Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon)

Beef chunks are simmered in red wine in the slow cooker and results in a melt-in-your-mouth delicious stew. Make this crockpot version of the classic French stew - Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon) in the morning and enjoy it for dinner!

I feel the chill in the air! It has started to get cooler the past few days and I have seen leaves fall all over the place already which means Autumn has started. Yay! I do love the fall season with all the gorgeous colors that it brings and also the most wonderful and aromatic dishes we associate with it.

Quick and Easy Peach Melba

It's already Peach season (woohoo!!!) so I thought it is just the right time to share a post about one of my favorite summer fruits - juicy and delicious peaches! While we often end up just eating the ripe, plump peaches on their own unadorned, occasionally, we use them for making delicious desserts, too. One of the easiest and quickest dessert I make with peaches is Peach Melba.

Easy 2-Ingredient Raspberry Coulis

We had a meeting for our Young and Marrieds group yesterday and I made a no bake chocolate cheesecake as my dessert contribution. It was made with 70% dark chocolate so it was intensely chocolaty and much-loved by hubby who is a huge fan of dark chocolate and I have been a recent convert of his. :)

Strawberry and Pecan Clafoutis

It's Strawberry season, woohoo!!! My family are strawberry fanatics - we always have them at home especially for my kids as it's their favorite fruit to snack on. Of course, I love to bake with them, too. The freshest and juiciest strawberries always make any baked goods deliciously delightful!

Peach and Blueberry Financiers

A Financier is a small French Almond Cake traditionally baked in the shape of a gold bar, hence the name. Some say that it is called such because the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the Paris stock exchange and was named after its wealthy bankers. Its main ingredient is the almond flour (ground or finely crushed) though it's distinct feature comes from the use of  beurre noisette (brown butter).

Brittany Butter Cake

Do you love shortbread? Then you will love this cake. It is a cross between a shortbread and a cake and as you can imagine - with the "butter" in it's name it's got to be delicious and it is! This cake which originated from Brittany is traditionally made with salted butter though nowadays many recipes use plain unsalted butter. I stuck with the original idea and enjoyed the dense salted butter taste of the cake but if you prefer to use the unsalted butter instead, feel free to do so.

Boeuf a la Bourguignonne

The first challenge is to try to say the name of the dish correctly! J

I have been wanting to cook this traditional French beef stew for the longest time. For some reason, I always end up doing a steak casserole. I suppose because the casserole is easier to do and is pretty straightforward in terms of methodology. This dish, not only has  a pretty intimidating name, a real tongue-twister; I also often thought it was quite complicated. But I set my fears aside and decided, I will try it once and for all. And, am I glad I did! This is now my favorite beef stew recipe. Hands-down winner for me. It is so good, I promise, you'll want to lick your bowl clean. J

Peach and Raspberry Financiers

A Financier is a small French Almond Cake traditionally baked in the shape of a gold bar, hence the name. Some say that it is called such because the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the Paris stock exchange and was named after its wealthy bankers. Its main ingredient is the almond flour (ground or finely crushed) though it's distinct feature comes from the use of  beurre noisette (brown butter).

French Toast with Berry Compote

Sometimes, I have the inclination to make my family a fancy breakfast (instead of the regular scrambled or fried eggs) during the weekends when there is no need to rush. It is during these days when I make them some delicious pancakes from scratch with some fruit filling or some yummy French Toast.

Quick and Easy Peach Galette

I love, love peaches! It may sound weird but I love them because I love Mangoes! I think, except for the difference in their peel, they are pretty similar in many ways. The flesh are both sweet and juicy and truly yummy. So, when I can't find my favorite mangoes I am equally happy when I can bring home some peaches instead.

Berry Medley Bombe

For those who want to make ice cream but fear that they cannot make it because they don't have an ice cream maker, have no more fear the Bombe is here! The Bombe Glacée, or simply a bombe in English, is an ice cream dessert frozen in a spherical mold so as to resemble a cannonball, hence the name.

Cherry Clafoutis

When my friend Bernadette asked me to guest-post for her lovely blog Rants from my Crazy Kitchen, I was very excited although at that time I didn't quite know what to share yet. I thought I ought to share something that I really love and something extra special, too. Thankfully, this year we went to France as part of our European holiday.

