Happy Bastille day! 15 July 2010

Hello mes chéris, I’m back! Sorry for skipping last week’s newsletter, that will teach me for playing sorcerer’s apprentice with my not-so-foolproof website… In short the site went down and my stress level exponentially up for a few days last week, and troubleshooting took over my sacred duty to feed you. Rest assured, dear friends, I still managed to feed the children… with pasta and cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and lots of Ben 10 and Charlie and Lola episodes in between. Needless to say, my sweet little apricots love it when maman is on the verge of dying with stress. This week was mercifully back to normal and I had plenty of time to cook exciting dishes for this issue. Before we move on to those, please spare a thankful thought for the French revolutionaries. They may have beheaded cute Marie-Antoinette and flushed the Christian calendar down the toilet (though that didn’t last), but they left one tradition untouched: French cuisine. In fact, the revolution played a critical role in its expansion by abolishing social class privileges. Merci Robespierre!! Now this week is packed with vegetable recipes. Red peppers, the stars of this week, are featured in a very unfrench and delicious roasted pepper and tomato soup, which was served at the Beckham’s wedding in 1999 (I know, that long ago!). You will also love them sautéed with balsamic vinegar for a quick and luxurious dinner. On Monday night, unwind with my gently alcoholic no-cook skewers and this weekend, conjure the sun up with a fabulously herby and garlicky Provençal tian. Lastly, check out my useful tips for preventing the fish you’ll be grilling this weekend from sticking to your barbecue, and read about the environmental impact of eating Kenyan vs UK green beans. Or is there one? Oh, almost forgot: I have two free tickets to Taste of Birmingham this weekend so leave a comment at the bottom of this newsletter if you want them! Enjoy this week’s sunny cooking and eating et à jeudi prochain, Anne-Laure x

VN:F [1.9.1_1087]
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
QUICK week treats
Posh no-cook Parma ham, melon, and mozzarella skewers

Busy: 20 min, Total time: 20 min

I made these gorgeous skewers the other day, inspired by a recipe I saw in one of my treasured old "Elle a Table" magazines. Splashed with sweetened Muscat wine (dry sherry works too), this delicious combination of gentle alcoholic sweetness and Italian dolce vita makes for the ultimate nerve relaxant. If you don't have skewers just serve it as a salad and remember, work is over, time to relax. Sue Ellen style.
Grilled red snapper on poêlée of red peppers and balsamic vinegar

Busy: 25 min, Total time: 25 min

In this gorgeous dish the cooked vinegar caramelises and sweetens the soft and juicy peppers, beautifully balanced out by the light citric touch of the squeezed lemon wedges. Combined with the right fish (snapper, sea bass, salmon or halibut), these peppers move me to tears with bliss. Can't help it. Since having kids I've become a weeper. Movies, weddings, great food, uncontrollable, embarrassing sobs. *Sigh*...
Weekend THERAPY
Victoria and David Beckham’s wedding tomato and roast pepper soup

Busy: 20 min, Total time: 1 hour (plus chilling time)

This originally fat and carb-free soup, served at the Beckham's wedding dinner, would be a disaster at a French wedding. I can picture an offended, dressed-up and hatted mob descending on the poor chef before smothering him in goose fat and throwing him into the chocolate fountain. The soup though is really fresh and pleasant, no less thanks to my healthy additions of olive oil, croutons, and goat's cheese. Non mais.
Provençal tian

Busy: 20 min, Total time: 1h50min

Never mind the rain, this to-die-for provençal dish has enough Summer power to blow those grey clouds away and bring back heat, blue skies and cricket chirps. Fine slices of courgettes, tomatoes and aubergine are brushed with olive oil, garlic, anchovies and bread crumbs and slow roasted to melting point. Serve hot with grilled fish or meat or cold as a delightful and chic picnic gem.
IN SEASON
New in July:
Broccoli, Summer cabbage, celery, sweetcorn, peppers (chillies and sweet), apricots, peaches (end of july)

Ending this month:
New potatoes, elderflowers

Also in season:
Courgettes, fennel, runner beans, turnips, tomatoes, aubergines, broad beans, carrots, peas, mangetout, globe artichokes, fennel, lambs lettuce, cherries, radishes, garlic, lettuce, Rocket, Rosemary, Spinach, Cucumber, Bananas, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, oranges, kiwi fruit, alphonso mango, broccoli, maincrop potatoes, sorrel, Spring onions, watercress, lamb, sea bass, sea trout, salmon, plaice, mackerel, crab
KITCHEN TALK
Eat now: Sweet peppers

Although sweet peppers are available all year round thanks to polytunnel cultivation and imports, the European harvest season is between July (starting with Spanish, Italian and French ones) and September, with the smaller British crop starting late August. Sweet pepper is a fruit and the only member of the capsicum family, which also includes chilli and cayenne peppers, that does not contain capsaicin - the compound responsible for the strong burning sensation you get when eating chillies. Peppers come originally from South and Central America and were introduced into Europe through Spain at the beginning of the 16th century. Only[...] read more .. >

The Conscious Cook: How bad for the environment is buying Kenyan green (French) beans?

We love green beans in our family. Because it is a firm favourite of Adele's and Jules', it has become a staple food in our household. British green beans are not always easy to find even during the height of the local season (July-August) while air-freighted Kenyan or Tanzanian beans are prominent all year round in supermarkets and fruit stalls. This made me wonder: are we making such a bad environmental choice when buying African French beans as opposed to their locally produced counterparts? I investigated and the answer is, surprisingly, not clear-cut. Sure, air-freighting emits a great deal of carbon dioxide, which contributes [...]

read more .. >

Ask Anne-Laure:How do you prevent fish from sticking to the BBQ grill? (James)

Aha. I can read so much frustration in your question. Here you are, watching with ravishment your beautifully grilled fish. You then delicately try to take it off the grid and your beauty disintegrates before your very eyes, its head and half its bottom stuck on the grill. So gory, yet so true. Here are a few tips that will make this nightmare a distant memory:
1. Choose the right fish: the thicker and firmer the better. A whole fish or 1 inch thick fillets/slices are ideal, thin fish fillets are best fried or broiled under the oven grill.
2. For a whole fish it is worth investing into a two sided fish grilling basket. Easy [...]

read more .. >

One Comment to “Happy Bastille day!”

  • emt training

    July 19th, 2010 at 9:31 am


    My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!

    VA:F [1.9.1_1087]
    Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Leave a Comment