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.