A friend of mine recently gave me a fabulous book on how to make all kind of spreads. This particular raspberry and black pepper curd recipe picked my curiosity… Raspberry and black pepper, really?!

Well, let me tell you these two perfectly match! Used in the right proportions, black pepper amazingly enhance raspberry’s taste. And if you’re not convinced, you can just skip the pepper part and enjoy a delicious raspberry curd

You can spread it on bread or sweet buns, mix it with plain yogurt, use as a pastry case and so many more. Amongst other pastries, I used it to make individual fig tartes tatin that came out wonderful. Unfortunately they were all gone before I could take pictures!

This recipe is a perfect basis for tons of desserts. Stay tuned; I’ll definitely post a bunch of recipes using this raspberry curd.

Here is a link to the original book « Pâtes à tartiner » by Rachel Khoo on Amazon.

Preparation time: 10 minutes – Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (for about 1 lb / 450 g)

0.6 lb (300 g) of fresh or frozen raspberries
0.4 lb (200 g) of sugar
3,5 oz (100 g) of butter (at room temperature)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of freshly grounded black pepper
1 pinch of salt

Instructions

Hint: In order to easily sterilize the jars you’ll be using, just put them in a cold oven, set heat to 350°F (180°C – Th 6). Once temperature has reached, leave the jars for 20 minutes in the oven. Let them cool down, you’re done! Ready to be filled.

1/ Heat a medium pan over low heat, add raspberries, water, sugar, eggs, ground black pepper and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon.

2/ Dice butter into small pieces.

3/ When raspberries begin to break and mixture is starting to bubble, add butter and stir until it has melt.

4/ Increase heat and keep stirring the curd mixture until it thickens. (Your raspberry curd should coat the wooden spoon, not staying liquid)

5/ Rub immediately through a sieve (prefer a plastic one, a metallic one would spoil fruit flavor), and pour into an airtight container or a sterilized pot.

You can keep it for 3 weeks in the fridge.

Have fun making more recipes with it

Here are some cute savory flans really easy to make. They’re a perfect side dish for fish or meat and you can find thousands of variations. This recipe features Parmesan, goat cheese and spinach. Once you’ve mastered them you can let your imagination fly and try broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, eggplants or any vegetable you like with all sorts of cheeses. It’s a great recipe, very useful whenever you don’t have much in the fridge

Preparation time: 20 minutes – Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 to 3 servings)

1 lb (450 g) of fresh spinach leaves
2 1/2 oz (75 g) of goat cheese
1 1/2 oz (45 g) of grated Parmesan
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of butter
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Wash and dry spinach leaves thoroughly. Pinch off the stems.

2/ Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add spinach leaves and stir regularly until they’re soft.

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

4/ Dice goat cheese.

5/ Break eggs in a large bowl and whisk them with a fork. Add heavy cream, Parmesan, goat cheese and spinach. Add salt and pepper and whisk again.

6/ Grease individual ramekins with butter and pour flan mixture into them.

7/ Bake in oven for 20 minutes and serve right away.

My life is pretty crazy right now, I’m having a hard time finding moments to post
But don’t worry, I keep cooking and shooting so I’ll have a lot of dishes to share with you once I can escape more often from by business!

This lamb and pistachio skewers recipe was inspired by the French « Saveurs » magazine although it ended up a lot different from the original. These kebabs are a variation of the Mediterranean kofta. Like the original, they’re served with a mint and yogurt sauce and can be eaten with some salad in a flatbread.

Preparation time: 30 minutes – Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

Lamb and pistachio skewers

1.3 lbs (600 g) of  ground lamb meat
1 oz (30 g) of shelled pistachio nuts
6 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 egg
1 onion
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground cilantro
1 squeeze of lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Yogurt sauce

2 Greek yogurts
30 mint leaves
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Prepare mint yogurt sauce: Peel and chop garlic finely. Rinse, dry and chop mint leaves. Combine yogurt, garlic, mint, olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep in the fridge.

2/ Prepare skewers: Rinse, dry and chop parsley. Peel and chop onion. Chop pistachio nuts.

3/ Break egg in a small bowl and whisk it with a fork.

4/ Keep some chopped pistachios aside for sprinkling. In a large salad bowl, combine lamb meat, onion, pistachios, parsley, olive oil, breadcrumbs and whisked eggs.

5/ Add one squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and scrunch all together with your hands.

6/ Preheat oven over grill position. Line a baking sheet on a baking tray. Wash your hands with cold water. Don’t get them totally dry, meat will stick less on your hands.

7/ Mold lamb mixture around each skewer into a kind of flat sausage. Place kebabs on the baking tray as they’re made.

8/ Bake in oven for 10 minutes, turning them after 5 minutes.

9/ Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve with mint yogurt sauce.

Have you ever had profiteroles? it’s a pastry combining vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce… How does that sound?

It’s pretty simple to make once you get the pastry texture right. If you make it too dry or too liquid, your puff pastry won’t « get up » in the oven. Every egg is different, their weight can vary from one country or brand to another. That’s why, in order to succeed, it is more important to achieve a particular texture than respecting the given egg measure.

