French food Friday -Salade de betteraves et carottes

Bonjour mes belles,

We have a house full of vegetables at present and I am looking for recipes that call for lots of vegetables.

Today is beetroot day or as it is called in French betterave. Whilst French Boyfriend was busy in the shop this morning, I made some pita bread and prepared a salad made with beetroot and carrots.

It is delicious and I served it in the pita bread with a couple of lettuce leaves. I was planning to serve it with tomato but it worked well without so I left it out.

Recipe
Peel and grate a large raw beetroot and two large carrots (aim for roughly equal quantities of the two).

Mix 2tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp sesame oil and 1tbsp lemon juice plus a fat pinch of salt. Mix with the carrot and beetroot, then sprinkle generously with pumpkin and sesame seeds. 

très bon fin de semaine à tous, Leeann x

Sunday finds...

I have just added a few of these fabulous French agricultural medals to our etsy shop and I hope to finish creating the listings for the remaining medals tomorrow....

à demain, Leeann x

French food Friday - Smoked Salmon Omlette

photo and recipe from here

Sorry that this post is a bit late but it was a busy week and I am just starting to catch up with chores that did not get done during the week.
I do not know about you but I love an omlette and French Boyfriend makes the best omlettes that I have ever eaten.
If you like smoked salmon then I am sure that you will like this recipe which is a Raymond Blanc recipe and a favourite of mine.

Smoked Salmon Omlette

 Ingredients  

3 medium organic/free range eggs
1 pinch Sea salt
1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
5g Unsalted butter, plus a little extra melted butter to serve
30g Smoked salmon slices
2 sprigs chives, finely chopped to serve

METHOD

In a large bowl, gently beat the eggs together using a fork with a pinch each of salt and pepper.

In the omelette pan, heat the butter until it begins to foam. Pour in the egg mixture and cook undisturbed for a few seconds, allowing the omelette to set lightly before stirring the set part in towards the centre. Repeat this motion 4 or 5 times until the omelette has formed but is still soft and creamy in the centre. This way you will achieve the perfect texture.

Scatter the pieces of salmon in the middle of the omelette and then fold the sides towards the centre. Turn the omelette out onto a warmed plate, brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle with snipped chives to serve.  

bon appetit à tous, Leeann x

Rosewater and it's benefits

 photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

I purchased a bottle of rosewater the other day and I was intending to use it for cooking.

Searched on google (what would we do without it) and found that it is great for skin and hair.
Apparently the usage of rosewater dates back to early Egypt, when Cleopatra  used the natural product in her skincare regime. If it is good enough for Cleopatra, it is good enough for me.

I found these tips in this fabulous article which also tells you how to use rosewater.

10 Rosewater Benefits

1. Rosewater helps maintain the skin's pH balance, and also controls excess oil.

2. "Rose water has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce the redness of irritated skin, get rid of acne, dermatitis and eczema. It is a great cleanser and aids in removing oil and dirt accumulated in clogged pores", says Dr. Deepali Bhardwaj, Skincare Expert.

3. Rose water helps hydrate, revitalise and moisturise the skin giving it with that refreshed look.

4. Due to its antibacterial properties, rose water also aids in healing scars, cuts and wounds.

5. The antioxidant properties of rose water help to strengthen skin cells and regenerate skin tissues.

6. Due to the astringent like properties it possesses, rose water helps clean pores and tone the skin. Applying rose water after steaming tightens capillaries, reduces redness and blotchiness.

7. The aroma of roses is said to be a powerful mood enhancer. It rids you of feelings of anxiety and promotes emotional well-being, thereby making you feel more relaxed.

8. The nourishing and moisturising properties of rose water enhance the quality of hair. It is known to treat mild scalp inflammations and get rid of dandruff. Rosewater works wonders as a natural conditioner and revitaliseshair growth.

9. The scent of rose water on your pillow also helps you sleep better after a long day, making you wake up refreshed.

10. It also helps aging skin, keeping fine lines and wrinkles at bay.

 

I am now off to look for a recipe that uses rose water....

 

à demain, Leeann x

Happy Bastille Day

 

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

Happy Bastille day....bon 14 juillet la France!

