Cheese tray

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Merguez

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  Barbeques are as popular in France as they are in the UK and one of the essential items on any French grill is the merguez sausage. Originating in North Africa, this long, thin sausage is usually made from lamb or beef mince (never pork) and is heavily spiced with cayenne, cumin and garlic. It is usually cooked over wood or coal, firstly to give it a distinctive smoky flavour but also to avoid making a mess of your oven due to the high fat content!  They are available to buy online or you could try making your own. Click on  homemade-merguez-sausage-recipe  
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Poulet (chicken) Basquaise

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This classic dish originates from the French Basque region. The chicken is slowly pot roasted in a pepper sauce called piperade , made from melted red and green peppers, shallots, garlic and tomatoes. Serve the Poulet Basquaise with a side dish of sauté potatoes or boiled rice . Serves 4 Cooking time: 50 minutes Ingredients 1.5 kg whole chicken (free range and corn-fed if you can) 6 tbsp. olive oil 3 banana shallots, finely sliced 2 gloves of garlic, finely sliced 1 large red pepper, finely sliced 1 large green pepper, finely sliced 1 bay leaf 4 sprigs of thyme Pinch of caster sugar 50 ml of brandy 100 ml white wine 1kg fresh plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (or a tin) 100gr Bayonne ham, finely sliced (or Serrano ham or similar) Salt and pepper    Method ·         Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Start by butchering the chicken into 8 pieces: 2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 legs and 2 thighs. Cut th...
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Pear Almondine

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This recipe is from one of my favourite chefs, Raymond Blanc, and was demonstrated live last Saturday on his ITV programme  "Simply Raymond". "Tarte aux poires et aux amandes" translates into English as "Pear Frangipane tart or Pear Almondine".   Frangipane,  an almond-flavoured sweet pastry cream, is widely used in France in various desserts, pastries and cakes. Serves 6 to 8 people Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes + 10 minutes cooling time. Ingredients 100 g unsalted butter, room temperature 100 g caster sugar 100 g ground almonds 1 teaspoon cornflour 1 egg, medium, organic/free-range 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 pear halves, tinned or from a jar 80 g melted butter to brush the inside of the tart ring or use spray oil To serve A handful flaked almonds (for extra flavour, first toast them in a dry pan) Icing sugar, for dusting Method Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place a tart ring, about 18cm x 2cm, on a lined baking tray...
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