This profiteroles recipe is the original French classic but don’t be afraid to vary ice cream flavors, you’ll find your favorite! Need some ideas? Start by trying pear or coconut, they’re both amazing

Preparation time: 20 minutes – Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients (for 25 to 30 profiteroles)

1/2 cup (125 ml) of milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) of water
1 stick (4 oz/ 125 g) of butter
4 oz (125 g) of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 eggs (about 2 oz/ 60 g each)

Chocolate sauce

1/3 cup (85 ml) of water
1 tablespoon (15 g) of caster sugar
1 tablespoon (15 g) of unsweetened cocoa
7 oz (200 g) of dark chocolate
1/2 cup (125 ml) of whipping cream

3 cups (750 ml) of vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Prepare puff pastry

1/ Dice butter.

2/ Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Add water, milk, butter and salt. Stir occasionally until butter is melt.

3/ Take pan off heat and add flour all at once, whisk. Put pan back over low heat and whisk for a minute so pastry dries up a little.

4/ Off heat, add one egg and whisk until mixture is blended and smooth. Repeat with two more eggs.

5/ Break last egg in a small bowl, whisk it with a fork. (Pastry mixture is ready when smooth and sticky. When taking it with a spoon, it should hang on the sides. If your pastry mixture is too liquid, add some flour (1 teaspoon at a time) until it gets sticky. There is no need for you to add the last egg. On the other hand, if you pastry is still hard to whisk you go and add the last egg.) Add whisked egg one half at a time and whisk pastry mixture.

6/ Pour pastry mixture in a piping bag. (If you don’t have one, use a freezer bag. You’ll cut one corner with scissors once it’s filled with pastry mixture) . Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

7/ Preheat oven to 400°F (200° C/ Th 6). If you have a convection oven, preheat to 375° F (190° C/ Th 5).

8/ Position opening of the piping bag just above the baking tray. Gently squeeze. Lift about 1/4 inch while still squeezing.When puff is about 1.5 inch round, stop squeezing and lift tip. Leave a few inches between puffs so they don’t stick together  when baking.

9/ Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Don’t open the oven before they’re ready!

10/ When they’re ready, get them to chill on a grill tray.

Prepare chocolate sauce

1/ Break dark chocolate in a bowl.

2/ Get water, sugar and cocoa powder to a boil in a small pan. Stir well with a wooden spoon until you get a smooth chocolate syrup.

3/ When chocolate syrup is boiling, lower heat and add whipping cream. Stir well.

4/ Take off heat and add dark chocolate. Stir well until you get a blended and thick chocolate sauce.

Prepare profiteroles (count 3 per serving)

1/ Open all the puff pastry you need with a knife.

2/ Place bottoms on serving plates, top with puff pastry remaining half.

3/ Top generously with chocolate sauce and serve right away.

Eggs cocotte are perfect for every meal! That’s what I love about them. Perfect for brunch when served with a yogurt, a fruit salad and a croissant. Great with a salad or a soup as a light lunch or dinner. Egg cocotte is also a traditional entrée in many French restaurants.

It’s mushroom and ham version is called ‘oeuf cocotte à la parisienne’ (Parisian shirred egg) so I guess it’s been imagined in the City of Light. It’s incredibly tasty AND easy to make. Don’t be afraid to experiment around this recipe, baked eggs are fun to play with!

Next time try adding chives, chervil and tarragon along with the parsley. This herb mix is called ‘fines herbes’, it’s a nice twist on the Parisian shirred eggs original recipe. Don’t be afraid to try them with chicken or veggies, they taste great with a lot of different ingredients.

Preparation time: 10 minutes – Baking time: 6 to 8 minutes

Ingredients (for 1 serving)

1 egg
1 oz (30 g) of ham
2 portobello mushrooms
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 teaspoons of creme fraiche
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 slice of bread
Butter
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1/ Preheat oven to 500° F (260° C/Th 9).

2/ Peel and slice mushrooms. (You should never wash portobello mushrooms, they would get soaked with water and loose taste as a result. Just grate stalk if there is mud and slice off the end part. Then peel off the cap by grasping the white edge with a knife and pull to peel strips off the mushroom.)

3/ Rinse parsley and peel garlic clove. Chop both.

4/ Heat a frying pan oven medium high heat, add olive oil. When it’s hot, add garlic. Move it around the pan for about one minute so the oil gets a garlic flavor.

5/ Lower to medium heat and pour mushrooms into the pan. Add parsley and a pinch of salt. Leave for 5 minutes stirring from time to time.

6/ Grease 1 ramekin with butter or margarine.

7/ Chop ham scraps and dispose some of them in the ramekin. Alternate with a layer of mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of creme fraiche. Repeat operation once. Add salt.

8/ Break the egg into the ramekin and top with a pinch of pepper.

9/ Fill half of an ovenproof dish with boiling (or very hot water) and put ramekin on it. Bake in oven for 6 to 8 minutes. (It’s ready when white is done but yolk remains liquid.)

10/ Serve with toasted bread.

Looking for a salmon alternative for this baked eggs recipe? Click here.