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A Fall Picnic

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April 26, 2012

It was a beautiful autumn day. Paprika and I wanted to get the most out of it and have a good time outside, before days get shorter and cooler. So we packed our picnic and hunted for a nice spot in a short driving distance.

Time went by at a leisure pace. We wandered around and spotted a couple of wild inedible mushrooms. We read with the light gently filtering through the foliage. And we casually ate on the grass.

The food was simple and inspired by the season.
To start and to keep us warm we had a celeriac and jerusalem artichoke soup with a roasted garlic spread on sourdough bread. This soup is going to be made again very soon. A delight this artichoke taste in the middle of autumn…
Then, the mushroom and polenta galette, which is a savory interpretation of this recipe, was generously sliced. As we were replete afterward, we kept the chocolate and nashi pear cake for later in the afternoon.

At the end of the day, the wind started to blow and the sun was slowly setting behind the hills, allowing a cool air to settle. It was already time for us to pack our staff, head home and get cosy inside…

In or out, I wish you all a good week-end !

La suite en français…

Tags: autumn, fall, food, life, lifestyle, photography, picnic

Autumn Flavour

Filed under: Delicious — 22 Comments

April 13, 2012

First the fragrance.
A delicate and musky scent, delightfully filling the air.
An olfactive invitation to be tasted.
Then the sweet and juicy flesh… Pure bliss !

Autumn is such a rich season. Along with quince and feijoa, these grapes bring a beautiful fragrance to this particular time of year.

Like with any seasonal food, we tend to indulge knowing it won’t last and so do I. After adding some daily to my breakfast fruit mix, the next thought was to prepare something with them. Preferably keeping the delicate grapes raw by fear of loosing their aroma, but baking them proved me wrong.

The free form tart I’ve baked them in retained well the fruit flavour and offered a light crust to serve them warm. Maybe not what you would prepare for a fancy dinner party, but the taste will make you all forget about the look.
I’ve also tried to preserve a part and made a jam. And while the result is good, it’s honestly not as fragrant as I hoped for. In the end it’ll give me an opportunity to bake another version of these pockets or maybe a crostata…

Wholemeal Grape Tart

125g white flour
125g wholemeal flour
70ml water
125g unsalted butter, diced
1 pinch of salt

280g-300g grapes
Brown sugar

In a large bowl mix together flours and salt. Add butter to flour and mix with your finger tips to get a fine sandy texture. Add water and mix quickly but lightly with your hand to form a ball. Flatten the pastry into a thick disk, wrap it in cling wrap and let it rest for one hour in the fridge. Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll down the dough on a dusted flour surface. With the help of a plate or a pan cut out a large disk of pastry. Prick the bottom of pastry with a fork. Fill with grapes and fold in the edges of the pastry by pressing lightly flaps to secure. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake for 25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and let it cool a little on a cooling rack. Can be served still warm as well

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La suite en français…

Tags: autumn, baking, fall, food, life, photography

Passion Coco

Filed under: Delicious — 26 Comments

March 7, 2012

I think my mind and the flavours of this dessert have been conditioned by the conversation I had on Skype with my sister. She started to tell me about the dragon fruit flowers blooming in her garden at night and how ephemeral they are. Indeed, they quickly fade the next morning. Then, she kept on telling me about all what grows well in her backyard and her prolific coconut tree…

Later on, in my kitchen, I was thinking of baking with passionfruit. I like the way this fruit adds a kick to anything.
That’s what it does to this coconut custard too. It’s a combination full of contrast. The passionfruit brings tang and crunch with its seeds, to a sweet and silky coconut custard.

Coconut Crème & Passionfruit (makes 6)

2 eggs
70 g brown sugar
400ml coconut milk
5-6 passionfruits, halved and pulp scooped out

Preheat oven at 160°C. In a sauce pan, pour coconut milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, whip eggs and sugar for a minute. Keep on whipping and add gradually hot milk. Pour the preparation through a sieve to remove the foam, then share it equally into small ramekins/bowls. Place ramekins in a large ovenproof dish and fill the dish with boiling water, until 3/4 full. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until set. Remove carefully from oven and let cool down completely. Wrap and keep in the fridge for a couple of hours. Remove from the fridge 5 minutes before serving and add passionfruit pulp on top.