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Archives for June 2017

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Apricot Cake

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Or cake aux abricots in french! Apricots are plentiful this time of year and this is an easy way to use them to make a cake thats perfect as an afternoon snack.

Ingredients :

  • 6 ripe apricots
  • 3 large eggs
  • 130g softened butter
  • 125g sugar
  • 1 sachet vanilla sugar
  • 250g flour (I replaced half the flour with cornflour as this gives a lighter texture to the cake but just using flour is good too!)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 large pinch of cinnamon

 

Method :

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
  2. Wash and dry the apricots, remove the stone and chop
  3. Sieve the flour and the baking powder together
  4. Use a fork to mash the softened butter until you get a beurre pommade*
  5. Mix in the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the cinammon
  6. Add in each egg separately, mixing well each time
  7. Fold in the flour
  8. Add in the chopped apricots
  9. Bake in oven for 45 minutes (keep an eye on the cake, it might take less time)

 

*A beurre pommade is butter that has been let come to room temperature and then mixed with a fork or spoon until you get a spreadable mixture

 

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Ratatouille

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Ratatouille is a stewed vegetable dish from Provence and mainly thought to be from Nice which is why it is sometimes referred to as ratatouille niçoise. There are dozens of different recipes and I know that a lot of the ‘purists’ opt for cooking each vegetable separately first and then combining them but I love just flinging it all together as a one pot wonder ! Still tastes lovely !

Ingredients :

  • Olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 aubergine
  • 3 or 4 courgettes
  • 5 or 6 tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • Garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 laurel leaf
  • Thyme

 

Method :

  1. Wash and chop all your vegetables
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan
  3. Fry the onions until soft and then add the peppers and continue frying for another 2-3 minutes
  4. Add the chopped aubergine, followed by the courgettes
  5. Peel the tomatoes (use a sharp knife to slice a shallow X on the bottom of the tomato and then place in boiling water for 30 seconds before transferring to a bowl of ice-cold water)
  6. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan along with the crushed garlic
  7. Add salt, pepper, thyme and a laurel leaf, lower to a low to medium heat and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes
  8. Taste and adjust the seasoning

 

Ratatouille is delicious served with all sorts of meat and fish or with an omelette. It can be eaten hot or cold and tastes even better the next day. It’s a great way to pack lots of veggies into your meal!

 

 

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Madeleines

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Madeleines are well known small sponge cakes, famous for their little ‘bump’ and shell like shape. They originated in the town of Commercy in the Lorraine region in north-eastern France and were made for the King of Lorraine, Stanislas, in 1755 by a young servant girl whose name was, évidemment, Madeleine –  which is why the King declared they would be known from then on as Madeleines de Commercy.

Madeleines are often associated with Marcel Proust who wrote about them and the childhood memories evoked by eating one.

Ingredients :

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 100g flour
  • 20g ground almonds
  • 100g sugar
  • 125g salted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (approximately 6g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence extract

Method :

  1. Pre-heat oven to 210°C
  2. Melt the butter in a pan until it browns slightly (this gives a nutty flavour to your madeleines and is known as a ‘beurre-noisette’ in french which translates as ‘hazelnut-butter’)
  3. Mix the flour with the baking powder and the ground almonds
  4. In a bowl gently beat the eggs with the sugar and the vanilla essence
  5. Sieve in the mix of flour, baking powder and ground almonds and mix until the texture is smooth
  6. Add in the cooled melted butter and mix well
  7. Ideally if you have the time leave the batter in the fridge for 2 hours – this will help them rise and give the traditional ‘bump’ shape!
  8. Grease the madeleine pan (this isn’t necessary if you are using silicon pans) and fill each shell to about 2/3
  9. Bake in oven at 210°C for 6-8 minutes

*Other possible flavours for your madeleines : the zest of a small lemon or a few drops of orange blossom water

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