Strawberry and Almond Clafoutis

Dear readers, there are certain desserts that need no further ado. Just one look and you'll know it's going to be fabulous and delicious. This Strawberry and Almond Clafoutis is certainly one of those. Can you see yummi-ness all over?

Cream Cheese and Cherries French Toast

Dried cherries or cranberries, crunchy walnuts plus yummy cream cheese and warmed up maple syrup make this a fantastic breakfast or brunch dish - Cream Cheese and Cherries French Toast!

I love make-ahead French Toast Casserole. You can make it in the evening, leave it in the fridge and the next day you can just pop it in the oven and wait for a yummy breakfast treat! I have only tried one French Toast Casserole recipe and that is the one by David Leite of Leite's Culinaria - it is so good that I never bothered to try anything else. Here is the link to the original recipe.

We first had this casserole when we stayed with a New Jersey couple who kindly accommodated us when we visited New York. For our breakfast, this is what she prepared - Deep Dish Brioche French Toast. I fell in love with the dish immediately and had to ask her for the recipe. She kindly printed me a copy and that was when I got acquainted with the amazing website and blog of David Leite.

This recipe is a very slight adaptation of the original just because I had to make use of what's available to me. I hardly see a Brioche Loaf where I live so I had to try another similar buttery sweet roll which in this case was the Hawaiian Sweet Roll. Also, I tried to experiment by using other dried fruits - dried cranberries and cherries instead of just the usual raisins. Wow, now I actually prefer the tangier cherries or cranberries 'cause they provide a delicious contrast with the cream cheese and the sweetness of the bread! I also tweaked the amount of the spices according to my taste. Because of these changes, I decided to use a different title than the original post 'cause I'll never be able to do it with Brioche anyway and from now on I'll only be using mostly cherries or cranberries! :-) So if you are looking for a new French Toast Casserole, I highly recommend this! Enjoy!

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Ingredients

Butter or non-stick spray for greasing pan
One 24-ounce brioche loaf or 2 12-ounce Hawaiian Sweet Rolls,  cut into 1-inch cubes
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into 18 cubes
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup of either dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins or a combo
8 large Eggs
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup firmly packed dark Brown sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground  Nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon  ground Cloves
4 tablespoons melted Butter

To serve
Powdered sugar
Pure maple syrup, warmed

This is the sweet bread roll that I used for the French Toast. Worked perfectly!


Procedure

Either butter or use a non-stick spray to grease  a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. Place half the bread cubes in a single layer, filling in all the gaps.

Evenly scatter the cream cheese cubes, nuts, and cherries or cranberries (or raisins) on top. Cover completely with the remaining bread cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Evenly pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Gently press down on the cubes with your palms to allow the top layer of bread to absorb the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Meanwhile, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature. Bake the French toast covered for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the cubes are nicely toasted and there’s no liquid puddling on the bottom.

Transfer the dish to a rack and drizzle the melted butter on top. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to release the French toast. Let sit 5 minutes. Cut into squares, arrange on individual plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve along with the warmed maple syrup.

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Baked Pears in White Wine

I love Red Pears and they were on sale the other day so I grabbed a few to snack on. One of the pears I used for making a smoothie while the other one I gave to my son for his school snack. However, he didn't like it for some reason and asked if he can have an apple instead. I obliged but was a little disappointed that he snubbed the pear. So, anyway, I had a few more pear left-overs than I anticipated so I thought of trying a new recipe with them - sort of a dessert that's truly enjoyable. I have read some recipes that cook pear in red wine but I didn't have any red wine but still had some  white wine in the fridge which did not get fully used up in the chicken stew I made.

No Bake Chocolate Marquise

If there is one chocolate dessert that my husband truly loves it is Chocolate Marquise - a classic French chocolate dessert that requires no baking (just chilling) but the result is sublime and is the ultimate chocolate lover's dream! I honestly cannot think of any dessert that's more chocolate-y than this - bittersweet chocolate, egg yolks, butter and sugar are beaten together then lightened with some egg whites. To give it even more intensity - a little coffee is added to the mix! Wow! This is seriously only for the ultimate chocolate lovers and admittedly, my hubby and I are huge chocolate fans, especially of the dark and bittersweet variety so this is right up our alley.

