Vietnam.  So I decide to do some Meurniere Sauce to go with the Pangas.

Ingredients :
4 Pangas Filet
2 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp olive oil
85 gm unsalted butter
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp capers

Season the fish in salt and pepper and toss them in flour.  In a pan, place the oil and cook the fish for about 2 minutes on both sides.  Remove and add butter, once a little light brown add the lemon juice and capers, swirl to finish and topped in onto the fish before serving.  I serve the with pasta.

Pangas Meuniere

Brocolli and Bacon Frittata

Frittata is also known as omelette in English and French, in Spanish it's just tortilla, so many names so many ingredients that can be added to this egg dish.  I like mine simple and whatever I can find in my freezer and fridge would just do.  I have a lot of frozen vegetables in my freezer, when I need them I just have to de-frost them, sometimes I am so impatient that I just add some hot water to de-frost them faster.  I am doing Brocolli frittata, so I de-frost about 7 pieces frozen brocolli, de-frost in hot water and chopped them up.  I use 12 eggs, I am making 6 portions, one without bacon, one without cheese, customers are quite fussy sometimes!  Beat the eggs and add 2 white bread (in France it's called pain de mie), in Malaysia would be Gardenia or High 5.   Break the white bread into small pieces before adding to the beaten egg.  Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, salt and pepper.  In a hot pan, add a tsp of oil, cook the brocolli and bacon for about 3 minutes, then remove the brocolli and bacon into the beaten egg mix.  Then add a small amount of oil into the pan and place the brocolli, bacon, egg mix back into the pan, cook on slow fire for about  6 - 7 minutes, then remove and sprinkle some grated emmental cheese on top, then grill in the oven for about 2 - 3 minutes at 190°C.  I use 9 inch pan for this.

Spinach Bacon Frittata

My frittata, using a 6 inch pan for the big one and  a small pan for cooking an egg for the small one, the small one, one without bacon and one without cheese!

Rabbit Cacciatore

In France, you can find rabbit in almost every supermarket.  Normally, it's a whole rabbit that is sold, lazy cook are lousy at cutting up a chicken, don't even think of trying to cut up a rabbit!  And since lazy cook is a fan of drumstick, I bought some thor tooi (rabbit drumstick) frozen and only need to de-frost to exact amount of drumstick I need.  I got this recipe from Simply Recipes website.

Ingredients :
8 rabbit drumsticks
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp all purpose flour
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium size onion, julienne
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup slice button mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 can of tomatoes entiers (whole tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
16 olives

Marinate the rabbit in thyme, flour, salt & pepper.  In a pot, over medium heat, place 2 tbsp olive oil and fry the rabbit, remove.
Add onions and garlic, cook until onions translucent then add button mushrooms, rosemary, rabbit, tomatoes and bay leaf,  cover and cook for about 35 minutes, stir occassionally.  If it gets too dry add a teeny weeny bit of water.
Before serving, add the olives.

Rabbits served with pasta

Riz au Lait

Riz au lait in serving dish

Riz au Lait in english is rice got milk.  My first trip to France, my hubby's aunt asked me what I would like to eat so she can cook for me.  So I said rice and to my surprise this is what I got!  It took me a while to like this dessert but now I go crazy over it and buying them off the shelves are expensive compared to cooking them yourself.
Ingredients :
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup riz rond (round rice - risotto rice)
5 cups full cream milk
4 cups double cream
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence

In a pot, over medium heat, place the butter then the rice.  I did not wash the rice, works out okay. Stir for about 3 minutes, then add the milk and cream.  The proportion of milk and cream is to your liking, I like mine onctuous, creamy and sinful, normally just add milk.  Then add the sugar and vanilla essence.  If you like it sweeter, add more sugar, the recipe I got uses vanilla beans, too much work for me so I use vanilla essence.  Stir continuously for about 35 minutes, it would come out creamy.  Remove from stove and place them in ramekins, I place mine in ice cream cups, makes 6 servings.  Serve Warm, I like mine cold so I chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Since I love Creme Anglaise so much, I added them to my riz au lait before serving.

How it looks like after finish cooking

Beef Stew

Beef stew served with salad

There are so many different style of cooking beef stew, so many names to it too!  In France, the ones that has tomatoes and red wine, are the famous Beef Bourguignon and in the south they call it Beef Daube.  Beef Daube has a tinge of orange.  Looking through the web, I found that there are so many different ingredients that are added to it and lazy cook hates cooking on the stove because the fire is just next to my tummy and standing there watching over the beef stew makes my tummy real HOT!  After looking through the famous Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef website, I found one stew that is cooked in the oven.  I love cooking with the oven, just throw the things in, set the time and temperature and just go watch TV while its cooking, no HOT tummy!  Here is the inspiration from Jamie, http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/jools-s-favourite-beef-stew

Today I am cooking for 10 people, so here is my recipe:
2 kg beef cube
2 tbsp olive oil
5 medium size potatoes, cut into bite sizes
2 medium size carrots, cut into bite sizes
a head of garlic, peeled
1 big onion, julienne
a small can of tomato puree
1 tbsp of all purpose flour
75 cl red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 tsp herbs de provence
Salt and pepper

Place the beef cube in the roasting pan, marinate with salt, pepper, herbs de provence and olive oil.

Marinated beef

 Place them in the oven at 220°C for 10 minutes.  Jamie sears them in a cooking pot, but lazy cook hates washing dishes so I put them in the oven instead.

Beef after 10 minutes in the oven at 220°C

Add the onions, tomato puree, beef stock, wine, flour and mix well.  This time I forgot the wine but added more water, but came out okay.  In the oven for 1 hour, I cooked them without cover, I think next time I would try to cook them covered.

Ready for the oven

Remove from the oven and add the potatoes, carrots and garlic.  Back in the oven for another hour, but this time I check them after half hour, and next time I think I would cook them covered.

Ready for oven after adding potatoes, carrots and garlic

Ready to serve