Have you ever tried Comté cheese? It’s a cooked cheese like Gruyère although it is much tastier. It has a great nutty flavor which makes it perfect for a zucchini gratin. If you can’t find any, don’t worry, zucchini marries much more cheese varieties You can make this zucchini gratin recipe with swiss cheese or cheddar if you like.

Preparation time: 15 mn  Cooking time: 30 mn

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 servings)

2.2 lbs (1 kg) of zucchini
2 eggs
6 oz (20 cl) of creme fraiche
1/4 lb (125 g) of Comté cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pinch of nutmeg
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Peel zucchini and slice top off.

2/ Cut zucchini into thin slices. (If you slice them too thick, they’ll take a long time to cook.)

3/ Heat a pan over medium heat. Add oil and cook zucchini covered for about 15 minutes stirring regularly. Add salt and pepper.

4/ Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C/Th 6)

5/ In a bowl, mix eggs, creme fraiche, half of cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

6/ Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a baking pan. Then add a layer of zucchini topped with creme fraiche and cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of zucchini, the rest of the mixture and finish with cheese.

7/ Top with salt and pepper. (Zucchini have a pretty sweet taste, they need to get more salt than other vegetables. Don’t hesitate to try and season according to your own taste.)

8/ Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until your gratin has a nice golden color.

9/ Serve right away.

It’s a perfect side dish for lemon stuffed chicken or fish for example. For a vegetarian meal, you can serve this zucchini and Comté cheese gratin with a carrot and orange soup and a nice salad.

Asparagus season has come I love that time of the year when in season fruits and vegetables’ list starts growing. Here is a simple recipe to enjoy green asparagus with little cooking to make. You can serve them as a starter but it will also make a perfect side dish for fish. We had them with salmon, it came out great.

Preparation time: 20 mn

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 servings)

2.2 lbs (1 kg) of fresh green asparagus
6 or 7 basil leaves
1 non-treated lemon
1 teaspoon of capers
6 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of balsamiq vinegar
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Take water to a boil in a large pan.

2/ Clean asparagus. Peel the last third on the opposite side of the head and cut the hard end off.

3/ When water is boiling, add asparagus and leave for 8 to 10 minutes.

4/ Clean lemon and grate zest.

5/ Rinse and chop basil.

6/ Prepare vinaigrette in a bowl by mixing oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir energetically.

7/ When asparagus are tender, take them off water and lay them next to each other in a plate.

8/ Top asparagus with capers, chopped basil, lemon zest and a pinch of salt.

9/ Serve right away.

We always hear soufflé is very difficult to make. The truth is, it’s very difficult to get it to the table all nice and up but it is still very good even if you never get to that part . You can see mine got down before I took the picture and nobody complained! I cooked them as a side dish for a Bordeaux style fish and didn’t have enough space in my oven to bake them together… So, here is the rule: whatever happens, get your soufflés right from the oven to the table!

Preparation time: 45 mn – Baking time: 35 mn

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

2 lbs (900g) of fresh spinach
1/2 cup (125 ml) of milk
3 oz (85g) of butter (1/2 oz + 2 1/2 oz)
3 oz (85g) of grated cheese
4 eggs
4 shallots
4 tablespoons of flour
1 garlic clove
1 pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Get a salted water filled pan to a boil. Clean and hull spinach. Leave them in boiling water for 5 mn then strain and press spinach to take water off.

2/ Peel and chop shallots and garlic. Heat a cooking pan over low medium heat. Melt 1/2 oz of butter, add shallots and garlic. Leave covered for 5 mn, moving it a few times. Add spinach. After 5 to 7 mn, add salt and pepper and set aside.

3/ Melt 2 1/2 oz of butter in a cooking pan. Sprinkle with flour, let it get a golden color and add cold milk. Add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then add cheese. Stir well and take off heat.

4/ Separate egg whites from yolks. (The easiest way to do it is by taking the broken egg in one hand and let white fall in a bowl when keeping yolk over your fingers). Add yolks to cheese sauce. Beat egg whites until stiff.

5/ Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/ Th 6).

6/ Add cheese sauce to spinach. Stir well. Fold stiff eggs thoroughly into mixture.

7/ Grease a muffin pan and fill it with mixture. Bake in oven for 25 mn.

Serve it right away

Gratin Dauphinois is a huge classic in French cuisine. It’s from the Dauphiné region situated in south eastern France (next to Italy) and made with potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, salt & pepper. Cheap, easy to make and tasty…We’re not asking for more!

Preparation time: 20m – Cooking Time: 50 mn

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of potatoes
1/8 lbs (55 g/2 oz) of butter
2 cups of milk
5/8 cup of sour cream (creme fraiche)
1 garlic clove
Salt & Pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1/ Peel potatoes and clean them. Dry them in a clean cloth. Cut them into very thin slices. (Dont wash them after cutting, it wouldn’t come out as good).

2/ Cop garlic. Boil milk with garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

3/ Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C/Th 6).

3/ Pour sliced potatoes into the milk. Let it boil smoothly for 10 mn stiring often.

4/ Grease a baking pan with butter. Dice the rest of it. Pour potatoes and milk into the pan. Pour cream and top with butter dices.

5/ Bake in oven for 50 minutes. (It’s ready when potatoes are tender and sauce slightly boiling)

Serve with meat and a salad.