The Little Paris Kitchen (13 page)
Read The Little Paris Kitchen Online
Authors: Rachel Khoo
Carrot and celeriac salads are staples on many lunch menus. There's not much to the recipes, just the main ingredient and a vinaigrette, and therein lies the pleasure. So simple that they can be effortlessly whipped up for a picnic in a matter of minutes.
For the carrot salad:
8 carrots, grated
*
⢠½ bunch of parsley, finely chopped ⢠5 tbsp sunflower oil ⢠juice of ½ lemon ⢠salt and pepper
SERVES 4â6
For the celeriac and apple salad:
8 oz celeriac, grated
*
⢠1 dessert apple, peeled and grated
*
⢠5 tbsp sunflower oil ⢠2 tbsp white wine vinegar ⢠1 heaped tsp grainy mustard ⢠a pinch of sugar ⢠salt and pepper
TO MAKE THE CARROT SALAD:
Put the carrots and parsley into a bowl. Make a vinaigrette by mixing together the oil and lemon juice and seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the carrots and toss everything together. Taste for seasoning.
**
TO MAKE THE CELERIAC AND APPLE SALAD:
Put the celeriac and apple into a bowl. Make a vinaigrette by mixing together the oil, wine vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the celeriac and apple and toss everything together. Taste for seasoning.
**
If you have a grating attachment on your food processor to make fine little matchsticks, use this rather than a traditional grater. A bit more work, but the texture of the matchsticks creates a crunchier salad | |
Both salads are best eaten on the day you make them (celeriac and apple has a tendency to discolor, even with the dressing). Keep them in separate airtight containers in the fridge until it's time to take them to the picnic |
Preparation time: 20 minutes (for both salads)
“
Choosing bread in a boulangerie can be quite overwhelming. Of course, there
'
s the classic baguette but there
'
s also a whole range of other breads, such as sourdough, whole wheat and rye, and breads with nuts, figs, and other dried fruit.
”
Olive bread
This recipe was given to me by Gontran Cherrier, who comes from a family of bakers going back three generations. He has several cookbooks under his belt and runs a Parisian bakery, so when it comes to bread he certainly knows what he's talking about. His
pain brié
is typical of the Normandy region and is simple to make. I baked it for a picnic and it must have been goodâby the time I wanted to try some, it was all gone.
MAKES 1 LOAF
⢠1 tsp active dry yeast ⢠4 tbsp warm water â¢
â
cup all-purpose flour ⢠a generous pinch of salt ⢠2 tbsp soft butter ⢠10 oz fermented dough
*
For the filling:
â
cup green olives, pitted â¢
â
cup black olives, pitted ⢠1 tsp finely chopped rosemary (optional) ⢠4 tsp olive oil
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the dissolved yeast, butter, and fermented dough and bring together to form a ball. Turn the ball out onto a floured surface and knead for 15 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Mix together the olives and rosemary (if using) with the olive oil.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a rectangle that is about
â
inch thick and slightly larger than a sheet of computer paper. Spread the olive mixture on top. Roll up the dough lengthwise to form a large sausage, then place join-side down on a piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut deep slits in the dough to reveal the layers of olives (but don't cut all the way down to the bottom). Cover again with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 475°F
**
with a baking sheet in the middle and a roasting pan at the bottom. Once the oven is hot, slide the bread on to the hot baking sheet (keeping it on the paper) and pour a glass of water into the roasting pan. Bake the loaf for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 20â25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm or cold.
For the fermented dough, ask your baker, or make it yourself the night before. Mix 2 teaspoons active dry yeast with ½ cup warm water. Stir until dissolved. Mix 1½ cups all-purpose flour with 2 generous pinches of salt. Pour in the dissolved yeast and mix together. Knead until it forms a smooth ball (it will be sticky at the beginning), place in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight | |
Convection ovens can dry out the bread, so use the regular setting for this loaf if you can |
Preparation time: 30 minutes Resting time: several hours, plus overnight Baking time: 25
â
30 minutes
Sweet and savory clafoutis
Clafoutis
originally came from the Limousin. Baked fruit in a simple batter of eggs, sugar, ground almonds, and flour, it's the kind of dessert your French
grand-mère
would make if you had one. Traditionally whole cherries are used, but you can use whatever fruit you have. You can even get away with canned fruit, as long as you drain it well.
The French have recently taken to transforming dessert recipes into savory ones. Replace the fruit with cheese and tomatoes, leave out the sugar, and
voilÃ
âa savory
clafoutis
.
SERVES 6
⢠4 eggs ⢠¾ cup sugar ⢠a pinch of salt ⢠scant ½ cup ground almonds
*
⢠2 tbsp all-purpose flour ⢠7 tbsp crème fraîche ⢠7 tbsp milk ⢠12 oz cherries, pitted, or any soft fruit or berries of your choice (or even chocolate chunks)
Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter and flour a 7½-by-4-inch baking dish or pan.
**
Whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt until pale yellow and thick. Sift and fold in the ground almonds and flour, then stir in the crème fraîche and milk. Scatter the cherries in the prepared dish, spreading them out evenly. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 30â40 minutes or until golden brown and set. Serve warm or cold.
Make as for the sweet
clafoutis
but omit the sugar, replacing the cherries with 3½ oz mature cheese (e.g., Gruyère, mature Comté, Cheddar, or goat's cheese), chopped into large cubes; ½ cup cherry tomatoes; and
â
cup black olives, pitted. You could also flavor the batter with chopped herbs, such as basil, parsley, or thyme, and use leftover roasted vegetables as an alternative to the cheese and tomatoes.
Almonds can be replaced with different ground nuts, such as hazelnuts or pistachios | |
Or make individual |
Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 30
â
40 minutes
Rosemary, lavender, and goat's cheese bread
The word
fougasse
stems from the ancient Roman
panis focacius
, which is probably why the bread is so similar to the Italian
focaccia
. Unlike the Italians, however, the French stretch and slice their loaf into a leaf shape. This isn't just for aesthetic reasonsâthe slashes increase the surface area of the bread, ensuring a crisper, faster-cooking loaf.
The bread makes a great base for any topping you fancy: leftover roasted vegetables, cheese, fruit, herbsâthe possibilities are endless.
MAKES 2 SMALL LOAVES
⢠2 tsp active dry yeast ⢠1 cup lukewarm water ⢠3 cups bread flour ⢠1½ tsp salt, plus extra for sprinkling ⢠1 tsp dried rosemary ⢠½ tsp dried lavender ⢠2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing ⢠3 oz hard goat's cheese, cut into small cubes
Mix the yeast with the warm water, stirring until the yeast has completely dissolved. Mix the flour, salt, rosemary, and lavender in a bowl. Pour in the dissolved yeast and the olive oil and mix to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a smooth, sticky ball (don't add too much flour as it's better sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour, then put in the fridge overnight.