Though chocolate marquise is fairly simple in its ingredients, it can be turned into a very elegant dessert as it can be molded into various shapes (depending on what pan you use) and served with fresh fruits and for me the best pairing would be some sugar-dusted sweet-tart raspberries!
This recipe came from my mother-in-law and she often makes this when we visit England and because fares for a family of 4 are always sky-high we don't get to see them that often. I think my hubby misses this great dessert so much that For Valentine's Day he requested me to make this for him. I was naturally scared because I know that his mom makes the best Choco Marquise and I don't know if I can duplicate it but since it's a special day I thought I ought to at least give it a try. It was amazing!!! Even though my mixer did not cooperate well (it broke down) so I wasn't able to totally reach the stiff peak for the egg whites, the chocolate still came out great. If you don't want a very strong coffee taste - use mild coffee granules - I used the Starbucks ready brew and that was intense.  However, I discovered that after the cake has rested for 1 day - the coffee taste actually mellowed and the taste was even better - that is if you can wait for another day! Also, make sure that you use the best chocolate you can buy - a serious chocolate dessert like this demands a seriously excellent chocolate too!

This recipe can easily be doubled too if you want to make it for guests but since we are not a huge family I only made half a batch. If you are doing this for company do a double batch (just double the ingredients) so that when you place it in the loaf pan, it's much taller in height and not flat. Below is what it looks like when you just do a half-batch, like I did. It will look more like a big chocolate slab rather than a chocolate loaf. I think I used a big loaf pan too that's why it wasn't very tall. The good thing about this is that you can cut them into small squares and serve them in individual cups. As I mentioned this is an intense chocolate dessert so you don't need a huge piece to serve it, unless that's what you want. It's quite more-ish though so be aware that you've been warned! :-)

You can serve this dessert in small individual squares as shown below. Enjoy!

  

Note: This recipe uses raw eggs, so beware that raw eggs may not be safe for the very young, pregnant women, the elderly, the ill, and those with immune-system disorders. For more details on egg safety, check out this link.

Ingredients 

American and Metric

225 gm (8 oz) Bittersweet Chocolate

100 gm (4 oz) Unsalted Butter (softened or room temp)

175 gm (6 oz - 3/4 cup) Icing or confectioner's Sugar

3 Eggs (separate the yolks from the whites)

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 teaspoon of water

For the Chocolate sauce

100 gm (4 oz / 1/2 cup) caster or super-fine baking sugar

50 gm (2oz  / 1/4 cup) Cocoa Powder

Procedure 
Line an (8 x 4 x 2 in) loaf tin with clear film (saran wrap), allowing it to overlap the sides and ends. Break the chocolate into a small heat-proof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (not boiling) until melted. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and the confectioner's sugar until soft and smooth. Separate the eggs, beating the yolks into the creamed butter one at a time. Beat in the dissolved coffee granules, add the chocolate and mix well. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold one third of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remainder.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and spread evenly. Chill until firm for at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile, measure 1/4 pint water (about half a cup) and the caster sugar for the chocolate sauce. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is boiling. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Cool and refrigerate. (I used only about 1/4 cup water and the chocolate sauce was thick).

Lift the Chocolate Marquise and invert onto a plate. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes in room temp after you've taken it out of the fridge to soften it a little (so it won't crumble when you cut it). For easier cutting, use a non-serrated knife that's been dipped in warm water. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce and top with some sugar-dusted raspberries. Glazed apricots, fresh strawberries can also be served with this sweet and chocolatey dessert for sharpness of flavour and colour contrast.

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This recipe is featured at Slow Roasted Italian Ladies' Night - Linky Party.

Chicken with Tarragon Cream

Recently, I have been experimenting on French dishes. I don't really know why, I supposed I was just fancying something creamy and buttery.  I looked at my fridge and saw that I still had some chicken breasts that needed to be cooked and the mushrooms were begging to be used. There were still some left-over cream and half a bottle of white wine which I have used recently in a few dishes. 

The only ingredient missing is something that will give the dish some vibrant color and freshness. Thankfully, I have been cooking with the tarragon herb lately due to my husband's craving for Chicken, Cashew and Tarragon Stir-Fry. So there goes the solution - a little tarragon goes a long way in this dish.

