The Little Paris Kitchen (11 page)

The
brioche
recipe I use here is similar to
brioche vendéenne
, which is traditionally shaped as a braid for Easter and is made with crème fraîche and orange flower water.

The dough makes a great base for buns, and one of my favorite fillings is the Argentinian caramel spread
dulce de leche
. I discovered it during my first cooking job in Paris, at the cookery store La Cocotte. I used to bake
coquetines
(biscuits filled with
dulce de leche
) and other sweet treats for their tea salon and book events.

MAKES 6

• 5 tbsp butter • 3½ tbsp milk • 1 tsp active dry yeast • 2 cups all-purpose flour • ¼ cup sugar • a pinch of salt • 1 egg, beaten, plus beaten egg, for the egg wash • 1 heaped tbsp crème fraîche • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp orange flower water •
⅔
cup
dulce de leche
• 3 small dessert apples, cored and roughly chopped, or 1 cup nuts (e.g., almonds or hazelnuts), roughly chopped (optional)

Melt the butter in the milk. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve (the milk should be lukewarm, definitely not hot, otherwise the yeast will not work).

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Create a well in the middle, add the milk mixture and the rest of the ingredients, and combine together until you have a soft, sticky dough. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, line a 10-inch springform pan (3¼–4 inches deep), or a regular cake pan, with parchment paper. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, then roll into a large rectangle (roughly 12 by 16 inches). Spread the
dulce de leche
on top, leaving a ¾-inch border, and sprinkle over the chopped apples or nuts (if using). Roll up the dough to make a long sausage and cut into six equal pieces. Place each piece, swirl-side up, into the prepared pan and brush with egg wash. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Egg wash the buns a second time and then bake for 30–40 minutes or until golden brown. If the briochettes start browning too much, cover with some aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best eaten warm, or on the same day.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Resting time: overnight, plus a couple of hours
Baking time: 30
–
40 minutes

Pain perdu
means “lost bread,” but this dish finds its way to my stomach quite easily. I've topped it with my favorite compote, but you can eat it just as it comes, without any topping at all.

SERVES 4

For the compote:
*
1 lb frozen pitted cherries • 1½ cups confectioners' sugar • a bunch of basil (about
⅔
oz)

• 1 egg • 1 cup milk • 1 tbsp sugar • 4 slices of
brioche
or sandwich bread • 1 tbsp butter

TO MAKE THE COMPOTE:
Place all the ingredients in a pot and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally during this time to help dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg, milk, and sugar together in a dish. Place the
brioche
in the egg mixture and soak for a minute on each side. Heat the butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the
brioche
and cook for 2–3 minutes or until golden, then flip the slices over and cook the other side.

Remove the basil from the compote. Serve the
pain perdu
straight from the pan, with the warm compote spooned over and around.

*
The compote can be made in advance and kept for several days in an airtight container in the fridge, ready to be reheated when you want it
.

•
sliced banana and chocolate sauce

•
crispy bacon and maple syrup

•
fresh berries and a scoop of ice cream

•
salted caramel sauce (see
page 249
)

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

Fromage frais
has a smooth, creamy taste and a subtle acidic note, making it less smelly socks and more freshly washed white linen. Of course, an additional plus is that it's low in fat and cholesterol, but that doesn't mean it's low in taste.

MAKES ABOUT 14 OZ

• 2 qt 2-percent or skimmed milk, preferably organic but not UHT or homogenized • ½ cup plain live or probiotic yogurt, preferably organic • juice of 1 lemon (6 tbsp) • a pinch of salt or sugar • 2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Pour the milk into a large pot. Heat very slowly, stirring gently, until it starts to steam and little bubbles form around the edge (it should not boil at any point). This should take about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before stirring in the yogurt and lemon juice. Leave to sit undisturbed for a further 10 minutes. Return the pot to the heat and bring the milk to a boil. Once it separates into curds (the solids) and whey (the liquid), remove from the heat.

Line a fine-meshed sieve with cheesecloth or a clean tea towel. Place the sieve over a bowl and pour in the separated milk. Scrunch the cloth tightly immediately above the cheese, like making a money bag, and twist to squeeze out any excess liquid. Now tie the corners of the cloth together to form a hanging pouch and thread a wooden spoon through the loop. Hang the cheese over a large bowl or jug (don't let it sit on the bottom), and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the cheese hangs, the more the liquid will drip away and the drier the cheese will become.

To serve, twist the cloth as before to squeeze out any excess liquid, then remove the cheese from the cloth and season with salt or sugar. Serve as it comes for a firm version, or beat in a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream for a smoother, creamier cheese.

Spread the cheese over a slice of toasted
brioche
or bread, then just let your imagination and taste buds get creative to sweeten or spice it up. These are some of my favorite flavorings.

Sweet:
a drizzle of honey or maple syrup or a sprinkling of sugar can be quite sufficient. Or serve with fresh or stewed fruit (berries are especially good). For a crunch factor, try nuts or granola.

Savory:
cracked black pepper, a pinch of chile, or freshly chopped herbs (chives, parsley, etc.)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes
–
overnight

In the mid-nineteenth century, Édouard Manet and Claude Monet both painted picnic scenes,
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe
(“lunch on the grass”). Manet's painting (which in turn inspired Monet) caused quite a stir. The picnic is set in a luscious green opening in a forest. A naked woman sits with two fully dressed men who are so deep in conversation that they don't seem at all distracted by their nude companion. Fruits and bread seem to have spilled out of their picnic basket, but none of the guests seems to be too bothered about eating. That is certainly not the case with the Parisian picnics I've been to—the food is the star of the show!

In Paris, as soon as spring sunshine begins to warm the city and cold, gray winter weather is chased away, you'll find Parisians heading to any green or watery spot. Along the Seine or the canal, on the Champ de Mars under the Eiffel Tower and in many other Parisian parks, people congregate with their baguettes, bottles of wine, and other picnic paraphernalia.

My favorite park in Paris has to be the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement. Unlike the Jardin du Luxembourg or Parc Monceau, this park is very green, with plenty of grass that you can actually sit on (whereas some Parisian parks ban sitting on the grass), lots of trees, and a beautiful view over Paris. During the summer months it becomes my second home, especially since I'm lucky enough to live next door. Picnics are
the
summer social gatherings among my friends, as we all have typical tiny Parisian apartments that make entertaining for lots of people impossible. Plus there's really not much to organizing a picnic—just ask everyone to bring something along and you're sorted. This chapter is full of my personal picnic favorites—I hope you enjoy them.

Quiche Lorraine
should only be pastry, cream, eggs, and bacon. No cheese, no onions, nor any extra flavors.
Quiche
originates from Lorraine, the region of France that borders Germany. The word
quiche
comes from the German word
Kuchen
, meaning “cake.”

A
quiche
is basically a savory custard tart. Add bacon and you have
quiche Lorraine
; add some Gruyère cheese and you have
quiche Vosgienne
. Add whatever filling you fancy—see my suggestions below—and you'll have
quiche à la [your name]
!

SERVES 4–6

• 6 tbsp soft butter • 1 tsp sugar • a pinch of salt • 1
⅓
cups all-purpose flour • 2 eggs, separated • ice-cold water

For the filling:
5 oz lardons or cubes of smoked bacon
*
• 4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks • 1¼ cups crème fraîche or heavy cream • 1 tsp salt • pepper

Using a wooden spoon,
**
beat together the butter, sugar, and salt until soft and creamy. Mix in the flour followed by the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons ice-cold water. Mix and bring together to make a smooth ball, adding a little more water if the pastry is too crumbly (only knead as much as necessary to bring the dough together). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour (best overnight).