Leeann x

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

French food Friday - Chocolate Cupcakes

 recipe from here

Bonjour mes belles,

This is not a French recipe but I served them up yesterday as our village hosted stage 11 and I wanted to make something Tour de France inspired so popped a red bike on top of each.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

 

Prep time:10 mins

Cook time:20 mins

Total time:30 mins

 

 Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup boiling water

1/2 Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. Evenly distribute cake batter. Each cupcake liner should be about ½ full.
6. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes
7. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
8. Prepare Buttercream Frosting according to instructions.

bon vendredi à tous, Leeann x

 

Tour de France fever

Bonjour mes belles,

Apologies for the lack of posts this week but this week was the  week that the Tour de France was taking place in the Dordogne earlier in the week and yesterday our village played host to stage 11.

It was a fabulous day and we could not believe how quickly everything was set up and once it had finished, dismantled.....it was if it was all a dream.

Barvo to the mighty Marcel Kittel who won stage 11, he has won 5 stages so is proving to be unstoppable...

à plus tard, Leeann x

French food Friday - Baguette aux miettes de dinde et pesto

recipe and photo from Zest magazine December 2011

Bonjour from a very warm SW France,

I am always on the hunt for new ideas for lunch. As you know French Boyfriend has an antiques shop and the village so he comes home for lunch.For some strange reason I have no problem whipping up something new and exciting for dinner but when it comes to lunch  I am a sandwich type of girl.

This is totally the opposite of what French boyfriend prefers to eat for lunch as he is not keen on sandwiches. For the last couple of weeksI have been making pita bread and humuss which we both like as you can pretty much stuff it with what you like.

This morning I  feel like a change so I dug out an old cooking magazine that has not been opened since I purchased it in 2011. On page 114 I found the recipe that  I am making for lunch today. All you need is a baguette, some chicken or turkey, some pesto and some emmental cheese.

 Baguette aux miettes de dinde et pesto

1 baguette or 2 half baguettes

200g of cooked turkey or chicken pieces

70g pesto

120g emmental

1. Preheat the oven to 200C

2. Cut the baguette down the middle and then cut the pieces in half again. 

3. Spread the pesto on the pieces of baguette. Cut the cheese into slices. Place the chicken or turkey pieces on the baguette and then cover with the cheese slices.

4. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

You can eat them on their own or serve with a spinach and tomato salad.

 

fabulous shop window display

As you already know our village is hosting stage 11 of the Tour de France next Wednesday and the village is looking fabulous with tour de France inspired decorations everywhere. 

I particularly like this shop window display as it says that it needs to say without going over the top.

Also love the shirt decorations of the tour of the old chateau.

Back to work I go, enjoy the rest of the week....

Leeann x 

French food Friday -madeleines au cappuccino

Bonjour mes belles,

Apologies that this post is a bit late but it has been another busy week and the summer season is underway. 

I recently purchased a petit livre which has some fabulous and original cake recipes. 

This is a recipe that I have tried and was a great success. Unfortunately they were all eaten before I realised that I had forgotten to take some photos.

madeleines au cappuccino

Ingrédients
- 3  eggs
- 150g melted butter
- 150g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 150g sugar
- 2 tsp instant coffee

- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp hot water

Method
Preheat the oven to 250 ° C.
Sift flour and baking powder. Dissolve in a cup, coffee and hot water then add the milk. Beat the eggs with the sugar until white and then incorporate the flour, then the coffee and finally the butter.
Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (personally, I left it in the fridge overnight  because I wanted to make the madeleines the next morning).
Grease the madeleine tin.and then fill the madeleine tin 2/3 full and bake at the bottom of the oven on a rack for 4 minutes.  
Lower the oven to 210 ° C and continue cooking for about 6 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the madeleines from the oven and wait a few minutes before removing them from the tin.

très bon week-end à tous, Leeann x 

a piece of French history

Bonjour  from a cooler SW France,

Apologies for being AWOL this week but I have been busy repainting our bedroom/
I just have half the ceiling to go and I am finished...

for me you do not get much more French than toile de jouy and it is rare to find very old pieces of this fabulous fabric.

I have a fragmant  that was found in the grenier of a local chateau and I just wish that it could talk, imagine the tales that it could tell.
It dates C1820 and despite being almost 200 years old it has retained it's lovely colours.

You can find it here on my etsy shop. It is not a huge piece of fabric but it would make a fabulous cushion or look great framed and hung on the wall.

à demain, Leeann x