I had been doing the South Beach Diet to lose weight (I love this diet! I think it's perfect for meat lovers like me!) and if you are into low-carb, this is one of the dishes that you need to learn by heart. It's pretty simple and yummy, too. And to replace the carbs --- I know deep in my heart that rice would be perfect with this for it will absorb the creamy sauce but, alas, not when am on a diet --- I suggest steamed/boiled cauliflower, which is the perfect replacement for rice or potatoes. You can certainly make mock mashed potatoes using this wonderful vegetable.  

So here it is, enjoy!

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Ingredients

2 Tablespoons light Olive oil
1 lb chicken breasts (about 2), skinned, boned and halved (season with salt and pepper)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine (use low-carb and gluten-free)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp fresh tarraron, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the chicken breasts, about 3 minutes per side.

Set the chicken aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook gently for about 2 minutes or until the onion begins to soften.

Increase the heat and stir in the mushrooms. Stir-fry for about 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to color and give off its liquid.

Pour in the wine. Bring to a quick boil then reduce the heat slightly and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the cream and cook just until incorporated. Re-place the chicken in the pan and simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir in the chopped tarragon and season to taste.

Arrange the chicken on a serving plate and pour the sauce  over. Delish!

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Chicken Breasts in Paprika Sauce

It was Mother's Day yesterday, so I decided to give my family a treat (I know, shouldn't it be the other way around?) :-) Well, our family day out is usually on a Monday and Sunday is the Lord's Day, so I didn't really mind waiting till the next day.

Anyway, I decided to cook them something French --- just to try something new. Chicken Breasts in Paprika Sauce - Supremes de Volaille Hongroise. Easier to say it in English, if you ask me. Also, it was an easy dish to prepare yet it looks quite elegant too.

Well, it was the rice that accompanied the chicken that sealed the deal. Am glad my British husband did not complain that I was giving him French food. He did suggest that perhaps next time I should try to use the hot paprika to give the dish a bit of a kick!
You see my hubby loves anything spicy but just like the French I only used the mild/sweet paprika for this one.   

So, depending on your taste preference, you can use either the sweet or spicy paprika. Either way, I think it's a winner, especially if it is eaten with rice!  





Ingredients

2 tbsp butter, divided

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp paprika (sweet or spicy, whatever you fancy)
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup Velouté Sauce (click here for recipe)
1 tbsp oil
1 lb chicken breast (about 2),  skinned, boned and halved
1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream

Procedure


Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a small saucepan. I usually add just about a teaspoon of oil, to prevent the butter from burning/browning.
Add the onion. Season with the paprika and salt and cook until onion is soft about 5 mins.

Add the white wine.  Increase the heat, reduce the wine to about half. Once reduced, lower the heat.

Stir in the velouté sauce. Cook until heated up and everything is fully incorporated.

Set aside and keep warm.

Season the chicken halves with salt and  additional paprika.

Melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter with the oil in a large frying pan. When hot, sauté the chicken in the pan for  about 3 minutes per side, or until springy when pressed.

Transfer the breasts to a serving plate. Deglaze the pan with the heavy cream.

Pour in the velouté sauce mixed with the onions. Cook until heated through.

 Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with steamed rice and green veggies.

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Velouté Sauce

A velouté sauce, pronounced [və.lu.te], along with Tomato, Hollandaise, Béchamel, and Espagnole, is one of the sauces of French cuisine that were designated the five "mother sauces" by Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century, which was a simplification of the "Sauce Carême" list of Marie-Antoine Carême. The term velouté is from the French adjectival form of velour, meaning velvety.

In preparing a velouté sauce, a light stock (one in which the bones used have not been previously roasted), such as chicken, veal or fish stock, is thickened with a blond roux. Thus the ingredients of a velouté are equal parts by mass butter and flour to form the roux, a light chicken, veal, or fish stock, and salt and pepper for seasoning. Commonly the sauce produced will be referred to by the type of stock used e.g. chicken velouté. (Source: Wikipedia)

Velouté sauce is often served on poultry or seafood dishes, and is used as the base for other sauces. It is basically a gravy.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken stock or broth
Salt and Pepper

Procedure

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

Stir in the flour and cook by stirring for about 1 minute or until the  butter and the flour are incorporated/mixed.

Gradually, stir in the stock.

Add salt and pepper. Continue to stir until all ingredients are fully mixed in. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until it has reached a good consistency.

Makes about 2 cups.